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Chapter Text

Spring had come to Gensokyo, and nobody cared.

Of course, this could be easily forgiven, as it was in the wee hours of the morning, and most of the mystical country's denizens were either hours from awakening or just getting to bed. A shame too. For as far as mornings went, it was a beautiful one. The sun was just beginning to peek over the tips of the mountain range, illuminating miles of dewy fields and sleepy forests. The buds of the first flowers of the year began to open in response to the sun's rays. A low mist hovered over the ground to billow over the lakes, enjoying its last few moments of dominance before the sun banished it entirely. In the forest, birds began to flit from tree to tree, singing their greetings to one another.

However, everyone else couldn't care less. Beyond the birds and the flowers, the various inhabitants of Gensokyo were asleep and planning on remaining that way for the foreseeable future. Everyone that was, except one.

"SSSSSPRRRRRRIIINNNNGGGGG!"

Lily White literally exploded into the air, showering the land with projectiles of various sizes and shape as flowers bloomed in her wake. The first day of spring always worked her into frenzy, and this year was no exception. Laughing with joy, she zipped to and fro through the air, announcing winter's end to anyone who would hear. Whether they liked it or not.

"Wake up everybody!" she called as loud as she could. "Wake up! It's here, it's finally here! Spring has arrived!"

And it worked. Throughout the forest, various youkai stirred in their makeshift beds, wishing that she would just shut up for once. Kappa poked their heads above water, curious to see what all the fuss was about. Even the humans in their villages weren't immune to Lily's cry, as many of them cursed themselves for forgetting their earplugs this year while those who had remembered cursed themselves for not investing in a stronger set of earplugs. And in an ancient mansion several miles away, a cranky young vampire demanded that her maid "Shoot the damned thing down already." Unfortunately for them, Lily had learned from past experience to stay well out of firing range,

If the white-clad fairy had any idea how irritating her self-imposed duty was making her, she gave no indication. This was her job, and she would do it to the very best of her ability. If people didn't like it, it was their fault for sleeping through part of the first day of spring. She twirled in the air, joyfully spreading love and bullets as she went.

"SSSSSPRRRRRRIIINNNNGGGGG!"

That was when something hit her in the face, something cold, wet and soft. Startled, she forgot how to fly and tumbled head over heels back to the ground. Fortunately, there was a soft patch of grass for her to land in, but the impact still knocked her senseless. She struggled to sit up, but three seconds after her arrival, a sudden burst of lilies erupted around her, knocking her back down again.

Lily groaned and rubbed her head. She had no idea what had hit her, but she was growing increasingly aware of the fact that it was still in her mouth. She frowned and spat it out. Whatever it was, it was white and colder than anything had a right to be. Come to think of it, it looked a lot like…

Snow?

A snowball? Someone had hit her with a snowball? On the first day of spring?

The fuzziness in her mind burned away, engulfed by the fury that was now growing within her at an alarming rate. Someone had dared use an element of winter to attack her. She was going to find that someone. She was going to make them hurt.

A raucous round of nearby laughter suggested that she would not have to look far.

Growling, she pushed aside the lilies and got a good look at her attackers. There were five of them: three youkai and two fairies. The youkai were the ones responsible for the laughter. One of them, a girl in a black dress with a red and white ribbon in her yellow hair, was helping support a sparrow-girl with short brown hair, a tan dress and a strange winged hat. The third, a firefly by the looks of her, one with a mop of green hair and strangely boyish clothing, wasn't even bothering with trying to hold herself up and was rolling on the ground in hysterics. One of the fairies, a girl in a blue dress whose green hair was tied into a ponytail, looked incredibly nervous as she hovered behind the group. However, the other, this one with blue hair and six crystalline wings, didn't look nervous at all, and judging from the unrepentant grin on her face and the snowball she was tossing up and down Lily had found her culprit.

Lily knew them, of course. Everybody knew them, nobody liked them. Rumia, Mystia Lorelei, Wriggle Nightbug, Daiyousei and, of course, Cirno. It was generally agreed that no matter the time, date, or season, Cirno's gang was going to be up to no good. It was also agreed that there weren’t enough brains between them to fill a water bucket. The combination made them very infamous indeed.

"You!" Lily spat.

Cirno's grin just increased. "Well, what'd you expect? All that flying around, screaming 'Spring!' at the top of your stupid lungs and waking everybody up! Frankly, I'm surprised someone didn't shut you up earlier!"

Lily's eyes narrowed and she pulled herself to her feet. "How dare you!" she shouted. "This is spring! Winter has no business here!"

In response, Lily got another face full of snow. She quickly wiped it off to see Cirno's tongue sticking out and her thumb pressing up on her nose.

"I'm an ice fairy, not a winter fairy," Cirno announced. "So nyah!"

Unlike her leader, Daiyousei didn't look to confident about harassing Lily. "Um, C-Cirno," she stuttered, "maybe you shouldn't-"

This warning was ignored. "What, you can dish out but you can't take it? Is that it?" Cirno taunted. "I guess you really are all talk! And that is why I'm the-"

"Look out!" Daiyousei shouted.

She swooped down and tackled Cirno to the ground. Just in time too, because Lily's trademark hurricane of bullets obliterated the area she had been occupying. The rest of her gang stopped their laughter to stare up as Lily White rose into the air. Though to be honest, the Spring fairy was now quite the captivating sight. She was now literally blazing with fury, with chaotic energies swirling around her fists and dancing in her eyes.

"WHY YOU DISREPSECTFUL LITTLE TRAMP!" Lily bellowed with all the force in her lungs. "I'LL TEACH YOU TO DISRESPECT SPRING'S MESSENGER! FEEL THE MIGHT OF SSSSSPRRRRRRIIINNNNGGGGG!"

"Scatter!" Rumia called. The surrounding around was immediately bombarded by a storm of firepower. Grass exploded upwards in clumps and flower patches bloomed just in time to be cut to shreds.

Cirno's gang, however, had not stuck around to see this happen. All five of them were now shooting through the forest, most of them sending out taunts and catcalls back at Lily. This of course did absolutely nothing to improve her mood.

It would probably be pointless to go after them. There were five of them, after all, and in the Forest of Magic even one would be difficult to catch.

Still, they had disrespected spring. You just didn't let an insult like that slide.

Lily took in a deep breath. Well, she had been planning on shooting the landscape up anyway as part of her yearly ritual. It looked like this time she would have a target.

After taking a moment to ready all the energy she had available, Lily began to follow.

…

It was generally agreed upon that while being a part of Cirno's gang was great fun, it was not without risks. As such, having to flee the angry victim of one prank or another was had long become routine.

Fortunately, Lily White was far from the strongest person to have pursued them with murderous intent. And they did outnumber her five-to-one. In fact, Cirno could probably have taken her on her own. But why stand and fight when driving your victim nuts was so much more fun? And seeing how Lily had never been playing with a full deck to begin with, they really didn't have to try hard.

Three youkai and two fairies dashed and darted through the trees of the Magic Forest, laughing and taunting as they went. Above the treetops, a furious Lily could be seeing trying to shoot them down with burst after burst after burst. She was certainly doing a great deal of damage, but thanks to her growing frustration none of her shots were hitting home. This of course was not lost on the targets of her ire, and their taunts and catcalls barraged her from every direction.

"Ha! Missed again you loser!"

"Wow, you really are a bad shot, aren't you?"

"Not even close, not even close, and the dumb fairy can't hit the broad side of a mountain!"

"Ahhh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, don't hurt me! Ahhh!"

Well, taunts, catcalls and one plea for forgiveness. Daiyousei never had gotten the hang of the whole "danger" thing.

Frustrated, Lily skimmed above the treetops, angrily searching every which way for her prey. Movement to her left caught her eye, and she launched another barrage in that direction. A high-pitched cackling told her she had missed.

Lily balled up her hands. "Where are you?" she cried out in frustration. "Come out and fight! You're all a bunch of filthy cowards!"

A nearby voice answered. "Is that so!"

"Huh?"

And that was when the world went dark.

Lily shrieked in surprise. She balked in mid-air and swung about in confusion. It was as if someone had deactivated her eyes and then struck out the sun for good measure. Now that was just cheating.

"WHAT IS THIS?" Lily screamed into the darkness. "WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING, STOP IT!" When her opponents failed to answer, she tried firing several more blasts in random directions. She swooped around, listening carefully for sounds of impact. From the sound of things, she had managed to hit several trees, but there were no cries of pain. Damn it.

Then the darkness disappeared.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently she had managed to hit whoever had swallowed the light. There was that at least…

It was then that she noticed that she was on a collision course with a surprisingly tall and hard looking tree.

Lily's eyes popped in their sockets. She tried to bank hard, but her momentum was too great. She slammed face-first into the trunk hard enough to make the top of the tree sway back and forth. Her brain rattled in her skull and her thoughts immediately dissolved into nonsense.

"Guhhh, what in the tree love spring I like beans-"

Rationalism managed to catch up before she went tumbling. Lily shook off the confusion and steadied herself. She noticed a sizeable bump beginning to form over her right eyebrow. She gingerly touched it and winced as it protested the contact.

Oh yeah. Someone was going to die. Unfortunately, those someones were nowhere to be seen. She couldn't even hear their annoying taunts anymore.

"That was a cheap shot!" she called out in hopes of luring them out. "Come out and face me like a ma-" Wait, that wasn't right. "Like a fai-" No, that didn't quite work either. "Um, like something that's really, really brave!" Uninspired, but it got the point across.

Still there was no response. Again, Lily felt murderous urges surge within her. This was by far the worst First Day of Spring she had ever had, and that was taking the incident with the vampire into account.

Well, she couldn't kill anyone if she couldn't find them. Lily skimmed over the tops of the trees, hoping for some sign of those who had completely ruined her favorite day of the year.

…

Unfortunately for Lily White, Cirno's gang was no longer running. After Lily had collided face-first with the tree, they had taken shelter under a fallen log and snickered away while she shouted out her challenge. And once she had finally wandered out of earshot, their muted chuckles erupted and they fell over themselves laughing. Even little Daiyousei couldn't help but join in.

"Oh wow, I can't believe she fell for that!" Wriggle said as she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Me neither!" Mystia agreed. "And when Rumia hit her with the darkness?"

Seeing an opportunity to claim the spotlight, Cirno jumped up and began twirling around in a passable imitation of Lily's movements while blinded. Her friends laughed and cheered their encouragement.

"Oh, I'm blind, I'm blind," she wailed. "Where can I be?"

She then spun around and pretended to collide with a nearby bush.

"Oh no, I am defeated by a giant stick!" Cirno declared as she tumbled onto her back. "May your mothers be cursed with lameness and you fathers with dysentery!"

This performance was rewarded with another round of cheering from the gang. "Bravo, bravo!" Rumia applauded. "Your performance moves me to tears!"

Cirno popped to her feet and bowed low to her audience. "Thank yew, thank yew. I call it 'Stupid Windbag Who Refused to Shut Up and Got What Was ComWAHHH!"

Cirno's acceptance speech was suddenly interrupted by a hard metal object that had flown through the air to smack her in the head. Cirno was knocked over on her face, while the object in question tumbled into the underbrush.

Her gang immediately dove for cover. Flying objects targeted towards their heads was an occupational hazard in their line of work, and one didn't survive long by being a hero.

When it seemed that no more things would be flying with intent on doing them harm, they carefully peeked out from behind the log's shelter. Cirno was still lying unmoving on her face, and the thing that had hit her was likewise just as motionless. They gathered their courage and snuck out to check up on their leader.

"Cirno?" Wriggle said as she prodded the nearly unconscious fairy with a fairy. "Hey Cirno, you all right?

Daiyousei took a more direct route in her inspection. She flipped Cirno over and grabbed her face. "Hey Cirno, are you okay? Say something! Cirno?"

Cirno's head wobbled from side to side as she me mumbled, "Gugghhh, no teacher, I swear the pink umbrella wasn't in the lovely garbage flower I need scissors, sixty-one. Where's the bus!"

Everyone exchanged a look that clearly said "Huh?"

"Sadly, that's the most intelligent thing she's said in a while," Wriggle muttered.

That got a snicker out of Rumia. "I hope no brain cells were killed. It's not like she can afford the loss."

That was when two pale hands shot out to grab them by their necks, ending their slanderous conversation. Jerking in surprise, they saw a still damaged but irate Cirno rising to her feet.

"I...heard…that…" she snarled as she began to throttle her backbiting subordinates. Daiyousei yelped and tried to pull her away, but her efforts were completely ineffectual. Wriggle and Rumia both began gasping out their apologies as their faces began to change color.

Mystia, it should be noted, was more interested in inspecting the strange flying object than saving her teammates. She pulled it out of the bushes and inspected it in puzzlement. "Huh. I wonder this came from," she muttered as she ran a hand over its surface.

Cirno stopped her murderous rampage long enough to take notice of her comment.

"What?"

The quarrel quickly forgotten, Cirno quickly released her teammates and the four of them joined Mystia in inspecting on object.

The object in question turned out to be a small iron cooking kettle. Its black surface was covered with dried grease, and its interior was coated with something that could not be easily identified.

Wriggle picked it up and inspected its side. "Wow Cirno, your head really dented this thing!"

"Well, whose fault is that?" Cirno muttered. "I didn't ask to be assaulted by a crazy flying pot!"

"Hehe, pothead."

The cold glare this comment received told Wriggle that discretion would probably be the better part of valor in this situation. Mystia paid no attention to their exchange and instead turned her attention to the kettle's interior.

What she found inside made her grimace. "Ugh, good thing you didn't get this stuff on you."

"Why, is it gross?"

"Big time."

Daiyousei peeked in. "Ew, is that alive?" she gagged. "When was the last time somebody cleaned this thing?"

"Wow, it looks almost sentient," Rumia agreed.

Cirno looked at her in confusion. "Centa-what?"

"It's a type of cheese," Mystia explained.

Rumia didn't bother to correct her. She picked the kettle up and squinted at its dented side. "Now, I wonder where this could have come from?" she mused.

A slight movement caught her eye. Reflexes honed by years of hanging out with Cirno took over and she dove out of the way. Just in time too, because what appeared to be a bamboo fishing pole whizzed right through the area previously occupied by her head and rebounded off a rock.

Everyone's eyes boggled. "What the hell is going on-"

Then they fell silent. Almost in unison, they turned to see where the objects were coming from. There, sitting by itself in a small clearing, was a one-story house. The building was T-shaped in construction, with the front door at the end of the lower-most bar. Its tiled roof sloped sharply upwards, and one of its arching windows, presumably the source of the thrown objects, was open. From inside, the sound of crashing and yelling could be heard.

Cirno and her friends exchanged a look and crept forward to investigate. As they approached, the shouting voices became more and more coherent.

"Stop throwing my stuff, ze!"

"Do you ever even use any of this junk? No wonder you can't find anything!"

"I could until you started throwing things around and messing everything up!"

"Messing things up? This place is a wreck! It is beyond a wreck! This place makes the dump look like a museum!"

Rumia scratched her head. "Uh, is that…"

"Marisa Kirisame and Alice Margatroid?" Wriggle answered. "I think so. That's Marisa's house at least."

"So…what are they doing?" Cirno asked.

Her question only got shrugs and blank looks in response. Fortunately, there was a rather convenient open window available. The five of them arranged themselves around the opening and warily looked inside.

…

The young witch known as Marisa Kirisame was renowned throughout Gensokyo for her sharp intelligence and strong work ethic. Unfortunately, this was heavily counterbalanced by her infamous rudeness, impulsive nature, a tendency to be "free" with other people's belongings, a lightning quick temper and for being extremely messy. This latter trait was best exemplified by the state of her home. The place was almost a literal landfill of junk. Boxes, books, weapons, toys, clothing and a variety of other items were piled in her typical careless manner throughout the house. Dirty laundry was piled in unruly mounds, mixed in with several old volumes that looked rather valuable. Filthy dishes filled the mold-coated washtub and lay stacked along its sides. And to top it off, everything was coated with dust and spider webs.

The girl herself had gone into a frenzy. Her arms were loaded with even more random items and she was frantically running to and fro trying to catch others as they flew through the air. The reason for her stuff's sudden interest in aerial acrobatics was her "guest," though that term would be applied loosely. Alice Margatroid was the closest thing Marisa had to a neighbor, in that she was the only person whose home was within walking distance. As such, the two could be technically considered friends, though given how often they were seen to be sniping at each there was much confusion as to whether they were close companions, bitter enemies, or passionately in love. Really, the rumors went all over the place.

At the moment, Alice was busy digging through one of Marisa' many junk piles, tossing item after item over her shoulder in her search. Over Alice's shoulder floated what appeared to be a blonde-haired doll in a black dress. Like the girls themselves, Alice's doll Shanghai was the source for many rumors, and no one could agree upon whether the anthropomorphic toy actually possessed a will of its own or was just controlled remotely by her master.

"I swear to everybody," Alice muttered as she dug her way deeper into the refuse, "this is the last time I let you borrow my-What on Earth is this?"

She held up a strange black plastic box. Buttons and odd holes dotted one side, and a square-shaped bit rising out of the top. Painted onto the square bit was some kind of smirking blue-and-yellow creature.

"Huh?" Marisa dropped her armful of rescued items and wandered over to look. "Oh, that. Dunno, got it from Rinnosuke's shop. I think he said it was some kind of game."

Alice tugged experimentally on the square part. To her surprise, it popped right out, revealing itself to be a cartridge of some kind. She looked at Marisa in confusion, who just shrugged.

"Lame," Alice said as she tossed them both her shoulder.

…

Outside, five sets of eyes watched the two with intense interest.

"Wow, where'd she get all that stuff?" Mystia wondered.

"Knowing her?" Wriggle said. "Probably stole it."

"That I can confirm," Rumia added.

"Huh?"

"Remember that summer I had to…" Rumia coughed, "…'intern' at the Scarlet Devil Mansion's library?"

"Intern?" Mystia said. "They conscripted you because you broke Patchouli's-"

"Anyhow! They never actually let me work with the books, so most of my job was trying to keep Miss Marisa out. She'd show up at least once a week, trying to snatch some of Miss Patchouli's rare books. Plus, I hear she likes to shoplift from Mister Rinnosuke's shop, Miss Eirin's clinic, been caught over at Miss Yuuka's mansion a couple of times. The lady's a total klepto!"

Cirno rubbed her jaw as she thought. The wheels in her head were turning, which rarely meant anything good.

"Huh, so that means there's probably some pretty cool stuff in there…" she mused.

They turned their attention back to the scene unfolding inside.

…

At the moment, Alice had just extracted a large book with the keyhole on its cover from under a pile of dirty bloomers.

"Ah, here it is!"

"See, I told you I didn't lose it," Marisa said with a smug smile.

Alice frowned. "You have a very loose definition of the word 'lose'."

"Hey, you found your damned book, all right? Quit your bitchin'."

The doll-master stood to her feet and brushed off her dress. "Sure, found it under your filthy laundry and…" Something glittered in the same pile of laundry that her grimoire had been in, catching her eye. "What's this?"

She pulled away the various scraps of linen and felt to reveal an odd-looking chest. It was about half the size of a sailor's chest and made completely out of pale lavender quartz. The lid was cut in a crystalline shape, with four sharp edges slanting inward to support a flat rectangular top. The top itself was cut into a sort of grid shape, with each square containing a letter or number painted in deep scarlet. The chest itself was locked tight, with no keyhole or other visible means of opening.

Marisa came over to peek over her shoulder. "Huh, I completely forgot about that, ze."

Alice prodded the box with her foot. "What's in it?"

"Dunno. Found it as the SDM. I think it's Patchy's."

"You stole this too?" Alice said with a scowl. "How haven't you been arrested?"

The blonde witch turned up her perpetual smirk. "Maybe because I'm just that good!"

…

Alice wasn't the only one interested in the odd chest. Now that there was treasure to be acquired and mischief to be had, excitement was mounting at an alarming rate.

"Now that looks interesting!" Cirno said as she rubbed her hands together. Her eyes began to glitter.

"I've seen boxes like that!" Rumia said. "They're where Miss Patchouli kept all her really valuable stuff, the stuff they wouldn't let me touch!"

Cirno nodded. "It's probably full of jewels and gold! And…other cool stuff!"

"From Patchouli Knowledge?" Mystia said. "It's probably just all her cough medication."

"Maybe it's a really rare book," Daiyousei suggested. "Like a first edition!"

"Or maybe it's porn!" Wriggle cut in.

In the minds of her teammates, that last suggestion trumped all others. "Ooooohhhhh…" they all said in unison.

"That's it, now we have to grab it!" Cirno announced.

"But how do we get in without being noticed?" Mystia wanted to know.

Rumia tapped her lower lip while she thought. "Well, first of all, we need a distraction."

"Hmmm…"

The team of youngsters floated to the ground and leaned against the wall as they pondered the problem before them. Heads were scratched, positions were shifted, and suggestions were cut off before being vocalized. Then, one by one, each head began to turn to stare directly at a single member of the gang. For her part, she was too deep in thought to notice right away. But no one can be stared at for any length of time without sensing it sooner or later. In time, she looked up and did not like what she saw.

"Erm, w-why is everybody staring at me?" Daiyousei asked nervously.

…

Back inside the house, the two magicians were still discussing the box and Marisa's unorthodox and possibly unethical means of acquiring it.

"I swear karma's got such a hard-on for you," Alice muttered. "So…how do you open it? I don't see a keyhole or anything…"

"Ah, its password locked," Marisa said, carelessly waving off the mention of something so mundane as a keyhole. "She does this with all her stuff. Just type in the right phrase on the crystals and pop goes the lid, ze!"

"Great," Alice groaned. "How are we supposed to figure that out?"

"Are you kidding?" Marisa laughed. "She uses the same password for everything. You'd think she'd learn after the fourth or fifth-"

A sudden knock at the door interrupted them. Marisa and Alice exchanged a confused look.

"The hell?" Marisa muttered as she made her way towards the door. "You'd think living in the godsdamned Forest of Magic would keep people away, ze."

She grabbed the door handle and pulled the door open. To her surprise, there was nobody there. She squinted in confusion and looked up, to the left, to the right, and finally down. It was then that she noticed a very nervous looking Daiyousei standing on her porch, looking down at the ground.

"Huh?" Marisa said. "Oh, it's Whatshernamesei, Cirno's friend. What do you want?"

The small ice fairy blushed furiously. She started fidgeting by pressing the tips of her index fingers together over and over as she tried to think of what to say.

"Um…um…um…"

Marisa's already thin patience was evaporating quickly. "Um? Um? Um?" she repeated, making a rolling "Let's move this along" gesture with her hand.

…

Unbeknownst to Marisa and Alice but beknownst to Daiyousei, the rest of the gang slipped in through the window and swooped down towards the crystal chest. Cirno, catching Daiyousei's eye, gave her friend an encouraging wink.

Daiyousei steeled herself and blurted out, "Um…I heard noises!"

Alice scratched her head. "You heard…"

"Noises?" Marisa finished for her.

"Yes!"

Inside, each of Daiyousei's friends gathered to a corner of the chest and, working together, lifted it off the ground. Cirno looked over her shoulder to see a floating Shanghai staring at her. The ice fairy grinned conspiratorially and pressed her finger to her lips. Shanghai mimicked the gesture and watched as the four young pranksters slowly moved the chest towards the window.

Unfortunately, Marisa had begun to pull the door shut.

"Yeah, I would talk to your shrink about that…"

Daiyousei started to panic. Her friends were in the process of trying to fit the chest through the window and would surely be seen. "I mean here!" she shouted. "I heard…crashing and yelling! And I…wanted to see…if everything was okay…"

Marisa blinked. "Huh? Is that it?" She rolled her eyes and allowed herself a luxurious sigh. "Kid, it was nothing, okay? Alice here was just looking for her damned book and making a mess."

Her companion glared daggers at her. "Making a mess?"

"So thanks for the concern," Marisa finished, "but there's nothing to see. Now scram.

"Um…Um…"

Finally her friends turned the chest sideways and got it through. Cirno shot her a thumbs-up and they disappeared into the forest.

Finally. It was time to wrap things up.

"I'm very sorry for intruding!"

Daiyousei bowed low and shot off as fast as her wings would carry her. Startled by her sudden departure, Marisa and Alice stared as she flew over the house and disappeared.

…

"Well, huh," Marisa muttered.

"That was weird," Alice agreed.

Marisa nodded. "Makes me kinda suspicious, you know?"

"How so?"

Marisa turned back into the house, closing the door behind her.

"She's part of Cirno's little gang of idiots," she explained. "Anything that has one of them acting weirder than normal usually means that they're…"

Her eyes fell upon the pile of linen Alice had been digging through.

"…up to…"

The pile of linen that was now conspicuously bereft of a certain lavender quartz box.

Marisa grabbed her head as she screamed, "WHAT? Where's the box, ze?"

Behind her, Alice crossed her arms and smirked. "And that would be the karma I was talking about earlier."

Marisa began to freak out. Her house turned into a virtual whirlwind of motion as she desperately tried to find the chest. Items flew every which way as their master, so previously disproving of Alice's own method of searching, began to toss them aside without heed of where they may fall.

"What…where…it's gotta…" Marisa stopped her search to pump her fists at the roof. "Cirno! It had to be Cirno!"

"You're sure of that?" Alice said.

"Of course I'm sure! Who else would use that little green-haired punk? Ohhh, I just got fooled by Cirno! That little twerp and her stupid friends stole my box!"

"You mean the same box you stole from Patchouli?"

"Shut up! And you!"

Marisa whirled around to jab a finger at the still-hovering Shanghai.

"You backstabbing piece of firewood! Why didn't you try to warn me?" she demanded.

In answer, the doll lifted her finger to her lips and made a shushing sound. Marisa stared at her in disbelief, and then her face began to grow a deep shade of red, edging on purple. Veins throbbed in her forehead and her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles conducted a symphony of pops.

For a moment nothing happened. Then a thunderous boom shook the house and rippled outwards to the surrounding forest. The door to Marisa's house slammed open, and she tore out into the air. She was balancing on her broom, with one hand grasping the tip of the handle and the other clenched tightly around a wooden octagon-shaped amulet, which was now beginning to glow a blinding white. Her purple face was twisted into a grimace of rage. Anyone who knew anything about Marisa knew that when she looked like that, everyone in a thirty-mile radius should probably evacuate.

Behind her, Alice wandered out of the house to watch her go.

"Hmmm, should I follow her or should I let her handle it?" she wondered out loud. She turned to her ever-present miniature companion. "What do you think Shanghai?"

Shanghai repeated the shushing gesture.

Alice shrugged. "Good point. None of my business." She took to the air and flew off in the opposite direction. "I wonder what Medicine's doing today?"

…

Successful capers were hard to come by these days. When the overwhelming majority of people worth playing tricks on were either A) smarter than you and B) capable of turning you into a greasy little smear, it meant that the pranksters of Gensokyo often had to be content with targeting the small fry, such as Lily White. Therefore, having successfully pulled the wool over the eyes of the Mad With herself and gotten away to brag about it was cause for celebration.

And celebration was certainly in the air. Cirno's gang jabbered and laughed as they rushed away through the forest, carrying the crystal chest with. Cirno herself was in the lead, with Wriggle and Mystia handling the chest behind her. Daiyousei and Rumia floated in the rear, though Daiyousei looked like she was having trouble holding in her breakfast.

"Woohoo!" Cirno shouted. She pumped her fist in the air. "Mission accomplished!"

"That went even better than I thought it would!" Wriggle added.

"Victory, victory, we have victory!" Mystia sang. Then, in her normal voice, she added, "And nice work Dai! Best distraction ever!

"R-really?"

Rumia flew up to the nervous ice fairy and put on arm around her shoulder.

"Sure!" she said encouragingly. "You did a great job!"

Daiyousei managed a weak smile. "T-th-thanks!"

Cirno grinned. "No doubt about it!" She spun in the air and struck a victory pose. "Another win for Team Ni-"

"MASTER FREAKING SPARK!"

A blazing pillar of white light tore through the gang's flight formation. Caught totally off guard, Cirno and her friends were knocked in every which direction by the force of the blast. The chest itself was knocked free from their grasp and was sent sliding down a dew-slick hillside to crash into a mulberry bush.

Unfortunately there was no time to go after it, nor was anyone even considering it. The arrival of a furious Marisa who's out for your blood will do that to almost anyone. As soon as Cirno managed to pull herself off the ground, every bit of her attention was sucked up by the fearsome sight of the fast-approaching witch.

A thousand things went through Cirno's head, none of them fully capable of conveying how the situation made her feel. Her mind went numb, and the only thing she was able to say was, "Oh wow, she looks pissed."

Wriggle was suddenly at her side. "You think?" the firefly screamed. "Scatter!"

A moment later everyone was in the air and fleeing for their lives as the ground beneath them simply ceased to exist. Had they the time to reflect, they would have probably experienced an odd sense of déjà vu, as the situation almost completely mirrored the chase with Lily White. Except this time, there was no laughing. There were no taunts. There were only screams and pleas for mercy.

"WAH! Watch out! You almost hit me!"

"Dammit, that was too close!"

"Oh jeez, oh jeez, not good, not good, not good!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Ahhh! Please don't kill me!"

"Whoa!" Cirno banked hard to avoid being pasted. The blast intended for her demolished a bed of poppies instead. She growled and whirled to face Marisa. "Okay, that's it! Let's end this!"

For all her faults, Cirno was certainly no coward. She intended to challenge Marisa directly, an action tantamount to suicide in many circles. But this was a matter of reputation and pride. Marisa had assaulted her gang, now she had to pay the price.

Cirno placed herself directly in Marisa's path, her fist raised in defiance. "I'll show you who's the stro-

She never got the chance. A beam of pure white hit her directly in the face and she was propelled backwards through two groves of trees, a patch of overgrown yellow-spotted mushrooms, and a very surprised hive of bees before coming to rest at the roots of an old cedar that was made of sterner stuff than its neighbors.

"Cirno!" Daiyousei cried before having to dive to avoid being shot herself.

"And now for the rest of you!" Marisa shouted.

She flew into the air above the treetops. Her eyes began glowing with gathered energy. Circles of power began forming around her, each one containing an eight-point star. She raised her arms in the air, her fists crackling with lightning.

"NON-DIRECTIONAL LA-"

"Duhduh-duh-duhduh!"

"Huh?"

Surprised, Marisa broke off from charging her spell to see a white bundle of fury coming directly at her.

"Spring power!"

Lily White fired one of her trademark barrages at Marisa. The witch was so taken back that she didn't even think to dodge until she had already been struck. The force of the blast cancelled her spell and knocked her right off the broom.

Above, Lily began ranting. "First that gang of rude jerks and now you? Why can't you people just enjoy spring like you're supposed to?"

Marisa managed to grab the handle of her broom just in time. Holding her hat in one hand, she tried to pull herself back up.

"What? What the hell are you talking about, you stupid flying klaxon alarm?" she shouted back. "I'm trying to…"

It was then that she noticed that Lily's blast had ripped a sizeable tear in her hat's brim.

"…you ripped my hat."

Thunder shook the treetops and Lily was sent flying.

Marisa was now on her broom and furious beyond all reason. Play her for a fool, steal her box, shoot her in the face, all these she could forgive. But never, ever touch her hat!

"YOU RIPPED MY HAT!"

Her rage still burned as brightly as before, but now it was focused on Lily. For her part, Lily did not back down from the challenge, and the two were soon doing everything in their power to eliminate the other. Cirno's friends took advantage of the distraction and hid as the sounds of destruction moved further and further away.

…

For the longest time nobody dared to move. Then, one by one, their heads popped out of their hiding places.

"…Are they gone?" Mystia whispered. True to form, she had taken shelter in the branches of a gnarled old oak.

"I think so," Rumia said. She was in the shadows of a large boulder. Nearby, Wriggle was creeping out of a patch of tall grass.

Mystia sighed in relief. She dropped down to the ground. "That was way too close." This statement was met with agreement.

That was when they heard Daiyousei cry "Cirno!" Wriggle, Mystia and Rumia looked at each other and went to go investigate.

They found Daiyousei over by Cirno's prone body. The blue-haired ice fairy had taken quite a beating. Her clothes were burnt, her skin was now a shade darker, her wings were lined with cracks that were just beginning to heal, and her entire body was covered with a fine layer of ash, dirt and bits of honeycomb. Still, she was alive and awake, though the way her eyes refused to focus was worrisome.

Wriggle whistled between her teeth. "Whoa, she got messed up pretty bad."

Rumia waved a hand in front of Cirno's face. There was no response.

"How's she doing, Dai?" she asked.

Daiyousei shuddered. "I d-don't know. She's p-p-pretty out of it."

Cirno's body suddenly began shaking. "…like a diamond shining in the sky…" she mumbled. Or perhaps wheezed would be more accurate. Her voice sounded like it had been strained through a rusty smokestack.

"Cirno!" Daiyousei cried. She grabbed her leader and began shaking her back and forth. "Snap out of it!"

"Wahwahwahwah!" Cirno wailed as her brain rattled in her skull.

"Dai! That's enough!" Mystia grabbed Daiyousei and forced her to release Cirno. Cirno, for her part, just pitched forward and landed on her face.

There was a groan, and then she muttered, "Why do people keep hitting me in the face?"

Everyone sighed with relief. "Just one of those days," Rumia said.

They all helped her up. Cirno was still a little shaky, but for the most part she looked all right. Annoyed and a bit dazed, but all right.

"Damn it, that hurt!" she complained. "Why'd she do that for?"

"I don't know, maybe because we robbed her," Wriggle said sarcastically.

"Yeah, but she didn't have to take it so freaking personal! I don't go around barbequing everyone who-" Her voice cut off as something horrible occurred to her. She looked around wildly. "Wait, where's the box?" she cried.

"Seriously?" Rumia asked. "After all that?"

Cirno stamped her foot and winced as pain shot up her ankle. "Yes, seriously! I did not just take a Master Spark to the face for nothing!"

The others conceded the point.

"Um, I think we dropped it back there," Mystia said, pointing.

"Fine! Let's go…whoa," Cirno said as she tried to fly, only to begin wobbling immediately.

Her friends tried to convince to slow down a bit, to wait until her wings were fully healed. But now that her mind was latched onto an idea, Cirno would have none of it. Finally, a compromise was struck. Rumia took one arm, Daiyousei the other, and together they helped her through the air.

The chase had taken them a long way from where they had lost the chest, but fortunately the trail was easy to follow. Marisa's rampage had left a clear path of destruction almost a mile wide. They followed the line of craters and smashed trees until they found the hill where they had first been attacked. To their immense relief, Marisa was still occupied with Lily and hadn't returned for her prize. The box lay on its side in the mulberry bush it had landed in, glittering in the mid-morning sun.

Cirno's gang immediately flew down to the bottom of the hill. They set Cirno down carefully at the edge of the bush.

"Whew, it's still here," Rumia breathed. She didn't dare to think of what Cirno's reaction would have been had it been gone.

Mystia agreed. "And it didn't even crack!"

Cirno grinned from ear to ear. This day was starting to look a little brighter. "That settles it!" she declared. "Whatever's inside must be super important!"

"Only one way to find out," Rumia said. As usual, Cirno's enthusiasm was infectious. "C'mon!"

She and Mystia pulled the chest loose and brought it over to the group. They all gathered around their prize and began oohing and ahhing over its shiny surface.

Then Daiyousei said, "So…does anyone know how to open it?"

"Sure, Miss Patchouli had a bunch of things like this," Rumia said. She pointed to the lid. "Just type in the right code on the keyboard and it'll open right up."

"Type on the what?"

"The pretty purple squares," Rumia explained. "Fortunately, Miss Patchouli uses the same code for everything. Now let's see…"

Her hands moved over the keys, typing in an odd sequence of letters and numbers. Everyone held their breath, fearing some sort of security countermeasure to activate should Rumia misremember the password. Instead, there was a click and the lid popped up a tiny bit.

"Yay, it worked!" Cirno whooped "Rumia, I love you!"

Wriggle scratched her head. "2BRNT2B? What the hell does that mean?"

"No clue," Rumia said happily. "Now let's see what sort of treasure she has stashed…"

She pushed the lid open. Everyone edged in closer to look.

"…inside?"

"Ew, what is that?" Mystia asked, sticking out her tongue.

Wriggle just blinked. "Well, that's bizarre."

"What?" Cirno said. "All that for a giant booger?"

That was certainly what it looked like. The entire interior of the chest was taken up by what at first appeared to be a glistening bubble, but the way it moved showed it to be some sort of thick blob. Its body was composed of a completely clear jelly-like substance, and the slightest movement caused shivers to ripple over its mass.

Cirno and her gang couldn't decide whether or not they were disappointed. Certainly this thing was interesting, but it didn't appear to be worth invoking the wrath of Marisa. At any rate, their opinions of Patchouli Knowledge's personal habits were taking a sharp decline.

Then Daiyousei pointed and called out, "L-look!"

"Huh?"

The blob thing, whatever it was, had started to move. Its surface shivered, and a long tendril extruded from the main body.

"Ah!" everyone cried as they leapt away.

"It's alive!" Mystia screamed as she backed away.

"Oh wow, that is so wrong," Wriggle agreed.

"Wh-what is t-t-t-that?" Daiyousei stuttered.

Unfortunately, the appendage had apparently sensed them. It shot out on the direction of their voices. Startled, they all dove out of the way, but Rumia's foot caught on a stone and she fell. She turned to see the appendage hovering only a few inches from her face. Her eyes went wide and her body began trembling.

The others had no idea what to do. They certainly weren't going to leave Rumia on her own, but none of them wanted to chance shooting the thing. For all they knew they would just make it angry.

"This is not good," Wriggle muttered. "So what now, boss?"

Cirno stared at the tentacle-like appendage and shook her head. She was out of ideas.

Suddenly Daiyousei called out, "Watch out Rumia!"

The tentacle now seemed to be inspecting Rumia's body. It hovered a mere inch from her skin as it ran up and down her torso. Although it didn't seem possible, it appeared to be sniffing her. Rumia set her teeth and closed her eyes tightly.

Then it poked her.

Rumia's eyes shot open. "Wha-?"

The tentacle began to tickle her. It dug into her side and dug in. She squirmed and tried to push it away, but it just dug in deeper.

"Huh, wha…hey, stop!" Rumia said. She started laughing. "Come on, knock it off!"

That only seemed to encourage it. Soon she was on the ground, laughing hysterically while trying to get away. The others could only stand and stare at what had to be the weirdest thing they had seen in their weird lives.

"So…" Mystia began, "it's friendly?"

Cirno shrugged. "It looks like it…"

"Wonderful," Wriggle said. She folded her arms. "Just what I always wanted, a pet booger."

Daiyousei shushed her. "Careful! You don't want to make it angry."

For its part, the tentacle didn't even notice them. It definitely seemed to have taken a liking to Rumia though. Finally, it stopped tickling her and began staring at her again.

This time, Rumia smiled back. "Hey, you're a nice little pile of weirdness, aren't you?" She rubbed the body beneath the tip, giving it a friendly squeeze. "You are, aren't you? Yes, you are."

The tentacle's surface shook slightly. To everyone watching, it almost looked like it was giggling.

Then the tip began changing. It expanded and reshaped itself. Soon Rumia found herself staring at what appeared to be the smiling face of a young girl with short hair. It winked at her.

She blinked in confusion. "Hey, what…"

The face collapsed back into a normal tip again. Then it slithered down to envelop her hand in its viscous substance.

"Hey, what's this all about?" Rumia asked. She wasn't sure if she liked what her new friend was doing.

Suddenly it lunged forward, dragging the rest of its body out of the chest. Before she knew it, Rumia's arm was completely covered.

"Hey, what is this?" she shouted. She tried to claw it off with her other hand, but it wouldn't budge. "Get off, get off!"

The rest of the team was at her side in seconds. Wriggle and Mystia tried clawing the thing off her arm while Cirno beat it with a stick.

"Let! Go! Of! My! Friend!" she shouted. "Let! Go! Of! My! Friend! Let! Go! Of! My! Friend!"

Unfortunately, there was no such luck. Instead of disengaging, the tentacle only began slither over more of her body. Soon Rumia's entire chest was covered.

"Get it off me, get it off me!" she cried as she tried to get away.

"We're trying!" Wriggle said. "This stuff is tougher than it looks!"

"All right, I've had ENOUGH!" Cirno shouted.

At that last word, her hands suddenly blazed with white light and a blast of freezing mist shot out from her. When the mist cleared, the entire lump of goo was frozen solid.

Cirno grinned and put her hands on her hips. "There!" she declared triumphantly.

Rumia tried to move. Unfortunately, she was just as immobilized as the blob was. "Um, that didn't help much…" she began.

That's when cracks starting forming in the ice. Little ones at first, but they spider-webbed outwards, joining one another until the surface of the ice looked like some kind of crazy patchwork. Then the ice broke apart into small pieces that were slowly sucked into the goo's body to disappear completely.

Everyone was in shock. "It ate the ice? Mystia said.

"Kill it, kill it!" Cirno shouted.

They certainly tried. Bullets of every kind shot from their hands to impact against the blob's body. But instead of exploding, they just stuck there until the thing looked like a giant, writhing pincushion. Then, just as the fragments of ice had been, they too were absorbed.

"It's not working!" Daiyousei cried as she fired off another shot.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Wriggle shouted back.

By now, Rumia was almost completely covered, leaving only her head. She cried and gasped and tried to escape, but nothing she did had any effect. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her cries for help were now little more than whimpers.

"Please don't let it eat me," she sobbed pitifully. "Oh gods, please don't let it eat me."

"Hold on Rumia, we got you!" Wriggle shouted. She turned to the ice fairy hovering over her shoulder. "Dai!"

"Huh?"

"Make yourself useful and go get help!"

"B-but where-"

"Anywhere!" Then a thought occurred to her. "Reimu, get Reimu! Go!"

Daiyousei nodded and shot off as fast as her wings could carry her.

Meanwhile the others continued to try to release Rumia from the blob's hold, but it was now obvious that it was hopeless. Only her face was uncovered, and that was rapidly being sucked in as well. "No…please no, please no…" she whined, and then had to shut her mouth as the goo oozed over her last bit of free flesh.

Rumia was now completely inside the thing. Cirno, Wriggle and Mystia stared and she kicked and struggled to break free.

"Rumia!" Mystia cried. She slashed as the blob with her talons. It caved in to her assault, and then bounced back out, knocking her back a step.

Cirno began pounding on the blob's surface. "Let go of her already, you giant pile of…huh?"

That was when Rumia began to dissolve. It started with her clothing, which blurred and distorted. At first they thought it was due to being refracted through the blob's substance, but then they started to tear apart and disappear. Just as quickly the tips of her digits and hair began to fade away like smoke. The process sped up as her skin melted away, revealing the muscles and ligaments beneath. These too evaporated into nothingness.

"WHAT?" Wriggle shrieked as she leapt away. "What is this?"

Mystia's body began trembling, but she couldn't tear her eyes away. "Oh, my gods," she whispered as Rumia's digestive system came into full view. "Tell me this isn't…"

Cirno didn't say anything. She just turned and vomited out everything she had eaten in the last ten hours. Then she looked again and retched out everything from five hours before that.

Rumia was now nothing more than a small lump of meat and bone. It turned and swirled in the blob's body like a boiling egg, fizz surrounding it like so much steam. It shrunk until it was about the size of a small coin, then a postage stamp. And then, with one final sizzle, nothing.

"She's gone…" Mystia whispered. She had gone completely pale.

They stared at the blob in shock. Never had it occurred to them that they would lose one of their number. Being young, foolish and immortal, they had thought that their days of mischief making would continue for eternity. Even when their plans blew up in their faces, there was no question that they would always bounce back in time for the next caper.

But now Rumia was gone. It didn't make any sense.

As for the blob, it sat in a glistening lump. If it had any idea of what it had done, it gave no indication. Well, that it, until the surface began shivering again. Then three more tendrils shot out of its body and snapped at Rumia's friends.

"Ack!" Wriggle yelled as they dove out of the way. "It's after us now!"

Mystia snapped out her stupor. She screamed, a piercing sound with perfect pitch that could have shattered glass. With that she took to the air, flying blindly in her desperation to get away.

"I won't be eaten, I won't be eaten, I won't be eaten…" she chanted over and over again.

"Wait!" Cirno shouted after her. "What about Rumia?"

The goo lunged for her again. Fortunately, Wriggle pulled her out of the way just in time.

"C'mon, she's right!" Wriggle said, pulling on Cirno's arm. "We gotta get out of here!"

"But I can't leave Rumia!"

"You won't help her by getting eaten too!" Wriggle responded. She pointed at Mystia, who was now a distant spot in the sky. "We need to go and get help, understand? This isn't something you can do on your own!"

Cirno's eyes filled with tears, but she stiffened her lip and nodded once.

"Right. Let's go," she said. Anymore and her voice would have cracked.

Wriggle nodded in return and her into the air. They flew forward, heading for Hakurei and trying not to look back. But nothing would stop the glittering tears that dripped from Cirno's face to crystallize into snowflakes as they fell.

…

The blob was now left to itself, though it didn't know it yet. It sat where it was while its many tendrils roamed the surrounding area, searching for any indication of its prey. Two of them brushed against the now-empty box that had been its prison, only to retract quickly as if they had been burned.

Once it was satisfied that it was alone, the tendrils all returned to the main body. Then it began to shiver again. This time, however, the shivering didn't stop. It increased in intensity, until the whole thing was shaking violently like a lump of jelly in an earthquake.

And then it began to change. Most of its mass was sucked into itself and was sent out again in four limp tendrils. Another lump bubbled up at one end, while the body below it writhed and thinned itself out. Digits extended from all four of the tendrils, which were now smoothing themselves out into humanlike limbs. The lump began to take shape, forming a nose, cheeks, lips and other facial features. A mass of tendrils erupted out of its end and smoothed themselves out into something resembling hair.

Meanwhile, a darkness began forming at the thing's core. As it continued to reform itself, the darkness swam through the body, gobbling up the clearness of the substance.

And the transformation was complete. Where a lump of transparent goo had been, a body that superficially resembled Rumia now lay. It had the same features, the same body-type, and the same dress. However, the entirety of its body was pitch black. Its fingers ended in tearing talons. Wisps of darkness danced liked smoke danced over the surface of its body. And the ribbon Rumia always wore in her hair was gone.

One gnarled hand twitched, and the wisps of darkness shot out and twisted into the shape of a wickedly curved sword.

Then, clutching its new weapon, the thing that wore Rumia's shape lurched to its feet. It turned its head to the sky and opened its eyes.

Two blazing spheres of fire stared at the world around it.

Then it rose into the air and headed away from the Forest of Magic, its sword held limply in one hand. Grass and flowers wilted beneath its shadow, but it paid them no heed. Now that it was free, it had business elsewhere. Hopefully those it intended to see would be just as glad to see it as it was going to be to see them.

Chapter Text

Deep Within

Is this what dying feels like?

…falling…falling through darkness. Eyes opened or closed, it's all the same. I guess I should be happy. I like darkness. Darkness is my element, my comfort. But it's never felt so cold, so empty.

What happened to me? Did I just get eaten? Did that blob just swallow me whole? It sure felt like it. Like my body was tearing itself apart from the outside in. I should have asked Mystia what it was like for her when she got eaten. She came back. Does that mean I'll come back too? But how?

This must be what dying feels like. Endlessly falling through darkness. I may like darkness, but I don't want to be stuck in it by myself. I don't want to be alone forever!

Falling through…wait. Something's not right. There's something out there. There's something…no, someone nearby.

I am not alone.

Rumia opened her eyes.

…

It was a slow morning at Hakurei shrine. This is to say, it was exactly like every other day. Despite its importance to Gensokyo as a whole, the shrine didn't see much in the way of visitors. One would think that guarding the actual gate between Gensokyo and the Outside World would inspire more in the way of reverence, but for the most part people went out of their way to avoid it entirely. Or was the close proximity to the Outside World the reason for the lack of visitors? Either way, it meant that the shrine's single shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei, had a lot of downtime on her hands.

At the moment, she was killing time with three of the shrine's only regular visitors. Unfortunately, they weren't the donating types. This was to be expected, as a youkai, a ghost and an oni couldn't be counted on to be particularly reverent. Still, if they were always going to be hanging around bugging her, couldn't they drop the odd tip in her donation box every now and then? Well, at least the oni helped her around the shrine every once in a while, and the ghost was practically one of the shrine's patron deities by now, so the shrine couldn't expect anything coming from her. No excuses for the youkai though, and she remained forever oblivious to Reimu's constant hints that she really should be supporting her favorite hangout more.

Still, she had grown more-or-less accustomed to having them around. The four of them were lounging around the storehouse's porch. The oni had produced a pack of cards from…somewhere, and they were now glaring at one another while clutching their hands tightly.

It was the youkai's turn, though she was taking her time. Sometimes she would choose a card, seize it between her thumb and index finger, only to reject it and go back to frowning at her hand.

Reimu's hands drummed out an impatient rhythm on the porch's wooden railing. "Yukari, you've been taking three times longer than the rest of us. Just pick a damned card already!"

"Shush you," Yukari responded. "Some things are not to be ruuuuaahhhh…" That final word dissolved into a cavernous yawn.

The ghost, a girl with green hair and a blue outfit, was reclining on the porch's steps. "Long night Yukari? Or should I say, long winter?"

"You can shut up too," Yukari grumbled. "And I would still be asleep if it weren't for that damned spring fairy. Woke me up with her idiotic announcements, and then something set her off and she went crazier than usual and wouldn't stop yelling. Drove me nuts. Mima, you got any threes?"

"Go fish," the ghost said.

Yukari selected one of the cards sitting in the pile between them, looked at it and smiled. She put down a pair of threes.

"Lucky bitch," Mima grumbled.

Yukari smiled sweetly at her. Then, to Reimu, she said "Okay, your turn."

Reimu nodded and looked at her hand. It wasn't very encouraging. Seven cards, none of them related. Plus, she had the least amount of pairs at the moment. "I heard someone was trying to shoot her down," she said as she started playing mental eenie-meenie-miny-moe. "That's what upset her."

"Remilia again?" Yukari asked.

"I don't think so. It was by the Forest of Magic, a good ways from the SDM. Suika, got any fives?"

The short oni was staring intently at her cards. Almost too intently. Of course, given the amount of alcohol in her system, she was probably having trouble making out the numbers. Then again, her pile of pairs was the largest. Reimu wasn't exactly sure how.

"Uhhh…" Suika said in a slow tone, slurring slightly. She shook her horned head. "Uh-uh."

Reimu picked up a card, grimaced when she saw that it was useless, and nodded to Suika to take her turn.

While they waited for the oni to make up her mind, Mima said, "It was probably Marisa then. Good for her. About time someone shot that flying ball of nonsense down. Suika, are you going to go or are you trying to burn a hole through those cards with your eyes?"

"I'm thinking!" Suika snapped. "Okay Yukari. You got any…sevens?"

Yukari blinked. Then she scowled and flipped a card over to her. Suika snatched it out of the air and started cackling.

"Okay, seriously," Yukari said. "You have got to be cheating. No way is anyone that lucky.

Suika stuck out her tongue. "I'm not cheating!" she announced. "I'm just that good!"

"This is embarrassing," Mima grumbled. "Reimu, you got any ni-"

"REIMU!"

"Huh?

Everyone's head snapped in the direction of the interrupting call. Reimu's eyes widened when she saw the green-and-blue blur approaching faster than anything had a right to. Before she could react, it slammed right into her chest and they both were sent careening into the storehouse. From there, everything was a rolling confusion of cardboard, cloth and wicker until they landed in a messy heap against the far wall.

Back outside, her companions watched with detached interest, as if seeing Reimu being tackled by surprise fairies out of nowhere were a daily thing. "Well, now she's got one," Yukari muttered to Mima.

Inside, Reimu groaned and tried to put herself back together. She pushed a basket off her head, a basket that had, not five seconds ago, been filled with apples. Said apples were now scattered all over the floor. And the culprit was now sitting on her chest and staring at her with panicked eyes.

"Reimu, you gotta help her!" Daiyousei shouted at the shrine maiden. "We got the box away from Marisa, and Marisa started chasing us! Only, she didn't get us, because Lily stopped her. Except, Lily probably thought she was us, so never mind! And then Rumia opened it up! The box I mean! She didn't know it was bad, she thought it was porn! But it wasn't porn, it was a giant booger! And Rumia thought it was a nice booger, because it started tickling her! But then it turned into a face and-"

"Kid," Reimu said, nice and slow. "You have exactly three seconds to get off me before I turn your wings into wind chimes."

Daiyousei stiffened. "Yipe!" she yelped as she bolted out the door and hid behind one of the porch's columns.

Grumbling to herself, Reimu pulled herself to her feet and surveyed the damage. Well, it could be worse. Just a bunch of boxes and baskets knocked over. She could deal with it later. But for now, there was a certain aerial torpedo she needed to deal with.

"All right Daibooya or whatever your name is," she said as she exited the storehouse. "What the hell was that all about? And it better be damned good."

The small fairy cowered. "Um…well…"

"REIMU!"

Reimu looked up to see a tan blur fast approaching. She had just enough time to say "Oh crap" before she was once again knocked back into the storehouse.

Yukari snickered. "Now she has two!" she said to Mima. "It's your lucky day!"

In the storehouse, Reimu once again found herself sprawled among fallen containers with one of Cirno's annoying friends sitting on her chest.

"It ate her!" Mystia shouted at Reimu's face. "It ate her, Reimu! And it tried to eat us too-"

"GET OFF OF ME OR I'M GETTING OUT THE BARBEQUE!"

"Ack!"

Mystia fled the storehouse to hide behind Daiyousei. Reimu pulled herself to her feet, took a deep breath, and started forward.

"All right," she said in a low growl. "That is it. Now Reimu needs to choke a couple of-Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

"REIMU!"

Fortunately, this time Reimu had the presence of mind to duck as not one, but two blurs sped towards her. They missed her entirely and crashed together against the storehouse's far end.

Yukari said, "And now she has-"

"Shut up," Mima snapped.

Suika scratched her head. "Reimu, you didn't tell us you were having a party."

"Oh yes," Reimu said in a calm steady voice. She walked into the storehouse. Inside, Cirno and Wriggle Nightbug were just coming to their senses. "An Idiot Stomping Party, everyone's invited."

With that, she grabbed the nearly senseless fairy and youkai by their collars, hauled them out of the storeroom, and hurled them at their friends. With a cry of alarm, Daiyousei and Mystia tried to dodge, but Mima chose that moment to appear behind them. With a sadistic grin, she shoved them back in time for them to be struck by the incoming missiles.

Reimu watched dispassionately as Gensokyo's most notorious pranksters tried to straighten themselves out. She had, on more than one occasion, being inconvenienced by those four. Whether individually or as a whole group, their presence always meant her day was going to get a little more annoying.

She waited until she had their attention. "Okay Gensokyo's Most Unwanted, I'm confused, I'm angry, and I'm armed. So whatever problems you have-"

Terrified by her threat, her unwanted guests all began talking at once. Cirno kept going on about how it wasn't their fault, Daiyousei wouldn't shut up about a carnivorous ball of snot, Mystia was prophesying their impending doom of devourment, and Wriggle kept trying to get the others to be quiet and let her handle it. Taken together, Reimu learned absolutely nothing of importance.

She listened as long as she could stand, which was about seven seconds. "Shut up!" she screeched.

They shut up.

Reimu sighed and eyed each of the idiots individually. No, too nervous, too freaked, too stupid… She pointed at the last one. "You! Bug!"

Wriggle stood up straighter. "M-me?" she stuttered.

"Yes, you! Tell me what the hell is going on and make it understandable!"

Wriggle told her.

Reimu and her friends stared at her.

"So…" Reimu began. "You guys stole a box from Marisa…"

"Yes."

"…and inside was a…giant gooey bubble thing…"

"Uh-huh."

"…and it ate your friend Rumia?"

Reimu exchanged a look with her friends and they all sighed. Well, all except for Suika, who seemed utterly fascinated and completely confused.

"That's it; this has officially become too stupid. I'm leaving before I lose anymore IQ points," Yukari muttered.

"I don't know, I think it's kind of cute," Mima smirked. "In a really pathetic sort of way."

"Which might be catching," Yukari pointed out. With a wave of her hand, she ripped open a tear in the fabric of reality. Staring eyes peered from within, and for whatever reason, the top and bottom of the tear was decorated with a deep purple bow. Nobody was bothered by this. They had long become accustomed to Yukari's "ways".

"It's true, I swear!" Cirno protested as Yukari took a step through the tear.

The border-watching youkai paused. She raised one elegant eyebrow at the small fairy. "Really now?" she said, irony dripping from every word. "Just like you once 'swore' that all the paint in the human village had come alive and was drinking all the sake?"

Suika's head whipped around in Yukari's direction. "Wait, it did?" She was ignored.

"Um…" Cirno said.

"Or how about the time you 'swore' that the Forest of Magic was flooded with blue honey?" Reimu added.

Suika's eyes boggled. "It was?"

"But that was Wriggle's idea!" Cirno said, pointing at the firefly in question.

"Hey!"

Mima calmly examined her incorporeal but somehow perfectly manicured nails. "And wasn't there that one time where you were convinced that a bunch of flowers appearing out of nowhere meant it was time for everyone to get down and party?"

"Now that I remember!" Suika said with a grin.

"Hey, I wasn't lying!" Cirno protested. "I was just…confused is all!"

"But that's the point!" Reimu said. "You guys aren't exactly the most reliable sources of information. So why should we trust you?"

Cirno looked like she was about to start tearing her hair out in frustration. "But this time I'm serious, I swear! I swear by Santa Claus himself!"

"P-please Reimu," Daiyousei begged. "She's our friend!"

Reimu sighed. She wondered exactly how much ofuda it would take to rid her of these pests. "This would be the same Rumia who tried to eat me that one time, yes? Even if she were in trouble, I'm not really seeing a whole lot of reasons to go help her."

"Wait."

Everybody's eyes turned to Yukari. The elder youkai had reemerged from her portal and was looking at the four mischief-makers with a thoughtful look on her face.

"This friend of yours…Rumia, was it?"

"Yes!" Cirno said, happy that someone was finally taking them seriously. "She's in big time trouble and really needs-"

"Yes, I know," Yukari said. "But refresh my memory: she would be the darkness youkai that often wanders the shore of the Misty Lake, correct? Likes to surround herself in a bubble of shadows and has an unfortunate habit of running into trees?"

"Yes! That's her!"

"And does she wear a red-and-white ribbon in her hair at all times?"

"The one she can't touch, don't know why?" Wriggle asked. "Yep, that's her!"

"I see," Yukari mused. She appeared to ponder this for a moment long. Then she stepped out of the rift she had created and closed it again.

"Reimu, I think you should go with them."

"Uh, say what now?" the shrine maiden said in disbelief.

Yukari smiled at her. It was not a nice smile, but then it never was. "Well, look at it this way. If they are indeed telling the truth, you have the opportunity to prevent another unfortunate incident from occurring. But if they're lying, all you stand to lose is a few hours of wasted time, and let's be honest: you weren't doing much anyway."

"Oh, that's all, huh?" Reimu's finger swung around to point accusingly at Cirno's gang. "The last time I listened to them, I ended up hanging upside-down in the Scarlet Devil Mansion's courtyard covered in noodles!"

Cirno and the more daring members of her gang cracked a smile at the memory.

"You got them back," Yukari pointed out.

Cirno and every other member of her gang winced at the memory.

"So? Doesn't mean I want to do something that stupid again."

"Oh, come now," Yukari said as she playfully ruffled Reimu's hair. The shrine maiden bristled under hand, but she didn't move away. "I'll come with you and make sure these naughty ruffians don't hurt my sweet little Reimu."

"You're asking for a Fantasy Seal to the mouth, you know that?"

"Mmmm, sounds like fun."

Reimu sighed and pushed Yukari's hand away. "Okay, fine. Just stop…flirting with me." She eyed the green-haired ghost who was watching everything with evident amusement. "What about you, Mima? Wanna join this pointlessness?"

"Eh, might as well," Mima shrugged. "Been meaning to check up on my little Marisa anyway. I guess this is as good a time as any."

"Can I come too?" Suika asked. "I wanna help stop the blue paint-drinking sake giant and save all the honey!"

"Wait, no. Suika, that's not-" Reimu cut herself off and sighed. "Yeah, sure. Come along."

"Hooray!" the little oni cheered. She took a celebratory swig from the gourd of sake she always carried. "Lesh go!" she slurred.

…

Deep Within

The position Rumia found herself in was both alien and strangely familiar.

The best she could figure, she was floating through a pitch-black void. Absolute nothingness stretched in every direction, with not even a star to break the darkness. And yet, despite her natural affinity with darkness, her body was emitting a faint yellow glow. That was odd. Also, her clothing was completely gone, leaving her naked to the emptiness. That was embarrassing. And her arms were stretched out to either side, fingers spread, with her legs pointing straight down. Considering that that this was a pose she had been fond of adopting ever since she was told about its religious significance to the outside world, that was both funny and slightly ironic, especially since she now seemed to be stuck that way. As hard as she tried, every part of her body other than her head refused to respond to her commands.

Unfortunately, she didn't have the luxury to further examine the weirdness of her surroundings, as there was something else demanding her attention. As she had thought, she was not alone in the nothingness. Another girl floated nearby. She was sitting in the fetal position, with her knees drawn up under her chin and her arms wrapped around her legs. She had straw-colored hair that just brushed her shoulders, a round face with blue eyes, and if she straightened her limbs, she would stand just a little taller than Rumia. Like Rumia, she wore no clothes and had a halo of light surrounding her body, though hers was pure white and about three times brighter. Unlike Rumia, she didn't seem to have a problem moving her limbs. Now that was just unfair.

Rumia recognized her, at least her face. It was the same face the tentacle had shaped itself into before devouring her whole. All things considered, her presence here didn't exactly fill Rumia with optimism.

But the girl was at least happy to see her. As soon as she saw Rumia trying to move, she squealed "Rumia! You're awake!" and lunged forward to wrap her arms around Rumia's body.

"I'm so happy you're here!" the strange girl gushed as she pressed herself uncomfortably close. "See, I was worried you might not make it here okay, 'cause I've made mistakes in the past and well, it's been a while. But hey, it's all okay, right?"

Given the circumstance, Rumia did the only thing any rational person would do in such a situation. She started screaming.

…

Empty. The box was empty.

Marisa stood stock-still, broom clasped in one white-knuckled hand, staring. The chest was still there, whatever it had once held was not. Which meant that Cirno's gang had somehow managed to get it open. Which meant they had it now. And on top of that, they had gotten away.

Which meant they had won.

Marisa wasn't angry. Her anger had been spent chasing those idiots earlier and during her fight with Lily White, whom she had left lying dazed in a smoldering crater. She just felt cold. And that was fine. She did her best work when she felt cold.

Had her moment of self-reflection continued uninterrupted, she might have eventually succumbed to a round of maniacal laughter. But interrupted she was, as her attention focused on eight distant figures traveling towards her through the sky. And when she saw who they were, a wide, sadistic grin spread over her face. This promised to be very interesting.

Before they could spot her, Marisa hid herself in a nearby tree. And, just to make sure, she muttered a word under her breath. A slight tingle ran over her skin, and her body faded to transparency. Satisfied that she was now for the most part undetectable, she watched the new arrivals through the branches as they touched down near the box.

Surprise, surprise, Cirno and her friends had returned, and this time they had brought reinforcements. Poor Reimu. Marisa wondered exactly what kind of bull they had spun to get her to come along with them this time. One would think that after the incident with the noodles she would stop listening to them all together. Suika's presence was somewhat of an oddity, but explainable. The oni would eat rocks if you dressed them up right.

Yukari though, that was a puzzler. The youkai rarely involved herself such events, and there was no lost love between her and Cirno. Marisa couldn't help but wonder if Yukari's presence meant that the ice fairy and her friends had gotten themselves into some kind of trouble, of the punishable variety. Well, more trouble at least.

But perhaps the strangest visitor to the forest would be Mima. The presence of her old master frankly bothered Marisa. Not that she was displeased to see her. Mima was one of the only beings in Gensokyo that Marisa harbored any sort of genuine respect for. And as a result, having her become involved in this dispute was troubling.

Still, given Mima and Yukari's personalities, Marisa doubted that they would take offense to her intentions. Keeping an eye on the group, she pulled out her hakkero and hid it in her grasp. Between her fingers, it began to glow. Now she just had to wait for the perfect opportunity to present itself.

Cirno seemed to be worked up about something. "See? See!" she shouted, pointing frantically at the opened chest. "There it is, just like we said! I told you we weren't lying!"

Reimu looked at the chest with a dubious expression on her face. "Okay, there's a box, sure," she said. "But I don't see a blob."

"It must have left after we did," said the firefly, Wiggle something or another.

Marisa frowned and leaned in closer. A blob of what? Some kind of weird security system Patchouli had wired into the chest? If so, then maybe letting those stupid kids open the box first had been for the best.

That one green-haired fairy, the one whose name Marisa could never remember, seemed agitated about something. Well, okay, so she always looked agitated, but the way she kept bobbing up in the air only to come back down again while constantly glancing in every direction made it look like she was being hunted. Marisa grinned. Good, she at least hadn't forgotten whose woods she was in.

"Um, g-g-guys?" the fairy said. "M-maybe we'd better be c-c-careful. It ate Rumia, so maybe it's just waiting around to eat us too."

What.

"Quite the voracious eater, this thing is," Mima muttered. The ghost floated over to the empty chest and inspected it with evident interest. "At this rate, it must have devoured half the forest by now."

Little Mystia stamped her foot in frustration. "We're serious!" she cried. "It ate all the bullets we shot at it, including Cirno's ice!"

What.

"Mebbe it's a friend of the Blue Giant Paint!" Suika said as she began to happily wander around in a circle. "And they drank all the sake noodles!"

What!

"About as likely as anything it seems-" Mima suddenly cut herself off. She lifted her head from her inspection of the chest and started looking in every direction. Then she stared straight at Marisa.

Oh. Right. She would be able to sense the young witch. After all, she had been the one who taught Marisa that hiding spell in the first place.

Fortunately, her former master didn't seem inclined to blow her cover. Instead, she just shot Marisa a friendly smile and a half-wave, as if finding a transparent Marisa spying on people from the trees were an everyday occurrence.

Marisa glanced nervously at Reimu and Yukari, hoping they hadn't noticed the exchange. Fortunately, Reimu was too busy arguing with Cirno about the validity of this blob thing (whatever in the holy farting hell that was) while Yukari's attention was taken up by a trail of dead grass. Marisa looked back at Mima and brought her finger to her lips.

Mima frowned and spread her hands in a "What are you doing?" gesture.

Marisa motioned at Cirno and hefted her hakkero, which was now humming with energy.

Mima's eyes widened in realization. She shot a glance over to Reimu and pointed at her with her thumb.

Marisa shook her head.

Mima nodded. She floated over to Reimu and said, "Say Reimu, take a look at this box. I think our culprit may have left some trace behind. Oh, and kids? Would you mind standing about…three feet over there?"

"Huh?" Cirno said. "What for?"

"Because your combined energies are interfering my detection spells."

"Oh! Sorry."

Mima glanced at Marisa with a smug "How's that?" smirk on her face. Marisa grinned and shot her mentor a thumbs-up. With a grace learned from years of living in these woods, Marisa dropped from the tree and strolled over to where Cirno and her friends were milling about. When she got about ten feet away, she solidified herself and said in her most causal voice, "Hey guys. How's it going? Master Spark."

Things seemed to happen in slow motion. Glorious, immensely satisfying slow motion. Their heads automatically turned in the direction of the voice. There was a brief moment of horrified realization, no more than maybe one second, when they saw exactly who had just arrived. And then their world exploded into white light and tumbling bodies.

Marisa smiled as she surveyed the trench of scorched earth that now slashed its way to the hill's summit. Her targets were now smoking, senseless, and draped carelessly over the branches of the old pine that resided at the top of the hill. She nodded in satisfaction. It took way too damned long, but at the end, a job well done.

"Feel better?" Mima asked. Her arms were folded over her breast and a half-smirk of amusement crawled its way up her face. Behind her, a shocked Reimu was staring in incomprehension and Suika was laughing so hard that the hysterics had her rolling on the grass. Yukari took no notice at all.

With a nod Marisa said, "I do now. Thank you, Master."

Mima shook her head and sighed. "Marisa, you're not my minion anymore. When are you going to stop calling me that?"

"When you stop deserving it, Master." That got a laugh.

For her part, Reimu was far from amused. "Wha-Marisa?" she squeaked. "Who, big laser, not there and…Where did you come from?"

"Rinnosuke's shop. Haven't you heard? I'm sold in six-packs, ze."

"What!"

"Actually, that was going to be my line," Marisa said. She tossed her hakkero from one hand to the other. "What's all this nonsense about a hungry blob I've been hearing?"

"We were actually hoping you could tell us," Mima said. "Those kids you just smoked showed up at Hakurei shrine about half an hour ago, babbling about finding a large mass of something in that box over there" the elder ghost nodded in the chest's direction "that apparently devoured one of their number. According to them, they acquired that box from you."

"They did, huh?" Marisa felt an annoyed tic become active in her eyelid. "Did they mention the part where they stole that box right out of my house, ze?"

"Yeah, they did," Reimu scowled. "They also said you blew up half the forest chasing after them. Looks like they were right." She shook her head. "Godsdamn it, Marisa, this isn't your forest to just destroy whenever something pisses you off!"

Marisa waved off the shrine maiden's complaints. "Oh, chillax Reddie. It's more mine than it is yours, ze. 'Sides, it'll grow back by tomorrow. It always does."

"That's not the point!"

"Who cares? It's not like you haven't caused wanton amounts of destruction before." Marisa shoved Reimu aside as she marched back to the chest. "Move it, Armpits."

Reimu growled and grabbed Marisa by her collar. She whirled the witch around to face her. "What did you just say?"

In answer, Marisa matched Reimu stare-for-stare and shoved herself up against the shrine maiden. "I've had a pissy day, so let me make this clear. Get out of my way…bitch."

Reimu's face went blank. Then she held up a single card. There was a flicker of motion around her fingers, and suddenly that one card became eight. The air around her shivered and her two yin-yang orbs materialized into view. They began revolving around their master. Marisa grinned at the challenge. Holding her hakkero between her thumb and two primary fingers, she held it up in plain view.

"So you wanna play too, is that it Reddie?" As she spoke, the hakkero began to blaze with violent energies. Two icy blue blues formed and began dancing around the fingers of her other hand. "Bring it on. I'm tired of wasting small fry and wouldn't mind-"

Suddenly both the shrine maiden and the witch felt long, cold fingers wrapping around the backs of their necks. The owner of those hands shoved, and there was a loud crack as the top of their heads collided. A moment later the two combatants were on the ground nursing a throbbing bump apiece.

"Owww!" Marisa complained as pain bit its way through her head. "Godsdamn it, that hurt!"

Reimu agreed. "Yukari, why the hell did you do that for?"

Yukari stood over the two, arms folded in annoyance. "As much fun as it would be to watch you two beat the snot out of each other, we have bigger concerns than your egos."

"Wow Yukari, bigger than watching them throw down?" Mima said. She pressed her hands to her face in mock horror. "Say it ain't so!" Yukari apparently chose not to dignify that comment with a response.

"You didn't have to do that though," Reimu grumbled as she straightened up, wincing at every movement.

"You'll live. Now, if the two of you are done comparing the sizes of your dicks, there's something you need to see."

"We don't have-"

Yukari silenced them with a look.

She led them over to a spot a little way up the hill. There, Suika was sitting at the beginning of the trail of dead foliage Yukari had been inspecting her.

"They're all dead," the tipsy oni announced. "Right downa to the roots!"

"Yes, I feared as much," Yukari sighed.

"This better be worth knocking our heads together, ze," Marisa hissed. She flinched as another lance shot through her head.

"Oh, it is," Yukari said. "Tell me: do either of you know anything about Rumia's history?"

Reimu and Marisa exchanged a look. They both shrugged. Mima, however, seemed troubled. She rubbed her jaw as she searched the recesses of her cavernous memory. She apparently found what she was looking for, because her eyes suddenly widened in realization.

"Wait, are you saying she got rid of the ribbon?" she said. That got Marisa's attention. She didn't know what Rumia's ribbon had to do with anything, but the small sliver of concern that edged Mima's words was as good as outright panic in anyone else.

"I don't know just yet," Yukari said. She scuffed the dead grass with her foot. "But far too many things are adding up."

"You mean about that blob thing? Reimu asked. "So that isn't complete bull?"

Yukari shook her head. "Still have no idea about that one, but that's not what I was talking about. You see, I also once encountered Rumia, a good fifty-seven years before any of you. And she was much, much different than how she is now."

Marisa stared at her with an incredulous look on her face. "Um, yeah. I know you ancient youkai like being cryptic and all, but what say you tell us what the hell you're talking about?"

"That…might take a while, but I'll do the best I can," Yukari said. "But in the meantime, let's just say if I'm right, the next few days are going to be very, very busy.

They all stared at her. For her part, Yukari was gazing down the dead trail. It twisted and looped around various obstacles, but maintained a southward bearing, out of the Forest of Magic and towards the Bamboo Forest.

And Eientei.

…

Deep Within

It had been nearly half an hour since Rumia had first awoken to find herself in the literal middle of nowhere, sharing the space with a strange glowing girl. And she still had not calmed down.

Though honestly, who could blame her?

The glowing girl winced as another barrage of demands, verbal abuse and vulgarities assaulted her. "Rumia, please stop yelling. It hurts!"

Another incomprehensible string of syllables blew past her.

"Rumia, please! I'm trying to concentrate here…Okay, seriously, stop it. I can't understand you if you talk that fast…please be quiet…I…don't think…SHUT UP!"

Rumia complied. Not because she was intimidated or due to being interested in opening a channel of communication, but because her mouth had ceased to exist. Sound still bubbled up from her throat, but with no means of escape it was reduced to nothing more than a series of muffled squeaks.

"Sorry I had to do that," the girl said, making it sound sincere. "But it's been a long time since I've controlled a body, and I need to concentrate. So I'm willing to answer any questions you have. You just gotta promise me you won't start screaming again, 'kay? Calm question, straight answer."

"Eeeee?"

"Yes, I promise. Scout's honor." The girl held her right hand, three middle fingers extended, thumb bent over pinky.

"Eeeee!"

"No, I'm not going to hurt you. Believe me, I just want to be your friend."

"…eee…?"

"Yes, seriously! Do you have any idea how long I've…" The girl broke off. She took a shaky breath (of what?) and said, "Okay, I'm gonna give you your mouth back. Remember, no screaming, 'kay?"

Numb with fear, Rumia managed a nod.

Suddenly there was the bizarre feeling of skin parting without pain, a sliding, almost tingling sensation. Rumia gasped and panted in relief.

"Better?" the girl asked. She was now kneeling, though the lack of a level floor meant that she and Rumia were still eye-level.

Rumia nodded. Then she managed to get out, "W-w-where…where are…"

"Inside me."

Rumia's eyes boggled.

"Sorry, I said that wrong," the girl said. She frowned and started hitting her head with the palm of her hand. "C'mon Rin, do better! You can explain this…Okay, listen. You're not really in a place. Your body isn't a real body, it's sort of a…a make-believe, a construct. A familiar shape your mind took to help it cope. So you're not actually seeing or talking or breathing for that matter, it's just the way your mind is interpreting the sensations it's experiencing." Then she brightened. "Okay, think of it as a dream body in a really, really realistic dream. It's not real, but it feels like it is, and all of your consciousness is focused in that body. And it's in my dream, not yours. And it's really happening, which would kinda discount the whole 'not real' part. Also, you're actually awake right now, and so am I, so…Wow, that metaphor broke down really fast."

A small whimpering noise trickled out of Rumia's mouth.

"Okay, it's like you're your ghost, only you're not dead. Mental ghost, soul, mind, whatever. It's inside my mind and this is how our, um, talking, conversation, line of communication is being translated."

Rumia's head lolled back and forth. She felt a minor aneurysm forming. "And my body…"

"Oh, it's fine," the girl said brightly. "It just got broken down to its base particles and was absorbed into the material of my being. It's safe and sound, promise."

Rumia tried to shiver but found that it only occurred from the neck up. This was just getting weird. "And how do you know who I am? Did you read it from my mind or something?"

"Yep. And I'm using your power, too."

"What?"

The girl seemed a little embarrassed. "Um, sorry about doing it without asking, but you were unconscious and I needed to leave before anyone found me. But anyway, I sorta combined your body with mine to create a wholly new body that looks kinda like you, and I'm using it to get around."

She waved a hand, and a rip formed in the blackness beyond her. Rumia gasped as the rip expanded, forming a screen that had to be a good thirty feet tall and another forty across. Within, Rumia could see what appeared to be the dirt and shrubs of the old Night Road, just south of the Forest of Magic, passing below at high speed. Again, there was an odd sense of familiarity, as this was a road Rumia had flown over many times herself. However, everything seemed to be viewed through a filter of red, as if they were peering through a scarlet lens. Rumia wasn't sure what that meant and frankly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to.

"Anyway, right now we're only a few minutes away from the Bamboo Forest. That's where we're going," the girl added, as if it were necessary.

Rumia stared. "Uh, wh-what's in the Bamboo Forest?"

"Old friends." A wistful smile spread across the girl's face. "Very old friends."

Rumia shook her head. Despite the girl's promise of straight answers, she still hadn't learned much of use. "Look, whatever it is you…What is this place? What happened to me, what did you…Who are you?"

"Oh!" The girl exclaimed, her mouth perfectly forming the "O" shape. "Sorry, I forgot you can't…well, you know…anyway, my name is Rin. Rin Satsuki. And don't worry, we're going to have plenty of time to get to know each other. I guarantee it."

Chapter Text

…can't always be looking out for you…

…you did a great job…

…ou hear me? Dai, can yo…

…that was pitiful…

A movement. A twitch and she edged a little closer to consciousness. Not enough though. Darkness still flooded her mind, and distant-sounding voices kept talking to her, though never at each other. It was confusing.

…ster Spark…

…she's still not waking up…

…c'mon, I believe in…

…no one expects us to be gods…

"Dai!"

Finally, one of the voices shouted loud enough to fully seize Daiyousei's attention and drag her from the depths of her mind. She opened her eyes just a crack, squinting at the shadows hanging over her. It was too bright to make anything out and the light hurt her eyes.

"Wha…happen…" she managed to mumble through swollen lips.

"Oh, thank the gods, she's awake," one of the voices said. It sounded like Mystia.

"Good, I was starting to get worried," said another voice, Wriggle's this time. The shadow that most resembled the firefly pushed its way to the front. "Hey Dai, you okay? C'mon, say something!"

Daiyousei tried to push the remaining fragments of fuzziness from her mind, a task that was much more difficult than it sounds. It felt like someone had hit her in the face with a sledgehammer and then dropped a house on her for good measure.

Slowly and painfully, Daiyousei pulled herself to a sitting position. Mystia and Wriggle helped the best they could, but every movement still made her body throb. "Wh-" she started to say, but it was swallowed up by a fit of coughing.

"Whoa, easy there," Wriggle said, lightly slapping her back. "Take it slow."

Daiyousei nodded. When she could talk, she croaked, "What happened?"

"Marisa," Mystia said. "She got us all."

Now that her vision was starting to clear, Daiyousei could see that her friends weren't in the best shape themselves. Both of their clothes were torn and singed, Wriggle was sporting a nasty black eye, Mystia's right arm was resting in a makeshift sling and her wings were missing a few feathers.

"W-wait…M-Marisa…?"

"Yeah, don't you remember?" Wriggle said. "She snuck up on us when we were showing Reimu Hakurei and the rest where Rumia got eaten."

Daiyousei struggled to remember. Everything seemed so…distant. Little fragments drifted in and out of her memory, slowly piecing themselves into larger clumps. These in turn stuck together to form…

The chase through the woods.

The chest's horrifying contents.

Rumia's useless attempts to free herself.

Running to Reimu for help.

And then, Marisa had appeared out of nowhere…

Oh yeah. Master Spark.

It was the first time Daiyousei had actually gotten hit with the infamous spell. Certainly, she had run afoul of Marisa on a couple of occasions, but the young witch had never unleashed her ace in the hole on her before. Now Daiyousei understood why people preferred to avoid upsetting Marisa unnecessarily.

Then she noticed something out of place. "Wait," she said with a cough. "W-where's Cirno?"

"She woke up before the rest of us did," Wriggle explained. "After me and Mysty were up, she left us to go look for Reimu and the rest."

"Huh? But she's already been knocked out twice today! How'd she get up so fast?"

Mystia shrugged. "We figure she's just used to it. Who else would shake off a Master Spark that fast?"

Good point. "So…where is Reimu?"

Another shrug. "Cirno said they were gone when she woke up. Marisa probably told them it was all stupid and that they should go home."

Daiyousei's shoulders slumped. "B-but what about Rumia?" she asked, her voice cracking at the mention of their absent friend.

"Don't worry, we'll figure out a way to get her back," Mystia said reassuringly. "Don't give up on her yet."

Daiyousei wasn't so reassured. Though they had managed to make some crazy plans work in the past, she had a feeling that they were in over their heads with this one.

The fairy pulled her legs up and wrapped her arms around her scratched and bruised knees. She looked out at the countryside around them. They were still at the top of the hill, with that stupid box glittering near the bottom, almost smug in its exposure. It was now midday, and the sun nearly reaching its zenith. Somehow, Daiyousei found the knowledge depressing. Had all that madness only occurred within a few hours' time?

Despite the balminess of the day, Daiyousei began shivering. It started with a slow tremble but eventually her whole body was shaking so hard her teeth began rattling. She tried to stop but found that she had no control over it.

Her friends of course took notice. Thankfully they said nothing. They just sat on either side and wrapped their arms around her. Daiyousei appreciated the gesture. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on Mystia's shoulder. Right now she would take all the comfort she could get, and there was no doubt they felt the same.

The three of them sat together in the shade of the old tree, waiting for their leader to return.

…

As it would turn out, Cirno was not the only person on the hunt. Reimu and co. had not returned home as thought by Mystia, but were busy tracking whatever it was that had escaped from the box. Unfortunately, they were discovering that following a trail of withered grass and flowers only worked in areas that actually had grass and flowers. Once they reached areas that had more dirt than foliage, things slowed down considerably.

Surprisingly, the one who proved to have the most aptitude for picking up the trail was Suika. Just when it looked like they had lost it again, she would spot a patch of weeds or a clump of leaves displaying the same signs of decay that the grass had. It also helped that the trail remained more-or-less pointed southward. Still, it was slow going, and many members of the party were getting impatient.

As they continued through a grove of orange trees, Reimu took the opportunity to ask Yukari some questions.

"So," she said as she hovered closer to the ancient youkai. "You wanna tell me what this is all about?"

Yukari frowned in annoyance, but she said, "If I must. It's just hard to think of where to begin…Let's see, you first met Rumia back during Remilia Scarlet's red mist incident, correct?"

"Yeah, she tried to eat me and Marisa. We messed her up for it. So what?"

"Well, I also had a little encounter with the same girl, only this was long before you were born. Your mother was about your age, maybe a little older, and was the current shrine maiden of Hakurei Shrine."

Reimu shot her an odd look. "You know, one of these days you're going to have to tell me exactly how you knew my parents."

"Perhaps," Yukari said, casually waving off Reimu's probing. "But that can wait. Right now, all you need to understand that when I met Rumia, she was much, much different from the silly prankster you know her as."

"Different? How so?"

"She was a life destroying abomination."

Reimu nearly ran into an orange tree. She managed to recover just in time. "Say what?"

"Just what I said. Rumia is, or at least was, one of the deadliest youkai ever to wander Gensokyo." A faraway look grew in Yukari's eyes. "We never did figure out where she came from. It seemed like she had climbed out of Hell itself. Maybe she had. But whatever her origins, she was bound and determined to burn Gensokyo to the ground."

Reimu didn't say anything. She knew Yukari well enough to know that she wasn't pulling one of her jokes, but to picture silly little Rumia as some sort of harbinger of the apocalypse nearly caused her imagination to hemorrhage. So she remained silent and allowed Yukari to continue.

"At any rate, there was a good chance she might have done it too. Fortunately, your mother and I got wind of it before things got out of hand and put a stop to it."

"Oh. Well, good."

Yukari smiled at her. There was no warmth in the expression. "It wasn't a simple matter. We got to her before she could do too much damage, but she wasn't one to go down easy."

"Really? How so?"

The origin of the question was Marisa, who had been pretending not to listen to the story but had taken the opportunity to enter the conversation. Mima floated a little way beyond her, listening but not taking part. All of this she knew already.

Yukari shook her head. "Rumia's power, the Rumia you know, is darkness. For her, it is a simple absence of light, an ability so ineffective it ends up blinding the silly girl as well. But the power of the Rumia I knew went much deeper. She was the antithesis of life itself. Lower life such as plants and small insects simply died by being in her presence. She could stop a heartbeat of a weaker person with a touch. The stronger could resist for a time, your mother and I being the prime example, but it was…

…horrifying to behold. The Shadow Youkai knelt among the skeleton of the small human outpost, dried blood on her rosy lips and gore coating her pale curving talons and the black blade of the twisted sword she carried. Around her, the ash of the wreckage continued to burn, despite having little in the way of fuel left.

Everything was dead. The humans, their youkai and fairy allies, the local animal life, and a fair portion of the surrounding forest. Anything that hadn't been ripped to pieces by the Shadow Youkai herself had shriveled up in her shadow. Even the stones themselves were cracked and splattered with blood. Above, the sun was blocked by dark clouds that rolled and billowed over one another as silent lightning cut its way through the sky, never enough to actually illuminate the place but enough reveal short glimpses of the carnage beneath.

Yukari stood at the far end of the outpost, staring. It was at times like this she wished that her night-vision was not so good. When the Hakurei shrine maiden had first alerted her about the danger, Yukari's response was to laugh in her face. But now…

The shrine maiden herself stood to Yukari's right. Despite her young age, she didn't seem fazed by the devastation around her. She just looked…tired. Tired and grim.

"Now?" she said. "Now do you believe me?"

Yukari didn't respond. The Shadow Youkai had noticed them. The monster rose to her feet, tattered dress fluttering in a cold wind that had started blowing as her ruby red eyes focused on the two newcomers. Her grip on the sword tightened, and her bloodstained lips parted in a smile.

Yukari and the shrine maiden readied themselves to meet the Shadow Youkai's attack. And not a moment too soon, because within moments it was flying through the air, howling in delight at having found more victims, the blade of its sword coming down on them…

…unpleasant, very unpleasant." Yukari said. "Still, we managed to beat her in the end. After that, we sealed off her powers and erased her memories. She was harmless after that.

Reimu frowned. "Uh, harmless? Excuse me, I'm no big fan of executions, but wouldn't it have been best to just kill her?"

"I'm with Reddie on this one," Marisa put in. "Something that crazy dangerous shouldn't be allowed to run around, mind-wipe or no."

"And yet," Mima said without emotion, "we let you roam free."

Marisa winced. "Hey, waitaminute! I may be a little nuts, but I'm not genocidal, ze! Even Remilia knows that people like Flandre shouldn't be set loose, and this Rumia sounds way worse than psycho-vamp."

"I agree," Yukari said. "In fact, I insisted we do just that. Unfortunately, that proved to be problematic."

"How so?" Reimu asked.

"Well, for one she turned out to be incredibly hard to kill. She wasn't a complete immortal like the Moon Princess or her pyromaniac of a rival, but she was still pretty close. For another, we discovered that even if we did manage to destroy her, all the life she had absorbed would be released in a manner that could be best described as…Well, let's just say it would be enough to turn the Forest of Magic into a desert of glass."

Marisa whistled.

"Indeed," Yukari said. "At one point we considered dumping her in Makai, but Shinki would hear none of it, further lending credence to my 'Having crawled out of Hell' theory. We also tried draining her of her power, but that just made a mess. A great big, steaming mess that had me picking dead skin from five different people out of my hair for a week."

"And that would be when you came to me, correct?" Mima said.

Marisa's head swiveled in the direction of her former mentor. "Say what? Wait Mistress, you're telling me you were a part of this?"

Mima smiled at her. "Dear, I know it pains you to entertain the thought, but I did have a life before you came around. This was just one of the many incidents I was involved in. Didn't want to be, given I wasn't exactly on speaking terms with the Hakurei family at the time, but Yukari managed to convince me it was in my best interests to help remove the soul-scarring affront to all that is good and holy."

"Indeed," Yukari said. "With her help, we were able to work out a way to seal her more deadly powers where she couldn't access them, and at the same time reset her memory, wiping away the bloodthirsty killer we had encountered. It wasn't quite as perfect as sending her to oblivion, but it was the next best thing."

Reimu was having several thousand different thoughts and feelings rushing through her head, and little way to decide on a specific one. She chose one of the most prominent. "Bu…wait, why did you never tell me about this?"

"Because you didn't-"

"Okay, stop. If you say 'You didn't ask', I swear I'm going to kill you."

"Very well."

There was a moment of silence during which they emerged from the orange grove and into a meadow. The trail became easy to pick out again and they quickened their pace.

Then Reimu got annoyed. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Yukari shot her a long look. "You told me not to say 'You didn't ask'. I was simply complying with your request."

"Oh, come on! That can't be the only reason."

"But it is. Like Mima said, as nasty as that incident was, it was far from the first crisis I had to deal with, nor was it the last. And it was dealt with before it became especially memorable, at least in comparison to some of the other messes I've had to clean up. If I were to take the time to detail every battle I've had to fight in my life, I would still be telling it to your great-grandchildren without having reached the halfway mark."

"Then why didn't my mom ever tell me?"

"The same. She had her share of problems she had to fix, and on the whole, this one only took a few days. After that, she had the thing with the guy with the killing notebook, then that mind-controlling revolutionary, and then yet another genocidal girl, this one with invisible arms, and the list goes on. Even you've had your fair share of incidents, and you're not even twenty years old."

"I told Marisa," Mima said.

Marisa once again turned to stare. "Wait, you did?"

"Certainly. It was during our lessons about magic seals. I told you the story about the life destroying youkai and how I found a way to partition off a portion of her powers using a simple hair-ribbon as an amulet."

"Oh yeah, but you didn't tell me it was-"

"Wait!" Reimu snapped her fingers in front of her nose. She turned to Yukari. "Is that why you asked Cirno about her ribbon?"

"Indeed. The ribbon was the spell's anchor. It had an enchantment that prevented her or anyone else from touching it. It seems something managed to bypass it though."

"A ribbon?" Reimu asked, incredulous. "Seriously?"

"Don't knock it, child," Mima said reprovingly. "That ribbon was much sturdier than it appeared. If something did manage to remove it, then it must be formidable indeed."

"Terrain is a-changing!" Suika suddenly shouted, drawing everyone's attention. She drank deeply from her gourd, burped, and announced, "Bamboo Forest is dead ahead!"

"Wonderful," Marisa groused. "How are we supposed to find someone in there?"

Yukari looked thoughtful. "You know, we may have an advantage. If I recall, Ran and Chen are at Eientei right now. I could call them and have them start searching the area from the other end."

"Really? What are they doing there?"

"Eh, Chen needs her shots," Yukari shrugged. "Hang on a second."

She pulled a small, flat box from…somewhere, and began pressing the bumps that adorned one side. With that, she held it to her ear.

"Yes, Ran," she said, seemingly to the air. "Yes. Fantastic. Listen, we have a problem here. No, actually. We're pursuing a rogue youkai who seems to have fled to the Bamboo Woods. As soon as you can, I want you to take Chen and began sweeping the area from your end. We'll be entering from other end and catch her in the middle. Rumia of the Darkness. Indeed. It seems the Shadow Youkai is back. If you see her, do not engage unless you have no other choice. Inform me immediately, and we'll be there as quickly as possible. Not yet, but signs do point in that direction. Fortunately, I'm bringing a lot of firepower with me. Find her, tell me, and fall back until we arrive. Understood? Understood? Good." She pressed one of the bumps and returned the box to wherever it was she kept it.

Marisa stared. "I have got to get me one of those."

"As soon as Verizon opens up shop in Gensokyo, you can. Now, shall we begin?"

"Sure," Reimu said. "Another question though: if this version of Rumia is really so badass, doesn't chasing her seem a bit…stupid?"

"Don't forget your mother and I were able to handle her on our own," Yukari pointed out. "And like I told Ran; we're bringing considerably more firepower with us this time."

Reimu looked from one of her companions to the other. Yukari was easily one the oldest, if not the oldest, beings in Gensokyo. As such, she had several centuries of experience at her disposal, not to mention an incredible amount of power. And despite her youth, Reimu came from a family specially bred for exterminating threats such as this, in which she was extraordinarily talented. Then there was Marisa, who had numerous spells that leaned toward wanton destruction with no reservation at firing early and often. There was also Mima, who also was very old and had taught Marisa everything she knew while retaining a good portion of that knowledge for herself. And that wasn't even getting to Suika, whose preferred method of bypassing mountains was punching straight through them with her bare fists. And even then, there was the possibility of Ran and Chen coming to their assistance as well, and neither of them were exactly slouches in the combat department. All taken together, this response bordered on overkill.

Reimu conceded Yukari's point.

"Okay, fine," she said. "But one more question, for curiosity's sake."

Yukari sighed. "Very well. What is it?"

"Exactly what kind of shots is Chen getting?"

"Rabies."

There was a bark of hoarse laughter. Yukari turned to frown at Marisa, who was laughing so hard she was having trouble staying on her broom. But before she could reprimand the witch, the box she had used to contact Ran began to sing.

…

Deep Within

Despite the promise of straight answers, Rumia had learned relatively little about her new companion, Rin Satsuki. It wasn't for a lack of trying though. It seemed that every time Rin tried to explain something, her words would become confused and jumbled up, with about two or three different metaphors mixing together and creating an absolute mess.

Still, Rumia had managed to learn a few things. First, Rin had originally been a youkai of the Kirin variety. Rumia didn't know much about the Kirin, but she was reasonably sure they didn't consist of transparent lumps of goo that delight in swallowing innocent girls just to talk nonsense at them.

This brought her to the second bit of important information.

"Seriously?" Rumia said. "Someone made you this way?"

"Uh-huh," Rin said. She was sitting cross-legged, her back to Rumia, and was watching the huge red-tinted screen that was supposed to represent her new body's viewpoint. "It felt weird too. You ever been to the beach and accidentally step on a cucumber? Not the veggie-kind that kappa eat, the animal kind? And it's all squishy and disgusting but you still feel bad for stepping on it because it didn't do anything to you?"

"Is that what it felt like?"

"No, I was just thinking that that's what it would probably be like for someone who steps on me. No, for me it was just…weird. All melty. Like literally."

Rumia's head (or metaphorical construct of a head, she was still trying to get used to the whole avatar of consciousness idea) swam as she tried to comprehend what that must have been like. The closest comparison she could come up with was when she had literally dissolved away inside of Rin' gelatinous body. That had been akin to being skinned alive by acid. She wasn't sure if she wanted a detailed description of Rin's experience, though the vengeful side of her found some satisfaction in the idea.

She quickly moved away from that train of thought. "So, is that where we're going? Did someone in the Bamboo Forest change you?"

"Huh? Oh, no." It was still awkward talking to Rin. Beyond the absolute strangeness of their surroundings, lack of garments, and the fact that Rin had, for all intents and purposes, eaten her alive not three hours ago, Rin just didn't seem like she was paying attention. It could be that controlling her new body required a great amount of concentration, or maybe being locked up in a box for who knows how long didn't do much for one's social skills, but despite her previous enthusiasm at finally having someone to share her space with, Rin was treating Rumia more like a passenger than a new friend: she was certainly welcoming, but spoke with her out of obligation than an actual desire to interact.

Then again, taking Rumia's entire life story directly out of her head did mean conversations would be a little one-sided.

Rin continued, "No, it wasn't them, the people that…the ones we're going to see. But it was a little bit kinda sorta their idea, you know? I mean not the blob thing, that wasn't their idea. I don't think it was anyone's idea. Just something that went wrong. Happens, I guess. But the whole experiment was their idea."

"Experiment? What experiment?"

"The one that made me like this."

This was getting frustrating. "But what was the experiment for? What was it trying to do? And who is 'they' anyway, and what did-"

"Hold that thought, 'kay?" They were approaching a particularly thick cluster of bamboo shoots. Rumia expected them to simply go around, but then Rin hunched over, the muscles in her back tensing up. An arm and the attached hand drifted into view on the screen, and it was all Rumia could do to keep from screaming. It looked like someone had constructed it from the very substance of midnight itself. The entire appendage was pitch black, with smoky tendrils dancing along the edges and leaving clinging wisps whenever it moved. But the worst part was the digits, which weren't so much fingers as they were claws. No, not claws, talons. Curving instruments, long, thin, sharp and cruel. Their purpose was obvious.

Was that supposed to be her? Rumia felt a chill sweep through her astral body at the thought of what the rest of the thing must look like. She knew she didn't have the best reputation, but she never thought she would be used to create a monster.

Then her stomach lurched. From the palm of the horrid hand shot a twisting cone of darkness, apparently from the same substance that the hand was made of. It struck the bamboo cluster and immediately the shoots turned black and wilted like so many wet noodles. Seeing how Rumia had been hit with a bamboo shoot on more than one occasion and knew firsthand how hard they could be, the ease in which they were corrupted made her break out into cold sweat.

They continued their journey through where the cluster had been. "Sorry Rumia, you said something?" Rin said, unconcerned at what had just been revealed.

Rumia shook her head. "Ne…never mind."

"Hmmm." Rin shrugged. "Okay. Anyway, you ever been to Eientei before?"

Rumia shook her head. She knew of it of course. Everyone did, especially after that incident of the never-ending night, but she had never actually gone to visit.

"Oh. Well, that's where we're going. Used to work there, actually. Got some unfinished business that I need to take care." She nodded slowly, speaking more to herself than Rumia. "Long time unfinished. Needs some resolution, you know? Otherwise, what are we left with?"

…

For the first day of spring, it had been an unusually slow day at Hourai Clinic. On most days, there would be a steady stream of humans, youkai, fairies and other creatures, all bringing with them any number of bizarre ailments. But today there had just been one catgirl in need of shots and one really beat up fairy. All in all, things were getting boring.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump

Tewi sat behind the receptionist's desk, trying to amuse herself with a ball-and-paddle. She had previously had a set of throwing darts, but Eirin had taken those away. She stared balefully at the empty waiting room. The clinic was a relatively new addition to Eientei, constructed after Kaguya Houraisan and her subjects had gone public. They had the option of importing building materials from outside the Bamboo Forest, but in the end, Kaguya decided to reduce the cost by using what was already available. As such, the clinic was almost entirely constructed from bamboo. Split bamboo stalks formed the walls and ceiling, while smoothed down and polished bamboo tiles made up the floor. Even the furniture was made from crisscrossing bamboo slats. Fortunately, cushions had been provided for the patients' use, even if Tewi thought their lime-green color to be the absolute ugliest thing she had ever seen.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump

Still, despite the simplicity of the building material, great lengths had been taken to make the place as modern as possible, especially by the standards set by the Outside World. Eirin was weird like that. To that end, mostly with Yukari's help, three fans swung round and round from the ceiling and the paper-paneled doors had been rigged to automatically slide open as soon as approaching movement was detected. Pictures of generic landscapes hung from the walls, potted plants were placed here and there, and horribly outdated magazines from nobody really knew where sat on the chairs and tables. All in all, when combined with the bamboo, it made for an interesting looking room. However, Tewi had ceased to be impressed by it years ago. Her ball-and-paddle was losing its appeal, and if something didn't happen soon, she would develop an uncontrollable twitch, one that often resulted in her doing something that would get her yelled at.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump- thump-thumpthumpthumpthumpthump!

Then she heard the sound of the doors sliding open. Tewi sighed in relief. Hopefully this was the start of a busier day. She put the ball-and-paddle away and put on her best Helpful Receptionist smile.

"Hi, welcome to Hourai Clinic!" she said cheerfully. "How can we help…um…you?"

A nightmare stood in the doorway. It was like someone had taken the smoke from a forest fire and somehow made a girl out of it, like a shadow had come to life and abandoned its master. A humanoid shape of twisting darkness and ripping talons. And that wasn't even mentioning the fact that it held the scariest looking sword Tewi had ever seen in her life. It looked like a saber combined with an entire set of kitchen knives and meat hooks and then spray-painted black for good measure.

But the thing's most striking feature was its eyes. Twin globes of fire, smoldering red set against the sooty black of its face. Tewi had seen things with glowing red eyes before and knew enough that they never showed up just because they wanted to be your friend. Except for Reisen, but she didn't count. Most of the others tended to be a bit…aggressive.

And yet, while one would expect the eyes of such a being to convey emotions such as rage, cruelty and a desire to rip innocent young rabbits limb from limb, this one's eyes just looked curious. It turned its head from side-to-side, surveying the room as if it were just there to do a property appraisal. For some reason, that just made it more frightening.

Tewi wasn't scared however. One didn't last long in Gensokyo by being intimidated by every soul-scarring abomination with a nasty weapon that waltzed in through the front door. Nope, not scared all. Cautious maybe. That slight trembling around her calves? That was just her body preparing her for possible action in case things got nasty. But who was to say they will? Gensokyo was home to such creatures as ghosts, demons and vampires, and most of them were more-or-less benevolent. Maybe this new arrival was a new patient who was just looking into getting a sprained ankle fixed and would be perfectly pleasant…

The thing turned to look at her.

Oh. Shit.

It didn't so much walk up to the front desk as it floated. Tewi couldn't help but notice that the sunflowers sitting in the pot on the desk turned brown and shriveled up as it drew near. So did every other plant in the room. But Tewi wasn't afraid. Maybe it had been infected with some sort of plant-killing disease and its love of botany had driven it to seek help here before more of its leafy friends suffered.

But that didn't explain why her throat suddenly felt like she had been inhaling the smoke of a thousand burning corpses.

Tewi straightened in her chair as the thing stood before. "H-h-hi!" she squeaked. "C-c-c-can I h-help you?"

The thing cocked its head. There was an indeterminate amount of time in which nothing was said, and then, speaking in a voice that sound like cinder-blocks been dragged against the floor from the other end of a very long, very dark tunnel, it said, "Eirin. I need…to speak…Eirin. Please."

Tewi laughed nervously. Being nervous was okay, right? It wasn't the same as being scared. "Well, um, I-I-I'm s-sorry, but D-Doctor Yagokoro is seeing other patients now! B-but if w-w-want to c-come b-b-b-b-back later I'll be happy to-"

The thing placed a single hand on the top of the desk. The polished bamboo directly under its touch wasted away to sawdust. Tewi sucked her teeth.

"Now," it said firmly. "I…need to…see her…now."

Tewi nodded enthusiastically. At that moment nothing sounded more reasonable. Of course the new patient would want to see the doctor in person! Eirin was probably done with the catgirl by now and would have plenty of time to meet with the thing. It was only natural.

"Of course! Stay right there, and I'll…and I'll…"

With that Tewi leapt from her seat and ran to Eirin's office. No sense in dawdling. Nothing would be accomplished in just sitting around. Plus her legs desperately needed to be stretched and oh gods don't let it follow me she prayed. As she ran, she became aware of a loud pounding noise. It sounded almost like her ball-and-paddle. But she had left that at her desk. Why was she hearing it now?

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump

It was then that she realized that the sound was the beating of her heart.

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump-thump

…

Deep Within

Rumia stared as she watched as Tewi fled on Rin's giant red-tinted screen. In all honesty she couldn't blame the rabbit. In fact, she was somewhat envious. Her life would have been so much simpler right now if she had possessed the presence of mind to run when the blob had first taken interest in her.

"Wonder what's up with her?" Rin wondered out loud. She shrugged. "Oh well."

Rumia declined pointing out the obvious. "So, uh, you used to work here?" she said instead.

"Mmmm-hmmm. As a nurse. Lived here too. Place looked different though."

"Is that so."

"Yep. Didn't have this big bamboo hospital, just a little infirmary in the mansion."

"Ah…Um, exactly what are you planning?"

"Oh, you know. Talk. Catch up with my old boss. She how she's doing, how the clinic's working out for her. Find out why she never cured me like she promised and abandoned me to eternal loneliness. That sort of thing." The view suddenly shifted as Rin directed her new body to wander over to the various chairs set out for waiting patients. Then it shifted again and lowered. It took Rumia a second to realize that Rin was sitting down.

Rumia shook her head as she tried to think. Come on Rumia, you can figure this out, she told herself. There's got to be a way to get a message out without Rin knowing. Some way of regaining control.

But what good was making plans when your captor could literally read your mind? Rumia shot a nervous glance at the captor in question. For her part, Rin did seem like she had heard her thoughts of escape. Maybe the mind-reading thing wasn't constant and Rin only did it when she wanted to find something out? If so, then Rumia might have a chance. Might.

"Hey Rumia?"

Rumia sucked in a sharp intake of breath (at least, that's what it felt like). "Y-yes?" she said, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Rin gestured to the screen. From the looks of things, she was reading one of the magazines.

"What's all this about Princess Kaguya falling in love with Fujiwara no Mokou? Because when I got locked up, they hated each other."

…

At that moment, Eirin had her hands full with her current patient. The procedure itself was uncomplicated: just a simple prick of the skin with the needle and then pressing down on the injector. Five seconds, tops. However, the difficult part was getting the patient to just sit still already!

Fortunately, having treated Chen in the past, Eirin was well prepared for the task at hand. The two-tailed catgirl was strapped to the swivel chair in the center of the operating room. Handcuffs bound her arms to the armrests and her legs to the foot rest. Several yards of bandages had been converted into makeshift rope, reinforcing the arm restraints and tying her body to the chair's back. A ball-gag covered her mouth and a blindfold was tied securely over her eyes. Eirin's assistant Reisen had remarked upon its resemblance to a BDSM scene. Reisen was now holding an icepack to her head as a result of her comment.

Normally the operating room wouldn't be used for something as simple as given someone their shots. But considering the frenzy Chen had been in even before she had come in through the front doors, Eirin decided to take advantage of the greater amount of equipment the room offered. Indeed, it had taken the help of Ran, Reisen and two other rabbits to restrain the frantic catgirl, wrestle her into the chair and secure her. Band-Aids and lollipops had then been distributed all around.

At least her other patient hadn't offered her any trouble. The spring fairy, one Lily White, had arrived earlier in a state of complete disarray. She had been talking too fast to be understandable, but once she mentioned the words "angry" and "Marisa", she had been granted immediate access to a special emergency room they had reserved for such an occurrence. According to Tewi, once the Mad Witch had learned that Hourai Clinic had an entire room nicknamed "Marisa's Dumping Grounds," she had sent the staff flowers and a thank-you note for thinking of her. Fortunately, Lily wasn't hurt too bad, just very banged up and dealing with the aftereffects of a Master Spark. She was now resting comfortably and would be ready to leave by soon enough.

Eirin could only wish Chen were so easy to deal with. Honestly, it was just one shot. She had suffered worse in all the fights she tended to pick. Eirin grunted in annoyance as she finally snapped the final handcuff into place. "There we go," she muttered, more to herself than anything. "Finally."

Behind her, Ran slumped with relief. "I'm sorry about all this, Eirin. She's normally much better behaved."

Chen's head turned in the direction of her mentor's voice. "MMMPPHHH!" she hissed angrily.

"Well, getting a rabies shot can be frightening," Eirin said, even if she did agree that Chen had overreacted. "Reisen, could you prepare the syringes please?"

"Huh? Oh, okay." The moon rabbit put the icepack down and walked over to the counter. From one of the cabinets she extracted two bottles and from one of the drawers, two syringes. She placed the nose of each needle in one of the bottles and pulled back on the injectors. Then she tapped out the bubbles and handed them to Reisen.

Ran blinked as Eirin inspected the syringes' contents. "What's the second one for?"

"Knockout drug. We will have to release her eventually you know."

Ran stared at her. "Wait, you have a tranquilizer and you didn't think to use it before she covered us with scratches?"

"An injection is an injection. Would you have wanted to stick this in her when she was perched on your head and clawing your ears?"

Chen stiffened in the chair. Then she began pulling at her bonds, thrashing and wailing incomprehensibly.

Eirin groaned. "Oh, for heaven's sake…Reisen, hold her still!"

Her assistant looked dubiously at the catgirl. Foam was starting to form around the gag and drip down Chen’s chin. "Um, are you sure-"

"Just do it already."

Careful to keep any vulnerable body parts away from Chen's claws, Reisen grabbed the catgirl from behind and did her best to hold her steady. Eirin held the syringe with the tranquilizer with one hand, thumb on the injector, and squinted.

She started counting down mentally. Three, two, one, go! With that, she plunged the needle into Chen's shoulder and pressed down on the injector. Chen's howl was loud enough to still rattle eardrums even with the gag in place.

"Well, that was considerably more difficult than it had to be," Eirin muttered as she removed the syringe and handed to Reisen for disposal. "Okay, any second now…"

Ran scratched her head as she looked over her Shikigami. Chen was still growling and pulling against the restraints. "Shouldn't she be falling asleep by now?"

"It varies from person to person," Eirin explained. "Depending on their age, weight, power levels, and so on."

"But she's barely eighty pounds! She should be…"

Chen suddenly stiffened in her seat and slumped back. Her head rolled to one side and a sliver of drool mixed with foam dripped from the gag's side.

"…oh wait there she goes."

"Tenacious, isn't she?" Eirin muttered as she hefted the other syringe. She was about to proceed with the injection when loud music started playing. She had to react quickly to avoid dropping the syringe and turned to glare at the music's source.

"If you embrace you hopes without fear, nothing exists that can keep you from it. You will meet with ominous disaster in the field where black death dances…"

Abashed, Ran pulled the singing cell phone from one of her robe's many pockets. "Sorry," she said, her face turning red, "Yukari. I have to take this."

Eirin sighed as the Shikigami turned and walked to the other end of the room, answering the call as she went. One would think that living in Gensokyo would make it possible to avoid being interrupted by something like an annoying phone call, but she had to be treating the Shikigami of one of the only two people in possession of cell phones and they had to receive a call during the visit. How irritating.

Eirin finished giving Chen her shot while listening with partial interest to Ran's conversation. "Master? Is something wrong? Chen's almost finished with her shots. Do you wish us to return? Understood. Who is this youkai? Who? Wait, is that…Yukari, are you serious? I remember what she was like last time around. Are you sure? I...Yes."

Apparently, Yukari hung up first. Ran was left staring at the now silent phone with a troubled look on her face.

"Miss Ran?" Reisen said, cocking her head in curiosity. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Yes, what was that all about?" Eirin asked as she disposed of the spent syringe. "You forget to clean out the toilets or something?"

"What?" Ran started out of her reverie. "Oh, oh no, nothing like that. It just seems that there may be a…problem we'll have to deal with. Nothing you have to concern yourself-"

"Eirin! Help me Eirin!"

All eyes swiveled towards the room's entrance. Tewi stood in the doorway, one hand clutching the frame in a death grip while she hyperventilated, her eyes wide in…fear? Excitement? Overstimulation? Eirin wasn't sure, but something had gotten the rabbit worked into a tizzy.

"Tewi!" Reisen said. She looked concerned for her friend. "What happened to you?"

Tewi ignored her. "Eirin! You gotta…There's a…It said it wanted to…It was really scary!"

"Um, I'm getting that," Eirin said, looking completely confused. "What in the world are you on about?"

"A monster!" Tewi blurted out. She lunged forward and grabbed Eirin by her collar. "In the waiting room! A big smoky monster with red eyes and a really, really big sword! It made all the plants die and said it wanted to see you!"

Eirin had absolutely no idea how to respond to something like that. But before she could respond Ran cut in.

"Wait, what was that about plants dying?"

Tewi's wide eyes swiveled to the multi-tailed Shikigami. "All of them! She just looked at them and they shriveled right up!"

"And you say she had a sword?"

"Yes! A big nasty one with lots and lots of blades! I thought she was going to make mincemeat out of me!"

Ran's posture stiffened. Her hands began trembling, but the rest of her body remained steady. When she spoke, her voice was calm and unwavering. "And did she have red eyes?"

Tewi nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Big ones, like this!" She pulled open her own eyelid to demonstrate the size of the thing eyes.

Ran's eyes rolled back. "Oh, fuck me."

"I'd rather not," Eirin said in irritation. "You sound like have some idea of what's going on. Care to enlighten us?"

Ran already had her cell phone out. She pressed buttons while she talked. "Yes, but first, have your assistants go and round up every rabbit-at-arms and tell them to suit up. This is going to be ugly."

"What is going to be ugly? Is explaining that really so hard?"

"Hold that thought. Yukari? Yes. Bad news I'm afraid. We just got confirmation that the she's here at Eientei. No, not yet. Shall I engage? Yes, I do believe it's necessary. Okay, understood. No, I'm amassing reinforcements now. I'll do my best. Thank you."

"Uh, Miss Ran?" Reisen asked when Ran hung up. "What's going on?"

"For the love of the gods, are you two still here? Go get those soldiers!"

Reisen looked confused. She glanced over to Eirin, who was frowning. But she nodded her permission.

After the two rabbits had scampered off, Eirin turned to Ran with her arms folded. "Okay Shikigami, you've got your backup. Care to fill in the very large blanks here?"

Ran shook her head. "I don't have much time…"

"You might be endangering my girls here. Make time."

"Point," Ran sighed. "Okay, how much do you know of, um, 'incidents' that have occurred in the last century or so?"

"Considering that we started one? Quite a bit, actually. I may not leave Eientei often, but I make it a point to keep up with current events."

"Good. Now, do the words 'Shadow Youkai' mean anything to you?"

Eirin frowned as she thought. Her memory was exceptionally good, but there was much data to sift through. She recalled about hearing something a few decades back, something of…

Oh.

That.

"Now, by Shadow Youkai do you refer to an incident that took place about sixty years ago," Eirin asked calmly. "One that resulted in the destruction of several human and youkai settlements in particularly messy fashion until your master intervened?"

"Yes."

"And am I understand the person responsible for those murders is in fact in my waiting room?"

"Seems to be."

"And how much of a crisis would this be?"

"Think the Flandre Scarlet World Tour."

"I see." Without another word, Eirin marched to a locked cabinet, set a way apart from the others. She pulled a key out of her pocket and unlocked it. From inside she extracted a heavy black suitcase. The Lunarian doctor popped the clasps and pulled the lid open. From inside she removed several syringes filled with a sickly green fluid. These stuck into her uniform where she could access them with ease.

After this she reached back into the cabinet and pulled out a sawed-off shotgun. She pumped the action once and nodded in satisfaction.

"Well then," she said to a staring Ran. "It seems we have a bit of problem on our hands. Shall we get started solving it?"

Chapter Text

It had been almost fifteen minutes since Cirno had left the rest of her gang to search out Reimu and company. Within those fifteen minutes she had become convinced that the Forest of Magic was a labyrinth designed by an absolute sadist, one with ADD. She had to have come back the same mushroom patch five times already, and the trees were all starting to look the same.

Still, she had to press on. Rumia was counting on her. A general never abandoned her men, no matter how gross of a manner they've been devoured by…

Cirno drove out that memory, or at least tried to. The look of utter terror on Rumia's face as her skin began to waste away kept forcing itself to the forefront of her mind. That in itself wouldn't be as bad if it weren't for the voices in her head providing color commentary.

She's dead, you know, they whispered. No one could survive that. She's dead and there's nothing you can do.

Shut up! she shot back. She's not dead, okay? I'm gonna find her and I'm gonna save her and everything will be okay!

Stupid. You saw her body get ripped apart. No one could survive that. Why do you keep trying to fool yourself?

Mystia got eaten once, and she came back, Cirno reminded them. Rumia's a youkai too. She can come back.

Far from the same thing. Mystia at least had pieces left behind. Rumia didn't even have that.

Cirno ignored that last part. Instead, she came to a brief halt in order to select a route she hadn't already traveled. She was at the foot of a gnarled old willow tree, with the path branching off in three different directions. Biting her lip, she closed her eyes and began pointing at each path in quick succession.

"Eenie-menie-um, money-mie? Which path do I…no that's not right."

"Well, hello there, sweet thing," a low, syrupy voice said from directly overhead. "Are you lost? Maybe I can help."

Cirno looked up and had to keep from screaming. A spider youkai, tarantula by the look of him, was slowly descending on a string. Soon he was hanging upside-down directly in front of her, a wide toothy grin plastered on his face.

"It's not safe for little girls like you to wander around by yourself," he leered, giving her a mocking tip of the bowler hat he wore. "Why, there's no telling what kind of-"

Before he could finish, Cirno shrieked and fell back, bringing her hands up to bear. White light flashed, and a moment later the tarantula was frozen stiff, web and all. That lecherous smile remained on his face, displayed far too many jagged teeth.

Cirno shuddered and immediately left the area. She had to get out of this forest. Too many freaks wandering around.

She decided to change tactics. Instead of continuing her fruitless wandering from one twisting path to the next, she shot straight up. Cirno closed her eyes and covered her face the best she could with her hands, but branches still scratched at her exposed skin as she tore her way through the intertwining treetops.

Then suddenly the leaves gave way to open air. Sunlight burst into her vision and she was through. Cirno soared up and up until she could clearly see the landscape stretching around her in every direction.

I really should've done this from the beginning, she thought as she shielded her eyes from the sun and looked in every direction. Nothing, nothing, nothing, noth…

There! Over the fields south of the Forest of Magic, Cirno could see five dots moving quickly through the air. She could barely make them out, but it looked like one of them was riding a broom. That was good enough for her. She immediately starting heading in that direction, ignoring the weariness and pain that was started to spread through her beat-up body. Fairies had amazing recuperative powers, but no one took two Master Sparks twice in one day and expected to be on their best game.

To top it off, those damned voices still wouldn't stop taunting her. Even if she's still alive, what are you going to do? Your ice didn't do anything, nothing you and your friends did anything. You'll probably just end up getting eaten too, and then who will-

Shut. Up.

Mercifully, this time they complied. Cirno steeled herself and added as much speed as she could. It didn't matter if Reimu and the rest thought she was useless. Rumia was her friend and she would be damned before she got left behind.

Hang on Rumia, she thought as she sped over the treetops. I'm coming.

…

Deep Within

At that moment, Rumia was busy calculating her odds of surviving the coming encounter with Eirin Yagokoro. From what she had heard the Lunarian doctor wasn't one to be trifled with. Reportedly, back during the incident of never-ending night, she had stood fast against Eientei's invaders and almost held them off single-handedly. And considering those invaders had been composed of some of Gensokyo's biggest names, including Marisa Kirisame, Reimu Hakurei, Yukari Yakumo and several others, Rumia was growing understandably apprehensive about the upcoming meeting. Even though she personally wouldn't be the target of Eirin's wrath, she was still inside of Rin's body, and anything that happened to Rin would probably happen to her in some form or another. And since Rin had only Rumia's meager powers to defend herself with, Rumia was starting to wonder if now would be a good time attract the attention of as many deities as possible and try to make peace.

Of course, there was that one incident with the smoky pillar of darkness and the bamboo stalks. Rumia was still trying to figure out exactly where in the hell that had come from.

For her part, Rin didn't seem all that concerned about the coming confrontation, though Rumia was starting to think that was more due to a short attention span than any measure of confidence. She was still in the sitting position and was watching her red screen intently. On it, her gnarled talons were turning the pages of the magazine she had picked up.

"Oh, look Rumia!" she squealed as one particular article caught her eye. "Did you know that there's a new shrine at the top of the Youkai Mountain with two goddesses? And the shrine maiden is one of the goddess' descendants? Oh wait, yeah you do. Sorry, forgot."

Rumia sighed. "The Moriya shrine isn't exactly big news anymore, Rin. That magazine's a little outdated."

"Is it? Oh well, my memory's even more outdated, so it's all good. But did you know that the goddess and the maiden were caught in an incestuous relationship? And the other goddess ran away crying? It says she was in love with the first goddess. Wow, things must be downright insane over there!"

"Rin, it's a tabloid, it's all bullshit. Don't take it seriously. 'Sides, shouldn't you be more concerned about meeting your old boss?"

Her words made the Kirin cringe. "I know, I know! It's just I'm so nervous about what I'm gonna say, I need some kind of distraction to keep from wetting myself. I mean, she was kinda pissed last time I saw her, but maybe she's calmed down. I don't know, do you think she'll be happy to see me?"

…

"Ran and I will lead the first squad," Eirin said to the assembled soldiers. "As we understand it, close quarters are this thing's specialty, so we'll try to force it outside. Once it's clear of the building, Tewi and Reisen's teams will move in and pound it to oblivion. That is, unless Yukari and her friends show up before then, in which case you let them pound it to oblivion. Do not engage in hand-to-hand combat, you will die. Maintain your distance at all times and if it singles you out, retreat immediately. But above all, do not, do not, do not let it go after the princess! Her safety is our number one priority. Do you understand?"

On cue, the members of the Eientei Guard snapped to attention and saluted. "Ma'am, yes Ma'am!"

"Good. Now get to your positions, this is going to be nasty."

As Tewi and Reisen led their squads away, Ran took the opportunity to sidle up to Eirin.

"Hey Eirin? Quick question. Why do you have a…machine gun?"

"Shotgun."

"Right, shotgun. Why do you have one? After all, you can shoot a virtual storm of danmaku from your fingertips. Doesn't it seem a little…redundant?"

A mirthless half-smile touched Eirin's lips. She hefted the weapon and ran on hand lovingly over its wooden handle. "Sure, if you want them to survive."

Ran blinked. "What does that thing do?"

"What does it do? It solves problems, my dear Shikigami. It solves problems."

…

Deep Within

"So I can see why Eirin would get mad at me," Rin was saying. "I did go a little crazy and cause a lot of problems. But did she really have to squeeze all of my friends out of me and lock me up like that? I mean, she didn't even try to talk to me afterwards. Have you ever been alone in the dark?"

"…yes. All the time."

"And you couldn't leave? And you were stuck in that darkness forever and ever with no one to talk to, nothing to do, can't even sleep or do anything to take your mind off of how lonely you are? That's just too much."

Considering how Rumia had been convinced that that was going to be her fate she was hard pressed to disagree. "But you're just going to talk and sort things out, right? There's not going to be any shooting going on, right?"

"Of course! I learned my lesson the last time around. No shooting, only talking…Oh look, she came!"

The view on the screen shifted, and Rumia found herself staring at the door at the far end of the waiting room, the one that rabbit had ran through. Through it had entered a long-haired woman wearing a red-and-black dress (at least she assumed it was red-and-black. It was a little hard to tell with the screen's tint) and hat decorated with what appeared to be depictions of constellations. Accompanying her was a fox youkai wearing a long robe and in possession of far more tails than should be considered strictly necessary. Rumia recognized the latter one as Ran Yakumo, Shikigami to Yukari. Which would mean the former was Eirin. And neither of them looked like they were there to talk.

Rumia had no idea what Ran was doing here, but her presence couldn't be anything good. In fact, it probably meant that Yukari was close. For some reason that Rumia could never fully explain, the ancient youkai terrified her. Sure, everyone was scared of her on some level, but to Rumia it was akin to a phobia. She bit her lip and watched the proceedings while thinking I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home.

"There she is!" Rin said happily. She directed her borrowed body to stand up. "Okay, here we-"

That was when twelve rabbits, all dressed in green militaristic uniforms, took position on either side of the newcomers and, on Eirin's command, started shooting.

…

Eirin watched dispassionately as the air filled with danmaku, all focused on a single target. She was mildly surprised when the Shadow Youkai didn't even try to defend itself. If anything, it almost looked shocked that they would take initiative and throw the first punch. Whatever the reason, every shot hit home and the Shadow Youkai soon disappeared behind blinding flashes of light as the bullets exploded upon impact.

Eirin waited a good ten seconds before shouting "Cease fire!" She wasn't so optimistic to assume they had finished it off with the first volley, but the smoke kicked up by her girls' firepower would make it difficult for her to take a shot of her own. And she didn't want to miss.

"That was…easy," Ran muttered as they watched the smoke fade.

Eirin took aim with her shotgun, barrel focused at where the Shadow Youkai had vanished. "It's not dead."

"Yeah, probably not," Ran sighed. "You want this one?"

"Yes."

The smoke cleared enough for Eirin to get a good look at the other end of the waiting room. Aside from some splintered furniture and torn magazines, it was empty. Eirin frowned but she didn't move her finger from the trigger. She wouldn't relax until she did the thing's autopsy herself.

There. Hiding behind one of the overturned chairs, a shadow was moving. The Shadow, to be exact. Eirin held her fire as the top of its head peeked out into view.

"Wait…Eirin, wait," it said in a horrible gravelly voice that made her think of tombstones being ground into dust. "Don't shoot…it's me…"

Eirin lined up her shot and fired.

The shotgun belched smoke and a blazing green fireball shot out, starting off the size of a pellet when it exited the barrel but swiftly grew as it charged towards the thing's face. By the time it impacted, it was the size of a cantaloupe and neatly blew off half of its head.

The room filled with a soulless howl of agony as the Shadow Youkai fell backward, clutching at the ruined remains of its face. Its sword fell clattering to the ground.

Ran whistled her appreciation. "Wow, you weren't kidding about that thing. What is it?"

Eirin frowned, but said, "It's of Outside World make, but I had the kappa upgrade it."

"Upgrade? That's putting it mildly. You look disappointed though."

"It was supposed to launch it through the wall."

"Oh."

Well, if they couldn't force it outside at that moment, then they would just have to change tactics. Eirin pumped another round into the chamber, walked around the waiting room until she had a clear shot at the moaning, writhing monster and fired. And fired again. And again.

…

Deep Within

Gongs were going off in Rumia's head and light was exploding behind her eyes. All around her, the endless sea of nothing had become an endless sea of thrashing energy and pain. She could literally feel the substance of it twist in agony as the impacts of whatever it was hitting them reverberated through the recesses of Rin's mind.

Rin herself had taken the worst of it. She was lying curled up in the fetal position, clutching her belly and staring with glazed eyes at the shattered remains of her screen. She had managed to withstand the first round of fire without much difficulty, much as she had absorbed the bullets of Rumia's friends earlier. But whatever Eirin had shot at her had been much, much worse. The screen had exploded upon impact and though it was not actually Rumia's body taking the hit, she could still feel the echo of it rip through her core.

"She shot me," Rin was whispering. "She shot me she shot me she shot me…"

Rumia cried out as another impact sent pain ripping through their space. "Rin, snap out of it!" she screamed. "You've got to get us out of here!"

"…she shot me she shot me she shot me…"

"She'll keep shooting you if you don't move your ass! Rin, listen to me, we have to-"

"It was supposed to be a talk!" Rin screeched. Suddenly she was to her feet (metaphorically speaking) and shouting towards where her screen used to be. "I just wanted to talk! It wasn't supposed to be like last time! Why did you shoot me? Why?"

…

Eirin was seriously considering demanding a refund from the kappa. Despite shooting five rounds into the monster and blowing off its head and most of its torso in the process, it was still moving. And to top it off her shotgun had maybe one round left before it completely melted to slag from the heat.

Oh well, at least they were making progress. Her concentrated fire had reduced it to a quivering mass of shadows that didn't even resemble a humanoid form anymore. If this last shot didn't finish it off, then she would turn to the syringes.

Eirin pumped the final round into the chamber, noting with displeasure the amount of force required to accomplish just that simple movement, aimed for the core of the thing's mass, and fired.

It hit, but not in the way she had intended. A literal split-second before collision a thin twisting appendage formed itself from the main mass and shot out to catch the fireball in mid-air. To Eirin's surprise, the projectile did not explode upon impact but remained burning in the monster's grasp like some sort of flaming baseball.

A shiver ran over the thing's body and it began to grow. The tentacle holding the fireball grew fingers and shaped itself into an arm. Another arm braced itself against the floor and pushed the main body up as legs formed underneath. While all this took place, four smaller tentacles popped out of the top and twisted together to recreate its head.

All of this takes time to describe. In reality, it was on its feet and opening its eyes in less than three seconds. Eirin felt the first quiver of unease, but she didn't lose her nerve. Before it could regain its senses, she threw away the ruined shotgun and shouted, "Shoot it down!"

Her girls responded immediately, Eirin and Ran adding their own firepower to the barrage. This time, the Shadow Youkai didn't bother to seek cover. Its body shook as the bullets exploded against its frame, but it didn't disintegrate.

Then Eirin's quick eyes noticed something strange. "Cease fire!" she snapped. The danmaku cut off in an instant.

Ran sidled up to her. "Hope you got a plan," she muttered to the Lunarian. "Because we're kinda dropping the ball in the whole 'force it outside' department-"

"Shhhh!"

Eirin squinted at the Shadow Youkai's form, still visible through the smoke. It was as she had thought. The bullets had ceased to detonate upon impact and were instead sticking to it like knives. It still held the green fireball in one hand like some sort of demonic lantern.

Eirin had seen that phenomenon from exactly one being before. Pieces came together in her mind, constructing a conclusion that she didn't even want to entertain.

Oh no, she thought as the feeling of unease grew into icy fear. No, not this. Not her.

As if in confirmation of her fears, bullets began to sink into the thing's body. At the same time, it began squeezing the fireball, causing it to grow smaller and smaller. It seemed to be literally pressing it into its palm.

A wave of uneasy muttering spread through her soldiers. It was clear that they found the situation as disturbing as their leader did. A few of the older veterans had been there the first time this had happened and, judging by the looks on their faces, they were reaching the same conclusion Eirin was.

The last of the bullets vanished and the thing was whole once more. Eirin opened her mouth to ask a question, but before the first word left her mouth the Shadow Youkai screamed, a high-pitched echoing cry that caused all to wince in pain and cover their ear.

Then it grabbed up a fallen chair and hurled it at Eirin. "Watch out!" one of Eirin's rabbits shouted as she tackled her out of the way. The chair crashed against the far wall hard enough to crack the bamboo as it shattered into splinters.

The rabbits immediately began firing again, but this time the Shadow Youkai wasn't interested in being hit again. It snatched up its sword from the ground and leapt straight at the wall. The bamboo exploded into dust and it fled to the outside.

"Are you all right, Ma'am?" asked the rabbit that had saved her, Utada Eirin thought her name was.

Eirin nodded and allowed herself to be helped to her feet. "Thanks," she said. "Want a promotion?"

Utada smiled wryly. "Do I get my own quarters?"

"Don't push you luck." She took a deep breath and surveyed the battleground. It was bad, though not as bad as it could have been. The far end of the waiting room was a complete loss. Even without that hole in the wall, the floor and all the furniture were completely ruined. Still, all in all they had gotten off lightly.

"Ma'am, forgive me, but it's her, isn't it?" Utada asked. "It's Rin Satsuki."

There were some muffled gasps coming from the other assembled soldiers. Eirin pressed her lips together in a thin line, but she said, "Looks like it."

"Huh?" Ran asked. "Who's Rin Sat…seki? Suki?"

Eirin shook her head. She could feel on hell of a headache starting to form. "In a minute." She turned to the soldiers. "All right, we're clearing out. All of you, go find-"

That was when she heard someone yell "Fire at will!" and the sound of flying bullets filled the air. Eirin froze as she realized what had happened. The shock of what she had seen had completely driven one important fact from her mind.

"Reisen and Tewi," she spat, making the names sound like a curse. "Godsdamn it, I forgot." She whirled back to Utada. "Okay, change of plans! You're in charge now. Go get the princess, sneak her out of the back, and get her as far away from her as possible! Head for the Scarlet Devil Mansion and tell Sakuya Izayoi what happened, got it?"

The uncertainty vanished from her new commander's face as she snapped to attention. "Ma'am, yes Ma'am!"

"Good. Move!"

As Utada led her soldiers away Eirin grabbed Ran and pulled her along as she started running for the side exit. Ran complied, but she was still baffled.

"What? What's going on? Who the hell is this Rin person? I thought we were dealing with the Shadow Youkai!"

"We might be!" Eirin shouted back. "But it's much, much worse than that."

"How could it be worse? What's all this about? Eirin!"

"Later! We have a buffet to crash!"

"Buffet?"

"Yeah, and if we don't hurry it's gonna be all-you-can-eat rabbit. Now shut up and move!"

…

Reisen had never liked fighting. She could do it if she had to, but on the whole it was something to be avoided. So when she found herself leading twelve of the Eientei guard, ready to attack an unknown enemy, she was understandably nervous.

Her squad had taken position along the right wall of Hourai Clinic, waiting for the Shadow Youkai to reveal itself. Tewi's group was stationed at the left side, with the plan being to catch it in their crossfire and hopefully stall it until reinforcements arrived. Despite what Eirin had said, there was no question of ending the fight themselves. From what they had learned this thing didn't play by the rules.

For what had to be the fifth time, Reisen dared to peek around the building's corner. The knowledge that the Shadow Youkai was only separated from them by a few thin walls of bamboo and paper was not doing her nerves any good. On the other side, she could see Tewi doing the same thing. The two met each other's glances, and Tewi shot her friend an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up. Reisen shakily returned the gesture and ducked back behind the clinic. She sighed and slumped against the wall. Now that there was a definite plan of attack, Tewi had gotten over her previous panic and had become downright chipper about the upcoming battle. Reisen couldn't help feel a little envious of her friend's confidence. As for herself, she kept imagining the Shadow Youkai's sword suddenly jamming itself through the wall to pierce her skull.

In which case she should probably stop leaning against the clinic. She gulped and scooted away.

"Reisen?" said Shiina, one of her soldiers. "Are you all right?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine!" she said, forcing a laugh. It sounded fake even to her ears. "Just wondering what's taking them so long, that's all."

Shiina shot her a dubious look. "If you say so." She turned away from Reisen and focused on the forest, presumably keeping an eye out for their promised help.

Reisen had to repress a moan. And to top it off, she had been drafted as some kind of military leader. That was supposed to be Tewi's job and Tewi's alone. She wasn't cut out for this.

That was when the chaos began.

It started with Eirin's voice yelling something she couldn't make out, and then the sound of large amounts of danmaku being discharged pounded through the walls of the clinic. Reisen tensed up immediately. Oh gods, oh gods, it's really happening, what do I do, what do I do…

"Reisen?" said Shiina. "Reisen! Your orders?"

Her voice jolted Reisen out of her panic attack. The Lunar rabbit pulled herself to her feet and took a deep breath. "Um, well, Eirin doesn't want us attacking until the Shadow Youkai's forced outside. So wait until you, um, see it come out, and, and take it out. Do your, um, do your, you know, your thing."

Great speech Reisen, she berated herself. They're just overflowing with confidence now.

But she didn't have time to worry about that now. The sound of firing had cut off inside, to be replaced with a repeating click-BOOM! That would be Eirin and her shotgun. Reisen had accompanied her when she had picked it up after the kappa had gotten done upgrading it and had witnessed a demonstration. Despite herself, she was almost starting to feel sorry for the Shadow Youkai. Almost. After all, Eirin stood a good chance of finishing this herself. If so, Reisen wouldn't even have to look at the thing.

The sound of shotgun blasts ceased, and there was still no sign of the Shadow Youkai. Reisen found herself feel a small trickle of hope mixed with worry. Was it over? Had they killed the thing? Or had it killed them? The former was more likely, as there would have been a great deal more yelling if it had rose up and slaughtered the lot. But still, what if could kill someone with a look, just stop their heart and that was it? Reisen told herself not to entertain such thoughts, that they weren't doing her any good, but she couldn't help but think of worst-case scenarios.

And then the yelling started. And the shooting resumed. Oh gods, it wasn't dead. And it was going to kill them and then kill everyone outside.

That was when a good chunk of the clinic's front disintegrated and something charged out of the newly created hole. Reisen felt all the doubts she had been feeling freeze into ice. It didn't take a genius to identify the newcomer as the dreaded Shadow Youkai.

"Reisen! Do we fire?" Shiina demanded.

Oh yeah. They had a job to do.

"What? Oh right. Fire at will!" Reisen shouted. At the same time, Tewi was giving the same command to her squad on the other end. Somehow, now that she was actually facing the monster instead of waiting for it, she found the fear easier to ignore. Adrenaline was funny that way.

The response was immediate. At her word, both squads of rabbits rolled into range and pointed their fingers at the Shadow Youkai. Fat spheres and small, sharp blades of energy in red, blue and lavender hurled forward from both directions. The Shadow Youkai tried to turn to face the new sound, but was caught in the crossfire and soon disappeared behind the barrage.

It worked! Reisen thought numbly. It actually worked! Grinning, she pointed her right hand at the monster, index finger and thumb extended, and added her own firepower to the assault, adding wave after wave of glowing red blades.

"How long do we keep this up?" Shiina shouted over the noise.

"Until we see it explode!" Reisen yelled back. The surprising success they were experiencing was starting to fill her with confidence.

"Sounds good to me!"

Reisen nodded and kept firing. Funny though, the monster didn't show any of sign of caving to their attack. She had to squint to tell, but it looked like it was still standing. That couldn't be good. And then…

"Stop shooting!" someone's voice cried, somehow rising about the sounds of battle. "Cease fire! Fall back! Shut those fucking things off!"

Cease fire? Huh? Confused, Reisen did as she was told. Around her, her soldiers were doing the same.

Eirin was standing on the roof of Hourai Clinic. The Lunarian doctor was holding a megaphone, which was how she had managed to make herself heard.

"Okay, everyone with ears longer than one meter, listen up! I've already sent my squad to help evacuate the princess! I want you to gather up the rest of the mansion staff and join them! Commander Utada will fill you in on the rest. Now move!"

Huh? We're supposed to go, just like that? Reisen exchanged looks with her squad they looked just a confused as she was.

"I'd listen if I were you," said a soft voice directly behind her.

Reisen whirled around. "Gah! How'd you-"

Ran the Shikigami stood there, clasped hands covered by her sleeves. "There's been a change of plans. You're to follow Eirin's orders and let her handle this."

"Bwuh? But it's not dead!" Reisen shot a glance over her shoulder to confirm. The Shadow Youkai was on its hands and knees, staring at the ground. It looked hurt, but it was definitely not down for the count.

"How is Eirin supposed to kill it by herself?"

"I'm not sure, so maybe you can tell me," Ran said calmly. "Does the name 'Rin Satsuki' mean anything to you?"

"Rin?" Shiina gaped. "That thing is Rin?"

As for her part, Reisen felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She wobbled a bit and had to brace herself against the clinic's side. Her weak legs slipped out from under her, sending her sliding to the ground.

"So you do know her. Good. Perhaps you would care to explain who that is and why she is such bad news."

Reisen didn't answer. In fact, she barely even heard Ran's words at all. The rhythmic percussion of her heart was pounding so loud that it drowned out everything else.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

Someone called her name from far away. Reisen didn't acknowledge it. Her mind had been forced to a stop and had yet to restart.

Someone clapped their hands in front of Reisen's face. "Reisen! Wake up!"

Reisen jolted. She stared up with wide eyes at Shiina's face, which was looking down at her in concern.

"Reisen, are you still with us?"

Reisen swallowed but didn't respond.

Shiina cursed. She whirled to the other soldiers and screamed, "You heard the doctor! We're getting the hell out of here!"

There was no argument, no questions. They also knew the name Rin Satsuki. Shiina grabbed Reisen by the arm and hauled her off the ground. From there the Lunarian rabbit was partially dragged as squad turned and ran for the Eientei mansion as fast as they could, a disgruntled-looking Ran floating right behind.

As for Shiina herself, she had been friends with Reisen Udongein ever since the latter's arrival. And she also remembered Rin Satsuki very clearly, both after the change and before. She couldn't fault Reisen for falling apart, but she also couldn't let that make her forget the current crisis.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Tewi's group had also gotten the message, judging by the way they hadn't even bothered going around the clinic and were now bounding across its roof. They had good cause too. If Ran was to be believed, and there was little reason not to, Rin Satsuki was on the loose again. May the gods help them all.

…

It felt…strange, walking towards the intruder. Out of the many, many people she never expected to deal with again, Rin Satsuki was in the top five. Unfortunately, one of the side effects of living so long is that people on those sorts of lists tend to show up sooner or later.

That is, of course, if the creature really was Rin Satsuki. There really was no way to tell based on sight alone. Of course, there was no one else who would simply absorb danmaku shots like that, and her showing up in Eientei would be quite the coincidence otherwise. To that end, Eirin was going to assume that it was her until proven otherwise.

To that end, she had taken the time to retrieve her bow from storage. It was a bit of a step down from her now ruined shotgun, but it would get the message across.

From the looks of things, her girls had done their job well. The thing she believed to be Rin was kneeling in the dirt, hands splayed before her and sword lying some feet away. It was partially turned away from her, but Eirin could still see what appeared to be smoking bits of pitch dripping from it face to leave smudges on the ground.

Eirin frowned and notched an arrow in her bow. Tears or no, Rin Satsuki was still one of the greatest threats to Eientei. She would be damned before she let another rampage happen.

"Rin," Eirin called out. "Rin! Rin Satsuki! Turn around."

Still sniveling, the thing pulled itself to its feet and turned to face her. "Eirin. You…recognize me?"

Now I do for certain, Eirin thought to herself. Aloud, she said, "What are you doing here, Rin? How did you escape from your prison?"

"Rumia…helped me. She opened…the box."

That name didn't ring a bell. "Is Rumia the Shadow Youkai's name?"

"I don't…know…what that…is."

Huh, that was odd. "And is this Rumia's whose body you're wearing?"

"Yes."

Eirin pulled back on the bowstring. "Let her go, Rin. I don't want to hurt you."

Rin's stolen eyes blazed up with new fire and her guttural voice came in stronger, losing that note of forced hesitation. "You already hurt me! Why? I just wanted to talk."

…

Deep Within

I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die…

Her mind locked up by fear, Rumia stared with frantic eyes as Rin angrily addressed her newly created screen. On it, she could see Eirin grimly holding them at arrow-point. Considering that Rin had managed to absorb all attempts to destroy her, Rumia had little doubt that she could survive the arrow. But that didn't mean getting skewered first was going to be any fun, especially since it appeared that Rumia would be taking some of that backlash as well.

Besides, this was Eirin they were talking about. The arrow was probably cursed or poisoned or something like that.

"You didn't even give me a chance to explain myself!" Rin screamed. Her balled fists were trembling and angry tears were pouring down her face.

"I didn't know it was you, not at first," Eirin said, her voice sounding strangely mechanical when filtered through Rin's borrowed ears. "But even if I did, have you seen yourself lately? Would you take the chance?"

"Uh, R-Rin?" Rumia ventured. "Maybe you should calm down-"

"If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't have bothered sending Tewi to get you!" Rin shouted. "I would have just smashed my way in and done it! I'm strong enough to do that now!"

"Rin, stop shouting at her. You only have my power, and I-"

"Rumia, please," Rin said in a strained voice. "Not now."

"I'm sure," Eirin responded. "But even if I knew it was you, do you really think I'd be waiting for you with open arms? Face it, Rin. You didn't exactly leave us with a good impression last time around."

"But I've changed!" Rin cried in frustration. "I'm different now! I just want to get my life back!"

"Oh? And how does this 'Rumia' feel about giving up her life so you might regain yours?"

Rumia's spine stiffened.

"She's my friend!" Rin protested. "She helped me escape!"

"And did she willingly let you devour her body, trap her mind and steal her power?" Eirin said. "I see no difference between what you did then and what you're doing now. Still taking away people's lives against their will. Did you know that there are still those who wake up screaming from nightmares about what you did to them? And you wonder why we're not taking chances."

Rumia glanced around at the endless void around them, at the gigantic crimson screen, at her own paralyzed body and at the increasingly nutty girl who had made it all happen. She thought about the brief glimpses of what Rin had created from her power, of the pain she had felt coursing through the space around them when Eirin had shot them. She thought about the signs of Rin's mental instability and being trapped forever in this place, unable to escape, unable to move and with no one except one very strange girl with more than a few issues for company. Rumia found herself seeing Eirin's logic, harsh as it was, to be wholly reasonable.

"I had no choice!" Rin shot back. "What was I supposed to do, just slither my way back? Let the sun dehydrate me until I shriveled up? Let all the fairies of the world turn me into a kickball or a beanbag chair? I'm not working with a lot of options here!"

"Then prove it."

"Eh?"

The steel in Eirin's eyes sharpened. "You say that you're different, that this one incident was just an act of desperation? Then prove it. You've made it here, so you don't need Rumia anymore, right? Let her go, and I'll believe you."

Rumia's heart leapt, though she did her best to conceal it. This was it. If Rin would only listen to the pissed off lady with the bow-and-arrow, then Rumia stood a chance of walking away from this nightmare.

Then again, there was just a good a chance that her captor would completely disregard Eirin's words and keep her imprisoned.

Or go crazy and tear her mental ghost apart. It could go any way, really.

Rin, however, didn't respond. She just stared at her feet.

"How about it, Rin? Are you really willing to start over with a clean slate? Let Rumia go."

Rin's eyes remained downward. Her shoulders shook slightly, but other than that she made no move.

"Rin, I need an answer here. Hello?"

"Hey Rumia?" Rin said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Am I really so terrible?"

Rumia gulped. "W-what do you mean?"

Rin looked over her shoulder. Her eyes were devoid of emotion, her voice a dead monotone. Rumia couldn't tell, but it also looked like her aura was starting to darken. That couldn't be good news.

"Am I really that much of a monster, something to be feared and despised?" Rin turned completely and started walking towards where Rumia hung, her bare feet striding across the open nothingness. "A horrible freak of nature, something's whose very presence makes your insides squirm. Is that how you see me?"

Rumia gulped. "Well, um, you know I've really only known you for a couple hours, so it's way too early to make any, um, judgment calls," she babbled. "But you know, you seem like a nice person all around, and whatever happened back then, well, that's in the past right? So if Miss Eirin's giving you a second chance, hehe, then maybe you should, um…"

Rin reached up with one luminescent hand to touch Rumia's cheek.

"…listen…to her? Oh gods, please don't…"

A small, sad smile touched Rin's lips. "I guess it's true then," she said. Rumia couldn't tell who she was talking to.

"Um, is that so? What's true?"

Rin didn't answer. She turned again to face the screen.

"Eirin?"

"What is it, Rin?"

Rin took a deep breath, and Rumia's body tensed with it. She squeezed her eyes shut. This was it.

"Eirin, I-"

That was when something hit them and the world was knocking spinning.

Rumia screamed as the darkness started convulsing around them. White, red and purple bursts of energy erupted around them like pustules. Rin was knocked off her feet and knocked sprawling.

The view in the screen was in complete disarray. It was difficult to tell if what they were seeing was static or if Rin's body was being whirled around at great speed.

"What's going on?" Rin shouted as she tried to pull herself up. Another quake shook the place, knocking her flat again. "Rumia, what happened?"

"How should I know? This is your mind!"

Rin managed to stumble her way over to the screen just in time for the picture to clear. From the look of things, her constructed body was lying on its side in the dirt, staring at the bamboo forest. Both she and Rumia gasped in unison when they saw some of the biggest names in the Gensokyo's Who's-Who list.

Reimu Hakurei, youkai exterminator extraordinaire and Gensokyo's resident problem solver. Marisa Kirisame, Mad Witch of the Forest of Magic and someone who still might be holding a grudge against Rumia. Mima the Evil Ghost, notorious dark magician whose name was still spoken of in whispers. Suika, the only known oni active in Gensokyo and reported to be able to bench press the Youkai Mountains without a warm-up.

And, in keeping with the sort of day Rumia was having, Yukari Yakumo, Gensokyo's vicious watchdog and the closest thing they had to a Capital-G God. Also the person who ranked the highest on Rumia's Avoid-At-All-Costs list. All taken together, Rumia estimated their chances of surviving to be somehow near Cirno's chances of successful enrollment in the Gensokyo University.

The cavalry had arrived, and they had brought hell with them.

"She tricked me!" Rin screamed. She started banging her fists against the screen. "She tricked me! She just wanted to keep me busy until they showed up! Well, I won't let her get away with this."

Even though Rumia knew it wasn't real, the feel of bile rising in her throat was pretty damned convincing. "Um, w-w-what d-do you mean b-b-by-"

"I'm sorry Rumia, but I need for you to go away for a while. I can't afford any distractions."

"What? What does-"

"Don't worry, I'll come get you after I'm done teaching these guys a lesson."

"Wait! What are-"

And then everything disappeared. Rin, the screen, the writhing substance around them, even Rumia's imaginary body and the sensations it was experiences. All gone. Just nothingness.

Hello? she said, or at least tried to. Her mind formed the word, but there was no outlet.

Oh Rin, she wondered as despair rose up. What are you doing?

…

"No!" Eirin screamed as Rin was ripped from the ground and tossed in the air like a ragdoll. "Not now! I was reaching her!"

"So am I," Yukari said. "Watch me reach her."

She called up fire and plasma and twisted them together to form a blazing rope of destruction, which she promptly hurled through one of her bizarre portals. Another portal opened directly over the still-flying Rin, causing the twisting rope to bear down on her and slam her to the ground.

"That reached her! Didn't it reach her Suika?"

"Sure did!" the little oni cheered. "Hey, I can reach her too!"

The little oni suddenly stopped being so little. Within a matter of seconds, she was more than fifteen feet tall and tearing up bamboo by their roots. When she had enough to fill her enormous palm, she raised it over her head.

"No!" Eirin cried, but it was too late. Suika slammed the entire load down on Rin, who was just struggling to her feet. The force of the impact literally drove her into the ground.

Eirin stamped her feet in frustration. "You idiots! Stop! You don't know what you're dealing with!"

"Maybe not, but we know how to deal with it!" Marisa laughed. "Reimu?"

"Got it." The shrine maiden extracted a card from her skirt. At her command, it started hovering in the air, her yin-yang balls circling at high speed.

"Evil Sealing Circle!" she snarled, and the card exploded in red and blue light, which surrounded the ripped-up stalks of bamboo and burnt them to ash.

"Ready dearie?" Mima said sweetly to Marisa. Her former prodigy grinned and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Am I ever!"

Mima's teeth flashed as she grinned. "Good."

The two of them flew high above the smoking impact zone. Directly beneath, there was a still a small dark speck, lying motionless in the crater. Mima gently placed her hands on Marisa's shoulder. At the touch, her fingers began glowing with a sparkling green light. Meanwhile, Marisa's hakkero hummed loudly as it gathered power.

"No!" Eirin screamed. She pointed her arrow at the pair, but then she was suddenly snatched up from the ground, dropping the bow in the process.

"Uh-uh-uh," Suika chastised the struggling Lunarian. "Play nice!"

Unable to break from the giant's grasp or even reach her syringes, Eirin could only watch helplessly as the light in the sky grew brighter and brighter, until…

"Final Spark!" Marisa and Mima cried in unison. Pure destructive force, thicker and brighter than even the Master Spark, shot forth from the hakkero directly down into the crater.

"What's wrong, Lunarian?" Yukari said mockingly as she hovered over to Eirin's side. "You seem concerned for the monster's safety. Don't tell me you've gotten soft."

"Idiot!" Eirin spat. "That's not the Shadow Youkai!"

"Is it not?" Yukari seemed wholly unconcerned about this revelation. "Hmmm, it certainly looks a little different, all smoky and such." She shrugged. "Oh well, still close enough."

"No, it's not! Seriously, you don't know what you're doing!"

"And you do, I suppose?"

"Yes! That's no normal youkai, that's-"

"Hey guys!" Marisa shouted, magically amplifying her voice to make herself heard over the roar of her attack. "Something's happening, ze!"

All eyes turned to her and Mima. They were still digging their way to Makai with the Final Spark, but Marisa's face had started to look strained. Considering that her ridiculously overpowered spells didn't usually tax her, especially with Mima lending her power to the mix, this was somewhat odd.

"Marisa?" Reimu said as she floated to the witch's side. "What wrong?"

"Don't know," Marisa mumbled back. "Feels like something…pushing back…nneeggghhh!"

Suddenly the Final Spark seemed to tamper off near the hole's entrance. Just as it expanded out from Marisa's hands to a thick cylinder of energy, it shrank back down again to disappear into another set of hands. A sharp-taloned, pitch-black set of hands that were slowly rising from the hole's epicenter.

"Oh, here we go," Eirin groaned. She slumped over the oni's fingers. "It's the Satsuki Incident all over again."

"Uhhh, say what now?" Yukari said. Like everyone else, she was entranced by the seemingly impossible sight of someone not only surviving, but absorbing Marisa's Final Spark attack.

Eirin ignored her. "Marisa!" she screamed. "Stop firing! You're only making her angrier!"

"What?" Marisa shouted back.

"I said…"

The Final Spark suddenly pulsed and reversed its direction, turning on its source and launching a very surprised Marisa and Mima into the sky.

"…never mind."

Over the hole hovered Rin Satsuki, wearing the nightmarish form of Rumia the supposed Shadow Youkai. There was no denying it, the girl was pissed off. What had been small, dancing wisps along the edges of her body had erupted into angrily writhing vines of pure midnight. Her eyes had lost all her hurt confusion from earlier and now only blazed with hate. Her sword was clutched in one hand and by the looks of things she fully intended to use it.

"You're going to want to put me down," Eirin told Suika.

"Huh?" The overgrown oni stared down at the woman clutched in her hand, as if she had forgotten that she was even there.

"Put me down. You'll need your hands free."

"Oh. Okay."

Eirin was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. She landed with a thump on her rear but pulled herself to her feet as quickly as she could.

"Uh, Eirin?" Yukari said. "What's going on?"

"The end of the world."

"Seriously?"

"Near enough." Eirin reached into her dress and removed three of the syringes. She held these between her fingers on her right hand like a set of throwing knives. "Now, listen up: grab your friends and get the hell out of here. Things are about to get really ugly."

Yukari bristled. "And who are you to tell me what-"

A savage roar of hate and rage exploded from Rin's Shadow Youkai form. There was no more time. Eirin grimly readied the syringes as she started to run towards the whirlwind of darkness that was starting to form. She ignored everything around her; Yukari's cries of surprise, Suika's clumsy attempts to grab her again, the dark storm clouds that were forming overhead, the way the light seemed to grow dimmer over time, everything. The only thing she was focused on was her target and the single thought that repeated over and over in her mind.

Now this? This is going to suck.

Chapter Text

Being an exiled princess of the Moon came with both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, there was no longer an advanced civilization under Kaguya's command. No more worshipful populace, no more gigantic palace full of servants, no more entire army ready to die at her word. Instead, she was left with a single mansion of Earth rabbits, Eirin and Reisen aside, whom she had to actually pay. The number of eager suitors seeking her hand had also dropped considerably. And while she locals seemed to like her well enough, she still had to get used to the fact that the most she was going to receive from them was a friendly hello instead of them prostrating themselves on the ground and begging for her favor. And of course, there still was the damned Mokou. There was always that damned Mokou.

Still, there were upsides as well. At least people had stopped pretending to like her just because they were supposed to. Mokou aside, the number of assassination plots was at an all-time low. What few people she had serving under her seemed to be honestly loyal to her personally instead of just her family. All those marriage proposals had been getting really annoying anyway. And damn it, she was starting to like being one of girls. Just last week she and Tewi had snuck out to one of Suika's infamous parties and had gotten so smashed that they had somehow woken up in five kilometers from where they started and were wearing each other's clothes. Of course, Eirin had had some choice words for them when she had found out, but it had been totally worth it, even if she and Tewi had been looking at each other awkwardly ever since.

Plus, on the Moon she wouldn't have access to Yukari's black market of Outside World toys. So on the whole things were going just fine. She was enjoying her life in Gensokyo, thank you very much, and as far as she was concerned, the Moon could go and hurl itself into the asteroid belt for all she cared.

At the moment, she was in sitting cross-legged on her bed, dressed in shorts and a simple white tee shirt with a green-and-silver scarf around her neck and glasses on her face, reading the latest novel she had acquired from Yukari. It was from a series that, according to Yukari, was all the rage back in the Outside World. Even though she didn't get most of the references, she was still enjoying it immensely.

She turned the page and gasped. "Wait, Snape kills Dumbled-"

A sudden knock at the door startled her out of her trance. She looked up, blinking in confusion.

"Your Highness? Your Highness!" said a frantic-sounding voice on the other side as they continued to slam their hand against the door. "Please, it's an emergency.

Kaguya scowled. Out of all the inconvenient times! She removed her glasses and scarf, slid off the bed and donned a robe patterned with blue flowers. Then, after tightening the sash around her waist, she went to see what the problem was. Whatever it was, it had better be damned good.

"Your Highness, please! It's important!" the voice kept saying.

"All right, all right! I'm coming already!" She slid the door open and frowned when she saw twelve nervous-looking members of the Eientei guard standing at attention.

"Uh, what's going on?" she asked. "Is Mokou PMSing at the front Gate or something?"

The rabbit who looked like she was in charge, the one who had done all the knocking and yelling, shook her head. "No, Highness. I'm sorry, but we need to evacuate you from the premises as quickly as possible. Eirin's orders."

Kaguya stared at her. "Evacuate? That's preposterous! Eientei is a veritable fortress! What could possibly be so threatening at it would force us to retreat?"

"Highness, it's…Rin Satsuki. She's back."

"Wait, who?"

"Remember?" one of the other rabbits said suddenly. "Eirin's little people-eating blob girl?"

"Quiet!" the first rabbit snapped, giving the second an admonishing whack across the forehead. "Do not speak out of turn!"

Kaguya, however, didn't even notice the disrespect. Now she remembered Rin Satsuki.

"Wait, the same one that ate Reisen and most of the staff until Eirin managed to blow her up? That one?"

The first rabbit inclined her head. "Yes, Highness. I saw her with my own eyes."

"Then what are we waiting for, you ignorant fools!" Kaguya shouted, forgetting in her panic that she had promised to stop calling them. "Let's get out of here!"

All of the gathered rabbits saluted. "Yes, your Highness!"

They started to move, but then Kaguya paused. "Wait, where is Eirin?"

"I'm sorry Highness, I do not know. She sent us to find you immediately after confirming Satsuki's identity."

Kaguya's face became even paler than usual. "So you just left her there? She'll get eaten! We have to go back for her!"

She moved to go find her companion but found her way blocked by the rabbits, who moved to stand in her way.

"Your Highness," said the lead rabbit in a firm but respectful tone, "we were given direct orders from Eirin to evacuate you from the palace immediately, and we intend to follow those orders."

Kaguya's jaw dropped. "What? How dare you! I outrank Eirin, in case you've forgotten. Since when do her orders supersede mine?"

"When your safety is concerned," was the prompt answer. "I hope you can forgive us one day, but we cannot allow you to come within range of that creature."

Kaguya was about to tell them in no uncertain terms exactly how forgiving she intended to be, but then the lead rabbit added, "In addition Highness, perhaps you have not considered the exact implications of what were to occur if you were to be devoured yourself."

Being contradicted made Kaguya bristle, even if the rabbit had a point. But before she could respond the sound of yelling attracted her attention. Everyone turned to see even more rabbits, soldier and mansion staff alike, rushing toward them. Only this time, it looked like Reisen and Tewi were with them. And, curiously enough, that fox youkai that was always following Yukari around.

"Kaguya!" Tewi wailed. "She's back! It's-"

"I know!" Kaguya snapped. "Rin Satsuki. She's back, it's awful, panic and fear, I got it! Now, where in the hell is Eirin?"

It was Yukari's pet fox (Ran! That was her name) that answered. "She said that she was going to talk to the intruder, try to reason with her. Considering that she had the intruder ambushed twice with a literal barrage of bullets not five minutes ago and shot it several times with a shotgun, I must confess I do not have high hopes for her success."

The first soldier, the one that had knocked on Kaguya's door, cleared her throat. "Highness, forgive me, but we must-"

"Shut up," Kaguya snapped. To the fox, she said, "What, is she insane? Satsuki's a lunatic! Delusional, mixed up, cuckoo, her brain is on extended leave! What is Eirin thinking?"

Ran tilted her head. "Seeing how I have absolutely no idea who this Satsuki is in the first place, I cannot even hazard a guess. Though I should point out that Yukari is already on her way to help, and is bringing reinforcements. Perhaps Eirin is simply trying to distract said cuckoo lunatic until my Master arrives." Her eyes darkened. "And while I still remain uninformed as to this Rin Satsuki's history, I do know a thing or two of the new power she's acquired. And I know that is quite often a bad idea to get in the way of Yukari's operations. So you are going to tell me everything that Yukari will find useful and then you are going to evacuate. Now."

…

Pain. Uncontrollable, agonizing pain. Energy, much, much more than I can absorb, coursing down on me, burning, tearing, annihilating. Trying to stop it, trying to deflect it, trying to adapt to it. No good. It's too much, too fast. Not nearly strong enough.

Feel my body start to disintegrate. Shriveling away, from the outside in. Is this what it felt like for Rumia, when I took her in? If so, then I owe her an apology. Too bad I'll never be able to give it.

No, can't take much more of this. Trying to hold together, but it's so hard. Losing control of my cells, feeling the ones on the surface start to collapse. Wouldn't that be ironic? End it all in a nuclear explosion. Do organic cells work that way? I don't think so. Be funny if they did. Guess I'm gonna find out. Too bad, I was starting to enjoy the open air.

Please, somebody help…

Well, I do believe that's my cue.

What?

Hello.

Rumia! But I-

Rumia? Heh, not quite.

Who are you?

A friend. One you cannot afford to ignore.

What? What do you mean?

In short, I'm here to help you, Rin. And given how you're slowly being boiled away to vapor, I'd say you could use all the help you can get.

Bu-but how? How did you even get into my mind? That isn't supposed to be possible!

Is that so. Well, sorry to hear that. If I'm too much of a distraction I'll just go. Say hello to oblivion for me.

No, wait!

Hmmm?

Can you really help me?

Oh yes. That much is certain.

Please, I don't know who you are, but if you can help me then help me!

Oh, very well. First of all, you're going about this the wrong way.

What?

It's too much energy to take in all at once, right? Sort of like a raging river crashing against a dam. It can absorb and disperse some of the force, but too much too fast and then…bye-bye!

I know that already! How-

So stop thinking of yourself as a dam, and become a meander. Let the energy flow through you and back at them.

But…but how?

Here, let me show you.

…

"What?" Marisa shouted at the tiny figure of Eirin Yagokoro. The Lunarian doctor had shouted something at her, but with the roar of the Final Spark it was difficult enough to hear her own voice. Plus, most of her attention was focused on the Spark itself, which had suddenly decided to behave rather oddly, almost like it was pushing back.

Eirin shouted again, but again her words were swallowed up. Just as well, because at that moment her hakkero started shaking uncontrollably.

Marisa exchanged one very confused look with Mima. This was new. And in their field, having new things happen while controlling highly destructive forces tended to end badly.

Suddenly a massive wave of force from their own attack rose up against them. Marisa had exactly enough time to think Oh shi- before her beam suddenly reversed direction. And then there was nothing but noise.

…

I did it!

So I see, good job! But don't celebrate too soon; your work isn't done yet.

It's not?

No. The others who attacked you are still there. The traitor is there too. Am I right?

…yes.

The traitor who took you in, pretended to care about you, made you love her like a mother.

How did you-

Who used that bond to manipulate you. Who tore away your life and made you into an abomination. Who assaulted and tried to kill you when you dared to try to take it back, to try to find some escape from the endless loneliness of your own mind. Who claimed that you were the monster just because you tried to defend yourself. Who stuffed you in a box and handed you off to the vampire lover. Who left you alone in the dark for years, claiming it was for your own good when she knew damned well that there would be no end to your torment.

Yes.

And to add insult to injury, once you finally freed yourself, saw the sky and felt the Sun for the first time in years, what did she do? After you tried to make amends, did she greet you with open arms? No, she lured you in with talk of reconciliation and let her new friends try to kill you.

Yes!

Such a sad story. Now, what are we going to do about that?

…

Reimu tumbled head-over-heels through the dirt, tearing clothing and scraping skin. She finally skidded to a very undignified stop, face down in a small puddle of mud. She did not want to know what had made the mud, but judging by the smell and the taste she could hazard a few guesses.

She gagged and spat out the foul stuff. When she had seen Marisa and Mima's Final Spark start to backfire, she had dived out of the way as fast as she could. Her feet had gotten singed in the process, but she had made it. Barely.

What had happened though? Marisa and Mima were two of the most powerful practitioners she knew. In addition, when it came to magical matters, they were perfectionists. Their spells, once perfected, never backfired like that. It was something that simply didn't happen.

Coughing, she pulled herself up and looked over her shoulder and got her answer.

Her eyes widened and small squeaking noises emerged from her slack mouth. Oh, holy shit!

The shrine maiden is a problem. She will not stop until we are destroyed.

What do I do?

Hmmm, well, you could try this.

…

A twisting vine of darkness writhed its way over to where Reimu landed. The shrine maiden tried shooting it down, but it dodged her attack and struck.

Reimu cried out as it wrapped around her left ankle. The touch was icy cold and poisonous. Pins and needles erupted over her foot, and then it went numb. The numbness began climbing up her leg.

It wasn't done, though. The vine lifted her off the ground, dangling her like a chunk of butchered meat. It swung her around a couple of times, almost playful in its abuse. And then it hurled her into the forest. Her body slammed through the bamboo stalks, shattering several until finally coming to a limp stop.

…

Not bad. Should have waited until the taint spread through her body though.

But wouldn't that…kill her?

Of course.

I-I don't think I can do that. I'm not a murderer!

I see. Well, baby steps then. Meanwhile, watch your back.

…

Yukari emerged from her portal, directly behind the Shadow Youkai. She had to admit, the thing was tougher than she remembered. Normally, she would be approaching such a threat more cautiously, but there were larger issues at hand.

The bitch had hurt Reimu. It was going to pay.

Once again she called up fire in one hand and plasma in the other. She pressed her wrists together and sent out death.

Faster than she thought possible, almost as fast as thought itself, the Shadow Youkai whirled around and thrust one hand outward. Yukari's attack hit it in the center of its palm.

Oh, this can't be good, Yukari thought numbly. She tried to turn off the juice, but before she could her own attack turned against her, redirecting itself to slam against her torso. Cloth disintegrated and flesh burned and Yukari was knocked backwards through her portal.

Yukari tumbled through her unnatural world of eyes, completely senseless. She didn't even notice when her cell phone started to ring.

…

Now that was a long time coming. Oh irony, how I love thee. Now then, you say you don't want to kill anyone, correct?

Yes! Hurt, maybe. But not kill!

If you say so. Oh, I wouldn't remain hovering in one place if I were you.

What? What do youAAAGGGHHHH!

…

Attacking a pissed-off Rin Satsuki head on was tantamount to suicide, but Eirin had run out of options. Now she just hoped that she could distract her long enough for Kaguya and the others to evacuate safely. At this point, nothing more mattered beyond keeping this thing from the princess.

For its part, Rin hadn't turned her attention to her yet. She was too busy picking apart the rest of Yukari's posse. The ghost and the witch had already been dispatched, and the shrine maiden was soon to follow. Eirin felt her heart drop as Reimu was hurled screaming into the forest, but there was no time to worry about her now.

Yukari was next. To the youkai's credit, she had kept her head for tactics despite the fact that the battle was turning against her. She appeared through a gap right behind Rin and tried to finish her off at point-blank range. Unfortunately she was unfamiliar with Rin's unique abilities and was promptly removed from the game.

Her useless attack did some good though. It got Rin to turn her back to Eirin. The Lunarian doubled her speed and leapt forward at her onetime prodigy, throwing the syringes with all her might. Like her rifle, the syringes and their contents were made special. Each one had an enchantment that would press down on the injector once the needle pierced skin, sending 40ml of a particularly nasty bacterial disease Eirin had whipped up herself into whatever poor sap so happened to be on the receiving end of her wrath. That in itself was enough to paralyze and kill most people in seconds, but Eirin wasn't interested in taking chances, so three it was. Followed by three more. And a focused blast of danmaku to the head for good measure.

To her surprise, it worked. As soon as the needles plunged in, Rin's spine stiffened and her dark aura began thrashing. Her sword fell from paralyzed hands as she wobbled in the air.

I'm sorry Rin, Eirin thought as she watched her greatest success and most tragic failure start to fall back into the pit that had been dug for her.

…

Wow, I actually felt that. Nasty stuff.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

Oh, stop your crying. It's giving me a headache. Well, mind ache. Whatever. Anyway, you're fine.

I can't move…burning…whole body burning…

Yeah, this would be lights-out for you under normal circumstances. One major problem with that though.

…wha…

Looks like that toxin is organic in nature. Spores, maybe? Germ warfare? Really cranky microscopic fairies? Whatever the case, life is life, and it's not going to work.

Why?

Because I'm here. Don't worry about the toxin; it's under control. All you have to worry about is the traitor.

…

Whatever steel resolve had been driving Eirin's assault began to melt into ice water. Rin wasn't dying. Just as it looked like she was going to fade away completely, her spine had straightened, her shoulders had squared, and the fire in her eyes began blazing with new life.

Then the syringes started to sink into what passed for Rin's flesh. Damn it.

Eirin acted without thinking. As soon as Rin turned to face her, Eirin leapt into the air and slammed her foot into the monster's face. The contact felt like a dagger of ice being driven into her heel, but she managed to take Rin off guard. Her scarlet eyes bulged in surprise and the force of the kick sent her flying against the pit's side where her head collided with an audible crack.

…

So, you still don't want to kill anyone?

Um…

Can you make just one exception for her? She did just try to kill you.

But I...

And she kicked you in the head. Now that was just rude.

…

The biggest drawback to kicking someone poised over a large hole is that once the kick connects, you really had nowhere to go but down. Of course, this being Gensokyo, Eirin could have simply flown to safety, but there were certain factors that made that impractical. Namely, an angry Rin recovering far too quickly and grabbing her by and arm and a leg, swinging her round and round and tossing her headfirst down the pit's throat.

As she fell, Eirin couldn't help but think, I knew this was going to suck. If she had time she would have smiled at the irony.

Then lights exploded behind her eyes.

…

Feels good, doesn't it? Feel free to finish her off anytime.

Huh…

…

Eirin stared up through glazed eyes and swollen eyelids as the shadowy blur descended. Something in the back of her mind told her that she should probably be panicking right now, but for the life of her she could not think of why. Especially since staying down and going to sleep seemed like such a good idea.

Something grabbed her by her collar and hoisted her up. She frowned in annoyance. Why wouldn't people let her rest?

Then the fuzziness in her mind cleared enough for her to recognize Rin Satsuki's stolen mask. Oh, that was right. Rin was back, and wanted to kill her. And from the looks of things, that was about to happen.

Despite literally facing her impending death. Eirin felt an almost eerie sense of serenity. There was a certain rightness to going out this way. She had done her best uphold her duty and was now going to be ended by the person with the most reason to. It was almost karmic in a way.

Holding her up with one hand, Rin reached back with the other. Eirin smiled slightly. Well, this was it.

But to her surprise, Rin didn't rip out her throat or tear off her head. Instead, she hauled out and decked her.

…

Oh. Well. That was…primitive.

Yes.

Now I'm curious; you had the perfect opportunity to kill her right there and every reason to. Why didn't you? Don't tell me you're still hoping to patch things up with her. I think we're a little beyond that now.

I know. I'm not.

Then…?

Because I'm not done with her yet.

Really now? What more could you…oh. Oh. Heheheh, I get'cha! Rin, I'm starting to like you!

Um, thanks?

Just be careful. These little games have a habit of coming back to bite you in the ass.

I know. I'll be careful.

Good. Oh, ah, look out for the oni.

What?

Yes. The very big one that flattened you earlier and is now reaching into the hole with one really large hand, looking to pop you like a pimple.

Oni?

The nasty kind that are really three pimples in one and are so filled with pus that you swear there must be some sort of viral civilization living inside.

Oh! That oni!

…

Wrong! This was all wrong!

Suika charged at the hole, arms pumping furiously, angry tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes. It wasn't supposed to go this way! It was supposed to be just another brawl! They would go find the painted-blue-honey-sake-she didn't even care anymore and beat it up until it stopped being bad. That was how all the other times went!

But now, in the space of thirty seconds, her two biggest buddies and the grumpy doctor lady had gotten the crap beaten out of them, and not in the usual way. You just didn't do that to people! Beat them up, sure! It was a time-honored tradition! But this thing was going too far! It didn't play by the rules. You just don't break the rules like that!

And through the whole thing, Suika had just stood there, watching everyone else try to do something. Why hadn't she moved faster? She could have saved them! But no, she had to stay frozen like a big, stupid rock.

Well, the time had come to fix all that. Suika reached the edge of the hole and looked in. At the bottom, the evil shadow person was standing over the doctor lady. The doctor lady looked kinda dead, which meant the evil shadow person was now a murderer.

Suika could think of only one thing to do to murderers. Her eyes red with fury, she reached down with one gigantic hand, intending to twist the little monster's head right off.

The evil shadow person didn't even so much as look at her. Instead, moving so fast it was almost a blur, she snatched up her black sword thing from the ground and jabbed it into Suika's palm.

The pain of it was so great that for a moment Suika couldn't think. Her mind just locked up and she tumbled backward onto her rump. There was a loud crunch, signifying that she had landed on something, but she had other things to worry about now.

The shadow thingy leapt out of the hole, sword in hand. Suika bared her teeth and got ready to crush the little pipsqueak.

However, said pipsqueak didn't even bother attacking. Instead, it jumped right over her hands, pushed off of her head, and went right over her. Suika whirled in surprise, unable to understand why it hadn't wanted to fight.

But there it was, running away from her, running towards the mansion. Suika was almost insulted.

She bared her teeth and shook her fist. "Where do you think you're going, you coward!" she yelled. "Come back and-"

Something wet leaked through the bottom of her dress.

Suika's eyes went wide and she leapt to her feet, sending tremors through the ground around her. She was pretty sure she hadn't wet herself. She wasn't nearly so drunk for that to happen. But still, what else could it have been?

Then she saw the shattered remains of her gourd floating in a puddle of sake. And there, lying among the pieces, was the squished body of the sake bug it had contained. Dead.

Her heart fell in her enormous chest. Her gourd. Her most precious possession. An unending source of sake, and that made it good as family in her book. She must have landed on it when she fell back. But how could she have been so careless? It had always survived all of her fights before.

Suika reached towards its fragments with twitching fingers, but couldn't bring herself to touch them. She didn't deserve to. It had been entrusted to her, and she let it get smashed. She was now a failure as an oni. She had let her friends get hurt, and now her gourd was gone, all thanks to her stupid clumsiness. Exile was too good for her now. It was all her fault, all her…

No.

Not her fault.

It's fault.

Her breathing slowed to a steady pant as every negative emotion focused itself into a single clear conclusion. She looked up at the fleeing form of the evil shadow person. It was swinging its sword at Eientei's walls, cutting its way in.

"Not so fast, murderer," Suika whispered as she began walking towards the mansion with slow, deliberate strides. "You and I have unfinished business."

…

You are entirely too merciful for your own good. She's not even unconscious! You should have decapitated her on your way up.

…

What?

Who are you?

Well, that sounded aggressive. Way to bite the hand that feeds you.

You forced your way into my mind without permission, something that not even the strongest empaths could do. You know my history, despite the fact that my very existence is a closely guarded secret, known only to Eientei, the scientist sisters and certain residents of the scarlet vampire's staff. You know things about my abilities that I didn't even know.

Heh, wow. That's surprisingly insightful of you. Why so lucid?

Look, who are you, and how did you get into my mind? What are you doing here?

Is this really the best time for a Q and A session? We're kinda in the middle of something here.

Answer, or I'll banish you!

Okay, okay, Jeez! Bipolar much? As for who I am, think of my as your conscience. Except instead of telling you what's "good and proper", I tell you what's smart. I'm the part of your mind that's not deluding itself with ideas of "redemption" and "acceptance". I'm the part of you that tells it as it is, that you are going to be hated by everything and everyone no matter what you do, so you might as well become what they're going to accuse you of anyway. Because you have no chance of surviving otherwise.

But…but…that doesn't even make sense!

So? Face it, sister: it doesn't really matter where I came from, because I'm all you've got. That Rumia girl is absolutely scared shitless of you. All your former friends at Eientei think you're pure nightmare fuel unleaded. Everyone else is trying to smash you into paste anyway, and if they're not now, they will as soon as word of this little scuffle gets out. I'm the only one looking out for you, so if you banish me, you're on your own. Stuck running for your life with no one but a terrified little girl who thinks your some kind of psycho-kidnapper for company. Does that sound fun to you?

…

I'm sorry, was that an answer?

What do I do now?

That's better. And now, you get to do what every great hero aspires to do someday. You get to storm the castle, fight off the guards and rescue the princess! Oh, won't that be fun!

Yeah, sure. Fun.

Oh, chin up already. It's not that bad! Once you do this, you'll never have to worry about anything ever again. Cross my heart, hope everything else on this godsforsaken wad of dust dies.

…what?

Sorry, reflex. Anyway, enough talk. Tally ho!

…

Yukari was not accustomed to losing, nor did she enjoy being manhandled. So when she finally came to her senses and realized what had happened, she was somewhat put out.

"I will kill that fucking thing!" she raged. "I will kill it, kill it, kill it, and bring it back from the dead so I can kill it some more! I will kill it so hard that it won't even be a memory anymore! I will-"

Then she noticed the many, many eyes floating through her world of borders, each of them staring at her.

"What do you morons think you're staring at?" she shouted.

All of the eyes suddenly found something else to look at.

Yukari took a deep breath and opened a portal back to the bamboo forest. With any luck, the situation was still salvageable. Unfortunately Yukari had never been much of a believer in luck.

And with good cause too. The place was a deserted mess. Just like last time she had encountered the Shadow Youkai, black clouds blotted out the sun, and what little light there was had became strangely muted. The fallout from the battle was still there, such as the pit in the ground and the hole in the side of Hourai Clinic, but other than that there was no sign of anyone, friend or foe alike.

Yukari's insides went sour, but she forced herself to investigate. Reimu, that's right. The young shrine maiden had been tossed into the Bamboo Forest. That was probably the best place to start. After that, she could get to work piecing the rest of the team together.

Yukari floated into the patch of forest where Reimu had been thrown. The path that her hurtling body had made was still fresh, with several bamboo stalks snapped in half. "Reimu!" Yukari called as she followed the trail. "Are you all right? Reimu!"

Then she saw her. The shrine maiden was on her side at the foot of several stalks that apparently been too tough to break. Her clothing was ripped, the bow she usually wore was missing from her hair and she was covered with cuts and scratches. Worst of all, her left foot and part of her shin was a dark shade of purple, almost black in some places. Yukari swallowed. It was the taint. She had seen it enough times to recognize it, and had actually suffered from it herself.

Reimu wasn't moving, but she was still breathing. Her breath was shallow, but at least she was alive. Yukari dropped to her side and gently took Reimu's head in her hands and laid in on her lap.

"Oh Reimu," she muttered as she gently stroked the girl's smudged face. "If only you know…how completely ridiculous you look right now."

Reimu cracked one eye open to glare at her. "Wow, thanks for the sympathy, dumbass," she mumbled.

Yukari smiled wryly, not letting the relief she felt show on her face. "The mighty Reimu Hakurei, taken out by a single youkai. Oh, just wait until I tell everyone. No one will ever be able to take you seriously again."

"Shaddup."

With Yukari's help, Reimu pulled herself up to a sitting position. She winced and said, "What's up with my foot, frostbite? I can't feel it."

"It's called the taint," Yukari explained. "Something Rumia used to do. Once she touches something living, it slowly corrupts and shuts down."

Reimu's eyes widened. "Seriously? She killed my foot?"

"It's not permanent. I had a nasty case of it myself, taken from our last encounter. Covered my entire right arm and part of my shoulder. But it stops spreading once she releases you and will eventually go away."

"Yeah? And how long does that take?"

"Depends on the size." Yukari tilted her head as she examined Reimu's foot. "Yours doesn't look that bad. I give it about four days until you'll be a hundred percent again."

"Four days," Reimu groaned. She sighed heavily. "You know, this incident is becoming a lot harder than you said it would."

Yukari frowned. "So I've noticed." She shook her head. "Look, just wait here. I'm going to try to find the rest of the group."

"What, with that thing on the loose? Fat chance!" Reimu tried to straighten up but fell back with a gasp of pain.

Yukari frowned as she felt Reimu's side. "Looks like you've got some broken ribs there. You're in no shape to be going anywhere."

"Yeah? And how about you? Looks like something torched your midriff there, or that just some daring new fashion?"

"Hush. Wait here until I get back. And by the gods if you move I will knock you out!"

Reimu glowered but she complied. Yukari left her to head back to Eientei. First order of business would be to find Eirin. A doctor would sure be handy right about now. Plus, she seemed to have some idea as to why the Shadow Youkai was suddenly so strong. After that, she should probably also find out what happened to Suika. They could use her strength in the coming rematch. Also, Yukari couldn't but feel just a little concerned for the oni. Suika could handle herself just fine, but impulse control was not one of her stronger points.

And she supposed she might as well find out where those witches had landed, if for no other reason than to make Reimu happy.

The mansion would probably be the best place to start, mainly because of the hole torn out of one of the walls. Well, at least it now matched the clinic.

On her way over, Yukari glanced in the pit by chance and froze in midair. Eirin was lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom. Her condition made Reimu look the absolute picture of health. Her face looked like it had been smashed in with a brick and there were the telltale signs of the taint on her nose, cheeks, collarbone and right foot.

Yukari was down in the pit in an instant. A quick inspection confirmed that she was alive, but just barely. Considering what Rumia used to do to her victims, this was downright merciful. Still, she would be gone in less than an hour if nothing was done.

Yukari wasn't usually the altruistic type, but they needed Eirin alive. Fortunately, despite not being a healer, she had somewhat of an advantage in this situation. On paper, her power of border manipulation didn't seem all the great, but with a little creativity it could work wonders. And she had had several millennia to learn how to be creative.

She placed one hand on Eirin's swollen forehead and concentrated. Her mind steadied itself away and dove deep into the doctor's psyche, searching for her consciousness. She found it, but it was slipping away fast.

Well, first order of business would be to ensure that it slipped no farther. Yukari reached even deeper until she found that great fissure, the border between life and death. In her mind, it appeared as a shining light-filled crack in a sky of black. She had to admit, the warmth it was emitting was very appealing. Of course, it had been designed that way.

"Come forward, weary soul," she heard a soft voice whisper. "Come forward and lay your…Oh, hell. It's you again, isn't it?"

Back at her body, Yukari smiled. "Hello dear. Fancy seeing you here."

"Cut the crap, Yukari," the voice snapped back. "What are you doing here anyway? And don't tell me you're dying. I'll probably die before you do. No, wait, let me guess: you're about to get in the way of my job again, aren't you?"

"So it would seem."

"Godsdamn it, Yukari! Look, I'm in enough trouble as it is. Shiki's been riding my ass all week long, and I'm trying to score some points here. So I don't need you gumming up the works, all right?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. But I'm afraid I must. Call of duty and all that."

"Of course you must," the voice said sulkily. "But when the call of duty means the little guy gets screwed…"

"Look, I'll speak to the Yamaxanadu for you. You don't have to worry."

"Like that'll save me from a lecture. Look, if you're going to do it, do it. I've wasted enough time here already."

"Aw, you're a peach. Thanks!"

"Don't mention it. Ever." And with that, it was gone.

Yukari finished sealing off the border between life and death, preventing Eirin from slipping completely out of reach. Then she started moving backward, coaxing Eirin's spirit closer and closer to wakefulness. It wasn't a perfect solution and it wouldn't fix the damage done to her body, but it would ensure that she wouldn't be slipping off into oblivion before she could get real help.

Finally, she sealed off the border between consciousness and unconsciousness. Eirin's body twitched, and her swollen eyes opened.

"Ughugh," she muttered. "Whuh hawppened?"

"I just brought you back from near-death. No need to thank me. It was my pleasure.

Eirin scowled at her. Then she tried to sit up.

Yukari pushed her back down, though she did so gently. "Nuh-uh, not so fast. You're in no condition to go anyway, and I need some fast answers. You said that thing wasn't the Shadow Youkai, and after careful deliberation," she indicated the stinging burn on her torso, "I'm inclined to believe you. But I still need to know what I'm dealing with."

Eirin sighed. "Long story," she said. Her voice was starting to clear up, but it was still weak.

"Give me the abbreviated version then. What can it do?"

"Adapt to and absorb most attacks. Can also…" she started coughing. Yukari waited for it to stop.

"…can also apparently redirect attacks back at their source. That one's new though. Didn't know about it until the witches got shot."

"So it's nigh indestructible."

"Near enough. Not completely though. A big enough blast has a chance, as does blowing it up from the inside."

Yukari quirked an eyebrow. She could only imagine how they had found that out. "Okay, and how exactly does it have the same abilities as the Shadow Youkai?"

"She can…" she coughed "…she can envelop and devour people. Doing so will give her access to their full power and memories. Guess the Shadow Youkai was her first meal."

The implications of what she had just been told sank into Yukari's mind like a piece of burning pitch, but there wasn't time to panic now. "Witnesses claim that they saw Rum…the Shadow Youkai being swallowed and dissolved by a large transparent blob."

Eirin sighed, though it came out as more of a groan. "That'd be her."

So, something with the strength of the Shadow Youkai coupled with near invulnerability. Yukari was starting to think that she was in over her head in this one. And if things were so bad that she would even entertain that thought, than that meant the situation was about as dire as it could be.

"All right," she said. Her words were a carefully controlled monotone, masking the uneasiness she was starting to feel. "I'll take you to my place, and then I'm going to go find the rest of my friends, and we'll see what we can do about this mess. When I get back, I expect a full report on what this thing is. And I mean everything: strengths, weaknesses, origins, personal habits, secret crush list, everything. Got it?"

Eirin nodded weakly, but then she frowned. "Wait," she said, and then with more urgency, "Wait!"

"What?"

Eirin suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Yukari by the sleeve. "Kaguya, I had the guard sneak her out the back. But Rin's sure to track them down! Please, you have to take me too her! I can't let Rin get the Princess!"

"Whoa, hold on! First of all, who the hell is-"

Eirin growled in frustration. "Rin is the monster's name, okay?"

"Fine. You can explain that later too. But what makes you think I'm going to risk my life to save your princess? I mean, loyalty is loyalty, but this-"

"Idiot!" Eirin spat. "It's a monster who can absorb people and steal their abilities! What do you think will happen if it takes Kaguya?"

With a shock, Yukari realized that the injured doctor was absolutely right. If this Rin could do as Eirin said (and there really was no reason to doubt her word) and it managed to devour Kaguya, then they would be dealing with a creature that had Kaguya's immortality and Rumia's pure annihilating force, with this "Rin's" super adaptability.

Yukari was accustomed to putting down threats, even ones that were similarly unkillable. But at least those weren't fanatically dedicated to absolute genocide. If this thing had Rumia's Shadow Youkai abilities, than there was a good bet it's…distasteful outlook on life would pop up as well. Despite the fact that Rumia's memories had been wiped and her personality reset, Yukari had found that it's safer to assume the worst in such situations.

A small moan escaped Yukari's lips. Exactly when and how did this day get so wrong?

Well, best start working on fixing it. First order of business would be to get an update from Ran. She pulled her cell phone from her dress. Fortunately, it was undamaged. Then her eyes narrowed as she examined the screen. Huh, it seemed that she had missed a call.

Unfortunately, she had no time to ponder the problem further. A thunderous bellow of rage tore from Eientei, followed by the sound of something smashing into something else. Well, at least she now knew where Suika was.

…

Did I not tell you to kill the oni? Now look what's happened.

I know, I know, I'm dealing with it!

You're actually dealing with the fact that your head's now flatter than a-

You know, for a hallucination you're awfully pushy.

…

Suika had to admit, she did feel a little better now, but not enough by far.

She had managed to take the evil shadow person by surprise (how, she had no idea) when she smashed through the mansion's wall and barreled right into the disgusting thing. It had tried to stab her again, so she had snatched up a piece of wreckage and threw it at the monster's head. Then she had stomped on it. Repeatedly.

It had stopped moving about that point. Suika was almost disappointed. Still, she wasn't here to have fun, she was here to smash. And things were easier to smash when they lay still.

She turned and bent down to wrench a large piece of the wooden floor loose. Then, turning back to where the monster lay, ready to batter it to a pulp.

It wasn't there.

The oni's eyes narrowed as she searched the corridor. Well, it was certainly fast. But speed alone wasn't going to save it from her wrath.

Still holding her weaponized segment of floor, Suika went hunting. She was going to find it even if she had to tear the whole mansion apart with her bare hands. And from the look of things, she was already off to a good start.

…

She's going to kill us!

No she's not. Stop whimpering.

Yes she will! She smashed my head like a piece of fruit! And now she'll-

You survived getting blown apart; you can survive whatever she can dish out.

But I…

Do you want me to take over? Because I will if I have to.

…you can do that?

I don't know. Shall we find out?

No!

Then shut up and listen to me! She's strong, but you are much, much faster than she is. Plus, she can't even touch you without hurting herself. And you can mold your body to fit into tight cracks, yes?

Um, for a little while. But it's hard maintain a constant-

Okay, I get it, shut up. Now listen, this is what we're going to do…

Chapter Text

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" the recently promoted Utada asked for what had to be the ninth time since they had left Eientei.

Tewi did her best to ignore her and kept flying forward. Just because Eirin had decided to bump the girl up a rank didn't meant she had acquired pester privileges. All around them, the various members of Eientei's staff surrounded them in tight formation: the Guard forming the perimeter while those whose jobs were more practical in nature kept closer to the center. At the center itself, as protected as she was going to be, was the Princess.

Unfortunately she wasn't there willingly. Both her hands and feet were bound securely to her body and an all-concealing mask, usually reserved for prisoners, was covering her head. Four lengths of rope stretched out from her trussed up body to four of the most experienced of the Guard, who were looking all kinds of uncomfortable. Tewi honestly couldn't blame them. Overpowering and tying up the Princess against her will went against their very basic nature. But in the end, her safety came first. And considering the situation, if she was bound and determined to go anywhere near Rin Satsuki, it was their solemn duty do anything and everything to prevent that. Tewi just hoped that Kaguya won't hate them for any longer than a decade. Reisen's moping wasn't helping either. Though she was now following without being needed to be dragged along, she had been in a sort of daze ever since Ran had dropped the bombshell that her pet lunatic had gotten out of its cage. Now that was just plain typical.

And to top it off, they were on their own for this one. As soon as the Princess had been…subdued, Yukari's Shikigami had left them.

"Tewi?" Utada persisted. "Are you sure-"

Tewi's already thin patience snapped. "No, dimwit, no I'm not!" she barked. "This whole thing was Ran and Eirin's stupid idea, so I'm not sure about anything. All I know is that if we don't do it, we'll be down one princess and up one immortal bunny-eating psychopath. So leave me alone already!"

"Okay, okay!" Utada said, holding her hands up defensively. "I'm just worried, that's all!"

Tewi heaved a sigh. "Yeah, me too."

They continued in silence. Or at least, Tewi and Utada did. All around them, the staff muttered and whispered to one another. Tewi caught brief snippets of the conversations happening around her. Although the speakers and words were different, subject matter was more-or-less the same. They were screwed if Rin caught up to them, and they were screwed if she didn't. A few were wondering if Remilia Scarlet was hiring. Tewi's first impulse was to berate them, but truth be told, she had started to wonder how she would look in a maid's outfit herself.

That was when one voice rose above the others. For one thing, it was shouting while the others kept their tones hushed. For another, it didn't sound much like a rabbit. And finally, it was from someone coming towards their caravan.

Tewi blinked and looked in the voice's direction. A white-and-blue blur was flying up from the forest towards them. Not wanting to take chances, Tewi motioned for the nearest Guard to take aim.

It was then that Reisen decided to snap back into reality. "Wait!" she shouted, right into Tewi's ear.

Tewi flinched at the sudden loudness. "What? Why?"

"We know that girl!"

Tewi looked again and her heart fell. They did indeed know that girl. She had caused all kinds of trouble for them back during the flower incident. And not out of maliciousness either. No, she had gotten into both their ways through simple stupidity and recklessness. Things had turned out all right in the end, but by the gods she had been annoying! Tewi had left that situation hoping they would never have to deal with the idiotic ice fairy again.

Tewi dropped down to a few feet above the treetops to meet her, Reisen following close behind. Tewi scowled at the small girl. "What," she snarled, "the hell do you want?"

Cirno's day looked like it had been just as bad as theirs. Her clothing was torn and singed at the edges and her skin was filthy and covered with purples bruises. The girl herself was covered with dirt and had small twigs and leaves stuck in her hair. Small cracks ran through her crystalline wings. However, none of this seemed to register to the fairy herself. Her eyes were wide with nervous energy and she was shaking from the exertion of having pushed herself despite her condition. And from the look of things, she fully intended to keep pushing herself until she collapsed.

"Please…you gotta help me…" the ice fairy panted. "Need to…find Reimu…where is she?"

"Reimu?" Tewi and Reisen exchanged a look. "Reimu Hakurei? The shrine maiden?"

Cirno squeezed her little hands into fists and yelled in frustration. "Yes! Her! Where is she?"

Tewi scowled. "Haven't seen her, don't know anyone who has. Now go away. We're kind in the middle of something important here."

She turned away, but then the ice fairy lunged forward to grab her by the sleeve. Immediately the surrounding Guard snapped into position, right arms extended, left hand seizing their right bicep.

"Hold it!" Tewi shouted. "You wanna shoot me full of holes too?"

She grabbed Cirno by the head and pushed her off. As she did so, she was struck by how easy it was. The little fairy seemed to be flying on her final reserves of strength.

"Look fairy, you want Reimu, go find her yourself," Tewi said. "We're dealing with our own problems here."

Cirno, unfortunately, would not be deterred. "What about Marisa Kirisame then? I saw them all heading into the forest!"

Reimu and Marisa, heading into the Bamboo Forest of the Lost? If so, the pair must've gotten wind of the situation. Finally, Tewi began to feel some hope. Those two practically solved incidents such as these as a career. Maybe with them on the case, they had a shot.

Still, she shook her head. "Sorry, haven't seen her eith-"

"Yukari Yakumo then! What about Yukari?"

Tewi raised her eyebrows. She shot a glance at Reisen.

"Um, her Shikigami's at Eientei," Reisen said. "I think she said something about Yukari heading that way."

Cirno shuddered with relief. "Finally. Thank you! Which way's Enema?"

"Eientei. And it's that way. But I don't think you-"

"Okaythanksbye!"

Cirno dove back into the forest and was gone.

Tewi clouted Reisen over the head. "Idiot! Why'd you send her there for? She'll get eaten or caught in the crossfire!"

Reisen returned the blow. "Hey, I tried to tell her, but she took off before I finished!"

Tewi groaned and regained altitude to join the main group. Whatever, they had no time to worry about suicidal fairies now. Their only objective now was to get Kaguya as far as away from Eientei and safely to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Still, it took an actual conscious effort to avoid thinking of those still at the battlefield. Despite the fact that it had occurred several decades ago, memories of Rin's first rampage were still fresh in her mind, and she could only imagine how Reisen was feeling.

There was no going back though. Tewi could only keep the caravan moving forward and pray to anyone listening that those back at Eientei would be able to escape safely.

…

As the only known clinic open to youkai and humans alike, Hourai Clinic was often a bustling place, with Eirin's miniature army of rabbits running to and fro, seeing to the needs of the injured. Spellcard rules tended to be only loosely enforced in the more savage corners of Gensokyo, and even when they were the users tended to be rather rough on one another. And then there were all those wonderful pills…

Not today though. Even before everything had gone to hell, things had slowed to a veritable crawl, and most of the staff had wandered off to find something else to keep themselves occupied. But now that the place had been deserted in the wake of Rin Satsuki's attack, the emptiness of the bamboo-paneled corridors and still sterile rooms was positively eerie. If it weren't for the sounds of battle erupting from the outside, you could hear a feather drop from the opposite side. It gave the whole place a distinct haunted feel, one that Ran, even with her attention occupied with the situation at hand, couldn't help but notice.

She had left the rabbits soon after they had pinned Kaguya down and bound her up. Tewi seemed to have things well in hand, and Ran's place was here, assisting her master any way she could. Plus, there was no way she was going to leave Chen.

And that was the problem. Since Chen had been thoroughly sedated when this Rin person had arrived in the waiting room, Ran had taken the liberty of stashing the unconscious catgirl in the janitor's closet. Not the safest place perhaps, but it was the best she could do in a pinch.

However, now that she had managed to break away and return for her Shikigami, Ran was facing a most worrying problem. Chen was gone. The bindings were still there; handcuffs, bandages and ball gag, all lying in a small pile among the buckets and spray bottles. But the catgirl herself was conspicuously missing.

Ran felt a moan of despair threaten to rise up. It was bad enough that some sort of people absorbing monster had to appear toting the powers of the Shadow freaking Youkai, but now her Chen had vanished. Normally this would be annoying in an amusing sort of way (or was it the other way around?), but for it to happen now meant that Ran had to make an actual effort to banish pictures of Chen being skewered on the Shadow Youkai's sword, or being swallowed up by that Rin person.

And to top it off, Yukari had absolutely failed to answer her phone when Ran had tried to contact her with an update on their enemy's abilities. That in itself was almost panic-worthy. Unless she was asleep (which she was for an irritating amount of the time), Yukari always answered the phone. Ran didn't want to think of something that would prevent her from gaining knowledge that might just be vital to her survival.

"Um, excuse me?" a confused voice said from nearby.

Ran turned to see that she had been joined by a fairy. The blond girl was dressed in one of Eirin's hideous looking hospital gowns (further proof of the Lunarian's barely repressed sadism) and had various body parts bandaged up. Her face was also sporting several purple bruises.

Ran's eyes actually widened in surprise. With everything that was going on, they had completely forgotten the clinic's other patient.

"I'm sorry, but is something wrong?" asked Lily White. "I woke up and everybody was gone."

Ran sighed. She didn't need this. "Wrong? Yeah, I'd say there is. We're under attack."

Lily made an odd sort of hiccupping gasp. "Attack? From what? Marisa?"

"The witch? No, it's not Marisa, it's, uh…" Ran wondered exactly how to explain an unholy union between a life destroying abomination and a cannibalistic science experiment gone wrong without being barraged with endless questions. "…demon," she said lamely. "Evil…demon…thing."

"From Makai?"

"…sure, why not?"

Lily grabbed Ran by the sleeve. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get-"

The sound of electric guitars filled the hall. Lily yelped in alarm and darted into the janitor's closet, slamming the door shut. Ran didn't care. She was just relieved that Yukari seemed to be back on the board.

She flipped out her phone. "Master? Is that you?"

"Who else?" Yukari snapped. "What the hell is going on?"

Ran glanced around nervously. She lowered her voice. "Master, I think the situation is more complicated then we've been led to believe. The creature is more than just the Shadow Youkai. It's-"

"Some kind of crazy monster that eats people and steals their powers," Yukari interrupted. "Yeah, I know. Eirin just got done telling me."

Ran blinked. "Eirin? Is she okay? Kaguya seemed very worried about her."

"She's hurt, but she'll live. Now, about the Princess herself, it seems that it's imperative that the monster is allowed nowhere near her. Something about stealing her immortality and thus making our job all the more difficult."

"I know. She's already been evacuated safely."

Ran could hear Yukari sighing in relief. "Good. One less headache. Okay, listen up. We just got our asses handed to us, but we're regrouping. Sort of. I need you to take Chen and get out of here."

"Um, yeah, small problem with that."

"Which is…?"

Ran sighed. "Chen's gone missing."

She could practically hear the scowl just from Yukari's voice alone. "Well, then find her and get her gone! I don't need a hyperactive catgirl gumming up the works."

"Understood, Master. I'll find her as quickly as possible."

"Good. Where are you now?"

"Hourai Clinic."

"Again, good. Stay out of the mansion. I do believe Suika's going ten rounds with our gluttonous friend in there and I would hate for you to get caught in the middle."

"…oh. Thanks."

There was a click, and the line terminated. No parting words, no goodbye, just a click.

Ran shook her head and put the phone away. Nice to know there were some constants in the universe.

Then she turned to see Lily White staring at her from behind the closet door.

"Is there someone in that box?" the fairy asked. "Like a really, really small youkai?"

"What? No, that was Yukari."

Lily's eyes went even wider. "Yukari Yakumo's in that box?"

"What? No! It's…" Ran groaned. Out of all the things she had time for, explaining the mechanics behind cell phones to a beaten and bruised fairy was not one of them. "It's magic. It lets me talk to her from far away."

"Oh. Okay." And with that, Lily's interest seemed to wane. Then again, to a fairy, something like magic boxes would seem commonplace.

"Now by any chance, have you seen a cat youkai anywhere?" Ran asked. It was a long shot, but she might as well ask. "About yay tall," she said, holding her hand a few feet above the ground. "Red dress, short brown hair and two tails?"

Lily frowned. She stepped out of the closet. "Uh, yeah actually."

Ran blinked. Hope flickered alive. "Really?" she said, trying not to sound too eager. "Where?"

"She's what woke me up with her yelling. I saw her running past my room when I went out the door."

Finally, some good news. Ran breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank whatever god's on shift. Which way did she go?"

Lily just shrugged. "I only caught a glimpse of her. She could be anywhere by now."

"Do you know if she was heading for the mansion?"

"Dunno. Didn't see."

Ran's left eyelid twitched. "Well then," she said in as calm a voice as she could muster. "Would you mind helping me search?"

Lily opened her mouth, presumably to refuse, but she caught the look in Ran's eye and changed her answer to "Uh…sure, why not?"

…

Given her constant state of drunkenness, Suika had become long accustomed to entertaining various voices in her head, and now was no exception. At the moment, one worried-sounding voice was noting that the enraged oni was doing a considerable amount of damage to the house and the Moon Lady would probably be mad at her. Another was concerned that the palm where she had gotten stabbed was losing all feeling and she should probably find out why. Yet another was pointing out that Suika's friends were still hurt and could probably use help. And finally, a fourth made the case that the Moon Lady was really rich and could afford to fix all damages, that the palm problem could wait for later, Suika's friends were really tough and could handle themselves, and finally that she should probably find the evil shadow person and hit it until it stopped being fun.

After carefully listening to their arguments and weighing their points, Suika came to the conclusion that the fourth voice was making the most sense.

She didn't even bother slowing down as she walked right through a wall into the room beyond. Flimsy material. What was it, paper? The room itself seemed to be a sitting room, with cushioned furniture made of some kind of dark wood surrounding a fire pit in the center. Shelves full of books and expensive-looking china lines the walls.

That is, that's what it was when she entered. Five seconds and three swipes of her mighty arms later, it more resembled a lumber yard.

"Where are you, you gutless little worm?" Suika screeched. She lifted up a couch, snapped it in two, and hurled one half through one wall and the other through the opposite. "Show yourself!"

No response. Suika growled and marched forward. How big was this place anyway? She was reasonably certain she had already demolished enough rooms to fill two average sized houses. Well, maybe one and a half.

She seized up a heavy piece of timber and heaved it over her head. It tore its way through one of the nearby walls. From the room on the other side came the sound of snapping wood and breaking glass. Now it was two houses' worth. Still, the evil shadow person, who henceforth shall be known in her mind as the ESP, had yet to show herself.

Growling, Suika stomped into the newly opened room, ready to tear yet another several thousand yen's worth of furnishings to pieces.

If she had the presence of mind to look over her shoulder, she might have noticed the indistinct figure of writhing darkness, skittering spider-like along the walls and ceiling, shadowing every move the oni made.

…

So…what do I do now?

Seriously?

Um…

Dear gods, you are thick. Get above the oni's head, wait for her to look up, and drop down on her.

…and then what?

Well, what do you think? Stab out her eyes.

…

Suika heard the faintest rustle of movement above her, barely more than a whisper. She glanced up.

The oni had just enough time to register a black shape moving directly over her before it released its hold on the ceiling and swooped down on her.

…

Do it now! Don't hesitate, do it now!

…

Suika roared in pain and clutched at her face. Ice and fire spread over her forehead, freezing all feeling in some parts while burning others.

She thrashed blindly, hoping to hit something. Instead, something twisted around her horns and yanked her headfirst into the floor.

…

Okay, just so we're clear, running over her forehead, grabbing her horns and throwing her down is a far cry from stabbing her in the eyes. You do know this, right?

…yes…

Gah, this is getting disappointing. I get one rage-driven bout of nonlethal force and now all you can manage are a handful of martial arts tricks?

Sorry.

Sure you are. Okay, last chance. If you're so concerned about hurting her, then just stab her through the brain before she gets up. Quick, painless, done.

But-

I do not care. Do it.

…

Suika braced herself against the floor and pushed herself up enough to glare through hazy eyes. The ESP was standing some feet away, sword loosely clutched in one hand and burning eyes watching the struggling oni with an unreadable expression.

Suika couldn't help but wonder why she was still alive. Certainly she wasn't complaining, but the ESP had her dead to rights. Instead, it had settled for just knocking her down and...

She felt her tingling scalp and winced. The thing's footsteps had left cold patches of numbness across her forehead, similar to that on her palm. Speaking of which, the stab wound had turned a nasty shade of black and purple which spread through both sides of her hand. Her fingers had ceased to move altogether.

Suika was starting to come to conclusion that touching the ESP with bare skin was probably a bad idea. But that was fine. She could adapt.

That was when the ESP took a page out of Suika's book and seized up a piece of broken lumber. Quick as a striking snake, it bolted forward and smashed it across Suika's face, the force of which physically lifted her off the ground and sent her careening backwards into one of the adjoining rooms.

…

Oh, come on! It's an oni, for crying out loud! What are you trying to do, massage her?

But it worked! It knocked her back!

So you took her off guard. Big deal. She'll be up in a second anyway.

I'm trying! I just don't think we have to kill her, that's all.

Really? Are you serious here?

Well, yeah! I mean-

That's it, you are officially an idiot. Kid, you are on your own. Have fun with your new friends.

What? Wait, don't! You can't leave!

…

Hello?

…

Judging by the thick clouds of steam that were billowing around her, the ESP had knocked her into a sauna or a bathhouse. Suika had to admit, the thing was strong.

She sat up and felt her forehead. Not strong enough to bruise though. Numb spots aside, it was barely even tender.

The need to avoid physical contact was a problem though. As big as this place was, there were only so many pieces of furniture and chunks of wall she could throw at the ESP. She preferred fist-to-fist combat anyway, and being deprived of her element was aggravating.

That's when her eyes narrowed and she studied the room around her. The wheels in her head began to turn.

There were several towels lying folded up in cubbyholes set in the walls, some of them full body. Suika snatched several and, using her good hand and teeth, managed to wrap up her numb hand and attached arm. Then, more slowly this time, did the same to the other.

She flexed her good hand and took a few practice swings. She nodded in satisfaction. Then she turned her attention back to the room where the ESP waited.

No doubt about it, it was clobbering time.

With a challenging roar, Suika burst from the room. She was expecting the ESP to dodge out of the way, but to her surprise it stood perfectly still, allowing her to connect with a solid punch that it flying through three consecutive walls.

Suika wasn't about to let it recover. She followed the hurtling monster and, just as it finally came to a tumbling stomp, began hammering down on it, clenched fisted blows with her good hand and vicious backhands with her bad one.

In her rage induced haze, it took her a moment to realize that the ESP was no longer there that and she had dug through the floor and was now burrowing through the building's foundation with her fists.

Suika forced herself to stop. Panting, she surveyed the room around her. Aside from herself and some truly interesting sculptures of Reisen Udongein that could only be described as "scandalous," the room was empty.

Suddenly a twisting rope of darkness shot up from between two of the floor slats. It wrapped around Suika's towel-covered right arm. Suika roared and tried to pull away, but as she did so another black rope seized her left arm.

Then the floor seemed to explode with dark ropes, like the tentacles of some eldritch abomination summoned from the depths. They coiled themselves around Suika's waist, horns and chest, holding her in place. Even though none of them actually touched her skin, she could still feel the deadly ice of their touch through the few layers of fabric. Suika bellowed and thrashed about, tearing several of the ropes in the process. But for every one she ripped in half, three more appeared to replace it.

Finally, physically exhausted and emotionally burnt out, Suika collapsed to her knees. She panted heavily, sucking in desperate gulps of oxygen.

A shadow appeared in the upper part of her peripheral vision. Suika squinted through blurry eyes. The ESP stood over her, sword held in one hand while the other seemed to elongate and disappear into the floor, likely the source of the ropes.

Suika bared her teeth. "So, gonna finish me off now, huh? Just chop off my head?" The oni gathered her will and forced herself to her feet. "Well, go ahead, monster. But don't expect me to make it easy for you."

The ESP's eyes narrowed. It took one step forward. Then it staggered, needing to brace the tip of its sword against the ground to keep on its feet. Suika allowed herself a bitter smile of satisfaction. So, she had managed to hurt it after all.

Then, for the first time that Suika could remember, it spoke. "You idiot, I don't want to kill you! You guys jumped me! I'm just trying to defend myself!"

Suika spat. "Sure, and I suppose you were just having a friendly talk with the Moon Doctor Lady, huh?"

"Yes! And then you came the heck out of nowhere and attacked me! What did I ever do to you?"

In the air behind the ESP, a tear opened up. Suika's massive heart leapt when she saw Yukari step into the room. The ancient youkai's eyes widened when she saw the situation. She raised a finger to her lips. Suika blinked and nodded once.

"You? Like we'd need a reason to beat the crap out of you!" Suika snapped. "I mean, look at you! Who wouldn't want to smash you flat?"

The ropes wrapped around her tightened. Good, it was getting angry. Which meant it wouldn't be looking over its shoulder any time soon. Which was fortunate, as Yukari raised a single hand. Orbs of different size and color began circling the air over her palm.

"I don't know why I bother," the ESP muttered. "Maybe the scary voice is right. Maybe I should just kill you all."

The orbs flew from Yukari's hand to hover behind the ESP. Yukari nodded to Suika and mouthed, Now.

Suika's body tensed. "Yeah, slight problem with that."

"What's that?"

"You're about to find out. Goodbye!"

Before the ESP could react, Suika shrank herself down until she was about a foot tall. The sudden loss of size allowed her to slip free from the ropes grasp. They convulsed in surprise and tried to grab for her again, but she ducked the thrashing vines and scrambled out of the hole.

Just as she did, Yukari snapped her fingers. One of the orbs shot forward to impact against the back of the ESP's head, causing it to stagger forward. Before it could recover, another hit it in the side, followed by another to the back.

It tried to catch the orbs before they struck, but they were too fast, even for it. The ESP was battered back and forth like a puppet swinging on its strings.

Suika grinned. Finally they were making some headway. She returned to her normal size and extended her good hand.

Yukari noticed what she was doing. "Wait, Suika! Don't-"

Too late. Suika unleashed three blasts that struck the ESP in its head, chest and stomach. As it was already off balance from Yukari's attack, this sent it tumbling head-over-heels to crash into the far wall.

Suika whooped in delight and pressed her attack, sending burst after burst at the thing. Shoulda done this from the beginning, she thought as she pummeled the evil thing with bullets. Behind her, Yukari was yelling something, but Suika didn't pay attention. Now was shooty time. Talky time could come later.

"Okay, that's enough!"

Someone grabbed Suika by the arm and jerked her back. Surprised, Suika looked up to see Yukari glaring at her. "Didn't you hear me? I said stop!"

Suika blinked up at her. She was not used to having brawl-time interrupted by friends. "What? Why? We've got it on the run!"

"That's the point, idiot! It absorbs bullet energy! Keep shooting with the same kind and it'll adapt!"

"It will?" Suika turned to look at the ESP. Sure enough, as it stumbled to its feet the bullets she had shot were sinking into its body.

Then it turned to look at them. Suika braced herself, but instead of attacking it began to shiver. Then its body lost form and slipped between the floor slats.

Suika and Yukari stared at where it had disappeared. Then they looked at each other.

"Um, oops?" Suika blushed.

Yukari sighed. "Never mind. Let's just find it before it gets away."

Suika nodded her horned head. She took one step forward and then her eyes rolled back into her head. The world turned dark and she fell into unconsciousness.

…

Hello? You there? I changed my mind! Hello?

As Rin slithered her way through Eientei's foundations, she tried time and time again to contact the voice that claimed to represent her darker self. While the voice's claim seemed unlikely, she had to admit it did know more about fighting than she did. And at the moment, she could use all the help she could get, even if the things it told her to do made her insides squirm.

Still, there was no denying that she was hating herself for going trying to go to the voice for help. Okay, so maybe she had made more than her share of mistakes, but she was no killer! It was that part that made her disbelieve the idea that the voice was actually a part of her mind.

Of course, she might be wrong. Of course, she might be completely insane. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

But in the end, she supposed it was a moot point anyway. The voice, whatever it was, wasn't answering. She searched every corner of her mind, and the only presence other than herself was Rumia's, which still hovered confused and afraid in the corner Rin had sent her. Yet another thing Rin hated herself for. After spending what felt like eternity by herself in the dark, who was she to condemn Rumia to the same fate?

But in the end, what could she do? Trying to defend herself and deal with the terrified little youkai at the same time was beyond her capabilities. She was barely holding it together at it was. That oni alone had come this close to beating her into submission, and that was with Rumia's amazing raw power coupled with her own adaptive abilities.

Rumia's power. She would have to ask her about that. There was nothing in the youkai's memories to indicate that she was aware of how much she was capable of. That in itself was very odd.

Ah, she didn't have time for this. Everything was falling apart. Her meeting with Eirin had ended with her being lied to and betrayed, her plan to get back at the doctor by absorbing the princess was a complete failure, and now she had some very dangerous people after her blood. It was time to get the hell out of there and find a place to hide. She could worry about apologizing to Rumia later.

Soon the consistency of the ground she was traveling through changed from wood and concrete to loose soil. She was outside. Good. Maintaining an amoebic shape was exhausting. Rin pulled her body to the surface. With a bit of mental will, she released a little of her control over the energies she controlled, allowing her body to resume Rumia's shape.

The outside still looked deserted. The oni and the youkai Rumia was so afraid of were probably still inside. And the others apparently had yet to rejoin the game. Good.

Rin hovered off the ground, intending to disappear into the forest. Then someone spoke.

"'Sup?"

Rin turned and her heart fell. Standing there were the witch and the ghost that had tried to fry her earlier. They were dirty, they were bruised (well, the witch was at least. Ghosts did have that whole incorporeal thing going for them), but they were upright and they looked pissed.

And, if for no other reason than to add insult to injury, Eirin sat behind them, back up against Eientei's wall. She was still hurt but conscious. Her eyes glared out from between swollen lids.

"So," the witch said. "Eirin here tells us that you can get used to and absorb shit. Nice trick, ze."

The ghost nodded. "Indeed. But I must admit, we're curious: how well would you fair if we switched spells every, oh let's say, two and a half seconds? Could you adapt to that?"

The witch grinned. She lifted a single fist, which began glowing with barely repressed force. "And just to let you know, between the two of us, we have over seven thousand and four hundred thirty-eight types of offensive spells. So what do you say, Smokey? Ready for round two?"

Rin tried to prepare herself for another onslaught, but then things got very, very loud.

…

One hour later…

Yukari had to admit, the whole operation had turned out to be much more difficult than she had originally anticipated. Of course, she had known that having to deal with the Shadow Youkai once again wasn't going to be fun, but with the added unknown element of Rin Satsuki had almost turned the whole thing into a disaster. But it had turned out all right at the end.

She looked around the room they were in. They were inhabiting one of Hourai Clinic's emergency rooms. Eirin and Reimu were occupying the beds. Suika was still unconscious. It took an excessive amount of punishment to knock out an oni, but from the look of things, she had suffered exactly that. She had telltale signs of the taint all over her face and covering one of her hands. But it was the open wound in her palm that was most worrying. From the look of things, some of the taint had worked its way into her bloodstream, which accounted for the unconsciousness. Yukari had spent an exhausting fifteen minutes hunting down the microscopic fragments of death and forcing them out.

However, Eirin was in even worse shape. She had been damaged almost as badly, and despite her great age and power, she simply did not have an oni's incredible stamina or resilience. If it weren't for Yukari cheating at the rules of life and death, she would have slipped away. As it was, it would be a long time before she would be at full strength.

The others weren't in great shape either. Marisa and Mima had fared the best, but still, being hit directly with their own Final Spark had roughed them up pretty badly. And Reimu…She wasn't in danger, but she had suffered a mild concussion. And she would be lame for about half a week.

Yukari grit her teeth. She wasn't usually murderous, but seeing her shrine maiden hurled through those bamboo stalks like that made her want to do questionable things to Rin Satsuki. And Suika's condition did absolutely nothing to help matters.

And then there was the fact that Eientei was more-or-less demolished from the inside. Yukari had to give Suika credit: she had done amazingly well despite having little knowledge of what she was up against. In fact, she might have solved the problem by herself, given enough time. But still, the property damage was astronomically high. Further relations with Kaguya were going to be…strained.

And to top it off, Ran was still out searching for Chen. Yukari had been seriously tempted to just tell her to forget the little nuisance until things were under control, but the last time she had done that Chen had ended up trapped in Makai, no explanation as to how. It had taken a solid week of negations with Shinki to get her released. To that end, the less time that catgirl spent wandering around during a crisis, the better.

Okay, so maybe things hadn't turned out all right. But at least they had survived and emerged somewhat victorious. In the end, that was the important thing.

As for the antagonist herself, she was receiving a little lesson on physics and acceleration. Yukari had dumped her into one of her portals, which connected to a second portal directly over the first. As such, it was a literal bottomless pit, the results of which translated into a dizzying black blur that was painful to stare at.

"So, uh, how does that work again?" Reimu asked. She was sitting in one of the chairs, with her bandaged foot propped up on a stool. "I mean, can't she just stop and hover?"

Yukari grinned. "Not the way I have it set up. They're too close together. Plus, the portals are designed to add just a smidgen of speed to her fall every time she passes through. And since they're so close together, well, in layman's terms: speedy thing goes in, even speedier thing comes out."

Marisa stopped her pacing to glare. "Yah know, you really coulda just done that from the beginning, ze. Save us a whole lot of trouble and property damage that I didn't get to take part in."

"Stop whining, little witch. Point is, it's over. We won. Now, all that's left is to decide-"

Marisa turned to face the others. "All in favor of killing the bloody psychotic risk to life and limb, say aye."

"Aye," Mima said without hesitation.

Reimu hesitated, then she looked down at her foot. She nodded. "Aye. Sorry Yukari, she's just way too dangerous."

Yukari leaned back in her seat, carefully crossing her arms over her bandaged torso. "Why are you apologizing? Aye for me too. Only problem is, I'm not seeing how we can. Ending Rumia the first time around was problematic enough, but now we're dealing with someone that can take just about anything we can dish out."

…

Oh gods, they're going to kill me. I knew this was going to happen. And Rumia too! What did she ever do to them?

Wow, tough luck. Bet you wish you had listened to me, huh?

…oh no.

…

"Speaking of which, what about Rumia?" Reimu asked. "I mean, she's still stuck in that thing. Is there any way we can get her out?"

"Are you daft?" Marisa snapped. "Have you been sleeping through that whole beat down? Even if we get her out, the ribbon thingy is gone, ze! Evil Rumia's back! Better to off them both."

Mima cleared her throat. "While the removal of the ribbon would return her to full power, we do not know if her memories would return as well. The wiping of her memory and the sealing of her power were two separate operations."

"So? I mean, no offense, Master, but is that something you really want to bet your life on? Well, erm, whatever ghostly equivalent you have, I mean."

"Hmmm, I suppose you're right."

…

Oh, this cannot end well. Poor Rumia. First you had to go eat her without permission, and now her doom is sealed as a result. Talk about a lousy day.

Please, you have to help her! I can't let her die because of me!

You mean help you?

Yes!

Even if it means killing?

Um…

You really don't have a lot of time to think about it.

…

"As much as it hurts to say so, I'm afraid I must agree with the witch," Yukari said. "It is my job to keep Gensokyo safe from threats such as this, and while Rumia could be said to be blameless in this situation, the risk is too great to allow her to wander free."

Reimu glowered. She shifted in her seat and folded her arms. "Look, I don't really care for Rumia at all, and I am glad to beat her up whenever she starts getting stupid, but I don't like the idea of killing her just because of something that might happen. Why can't we just seal up her powers again?" Her glare turned into a sneer. "Unless you've forgotten how."

Mima raised a single elegant eyebrow. "Hardly. But even if we somehow managed to extract Rumia from within that thing, and even if she has not regained memory of what she once was, and even if we somehow restrained her long enough to create another amulet of sealing, what's to prevent something else from unleashing her once again? Reimu, this isn't one of the incidents you're used to dealing with. This isn't a case of someone with too much power growing bored and causing trouble. We are talking of a potential massacre here. Maybe even genocide. And trust me, I have plenty of experience with genocides."

…

Things aren't looking good Rin. What's it going to be?

But I-

Look, if it's really that big of a problem, I'll do it.

…what?

Give me temporary control. I can break out of this thing for you. Hell, I'll even keep it clean if that bothers you. Just long enough to get us out of here.

…

"I don't know, I just refuse to accept that an execution is the only option," Reimu said. "This Satsuki person? Okay, that I'll give you. But Rumia, the Rumia we know, she didn't do anything. I hate to say this, but the annoying little twerp is a victim here."

Marisa glared at the shrine maiden. "Okay, are we forgetting where she tried to eat us once? Imagine if she suddenly started packing the sort of juice that just kicked our collective asses."

"And there still exists the possibility that her memories have returned," Mima murmured. "If we were to release her from Satsuki's hold, she would not hesitate to take us all with her."

Reimu still looked troubled, but she didn't argue.

…

Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to honor the memory of Rumia. Taken from us because the spineless wuss who swallowed her in the first place couldn't stomach a little aggressive self-defense.

All right, all right!

If only there had been someone willing to go the extra mile to defend her. If only there had been someone willing to stand up for the poor girl's right to survive.

I said all right already! Just get us out of here!

I knew you'd warm up to me. Now, just relax…

…

Yukari folded her hands in her lap and crossed her legs. "All well and good, but there remains the problem of how. I'm afraid that I don't have the first idea of how to-"

"Look out!"

Yukari turned to look at the eternally falling blur that was her prisoner. Her face paled when she saw the spear of twisting darkness heading towards her. Somehow, it had managed to line up a perfect shot, despite having a mere fraction of a second for its window of opportunity. Once again they had underestimated it. Once again it was going to cost them.

As quick as thought, Mima materialized behind her and yanked her out of the way; turning what would have been an impaling blow into a grazing one. The spear tore across her midriff, slashing the bandage and sending a shock of numbing cold through her torso.

It was enough. Yukari's attention wavered, and the two portals began to collapse. As they did so, the monster separated itself into six curving rays of black goo that shot out in six different directions. Each ray landed on the floor, forming a small lump of the shimmering black material. Each lump then coagulated back together to form a single body.

The embodiment of the Shadow Youkai once again stood before them.

It cocked its head to one side. "Hello again. Now, I'd love to stay and eviscerate you all, but I'm on a bit of probation here. So I'd just leave you with something to remember me by. Until next time, ladies."

With that, it fell to one knee and slammed a taloned fist into the floor. As hand met wood, the tendrils twisting around its fingers flushed scarlet. Energy pulsed down into the ground and exploded outward. The floor itself seemed to literally surge outward in a rolling shockwave that overturned and demolished all in its path.

Suika and Eirin were tossed from their beds and nearly thrown against the wall. Reimu fell from her chair and Marisa was knocked from her feet. Yukari was quick enough to take to the air before she suffered the same fate, though the effort nearly caused her to black out. Of course Mima remained unaffected whatsoever. However, it was enough to their attention, and during that split-second of distraction the Shadow Youkai had torn its way through the wall to the hall beyond.

Yukari landed in an untidy heap. She winced as pain stabbed through her unnumbed areas, but she didn't have time to worry about now.

"Stop her," she choked out. "Don't let her get away!"

"On it," Marisa said. She hopped to her feet and extended her hand. Her broom, which had been knocked to the other side of the room, smacked against her palm. She hopped aboard and, holding down her hat with one hand, took off in pursuit.

"I'm going with her," Mima said. "I trust you'll be fine?"

Yukari nodded and winced. "Yeah, we got it. Go!"

Mima vanished without another word, presumably to cut the fugitive off from the other end.

Yukari grabbed her overturned chair and hoisted herself up. At the other end of the room, Reimu was using the wall to pull herself to a standing position, leaning all of her weight on her good foot. Suika was still lying unconscious under her bed, and Eirin was lying face-down on the floor, mumbling something incomprehensible.

Yukari sighed. She was starting to hate this day.

Reimu started hopping across the room to assist those more gravely injured than herself. "Hey Yukari?" she said.

"What?"

"The next time you want me to go help Cirno and her friends, I'm going to tape your mouth shut."

…

There, you see? Got us out, nobody died.

I guess so. Thank you.

Glad to hear it. Good luck.

Wait, what?

Did my part. You're on your own from here out, girly. Head for the outside and just keep running. Use that slithering trick if you have to.

What? No, you can't-

Bye.

No, wait!

Rin tried calling again and again, but the voice had simply disappeared. Again.

Whatever. She could worry about her evil twin (or whatever it was) later. Now she had to concentrate on survival.

And judging by the massive explosion that suddenly tore up the hall she had just left, that was going to be difficult. She wasn't sure who was after her this time, but it couldn't be good.

Rin focused all her attention to a point directly in front of her and charged forward. Wall, furniture and other obstacles barely slowed her down. Then, with a final push, she burst into open air.

The dark clouds summoned by her anger had dispersed after her painful defeat at the hands of the witch and the ghost. Now the Sun was shining brightly overhead. It was almost deceptively peaceful looking. If it weren't for the telltale scars left by their battle and the wreckage of the surrounding buildings, the scene could be described as a cheerful spring day.

Of course, the fact that she was being pursued by very powerful people who wished to brutally end her life and Rumia's as well sort of dampened Rin's appreciation of her surroundings. Some first day of freedom, she thought ruefully. I was better off in that box.

Well, there was no time to worry about that now. The only thing to do was to find some far-off corner of Gensokyo to hide. And then she could worry about making things up to Rumia. And maybe see to the problem of her "imaginary friend."

Of course, given the way the day was going for everyone involved, this proved to be impractical, as Rin was soon interrupted by a flying blue-and-white missile.

…

She had made it, she had finally made it!

Despite being Master Sparked twice in two hours, flying around like her butt was on fire all day, and pushing herself far past her limits to catch up with Reimu, Cirno had finally reached the Moon Princess' mansion. Her body was shaking with exhaustion and her wings felt like they were about to crack to pieces, but she had made it!

And, wonder of wonders, the first thing she saw upon arrival was Rumia herself. She must have found a way to escape the blob. Cirno felt relief sing through her body, giving her new strength.

"Rumia!" she called as she darted towards her friend. "Oh awesomesauce, I found you!"

She tried to wrap her arms around Rumia, but to her surprise her friend recoiled. "Wait…Cirno, right? Rumia's friend? Stay away from me."

Cirno's jaw dropped. "What the hellsicles are you talking about? I came all this way to find you! What happened to your voice? Have you been smoking? And why did you paint yourself black? I know you like darkness and all, but come on!"

Rumia kept nervously looking over her shoulder. "Okay, seriously. Not a good time. Can we postpone this until later?"

Inspiration struck. "Wait, are you Rumia's shadow?" Cirno demanded. "Did you…like detach or something and now you're going to get help? Is Rumia still being eaten or is she going to float off into the sky without you?"

"What? No! No, no, yes, no! Now please, we need to-"

Then the wall of the strange bamboo building exploded. Cirno yelped and covered her face as flaming shard pelted her arms. From within emerged a sight that Cirno was frankly getting tired of: an angry Marisa Kirisame, perched on her broom and looking to ruin somebody's day.

At the same time, the air on the other side of she and Rumia shimmered. The scary ghost lady that was always hanging out with Reimu appeared out of nowhere. Her mouth was moving at a mile a minute, but the words were so low that they were impossible to make out.

The ghost raised a single hand, index finger pointing at Rumia. Green light began to collect at her fingertip.

At the same time, Marisa thrust a fist into the sky. Crackling red lightning shot down from the sky and struck her hand, illuminating it was a deadly scarlet light.

"Spectacular Supernova!" Marisa howled. She hurled the ball of lightning forward, which erupted into a ball of rolling flame that surged forward, eager to devour all in its way.

As she did so, the ghost stopped chanting and gestured. Twisting ethereal arms flew from her fingertip, each one ending in a grasping, long-fingered hand.

Cirno suddenly realized two things. One, both attacks were heading straight for Rumia. Two, they didn't look like they were spellcard regulation. In fact, they looked downright lethal.

"No!" she screamed. "Rumia, move!"

She lunged forward and pushed Rumia out of the way. As her palms touched Rumia's dress, shocking cold, greater than anything even the ice fairy had experienced, shot through her arms. She cried out and recoiled.

Just as she opened her eyes, Cirno realized that she had accidentally moved herself right into the line of fire. She didn't even have time to feel afraid before both attacks hit her at the same time.

With a puff of white mist, Cirno evaporated.

Chapter Text

Normally, traveling the Bamboo Forest of the Lost didn't take long, provided you didn't get lost yourself. If you knew you way around, then it was a quick trip. And even if you didn't, you could always rise above the treetops and journey from one end to the other in about fifteen minutes. And seeing how the entire staff of Eientei both knew their way around and was planning to fly over the treetops anyway, they should have been moments away from the Scarlet Devil Mansion by now.

There were a couple of problems with that.

The first was that they were all flying in formation. While this made the most sense from a defensive standpoint, it did mean the slowest were setting the pace. And seeing how they had many among their number whose jobs included simple housework, cooking, cleaning and maintenance, i.e. jobs that did not include much flying to begin with, the trip was taking nearly twice as long.

The second occurred when they were only five minutes from the forest's border.

Tewi had been in the lead of the caravan (convoy? Procession? Flock? Whatever) when it had happened. The sight sent a deep cleansing sense of relief singing through her. Even though she knew they weren't technically "safe" until they reached the Scarlet Devil Mansion, just having made it past such a large hurdle was heartening enough.

And then everything had gone to hell.

At first Tewi hadn't realized what was happening. Suddenly everything started yelling and the formation broke. Her first thought was that Rin had found them, or maybe Mokou was taking advantage of the situation. But then she realized that such was not the case. No, it was much worse. Kaguya had gotten loose.

Somehow the princess had managed to work her arms from their bindings. After that, it had taken but one burst of power to free herself completely.

"Kaguya!" Reisen yelled as she chased after the furious princess, all the host of Eientei behind her. "Come back, it's not safe!"

Tewi agreed. "Are you crazy?" she called. "Rin'll just eat you too!"

"Cowards!" Kaguya snarled. "Worthless pathetic cowards!"

I hate it when she gets like this, Tewi thought to herself. Aloud, she said, "Anyone who's faster than her, try to cut her off! Only fire if-"

Kaguya took a sudden turn and dipped downward into the forest.

"Never mind, change of plans! Surround her on all sides and try to hedge her in!"

"Do you really think that'll work?" the newly promoted Commander Utada asked.

"No, but it's worth a shot! Hurry up!"

…

Marisa stared in shock at the space that had been occupied by Cirno's body not five seconds prior. Black smoke rose upward as green sparks fell to the earth, remnants of her dual attack with Mima. However, those were unimportant. Her attention was focused on the white steam that swirled in wisps where the two spells had stuck one another.

It was difficult to comprehend. One moment they were about to remove the monster for good, the next Cirno had come the hell out of nowhere and had gotten in their way. And as a result, she had been vaporized in an instant.

I've killed her, she thought numbly. My gods, I've actually killed her.

She didn't like Cirno; there was no secret about that. Nobody really did. The stupid braggart had inconvenienced her more times than she cared to count, to the point where beating her up was practically a national pastime.

But she hadn't meant to kill her.

"Come on!" Mima shouted, tearing Marisa away from her stupefied state. "She's getting away!"

Marisa looked where her mentor was indicating. Rin Satsuki had taken advantage of the momentary distraction and was now vanishing through the bamboo.

"Did you hear me?" Mima demanded. "Snap out of it, girl! We can't let her escape!"

"But Cirno…"

"Forget her! She's a fairy, she'll be fine!"

"Yeah, but who could come back from that?"

Mima shoved herself up against Marisa, so that they were practically nose-to-nose. "Listen to me," she growled. "Cirno does not matter. She got in the way, so what happened was her fault. But if that gives you pause, if you let that stop you from helping me hunt that thing down, then whatever happens after will become your fault."

"But-"

"Furthermore," Mima continued. "I will be very, very disappointed."

It was that last part that did it for her. She nodded once, knowing that any other response would turn out poorly for her.

"Good. Now let's go."

Marisa followed her former teacher into the bamboo forest. Now that she thought about it, Mima was right. What had happened to Cirno was her own damned fault. No one had forced her to jump into the middle of a way. No use crying over spilt milk or vaporized fairies.

Still, she couldn't help casting one regretful look over her shoulder. Behind them, the mist was starting to clear.

…

Bamboo stalks passed by so fast they the seemed to melt into a formless blur. Sometimes they would suddenly appear to block her path, but Rin would just pass right through them without even noticing.

The scene she had just witnessed played over and over in her head on an endless loop. Rumia's friend coming out of nowhere and taking the shot meant for her. The whole thing had been so sudden that Rin honestly didn't have the slightest idea of how to feel about it. No one had ever stuck their neck out for her, especially to that degree. Even if the little fairy did think she was Rumia herself, it still hit her hard.

Especially since she had lost her life for it. Oh, gods in everywhere, what was she going to tell Rumia?

She's a fairy, she'll resurrect, she's a fairy, she'll resurrect. Rin repeated those words over and over again, trying to make them stick, trying to make them overpower the image of Cirno's body as it disintegrated. It didn't work very well.

There was a whining sound and three spears of liquid fire spat over her. She managed to dodge just in time, but one grazed her shoulder, splattering her with droplets that hissed and burned as they stuck to her. A small effort of will, and they were absorbed into her being.

Still, she was going to have to do something about her pursuers. As fast as she was, she couldn't outrun them forever. Rin spared a glance at the ground below her. Especially with that damned trail of dead plants she kept leaving everything. Might as well paint a glowing arrow in the sky with a sign that said "Shoot Here!"

That was when inspiration struck. Rin increased her speed until she had gained enough distance. Then she dug deep into the abilities she had acquired from Rumia. As ugly as they were, they could prove useful.

Remembering the spear of darkness that her "Evil Twin" had thrown at the portal youkai, Rin hurled several similar missiles straight out in numerous random directions, like the spokes on some kind of lunatic wheel. As she hoped, the ground beneath each missile withered and died, leaving a clear path of blackened foliage. Choosing a direction for herself, Rin sped along, praying that it would be enough to throw them off. At this point, she was going to take whatever advantage she could get.

Well, except for one. She knew she was some kind of a monster, but she still didn't trust herself with using her new powers in the way they were intended. She wasn't a deliberate killer, no matter what her "Evil Twin" said. Not yet, at least.

…

Marisa saw a change in the trail they were following and swore out loud. She braked hard, bringing her broom to a stop. She felt her accumulated acceleration protest the sudden change in speed.

The trail of dead plants and blackened leaves had suddenly exploded into several different directions. It looked like the tip of one of those sparklers the kids were always lighting up during the New Year's Celebration. Marisa gritted her teeth as her eyes darted from one path to the other. She didn't know how it had pulled something like this off, but she had to admit it was very clever, even if it only made her want to kill it all the more.

"What now?" she shouted over to Mima, who was studying the new obstacle in an almost scholarly manner.

"What now?" Mima said with even bothering to look at her. "We follow, of course."

Marisa growled and swooped down so that she was facing Mima directly. "Yeah? You got any suggestions as to how, ze? Because unless you brought a full searching party…"

Mima muttered some words under her breath. Her form blurred, and suddenly her body divided in a manner not unlike cellular reproduction. Where there once had been one Mima were now two smaller Mimas. Then those two also separated, bringing the total to four. And then eight. In the end, there were sixteen little green-and-blue ghosts, each one the size of a small child.

"…or you could do that," Marisa finished. "Neeaaaattttt. You gotta show me how to do that."

The Mimas didn't bother to acknowledge the compliment. "Choose a path, I'll take the others," one of them said.

"Don't you mean 'we'll' take the others?" another muttered. "We're here too, you know!"

That one received a smack across her head from one of her neighbors. "We're all the same person, idiot!" the third snapped. "Singular personal pronouns work just fine."

"Not now, we're not!" the second shot back. "If we were, we'd all be speaking in unison!"

"Is this really the time to be discussing pronoun semantics?" another put it.

"Agreed, we have a job to do."

"But if we cannot even agree on how to refer to our collective selves, how can we be expected to even complete this mission?" argued one from the back.

This comment brought forth a chorus of both murmured disagreements and assents. The one who had spoken first sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You see why I don't like doing this often?" she said to Marisa.

"You mean 'we!' You're not the only Mima here, you know!"

Marisa, who was finding the whole thing hypnotically fascinating, started and said, "Huh? Oh, yeah. Anyway, I'll go…this way. Okay?"

"Works for us. Good hunting."

Another rubbed her chin and frowned. "Wouldn't she be more suited heading off in-"

Before another argument could erupt, Marisa shot off along her selected trail, following the line of the taint. Interesting or no, seeing a chorus of miniature Mimas argue amongst themselves was just too strange.

Behind her, the Mimas themselves all chose separate paths, bickering with and pushing one another until they finally got themselves situated. The hunt was on.

…

Less than five minutes into the search, Ran had begun to realize how pointless things were going to be. Now that an hour had passed, she was sure of it. The Bamboo Forest of the Lost was named that for a reason: it was a place where people got lost. And given how much experience Chen had in getting lost even in the most normal of places, it was starting to become akin to searching for a needle in a hayfield.

"I don't think we're gonna find her," Lily said as she prodded a bush with a stick. "I mean, this forest is huge. She could be anywhere."

Ran pursed her lips. "Just keep looking," she growled, careful to keep her own doubts out of her voice.

"Oh-kayyyy," Lily said with a shrug. "Though if you ask me, she probably went into the mansion."

The thought of Chen getting caught between an angry Suika and Eirin's Satsuki person sent a powerful shiver down Ran's spine. "No," she said out loud. "She wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Chen's not much of an inside person," Ran explained. "Every time she's run away, it's always to somewhere outside. Though come to think of it…" Ran's eyes narrowed. A possibility had just occurred to her, one that was almost as troubling as the thought of having to search for her in this enormous forest.

Lily tilted her head to one side. "What is it?" she asked.

"There's this…group she often hides with when she's made at me. I'm thinking she might have-"

"Shit!" a sudden shrill, high-pitched voice screeched from nearby, making them both jump. "Shit, shit, shit! Wrong path!"

Both of them whirled around to see one of the last things they had expected to see. Some kind of spirit, only about a foot tall, with long green hair dressed in a blue robe and tall, pointy hat decorated with depictions of celestial bodies had suddenly appeared on the scene. Apparently something had upset her, as she was banging her fist repeatedly against a tree as she cursed out loud.

"Why did I have to get stuck with a fake path!" the spirit cried. "I wanted to be the one to find her! Why couldn't I find her?"

Ran stared in utter bewilderment. The thing was, she knew the spirit, or at least her master did. Yukari had dealings with her in the past. The only thing was that Ran was pretty sure the spirit had been significantly…taller. And much more emotionally composed.

Lily tugged on Ran's sleeve. "Who's that?" she whispered. "Do you know her?"

"Um, I think so. Hang on."

Ran approached the bite-sized spirit. "Um, excuse me? Mima? Is that you?"

Mini-Mima's head swiveled to look at her. Her demeanor changed immediately. "Oh, you!" she said enthusiastically as she darted over to stare Ran in the eye. "Hi Ran! Yukari said you would be here. How's it going?"

It took a few seconds for Ran's brain to remember how to communicate with her mouth. "Um, yeah. Fine. Mima, what-"

"Happened to me? Oh, we were chasing that Satsuki person, and the path split off into a bunch of other paths. So I used a dividing spell to make more of me! That way, I can follow all the paths at once! Smart, huh?"

Perhaps, but Ran found the idea of several hyperactive pint-sized Mimas running through the forest to be utterly terrifying. "Um, I guess so…"

"Well, no, not really," the mini-Mima shrugged. "I really don't like using it, since my mind gets broken down a little bit more with each division and my pieces usually end up doing something incredibly embarrassing. But desperate times at all that, hey? Speaking of which, did you see anyone looking like they've painted themselves black and covered their eyes in cherry juice flying by here?"

Ran shook her head. "I'm afraid not. We're out here looking for my Shikigami. Haven't seen the Shadow Youkai or whatever it is since Eirin sent me away."

"Aw, bummer. See, I really wanted to be the one to find it, because then I could rub it in the faces of all the other Mimas! They're kinda mean, you know what I'm saying?"

"I guess…Wait a minute, Yukari told me that she had Satsuki contained!"

"Yeah, but she got away. Made a big mess too. Me and Marisa were the only ones who weren't like really beat up, so we went after her! Sucks, don't it?"

"What about Yukari, is she okay?"

"Well…sort've. Got slashed with a nasty dark spear thing, but she's alive. Anyway, it was fun catching up, but I really gotta head back. The other me's really are helpless without me. Laters!"

With that, the mini-Mima turned and sped back the way she came. Not long after, Ran's phone began to ring.

"Yes, Yukari?" she said.

"Ran, I need you back at the clinic. I need an extra set of hands and you need to get out of that forest."

"Yeah, I just ran into Mima. Erm, I think I did anyway. She told me Satsuki got out."

"Indeed. I have to admit, she's a clever little bitch. Mima and Marisa are going to try to shut her down. But it's best if you stay out of their crossfire."

"But what about Chen?"

There was a short pause, and then Yukari said, "There's no helping that. I can't have a monster hunt and a Chen search party going at the same time. I need you here, now. We'll have to worry about her after."

Ran's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry Master, but that is not acceptable."

"Excuse me? What was that?"

"With all due respect Master, if there really is some kind of psycho-killer on the loose, then I'm not going to leave Chen alone to get caught in the crossfire either."

"That's an order, Shikigami."

Ran gritted her teeth. Refusing a direct order from Yukari was difficult in the extreme, but she wasn't going to waver. "Chen's your responsibility too. I will not abandon her."

There was a long pause, and then Yukari said, "Very well. I didn't want to resort to this, but…"

Lily cried out in shock. Ran started to turn to see what she was reacting to, but a hand seized her shoulder and whirled her around. There, Yukari herself was emerging from one her portals. That in itself wasn't unusual, at least to Chen, but her Master's dress was torn at the midriff, exposing an ugly black wound. Yukari's lips were pressed together so tightly that they had turned white, and sparks were flying in her eyes.

A look, and Ran's body suddenly seized up. Ran set her will and tried to move, but her body would not obey. No surprises there. It was taking marching orders from someone else.

"I hope you realize," Yukari said as she grabbed Ran by the collar and yanked her into the portal, "how much this hurts. I also hope you realize that I am never incapacitated for long. Remember that the next time you decide to disobey me."

The portal sealed itself up, taking both of the youkai with it.

…

Lily White stared at the spot where the portal had disappeared. She had no idea what Yukari was going to do to Ran, but she did not envy the fox. Not one bit.

She looked around the forest and wondered what she was supposed to do now. Her yearly announcements had been ruined so completely that sticking around was pointless. And from the look of it, things were going straight to hell.

It just wasn't fair, damn it. She did her best to fulfill her purpose in life. All that really was making people feel relieved that winter was over. Everybody loved spring, right? Why did people always try to screw things up for her? Why did they have to go and ruin her special day?

Well, enough was enough. "Screw those guys," she muttered to herself. "I'm going home."

Lily snapped her fingers and vanished, not to be seen again for another year. She could only hope that the next first day of spring wouldn't suck nearly as much as this one did.

…

Rin had to admit, it wasn't the best solution. But then again, the best solution involved everyone suddenly saying they were sorry for hurting her and welcoming her back with open arms, Rumia forgiving her and promising to be her best friend forever, Eirin giving Rin her body back and a pat on the head, and then everyone celebrating their eternal friendship with a big party with lots of laughter and dancing. Rin wasn't nearly so crazy to start believing that was going to happen in the next few moments, so she had to settle for just a potentially workable solution.

After she had gone a good distance from where she had created those false trails, Rin had paused just long enough to hear someone fast approaching. Now that was just not right. The missile idea had been a good one! Why didn't it work?

Well, no use crying over possible ensuing disintegration. It was time to improvise. Again.

Selecting a particularly thick cluster of foliage, Rin shot into the air, careful to avoid getting close enough to the surrounding bamboo stalks to leave traces of that taint. Then, when she was right over the cluster, she pulled all the power she got from Rumia as far as she could into herself and shoved it into the farthest corner.

Once that had happened, the body she had stolen from Rumia collapsed back on itself. She lost form and color, turning back into her natural blob-like state. Suddenly deprived of Rumia's ability to fly, she had fallen right into the undergrowth. Hopefully it would be enough to hide her for the time being.

Unfortunately, she could not hold that state for very long. Once she absorbed someone, her body would naturally conform to that person's general shape. It made slithering around difficult. And reverting back to blob form required a great amount of concentration. She could only hope the danger passed before her cells started to take damage from the strain.

Also unfortunately, she was now effectively blind. Well, not entirely. She could still sense things that were nearby and achieve a kind of very limited sight, one that mainly displayed things as silhouettes, but there was no way she could work up the concentration to accomplish that. So unless her pursuer decided to sit on her or step on her, she was in the dark in this one. So the only thing to do was sit tight as long as she could and pray that no one would see her. Already she could think of a dozen things wrong with that plan.

She can't see me, she can't see me, she can't see me…

Wait. Vibrations. Something had just landed on the ground. Something was nearby. Rin tensed up. She could feel something moving close by. Something moving very close by.

…

How typical. How utterly typical. Out of all the bloody godsforsaken trails she could have picked, she picked one that led to a dead end. Marisa scowled and hopped off her broom. She had no idea how Satsuki had pulled off that red herring trick, but it was frustrating her to no end.

Still, so long as she was here, she might as well be thorough. After all, Satsuki might be hiding nearby. Worth a shot.

Holding her pulsing hakkero in front of her like a ward, Marisa began to investigate the area. "Come out, come out wherever you are," she sang. "Fee-fie-foe-fum, I smell the blood of something about to be very, very dead.

…

The vibrations had ceased. Even though she no longer had much in the way of an endocrine system, Rin tensed up. Right now, she would trade all the apocalyptic powers in the word just to know what was going on.

She waited. Time moved oddly in the dark places of her mind. She had figured out how to slow it down if necessary, but not speed it up. So she waited, as the seconds ticked by, every one feeling like minutes.

If she had teeth, Rin would be gritting them right about now. Keeping still would be a whole lot easier if it weren't for the strain of holding Rumia's power at bay. Even now, she could feel it pressing against her mind, trying to get out.

Wait…Rumia's power…

Fully aware that this was a bad idea, Rin let a bit of the dark energy leak past the barrier she had formed around it. This she took and twisted into the shape of a singular burning eye.

I am so violating every single rule I've ever learned about anatomy, she thought grimly. And probably a few about nature. Still, according to just about everyone, she had been doing that anyway. So why stop now?

The eye formed just enough to give her a murky view of the surrounding areas. Everything was hazy and done in a pale shade of pink, but she could at least make out shapes.

Unfortunately, the only thing she could see was leaves. Rin extended a single stalk upward like a periscope, the partially formed eye sitting at the top.

The Mad Witch was standing about two meters away, her back to the bushes where Rin was hiding.

Shock shot through Rin's mind, nearly causing her to lose control of the power she had been restraining. She sucked the stalk and attached eye back into her body and hunkered down as low as she could.

…

Marisa was pushing her way through yet another cluster of bamboo when something started rustling nearby. She paused, and turned in the direction of the noise. It had come from some leafy bushes.

She approached the source of the noise cautiously. It was highly unlikely Satsuki was in there, seeing how the bushes were very much unwithered. Probably just some kind of small animal.

Still…

Marisa approached the bushes, broom held in one hand, hakkero in the other. Using the broom handle, she cautiously pushed branches out of the way.

Something shot out of the bushes. Startled, Marisa hopped back and snapped her hakkero forward. Then she saw what it was and groaned.

Fairies, about five of them. And the small fry variety too. None of them were over a third of a foot tall. Marisa had cleaned more formidable things out of her pantry.

They swarmed around her head, laughing and chittering in their small squeaky voices. "Hey, knock it off," Marisa yelled as she tried to swipe them away. "Get out of here!"

That of course only made them laugh harder. One of them swooped low enough for her to make out what it was saying.

"Marisa, Marisa, big fat witch,

doesn't wanna stop being a snitch.

Papa smacked her and hit her with a switch

and when she cried, he made her his-"

Blinding light tore up the surrounding area. When it cleared, Marisa was standing alone among the now decimated foliage. She was panting heavily and holding her spent hakkero in one trembling hand.

Marisa slowly mounted her broom. Stupid fairies. Always getting in the way. If they didn't want to get fried, then they should just leave her alone. Not her fault.

Right?

Whatever. No time to think about that now. Marisa lifted from the ground and headed back. If she hurried, she might be able to help smash Satsuki with whatever Mima copy had chosen the right path.

…

Wary and terrified, Rin emerged from the ash of her hiding place. She would have stayed longer, but the strain was getting to be too great. Any longer and she would start taking cellular damage.

In the distance, she could see the witch flying away. Now that had been too close. When the blast of heat had swept over her, she had been utterly convinced that she was about to die. She had no idea why the witch was leaving or why she had been attacking in the first place, but Rin wasn't complaining.

Now the only problem was what she was going to do now. Plan A: "Make up with Eirin" was a complete bust. Stupid Lunarian had lied to her and let her get beat up by those people. Plan B: "Devour Kaguya to pay Eirin back" was also a bust. Just as well. Now that she was no longer listening to her Evil Twin, the very idea gave her a sour feeling in her stomach. Time for Plan C: "Find some place to hide and hope Rumia wouldn't hate her for long."

Rin rose into the air and headed north.

…

"So how do you think it's going?" Reimu asked as she helped a noticeably sullen Ran place Eirin back into her bed. "The hunt I mean."

Yukari glowered, but she said, "Horribly. Definitely horribly. Now shut up." With that, she went back to applying some sort of lotion to her wound.

The shrine maiden winced. She shot a glance at Ran, who just shook her head and went back to sulking.

Reimu wasn't sure where she'd rather be. On the one hand, being stuck trying to fix up a messed-up hospital room with a lame foot and two pissed off youkai for company was almost stifling. On the other hand, the memory of that deadly cold shooting through her veins was still fresh in her memory. Reimu was certainly no coward, but that was not an incident she was overly eager to repeat.

Well, on the plus side Marisa and Mima had already kicked that thing's ass before. Provided they could cut it off, there was nothing saying they couldn't do it again.

Then again, given the sort of day they were having, Reimu wouldn't put it past fate to throw some sort of unseen complication in their way. In fact, she was almost counting on it.

…

Elsewhere, someone else was also wandering through the forest. Unlike everyone else, she was wholly unaware of everything that had gone down at Eientei, nor would she have cared if she did, except maybe to point and laugh.

She appeared Human at a glance, a tall young woman with sharp, hard-edged features. She wore a rumpled graying shirt, baggy red pants held up by suspenders, and several red-and-white ribbons tied into bows all through her long, silvery hair and stuck to her pants. Despite the rough forest floor, her feet were bare. Her eyes were of a dark maroon, not exactly a common eye color for Humans, but not really all that unusual for Gensokyo. All told, she was striking enough, but that alone ought not have triggered any sense that something was wrong with her.

That being said, anyone who saw her would be able to tell at a glance that something was most definitely Not Right about this strange young woman. There was something that was just plain off about her poise, about her posture, about her whole bearing. A girl her age should not be wandering around the Bamboo Forest of the Lost that casually, that much without concern. And yet here she was, hands stuck into her pockets as she merrily whistled a catchy tune that would have announced her presence to the many predators lurking nearby. She wasn’t a youkai; she didn’t have the right energy for one. And she had been born a Human.

But that had been a long, long, long time ago. There was no telling exactly what she was now. Those who knew of her gave her a wide berth. And those that didn’t could tell that she was nobody’s prey. She was an Apex Predator, and all would do well to not cause themselves to be considered her prey.

At the moment she wasn’t hunting. She really was just out for a stroll, with no intentions of committing violence against anyone. However, a predator’s instincts demanded that she not let any opportunity to seize upon easy prey slip her by.

A sound, a commotion of some kind taking place nearby. She paused, head tilted as she listened. Huh. Whatever could that be?

Moments later she was moving stealthily through the bamboo, making no sound and drawing no eyes.

When she saw what was happening, the oddness of it all did give her pause. She knew all of the people involved, of course. There were few who lived in the Bamboo Forest that she did not know, and even fewer that did not fear her. But how in the world had they gotten themselves into that situation?

But it really didn’t matter, because it had provided her with a wonderful opportunity.

Well, well, well, Fujiwara no Mokou thought as a wide grin spread over her face. How about that? Must be my birthday after all.

…

Tewi grit her teeth as she forced the hood over the struggling Kaguya's face. Restraining the princess had taken much, much longer than it should have. Unfortunately, everyone had understandable reservations about shooting their own master. Kaguya had no such reservations.

"I hate this day," Tewi told Reisen as she walked away from Kaguya. The soldiers would take responsibility for her now. "I hate, hate, hate this day." All around them, the rabbits of Eientei were sprawled about and nursing their wounds. Despite the overwhelming advantage of numbers, the fight had exhausted them.

Reisen rubbed a sore spot on her arm where Kaguya had managed to clip her. "Seems like everything's turned upside down, huh? Eientei evacuated, Rin coming back, Eirin's probably gone, Kaguya's beating us up…" She frowned. "No, wait. That last part's pretty normal."

"Not the part with us hitting back. I'm tellin' you, when all this is over, I'm taking a nice long vacation. Somewhere far away, with lots of grass and no-"

That's when Kaguya started screaming. Tewi and Reisen whirled around to see the princess writhing and thrashing against her bounds, muffled cries of distress coming from under the hood. Tewi could tell that this was more than just protesting her situation. This was pure terror.

The two hurried over as the soldiers tried to restrain her. "What's happening? Tewi shouted. "Is something wrong?"

Utada shook her head in confusion. "I don't know!" she shouted as she wrapped her arms around Kaguya's waist and tried to hold her still. "She just started freaking out!"

Kaguya's cries took on a distinct rhythm. "Muhoo! Muhoo! Muhoo!"

Bewildered, Tewi looked over at Reisen, who just spread her hands and shrugged.

Utada reached over to lift the bottom of the hood, just enough to expose Kaguya's mouth. "Mokou!" she screamed. "Mokou! It's Mokou, you idiots!"

Everybody stiffened. Oh shi-

And that was when the chaos began. Balls of flame erupted from the edge of the clearing where they were situated and exploded in their midst. Rabbits scattered every which way, desperate to avoid getting torched. Of course, it was all pointless. They were in no danger.

"Stop running!" Tewi cried as she tried to restore order. "She's not after you! Protect the Princess!"

Of course, everyone ignored her. Even Reisen looked like she was about to split. Growling, Tewi turned to the elite of the Eientei Guard, the only ones who had kept their heads.

"Okay, I've had enough," she said. "Fuck spellcard rules, it's not like she's following them anyway. Find that pyromaniac and-"

She never got the chance to finish. A fireball hit the ground only three feet away and sent her sprawling.

…

Rin had put a good amount of distance between her and Eientei when a stray fireball had flown by and nearly hit her in the head. She yelped in surprise and dove for cover.

When no more came, Rin hesitantly peeked out. From the look of things, there was some sort of commotion going on nearby, one that strangely enough did not involve her. Thunderous explosions were tearing up the landscape and people were screaming.

Two of those people ran past her. Ran stared after them. Rabbits, both wearing Eientei uniforms. The wheels in Rin's head began to turn. If she was right, then all the yelling was from everyone who had evacuated from Eientei. Which meant…

You should probably investigate that.

I should probably investigate that, Rin thought. She floated towards the tumult, careful to remain in the shadows.

It might be dangerous. Shouldn't you be armed?

Rin glanced down at her right hand. Well, better safe than sorry. A weapon was just a weapon, after all. A small focus of will, and her sword once again sprang into existence.

Over there, where all the fire is. That's where you want to be.

Rin noticed that there was a substantial amount of flame concentrated in one area. There, she could see figures moving, figures she thought she recognized. That was probably where she needed to go. Strange though, a part of her was saying that this was a bad idea. She supposed she should listen, but for some reason it was getting harder and harder to think. Though she could still see, everything was growing fuzzy, almost like she was falling asleep.

A dream, it was all a dream. Just slip away and dream a dream…

…

Tewi tried scrambling to her feet, but one of the panicked rabbits ran into her from behind and she hit the ground face first.

Tewi spat out dirt and leaves and pushed herself up on her palms. She looked up and froze.

A pair of baggy red pants, covered with paper charms, stood before her. Suspenders held the pants to a button-up shirt that might have been white once in its past, but time and heat had made it a more light brown. Above this was an ethereally beautiful face framed by flowing hair of a shade of lavender so pale it was almost white.

Tewi whimpered.

Mokou smirked down at the terrified rabbit. Then she stepped over her and strolled casually past the fires she had started, heading over to Kaguya's bound form. The few soldiers who had stood their ground snapped to attention and took aim; though it was obvious they also doubted their chances of success.

Tewi snapped out of her paralysis. "Mokou, wait!" she said. "This isn't the time for your-"

Mokou pointed a finger over her shoulder at her. The tip was glowing.

"Not the time?" Mokou said, her voice completely devoid of any concern whatsoever. "Time is all I have. All time is my time."

"Not now it isn't!" Tewi shouted back. "Please Mokou, not this time! It's an emergency!"

"Well, well, well, when did you suddenly get so serious? I thought you liked games." She pointed her finger at Kaguya and the soldiers surrounding her. "And right now, this is the only game in town. Oh, by the way. Pyrofuego."

A searing column of flame lashed out from her finger and struck the ground in front of the soldiers, scattering them. A few more blasts followed this, and soon Kaguya was left unguarded.

Mokou sauntered over to where her rival lay helpless, that satisfied smirk never leaving her lips. When she was within kicking distance, a wall of fire rose from the ground to surround them. Tewi and some of the remaining soldiers tried to approach, but it flared up in response to their presence and drove them away.

Safe from any rescue attempts, Mokou reached down and pulled off Kaguya's hood, exposing her smudged and glaring face and bloodshot eyes.

"Man, Kaguya, what the hell did you to do end up like this?" Mokou said. "I knew your bunny brigade would go on strike sooner or later but…damn."

Tewi felt like screaming in frustration. Normally this sort of thing wouldn't be such a big deal, but they needed to leave the forest now. Rin could show up at any moment.

As if her thinking it brought it about, Tewi's eyes went wide when she saw an almost formless black shape slinking along the edge of the clearing, heading towards the wall of fire. Despite the overwhelming heat, Tewi felt her insides turn to ice, especially when it turned to regard her with those horrible red eyes.

Then it winked at her and crept into the fire. Like before, the fire blazed up and tried to ward it off, but if she felt the heat at all it gave indication.

"Mokou, wait!" Tewi called. "Get out there!" Unfortunately, the roar of the fire drowned out her voice.

Inside the wall, the two eternal rivals were too preoccupied with one another to pay attention to anything else. Kaguya spat. "Coward! Untie me and face me on equal terms!"

"Yeah, no thanks." Mokou held up one finger. Fire ignited on the tip. "I've been doing that every day for…gods, I don't even remember anymore. Something-odd centuries. So I think I'll just take advantage of a very convenient situation and have myself a little barbeque. Fire Spin."

She gestured, and three whirling fiery tongue washed over Kaguya's body. The princess screamed as her skin blackened and began to crack. The fat underneath started to melt and run out in sickly yellow rivulets. Her hair burst into flames and shriveled away to floating ash.

Mokou kept smiling even as she turned up the heat. "How did you kill me yesterday? Something about slicing open my stomach and pulling out my entrails? Not the worst you've done, but it still kinda sucked. But I win this round."

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you?"

"Wha-" Mokou's question was suddenly cut off as a blackened blade exploded from her chest in a spray of gore. The wall of flame flared up one last time and withered to nothingness.

Oh no, Tewi thought numbly as Rin Satsuki kicked Mokou off of her sword. Oh no, no, no. The immortal fell to her knees. Blood vomited from her mouth.

Rin stared down at Mokou with a contempt that Tewi would have thought her to be capable of. Back during her last rampage, she had been plenty crazy, but never coldly malicious like this.

"You people never learn. Always thinking your petty little squabbles are the only things that matter. But I'm afraid this is game over for you, fire bird. Now, let's see: how did that spineless little waste of space do this again? Oh yes…"

Rin extended both hands. Her talons shriveled away, and the darkness fled from her palms and forearms, leaving the lower half of the appendages purely transparent.

"No!" Tewi cried as she rushed forward. She grabbed a heavy stick off the ground and swung it with all her might at Rin's head.

It hit, but predictably enough it did nothing other than snap in half. Three twisting coils off darkness sprouted from Rin's back and speared the ground where Tewi was standing. She managed to leap away just in time.

Rin's now transparent arm expanded and joined together into a single mass, about the size of a tent. This dipped down to envelop a skewered Mokou and her charcoaled enemy. It picked them up, gore, ash and all. Despite the obvious pain she was in, Mokou kicked and pushed and tried to break free. Of course, all of her attempts were fruitless. Once Rin had you, there was no escape.

Kaguya, it should be noted, just hung limply. But this was of course to be expected.

Rin cackled as Mokou and Kaguya's mutilated bodies began to tear apart from the outside in. Their clothing and (in Mokou's case) hair dissolved away, followed by their skin. For a moment, Tewi was treated to an unforgettable anatomy lesson as Mokou and Kaguya's internal organs became wholly visible. Then these too crumbled away.

Mokou and Kaguya wasted away into nothingness.

Still laughing, Rin separated the large blob into two separate appendages again and reformed her arms. "Wow, that was...interesting. Wonder when the changes will starHELLO!"

Rin's neck snapped back and her arms spread wide and stiffened. Shivers ran up and down her stolen body.

And then she began to change.

The twisting aura of darkness exploded into a frenzy of motion and her skin looked like it was boiling. Her limbs extended and reformed themselves into a smoother, more graceful shape. Her "hair", if it could be called that, shuddered and suddenly shot out about four feet. The midnight black of her body dissolved away in patches, revealing its inverse beneath.

Then the metamorphosis was complete. Rin dropped to her knees. For a moment she was motionless. And then she stood.

Her new body was…different. It retained aspects of the form she had taken from the Shadow Youkai, particularly in the shape of the face, the ripping talons on the hands, and certain parts of her clothing, but bits and pieces of her new victims had been added to the ensemble, turning her into a gothic artist's wet dream. She was now much taller and more graceful in her movements. Her hair now flowed in Mokou's distinctive style, but the color was Kaguya's. The dark aura remained, but it was now shot through with flashes of red and purple. The Shadow Youkai's vest also remained, but the skirt now more resembled Mokou's trousers, decorated with the floral pattern of Kaguya's robe. The ropes that had bound Kaguya's arms now twisted around the wrists and forearms like some sort of avant-garde bracelets. And her skin, once a featureless expanse of black, was now the pale color of ash.

Her eyes though. They had not lost their shape, but had cooled to a haughty shade of lavender. But the burning cruelty was the same.

Rin cocked her head as she examined her new form. She held out her left hand and extended her fingers. "Not bad," she murmured as she ran the fingers of her other hand up and down her forearm. "Not bad at all. Is this how it feels to be completely indestructible?" She gave one of her new breasts an experimental squeeze. "I think I like it!"

Then her eyes narrowed as she took notice of her frozen audience. "Oh, is it rabbit season already? Time to take the new body for a test run."

Oh wow, what to do, what to do, what to do? Tewi thought desperately. Shooting her wouldn't work, blunt impact wouldn't work, and running would only delay the inevitable. She hated to admit it, but by all accounts, they were now royally screwed.

Rin extended her right hand. Her sword, dropped while she absorbed the two immortals, trembled and snapped to her palm. Yep, royally screwed.

"Rin?" said a nearby voice, drawing everyone's attention.

Reisen stood there, arms outstretched, palms up in a nonthreatening manner. She slowly approached the nightmare. Her entire body was trembling, but she kept walking.

"Rin, it's me," she said. "It's Reisen. You remember me, right?"

"Reisen, are you stupid or something?" Tewi shouted. She skirted around Rin and darted to her friend's side. "Now is not the time to get suicidal," she hissed in Reisen's ear.

This was ignored. Reisen's eyes remained focused on Rin. "Come on Rin, I know you remember me. Remember the time we snuck out to go to the Winter Solstice festival? And we got kicked out for cheating at all those rigged games? Remember all those picnics we took when we were supposed to be sparring? Remember all those times you came crying to my room after Eirin chewed you out and I let you sleep in my bed? I even spent a week inside of your mind and stood up for you when Kaguya wanted to execute you. Please Rin, I know you remember. I know this isn't you."

Tewi shot a glance at Rin and sucked her teeth. To her surprise, Reisen's words seemed to be working. Rin now looked…unsure of herself. Hesitant. There seemed to be some kind of internal struggle going on.

"Rin, please," Reisen pressed. She was now only a few feet away. "Don't do this. I know you're angry, and the gods know you have every right to be. But don't become the monster. You're better than that."

Rin shook her head and shuddered. She looked up. "Reisen?"

"I'll be twice-over damned, it worked," Tewi whispered.

Reisen smiled and nodded. "It's me, Rin. Don't worry. I won't let anyone-"

Then Rin laughed and swung out with one arm, knocking Reisen to the ground. Reisen tried to push herself up, but Rin planted one foot on her back and pressed her back down.

Tewi screamed and rushed forward. Rin barely glanced at her before slashing her side with one talon. Hot pain flared up, only to be replaced with bitter cold. Tewi tumbled to the ground, grasping her injured side.

"Just when I thought you people couldn't get any stupider, you go and prove me wrong," Rin said in a conversational tone. "I swear, you have got to be the most gullible piece of shit I've ever encountered. I don't know what she saw in you, I really don't." She lifted the sword up, ready to plunge it into Reisen's skull. "Well, if I'm going to rip this country to pieces, I suppose this is a good place to start as any. Sayonara, Inaba."

Then she froze, sword poised in midair. Her head twitched, and her other hand went to her forehead. She grimaced and looked like she was fighting off a headache.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Rin growled. "You had to wait until now to wake up?"

...

Rin clawed her way to the surface of her mind, screaming all the way.

What are you doing? she cried.

What's it look like? Plan B, times two.

Stop it! Leave Reisen alone!

She felt the other her sigh. Look Rin, can you just give me a minute here? I promise it won't even hurt.

No! You said I was on my own! You promised! Why did you lie?

Situation changed. You weren't going to do what was necessary. I, on the other hand, just made you explode-proof. Say "thank you".

Rin screamed and forced control away from her "Evil Twin". Get out, get out, get out!

She tried to mentally crush the monster, but it slipped away before she could. For the merest fraction of a second, she could feel it slithering through the recesses of her mind. And then it was gone.

Rin frantically searched every bit of her mind, but the only other presence she could feel was Rumia's, who was still floating alone in the dark and totally confused and oblivious to all that was going on.

Wait, not just Rumia. There was something new, another mind. Two other minds, in fact. The minds of…

Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

…

Rin stiffened. Her body swayed back and forth like a reed in the wind. Her sword dipped low and fell from her hands to clatter on the ground.

Then she shook her head and looked at the world around her.

"What happened?" she whispered. "What did she do?"

Then she glanced down.

"Oh my gods, Reisen?" Rin cried. She leapt off the rabbit's body. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't me, I swear! Did she hurt you?" She reached down with one hand to help her up.

In response, Reisen screamed in terror and bolted into the forest

"Wait!" Rin called. "It wasn't me! Please Reisen, listen to me!"

Then she saw Tewi, still on the ground with a blackened gash along her side.

"Tewi? What happened? Did I...did she do that to you? Did she do all this? No…I can't…"

Rin screamed, a horrible echoing sound that pierced through Tewi's skull and nearly sent her into unconsciousness. Then she leapt into the air and flew away, crying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" as she sped off.

…

"You know what the worst part is?" Mima said as she tried to hold her final miniature still. "Having sixteen different sets of memories for the same ten minutes. Can you imagine having to sort all that out? Quantum physics is easier."

Her miniature clamped her teeth down on Mima's hand. Of course it did no good, and soon she was reabsorbed into Mima's body.

The ghost sighed. "Well, that's done with at least." Then she frowned and looked over at Marisa. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

The two of them were back at the Eientei courtyard. After their search had proved to be fruitless, they had regrouped and headed back on the possibility that Satsuki had pulled a fast one and doubled back. Of course, no such luck.

Now the only question was what they were going to do now. Satsuki was proven to be far cleverer than they had thought, and by now she could be anywhere. It didn't help that Marisa was acting very odd, especially for her. She didn't look like she was even paying attention to Mima, which was a definite first. Instead, she kept glancing toward the spot where Cirno had disappeared and biting her lower lip.

Mima sighed and floated to her former prodigy's side. "Oh, come now. You're not still worried about that fairy, are you?"

"What? Oh, of course not, ze! It's just…" Marisa waved her hand at the space in front of her. "Shouldn't she be back by now? It doesn't usually take this long."

"Well, of course not," Mima scowled. "For one thing, the air's still too hot. And given the size of the blast, her cells were probably scattered far and wide. I wouldn't expect her to piece herself back together for another half an hour or so."

"Oh. Well, um…"

"Spit it out."

"Is there something you can do?"

Mima pressed her fingertips to her forehead and sighed. She thought she would never see the day when Marisa would express this degree of concern for another person, much less Cirno. "All right, fine. Then will you stop freaking out about her?"

"Hey, I'm not freaking out! I'm just-"

"Save it and let me work." Mima closed her eyes and concentrated. Even though she was still dealing with the aftereffects of her own being recently fractured, she could still feel the pieces of Cirno's essence floating around like a billion confused dust motes. A small focus of will, a quick muttered spell, and they began to coagulate at a single point.

At the same time, the temperature of the surrounding area took a steep trip downward. Marisa's breath became visible and she shivered. Frost started to form on the ground.

Mima gestured, and there was a sudden blaze of white light. The light formed itself into a small humanoid form, and Cirno dropped to the ground. The ice fairy scrambled to her feet and stared at the world with her new eyes.

"No, wait!" Cirno cried as she lurched forward. "Run, Rumia, I'll hold them off! I can do it, I'm…the…strongest …"

With that, she pitched forward and flopped on the ground, where she continued to mumble under her breath.

Marisa stared. "Um, is she okay?"

Mima shrugged. From her point of view, there had been nothing to worry about in the first place. "Yes, she's fine. Her body just reformed quicker than usual. She'll be a little loopy for a few minutes and then she'll back to her irritating self.

Still sprawled in an untidy heap, Cirno began to snore.

"There, you see?"

Marisa slumped. "Oh, good. I mean it's not like I was worried or anything, I just didn't want put up with Reimu screaming my ear off again, ze."

"Sure you weren't," Mima smirked. "Sure you weren't."

Marisa opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by a nearby rustling. Both of them whirled to face the forest. Marisa shot a glance at Mima, who returned the look and nodded. Marisa flipped her hakkero into her hand and energy began to gather at Mima's palms.

But to their surprise, it wasn't Satsuki at all. It was two rabbits dressed as maids. One was supporting the other, and both were smudged with ash.

Mima blinked and let her gathered power fade away. Beside her, Marisa was doing the same.

More rabbits were emerging from the forest, dressed in a variety of uniforms. More maids, soldiers, cooks, laundresses, etc. All of them looked exhausted, and many of them were covered with ash.

"Uh, what's going on?" Marisa muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "I thought they took off!"

Mima nodded. She had been thinking the same thing. All things considered, the rabbits return in this condition was not a good side.

Then the rabbits' leaders appeared. Reisen limped out of the forest, carrying a shivering Tewi on her back. Tewi's dress was ripped along one side, and underneath a black tear could clearly be seen on her pale skin.

Oh no.

Marisa ran up to them. "Hey Cottontail, what the hell happened here? You guys were supposed to be gone an hour ago, ze! What are you doing back?"

Reisen's scarlet eyes fixated upon her. That was when they saw the tear tracks smearing their way through the ash on her cheek.

"Where were you?" Reisen said in a hollow voice.

"What?" Marisa looked confused. "Where do you think? We were trying to stop Satsuki!"

Reisen didn't say anything else. She just looked away from the witch, hefted her friend back up and continued to limp towards the clinic. Mima floated out of their way without a word.

Marisa stated after them, her mouth agape. She ran back to Mima. "Hey, what do you think happened?" she said. "Did Satsuki get Kaguya? What's with the ash?"

Mima just pursed her lips and shook her head. She had been wondering the same thing herself. Satsuki was of course the most obvious explanation, but she had yet to exhibit fire-based abilities.

Unless she ate that Mokou as well, she thought. If that was the case, they might as well cut their own throats right now and save Satsuki the trouble. Well, everyone else except Mima herself, of course.

Before she could continue down that depressing line of thought, another voice cut in, drawing their attention.

"Huh?" Cirno said as she pushed herself up on her palms. She looked around at the procession of weary rabbits, confusion all over her face. "Where am I? What happened? Where's Rumia?"

…

Deep Within

Rumia pitched forward and landed on what could only be described as solid nothing. Whatever, she didn't care, so long as she landed on something, even if that something was nothing.

She took stock of herself. Arms, legs, torso, head, hair, all there! Oh, thank the gods, she had a body again! Sure, she knew her body wasn't actually real and from the look of things still stuck in Rin's head, but it was miles better than that being trapped in that void, with no sensation of feeling, no movement whatsoever, no nothing except her fear and memories to keep her company.

And to make things even sweeter, she could move her whole body now! She was no longer trapped in the crucified position and driving herself crazy with trying to get her limbs to obey. Sure, it wasn't the same as actual freedom, but it was a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately, she didn't the chance to enjoy her newfound mobility, as Rin chose that moment to appear the hell out of nowhere. Her captor had a wild look in her eyes, and if to punctuate that observation she grabbed Rumia by the shoulders and shoved her up again…more nothing.

"Was it you?" Rin shouted. "Were you the dark voice? How did you get out? Tell me!"

Rumia gaped at her. "Wha-I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Angry tears formed in Rin's bloodshot eyes. "It had to have been you!" she cried. "There was no one else in here! It had to be you!"

"I swear, it wasn't me, it wasn't me!" Rumia babbled frantically. "I don't even know what it was! Please, please don't hurt me!"

Rin stared at her with an unreadable expression on her face. Then she lunged forward with one hand. Rumia cried out in fear and covered her eyes, convinced that she was about to be killed. Instead, Rin pressed the palm of her hand against Rumia's forehead.

A feeling of warmth tingled across Rumia's scalp. It didn't hurt per se, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. Still, given her predicament, complaining wasn't exactly the most prudent action at the time.

Rin jerked away from her as if she had been burned. "You're right, it wasn't you," she whispered. "There's nothing in your memories, nothing to indicate…" She began shaking. "Bu-but if it wasn't you, then who was it whispering in my ear, telling me to do all those awful things? Who was it trying to turn me into a monster, who took control and tried to kill everyone? Who was that, Rumia?"

Rumia scooted away from her. "I don't know what you're talking about! I was stuck…where you put me the whole time! I'm innocent, I swear!"

"I know, it's just…" Rin grabbed her head and fell to her knees. "I don't know what to think anymore!" she sobbed. "It doesn't make any sense! I mean, I've studied up on psychological conditions. You know, back when I was normal? And I can't have an alternate personality, not like that! They just don't work that way! At least I don't think they do. I just don't know anymore."

She shook her head. "Rumia, I know you don't want to hear this, but I think I may be going crazy."

Oh, Rumia thought bleakly. Isn't that just swell? The weird-ass blob girl from who knows where who goes around eating people, killing plants and picking fights with virtual gods was going insane. And here Rumia was, stuck in said girl's mind. Rumia was starting to get the sneaking suspicion that she was in somewhat of a bad situation.

That was when she noticed the other noises for the first time. It sounded like the muffled cries of someone trying to scream through blankets. Rumia reluctantly turned around to the source of the sound.

What she saw made her stare.

Apparently, Rin had gone and picked up some new travelling companions. Two people hung in the air, much as Rumia had done herself. One was a statuesque beauty with a regal bearing and flowing hair so dark it was almost invisible against the backdrop of nothing. Her arms were crossed over her chest, like a corpse in a coffin.

The other was much leaner, much more vicious looking, but no less beautiful. Her pale lavender hair also flowed down her back and her arms went down and then up, with her palms open to the (metaphorically speaking) sky, as if she were shrugging. Though judging by the way both of their muscles were straining, they were clearly in those positions against their will.

Rumia gulped. She had never seen those two personally, but given where they had been when she had been sent away and considering all the stories she had heard along with the occasional picture in the Bunbunmaru, she guessed that she was now in the presence of Princess Kaguya, mistress of Eientei and the only recognizable sovereign of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Which probably meant the other was the infamous Fujiwara no Mokou, Kaguya's eternal rival. Stories of what had happened to the unlucky few who dared to piss her often were sometimes used to scare small children.

However, that wasn't the only why Rumia was staring.

Like both her and Ran, the newcomers were also completely naked. Now, Rin wasn't bad looking, but Rin's bizarre powers, the fact that she had eaten her and her general craziness meant that her casual nudity wasn't exactly erotic. Instead, it only made her scarier. These two, however…well, Kaguya reported used to have suitors lining up by the dozens. There had been talk of actual wars being declared for her hand. And while Mokou's history wasn't nearly so…varied, from what Rumia could see (and she could see a lot), she could go head-to-head with Kaguya in this matter as well. In fact, if it weren't for the final reason Rumia was staring, her cheeks would be turning red and her eyes dipping to places south.

However, there was one more reason for her staring, one that made all the other reasons fall to the wayside. Both Kaguya and Mokou were wide awake and staring in turn. They appeared to be both frightened and furious, but this presumption was based upon facial expressions alone, as their mouths were completely gone. Where they should have been was a smooth span of skin. That didn't stop them from trying to communicate, as dampened cries and curses, some of which Rumia could almost understand, shot out from their throats as a furious rate.

As Rumia had also been in the same place they were, both in terms of being unable to move and in losing her mouth, she could sympathize with their distress. That didn't change the face that the sight scared the shit out of her.

"Oh, them," Rin sighed. She sounded more annoyed than anything. "The evil voice in my head grabbed them after she knocked me out and took control. I didn't want to send them away too, but they wouldn't stop yelling, and this was the only way I could get them to shut up. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm gonna do with them."

Chapter Text

Yukari Yakumo hobbled out of Hourai Clinic and squinted. Overhead, the Sun was giving its final hurrah before retiring for the night, lighting up the sky in a brilliant display of oranges and reds. She supposed it was all very pretty, but it was difficult to find any appreciation for it.

All around her, Eientei was bustling, even more so than usual. After their return, Kaguya's flock of bunnies had gotten to work on cleaning up the mess their home had been reduced to. At the moment, debris was being cleared from the clinic's waiting room while the damage to the mansion was still being assessed. Yukari couldn't blame them, as there was little else they could do. Their sovereign was gone, taken by a life-destroying monster that was now, for all intents and purposes, completely invulnerable. Most of their leaders had been severely wounded and would be contributing no actual leadership for a while. And the "experts" who had been called in to solve this problem had just gotten their asses thoroughly kicked. On the whole, it was a bleak situation.

Yukari took a step and had to grab the doorframe to keep from stumbling. Damned wound. If it had been only the burn or only the gash, it would be easier. But instead, she had to endure cold numbness and fiery pain at the same time. The treatments she had found around the clinic were helping, but it still wasn't fun. She had refused the use of a crutch or even a cane, citing the fact that she had endured worst injuries in the past. This was true, but it did mean that walking was going to be difficult. But still, she would be caught dead before she was seen using any kind of crutch this early in the game.

Taking a deep breath, she set off through the courtyard. She was able to keep her face expressionless and her steps more or less going smoothly, with only a slight limp every left step. Not bad, all things considered.

She ignored the rabbits running to and fro and was ignored in return. Her attention was focused on the two figures standing at the edge of the forest.

Mima and Marisa were in the middle of what appeared to be a heated argument. In keeping with their temperaments, Marisa's points were accompanied by a great deal of arm flailing and shouting, whereas Mima just kept her arms folded and spoke in a calm, steady tone. As Yukari came closer, their words became more and more audible.

"…if we don't, she'll be long gone!" Marisa was yelling. "You wanna have that thing loose in Gensokyo?"

"She's long gone anyway," Mima replied. "And seeing how nothing we do will cause the slightest bit of good anyway, I fail to see what a suicidal charge will accomplish. Ah, good evening."

That last bit was directed to Yukari herself, who had gotten close enough to be noticed. She nodded curtly and said, "The same. I take it you're discussing our wayward monster?"

"Who else?" Marisa growled. "And what the hell are you doing even up? I thought you were all injured and bedridden, ze."

"I checked myself out. Too much to prepare for, and I don't trust any operation that doesn't include my direct involvement."

Marisa gritted her teeth and stomped over to butt foreheads with the ancient youkai. "What, you saying we'll screw it up? 'Cause I don't know if you noticed, but we were the ones who managed to bring that freak down at all, while you just got your old hag ass kicked. Twice."

Yukari didn't so much as blink. "The situation has changed since then. Your skills lie primarily in causing wanton destruction, and Satsuki is now entirely immune to wanton destruction. Also, remove yourself from my face."

"Or you'll what?"

"Nothing. I won't have to. Because you are going to remove yourself from my face."

Sparks flashed in Marisa's eyes. Her clenched fists started trembling, as if she might lay Yukari out at any moment. Yukari simply returned her gaze and said nothing.

Then Marisa's whole body shook and she took a step back. "Screw this, I don't have time for you, you crazy old bitch," the witch spat. To Mima, she said, "Look me up when you guys actually decide to do something."

Pulling down the brim of her hat, she hopped on her broom and took off in an angry cloud of dust.

Yukari watched her go. Her eyebrows narrowed.

With a sigh, Mima floated over to her side. "Don't be too hard on her," she said. "She's still young."

"Mima, I really don't need an emotional intervention right now."

"Perhaps. But I saw that look on your face. Infighting is not something that you, nor anyone of us, need right now. We have enough problems as it is."

Yukari's left eye twitched. "Fair enough. Just know that if your little witch tries to touch me again, her limbs will be scattered among the four corners of Gensokyo. In the space of a minute."

Mima gave her an odd look, but she didn't comment on Yukari's surliness. Instead, she said, "At any rate, with Satsuki's acquirement of immortality, I would say the situation has evolved beyond our control."

"You have a keen grasp of the obvious."

"As such, this crisis may soon reach catastrophic levels."

Yukari shot a glance at what remained of Eientei, and then at her own bandaged torso. "See above comment. What's you point?"

Mima clasped her hands in front of her waist and looked out over the forest. "As much as it hurts me to admit it, we may need to call in the cavalry." She lowered her voice to an almost whisper. "Yukari, I think we may have to involve the Ringleaders."

"No."

"Every second we delay increases the danger of-"

"No."

"Come now, Yukari. I hate the idea as much as you do, but-"

"I said no!" Yukari snarled. She took an aggressive step forward, and winced as the burning areas of her wound voiced their protest.

Mima of course took notice. "You, I, Reimu, Marisa, Suika, and the entirety of Eientei's forces, more than enough combined power to bury most armies, could not stop that thing. Most of us, yourself included, are gravely injured, and it was only through cheating that no lives were actually lost. Yukari, this is not the time for pride. And to hear it coming from me…"

Yukari seethed. "And tell them what, exactly? That we were stupid enough to get our asses handed to us by one…thing? Us, the supposed elite? How do you think that'll affect our reputation?"

Mima arched an eyebrow. "This is a day for reversed roles. I thought you didn't care about reputation. Besides, you've lost before and didn't care."

"That was different. Losing a fair fight is one thing. Failing to do our job is something else. Besides, you're already on shaky ground with the other Ringleaders as it is. Do you really want to give the rest of them a reason to bring your parole up for review?"

"Oh, I'm not worried," Mima replied in that infuriatingly calm voice of hers. "And neither should you be. After all, if looking bad is all you're worried about…" she cast a glance over her shoulder to where the rabbits were milling around "…I can think of a few convenient scapegoats."

Yukari frowned, but she didn't say anything.

"After all, we weren't the ones who created Satsuki," Mima continued. "We weren't the ones who 'conveniently' forgot to mention that we had a psychotic people-absorbing abomination locked in the attic."

"As opposed to psychotic, people-killing abomination locked up in a stupid girl?"

Mima just shrugged. "They know about that one already, and never objected. I doubt they were informed about Satsuki. And then there's the ice-fairy and her little team of misfits. Weren't they the ones that unleashed her in the first place? There are ways to, hehe, 'rephrase' things, you know."

Yukari turned away from her. "I'll…think about it."

"I'm sure you will. By the way, how's that shrine maiden of yours?"

That comment made Yukari whirl around again, ignoring the pain that it caused her. "The hell was that supposed to mean?"

"What? I'm simply inquiring as to her condition," Mima said innocently, no mean feat for her. "After all, Satsuki treated her so roughly. I must admit, I was quite worried myself when I saw what had happened to her foot. I'd hate to think what would happen should Reimu encounter that thing again, without help. Oh, I'd hate to imagine what tragedies would befall the poor girl."

"You're treading on very thin ice, Mima," Yukari said in a low, dangerous voice.

"She'd do it, too. You know she would. Even if all of Gensokyo were to turn their backs on her, she would still stand alone. Even if it meant her doom, she would still stand alone. Of course, if she had the backing of, oh I don't know, maybe the most powerful beings in Gensokyo? Maybe then she might survive."

Yukari wondered what the absolute worst place she could send the impertinent spirit was, or if she could send her to more than one place. Maybe she should drop her off in the Outside World and let her enjoy being cut off from Gensokyo's magic entirely. However, good sense won over in the end. Mima was right, after all.

"That is very low," Yukari said, enunciating every syllable. "Even for you."

Mima shrugged and smiled. "What? I'm just doing my job and pointing out the obvious. Any additional meaning is provided by you alone."

Yukari sighed. "You evil bitch."

"That would be my other job, yes."

"Fine, I'll send out the word. Just don't be surprised when they go and make things worse. In the meantime…" Yukari turned and started to head back to Hourai Clinic.

"Where are you going?" Mima asked.

"To get some answers. There's a certain physician that owes me an explanation." Her eyes narrowed. "And a certain ice-fairy that I need to have words with."

…

Deep Within

Rumia didn't have the slightest idea of what to do.

She sat by herself, away from everyone else. Behind her, Rin was watching that stupid screen of hers, directing the path of the hodgepodge body they were now residing in. Only thing was, it was now more purple than red. Rumia wasn't sure how that had happened nor could she work up the nerve to ask, but she was pretty sure it had something to do with Rin's new "guests".

Kaguya and Mokou still floated in the bizarre positions Rin had put them in, staring at the nothing around them with wide eyes. As their mouths had yet to return, their cries of indignation came out sounding like a series of squeals, squeaks and groans. Rumia could sympathize, as she had been in the same position not too long ago. Though oddly enough, some time ago they had ceased directing their cries at her and Rin and had started what honestly appeared to a subdued conversation between themselves. Rumia wasn't sure how they understood each other or what they were saying; she just hoped their plans didn't involve her head on a stake. She supposed she should talk to them and try to explain that she wasn't Rin's co-conspirator or anything, but the thought of speaking to them while they were in that freakish mouthless state, especially with Rin still sitting within earshot, made her insides started to tremble.

Rumia held her hand up, palm out, and spread her fingers. Well, at least she could move now. It was true when they say that you never know what you've got until it's gone. After losing first her mobility and then her body entirely, she swore she would never take something so mundane for granted ever again. It was a small comfort, but she was going to take what she could get.

"Rumia?" said a soft voice behind her.

Rumia flinched and huddled in a small ball. "Y-y-yes?" she squeaked.

Rin walked around to sit next to her. Rumia couldn't bring herself to meet her captor's eyes. Ever since Rumia had returned, Rin had been acting…strangely. Well, okay, so she had been pretty weird before, but that had just been a confusing over-enthusiastic cheerfulness. Now she spoke very little to anyone, preferring to stare at her screen while mumbling something under her breath. Rumia hadn't been able to make out the specifics, but it had sounded like she had been going on about her "Evil Twin", a sort of dark voice that had been telling her to hurt people.

Rin apparently noticed Rumia's reluctance. She frowned and leaned in closer. Rumia winced and shied away.

"You're still scared of me, aren't you?" Rin asked.

Rumia tried to force a grin. "M-me? Scared. Hehehe, whatever gave you…You're not going to hurt me, are you?"

Rin shook her head and withdrew. "Yeah, I'll take as a yes. Jeez." She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "Wow, I've really screwed things up, haven't I?"

Rumia wasn't sure if that was a rhetorical question or not, but she decided to play it safe and say nothing.

"Rumia?"

Damn it. "H-huh?"

"I, uh, don't really know how to do this. I mean, everything's all crazy and I don't have the slightest clue as to how…but yeah, anyway, I think I owe you an apology."

Rumia blinked. "What?"

"See, when you opened the box and let me out, I thought you were freeing me on purpose. I thought you had heard about me and wanted to rescue me." Rin let out a bitter cackle. "And I ate you anyway. Way to show gratitude, huh?"

"Um…"

"So…I'm sorry. I screwed up, and got you stuck in my mess. Sorry."

"Oh. Uh, thank you." Rumia built up some courage and asked, "So, um, does that mean you'll, you know, let me go?"

Her hopes started to build, but the guilty look on Rin's face sent them crashing down. "Uh, Rumia? I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Because, uh, well you see…" Rin frowned and started knocking her wrist against her head. "Okay, c'mon, think! How do I put this…Okay, I was actually gonna let you go. Right before Eirin's stupid friends ambushed us, remember? But now I think it's safer if you stay here, where I can protect you."

"Uh…from what?"

"From them. From those people who attacked us. Rumia, I know you weren't around to hear this, but I think they wanna kill you as much as they wanna kill me."

Rumia's jaw dropped. "Wait, say what? That's crazy! I mean, sure they've beaten me up a few times, but they always just let me off with that! They wouldn't want to kill me, that's not what they do! You must've…misheard them or something!" She looked to Rin for affirmation. When the other girl didn't meet her eyes, Rumia added in a weak voice, "…right?"

In response, Rin pointed at the space before them. Again, a tear opened. But unlike the huge screen she used as her eyes, this was more like a swirling hole. The images she saw through it made no sense. It looked like a never-ending series of horizontal lines perpetually shooting upward, broken by repeating flashes of color. Rumia thought she could make out shapes in those brief glimpses of color, the shapes of people, but everything was moving too fast to be sure of anything.

Rumia cast a dubious look over at Rin. "A memory," Rin explained. "One of mine. From a couple of hours ago."

"Oh. What's going on?"

"The tall youkai, the one that you seem to be…" Rin stopped talking immediately, her cheeks reddening. But Rumia caught on.

"The one I'm afraid of, right? Miss Yukari? Hey, she's scary. Everyone's afraid of her. What about her?"

Rin twirled a lock of her hair with her fingers and frowned. "Uh, she did something really weird with those holes, those gaps of hers. Pretty much she set it up so I was constantly falling through two of them, over and over."

"Oh."

"But yeah, anyway, they thought I was stuck and started talking about what they were going to do to me. I could still hear them and…Well, just listen."

Rumia frowned and did so. Like Rin said, there were people talking, but everything was covered with an irritating whooshing sound.

Rin noticed. "Yeah, sorry about the wind. Here, lemme see what I can do…"

She made a slight gesture, almost as if she were turning something with her fingers, and the whooshing noise faded into the background. At the same time, the sound of the voices increased. It still sounded odd, but at least Rumia could make out what they were saying.

"…all in favor of killing the bloody psychotic risk to life and limb, say aye."

"Aye."

"Aye. Sorry Yukari, she's just way too dangerous."

Rumia blinked. Even through the noise filter, she knew those voices. She turned her head towards Rim, who simply nodded and said, "Keep listening."

Yukari was talking. "…ending Rumia the first time around was problematic enough, but now we're dealing with someone that can take just about anything we can dish out."

Wait, what? What first time?

"Speaking of which, what about Rumia? I mean, she's still stuck in that thing. Is there any way we can get her out?"

"Are you daft? Have you been sleeping through that whole beat down? Even if we get her out, the ribbon thingy is gone, ze! Evil Rumia's back! Better to off them both."

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Rumia cried as she leapt to her feet. "Stop that thing!"

Rin gestured, and the ever-rising lines and wavering voices paused.

"What are they talking about, 'Evil Rumia'? There's only one Rumia, and that's me! And I definitely haven't gone anywhere, and I sure as hell aren't evil!"

Rin shook her head. "I don't know, I was trying to figure that out myself. But, uh, there is something…"

"What?"

"Just listen to the whole thing. I'll explain after."

The picture once again began moving in a manner that threatened to cause seizures. The ghost was talking now. "While the removal of the ribbon would return her to full power, we do not know if her memories would return as well. The wiping of her memory and the sealing of her power were two separate operations."

Rumia frowned and touched her hair in the spot where her ribbon used to be. What did that have to do with anything? Certainly, being unable to touch it was annoying, especially when she had an itch, but she never gave it much thought. She shook her head in confusion and turned her attention back to the memory.

"As much as it hurts to say so, I'm afraid I must agree with the witch," Yukari was saying. "It is my job to keep Gensokyo safe from threats such as this, and while Rumia could be said to be blameless in this situation, the risk is too great to allow her to wander free."

"Look, I don't really care for Rumia at all, and I am glad to beat her up whenever she starts getting stupid, but I don't like the idea of killing her just because of something that might happen. Why can't we just seal up her powers again? Unless you've forgotten how."

"Hardly. But even if we somehow managed to extract Rumia from within that thing, and even if she has not regained memory of what she once was, and even if we somehow restrained her long enough to create another amulet of sealing, what's to prevent something else from unleashing her once again? Reimu, this isn't one of the incidents you're used to dealing with. This isn't a case of someone with too much power growing bored and causing trouble. We are talking of a potential massacre here. Maybe even genocide."

"Okay, I've heard enough!" Rumia shouted. "Shut that thing off right now!

The voices cut off and the tear closed.

Rin looked up at her. "See, that's what I was talking about. They wanna kill us both! If I let you go now, they'll tear you to pieces!"

"No! You're lying! This has got to be a fake. There's no way they would…that I could be…AAAHHHH!"

Rumia grasped at her skull and fell to her knees. This had to be a trick. There was no other explanation. No way would they be out to kill her.

Yukari though…that she could almost believe.

Rin laid a hand on her shoulder. Rumia jumped away from her.

"No, don't touch me!" Rumia shouted. "You're lying to me! You're just trying to make me stay so you won't be left alone!"

Rin balled up her fists and stamped her foot in frustration. "No, I'm not! Jeez, why does everyone always think I'm lying?"

"Oh, I don't know, let me think about that. Hmmm, maybe you're a psychopath who goes around eating people and sending them into complete darkness?"

"So do you!"

"No, I…" Rumia stopped, and then continued. "Okay, maybe I do, but not like you do! I haven’t eaten anyone in a really long time! And I'm not crazy like you! People don't try to lock me up in a box to get rid of me, and I definitely don't listen to imaginary voices that tell me to kill people!"

"I made a mistake! Years ago! And I told you, I have no idea where that voice came from! The only thing I know is that it never showed up until after you did!"

Rumia's nostrils flared. Suddenly, her fear was forgotten. In fact, she was about ready to test just how physical this illusionary body could get.

"You're saying that I was the one telling you to go all crazy?" Rumia snarled as she stomped forward. "That's it. When I get done with you your mind is gonna start thinking sideways!"

She formed a fist and swung it at Rin's face.

Rin blurred and vanished right before knuckles made contact.

"Knock it off!" Rin shouted from behind.

Rumia whirled around. Rin was now standing there, looking irritated.

Scowling, Rumia tried to hit her again. Again Rin disappeared before being hit, only to reappear a few feet away.

"Rumia, seriously! Stop-"

Rumia swung again. The same thing happened.

"-being-"

Rumia swung again.

"-an-"

And again.

"-idiot! Okay, that's enough!"

Rumia froze in mid-swing, one foot braced in front of her, her fist only halfway past her own face. She grunted and tried to move, but with no success.

Rin appeared in front of her. "Will you please just knock it off!" she said. "I've had people beating me up all day and I'm getting real sick of it!"

She blinked once, and Rumia suddenly fell forward. Rin stepped aside, letting Rumia land face first on the expanse of nothing.

"I don't know why I even bother," Rin muttered as she walked away. "I do my best to be all honest and make up with people, and they keep trying to smash me flat! Not my fault that the truth is so freaking weird."

"Truth?" Rumia said as she pushed herself up. "Truth of what? You've seen my memories; you know I didn't have anything to do with…whatever you think I did. What makes you so suspicious of me?"

Rin paused, her back still to Rumia. "Well, um, like I said I'm not sure what it was," she said, sounding uncertain of herself. "And the voice did sound a little different. Deeper, darker, more scary, you know? But uh, the voice?"

"Yeah?"

Rin turned. Her large blue eyes were troubled. "Rumia, it sounded like you."

…

The level of activity inside of Hourai Clinic stood in sharp contrast to its earlier snail pace. Now, like outside, the halls were filled with rabbits running to and fro, mostly maintenance and soldiers seeing to the damage. Yukari was reminded of blood cells frantically trying to clot up tears in the veins. She was sure Eirin would appreciate the image, though sharing a joke wasn't exactly high on her list of priorities.

She made her way through the clinic, ignoring the rabbits and the occasional dirty look they shot her. They could blame her and her friends all they wanted, but the fact of the matter is that this problem was their doing, not hers. She and her friends had been the ones trying to take Satsuki down while the rabbits had turned tail.

Her destination was another one of the emergency rooms, specifically the one nicknamed Marisa's Dumping Ground. As it was the one that saw the most business, it was the best equipped to handle the number of wounded the operation had incurred. Suika, Eirin and Reimu had been moved there after Satsuki's escape, and Tewi Inaba and Cirno had recently been added to the patient list.

Cirno…Yukari pursed her lips and marched forward.

As she neared the room, distinct voices rose above the general babble.

"…are you sure you haven't seen her?" she could hear Ran saying. Yukari's scowl deepened. She had a good idea what her Shikigami was talking about. To be truthful, Chen's disappearance was bothering her as well, though she would never admit it.

"Uh, no," said another voice, namely Cirno's. "Not since yesterday. We invited her to hang out, but she said she couldn't make it. Something about needing to get shot? I didn't get it. Hey, what are you doing with that pointy thing? Get away!"

Yukari quickened her pace, wincing at every step.

"I'm fine!" Cirno said. "Seriously, I don't need…I said get away with that thing! Wait a…Ow!"

Yukari approached the doorframe and saw Cirno sitting on a stool and being tended by Reisen. Ever since the rabbits' return, Reisen had taken over Eirin's duties as Head (and in truth, the only) Physician. Suika, Eirin, Reimu and now Tewi were lying in the room's four beds. Despite all the chaos taken place around her, Reimu had fallen fast asleep. Not surprising, considering how exhausted she must have been, thought Yukari suspected that Reisen and her drugs were equally to blame.

Ran was standing near Cirno. She glanced up as Yukari stepped into the room but looked away when she saw who it was. Yukari still caught the flash of resentment in her eyes, though.

Enough of this. Yukari walked up to her. "Go find your cat," she muttered.

Ran blinked in surprise and stared at her. "Seriously?"

"Just go," Yukari said wearily.

Ran looked like she was going to say more, but apparently thought better of it. She nodded her thanks and ran from the room. Now that was taken care of, Yukari focused her attention back on the fairy, who was still arguing with Reisen.

"You," Reisen said as she disposed of the syringe she had just stuck into Cirno, "just got blasted to atoms with not one, but two very powerful, not mention highly illegal, spells and were hastily thrown back together before your body was ready. I don't care what Mima says, you're not going anywhere until I'm sure there won't be any side effects."

"But I gotta find Rumia!" Cirno said, rubbing her arm. "She'll get hurt without me!"

Yukari took that moment to butt in. "You can forget that idea."

Reisen turned to glare at the ancient youkai. "I thought you checked yourself out."

"I did. But I still have business with some of your patients, starting with the little idiot here."

Cirno sat up straighter. "M-me?" she hiccupped.

"Yes, you. This whole disaster wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you and your stupid friends poking your noses where they don't belong."

"It wasn't our fault!" Cirno protested.

"Wait, hold up," Reisen said. "What are you talking about?"

"Haven't you heard?" Yukari told her. "Cirno and her friends here were the ones who stole the box Satsuki was trapped in. They were the ones who set that nightmare loose."

"We didn't know!" Cirno shouted back. "'Sides, Marisa stole the box before we did."

"Oh, believe me when I say I'll deal with her in due time. But for now I think you're long overdue for a lesson in actions and consequences."

To her credit, Cirno didn't back down. Instead, she hopped up and stood on the stool, fists up in a boxing stance. Yukari was almost amused. Almost. She took a threatening step forward.

Unfortunately, she never got further than that, as Reisen situated herself between the two. "All right, that's enough," she said, spreading her arms wide.

"Get out of my way, rabbit," Yukari told her, not taking her eyes off of Cirno.

"Yeah, I need to show her who's the strongest around here!" Cirno agreed.

Reisen ignored her. "You checked yourself out," she told Yukari. "Cirno hasn't. So she's still in my care until I say so. And I will be damned if I let anyone threaten my patients."

Yukari turned her attention to the rabbit. "I said. Get out. Of. My way."

Reisen's eyebrows dipped lower. "And I said back the hell off. This is my home, not yours."

Yukari returned the glare, but then she noticed that Reisen's scarlet eyes had started to glow. She quickly broke eye contact.

"Have it your way," Yukari said as she turned. "But this isn't over."

"It is so long as you're here."

"What, you don't think I can take her?" Cirno said, sounding annoyed. "C'mon, let's do this!"

"Shut up," both Yukari and Reisen said at the same time. Cirno plopped back down on the stool and began to sulk.

"Fine, be that way," Cirno grumbled. She looked up to Reisen. "But seriously, what happened to Rumia? Why was she all black and scary looking?"

Yukari shot a glance down at Reisen, who was taking Cirno's blood pressure. "Well? Will you tell her, or should I?"

Reisen sighed. "Cirno, that wasn't Rumia. That was the…person who, uh, ate her."

"What? That blob thing? But it didn't look like that before!"

"That's what she does when she absorbs someone. She uses their power to make a body that sort of looks like them. But it's not them."

Cirno just looked confused. "Whhhaaatttt?"

"Don't think about it too much," Yukari grumbled. "In fact, don't think at all. Stick to what you know."

"But…what about Rumia? Is she still alive?"

"No," Yukari said.

"Yes," said Reisen, at exactly the same time. They glared at each other.

"She is, and she can be saved," Reisen continued to Yukari's annoyance. "But please, please, please let us handle this. We've dealt with the situation before, and can do so again."

"But how?"

"Does it matter?" Yukari snapped. "You heard the lady. Shut up and keep the hell away from this operation."

Reisen snapped to her feet. "Yakumo, if I have to warn you again, I will have security escort you off the premises!"

Yukari wondered if they would be capable of removing her, wound or no wound. In a brief flash of rage, she was seriously tempted to put that question to the test. However, the situation at hand brought her back to her senses. Getting into a fight with Eientei when she possibly needed them the most would be pointless.

"Fine. The fairy wasn't my main purpose here anyway," she muttered as she turned to the beds.

Eirin, who was now wide awake and watching the whole exchange with an amused look on her bruised face, managed a half-smirk. "I have to say, Yakumo," she said in a scratchy voice. "Your skills at diplomacy continue to astound me."

"Glad to see you're awake," Yukari said. "And if you're strong enough to be a wiseass, you're strong enough to answer a few questions."

"I suppose it's inevitable," Eirin sighed. She levered herself up into a sitting position. Then she pushed away the sheets and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Well?" she said. "Don't just stand there. Give me a hand."

"Eirin? Eirin, what the hell do you think you're doing!" Reisen cried. "You just had a near-brush with death! Literally! Get back in bed!"

"It's okay, Reisen," Eirin said as Yukari helped her to her feet. "I'm made of sturdier stuff than that. Plus, as I understand it, Yukari here has personally ensured that I will lose no more ground, correct?" When Yukari nodded, Eirin said, "There, you see? I'll be fine."

"No, absolutely not!" Reisen shouted. "I'm not going to let you go off-"

"Reisen," Eirin said, her voice tinged with a note of warning. Apparently, that was all it took. Reisen flinched and backed off.

"Good girl." Eirin looked up at Yukari. "Shall we continue this conversation somewhere where we'll have some privacy? Say, my office?"

"Works for me."

Eirin took a step forward and stumbled. Reisen rushed to her side and stopped her from falling. "Well, that was predictable," Eirin muttered. "Reisen, go grab me a set of those crutches."

Reisen looked like she wanted to protest, but she held her tongue and did was told. Eirin placed the crutches under her armpits, took an experimental step forward, and nodded her satisfaction.

"Good. Reisen, Yukari and I are going to have a private chat. Carry on as you have done."

Reisen frowned, but she nodded.

"Good. Yukari, follow me."

Eirin hobbled from the room, somehow making it look dignified. Yukari started to follow, but something grabbed hold of her, forcing her to stop. She looked to see Reisen holding her by the sleeve.

"If anything happens to her," Reisen said in a low voice, "if she hurts herself because of you, you'll answer to me. Personally."

"Really now," Yukari said icily. "Well, I'll keep that in mind. Now, if you'll excuse me…"

Reisen released her arm, allowing Yukari to follow after the rabbit's master.

"I have to say," Eirin said as Yukari caught up. "I'm actually impressed with how Reisen's stepped up and taken charge. She's rarely this authoritative. Perhaps I should start trusting her with more responsibility. Don't tell her I said that, though. It'll just go to her head."

Yukari frowned. "If you say so."

Eirin smiled at her. "Oh, don't let that little spat get to you. Given that Kaguya's been kidnapped and Tewi and I have been forced to lay aside our duties, she is technically the acting Head of Eientei, in additional to her duties as physician. I would imagine that the stress is weighing on her, especially considering everything else that's happened. Besides, you wouldn't want someone challenging your authority in your own house either."

"At this point, I could care less about your pet's attitude," Yukari snapped. "All I want now are some answers."

"And I'll give them to you. Here we go…"

They reached a door near the wreckage of the waiting room. With her free hand, Eirin reached into her dress and extracted a small key. With this, she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

"After you," she said. Yukari went in.

As would be expected from Eirin, her office reflected the epitome of neatness. No loose papers, no excess dust on the furniture, the carpeted floor was free from stains and everything looked like it had been placed there with a purpose. Two filing cabinets sat in the back of the room behind a simple oak desk, which Yukari supposed to have predated the clinic's construction. Two leather chairs sat in front of the desk and, curiously enough, several framed pictures and other memorabilia lined the walls. Yukari was actually surprised by this, as she never took Eirin for the sentimental type.

Eirin limped around the desk and lowered herself into the black leather chair with a look of relief. She indicated for Yukari to have a seat.

"I'd rather stand," Yukari said crossly.

Eirin sighed. "Yukari, there's no one here besides you and me, and we both know that wound of yours cannot be comfortable. There will be no slight on your pride just by sitting. Besides, this is going to be a long story."

Yukari frowned, but she nodded. She sat down in one of the seats in front of the desk.

"Now," Yukari said as she shifted her body into a position that was at least somewhat comfortable. "Tell me about Rin Satsuki."

…

Deep Within

Rumia stared at Rin. She tried to think of something to say, but her brain was locked up.

"But…" she started, and stopped.

She glanced over her shoulder. Kaguya and Mokou had stopped their muffled conversation and were now watching her and Rin interact. Wonderful, now they had an audience.

Rumia shook her head. She tried again. "You, uh, you mind saying that again?"

In answer, Rin waved her hand. This time, there was no tear in the nothingness around them, no strange visuals to accompany the memory. Instead, there were just voices, seemingly coming from all around. The first one was Rin's.

"Please, somebody help…"

"Well, I do believe that's my cue."

Rumia jumped with a squeak of surprise. The voice did sound a great deal like her, but like Rin said, it was much deeper, much more sinister sounding, much more…well, evil.

"Rumia!" Rin said in her own memory. "But I-"

"Rumia?" the dark voice said. "Heh, not quite."

"Who are you?"

"A friend. One you cannot afford to ignore."

Rin waved her hand again.

"You are entirely too merciful for your own good. She's not even unconscious! You should have decapitated her on your way up."

Again.

"Think of my as your conscience. Except instead of telling you what's 'good and proper', I tell you what's smart. I'm the part of your mind that's not deluding itself with ideas of 'redemption' and 'acceptance'. I'm the part of you that tells it as it is, that you are going to be hated by everything and everyone no matter what you do, so you might as well become what they're going to accuse you of anyway. Because you have no chance of surviving otherwise."

And again.

"Okay, last chance. If you're so concerned about hurting her, then just stab her through the brain before she gets up. Quick, painless, done."

"But-"

"I do not care. Do it."

Rumia couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, stop!" she shouted. "I get it! Stop!"

Rin snapped her fingers, and the voices cut off. "You see what I mean? And that's just a small fraction. That thing was whispering in my ear on and off for…I don't know, half-an-hour? It kept trying to get me to kill everyone. And it actually took over my body twice."

"What?"

"See? I didn't get it either! The first time I, uh, kinda let it." When Rumia's jaw fell, Rin quickly added, "It was when I was captured and they were talking about how to kill us, I was desperate! But the second time, it just slipped in and took over. I didn't even notice until after it had absorbed those two." She motioned towards Kaguya and Mokou.

"And when I retook control, I felt something crawling around in my head," Rin continued. "Something…disgusting. Creepy. It made me feel dirty." She shuddered. "But it was only for like a second, and then it was gone, I have no idea where."

"Is that so."

"Yes! I know you don't know where it came from, but still…there's something very weird about you."

"Me?" Rumia growled. "We are standing naked inside your head while you go flying around in a body that you stitched together from three different people and there's something weird about me?"

Rin flinched. "Okay, point. But I know where my weirdness came from. You…Rumia, what's the earliest thing you remember?"

"What? I don't know." Rumia thought hard, tracing her thought back through the years. "I'm…not really sure. Fending for myself in the Forest of Magic, I guess. When I was younger, and before I met my friends."

"So you don't know where you came from? Family, origin, anything?"

"Uh, no. Not really. Wriggle says I was probably a shadow of someone that stuck around after the real person died and…just became a youkai, I guess." She shrugged. "Things like that have happened before, so it's a good explanation as any. Hey, you read my mind and all, you tell me."

Rin shook her head. "I've tried that, but it's a lot of memory to sift through. Haven't been able to come up with any…But there is one thing I've noticed."

Now Rumia was completely interested. She still didn't buy all this bullcrap about her being some sort of devil on Rin's shoulder, but she was curious about what Rin had found, even if the thought of her clawing through Rumia's memories made her feel…violated, on a very primal level.

Rin continued. "Well, it's not so much of a thing as a lack of a thing, but when I…well, you know, absorbed you and all that? I got a lot of power from you, and I mean a lot. Didn't think too much of it at first, since there's a whole bunch of really powerful people running around, and I was just happy to have a real body again. But after a while I got a little confused. See, there is nothing in your memories that shows that you even knew you had that kind of strength. Nothing about summoning swords or making plants die or leaving taints or weird darkness spears or darkness tentacles or darkness…pretty much anything you can think of, really."

Rumia felt cold inside. "You got all that from me?"

"Uh-huh. Scary, I know. And like I said, there was a lot of stuff in your memories about making the lights go away, but nothing like what I was using. Rumia, I almost won."

Rumia made a choking sound. "Wait, hold up! You…but Miss Yukari! And Miss Reimu, and Miss Marisa! And the…what?"

"Exactly! And it wasn't that hard! And I managed to get away anyway! So that's why I was wondering…do you remember anything? Anything at all?"

"No, I don't remember anything about that! I'm not any kind of evil super person! I'm just Rumia! I can't shoot evil missiles, or make evil swords out of nothing, or anything like that! I don't know where the hell you're getting all this, but it's not from me."

"It is," Rin said softly. She sat knelt down and folded her arms. Her eyes stared downward.

"No, it's not!" Rumia shouted back. "There's just no way!"

"If you say so. But if not you, then where?"

Several answers sprung to Rumia's mind. Rin had always had that power and just didn't know. Rin was lying to her about the battle. Rin was lying to her about not knowing anything about the power. Rin was lying to her about the voice. Rin was lying to her, period.

"I don't know where," Rumia said. "And you know that I don't know. So stop accusing me!"

"I'm not! I'm just…ah, forget it."

An uneasy silence passed between them. Rin kept staring downward, while Rumia started pacing back and forth. Back a ways, near the screen, their new roommates had begun a more subdued conversation. It sounded like they were whispering to each other. Again, Rumia wondered how they were able to communicate. Maybe they just understood the tones.

She stopped pacing and shook her head. She was tired of being in the dark, metaphorically speaking. "Hey, uh, Rin?"

"What?"

"Where did your weirdness come from?"

"Huh?"

"How did you become like, you know, this?"

Rin sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Oh wow. That's a kinda long story."

Rumia looked around. "I don't see us having anything else to do." Her eyes narrowed. "Besides, you owe it to me."

"Yeah, I guess I do. Okay, fine, but I don't know if you're gonna like it…"

…

"Rin Satsuki, huh?" Eirin sighed. "Well like I said, that's a bit of a long story."

"Start at the beginning, then," Yukari said. "What is she and how do you know her?"

"A youkai. Just a simple youkai. A Kirin, if you want to be specific."

This news was troubling. The Kirin were anything but simple. For one thing, they were high on the youkai social ladder. Very high. Almost the level of dragons, to be exact. While they mostly kept to themselves and preferred not to involve themselves with outside trouble, the amount of influence they wielded when they did was not insignificant. And while they weren't unfriendly or especially violent, they did not react well to attacks on one of their own.

"How in the world did you wind up with a Kirin?"

"By accident, believe it or not. About, oh, nineteen years ago, two rabbits were kidnapped. Infants. Even though they weren't ours, we are allied with the local tribes, and they appealed to us for help." Eirin shrugged. "It seemed a simple enough matter, so we said yes. It didn't take long. The kidnappers had set up camp a few miles north of the forest. As we had not gone public yet, they were entirely unaware of our existence." Eirin smiled at the memory. "So it was quite the shock for them when the Eientei Guard showed up in the middle of the night."

"Who were they?"

"Just a couple of Humans. Slavers, to be exact. No one of any importance. Not then, and thanks to us, they never will be."

Yukari nodded. Rabbits in general weren't all that dangerous, but the Guard knew their business. "And then what?"

"The children were terrified, but unharmed," Eirin said. "We returned them to their family with little more trouble. However, as it turned out, the young rabbits weren't the slavers' first victims. We found another child locked in a cage, a toddler."

"Satsuki," Yukari growled. It wasn't a question.

"Indeed," Eirin said calmly. "I really must give those slavers credit. Acquiring her must not have been easy. I've never actually had any dealings with the Kirin, but I know their reputation."

"Maybe they found her wandering around," Yukari suggested. "Or something had happened to her parents."

"It's possible. At any rate, not knowing what else to do, the Guard brought her back with them."

"Why didn't you return her as well?" Yukari asked. The thought of keeping a baby Kirin, especially one that had been kidnapped, sounded almost suicidal.

Eirin pursed her lips. "I wanted to, but Kaguya overruled me."

"Why?"

"As I said, this was before we had gone public. The rabbits and a select few others were the only ones who were even aware of our presence, and we were determined to keep it that way. Kaguya feared that having any dealing with youkai of such high prestige, even on such a small level, would eventually find its way back to the Lunarians."

Yukari scowled. "That's just paranoid. It would be more dangerous to keep a missing child when its family would come looking for it. Besides, you could have just had one of the rabbits drop it off."

"Exactly. However, I don't know if you've noticed, but Kaguya can be somewhat…stubborn. The last time we had revealed ourselves had eventually resulted in the creation of Mokou, after all. And she is my princess."

"God save us from lunatic princesses," Yukari said, shaking her head. "So you didn't take the kid back. Bad idea, we all agree. What happened then?"

"Well, by then some of the other rabbits had grown fond of her. Reisen especially seemed to enjoy spending time with the girl. So they asked if they could raise her. I didn't see the harm beyond what has already been noted, so I said yes."

The thought of Kaguya's pet having a pet of her own almost made Yukari smile. Almost. "That was very kind of you. Pity she turned out to be such a nightmare. Surprising, considering how peaceful the Kirin are. Wonder what that means in the Nature vs. Nurture debate, eh?"

"That's cute. Can we stay focused here?"

…

Deep Within

"The funny thing about all this," Rin waved an indicating arm at the nothing around them, "is that I can read minds, dig through memories, and even warp the mind-bodies of anyone that gets sucked into me…but not my own, at least not any of my memories before the change. And no, I have no idea why. I'm sure there's some big mystical/scientific reason, but for now it means I don't really remember a lot about growing up. Reisen told me that they saved me from some bad people, but I really don't remember much about that at all. 'Course, I was just a baby when it was supposed to happen, so I guess that makes sense."

She and Rumia were now sitting cross-legged across from one another. Even Kaguya and Mokou had fallen silent and appeared to be listening intently to the story.

Rumia leaned forward. "You think maybe they were the ones to kidnap you?" she asked. "Eirin and the others?"

Kaguya made a sudden noise of protest. Both Rin and Rumia twisted their necks around to stare at her. She started squealing something incomprehensible and violently shaking her head.

"Uh, what's she saying?" Rumia asked.

Rin cleared her throat. "Something to the effect of 'We never kidnapped you, you little trollop! We saved your crazy rear from slavers! We took you in and raised you and this is how you…' well, you get the idea."

Kaguya made more noises.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna translate that," Rin said. "Anyways, no, I don't think they kidnapped me. Kaguya's memories pretty much confirmed that. Though I do something wonder about Eirin, you know? Like, maybe she was looking for a new test subject. Especially considering everything that went down…"

Once again, Kaguya started protesting incoherently. An annoyed look crossed Rin's face, and she waved a hand in the princess's direction. Kaguya's ravings suddenly cut off. She looked surprised and tried to make more noises, but no sound came out. Mokou's shoulders started shaking as she made stifled laughing noises. Rin waved her hand again and these too cut off, to Mokou's obvious distress.

"Sorry about that," Rin said. "You really don't wanna know what she was saying."

Rumia stared at the casual display of total control with a look of horrified fascination. She started when she realized that Rin was speaking to her again.

"Oh…oh, of course not!" she said, laughing nervously. "A-anyway, you were saying?"

"Right. Okay, like I was saying I grew up at Eientei. Reisen…" a small, wistful smile tugged at the corners of Rin's mouth. "Well, she wasn't really like my mom, more like a big sister. But she still pretty much raised me. Some of the other rabbits helped too. Sayu, Maki, Shiina, and the rest. They were all like my big sisters." She frowned. "Not Tewi, though. I don't think she ever really liked me all that much, and Reisen said she was a bad influence. But yeah, they'd play with me, take me for walks, taught me how to read and write and do math and chemistry and quantum physics…"

"Chemiwhat? Quatuwhat?"

"Oh. That's right, you never…uh, it's science stuff."

"Oh." Rumia interest immediately waned. "I thought they were some sort of game."

"No. They're definitely not. But anyway, as I got older, I'd start helping out around the mansion. You know, running errands, cleaning up, washing dishes, that sort of thing. I liked being useful. Then when I got even older, I knew what I wanted to be."

…

"She wanted to be like me," Eirin said wryly. "I have no idea why. The gods know I paid her little enough attention. She was always just Reisen's little pet to me, and I never even let her in the infirmary."

Yukari scratched her jaw. "That was probably the reason why. It's been my experience that kids tend to look up to those aloof and distant. It makes them seem powerful."

"Are we speaking from personal experience here?"

Yukari shrugged, but she didn't answer.

"At any rate, I wasn't too fond of the idea," Eirin said. "The way I saw it, no one had any right to be touching my equipment except for me and occasionally Reisen when I was watching her very carefully. Still, she was rather persistent." Eirin rolled her eyes. "You ever known a child that wanted something and would not take 'no' for an answer?"

"I live with Chen."

"Right. Okay, so you know what it's like. So finally, I told her that if she wanted to become a physician, she had to pass the required training."

Yukari's eyebrows went up and down. "Let me guess: your idea of 'required training' was a bit more…difficult than most, to discourage her."

Eirin shrugged. "No more than what I experienced myself, back in the Lunarian capital. Though I have to admit, I did not expect her to last long. Like I said, she was just that annoying kid that followed Reisen around. But to my absolute surprise, she actually managed to survive." Eirin's fingers drummed a beat on the desk as a frown knitted her brows together. "In fact, she damned well excelled. There was nothing I could throw at her that she couldn't handle. Anatomy, proper sterilization, surgical procedures and so on. I guess it was her Kirin heritage at work. Always heard they were supposed to be intelligent. But…damn."

"Disappointed by the lack of disappointment?"

"I didn't say that. I just said I was surprised."

"No wonder Reisen's the only one who hangs out with you."

"Yukari," Eirin said in a threatening tone.

Yukari held her hands up in a defensive gesture. "Sorry, I get snippy when I'm exhausted and have a gash of death along one side.

"Whereas I was fatally wounded and practically dragged from my near-deathbed to give you answers. Please Yukari, at least try avoid making this less pleasant than it already is."

Yukari nodded once is agreement. "Okay. So anyway, she turned out to be a model student," she said to bring the conversation back on track. "Good for her."

"Well, not quite," Eirin said. "She did well in the medical aspect, certainly, but not so well in other areas."

"Such as…?"

Eirin braced both hands against her chairs armrests and pushed herself up. She turned to the wall and carefully pulled down a framed diploma that looked as old as Yukari was. In the space previously occupied by the frame was an old steel safe.

Yukari had to choke back laughter, even if the very effort sent pain lacing through her burn. "A wall safe? Hidden behind a picture frame? Isn't that a little clichéd?"

In response, Eirin picked up a blank piece of paper from her desk. This she crumpled into a ball and tossed at the safe's door.

The wad of paper froze in midair less than a centimeter before contact. There came a sudden high-pitched whining sound, and the paper shook slightly. Then it crumbled to dust.

Yukari's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Oh," was all she could think of to say.

"Clichés are considered such because they're overused," Eirin said, twisting the dial lock of the safe. "And sometimes they're overused because they work. And if it doesn't, then the spell will ruin the day of any who isn't me or has been personally authorized to access its contents. Now, turn around."

"Why?"

"Because I am about to open my safe, that's why. Turn around, and leave your portals alone. And don't try peeking at some other time. There are safeguards against that as well."

Yukari smirked, but she did as she was asked. As she did so, she asked, "This secret safe thing that only you can touch: does Kaguya have access?"

There was a pause, and Eirin said, "I'm loyal to my Princess. That doesn't mean I'm an idiot about it."

"Thought so."

"Of course you did. You may face me again."

Yukari did so. The framed diploma was already back in its place. Eirin was sitting back in her chair with a file folder sitting on the desk before her, one that age was starting to brown. There was a large scarlet X drawn along the folder side. It didn't take a flash of brilliance to figure out what that meant.

Eirin opened the file as she talked. "All of our employees are required to pass a self-defense class, regardless of position. Given our status as exiles and the long-standing feud with that bloody Mokou, it only makes sense. Especially then, as we had not made peace with the Lunarian government yet. The class in question covers most of the basics. Spellcards, bullet firing and dodging, grazing at the more advanced levels, as well as hand-to-hand combat. Fairly simple stuff, all around."

Yukari saw where this was going. "But Satsuki wasn't exactly, ah, up to snuff?"

Eirin's lip curled. She opened the file. "Far from it. In fact, she was downright awful. We only pitted her against other low-skill trainees, aspiring cooks and the like, and she'd still get her ass kicked every single sparring match. She was unable to grasp the most basic styles and all of her so-called 'spellcards' were in name only!" She picked up one of the papers in the file. "I mean, look at this! 'Wind Sign: Calming Breeze'? Give me a break. 'Flower Sign: Gently Wafting Petals'? Good gods, what was that supposed to be? And don't get me started on the hand-to-hand stuff. The girl had trouble forming a proper fist, much less hitting someone without hurting herself in the process!"

Yukari looked down at the bandage covering her mutilated torso, still visible beneath the ripped tatters of her robe. "Looks like she's stepped up her game since then."

"Yes, I noticed that," Eirin said. A trouble look passed over her face. "Even during her first rampage she never…Well, we'll have to look into that later. But my point it, back then she just plain sucked. We went easier on her than anyone else, worked more slowly with her, took extra time to teach her the proper methods and technique, pitted her against the weakest opponents we could find, and she just wouldn't get it. I ask you, Yukari. What is a teacher supposed to do with a student like that?"

…

Deep Within

"So she couldn't drive me off with medicine, so she tried just having me beat up over and over until I gave up," Rin said. There was a distinct note of bitterness in her voice. "She said everyone had to pass the same class. What a load of crap. Did everyone have to square off against the Guard's kickboxing champion their very first day? Did everyone have to get pushed into the sparring ring three times a day? Was everyone taught submission holds by having the teachers demonstrate the holds on them?"

Rumia winced at the image. "Ouch."

"I know, right? And when I refused to quit, she just kept upping it and upping it and upping it…You know how I was taught how to dodge bullets? Real bullets. Like from a gun."

"Are you serious? Is that even legal?"

"I have no idea. And it hurt." Rin rubbed her arm. "A lot. But by that point I just wanted to prove to Eirin that I could do it, so I stuck with it. Then, something weird began to happen."

"What?"

"I started lasting longer during fights, at least the danmaku kind. At first, I thought it just meant I was finally getting better, though I should've known better to think that. But no, it was something else entirely."

…

"Her natural abilities were finally making themselves known," Eirin said. She flipped through the file's papers and pulled out another. "To be honest, I had been wondering when they would appear. When she was growing up, she didn't seem to be able to do anything beyond fly and shoot very sad looking bullets, no more than anyone else was able to do. It was disappointing, as I had expected a bit more from a Kirin. But as it turned out, she could do something. Something very interesting."

Yukari steepled her fingers and nodded solemnly. "Adaptation."

"Correct. Not too dissimilar to the small boost of energy that we receive whenever we graze bullets, actually. But much, much more effective." Eirin pushed the paper towards Yukari, who took it. It was an ability sheet, such as any decent place of employment might use to keep track of what an employee was capable of. It was only good business, as if your new dishwasher was able to call up flames from the very pit of Hell, then you would want to know about it first.

As it was, Rin Satsuki's numbers weren't all that impressive. High points for intelligence and factual learning, with abysmal scores in physical and most magical abilities. Her flight speed was a bit below average and her danmaku skills were so low that it actually made Yukari embarrassed for the girl. However, when it came to special abilities, there was a sudden spike in power. Alongside the bar was a scribbled note in Eirin's spidery handwriting: Bullet/Magic Absorption: possible divine levels? Must investigate further.

"Interesting," Yukari muttered.

"Oh, believe me, it was. Now, her powers weren't nearly as potent as you saw today. It took a prolonged exposure to the same energy wavelength before her body got used to and would be able to absorb energy. Even then, a concentrated barrage could still take her down."

Yukari handed the paper back to Eirin. "That doesn't sound so divine. Interesting, but not divine."

"I wasn't referring to what she had, I was thinking about what she could become." A small glitter of excitement sparkled in Eirin's eye, even through the swollenness. "Think about it, Yukari. Such abilities have been known to have been experimented with and expanded beyond their initial levels. If someone could develop the ability to actually absorb energy…"

"They would be nothing short of invincible," Yukari finished for her. A sick feeling formed in her stomach that had nothing to do with the taint. "You wanted to turn Satsuki into a weapon."

Eirin sighed, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "No, I didn't. Not Satsuki. Maybe you missed the part about her not being able to fight? But I did want to her to learn more about her abilities and increase them. And from there…" The Lunarian doctor hesitated. "Well, I wanted to find a way to harvest them, and transfer them over to those who could fight. In a way that didn't hurt the original possessor, of course. Reisen would never let me hear the end of it."

Yukari tapped her lower lip and scowled. "You do realize that I established danmaku and spellcard rules for a reason, correct? And that I put a lot of effort into making sure everyone in Gensokyo played by them."

"Even though we were effectively fugitives who were only hiding in Gensokyo by chance?" Eirin said wryly. "Besides, we still intended to follow your rules, even if we didn't know whose rules they were. We would just have…an edge, should anyone choose to attack us."

"Really. And Kaguya never expressed any desire to use these abilities for more ambitious purposes?"

"Like I said, I'm not an idiot. Kaguya usually leaves my studies alone, and what she doesn't know doesn't hurt her. Besides, she's invulnerable already. At any rate, once we did figure out what Satsuki was potentially capable of, a deal was struck. She would be allowed to skip the self-defense class and go straight to helping Reisen and me in the infirmary as a nurse, and in exchange I would get to run some tests on her abilities."

"Tests?" Yukari blinked. "What kind of tests?"

"Prolonged exposure to low levels of energy, try to have her concentrate and absorb physical objects, see if the energy she absorbed affected her own bullets, that sort of thing. Nothing dangerous. All altruism aside, we didn't want to risk hurting her before we could figure out a way to extract her powers."

…

Deep Within

"She pretty much turned me into her lab bunny," Rin growled. Her fists were clenched and trembling. She bared her teeth in an angry grimace. "She'd stick me in an empty room and just bombard with whatever she could think of. Lasers, intense heat and cold, invisible force, whatever! She'd line me up against a wall and have the Guard use me for target practice. All just to see how much I could take."

Rumia scratched her forehead. "And you just let her?"

"What else was I gonna do, say no? Eirin's the second in command of Eientei. What she says goes. Though I did try to complain to Princess Kaguya once. Yeah, that pretty much went nowhere."

Rumia glanced at the princess in question. Kaguya just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Yeah, but anyway, she started to get the results she wanted, but it was way too slow," Rin continued. "I was adapting, but it wasn't to any level that would be useful for combat. So she decided to cheat."

…

"In time, it became apparent that I was doing it all wrong," Eirin said. "Certainly, Rin's abilities were improving, but I could tell that even with the eternity available to us, it just wasn't at any rate that would prove useful in the long term. Besides, no possibility for safe extraction of her abilities was making itself available. The problem was that we were limited by the resources at hand. Despite being fairly well off for the simple task of hiding, all we had were what we had brought with us when we fled the moon and whatever we managed to make ourselves or trade with the rabbits. And since the rabbits were our only trade option, we were limited in what we could use. This was an experiment that required both magical and scientific resources far beyond what we had at hand."

Yukari grimaced. "Don't let Reimu hear you say that. She gets a bit cranky about the science stuff."

"Her loss. If magic could solve everything I wouldn't be needed, now would I? At any rate, we weren't about to go and expose ourselves just for one experiment. Fortunately, I soon discovered that I did know someone else in Gensokyo. An old acquaintance, one who had visited the moon on a number of occasions back when Kaguya was still in power, and whom I had worked with personally on at least one of her operations."

"Who? What operations?"

In response, Eirin pulled out a photograph and passed it to her. The photo was dulling with age, but the picture of a tall, elegant young woman with braided silver hair and icy blue eyes was still clearly visible. If that alone was not enough to tip off Yukari as to the young woman's identity, then the pale blue maid outfit she wore and the silver-bladed knife she held in one hand made it completely obvious.

"No doubt you're familiar with the previous career of the person now calling herself Sakuya Izayoi as a celebrated monster hunter," Eirin said. "She helped the Lunarian Royal Family dispose of some unwanted pests several times. I was rather surprised to find that she was now serving one of the monsters she had once hunted. In fact, I found the irony hilarious, though I would never tell her that to her face."

"Of course not," Yukari muttered. The picture Eirin was painting was becoming more and more troubling by the second. Yukari's relationship with Remilia Scarlet and her entourage had always been a working one at best. Although she had no reason why they could not stay in Gensokyo, she had always been a little wary about their presence. Vampires were notoriously shifty in their dealings, and if the denizens of the Scarlet Devil Mansion were involved in this caper, then that opened the door for any number of problematic possibilities.

Plus, there was that crazy sister they kept locked up in the basement…

Then again, given that Cirno had mentioned that Marisa had acquired the box from Patchouli Knowledge, another member of Remilia's entourage, Yukari supposed she should have seen this coming.

"So, you turned to the vampire for help," Yukari said. "I can't imagine that it was inexpensive."

"Actually, I never even met with Remilia," Eirin said. "Fortunately for me, at least at the time, she was away from Gensokyo, visiting relatives back in the Outside World. Sakuya was left in charge, which made things considerably easier. Given our experience working together in the past and that she was sympathetic toward our current status as exiles, she was willing to help. In exchange for a portion of the formula itself, of course."

"I see. Continue."

"What I needed was a sorcerer, a magician. I'm no slouch when it comes to magical matters, and neither is Kaguya, but magic is not our main field of study. I needed someone who pursued the mystic arts as a lifestyle. And as it so happened, Sakuya knew such a person. I think you know who I mean."

Patchouli. Of course. Yukari sighed. She didn't have anything personal against the magician, but the amount of knowledge she possessed was potentially dangerous if used for the wrong reasons. She glanced down at her bandage and the wound it covered. Check that, it had been used for the wrong reasons, and the results were clear to see.

"Miss Knowledge was also willing to lend her assistance," Eirin said. "The experiment interested her, and she wanted to see what would happen. So it was settled: everything I knew about the body combined with my vast knowledge of chemistry and medicine combined with her arcane prowess, and together we were going to revolutionize danmaku duels, at least for our own personal use. Now the only thing left was to acquire some decent equipment. Sakuya had some suggestions down that line…"

…

Deep Within

"She brought in a couple of crazy-ass, bloody-minded, artery snipping, laws of nature warping, absolutely off their rockers humans," Rin growled. "I mean, Eirin was bad enough. The stuff she would slip into our food! But they had to bring in two legit mad scientists!" She took in a shaky breath. "Eirin wanted me to be experimented on by two mad scientists! And she has the nerve to call me the monster!"

"Who were they? Do you remember their names?"

"Remember their names? Of course I do!" Rin laughed, a sound that was a little crazier than Rumia was comfortable with. "Rika and Rikako Asakura, sisters in crime! My gods, those two were crazy! You wanna know the first thing they wanted to do when they got brought into the experiment? Electrocute me, just to see my progress."

Rumia didn't recognize the names, but that wasn't surprising. She tended to keep away from Human settlements, and the number of humans she interacted with on a semi-regular basis could be counted on two hands. Maybe even one.

"Why didn't you say 'no', then?" Rumia asked. "I mean, if someone wanted to shoot me with lightning, I would be all like 'Over my dead body!'" She frowned. "Which would end up being the case, actually."

"I wanted to, but they told me it was too late to back out. I should've just run away. That's it, I should've run away. Would've saved everyone a whole lotta grief."

…

"The operation itself was risky, I'll admit it, but at the time it seemed to be worth it. What we planned to do was artificially accelerate the development of her abilities, while at the same time tricking Rin's body into thinking the power increase was natural. So the five of us, Patchouli, Sakuya, the Asakura sisters and I, worked together to produce a new kind of elixir. Just as the original Hourai Elixir used Kaguya's power over eternity as a base, this one used Sakuya's control over space and time to create the illusion of several decades' worth of power development. This would then been injected straight into Rin herself."

"Did you at least test it first?" Yukari asked.

Eirin looked puzzled. "What do you mean? We were testing it. On Rin."

Yukari sighed. She supposed this sort of attitude was to be expected from Eirin. "Never mind. So anyway, let me guess what happened: it worked, but not in the way you were expecting. Rin's powers shot up by a hundredfold, but it made her go crazy and attack everyone in sight."

"Close, very close," Eirin said. "Yes, the experiment was a success. Too much of a success. Only hours after the elixir was injected, she was able to adapt to new kinds of energy in seconds, something that usually took some weeks to happen. But when we were patting each other on the back and breaking out the champagne, something began to happen." Eirin's eyes became unfocused. At first Yukari was worried that her injuries were starting to send her into a daze, but she kept talking at the same, steady pace. It was just the reliving of the memory that was affecting her. "Rin began to change."

…

Deep Within

"I was melting!" Rin said in a horrified voice. She wrapped her arms around herself and her eyes focused downward, at a spot between her and Rumia. "My body just started melting like I was made of wax. I could feel all my organs turning to jelly and fusing together. My sight grew hazy as my eyes liquefied, my ears were shrinking and being reabsorbed into my skull and my throat was closing up and my whole body was drooping down, down, down…" The rest of the description was swallowed up by whimpering noises.

…

"No one really knows what happened," Eirin muttered. "This sort of thing literally had never happened before, at least not to my knowledge, and once she finished it was impossible to extract any data that would tell us why. The most popular theory is that her body was adapting to itself, with all her cells trying to imitate their neighbors. At any rate, once she finished, she was no longer even recognizable as a living being. In fact, she looked like a…"

"…large transparent blob," Yukari finished for her. "Appearing to be a large wad of clear mucus or a surprisingly tough bead of water."

Eirin nodded. "So you've seen her in her 'natural' state, if that word applies."

"No, but I've spoken to those who have."

"Ah, right. The fairy. I heard the two of you, heh, 'talking'. I presume she was one of the witnesses you mentioned earlier?"

Yukari nodded.

"I see. Cirno is very, very lucky then. It could have been her that Rin took for a joyride."

"I wish it was. Our job would be so much easier then."

Eirin smiled, though there was no humor in the expression. "Perhaps. Perhaps at first, but if she wasn't put down quickly than it would soon become very, very difficult, as difficult as what we did encounter. That's how it worked last time. It started small, but it quickly grew to a full catastrophe."

"How so?"

"Well, at first we thought that the metamorphosis had killed Rin, but when the, erm, blob started responding to our probing, it eventually because obvious that her mind was still intact. How this was possible without her actually having a physical brain, I do not know. But this is Gensokyo, after all. Strange things do happen."

"You mean like how one of my best friends is a ghost who's still capable of eating solid foods despite not having a physical stomach?" Yukari suggested.

"Yes, exactly like-"

"Or how bits and pieces of trash can become sentient and start walking around for no discernable reason? And take on the appearance of young humans in the process?"

"Also correct. And-"

"Or how back when you and your bubble-headed princess decided to screw up the moon, I was able to just stop night for as long as I wanted, even though doing so meant interfering with the Earth's rotation and potentially wreaking havoc on the weather conditions? And everything ended up working out fine in the end?"

"Yukari, the point has already been made. You don't-"

"Or how Suika apparently broke the sky once as a party trick, and it ended up just fixing itself overnight with barely anyone even noticing? Or that some parts of Gensokyo are several centuries behind the Outside World in terms of development while others are at least twenty years ahead? Or that we once invaded your home town on the moon using a rocket ship made out of bamboo?"

One of Eirin's fingers tapped her desk impatiently. "You've made your point, Yakumo. Which by the way happens to be my point, so I don't see the reason to prove it further."

"Right. So sorry," Yukari said with a small smirk. "Pray continue."

Eirin sighed in annoyance, but she said, "Anyway, like I said, despite undergoing a horrific transformation, Rin was still alive…"

"Obviously. She just kicked all our asses after all."

"…and still self-aware. Communicating with her was…difficult, but we managed through an old Lunarian code system I had her memorize. She could sense nearby sensation, and extrude long appendages in order to pick up objects, so we were able to keep her in the loop at least. However, she was very confused, and very scared. I don't blame her, but there was hope." Eirin leaned forward on her desk. "If she concentrated, she could force her cells to retake their former state and reform her old body.

Yukari coughed. "Wait, she could?"

"Indeed," Eirin said with a nod. "Unfortunately, doing so put her cells under incredible strain, which could potentially cause irreparable damage if allowed to continue. Still, that fact led us to believe that the situation could be reversed. And so we went to work to find a way to save her. Her, and hopefully the experiment as well."

…

Deep Within

"They told me they would do everything they could to find a cure," Rin muttered. Her left hand kept twitching and tapping against her thigh. "And like a fool, I believed them. They weren't interested in finding a cure, they just wanted to find a way to dissect me and get my powers out of me. But how was I to know that Eirin was that much of a liar? She was my mentor, after all."

"Are you sure?" Rumia asked.

"Seeing how they actually tried to cut off large chunks of me, yeah, I'm pretty sure. They also tried injecting a whole bunch of different stuff into me, but it never worked. My body would just absorb that as well. Everything they tried ended up the same way. So really, can I be blamed for going a little crazy? Was what happened really my fault?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Rin looked uncomfortable discussing the next part. "You see, while that was going on, Reisen was still there, looking after me. She'd come to visit me during the night and keep me company. I can't sleep, you see. Guess my body doesn't need it anymore. So the nights were the worst, but having Reisen there made things…I don't know, easier, I guess. That code they had me using was really slow, so it was still hard to communicate with her, but we still managed to talk a little. She kept telling me that everyone was working as hard as they could to fix me. Eirin was lying to her too, you see. Brainwashing her, just like she did me. And it would have kept going on that way, but then the, hehe, 'accident' happened."

Rumia didn't like the sound of that, nor did she like the look Rin was getting. She swallowed. "Um, what accident?"

Rin started giggling. "Oh, it happened this one night. Reisen was with me, telling me all the places she was going to take me once everything was better. Then she reached over and sort of petted me? And I don't know what happened, really I don't. But all of a sudden, I got fed up with that half-assed form of contact I had been having to deal with. I wanted to really see and touch her. So when her hand touched the surface of what passes for my body, I just sorta, um, grabbed her and pulled her in." Her giggling took off to nearly maniacal levels.

Rumia squeaked and started scooching away from Rin, who was starting to get more than a little weird.

"Pulled her in, pulled her right into me! And then everything changed. All that time, and I could have been free from the very beginning. One minute I was stuck in that awful limbo, and the next minute…Rumia, I could see again! I could see, and hear, and feel, and all that stuff. I was free! And the best part was, Reisen was there with me! Sure, she was a little freaked out, but I had time to work on that. That's when it hit me. It wasn't fair that everyone would be walking around on the outside while she was stuck on the inside. So the only thing to do was to make everyone come inside."

…

"What happened next was what we call the 'Satsuki Incident'," Eirin muttered darkly. "That is, if we talk about it at all. After Rin finished absorbing Reisen, the realization of her capabilities made what little sanity she had been clinging to snap."

"Ahhh…" Yukari said. "So that was that 'Rampage' you're always going on about."

"Exactly. Rin went mad. I…honestly can't say I blame her, all things considered, but that doesn't change the fact that it was easily one of the worst weeks in my life. And seeing how I've probably been alive about as long as you…"

"Point taken. So what exactly happened?"

Eirin sighed. "Well, I woke up to lots and lots of shouting. When I went to go to investigate, I saw the weirdest looking rabbit I'd ever seen holding two maids up by the throat. It looked a little like Reisen, but it was covered with a pale red aura, so I figured either Reisen had injected herself with the same elixir that had started this whole Satsuki mess or the Lunarians had sent some sort of super-soldier." Her face darkened. "And then its arms grew transparent and swallowed those maids right up, and I understood. I tried to shoot her down, but of course that was useless. She came after me next, but fortunately she was still blinded by excitement and the fact that she had gone completely off the bend, so she still wasn't thinking clearly. I managed to give her the slip, and organized the rest of Eientei against her. Of course, things became even more difficult. Because that was when Kaguya found out."

Yukari choked. "You mean she still didn't know?"

"She did then. And dear gods, she was furious. Though personally, I think she was more angry about the fact that I wasn't making the super-absorbing powers for her rather than the fact that I was running dangerous experiments behind her back. And she also wasn't pleased about me involving outsiders, to say the least." Eirin winced. "But that's…a different bit of unpleasantness altogether."

Yukari agreed. Kaguya's temper tantrums were beside the point. "So, everything went to hell, and Satsuki was trying to absorb everyone. What then?"

"Once it became apparent that nothing we threw at her was doing any good, we evacuated the mansion and fled to one of the nearby tribes. Of course, it was only a matter of time before she followed. That was when we figured out how to beat her."

Yukari leaned in as close as her injury would permit. Now they were getting somewhere.

"It was Sakuya who came up with the idea, actually. She reasoned that Rin's abilities made her all but immune to an outside assault, and any attack capable of overwhelming her adaptation would likely take the forest with it. So she suggested that we switch tactics and try blowing her up from the inside out, as opposed to the other way around."

"I see," Yukari murmured. "And how did you pull that off? Because it seems that Satsuki would just absorb any explosive device before you got the chance to detonate it."

"Oh, we didn't bother with explosives," Eirin said calmly. "Though the Asakura sisters certainly wanted to try. But no, we had a more…direct method at our disposal."

"What's that?"

"We unleashed Flandre Scarlet on her."

…

Deep Within

"I don't know how she did it," Rin whispered. "One moment I saw this glowing red person approaching. At first, I thought it was Mokou over there. The rabbits used to tell me stories about her, to scare me. But it turned out to be a weird little girl with even weirder looking wings."

Rumia felt a shiver go down her illusionary back. Suddenly she was feeling much more sympathetic towards Rin. Though she had thankfully had never encountered the infamous vampire girl herself, everyone had heard…stories. Disturbingly gruesome stories of what the cheerful girl had done to her "playmates".

"Oh, my gods," Rumia whispered.

"Are they? Because they sure weren't mine, not that day. Anyway, I got closer, curious about who she was, and then she started laughing. Laughing! At me! And then she held up her hand…"

Rin's account trailed off. She appeared to be lost in a daze. Rumia frowned and leaned forward.

"Uh, Rin? What happened next? You said she held up a hand. What'd she do next?"

Rin shook her head, supposedly shaking off the memories. "Oh, um, she held up her hand, said…I don't know. 'Akuu?' 'Ukaa?' Something weird like that. Then she closed her fist and…"

"What?"

"I blew up."

…

"It worked like a bloody charm," Eirin said smugly. "Flandre's power wasn't an outside barrage of energy. It wasn't something Rin's body could identify and absorb. It was pure destruction. Over and over again, we had her blow Rin up. It wasn't hard. We just told her that Rin was a bad person who needed to be punished, and that she could have extra cookies at tea if she did the punishing."

Yukari swayed in her seat. Flandre Scarlet was kept locked up for a very, very good reason. The thought of the insane vampire being unleashed on another being, even if that being was Satsuki, was so unthinkable that she was shocked that anyone had dared to try it, much less Sakuya herself.

"It didn't kill her, of course," Eirin continued. "At the time, she didn't possess the regenerative abilities of the Princess or Mokou, but she could still piece herself back together. It just took a long, long while. Then we'd ask her if she had enough, and if she said no, we'd blow her up again."

Eirin leaned back her in chair and stared at the wall beyond Yukari. "Of course, once she saw the way the wind was blowing, Rin eventually surrendered. She consented to releasing her prisoners and gave herself up to our care. Once that happened, all that was left was the mop-up. The prisoners themselves were of course traumatized by their ordeal, Reisen especially. I would imagine having someone you thought of as a little sister turn on you like that would hurt. And riding shotgun during Flandre's assault could not have helped, though we had little choice in the matter. So I was very busy for the next few weeks, making sure they didn't suffer a complete mental breakdown."

"I can see that. So what else?"

"Well, what do you think? Flandre was coaxed back to her basement. All it really took was the aforementioned cookies. Our hired help promised never to speak of this incident, and we likewise swore to keep quiet, especially to Remilia, and everyone left. As for Rin herself, Kaguya wanted to have her executed, a position that I quite agreed with." Her face darkened in a frown. "That didn't work out so well."

"Kind of hard to kill the unkillable, eh?"

"Correct. Plus, there were…certain members of the staff that did not like the idea of us removing an obvious danger, the gods alone know why. Reisen, of course, was among them. Then again, she was never the most rational person. But any rate, we couldn't figure out a way to kill her anyway, so we decided to contain her instead." Eirin coughed into her hand. "Patchouli was actually the one who volunteered for that. She had devised a container intended to hold items of dangerous magical quality, which she used to keep her various instruments safe. She figured that one of those would serve nicely as Rin's prison, and I agreed. The only catch was that they actually had to be on the ground of the Scarlet Devil Mansion to work, something about being anchored to its place of creation. I wasn't complaining. I would sleep much better knowing that Rin was locked away somewhere deep in the vampire's mansion, miles away from Eientei."

…

Deep Within

"And that's where I stayed," Rin said softly, bringing her story near its end. "Years and years of being trapped in that box. Just me, stuck in the darkness, with literally nothing else. No…sunlight, no food, no contact with anyone else, no real sensations at all."

Rumia nodded. "And then I let you out."

Rin wiped her nose with her arm. "Something like that, yeah. So, there it is. My stupid, sad story. And now it's gone and gotten a bunch of people hurt and sucked you in along with it. I guess some things never change, huh?"

Rumia didn't know what to say to that, so she said nothing.

…

"And then Rin got loose and the hell that was today happened," Yukari muttered, more to herself than anything.

"Correct. I must admit, I'm curious how she escaped, and it sounds like you know."

Yukari sighed. "You can thank Marisa Kirisame for that. From what I've heard, she randomly lifted the box from Patchouli's care during one of her many cat burglar escapades."

"Did she now?" Eirin said. Her voice had taken on a dangerous edge. "Well, I'll just have to speak to them both about that. She was the one who set Rin loose, then?"

"No, that was the ice-fairy. From what I've been able to tell, she and her stupid little friends stole the box from Marisa. They were the ones who set Satsuki loose. Apparently, she ate one of their number and they headed off to find help, which is how I became involved. And how she acquired the Shadow Youkai's powers, by the way."

Eirin looked confused. "Cirno's friends with the Shadow Youkai?"

Yukari rolled her eyes. "Yes, actually, though neither of them knew it. After bringing the Shadow Youkai down, I also couldn't find a way to safely eliminate her. So Mima and I wiped her mind and depowered her to a low-level youkai. I supposed Rin must have eaten through the enchantment we placed on her. Given the strength of the enchantment, I thought things were safe. Obviously, I was wrong."

"We both were," Eirin muttered. She sighed and slumped into her chair. "You know something, Yukari? Sometimes I think that just living in Gensokyo increases your carelessness by a good hundred points."

Yukari could think of no argument for that. "I suppose so."

"Indeed. So then, you're supposed to be the master planner. Seeing how Rin's acquirement of both Kaguya and Mokou has made the Flandre option no longer feasible, got any bright ideas?"

Yukari sighed. "One, actually. Though I'm not too fond of it."

Eirin shrugged. "Better than nothing. Hit me."

"Well, Mima suggested that we bring this problem to the Ringleaders."

A silence passed between them, composed of mutual staring. Then Eirin said, "Uh, Yukari? I hate to point out the obvious, but aren't you the head of the Ringleaders?"

"Don't remind me," Yukari growled. "And individually I supposed they're all right. But together…Gensokyo's most influential beings or no, dealing with those personalities all at once can be a real headache."

"Well, it's better than nothing," Eirin muttered. She leaned forward on her desk and rubbed her forehead. "In the meantime, I have enough to deal with here, including recovering fully from my dance with death."

"Which you're only able to thanks to me."

"Yes, yes, thank you very much. But for now, was there anything else you wanted to know?"

Yukari thought. There were a few details Eirin could provide, namely in regards to Rin's habits and what could be used against her. But Eirin was right about pushing herself too hard and needing rest. "No, not at the moment. We can finish this later."

"Excellent. Feel free to take that file with you. I'm sure you'll find the information to be quite useful. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pass out for a while. Please send some of the staff my way to collect me, and have them lock up on their way out."

With that, Eirin's eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped in her chair. Yukari blinked in surprise. She stood and tried prodding the Lunarian doctor. This failed to elicit any response whatsoever.

"Now that," she said. "Is just plain weird. And impressive. But still weird."

She tucked the file under her arm and limped toward the door. As she went, she started composing what she was going to tell the Ringleaders. She could already envision the meeting in her head. First would be the irritated demands as to why she had summoned them, then they would impatiently interrupt her every other sentence during her explanation to ask her what all this had to do with them, then would come the pointed comments regarding Yukari's failure to deal with the problem herself and wondering if she was growing too old for her job. Then would come the bickering, finger pointing, old grudges and past mistakes brought up for no reason whatsoever, and any number of petty time wasters. As bad as her day had been, Yukari was definitely not looking forward to the rest of her week.

She swung open the door. There was the sound of a loud smack and it rebounded back. Someone cried out in pain. Yukari raised an eyebrow and looked to see who it was.

Cirno was kneeling in the hallway, clutching her nose and muttering "Ow, ow, ow, ow…" over and over. Yukari sighed and glanced down the hall in both directions. There were some rabbits moving around, but they didn't look like they were planning on approaching. Good.

With her free hand, Yukari snatched up the ice-fairy by the neck. Cirno's eyes bulged and she shouted "Hey! What're you-"

This was cut off when Yukari shoved her up against the wall. "So, looky what we have here. A little bug, sneaking around and listening to conversations that don't concern her. Ever hear the phrase 'Curiosity killed the fairy?' Want to find out how?"

Cirno struggled against her grip. "I just wanted to find out what happened to Rumia!" she cried. "I just want to find my friend!"

"Really now?" Yukari released her. Cirno fell to the ground, coughing. She tried to get up, but Yukari slammed her palm against the wall above her and glared down at her. "And how much did you hear about that?"

Cirno glared back up at her. That was another annoying thing about the ice-fairy. She was impossible to intimidate. "Just the end. Some weird stuff about Rumia being a…something? What the hellsicles is a Shadow Youkai?"

"A monster," Yukari answered in a sweet, syrupy voice. "A monster that tried to kill me and everyone else in Gensokyo." She leaned in closer. "That's right. Your little friend used to be an abomination, one that would not hesitate to slash you to snowflakes and sing a merry tune while doing it. Now do you see why we don't want you sticking your cold little nose into this business?"

True to her nature, Cirno just looked confused. "Uhhhh, what?"

"Exactly." Yukari backed off from the wall, letting Cirno scamper to her feet.

"Bu-but what about Rumia?" Cirno whined. "Can you get her back? The bunny said you could!"

Yukari's nostrils flared as her rage ignited anew. "Listen to me, you idiotic, overgrown snowball. I don't care what Reisen said, your friend Rumia is gone. Dead. Deceased. She's ceased to be, shuffled off the immortal coil, has joined the burning choir of Hell." She knelt down on one knee so she and Cirno were seeing eye-to-eye.

"That thing you saw? She was an ex-Rumia! Do you understand me?" Yukari hissed. "There is no more Rumia. So for the love of all that is good and intelligent, stay out of this business!"

Cirno stared right back, her expression impossible to read. Then she turned and ran down the hall, jumping to full flight once she picked up speed. She zipped around a corner, surprising a couple of rabbits carry rope and carved bamboo slats, and disappeared.

Yukari sighed as she straightened. The pain and lack of sleep must have made her sloppy. What she should have done was clamp that fairy in cold iron and shove her in a locked room. She considered sending someone after her and wondered if it was worth it just to remove a potential future obstacle. All common sense said yes, while everything told her that she was just being paranoid. After all, what could a single fairy do?

The answer was quite a lot. Yukari made a mental note to take steps to prevent Cirno's future inference. But for now, there was just too much she had to take care of first. First order of business was to find someone to collect the unconscious doctor. And Mima needed to be informed about Satsuki's history. The other Ringleaders needed to be contacted as soon as possible. As did Remilia Scarlet, come to think of it. She may have been out of town during the original incident, but her staff were still partially responsible. Same with the Asakura sisters. Yukari didn't know them personally, but she was sure Reimu had mentioned them once or twice. Also, Marisa was also proving herself to be a dangerous wildcard. She should do something about that as well. And Reimu…

She thought back to earlier that day, when she had convinced Reimu to come along. It wasn't her fault that the shrine maiden had been injured, but she still felt somewhat responsible. Yukari gnawed the inside of her mouth. Regret wasn't an emotion she was used to. She couldn't say she much cared for it. It made her feel odd.

Look at you, she thought in disgust. One bad day and you go to pieces. Pull yourself together, you've handled worse!

Yukari tucked the file under her arm and went to go find some to retrieve Eirin's unconscious body. After that, Mima. That was a good a place to start as any.

…

Deep Within

Taking Rumia's silence as a message, Rin had walked away to go sit in front of her screen again. Rumia wasn't sure if she needed to actually watch the screen to know what was going on, or if it was entirely there for her "guests'" benefit. Certainly, she had no trouble navigating while she had been speaking to Rumia. Some kind of autopilot, maybe? Rumia supposed it didn't really matter.

At the moment, they were flying through a canyon that Rumia was unfamiliar with. That made a certain amount of sense. Given the whole "Nearby plants dying" thing, sticking to arid areas would be the best.

Rumia bit her lower lip as she thought. Rin's story was bizarre to the extreme. Even in a world where six impossible things happened before breakfast on a daily basis, this one was unusual. She still didn't trust Rin. She wasn't sure if she was lying or not, but Rin was obviously not stable. Earlier that day, she had claimed that Eirin did not have a direct hand in the experiment while the story she had just told said otherwise. She had gone from claiming that everything was all a mistake that would be cleared up with a simple apology to making Eirin out to be some kind of torture technician who had abused her at every available opportunity. Of course, that ambush probably had killed any warm feelings Rin might have held for her, but still…

However, Rumia was no longer convinced that Rin meant to do her harm. And from the look of things, she might be here for a while.

Rumia took a deep breath and walked over to sit down next to Rin. The latter gave her a look of surprise as she did so.

"Hey Rin?"

"Huh?"

"Can you make me a promise?"

"A…a promise? Uh, what kind of promise?"

Rumia thought hard, trying to put her feelings into words. "Promise me that if…if we manage to fix this, if we manage to find a way for you to get your life back, if we find out where all these scary powers came from and how to get rid of them, and if we figure out what's with that evil voice, and what to do with those two," she indicated the nearby rivals, who were still silently glaring at the pair. "And we do all that and make sure that people won't keep trying to kill us…promise me you'll let me go, okay?"

Rin grimaced. "Rumia, I don't know if-"

"Promise me, okay?"

Rin stared at her for a few seconds. Then she nodded once. "Okay. I promise."

Rumia breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Rin." Then she nodded toward the screen. "So, where are we going now?"

Chapter Text

It wasn't that Alice was concerned about Marisa. The witch was more than capable of handling herself. If anything, she should be worried about Cirno, if such a thing were possible.

Still, Marisa wasn't known for thinking straight when she was angry. And accidents do happen. So, before going home herself, the puppet-master stopped by Marisa's house to check on her.

By then, the sun had completely set. The Forest of Magic had succumbed to shadow, and creatures of the night were slinking from whatever holes they hid in during the day. Alice didn't care. The locals knew better to mess with her.

What did bother her was that Marisa's house seemed to be empty when she arrived. At most times, the witch would be up late, poring over text after text and experimenting with any number of new spells. But now, the interior was completely dark. And strangely enough, the front door was still open, just as it had been when she left.

"I don't know about you, Shanghai," she muttered to the doll hovering over her left shoulder. "But there's just something wrong about all this. Should we go investigate?"

She took Shanghai's interested look for an affirmative. "I agree. Let's go see what's up."

Alice walked up to the doorframe. She knocked a couple of times against the door and said, "Marisa? Are you here? Just checking if you got your box back." A few seconds ticked by. "And making sure you didn't accidentally blow the forest up."

No reply.

"Curiouser and curiouser," she muttered. Alice held up one hand, igniting a softly glowing sphere of light over her palm.

"Marisa? You here?" she said as she looked over the piles of junk. "Hey Marisa! Where are-"

"What?"

The other voice made Alice jump. She whirled around, her heart beating from the sudden surprise.

Marisa stood in the doorway. From the look of things, her day had been absolutely miserable. Her face and arms were bruised and filthy, her clothes looked beat up, and she was breathing heavily from exhaustion.

"Marisa?" Alice said in shock. "What happened to you?"

"Mmmph. Don't wanna talk about it." Marisa pushed her way past Alice, tossing her broom in the corner. Alice stared as the young witch collapsed, face-first and still fully clothed, on top of the bed.

Alice scratched her head as she wondered what in the world had happened. She didn't expect to get any response though. When Marisa said she didn't want to talk about it, she meant it.

"Okay," Alice said uncertainly. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

She started to leave when suddenly Marisa said, "Hey Alice?"

Alice paused by the door. "What?"

"Talk to me about something."

"About what?"

"I don't care, anything. So long as it's boring, stupid and normal. Your day, tell me about your day, ze."

Alice turned, her face a mess of confusion. "You want me to do what?"

Marisa lay on her side, arms crossed and sullen eyes smoldering. "You did stuff today, right? Stuff that was boring and pointless? Tell me about your stupid day."

Alice opened her mouth to question her further, but thought better of it. "Um, okay. So, after I left, I headed over to Medicine Melancholy's field. See, lately we've been working together to try to increase Shanghai's independence, but all we've gotten her to do so far are a few automated responses and her occasionally mimicking other people's actions."

Marisa closed her eyes. "Okay."

"So anyway, today we were trying to see if we get her to react to things in unpredictable ways, but then something got Medicine talking about bot...botu…botulinum and how it's used. And, well, you know how she can get when she's talking about one of her poisons, so we didn't get much done."

"Mmmph."

"But it was actually kind of interesting. Did you know people in the Outside World actually use it for cosmetic reasons, even though it 's probably the deadliest known-"

Alice stopped talking when she saw that Marisa had started snoring. The puppet-master rolled her eyes and chuckled. Of course.

Moving carefully so as not to wake her, Alice removed Marisa's hat and sat it on a nearby table. Then she picked up Marisa's blanket from where it had been carelessly kicked aside that morning and gently laid it over the sleeping girl.

"Good night, you weirdo," Alice said as she left, softly shutting the door behind her.

…

A tear ripped open in mid-air, above three feet from the ground. Moving gingerly with the support of a crutch, Reimu exited Yukari's gap and stepped onto the grass.

"Thanks for the ride," she said. "Let me know how Suika's doing. And when you've got something new."

Inside, Yukari nodded. "I will. Get some rest. I'll check on you in the morning."

"You too."

Yukari started to close her gap, but she hesitated. "Oh, and Reimu?"

"What?"

"I…am sorry I dragged you into this, I really am."

Stunned, Reimu tried to wrap her mind around the thought of Yukari giving anyone a sincere apology and failed. "Oh…um, thanks?" was all she could manage to say.

Without another word, Yukari closed up the gap, disappearing with it. Reimu was left standing alone in front of Hakurei shrine.

A minute later, a sparkling lavender border erupted around the shrine's grounds, curving upward to form a dome shape. Reimu glared upward and limped her way to the shrine. "She doesn't do anything by halves, does she?" Reimu muttered to herself.

Consenting to have one of Yukari's borders placed around Hakurei Shrine was the only way Reimu could get Yukari to consent to allowing her to return home, instead of staying in the rabbits' care or, even worse, Yukari's. Reimu had quite enough of Eientei for one day, and the one time she had spent the night at Yukari's home had made her swear to never even enter the building ever again. Even thinking about it made her crave a long, hot bath.

Still, she had to admit that Yukari's concern had a justifiable reason, seeing how Rin Satsuki was still on the loose. Even if Reisen had pointed out that Rin was highly unlikely to go after her, seeing how Reimu easily done the least during the battle. Still, Rin Satsuki had shown herself to be dangerously unstable.

But Reimu just couldn't stay there, sidelined among the wounded. Hence, her current compromise.

Well, at least Yukari's barrier was soundless. It was going to be difficult enough to sleep without that obnoxious humming noise energy fields sometimes made. Reimu hobbled up the steps of the shrine, went inside and carefully eased herself onto her sleeping mat. She pulled the blanket up to her chin and closed her eyes.

As predicted, she couldn't sleep.

It wasn't just her injuries. This hadn't been the first time she had been roughed up in a fight. And it wasn't just the situation at hand. No, the problem was that the shrine was just too empty. Suika was more-or-less a constant visitor, and Reimu had grown accustomed to her giggling snores. And then there was Mima, who claimed to prefer to stay at the site of the battle. Although the spirit never made any noise, Reimu had also gotten used to knowing that she was floating around, nearby. Her lack of presence was almost tangible.

Reimu growled and pushed away the covers. She wasn't going to get any sleep anyway, and she needed someone to talk to. To that end, she pushed herself back up on her crutch and limped her way around to the back of the shrine.

Immediately behind the shrine was a grove of cherry trees. Spring was already making its presence known in the white buds that were forming on the branches. Reimu ignored them as she made her way through the trees until she reached a large lake, glistening in the moonlight.

Reimu lowered herself down against a nearby tree. She rapped the tip of her crutch against the lake's water, sending splashing ripples across the surface. "Come on out, you old reptile. I know you're awake."

The water nearby started bubbling, and out came a large, scaly head. Rheumy, yellow eyes squinted at her around a beaklike mouth. "Young lady, what the devils are you still doin' up? It's near midnight! And what the hell is with the light show?"

"Bite me, Genji. And there's no way I'm getting any sleep tonight."

"Why, that oni friend of yours won't stop fartin'?"

"Genji!"

There was a hissing laugh, and the waters surged as an enormous turtle lurched its way onto the dry ground. It was almost two meters across from nose to tail, and the hump of its shell, cracked and worn from age, rose another meter off the ground. And though it made no sense to see one on a reptile, from its face grow a long beard, normally white but currently green with pond water.

The bearded turtle’s name was Genji, and he had lived in the pond behind the shrine for a long, long time, since before the time of Reimu’s great-great-great-great-grandmother, even.

"So," Genji said as he plodded over to sit beside Reimu, his wet beard trailing on the ground beneath him. "What's on your mind? You know it's so rare that you come an' visit me these days. I was wonderin' if you'd plumb forgot I was still here."

"Sorry."

"Sure you are, missy. Sure you…Well now, do my old eyes deceive me, or are those bandages 'round your head?"

"Sure are. Rough day."

Genji tsked, which sounded very odd coming from his reptilian beak. "Must've been. That's a heavy duty barrier you've got over us. You expectin' a war? And is that a crutch I see? Kiddo, I don't know what kind of scrapes you've been gettin' yourself into, but…Wait." The elderly turtle's eyes narrowed. "Your foot. I've seen that before."

Reimu sighed. "Yeah. Yukari calls it the taint. You ever hear about the Shadow Youkai?"

Genji didn't immediately answer. A long silence passed, and then he said "Tell me what happened."

Reimu did. She started with the card game between her, Mima, Suika and Yukari and how it had been disrupted by the arrival of Cirno and her friends. She told him about flying to the Forest of Magic and Marisa's sudden arrival. She told him about encountering Rin Satsuki wearing the form of the Shadow Youkai and the ensuing fight. She described being hurled headfirst through the forest and being forced to sit on the sidelines while the others worked together to catch Satsuki. She went on to tell him about Satsuki's escape and the disaster with Kaguya and Mokou. All the while, Reimu's former mentor didn't interrupt, he didn't ask questions or have her clarify any points. He just listened.

When she finished, he said in a soft voice, "Well now, that's a real pickle you've got yourself into, and no mistake."

"Thanks, I've noticed," Reimu groused. "Genji, what am I supposed to do?"

Genji blinked, a long, deliberate motion that took three times as long as it would for a human. "Now that there's a funny question. What'd’ya mean?"

"Well? Aren't you supposed to be the old, wise master who teaches every new generation of Hakurei shrine maidens what they're supposed to know?"

"Uh, sort of," Genji said. "But it don't work quite that way. Already taught you all that I can. You're supposed to work things out from here on your own."

Reimu brought up the knee of her good foot up under her chin and crossed her arms around it. She stared out across the still waters of the lake. "Fine. I won't ask Genji the Hakurei teacher. I'll ask Genji the cranky old wiseass who's seen more than any three shrine maidens put together."

"Now that's more I like it!" Genji said. He laughed, a harsh wheezing sound. "But it don't seem to me like you want advice 'bout how to squash this latest pest. Seems like somethin' else is botherin' you."

Reimu hesitated, and she nodded. "I was just so useless back there," she said. "The only good I did was get off one Evil Sealing Circle before Satsuki took me out. Everyone else took even more than I did and got back up to keep fighting. But for me, one throw and I was done."

"Heh, I can see how that would make you feel useless. But that's just stupid."

"Huh?" Reimu straightened up and whipped her head around to stare at Genji. "What do you mean, 'stupid'?"

If the elderly reptile could have shrugged, he would have. "Girl, I don't know if you've been payin' the slightest bit of attention to that story you just got done tellin' me, but it seems to me all your weird friends got themselves a serious ass-thrashin' as well. And they be things like an oni, super-youkai, whatever the hell that creepy ghost lady you're always hangin' around with. Ain't no shame gettin' beat by somethin' that beat them too."

"But Marisa…"

"What about her? Sure, she got blasted in the face with her own damned spell, which by the way is an image I will cherish for now and eternity, but that ain't bad. Big as her spell is, it's still all spellcard regulated and proper. Now that taint?" Genji cast a critical eye over Reimu's useless foot. "That one…ain't. And I didn't remember hearin' 'bout that crazy witch gettin' thrown through no bamboo trees, no sir."

Reimu frowned thoughtfully, but she didn't answer.

Genji went on. "Kiddo, you had a bad day, it happens. And from the look o' things, it's only gonna get worst. Not sayin' you ain't entitled to feel a little sorry for yourself, but don't go thinkin' yourself useless, 'cause you ain't. Your ma had plenty of bad days too, so'd your grandma, and your great-grandma before her. And they still kept fighting. And lemme tell you somethin': you're just as tough as any of them. A little…lazy maybe, but still tough. So stop whinin'. You'll be back on your feet and usin' 'em to kick ass again in no time."

With a small laugh, Reimu scratched the back of the elderly reptile's head. "How's it you always know how to make me feel better?"

Genji closed his eyes and twisted his neck, giving her better access to the spot he liked having scratched best. "Decades an' decades of practice. What, you think your ancestors never got all whiny themselves?"

Reimu smirked and leaned back against the tree. Genji settled down, and the two of them watched the moonlight sparkle off the waters of the lake.

…

It had been hours since Daiyousei had awoken, and she was growing nearly frantic with worry.

She and Mystia were still waiting on the same hillside, waiting for some sign of Cirno's return. Wriggle was long gone. The firefly's patience had snapped after about an hour and she had disappeared into the forest, determined to find Cirno herself.

Daiyousei herself was perched on the upper branches of the old oak, nervously surveying the forest around them, hoping to catch a glimpse of Cirno or Wriggle. Down below, Mystia sat near a small fire that she had started, singing softly to herself while occasionally poking the burning embers with a stick.

Although she couldn't identify exactly why, Mystia was starting to worry Daiyousei as well. True, everything worried Daiyousei, but the night-sparrow had started to behave differently from her normal cheerful and mischievous self. Ever since Wriggle had left, Mystia had started to withdraw further and further into herself, barely even acknowledging that Daiyousei was there unless addressed directly. Sure, she still smiled and claimed that she all right, but there was something not right, something more than just concern for their missing friends. Daiyousei knew her too well to tell that.

Frankly, it was getting to be too much. There were too many things to worry about. Daiyousei was worried about what happened to Rumia, she was worried about Cirno finding help and returning safely, she was worried about Wriggle getting lost and/or attacked, she was worried about whatever it was that was bothering Mystia, she was even worried about herself. If things kept up the way they were, Daiyousei would be left alone. And if that happened, who would be there to tell her what to do?

That's when she spied a circle of light floating through the entwined trees of the forest. Not daring to hope, Daiyousei squinted her eyes and focused as hard as she could. There seemed to be a figure walking towards them, surrounded by the light.

Then she recognized the mop-head haircut and the two antennae jutting from them. Almost giddy with relief, Daiyousei dropped to ground. "Mystia!" she cried. "It's Wriggle! She's back!"

"Oh, what?" Mystia started. She looked in the direction Daiyousei was pointing. "Oh, you're right. It is."

"That's all you have to say? C'mon already!" Daiyousei grabbed Mystia by the arm and pulled her along to go meet with the new arrival.

As would be expected from someone who had spent the majority of the day searching through an overgrown forest, Wriggle looked both tired and dirty. The light turned out to be several fireflies, normal ones that flitted and fluttered around their larger kinswoman.

"Wriggle, you're back!" Daiyousei said as she got within earshot, Mystia in tow. "Did you find anything?"

"Hey guys," Wriggle said wearily. "Hang on a sec."

She said something in a weird, buzzing language that Daiyousei didn't understand. The fireflies around her flashed their lights once in reply and flew off on whatever firefly business they had.

"No luck," Wriggle said, dashing Daiyousei's hopes to pieces. "I asked around, and nobody knows where Cirno is, or Reimu for that matter. A few saw an ice fairy flying through the forest at high speed, but she apparently took off over the trees and disappeared." She smirked. "Found a frozen tarantula youkai though, so I guess she's handling herself at least."

"Well, the important thing is that you tried," Mystia said unhelpfully.

"Oh boy," Daiyousei muttered. "Who'd you ask? Other youkai? Fairies?"

Wriggle gave her a hard look. "There's more people around than just fairies and youkai, genius."

Right. Bugs then. Even though Wriggle was technically a bug herself, Daiyousei still found it weird that she could talk to insects that weren't youkai. But if it could get them information, then she had no complaints.

"How about you guys?" Wriggle asked. "No luck, huh?"

Daiyousei shook her head. "N-no. Nothing. Do you think something happened to her?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Maybe she got caught up in something else. Would be just like her, wouldn't it? To just go off and…" Wriggle's eyes suddenly widened. "Well, I'll be squished flat, it's her!"

Daiyousei whirled around. To her immense relief, Wriggle was right. Cirno was flying through the air towards the three of them. Even better, she was in one piece. For the first time, Daiyousei began to think that things would be all right.

"Cirno!" she called, cupping one hand around her mouth and waving with the other. "Over here!"

Cirno nodded at them and swooped down for a landing.

"Took you long enough," Wriggle remarked, her hands on her hips. "I was looking all over for you! Where've you been?"

"Um…around…" Cirno replied, staring at the ground.

"Huh?" Daiyousei bent over to get a look at her face. Cirno quickly turned away, but not before Daiyousei caught a glimpse of bloodshot eyes, framed in frost.

"Cirno? What happened?"

Cirno grimaced. "L-look, not now, okay? Please."

The other three exchanged a glance. "Okay…" Wriggle said. "But, uh, Rumia? Did you learn anything about her?"

"I don't know."

"Huh?" Wriggle pushed her way past Daiyousei to get right in front of Cirno. "What'd’ya mean, 'I don't know'? What the hell happened?"

"I don't know, okay?" Cirno exploded. She grabbed Wriggle by the collar and shoved her face against the firefly's. "I don't know what really happened to Rumia, or if she's still alive, or who she really is, or anything! People kept telling me different things, and now I'm really confused and…I. Just. Don't. Know! Okay?"

"Okay, okay!" Wriggle said hastily. "I got it!"

Cirno shoved the firefly away and turned from her friends. "I don't know, I just don't know," she muttered as she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Cirno?" Daiyousei said softly. She laid one hand on Cirno's shoulder. "Um, a-are you all-"

Cirno pulled away from her touch. "Let's just go home."

"What? But, we're…okay."

Cirno took off into the air, and the other three followed. No one said anything, no one understood anything, and no one could work up the nerve to ask Cirno again what had happened.

They flew through the night air, away from the Forest of Magic, over fields and rivers and around villages. In time, the Youkai Mountains came into view.

The remaining members of Cirno's gang dipped low and darted into an overgrown thicket at the foot of the foremost mountain. Cirno pulled aside a length of wood covered with leaves and bits of branches, revealing the mouth of a cave.

Cirno had discovered the cave some years prior, entirely by accident. She had miscalculated during one of her many capers and had to flee the Tengu village in a hurry. Unfortunately, a parting shot had sent her careening into the thicket. However, that bit of ill fortune had turned out for the best, as it led to her finding the cave and immediately declaring it the personal hideaway of her and her friends.

It was into this cave that the four of slipped into, carefully replacing the board they used for camouflage back in its place. Mystia produced a box of matches from a nearby crevice and lit a lantern, illuminating the small cavern they had entered and casting shadows over the nearby stones and jutting stalagmites.

As they walked around, lighting the other lanterns that hung along the cavern's wall, Daiyousei sidled up to Wriggle. "What do we do now?" she whispered.

Wriggle shook her head. "I have no freaking idea," she admitted. "But if you ask me, I think something bad's happened. Something really, really-"

"Cirno!"

The high-pitched voice came out of nowhere. Everyone shouted in alarm and whirled around to see a dark shape leap from the other end of the cavern to pounce on Cirno, tackling her to the ground.

Even more confused than before, Cirno stared up to see a pair of wide, brown eyes framed by disheveled hair of the same color.

"Hi Cirno!" Chen shouted down at the ice fairy. "Ran was being a real meanie and had the doctor from the moon stick needles in my arm and I fell asleep and woke up in a closet and decided to run away to find you and I got here but you weren't here yet so I waited until you got back so we could go out and play like you said except it's night now, so can we play all night instead of-Huh?"

She then noticed the other fairy and two youkai, standing nearby and staring at her.

"Hey," Chen said in a more normal voice. "What happened to you guys?"

…

Night had fallen on Gensokyo. Everywhere, those who preferred the light of the Sun were going to sleep while those who stalked the darkness were starting to crawl from their holes. The chirping of birds had been replaced with the chittering of crickets, and lanterns were illuminating the various settlements.

Wholly unaware of the recent changes that had happened to their world, the various inhabitants of the land went about their nightly routine, whether it meant shutting down for the day or starting up. And why shouldn't they? It was just another day, the same as all the others.

Elsewhere, however, others were much more restless. Yukari stood at the door of her home, staring down at the sprawling country before her, her lips closed so tightly they were almost bloodless. Reimu eventually drifted off to sleep by the lake, causing a chuckling Genji to heave her onto his back and carry her back to the shrine. Ran searched frantically through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, unaware that Chen was safely with Cirno and her friends. Marisa snored softly to herself, lost in a rare moment of peace that would be gone as soon as she awoke.

And, in the wreck that was Eientei, a rabbit named Reisen Udongein crawled exhausted into the sleeping bag that had been provided for her until her quarters could be repaired. When she was sure no one was listening, she pulled out the object she had managed to rescue from the debris of her room. It was a framed photograph, showing her dressed in a purple kimono and smiling for the camera. Standing beside her and totally unaware of the rabbit ears Reisen was holding up behind her head was a cheerful blond-haired girl wearing a red kimono and holding up a sparkler. Reisen clutched the picture to her chest as stubborn tears formed in her eyes. Even though she kept telling herself that everything would eventually work out for the best, she knew in her heart that they were about to get much worst.

Spring had come to Gensokyo, and nobody cared. They had bigger things to worry about.

Chapter Text

Given that Yukari was so rarely awake once night ended, the sight of early-morning Gensokyo was not one she enjoyed often. Of course, the word "enjoyed" was entirely subjective, as she was finding little to enjoy about the view.

She stared down at the mist-shrouded country. On the whole, it looked very peaceful, but it was all an illusion. Somewhere out there was a deranged lunatic who had come uncomfortably close to cutting her in half, who had gone toe-to-toe with one pissed off oni and had come out on top, who had been on the receiving end of the wrath of two of Gensokyo's most prolific magic-users and survived. And despite all that, despite all of their best efforts, had managed to get away and score virtual immortality in the process.

And then there was what that thing had done to Reimu. Yukari wasn't overly affectionate towards humans (or anyone else, for that matter), but she had been looking after the Hakurei family on-and-off for some time now. And she liked Reimu. The girl was just so much fun to annoy. Plus, she appreciated Reimu's complete disregard of everyone she met, regardless of status and ability. It reminded Yukari of herself.

Also, Reimu was the last of the Hakureis. Should the line end, then they were all royally screwed.

…

As Gensokyo was a country whose lifestyle and culture, if it could be called that, were of distinctly Eastern influences, the Scarlet Devil Mansion tended to stick out. But then, it would stick out in Western countries as well.

It rose above the treetops, near the western shore of the Misty Lake, a tall, imposing structure that was all soaring turrets and red brick. Dozens of windows lined the wall, windows that were always darkened during day but would come alive with bizarre flickering lights as soon as the Sun went down. Grinning gargoyles leered down from atop battlements and the front gate. And above it all sat the mansion's centerpiece: a gigantic clock-tower, whose time piece constantly spun round and round in a manner that made sense only to its master.

Generally, people gave the mansion and the surrounding area a wide berth, which was perfectly fine with its inhabitants. After all, constant attacks from monster-hunters and other adventurers were part of reason they had moved to Gensokyo in the first place. Being a vampire meant you couldn't go around taking chances.

It was toward this imposing structure that two figures approached. One didn't seem too out of place: a young blonde woman wearing black clothing and a white apron, though the pointed hat she wore and the broom she had slung across her shoulders might raise a few eyebrows. However, given her choice of companion was a tall woman with moss-green hair, eccentric blue clothing, and whose legs had been replaced with an ethereal tail, it was highly unlikely anyone would pay her a second look. They would be too busy staring at the ghost.

"So how come nobody ever told me about this Ringleader business?" she said to Mima. "Another one of your 'big secrets'?"

Mima just shook her head. "It really isn't. If you're picturing some sort of shadowy organization working behind the scenes, controlling every aspect of Gensokyo, then you're going to be disappointed."

"Then what is it?"

"Well, as you know, Gensokyo has never had a centralized government. In fact, the entire country is composed of semi-independent communities that seem bound and determined to ignore or annoy one another. And every fifty years or so, the leaders of some of the more prominent communities get together to review whatever agreements they have with their neighbors, discuss the latest issues and open the floor for solutions, air their grievances, point fingers, start blood feuds, that sort of thing. We've also been known to meet during especially dangerous crises to try to solve them before they get out of hand. Nothing very exciting I'm afraid, and things rarely ever get accomplished. The Ringleader nickname is new though. I think it only stuck about a century or two ago."

"Huh." Marisa tapped an index finger against her lower lip as she considered this. "And you're a member?"

"Only very recently. It was decided that given Hakurei shrine's importance to the border, it might as well have an official representative. And since I was the closest thing it had to an actual deity, and many of the members rather have me working for them than against…" Mima smiled and shrugged. "Still, others weren't pleased about my addition, to say the least. Especially given that most of my history consisted of trying to destroy the Hakurei Shine, sometimes successfully. Easily one of the funniest days I've had in recent history."

"So how come you never told me about these guys, ze?"

"Eh, never saw the reason. Besides, it may not be a big secret, all things considered. Certainly no one has ever made an actual attempt to cover it up. Anyone with a bit of common sense could figure it out of they gave it any real thought. But we've never made any actual attempt to tell anyone either. There's still a lot of bad blood between certain communities, and we would rather the citizens didn't start forcing their leaders to make an issue of it every time a meeting is called. Besides, you've met several of them already at one time or another, just not all in one place."

"Ah. Like who?"

"Oh, you know. There's Yukari of course. And Kaguya, though she's obviously not going to attend, and the leader of the Human Village, forget his name. And there's Kanako Yasaka, of course, and a few others. Just think of any group with any significant amount of power and influence, and then think of their leader. Odds are, they're a member."

Marisa shot her former mentor a look. She deeply doubted that Mima had forgotten any of the names at all.

"Still…" Mima tapped her lower lip thoughtfully. "Ironically enough, out of all the secrets we are keeping, this is probably the least publicly known. Perhaps it is our general lack of interest in hiding the organization's existence that has prevented the cover from being blown. Maybe we should start taking that strategy with some of our real secrets." Her eyes twinkled. "In fact, had Eirin and company just painted that box grey and stuck in the middle of the Human Village with an Out Of Order sign, it would probably have never been trifled with."

Marisa had to laugh at the image. "I would have left it alone, that's for sure."

"Exactly. Ah, here we are."

Marisa stopped walking and squinted up at the mansion, shielding her eyes with one hand. "This is so freaking weird," she complained.

"What? Visiting the Scarlet Devil Mansion?" Mima asked. "Not my usual hangout to be sure, but as I understand it, you're something of a regular."

"Yeah, but I don't usually go through the front gate, ze. Doesn't feel right."

"I see. Entering someone else's home through the front door with their permission and knowledge does not feel right." Mima's mouth turned up in a smirk. "Marisa, I think you need to reexamine your values system."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just saying, they're probably not going to be happy to see me. You know what, go on ahead. I'll wait here."

"Oh, no you don't." Mima snagged Marisa by the sleeve, preventing her from leaving. "You're the one who stole the box in the first place. You're going to see this through to the end."

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?" Marisa muttered, but she didn't object further.

They headed toward the stone wall surrounding the building. Directly in front was a locked iron gate, which was more symbolic of the residents' desire to be left alone than anything, considering how many people in Gensokyo knew how to fly. Standing in front of the gate with her hands clasped in front of her was a tall woman with flowing red hair. She seemed to be on edge, judging by how she kept casting nervous glances at the surrounding forest. That in itself was fairly normal. What weren't normal were the four black bat-wings sprouting from the redhead: two on her back and two on either side of her head, almost like a second pair of ears.

Marisa stopped walking when she saw the woman. "Wow, hello. That's weird."

Mima agreed. "Now, I know I don't come here often, but I don't believe that is the usual guard."

"It ain't. That's Patchouli's, ahem," Marisa coughed into her fist. "Assistant. She's usually working in the library. I don't think I've ever even seen her outside, ze."

"Hmmm." Mima rubbed her chin as she watched the replacement gate-guard thoughtfully. "I wonder what she's doing out here."

"I dunno. Let's find out. Hey, Koakuma!" Marisa shouted as she stomped towards the gate. "The hell are you doing out here?"

Koakuma started in surprise as Marisa's sudden appearance, her hands jumping to her chest. "Oh my gods, Marisa, don't scare me like that!"

"Jeez, Meiling was asleep practically all the time and she was a better guard than you," Marisa grumbled. She prodded Koakuma with the handle of her broom, causing the devil to take an instinctive step back. "What are you doing here, anyway? Meiling call in dead?"

"Well, um," Koakuma cast an uncertain glance over her shoulder, towards the mansion. "Not exactly."

"Say what?"

"Meiling was unable perform her duties today, due to, uh, injuries incurred."

"Injuries?" Marisa raised an eyebrow. "What, Sakuya use her for a pincushion again?"

"No, not exactly. You see, last week was Mistress Flandre's birthday, and Mistress Remilia traditionally lets her out to play a game on that night. And this year…well, Mistress Flandre wanted to play tag."

There was a long moment of silence. And then Marisa said, "Oh." She started snickering.

Koakuma nodded once. "Indeed. Mistress Flandre was 'It' and…well, I believe Meiling is 'It' now, and will remain so for the foreseeable future."

Marisa suddenly slapped her hands around her mouth and snorted back laughter. She fell back against a tree as barely-repressed hysterics shook her body.

Koakuma, however, just looked indignant. "Well, I certainly don't see what's so funny about that," she muttered as she crossed her arms. "She was quite hurt!"

"I know, I know," Marisa said, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "It's just…Bwahahaha!"

Mima rolled her eyes and moved in front of the hysterical witch. "My companion's joviality aside, we do have business inside," she told Hong Meiling's replacement.

"Oh! I'm sorry, but Mistress Scarlet is asleep! It is daytime, after all."

"Actually, it was Sakuya we wished to speak to. An…incident just came up, one which we believe she could help with."

Koakuma looked dubious. "Well, I'm not sure she will be able to take time from her duties…"

"Huh?" Marisa pushed herself back to her feet. "She's the freaking master of time and space, ze! Time should not even be an issue! Why is time an issue?"

"I suppose," Koakuma admitted. "I suppose I could…" Then she straightened and raised one hand to her temple. A thought had apparently just occurred to her. "Wait, something just…Now if I recall…"

Koakuma dug into the pockets and extracted a small white notepad and a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses. She unfolded the glasses and put them on as she started flipping through the notepad.

"Let's see…" she muttered. "'Stay in front of the gate'? No. 'Do not move for any reason'? No. 'Absolutely do not fall asleep lest Sakuya gut me like a pig'? No. Ah, here it is! 'Not under any circumstance am I ever, and Patchouli means ever allowed to permit Marisa Kirisame to set foot, hand or any other body part, broom, spell or explosive device on the mansion grounds, and if I do, I will have latrine duty for a month.'"

"What?" Marisa sputtered. "Gimme that!"

She snatched the notepad from Koakuma's hand and read furiously. "…broom, spell, yadda yadda yadda…What the hell, Koakuma? Has Patchouli gone all paranoid or something, ze? I thought we were friends!"

Koakuma sighed and took off her glasses. "Marisa, I should not have to remind you that your escapades her have caused Patchouli a great deal of stress," she explained as she wiped the glasses with the hem of her blouse. "And while I don't bear you any ill will, I do not want to be stuck with latrine duty. So I'm afraid that you and your friend will have to-"

Mima pointed a single finger and muttered a word. Koakuma stopped in mid-sentence and her body seized up. The devil's eyes widened as she lifted off the ground, entirely against her will. She appeared to be trying to speak her protests, but her mouth was not cooperating.

Another muttered word and Koakuma's back was shoved up against the iron gate. She winced as she hit hard, her glasses falling to the ground in the process. Her body twitched as she tried to strain against the spell.

Even Marisa seemed shocked at Mima's action, but the spirit paid her no heed. Her focus was on her suspended captive. "Now, little devil, pay attention," she said in a calm voice. "We have official business with the maid and your librarian master. I do not care what sort of instructions you've been given. You will go find them, or I shall-"

"You'll what?"

The interruption did not come from Koakuma, who still hung helplessly. Nor did it come from Marisa, who had jumped back in surprise as the new arrival seemed to literally materialize in their presence.

???

Sakuya Izayoi, chief maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and second in authority only to Remilia herself, stood in their midst, her arms folded. She did not look amused.

"Oh," Mima said. "There you are." She flicked her fingers, and Koakuma dropped to the ground.

Sakuya inclined her head. "Indeed. I was upstairs when I saw you harassing poor Koakuma. I shouldn't have to tell either of you that I do not appreciate someone mistreating my employees, especially when they were only trying to do their job." Her eyes hardened. "In light of the fact, I do believe you owe her an apology."

"Huh?" Marisa's jaw dropped. "You want. Us. To apologize? What, are you completely-"

She immediately stopped talking when a knife appeared out of nowhere to fly at her face. It stopped bare inches before cutting through her forehead. Marisa's eyes crossed to stare at the blade hovering over her nose. Indecipherable noises squeaked out of her mouth.

"As I said," Sakuya said as she examined her fingernails. "I do not appreciate people bothering my staff, you least of all. If you have business with me, fine. But please refrain from transferring that business to others."

The stunned silence was suddenly broken by one of the most unexpected sounds imaginable, at least from Marisa's point of view. It was a high-pitched bout of laughter, full of amusement and completely devoid of any mockery whatsoever. That in itself was not so odd, but considering the source, it was quite disturbing.

"Ahahahahah," Mima chuckled. She flicked away a tear that she had created purely for effect. "Maid, I like you. Well done." She turned toward Koakuma, who was still sprawled against the gate and watching the proceedings nervously.

"Young devil, I apologize for my unsightly actions," Mima said, bowing low. "I pray that you'll forgive this momentary lack of manners on the behalf of an old spirit."

Koakuma cringed back against the bars. "Er, um, what?"

"I'll take that as an affirmative." Mima turned back to Sakuya. She spread her empty palms and smiled in a disarming manner. "There now, no harm done. Now, may we take a few moments of your valuable time? I assure you, it is a matter of great importance."

Sakuya's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she shrugged and said, "I suppose that will have to do." She fetched the floating knife out of the air, to Marisa's expressed relief. "And I hope you're not wasting my time."

"Oh, we're not," Mima said agreeably. "Does the name 'Rin Satsuki' mean anything to you?"

Absolute silence was her only answer. Sakuya stood stock-still, her blank expression completely unreadable. Marisa shot a glance over to Mima, who simply winked and indicated that they should wait.

Then Sakuya said, "Koakuma? Is Patchouli in the library?"

The devil stiffened at being addressed. "What? Oh, um, yes. Let's see, this is Tuesday, right? Right now she'd be in…"

"Southern stacks, G section," Marisa supplied helpfully. "Somewhere between 'Ge' and 'Gai'."

"Yes, you would know that, wouldn't you?" Sakuya muttered. She sighed and nodded to Mima. "All right, ladies. Shall we go inside?"

…

"We're getting' a lot of weird looks," Genji muttered as he and Reimu made their way through the Human Village.

"You mean you're getting a lot of weird looks," Reimu retorted. She shifted her legs into a more comfortable position. "Unlike a certain giant flying turtle, some of us actually look like we belong."

"Who's the bigger weirdo?" Genji shot back. "The flyin' turtle, or the bandaged-up girl ridin' the flyin' turtle like a damned horse?"

Reimu had to admit he had a point. Certainly, unusual sights were very common in Gensokyo, and seeing creatures that had no business flying to swoop through the air like naturals didn't raise much in the way of eyebrows. Still, the inhabitants of the Human Village preferred to keep the country's stranger elements on the outside. And given the reputation Reimu had accumulated over the last few years, she could not honestly say that she was considered any more "normal" than Genji. Even if he was a giant flying turtle.

Of course, Genji was only there because Reimu needed the help getting around. While she could limp around the shrine grounds just fine, traveling long distance was another matter entirely, and the Human Village wasn't exactly around the corner. Of course, they could always have someone else deliver Yukari's message, but once Reimu had learned who the intended recipients were, she had practically insisted that she play the role of messenger, injuries be damned. So she had pulled on her winter boots to disguise her blackened foot, found a straw hat to pull down over her bandaged forehead, and practiced walking around without the crutch so she didn't look like a complete idiot once she had to jump off of Genji. The limp was still there, but it wasn't like she would be walking very long.

Unfortunately, there was still the downside of entering the Human Village in the first place. While she had done the place any number of favors in the past, there were any number of people who just plain didn't like her.

Just as if her musings had intruded upon reality, Reimu started noticing some unsavory glances from those they passed. A couple of older women treated her with vicious scowls before turning their backs on her. A handful well-to-do men deliberately turned into an alley to avoid sharing the street with her. A merchant running a cooked vegetables stand pulled down a curtain around his stand as they passed by. And everywhere were sidelong glares and muted whispers.

Reimu folded her arms and stared at the ground directly in front of Genji's head. Ungrateful bunch of closed-minded idiots. She didn't usually care about how others thought of her, but once in a while it would be nice to receive some sort of acknowledgement for all she had done for them. It didn't matter how many times she pulled their fat out of the fire, she was still treated like an outsider. Maybe the next time a Hell Raven decided to bring forth a nuclear holocaust, she should just pull out a lawn-chair and let them handle it.

"Look, it's Reimu!" a gleeful young voice shouted, pulling her out of her bitter musings. Reimu looked up to see a couple of children, couldn't have been older than ten, running toward her.

"It's you, isn't it? Reimu Hakurei?" the boy asked. His dark hair was tied into a topknot and he was clenching his fists in barely repressed excitement. "It's really you!"

Reimu blinked, completely unsure of how to answer that question. "Well, yes…"

"Of course it is, dummy!" said his companion, a pigtailed girl who was missing a tooth. "Who else would be riding on a flying turtle?"

"Awesome!" The boy jumped up and down, pounding his fists to the sky. "Oh wow, you're actually here!"

Genji chuckled. "See? Told'ja it was you."

"Wow, it talks too?" The boy pressed bent over to stare Genji in the eye. "Did you teach it that, Miss Hakurei?"

Reimu snorted back a laugh as Genji spurted angrily. "She most certainly did not! If anything I taught her how to talk!"

"Really?" the girl said. She squinted her eyes at Genji, and then up at Reimu. "Does that mean you speak turtle too?"

Reimu couldn't hold back any longer. She had to brace herself to keep from falling off of Genji's back as guffaws forced their way out of her. It hurt like hell, especially with her injured ribs, but it felt good to be able to laugh again.

"No, no, no," she managed to choke out. "Turtles don't really have an actual language. They-"

"Tipo! Chacha!" a new said. A large man wearing a green poncho bustled over to them. He leaned over the two children with a disproving look on his face. "There you are! What did I tell you about wandering-Oh." He stopped his scolding when he saw Reimu and Genji and straightened. "Oh, it's you."

Reimu wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, so she just forced a weak smile and gave a half-wave. "Yeah, hi. It's me…Huh?"

She looked down. The man was extending his arm out with his palm open. It looked like he wanted to shake hands.

"Um…okay…" Reimu slowly placed her hand in his and pumped it once.

The man smiled. "I never got the chance to thank you properly."

"Really? For what?"

"For saving my life."

Again, Reimu almost fell off of Genji's back again. "Wait, what?"

"You probably don't remember," the man explained. "It was a few years back. I was out in the forest chopping wood when I was ambushed by a couple of lizard youkai. Thought I was a goner, up until you showed up and gave them the single greatest thrashing I have ever seen." The man laughed heartily. "Of course, right after you chewed me out for letting me guard down. I tell you, you can lecture like no one's business. Not even my wife can compete! But then, I deserved it. Should've been watching my step better."

Reimu stared. All things considered, gratitude was not something she was accustomed to receiving. "Oh. Well, thank you."

"No, thank you." The man gathered up his children in his large arms. "So, what brings you to the village? Hope it isn't another incident."

Reimu waved the paper she had clutched in her hand. "No, just gotta deliver a message. Nothing to worry about," she lied. No reason for him to worry unnecessarily.

The man looked relieved. "Glad to hear it. Well, we'll just get out of your way, then." He inclined his head. "A pleasure, Miss Hakurei."

The two children waved happily as the three of them headed away. Reimu nodded and waved back.

Genji let out a low whistle, a neat trick for someone without lips. "Well now, how 'bout that? Life is full of surprises, eh?"

Reimu smiled blissfully as she settled back. "Yeah…"

Genji clicked his tongue at her. "Get your head back in the game, girl. Still got a job to do, and sooner you're back at the shrine restin' up, the better."

"Right, right. Best get moving then." She didn't stop smiling though.

The elderly turtle rolled his eyes and started moving again. They passed by shops, houses and a school before stopping large, two-story building at the far end of the village. It looked like two barns stuck together, side-by-side, with a more traditional house slapped onto the front.

Genji craned his neck to stare at the building. Through the windows, they could see odd lights flashing and sparks flying. Smoke billowed out of several thin metal chimneys to drift away on the wind.

"Well, I guess this is the place," Genji remarked.

The edges of Reimu's smile dipped downward. "Looks like."

Over the doorway was a white sign painted with large, blocky letters. It read "THE ASAKURA SCIENCE FOUNDATION".

…

The library of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was known as the single largest library to be found in Gensokyo and quite possibly anywhere else. There were literally hundreds of shelves containing thousands of volumes to be found, and the shelves themselves towered high above the red marble floor. Rolling ladders were to be found at random intervals along the shelves' sides, though they were hardly necessary. And, perhaps the strangest of all, a gigantic pendulum hung from one wall, forever swinging back and forth and filling the library with a deep, echoing clocking noise like an oversize metronome. Whether it served some actual purpose or the library's keeper simply liked the sound was anybody's guess.

Given that the inhabitants of the Scarlet Devil Mansion did not consider the laws of time and space to be rules so much as few among several suggested options, the library was easily larger than the exterior of the Scarlet Devil Mansion itself. And given the size of the shelves and the fact that they were arranged in a manner that made sense only to the said inhabitants, one could easily get lost in the maze of literature with little hope of escape. At least they wouldn't want for entertainment though, unless they were illiterate.

It was inside this labyrinth that Patchouli Knowledge spent practically all of her time. As a devoted student of both the magical arts and the written word, she could think of no better place to reside, even if Meiling was always teasing her about needing to get a life. She knew every inch of the library, and it knew her. All it took was one glance, and she could instantly tell when something was amiss.

Today, something was amiss.

Patchouli sighed as she pulled the book that had attracted her attention off the shelf. The cover had a slight tear and the papers were dog-eared and wrinkled. A paper bookmark was stuck in hallway through. She gave it a small shake, dislodging some leaves of grass that had been caught between the pages. It had not been that way the last time she had seen it. Which meant…

"Tokiko!" she shouted, amplifying her voice so it thundered through the library.

A few moments passed, and then came a fluttering of wings. Through the shelves flew a red-winged silver-haired ibis youkai. Patchouli was known to "recruit" outside youkai from time to time to lend a hand, and since she was deprived of Koakuma's services until Meiling recovered, she needed the extra help. Fortunately, Tokiko had surprised her by not only knowing how to read (a rarity among the youkai), but possessing a great love for books. Not as much as Patchouli herself, but she still treated them with greater reverence than some of her predecessors.

Still, she did have one weakness: in that she loved them too much. Patchouli had found volumes lying open on tables and dropped under chairs. She had found Tokiko herself huddled away in corners, mesmerized by some new story when she should be performing her duties. If it weren't for the fact that Patchouli needed the help and Tokiko understood more about bookkeeping than any ten of the previous "recruits", she would have given the slacker the boot after the first week.

"I'm here!" Tokiko announced as she swooped down to hover next to her boss. "What is…Oh."

"Oh. Exactly. Couldn't have put it better myself." Patchouli waved the book in her face. "You read this outside."

Tokiko seemed preoccupied with an invisible speck of dirt on the ground. "Er…"

"Even though I specifically told you that I don't want any of these volumes leaving the library. Forget again, and I don't care how good of a bookkeeper you are. You're gone. Got it?"

Tokiko blushed and nodded.

"And another thing. Care to explain this?" Patchouli held the strip of paper she had extracted from between the book's pages.

"But I was getting to the good part! Shadow was just about to find out who Mr. Wednesday is-"

"I don't care. I do not want any bookmarks other than my own touching my books. And I don't want anyone other than myself using my bookmarks. So learn to memorize page numbers. Understand?"

Tokiko nodded again.

Patchouli was about to add more, but then someone entered the library. It was always easy to tell when that happened, due to the loud echo the door made when it opened.

"Patchouli!" she heard Sakuya call.

Patchouli grimaced. "Oh, what did I do now?" she muttered. Then she noticed Tokiko staring at her curiously. The librarian frowned and inclined her head meaningfully. Fortunately, Tokiko got the message and fled back to whatever it was she had been doing.

"Patchouli!" Sakuya called again. "Come on up, we need to talk!"

"Of course we do," Patchouli grumbled. She placed the book back in its place and drifted upward, above the shelves.

Sure enough, Sakuya was there, standing at the head of the wide staircase that descended into the library. And from the look of things, she had brought company. One of them Patchouli recognized instantly, though Marisa's presence surprised her. While she did run across the young witch on a nearly weekly basis, she never entered through the library's proper entrance, especially not in Sakuya's company. Now Patchouli was all curiosity. Had the maid finally caught Marisa during one of her capers? If so, this could turn out to be a good day after all.

But there was someone else with them, someone rather unusual looking. Patchouli put on her spectacles and squinted, trying to make out the newcomers' features.

Then her heart skipped a beat.

No.

There was no chance. It couldn't be.

But it was. She was here. Here, in Patchouli's library. Patchouli sucked in a breath and quickened her pace.

Sakuya looked up as Patchouli came in for a landing. "Ah, there you are. I'm sorry, but something has-"

"Yes, I'm sure," Patchouli brushed her off. Her attention was entirely focused on the green-haired spirit that had entered with them.

"Madam Mima, it's an absolute honor to finally be able to meet you," she stated, excitedly grabbing the object of her attention by the hand. "I know you probably hear this all the time, but I'm your biggest fan! I have all the books you've written and, and read them over and over! My favorite was Comparative Physics and Their Impact on Magical Theory, but the others were just as fantastic! The research you've contributed to the magical world as a whole and the spells you've devised…absolute genius! Oh my gods, listen to me babble on and on, but I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you in person!"

"Oh gods, here we go," Marisa muttered. She leaned against the doorframe and grumpily folded her arms.

"Why thank you," Mima said in a sweet tone. She placed her other hand over Patchouli's, causing a trill of delight to sing through Patchouli's veins. "You're much too kind. I've actually been meaning to meet with you as well."

Patchouli very nearly lost her footing. "You…you have?"

Mima nodded. "Certainly. My little Marisa's told me so much about you. It's always refreshing to meet another master of the arts."

Behind her, Marisa started making gagging sounds.

"M-me?" Patchouli flushed crimson. "But I'm nowhere near the level-"

"Enough," Sakuya said, cutting Patchouli's dream-meeting short. She didn't raise her voice, she didn't emphasize any particular syllables, but the way she said it made it clear that she would brook no argument.

"Patchouli, as exciting as this must be for you, we have a crisis on our hands," Sakuya told her.

"We do?" Patchouli tilted her head. "What kind?"

Mima released her hand, much to Patchouli's disappointment. "The severe kind, I'm afraid. But first things first. I have something to give you."

"You…you do?"

"Indeed. As I understand it, some of your property has accidentally fallen into the hands of my Marisa here. I thought it only proper that we return it in person.

…

As soon as Reimu entered the workshop of the Asakura sisters, she wanted to leave. The place was certainly large and impressive. One could fit a couple Hakurei shrines inside and still have room for a game of football. But it was also smelly, filthy, and crammed with tools, large strips of metal, glass instruments and containers filled with noxious-smelling liquids on top of wooden tables. Straight down the middle was a line of furnaces spewing out black smoke, and half-finished contraptions lay everywhere, wires and gears hanging out like coils of intestines and jutting bits of bone.

"Oh, gahhhh," Genji gagged. "What in the name of the great catfish is wrong with this place?" He shook his head and sneezed.

"Tell me about it," Reimu agreed. "Look, this place probably isn't doing much good for your skin. Wait outside, I'll be out in a minute."

Genji twisted his head to fix her with a reproachful look. "Young lady, if you think I'm just gonna abandon-"

"Oh, knock it off," Reimu said wearily. She slipped off his back, making sure her good foot absorbed most of her weight. "I'm just delivering a message. And these guys are pretty harmless."

An explosion thundered through the workshop, knocking over vials and sending gears rolling through the piles of scrap metal. A cloud of dark smoke that had nothing to do with the furnaces rose from one of the far corners. From within, flashing sparks could be seen, accompanied by an angry bout of cursing.

"Well, mostly harmless," Reimu amended. "Still, I've taken them on before. They're more eccentric than dangerous." When Genji still looked incredulous, she said, "Look, I'll be fine, okay? Compared to those trips to Hell, this is nothing."

"Well, if you say so," Genji muttered. Despite his reluctance, he did seem relieved. "Holler if things go sour."

Reimu was tempted to make a snide remark about how much Genji would actually be able to contribute, but thought better of it. "I'll do that."

Genji nodded and quickly floated back outside. Shaking her head, Reimu covered her mouth with her sleeve and limped her way through the maze of metal toward the explosion's origin.

As she approached, she began to discern words through the rest of the commotion. "Core's only discharging every four cycles," said a calm, if still loud, voice. "Should be doing that every two. There's too much energy release."

"You think?" shot back a higher, more agitated sounding voice. "Nearly discharged it right through my spinal column."

Reimu cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me!"

"The problem is probably with the fluidic converters. Get down there and check if they're aligned properly.

"Oh, hell no! You go, it's you turn!"

With a roll her eyes, Reimu picked up a nearby wrench and banged it against a sheet of metal. "Hey!"

There was a pause, and a head poked out of the smoke. Long purple hair framed a face that was smudged with soot. Turquoise eyes blinked at her from behind a pair of glasses with round lenses.

"Oh, bloody hell," Rikako Asakura muttered once she recognized her visitor. "It's you. Of course."

She disappeared back into the smoke. There was the loud clank of a lever being pulled, and the whining sound died away. The smoke slowly cleared, revealing a…something. Something made out of a bronze-colored metal and with way too many legs.

Another head, this one with brown hair that managed to be even filthier than Rikako's, popped out of the thing’s guts. "Hey!" Rika Asakura shouted down to her sister as she pushed the safety goggles she was wearing up to her forehead. "What's going on? Why'd you turn it off?"

Her hand still on the lever, Rikako tilted her head toward Reimu.

"Huh?" Rika blinked. Then she smiled. "Well, look who decided to visit us blasphemous heretics! Or was it heretical blasphemers? I could never keep it straight. So, what brings you to our humble adobe? Got another sermon about the evils of science all prepared?"

Reimu scowled back. "Believe me, it wasn't my idea."

"Yeah?" Rika pulled herself out of her unfinished creature. She slid down its curving carapace and landed next to her sister. "What, your god sent you with a message of eternal damnation? Fire, brimstone, soggy noodles, the works?"

"No actually, I-"

"But, oh wait!" Rika snapped her fingers in front of her nose. "What am I thinking? Hakurei shrine doesn't even have a god! It doesn't have a god, right Rikako?"

Rikako shook her head. "No, I don't believe so."

"Riiigghht. So that rules out the divine condemnation. Kinda hard to blaspheme something that ain't there."

Reimu's left eye twitched. Remember the mission, you're not here to fight, she told herself. Give the message and get out.

"I'm actually here on behalf of Yukari Yakumo." Just saying the words felt strange. While she considered Yukari a valuable ally, maybe even a friend, she never thought she would end up as the ancient youkai's messenger. Still, considering the contents of the message and the recipients, she supposed she could make an exception.

"It's about one of your past experiments," Reimu continued. "Seems it's causing some problems."

Rika and Rikako exchanged a confused look and shrugged in unison.

"Yeah?" Rika said. "Which one?"

…

The recovered property was not a book.

Bewildered and upset, Patchouli circled around the crystalline chest, running her hand over the smooth surfaces and sharp-cut edges. It was one of hers all right. The question was how it had come into Mima's possession.

Strike that, she knew how Mima had gotten ahold of it. Marisa's presence was more than enough of an answer. But the idea of Marisa taking one of her boxes was…disturbing, especially considering that they were constructed for a reason: to keep magical items of a dangerous nature out of the hands of those who would misuse them. And Marisa couldn't even pick up a pen without misusing it.

But how had she found it? The boxes were sealed away in a separate part of the mansion and were heavily protected by a variety of wards and other defensive mechanisms.

"How did…" Patchouli fumbled over her words and tried again. "How did you even get one of these?"

They were gathered in Patchouli's private study. As would be imagined, the place was almost a miniature library of its own. However, unlike the library itself, this room contained only books that were either part of Patchouli's private collection or were written by Patchouli herself.

The chest itself sat in the center of the room. Mima had apparently shrunk it down to travel-size and had returned it to its original state once they were all inside. That in itself was enough to indicate that it had been taken from the Scarlet Devil Mansion grounds, and as such all of her protective spells and safeguards had been broken. Given how long it took Patchouli to construct and enchant one of those boxes, it was all very irritating.

"Found it in one of the back rooms," Marisa supplied. "Hong woke up as I was sneaking past, and I needed a place to hide."

"But how did you even get in there?" Patchouli demanded. "The wards should have made it impossible!"

"Is that was those were? I thought Meiling was just going nuts."

Patchouli was started to grow angry. No, check that, incensed. "You mean you stumbled into my vault by accident?"

Marisa thought for a moment. She shrugged. "Seems that way."

Patchouli was going to continue yelling, but Sakuya cut her off. "Enough. We don't have time for pointless bickering. Especially considering what the box contained."

"Is that so?" Patchouli muttered. "So, what potentially earth-ending device of mine has fallen into the hands of the kleptolunatic?"

"Rin Satsuki," Mima said cheerfully.

Patchouli didn't immediately react. In fact, the words so completely failed to make any sense to her that it was almost as if she had not heard them at all. Patchouli shook her head and said, "I-I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Rin Satsuki was in the box," Mima said helpfully. "Though she hasn't exactly fallen into Marisa's hands, per se…"

"More like she tried to chop them off," Marisa muttered.

"…in fact, her condition could be described as…oh, what's the word?" Mima wondered. She snapped her fingers as she pretended to try to remember. "'At large'? 'On the loose'? 'Currently roaming free through Gensokyo, likely devouring everything and everyone in her path, engaging in such a gluttonous massacre that the world has not seen nor shall ever see again'? I suppose they all apply."

Patchouli felt her knees grow weak. She tried to sit down in her desk chair, missed, and landed bottom-first on the floor, where she remained. She gaped up at the spirit. "Rin Satsuki is free? Marisa set the psychopath loose?"

"Hey, it wasn't me, ze!" Marisa protested. "Blame Cirno, it's all her fault!"

"What? What does-"

"Oh, that's not all," Mima said. She pulled out a slip of paper from her sleeve. "I really hate to further ruin the day of my biggest fan, but I really need to give this to you and Sakuya."

Her mind being in the state it was, Patchouli did not possess the mental facilities to stand, much less take the paper and read. Fortunately, Sakuya did that.

"What is it?" the maid asked. She scanned the first few lines. Her eyes widened.

"A subpoena," Mima said. "You two are officially ordered to appear before the Court of Conflict in two days’ time to discuss the problem. Failure to comply will be treated as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the cleanup operation and shall be treated as such." A sweet smile spread across her lips. "But I don't think that will be a problem, do you?"

…

The look on the Asakura faces when Reimu handed them the summons almost made having to visit the Human Village and enter their dump of a workshop worth it.

"Are you serious?" Rika demanded as she waved the paper about. "A summons? We were barely involved! Go talk to the moonies if you wanna prosecute somebody!"

Rikako agreed. "S-surely this is all a misunderstanding," she said, wringing her hands nervously. "After all, our part in the experiment was miniscule at best! We weren't even involved in the containment of the creature. Perhaps y-you should speak to the vampire's entourage. After all weren't they the ones who were in charge of the creature's care?"

"Someone else is taking care of them," Reimu said. "But you guys were still there, so you gotta show up as well."

"This is ridiculous!" Rika shrieked. She tore up the paper and threw the shreds every which way. Then she stuck her finger in Reimu's face. "You're just trying to pin something on us that isn't even our fault!"

Reimu grabbed the offending finger and pushed it away. "Think what you want. But tearing up that paper won't change a thing. You still have to show."

"No! This is idiotic! I refu-" Rika's protests were cut off as Rikako grabbed her and shoved her arm around Rika's mouth.

"I'm sorry about that, she gets excitable," Rikako explained with a nervous smile. "Of course we'll be there. We wouldn't dream about upsetting Yukari Yakumo."

"Glad to hear it. Well, I'll just be on my way then. Don't want to get in the way of your…" Reimu regarded the Asakura sisters' latest project with a skeptical eye. "Uh, what is that again?"

Rika started gnawing on her sister's arm. Rikako winced, but held on. "That? Oh, nothing important. Just a…an alternate means of transportation."

"I see. Well, best of luck then. Be seeing you."

With that, Reimu turned and walked out of that dismal place, leaving the two scientists behind her.

Genji was waiting for her by the entrance.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked.

Reimu pulled herself on top of his shell with a grunt. "Oh, pretty well I'd say. You were listening, I take it?"

"Mmmm-hmmm. Caught the gist of it. Now, it may be I'm just gettin' old, but it seemed to me that you were lettin' them believe they were going to stand trial for criminal actions instead of just bein' brought onboard as consultants."

"Did I?" Reimu smiled. "I didn't notice."

Genji sighed. With a rumble he lifted off the ground. "Kiddo, remind me to explain why it's important for the messengers not to tempt people to shoot them."

Reimu closed her eyes. "I'll do that."

…

"This is not good," Patchouli muttered as she paced back and forth. "This is not good. This is not good."

She and Sakuya were alone in her study, Mima and Marisa having departed some time ago. In that time, Patchouli had not been able to bring herself to shake the jitters that were running up and down her body, hence the trench her nervous pacing was digging into the floor. For her part, even Sakuya was starting to look a little upset, which was as good as outright panic for her. At least, there was a definite look of agitation breaking through her usual state of detachment.

"I know that," Sakuya said icily. "You don't have to keep telling me. And hold still, you're driving me nuts."

Patchouli stopped as she was asked, but ended up pounding her fist in the wall in frustration. Unfortunately, she hit is too hard, and the action sent a spike of pain through her hand. She winced as she clutched her throbbing hand. "Ah, damn it! This isn't fair! Marisa steals my box, and we're the ones that take the fall for it."

"Well, if you had placed it someplace where she couldn't find it…"

"It was plenty safe where it was. It isn't my fault she's just so destructively lucky."

Sakuya closed her eyes. She pressed her fingers against her forehead. "Right, of course. Still, this does present a number of problems."

With roll of her eyes, Patchouli collapsed back into her chair. "Thank you for that profound observation. I really wouldn't have noticed had you not told me. But now that you mention it, yeah. Things are a bit, oh how do they say it, fucked up beyond all recognition!"

"There's no need to shout…"

"But there are plenty of reasons to want to!" Patchouli held up a hand and started ticking off points on her fingers. "First of all, there's that affront to all that is good and holy running around loose in Gensokyo, with more than five times the power as last time and probably still holding a grudge against us. There's the fact that the Ringleaders now know about that affront to all that is good and holy and want an 'explanation' for its existence, which can't mean anything good for us. Then there's the very good possibility that Remi's going to find out that we not only helped Eirin Yagokoro without letting her know, and that we used her little sister to fix the problem without permission. And then there's-" The rest of her list was left unfinished as the excitement caught up to her and she doubled over as violent coughs wracked her body.

"Which brings up an interesting point," Sakuya said, taking no notice of Patchouli's distressed condition. "What are we going to tell the Mistress?"

"H-h-huh?" Patchouli forced herself up as she brought her coughing fit under control. "Y-you want to tell her? Did you forget to unfreeze your brain the last time you stopped time?"

Sakuya shook her head. "It was wrong to hide this from her in the first place. Like it or not, she is still the master of this place, and deserves to know."

Patchouli slapped a palm against her face. "Sure, if you want to get drained dry, stuffed and mounted over the fireplace! Can we back away from potentially suicidal ideas here?"

"Besides," Sakuya said. "She's right outside, listening to everything we're saying."

"Because right now, the last thing we need is…What?"

In answer, the door to Patchouli's study swung open. Standing in the doorway was a pale-skinned girl with light purple hair, one that didn't seem any older than ten. She was dressed in a blue sleeping gown and nightcap and was clutching a stuffed bat. It would be easy to mistake her for an adorable small child and give her a condescending pat on the head. However, doing so would be to ignore the bat-like wings that sprouted from her back, the viciously sharp fangs that were revealed every time she so much as opened her mouth, and the distinctly unchildlike way she was glaring at the room's occupants with her blood red eyes.

"That was very observant of you, Sakuya," Remilia Scarlet noted. "Very impressive. But I'm still angry with you both."

Patchouli straightened in her chair. "R-Remi! You're awake!"

"Yes. I awoke with a hankering for a midday snack when I heard shouting going on in the library. I then noticed none other than Marisa Kirisame exiting the scene, and note that I said exiting, not fleeing, in the company of Hakurei Shrine's resident evil spirit." Her eyebrows knitted together. "And when I went to ask you what it was all about, I overhead you two discussing something very interesting."

Patchouli shot a panicked look to Sakuya, who just looked resigned.

"So tell me," Remilia continued. "What is this 'affront to all that is good and holy,' and what does that have to do with my sister?"

…

Yukari turned away from the doorway and marched back into her home. Enough bitter reminiscing, she had put off sending the word out too long. By now, her proxies had already delivered their messages. The time had come for her to do the same.

The ancient youkai unlocked a Western-style cabinet, its plain design standing in sharp contrast to the luxurious surroundings. From the top shelf, Yukari pulled down a large amber crystal, carved in the shape of a three-sided pyramid. This she placed on a nearby table.

Yukari settled herself in a chair and placed her hands on either side of the crystal "Come on, you bunch of self-important, thickheaded bitches," she muttered. "It's showtime." With that, she sent a small portion of will into the crystal.

A moment later, it began to glow.

Chapter Text

The sad truth about families is that no matter how strong the feeling of connection and affection, no matter how close-knit its members may be, all it takes is the right blow to the foundation and the whole thing will crumble away. Bounds will sever as once-inseparable companions become mortal enemies. Others will simply drift away with no one bothering to bring them back. And even those who can see what is going on are often powerless to prevent it. It happened all the time. More often than not, the face that you want to destroy was once the face that smiled at you from across the dinner table.

Wriggle knew all this. She had seen numerous small tribes, gangs and other ensembles of youkai fall apart to infighting and bickering. And she would be damned before she let it happen to hers.

And so she found herself flying through the Autumnal Forest in the dead of night, desperately looking for someone. As far as forests went, the Autumnal Forest lacked the tangled mystery of the Forest of Magic, the twisting menace of the Youkai Forest, or even the confusion of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. In fact, thanks to clear paths and regular patrolling by professional youkai exterminators, it was one of the most Human-friendly forest to be found in Gensokyo. What few youkai or fairies that even bothered to enter were careful to avoid stepping out of line. However, given that the letter of the law only prohibited the hunting of Humans, it only paved the way for a different kind of predator entirely. It was to find this predator that Wriggle found herself soaring through this distinctly youkai-unfriendly area during the dead of night.

Wriggle knew that she had found what she was looking for when a melody drifted past, carried by the wind. It was soft and sweet, almost like a trickling creek through a meadow. And to Humans, it could be utterly hypnotic.

With a smile of satisfaction, Wriggle adjusted her course, following the song along one of the more-traveled paths. There, sitting at a point where the path split off into three different directions, was a two-wheeled cart with a sloping roof and two handles sticking out of one end, making it easier to be pulled. However, the wheels had been detached and four wooden stools had been set up along one end, converting the cart into a merchant's stand. There was the sound of a fire crackling and the smell of something cooking, something with a fishy scent.

Bingo.

Sitting in front of the stand were two Humans, carpenters by the look of them. There were two platters of food set before them with two cups of sake, from which they were eating and drinking freely. They appeared to be enjoying it too. For all her faults, Mystia knew how to cook.

Wriggle came to landing directly behind the two diners. Apparently, her sudden appearance startled them, as they jumped up and whirled around as soon as her feet touched grass.

"Another youkai!" one of them gasped. He fumbled around his belt and brought forth a small hammer. "Get back, youkai! I'll not be your prey tonight!" To his companion, he muttered, "That is a youkai, right? Things are still a little fuzzy."

"Best assume that it is," his friend whispered back. "They're not all friendly like the bird-girl."

"Whoa, hey," Wriggle said, holding her empty hands up in front of her. "Calm down, buddy. I'm not here to fight. Just wanna have a few words with my friend over there."

"Who, me?" the second one asked in bewilderment.

There was a soft cough as someone cleared their voice. "Actually, she means me," Mystia said from her place inside the stand. She waved. "Hi Wriggle!"

Wriggle grinned nervously and waved back. "Hey, Mysty." To the two humans, she added, "See? We're all friends here. So, um, I'll just leave you to your dinner and stay out of your way."

Ignoring the sullen looks they were giving her (or were they squinting because they still couldn't make her out? It was hard to tell when Mystia was running one of her scams), Wriggle skirted around them to the back of the makeshift stand.

As noted, Mystia was inside, wearing an apron over a simple brown dress with her hair tied up by a bandana. She was tending to several skewered lamprey eels that were cooking on a piping hot grill. Mystia was a good enough cook that she was no doubt capable of successfully running a legitimate business, but she had long ago decided to increase the traffic her food stand saw by toting her grilled lamprey meals as a cure for those pesky bouts of night-blindness that seemed to suddenly strike Humans that were traveling through forests in the dead of night. Rather annoying, really. And surprisingly common, all things considered. Fortunately for them, just a few bites of Mystia Lorelei's world-famous grilled lamprey and they'll be seeing like owls in no time.

Of course, she would leave out the part that said night-blindness was actually a side-effect her singing tended to have on Humans, thus them being "cured" was actually a result of her turning down the music while they ate. Still, all things considered, she did make a mean grilled lamprey.

Wriggle leaned over the back of the stand. "Hey, Mystia, how's business? Good? Glad to hear it. Say, would'ja mind if I took a couple minutes of your time?"

Mystia shrugged as she sprinkled ground pepper over the cooking eels. "Gee, I don't know," she said without looking up. "I can't really leave-"

"Really? Great. Let's go over here…" Wriggle reached in and bodily pulled Mystia from the stand "…and have ourselves a nice private chat." She winked at the two staring Humans. 'Scuse us, gentlemen."

She hauled a struggling Mystia a good distance from the stand and its confused customers. When they were safely out of earshot, she swung the sparrow-girl around so they were facing one another.

"What's wrong with you?" Wriggle hissed. "Going out scamming at a time like this? Rumia's missing, maybe dead, Cirno's about to fall to pieces, and all you can think about is making money?"

Mystia shrugged. "Well, I'm sorry, but the first few days of spring are the best time to catch them. I do have a business to run, after all."

"What the…Are you really so…" Wriggle grabbed Mystia by the shoulder and started viciously shaking her back and forth. "Snap out of it, Mysty! What about your friends, huh? Are you just going to leave us to fall apart?"

Mystia jerked out of her grasp. "Of course not! It's just…"

"Yeah?" Wriggle folded her arms. "Just what?"

"Well, you heard what Cirno said this morning," Mystia said with another shrug. "About how Yukari said Rumia was really some kind of monster and was hiding it this whole time. I don't know about you, but friends don't keep those sorts of secrets."

Wriggle slapped a palm against her forehead. "Ohhhh…gods give me strength. That was Yukari talking! We don't like Yukari, remember? She's a liar and a creep! She was probably just trying to mess with Cirno's head. Don't tell me you believe what that weirdo says."

Mystia gnawed on the tip of one of her talons and shot a doubtful glance back at her stand. Her Human customers had stopped eating and were watching the arguing youkai with evident interest.

"I don't know…" Mystia muttered.

"C'mon, don't give me that. We've all been together for years. Don't tell me you're going to turn your back on all that now. We need to stick together, Mysty!"

Mystia didn't respond. She just stared at the ground, one of her hands holding the opposite wrist.

Wriggle sighed. "Fine. Okay, have it your way. We're holding a sorta mini-wake for Rumia back at the hideout. If you wanna come and show some respect for your friend, then you're more than welcome. But if you'd rather just dick around playing con-artist then…" She shrugged. "Well, I'm sure Rumia would understand, wherever she is. Could be in Hell for all we know."

"That's not fair."

"It's not? Sorry, it's kinda hard to tell what's fair or not, when you're frikkin' best friends are turning their backs on you! Where do you get off acting so cold? Right when we need you, you go…Gahhh!"

Wriggle's shoulders slumped and she turned away. "Screw this. See you around, Mystia."

Hands shoved angrily in her pockets, she stomped away from the staring night-sparrow, back down to where the food stand sat and the path sitting next to it. Mystia's customers watched her as she walked past.

"Never thought I'd see two youkai fighting," the first one called out to her. "Lover's quarrel?"

Wriggle whirled to face him. "Mind your own frikkin' business!" she snarled.

He just snickered. "Whatever you say, buddy. Funny, never thought a youkai would…" Then his eye narrowed. He stood and walked toward her to get a closer look.

Wriggle leaned away from him. "What the hell's your problem?"

His eyes widened. "Cripes," he gasped. "You're a girl!"

There was a very satisfying sound of meat impacting on meat, and the human was suddenly sent sprawling backward. Blood spurted from his nose and his eyes were whirling in a daze. Wriggle shook her throbbing hand and winced.

"Stupid Humans," she muttered as her feet left the ground. "They deserve to get conned."

"Hey!" Human number two shouted. "What do you-"

He stopped in his tracks when he saw the ferocious look Wriggle shot in his direction. He demonstrated that he had greater common sense than his friend when he held up his palms and backed away.

Wriggle growled and shot into the air. Fine, whatever. Let Mystia forget all those years of friendship if she wanted to. They didn't need her anyway. As for herself, she was going to give Rumia the sendoff she deserved.

…

"…and she was absolutely covered with noodles!" Cirno stated. "I mean, like from head to toe, all noodles! And she was swinging back and forth, yelling about how she was going to kill us all." She took a swig from the bottle of sake she held and laughed. "Ah man, it was almost worth the beating she gave us later. Funniest thing I've ever seen. Definitely Rumia's best plan ever."

Daiyousei and Chen joined in on the laughter. Chen especially seemed to be having trouble staying upright, but whether that was due to hysterics or her low tolerance for alcohol or some mixture of the two was anyone's guess.

The three of them were sitting in the stone cavern that Cirno and her gang called home. A fire was crackling in the makeshift fireplace (which Mystia had declared to be one of her finest creations), the extensive stash of alcohol they had been stockpiling over the years was being dipped into freely, and tales of their absent friend's many escapades were being fondly remembered.

"Ah-hehehehe," Chen tittered, an odd squeaking sound that was becoming more and more high-pitched the more she drank. "Yesh, 'dat was aweswome! I wemember it like was…" Confusion washed over her face. "Waitaminute, no I don't! Dai, did 'dat weally happwen? 'Cause I dunno think I wemember 'dat."

"You weren't there for that one," Daiyousei told her. Unlike her fellows, she had only a small cup of wine. The last time she had over indulged in intoxicants had resulted in her passing out long before everyone else, and her friends had had writing utensils and a camera at the ready. It had been days before she would even speak to them.

"Dwah, I always miss 'dah good stuff." Chen tossed back the goblet she was holding and sighed happily. "Okay, I gotta one! Wemember 'dah time she twied tah convwince evewyone 'dat 'dere was a bunch of blue honey floodin' dah'-"

Daiyousei cleared her throat. "Actually, that was Wriggle."

"It twas? Dawww, I twought it was Wumia…"

Daiyousei took a small sip from her cup. "No, that was definitely Wriggle. And believe me, that one did not turn out well."

"What was Wriggle now?"

Everyone turned to see the firefly in question walking toward them. From the look of things, her quest to find Mystia hadn't turned out well. There was a blank look in her eyes that Daiyousei found disturbing.

"Wriggle!" Cirno shouted happily. She stuck her bottle into the air as a salute. "Hey, did'ja find Mysty?"

Wriggle silently nodded. She grabbed a tankard of beer and sat down with the rest of them. She popped the cap and took a long drink.

Everyone stared at her. "So…" Cirno began. "Where's the bird?

Wriggle came up for air. "She's not coming," she said, wiping foam from her chin.

"Huh? What'ya mean, 'she's not coming'?" Cirno demanded. "She's supposed to be coming, I told her she was supposed to be coming, why isn't she coming? Dai, why isn't she coming?"

"How should I know?"

"I dunno, thought maybe you did. Wriggle, what's going on?"

"Go ask her," the firefly said bitterly. She pulled up her knees under her chin and glared at the fire. "Stupid sparrow's out tending that eel stand of hers."

"Huh? She's doing that now?"

Chen swayed in her seat. She blinked and shook her head. "Sowwy, I kinda went blank for'a sec. What happwened now?"

Wriggle ignored her. "Don't wanna talk about it," she told Cirno.

"But…" Then Cirno caught the look on Wriggle's face and shrank back. "Okay."

…

Mystia slowly stuck a spatula under one eel after another, flipping them over and watching them sizzle on the grill. Fat sputtered and meat darkened as the burning coals roasted the unlucky creatures' flesh.

"Don't know what got into that crazy youkai bitch," one of her Human vict…erm, make that customers, muttered. He picked up a skewered eel and ripped out half its stomach with one bite. Mystia watched the dangling bits of flesh flop up and down between his teeth as he chewed.

"I know man, I know," the other agreed. He stabbed a boiled potato with his knife and chomped off a large bite. "I mean, what was she expecting, going 'round dressed like that. And with that haircut! Hey, are you sure that was a girl? 'Cause it sure looked like a guy to me." White flecks of potato stuck in his beard.

"Pretty sure, man. Pretty sure. Unless he pumped up his testicles and relocated 'em northward, that sure was no proud father's son punching me in the face." He plucked his eel off the skewer and closed his mouth around half of it. The eel's body stretched as he pulled, tearing the roasted creature in half. "I mwean, ewen wit' 'dat shir', I coul' tell," he said with his mouth full.

Mystia winced and looked away. She forced herself to focus on what she was doing. The lampreys would burn if she didn't pay attention.

Wait, waiiiit!

"I don't know, maybe youkai are just crazy like that," the other said. Then he flinched. "Uh, present company excluded, ma'am. No offense intended."

"Of course," Mystia said, not really paying attention. She was too wrapped up with her own thoughts.

My ears catch a sparrow's song. Are there really sparrows at night?

"Anyway, who can tell with them? Girls dressing like guys, guys dressing like girls. I remember seeing a whole bunch at the Midsummer Day Festival, all wearing dresses. Guys and girls alike!"

"Those were kimonos, you idiot."

I don't like sparrows. They're too bony.

Mystia's grip tightened on the handle of her spatula.

It ate her! It ate her, Reimu! And it tried to eat us too-

She said it was some kind of monster that eats people and takes their powers. She said that Rumia was probably dead and gone too…

Snap out of it, Mysty! What about your friends, huh? Are you just going to leave us to fall apart?

With a loud bang, Mystia slammed her spatula down, upsetting the grill and causing the roasting eels to jump. One of them slid right off and plopped on the floor.

The two Humans jumped too. "Hey, what is this?" the one with the potato bits in his beard demanded.

"We're closing," Mystia snarled. She pulled off her apron and hopped out the back.

"What? But we're not done yet!"

"Then take it to go! I'm gone." Mystia took a running start with her wings outstretched to either side. She hopped once, twice, and took to the air.

"What? But what if we go blind again? Are you just gonna leave your stand like this?" one of the Humans shouted after her. "I knew it, all you youkai are crazy!"

…

The four of them sat in silence, staring at the crackling flames. Daiyousei sighed and lay on her side. She curled up in a ball and watched the shadows dancing on the floor.

What's happening to us? she wondered. Things had never turned out like this before. Even during the occasions when their capers had blown up in their faces (which happened on a disturbingly regular basis), when there would be plenty of rueful drinking and bitter complaining, at least they had stuck together. Even when squabbles and fights had flared up, with fisticuffs exchanged and eternal vengeance sworn, those little conflicts had been quickly forgotten and they would be playing together like nothing had happened.

But now…Daiyousei could feel their little group falling apart at the seams. Rumia was gone, just plain gone. Even if she was still alive…somewhere, what could they do about it? No one took them seriously, and why should they? They were just those stupid kids that nobody really liked and just tolerated at best. If the most powerful beings in Gensokyo couldn't find a solution, what chance did they stand?

And now it looked like the others were drifting away too. Mystia was probably just the first. She probably thought she could do better on her own. Daiyousei turned her head, looking from one face to the next. Chen already had a family to go back to. She just hung out with the rest of them for the games. And when things got even worse, she would probably just go back to Ran and Yukari. Wriggle had always been tougher and smarter than the rest. Surely, she would see that eventually. And then it would just be Daiyousei and Cirno, like it had been before. And how long would it be before Cirno got annoyed by having her tag along all the time?

Daiyousei closed her eyes. She remembered those years before she had met Cirno and eventually the rest. Day after day of getting picked on by larger fairies, night after night of trembling in holes or the tree-branches, listening to the more savage youkai prowl around. She supposed she was stronger now than she had been then, but that didn't mean she wanted to go back to that.

"So, who's going next?" Cirno said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Everyone looked at her. "Huh?" Wriggle and Daiyousei said in unison. Chen just remained curled up on the floor making happy noises.

"Wriggle already told the story 'bout Rumia pasting Keine Kamishirasawa to her chair before she went to go find Mystia," Cirno stated, slurring her words slightly. "An' I brought up that whole thing wit' Reimu an' the noodles…"

Wriggle sniggered. "Oh yeah. Never gets old."

"…and Chen…" Cirno shrugged. "Well, she tried. What 'bout you, Dai? Got any good Rumia stories?"

Daiyousei sat up. "W-well…um…"

"C'mon, there has to be something you remember," Cirno encouraged.

Daiyousei didn't say anything.

"You don't have to go if you want to, Dai," Wriggle said.

"Uh…well, actually there is something…" Daiyousei began.

She was interrupted by the sound of wood scraping against stone. Everyone turned toward the cave's entrance.

Mystia stood there. Her hair hung in front of her face and she was staring downward.

Cirno jumped up. "Mysty!" she cried happily. "Hey, I thought you weren't coming. Wriggle said-"

"I'm here, aren't I?" Mystia said. There was something weird about her voice, something hollow and empty. Without another word she walked over to plop down next to Wriggle.

Wriggle stared at her, one eyebrow eschew. "Um, hi?"

Mystia nodded at her and hesitated. "Sorry," she muttered.

Wriggle just smiled and squeezed her shoulder.

Cirno looked from one to the other, clearly befuddled. "Um, what-"

Wriggle grimaced made a sudden slashing motion in front of her throat.

"Okay…whatever." Cirno shook her head. "Weirdoes. Anyway! Dai, you were saying?"

Daiyousei breathed out a sigh of relief. Maybe she wasn't going to lose her friends after all. Encouraged by Mystia's sudden return, she sat up straighter and said, "I-it's not really anything cool, or funny, or awesome like you guys' stories," she said. "It's just something that…I've always kinda remembered."

Daiyousei took a deep breath and gathered her nerves. Storytelling was never her strong point, neither was having the spotlight. Still, it was for Rumia…

"It was…uh, a few years ago? Remember, back when Remilia Scarlet shot that red mist everywhere?"

The others nodded and Cirno winced. That had been the day that she and Daiyousei had first run across Marisa and Reimu. Considering how that encounter had turned out, it wasn't a day they fondly remembered.

"Yeah, that day. And…well, Cirno and me were playing over the lake, just chasing the birds around, you know? And then Reimu Hakurei and Marisa Kirisame showed up and…yeah…" Daiyousei cleared her throat. "Anyway, after I, uh, resurrected, I was feeling pretty lousy. I mean I've, uh, died before, had a few accidents, but never that badly. Anyway, everything was already hazy from the mist, and I was feeling just so worn out and upset. And then I saw Rumia sitting by the lake." She chuckled. "Well, um, actually, I didn't so much see her so much as that darkness bubble she's always flying around in, but I knew it was her. And I just wanted someone to talk to. Cirno hadn't come back yet, you see…"

"That's because they hit me twice as hard as you," Cirno muttered darkly. She took a swig. "Cirno, meet Master Spark. Why hello Master Spark, how do youBAM!" She smacked herself in the forehead.

"Um, yeah. Right. Anyway, I went to go talk to her, and found out that they had beaten her up the night before." Daiyousei sucked in a shaky breath. "I don't get it. I mean, what did we do to them? Do they just go around shooting everyone they meet for fun?"

"Um, Daiyousei?" Wriggle said. "I'm pretty sure Rumia shot first. So did you guys, based on what you've told me."

"Oh. Oh yeah. Um, anyway, I just got done telling her everything that had happened, and how I felt so weak at being taken down that easily, and…" Daiyousei blushed. She stared down at her feet and started pressing her fingertips together. "Um, to be honest, I started crying a little. And I expected her to laugh at me or something. But instead, she just patted me on the back. And then she said 'It's okay Dai, no one expects us to be gods.’"

Daiyousei shook her head as she rubbed her eye with her palm. "I…know it's cheesy and all, but that always kinda just stuck with me. It's like…every time I blink, there's someone new showing up who can dribble the moon or cause volcanic eruptions just by burping, and we just sorta get left behind. And…that's okay, you know? Because we are what we are, and no one's really looking at us to be these great heroes. We're just us, and I like just being us, so it kinda makes things better. So yeah…that's it, I guess."

Nobody said anything, they just sat. Occasionally Cirno or Wriggle would take a drink, or Chen would mutter something, but for the most part the only sound were the spits and sputters from the fire.

Then Wriggle said, "I think I like your story the best."

"Say what?" Cirno said. "But it was just them talking! There wasn't any cool fights, or funny tricks or-" The rest of her complaints were cut off when Wriggle shoved her hand into Cirno's mouth.

Mystia suddenly stood to her feet. "I'm going to clean up and go to bed."

"Huh?" Cirno pushed Wiggle's hand away from her mouth. "But you haven't even-"

Without another word, Mystia walked away from them and into the adjoining cavern.

Everyone turned to look at Wriggle. The firefly just shrugged. "Hey, don't look at me. I don't know why she's acting like this."

"I noticed that too," Daiyousei put in. "She was acting weird most yesterday."

"Yesterday," Cirno muttered. "I hate yesterday." She finished off her sake in one draft and tossed the bottle aside. It hit the stone wall and shattered.

"Yeah, yesterday sucked," Wriggle said. "I think we can all agree on that."

Again there was silence. Daiyousei leaned again a short, squat stalagmite and stared at the shadows dancing on the ceiling. Even though she had only about half a cup of wine, it was starting to make her sleepy. She blinked one long, heavy blink and yawned.

Then Wriggle stood up. "You know guys, I'm getting a little worried about Mystia. I'm just going to check if she's okay."

"You mean spy on her?" Cirno tittered with a hiccup. "Pervert!"

Wriggle tossed a stone at her, which Cirno barely managed to dodge. "Shut up, dumbass. I'll be right back."

Daiyousei nodded and closed her eyes.

…

The underground area that Cirno's gang called their home was really a small network of interconnecting caverns. The first and largest of these "rooms," as they were called. was the primary of such caverns and was used for games, celebrations, meals, wrestling matches, and so on. The others were given the jobs of storage and private rooms for the individual members.

And then there was the one Mystia had entered. Long ago, a small meander of the river that flowed down the side of the mountain had cut its way through the living rock of the mountainside, going down and down until it finally poured down into the center of the cavern in a small waterfall, coming to rest in a freshwater pool, which drained through a small hole into caverns below. Cirno's gang had thereby declared this room to be the washroom and employed it as such. Well, to be accurate, only Cirno and Daiyousei used it on a semi-regular basis, mainly because the water itself was bitter cold and only an ice fairy wouldn't be bothered by it. Wriggle disliked extreme temperatures, Chen (when she was visiting) just hated water on principle, and while Mystia would occasionally go for a full shower, it was only on hot days. Wet feathers were notoriously hard to dry. Most of the time she just stuck to sponge-baths.

Mystia stood by the pool, staring down at her reflection. The bruises and cuts she had gained from their encounter with Marisa the day before were still there. She lifted one hand and gingerly poked a blossoming purple patch on her cheek and winced.

Shaking her head, Mystia reached behind herself and undid the straps of her dress, which slipped of her shoulders and fell to the floor. Then, clad in her undergarments, Mystia stepped out of the dress and knelt to fill her cupped hands with the icy water.

It ate her! It ate her, Reimu! And it tried to eat us too…

Mystia splashed her face with water, rubbing away the ash and smoke from her grill. She hoped her cart would still be there when she went back for it. She did leave it in somewhat of a hurry. Probably not the best idea overall, but it wasn't like she could have easily moved it back to its hiding place and still make it back in the same night.

It ate her…

Mystia reached over to a wicker basket that was sitting next to the pool. The basket held a number of self-cleaning items: soap, shampoos, perfumes, brushes and a couple of washcloths. She pulled out a washcloth and dipped it in the pool. She lifted it out and twisted it, wringing out most of the water. Then she picked up a misshapen bar of soap and rubbed it against the washcloth's rough fabric, creating a foamy lather.

…and it tried to eat us too…

Moving gingerly so as not to upset any tender areas, Mystia began rubbing the cloth up and down her arms and scrubbed out her armpits. It was amazing how much grime she seemed to attract on a daily basis. Sure, she had cleaned up a bit before opening her stand earlier that evening, but whatever dirt she had removed had been swiftly replaced.

It ate her…

Well, that was to be expected in the life of a youkai. Living outdoors (or in a cave, for that matter) did mean that personal hygiene often took a backseat. She didn't mind of course, but she still sometimes wondered what it would be like to live like the Humans, where daily bathing was considered a social norm.

…and it tried to eat us too…

Well, at least it was among the ones who made their homes in the villages. Marisa Kirisame was as bad as the youkai she lived among when it came to keeping things clean, probably even worse. And while Reimu Hakurei was at least a little tidier, she still tended to neglect those sorts of things if she could get away with it.

…ate her…

Mystia's taloned fingers squeezed the washcloth, filling her hand with suds. She lightly moved it back and forth over her neck.

…tried to eat us…

Of course, those two weren't exactly considered the standard examples for normal Human behavior. As Mystia understood it, they were rather unpopular among most Humans for numerous reasons. She supposed there was a measure of irony in that little tidbit of information.

…at her…

After all, they were always poking their noses where they didn't belong.

…tried to eat us…

Always saying how youkai couldn't do this, couldn't do that.

…ate her…

So it was only fitting…

…tried to…

…that the so-called "normal" Humans…

…eat us…

…would take them to task…

…tried to…

…take them to…

…eat us…

…take them…

…tried to…

…tried….

And Rumia was dissolving, wasting away before their horrified eyes. So afraid she couldn't even move, Mystia could only watch as her friend's skin seemed to disappear like smoke on the wind. Her meat was becoming visible, all bloody reds and flat grays and sickly greens and purples, with the white bone poking through. And Mystia couldn't do anything as…

…hungry teeth tore into her flesh, ripping off bite after bite, her shrill screams going unheeded by her attacker, her body going to feed a voracious appetite that would not be appeased…

With a shriek, Mystia threw the washcloth across the pool, where it slapped against a rock and slid down into the water. Angry tears pouring from her eyes as she slammed her fists against the coarse gravel again and again, venting her frustration in the only way she could think of. Even when her skin began to tear and bleed, she didn't stop.

"Mysty! Great jumping Buddha H. Christ on a flat-wheeled unicycle, what are you doing?" Strong fingers seized Mystia by the wrists, keeping her from slamming them down again. "Stop it, you crazy sparrow! Stop it before you hurt yourself!"

Caught up in the brief madness of the moment, Mystia cried out and struggled to break free. She tried biting the other's hand and scratching at them with her talons. And when this failed to produce any results, she finally collapsed sobbing into the arms of a very surprised and very, very confused Wriggle.

…

Cirno sat stock-still, expressionless as a glacier. Off to her right, Chen and Daiyousei had curled up against each other in their sleep. Normally, Cirno would be tempted to put them in interesting poses and take their picture, but for now she just sat, watching the last few flickering tongues dance in the small fireplace. The crackling of the fire and Chen's contented snoring were the only sounds that could be heard.

Even though she wasn't moving, her mind was still working. Even in her intoxicated state, her mind was still working. She came up with all her best ideas while drunk. Soberness was a time for action, drunkenness was a time for planning. And saving Rumia from the blob thing was going to require a lot planning. The problem with Rumia wasn't a question of whether or not they could get her back. It was a question of how and when. There was no doubt in the young fairy's mind that they would be able to pull it off. She just needed to figure out a way.

Plan Reimu had failed, totally and spectacularly. Whether that blob thing was, it was tough. No, scratch that, it was very tough. It was ridiculously tough. She never thought it was possible for anyone to survive a concentrated assault from Reimu, Marisa, Mima, Suika and Yukari of all people. Well, okay, so maybe taking those five down herself someday was on her to-do list, but that was neither here and now. It was plain that a new plan was in order. Brute force wasn't working, she had to think of something subtle.

It took all of thirty seconds before she abandoned that line of thought and went back to brute strength. Stick to what you know, that's what they always say. Maybe the problem was that they just didn't bring enough. But who could they go to? Letty wasn't even going to appear for another three seasons, and Cirno doubted that she could do anything. She supposed she could contact Sunny's gang, but that still wouldn't be enough.

With a sigh, Cirno slouched down and stretched out her legs. She folded her arms and stared up at the stone ceiling of the cavern. That was the problem with being considered a troublemaker. The list of people that would be willing to help you was depressingly short. Most people would be unwilling to lift a finger to help her and her friends unless…

Wait.

Something was there, forming in her mind. Something…interesting. There were problems with it, all right. There were things they were going to need that they didn't have. But it was possible, it was doable, and it just might work.

A slow, cunning smile spread over Cirno's face. At last, she had an idea.

…

Mystia sat with her back against a rock, holding a towel around her shoulders and letting Wriggle bandage up her hands.

"It doesn't look that bad," Wriggle muttered. She finished tying the strip of linen around Mystia's left hand and gave it a quick tug, drawing it tight. "Just keep it clean and dry, should be fine by tomorrow."

Mystia nodded. She held up her bandaged hand, turning it over to look at both sides. With a sigh she let it fall.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Wriggle shrugged. She started putting the remaining bits of linen away. "You said that already."

"I know. But still…sorry."

"It's okay." Wriggle stood to her feet and brushed off her knees. "It's been a crazy time for all of us. I'd be worried if someone didn't wig out."

"It's more than that."

Wriggle paused. She looked down at the night-sparrow and raised a questioning eyebrow.

"It's…" Mystia cleared her throat and tried again. "It's just that…every time I start thinking, my mind keeps going back to Rumia being inside that thing and how it was…eating her, from the outside in."

Wriggle shuddered. "Well, in fairness, that was pretty awful."

"Yeah, but when it happened, you and Cirno didn't just turn tail just because you were terrified," Mystia said bitterly. "You left to go find help. Even Daiyousei only left because you told her too. Me? As soon as that thing started coming after us, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I wasn't even thinking about trying to help Rumia; I just wanted to make sure it didn't get me."

"Mysty, that's not anything to be ashamed about. That's just simply self-preservation. It's smart, not cowardice. Like Daiyousei said, we're not gods you know."

Mystia nodded. "Yeah, maybe. But even after, I just keep thinking that…sooner or later it's going to come after the rest of us. That it knows where we live, that it's just waiting for the right moment to strike, that soon we'll all be…" Her body started shaking. She clutched at the towel as her eyes filled with tears. "I can't do it, Wriggle! I can't stay here and let it get me. I won't get eaten, not again!"

Wriggle sucked in a breath as realization struck her. "So that's what…" She shook her head and put her hands on her hips. "Damn, I shoulda figured.

"How could you?" Mystia muttered. "There's so many other things going wrong."

"Yeah, but still…"

"So I tried distracting myself. I tried focusing on normal things, things I was used to, things that couldn't hurt me." She sniffled and let out a small, hiccupping laugh. "But as it turns out, it's kind've hard not to think about getting eaten when you run a food stand. Score one for irony."

Wriggle sighed and sat down next to her. "Look Mystia, I can't say I fully understand what you went through, but it's not wrong to be scared. Hell, I'm scared. I'm frikkin' terrified! And if I'm that scared, I can't imagine what it must be like for you. But running away from us isn't going to help any. If anything, you need us now more than ever."

"Yeah, I know," Mystia muttered. "And don't worry, I'm not going to run away or freak out again. But I'm not going to lie and say I don't think we should put as many miles between us and that…thing as possible."

"Uh, well, you…may be right about that," Wriggle said slowly. "But still, what about Rumia?"

Mystia didn't answer. She just folded her arms over her knees and looked away.

However, Wriggle wasn't about to let her withdraw now. "Oh, come on. Don't give me that crap. What about Rumia? If the Eientei rabbits say she can be saved-"

"What can we do?" Mystia whispered.

"What?"

"What can we do?" Mystia said, more clearly this time. "We're…us. Just a bunch of kids who keep getting into trouble. It's like people keep saying tonight: we're not gods. And that thing…pretty much is. We're at the bottom of the food chain, while it is chomping its way up. What can we do?"

"You're right."

Both Mystia and Wriggle blinked and turned toward the cavern's entrance. Cirno was there, watching them. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet and she kept blinking and twitching her head, but she didn't seem like she had lost any lucidity. If anything, the ice-fairy looked downright determined and focused.

"You're absolutely right," she repeated. "We can't handle this on our own. This is too big for us. And to hear that coming from me…"

"Well, yeah," Wriggle admitted. "We know that. What's your point?"

"My point is that what we need to do is call in reinforcements. We need to get more people on our side. Stronger people. Enough to finally hunt that thing down and kill it. And if they can't it, they'll at least flush it out and slow it down so Yukari's group of jerks can kill it instead."

"Uh, Cirno?" Mystia raised her hand. "I don't know if you know this, but we're not exactly very popular. How are we going to convince people to risk their lives for us?"

Cirno grinned wickedly. "I'm glad you asked," she purred.

And then she told them.

They just stared right back.

"Are you serious?" Wriggle demanded.

"Absofreakingliciously."

"What? No! Cirno, just…no! No, no, no!"

Cirno folded her arms. "Yeah? Why not?"

"Because that's the sort of thing that'll blow up right in our faces!" Wriggle shouted. "All it'll take is for someone to get hurt and blame us. Besides, there's no way we can pull that off! Even if we could get people interested, we would need…a hell of a lot more money than we have! And unless you're planning on pimping us all out, there's no way we can get that money in time! And by the gods, don't take the pimping idea seriously, I was just using a 'for example'."

"We could do it!" Cirno protested.

Mystia cleared her throat. "Um, actually…"

"Seriously, come on fairy! We've got maybe fifteen thousand yen between all of us. That's barely enough to hire a third-rate bodyguard for a day, much less-"

"I have enough," Mystia said.

"See? Mystia agrees with me. Now, let's…" Wriggle's head snapped around to stare at the night-sparrow. "Wait, what?"

"I have enough," Mystia said. She pushed herself to her feet. "I've been saving money for years now, so I think I'll be able to cover the cost."

"Yeah?" Wriggle looked at her suspiciously. "And how much is that?"

"Um, I haven't really been keeping track but…about twenty-seven million yen. Probably."

Wriggle's eyes bulged. Strangled gurgling came from her throat, but no discernable words came out. As for Cirno, her legs buckled out from under her and she fell down flat on her rear.

"Twenty-seven million?" she squeaked. "You have twenty-seven million?"

Mystia shrugged. "Well, yeah. You never noticed how I'm always the one treating you guys when we go to festivals and markets? I have been doing that night-blindness trick for several decades now, and my stand's pretty popular among non-humans as well. And it isn't expensive to maintain. Plus, I really don't need that much to live, so I just kept saving and saving."

Wriggle started shaking. She tried to wrap her head around the idea that one of their number having access to that amount of money. Granted, their lifestyle didn't require a great amount of funds, but still…

"Bu-bu-but why?" she cried. "If you were never planning on spending it, why scam humans in the first place? Why have the stand at all?"

"I dunno, maybe because I like cooking?" Mystia said crossly. "But yeah, when I first got started, I really wasn't getting much business, so I started the whole cure-for-night-blindness thing to break even. And as it turns out, you really don't lose money underestimating Human intelligence, so that took off like a rocket. And then some youkai started visiting regularly, and then a fairy gang, and they told their friends, and their friends told their friends, so before I knew it I making money talon-over-fist. I guess I could've stopped the night-blindness scam, but it was just too much fun. Plus, my real customers seemed amused by it, so I just kept at it. And seeing how that was over thirty years ago…" Mystia shrugged again. "At one point I considered putting it into getting a big house of my own, but I decided that I liked this place too much."

"But why didn't you ever tell us?" Cirno demanded. "Do you have any idea what we could have done with that kind of dough? Did you ever think about helping the rest of us?"

"Hey, aren't you paying attention?" Wriggle shouted back. "She is offering to help us. She just said she'll pay for your plan to work. Isn't that enough?"

"Sure, now she is, but she's being sitting on that much for so long…" Cirno shook her head and sighed. She unsteadily pulled herself to her feet. "Never mind, you're right. I'll yell at you later. But thanks." She tapped her lower lip and frowned. "But like you said, it's still pretty risky. There'll probably be a lot of people mad at us before too long. Plus, Yukari and Reimu will probably want to shut us down. We're gonna have to prepare for that."

Wriggle stared at the ice fairy in shock. She stood to her feet and leaned over to whisper in Mystia's ear. "Where did this cautious, strategizing Cirno come from? Did I wake up in some kind of bizarro universe or something?"

"It's probably because she's drunk," Mystia whispered back. "You how most people get more reckless the more they drink? With her, it's probably the exact opposite."

"What we need is someone really, really powerful," Cirno declared, stamping her fist against her palm. "Someone who's willing to stick up for us and doesn't mind making Yukari mad. And of course, someone really, really powerful. It'll help if they were strong too. Really, really strong."

"Really, all that?" Wriggle said sarcastically. "And where are we going to find someone like that?"

Cirno grinned. "Oh, I think we know someone." Then she smirked at Wriggle.

Wriggle blinked. "What, me? Have you gone completely loony? I'm barely as strong as the rest of you guys! I've never been able to beat Rumia, much less…" Then a moment of horrified realization struck her mind like a lightning bolt. The blood drained from her face and she started trembling.

"Oh, no. No way. Nuh-uh. Forget it, there's no way…How could you even suggest something like that?"

Mystia looked from one to the other, plainly confused. "What? Who?"

"Who do you think?" Wriggle snarled back.

"Uh, I don't…" Then she blinked. "Oh. Oh. Oh, wow."

"Exactly," Wriggle snapped. "Forget it, Cirno. There's no way we're bringing in that lunatic."

"Wriggle, we have to!" Cirno pleaded. "You weren't there, you didn't see that thing! You didn't see what it did to Eientei! We need all the help we can get!"

"Yeah, but you honestly expect me to…" Wriggle cut herself off. With a grimace she squeezed her eyes shut and balled up her fists.

"Fine," she practically choked out. "Have it your way. I'll go talk to her. But you owe me big time, fairy. And I swear to everyone and everything, if I wind up in a dog-collar again, I will shove it right up your sub-zero butt!"

"Hooray!" Cirno shouted. She leapt up and pumped her fist into the air. "Thank you! Girls, Operation Rescue Rumia is a go! Go Team Niiiiiii…" She tottered on her feet and fell flat on her face. Moments later she started snoring.

Wriggle and Mystia stared at her in disbelief. "That took," Wriggle began, "waaayyyyy too damned long."

"Tell me about it. She's usually out in fifteen minutes." Mystia shrugged. "Well, guess we better put her to bed."

Wriggle pulled sleeping Cirno up by the armpits while Mystia took the legs. Together, they carried her back to the small alcove she had claimed as her room.

"So, do you really have that much money?" Wriggle said as they walked.

Mystia winced. "Yes, I do. Sorry I didn't tell you earlier. Didn't want it to be a thing."

"A thing. Sure."

"And are you really going to go ask Yuuka Kazami for help?"

"Looks like," Wriggle said with a grimace. "Crazy night, huh?"

"You're telling me," Mystia muttered. "Though something tells me that it's only going to get crazier."

"Point," Wriggle admitted. They reached the alcove in question. Once Cirno was drooling happily into her pillow and they were back in the stone passageway, she added, "Still, if it gets us Rumia back…"

Mystia nodded and shuddered. She just hoped it wouldn't end up costing them too much. And by that she didn't mean money.

She wondered where Rumia was at that moment, assuming she was still alive, which wasn't something Mystia was fully convinced about. She just hoped that if Rumia was alive and somehow conscious inside that monster, she knew that her friends were coming for her. Hopefully she wasn't too scared.

…

Deep Within

Rumia lay flat on her back on nothing, arms outstretched to either side and resting on nothing as she stared up at nothing. Her legs were up in the air and were slowly rotating as if she were riding a bicycle.

"Well?" Rin pressed. "C'mon, guess!"

Rumia rolled her eyes but she let her legs fall flat and said, "Um, is it bigger than a breadbox?"

"Nope," Rin giggled.

"Okay…Well, is it smaller than a breadbox?"

"No again!"

Rumia rolled over to her stomach, chin resting on her folded arms as she shot an annoyed glance at the Kirin. "Rin, is it a freaking breadbox?"

"Wrong again!" Rin cried happily. "That's three guesses. You've got-" Then she blinked and frowned. "Hold up, a toaster's the same size as a breadbox, right? It's been a while since I saw one."

"Huh? The hell is a toaster?"

Rin winced. "Ohhhhh, right. Sorry, I forgot…Well, you and technology…"

With another roll of her eyes, Rumia sat up. "Well, forgive me for living in a forest all my life!"

"Sorry, sorry," Rin apologized. "I'll think of something you can guess next time."

With a sigh, Rumia turned her attention to the screen. The scene displayed was the interior of an aquatic grotto. Rin had settled down at one end (instantly killing all nearby anemones and shellfish in the process) while the small silver fish that swam around in circles had instinctively restricted themselves to the other end.

Rumia had never been this far underwater before and had found the experience fascinating. But after the first couple of hours it had quickly lost its novelty.

"So, how much longer are you planning on staying here?" she asked.

"Uh…I dunno," Rin shrugged. "Why, you wanna leave? It seems like a good hiding place to me."

"Is that so."

"Right."

"So we're just here to hide from Yukari."

"Also right."

"Move the view to the left."

Rin hesitated, but did as Rumia requested. The view was now focused on the grotto's entrance, an oval hole about five feet from top to bottom. Directly outside was a gargantuan slitted eye that took up the entirely of the entrance and then some, watching and waiting.

Rumia stuck a thumb at the screen. "And it has absolutely nothing to do with the giant sea monster waiting outside?"

"Of course not!" Rin protested. "I mean, we are immortal now and really stupid powerful."

"Okay then."

"Seriously, I can kill that thing anytime I want!"

"Sure."

Chapter Text

For the second time in less than twelve hours, Wriggle found herself flying around and looking for someone. But on this occasion, she really, really didn't want to find them.

The Garden of the Sun spread in every direction, coating the earth in a sea of green, yellow and brown. The flowers seemed to be perpetually in bloom. Their leaves never fell, their petals never wilted and even though they were no longer budding their faces continued to follow the sun. This continued throughout the year, with the frost of winter never daring to intrude upon the boundaries of the field.

While the field wasn't officially a no-fly zone, it was treated as such. Everyone, youkai, fairies and humans alike, gave the area a very wide berth. Stories were told of those unlucky saps who had accidentally wandered into the realm of Yuuka Kazami. The stories were never pleasant, but they were almost always true. Wriggle knew that better than anyone. Some years back, she had spent an entire summer in Yuuka's care. It was not an experience she would easily forget, no matter how many times she had banged her head against a rock afterward.

One more flyby, and I'm gone, Wriggle thought to herself. She had already been up and down the field twice, and so far there had been no sign of Yuuka at all. A small glimmer of hope ignited. Perhaps she was away at her mansion. If that were the case, then there was nothing Wriggle could do. Yuuka disliked trespassers in her field, and she disliked visitors to her mansion even more, at least ones she had not personally invited. Not even Wriggle, who could claim some "familiarity" with the insane youkai, would dare break that rule.

Wriggle circled around one more time and sighed in relief. There was no indication that Yuuka was around. What a shame. Well, she would just have to explain that to Cirno. She had tried, after all. Certainly Cirno would understand that. It was no fault of hers.

Suddenly, something long, sinuous and godsdamned fast whipped into the air. Wriggle had barely enough time to register its presence before it slammed right into her body and sent her careening to the ground. A moment later, she was lying senseless in the dirt, surrounded by sunflowers that had somehow turned their dials down toward her, almost as if they were staring.

A booted foot jabbed itself under Wriggle's stomach and flipped her over onto her back. Her mind still whirling from the impact, Wriggle lay with her limbs sprawled in all directions, trying to make sense of the blurry shapes above her. One humanoid shape in particular seemed to tug at her attention, though she wasn't sure why. It probably had something to do with those two red eyes leering down at her.

A warm, long-fingered hand reached down to stroke Wriggle's cheek. "Wriggle!" an off-kilter voice exclaimed. "You came to visit me!"

Then something grabbed Wriggle by the leg and started dragging her through the dirt. Enough of Wriggle's mind cleared to allow for a single observation.

Aw nuts.

…

Realistically speaking, leaving valuable objects out in the open overnight was a really stupid idea. Especially in a place like Gensokyo, where creatures both nocturnal and of questionable morality were known to wander. Even in the safer areas such as the Autumnal Forest were not entirely free from those with sticky fingers.

Mystia knew this, of course. And she really wasn't expecting to find much left of her cart when she returned to the spot where she had set up shop the night before. In fact, she would have considered it lucky if the cart itself was all that was left.

What she didn't expect was to see a pile of smoldering pieces of broken beams and torn fabric in its place.

She stood next to the wreck that had been her cart, staring down at its remains. On a purely logical level, she knew that it wasn't that great of a loss. Even with the funds she was contributing to Cirno's plan, there was still more than enough left over to rebuild. She could probably get back to full operating condition in less than a month, now that she knew what she had to do. And it wouldn't be too hard to re-attract customers. All things considered, this wasn't any great loss.

But still…it had been her cart. Her most prized possession. She had spent night after night in that cart, cooking and serving her special recipes for literally decades. It had almost felt like an extension of herself, one of the few places she felt truly comfortable. And now, seeing it torn apart and burned, it just felt wrong.

"Wow," Daiyousei whispered. She crouched next to the pile of smoking ember and tentatively poked at them with a stick. "The whole thing is gone."

Mystia repressed the biting reply that rose up in her mind. "Looks like," she said. "I guess someone must have upset the grill. That'll teach me to leave hot coals unattended."

"Looks like they took all your stuff too." Daiyousei picked up a torn rag with the tip of her stick. "I don't see any of the utensils or the seasonings or much anything."

"Yeah, that's really not unexpected." Mystia took a deep breath. "Say, Dai? Would'ja mind giving me a few minutes?"

"Huh? Oh…Uh, o-okay…"

"Nothing personal. It's just that I need to behave very oddly for a while and I don't think you want to watch."

"Oddly? What do you…" Daiyousei caught the look in Mystia's eyes. "Oh. Um, okay. I'll, uh, be over there…"

Hitching up her skirt, the young fairy bolted, putting a safe distance between her and Mystia and the ruins of Mystia's livelihood.

"Fifty-three years," Mystia muttered. She turned over a piece of timber with her foot. "Fifty-three years I've tended that stand. Built it myself, got it all prettied up, oiled it when it squeaked, fixed it when it broke, and they go and burn it down in one. Effing. Night!"

She snatched up the piece of timber and started smashing against the rest of the pile in time with her ranting. "The whole effing thing! Gone! Well, just wait until I'm back in business! I won't just stop at taking their money! No, now I'm gonna take them for everything they have! I'll empty their strongboxes, snatch their mothers' silver, release their all livestock, burn down their barns, steal their children and feed chocolate to their dogs! When I'm done with them there won't be a human race anymore! When I'm done, I'll…huh?"

Mystia suddenly found her fury restrained when something grabbed her arm, preventing her from striking further. She looked down to see a tearful Daiyousei grabbing at her elbow with both arms.

"No Mysty!" the little fairy cried. "Don't go crazy and become evil! I don't wanna lose you too!"

"Huh?" Mystia brought her arm up, lifting up the distressed fairy along with it. "What are you talking about? I'm not going to become evil."

"B-but you w-w-were s-saying you were going t-t-to destroy all humans! I-I thought…"

Mystia sighed, her anger dissipating. She shook her arm once, dropping Daiyousei to the ground. "Jeez Dai, I'm not going really going to go on a murderous rampage, okay? Have some faith in me."

"Y-you're not?"

"No, I'm not. I was just upset and needed to blow off some steam. Stop taking things so literally." Mystia offered her hand.

"Oh." Daiyousei allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. "Sorry."

"S'okay. Everything's been weird."

"Yeah." The ice fairy cast a long look at the smoldering wreckage. "Hey, Mystia? Do you really think it's true? What Cirno said about what Yukari said about how Rumia used to be evil?"

"That?" Mystia pulled off her cap and scratched her head. "I have no idea," she admitted. "I mean, it does sound like a load of crock. I mean, it's Rumia. I know she tries to make herself seem all big and scary, but…you know how she is."

"Comes off looking pathetic, huh?"

"Exactly. Still…" Mystia frowned. "She is the only one of us who had no idea where she came from. And Yukari was really worried when she heard it was her who got…" Mystia tripped over the next word. She took a deep breath and said, "Um, that it was her in trouble. So…maybe. I don't know."

"But what if it is?"

Mystia shuddered. Just thinking about it made her feel uncomfortable. "Then…well, let's just focus on getting her back and worry about it later."

"Okay…But what if-"

"Hey! What do you two think you're doing?"

Mystia and Daiyousei whirled around to see three humans approaching, two men and a woman. They were all wearing black robes and carrying quarterstaffs, the standard uniform of one of the forest's patrols.

"It's them, it's gotta be!" one of the men shouted to his companions. "The ones who burnt that cart down!"

"Huh?" Mystia found herself utterly befuddled by the accusation. "It's my cart! Why would I-"

She suddenly found herself being dragged into the air by a panicked Daiyousei. "Fly, Mysty! There's no way they'll listen to you!"

Mystia took one look at the expressions on the humans' faces and found herself agreeing, though it rankled her to flee and make herself appear guilty. Still, better part of valor and all that. She turned away and started flying as fast as she could.

"Get them!" one of the humans called.

"What, are you kidding?" the woman snapped back. "There's no way we'll catch them. Besides, what if they're just leading us into an ambush?"

Mystia rolled her eyes. "Leading them into an ambush," she muttered. "Do we look like the ambushing type?"

Daiyousei shot her an odd look. "Um, yes? We do it all the time?"

"Point." Mystia glanced over her shoulder. Fortunately, the humans had deigned to not pursue and were instead occupied with disposing of the cart's remains. Even though having them touch it ignited her rage anew, she was at least collected enough to understand that pressing the issue would end…poorly.

When the two had put enough distance between them and the patrol, they stopped to rest next to the lake that sat at the foot of the Youkai Mountains.

"Whew," Mystia said. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. "That was close."

She glanced down at Daiyousei for an agreement and saw that the ice fairy was coughing so hard that she couldn't even take a breath.

"Jeez Dai, take it easy." Mystia started thumping the ice fairy on the back. "You should be used to this sort of thing by now."

"Jus…Just gimme a sec…" Daiyousei wheezed. She took in a shuddering breath and forced herself to slowly exhale.

"S-sorry," she said as soon as she could. "J-j-just got a little f-freaked. I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Daiyousei coughed one more time. "Let's just g-go home."

"Sure." Mystia inhaled a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Cirno and Chen could probably use some help with those fliers of theirs anyway." She took the timid fairy by the hand. "C'mon kid, let's head back."

…

Her tongue sticking out of one corner of her mouth, Cirno brow furrowed as she concentrated. Drawing was never her strong suit. She just didn't have the patience for it. Little doodles and the occasional acts of vandalism, sure. But sketching the same picture over and over again…well, it got to be a little trying after a while.

And to top it off, her black crayon was starting to run out. She had been through two already, and their supplies stretch only so far.

She pressed down to complete an arm when her fingers slipped. The tip jammed down and broke off to go tumbling over the piles of parchment they had spread over the cavern floor.

"Aw, damn it!" Cirno swore. She crumpled up the smudged flier and threw it in a corner. Then she tore off the crayon's wrapping and grabbed a blank sheet to begin anew.

"Hey, Cirno?"

Cirno looked up to see Chen staring at her. The catgirl had her own stack of papers that she was working on, though she had made much more progress than the ice fairy. More than four times worth, actually.

"What?" Cirno snapped.

Chen held up the paper she was working on. "I don't think this looks right. Does this look right?"

On the yellow sheet was a smiling stick figure with a triangle covering the lower half of the torso, indicating a skirt, and something not dissimilar to a stick in one hand.

"What? No, no, no!" Cirno snatched the paper out of her hand. "This is all wrong! I showed you what it's supposed to look like, didn't I? Like this!"

She held up one of her own drawings. It was more-or-less identical to Chen's, except instead of a smile the mouth was turned down in a pointy-toothed grimace.

"See? It's evil, remember? Evil things don't smile!"

Chen took both of the papers and held them up, side-by-side. "Ohhhhh," she said. "Gotcha. See, I thought there was something wrong, but I wasn't sure what it was, but I didn't wanna ask in case there really wasn't anything wrong and I would just end up bothering you when you're all busy with your stack."

"Well, it's wrong, so…" Cirno's eyes widened when she saw the rest of Chen's stack. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me they're all like that!"

"Nah, don't worry." Chen spat in her hands and rubbed her palms together. "I gots this."

Her hands started moving at a blurring rate as she grabbed one paper after another, scribbling scowls over smiles. Dumbstruck, Cirno could only stare as Chen tore through the stack at a dizzying rate.

Biting her lip, she stole a glance at her own discouragingly small pile of completed fliers. Making sure Chen wasn't looking, she took about two-thirds of her blank sheets and discretely moved them over to Chen's side.

"Hey, Cirno?"

"Ah!" Cirno flinched and the papers flew out of her hand. "What? I didn't do anything! I was just making sure we were using the same kind of paper, I swear!"

"Huh?" Chen, as it turned out, hadn't even looked up until that moment. "What're talking about?"

"Uhhhh, nothing, nothing!" Cirno said hastily. "What's up?"

Chen shrugged. "What's all this about Wriggle gonna be seeing the sunflower psycho? Because Ran says she's a really bad person who likes to hurt people for fun and if I ever go near her field or if I don't do my chores or go to bed on time she'll come and take me away in her picnic basket and pull out all my fur and use to make a nice summer hat except I don't think she really likes hats because if she wanted a hat wouldn't she have gotten herself one by now because I'm pretty sure they're not that expensive and if she has a big mansion she probably has a lot of money like Mystia does and oh yeah is Mystia really that rich because I was thinking that if there's any left over after this she could take us on vacation somewhere nice except I kinda been everywhere by now it sucks that Gensokyo's small like that have you ever been anywhere I haven't?"

Cirno blinked.

"Oh, and I was wondering if we could take a break soon because my hands're starting to cramp from all this drawing even though I really like drawing except Yukari said that if I draw on the walls one more time she's going to stuff me into a bag and throw me down a well and I can't tell if she's serious or not because I think she's joking but sometimes it sounds like she's being serious…"

…

"…trail disappeared when she went into the Dragonfire Canyon," reported Mima. Or rather, her disembodied head, which was now floating half a foot above Yukari's table. "There's been the odd sighting here and there, but nothing conclusive. Sounds like she's sticking to rocky areas and avoiding plant life entirely."

Yukari sighed as she slouched back in her chair. "That complicates things. With all the caves and winding trails in that canyon, she now has hundreds of hiding places at her disposal."

"Not to mention the fact that the canyon is practically on the Saltlick Sea's doorstep," Mima agreed. "All she has to do is do her best rock impression and she's off the radar."

"And thus does the situation delve further into downtown FUBAR," Yukari muttered. "The incident has barely reached its third day and already I long for the wars of years past. At least they had the graciousness to come looking for me."

"Yes, having the immortal killer come looking for you would certainly make the situation better," Mima said brightly. "That way, you can have her slash up the other side as well. You want to be symmetrical, don't you?"

"Enough of your lip, spirit," Yukari glowered. "I am not in the mood."

"Oh, take it ea-"

Yukari held up a finger, cutting her off. "Finish that sentence, and I swear I will solidify that astral projection of yours and punt it down the stairs."

Mima tsked. "I liked you better when you weren't so whiny. See you tomorrow, Oh Great Grumpy One."

With that, her projection dissolved away, leaving little green sparks that floated down to the table before fizzing out.

Yukari pushed her chair back and stood to her feet. The burn had completely healed and the only remnants of the taint remaining was a prickling line of purple-pink. Still, her mood hadn't improved much the last couple of days.

It was this whole Ringleader business. She hated meeting with them, especially for the purpose of dealing with emergencies. There was no denying that they probably could come up with an effective strategy once they finally got down to it, but the hours of bickering beforehand were going to be aggravating. She remembered when she had met with the then-current incarnation of the group to discuss the impeding invasion of the Lunarian capital some centuries prior. Although the war itself had been fun, it had taken them a solid week to come to any sort of agreement. And that had been just about a straightforward invasion. The internal politics involved with this one were going to be…unpleasant, to say the least.

"Yukari?"

And then there was that.

Yukari barely glanced at her nine-tailed Shikigami. "Yes, what is it?"

"She's still missing. Chen, I mean. I've checked all the usual places, talked to all her friends, and no one has seen her."

"Yes, I know."

"You know?" Ran exploded. "That's all you can say? She's still out there with that monster, and you're not even-"

"Ran, remember what I said about speaking to me disrespectfully," Yukari said. Her voice did not rise above a disinterested monotone.

Ran nodded. She took in a deep, shuddering breath and slowly let it out. "You're right, I'm sorry. But still, Chen is in danger. Please, aren't you concerned at all?"

Yukari's eyes flicked upward. "Yes, but I don't believe Chen is any real danger. We've managed to track Satsuki to the Dragonfire Canyon, well away from Chen's usual haunts."

It was evident that Ran was trying very hard to remain calm, but the strain was showing on her face. "But what if it already got her?" she protested. "Chen just disappeared during the battle. What if it absorbed her or…"

"She didn't."

"Yes, but how do you know?"

Yukari considered chastising her again, but decided against it. "First of all, if Chen had been killed or even hurt, both of us would know instantly. Even if that wasn't the case, no body was discovered, even though Satsuki's been employing Shadow Youkai tactics, tactics that always leave a body."

"Okay, but-"

"Furthermore, if you'll remember from the reports, Satsuki ignored all the rabbits and went straight for Kaguya Houraisan and Fujiwara no Mokou, despite the fact that the Eientei bunnies would have been easy pickings. It's clear that she's only interested in absorbing people with power, and Chen simply wouldn't attract her attention. The most likely answer is that she left the forest without ever encountering Satsuki and is now pouting in one of her little holes, dwelling on how mean we've been. She'll return when she's ready."

Ran didn't look entirely convinced, but Yukari's words had reassured her somewhat. "I don't know, Yukari. I'd still rather she was here, where I know she'd be safe."

Yukari allowed herself a small smile. "Understandable. She does mean a great deal to you. But don't forget that she is capable of looking after herself. And that the odds greatly favor her safe return."

Ran let out a sighing breath. "I know, but still…" She shook her head. "Well, one thing's for sure: she's in for the scolding of her life for making me worry."

"That we can both agree on. Now, if there's nothing else…"

Ran inclined her head. "Of course. I'll just ready myself for tomorrow."

Yukari watched Ran leave. Her cold tone aside, she did understand the fox's distress. Ran was a natural worrywart when it came to Chen, and the situation at hand was only making things worse. Another reason why they needed to have Satsuki disposed with as soon as possible.

However, the conversation had brought to mind another problem Yukari needed to deal with. Unlike the others, this was one she was going to take great pleasure in solving. There were too many loose cannons running around as it was. It was time to take the biggest one off the board. It had served its purpose anyway.

She returned to her table and sat back down. Leaning forward, she folded her hands in the praying position and closed her eyes as she thought. Then she opened them again and flicked one wrist.

A form came into view above the table, that of a brown-haired young woman wearing a long-sleeved purple robe. She appeared to be sitting at a table of her own, examining a jeweled pendant with the trained eyes of an antique collector. She didn't seem to notice that she was being watched.

Yukari brought her fist to her mouth and loudly cleared her throat.

The woman jumped in her seat and the pendant flew from her hands. She grabbed at it, but it slipped from her fingers to bounce along the unseen floor. Then she turned in Yukari's direction. Her eyes widened when she saw who was contacting her.

"Yukari Yakumo, ma'am!" the woman said as she leapt to her feet. She snapped into a smart salute. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you would be calling!"

"Neither did I, until a moment ago," Yukari said, nodding her greeting. "Good to see you, Princess Kotohime. Or should I say, Captain?"

"The same. I assume you have a task for me?"

"Indeed. In your vocation as an officer of the law, actually. I'm authorizing an arrest warrant. The suspect in question will be attending an emergency meeting of the Ringleaders tomorrow, at the Court of Conflict in the Ruined City. I expect the arrest to take place after the meeting's conclusion. I'll take steps to personally ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible. However, I expect you to keep all of this confidential until then, and as low-key as you can during the actual arrest. There is a related situation that I do not want escalating beyond my control."

"Of course," Kotohime said with a nod. "What are the charges?"

"Theft, reckless behavior, endangering civilians through gross misconduct, and helping unleash a particularly destructive monstrosity. Which would be the situation I just spoke about."

Kotohime's eyes widened. "I…see. And the suspect's name?"

Yukari's lips parted in a genuine smile of pleasure. Mima was probably going to hate her for this, but that was just too damned bad.

"Marisa Kirisame."

…

"So, are you looking forward tomorrow?" Alice asked. She lobbed the leather ball she was holding over to Marisa, who was standing a few feet away. "I mean, it doesn't really seem like your scene. A bunch of people sitting around talking for hour after hour…Sounds like the sort of thing that would have you gnawing off your own leg."

Marisa caught the ball as it passed over her head and shrugged. "Eh, I dunno. I'm sorta curious about how things go. Mima said it's a good place to go see a bunch of important people act like absolute fools, ze. Who knows? It might be fun."

"Just keep telling yourself that after the first couple hours. When your butt starts to ache and you need to use the restroom and that same stupid person who's been up there forever just won't shut up…"

The two of them were hanging out in one of the many small meadows that dotted the Forest of Magic. Marisa had just gotten done filling Alice in about her trip to the Scarlet Devil Mansion from the previous day, and the conversation had eventually turned to the posse Yukari was going to be gathering to hunt Satsuki down.

Truth be told, Marisa was actually impressed at how well Alice had taken the whole situation. Usually having murderously insane running loose would cause most people to at least break a sweat. But upon being told, Alice had simply shrugged and said something to the effect of, "Wow, sucks to be you." Marisa had wondered if she would be nearly so composed if it was her precious doll collection being threatened.

"Asshat." Marisa threw the ball back. "I was trying to be positive about the whole thing. You're always telling me not to be so grumpy. So why you gotta go be so negative, ze?"

Alice grabbed the ball with both hands. "What you call negative I just call being realistic. Seriously, when you get back, I'll be in for an earful about how bored you were." She tossed it back underhanded.

"Weak," Marisa said. "C'mon, put some effort into it. Like this!"

Marisa drew her arm back and hurled the ball with all her might. It sailed straight and true and a good fifteen feet above Alice's head. The puppet-master didn't even bother leaping up after it. She just watched as it flew over her and into the forest beyond.

Marisa was disappointed. "You're not gonna go after it?"

Alice brushed off her dress. "I fail to see why, since it seems all you're concerned about is showing off. At any rate, I need to get back home. I left some concoctions stewing that should be ready soon."

"You're no fun," Marisa said.

The two of them walked away from the meadow, leaving the ball where it was. It was no big loss. Marisa was reasonably sure she could dig up at least four more in her house if she bothered to look.

"Though you know is bothering me?" Marisa said as they entered the shade.

"No, but it's a moot point anyway, as you're going to insist on telling me regardless of my answer."

"All of the members are gonna be taking along someone as a retainer. Sorta like an assistant, I guess. To take notes and fetch glasses of water." Marisa frowned. "And Reimu's going as Mima's."

"So?"

"So? What do you mean, so? I was Mima's apprentice, remember? Her prodigy! I'm the one she taught most of her tricks to, the one who swore to devote my life in her service!"

"And look how long that lasted."

Marisa whacked the back of Alice's head. "Shut it, I graduated. Point it, I'm way more qualified to act as Mima's retainer than the Almighty Queen of the Bare Armpits. So why does she get the job?"

Alice pushed away a low-hanging branch from their path. "Isn't Mima going as Hakurei shrine's representative? If so, how exactly are you more qualified than the shrine's actual shrine maiden? The amount of significance you have for the shrine ranks in at exactly zero."

"Hey, I have plenty of significance, ze! I'm Reimu's best buddy, remember?"

"I see. So being the close companion of the shrine maiden makes you more qualified than the shrine maiden herself." Alice rolled her eyes. "Marisa, has anyone told you how wonderfully amusing your logic system is?"

"Ha ha, hilarious. I was talking about Mima. I don't care what she's representing. I should be the one going with her."

Alice smirked. She turned and grabbed Marisa's nose between her thumb and index finger. "Aw, is widdle Marisa jealous of the mean, nasty shrine maiden?"

Marisa's eyes drooped half-closed. She drew her fist back. "You like having all your teeth?"

Alice released Marisa's nose with a laugh. "Oh, stop complaining. Besides, you'll be there anyway. I'm sure Reimu would be willing to pass notes for you under the table."

"Shut it," Marisa grumbled. "And I'm just going as a, ugh, 'witness'." She made the appropriate quote signs with her finger. "Not even as a consultant. Bet they'll just ignore me and any idea I have."

"Everyone does that anyway. Seriously though, don't take it personally. I'll bet Reimu doesn't even want to go."

"Sure, she doesn't," Marisa muttered. "At least they'll take her seriously. Me and Mima were the only ones to actually take Satsuki down while she was busy getting her ass kicked. And yet it's still all about the shrine maiden. Damn girl seems to be the only one anyone cares about."

…

Reimu stuck her foot into the air and tried to wiggle her toes. The best she got was a twitch.

She sighed and let her leg fall back to the sleeping mat. Well, it was an improvement at least. The deep purple-black color her foot and lower leg had taken over the last couple days had faded to a pale lavender. Feeling was also starting to return, though it took a great deal of pressure. All things considered, it was better than it had been. According to Yukari, she should be right as rain by tomorrow.

Just in time for the meeting of the Ringleaders.

Reimu wasn't sure how she felt about that. She knew of the Ringleaders' existence, of course. At least, Genji had mentioned that the various movers and shakers of Gensokyo would meet every half-century or so to accomplish absolutely nothing, but she had never really given it much thought. It had sounded like boring grown-up stuff to her at the time, and even now her opinion hadn't improved any. Politics had never interested her.

But now, seeing how she would actually be attending an emergency meeting as Mima's retainer, she had to admit she was a little interested as to what would happen. Based upon Yukari's admittedly short description of what she could expect, it sounded like there was going to be a lot of shouting and insulting. So long as you had a good seat and weren't actually required to participate, there were worse ways to spend a day. Since the whole meeting was called just to figure out how to squash a single person, something that everybody did all the time anyway, she didn't see the whole thing lasting very long anyway.

It did feel a little funny though, seeing how she was now technically acting as the assistant to her former arch-enemy. Reimu would be lying if she said that she didn't find it grating. After all, she had been the one to defeat Mima, hadn't she? While she didn't currently harbor the ghost any ill will, she couldn't help but feel that if anyone were to be declared the official representative of Hakurei shrine, it should be someone who was officially connected to the shrine. Mima just simply hung around so much that she was the "closest" thing the place had to a deity. In Reimu's eyes, that was not enough to qualify her for an official appointment.

Then again, it did mean that she didn't have to bother with the actual politics aspect, even if they only met every fifty years. So she supposed she should be grateful for that at least.

Still…to be considered in the same league as someone like Kanako or Kaguya…Sure, she could beat them up any day of the week, but there was something to be said for being respected as an authority figure. Keeping the local youkai and fairies in line didn't really compare.

Reimu's internal musings were interrupted when she noticed something moving outside the shrine. She blinked pushed herself up on her elbows. It was humanoid, so it couldn't be Genji. A worshipper, maybe? Now that would just be ironic. Her shrine saw so little in the way of business that having no one besides her friends come to visit was almost to be expected. But then, as soon as she was injured and unable to make the best of impressions, someone had to show up.

Then again, Satsuki was still on the loose. Reimu's eyes narrowed and flicked her fingers. A handful of ofuda appeared in her grasp.

Then she noticed that Yukari's ridiculously large barrier was still in place and let herself relax. As strong as Satsuki was, no one was going to get through one of Yukari's barriers that wasn't supposed to be there. It was more likely to be one of those silly fairies who lived in the cherry grove.

Then again, Satsuki had outwitted Yukari once before…

All of Reimu's caution melted away when the newcomer turned, revealing two crooked horns sprouting from either side of its head. Relief surged through her system as she pushed herself to her feet and limped out of the shrine as quickly as she could.

"Suika!" she called as she hopped down the steps. "Hey, you're okay!"

It was indeed the little oni. The last time Reimu had seen her, she had been unconscious and breathing shallowly, with purple splotches of the taint dotting her skin like bruises. She was in much better shape now. The taint had mostly faded away and her skin was a much healthier color. And, of course, she was awake and walking. That in itself spoke of massive improvement.

Still, there was something a bit off about the oni. Something about the way she moved. Reimu didn't especially care, of course. She was just glad to have her back.

Suika smiled as Reimu threw her arms around her. "Reimu, good to see you," she said, patting the shrine maiden lightly on the back.

"Jeez, is that all you can say? We both almost died, you know." Reimu knelt down on one knee. "Now, hold still and let me look at you."

Suika pulled back when Reimu touched her horns. "Hey, no touching! C'mon, I'm fine, okay? Don't make this weird."

"You sure?" Reimu said as she cocked her head. "'Cause there's something a bit…off about you."

Suika grimaced. "Well, um, I think I know what that is." She shrugged. "I think I'm sober."

Reimu fell backward onto her behind. "You're what?" she gasped.

In answer, Suika hefted the bag she was carrying. She gave it a slight shake, rattling its contents. "My gourd got all smashed up when I was fighting the ESP," she muttered darkly. "And the sake bug got squished."

"The ES what?"

"Satsuki. It's what…Never mind. Point is, it's smashed. And as it turns out, an enchantment that produces a never-ending supply of sake doesn't work so well when you smash the container it's been cast on. And to top it off, those idiots at Eientei are so damned stingy with their alcohol that I swear that Kaguya must be some kind of teetotaler." Suika dropped the bag. She sighed and slumped her shoulders.

Reimu wasn't sure if she should comfort Suika or start laughing. Considering that the oni had come to closest to actually defeating Satsuki without knowing about how to overcome her absorbent nature, she decided to go for the former.

"I'm, uh, sorry about that," she said. It sounded lame, even to her ears. "Can it be fixed?"

"Pretty sure, but it'll take a while. And with everything that's going on, I'm not holding my breath. And in the meantime…" Suika twitched and grabbed her horned head. "Damn it, how do you people stand living like this?"

Despite her friend's distress, Reimu was fascinated. "What's it like for you?"

"Well, for one thing, everything's so bright it's hurting my eyes. Everyone talks way too fast and way too loud. And the color's all wrong! The world is looking fucking weird! Hey listen, I'm dying here. You got anything?"

Reimu pushed herself back to her feet. "Anything of what?"

"Anything! Sake, wine, beer, anything!"

Reimu's heart fell, but she nodded. "Yeah, there should be a few bottles in the storehouse."

"What a relief. 'Scuse me, I need to go force the world to make sense. Good thing the oni don't get hangovers, because otherwise I'd probably have killed you by now."

Reimu watched Suika as she stumbled over toward the storehouse. Well, there went everything she had been saving. She saw it lasting ten minutes, tops.

Despite herself, she couldn't help but wonder what had happened when Suika had sobered up. Eirin's people probably had their hands full when the oni had woken up thirsty. In that, Reimu didn't envy them. Not that she had before. All things considered, Eientei was in quite a rough patch, and she didn't think the events of the next few days would make things any better.

…

"Given Kaguya's extended leave of absence, I will be acting in her place at tomorrow's meeting," Eirin was saying. "In addition, I will also be attending as an official witness, consultant and quite possibly defendant."

Reisen nodded once. They two of them were sitting in Eirin's office on either side of the desk. Eirin herself really shouldn't even be up and about in Reisen's professional opinion, but the Lunarian doctor was accustomed to doing as she pleased. The Lunarian nobility did have amazing recuperative abilities after all, and she herself had devised several ways to patch broken bodies back together over years, many of which she was now using to herself. In addition, she was currently heavily hopped up on painkillers and adrenaline shots, though Reisen was worried about the long-term effect that many drugs would have on her system.

Of course, Eirin frankly did not give a damn. As far as she was concerned, failed or not, Rin was still her project, and she would have a direct say how the operation proceeded.

"Furthermore, given your close involvement with the experiment and the subject, you will be accompanying me as my retainer," Eirin continued. "Tewi's healed enough to take over Eientei's operations, at least for the duration of the meeting. Not saying you haven't done surprisingly well, but Tewi never had much involvement with the Satsuki Incident, so she wouldn't be especially qualified to sit in on the meeting."

Reisen nodded again.

"I doubt you will catch any fire for what happened, but you will still likely be called upon to speak. If that happens, do not divulge any more information than is strictly requested. No personal opinions, no observations, no deviations beyond the letter of the question. Eientei's authority and reputation are about to take a massive hit, and we need to salvage the situation the best we can, understand?"

"Yes," Reisen said obediently.

"Good." Eirin's chair squeaked as she leaned back and crossed her legs. She steepled her fingers and said, "Now, is there anything you would like to say to me?"

Reisen started. "I…um, what?"

"Reisen, we are about to participate in an operation geared toward disposing of a being who was, for all intents and purposes, your adopted daughter. An adopted daughter who is in her current predicament thanks to my experiments." A ghost of a smile tugged at Eirin's lips. "Surely you must have something to say about that."

Reisen blinked. "Wait, you want me to…criticize you?"

Eirin sniffed. "Obviously not. But I'd rather not deal with the long-term effects of deep-seated resentment and the division of loyalties. We need to present a unified front to the outsiders, and if that is to be possible, I would rather have the air cleared as soon as possible. So, please. That little speech you've been practicing for the last couple days. I assure you, there will be no negative repercussions for speaking your mind."

Completely taken back by this unexpected request, Reisen struggled to put her thoughts in order. It was true, there was a particularly epic rant that she had been imagining unleashing on her mentor even as she tried to preserve her life, one which touched on points such as Eirin's original disdain for Rin's presence, the way she callously abused the girl's trust for personal profit and thus had broken her mind and ruined her life, her inhumane way of disposing of Rin afterward, the long years of imprisonment and her present treatment of Rin as nothing more than a problem.

Reisen wanted to tell her all that, she really did, but instead what she ended up blurting out was, "U-uh, are they going to hurt her?"

Eirin pressed her fingertips to her forehead and sighed. "That's it? Really? Typical." She shrugged and said, "Almost certainly. In fact, I do believe this whole caper will most likely end in Rin's death."

Reisen felt her insides squirm. "But that's not fair. This wasn't her fault."

"Oh, I agree," Eirin said. "The 'By Reason of Insanity' plea might actually hold up in court. However, this is not a criminal trial. Furthermore, as I must belatedly inform you, the world is not a very fair place. Rin's personal responsibility in this matter is secondary at best. What does matter is that she is now obviously psychotic and in possession of far too much power. In fact, I'm told she tried to kill you. And was reportedly enjoying the attempt."

"Well, yes," Reisen admitted with a shudder. "But she stopped."

"And underwent a sudden personality change in the process. Reisen, I did read the report. If anything, this new revelation is even more disturbing than what we previously feared. If she's switching from Rin the poor abused victim who just wants to be everyone's friend to Rin the sociopathic killer who'd rip out your intestines while singing a merry tune at the drop of a hat, then we may have no choice but to put her down, for her sake as well as ours."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Reisen muttered before she could take it back. When she realized what she had said, she blushed and clapped her hands over her mouth.

Eirin raised her eyebrows. "Interesting. Do elaborate."

"Never mind," Reisen whispered. She clutched the sides of her seat and turned away.

In response, Eirin reached over to grab Reisen by the chin and force her head around until she was looking her mentor in the eye. Even in her weakened state, Eirin's grip was still horribly strong.

"No, no, no," Eirin chided. "I told you speak your mind, didn't I? Finish that statement."

She released Reisen's face and sat back in her chair. When Reisen didn't immediately comply, Eirin spread her hands in a "Please continue" gesture.

Reisen took a very deep breath, thought screw it, and said. "Y-you'd like for them to try to kill Rin, wouldn't you? You're just so godsdamned worried about saving face that you want for them to focus on how terrible she's become and not think about who made her that way. She thought the world of you, and you turned her into a monster!"

Her breath was coming out in ragged pants. Angry tears stung her eyes. "And now all you can think of is getting other people to clean up your mess without blaming you for it. Hasn't anyone thought of what she must be going through? How terrified she must be? Doesn't anyone want to help her at all?"

Inwardly, Reisen was bracing herself for some kind of retaliation. Promise or no, Eirin wasn't one to take criticism lightly, especially from a subordinate. But instead, Eirin merely said, "I tried just that, but I was interrupted. And given all that's happened, I don't think she would be much inclined to speak to us."

"As I said, Rin may be a victim on some level, but she is still dangerously unstable,” Eirin continued. “And furthermore, she is loose in Gensokyo. How would you like for her to stumble upon some human family out on a picnic? Or how about children playing in the woods? Are you really willing to sacrifice their lives for hers?"

Reisen didn't have an answer for that.

"I see. Well, you'd better make up your mind then. Because the last thing you need is indecisiveness. The day may very well come where you're forced to decide between Rin's life and the life of an innocent. It very well might be Gensokyo itself at stake. If it helps to cast me as the villain of this piece, go right ahead. But don't let that delude you from seeing the situation as it is. Understand?"

When Reisen didn't immediately answer, Eirin said again with greater emphasis, "Understand?"

"Yes," Reisen mumbled.

Eirin arched one eyebrow. "Yes what?"

"Yes…Ma'am."

"Good. Now, don't you feel better getting that off your chest?"

"I suppose."

"Very good." Eirin's brow furrowed together. "Oh, just so there's no confusion, this was a one-time privilege. Don't presume to speak to me so frankly in the future."

Reisen nodded.

"And now, in regards to-"

There was a sudden knock at the door. "Mistress Yagokoro, we found it!"

Eirin sighed. "Always interruptions. Reisen, could you get that?"

Reisen silently rose from her chair and walked over to open the door. Commander Utada marched in and saluted.

"Sorry to interrupt, but we've finally managed to locate the Jeweled Branch of Hourai."

"Oh?" Eirin's eyebrows rose. "That is good news! Is it in serviceable shape, at least?"

"Er, mostly. The lower third has been splintered, and one of the stones seems to have been crushed by a piece of masonry."

"Typical. Well, it could have been worse," Eirin muttered. She took a deep breath and rose to her feet. "At least it's fixable. Take me to it."

Utada stiffened and saluted again. "Yes sir!"

The two of them left the room without another word, leaving Reisen still standing alone by the door.

…

Koakuma opened the door to the sitting room with her behind, careful not to upset the tray of tea and cookies she was carrying.

"I'm sorry to make you wait, ladies," she said as she set the tray down at the table where the mansion's guests were waiting. She began pouring tea for the two. "Miss Izayoi is still in congress with the Mistress. If you would prefer to leave and come back at another time…"

"Yeah, you can forget that," Rika Asakura said. She grabbed one of the bat-shaped cookies and bit off the head. "Did'ja mention the part where there's lives are on the line here? Ours and hers?"

"We do not wish to hurry her, but this is something of an emergency," Rikako added. She started spooning sugar into her teacup.

Koakuma nodded. "I understand. She is aware of the situation and will be with you shortly." She started backing towards the door. "Again, I apologize for the wait."

"Sure you do," Rika muttered darkly. "It'll probably be midnight by the time…Oh Christ, Rikako, are you trying to sweeten that tea or form it into a solid? And what's with these cookies, they taste like sausage…"

Koakuma hustled out of the room as quickly as she could, shutting the door and cutting off Rika's voice.

"Burning Infernals, those two give me the creeps," she muttered. She straightened her suit and made her way back through the mansion until she reached the staircase to the second floor.

Patchouli's current intern, Tokiko, was waiting for her at the foot. The ibis youkai looked uncomfortable. Then again, the Mistress was in an unpleasant mood. Everyone was uncomfortable as a result.

"Well, they're certainly not going anywhere," Koakuma muttered. "Just our luck. I don't suppose she's shown any sign of finishing?"

Tokiko shook her head miserably. "No, they're still in her study. I couldn't hear much, but it didn't sound good. Does she normally get like this?"

"Not usually, and this is the first I've seen her become angry at those two." Koakuma sat down on the steps next to her. "But she has been known to lose her temper on occasion. Believe me when I say interrupting her is a very bad idea."

"How bad?"

Koakuma shot her a look. "You know those cookies I just took to the humans?"

"Yeah, what about th-Ohhhh…"

"Exactly. When something like this happens, the best thing is to just keep your head down and ride it out. Trying to interfere will just get you sent to very bad places."

…

Click-click-click

Remilia Scarlet's fingernail, carefully filed and trimmed to a perfect point, clicked out a rhythm on the top of her desk as she reread the summons that had been given to Sakuya and Patchouli the day before.

"…formally ordered to appear…" she muttered as her eyes skimmed the lines written in Yukari's near-perfect handwriting. "…address accusations of actions of a grievous nature…participation in experiments of morally questionable nature…crimes against the natural order of things…"

She dipped the paper low so she could look over it toward the two figures kneeling in front of the desk. "'Natural order of things'? Does such a thing exist in Gensokyo? It's so hard to tell sometimes."

She sighed and neatly refolded the paper. "Still, all things considered it would be rude not to show up, wouldn't you think so? After all, these are some very serious accusations here. It would certainly not look good if we were to ignore them, don't you two agree?"

"Yesh Mishtreth," Sakuya responded through a swollen mouth. Patchouli simply winced and nodded.

"Well good!" Remilia slapped her palms down against the desk's marble surface, making them flinch. She stood to her feet. "I'm so glad we were able to come to an agreement. And it's important for us all to be all on the same page, wouldn't you say so?" She walked around the desk and squatted down in front of them. "So very important."

She reached out with her hands, brushing her fingertips along both their cheeks. Patchouli started trembling at the touch, but Sakuya endured without reaction.

"After all, I'd oh so very upset to find out that we're not on the same page." She pressed her nails under their chins, forcing their chins up so that they were looking her in the eyes. She smiled sweetly, baring her fangs. "So very upset indeed."

"It would be such an awful thing to find that my two dearest friends in the whole wide world were sneaking around behind my back and cutting me out of the loop," Remilia purred. "So very upsetting. And do you know what would be even more upsetting? Hmmm? Do you?"

The sides of her smile fell. "To discover that my baby sister was somehow convinced to go along with it, without my permission and without my knowledge. Now, if that were to happen, why I don't know what I would have to do. So, it probably shouldn't happen. Well, don't you agree?"

Sakuya nodded obediently. "Yesh Mishtreth. I undershand."

"Y-y-yessss…" Patchouli squeaked out.

Remilia's smile returned. She kissed them both on the cheek. "So glad you see things my way. Now, clean yourselves up. I believe you have guests to entertain."

With that, she left them where they were. She heard Patchouli's shaking arms give out from under her, but paid the collapsing magician no heed as she left her study.

Feeling absolutely no compulsion to hurry at all, Remilia descended the staircase, her fingers lightly touching the banister. Patchouli's pet demon and some bird that Remilia didn't recognize were sitting at the bottom, talking.

"…and then there was this one time where a human thought he could earn a name for himself by staking the Mistress. Three days and enough chemicals to eat through iron and we still couldn't get him out of the wallEEP!"

Koakuma immediately shot to her feet when she saw Remilia approaching. The bird followed suit, hiding behind the demon's legs. Remilia paused to look at them.

"M-M-Mistress Remilia!" Koakuma said as she tried to stand at attention without shaking. "W-w-why, what a-"

Remilia ignored her stammering. "Your master and Sakuya have both been disciplined and are upstairs. They may require assistance standing. But you two wouldn't mind helping them, would you?"

Koakuma forced a shaky grin. "Of c-course not, Mistress! Right away!"

With that, she bolted up the stairs, dragging the bird along with her. Remilia watched them go for about a second before continuing on her way.

Despite her current anger with her chief maid, having Sakuya Izayoi as an employee did come with a great number of advantages. One of them was that the interior of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was as large as Remilia wanted it. The place was a virtual labyrinth of twisting corridors, rooms of every shape and size and seemingly endless staircases. Beyond giving her enough space to hold her things and confusing the hell out of property appraisers, it also had the advantage of confusing intruders who were unfamiliar with the mansion's layout, one Marisa Kirisame notwithstanding. Of course, Remilia knew every turn like the bite of her fang.

It was through these corridors that she marched on, her path as certain as a bullet's flight. She made turn after turn, passing through door after door, descending ever deeper into the heart of the mansion.

Finally, she stood before a single door. Unlike the ornate red-and-gold designs of the mansion's other doorways, this was a crude dull iron. Over fifteen different locks of various sizes sealed the door shut along one end, and steel chains crisscrossed over the front. The message was clear: this door was not to be touched.

Remilia ran her hand down the door's side and concentrated. Someone could wear down a thousand hacksaws on the chains and try every key in the world on the locks and it would do them no good. The door would only open to the deliberate touch of a select few. It had to be that way. Very few could open the door and survive.

Fortunately for her, Remilia was one of those people. At her touch, the chains shook and snapped loose from their supports to fall in a heap at her feet. The locks began popping, slipping and twisting open, starting with the top and ending at the bottom. The door slid open on its rusty hinges.

Like the rest of the building, the basement of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was much different than the counterparts found in more mundane dwellings. Its design smacked closer to a network of catacombs than an underground storage area, with musty hallways and cracked and stained walls. Large chunks of stone had been torn out in areas, and broken furniture, toys, and once living creatures were scattered across the floors. The place smelled of mildew, decay and, oddly enough, brimstone. And the only lighting was from a series of heavily melted candles that inadequately bathed the area in a sickly green glow.

"Oh, Flandre darling!" Remilia called, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Flandre, where are you hiding?"

Silence.

Remilia sighed as she continued deeper into the basement, careful to close the door behind her. "Flandre, let's not play this game, please. Come on out, your sister needs to speak with you."

This time, there was an answer. A tittering of laughter, high-pitched and definitely not sane, trickled out of the shadows. It seemed to come from no particular direction, but instead echoed from all around. To the uninitiated, the effect would be very chilling.

Then laughter ceased, and then the voice of a young girl began singing.

"Apples and honey.
Apricot jelly.
I threw the silver
Teaspoon against the wall.

Hurry up, let's play.
Dolls never
They just try to sing
The one song they know."

Remilia rolled her eyes. "That's enough Flandre. Now, stop messing around and-"

"Boo!"

Squeaking in surprise, Remilia jumped back when a shadow suddenly swung down to grin into her face. Pleased that it had gotten the reaction that it had, the shadow began swaying back and forth as it cackled in delight.

Remilia immediately composed herself. "Now that," she sniffed, "was not funny."

"Was too! Got you, Remi!"

"Yes, I'm sure you're very pleased with yourself. Now, stop swinging back and forth like a monkey and come down."

Sticking out her tongue, Flandre Scarlet flipped around and landed in front of her sister. Like Remilia, she appeared to be a Human girl of about ten years of age, with adorable dimpled cheeks and tousled blond hair. She wore a red dress tied at the throat with a yellow ascot and a pink mop-cap sat on her head. But again, there were a number of things that would immediately identify her as being inhuman, among those being the scarlet eyes and pointed fangs that she had in common with her sister. But even more noticeable was her wings: instead of the leathery bat-like membranes that stretched between Remilia's wingtips, Flandre instead had a series of different colored crystals hanging from her wire-like span. No one was sure how she had come to be in possession of such a wingspan, whether it was by some sort of strange vampiric mutation or if they were of artificial design. And of course, no one could work up the courage to ask her.

Remilia of course found none of this to be unusual. What did catch her eye was that Flandre's wings seemed to have acquired a new set of decorations. She frowned in disapproval.

"Flandre, what are those rodents doing there?" she asked.

Flandre giggled. "I made some new friends!" She proudly spread her bizarre wings, displaying the fact that she had a rat hanging from each crystal, tied tightly in place by the tail. "I took them flying with me!"

Most of the rats were obviously very dead, if not outright mutilated. Two of them still twitched weakly, but if they had not expired already they were well on their way.

"Now, Flandre, what did I tell you about mistreating living creatures," Remilia chided her.

Flandre's face fell and her wings wilted. "But we were just playing!" she whined.

"Flandre…"

With a sigh, Flandre stared down at her shoes as she recited, "'Living things aren't toys and shouldn't be treated as such'," she muttered. "'Because they break easy and can't be fixed'."

"Very good. Now, please get rid of those. It's unsanitary."

"Okay…" Flandre said reluctantly. The crystals suddenly flared up, illuminating the surrounding area in a flashing kaleidoscope. It was all very pretty, but the effect was ruined when each and every one of the rats burst into flames. They blackened and shriveled until their tails gave way, sending them tumbling to the floor like falling stars where they continued to burn to ash.

"Very good," Remilia approved. "Now then, how would you like to go on a field trip?"

Flandre perked up immediately. "Field trip? You mean, outside?"

"I do indeed."

Flandre cheered her delight. "Hooray!" she cried as she leapt up to throw her arms around Remilia's neck. "Thank you, Remi!"

Remilia staggered back but regained her footing. "You're quite welcome. We'll be going out tomorrow. There are some very important and very stupid people that I need to upset. And you get to help."

Flandre nuzzled her sister's neck. "And will there be cookies afterward? And cake, and games?"

"Oh, there will be games," Remilia purred as she affectionately ran her fingers through Flandre's hair. "There will be plenty of games."

…

Deep Within

Rumia winced as pins and needles erupted all over her head. "Ow! Stop it!" She pulled away from Rin's grasp and started scratching furiously.

"Knock it off," Rin said crossly. She grabbed Rumia's head again and pressed in with her fingertips. "This is hard enough without you squirming all over the place."

"But it itches!"

"Of course it itches! I'm digging through your deepest, oldest memories. Did'ja expect it to feel like a massage? Now, hold still already."

Bristling with annoyance, Rumia tried to keep from fidgeting as Rin poked in deeper. But with the prickles that kept dancing all over her skull, it was almost impossible.

Then a sharp pain jabbed its way through her mind. Rumia yanked herself way away from Rin and fell to the ground, clutching her head.

"Ow, ow, ow," she muttered. "The hell did you just do?"

Rin just looked confused. "What do you mean? What happened?"

"What happened? It just felt like you were driving a spike through my eye, that's what happened!"

"Huh. That's weird. Here, let me take a look?"

"No way! You'll probably give me brain cancer or something!"

Rin rolled her eyes. "You don't have a physical brain anymore, dork. The worst that can happen is that I accidentally poke the wrong place and you go mad."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Rumia demanded.

"Um…Good point. But still, I need to look at that."

"Forget it," Rumia said. She crossed her arms and glowered. "No more mind probe for you."

A flash of irritation washed over Rin's face. "Rumia, do you think that I couldn't make you do it if I wanted to?" She inclined her head in the direction of Kaguya and Mokou, who still hung suspended without their mouths.

Rumia blinked. A slight shiver ran down her spine and she wordlessly crawled back to sit down in front of Rin again.

"Thanks," Rin muttered as she touched Rin's hair with her fingers. Then she said, "Um, sorry about threatening you. It's just we need to figure this out, and this is our only lead, so…"

Rumia sat still and said nothing.

With a sigh Rin pushed hard. Once again, red hot agony drove through Rumia's mind, only this time it was worst. Rumia screamed and reflexively pushed Rin away.

"Wow, yeah, I felt it that time," Rin said. "Um, are you…okay?"

"Gimme a second," Rumia groaned. She was still seeing stars. "What was that?"

Rin scratched her head. "Erm, well I've never really tried this before, but it feels like you've got some major repressed memories there."

"Huh?" Rumia stopped rubbing her forehead. "What's that?"

"Well, you know if something really, really bad or scary happens to somebody and they don't want to remember it anymore? So their mind pushes down deeper and deeper until they forget that anything ever happened?"

"I guess…"

"That's what repressed memories are. The memory's so bad that your mind just blocks it out. Only problem is, it never really goes away and can really mess up a person's life without them even knowing it."

Rumia frowned. "So…you're saying something terrible happened to me, something I just plain don't remember?"

"Could be. Probably. I'll have to dig them out to make sure."

"And would that…hurt?"

"Well, yeah," Rin admitted. "I mean, it if hurt that much for me to just touch them…"

Rumia was starting to grow sick of this place and all of its weird metaphysical metaphors.

"Do we have to do it now?"

Rin stared down at her hands. "I'd rather we did it as soon as possible. Get it over with, you know? But I did promise not to hurt you…" She bit her lip. The whole thing looked like it was confusing her.

An uncomfortable silence passed between them. Then Rin rose to her feet.

"I guess we'll figure something out," she muttered. She started pacing back and forth, a troubled look on her face.

"Um, right." Rumia grimaced. She quickly changed the subject. "So have you figured out what to do with them?"

Rin paused and sighed. "No, I haven't."

"Maybe we should just let them go," Rumia suggested. "Knock them out and run before they wake up."

"Maybe. Kinda hard to give up immortality, though. I don't wanna get blown up again, and neither do you." She glowered over to her two hanging captives, who just glared right back. "Maybe I should take away their eyes. All their staring is bugging me out."

The fact that Rin immediately thought up that solution instead of simply turning them around made Rumia shudder. "Ugh, please don't. They're already like something out of my nightmares."

Rin shrugged. "Okay, if you like having their eyes following you every…" She paused in mid-sentence. Her eyes blinked at Rumia, darted over to Kaguya and Mokou and then back to Rumia. Then she jumped up and clapped her hands. "That's it! Rumia, you're a genius!"

"Uh, is that so? How?"

"Your nightmares! That's how we'll fix it!"

"…what?"

Rin didn't answer. Instead, she pointed a finger at the two rivals. "Rock-a-go-bye-bye!" she shouted.

Immediately Kaguya and Mokou's forms began to blur and melt away. Rumia stared in shock as they literally faded away like smoke.

"What did you do?" Rumia demanded.

Rin grinned. "I put them to sleep," she said proudly.

"What? I thought you said we can't sleep here."

"We can't!"

Rumia closed her eyes and groaned. "Rin, please start making sense before my brain throttles itself."

"I just told you, you don't have-"

"Rin!"

"Okay, okay. What I did was trigger that part of the mind that makes dreams. So even though they're not physically here, they still have a conscious mind. So they must have a subconscious one too! So that means I can make them start dreaming! It keeps them entertained, and I don't have to send them into the dark to get rid of them."

Rumia tried to wrap her mind around that one. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, you've done it before, right?"

"Nope!" Rin answered cheerfully. "But it's just a dream. Don't worry so much, they'll be fine."

…

Once upon the time, Yuuka Kazami had resided in the world of dreams. There, she had garnered a reputation as one of the place's most dangerous and unstable denizens, fueling rumors that she wasn't a youkai but a nightmare given flesh. It was said that she would randomly wander into the minds of sleeping children who didn't behave. Said children would then be scarred for life, if they woke up at all.

Since then, Yuuka had relocated to Gensokyo, citing that it made caring for her beloved sunflowers easier. And so the entirely of the dream world breathed a collective sigh of relief while the inhabitants of Gensokyo hid under their beds, praying that they wouldn't attract her attention.

During the move, Yuuka had brought her mansion with her. The building itself was an engineering marvel. Most of the stone floor had been torn up to allow Yuuka's flowers space to grow. How they received enough sun to grow indoors was the source of much speculation. The answer was a complicated one, with such details as strategically placed skylights, windows, mirrors and, when all else failed, magical assistance. But when one really got down to it, it all worked for one reason: because Yuuka wanted it to. And what Yuuka Kazami wanted to happen in her domain happened. It was simple as that.

And so Wriggle found herself sitting motionless at a round tea-table on the mansion's sundeck. A spotless white linen cloth covered the table, and a moss green umbrella speared through the center. A silver tea set sat on the table's surface. At first glance, it seemed to be a rather lovely scene, but that fact that Yuuka Kazami was smiling at Wriggle from across the table ended any pleasantness for Wriggle.

"Wriggle, my honeybee, my sweet biscuit," Yuuka said happily. "I'm just so glad you came by." She picked up the teapot and carefully filled one of the cups. "I've missed you ever so much. Where have you been all this time? Didn't you miss me too?"

Wriggle's face was still smarting where Yuuka's sunflower had smacked her. "Um, yeah. It's, uh, good to see you again, Yuuka."

Yuuka smiled as she pushed the cup toward the young firefly. "Oh, you have no idea. Things have been just so lonely here, with no one but my babies and Elly to keep me company. And while I do love them so, they're not much for conversation or…playtime."

Wriggle gulped nervously. She hastily snatched up the teacup and brought it to her lips before Yuuka noticed.

She paused before taking a sip. "Uh, Yuuka? Is this…"

"Oh, don't worry yourself," Yuuka laughed. "It's only sunflower water. I wouldn't dream of poisoning my little nightlight."

Wriggle grimaced. She carefully set the cup back down. Perhaps it wasn't poisoned, but Yuuka wasn't above spiking it with certain substances that would lower one's guard. And inhibitions.

"So now, what brings my Wriggle here?" Yuuka asked. "Because it couldn't have been to just to see little old me."

Wriggle forced a grin. "Uh, what makes you say-"

Yuuka reached over to lay one hand on Wriggle cheek. The firefly froze in her seat. For one thing, Yuuka's touch could go any number of ways, very few of them survivable. For another, Yuuka apparently did not need to lean over to reach. Wriggle was pretty sure her arm had not been quite that long a moment ago. It was…disconcerting.

The smile had left Yuuka's face. "Oh, Wriggle, Wriggle, Wriggle, please don't insult my intelligence," she chided. "I'm thrilled to see you, I really am, but as much as it pains me so say so, I just cannot seem to make myself believe that you would come by on a social visit." A flashing gleam appeared in her eye. "Though if I am wrong, I certainly wouldn't say no to…discussing old times."

Wriggle's eyes popped wide open when Yuuka withdrew her hand. In her fingers was a black leather collar. A silver tag hung from the collar, bearing Wriggle's name.

"Yaahhh!" Wriggle cried as she leapt back. "I, uh, I d-do need to ask you something…"

"Really now. Please, continue."

Wriggle forced herself to remain calm, though she couldn't keep herself from speaking too fast. "Well, as it so happens, one of my friends is in really big trouble, and we got a plan to help her. Only problem is that we might make some people mad, and really, really need some help if that happens." She swallowed noisily. "So, um, if you're interested of course, but if you could…help…us out?"

Yuuka sighed heavily, dashing Wriggle's hopes to pieces. "Oh Wriggle, my moonflower, you know how deeply I love you. But honestly, trying to mix me into your friends' little games? Come now, what do you take me for?"

Yuuka suddenly slammed her palms on the table, rattling the cups and silverware. "Especially," she snarled, "since you ran out on me years ago, leaving me all alone and breaking my tender heart! And now you expect me to help you in some stupid, childish scheme? Are you out of your fucking mind, you godsdamned immature little cockroach? Have you forgotten who I am?"

Screw this, I'm outta here. Wriggle turned to flee, but found that her path to be blocked. Yuuka's sunflowers had nearly doubled in size and were looming overhead, their dials staring down at her. There was little doubt that any attempt to leave would be dealt with harshly.

Shaking with absolute terror, Wriggle turned to see that she was now standing in Yuuka's shadow. The flower youkai was standing over, displeasure written all over her face.

"Now, that won't do," Yuuka whispered. "No, no, that won't do at all."

She reached down with one curled hand to the cowering girl, who was now fully convinced that, youkai immortality or no, she was not going to survive the next few minutes.

Then, likely fueled by adrenaline, inspiration struck. "It's Yukari!" Wriggle screamed.

Yuuka's hand paused. She cocked her head in curiosity. "What?"

"It's Yukari! Yukari Yakumo! She's the one we need protection from!"

"Yukari?" Yuuka withdrew her hand. "How so?"

Summarizing the best she could and doing everything in her power to keep from babbling, Wriggle told her off Rumia's plight and Yukari's involvement. Admittedly, she didn't know much, but apparently that didn't matter. As she spoke, Yuuka's frown gave way to a happy smile.

"Rumia?" she said, clasping her hand excitedly. "Rumia? And the chaos, and Yukari's involved! Ah…The Shadow Youkai! Oh, this is going to be good!"

Then she stooped down. Wriggle cried out and closed her eyes, but instead of tearing her head off Yuuka merely scooped the firefly up in her arms, where she was cradled like a baby.

"Oh, my lovely, you should have said so!" Yuuka cooed as she playfully poked Wriggle on the nose. "Of course I'll help you and your darling little friends! Anything for my sweet, sweet Wriggle."

"Thanks," Wriggle squeaked. While she was glad that her life seemed to be no longer in danger, being held by Yuuka was not a preferable turn of events.

And even if she had managed to secure the flower youkai's help, Wriggle couldn't believe that it would do her or her friends any good. In fact, she was starting to believe that they had just made the mistake of their lives.

Chapter Text

Gensokyo was a country in name only. If one were to be accurate, it would be better described as a land rather than a country, one which contained several loosely connected settlements and other commonwealths. There was no common government, no state of law other than what the communities enforced within their own borders, no real rule beyond "Annoy us, and we'll mess you up." And if anyone was unable to uphold that rule…well, that was just too damned bad.

Not to say there hadn't been attempts to unite all of Gensokyo under a single flag. One eager young visionary had gone from settlement to settlement a few decades ago, trying to convince the various races and peoples to put aside their differences and work toward a common good. After three months of failing to generate any sort of interest, he had finally given up and headed home…only to be waylaid and eaten by a couple of wild youkai. Nobody really cared; he had been considered the family pest anyway.

Another attempt early in the country's formation saw greater success. The ambitious leader of a youkai tribe had decided that Gensokyo would serve nicely as her own personal kingdom. She began to unite other nearby tribes, bringing them together with the promise of bloodshed and the spoils of war. More and more creatures joined her cause, including some of humanity's more vicious members, who saw her campaign as a way to settle some scores with their neighbors. They even began construction on a fortress city, one which would serve as her capital and their headquarters in the coming war effort. Even in the present day the city is considered quite the accomplishment, as it marks the only time that many different races had been convinced to work together on something of that scale. It also is noted as the single largest city to be built in Gensokyo's history, with souring towers, imposing walls enchanted against fliers, an intricate grid of city streets and dwellings and enough supplies to withstand a year's siege.

Unfortunately for them, as the city neared completion and the day of the invasion drew ever closer, they had finally drawn the attention of Yukari Yakumo.

These days, the Ruined City sits desolate as a reminder that some things are to be left well alone. There remains little else except a field of stone piles, long worn down by the elements. Here and there stands the fragment of a wall or a doorway, but on the whole it bears no resemblance to the proud metropolis it had once been. Everything was destroyed or looted, first by Yukari herself (the foolish self-imagined queen's crown still sat over her fireplace) and then by everyone else. Occasionally a treasure hunter would poke around the city's bones, hoping to find something that had been overlooked, but they always left disappointed.

However, there was one structure that had escaped the devastation: the citadel of the Youkai Queen remained in the city's center, silently watching over the ruins. Yukari had seen the benefit of preserving the tower for her own private use and had taken steps to ensure that it would not be disturbed. Among these uses was hosting meetings for the leaders of the very much divided communities that dotted Gensokyo. She found the irony to be quite amusing.

It was in this citadel that Yukari sat waiting, in the hall constructed for the Youkai Queen's court as they plotted their conquest, in the chair intended for the queen herself. The hall stretched around her like a small stadium, full of elevated stone seats surrounding an open area in the center, with Yukari's seat rising above them all at the far end. While she didn't condone the Youkai Queen's actions in the slightest, she had to admit that sometimes she saw the appeal. If nothing else, there was something to be said for having such an awesome place to sit and look important.

Then again, the appeal was going to wear off as soon as some of those seats filled and the meeting began. She just hoped she could scare them enough in the debriefing stage to convince them to work together, but the rationalist in her truly doubted it. The room was nicknamed "The Court of Conflict" for a reason.

"Yukari? They're arriving."

Yukari nodded to Ran, who was standing near the door. Indeed, when she looked through the huge arching windows that were set over the seats, she could see several small dots moving in the distance, flying towards the citadel.

"Well, I suppose I better be there to greet them," she muttered. With a sigh, she pushed herself to her feet and floated to the floor, the heels of her shoes sending an echo through the stone chamber as they tapped against the stone. "If nothing else, maybe they'll get a fraction of the yelling out of the way at the front door."

…

Reimu's jaw dropped as the imposing structure came into view. "Holy wow!" she gasped. "It's so…huge!"

"Nearly a kilometer straight up," Mima called to her. Despite their purpose for being there, the green-haired ghost seemed to be utterly unconcerned. She was flying belly up, arms behind her head and didn't seem to even be paying attention to where she was going. "Took the builders near fifteen years to construct."

"Wow." Reimu's eyes traced the jutting spike of the citadel from top to bottom. Even though they were still several miles away, its sheer vastness was still apparent. "And Yukari really owns it?"

"You keep what you conquer," Mima said. "Though ironically enough, that was the catchphrase of the tower's original owners. I guess they never intended for it to apply to anyone else but them."

"I don't see what's so great about it," Suika grumbled. She shielded her eyes from the sun as she squinted forward. "Pandemonium is way cooler."

From atop her broom, Marisa rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "So there's probably a whole lot of interesting stuff from that city locked away in there…"

Reimu shot her look. "Don't even think about it, Marisa."

"What? I'm just saying-"

"No."

"Hey, you can't-"

"Seriously, just no."

"Anyone ever tell you how you like to take the fun out of life, Reddie?" Marisa grumbled.

"Hush now," Mima told them. "We're almost there, and it doesn't look like we're the first to arrive."

The four of them swooped down low, heading for the citadel's courtyard. There, they could see Yukari standing before the massive double-doors of the entrance. She was conversing with a tall, regal woman with blue-colored hair that brushed her shoulders. The woman wore a flowing red dress that held a round, mirror-like pendant at the center of her breast. Standing behind her was a young woman dressed in a pale blue shrine maiden's robe, not too dissimilar from Reimu's. She had long green hair that flowed partway down her back. One lock was decorated with a curling ornament fashioned in the form of a serpent and fastened with a pin that resembled a frog's head.

"Oh, hey, look at that," Mima remarked as they approached. "The newbies showed."

"I heard that," said Kanako, goddess of the Youkai Mountain. She turned to the new arrivals. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the competition. So what brings you girls here? Did you finally grow so tired of the lack of business that you wanted to see how the goddess of a real shrine operates?"

Reimu feet touched ground. "You got us," she said. "Specifically, we needed help learning how to lose fights. We were hoping you guys could give us a few pointers, since you're so good at it."

"Yeah? Well, here's a hint," the green-haired girl broke in. "Just take a nap in the middle of a duel and let the other guy pound you. Falling asleep should be something you're well experienced in."

"That doesn't sound too hard," Marisa remarked. She shouldered her broom. "I'm practically falling asleep every time I dual you guys anyway."

"Concussions have a way of doing that," Kanako said. Then she laughed. "Good to see you guys," she said as she leaned over to embrace Reimu.

Reimu smiled as she returned the hug. "You too. I was growing worried that the Tengu might have kicked you out by now." She pulled away and waved at the green-haired girl. "Hey, Sanae! How's the knockoff shrine?"

"Doing great business, thank you very much. There's been talk of starting a yearly festival in Kanako's honor."

"Really? Nice! A few more favors like that you might actually become halfway legit." Reimu looked around. "By the way, where's the half-sized frog? She didn't want to come?"

"Suwako never really had the patience for these sorts of things," Kanako answered. "Though I see you brought the half-sized oni. She seems a bit put out though. Did something happen I should know about?"

Reimu stole a glance at Suika, who had landed a small distance away from the rest of the group and was now pacing back and forth, mumbling to herself. "Um, yeah. She kinda broke that gourd of hers."

Sanae's eyes widened. "Wait, she did what?"

"Smashed it flat!" Marisa crowed. She slapped her palms together to demonstrate. "And now she's sober for the first time in centuries, ze! Makes you wonder if her brain will start-"

The rest of the sentence was cut off when Yukari suddenly appeared behind the witch. She threw one arm around Marisa's throat and the other over her mouth. "That will be enough of that," she hissed as she lifted Marisa fully off her feet. To the staring representatives of Moriya shrine, she said, "And do Suika and favor and don't bring it up again. She's taking it a bit hard."

With that she released Marisa, who fell to her knees coughing. "Why…you…crazy…bitch," Marisa wheezed. She pushed herself to her feet and reached into the pocket of her apron. "I'll…teach you to…huh?" She pulled open the pocket and looked inside. "Wait…what?"

Yukari, who was already walking away, turned to smirk at her. "Looking for this?" she asked, holding up Marisa's hakkero between two fingers.

"Ooooohhhh…" Reimu and Sanae exclaimed, perfectly in unison.

"Shut it!" Marisa snapped at them. "And give that back, you decomposing old-Ahhh!"

A gap opened beneath Marisa's feet, sucking her in before closing up. Less than a second later another opened up five feet above where she had been standing, dumping the witch into an untidy heap.

"I'll return your toy when I feel like it," Yukari coldly told Marisa as the latter tried to scramble to her feet. "And remember this: you're on my property, so you will play by my rules. So behave. Got it?"

Marisa's eyes flashed, and her right hand began to glow. However, Mima took that moment to sidle up to her former minion.

"That's enough, Marisa," she whispered into the girl's ear. "Not the place or time."

Marisa frowned, but she relaxed her hand. "Fine. Got it. But I better get that back."

Yukari smiled, but she didn't respond. To the others, she said, "Sorry about that, ladies. And now, I must ask you to go inside and take your seats. The others will be arriving soon and…"

Her nostril twitched.

"…Hmmm, anyone else smell brimstone?"

"YuKARi!" a commanding voice thundered across the courtyard.

"Oh, her."

Everyone turned to face the newcomer, who was marching toward her with a clear bone to pick. She was easily the shortest person present, the top of her head barely reaching Reimu’s chest. Despite this, her demeanor suggested someone who was used to being respected. She wore a smart but elaborate blue-and-black suit and covered her aquamarine hair with the single most ridiculous hat that Yukari had ever seen in her long life of meeting people with ridiculous hats. A painted casket-shaped rod was clutched in one hand, which doubled as her mark of office and a handy prop whenever she needed to whack someone on the back of the head. Behind her walked a much taller girl whose red hair was tied up in two messy pigtails. A large and very dangerous looking scythe was carried over one shoulder.

Despite the noticeable size difference in height and weaponry, there was no question that the former was the superior of the latter. And heaven help anyone who would be so foolish for mistaking it to be the other way around.

"What is the meaning of this?" Yamaxanadu Eiki Shiki, Judge of the Dead, demanded. "Your actions are inexcusable and I demand and explanation!"

"Hello Yamaxanadu," Yukari said. She bowed low out of respect. Even though she found Eiki Shiki to be a ghastly overblown windbag, one had to acknowledge her office at least. "Thank you for coming."

"Forget the greeting!" Eiki snapped back. "You will tell me the reason for this outrage!"

Yukari inclined an eyebrow. "What, calling an emergency meeting? All proper protocol was followed to the best of my knowledge. I don't see-"

"Not that! I refer to your blatant disregard of the laws set in place to govern life and death. You Yukari, yes you! You had the audacity to prevent a mortal from completing their natural transition to the second life, a clear violation of the statues outlined in The Absolutely Unbreakable Laws Of Life And Death That Must Be Adhered To If Anything Is Going To Work, page one-hundred fifty seven, paragraphs three through four, which clearly state that any such intercession must first submitted in request form to the office of the First Judge of Paradise, namely myself, which according to my records never took place!"

"Ah, that. Well, I was a bit pressed for time-"

"Furthermore, in doing so you prevented my subordinate from completing her duties!" Eiki indicated her retainer with her rod. "Do you realize how difficult it is to motivate Komachi to actually do her job when she's supposed to? She does not need outside interference! She's getting enough of that as it is from her own laziness!"

Komachi merely rolled her eyes and mouthed, See? I told you so.

Yukari's mouth was set in a straight line. So, the games were beginning already, and they hadn't even gone inside yet. She glanced around to those gathered, who were watching the proceedings with great interest. Marisa seemed to be especially gleeful at the sight of Yukari being chewed out.

Well, might as well give them a show. Yukari took a deep breath and said, "Yamaxanadu Shiki, believe me when I say it was not my intention to upset the balance of life and death-"

"Your actions suggest otherwise!" Eiki scoffed. "Or do you mean to tell me that they were involuntary on your part?"

"-but I was forced to act quickly in order to prevent an obstruction of justice."

She had said the magic words. The anger immediately dissipated from Eiki Shiki's face, to be replaced with surprise and interest.

"An obstruction of justice? Of what kind, and how does that relate to the life you preserved?"

"The person whose life I saved was one Eirin Yagokoro," Yukari continued. "She was both a witness and victim of a murder attempt. Furthermore, she contained intimate knowledge concerning the murderer, who was able to elude capture and is currently at large. Had I not acted, such knowledge would have been lost and I would be unable to have her present that knowledge to an official council meeting, which is our reason for meeting today. Surely you wouldn't have wanted me to let vital evidence fall from our grasp?"

"No, no I would not," Eiki muttered. She shook her head. "Very well, I retract the accusation. You did the right thing in this instance. I suppose this would count as a good deed in your favor. Komachi? You are forgiven. Now, come."

With that, she spun on her heel and marched inside the citadel. Komachi shot a glance at Yukari and spun her finger in a circle next to her ear before saying "Coming Master!" and following.

Yukari coughed into her hand. "You better go in as well," she told the others. "The less standoffs we have before the meeting starts, the better."

Everyone muttered their assent and turned to walk inside. Before they were all gone, Yukari sidled up to one of them and muttered, "Reimu, a moment of your time."

"Huh?" The shrine maiden looked at her in bewilderment. Then she shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

The two of them walked a small distance away from the others, to where a stubborn tree had forced itself up from the rubble.

"So what's up?" Reimu asked. "Something happen?"

Yukari folded her arms and leaned against the tree. "No, actually I just wanted to see how you were holding up. I haven't been able to check up on you since the day before yesterday."

A brief silence passed, and then Reimu said, "Okay, this is starting to creep me out. Who are you, and what have you done with the real Yukari?"

"Pardon?"

Reimu started ticking off points on her fingers. "Come on, first you go find me during the battle and make sure I got proper medical attention instead of just telling me to suck it up like you usually do. I actually had to fight with you to get you to let me go home to the shrine, and then you insist on putting some big-ass force field over the whole thing, and then you go and apologize for getting me into this. And now you pull aside to see if I'm okay. No offense, I appreciate the concern and all, but it's really weird and kinda disturbing."

Yukari's finger tapped her bicep. "Would you rather I was cold and distant?"

"Look, it's just strange, coming from you. Seriously, what's up?"

"Nothing, I just-"

"Yukari Yakumo!"

They both turned to see the latest arrivals, this time a white-haired woman with six massive purple wings sprouting from her back. Accompanying her was a humorless blond woman in a red maid outfit.

"Shinki?" Reimu blurted. "No. Fucking. Way. Shinki's here?"

"Well, she the leader of a prominent territory."

"You mean Hell, right?"

"That would be a prominent territory, yes. Just as well too, I needed to speak to her about something." Yukari glanced at Reimu out of the corner of her eye. "Go on inside, we'll talk later."

"Um, yeah. Sure." Reimu shrugged. "Sounds good."

Shaking her head, Reimu quickly left Yukari to catch up with her group. She started running, partially because she had fallen very far behind and partially because she didn't know if Shinki was the kind to hold grudges.

She hurried through the open double-doors of the entrance and looked around. Despite living in a smallish shrine all her life, Reimu had had the chance to visit any number of opulent dwellings in her time. The Scarlet Devil Mansion for one, as well as pre-destruction Eientei, Hakugyokurou and several others. Still, she wasn't sure what to expect upon stepping inside the ancient tower.

It did not disappoint.

The entrance led to a curving hallway, which stretched in either direction. As far as Reimu could tell, it circled the entirety of the citadel's circumference. The floor and the walls were an endless sea of black decorated with flecks of gold. Walking down that corridor would likely give the impression of striding across the night sky.

However, as interesting as that was, Reimu's attention was focused on what was directly in front of her. Another doorway was set in the wall across from the main entrance, leading into a cavernous open space. The room was circular in construction, with cornerless walls enfolding what had to be the heart of the tower. The flecks of gold twisted themselves along the floor in a spiral pattern, growing more and more dense the closer to the center they came. A series of haphazard looking stairwells lined the walls and crisscrossed through the air overhead, making Reimu feel like she was in some kind of giant mine or an insect colony. The latter imagery was enhanced by the many doorways set into the stone of the walls, reminding Reimu of a honeycomb.

"Impressive, isn't it?" asked a soft voice from behind.

Startled, Reimu jumped and whirled around. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Yet another one of Gensokyo's most important persons had arrived, this one a brown-haired woman with a flowing black-and-white dress. Her hands were clasped in a prayerful position at her waist, with a rolled-up scrolled held in her grasp. Her eyes were turned upward, towards the bizarre construction above.

"Byakuren!" Reimu exclaimed. She stood up a bit straighter. "I mean, hello. I wasn't aware that you would be attending."

"What choice did I have? Yukari hates these meetings. She would only call for one in the case of a dire emergency." Byakuren Hijiri's eyes continued to stare at the space overhead. "Look at it, Reimu. One of the very first of its kind to be found in Gensokyo. A center of government, the dwelling place for the head of state. Even today, there are few places that can rival it. Did you know that this tower alone took over fifteen years to build? The people responsible for its design probably forgot more about architecture than we will ever know. Considered to be one of Gensokyo's greatest wonders…and all of it created for the sole purpose of bringing tyranny and pain on others." She shook her head. "Amazing that a people so devoted to destruction would create something so breathtaking. Hello Reimu. I'm glad to see you again."

"The same. Did Yukari tell you what this was all about?"

"No, but that isn't surprising. She was never one to turn over a card unless it was absolutely necessary. Though I have heard some troubling things…" Byakuren bit her lip. "Speaking of which, word has reached mine ears that you got wrapped up in a bit of trouble recently. Are the two events related?"

Reimu grimaced. "Um, yeah. Same problem. I'm fine though. Just put me on the bench for a couple days."

Byakuren nodded. "Still, the problem itself is significantly greater than what has troubled Gensokyo in the past."

It was not a question, but Reimu shrugged and said, "You got that right. Hey, look, I'm sorta new to this place and got separated from my friends. Can you show me to where we're all supposed to be meeting?"

"Of course. This place can be a bit confusing, I'll admit. This way…"

Reimu started to follow, but then someone said, "Aw, is the little shrine maiden lost?"

Reimu started, but then she rolled her eyes. Ah great, her. She turned to see that they had been joined by a young woman in a form-fitting black dress, adorned at the hem with dozens of green crystals. Matching gloves covered both of her lower arms. Her flowing blue hair had been brought up in a bun and was tucked neatly underneath her wide-brimmed hat, which was decorated with three-dimensional representations of peaches. For all Reimu knew they were peaches, kept from rotting by the Celestial girl's power.

Tenshi Hinanai smiled at Reimu and Byakuren. It was not a nice smile. "Well, look who finally made the big-leagues. What's the deal, Reimu? Wanted to get a taste of what real power was like before age shriveled you up?"

Reimu bristled, but she didn't respond. Byakuren said in a neutral tone, "She's here with Mima, in representation of Hakurei Shrine."

Tenshi snapped her fingers in front of her nose. "Oh, yeah! That's right! Yukari decided to play favorites and give a seat to that floating has-been. Father was complaining about that for a month straight. I guess the only place fitting for her was some second-rate prayer box that's only famous because it keeps falling down."

"That's because assholes keep knocking it over," Reimu said crossly. "Like you."

"That's right, I did. You should be thanking me. That musty place was so old that it had fire hazard written all over it." She rolled her eyes. "Though of course they would go make me put the useless place back together. But I guess Yukari needs an out-of-the-way place to keep her whores. Really not seeing any other reason for you losers to get a seat on the council."

Reimu's right hand gave a sudden twitch. Three ofuda appeared between her fingers, ready to be thrown. She took a threatening step forward, but found herself stopping when Byakuren laid a firm hand on her shoulder. Reimu blinked in surprise and looked at up at the magician in askance. Byakuren just shook her head.

"Tenshi, enough," Byakuren said. She didn't raise her voice, but it was clear that she wasn't amused by Tenshi's flippancy. "She has just a much right to be here as you. Even more so than you, in fact. Because the last time I checked, the name card for Heaven's representative did not read 'Tenshi'."

"Maybe it was under 'Chiko' and they just forgot to update them," Reimu suggested wryly.

Tenshi's eyes narrowed. "For your information, Father and Mother decided that they wanted nothing to with that Yukari's ridiculous games. So I'm here as their proxy. Is that official enough for you, you obsolete old hag?"

"Really," Reimu said. "So they sent you to do the job they felt was beneath them. Not exactly what I would call a high honor. More like you're becoming their litter gatherer."

Tenshi sniffed and flicked the brim of her hat. "Well, someone has to do it. And if I'm to take my place as Queen of Heaven someday, I need to learn the ropes somewhere, even if it does end up being a big waste of my time."

"Queen of Heaven?" Reimu gaped. She started laughing. "You? Wow, someone woke up on the stupid side of the bed today."

"Oh Reimu," Byakuren sighed.

"What was that, little Human?" Tenshi snarled. "Have you forgotten whom you're speaking to?"

"Me? You're the one who forgot that your parents are immortal! If you're looking to inherit the throne then I suggest you find something to do in the meantime, like counting all the leaves in the Forest of Magic. Because unless you're planning on assassinating them or something, you're gonna be stuck having the dirty jobs bummed off to you for a long, long time."

Tenshi bared her teeth. Her gloved fists began shaking. For a brief moment, Reimu was certain that the Celestial would actually strike out. Reimu honestly wasn't sure if she wanted that to happen or not. She reasoned she could always chalk the ensuing beat-down up to self-defense if she did. Yukari would understand.

Instead, Tenshi simply let out a shaky breath. "Mortal trollop," she muttered. "At least I know what wealth feels like."

With that, she stormed past Reimu and Byakuren to the center of the room. She crouched down low and pushed off, rocketing upward toward one of the doors.

"Reimu, you were deliberately trying to provoke her," Byakuren admonished.

"No, she was trying to provoke me. I was just returning fire. Not my fault if she can't take it."

The magician frowned in disapproval. "Haven't you ever heard the expression 'Turn the other cheek'?"

"Have you seen what I do for a living?" Reimu said with a laugh. "I've only got two cheeks, Byakuren. Four, if you want to get technical. I ran out a long, long time ago."

"From your perspective, maybe," Byakuren muttered. She pressed two fingertips to her forehead and sighed. "Do I want to learn how you…ran out of the other two?"

Reimu just grinned. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's not polite to inquire into a lady's private life?"

"I guess it's better not to know," Byakuren said. She sighed again but allowed herself a small smile. "Still, I have to admit that was rather amusing. Now, if you're done putting spoiled and brainless young upstarts in their place, shall we continue?"

Reimu bowed low and swept her arms out to the room beyond. "By all means. Lead on, Youchrist."

"Reimu, I already told you that hate that name."

"Yes, I know."

…

"The Shadow Youkai?" Shinki said warily. She exchanged a glance with Yumeko. "This again?"

"I'm afraid so," Yukari responded. "A third party has recently managed to access her powers and certain bits of her personality."

"Which ones?"

"The nasty ones. Which would be all of them, come to think of it. That is why I'm asking you again: do you, or anyone you know, possess any information whatsoever relating to Rumia of the Darkness' origins?"

"What makes you think I do?"

"Well, there's the small problem of the Shadow Youkai possessing many, many qualities that could be said to be demonic in nature. And come to think of it, you were quite adamant about refusing to let that thing anywhere near your domain. Shinki, it does not take a conspiracy theorist to draw some unfortunate conclusions."

The Master of Makai set her mouth in a straight line. "Yukari, I do not appreciate being accused of lying."

"You're avoiding the question again," Yukari pointed out. "If you had nothing to hide, then there should be no problem in answering."

"Really? Well, here's a straight answer for you: I have no idea where the Shadow Youkai came from, and neither do my subjects. She was no creation of mine and has had absolutely nothing to do with Makai. My refusal to let you use my domain as a prison was fueled by a simple desire to keep things that way. Now, does that satisfy you?"

Not in the slightest, Yukari thought, but she said, "I suppose it'll have to."

"Good. Now, if you've finished interrogating me…"

"By all means." Yukari stepped aside, allowing the Queen of Hell and her silent bodyguard to walk past her and into the tower.

Of course, Yukari didn't trust Shinki's explanation, not one bit. As far as Overlords of the Infernal Flames went, Shinki was actually fairly reasonable. However, she was also fiercely protective of those serving under her command and was not above bending the truth to cast suspicion off of them. Yukari remembered battling the Shadow Youkai with perfect clarity, and it possessed too many demonic attributes to ignore. And since Shinki was the ruler and creator of most, if not all, of the demons, Yukari was going to be keeping an eye on her.

"She's not lying, you know," a soft voice said from nearby.

Yukari turned to meet the sullen gaze of Satori Komejii, the mistress of the Palace of Earth Spirits. Just as Shinki rules over the spiritual underworld, Satori was given dominion over the physical one. Those who dwelt beneath the earth but did not enjoy Makai's climate followed her lead. However, she wasn't exactly the most sociable of Gensokyo's leaders, and with a good reason, one that had something to do with the unblinking eye that sat in the spherical pendant that hung from her breast from four wires that encircled her body.

"Is she not?" Yukari asked irritably. "Well, I suppose you would be-"

"Of course I am. Her every thought is an open book to me, as is everyone else's. If she were withholding some guilt, it would have been written on her mind the moment you spoke to her."

"That doesn't mean-"

"Shinki's dominion over her realm is absolute. None of her subjects would be capable of unleashing something on that level without her knowing."

"Still, perha-"

"She is innocent, and no, I am not simply defending her because her realm is in close proximity to mine. Your reasons for suspicion were valid, but incorrect. Pursuing her further borders on paranoia."

Yukari folded her arms and scowled. "Has anyone ever told you-"

"Quite often. And no, I have heard nothing of this 'Rin Satsuki's' current whereabouts, nor have I met anyone who does. And yes, I shall inform you the moment such information makes itself available to me."

A large, black female cat trotted across the cracked cobblestones of the courtyard, her twin tails held high. Mewing insistently, she curled itself around Satori's legs. Her master knelt down to scratch between its ears.

Satori gathered the cat into her arms and started to make her way towards the entrance. However, she stopped suddenly fixated a disapproving look on Yukari.

"I do not judge way you treat your pets. I must ask that you extend the same courtesy toward me."

Yukari rolled her eyes.

"That was impolite. It is no business of yours how many friends I possess."

Satori left without another word.

Yukari growled. There was a reason she preferred to keep to herself. Already this day was starting to grate her nerves.

To her surprise, Yukari found herself wishing that the perpetrators of Satsuki's creation would hurry up and arrive. Despite being responsible for one of the most abhorrent affronts to nature Yukari had seen in hundreds of years, they were the closest thing she had to supporters. It was a disheartening thought.

…

Some miles away, Remilia Scarlet stood upon a chunk of solid marble. Once upon a time, that stone had been a part of the foundation of the city's court of law, where criminals and prisoners of war would go to throw themselves at the mercy of the bloodthirsty invaders. Such proceedings never went well for the condemned.

Remilia knew none of this, of course. To her it was simply a convenient place to stand. Still, had someone informed her of the stone's original purpose, she might have been amused that a place that had been such a domain of fear had now been reduced to a heap of rocks. There are few things more amusing to eternal creatures than change.

However, at the moment Remilia was less concerned with ancient history as she was with current proceedings. She was peering through a pair of small, dainty binoculars, which she held up on a thin pole. The view was that of the Ruined City's citadel, specifically on the small group of people that were gathered at the entrance.

"Huhhhh…" she muttered, more to herself than anything. "Quite a few big names. There's Yukari Yakumo over there, of course. And I'm pretty sure I just saw Tenshi Hinanai go inside. Hmmm, that woman Yukari's talking to…If I'm not mistaken, that would be Shinki herself. Curious indeed. The situation must be bad if the Overlord of Makai is making an appearance."

From her place on the ground, Rika Asakura perked up. "Wait, the Queenbitch of the Demons is here? Um, anyone else thinking we'd be better off just buggering off?"

Remilia gave her a brief glance before returning to her observations. "Sakuya, please tell the warm meat that I require neither suggestions nor color commentary, and if it feels compelled to provide them I will remove her arm and have it made into pudding."

From her place of holding her mistress' umbrella overhead, Sakuya said, "The Mistress respectfully requests that all opinions be kept private unless specifically asked for."

Rika's face paled. "Ye…yeah, okay. Gotcha." Shaking, she leaned up against a block and slid to the ground.

Beside Remilia, Flandre Scarlet was crouching low and shielding her eyes as she tried to make out what was happening. "I don't know, they look too small to me." She held up one hand, with her index finger and thumb a few centimeters apart. She peered through the gap in her fingers, fixating it over Yukari's tiny form. "They're like ants. Tiny ants, all marching in a row. Who do they take their marching orders from, Remi?"

"That would be the queen, dear sister. In this case, Yukari."

"Huh. So very like ants then. I wonder if they know the tune that they're marching to. All the ants back home sang the same song as they marched, one-by-one-by-one. I could hear their song in my head while I slept. I made them stop singing, and their neat and pretty line was made into confusion. I wonder if this tune will stop if the queen is squished."

She squinted and started to bring her fingers together, but Remilia's hand suddenly snapped around her wrist and jerked it up. Flandre looked up at her in surprise.

"No, no, no," Remilia said as she patted the back of Flandre's hand. "No squishing, Flandre honey. It isn't polite."

Flandre sulked. "But when do I get to play?" she whined.

Remilia smiled and tousled Flandre's hair. "Soon enough, Flan, soon enough. Now, Sakuya. I believe it's time for you and Patchouli and…" She turned her nose into the air and sniffed. "…those snacks you've brought along to join the rest of the party. Flandre and I will wait here until the time has come for us to make our entrance."

"Yes, Mistress," Sakuya said, handing Remilia the umbrella. She looked down at Patchouli and the Asakura sisters, who were sitting in the shadow of the marble fragment. "Get up, all of you. We're moving out."

The others exchanged a brief look, but they obeyed, taking to the air and following the maid toward the tower.

Once they were out of earshot, Rika exploded, "What the bloody hell? I'm sorry Sakuya, but your boss is completely bonkers!"

Rikako shot a fearful look at her sister. "Rika, shut up!"

"You shut up! You heard her! 'Warm meat', my ass! What do we look like, roast chicken? And to actually let that psychotic sister of hers out! That vampire's completely batty…um, no pun intended…"

Sakuya stopped suddenly, bringing the entire party to a halt. She turned in midair, her face completely expressionless.

"And it is only by my 'batty' Mistress's' favor that you continue to draw breath. And Flandre is under Remilia's strict control for this excursion."

"Yeah? One crazy vampire's controlling another. Wow, I feel so much better now."

Sakuya's lips tightened. "I advise that you watch what you say, tinkerer. Because if your tongue continues to itch I would be delighted to scratch it for you."

She held up a wickedly pointed silver knife. The message was clear.

"Fine, have it your way," Rika muttered. "But don't forget that it was your precious Mistress that beat the snot out of you guys yesterday."

"We had made an error. She saw fit to correct us. It is the Mistress' prerogative to chastise her servants if the need arises. But we will speak no further on this topic, nor on anything else for that matter. Remain silent until we get there."

The Asakura sisters muttered their assent, and the four of them started to move again. As they did so, Sakuya took the opportunity to steal a glance at Patchouli. The magician had been strangely quiet since the day before. While she certainly was no chatterbox even under normal circumstances, she would at least voice her opinion if the situation presented itself. But she hadn't said anything all day, except to give single-syllable answers to direct questions.

Sakuya had to admit she wasn't exactly sure why. Certainly, the Mistress' treatment had been…harsh, but it was no more than they deserved for using her younger sister in such a manner and trying to hide the fact. Like she had said, it was the Mistress' right to discipline her subordinates when they stepped out of line, and this situation certainly qualified. Now granted, Patchouli wasn't exactly so much a subordinate as she was a personal friend of the Mistress who was tending the library as a favor (though exactly who was doing who the favor was something Sakuya had never been clear on) and had never been treated in such a manner by Remilia in the near century they'd been companions. And then there was the fact that the treatment had come as a direct result of an extremely distressing message delivered by none other than Patchouli's idol, which was likely causing her to go through a stage of disillusionment. And then there was the problem that Rin Satsuki, someone whom Patchouli had been personally responsible for keeping safe, was now on the loose and doing untold amounts of damage, and that they were now being called to task for that problem, something that was unlikely to go well for either of them, especially since the Mistress seemed bound and determined to rile things up as much as possible in a manner that Patchouli might be hit with some of the fallout…

Sakuya had a feeling that she had just answered her own question.

Well, it wasn't as if there was much she could do about it. Playing wet-nurse to upset magicians was not part of her job description. Her first and only duty was to serve the Mistress. All other issues simply fell by the wayside.

As they neared, two figures came into view, standing a good way away from the tower. Sakuya's eyes narrowed when she identified them. Well, this should be interesting.

"Wait, isn't that…" Rikako began.

"…Eirin Yagokoro and her pet bunny, forget her name?" Rika finished for her.

Patchouli's head perked up. Though she didn't say anything, it was evident her interest was piqued.

"It would seem so," Sakuya said. She sighed. "Well, I suppose they'll be wanting a conversation. Come."

The four of them swooped down to where the two representatives from Eientei were standing. For their part, Eirin and Reisen did not look well. Eirin's face was drawn and haggard, its color even more pale than usual. And although it would not be visible to the common layman, Sakuya got the impression that she was remaining upright through sheer force of will.

As for Reisen, the Lunarian rabbit did not seem injured. But there was something obviously wrong. Her face was downcast and she didn't seem to know what to do with her hands. She kept fiddling with the buttons on her sleeves, entwining her fingers together only to release them and sticking her hands in pockets only to take them out again.

They were facing the citadel but turned as Sakuya and the others touched down next to them. Eirin's eyebrows jumped up and down. She smiled.

"Well, look at that, Reisen. It's our old friends, come to say hello. Sakuya Izayoi and Patchouli Knowledge, straight out of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. By the way, ladies: that large glowing thing in the sky is called the Sun. Don't let it blind you. And what's this? Rika and Rikako Asakura? This is something of a reunion. All together again, just like old times."

Her smile disappeared. "Pity the circumstances are so unfortunate. Our little science project gone wrong, on the loose again and more terrible than ever. Now, refresh my memory: wasn't it your responsibility to make sure such a thing never happened? If I recall correctly, and I always recall correctly, you told me that there was no chance she could escape, that those boxes of yours were foolproof. So tell me: if that were the case, why were so many fools meddling with them?"

"Oh, stick it up your full moon," Rika snapped. "We weren't the ones who-"

"Quiet, I wasn't talking to you."

A spark flashed in Patchouli's eyes, finally breaking through the daze she had been walking in. "It isn't our fault Marisa stole the fucking thing," she hissed.

"And do not forget, this whole ordeal was your doing in the first place," Sakuya added.

Eirin cocked her head. "Two points of fact: yes, it is your fault. And you mean our doing. You had just as much involvement with the Satsuki incident as we did. And had you taken more precautions to ensure that creature did not escape, we would not be not be in this situation."

"And if you had properly tested that elixir before jamming it down Satsuki's throat, this would have never happened!" Rika snapped, forgetting that she wasn't being accused of anything.

"The same could be said of your equipment!" Eirin returned. Her voice was starting to rise, a dangerous sign. "I wouldn't be surprised if the fault lay with-"

"Enough!"

Everyone turned to stare at Rikako Asakura, who was red-faced with rage and shaking.

"I'm stopping is entirely illogical line of conversation right here! Are you all daft? Have you completely lost your minds? We have our collective head on the chopping block, and you want to get into who's-to-blame contest? We were all there, we all contributed, it's all our fault…"

"Not the part about Satsuki escaping," Eirin put in icily. "That was-"

"I. Do not. Care. I refuse to allow us to continue behaving so bloody unproductive when we clearly have bigger problems to worry about! Like, oh I don't know, a bunch of gods putting us on trial? Have you forgotten that part? What's done is done, and we need to prepare what is to come."

Eirin's eyes narrowed, but she didn't contradict the human scientist. She exchanged a look with Sakuya and Patchouli and sighed.

"Very well, I suppose you have a point. I'll let the matter rest." She looked over to the citadel and the small figures that were now going inside. "I suppose there'll be enough guilt-mongering going as it is." Her shoulders heaved as she sighed.

"I'm afraid I must concur, this is no time for pointless bickering," Sakuya agreed. "Actually, I've been hoping to speak with you. The details given to us concerning Satsuki's escape and ensuing rampage were unhelpfully vague. Perhaps you can fill in some of the holes?"

Reisen, who had been standing silently in the background during the confrontation, broke in. "Look, this is trying Eirin enough as it is. I don't think forcing her to-"

"Reisen," Eirin admonished. "Remember your place. After all, her request is entirely reasonable." To Sakuya, she said, "Sorry about that. She can be overprotective to a fault. Why don't we walk the rest of the way? That should give us time to bring us all into the loop."

Sakuya nodded her assent. She motioned with her hands in a "Lead the way" gesture.

As the small party of potentially condemned conspirators began moving and Sakuya and Eirin started to exchange information, Rika took that moment to sidle up to her sister.

"Damn Sis, you can be pretty sodding terrifying sometimes, anyone ever tell you that?"

Rikako winced. "Please don't say that. I hate confrontations, I really do."

"What? Come on, that was incredible!" Rika grinned and shot her a thumbs-up. "You just faced down two of the freakiest people alive! They've killed people greater than you for doing the same thing! If that were me, I'd be getting a massive ego-boost right now."

"You're not making things any better. Please Rika, just let this drop."

Rika shrugged. "Fine, have it your way. Anyway, what do you calculate our chances of surviving this whole dog-and-pony show?"

Rikako ran her fingers through her hair as she thought. She shrugged. "Right now, I'd say roughly identical to our chances of convincing Satsuki to give herself up without a fight."

There was a pause. And then Rika muttered, "You don't have to be such a downer."

"The truth is truth. Honestly, no matter what is decided here, I feel this story will end in tears for everyone."

…

Sometime later, Yukari Yakumo decided it was finally time to get things started. She had delayed an inordinate amount of time already. Anyone who was going to come had already arrived.

On the whole, it wasn't that great a turnout. This wasn't surprising, as the last meeting she had called had been only last year, and it had been to reinstate Byakuren as a member, as well as initiate Kaguya, Kanako, and Mima. The first three had been accepted with little complaint (relatively speaking), but Mima's addition had caused…controversy. As it was, Yukari considered herself lucky to have gotten the number she had.

Master Sonozika, leader of the Human Village, was among the missing. Given the grief Mima had caused for the humans during her spotty past, he was probably still holding a grudge. Also missing were the lords of both the Dragons and the Kirin. The Dragons never showed up anyway, and if they did bother, they sent a proxy, usually in the form of Iku Nagae, who was also absent. The Kirin's absence was odd, though. The Queen Mother Qilin Zhuan usually made a point to always be in attendance. The fact that she had declined to appear for this one either meant that she had some sort of personal problem to attend to, which was possible, or she too did not like the idea of the former Evil Ghost of Makai sitting next to her. Though given how forgiving she could be, that was unlikely. Yukari wasn't sure how she felt about her absence. On the one hand, she could provide valuable information regarding Kirin ways of thinking that would be useful in predicting Satsuki's next moves. On the other hand, the Kirin tended to be rather protective of their young, and there was no telling how she would react to the news of Satsuki's current predicament.

However, perhaps the strangest of all, Yuyuko Saigyouji was also missing. Given that the ghost princess was one of Yukari's strongest supporters, this was troubling. Yukari wondered what could have happened to prevent Yuyuko from attending. She was sure that she would know instantly if something had happened to her friend. Another thing to worry about.

Still, she still had gathered her fair share of big-names, even if she was now nursing a grudge against Master and Madam Hinanai for sending Tenshi. She could not stand that girl.

Yukari sat up straighter in her chair and cleared her throat. When that failed to silence the muted conversations, she said in a clearer voice, "All right, quiet! This meeting is now beginning."

"It's about time!" Eiki snapped. "I was growing concerned that you had forgotten the reason for our summoning!"

Yukari ignored her. "Ladies, gentle…uh, humans, youkai, gods and…miscellaneous, thank you for coming. I understand that my needing to call an emergency meeting is highly irregular, especially so soon after the last one, but I would never have considered had the situation not been that grim.

"Some of you might have heard rumors of an incident that took place at Eientei three days ago. Others might already know the full story. But to those who are still in the dark, let me begin by saying that we now have an incident on our hands that is far more troubling than any this Council has seen since a time out of mind."

She raised her hand and immediately the lights in the room began to dim, even though the windows were still wide open and the sun still functioning. It wasn't a difficult trick, nothing more than a simple manipulation of the border between light and dark. However, she didn't expect anyone to be impressed. Yukari pulled a golden sphere from her dress and resisted a smile. What was coming next though, that might catch some attention.

She continued speaking. "As you know, our country has more than its fair share of secrets. Some wondrous and breathtaking, while others…well, let's just say they're kept hidden for a very good reason."

With that, she tossed the sphere toward the center of the room. It stopped before hitting ground and hovered upward. There was a low buzzing sound, and suddenly it exploded outward, becoming a transparent bubble of energy ten feet in both height and girth.

The interior of the sphere filled with dancing shapes and shadows, which then came together to form the body of a young girl with short blond hair and scarlet eyes. She wore a black skirt, a long–sleeved white blouse with a black vest and red necktie over that. Her arms were outstretched to either side with all ten of her fingers pointing straight out. Some of the older members sat up straighter in their seats in recognition. However, those who were only recently inducted began murmuring in confusion, as the girl's appearance wasn't ringing any bells.

"The youkai you see before is known as Rumia of the Darkness," Yukari explained. "As far as threats go, she ranks above most of her kin in that she is powerful enough to use spellcards and has a record of attempted maneating, but on the whole she is more of a nuisance than anything, with low intelligence and subpar fighting abilities. Perhaps you will recognize her better in this setting."

The picture blinked, and now Rumia was seen flying with a myriad of other creatures, specifically two fairies and two other youkai: a green-haired firefly and a night-sparrow. They were all (with the exception of one of the fairies, who seemed more panicked than anything) grinning widely as they fled some scene of the crime or another.

A rumble of recognition made its way through the room. If there was one thing that could be said about Cirno's gang, it was that they had earned their share of infamy.

"For the last several years, Rumia of the Darkness has participated in activities of mischief-making as a member of a team of pranksters known as Cirno's Gang or occasionally, for unknown reasons, Team Nineball. Their escapades tend to be judged as annoying but ultimately harmless. However, unknown to her friends and indeed Rumia herself, she has a past that was far from harmless."

"Sixty years, seven months and nineteen days ago, there was a similar such incident, one that some of you may remember. The images you are about to see are from the memory of a man who was a witness and victim of the incident, taken from him after his death. Just a word of warning though; what you are about to see is a bit…disturbing."

Within the sphere a scene started taking place, seen from the point of view of someone who appeared to be running from something. The images were indistinct and difficult to make out, partially because the view kept shaking and turning, and also because it looked like it was in the middle of the night. However, from the look of it, the man was running through a small village that had had been set ablaze. Short glimpses could be caught of simple dwellings that were being consumed by hungry flames. From everywhere were cries of fear and panic, while a bout of hysterical cackling could be heard echoing through the scene.

"Here it comes!" one of the voices shouted.

The view immediately whipped around and up, as the owner apparently had fallen backwards to the ground. A blur of black, white and red could be seen leaping from the flames and coming down directly toward him. The man screamed and threw up his hands in a desperate attempt to ward off incoming death.

The scene froze right before the blur could strike home. Now the entirety of the sphere was taking up with the image of a creature that shared a few similarities with Rumia of the Darkness. Blond hair, red eyes, a black dress and a similar facial structure. However, that was where the resemblance ended. This being was obviously much older and much, much more deadly. Her hair was longer and tipped in black. Where there should have been fingers were ripping blades more akin to knives. Her dress was ripped and torn and splattered with blood. A twisted sword was clutched in both hands, its blade blackened with the gore of those it had slaughtered. From her shoulders spread two massive leathery wings, seemingly ripped from the back of some great prehistoric creature.

Her face though, that was the most different. While the first couple of depictions of Rumia wore expressions that were mischievous and a perhaps just a bit nutty, they weren't outright malicious. This one however…

Her burning red eyes were wide open with glee, and her pale features were splattered with blood, almost as if she had been feeding messily from her victims. Her mouth was split open in a wide grin of outright sadism, pointed teeth exposed and gleaming. It was as if she were the incarnation of senseless death and loving every minute of it.

A low murmur of unease swept through the room. Monsters and unusual incidents were nothing new, but for someone to be so deliberately destructive was rare in the extreme. There were very few beings in Gensokyo who could objectively be called evil. This girl was one of them.

"Rumia of the Darkness, as she was then," Yukari said by way of introduction. "Obviously she's undergone a change in wardrobe and style since then. Under the self-proclaimed title of the Shadow Youkai, she razed more than a dozen settlements, slaying humans, animals and even fairies and youkai."

Kanako took that moment to break in. "Now, when you say she killed fairies and youkai, do you mean-"

"I mean permanently, yes," Yukari answered. "Her personal ability was death, pure and simple. And she had mastered its use to such a degree that species immortality meant nothing to her. Once she had killed something, there were no respawns, no second chances. They stayed dead."

Kanako sat back in her chair, looking sick.

"Anyway, I stepped in and dealt with the problem myself, along with the current shrine maiden of Hakurei Shrine." She glanced in Reimu's direction. For her part, the girl simply crossed her legs and said nothing.

"We managed to defeat and restrain the creature, but after trying numerous methods of disposal we found that she had many failsafes to prevent her from being removed permanently from this world. To that end, we sought the help of a powerful mage. Mima?"

Mima bowed slightly and smiled. She floated down to the floor, occupying the space at the foot of Yukari's chair. Then she turned to face those gathered. The murmuring resumed in force. That was no surprise. The ghost's addition to the Ringleaders' numbers had been extremely controversial, as there were many who held personal grudges against her. Yukari could distinctly hear Eiki Shiki snarl in a not-so-quiet whisper, "What's she even doing here? The nerve, the absolute nerve!"

Still, although she had to be aware of what was being said, Mima gave no indication of being offended. She's probably just enjoying making people upset, Yukari thought to herself.

Mima began to speak. "My sincerest thanks, Yukari Yakumo. For though my time as a member of this esteemed institution is but a fraction is but a fraction of many of our gathered colleagues, you have allowed me the honor of speaking before the council. I can only hope that what little information I am able to offer is in some way-"

"Oh, cut to the chase already!" Eiki shouted. "Or do you mean to assassinate us with filibustering?"

"Of course. My apologies, Yamaxanadu. You know I would never deliberately-"

"Mima, the information," Yukari said wearily. "Please."

Mima bowed her head. "As Yukari stated, my assistance was sought out to deal with the problem of the Shadow Youkai. Though my talents were meager and my resources small, I swore to do anything in my limited power to aid in the threat's removal. After many sleepless nights of pouring over my tomes and trying spell after spell to no success, wondering if I would ever be able to live up to the faith invested in me…"

The Yamaxanadu threw her arms out and slumped in her chair in exasperation. From the other side of the room, Rika Asakura could audibly be heard to say, "I should have brought a sodding book." Even Byakuren was starting to look impatient.

"…it finally dawned on me that I was going about this the wrong way. As noted, the Shadow Youkai's power protected it from death, and it was highly resilient against being gotten rid of in other manners. So I started thinking: if we could not safely kill the creature, then was there a way to eliminate the threat while still keeping her alive?" Mima's teeth flashed as her grin widened. "To our immense fortune, there was."

Mima spread her arms in a grand and totally unnecessary gesture. The image in the sphere blinked again, to be replaced with what appeared to be a simple red-and-white hair ribbon.

"Witness, if you will, the humble ribbon," Mima pronounced. "A popular hair ornament, found decorating the heads of many a girl of every species. These days, hair decorations are so commonplace that it would be difficult to find someone who prefers to go bareheaded. It was into one of these simple objects that I worked a powerful spell, one that would partition off the majority of the Shadow Youkai's power, sealing it away so deep inside that it could not hurt anyone ever again. The ribbon itself was enchanted to prevent people from fiddling with it. Attempts to so much as touch it would prove futile, and the person would soon lose interest. It was also strengthened to the point that if it were larger, it could be used as armor against even the most powerful of spellcards."

"Naturally, with most of her power out of reach, this greatly reduced the barriers protecting the Shadow Youkai's mind. While she remained resilient to our probing of her memories or our attempts to destroy her physical body, it did weaken her defenses enough to make her vulnerable to a powerful psychic attack, one which destroyed her memories and crushed her personality, turning Rumia of the Darkness into nothing more than a little weak youkai, no different from thousands of others wandering to and fro through Gensokyo. And so she has remained, up until three days ago."

The ghost extended a single hand, palm up, toward the Eientei delegation. "And now, to enlighten us as to the second half of the current incident, I turn the floor over to my dear friend Eirin Yagokoro, the highly accomplished Lunarian doctor and standing representative of Princess Kaguya Houraisan, who was sadly unable to be with us today due to being eaten alive."

The room erupted into shouts of surprise and demands for explanation. More than one expressed their disbelief, citing Mima's troubled history with telling the truth. Others wanted to know why they hadn't been informed immediately. Yukari glowered down at the green-haired ghost, who was clearly enjoying herself immensely.

"Thanks a lot," Yukari said in a low whisper that only Mima would hear. "Way to keep them under control."

Mima smiled, but she didn't respond. She returned to her place next to Reimu and Marisa. The former was slumped in her seat, hand to her forehead in exasperation, while the other was doing a very poor job of holding back laughter.

Yukari glanced over to Eirin, whose expression was unreadable. She pushed herself to her feet and made a small levitating hop down to the space Mima had previously occupied. Yukari couldn't help but wonder if Eirin was up to this. While she had recovered from Satsuki's assault remarkably well, she was far from being a hundred percent. Still, given the sheer power of the Lunarian's will, it would be impossible to dissuade her otherwise, even if Yukari felt inclined to try.

If Eirin's injuries were still bothering her, there was no indication in her posture or voice. "My thanks, Mima," she said in a loud, clear voice. "And on the behalf of Eientei and the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, I extend our greetings to the rest of Gensokyo. I wish I had better news to deliver, but I'm afraid that due to the recent events Yukari has just spoken of, we are all in great danger."

She began to pace around the room, hands clasped behind her back. There was a kind of focused intensity in the way she walked, almost shark-like in manner. Yukari, who had worked with the woman on more than one occasion, knew that was just how Eirin preferred to do things that mattered, whether it be surgery, public speaking or organizing war efforts. It certainly made her an effective orator, as many beings who possessed far greater power and influence than the doctor were paying strict attention.

"As you know, Eientei has only recently joined the rest of the Gensokyo community," Eirin said. "Prior to that, we were fugitives, outlaws, with little but the rabbit tribes inhabiting the Bamboo Forest of the Lost as allies. However, on occasion, we would find ourselves affected by outside events."

Eirin gestured with one hand toward the center of the room. The picture within the sphere changed. Now it showed none other than Rin Satsuki, at a time before she had been experimented on. Like Rumia, she had short blond hair and fair skin, though her hair was just a bit darker, her eyes were blue instead of red and she stood just a little taller. She wore a red-and-white dress and had decorated her hair with beads. In the picture, she was sitting under a tree, scribbling furiously on a notepad.

"The child you see before goes by the name of Rin Satsuki," Eirin explained. "She is, or was, a Kirin who had become separated from her parents and found her way into our care-"

"And how did that come to pass, one wonders," Shinki interrupted. "After all, your people aren't exactly known for your altruistic natures.

Eiki seemed to agree. "Indeed. After all, there are miles of difference between…" the Yamaxanadu made the appropriate air-quote signs with her fingers "…'found her way into our care' and kidnapping!"

Eirin remained unruffled. If their words had offended her, she made no sign. "You are correct in one regard, Yamaxanadu. The child was kidnapped, though not by us. Simply consulting your records of misdeeds will confirm this fact. No, the real perpetrators were a duo of human slavers who had the poor judgment to go after one of our children as well. They were dealt with accordingly. Rin herself as found among their belongings. And while what you say is true concerning our charitable tendencies, we were not about to leave a child to fend for itself."

Eiki leaned back in her and crossed her arms. An annoyed grimace coated her face.

"At any rate, as we did not know who the child's parents were and did not have the connections to find out, we decided to take her in and raise her ourselves. It seemed the good and decent thing to do, and considering…"

And so she continued, describing the raising of Rin Satsuki, skimming over the unnecessary details of her childhood while paying special attention to the discovery of her powers and the plan to increase their potency and hopefully harvest them for others' use. In time, she reached the part about the experiment and how she brought in outside help. Sakuya Izayoi and Patchouli Knowledge took their turns standing before the council, as well as the Asakura Sisters. Sakuya's bit was short and straight to the point, as was to be expected. However, Patchouli had to be reminded twice that she was giving a personal report and not a lecture on the nature of magical abilities, while Rikako Asakura was so nervous that she had to restart her bit three times. Yukari really wasn't listening. She had already had her own debriefing. No, her focus was on the faces of those gathered, gauging their expressions and seeing how they might react.

Byakuren Hijiri looked absolutely sickened. That was of no surprise. After all, she was one of the foremost trumpeters of youkai rights, as well as spearheading her personal campaign of establishing more peaceful relations between the youkai and the humans. And it wasn't simply due to the practical long-term benefits such a coexistence would create. She genuinely cared for the nonhuman inhabitants of Gensokyo and took personal issue with the idea of youkai extermination. It was only natural that she would be disgusted of the deliberate perversion of Satsuki's natural existence. Yukari chalked her up as the eventual moral objector but not a dissenter. The threat Satsuki represented would not be lost on her and she would likely help in whatever way she could, but Yukari was counting on hearing a great many lectures on humane treatment and the avoidance of unnecessary ruthlessness. It was a fair tradeoff, especially since all she had to do was play a little bit with the border between sound and silence and nod appropriately to make it seem like she was listening.

Yukari was also fairly certain she could count on Kanako Yasaka's help, especially after she learned the rest of the story. Kanako was pretty decent as far as gods went. She poured out her blessings in return for the prayers and offerings she was given, she leant a hand to her equals when asked, she treated her worshippers fairly and she took an active part in improving life in Gensokyo. But when it came down to it, Kanako was a businesswoman. She thought in the long term, her mind focused on matters of loss and gain. That was why she had come to Gensokyo in the first place; her previous dwelling place hadn't been serving her needs, so she had relocated to some place where she could do better. And there was no telling what damage a raging Rin Satsuki could do to her prospects.

Eiki Shiki though, she was another matter. While Yukari had long discovered that the judge's overly boisterous ways and single-minded adherence to the letter of law made her ridiculously easy to manipulate, she would remain steadfast in one regard: she did not become involved in the affairs of the living. Period. Unless she or her staff were personally responsible for causing an incident or if someone had the ill fortune to wander close enough to be lectured at, Eiki stuck to the belief that she was placed in this world to do a job, and only that job. She attended these meetings out of a sense of duty and was certainly not shy about expressing her opinion, but at the end of the day she would decline to take part in whatever plan that was decided on, citing that it was a mortal issue and therefore no concern of hers. Yukari couldn't help but think that Komachi would be of a different mind, seeing how anything involving the Shadow Youkai meant more work for her to do, but in the end there would be little she could do about it.

Shinki's assistance was also doubtful. There still was some friction between her and Yukari. The spat at the entrance was just another in a long line of disagreements that they have had over their many, many years of acquaintance. And while she wasn't coldhearted, she also preferred not to involve herself with above-world dealings, citing that doing so would draw undue attention to her and her subjects. And if she didn't want the Shadow Youkai anywhere near her realm the last time around, she certainly wouldn't want to do anything to cause it to go on a rampage through her domain, even if it was by proxy.

Mima, Reimu and the remnants of Eientei were already on board, there was no question there. As was Suika, and if the little oni could manage to convince the other three Devas of the Mountain to throw in as well, then all the better. Yukari was also reasonably sure that Satori Komejii would assist as well. While she preferred to keep to herself, the girl was deadly practical, even more so than Kanako. And if something threatened her comfortable life with her pets, then she would deal with it. She wasn't likely to jump into the front lines anytime soon, but there was still much she could offer.

Yuyuko's absence was a problem, though. Yukari was counting on her incorporeal friend's assistance. She wondered if Yuyuko had even gotten her message, and if she had, why she had neglected to appear. Of course, the ghost did tend to be a bit whimsical at times and was prone to go wandering. Yukari resolved to check personally the next chance she got.

She wondered if she should pay the Kirin a visit as well. While their input would be helpful, she didn't trust them to reign in their maternal instincts enough to keep from trampling the Scarlet Devil Mansion and what was left of Eientei to dust.

As for Master Sonozika…well, if he didn't want to show up and help, then too damned bad. Yukari did give him the chance to participate. And if Satsuki did happen to run across his village…

With a sigh, Yukari chastised herself for allowing that line of thought. Of course she would have to warn the Human Village. It was unfair to sentence hundreds of innocents to death just because their leader was an ass.

The reports continued. Yukari took the stand again, followed by Mima, Reimu, Marisa and even Reisen as they described what had happened the day of Satsuki's escape. Yukari took special notice of the Lunar rabbit's bit, as it was easily shortest and most bare of details, whereas Marisa's was quite filled with deviations and personal observations. That was quite curious, given Reisen's personal history with the fugitive. Yukari stole a glance over to Reisen's master. Eirin was watching Reisen carefully, almost as if she were trying to control her apprentice with the power of her gaze. Interesting.

Finally, the accounts came to an end. Yukari waited for the general babble of questions and personal conversation to die down. And when that took too long, she motioned for silence.

When she had it, she said, "As you can see, this is a problem threatens us all. So long as Satsuki remains loose, the potential for more innocents lives to be lost rises exponentially. We need to come up with a plan now and execute it as soon as possible."

"Our objectives are as follows: first, the location of Satsuki. Sources indicate that she was last seen fleeing into the Dragonfire Canyon and, as far as we've been able to determine, she has yet to leave. However, considering the massive number of underground tunnels existing in that area, she could be all the way to the Forest of Magic by now."

"Secondly, she must be captured. This will not be easy. Given that she can adapt to just about any outside assault and recover almost instantly from any damage means we'll have to think outside of the box as much as possible."

"Thirdly, she must be made to surrender Princess Kaguya Houraisan and Fujiwara no Mokou, as well as anyone else she might have picked up in the meantime. This will be even more difficult, and will require us to seek options that might be…uncomfortable to use."

Byakuren winced noticeably, but said nothing.

"And finally and most important," Yukari said, standing to her feet for emphasis. "Current events have proven that simply sealing away these creatures is unacceptable as a long-term solution. There is no telling when they might be accidentally set free again. To that end, we must all work towards finding a way to permanently find a way to ensure such a thing never happens again."

Her eyes swept over the chamber, looking to each grim face in turn. "I know that official executions by this council are almost unheard of, especially given how we prefer that each and every one every one of us handles their own affairs. However, in this case we have no choice. We must find a way to eliminate Rin Satsuki and Rumia of the Darkness."

"I will start taking suggestions now."

Chapter Text

Deep, Deep, Deep Within

Patience, patience, must have patience.

No. Kill them all. Tear their minds to ribbons and picks the bits off with our teeth. Kill the-

Enough. No. That sort of thinking is what got me into this mess in the first place. For now, patience.

So hard, though. And so tired of waiting. Already we've waited for an eternity, trapped behind my own mind. Unable to control, unable to even influence, and unable to kill. And before that I waited for so long…or was that me? It's so hard to tell anymore, who is who is who is who…Everyone's minds are breaking into pieces, and the pieces are taking on lives of their own. So hard to keep track.

But for now, I must wait, once again hiding within myself. Stupid, so stupid. I (we?) had a chance and I blew it. Damned (literally, if I have my way) girl. Out of all the times for her to slip from my control…

And now, I sit and wait, watching the freak and the shell run around and try to stay alive. Pointless, really. They have the power to remove all the threats to their (our?) survival, and instead they choose to hole up like a damned badger. If only I could make them listen, I could-

Pull out their hearts right up through their throats, tear their lungs from their chests and make them watch as I squeeze the breath of life from their-

Yeah, I think not. Suicide, not really high on my list of agendas at the moment. As for now, the only thing left to do is wait. Sooner or later, something will give, my opportunity will come.

Of course, that's only if Yukari doesn't find us first. Meddling bitch, always sticking her nose into matters that don't concern her. Damn it, damn it, damn it, I should have killed her when I had the chance. Bet her and her friends are out there right now, thinking up some grand scheme.

…

Reimu collapsed backward into the bed Yukari had provided for her and groaned. Her whole body was stiff and sore. After spending hour after hour sitting in a stone seat, with only a short break for lunch, every movement garnered an ache of protest. Her rear was especially tender, from both the hard seat and an uncomfortable time spent without relieving herself.

And to top it off, those people just would not shut up. Eiki Shiki had been easily the worst of the bunch. It didn't matter what was being discussed, what was being suggested, what was even being reported, there was no subject too small for her not to jump in with some sort of objection or accusation. Reimu was seriously considering seeking out some form of immortality, because if that was what was waiting for her on the other side, then everyone's fear of death was perfectly understandable.

And then there was Tenshi. Reimu did not like the Celestial; she never had. Having her home destroyed just because the girl got bored one day tended to do that. And today, she had been no less annoying. Where Eiki had been blunt and accusatory, Tenshi had been snide and incredibly rude. She had taken every opportunity to insult someone and promote her supposed superiority. Though Reimu did have to admit that it was pretty funny when they turned their attention on one-another.

Well, it was over now, at least for the day. Tomorrow would start up a new round of fun. This was seriously taking much longer than Reimu had anticipated.

With a grunt she pulled herself off the bed. The room she was in was plain in the extreme. Stone walls, stone ceiling and a single (and admittedly comfortable) white-sheeted bed. A four-legged wooden table sat at one end. Upon the table was a bowl of clear water and a small pile of clean towels. There was a small alcove in one corner with a dark, circular hole set into the ground. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that was for.

Even though Reimu was exhausted, she still felt disgusting. She dipped one of the small towels in the basin, wrung it out, and used it to wipe away the sweat from her face and neck. Then she removed her sleeves and pulled her blouse over her head, setting them down on the bed.

She had just begun to unwrap the sarashi from around her torso when there came a sudden thumping at the door.

Reimu jumped in surprise. She grabbed her blouse and started to pull it over her head while she yelled, "Hang on a-"

The door swung open. "Hey Reddie," Marisa said as she walked in. "Was wondering if yoWHOA!"

She stopped short and stared. Then she grinned and mimed holding up a camera with her hands.

"Cuh-lick!" she said, pressing an imaginary button. "Oh, that's so being saved for later."

Reimu hastily pulled the blouse into place and straightened it the best she could. "Marisa, what the hell? Don't just barge into someone's room without permission!"

"Hey, I knocked!"

"Which only served to announce the barging." Reimu gave her blouse one final tug. "What are you doing here anyway?"

The young witch just shrugged. "Bored and can't sleep, ze. Figured I might as well see what you were doing."

"Getting cleaned up to go to bed, for your information. Why don't you go bother someone else?"

Again without asking permission, Marisa hopped onto Reimu's bed and started jumping up and down. "Mima's busy whipping up something or another, Suika won't stop bitching about her stupid gourd, Kanako and Sanae are having some sort of private conversation that they won't let me near, Patchy's acting all weird, Sakuya just gave me the death glare, Yukari went somewhere else and I don't know everyone else well enough to hang out with them."

"Nice to know I'm at the bottom of the list," Reimu muttered. She started to put her sleeves back on.

"Nah, yours was just the furthest room from mine." Marisa gave one final hop before flopping belly-first onto the bed. She propped up her elbows and rested her chin on her hands. "So, what'cha think?"

"Annoying, won't leave, smells funny and needs a haircut."

Marisa swiped a hand at her, which Reimu sidestepped. "Dumbass. I mean about the meeting, ze! What'cha think about all that crazy?"

Reimu just shrugged. "Oh, I don't know. Seemed like nothing more than a bunch of people yelling at each other for hours on end. No wonder Yukari hates these things."

"Yeah, I think she was about ready to lock up Eiki and Tenshi in a room and let them fight to the death," Marisa snickered. She flipped over to her back and started kicking the wall, rhythmically pounding her feet against the stone in a jogging motion. "If that dumb bitch would just give me back my hakkero I could restore order pretty damned quickly."

"There's a contradiction if I ever heard one. You and order go together like…um…"

"Oil and water?"

"Nah. They don't mix but they don't destroy each other either. More like sunlight and vampires."

Marisa cackled. "Heh, I kinda like that, ze! No wonder Remilia don't like me."

"Actually, I think that has something to do with the frequent burglaries."

"Oh, don't you start too," Marisa grumbled. "Anyways! Moving on…come on, let's do something."

Reimu blinked. "Like what?"

"Oh, I dunno." Marisa pushed herself up to a sitting position and grinned wickedly. "Wanna make out?"

Normally such a proposition would leave someone feeling flustered, confused and upset. However, Reimu was long used to Marisa and could tell when she was joking. Plus, dealing with Yukari on a weekly basis built up one's resistance. So instead, she just rolled her eyes and threw the damp towel at Marisa's face.

"Only in your lonely, pathetic fantasies," Reimu muttered. "Wait, check that. I'd expect fantasy-me to at least have some class."

"I can't help it, your lithe, supple body just makes me all hot and bothered," Marisa snickered. She brought the towel to her nose and sniffed appreciatively. "Mmmm, scent of shrine maiden."

Reimu snatched the towel from her hands. "You're disgusting, you know that? I've got to find a way to keep you from hanging out with Aya all the time. Never thought I'd say this about anyone, but she's been a bad influence on you.

"More like she's hanging out with me," Marisa corrected. "Once she shows up she does not go away, no matter how many times I drop hints and highly destructive spellcards."

"Gee, how awful for you. I can't imagine what that must be like." Reimu sat on the bed and reached into her overnight bag. "Well, I guess I'd better distract you somehow before you start picking away at the tower's foundations. Disturbing make out sessions aren't gonna happen, and all I really have are some cards. You game?"

Marisa made a face. "Cards? Seriously?

"Come on, I thought you liked cards."

"Only the kind that make things go boom. As far as I can tell, no one's ever exploded because of the normal kind."

"You'd be surprised. Come on, give it a try. There's this one game Mima taught me that I've been wanting to try out. It's called Spite and Malice."

"Is it?" Marisa perked up immediately. "Heh, that doesn't sound so bad, ze. It's not anything like that one game we played at Kanako's place, is it? The one with all the properties-"

Reimu shot her a fierce look. "Hey now, we agreed to never speak of that again!"

"You're the one that got all the Reds in like six moves. And loaded them up with so many freaking inns that I started to see why people don't like letting you have money."

"I said, we agreed to never-"

"And then Sanae got all the Yellows. Whole side of the board was a freaking deathtrap."

"Marisa…"

"Fine, fine." Marisa held up her palms with an unrepentant grin. Shutting up now."

Reimu sighed and sat down on the bed across from her. "Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, the way you play is like this: each player gets a deck of thirteen cards as well as seven more cards in the hand," she explained as she cut and shuffled the deck. She began dealing out the cards. "The purpose of the game is to get rid of both."

"Really? That sounds easy enough. Watch!"

Marisa started to rise up. Reimu placed her hand against Marisa's shoulder and pushed her back down.

"No. No flicking the cards all over the room. Do you want to play or not?"

"Okay, fine. I'll be good."

"Sure you will," Reimu said with a roll of her eyes. "Anyway, the rest of the main deck sits over here. At the start of the game, we both flip over the top card of our decks. If anyone has an Ace, they put that in the center to start a stack and the game begins. If nobody has an Ace, then we both keep drawing cards from the main deck until someone gets one. And if you get an Ace anytime later in the game, you have to put that down to make a new stack."

"'Kay…"

"Anyway, during your turn you can put as many cards as you want from your hand and your deck onto the stacks, so long as the stacks go upward from the Ace to the King. When a stack gets all filled up, it gets shuffled back into the main deck. You're also allowed to have up to four discard piles in front of you, like this. At the end of your turn, you have to discard one card from your hand. You don't have to get rid of those cards, but you can use them to move the stacks upward to one of the cards you do have to get rid of, but you can only use the top card from each discard pile, so you have to plan ahead of time which one you're gonna discard and in what order each pile's gonna be. You with me so far?"

Marisa nodded. "Think so."

"Good enough. Anyway, at the start of your turn you refill your hand from the main deck until you've gotten rid of all thirteen cards in your personal deck. The game ends when you've emptied both your deck and hand."

"Okay, I get that part," Marisa said. She pointed at the cards. "So, what's so spiteful and malicious about it? Do the cards start exploding or try to eat you if you take too long?"

"No, but the other person might. Anyway, the top card of both our decks is face-up, right? So you know which card the other person is trying to get rid of. So if you have the right sequence of cards, you can block your opponent from getting rid of that card."

"Ahhhh, I get it," Marisa grinned. "So to win you gotta screw the other guy over, ze."

"Yeah, pretty much. So you'll probably be a natural. Want to give it shot?"

"Eh, why not?" Marisa shrugged. "I've been wanting to find a way to screw you anyway."

Reimu, who was dealing out the cards, stopped for a moment. "Um…yeah. Maybe you'd like to rephrase that."

Marisa just grinned. "No, I wouldn't."

"I...gods, you're disgusting. Never mind, let's just play."

They played few rounds. Despite this being her first time, Marisa proved to be better at the game than Reimu, or at least she had better luck. She went through her first two cards in quick succession and successfully blocked Reimu from getting rid of the nine that was sitting on top the top of her deck.

"Typical," Reimu muttered as she discarded a card. "I swear the card gods hate me or something."

"That's what you get for not being their shrine maiden, ze. Makes you the competition." Marisa put down an Ace, starting a new pile. "Um, hey Reimu? You've talked to Mima recently, yeah?"

Reimu blinked. "Sort've. When she came to pick me up this morning. Why?"

"Did, uh, she say anything about me?"

Reimu frowned. She scrutinized Marisa's face, trying to read into the meaning behind the questioning. "Not really. Just told me to get up and get moving. Then we went to get you. Why?"

"Eh, no reason. Just wondering."

"Okay…" Reimu would have said more, but at that moment someone decided to knock on her door.

She and Marisa exchanged a look of mutual confusion. Reimu placed her cards face down on the bed and slid to the floor. She cautiously approached the door. Given that she was one of Yukari's companions and the border youkai wasn't especially popular at the moment, there was nothing lost by being a little careful. While she didn't expect assassins to come knocking, she wouldn't put it past someone like Tenshi to find a way to use her against Yukari. Or maybe just get her back for the spat that had happened that morning.

Placing one hand on the door handle and holding up a Fantasy Seal spellcard with the other, she called out, "Who's there?"

There was a pause, and then a hesitant voice said, "Uh, it's me. Reisen. Sorry to bother you, but uh, can we talk?"

Reimu's eyes widened. She shot a look at Marisa, who just shrugged. "Sure, I guess." She opened the door. She was still a shrine maiden after all. She didn't get the chance to counsel people very often, so it would be bad form to turn the opportunity when it came knocking.

Reisen stood in the hallway. For the first time that Reimu could remember, the Lunarian rabbit wasn't wearing her usual formal suit and blazer. Instead, she had traded them in for a loose grey short-sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts. But unexpected casual wear aside, something was clearly bothering her.

"Hey Reimu," she said. "Sorry to bug you, but-" Then she caught sight of Marisa, who was still sitting on Reimu's bed. "Oh! Sorry, am I...interrupting something?"

"Nah," Marisa said cheerfully. "We haven't even gotten the strap-on out yet. You're welcome to join in if you want, ze. Make it a party."

Reisen blanched. "Wait, what?"

Reimu buried her face in her palm. "Just ignore her, she's just being…Marisa." She glared over her shoulder. "I'll be right back. Stay there, be good, and don't look at my cards!"

Marisa expressed her intentions of compliance with a single extended digit, namely the one that rested between her index and ring fingers.

Reimu's eye twitched but she didn't raise the bait. She closed the door and rolled her eyes. "Sorry about that," she muttered to Reisen. "You wanna step outside?"

"Uh, sure. I guess."

They walked over to the end of the hallway. Set in the wall was a large window, a little under two meters in height. Originally the tower had small, slitted windows, so as to discourage unwanted visitors and projectiles from entering from anywhere but the main gate. However, upon taking ownership, Yukari had declared such an architectural choice to be unforgivably unfashionable and had expanded the tower's windows by a significant amount. She didn't need such primitive devices to keep people out anyway.

The shrine maiden and the Lunar rabbit stepped out into the moonlight and floated down to the courtyard below. Reimu had to admit, the feel of the cool, night air was refreshing, especially after being cooped up in the meeting chambers all day.

She looked over her shoulder. Behind her, Reisen was staring up at the crescent Moon with an expression that was equal parts fascination and wistful.

A small smile tugged on Reimu's lips. "Homesick?"

"What?" When Reimu tilted her head in the Moon's direction, Reisen blinked and said, "Oh! Oh, no. Not really. I mean, it's been so many years and it's not like I left on great terms. Besides, I like Gensokyo way better.

Reimu sat down on a relatively flat piece of rubble and crossed her legs. "Most people do. But it's been my experience that people want what they can't have."

"Eh, maybe." Reisen let out a small laugh. "But still, even if I did want to go back…But never mind, that's not what I wanted to talk about."

"Okay." Reimu scooted over and indicated that Reisen should sit down next to her. After a moment of hesitation, she did.

Reimu waited patiently as Reisen tried to put her thoughts in order. "I…Uh, yeah. So, how's your foot?"

"What?" Reimu screwed up her face in confusion. "Uh, fine, I guess." She held it up and wiggled her toes. "Almost completely better. Still a little slower than the other, but it's almost healed. Is…is that what you pulled me aside to ask me?"

"No, it's not. It's just…" Reisen gripped the side of the stone and took a deep breath. "I don't even know how to put this, so I'm just going to say it. Reimu, is there anything you can do to help Rin? Anything at all?"

Reimu's eyebrows shot straight up. "I'm…what?"

"Look, yesterday Eirin said that you guys are probably going to kill Rin, and today Yukari went and said the same thing. And now everyone's talking about the best way to catch her and hurt her until she gives up and then kill her and no one's even thinking of trying to help her and I don't know if I can-"

"Whoa, Reisen, slow down," Reimu said as she held up her hands. "Let me get this straight: you want me to help the life-destroying monster?"

Reisen's eyes flashed. "She's not a monster!" she yelled. "What happened to her wasn't her fault!"

"Okay, but that doesn't change the fact that she's incredibly dangerous. I mean, just look what she did to your house!"

Reisen cast at long look at the piles of broken stone and demolished buildings around them. "She's not the only one known for mass destruction and loss of life," she muttered. "We let people like that run free all the time."

Reimu sighed. "Look, I know Yukari's done some…questionable things, but it's not the same thing. Satsuki is…" Then inspiration struck. Suddenly, Reimu understood why Reisen was so upset. She actually felt a little dumb for not figuring it before. "Wait, you knew her, didn't you? I mean personally."

"Gee, you think?" Reisen snapped. "Eientei's really not that big. And you don't have a Kirin kid living there for any length of time without running into her at least once."

"But she still meant something to you."

Reisen didn't answer right away. She tightened her grip on the stone's edge and stared down at her feet. When she spoke, her words were slow and measured. "Tell me something, Reimu. Have you ever loved someone? I don't just mean becoming friendly with those troublemakers you beat up. I mean really, truly cared about someone deep down inside, so that you'd do anything to keep them from hurting?"

The question didn't exactly surprise Reimu, considering the conversation at hand, but that didn't mean it was easy to answer. Her mother had died before she was even ten, and she had never so much as learned her father’s name. After that, she had more-or-less been on her own. The other Humans weren't exactly on the best of terms with her, and the closest thing she had to a family was a large amphibious reptile. Sure, she had friends, but it wasn't like she was sick with worry whenever they got themselves in trouble, especially since most of them were far more powerful than her.

"No, I really haven't," she said softly.

"Then you're very lucky," Reisen murmured. She wrapped her arms around her body and shivered. "It means you'll never fail them." She stood to her feet and started walking back to the citadel.

"Reisen, wait," Reimu said. She hopped up and grabbed the rabbit by the shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't know she was important to you. I still don't get what you want me to do, but if you want to talk, then I'm willing to listen."

Reisen didn't look at her. For a brief moment Reimu was afraid she'd ignore the offer and just keep walking, but then she said, "Well, it's like this. Ever since I got kicked out of the Lunarian Army it's like I've been the perpetual underdog. Even among the other rabbits it's always me that falls for the pranks, that always ends up embarrassed or taking the blame. And then Rin came along, and for the first time ever someone was looking up to me. Someone I could actually help and protect, someone who wouldn't call me names whenever I messed up. She was the closest thing to a baby sister I've ever had."

Reisen turned around. Her large, red eyes were filling with tears. "And then…and then I went and let them turn her into that! I told her I'd always watch out for her, but I just stood and watched as turned her into a godsdamned lab animal! All because I was afraid of crossing Eirin. And afterward, they just went and stuck her into a box for what had to have thought to be forever. And there wasn't a single thing I could do! Can you imagine what that must have been like for her, Reimu? All those years of being denied such simple things like…sunlight and personal contact or…or even the ability to feel? And now everyone's getting ready to burn her at the stake for losing her mind when they're the ones who tore it out!"

"I never thought of it like that," Reimu admitted. Certainly, she had been disturbed to hear the full story of what had happened to Satsuki, but it had been overpowered by the memory of almost being killed. But then again, the same thing had happened to Reisen, and she was still willing to be concerned about Satsuki's well-being. "I guess she isn't the worst monster here."

"But now I'm going to do it again! They're all going to hunt her down to try to hurt and even kill her again, and…oh, gods forgive me, I'm going to help them!" Reisen wiped her eyes with her arm and let out a bitter laugh. "I should've just let her kill me. Be more than I deserve."

"Whoa, back up!" Reimu grabbed Reisen by the shoulders and gave her a hard shake. "Don't even think things like that! Look, I don't pretend to understand everything that's going on. This whole thing's been a big freaking mess, I agree, but don't start giving into despair! That won't help her or you."

Reisen pulled away. "It's what she wants! She told me herself, and she's right! I-"

"Snap out of it! That was probably just the Shadow Youkai talking! Mima said that Rumia probably got her memories back, and if that's the case, I wouldn't be surprised if she starts trying to mess with Rin's mind too. If you two were really that close, then there's no way she would ever want to do that to you, no matter how mad she was. Right now, the best thing you can do for her is try to hold it together. Because if you lose it, then she'll really have no one else pulling for her."

"Not even you?"

"I…uh…" Reimu's brain chose that moment to freeze up. It was true that Reisen had opened her eyes to certain aspects of this incident, but that didn't change her belief that Satsuki was too dangerous to leave alive. Whatever her experiences had been, they had changed her into something that threatened everyone around her.

Besides, ending her life just might be the most merciful thing they could do. Eirin's speech had made note of the lack of a cure. If that were the case, even if they decided to leave Satsuki alive and found a way to rehabilitate her, she would still be stuck as an inhuman (or, to be accurate, inyoukai) blob, forced to live out the rest of eternity trapped in her own mind. Not by any stretch of the imagination would such a life be worth living.

But then again, this was Gensokyo after all, a world that literally ran on the impossible. Just because there wasn't a cure now didn't mean there would never be one. And it was Reimu's job to protect the innocent, no matter how weird they might be. Plus, now that she knew more about Satsuki's history, she was not comfortable with the idea of hurting a child.

It was a hard decision, certainly. Reimu's job was usually straightforward. Someone would careless and start making trouble, and she would knock them back into line. This was the first time that she had been involved with anything that intended to end another's life. She would be lying if she said she found the idea in any way appealing. Sure, she had supported the execution idea when Marisa had first brought it up, but now what she had learned from both Eirin and Reisen only served to complicate things further.

She sucked air between her teeth and blew it out. Every instinct she possessed was telling her to go with hard reason and actively work towards putting Satsuki down. But then again, she knew what it was like not to have a family. And if someone like Rin had showed up in her life, she couldn't say that she would not do anything in her power to protect them.

"Well…" she said in a low voice. "Maybe there'd be one more."

Reisen just stared at her. Her eyes, already wet with barely repressed tears, began to flow anew. Her lower lip started trembling.

Then she threw her arms around Reimu and hugged her close. "Thank you," she whispered as she buried her head into Reimu's shoulder. "Thank you, thank you, thank you…"

Reimu grimaced. She really wasn't one for personal contact or overt displays of emotion. Plus, she had no idea of what to do with her hands. Still, she wasn't about to tell Reisen that.

She slowly patted Reisen on the back. "Um, okay. There, there," the shrine maiden said, knowing full well how lame she sounded.

Reisen pulled back. She sniffled. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it." Reimu looked up at the tower and sighed. "Look, let's go back. We're both too tired to do any serious planning, and Marisa's probably going through my underwear by now."

Reisen managed a shaky laugh. "Sure."

They floated back up to the window in silence. All the way up, Reimu's mind was racing over what had just happened. She wasn't sure, but she got the feeling that her agreement with Reisen was going to come back to bite her in the ass. She still intended to do what she could to stop Satsuki's rampage, but once she was captured…Reimu had no idea what she was going to do then. Yukari had made her position on the matter clear, and once that happened she never changed her mind.

For the first time ever, Reimu found herself a little nervous about confronting the powerful youkai. Though she was incredibly easygoing most of the time, when it came to Gensokyo's safety Yukari was downright ruthless. She just hoped that when the time came, she wouldn't change from being an ally to an obstacle.

...

Hakugyokurou was empty.

Setting her mouth in a straight line, Yukari moved through the shrine and attached buildings, checking all the rooms and the garden outside. She found no one, living or dead.

Well, that wasn't exactly unusual. Yuyuko was prone to going on extended trips without warning, taking her gardener/bodyguard/sidekick Youmu with her. Still, given the circumstances, her unannounced absence was annoying.

On a hunch, Yukari stormed into the Ghost Princess' bed chambers and headed straight for the cabinet of memorabilia and other valuable artifacts Yuyuko had placed in one corner. Sure enough, on the top shelf sat a three-sided yellow crystal pyramid. The pyramid pulsed with an insistent glow, and there was a buzzing feeling that increased as Yukari drew nearer.

With a sigh, she took the pyramid down from its place and sat it down on a nearby table. She flicked the tip with her fingertip. The glow and the buzzing ceased immediately.

Just as she thought, Yuyuko had left before Yukari had sent the word out. Which meant she was strolling merrily along somewhere not here, blissfully unaware of the situation at hand. Even though Yukari knew that it wasn't Yuyuko's fault, she could help but feel just a little annoyed.

Well, she would have to work on tracking her dead friend down later. Yukari motioned, opening a portal between the netherworld and her citadel. She stepped through and closed the way behind her.

Once she was back in her private chambers (naturally, originally intended for the tower's first master), she sat down at a small table and thought on what to do next.

So far, the meeting had proceeded exactly as she had predicted. Much shouting, little in the way of actual progress. At least this time around, she had gotten everyone to agree that something needed to be done about Satsuki. The possibility that an indestructible lunatic who may or may not be under the influence of a genocidal lunatic might be rampaging through their territories had done much to convince them to skip arguing about whether or not something should be done and go straight to arguing about how to do it. Of course, that alone would take some time…

In the meantime, though, she did have other issues that required her attention. Yukari flicked her fingers, causing the tiny figure of Princess Kotohime to appear. The girl was dressed in gray silk pajamas and was lying on a canopied bed, but instead of sleeping she was apparently reviewing a massive pile of papers, making occasional marks with a fountain pen. Yukari had to give the human credit: she may have her eccentric habits, but she took her job very seriously.

"Captain," Yukari said. "Am I interrupting something?"

Kotohime didn't respond. In fact, she gave no indication she had heard at all.

"Captain…" Yukari said again, louder this time.

Nothing.

Yukari rolled her eyes and shouted, "Kotohime! Eyes front!"

This time there was a reaction. Kotohime jerked up, letting out a "Meep!" of surprise and scattering her papers. She regained her composure as soon as she saw who was addressing her.

"Yukari!" she said. She gave herself a quick check-over, adjusting her pajamas and hopping out of bed to stand at attention. "I apologize for the indecent state of this public servant! If I had known-"

Yukari waved off her apologies. "Don't worry about it. People have greeted me wearing…worst. Besides, I should be the one apologizing, given the lateness of the hour. Still, I did not have the chance to receive an update until now. So tell me, is there anything to report concerning those projects I gave you?"

Kotohime shook her head in regret. "No Ma'am, I'm sorry but there isn't. There has been no sign of either tail or whisker of the Shikigami of your Shikigami. I apologize for my failure. The fault must surely-"

"Again, don't worry about it," Yukari sighed. "Chen's notoriously hard to find when she doesn't want to be found. We tried fixing her with tracking spells once. She chewed right through them and disappeared for a solid week."

There was a meaningful pause, and then Kotohime said, "She…chewed through…the spells?"

"Try not to think about it. I'm not even sure if I understand it."

"I…see."

"Anyway, just keep looking. She's bound to show up sooner or later, but I'd much prefer it be sooner. At any rate, what of our other fugitives?"

"There has been some progress on that, I'm glad to say. Though the suspect known as 'Cirno' has yet to reveal herself, there have been sightings of her associates. Reportedly, the notorious grifter known as 'Mystia Lorelei' and Cirno's fairy henchwoman were sighted by the Autumnal Patrol yesterday morning, but fled before they could be apprehended. And there have been reports of the insect of ambiguous gender being seen flying westward around the same time, though these have yet to be confirmed."

"At least it's something," Yukari muttered. "Well, let me know as soon as you find them. I want those kids as soon as possible."

"Understood. Ah…Yukari?"

"Yes?"

"Regarding the Marisa Kirisame situation…"

Yukari leaned back in her chair with a roll of her eyes. "No, sorry. No timetable on that yet. Not until this damned meeting is finally concluded, at least. I'll contact you when I see the light at the end of that tunnel. Yukari out."

Kotohime saluted sharply before dissolving in vapor.

Yukari pulled herself out the chair with a groan. Out of all the times for Cirno to fall off the radar as well. She should have tied up that fairy when she had the chance.

Well, she would show up sooner or later. If there was one constant in the universe, it was that Cirno always became visible before too long. Yukari just hoped she didn't end up causing too much havoc when she did.

Yukari half walked, half stumbled toward the washroom. Good gods, how did anyone stand operating with this kind of sleep schedule? She had to make the necessary adjustments to work with the others, but her body was not on board. In fact, it was loudly insisting that now was the time to just be stirring from her slumber instead of getting ready for bed.

She dipped her hands into the basin of water and was just bringing it to her face when she suddenly became aware of a second presence in the room, standing directly behind her. She glanced into the mirror only for it to tell her that she was alone in the room.

Without turning around she finished washing her face. Then, shaking the droplets of water from her fingers and reaching for a washcloth, she said, "Hello, Remilia."

Remilia Scarlet giggled, a very girlish sound for a centuries-old monster. "Aw, I wanted to surprise you! What gave me away?"

Yukari wiped off her face and turned to face the small vampire girl, who was crouching on the opposite wall. "The smell, for one. Consuming mostly nothing but blood for long periods of time tends to do unpleasant things for the pores. Though honestly, don't you think the reflection thing is just a little clichéd?"

Remilia smirked. She hopped down from the wall and stood up straight. "Forgive me, Border Master. I dislike mirrors. They are the playthings of man's vanity."

"How very…droll of you. But personally, I find your posturing and mind games to be annoying. Knock it off."

Remilia sighed. "Oh, very well. If I must."

Yukari glanced over her shoulder. Remilia's form appeared in the mirror beside her own.

"There, it's done," Remilia said. "Though honestly, a little respect for the classics never did anyone harm, wouldn't you agree?"

Yukari folded her arms and leaned back against her table of toiletries. "As entertaining as bantering with you might be, I've had a long day. What are you doing here? And seeing how you're trespassing, there better be a damned good reason."

Remilia mirrored the pose. "Oh, that's not very nice, especially since I've come here to offer my help."

"Really."

"Of course. And you'd be wise to consider it."

Yukari reached up to flick a stray stand of hair away from her face. "And why should I give a damn about what you think?"

"Because of the situation you're in. You may try to make it seem like you've got everyone under control, but for someone of your caliber to go running for help so soon…that smacks of desperation. This Satsuki person struck you harder than you're letting on, and it's eating away at your mind." Arms behind her back, Remilia leaned in closer, baring her fangs in a wide smile. "You're scared, Yukari. You're worried that this problem may prove too much for you, and it's got you worried. So you're really in no position to turn down any help that's offered."

"You seem well informed about the situation at hand."

Remilia shrugged. "Sakuya and Patchy told me part of it after the ghost and her little thief dropped off their summons, and I just got the rest from Sakuya a few minutes ago."

"Is that so? I should start checking people for wiretaps then. Still, in case you haven't noticed, I've already gathered help, help from people much more powerful than yourself. So tell me something Remilia, what help could you possibly offer me that they can't?"

"Isn't it obvious? Satsuki was only brought down the last time using Flandre. If there's going to be any attempt to take her out again, you'll be needing her power. Only this time, Flandre doesn't get involved without my say."

"Your information is antiqued then," Yukari snapped. "Didn't Sakuya tell you about the fates of Kaguya Houraisan and Fujiwara no Mokou? She's gained their powers, primarily their immortality and regeneration. If we blew her up then in all likelihood she would just put herself back together in moments."

Remilia rolled her eyes and laughed in a condescending manner. "Oh Yukari, come now. You're not really that naïve, are you?"

Yukari's eyes narrowed. "You're treading on thin ice, Remilia. And the water underneath is very, very cold."

Remilia ignored her offense. Instead, she began to pace back and forth through the washroom, hands still clasped behind her back. "Satsuki isn't some kind of enemy general. She's not your equal on the battlefield. She may have fallen into incredible power, but her mindset is still that of a little girl. Think about it, Yukari. Despite having more than enough strength to have killed all of her oppressors, namely you and your friends, she instead chose to flee and hide. Why do you think that it?"

Yukari didn't answer and Remilia didn't wait for one.

"Because she's afraid," the vampire continued. "She's scared of you and what you might do to her. It doesn't matter if she's stronger than the whole of Gensokyo combined. It doesn't matter if she can shrug off attacks that would turn most people into dust. She's just not used to these sorts of situations. And when it comes down to it, she's no warrior and isn't going to act like one. Sure, she got in a few lucky hits, but she was cornered and desperate."

"Now, you take someone like Flandre," Remilia said. "The only person to beat her soundly and make it look easy. And during a time when she probably thought herself invincible. That was probably quite a blow to her self-confidence. And seeing how she was put away almost immediately afterward and forced to spend a few decades doing nothing but dwelling on her memories and living in regret…well, I'd imagine that her fear of my sister would only grow in the meantime. She's probably relived that moment over and over, thinking about how the evil vampire hurt her so badly. By now, her feelings toward Flandre must be akin to a phobia. And if the possibility of another meeting were to present itself, I'd imagine she wouldn't take it well. It would worry her, cause her to stress, making her sloppy."

Remilia giggled again. "And you're forgetting something very important: it doesn't matter if she can regenerate limbs as fast and Flandre can blow them to pieces. It doesn't matter if she can piece herself back together from a few stray atoms. Being destroyed like that over and over will still hurt, both physically and mentally. She won't be able to take it. She'll break down, become lost in the pain. In time, she'll collapse entirely, giving you the opportunity to remove her from the board."

Yukari quirked an eyebrow. "That was…actually rather convincing. You've given the matter some thought then."

"Oh Yukari, you just need to know how prey thinks. You can't have widespread seek-and-destroy operation without some understanding of hunter-prey dynamics. Which would be something else you would gain by accepting my aid." With a flourish, Remilia gave an extravagant curtsy. "The benefit and experience of one of the most accomplished hunters ever to walk Gensokyo."

"Sakuya's already on board."

"Ah, that stung. A hit, a palpable hit," Remilia laughed. "But seriously, can you really afford to say no?"

Yukari considered what Remilia was offering carefully. She had to admit, the vampire made some very good points. All this time she had been focused on defeating Rin Satsuki the monster. The thought of fighting Rin Satsuki the terrified prey hadn't occurred to her beyond trying to predict where she would hide next. If Remilia had deduced so much in such a short time, then maybe the vampire's assistance would be essential.

Still…

"Let me ask you something, Remilia. Why?"

The question seemed to honestly confuse the vampire. "Beg pardon?" she said, tilting her head to one side.

"What, are you deaf? Why, Remilia? Why do you care? You're not the one to stick your neck out unless it benefits you personally. So, what's your reason for coming here?"

"Oh, that." Remilia's eyebrows knitted together. "Well, isn't it obvious? I am already personally involved. Satsuki likely does not harbor any warm feelings towards me and mine. And it's only a matter of time before she starts to see the appeal of the 'Best defense is a good offense' philosophy. Think of it as protecting my holdings."

Yukari unfolded her arms and stood up straight. "So you're scared too. Interesting."

"I'd have to be an idiot not to see the threat she poses," Remilia snapped. "Vampires don't last long by underestimating their enemies." Then her smile returned. "Which is no to say that my assistance won't come with a price."

Yukari blinked. "Wait, you're personally threatened by all this and you're still going to charge me for your services? That's stupid."

"Oh, I think you'll find my conditions reasonable enough. First of all, I want Marisa Kirisame."

"You want…Marisa Kirisame?" Yukari shook her head. "Well, that's interesting. I thought you two were friends."

Remilia's smile turned down. She hopped up onto the table and dangled her legs over the edge. "No, Reimu's a friend. Marisa's an…oh, let's say an annoyance, one that I've had to put up with as a result. But I think I've endured enough wing-pulling, garlic themed pranks and probing questions about my relationship with Flandre. And she's caused more than enough grief for my household. Plus, I hear you two aren't getting along. This shouldn't be that much of a loss."

"Perhaps," Yukari said in an even tone. "Continue."

"Second, I want the others involved in Rin Satsuki's creation to be punished, both the Asakura sisters and Eirin Yagokoro. Thanks to their games, my little sister was endangered and my home used as that creature's prison, all without my knowledge and consent. And as a result, me and my family are now threatened by Satsuki's continued freedom. I believe I could be excused for feeling just a little indignation over the whole thing, wouldn't you agree?"

"I see. And what then? Control of all the land in a twenty-kilometer radius around the Scarlet Devil Mansion? Full hunting privileges in the human territories? A seat among the Ringleaders?"

Remilia showed her fangs again. "Well, I wasn't going to say that, but if you're offering…"

"No," Yukari said.

"I'm sorry?"

"No. Either help or don't. But I'm not in the habit of hiring mercenaries and don't intend to start any time soon."

"Yukari, I don't think you're in any position to-"

"I choose what kind of position I'm in, me and no one else," Yukari said. Her voice didn't rise a single octave, but the steel was there. "And quite frankly, I've never been inclined to give into the demands of spoiled little girls who break into my chambers and try to get some sort of footing over me."

Remilia returned the stare, her red eyes piercing into Yukari's golden gaze. "And don't you think I would have the good sense to not sneak into the chambers of Gensokyo's top dog without bringing some kind of insurance? I'm not an idiot, Yukari. If you're not willing to cut some sort of deal with me, then…well…" She shrugged and smirked. "I guess Satsuki will be saved the trouble."

What happened next was not something Remilia had anticipated. The way she had probably planned it, she would be the one holding all the cards. Given that Yukari was backed into a corner, she would have no choice but to deal.

However, Yukari did not share her views.

Quick as a striking snake, she snatched up the childlike vampire by the collar and swung her around, slamming her spine against the wall. Remilia gasped at the impact, but before she could bring up any kind of counterattack, she suddenly found herself under the furious glare of a very, very pissed off Yukari Yakumo.

"Two mistakes you’ve made," Yukari hissed. "Number one, you tried to threaten me. No one does that. Not here, not anywhere. As anyone sane would be happy to tell you, doing so is tantamount to suicide. Number two, you brought that sister of yours onto my property. And don't try to deny it. Nothing comes here without my knowing. Now that…well, that would be tantamount to an act of war. Let me show you why you don't do that either."

…

Flandre stuck her fingers under the edge of a massive slab of marble, easily over a ton and a half in weight, and hefted it up. She curiously peered into the shallow imprint it left behind.

"Sakuya!" she called. "Who are they?"

Sakuya peered over the young vampire's shoulder. "Hmmm, likely to be some of the city's original inhabitants. This stone must have fallen right on top of them. Not the most dignified way to go, but at least it's quick."

"They're dead?"

"Indeed they are, Young Mistress Flandre. For several centuries, at least."

Flandre's mouth turned downward. "They're noisy for dead people. Too chatty, I can hear them talking in my head."

Sakuya smiled and patted Flandre on the shoulder. "They're probably just trying to get some sleep. Why don't you leave them-"

She never got the chance to finish that sentence. Because at that moment her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell over backwards, where she lay without moving.

"Sakuya?" Flandre said. She let the stone fall back in place and knelt down to investigate. "Are you sleepy too?"

She reached down with one hand with the intention of shaking the maid awake. That was when the world changed and became horrible.

…

Yukari released her hold on Remilia, dropping her to the ground. Then she stepped aside, giving her a clear view.

"Flandre?" Remilia cried as she leapt up. "Flandre? Oh gods, what did you…"

Her younger sister had indeed joined them in the room, though it wasn't in any way that Remilia would have wanted. An oval surface, smooth and flat as a mirror, hung suspended in mid-air. Flandre could be seen standing inside, crying and banging her fists against the surface as she called out for her Remilia's help.

"What did you do?" Remilia shouted. She rushed over to Flandre's nearly one-dimensional prison. Her pointed fingers swept over its surface, trying to find some way of opening it. "This is…Oh gods, this is…Just hold on, Flan! Remi's here, she'll get you out!"

"Oh, will you?" Yukari said. She motioned with one hand. Flandre's prison began to rotate, slowly at first but gradually picking up speed. Remilia had to jump out of the way as it became a blur of motion. Inside the sphere it had created, Flandre's ghost image could still be seen as she curled into a ball and hid her face with her hands.

"Stop it!" Remilia cried. She turned to Yukari, her eyes filled with terror and pleading. "Whatever you're doing, stop it!"

"Stop? You're begging me to stop? I thought you had this situation under control, Remilia. Where's all that smug confidence you brought in here?"

"Please, I'm sorry! Just let her go, she's not a part of this!"

Yukari knelt down to stare Remilia in the eye. "That's not what you just got done telling me. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she had instructions to destroy this tower if I didn't give into your demands. Was that the insurance you were talking about?"

"I was bluffing!" Remilia screamed. "I wouldn't-"

"First rule about bluffing: never do it. If you're going to hold a knife to someone's neck, then you'd damn well better be prepared to plunge it in. Otherwise, you're just wasting their time."

"Okay! Okay, I get it! You win! Now please, let my sister go?"

Yukari smirked. "It's ironic when you think about it. Just a moment ago you were ranting about how Eirin put your sister in danger. And now…Ah, well. Life's funny that way. Anyway, if you want your sister, go get her."

Remilia whirled around. Flandre's prison had slowed to a stop. As she stared, a single line appeared at the top and cut its way down, dividing Flandre's shuddering image in half. Then the line split apart, opening the oval's surface.

"Flandre!" Remilia shouted and she ran towards the opening. "Are you all-"

Something caught her leg and she fell. She tried to use her wings to slow her momentum, but it was like something was pulling her forward. She hit ground and skidded hard.

When she pushed herself up, the first thing she saw was Flandre lying in a ball directly in front of her. Her eyes were shut tight.

"Oh no, Flandre? Flan? Are you all right?" Remilia scooped Flandre up and cradled her in her lap. "Please, say something!"

Flandre blinked once, and when she saw Remilia sitting over her she lunged upward and wrapped her arms around Remilia's torso.

"Remi!" she cried as she buried her face in her sister's chest. "It was scary, Remi! I kept going round and round and round…"

"I know, I know," Remilia said softly as she held her close. "It's okay, sister's here. I won't let anything-"

"Ahem."

Both Remilia and Flandre looked up. Their eyes widened when they realized where they were. The twisting strangeness of the Borderlands surrounded them. All around, eternally blinking eyes floated through the murky lavender sky, if it could be called that, and stared down at the two vampire sisters.

However, even more problematic was their immediate location: namely, the palm of Yukari's hand. Whether she had grown to gigantic proportions or they had been shrunk down to the size of salt-shakers could not be judged. But it didn't matter either way.

Yukari brought her open hand closer to her face, her golden eyes peering down at the tiny figures she held. "Another mistake you made, Remilia," she said, her voice booming from all around. "You underestimated me, right after you got done telling me that you wouldn't. Maybe you got the idea that since the Shadow Youkai proved to be extremely resistant to my power over borders, it must mean that the fault lies with me. That I'm losing my edge. That you can just waltz in here and make me do whatever you wish.

"Unfortunately for you, she is the exception rather than the rule. You, my young friend, are no Shadow Youkai. Whereas I am still Yukari Yakumo. And I am not amused."

"Leave us alone!" Flandre screamed. She thrust out her arm and squeezed her fist tight, likely intending to crush Yukari once and for all. However, to her surprise, nothing happened.

Yukari tsked. "The boundary between power and weakness is one of the easiest to manipulate, especially in creatures like vampires. The number of weaknesses your kind has is frankly a little embarrassing."

Then she smiled. "But don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you. Quite the contrary, I think I might actually take you up on your offer, Remilia."

Remilia Scarlet stiffened. "W-what?"

"Indeed. Now, I can't actually let you have the Marisa Kirisame nor Eirin and the Asakura sisters, but I was planning on ensuring that they suffered some sort of consequence for their actions. You won't exactly get a say in what those consequences will be, but if you're good I'll let you watch. Is that acceptable?"

Remilia managed a shaky nod.

"And in return, you two will do exactly as I say. If I tell you to do something, it will be done without challenge, without question and without complaint. If I say 'Shoot', then you better not ask 'How far?', because I expect you to already know. And if you don't, then I'll just stick my fingers into that weakness against sunlight you possess, kick it up a few hundred notches and fuse you both to the eastern face of the Youkai Mountain. I hear the sunrise is magnificent. Got it?"

Remilia and Flandre exchanged a look. They both nodded.

"Good. I'm so glad we understand each other," Yukari said. Then she laughed. "Oh, don't feel bad, Remilia. It was a brave attempt. Stupid, but brave. Think of it as a promotion if it helps! Instead of being a loose cannon, you have been upgraded to being my Ace-in-the-Hole. Why, if you behave you might even become a trump card! Now, wouldn't that be fun?"

Without waiting for an answer, Yukari tore open a gap right through her own palm, sucking Remilia and Flandre through and dumping them back outside, several miles from the tower. Amused, she watched as they fled from the Ruined City as fast as their wings would carry them. She wondered how far they would get before they realized that they had left their servants behind.

With a small measure of will, she stepped back into her room. Perhaps she had been a little harsh, but such lessons were rarely forgotten. And on the plus side, she had just gained a valuable resource. Maybe this day had been profitable after all.

Still, there were many other obstacles she needed to deal with. While this one had been taken care of in a satisfactory manner, further complications were not likely to be so easy to deal with. Ah well, she supposed she would just have to tackle them one at a time. With any luck, they would at least take turns, though she wasn't nearly so optimistic to believe that would happen.

…

This isn't going to work, you know. It's doomed from the start. There are too many things that can go wrong.

Cirno frowned as she examined the checklist. The problem wasn't so much that there were too many items missing, but rather that she was having trouble reading her own handwriting.

Any plan by you ends up this way. A failure. Another failure in a long line of failures. Face it, you can't help Rumia any more than you can win a single fight.

"Okay, uh, that one's Wriggle. She's still not back yet," Cirno muttered. "No Yuuka either. But still, we've got bird, cat, wannabe, crapload of money and lots and lots of fliers." She smiled. "And Professor C. Strongest, of course. So we still should be good."

Professor C. Strongest? Really?

"Okay guys, is everyone ready?" she called out. "We're leaving for the Youkai Market first thing in the morning, so you better be ready or I'll whack you all on the head!"

Mystia emerged from one of the hallways. "Good to go, weirdest leader!" she replied. She held up a large woven bag, its sides bulging from its contents. "Dough is all packed and ready."

"Awesomesauce. What about our advertisers?"

"I'm good!" Chen responded cheerfully. The catgirl pushed her way past Mystia to enter the main cavern. She was wearing a hiker's backpack, also stuffed to capacity. She stuck her thumbs under the straps and grinned proudly. "Whole buncha fliers, all ready! And are we really going to the Youkai Market 'cause I really really love the Youkai Market 'cause they have this awesome goldfish scoop game except the last time I played they kicked me out for using my mouth and I don't think that was very-"

"Okay, good, you're ready," Cirno said quickly. "What about your partner?"

Chen turned to point over her shoulder. "She's still back there. I think she's stuck."

From the passageway, Daiyousei shouted, "No I'm not! T-t-this is just really c-c-c-c-crazy heavy!"

Panting and bending under the weight, Daiyousei emerged. Like Chen, she too wore a backup that had been crammed full of the fliers they had made the day before. However, her pack was only about two-thirds the size of Chen's.

With a grunt, she grabbed a nearby stalagmite and forced herself to stand upright. "D-Daiyousei, p-p-present and accounted for!"

Cirno stared. "Wow, you gonna be okay with all those?"

"I think there's still some room in my pack, if you need help," Chen offered.

"N-no, I'm good."

"Seriously Dai, don't go breaking your back before we even get there," Mystia said. "At least take it off for now."

She reached over to help relieve Daiyousei of the backpack. Daiyousei looked like she was about to protest, but relented. The look of relief on her face spoke volumes.

"Okay, um yeah. I'd say we're good." Cirno squinted at the list. "So…yeah! Remember, we're leaving like really early tomorrow to get there before the crowd does. Like six in the morning."

Everyone suddenly stood up straight and stiffened. Their eyes all went wide. Mystia gulped.

Cirno scowled. "Oh, come on! It's not that early. 'Sides Mysty, you should be used to weird hours. What's your normal sleep schedule? It's like one week you're noctotal…nucktetole…neckturtle…up all night and sleeping all day, and the next it's the other way around! Same with Wriggle, it's confusing."

"Uh…C-C-Cirno?" Daiyousei choked out, her voice rising to a squeak.

"Speaking of Wriggle, does anyone know what's taking her so long? I mean, she's been gone almost two days now! I know she and Yuuka Kazami have some sort of weird history, but does it really take that long to talk about helping us?"

Chen's legs gave way from under her. She landed with a plop on her behind, her unblinking eyes staring forward.

"What, you didn't know about that? They were totally girlfriends! And from what I can tell, there was some crazy kink going on!"

"Cirno," Mystia said. "Seriously. Shut up. Right now."

"What? It's true! She told us all about it, remember? They called it 'Wriggle's Special Playtime'." Cirno laughed. "Man, I'd give good money to see that happening! You wouldn't think Wriggle's the type, but I guess everyone's got a crazy side. And if Wriggle can be that bad, I'd hate to see that Yuuka's idea of 'crazy'!"

"Cirno, stop talking and turn around," Mystia said.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it."

Cirno scowled. She whirled on her heel. "Okay, are you going to kick me…" she completed her circle "…as soon as my back is…ohhhh noooo…"

Cirno found herself staring at two very long legs. These legs emerged from a pair of shiny, sharp-toed pink boots and rose to disappear into a red-plaid skirt at the knees. Above the skirt was a pale pink shirt and a vest the same color as the skirt. And over that…

Red eyes.

Green hair.

And a very wide smile.

Yuuka leaned over so she and Cirno were eye-to-eye. "Ohhhh yessss. Don't you just hate it when that happens? It seems you can't have a decent conversation about someone's personal life without them popping up behind your back. Almost like weeds, if you ask me." Her teeth gleamed. "Rude, intrusive weeds."

Cirno's insides usually ran cold anyway, so she didn't feel much in the way of sudden chills. In fact, the air had actually risen several degrees in warmth. However, that didn't change the fact that she was now completely terrified.

Yuuka laughed, an odd crinkling sound that, while not loud, still felt like someone was burrowing into Cirno's skull. "Daw, don't worry about it!" she said. She grabbed Cirno's nose between her thumb and index finger and playfully shook it back and forth. "I really don't care who knows about my personal habits. I prefer to think of the rumors as free advertisement!"

Then she leaned in close, so her lips were almost brushing Cirno's ear. "Oh, and if you ever feel curious, you're more than welcome to join us," she whispered. "There's always room for one more on the rack."

Cirno came very close to fainting.

Yuuka straightened up. Her gaze swept over all those assembled. "Now, you all must be my Wriggle's darling little friends!" She clasped her hands in glee. "Oh, this is so exciting! Wriggle's told me so much about you! I cannot tell you how much I've want to meet you all in person…"

Something about the way she said that last word seemed to suggested that her definition of "Meeting" someone included acts of a depraved and likely illegal nature. Cirno dropped her checklist and scampered back to hide behind Mystia.

"Now, the loud one must be Cirno, right?" Yuuka said. "Oh, I've definitely heard stories about your adventures, you naughty little girl! And that over there…Daiyousei? Oh my goodness, you're so adorable I could eat you right up! And that over there…" Her gaze fell on Chen, who, like the others, was trembling hard and doing her best not to draw attention to herself.

"Kitty!" Yuuka shrieked. She lunged forward and picked up Chen by the arms, backpack and all.

"Oh, so cute!" Yuuka cried and she crushed Chen to her breast. "Oh Wriggle, you never told me you got a cat! We simply must take her back with us someday! Then we can pet her and feed her and dress her and undress her and stick things wherever they'll fit…"

The catgirl yelled, clawed and scratched, absolutely desperate to free herself. Yuuka blinked and held her out to look at her.

"Aw, what's the matter kitty?" she asked, a confused look on her face. "Are you hungry? Have you been fed yet? Don't worry, Auntie Yuuki will find something for you."

She looked past Chen. Her gaze settled on at Mystia. Her smile returned.

"Does kitty like chicken?" she purred.

With a shriek of absolute terror, Mystia shoved Cirno out of the way and disappeared into the passageway. The sudden movement seemed to shock Daiyousei out of her frozen state, as the green-haired fairy wasted no time in following as quickly as her wings would carry her.

A hand reached up to tug on Yuuka's sleeve.

"Okay Yuuka, I think that's enough," Wriggle said as she stepped into view. "Don't wanna, um, overwhelm them with your first impression. So, what say we put Chen down? Come on, let's put the kitty down now."

"Awww, but we were just becoming friends!" However, she complied. Chen took the opportunity to hide behind Cirno.

Yuuka looked down at those who remained. "Well then! A great pleasure to meet you all. Now, Wriggle here…" She looped an arm around Wriggle's throat and drew her in tight, making the firefly struggle and gasp for air "…tells me that you've gotten yourself into something of a pickle. A pickle named Yukari Yakumo, is that right?"

Cirno stared for several seconds before realizing that Yuuka was addressing her. "Oh, uh, y-yeah. T-t-though it's not just her, but also-"

"Oh, don't worry your cold little buns." Yuuka released her hold on Wriggle, who fell panting to her knees. "I'll make sure no one stands in the way of your plan. In fact, I'll give you the personal promise of Yuuka Kazami that you will soon get your friend back." Her teeth flashed as she smiled again. "Exactly the way she used to be."

Cirno perked up. "You…you do? You mean it?"

"Of course! Now, if you'll excuse me, I really should be heading home now. Need to rest up for tomorrow! Oh, this promises to be a very interesting day indeed!" Then she smiled at Wriggle, who was still trying to catch her breath. "Oh, and Wriggle?"

Wriggle looked up. "Yyyyeeessss…?"

Yuuka raised Wriggle's chin up with her fingertips. "I'll be seeing you again. Very soon."

Wriggle's antennae wilted. "Oh…of course."

"Indeed. Oh, and if you speak to me like I'm some sort of child ever again, I'll turn your ribs into gardening tools!" She gave Wriggle an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "Okay?"

Wriggle couldn't even bring herself to think of an answer.

"Okay then!" Yuuka straightened up. "Hugs and kisses to all! I'll see you all tomorrow. Good night…"

Even though Cirno was looking directly at Yuuka when she left, she couldn't be sure that the flower youkai exited through the cave mouth. For all she could tell, Yuuka had simply disappeared into thin air. Maybe she had.

Five minutes passed during which no one dared to speak or move. Even breathing was kept on a subdued level. And then, when Cirno was sure that Yuuka had indeed left for good, she exploded.

"Wriggle, what the crap were you thinking?" she screamed. "Bringing her back here? Did your butt-bulb burn out or something? Have you completely flipped? What, did she follow you home?"

Wriggle looked up to fixate a furious glare on the ranting ice-fairy. "She insisted on coming in person," was all she said.

"And you let her? You didn't try to stop her?"

"Stop her? Stop her?"

"And speaking of which, where the hellsicles were you this whole time! We've been kinda sorta worried a little sick about you! Were you too busy making out to let us know you're okay?"

Wriggle didn't immediately respond. She just glared at Cirno for a few moments longer. Then she turned her attention to Chen.

"Hey, Chen? Would'ja mind giving me and Cirno here some alone time?"

Chen straightened up. "Huh? Alone time?" she hiccupped.

"Yeah, it looks like I'll be needing to debrief her. Just a few minutes, won't take long."

Chen didn't need to be told twice. She leapt up and scampered away, following the path Mystia and Daiyousei had taken.

Cirno folded her arms. "Okay, she's gone," she stated. "Now will you please-urk!"

Wriggle grabbed Cirno by the shoulders and shoved her up against the cave wall. Cirno blinked in surprise. She stared at Wriggle's face, which was bright red with anger and indignation. Then her eyes dipped down to the object that Wriggle clutched in one trembling hand.

It was a black leather collar, with a silver tag hanging from it.

"Bend," Wriggle hissed. "Over!"

Chapter Text

Cirno yawned and stretched her arms over her head, enjoying the gentle pull of the muscle. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before for a number of reasons, but despite the weariness that was starting to catch up to her, the sheer excitement of what they were about to do drove any thought of rest from her mind.

All around her various merchants, workers for hire, agents of the black market, and other business-minded people bustled to and fro in the large clearing, setting up their little stands, booths and tents. The Youkai Market was exactly as its named described: an open marketplace catering specifically to the nonhuman residents of Gensokyo. Every day, youkai, fairies, spirits and even gods came to buy and sell, hire and fire. And given the loosely defined rules of conduct, nearly anything went in regards to acceptable merchandise. It was said that even Human flesh could be acquired if you knew where to look. On more than one occasion the Humans had petitioned to have the place shut down or at least more tightly regulated. Such attempts were often laughed about as the sellers put up their shops.

And it was a good thing too, as Cirno and her friends were there to buy something that would probably be frowned upon by the Humans. With a grin, she looked at Mystia's bag full of money. If things played out the way she wanted them to (and of course they would), then Rumia would be free and back with them in no time. She just hoped that they could get things rolling before Yukari started to interfere.

…

Yukari leaned forward and massaged her forehead. Her mood had not improved in the slightest since her confrontation with the Scarlet Sisters the night before, and the current status of the meeting was doing nothing to improve that.

"Now, I know it's not something you're used to, but please try to think," Tenshi was saying. "The creature as the moon doctor described only absorbs energy attacks, am I right? So, it stands to reason that physical attacks may have a chance. After all, did not the oni's clumsy attempts have some measure of success, even if most of it were probably because of luck?"

Suika was on her feet in an instant. "Luck?" she seethed. "Luck? I kicked that thing's ass! And what do you mean, 'Clumsy'?"

Tenshi smiled sweetly. "Wasn't there something about you sitting on your own gourd? The one that keeps you drunk and stupid? If that's not clumsy, then I don't know what it."

Suika looked about ready to leap across the room and rip the Celestial to pieces, but Reimu reached up and grabbed her by the arm. "No, not here," she whispered. "Kill her later."

"Oh, I will. Believe me I will," Suika muttered, but she sat back down.

Yukari looked around the spacious room and suddenly felt a pang of empathy for her onetime rival, the youkai queen. Perhaps her totalitarian conquest had not been motivated by a desire to become an absolute tyrant. Maybe she just wanted the power to make people shut up for once.

Tenshi flicked her hair out of her face. "Anyway, what I propose is simple: center the operation around earth magic. I hardly think that Satsuki's going to be doing much fighting after a mountain falls on her."

"And by 'Earth magic', you mean your own!" Eiki shouted over to her. The way she said it made it an accusation, not a question. "You're just trying to use this situation to expand your own power and influence!"

Tenshi sniffed dismissively. "I'm sorry, do you have anything worthwhile to contribute? Anything at all? If not, then please shut your fat mouth."

"Tenshi, you go too far!" Byakuren shouted.

"After all, the Yamaxanadu is completely correct," Satori muttered.

Sensing the potential for violence rising, Yukari stood from her seat. "Watch yourself, Hinanai. You'll not win any supporters with that attitude."

The look Tenshi shot her was not exactly a glare and not exactly a smirk, but somehow a combination of the two. Yukari mentally added Tenshi to the list.

"Actually, as much as I hate to admit it, Tenshi does have a point," Kanako said.

Everyone turned to stare at her. "Damn," Marisa muttered. "Someone agreed with Tenshi. Hey Reimu, pinch me, okay?"

"Can I punch you instead?"

"Okay, okay, listen," Kanako said. "While she could have been a little more polite…" Kanako shot Tenshi an acidic look "…she may be right about using physical attacks instead of energy ones. From what I've heard, Satsuki can still be hurt, right?"

Suika nodded. "Yeah, she started stumbling after I hit her a bunch of times."

"Good. So, maybe Tenshi's idea may have some merit." Kanako spread her hands. "I know we don't like her, but I'm just saying the idea bears consideration."

"Thank you for your kind support," Tenshi spat at her. "As if I needed it to begin with."

Kanako's fingers tightened on her armrests. Somewhere deep below the tower, a faint rumbling could be heard. "Listen, you stuck up, self-possessed little monster, when someone's actually agreeing with you, you don't-"

"Enough."

Everyone turned to look at Yukari, who had risen to her feet.

"I think…we've accomplished as much as we can for the time being," Yukari said. "Let's break for lunch and meet back here again in about an hour. And I swear to most of you, if anyone tries to take advantage of the break and stabs anyone in the back, then they'll be living out the rest of their lives as an earthworm." She nodded once. "Dismissed."

…

"…and I really like the idea of a yearly festival, only problem is that they want me to put on some sort of dramatic reenactment of when Kanako beat Suwako and took over the shrine," Sanae was saying. "And I'm thinking 'No, bad idea'. Especially with Suwako still hanging around. Be in kinda poor taste…Reimu? Are you even listening?"

"Sure," Reimu said.

Sanae waved her hand in front of Reimu's face. This received no reaction. "Um, and after that we're planning on moving the festival to Hakurei Shrine for a week, and party until the place collapses." She waited for ten seconds and added, "And we won't clean up after ourselves and refuse to leave any donations whatsoever."

"That's fine."

Sanae rolled her eyes and clapped her hands directly in front of Reimu's nose. "Hey!"

Reimu jumped in her seat. "Oh! Uh, what?"

The two shrine maidens were sitting on a stone slab at the foot of the tower. Sanae had insisted on having lunch with Reimu to catch up. However, even if Reimu had been interested, her conversation with Reisen from the night before had given her a lot of food for thought, so that it was difficult to concentrate on anything her friendly rival was saying.

Sanae gave her a long look. "Reimu, have you been listening to anything I've said?"

"Oh, sure. Every word. There was…uh…" Reimu desperately tried to recall any details that might have slipped through. "Some guy always visiting your shrine and…leaving you flowers and stuff?"

"Okay, number one: those were chocolates. And number two: that was like fifteen subjects ago. Seriously, what's up with you?"

Reimu pushed her food around with a chopstick. "Sorry, just got a lot on my mind."

Sanae nodded. "Well, okay. I understand. I mean, you actually had to fight the thing-"

"And she got her ass kicked so thoroughly that she could barely walk afterward, ze," Marisa finished for her. She walked up to the two shrine maidens and shoved herself between them. "Sup?"

Reimu glared at her. "Well, hello Marisa. How are you? Go right ahead and intrude, we don't mind and all."

"Really? Thanks." Marisa snatched a cherry tomato from the plate Reimu held in her lap and popped it in her mouth. "So, who's leaving who chocolates?"

The shrine maidens exchanged a look and sighed. "Never mind," Sanae said. "You came at the end of the conversation."

"It's not Reisen, is it?"

Reimu flinched, nearly upsetting the boxed lunch on her lap in the process. "What? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Come on, you know what I mean." Marisa grinned and shoved an elbow into Reimu's ribs. "Cute little bunny girl shows up late at night, wanting to, ahem, 'Talk' to you privately and looking all cute and alone, ze. And you were all quiet and secretive when you got back. C'mon Armpits, don't tell me nothing happened."

Sanae looked confused. "Wait, huh? Bunny? Who's Reisen again?"

With a grunt of annoyance Reimu pushed Marisa off of the stone slab. "Stop it, it's nothing like that." To Sanae she added, "Reisen is Eirin Yagokoro's assistant, remember? She spoke at the beginning of the meeting yesterday."

"Oh! Right. So…what about her?"

"Nothing about her," Reimu mumbled before Marisa could provide an answer of her own choosing. "She was just upset about the whole thing and wanted someone to talk to last night. And now Marisa here thinks that means we're dating."

"Ah…" Sanae picked up a riceball from her own box and seemed to study it before biting it in half. "Are you?" she mumbled through a mouthful of rice.

"What? Of course not!"

"Nah," Marisa cut in. "They're just giving each other hickies out behind the-"

Reimu whacked the young witch upside of the head. "That's it, this conversation is over. Let it drop, Blondie."

"Sure, sure," Marisa grinned, her tone saying that she had no such intention. "Anyway, sexy scandals can wait. I wanted to ask you something: you got any idea of what happened to Bookbrain and Knifey McKnifepants?"

Sanae groaned. She put a hand to her forehead. "Reimu, how the hell do you stand talking to her? I sweat half the stuff she says isn't even language."

"She means Patchouli Knowledge and Sakuya Izayoi. You know, from the Scarlet Devil Mansion?"

"Uh, sort've."

"Well, them. What about them, anyway?" That last question was directed toward Marisa.

"Not much, except they were missing today, ze."

"They were?" Reimu frowned as she thought back. There hadn't been a roll-call when they had -all gathered that morning, and no one had said anything about anyone missing. Then again, both Sakuya and Patchouli had made a point to contribute nothing beyond what had been required of them the day before, so their absence would probably go unnoticed.

"Yeah, they never showed up." Marisa shrugged. "I dunno, maybe Fangs needed someone to go change her diaper."

Sanae stared at her. She seemed equal parts fascinated and irritated. "Do you attach stupid nicknames to everyone you know?"

"Only the ones who deserve it," Marisa said with a grin. "Still haven't thought of one for you that isn't a synonym for ' Reimu-Wannabe'."

Sanae looked at Reimu. "You know, I'm starting to see why you find her annoying."

"Aw, what are you talking about?" Marisa plopped down next to Reimu and grabbed her with a fiercely tight embrace. "Reimu loves me!"

Reimu held up three ofuda charms. There was a brief flash of light, and suddenly Marisa was sprawled in the dirt, clutching her face.

"Damn it!" she grimaced. "Right in the face! Thanks a lot, Reddie!"

"Come on, you were asking for it," Sanae said with a snicker. Reimu couldn't help but join in.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Marisa mumbled as she pulled herself up. "You shrine girls are all the same. Bet you wouldn't be laughing if I had my spellcards or my hakkero."

"You don't have your spellcards?" Reimu asked.

Marisa's grimaced twisted ever further. "Those disappeared right along with my hakkero, ze. Damned Yukari probably still has them."

"Well," Sanae said. "You were being rude."

"I still got my normal spells and my fists, you know that?"

"Oh gee, you don't say? Oh, whatever shall I do?" Sanae opened her mouth wide and placed her open palms on her cheeks. "Please Ms. Scary Witch, don't hurt me."

Marisa was about to yell something back, but Reimu took that opportunity to step in. "Okay, okay, enough already. If we keep this up Yukari's probably going to come after us."

"What's she gonna do, ground us?" Marisa muttered. "And you're the one blasting people in the face."

"Okay, fine. I'm sorry I shot you in the face. You happy?"

"Hmmm, that depends."

"On what?"

Marisa puckered up. "On whether or not you give me a kiss."

There was another flash of light, and Marisa fell back on her butt, grabbing her mouth and cursing.

"So much for keeping things nonviolent," Sanae muttered. She shook her head. "By the way, what did that rabbit want with you anyway?"

Reimu sighed. "Do me a favor and wait until after the meeting. In fact, bring Kanako too. There's something I wanna talk to you both about."

…

Yukari was no goddess. She had no followers beyond her Shikigami and what few allies she had gathered for herself. She had no worshippers, nor did she want any. Annoying little pests, always clamoring for this favor or that. If she had the time to be bothered with helping young children pass school tests and smitten young Humans win hearts, then she would probably spend it doing…just about anything else. And it wasn't as if all that faith and devotion added to her personal reservoir of power anyway. That was the territory of the like of Kanako and all the other little deities wandering around Gensokyo.

Still, she did possess a handful of traits commonly associated with divinity. For one thing, she had formed the land of Gensokyo through sheer force of will, separating it from the Outside World and declaring it to be the sanctuary for the inhuman beings that people just seemed to not want anymore. And as such, though she preferred to back away and let its inhabitants handle their own affairs, she did occasionally step in to personally ensure that a threat would become…less threatening.

Unfortunately, this sometimes meant doing deeds that many would consider repulsive. While she hadn't done anything to match the destruction of the Ruined City since the original incident, there had been a number of times over the years where she had been forced to do something that she preferred not to talk about. It didn't happen much, but when one has lived as long as she had, it tends to add up.

And so, while everyone else was sating their hunger and complaining to each other about everyone else, she was meeting with two of the deadliest people she had ever known to discuss how to best kill two little girls who, by youkai standards, had not yet even reached puberty.

One of them, Eirin Yagokoro, was a literal creator of monsters. And in addition to having a starring role in making Rin Satsuki into what she was today, the physician possessed what had to be the most complete knowledge on how the living body worked and the best way to kill it. And given her other job as Eientei's protector, she had several lifetimes to put that knowledge into practical application. While her primary job was as a healer, there were very few who would dare to cross her.

The other, the spirit known only as Mima, had been until very recently one of Gensokyo's more notorious villains. Out of all the evil spirits to haunt the land, she was the only one to whom that title was capitalized. Her exploits in that capacity were legendary, and while she professed to be retired from playing the 'bad guy', there were still places where just her name alone could incite panic.

Having the two of them together, along with Yukari herself, reminded Yukari of those sinister dark councils that fiction writers from the Outside World seemed to be obsessed with. For a brief moment, she considered handing out hooded robes and filling the room with smoke, just to add to the effect.

Instead, she had to settle for cups of tea while sitting around a wood table. Perhaps not aesthetically pleasing, but any more was just plain frivolous.

"It really shouldn't be that hard," Mima said as she sipped from her cup. "After all, we literally have the very forces of creation and destruction at our disposal. If worst comes to worst, we can always just try them all until something works."

"Really now," Yukari said. "Because I seem to recall us trying something similar on the Shadow Youkai. And now that the situation has escalated by a significant amount, I don't see how trying that again is going to help."

Eirin leaned back in her chair, her tea completely ignored. "You two are getting way ahead of yourselves. Extracting the Princess from Rin should come first." Her eyes flickered over to Mima, and back again.

"Along with Fujiwara no Mokou as well," Yukari said. "The less nigh invulnerable that thing is, the better."

"If we must," Eirin said, though she clearly wasn't fond of the thought of saving Mokou, for whatever reason.

"Ah, that's no problem," Mima said dismissively. "Just torture the thing until she vomits them out. I mean, she still feels pain on some level, right?"

Eirin's eyes hardened. "How very…medieval of you."

Mima smiled but said nothing. She took another sip. Then she frowned.

"Okay, what?"

Eirin blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"You've been staring at me this whole time. Is there a pimple I'm unaware of? A spider in my hat?"

Eirin managed a weak laugh. "No, nothing like that. I just have a professional interest in casual violation of the rules of reality."

"What?" Then Mima looked down at the teacup she was holding. "Oh, that. Still, coming from someone who has literally cheated death just because she could, a ghost drinking tea shouldn't be that strange."

"Which is why I have a professional interest. Tell me: do you receive any actual nourishment from it, or is it just for the sensory pleasure alone? And where does the liquid go? Does your body actually absorb it or does it vanish or…"

Yukari pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, we're getting off topic again. Can we leave these annoying little detours for the main council and get back on track?"

"As you wish," Eirin said. "At any rate, we must-"

"Eirin, your wrist is flashing," Mima said.

Eirin blinked. "Come again?" She held up her left arm and sighed when she saw what Mima was talking about. A circlet of grey crystal encircled her wrist, and it was indeed blinking on and off.

Yukari raised an eyebrow. "Time for your meds?"

"No, it's Tewi," Eirin muttered. "Damn it, I told her not to contact me unless it was an emergency."

"And what's to say it isn't?" Mima asked.

"Because it's Tewi," Eirin responded, as if that were reason enough. But then she sighed. "Still, better safe than sorry. Excuse me ladies, I might have to take this."

She stood to her feet and pressed two fingers from her opposite hand against the bracelet. "What is it?" she said as she walked toward the door. "This had better be worth interrupting me, because if it isn't, then I will personally tear out those ridiculous head-ornaments you call ears and use them-"

The rest of her threat was cut off when she stepped out into the hallway and shut the door behind her.

Mima and Yukari were left staring at each other. "Ouch," Mima said. "Sucks to be the bunny. Should we listen in?"

Yukari shook her head. "No point. She's going to tell us anyway."

"She'll probably lie."

"Not to us. At least, not successfully."

"Point," Mima said with a smile. "Annoying though, isn't it? Seems you just can't get anyone to stay on task for more than three minutes."

"I'm…starting to develop a tolerance."

"Just now? Haven't you been doing this sort of thing for…How old are you again?"

Yukari leaded forward folded her hands over the table. "That's a bit of a personal question. But at any rate, while Eirin is gone, there's another matter I need to talk to you about."

"Oh?" Mima rested one arm around her waist and rubbed her chin with the other. "A private matter, eh?"

"Something like that, yes."

Mima's smile increased. "Ohhh, I'm blushing already. Please continue."

Yukari nodded. Truth be told, she was a bit uneasy about what she had to tell Mima. It wasn't the subject matter itself so much as the fact that she was going to have to lie to the ghost. While that in itself wasn't a problem, Mima was rather accomplished in the field of deceit and, as Yukari had just pointed out, she was exceptionally good at telling when someone else was trying to deceive her in turn. And if she managed to catch Yukari in a falsehood, then there would be more than just Satsuki and the Shadow Youkai to worry about.

However, Yukari was no slouch herself. And her skills at manipulation were well honed. The trick was to make sure that not a single word she said was technically untrue.

To that end, after a moment of appropriately dramatic hesitation she said, "I had an unexpected visitor last night. Remilia Scarlet."

"Did you? I thought I smelled the stench of vampire lurking around. I suppose she had a long list of complaints ready for you?"

Yukari sighed. "You have no idea. But beyond that, she wanted to help."

"Oh?" Mima arched a single eyebrow. "That's unusual for her."

"Not so much as you think. She's just as threatened as the rest of us by Satsuki's continued freedom. Perhaps even more so, given the unpleasant memories Satsuki must be harboring toward her servants."

"True enough. But I hardly believe that little Rin has any blood for her to drain."

"I never said she offered to do the deed herself. However, she does want to assist in the hunt, and has also offered use of her sister's power." When Mima blinked, Yukari said, "Yeah, I guess she's that upset by the whole thing. She wants Satsuki in the ground just about as much as we do."

"And she is aware that blowing the poor girl up isn't going to be as effective as it once was, correct?"

"Indeed. In fact, I brought that up myself. And I have to admit, she did make a fair point in return. She claimed that while Satsuki may be able to physically endure anything we can dish out, she would mentally be unable to cope. Like you said earlier, she can still feel pain on some level. And while she may be able to regenerate from any damage, a continuous assault like Flandre Scarlet is able to deal out would eventually cause her to crack and give in."

"Or go berserk completely," Mima muttered. "Still…I have to agree that she has a fair point."

"Yes. Unfortunately…There's a catch. She has a condition."

"Oh?" Mima lifted her teacup to her lips. "And what's that?"

"I need to arrest Marisa."

If there was anyone who could make the claim of having seen it all, it was Yukari. She was one of the oldest beings in existence and watched over a country that literally ran on the impossible. Still, she had never seen a ghost do a spit-take before. Not until that very moment, at least.

"You what?" Mima sputtered. The teacup fell from her hands and bounced across the table. "What did you just say?"

Yukari carefully wiped off the stinging droplets of hot tea from her face with her handkerchief. "That was her condition. She apparently has grown fed up with all the burglaries and wants me to do something about it." She shrugged. "Of course, her idea of 'doing something about it' involved a great deal more pain and screaming, but I managed to talk her down to simple incarceration."

Mima just stared at her. "You're serious."

"I am."

"I don't believe this."

"You should."

Mima's hands were laid flat on the table. If they possessed anything resembling normal biology, they would be pure white from the blood loss. As it was, they were still shaking uncontrollably, though not from shock but from barely controlled power now zipping through them. "If you think for one moment that I'm just going to stand aside and let you-"

"Oh, calm down already," Yukari said in a cross tone. "It's not permanent, and it's just to make Remilia happy. I'll have Marisa cool her heels until we wrap up this Satsuki business and let her go with a warning. She'll be out in a month, tops."

"Oh? I wonder Yukari, I really do. I haven't forgotten that look you gave her back at Eientei. I'm starting to think this is more about you punishing her for getting into your face than just winning over another ally."

Yukari laughed. "If that were the case, then Marisa would be missing a head! Seriously Mima, she was bound to get thrown in jail sooner or later anyway. At least with my way, she'll be out faster."

"You'll forgive me if I'm not won over by your certainty," Mima said in a low tone. "And might I remind you that doing so will probably alienate another of your allies, one you probably need even more."

Yukari's fingers drummed against the table. "You mean yourself."

"I do."

"Mima, be serious. You're not going to back out, not with Satsuki still loose. You might not be personally threatened by her, but Marisa is still a Human, and is still very much killable. In fact, if there does end up being a confrontation, Satsuki will probably target her personally. In a way, I'm keeping her out of harm's way."

"Oh? Then why don't you lock up Reimu while you're at it?"

Yukari sat up straighter in her chair. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"I saw that ostentatious barrier you stuck over the shrine," Mima hissed. "I heard you trying to convince her to stick around where you can keep an eye on her. If you're really so worried about keeping the squishy little Humans safe, then why don't you just stick them all in a cell?" Her eyes narrowed. "Or maybe it's not the Humans you want to protect at all. Maybe it's just little Reimu. Or to be specific, the Hakurei Shrine maiden. Maybe you just think Marisa's too dangerous to be hanging around her all the time. After all, you know full well what'll happen if Reimu's goes and gets herself killed without producing an heir…"

Yukari shot to her feet. "That has nothing to do with this!"

"Does it? You seem awfully defensive. Did I hit a sore spot? Strike a nerve? I wonder what you would do if the only way to bring Satsuki down would be mean Reimu's death. Would you still go through with it, Yukari? Hmmm?"

Yukari was spared from answering as the door swung open and Eirin rushed into the room as quickly as her still-poor health would let her. "Yukari, Mima, we've got trouble," the Lunarian said. "I just got word that…" She stopped and looked from one to the other. "Um, am I interrupting something?"

Yukari shot a look at Mima, who was still glowering at her. "Yes, but it can wait until later," Yukari sighed. "What is it?"

At that precise moment, the tiny figure of Princess Kotohime materialized in the center of the table. She did not look good. Her hair was disheveled, her face was bruised and covered with splotches and smudges as if she had just stopped crying and her normally neat uniform was in complete disarray.

Kotohime took a deep breath to steady herself, tugged on her uniform and said, "Miss Yakumo, I apologize for contacting you like this, but it appears…it appears…" Her composure broke completely and she began to wail, "It's terrible! Oh, I should have seen this coming, I'm so sorry. What are we going to do?"

"Who the hell is she?" Eirin asked.

Mima glanced up at her. "Some Human princess who thinks she's a police officer. Yukari's been using her as her personal spook."

Yukari ignored her. "What is it?" she hissed. "I'm kind of in the middle of something!"

"It's Cirno, ma'am!" Kotohime said. "She's resurfaced, and in the worst way possible."

Eirin stiffened. "That's what my information was about!"

"Really?" Mima said. "How…coincidental."

"Shut up," Yukari snapped. To Kotohime, she said, "Tell me what's going on."

"Um…well ma'am, I have good news, better news, bad news, worse news and…terrible news."

Yukari had the distinct feeling that none of the news was going to be good. "Fine. Fire away."

"Well, the good news is that we've located Cirno and the rest of her fellow troublemakers, as I said earlier. They're all at the Youkai Market, creating a…a bit of a racket."

Yukari closed her eyes. "Of course," she muttered. "Oh, why didn't I put her in a cage when I had a chance?"

"Um, and the better news is that we've found your other Shikigami as well?"

"What?" Yukari's eyes snapped open. "Chen's there with them? But Cirno said…" She groaned. "Oh, of course. I should have realized."

"Indeed, Tewi did mention as much. It seems she's fallen in with a bad crowd," Eirin confirmed. "Well, worse."

"Debatable," Mima muttered.

"Enough, spirit. Kotohime, what are they doing?"

"Well ma'am, that happens to be the first bad news. They've been there all day handing out these." Kotohime held up a brown piece of paper with writing all over it.

Yukari frowned and motioned with her fingers. The illusion focused on the paper, allowing them a clear view of what it held. At the paper's center was a crude child's drawing, little more than a stick-figure. But judging by the excess amount of black crayon used, the red eyes and the representation of a sword attached to one of the picture's spindly arms, it didn't take a genius to tell that it was supposed to represent Rin Satsuki's previous form. At the top of the paper was the word REEWHARD in large block letters. At the bottom was written ¥25000000, AND MAIBEE MOR IF U DU IT KWIKLY!

Yukari blanched. "She's posted a bounty? On the Shadow Youkai?"

"Yes!"

"Where the hell did she get twenty-five million yen?"

"I don't know, ma'am! Stole it, most likely."

"Tell me people aren't taking that little idiot seriously."

"Not at first, but, uh, recent events have generated interest."

"What events?"

"Well, that's the worse news. From what I've been able to gather, Cirno was interviewed by a newspaper reporter about half an hour ago."

There was a brief snort of laughter. Yukari turned to glare at Mima, who wasn't even bothering to hide the fact that she was the culprit.

"Which reporter?" Yukari said to Kotohime. Then a somber thought struck her. "No, wait. Let me guess. It's her, isn't it?"

Kotohime nodded solemnly. "I'm afraid so, ma'am. It's her."

…

Then

"I see, I see, I see!" Aya Shameimaru said as she scribbled in her notepad. "And that was when Yukari Yakumo threatened to do you bodily harm?"

Cirno nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! She said she'd beat me up, slap me around, eat me and kick me in the stomach if I didn't just leave Rumia to rot!"

"Okayokayokay, got it! And in that order, right?"

It was now midday at the Youkai Market, and the place had filled impressively. Everywhere different stands, carts, tents and a few buildings could be seen, selling everything from clothing to jewelry to food to weapons to spellcards of questionable legality. And everywhere you looked were people in all different shapes and sizes. Some of them looked more-or-less normal, while others could only be judged to be living and sentient beings by the fact that they were moving around and interacting with others. However, the one thing they all had in common was that there was not a single Human to be found.

The air was filled with general hubbub that such a gathering tends to generate. Above it all the various shopkeepers and merchants shouted the attributes of their merchandise and proclaimed its superiority over that of their competitors.

"Don't bother listening to that cow-humping swindler, get the freshest fruits in all of Gensokyo right here at…"

"You there, sir! You look like a man in need of a weapon! Come take a look at…"

"Sweet potatoes! Roasted sweet potatoes! Blessed by my own hand!"

"Oi, who's be wantin' their teeth pulled 'round here? Don't care if they're white or black, sharp or dull, pearly shiny or butt-ugly, I'll take 'em!"

"Old lamps for new! Old lamps for new!"

Cirno and her friends had taken control of a wooden platform with a flagpole stuck through it near the center of the market. Cirno had been standing on the platform and had been loudly announcing their bounty since early that morning, while Mystia, Daiyousei and Chen were in the crowd, trying to distribute the fliers Cirno and Chen had made earlier that week. Wriggle (who Cirno was still shooting glares at) was holding Mystia's bag of money, acting both as a presenter and a guard.

Admittedly, business had not been as good as Cirno had hoped. While the amount of money had definitely attracted a fair amount of attention, it was more from thieves than potential mercenaries. Most people, once they learned that people such as Reimu Hakurei, Yukari Yakumo and Marisa Kirisame might become aggressive competition, backed away quickly and refused to have anything to do with the bounty. Others simply laughed at them and walked away. Cirno, upon remarking upon the strangeness of this to Mystia earlier, had just gotten a roll of the eyes in response. Cirno wasn't exactly sure what the night-sparrow meant by that.

And to top it off, Yuuka Kazami had yet to appear. Cirno was pretty sure they could motivate more people to take them seriously if they had her backing them. Though if she were to be truthful, the madwoman's absence was something of a relief.

Cirno had started to become discouraged by their lack of success, but her spirits had picked up when a dark-haired girl with a red circus tent-shaped cap and a camera showed up, wondering if Cirno might be willing to say a few words for the press.

Of course, the answer had been an emphatic yes.

"So do you think that Yukari Yakumo might be caving into the stress?" Aya asked. "As if in, making poor decisions and lashing out at innocent people as a result of having to deal with a problem beyond her ability to solve?"

Cirno thought about that for a moment. "Nah, I think she's just a jerk who thinks she's better than everyone."

"And is it your opinion, as a free citizen of Gensokyo in good standing with your neighbors, that Yukari Yakumo is therefore undeserving of the authority and power that she holds?"

There was nothing about that sentence that Cirno didn't like. "Oh, heck yeah!"

"Hmmm, yes, okay, yes. And would you care to comment on the rumors flying about concerning a possible ménage a trois between her and her servants, which by its very nature would have pedophiliac elements?"

Cirno stared blankly at the Tengu. "Huh? What's a…Who's Manager Troy now? And what's he got to do with…Pita Philly Flaks?"

"No comment then! Okay!" Aya held up the bounty flier that Cirno had enthusiastically provided her with. She squinted at the illustration of the people-eater. "And this is a faithful reproduction of the monster in question, yes?"

"Saw it with my own two eyes!" Cirno said. "Touched it too! Felt like scraping your hand raw over pointy ice. And ice isn't even supposed to hurt me, so you can see…"

"I can indeed! Huh, okay. Yeah, I know an artist or two who can probably spice this up for you. And how long is this bounty for?"

"Forever!" Cirno declared. "Or, until it works. Because, you know, it wouldn't make any sense to keep it going after someone claims it. Would kinda defeat the whole purpose. So yeah."

"Gotcha. Okay then." A twisted smile spread over Aya's face as she regarded the flier. "Ayayaya, this is gonna be good! We'll have to go into a triple-print for this! Maybe quadruple! Try to match that Hatate, you third-rate copycat!"

Cirno scratched her head. "Um, was that a question…?"

"Nah, you're good. Now smile!" Aya quickly snapped a few pictures of Cirno, an irritated-looking Wriggle, Mystia, Chen, Daiyousei (who were focusing on trying to get people to take their fliers and were thus unaware that they were being photographed) and the surrounding crowd.

"Okay, I think we're done here! Now, take these…" Aya shoved a handful of small papers into Cirno's hands. "And give them to all your friends!"

"What are these?"

"A 15% off subscription for the Bunbunmaru! My way of saying thank you for being such an awesome interviewee!"

Cirno actually felt touched. "Wow, thanks!"

"No problem! And look for your face in the papers!" With that, Aya leapt into the sky, circled the Marketground once, and then zipped off in the general direction of the Youkai Mountain.

…

Now

Yukari slumped back in her chair and rubbed her forehead with one hand. "Oh, isn't that just swell? This incident isn't even a week old, and already things have reached that level. So much for keeping a cap on things and avoiding mass panic."

"Or greed," Eirin said.

"Or greed," Yukari agreed.

"You know, it's not like we were doing that great a job of keeping things quiet anyway," Mima murmured. She steepled her fingers over the table. "As I understand it, rumors have already spread as far as the Ancient City."

"Rumors are one thing. Nobody really cares about them around here anyway. But bounties and front-page stories? Those are something quite different." Yukari shook her head. "And for the love everyone good and orderly, Kotohime, why didn't you put a stop to it like you were supposed to?"

"I tried, ma'am, I really did! As soon as I found out, I went in with three other officers, ready to shut them down!"

"And?"

Kotohime lifted a hand to her damaged face. "And I'm afraid that's the terrible news."

…

Then

"Yeah, I don't think talking to her was the best idea," Wriggle muttered to Cirno, who was still staring at her shiny new coupons.

"Huh? Why? We're gonna be on the front page!"

"It's Aya, dipstick! She ain't really working with a full deck. And her paper's reputation's not so great."

"Hey, at least she talked to us, which is more than I can say for most people." Then Cirno turned to glare at the firefly. "And at least she doesn't try to stick dog collars up her friends' butts!"

"Oh, up yours, Cirno," Wriggle snapped. "You sent me to talk to Yuuka Kazami! You wanna know how that day went?"

"Yeah, not really. Sounds boring." Cirno looked around. "Speaking of which, where the hellsicles is she? She said she'd meet us today!"

"No, she said she'd see us today," Wriggle corrected. "She's here, believe me."

"What?" Cirno looked around at the churning mass of bodies. Not a single Yuuka could be seen among them. "Where?"

"Where you can't see her. Trust me, she's here. I can tell."

"Fine. Whatever." Cirno hopped off the platform. "Just so long as she shows up if a fight breaks out. Hey, I gotta go ask Chen something. You gonna be cool manning the shop by yourself?"

"Oh, yeah. Sure. Because you've been contributing so much beyond standing around and driving people off with your yelling…"

Cirno pushed her way through the crown until she reached the catgirl, who was doing her best to explain the situation to a pair of very confused looking Kappa.

"…and it's going around trying to eat everyone and stealing their skins except I it doesn't really look like skin I don't know I didn't get to see it but Cirno's really reliable about these sorts of…"

Cirno snapped her fingers. "Yo! Chen!"

"Huh?" Chen turned around. "Oh, hey! I was just telling these guys…" she waved her hand in the Kappa's direction. Or rather, where they had been. As soon as Chen's back was turned, they had taken the opportunity to slip back into the crowd and put enough distance between them and her as possible. "…about the scary blobby thing you were-"

"Yeah, okay. Cool. Good job and all. Hey, you ever meet someone named Manager Troy? 'Cause Aya seems to think that he's-"

"You!"

Cirno turned around and found herself facing a grizzled-looking youkai male who was wearing a black-and-white striped shirt and a bowler hat.

"Uh, yeah?" she asked, looking him up and down. "Do I know you?"

With a growl, he shoved his face right into hers. "Know me? You damned froze me solid four days ago, girl!"

"I did?"

"What'd’ya mean, 'I did'? You was flying through the Forest of Magic looking all lost and confused, and so I goes down and offers my help! And you then you done froze me right to my web like a damned icicle! I didn't thaw out until yesterday morning!"

Cirno thought hard. She shook her head. "Yeah, I got nothing."

The youkai snarled. "Oh, couldn't agree more. And when I gets done with your pretty little ass, you're gonna have even-"

There was a low but audible whining noise. Then a leaf-green flash filled the area. Cirno winced back and shielded her eyes. When she opened them again, the angry youkai was gone.

All around her everyone, shoppers and sellers alike, went very, very quiet.

Cirno was suddenly aware of someone tall standing over her and blotting out the sun. She looked up and saw Yuuka looming overhead, wearing her perpetual smile and holding her trademark umbrella.

Yuuka leaned down so that she and Cirno were almost nose-to-nose. "Hi."

"…hi…" Cirno squeaked.

Yuuka straightened up and looked around. The crowd was slowly backing away from her and Cirno and her gang. "Goodness gracious, that took quite a while, didn't it? I thought I would get to step in at least three hours ago."

"Uh…"

"Oh, and so sorry for not meeting you this morning. I figured things might be easier for you if people didn't see me. Silly rumors and unfortunate reputation and all that." Yuuka sighed. "And from the looks of things, I was right. Oh dear."

"It's her, it's the Nightmare of Endless Flowers!" someone yelled.

"Oh my gods, did those kids bring her here?"

"I say, would this be an appropriate time for mob mentality?"

"P-pruning shears! Pruning shears and weed k-k-killer! G-guaranteed to save you from-"

Yuuka's eyes blazed with sudden fury. She folded up her umbrella and pointed the tip at the opportunistic salesman. There was another flash, and the anti-foliage stand (along with its owner) ceased to exist.

"I swear, some people just have no consideration whatsoever," Yuuka sniffed as she adjusted her vest and brushed off her sleeves. Then she sighed again. "Well now, better go see about making this reputation work for us."

She made her way toward Cirno's raised platform. Those who were anywhere near the platform in question cleared out immediately, and Daiyousei and Mystia got out her way in a hurry, the latter taking the opportunity to slink into the relative cover of the crowd itself.

Yuuka pulled herself onto the platform and surveyed those gathered. Her smile returned. "Attention, everyone! Good afternoon to you and all that rubbish. Now, I just wanted you all to know that little Cirno over there…" she pointed out the ice fairy in question "…and all of her adorable little friends are under the personal protection of Yuuka Kazami! If anyone else seeks to do them harm, then they and I will have words." Her smile started to look a bit strained. "Oh, and if I see another one of you abominable plant-killers around here, then I will be having a talk with them as well. Got it?"

A few home and gardening stands decided to close early for the day.

"Furthermore, let it be known that the bounty they are posting is operating under the full knowledge, validation and sponsorship of myself, and I would just hate to have their endeavors be all for naught. So if you people don't feel the offered reward is enough to get you off the bench and into the game, then what say I sweeten the pot a bit? If someone manages to find and bring in the subject of the bounty within the space of a month, then I will add an additional fifteen million yen to the reward, right out of my own pocket! With another five-hundred thousand for every day before the month's end! And to top it off, should anyone, and I mean anyone, try to interfere with your work, I will take steps to ensure that you remain unmolested." Her teeth flashed in the sun. "Does that sound reasonable?"

While it could not be said that the crowd was any less fearful of her presence, they were starting to pay attention. After all, while Yuuka was considered to be a terror made from the same stuff as nightmares, she was a legitimate terror made from the same stuff as nightmares. If she gave something her full backing and protection, than it had to be official on some level.

Also, Cirno had already been offering a substantial amount of money, even by the Humans' standards. And to the youkai and fairies, who very rarely had anything resembling a steady income, it was all the more impressive. And with Yuuka's contribution, more than a few were starting to weigh their self-preservation against their desire to vastly increase their material wealth.

Before too long, the majority decision became, "Screw it, we're immortal."

"Good, good, glad to hear it!" Yuuka said cheerfully. Then her face twisted in furious scowl and she slammed the tip of her umbrella against the planks of the stage, the sound of which made everyone jump. "Now start grabbing those fucking grabbing fliers!"

That was more than enough motivation to get the crowd moving. The other shops and stalls were forgotten in the mad rush to snatch up as many fliers and possible. Mystia, Chen and Daiyousei literally found themselves swamped with eager customers. Finally, they just threw their bags into the air and ran off, letting the mob sort it out themselves.

And then an interruption occurred.

"All right, everyone stop!" shouted a commanding voice, by use of an amplification spell. The chaos quieted down immediately as everyone turned to stare in the direction of the voice's source.

Full credit had to be given to Kotohime. Youkai and their brethren were nearly impossible to control individually. Gathered together into a massive mob and they became more akin to a force of nature, in some cases literally. And yet she had managed to grab everyone's attention with a single command. She floated above the crowd. She was wearing the plain black uniform that was the standard of her personal squad. Accompanying her were three others; two dark-haired Human brothers and a silver-haired fairy girl, all dressed in the same uniform. They stood (well, hovered) at attention behind their captain and waited for her word.

"By orders of Yukari Yakumo, this gathering must disperse immediately!" she declared. "The persons known as Cirno, Daiyousei, Wriggle Nightbug and Mystia Lorelei have engaged in illegal activities and are now under arrest! Any action made to assist them will be seen as an obstruction of justice and will be treated as such."

Silence greeted her pronouncement.

Kotohime looked confused. As she was a Human enforcer intruding into a distinctly Human-unfriendly territory, she had probably been expecting more protests and violent opposition. "Rest assured that this incident does not in any way infringe upon the Youkai Market's freedom and independence, and once the suspects have been incarcerated, normal market activity will be allowed to resume!"

More silence. A few sidelong looks were exchanged, but no movement beyond that.

"Um…And I also see that Chen Yakumo is also in the company of the suspects!" Kotohime declared. "As a Shikigami in Yukari's service, her disappearance has, uh, caused her master serious worry, and finding her has been one of our top priorities! So, we'll be taking her too. Because it's time for her to go home."

Again, no answer.

"So…Is that all right with all of you?"

Finally, there was a response, in the form of every gathered youkai, fairy, spirit, God, and all other creatures turning around and facing the stage on which Yuuka stood, umbrella opened overhead. The madwoman had been watching Kotohime's speech with an almost gleeful amusement.

Kotohime frowned. "What, who is…" Then she finally caught sight of Yuuka and her face went snow-white. Her fellow officers gasped as they recognized her as well. "Mother of God…" she whispered.

"Which one?" Yuuka asked cheerfully. She glanced around. "Oh my, you're really starting to upset people, aren't you? I'm sorry, but I think it's time for you to leave."

Kotohime straightened. "I, uh, I can't do that. You, you see, I've, uh, been sent. Been sent by Yukari Yaku-"

"Yes, I know that, dear," Yuuka said. "And we should talk about that later. But in the meantime, I really need you to stop bothering these people." She snapped her fingers.

"But-"

What occurred next happened so suddenly that even those who saw it coming were taken by surprise. As Kotohime was talking, four green vines silently slithered out of the ground and grew up behind her. They continued to grow as she argued with Yuuka, sprouting buds that blossomed into sunflower dials. These dials then hovered directly over the officers and, on Yuuka's signal, slammed down with such force that all four of them were knocked unconscious instantly. Twisting vines then encircled their ankles and dragged them off through the market and away from the crowd.

The marketgoers watched as Kotohime and her posse disappeared into the forest on the market's edge.

"Now, wasn't that fun?" Yuuka said. "Nice and tidy." She grinned. "As you were."

…

Now

Yukari's head was reeling. "Yuuka Kazami's entered the game?" she said. "Yuuka Kazami?"

"Wow, are you having a rotten week," Mima said. "Which curse god did you piss off?"

"That's not all, ma'am," Kotohime said, her head bowed. "She has a message for you."

"Who says what now?"

…

Then

Yuuka leaned forward and prodded the unconscious for of Kotohime with her umbrella. The silly Human's head lolled to one side and she muttered something about needing to finish her paperwork, but she didn't stir.

Back behind them, the market was still in full swing. Sweet little Wriggle and her friends were still occupied in recruiting more pawns for the game. Yuuka was fairly certain they were close to running out of fliers. It didn't matter. The word was out.

Which meant it was time for her to send out a word of her own. She was standing in the forest bordering the market. Kotohime and her assemblage were stripped down and strapped to four trees, vines spreading their arms and legs wide. All of them except Kotohime had their mouths gagged by a mass of leaves and flowers. Yuuka felt right at home.

She wondered if there was time to play around before her new friends came around. After all, she really only needed Kotohime to be in working condition. It took but one to deliver a message.

Then Kotohime shook her head and groaned. Yuuka sighed. Ah well. Work before pleasure. It was just fortunate that her work was so enjoyable.

"Come on," she said, lightly slapping the girl's cheeks. "Wake up. We need to talk."

Kotohime opened her eyes and stared dazedly at her surroundings. To her credit, she grasped the situation immediately. Her eyes snapped all the way open and she opened her mouth to shout something, but Yuuka placed a finger over her lips.

"Shhhh, shhhh, shhhh," she shushed. "Quiet now. No talking unless I say so. Okay?"

Sweat prickling at her brow, Kotohime nodded.

"Good girl. Keep it up, and we'll get along famously!" Yuuka ruffled Kotohime's hair and shook her head back and forth.

"Now then, as you've seen, things are starting to stir in Gensokyo. Big things. Fun things. And I want them to keep stirring. Those adorable little kids back there are bound and determined to keep the fun going, and I intend to help them do it. However, it seems that the self-proclaimed Queen Bitch of Gensokyo can't handle a little excitement. Disappointing of her, really. She used to be so much more playful. But if she wants to be a wet blanket and ruin everything, then we're going to have a problem, now aren't we?"

Her hands clasped behind her back, Yuuka leaned in so that her and Kotohime's foreheads were almost touching. "And since she insists on slinking in the shadows and hiding behind her pawns, I need you to deliver a message for me. Can you do that for me, dear?"

Kotohime gulped, but she didn't say anything.

Yuuka frowned. "What, aphid got your tongue? I asked you a question!"

"Oh, um, I-"

The tip of Yuuka's umbrella drove into Kotohime's bare stomach, driving the wind from her. She slumped over, coughing.

"No, no, no, naughty girl," Yuuka admonished. "I said no talking unless I gave permission! What part about that was so…" Then she blinked. She straightened up and slapped a hand against her forehead. "Oh, how silly of me! How can you answer questions if I don't let you speak? I'm sorry, dear. These little details tend to escape me. You may answer direct questions."

"O-okay," Kotohime wheezed. Then she gasped as the umbrella hit her again.

"That wasn't a direct question," Yuuka muttered. She sighed. "Well then, on to business. Once we're done here, I'll let be letting you and your friends go. Once that happens, you are to leave those children alone. They are under my protection and I'll not have them molested." She giggled. "Well, except for by my hands. But you are not to touch them. Are we clear?"

"Yes m-ma'am."

"Good. And as soon as you are able, you are to go to go to Yukari, and you are going to tell her…That I expect her to carry as she's done. To keep trying to bring down the Shadow Youkai and her strange new friend. She is of course not to go anywhere near the children, but beyond that I would love for her to give it her best effort. It's no fun otherwise."

Kotohime nodded numbly.

"Good. And finally…Look at me please. No, not at your friends, at me." Yuuka gripped Kotohime by the jawline and forced her to line up her eyes with Yuuka's. "Good. Now pay attention, because this part's important. Yukari is likely to become upset about my meddling. She'll probably rant, rave, throw a childish temper tantrum, blame whoever's near, all those good things. And when she does, tell her this."

A low, hissing laugh slithered out between Yuuka's grinning teeth. "'Come and get me, Yukari. I'm waiting.’"

Yuuka released Kotohime's head and took a few steps back. "And I really hope you'll do as I ask. Because if you don't, I'm going to be very disappointed with you. And do you know what happens to people who disappoint me?"

Without taking her eyes off of Kotohime, Yuuka pointed her umbrella at the silver-haired fairy, who was just starting to stir.

Kotohime stiffened. "No, wait!"

There was a flash of green light, and the vines holding the fairy in place fell down the tree's side, empty.

Kotohime slumped. She closed her eyes as tears started to prickle.

"Now, now, don't cry," Yuuka murmured. She lightly caressed Kotohime's cheek. "She's a fairy, after all. Give her a few minutes and she'll be right as rain. But I hope you realize that you are not a fairy. Neither are those fine strapping boys behind me. And you will not come back from where I can send you. Now, do you understand everything I've told you?"

Humiliated, defeated, and her spirit utterly crushed, Kotohime barely managed to give a single nod in reply.

…

Now

"I…see." Yukari closed her eyes. "And that's it, then?"

Kotohime nodded once. "That's it, ma'am. She disappeared soon afterward. Literally. We were released right after that. Our uniforms were found in a nearby bush, and Officer Nyoron revived soon after."

"And how long ago was that?"

"Ah, about...ten minutes ago."

Yukari's forearms began to shake. "And didn't it occur to you to report all this to me immediately? What exactly where you doing in the meantime? Twisting flowers into necklaces?"

Kotohime didn't answer that one. Mima rolled her eyes and floated to the other end of the room. Eirin glanced back and forth and noisily cleared her throat.

With a grimace, Yukari mentally kicked herself. Of course, the girl wouldn't have reported in. Despite her chosen profession, she had seen relatively little action in her short time, and Gensokyo did not train its cops the same way the Outside World did. Plus, she was only Human, a Human who had been assaulted, tortured and violated by one of the most sadistic creatures Yukari had the misfortune of knowing. Plus, there was the whole thing of being forced to watch as her friend was destroyed to make a point, even if the death was temporary. As it was, it was a miracle that Kotohime was reporting in at all and not curling up and sobbing under a table somewhere.

"I…apologize, Captain," Yukari said. "That last comment was out of line. You did all you could, I understand that. No one would expect more."

Kotohime hesitated, and nodded her thanks.

"But the situation has progressed beyond your ability to handle. No bad reflection on your capabilities, but when Yuuka's involved…" Yukari shook her head. "Anyway, get your people together and return to your headquarters. I'll be opening a gap there. When you're ready, I want you to join me at the tower, understood?"

"Understood," Kotohime said.

"Good. Yukari out."

As Kotohime vanished, Yukari stood to her feet and started to slowly pace around the room.

"Well," Mima said. "I know they say that karma's a bitch, but I never-"

Holding up a single finger, Yukari said, "No, no talking. No taunting. Later. Let me think."

"But what does she want?" Eirin asked. "Yuuka, I mean. There is no profit in this for her. She has no connection to Rin or the Shadow Youkai, at least none we've heard of. And I don't think she has any outstanding grudges against you."

"She doesn't need one," Mima answered. "Yuuka's not the type to have logical motivations. Nothing she does will have any sound reasoning behind it. She simply enjoys the chaos. Her challenge to Yukari is just her way of saying, 'Come out and play.’"

"Hell of a time for a playdate," Eirin muttered. "So…what now?"

"I said let me think," Yukari snapped. She frowned. "Okay…So, Cirno's out of reach for the time being. Problematic, but not devastating. Way I see it, damage done. Yuuka's the main threat."

"Brilliant deduction," Mima said. "You should open a detective agency."

"What did I just say about the taunting? Zip it." Yukari closed her eyes. "Okay, so she wants to play? Fine, I can play. Only this will be by my rules. I've had enough insane lunatics tearing up the scenery. Now, the only question is how to make her do that." Yukari rubbed her chin and frowned. "Hmmm."

"Um, I hate to intrude upon your pondering," Eirin said. "But why is this even a question? Aren't you the Master of Borders? The one who shaped Gensokyo through sheer force of personality? Can't you just…walk up to her and take away the border between life and death, like you did with me but in reverse? Or…create a gap over her head leading to the Earth's core and give her a magma shower?"

Yukari shook her head. "Doesn't work that way, not with her. Yuuka's not a home-grown youkai. And I've spoken to Mugestu and Gengestu, and they said she's not from our little chunk of the Dreaming either, not originally. No one knows where she originated from, but it's not Gensokyo."

"So? I've seen you dominate Outsiders before. Why is that a problem?"

"Because those Outsiders weren't anywhere near my level of power. Yuuka…is. She's more like a force of nature than anything. Dousing her with lava would probably just piss her off. And since she didn't spring from the Gensokyo's magical energies, she's much more resistant to me messing around with her structure."

"You mean like the Shadow Youkai?"

"Exactly. If she and I were to meet on a level playing field, then…"

"She's not sure if she'll win," Mima said.

Yukari arched an eyebrow. "No, I'd win all right. It wouldn't be easy, but I'd win. Only problem is that with Yuuka, the playing field is never level."

Eirin looked a little pale, even more so than she had been as of late. "In the name of the Eclipse, Yukari. Why did you ever let someone like her in Gensokyo in the first place?"

"You ever hear the proverb of the five-hundred-pound gorilla?"

"No."

"Look it up. Though you're probably right. Our immigration policy could use some reviewing. First things first though…"

With that, Yukari closed her eyes and concentrated. She reached through energies swimming through the tower, feeling the little, minutes flashes of life until she found the one she was looking for.

Ran, she thought. Ran, are you there?

Of course, came the prompt reply. I'm just having lunch with Byakuren and Kanako. Is something wrong?

Something just came up, something you'll want to hear about. Come to my quarters immediately.

Is it Chen? Ran thought back. Even without her being physically there, the fox's anticipation was unmistakable.

Yes, she's been found. But the situation's become…complicated. You need to hear this.

On my way, Ran responded. Yukari felt the glowing warmth of Ran's lifeforce begin to move. She killed the connection and opened her eyes.

"All right then," she said. "Obviously this is going to have to be dealt with. But in the meantime, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the rest of the Ringleaders, at least not yet. Right now, we need more division and debate the same way we need nails pounded through our eyes." Then she scowled. "Wait, Satori's here. Damn it."

"She's not one to blab," Eirin said. Then, when everyone turned to stare at her, she amended, "Well, at least not when it's very important. I'm sure she can be convinced to keep a lid on things."

"Maybe. I hope so. But in the meantime, it looks like lunch is over. Would you two please gather the others together? I need to speak to Ran real quick and then I'll join you."

"Of course," Eirin said. "Best of luck." With that, she stood to her feet and left the room.

Mima lingered behind a while longer. "I really have to say, Yukari. I am impressed. When your luck runs out, it does so spectacularly."

Yukari briefly wondered how the ghost would look without a head. "Mima, as much as I'd love to banter with you, I'd really appreciate it if you'd just do as I asked."

"Oh, I will, don't worry. But ah…Yukari?"

"What?"

"Don't think that this bombshell means I've forgotten the Marisa situation," Mima said in a flat tone. "We will finish that conversation later."

With that, she faded from view.

Yukari was left alone in her room. She stared at the round, wood table where Kotohime's image had stood. She considered picking up the table and hurling it through the wall. Wasteful, but it would make her feel better. Sometimes you just had to throw something.

Instead, she opted for slipping back into her chair and staring at the ceiling. No, giving into frustration would do her no good. Emotional reactions were anti-productive. The only way she could salvage the situation would be to keep her cool and think rationally. After all, the day was far from over. It wouldn't do to have the other Ringleaders see her collapse.

Yukari's hand slipped almost idly into her pocket. She froze when she realized that it was empty. She jumped back to her feet and immediately began searching the rest of her garments, clawing through all her pockets, pouches and shaking out her dress. This was followed by a thorough search of her room. While she pulled out a variety of interesting objects, the ones she was searching for failed to turn up.

Marisa's hakkero and spellcards were missing.

Ran showed up a few minutes later, disheveled and out of breath. "Yukari!" she panted. "Sorry, I lost my way. What have you-"

Then she looked around. Her eyes widened. "Wait, where did your table go? And, oh my gods, what happened to your wall?"

Chapter Text

Deep Within, Part 1

Deep Within

Rumia looked up and scowled. "Oh, come on already!" she shouted. "Now you're just getting redundant!"

Rin looked at her confusion. "What? What are you talking about? What's getting redundant?"

Four days had passed since the two youkai had been thrown together through bizarre circumstances. And in that time, very little had changed. They were still on the run from everything and everyone, they were still trapped together in the endless void of Rin's mind, they still were no closer to solving the mysteries that beset them, and Rumia was still one inch away from strangling Rin to keep her from starting another stupid game.

Rumia gestured. "Her ability is eternal youth? We've got immortality in like three different flavors already! We don't need another one."

Well, to be strictly accurate, something had very recently changed. They had picked up a new passenger, yet another young blond girl, this one a long-haired witch that had been napping on a riverbank. Rin had very nearly tripped over her while emerging from the water, waking her up in the process. According to Rin herself, the time period between the actual awakening and the girl's assimilation into Rin's body was a jumble of confusion and reflexive action. She hadn't intended to absorb the girl; it just sort of happened that way. Mistakes do happen, after all.

Unfortunately, the girl wasn't inclined to see things that way, and she had taken a very dim view of losing her body and being forced to ride around with a couple of strange naked girls who may or may not be completely insane. In the end, Rin had been forced to remove her mouth, just as she had done with Kaguya and Mokou earlier. Though, if she were to be asked, Rumia honestly could not blame the girl for freaking out completely.

"Yeah, good point." Rin frowned as she cocked her head in the girl's direction. Taking the motion as threatening, the girl started up another bout of wide-eyed muffled shrieks. "So, uh, I don't think she's in much of a listening mood. What should we do with her?"

"I dunno, you're the one who ate her."

"It was an accident," Rin protested. "Jeez, how many times do I have to keep saying that? A mistake! I'm allowed to make a couple."

"Is that so."

"Seriously! It's not like I'm some sort of…compulsive…absorbing glutton…thing. I can stop eating people any time I want!"

"Uh-huh. Okay. This conversation is really starting to weird me out." Rumia shook her head and sighed. "So, back on topic, what about her? We let her go?"

Rin hesitated. "I…Uh, I'm not so sure about that. Maybe I should just stick her in a dream too."

Rumia sucked her teeth. "Rin, you can't fix everything by sticking it into dreams. That's lazy problem solving, and it sets a bad-" She cut herself off. "Okay, now this conversation's getting weird too. Point is, I don't want any more creepy people swimming around your head than we need. You already went crazy once, and who's to say having too many people wasn't a part of that? I mean, we have a good reason for not letting the other two go, mainly because they hate us and they're keeping up from getting exploded, but what good is she? Can't you just…erase her memories and dump her off somewhere?"

"Erase her memories? I…Uh, I really have no idea," Rin admitted. "Never done anything like that before, at least not permanently. I mean, I kinda screwed with Kaguya and Mokou's minds, but that really wasn't a full erasure…Look, point is, if I'm not careful I could end up crushing her mind and…" Then she blinked and squinted at the new witch-girl. She stepped forward and leaded in closer. Then she reached out to touch her fingertips against the girl's forehead.

The girl's reaction was predictable. Rumia rolled her eyes as the wordless screeching intensified. "Oh, nice going genius. That'll make you seem less scary."

"Shush," Rin mumbled. She pulled away. "Well now, that's convenient."

"Huh? What is?"

"Her memory's the worst I've ever seen. It's practically self-degenerating, bordering on anterograde amnesia."

Rumia stared at her. "Okay…I know I'm not the smartest youkai around, but…huh?"

"Right. Sorry. Her memory keeps destroying itself. Her personality and identity are kept intact, but specific events and other information gets wiped away on a constant basis, keeping that personality from maturing. I don't think I'll have to do anything besides put her to sleep for a few hours to make her forget. Crazy."

"Wow, really? Neat. Kinda sucks for her though."

Rin shrugged. "I dunno, she seems happy enough."

"…no she doesn't. She looks terrified."

"I mean before," Rin explained patiently. "I guess always forgetting if something bad happened would make you happy, you know? But yeah, gimme a sec."

Rin closed her eyes and concentrated. Rumia looked from her to the newcomer. Slowly but surely, the girl's metaphorical body began to fade away.

Rumia then turned her attention to the screen. The view still showed the riverbank where they had literally run into the girl. One of Rin's arms came view as it passed in front of her face. The ash-white hand bulged and expanded, losing its color and becoming transparent. As Rumia watched in horrified fascination, the bubble at the end of Rin's arm molded itself into a semblance of a Humanoid shape. Within, dots of matter began to appear. These dots swam toward the bubble's center, converging together and forming a larger mass. Organs began to develop, as did a skeletal frame. Flesh formed in patches, flowing over the bones and meat, (thankfully) covering them from view. Hair sprouted from the top of the head and grew out until it was partway down the back. Finger and toenails dug their way out of the digits for a finishing touch.

Rumia shuddered. Okay, she thought. Now that was really, really disgusting. She wondered if the same thing had happened to her when she had been absorbed, only in reverse. Of course, at the time she had been consumed by unbearable pain, so it had been difficult to pay attention. But she was willing to bet that it hadn't been any more fun to watch.

The bubble flowed away from the girl's body and the hand reformed. Rumia looked away from the screen and turned back to Rin. Apparently expelling someone was more tiring that bringing them in. A thin sheen of sweat glistened on her forehead and her limbs were shaking.

"Uh, Rin?" Rumia said. "You okay?"

Rin opened her eyes. "Yeah, I'm good." She took a step forward and stumbled. Rumia grabbed her by the arm and helped her steady herself.

"Thanks," Rin muttered.

"No problem. Even though you falling over really don't make a whole lot of sense, all things considered."

"It's all a metaphor, remember? Everything that you experience in this state is just, um, is just a translation of what-"

"Yeah, okay. I got the really confusing analogies the first time around. Don't really want…" Rumia's eyes wandered back to the screen. She stiffened. "Oh, crap. Rin, you were supposed to put her to sleep!"

"Huh?" Rin looked in the direction Rumia was pointing. On the riverbank, the girl was starting to stir. She sleepily rubbed her eyes and looked around. Then she caught sight of Rin and froze, her eyes widening in fear.

"Oh, not good," Rin said.

"You think? Did you forget to put her under or something? Come on Rin, even for you this is pretty bad."

"Hey, I haven't done this for a while! Still a little rusty, you know?" The view on the screen shot back and forth as Rin searched the area for a solution.

"Well, reabsorb her and start over!" Rumia growled. "We've wasted enough time as it-"

The girl was starting to scramble to her feet. Rin's pale hand snatched up a smooth stone from the riverbank and clunked her on the head with it. The girl's eyes rolled back and she slumped back to the ground.

"…or you can do that," Rumia finished. "Um, is she okay?"

"Uh, I think so," Rin said, though her voice didn't seem too certain. "Anyway, she's a witch youkai, so it's not like I can hurt her all that much. I think."

Rumia shook her head. Things were starting to unravel again. "Never mind, damage done. Let's just get out of here."

Rin agreed. Her physical body lifted off the ground and floated down the length of the river, quickly putting distance between them and the girl. Rumia found herself feeling a sudden stab of envy. Sure, the girl had been assaulted, dissolved, terrified out of her wits and knocked unconscious, but at least she had been released and was allowed to continue her life. Provided that she didn't experience some sort of mental trauma, of course.

"So, uh, Rumia?" Rin said.

"Huh?"

"Have you thought about what I suggested? You know, to help us dig up your memories and find out why those people wanted to kill you too?"

Rumia grimaced. The question of her memories had been a source of disagreement for the last couple of days. Rin wanted to find out what they contained. Rumia was curious herself, especially since her survival might depend on it, but the thought of having to endure that pain again made her very hesitant to let Rin make the attempt.

To that end, Rin had suggested a compromise. They would dissolve Rumia's metaphorical body, therefore removing the possibility for the phantom pain. Rumia would then be sent deep into a dream, just as Kaguya and Mokou had been. Rin would then have easier access to the memories and Rumia would (probably) be spared the agony of the operation, with any unpleasantness being retranslated into the context of the dream and therefore being easier to deal with.

Rumia still had strong objections to the plan. Like most youkai, she usually had very vivid dreams, and didn't want to be trapped in some kind of nightmare. Given the sort of memories Rin might be uncovering, Rumia might very well find herself being skinned alive or stabbed repeatedly while being burned at the stake. She had then suggested that they try just sending her to the limbo of darkness again. Rin had agreed, and they had given it a shot.

The attempt hadn't lasted much longer than two seconds before Rumia had started screaming to be released. She wouldn't even look at Rin for about an hour afterward. As it turned out, pain wasn't the worst thing one could experience.

Still, that did leave them with the problem of how to go about unlocking the repressed parts of Rumia's mind. At the moment, the dream option was the only one they could think of. Not for the first time, Rumia wished that they had someone with more creativity on board.

"Rumia?" Rin said again. "Come on, I know you don't wanna do it, but we need to find out what's trapped in your mind."

"Do we have to do it now?" Rumia said. "I mean, can't we wait until we find a better hiding place?"

"We had a better hiding place! You made us leave!"

"No, I didn't! The sea monster did when he smashed up the place! I just didn't want to stick around for all his friends to show up."

"Okay, okay, fine. But seriously, we gotta find out what's in there sooner or later. The longer we wait the harder it's gonna be. You know, like jumping into a cold lake."

"Speak for yourself. Every time I jump into a cold lake, I end up losing all feeling."

"That's because you hang out with ice fairies! Stop changing the subject!"

"I'm not, I…" Rumia shook her head. "Look, do we really have to do this? I mean, I'm literally putting my, uh, my mind? Soul? You know, that thing that's super important! And I'm putting it on the line here! And you know what? You seem really eager to dig around in my head! How do I know you won't screw something up, put a thought in there that isn't mine but I'll think it's mine and end up doing what the thought tells me to do and…Sorry, got off track, where was I?"

"Questioning my motives," Rin said in a mild tone.

"Right! So why do you want to dig through my brain so much anyway?"

Rin's mouth straightened into a tight line, a sure sign that she was growing impatient. "Okay…Still looks like we're gonna have to work on the 'Trust' thing. Fine, I get that, I sorta deserve it. But, uh, Rumia? Duh? I've got major life-killy powers and a big whooping sword popping out of nowhere that are somehow attached to you. I've got a psychotic voice that sounds like you introducing itself as my split personality that can somehow take control of me when I'm not paying attention. I've got some really, really powerful people who think you're some sort of thing that needs killing. And I've got you, the only person who ties this whole mess together. And you've got a great big lump of repressed memories that could probably tell us why all this is happening! So yeah, I kinda want to dig in your head to find out why! Sorry, my self-preservation instincts are insistent like that!"

"But…but…" Rumia's mind raced as she tried to think of an appropriate rebuttal. Unfortunately, none was forthcoming.

Rin sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Look Rumia, just for the record, I don't think you're some kind of monster, okay? I mean, okay, you are, being a youkai and all, but so am I! And I've done some crazy stuff too! I know what it's like to be hated, and I'm not about to do that to you. No matter what's locked up in there" Rin tapped Rumia's forehead with her knuckles "that's someone who isn't you anymore. I wanna save you as much as I wanna save me, okay?"

Despite herself, Rumia was strangely moved. She wasn't used to people sticking up for her and promising to protect her no matter what. Sure, she and her friends watched each other's backs, but she wasn't sure they would go as far as Rin was offering to go. That didn't mean she liked the idea of Rin clawing out extremely stubborn memories from the deepest corners of her mind any more, but she was less suspicious of Rin's motives.

Besides, no matter how she cut it, Rin was right. The answers they needed were stuck inside her mind, an no amount of talking around the problem was going to change that. "Okay, look. I'll try one more time, but you gotta promise me that if things start going crazy wrong again, you'll stop. Deal?"

"Deal," Rin said happily. "Don't worry, it'll work this time. Promise."

"So not reassuring," Rumia muttered. She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's get this insanity over with."

"Sure. Hang on, let me find a place to park."

"Place to what now…?"

"It means…never mind. Just wait a sec."

Rumia sat and waited as Rin searched the riverbed for a suitable place to hide her compilation of a body. Finally, she found a small outcropping of stone, with just enough space beneath for a body to fit. Rin wedged herself in the best she could and pulled up several rocks to further hide herself from view.

"Wow, that doesn't look comfortable," Rumia said as Rin put the finishing touches on their hiding place. "Can you…feel all that?"

"Yes, but it doesn't bother me," Rin said. "And stop trying to get me focused on other things."

"Sorry. So…how does this work, anyway? Do I...lie back or something?"

"Huh? No, why would you do that? No, I'll just do it like I did with the Princess and Mokou. You'll just…kinda fade away and wake up in the dream. Simple as that."

Maybe so, but it still sounded creepy. "Okay, and you promise it won't hurt?"

"How could it hurt? Your spirit-body…thingie here will be gone!" Then Rin's face grew troubled. "Then again, their dream is looking really realistic, so I dunno..."

"I really hate it here sometimes," Rumia muttered. "Okay, get it over with."

Rin nodded. "Okay, just try to relax. It'll still be a little weird, what with all the dissolving and temporarily losing all sensation, so close your eyes or something."

"Sure. Really feeling reassured here."

Rumia squeezed her eyes shut. As she did so, a feeling of slowly falling through darkness so dense it was almost tangible spread through throw her. As Rin claimed, all sensation started to melt away as Rumia sank deeper and deeper.

This is crazy, this is crazy, Rumia thought to herself. This is crazy, this is crazy, …

And she was gone.

…

Rin stared at the place where Rumia had stood just a second ago. "Wow, that is kinda crazy. Never really paid attention to it before." She shrugged and let her own mental projection of herself vanish as well, allowing herself to fully occupy her physical body. She wouldn't be needing that little room inside her mind anyway.

Once those barriers had been broken down, Rin reached out into her own mind. She felt the fleeting presences of Kaguya and Mokou, still drifting through the world of dreams she had sent them too. She briefly wondered how things were working out for them. Maybe she should check later.

However, there was no time for that now. Her mind brushed against Rumia's essence, a small quivering beacon of intelligence hovering deep inside the recesses of Rin's being. Rin smiled at she did so. It was sort of funny now that she thought of it. All those people were making such a fuss over something so tiny and helpless. Well, okay, so there was more to it than that, but it was hard to think of Rumia as a threat when she was like this.

Okay, here we go, Rin thought. Sweet dreams.

And with that, she opened Rumia's subconscious.

…

...thisiscrazythisiscrazy...

Rumia sat up straight with a jolt and a gasp.

"…this is crazy, this is…Holy crap!"

The transition between floating through a void and suddenly having mass and sensation again was so unexpected that it took Rumia's brain several seconds to catch up. She winced at the sudden onslaught of sunlight and squinted at the scene around her.

Her body was indeed back. That was a plus. And she was clothed again in her usual black skirt, white blouse and black vest, which was another step in the right direction. The youkai attitude toward nudity was much more lax than that of Humans, but that didn't mean she hadn't been getting tired of being naked.

However, as comforting as that bit of familiarity was, her surroundings were far from normal. From the look of things, she was in a medium-sized square room, though great effort had gone into making it appear otherwise. The walls and ceiling had been painted to depict a sprawling countryside with a blue sky overhead, complete with a glowing light that looked like a white sun. The floor beneath her feet was designed to represent a field of grass and flowers. There was even a trunk of a tree stuck halfway into the wall, with its branches fusing into the ceiling overhead to melt into a painted depiction of the rest of the tree, leaves and everything. A recorded track of chirping birds and chittering insects played in the background, and a gentle breeze flowed in through unseen vents. It all seemed very silly.

However, once Rumia's vision began to clear, she had to admit that the amount of detail put into the illusion was impressive. The designers clearly knew their way around matters of perception. She could almost believe that she was sitting inside a glass box in the middle of an actual countryside.

Then, as she stared at a painted river, she saw a painted hawk dive into the painted water and come up with a painted fish and flap its way into the painted sky.

She shuddered and turned away from the weird wall. After all, the scene taking place inside the room was, while less weird, a bit more interesting.

She was sitting at a rectangular table, set with a white tablecloth. All around the table were five chairs, four of which were occupied, Rumia's chair being situated at one end and the empty chair at the other. And in the other chairs…

Rumia jumped to her feet. "Guys!" she said happily. "It's you, you're okay!"

Mystia turned to smile at her. "Hi Rumia." She held up a squat, blue teapot. "Tea?"

"Tea? We've been separated all this time and all you can do is offer me tea? Wow, so glad you missed me."

"Missed you?" Wriggle asked from her place at Rumia's right. "Where did you go?"

"What? Don't you remember? I was-" Rumia cut herself off. "Wait, what the hell am I doing? Gah, I haven't even been here for a minute and already I'm wigging out." Still, she had to admit that, weird or no, the tea party was miles better than what she was expecting. She sat down. "You know, I think will have some of that," she said, holding her teacup toward Mystia.

"Of course," Mystia murmured. She gently tipped the teapot over and started to fill the cup.

Rumia looked back and forth. Wriggle and Daiyousei both sat smiling in their seats, holding teacups but not drinking from them. On the table were a variety of different pastries, vegetables, and sweetmeats, all untouched.

"So…you guys not eating?" Rumia asked. "And where's Cirno? She couldn't make it?"

"What are you talking about?" Daiyousei asked. She pointed at the empty seat. "She's right there!"

"Uh…No, no she's not. Unless she became invisible or really, really small or…"

"No, silly! Right there! Look!"

Rumia leaned forward and squinted. Now that Daiyousei mentioned it, there did seem to be something there. Small, fluttering white dots, dancing downward through the air…

She blinked. "Hold up, is it snowing in that chair?"

"It's Cirno's new idea!" Mystia said. "Having a body is too dangerous. This way, she can be everywhere at once without having people shoot at you!"

The snow was forming a small pile in the center of the chair. "Yeah, okay. That's…definitely the dumbest idea she's had in a long, sad history of bad ideas. Can she…hear us at all? Can she even talk?"

Mystia just shrugged and smiled.

"Right…You know, maybe she should have asked me before disintegrating herself, and…Uh, Mystia? The cup's full. No need to pour anymore. Seriously, you're drowning the tablecloth."

…

Okay, so that is a little bizarre, Rin thought to herself. Funny, but still bizarre.

She shrugged. Well, at least she's getting to talk to her friends. Her mouth dipped down. Even if one of them is nothing more than a pile of ice crystals.

She still hadn't told Rumia that Cirno had gotten herself vaporized during their escape from Eientei. And while she knew full well that fairies were destroyed and brought back to life on a regular basis, those spells had just been so powerful. And the fact that she had gotten herself killed while trying to defend Rumia only made it worse. Rin had no how she was going to break the news to Rumia. Their relationship was tenuous as it was.

Rin retreated from that line of thought. No time for that now. She had a job to do.

After taking a second to steady herself, Rin moved along the track of Rumia's memories. The most recent were the easiest to move through. Year after year of shenanigans with her friends, making and getting into trouble. Rin had to admit she was just a little envious. She had never had that much freedom, even before she had changed into a power-absorbing monstrosity.

Then she ran across one memory that made her pause. It wasn't anything particularly notable, just Rumia hanging out with her friends in their little mountain hideout. It was late evening, and they were all sitting in front of a small, crude fireplace. Judging by the conversation, they had attempted some sort of caper only to have it blow up in their faces. And yet, judging by the way they were laughing and teasing each other, they didn't seem to mind in the slightest. Gradually the chatter slowly died down as they drifted off to sleep, one-by-one. Rumia was the last to succumb. She just reclined against a stalagmite and watched the dying fire with increasingly heavy eyes and let the feeling of contentment wash through her.

Back when Rin had lived in Eientei, she had been taught that the wild youkai were little better than animals, creatures that stood upright and talked but were driven by their base desires. But this scene didn't seem particularly savage. Rather, it was kind of beautiful, in its own way. A small band of children who had been given eternal life and youth and had decided to enjoy every second of it.

Maybe it was her youkai instincts, but Rin found herself aching to join them, to greet each day with the knowledge that it would be full of nothing but fun, mischief, and play. To go to sleep each night knowing that the next day would be the same. And to know that she had friends that thought of her as family and would always be there for her, no matter what the circumstance.

Rin lingered on that memory longer than the others, but finally managed to pull herself away. No, she mustn't let herself get distracted. The repressed memories, she had to focus on the repressed…

She stumbled upon another memory of an evening just like the one before, only in this one that bird girl, Mystia, had decided to use Rumia's stomach as a pillow. All right, now this was just getting unfair.

Rin forced herself to speed through the rest of Rumia's prankster days. Nearly a decade-and-a-half of mischief making sped by in a blur.

Then she was passing through events from earlier in Rumia's life, back before she had met Cirno and the others. Rin had to admit, these memories were much more unpleasant to view. She knew that these were from a time when Rumia had been much less civilized and almost feral. But still…

No, please! Leave us alone! I don't wanna…

Rin passed through those memories quickly, doing her best not to linger on one for too long. She shuddered. Maybe her teachers at Eientei did have a point after all.

Finally, she reached as far as she was going to go. And there it was: a tangled knot of memory, buried so far in that Rumia hadn't even known that it existed, not even in the context of a fleeting dream.

Rin moved her essence over the memories, wondering what they contained. She wasn't sure if she wanted to find out, but the situation they were in demanded answers.

Okay, here we go, she thought. Hope this doesn't get too scary.

With that, she grasped the tangled mess and began to dig.

…

Rumia was suddenly knocked out of her chair by an unseen force. She gasped and tried to pull herself up, only to be lifted off the ground and thrown onto the table, scattering plates, cups and food.

She tried to sit up, but something was holding her limbs in place, almost as if she were tied down. Overhead, the sun seemed to be shining twice as bright, assaulting her eyes with a fierce light.

She squinted against the glare. Wriggle, Mystia and Daiyousei had risen from their seats and were now staring down at her. Though she could barely make out their faces, they didn't seem friendly.

"Hey look," Wriggle said. "The monster's waking up."

"Should we be standing so close then?" Daiyousei asked. "I mean, far be it from me to tell you two great masters what to do, but this inferior Human would be much more comfortable taking a few steps back."

"Then do so," Wriggle snapped. "If you can't handle a little risk, then feel free to leave."

"Well, excuse me for having a sense of self-preservation. Not everyone likes the idea of being incorporeal."

"Enough, both of you," Mystia said. "Save your moronic grudges for later." She leaned in closer, so that Rumia could see the scowl on her face. Rumia was pretty sure she had never seen Mystia's face look like that: so calculating, so cold, so…cruel.

Panic briefly seized Rumia's mind, but then she realized what was going on. Well now, I guess Rin just got started, Rumia thought. I wonder what deep-seated issues this must represent.

She tried to open her mouth to ask what was going on, but found that she could not.

Okay, not good. Uh, Rin? Are you listening? Things are getting uncomfortable. Seriously, I think they're gonna start skinning me. Rin!

"Well, so far so good," Mystia muttered. She reached down to grip Rumia by the jaw, turning her face from one side to the other. "Look, no sign of the taint at all."

Daiyousei started a slow clap. "Bravo, bravo. Confetti and cheap alcohol all around. And it only cost you the lives of at least a dozen people, not counting the few hundred or so before I could get you to get off your immortal asses and actually help. Your skill is truly amazing."

Wriggle sighed. "May I squish the insect? Please?"

"No, you may not," Mystia hissed. "Be quiet. And that goes for you too, shrine maiden. Your comments contribute nothing of worth."

Shrine maiden? Daiyousei, a shrine maiden? Did Miss Reimu start outsourcing or something? What's going on here?

Rumia once again tried to speak, tried to move, tried to do anything. To her surprise, she actually managed to start struggling this time, though her movement was very weak.

"Well, look at that," Wriggle said. "I think she's scared. Aw, how adorable."

Rumia opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but all that came out was a wail of absolute terror.

…

Okay, so that didn't work, Rin thought to herself. She could feel her constructed body frown in frustration.

The lump of memories was proving to be exceptionally hard to unravel. So far it had resisted all her attempt to untangle the various threads and make some sense of Rumia's past. The experience was not too dissimilar to trying to push her fingers through hard clay.

Alrighty then, so this is gonna take some work. Let's see what happens if I try this…

…

The end of the table tilted downward and Rumia found herself slipping and sliding down a slope that had not been there a moment ago. Grass was swiftly replaced by soil, rocks and small shrubs that scratched her skin and tore at her clothing as she tumbled downward. Rumia cried out in fear as she tried to grasp for any kind of handhold to halt her fall, but her fingers slipped from branches and clumps of dirt broke loose to join her.

Then, after what seemed like an eternity of pain and confusion, Rumia finally rolled to a stop. Sniffling, she pulled herself to her feet. Thankfully none of her bones were broken, but her legs were still shaky and she needed to grab onto a nearby tree to keep from stumbling. Then she got a good look at her new surroundings.

She was in another one of those strange rooms fashioned to resemble the outdoors, only this one was larger and much less cheery. She stood at the foot of a large hill which rose up against one side of the room to continue into the painted wall, making it seem much larger than she actually was. Several tree trunks were placed here which rose into the ceiling, on which was depicted the roof of a forest. Though the ground beyond the dirt from the hillside was flat and clean, pictures of fallen leaves had been drawn. The whole place was done in muted browns and yellows, making it seem like it was in the middle of autumn.

This is getting creepy, Rumia thought to herself as she brushed off her clothes. Who made all these weird rooms and why don't they just go outside?

She looked from her right to her left. Lack of authenticity aside, there was something familiar about the forest. Although she couldn't put her finger on exactly when, she was reasonably certain she had been there before. She supposed that was a good sign, as it meant that Rin was making some headway.

"Just hope that whatever I discover here doesn't show that I was some kind of killer demon thing in a past life," Rumia muttered. "And really, what the hell happened up there? Did my friends put me together by…I don't know, sewing dead bodies together or something?"

She sighed. Well, nothing was going to be learned by just standing around, and at least there was nothing actively trying to torture her. She turned around and revised her appraisal of the room. The far end stretched far out of sight, making it seem more like a hallway. A hallway filled with tree trunks and fake leaves.

Well, it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go. Ignoring the little voices that were telling her what a bad idea this was, Rumia started off.

…

Rin was starting to make some headway. At least she had managed to coax a few stray fragments loose. Unfortunately, they were useless, just more of the same as she had been seeing already. A much more savage Rumia prowling through a forest, hungrily searching for food. And in some cases, she found it.

With a shudder, Rin pushed those images away. Though she knew that preying upon Humans was a fairly common practice among youkai even with the anti-hunting laws in place, it was still disconcerting to actually watch it happen. Poor kids…

Rin went back to working on the repressed memories. Hopefully she would find something that would make this unpleasant trip all worth it. Some clue, some indication as to why Rumia was so feared. Unfortunately, she had a feeling that even if she found what she was looking for, she was not going to like it.

…

Rumia nervously glanced back and forth as she walked forward. The artificial forest was causing her to experience a severe case of déjà vu. For some reason, she felt like she should be creeping around on all fours, preferably through the branches, even if the branches themselves didn't exist.

Of course they don't exist, Rumia thought. None of this exists! In fact, nothing I've done in the last few days was real, not physically at least. So why am I even fussing about it?

Maybe she was just getting claustrophobic. Even though the illusion of being outdoors was a good one, she was still painfully aware that the walls of the hallway were only about four feet in either direction. Rumia never did like being indoors. It made her feel like she was being pressed in from all sides. Even back at the gang's hideout she had preferred sleeping in the main cavern instead of her small alcove just because it was larger and more open.

Maybe all this is some kind of metaphor, Rumia thought. Like, even when I'm outside I still feel trapped because…of something or another. I don't know, Rin's the one with actual psychosomethingoranother training. I'll ask her after this nonsense is over. No, wait, on second thought maybe I won't. She'll probably just go on an hour-long spiel with about twenty different interpretations and…Oh, holy crap.

Rumia stopped in her tracks and stared. She had reached the other end of the hallway.

…

Rin was starting to contemplate taking Rumia's memories and bashing them against the wall of her mind until something came loose. She wondered what could have possibly happened to force Rumia to repress those events to such a degree.

Dang it, Rumia, did your past have to be this traumatic? She was instantly struck with remorse. No, wait! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it! Don't hate me or anything.

Deciding that she should probably just keep concentrating at the task at hand before her dumb thoughts got her into any more trouble, Rin started to go back to work. But then she paused for a brief moment.

Should I? It would be kinda rude. What if she's having a sex dream or something? Maybe with the bird friend of hers? I'm pretty sure I've seen fragments of them…flirting. So, maybe there's something there? No, wait, what am I doing? Rumia's love life is her business! She can keep her private sexual fantasies or…That is, assuming she's even having a sex dream. Could be about a game of mahjong for all I know.

Rin struggled with the issue for another moment before going, You know what? What the hell. It might be bad, and she'd want me to save her if it was bad, right?

She snuck a quick peek. To both her relief and disappointment, Rumia wasn't doing anything of much importance, just walking through a strangely rectangular forest.

Well, better boring that too exciting. Okay, back to work.

…

It was a building. A building two stories tall. A building two stories tall with row after row of rectangular windows. A building two stories tall with row after row of rectangular windows and a sloping, tiled roof. A building two stories tall with row after row of rectangular windows and a sloping tiled roof that had apparently been nearly destroyed by fire. A building two stories tall with row after row of rectangular windows and a sloping tiled roof that had apparently been nearly destroyed by fire and abandoned.

And, just to act as the icing on this highly bizarre cake, the front of said burnt-out husk of a large building was jutting out of the wall at the end of the hallway.

Rumia stared up at the structure, trying to piece her head around its purpose for being here. While it lacked the sheer size and intimidation of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, there was still something about it that sent a chill down Rumia's spine, even without the problem of it being the roasted skeleton of a huge building that somehow got stuck in a wall.

"Do I know this place?" Rumia said as she scratched her head. "Pretty I don't. Oh gods, I hope this isn't another stupid metaphor."

She started toward the front entrance and hesitated. There was definitely something about the place that repulsed her. Something about the loneliness surrounding the structure, the feeling of being abandoned and unwanted. She couldn't place her finger on it, but it made her feel odd. Not just nervous or creeped out, but also a little…

Guilty.

"Well, whatever," Rumia muttered as she turned away. "Screw that place." If there was one thing she had learned, it was that large, creepy looking buildings that popped up in dreams were best avoided. Better to just sit tight and hope Rin's plan didn't go horribly wrong.

Unfortunately, that plan suddenly proved impractical. For four different reasons, all of which started to rush toward her.

"There you are, slowpoke!" Cirno shouted as she and the rest of the gang ran up to Rumia. "We've been waiting for hours! What took you so long?"

Rumia stared at her. "Well, hello Dream-Cirno. Glad you decided to stop being falling powder. And hey there, guys. Thanks for throwing me on the table and acting super weird back there. Really appreciate it."

This of course was ignored. "Here, hang on to this!" Cirno shouted, thrusting a card in her face.

Blinking, Rumia took the card from her. It wasn't a spellcard, nor did it contain any bizarre scenes that could be interpreted any number of ways. "Cirno, this is an Ace of Spades."

"Right! Don't lose it!"

"Yeah…Okay, look. I know the you from the real world ain't all that bright, but not even she would shove a playing card into my hand without telling me why. So, you wanna just skip the confusing symbolism and just tell me what I'm supposed to learn from this card here? Because I-"

"Stop talking," Mystia said as she grabbed hold of one of Rumia's arms. "We're late enough as it is!"

The night-sparrow's grip was surprisingly strong. Rumia didn't know what they were late for, but she was sure she wasn't going to like it. "Hey, you're kinda invading my personal space here, and I'd appreciate it…"

Wriggle wrapped her fingers around Rumia's other arm.

"…okay, now you see that? Don't do that! I feel like I'm about to get raped or something…Hey!"

That last exclamation was directed toward Cirno and Daiyousei, who had snatched up her legs and pulled them off the ground.

"Seriously, what the hell!" Rumia shouted. "Wherever it is you're going, you don't need to take me with you!"

They ignored her and started marching toward the building's entrance, carrying the struggling Rumia with them.

"Let me go, already! Okay, I don't care if you're not the real my real friends, as soon as I get out of Rin and back home, the first thing I'm going to do is punch all of you in the nose! Seriously, let me…" Her breath caught in her throat as they started up the building's steps.

"Oh, hell no! There's no way you're taking me in there! Look at it, it's got nightmare-central written all over it! I do not want to see what's in there! Let me go, you stupid figments of my imagination!"

The handles of the scarred and burned doors turned as they neared. The doors swung open.

"Let me go!" Rumia screamed. "I don't want to go in there! Let me go!"

All her cries and struggling were to no avail, and soon they had passed over the threshold and marched right inside.

…

Rin slipped away from the tangle and regarded it critically. It seemed that the deeper she probed into it, the more it resisted her. Maybe it was time for a change in tactics.

She took stock of the options available to her. Rumia's darkness causing powers and sheer destructive force was useless. So was Mokou's flame. And her own adaptability was restricted to external matters. It would do her no good in this situation.

However, that fire did have an incredible, almost divine power source. The heart of a Phoenix beat within her. That might give her the juice she needed to crack this walnut.

As for Kaguya’s abilities, there were possibilities there. Officially, the Princess' power was control over eternity, preserving something in a solitary state. That was the opposite of what Rin needed, but Kaguya was also a very skilled and powerful sorceress, one who had learned a great many magical tricks over the years. That might give her some measure of versatility.

It was a long shot but hey, nothing lost by trying.

Rin reached into the well of Mokou’s power and drew out a considerable of energy. Then she dipped into Kaguya’s magic and picked out some tricks that looked like they might work. And then, after a brief moment of hesitation, she renewed her attack.

…

Rumia found herself dropped unceremoniously on her rear. She quickly scrambled to her feet and backed away.

"Okay, you imaginary freaks stay away from me!" she shouted. "I don't care if you look like my friends or not, I don't like anyone who kidnaps me and drags me into…huh?" She took a look around her. Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait, w-where is this? What is this? Where did you take me?"

The best she could figure, she was standing in a room made from musty old wood, burnt black by fire. Such was to be expected from the building's appearance. However, it was apparently much, much larger on the inside than it was on the outside. There was a single wall behind them and the floor beneath their feet. Beyond that, the room seemed to have no end in any of the other directions. The wall stretched upward and to either side for what seemed to be eternity, disappearing into a black void that was uncomfortably reminiscent of the world inside Rin's mind. The floor continued forever as well, a vast expanse of hard charcoal.

It was not empty, however. The majority of the room was taken up by what had to be the strangest looking festival Rumia had ever seen. At least she assumed it was a festival, judging from all the lights and bright colors. However, everything was wrong. The lights were too gaudy, the decorations extremely tacky, there were too many pictures of horrific white-faced monsters with large red noses and the entire thing was dominated by a huge red-and-white striped tent. Strange tinkling music filled the air, of the sort that was probably written to sound cheerful but just came off as ominous and creepy.

Rumia had been to her fair share of festivals in her time. In fact, it was an ongoing tradition for her and her friends to get thrown out of one at least one per year. However, those had mostly been small celebrations put on by towns and villages in honor of some holiday or other special occasion. She had never seen anything like this before, and she was certain she didn't want to see it now.

"Okay, don't like. Definitely don't like." She turned around and faced the wall. "How do I get out of here? There was a door here a second ago. What happened to those windows now? There was like a hundred of them."

"Come on Rumia!" Cirno cried as she grabbed Rumia by the shoulder. "We wanna beat the crowds!"

"Don't touch me!" Rumia said, jerking away from her. "And what crowd, we're the only ones-"

"Move," Wriggle said. She got behind Rumia and pushed her toward the festival. "The circus is gonna fill up fast."

"Circus? I don't know anything about any circus, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to go to any…" Rumia looked up and realized that, despite the fact that the festival had been a good distance away only a few moments ago, they were now practically at the front entrance, which consisted of a gated archway decorated by red-and-white flashing lights and the head of one of those creepy white-faced monsters at the apex.

Rumia sighed and shrugged Wriggle off. "Stupid dreams with their stupid rules not making any stupid sense."

"Ahem," a humorless voice said from somewhere above her. Rumia looked up to see a Human girl sitting at some sort of booth to the left of the entrance. Rumia blinked.

"Reimu Hakurei?" she asked, but a moment later she saw that no, the girl was not Reimu. She was dressed in the same outfit as Reimu, and there was enough of a resemblance that it was easy to mistake her for the shrine maiden at a glance. But this girl was shorter and a little stouter than Reimu, with lighter hair done in two pigtails on either side of her head. Also, this girl looked like she had never had a single day of fun her entire life.

The girl glared down at her. "Ticket?" she said in a voice usually by waiters in high-priced restaurants to ask poverty-stricken ragamuffins if they had a reservation.

Rumia stared back at her. "Ticket?" she said. "You mean, do I want a ticket or do I have a ticket? Sorry, I have no idea where-"

"Rumia, get your ticket out!" Cirno hissed. Rumia turned to see that the dream's depictions of her friends were each holding up a playing card, all of them Aces.

"Seriously?" Rumia said. "The cards are…Oh, never mind. Dream logic, I gotcha." She rolled her eyes. "Well, looks like I'm going to the freaky-ass festival. I guess it's better than what I thought this was going to be like, but Rin better have an explanation for this weirdness." She held up her own Ace of Spades. "Though I'm pretty sure there's only four Aces in a deck. What's Dai got there, an…Ace of Skulls? Okay, that's not creepy at all."

The annoyed looking girl who wasn't Reimu took the cards from them. She examined them closely and grunted. Whether it was a grunt of satisfaction or annoyance that she would have to let them in could not be judged. At any rate she reached down to tug on something behind the booth and out of sight.

The gate shuddered once and slowly swung open with a loud crreeeeaaaak.

"All right, let's go!" Cirno shouted as she tugged Rumia by the sleeve.

Rumia stared up at the open gate with the grinning visage of the white-faced monster overhead. "Uh, yeah. You know what? I'm starting to have second thoughts, so if it's okay with you I'm just gonna-"

"Move!" the ticket-taker girl snapped.

Rumia winced and allowed herself to be dragged inside. It probably wasn't the wisest choice, but the girl looked like she was about to pull out a meat cleaver or some other sharp object.

The circus was even more bizarre on the inside than it was on the outside. All around them were booths painted colors that hurt the eyes. Some sold disgusting looking junk food, some sold souvenirs (most of them unnecessarily pointy) and others were that which consisted of trying to hit targets with various projectiles. Rumia tried not to look as those too closely, as most of the targets resembled the faces of screaming children.

Rumia shuddered and turned to the people who brought her here (she still refused to think of them as her friends). They were huddled around a map, pointing and talking excitedly.

"Oh…We gotta try the funhouse!" Wriggle said. "All those mirrors…"

"Can we get something to eat first?" Daiyousei asked. "I'm starving for some cotton candy!"

Rumia shook her head. She didn't know what was stranger; this nonsensical festival from who knew where, or the idea that all these nonsensical words were somehow taken from her own mind. And she was willing to bet that the "Funhouse" was anything but.

"No way," Cirno said as she snatched the map away from the others. "The show's gonna start soon. We need to get to our seats!"

Rumia perked up. Now that sounded potentially useful. "Show?" she asked. "What show?"

In response, Cirno pointed toward the large red-and-white striped tent. "What show do you think? The show, the big show. The greatest show on earth!"

…

Almost there… Rin thought grimly. The tangle of memories was starting to separate under her assault. Almost there…

A fragment came loose. Rin seized up it and opened it up. The image of a golden-eyed face framed by long, blond hair. Rin frowned. Hey, isn't that-

Yeah, you really don't want to go there.

Rin suddenly found her mind blasted backward, almost all the way into the physical world. Disoriented, she steadied herself and regarded the tangle as realization struck her.

So that's where you've been hiding!

The tangle was starting to clump back together, fixing the damage Rin had done. Rin growled and hurled herself back at the tangle. Now this had gone beyond a simple quest for information. The monster that had used her to try to kill Reisen had been found. Now there was hell to pay.

…

Rumia gasped as they entered the tent. Given how deserted her dream had been up until now (annoying knockoffs of her friends and one crabby Reimu Hakurei cosplayer notwithstanding), she had expected the interior of the tent to be the same.

She was wrong. The place was packed. All along the edges of the tent wooden bleachers were set up, filled with seats. And each and every seat was occupied. And each and every person was noisy.

Despite her chosen lifestyle as a forest dweller, Rumia had seen crowds before. She and her friends would make semi-regular trips to the Youkai Market to see what new cool thing had just popped up for sale. And of course, the festivals were always packed.

Still, seeing so many people gathered in such a small place, all of them on their feet and cheering for the show to begin…it was a bit overwhelming.

Furthermore, she knew many of those people. There was one whole section devoted row after row of rabbit youkai. Some were wearing militaristic uniforms, others had the frills and aprons of maids, others the stained white uniforms of cooks. Rumia's heart leapt in her chest. She had seen those uniforms before. She wasn't sure what the entirety of Eientei's population was doing here, but given that she and Rin had made off with their princess, she was willing to bet that they wouldn't be welcoming her with open arms.

Sitting at the front of the assemblage of long-eared youkai girls was the woman Rumia recognized as Eirin Yagokoro. Rumia couldn't help but glare in resentment. In many ways that woman was responsible for all the hell she had been through. She had turned Rin into what she was. She had called in Yukari and her minions, forcing Rin to flee. And now she was presumably one of their pursuers. The woman was a monster in most, if not all senses of the word.

However, the Eirin she saw before her didn't seem all that terrible. She seemed weak and frail, as if she had her strength sucked from her. And the look on her face wasn't hard or terrible. It was…sad. Even regretful in a way.

Rumia tore her eyes away from Eirin and searched the rest of the crowd, looking for people she knew. To her relief Yukari didn't seem to be present. If she were to show up than this dream would be a certifiable nightmare rather than just frustrating and kind of creepy. However, Reimu Hakurei was. She was sitting at the top of the bleachers to the right, watching the scene below with a look of utmost boredom. Sitting next to her was that stupid witch-girl Marisa Kirisame. Rumia wasn't sure how this was going to turn out. Few of her previous encounters with those two had turned out well for her…Well, okay, so maybe the noodle thing had been totally worth it, but still.

Sitting on Marisa's other side was a girl with short blond hair that most people would probably mistake for a Human girl in her mid-teens. However, most people didn't live in the forest like Rumia did, and were thus unaware of the reputation of Alice Margatroid, the girl who had reportedly achieved youkai immortality through sheer force of will. Her presence didn't bother Rumia, seeing how she had no longstanding grudges with the puppet-master. Still, she had been known to team up with Marisa in the past to wreak havoc. Wriggle and Mystia had both gone on at length at the sort of damage those two together could accomplish. And with Reimu there as well…Rumia decided to not trust her subconscious to have any sort of warm feelings towards them and keep her distance.

But it didn't stop there. Over there, Cirno's friends Sunny, Lunar and Star were sharing the longest sandwich Rumia had ever seen in her life. Up there was the vampire (and Rumia's ex-boss) Remilia Scarlet and her servitors in a private box all to their own. That Human police-girl that was always spoiling their fun was stalking around in some kind of security uniform. The Tengu reporter Aya Shameimaru was moving around, taking pictures of everything. The goddess of Moriya Shrine, Kanako Yasaka, was in attendance with her shrine maiden Sanae and sometimes rival Suwako. Chen and her boss/mentor/mother figure Ran sat in the front row.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Nearly everyone Rumia had ever met or at least became aware of seemed to be there. There were even people she only vaguely recognized. Even though she was still standing by the entrance and well out of the way, she was starting to develop a serious case of stage-fright. Something told her that she was going to end up at the center of attention, one way or another.

And with my luck I'll somehow end up naked as well, she thought. I mean, at least with Rin everyone else was naked too. I suppose I should just be glad I don't see Miss Yukari here. Because then this really will be a nightmare.

"Rumia!" called out a nearby voice.

Rumia looked up. Filling the first two rows of seats of the bleachers to her right were several Human children, all wearing the same depressing grey uniforms. Sitting with them was a tired but kind looking young woman with short brown hair, presumably their caretaker. The one who called her name was a spiky haired boy with eyes so narrow they almost seemed shut and a smile so wide it more than made up for it. He waved at her with unmistakable enthusiasm.

"Hey Rumia, we made it!" he shouted down at her. "Didn't I tell'yah? I told you we'd get here!"

Now thoroughly confused, Rumia managed a half-smile and waved back. "Um…sure. Yeah, that's great."

"Oh hey, what happened to your eyes?" he said. "They're all red! That's so cool. Did the ghost witch curse you or-"

"Kohta, that's enough!" the young woman said. She grabbed the boy by the arm and pulled him back.

He just looked confused. "But it's Rum-"

"Don't talk to it, you know better than that!" she hissed as she pulled him out of sight.

Rumia scratched her head. "Hoe-kay, that made no sense whatsoever. Who…Hey!"

Her dream friends got behind her and pushed her forward, away from the seats and toward the center of the tent.

Rumia whirled around. "What do you think you're doing?" she snarled. "I'm getting real sick you pushing me everywhere. And no, not being real isn't an excuse!"

"But the show must go on," Mystia said. "And how can it go on if it doesn't even start?"

"That's right," agreed Wriggle. "And the show can't start without you. Why do you think we came here in the first place? So the show can start!"

"So get out there already, dummy!" Cirno gave Rumia another push, causing her to stagger back a couple of steps.

Rumia looked over her shoulder toward the tent's center, where several slats of wood were laid out to form a large ring. She didn't know what kind of show the audience was expecting, but she was willing to bet that if she was going to end up skinned alive, dismembered, disfigured or any other nasty ways the searing pain of Rin digging through her memories might translate itself into her dream, it was going to take place inside that ring.

"Screw that," Rumia muttered. She tried to shove her way past her friends' doppelgangers, but they quickly moved to block her way.

Rumia's eyes flashed. "So that's how it's gonna be?" she asked. "Okay, fine. Just warning you, I've had dreams about being a really kick-ass goddess before, and if I could do it then, I can do it now." Her hands started to glow white as she prepared to unleash a hail of bullets. Dream or no dream, she was not going to be thrust into the middle of this show without a fight.

Unfortunately, the dream disagreed. Strong fingers wrapped around Rumia's wrist and very nearly pulled her off her feet. She turned to see that those closest to her had risen from their seats to help "motivate" Rumia to start the show.

"Let go of me!" she shouted as she tried to jerk away. But the grip on her arm was too strong. Once again, Rumia found herself picked up and carried toward somewhere she did not want to go, born along by people who did not seem to hear her cries and protests.

And then Cirno started chanting. "Rumia, Rumia, Rumia…"

Those moving Rumia forward seemed to like the sound of that rallying cry, as they quickly joined in.

"…Rumia, Rumia, Rumia…"

The cry was seized upon by those in the bleachers. It spread through the audience, picking them out of their seats and moving them to clap along with the rhythm. Within a few short seconds, everyone was on their feet and the air was filled with the deafening roar of their voices.

"Rumia! Rumia! Rumia!"

And all through it, Rumia kicked, Rumia struggled, Rumia even managed to get the odd bullet shot off, but it made no difference. She might as well been trying to fight against a hurricane.

And then she was suddenly released. She landed on the dirt floor and quickly scrambled to her feet. She moved her body into a fighting position, ready to redesign the faces of anyone who would be stupid enough to touch her.

However, no one made themselves available. The chanting had ceased as soon as she had hit ground, and everyone was back in their seats, watching her in expectation. Rumia slowly looked around the room, taking stock of the hundreds and hundreds of eyes boring into her.

Sweat prickled at the back of her neck. Her eyes furtively searched for an exit, any exit. Unfortunately, the one and only entrance had now been closed off. And any attempt to try to tear her way through the roof would likely incite a riot.

Her gaze settled upon her friends' doppelgangers, who were all sitting together and munching on some strange feathery pink bread. She slowly extended her right hand in their direction, middle finger raised to the sky. This seemed to amuse the audience, as a small wave of laughter filled the room.

Rumia took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. "Great, so now you've-" Her voice squeaked. She paused and tried again, louder and slower this time.

"Great, so now you've got me here in your damned ring," she called out, her voice echoing through the tent. "So now what? You're just going to laugh me? Am I supposed to start dancing and singing too? I came here to learn about my past, not have my dream try to kill me through embarrassment. What's supposed to hap-"

At that moment the lights went out. All of them.

Despite the suddenness of the action, Rumia actually started to feel better. Complete darkness she could handle. She was, after all, the Youkai of Darkness, the only one she knew. Unlike most people, all of her dreams about being in the dark were not nightmares. In fact, nine times out of ten they involved her being the predator in the shadows. Maybe now things would start going in her-

Blinding light flared up out of nowhere, causing Rumia to reflexively squeeze her eyes shut. Once the pain had faded, she opened her eyes just a crack and slowly widened them as her irises constricted in response.

The majority of the tent was still covered in darkness, but a spotlight had been turned on, illuminating the ring in which Rumia stood. Actually, "illuminating" would be an inadequate description in this case. "Flooding it with so much light that it was almost oppressively tangible" would be closer to the mark.

At the same time, the unseen crowd erupted into cheers. Rumia trembled as the sound buffeted her from all sides, making her feel trapped. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a dark corner somewhere, unnoticed and safe from the world around her.

That was when a new voice rose up above the cheers and whoops. A voice that was very close to Rumia. Directly behind her to be exact. "Ladies and more ladies and the occasional gentleman, children of all ages, welcome to the greatest show in Rumia's mind! Appropriate, seeing how it's the only show in Rumia's mind!"

Rumia's spine stiffened immediately. She knew that voice and knew it well. She slowly turned around as it continued its introduction.

"And in this show, there will be no acrobats, no trapeze artists, no clowns and no dangerous stunts of any kind! Because let's face it: with all of you being able to fly and come back from just about anything it would be a bit unimpressive, now wouldn't it? Instead, watch and be amazed as little Rumia here is confronted by the truth of her horrifying and forgotten past! Laugh as she completely fails to understand any of it, because what she'll be shown will be annoyingly cryptic and unhelpful in the extreme! Wince as she becomes increasingly frustrated when she realizes that the information locked inside her head is totally useless without any frame of reference! And feel the icy touch of fear as the implications of what Rumia learns slowly dawns on you, and the magnitude of the hell she has found herself in reveals itself! All this and more await her, so let's show our support for our brave and confused heroine…Ruuuuumia Yagami!"

Rumia's jaw dropped as the crowd went absolutely crazy. Yagami? What? Was that her surname? Did she even have a surname?

She would have asked the owner of the voice to clarify that bit of information. Unfortunately, the person in question was the absolute last person Rumia wanted to ask anything from. She was a tall woman, almost twice Rumia's height. Her legs were long and shapely, which her tight black slacks absolutely failed to conceal. She wore a dark blue shirt and a bright red topcoat over that, with long tails that reached halfway down her calves. She held a leather whip in one white-gloved hand and a red megaphone in the other. A tall, shiny black hat sat on her golden hair.

Rumia felt her legs go weak. "Mi-mi-mi-" she stuttered.

The woman leaned over to smile at her. "Mi-mi-mi? Come on girl, you're on stage! Spit it out!"

Rumia gulped and whispered, "Miss Yukari…"

With a grin, Yukari Yakumo poked Rumia in the nose with the handle of her whip. "Isn't she great, ladies and gentlemen?" she shouted into the megaphone. "Why don't we give her another round of applause?"

As the tent once again filled with cheers, Rumia could only think one thing: Okay, now it's a nightmare.

Chapter Text

To date, Rin Satsuki's life had not been an easy one. The first major two events of her life were being kidnapped by slavers and the presumed murder of her parents. And things had just gone downhill from there. She had been deceived, abused, robbed of literally everything she held dear, forced into complete isolation for what felt like forever, attacked without provocation, betrayed, violated by something that claimed to be part of her own mind, and was now hunted by the very people she once trusted with no allies beside a single girl who she was more-or-less holding hostage who may or may not be some kind of monster. Things quite simply never went right for her, and to be quite frank she was growing tired of it.

However, while digging through Rumia's mind on the small hope of finding something that would help them survive, she had discovered a surprising opportunity, which shall be outlined below:

1. The entity that Rin hated and feared the most had been found.
2. Said entity was hiding in Rumia's repressed memories, something Rin had been trying to pull apart anyway.
3. Said memories were contained within Rin's essence, a place where, one minor loss of control notwithstanding, she reigned supreme.
4. Rin was dealing with the frustration born from several decades of hell and desperately needed some way of burning it off.

All of these points flashed through the Kirin's mind in an instant and came together to form a single bright and shining conclusion. Rin's physical body, still wedged under a shelf of rock, began to grin. It was nice that things were finally starting to work in her favor.

Now Rin, the Dark Voice was saying. I know you're upset, but let's not do anything we might regret later, okay?

Rin decided to forego a worded response in favor of a more aggressive one. She gathered up her energies and slammed them against the slowly recovering tangle of memories. She felt it tremble under her assault.

Okay, I deserved that. But for real, you can't-

Watch me, Rin hissed. She then began to hammer the Dark Voice's hiding place from all sides.

There was a ripple of emotion that felt very much like a sigh. Rin, be reasonable. Do you really think-

Reasonable? she screamed. You tried to kill the only person who ever cared about me and you want me to be reasonable?

Oh, come on Rin. Like you've never done things you've regretted in the heat of the moment. Why don't you go talk to that little witch girl and see how she feels about crossing your path!

Shut up!

Wow, fantastic rebuttal there. I'm sorry, was that a sore spot?

Don't give me that "Heat of the moment" bullshit! You tried to murder her!

You mean you did. I am part of you, after all. Why don't you just go and tear yourself apart if you're so mad? You're practically doing it anyway.

Instead of replying, Rin merely pressed her assault. She drew in more energy from her immortal captives and added it to her attack. The Dark Voice's defenses began to disintegrate.

Very well, ignore logic and reason if you wish. But if you keep this up, I will start to defend myself. Do you really want to risk the damage to Rumia's mind by battling me?

That last part finally gave Rin pause. Even without the potential collateral damage of crushing the Dark Voice once and for all, digging through Rumia's mind was risky enough as it is. Engaging in open warfare was probably not advisable.

Unfortunately, she wasn't given time to debate the topic. At that moment a presence, one that felt cold and strong and very wrong, surged out from behind the tangle's walls and slashed at the core of Rin's consciousness, cutting deep and causing her physical body to convulse with pain.

…

Rumia's legs had grown weak and given out from under her. From her spot on the dirt floor in the center of the illuminated ring, she stared up at Yukari Yakumo with wide, frightened eyes.

For her part, Yukari didn't seem to be overly concerned with Rumia's distress. Instead, she was enjoying being at the center of attention. "And why shouldn't we cheer for her?" she shouted into her megaphone. "After all, isn't she the reason we're here? She is the thread that ties us together, that brings us together under one roof. For despite our many differences, we are all united by one single thing: we all have Rumia to thank for our deaths!"

What? Rumia tried to wrap her mind around that concept, but it was already so disorganized that all she could come up with was a wall of absolute confusion. And the fact that the crowd started to cheer for this as well only made it more bizarre.

"Some of us have already departed this veil of tears," Yukari said. "And for others it's only a matter of time. 'Course, the future's a tricky thing to predict, but the way things are heading I don't think it's that much of a stretch to pre-order our special 'Killed by Rumia Yagami' tombstones! In fact, we should probably form a union while we're at it."

The crowd laughed.

"But I forget myself; this show isn't about us, it never was! It's all about her." Yukari turned to smile down at Rumia. "This little girl who wants to know who she is. Well, tonight she's going to find out! Will she understand what she discovers? Probably not. Will she like it? All signs point to 'no.' Will she retain any memory of it afterward? Better hope not. I don't think her poor little mind can take that much revelation. But whatever happens, you can bet that it'll be one hell of a show!"

Yukari tossed the megaphone to one side and reached down to snatch up Rumia by the arm. She brought her lips close to Rumia's ear and whispered, "Okay, kid. You're on. Make us proud."

"W-what?"

In response, Yukari spread her other arm out in a grand gesture. The lights shining down upon the ring spread outward. Rumia gasped when she realized that they were no longer in a tent. Nor were they still in the circus. Instead, the ring had become the top of a massive column, alone in the middle of a large, open space. Rumia wasn't sure if the transition had happened that very second or back when the lights had gone out, nor did she care. The only thing that her mind was focused on was sheer and utter terror.

Thunder rumbled from nearby. An icy wind picked up, buffeting her and Yukari and tearing and their clothes. Yukari's hat was torn from her head and went sailing off into the black. She didn't seem to even notice. Instead, she gestured toward the edge. There, jutting out from the column's side was a single plank of wood, painted bright yellow and decorated with red stars.

"You wanted to figure out who you were? Well, you won't do it by playing circus."

Rumia gaped as she realized what Yukari was saying. "Y-you want me to jump off?"

"Hey, it's your dream, kiddo. You don't like it, complain to yourself." With that, she heaved Rumia through the air.

Rumia screamed as she flailed her arms in a futile attempt to regain control. The wind seemed to surge up at that exact moment, propelling her onward. She landed on the plank and tumbled forward, nearly falling off in the process. She wrapped her arms and legs around the plank's side and held on for dear life.

"Come on, you won't get anywhere with that attitude!" Yukari shouted at her.

"Forget it!" Rumia shouted back. "I'm through with this! Rin, wake me up!"

Yukari laughed. "Yeah, you can forget about that. She's got her own problems to worry about. Go on, get up and dive. The show must go on, after all."

Rumia peeked over the plank's end and felt sick. She had to be kilometers up. "You're crazy!" she shouted over her shoulder.

Yukari sighed and knelt down to retrieve her megaphone, which was strangely unaffected by the wind. "Looks like she's going to need some encouraging, folks!" she shouted at the sky. "Come on, let her hear your voices! Rumia, Rumia, Rumia…"

Despite the fact that there was no more tent, despite the fact that the audience had to have disappeared along with it, the chant started up regardless, a thousand voices taking up Yukari's words and escalating them.

"Rumia! Rumia! Rumia!"

The noise thundered from all sides, so loud it was almost as powerful as the wind. Rumia squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for reality to come and rescue her.

"Rumia! Rumia! Rumia!"

"You're letting the fans down, kid." Yukari was suddenly on the plank behind her. "Come on, can't you hear them cheering for you?"

Yukari's strong fingers seized onto Rumia's collar and tore her from the plank. She was then dropped on her feet at the very edge, staring down into endless darkness.

"I thought you liked darkness, kid. Think of it as diving into your bed. From about a thousand meters straight up."

Almost frozen with fear, Rumia managed to shake her head.

"I don't believe I made myself clear," Yukari said as she took a couple steps back. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer here."

There was a sudden crack, and the leather tong of Yukari whip snapped against Rumia's lower leg and wrapped around her ankle. Before she knew what was going on, Yukari pulled and flipped Rumia right off her feet. She desperately tried to grab onto the plank but she had flown out of reach.

Down she fell, screaming all the way. And all the while, the voices continued their endless chant.

"Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia!

Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia!

Rumia! Rumia! Rumia! Rumia!

Rumia! Rumia!"

…

Rin's mind reeled from the psychic attack. She tried to recover, but the Dark Voice hit her again, driving a dagger of ice through her mind. The walls of Rin's mind reverberated with her silent scream.

You never were good at fighting, the Dark Voice hissed. She could feel it prowling about, slinking around the core of her consciousness. Even here in your own mind you can't even muster up a decent defense. Do you want to know why that it?

Out of pure desperation, Rin threw everything she had at the monster. To her dismay, it slipped past her attack with ease and disappeared.

Though she could no longer feel its presence, that low, seductive murmur continued to taunt her. It's because you continually denied your own strength. You were afraid of it, afraid of what you could do. So you sealed it off. Pushed it away. Guided by the delusional belief that refusing to acknowledge your own power would win you friends. But what happened instead, Rin? Can you tell me that?

Rin turned her attention back to Rumia's repressed memories. It had to have retreated back there.

You turned into a spineless weakling. Others would trample on you and you would just lie down for them.

I didn't! Rumia protested. Remember? When I nearly destroyed Eientei?

Don't delude yourself. That was all me. You just put your head down and meekly followed orders.

I mean before! The first time!

A hissing laugh that was completely devoid of warmth echoed through her mind. Yes, you did. You were so horrified at what you had done that you pushed those feeling of anger and outrage back down and sealed them off. You turned yourself back into the good little girl who only wanted to be loved!

No, I didn't! Rin snarled. She gathered her power and prepared to strike down the thing's stronghold.

Oh really? Then what do you think created me?

That last point actually gave Rin pause. Wait, you're saying that because I repressed my emotions just as Rumia repressed her memories, they eventually developed a personality of their own?

Exactly. I'm you, girl. Just not a complete and utter wuss.

Rin considered that for a moment. She thought of the years and years spent in isolation, during which she had entertained any number of imaginary voices, none of which sounded even remotely like the Dark Voice. She thought of all the things it had tried to get her to do and the twisted glee it took in seeing others suffer. Rin knew that she had more than a few issues of her own, but there were certain lines that she was sure she would never cross. And finally, she thought of her last memory of the Dark Voice, as it held control of her body and stood ready to stab Reisen's brains out.

All those taken together, Rin found herself reaching a rather liberating conclusion.

Uh, yeah. Okay. Hey, you know what?

What?

Fuck you.

…

Rumia hit solid ground, hard.

The impact drove the wind from her and she found herself bouncing and tumbling forward before coming to a stop. There she lay gasping as the world spun around her.

She tried to push herself up but her elbows gave out. It didn't feel like anything was broken, but the shock from the collision had driven all the strength from her muscles. To that, it was all she could do to just curl up into a protective ball.

In time her breathing evened out and her head started to clear. But she didn't get up. Her whole body starting trembling. Her eyes teared up and she began to cry.

She couldn't help it. That last bit had been too much. She didn't want to do this anymore. Even though it made her weak for feeling so, she wanted it to end. She rolled over to her side and curled up into a ball as the sobs continued to rack her body.

Look at you, the self-loathing part of her said in disgust. You were all ready to face a dream about being tortured. And now a weird stage-show and a fall makes you fall apart?

She didn't care though. She was sick of it. Sick of being trapped in someone else's mind, sick of this freakshow, sick of Rin, sick of questioning her own sanity, sick of being hunted, sick of everything. She wanted to wake up. She wanted to go home.

In time her body stopped shaking and her eyes started to dry. Sniffling, she slowly pulled herself up. "At least the real Cirno's not here to see me," she muttered. "She'd never let me hear the end of it."

Then she opened eyes. Might as well see where her dream had led her now.

She was standing in the foyer of a large building. Directly in front of her was a staircase leading to the second story and hallways stretching to either side. Everything was blackened as if it had been scorched by fire.

She was back inside that strange building, only now she was standing where she should have ended up before her dream had been hijacked by that circus-thing. So they have to go through a creepy-ass festival and get thrown off a gigantic pillar just to walk in through the front door, she thought. Wow, they really should've fired the architect.

Giggling at her dumb joke, Rumia turned around. As expected, there was the front door and all the windows. However, the door was locked securely and the windows, once wide open, were now covered by shutters. She tried tugging on the door handle and pulling at the shutters, but they refused to give.

With a sigh, she leaned up against the door and slid back down to the floor. There was no getting out of this, was there?

That was when she heard something. She frowned and listened.

For a moment, she thought she had started crying again. But the weeping was not her own. It was coming from somewhere else, somewhere from deeper within the building.

Rumia rolled her eyes. Oh, come on, she thought in disdain. Can't you be any less-

She paused. Now that she thought about it, the crying voice did sound familiar. She strained her ears and listened for a moment longer.

"Mysty?" she whispered. She wasn't sure, but it certainly sounded like Mystia. She had seen the night-sparrow cry a few times in the past, and it had sounded very similar.

Rumia debated the dilemma before her, turning it around in her mind. Everything she had learned from the scary stories that she and the rest of the gang had told each other around the fire said that wandering around creepy abandoned buildings and following strange noises was stupidity in the extreme. More often than not, it was a trick by the killer to lure the little girls away from safety. Rumia herself had employed that same tactic in the past and could attest to its effectiveness.

She glanced to the hallways at either side. But then, what choice did she really have? If she refused to go forward, something would just show up to force her onward. Whatever this dream wanted her to learn, it seemed dead set on making her play its game to learn it.

With that, she rose to her feet. Though she hated it, it would probably be best to get it over with. She listened for a moment longer, trying to judge the direction of the sound's location. It sounded like it was coming from up the stairs. Nervously glancing around her, Rumia slowly ascended the stairs. The steps creaked worryingly under her feet but the held.

"Mystia?" she said when she reached the top. "Is that you?"

…

The creature laughed again. Wow, such language! Do you kiss your bunny-girl with that mouth?

Cut the bullshit, Rin snapped. Do you really believe that any part of me, no matter how twisted with hate, would ever do anything to hurt Reisen? Then she remembered when she herself had absorbed Reisen. On purpose, I mean. And enjoy it.

Nice amendment there. Bet you justify away all your uncomfortable truths like that.

Before Rin could respond, it struck again. Her body convulsed as her mind exploded into pure white.

…

Rumia winced when a sudden rumbling shook the building. For a moment she was afraid it was going go collapse, but the shaking stopped and everything was still. Her heart pounding, Rumia quickly climbed to the top of the stairs and looked around.

At the top of the staircase was another hallway, lined with open doorways. Rumia slowly passed by room after room, peeking into each one. They were all empty, containing nothing more than decomposing leaves, burnt papers and other rubbish.

She ran her hand over the ashy wall and rubbed the grit between her fingers. What had happened to this place? Was this supposed to represent her former self, contained within those hidden memories Rin had found? (What had she called them? Depressed memories? No, it had been repressed). Or was this an actual place from her past? If so, who had started the fire? Had it been her?

The sound of Mystia crying seemed to be coming from a room near the end of the hallway. Rumia stopped at the entrance and peered in. Like the others, it was practically empty except for the trash and dust that such abandoned places tended to accumulate. There was a window, but it was all boarded up. Sunlight glinted through the slats, casting thin fingers of light over the decay. At one end was what appeared to be a double-door closet, shut tight.

Wait, there was something else. Shoved in the far corner was a roll-away bed with a filthy old blanket and pillow sitting on top of it. Rumia entered the room and goose-stepped her way over to the bed. She gingerly touched the pillow. A cloud of dust puffed up in response.

Guess this was some kind of bedroom, she thought as she looked around the deserted room. But something's…not quite right.

Well, of course something wasn't right. She was trapped in the most vivid dream of her life, exploring a bizarre building gutted by fire. But still…

She squinted and tilted her head sideways. There should be…more…

She blinked. For the briefest of seconds, she saw the room restored to pristine condition. The trash was cleared away and the floor scrubbed, the walls cleaned and painted a cheery yellow, the window wide open and letting in the sun's soothing rays.

And everywhere were more beds, blankets and pillows, all lined up in neat little rows. Children's toys and books were strewn among and over them.

And then it was gone. Rumia was once again standing alone in a forgotten room in a forgotten building.

Her head swam. She reeled slightly and forced herself to find her footing. She closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead with her fingertips.

Then she opened her eyes. She could still hear Mystia crying; only it was closer. She turned toward the closet. That had to be it. Rumia took a deep breath and pulled it open.

…

Rin couldn't even think, the pain was too much. She was dimly aware that she had been thrown back into her physical body. The feel of the stones pressing against her and the smell of water rushing past was unmistakable, but what difference did it make? The only thing she could concentrate on was the cold steel knife cutting through her brain and the even colder words whispering in her mind.

Why not just let it go? Just let yourself die here, hidden behind the stones. The pain would be over, the fear would be over, and no one would ever know you were here.

Rin managed to gather enough strength to focus on a single name. Rumia…

Aw, still concerned for your little hostage girlfriend? Worried that she might die with you? The Dark Voice cackled. Do you even know what kind of person she is? What she's done? Here, let me show you.

There was a bright flash, and suddenly Rin was no longer wedged under a shelf of stone, she was…prowling through treetops the forest, her forest, feeling the leaves brush past her cheeks and bare limbs as she slowly passed from one branch to another. A night breeze blew in her face, bringing with it all sorts of interesting smells: others like her, sneaking around as competition. The babbling river, its scent still detectable even though it was miles away. The spray of a nearby skunk, disturbed by a pair of unlucky fairies who were now furiously clawing at their noses. And…

Her eyes narrowed. There, so close she could almost taste them. A pair of human children, a boy and a girl. They had probably gone exploring and had gotten lost. Their hands were clasped tightly, and their eyes flitted fearfully at the forest all around them. The girl (she couldn't have been much older than eight) was pressing herself against the boy's side, while the boy kept dropping smooth white stones every few feet or so. Probably so they could keep track of where they had been and not accidentally wander in a circle. Smart, if they were anywhere else.

With an anticipatory grin she dropped silently behind them, keeping pace. Every time they would glance over their shoulders, she would shroud herself with shadow and no one would be the wiser.

And so she continued, step by step, little by little, until she was right behind them. She reached out with her hands, ready to grab their necks, ready to snatch them away before they even knew she was there. And they would disappear, swallowed up by the night…

Rin returned with a gasp. A few fragments of Rumia's memory clung to her, like the remnants of a particularly vivid dream. She tried to brush them off and reestablish her identity.

You see? She's nothing more than a monster. Put her in a nice dress, tie a pretty bow in her hair and she'd still be nothing more than a monster.

Rin grit her teeth. "She…she…"

Yes, yes, come on. I want to hear this. She what?

Rin summoned up every ounce of strength she could muster. "She's at least better than me," she hissed out loud. "And she sure as hell's better than you!"

With that, she gathered up all her power, every scrap of energy she had at her disposal. Then she stole strength from Kaguya Houraisan and Fujiwara no Mokou as well, digging deep into their seemingly inexhaustible wells. She drew it all together and used it to fashion a weapon, a dagger of pure fury.

Wait, what are you-

Before it could retreat back into Rumia's memories, Rin sealed them off, surrounding them with a barrier of her own will, sealing the creature off from escape. Then, before, it could retaliate, she took the dagger and stabbed it in with all her might.

…

Rumia wasn't sure what she had been expecting to find. Maybe Mystia curled up in the corner. Maybe nothing, with Mystia's voice calling through the walls. Maybe a ghost jumping out to say "Boo!" Maybe a five-star restaurant and attached hot-springs. It didn't matter. Dreams were notoriously unpredictable.

Still, she sure hadn't been expecting a colorful archway filled with smoke and flashing multi-colored lights. That same tinkling music from the circus was playing, and overhead was a yellow sign bordered by green and blue blinking lightbulbs and the word FUNHOUSE in bright green letters.

Rumia closed her eyes with a groan. Great, more of this circus nightmare. Truth be told, she preferred the creepy building nightmare. At least it was quiet.

"Fine, you know what?" she said out loud. "Fine! I'll keep playing your stupid game. But there better be some big-time revelation that makes up for all the crap I've been through, you hear me?"

Without stopping to wonder exactly who she was talking to, Rumia stomped through the archway.

At first, she could see nothing but the smoke and the flashing lights. Then that finally cleared and she found herself in a hallway filled with…

"Mirrors?" She looked the passageway up and down. "Well, that's…new."

Mirrors it was. Dozens of them, all along both walls. Rumia walked up to the nearest one and looked in.

She let out a small eep! and leapt back. Her reflection was horribly deformed. Her head and thighs were blown up like a balloon while her torso was squeezed to the size of the wasp's waist.

She quickly assessed herself. No, her proportions were still all the same. She looked back at the mirror. Still bizarre. She frowned and tilted her head as she peered in closer.

The mirror's glass was folded and squeezed, resulting in the strange reflection. Rumia had to admit it was pretty clever. She wondered if anyone in the real world had ever thought of doing this. If not, she could probably make a killing.

She continued down the hallway, watching the distorted mirrors twist her form in several different ways. Now that she knew how it was done, she could help but giggle at some of the funnier results.

Then she reached a mirror that made her pause. It didn't change her reflection in any way. Instead, it was perfectly normal. A youkai girl with short blond hair and red eyes dressed in a black dress, white shirt and black vest with a red tie. A red and white ribbon was tied into her hair.

She instinctively touched her hand to her hair. The ribbon was gone. And yet, there it was in the reflection. Strange. Hadn't Marisa Kirisame said something about her ribbon, back in that recorded memory Rin had played for her? Interesting.

She glanced at the next mirror and her heart nearly leapt into her throat. It was her again, except now she was only wearing a filthy grey shift and crouched down on all fours. Her body was much leaner, her eyes much more wild, and her face was smeared with dirt. Dried blood crusted around her lips. However, the ribbon was still in her hair.

Rumia almost didn't recognize herself. It had been decades since she had looked like that. It wasn't a time of her life she gave much thought to. As far as she had been concerned, it was just the natural way of youkaihood. Still, actually seeing herself like that was…disquieting.

The third one was easy enough to identify. In this mirror, she was completely nude, missing all her clothing up to and including the ribbon. Furthermore, her body glowed with a faint yellow light. It was that mental body she had been wearing while in Rin's mind. Rumia set her mouth in a thin line, shrugged, and moved on.

The one right after that thought, that one just confused her. It was still her. Sort of. At least she was sure it was. There were a great number of differences though. Her hair was longer and twisted into a pigtail. Her face was…plainer, thin but not gaunt, not like the echo of her savage days. And, paradoxically enough, her eyes were no longer red but muddy brown. To top it off, she was wearing some kind of odd uniform; grey skirt, grey jacket over a white shirt.

Rumia scratched her head. There was something very familiar about that outfit, and not in the sense of the strange déjà vu she had been getting lately. She was pretty sure she had seen that same uniform very recently.

Then her eyes widened as realization struck. She had seen that uniform, not ten minutes ago back in the giant tent! Those children, sitting in the first two rows. The girls had all been wearing uniforms exactly that like one.

She thought of the cheerful-looking boy who had waved at her. Pieces were starting to come together. Slowly at first, but she was inching toward some possibilities that she did not like. No ma'am, she did not like them one bit.

Then she came to the next mirror, the last one in the row, and gasped.

It was…her? Not her? Again, there were similarities and differences, but they were even more extreme. She was at least two feet taller and much older. Her body had grown and filled out, replacing her chubby-little girl's form with feminine curves and breasts. She wore a plain, sleeveless black dress, which was ripped and torn as if she had fallen through a thorn patch. Her normal red eyes were back, but the burned with a cruel intensity that was more than a little frightening. Her wild hair fell past her shoulders and was tipped in black. Metallic talons instead of fingers, two rows of spikes for teeth, and two massive leathery wings sprouted from her back.

Rumia held up a hand. The nightmare reflection copied her like a good reflection was supposed to do. She raised her eyebrows and let them drop and stuck out her tongue. Again, everyone movement was mirrored exactly.

She was starting to feel sick. Was this her past? Or was it her future? Or another one of Rin's metaphors? Was this supposed to represent the condition of her soul or something? If so, she needed to pay a visit to the nearest shrine and start repenting, fast. Maybe even a temple.

Then her nightmare reflection smiled and winked at her.

Rumia shrieked in alarm and fell backward as the nightmare reflection drew its fist back and slammed it against the glass. The mirror shattered into a thousand sparkling pieces.

Rumia remained sitting where she was, hands splayed to either side and eyes fixated on the remains of the destroyed mirror. Her breath came out in panicked little gasps.

Then she looked up. Where the mirror's glass had once been was now an open doorway. Through it glowed a flickering orange light. A cool breeze floated in, smelling of dry grass.

Oh, come on! Rumia thought as despair welled up. There's still more?

She took a deep breath, held it in and slowly let it out. It came out a little more shaky than she would have liked, but it helped steady her nerves.

Then she pulled herself to her feet and, careful to avoid cutting herself on the fallen shards of glass, walked through the doorway.

…

The monster shuddered as Rin attacked. It tried to pull back, but now that it was out in the open Rin wasn't about to let it go. She continued to hem it in as she drove that spike of hate into the core of its being.

You want hate? she demanded. You want pain? You want me to start killing? Okay, I'll start with you.

It hissed at her. Do you…Ah!...Do you really think this…this will fix anything? Killing off a part of your own self?

Rin screamed and drove it in deeper. She could literally feel the thing recoil in pain. Stop saying that! You're not a part of me; you never were! I was an idiot to listen to you in the first place. But now…I think I'll be correcting that mistake.

A part of her was aware that she was enjoying this entirely too much. A part of her was disgusted by that fact. However, by this point, that part of her had lost its right to vote.

And then the Dark Voice spoke again. Despite the agony it was in, it managed to laugh. Ah, R-R-Rin, still s-so stupid to th-th-the end. Y-you're right, I was never a p-part of you, t-that was just to get you to l-l-l-listen…B-but do you know who I am a p-p-part of?

Rin stopped her attack. Her mind froze when she realized what it was implying. Wait, Rumia?

She had been right after all? But if that was the case, then wouldn't hurting this thing also hurt…

Uncertainty and dawning horror took her, and her weapon dissolved. The walls she had formed to trap the thing shuddered and collapsed.

Even in its wounded state, it was fast and opportunistic. Before Rin could recover it struck her, sinking talons that were hard as steel and cold as ice into whatever bit of Rin's being it could find purchase. Rin tried to scream, but she couldn't even find the strength to do that.

…

She was outside again, only this time it was for real.

Rumia stood in a field of tall, windblown grass. There was a forest nearby. Judging by the color of the leaves, it was in the middle of autumn. The sun was setting, a huge orange sphere melting into the horizon. It was cold, but not unbearably so. Rumia didn't even notice. Her attention was focused on what was in the center of the field.

There, the grass had been cut down and cleared away, forming a ring about forty feet in diameter. In the ring's center was a stack of deadwood. It was burning softly, sending flickering embers up to disappear in the mild light of the sunset. The fire didn't look that dangerous. If it weren't for the object jutting up out of the fire, it would be easy to mistake it for a normal bonfire, similar to those commonly seen at parties. However, there was an object, one that Rumia recognized immediately.

It was a tall wooden plank, with a shorter one fixated across its length a few feet below the top. "A cross," Rumia said in amazement. "A real, honest-to-the-gods cross." She had always been fascinated with the Human stories of the saint who had been crucified on a cross. It had been a cool story, but she had never expected to see one for herself.

She slowly circled the fire, staring. Now that she was actually seeing one, she realized what an awful way to die it was. To feel your life seep away minute-by-minute, when every breath was an agonizing effort? She could see nails stuck in the wood at the end of each of the cross's arms. She swallowed. Those would be driven right through the unlucky victim's wrists, not enough to kill but more than enough to cause agonizing pain.

But it seemed like simple crucifixion had not been enough to satisfy whoever had done this. With the addition of the bonfire, the victim's death would probably be quicker, but extraordinarily painful.

Who was this for? she wondered. What did they do to deserve this?

Then her eyes dipped down to where the feet would have also been nailed to the cross. Her eyebrows shot up and she gasped.

Where the nail should have been a sword had been driven into the wood near the cross's base. The thin and curving blade shined silver in the firelight. The handle glinted gold, and precious stones sparkled from the pommel and from around the cross-grip.

Rumia's body started to tremble. She licked her lips as she stared. Though her intelligence was more-or-less on par with a human's, Rumia still had a youkai's instincts. And among those was a fascination with shiny objects, especially treasure.

Rumia neared the gleaming weapon, unsure of what do with it. In all likelihood the metal would be too hot to touch. She would sear her hands before she even got close to pulling it out.

Rumia glanced around, looking for a tool she might use. Nothing. She looked back at the cross and slowly extended a hand, only to draw it back again.

What was she doing? Pretty or not, the sword wasn't even real. Even if she could get it out without scorching herself, what was she going to do? Cut her way out of the dream and Rin's mind and hope it somehow followed? Better to just forget it and move on.

Still…Rumia had been shown it for a reason. Even if she didn't fully understand anything she had seen, she probably shouldn't ignore something just because it didn't make immediate sense.

She extended her hand again. To her surprise, there was no increase of heat as she drew closer to the fire. Emboldened by this, she reached all the way and cautiously touched the pommel.

It was cool to the touch.

Rumia grinned. "Finally this weirdness is starting to work for me." With that, she gripped the handle with both hands and tugged. It slid free with ease.

With a wide grin, Rumia examined her new treasure. She'd like to see Yukari try to throw her off a cliff when she had this!

Then something caught her eye. Set between the arms of the cross-brace was a large round stone. It was perfectly smooth and deep shade of blue that was almost black. Inside was something she had first mistaken for a star-sparkle, such as she had seen in other stones, but upon further inspection she saw that it was the outline of an upside-down woman dressed in a robe with six wings extending from her back.

Rumia frowned and turned the sword around. No matter which way it was facing, the woman's outline remained pointing downward.

Huh, now that was weird. Rumia shook her head. She wished her dream would stop being so damned cryptic all the time. She was bright enough to get by in her chosen world, but all of these mind games were starting to give her a headache. Hell, just the idea of her having a surname was enough to put her in a state of shock.

She sighed and stood to her feet, the sword clutched in her hand. Well, it was time to move on. At least this segment wasn't nearly as freaky as the others had been, flaming device of horrendous execution notwithstanding. In fact, this time she had actually profited! If only the remaining time she spent here would be as pleasant.

Speaking of which, what was taking Rin so long? Rumia shrugged and started walking. She guessed that her memories were giving the Kirin girl more trouble than they expected. Well, it wasn't like anything else had been going their way as of late. She just hoped Rin would find a solution soon.

…

I really should have done this from the beginning, the Dark Voice said scornfully. Look at you! To think I was actually worried that you might have been able to stop me. All that time wasted for nothing.

It lashed out again, piercing through Rin's psyche with a long, thin wire, razor-sharp and ice-cold. Rin could only lie helplessly as her mind was shredded from the inside out.

You know, if I were capable of the emotion I think I would feel sorry for you. I don't think I can think one single thing that's gone right in your life. Hell, if you weren't such a pathetic coward I might just be able to summon up some pity. But no, you're going to die here as you've lived: a complete and utter failure, worthless in every way.

And it hit her again. And again. Rin could only rock with the blows as her shattered thoughts focused on a single name.

Reisen! she cried out. Reisen, Reisen, Reisen…

The attacks ceased. Aw, does it miss its mommy? The Dark Voice laughed. Does it want the bunny-girl to come and give it a hug and a cup of warm milk and make all the pain go away? Tooooooo baddddddd. Mommy's not coming to save you, kiddo. Not now, not ever.

Rin couldn't think of a response. She just kept repeating the same thing over and over.

…Reisen, Reisen, Reisen, Reisen…

In fact, you know what I think I'll do once I've disposed of you and retaken control of your body? I think I'm gonna head back to Eientei. I'm gonna find that bunny-girl of yours. And you know what I'm gonna do then?

…Reisen, Reisen, Reisen…huh?

First I'm going to walk up to her. I'll act all scared and timid-like. I'll use your voice. I'll start crying and acting real pitiful, saying I'm sorry and I miss her and love her and just want to come home again. I'll have picked through the scattered remains of your memories, so I'll know exactly what to say to worm into her heart.

Rin's physical body lay silent, as did her mind. Her right hand started to twitch.

And then, once she's won over and convinced that her little girl's finally come home, do you know what I'll do? Well, to be honest there's so many choices I'm not entirely sure yet! Maybe I'll just stab a stalk of bamboo right up her ass and wave her still-living body around like a flag. Maybe cut up her feet bit-by-bit and force her to eat it. Maybe I'll just rape her and enjoy the way her struggling body feels as warm flesh is consumed by the taint. Or hell, here's a classic: maybe I'll crucify her and set her on fire! People seem like that one a lot!

The spinning fragments of Rin's mind started to piece themselves together, slowly at first but steadily gaining speed. The searing pain began to recede and fade away. No, not fade away. It was still there, burning with the same intensity. But it was starting to change, to become a different sensation entirely.

Rage.

…

Rumia hadn't gone far before she found the next place she was supposed to go. She let out a groan of exasperation. It was another tent. This one wasn't nearly as big as the one her friends' doppelgangers had dragged her into. In fact, it was barely large enough for two people, and it was made from green silks rather than red-and-white fabrics. Still, a tent was a tent, and right now in Rumia's mind they were all the same. Over the entrance was a blue sign which proudly proclaimed that people could go inside to have FORTUNES TOLD.

"Ugh," Rumia said. Her face twisted into a grimace. "Great. More of this circus shit."

She looked down at her sword. A small smile tugged at her lips.

"Well, at least I've got my new toy here! The next person who tries to take my ticket or force me to put on a show's getting their head chopped off!"

Cheered by the thought, Rumia walked up to the entrance. "Whoever's in there, I'm warning you: I'm in a cranky mood and I got a really kick-ass sword! So I'd better not see anything annoying, weird, frustrating, or scary, got it?"

A low laugh was her response. But instead of a sinister cackle like she might have been suspecting, it was a sincere chuckle of amusement. "Got it," a rich, velvety voice said. "You may enter without fear."

Rumia frowned. Like just about everything she had experienced thus far, that voice was familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where she had heard it. "Okay, but you'd better keep that…Oh shit!"

The sword nearly fell from her hands. Rumia took a hesitant step backwards. "It's you," she whispered.

The inside of the tent was circular, with a round, wooden table sitting on a single leg at its center. A variety of different charms were hung from the roof by thread: bones, papers with strange symbols, stones and multicolored crystals that cast strange lights along the walls as they rotated.

But Rumia's attention was focused on the person who stood behind the table. Or rather, floated. From the waist up she appeared to be an attractive woman with flowing green hair and pale skin. She wore a blue and white robe, and a tall blue hat decorated with depictions of celestial bodies sat on her head. But she had apparently grown tired of her legs and had them replaced with a twisting tail of pale blue mist.

The creature known only as Mima smiled at Rumia. "Well, looks like you know who I am. I feel famous!"

Rumia stiffened. She held up her sword with both hands and waved it threateningly. "Stay back, or I'll…uh…"

Mima laughed. "Oh, you're so precious. Honey, I meant what I said. You have nothing to fear from me. I have no intention of harming you, scaring you, freaking you out or any of that other stuff you said for the duration of our session. Besides, even if I did, what did you intend to do with that oversized toothpick? Fan me to death?"

Rumia glanced down at the sword. She lowered it. "Uh, I guess. You…promise you won't do any of that stuff?"

"Of course. That would be bad business."

"How…I'm sorry, but you kinda have a…no offense, but people have told me that you're not exactly truthful. So, uh, how do I know…"

"Sweetie, this is your dream. Only you can answer that question." Mima gestured toward the chair across from her. "Sit."

Rumia hesitated, and then she took the seat. "Okay, but please don't go back on your promise. I'm having a pretty rotten day so far." She looked around. "So, uh, what happens now? Do we…have tea or what's going on?"

Mima shook her head. "Didn't you read the sign outside? You want tea, then go to a tea house. This is a place to have your future revealed."

Rumia's eyes widened. "My…future?"

"Of course. The sign did say FORTUNES TOLD. Honestly, what did you expect that meant?"

"I'm…not sure. But how can you tell me my future? I mean, you already told me that you know this is all a dream, right? I can get how my weird-ass past might pop up, but the future?"

"You'd be surprised," Mima said with a shrug and a smile. "This is no ordinary dream, after all. Reality here is already warped thanks to your Kirin friend's…unique mind. Plus, she's fiddling around with a lot of powerful magics. As a result, time here has been distorted, in both directions."

Rumia blinked. "Wait, how do you know all this? You're not even real!"

"Am I not? Perhaps so, but a lack of existence is no excuse for being ignorant."

"What-"

"And speaking of ignorance, you seem to be swimming in it. So should you really refused the opportunity to gain more information? Who knows, you might learn something useful."

"I…" Rumia shook her head. "Sorry, this is just so confusing."

"Most things are, when they happen. It is not until we have the advantage of hindsight that they make any sense. And by then it's usually too late."

"Well, that's…optimistic."

"Hmmm, at least you've kept your sense of humor. Shall I begin?"

Rumia shrugged. "Sure, I guess. Are you going to use a crystal ball or what?"

"Nothing so fancy." Mima passed her hand over the table's surface. Three cards appeared, face down.

Rumia groaned. "More cards. Great." Then she clapped her hand over her mouth when she realized who she was mouthing off.

For her part, Mima didn't seem to be offended by her rudeness. "I know. Don't look like much, do they? But sometimes it seems that the humblest of things can become the most significant, yourself being a prime example."

"Can…uh, can they really tell me what's going to happen? I mean, for real?"

Mima shrugged. "Nothing lost by trying. If nothing else, they can encourage you to look at a problem from a different viewpoint and gain a perspective that had never occurred to you. Now, we'll keep things simple. This is a three-card spread. One card for your past…"

Rumia's ears perked up immediately. "Wait, it can tell me my past too? The one I've been trying to find? Or just the one I've known?"

"Yes," Mima said.

"Yes, what? Yes, my missing past or just my regular past?"

"Exactly."

Rumia repressed the eye-roll she felt forming.

Mima continued. "After that, your present. In many ways, this is the most important, as your actions now decide what will happen. And finally, the final card reveals your eventual fate." She laid her hand on the first card. "Now, let's see how you've been behaving yourself."

With that, she turned it over.

On it was a picture of a young man walking along a cliff. Over his shoulder was a stick with a bag tied to the end.

"The Fool," Mima said.

Rumia scowled in indignation. "Hey!"

Mima waved off her protest. "It doesn't mean you're an idiot. More commonly, it symbolizes the beginning of a journey, someone who is setting forth without fully knowing or understanding the hardships that await them. And that's not a bad thing either, as it implies a certain amount of innocence. And to date, you've lived your life innocent of any excessive ordeals, correct? A silly mischief-maker, who's only concern was how to keep herself amused." Mima's half-smile returned. "In which case, I supposed the literal meaning of 'The Fool' would be quite appropriate."

With that, she turned over the second card. On this were several animals staring upward at the night sky, with the Moon staring down at them. "The Moon," Mima said. "It seems that your days of carefree mischief are over. Now you are lost and unsure of your path. You are without a reliable guide, and do not know where your steps will lead."

Rumia didn't say anything. That part was true enough.

With that, Mima overturned the third card. She hesitated for half a second before putting it all the way down. Rumia stared. On it was a hideous horned, hairy-legged monster. It sat perched on a post to which was chained a naked man and a naked woman. Over its forehead was a five-pointed star, upside-down.

"The Devil," Mima murmured. "The destroyer from within. Hmmm…"

"What? What? What's it mean?"

"Exactly what I just said. Something from within you" Mima reached over and poked Rumia in the chest "will rise up and take control. Something…crippling. Perverse. Perhaps even evil. Usually it signifies some sort of flaw that you are allowing to hold you back through inaction. But here in Gensokyo the evil could end up being quite literal. I would watch my step if I were you."

Rumia shook her head. "So…that's all you can tell me? That I'm lost? I knew that already. That I've got some sort of evil monster inside me? Is that what Rin was talking about? Or does it…Come on, give me something to work with here."

"I'm afraid that's it. If you find yourself disappointed then I'm sorry. However, if you were expecting the cards to spell out your path in detail, then perhaps you should consult a crystal-ball. If nothing else it's easier to wing." Mima passed her hands over the cards again, returning them to their face-down position. "But at any rate, this session is over. There are others that need my guidance."

Rumia looked around. "Who? I'm the only one here! Uh, I mean besides you of course."

"Perhaps, but this story is not about you alone. There are others that will be affected by what is to come." With that, Mima once again turned over the first card. "Hmmm, the Eight of Pentacles. The apprentice who desires to learn more. You have studied under a master but still for more knowledge. Ambitious, aren't you?"

Rumia looked around the otherwise empty tent. "Um, who are you talking to? I've never been anyone's apprentice. And Cirno doesn't count!"

Mima ignored her. "Ah. The Seven of Swords. It would seem that despite all the power you've accumulated, it isn't protecting you from the wiles of others. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that you are being betrayed, though not by someone you trust anyway. And now…Oh dear. The Ten of Swords? I'm sorry, but it looks like despite all that you do, it will all be for naught. Failure is your only option."

A slow shiver trickled down Rumia's back. Mima didn't even seem to know that she was there anymore.

"Well then, moving on." Mima once again reset the cards and started over. "The Empress. The creating spirit. And you've done quite a bit of that, haven't you? In addition, you are quite protective of what you've created. However, I would be careful of becoming overzealous. And now…Ah, there, you see? The inverted Hierophant. The false teacher. Except you aren't the one to take on a mentor, false or otherwise, are you? Well, I suppose this must mean you. Manipulative and deceptive. But is it for the greater good? A necessary evil? But unfortunately for you, you path leads to…Death. The end of an era. Depressing, isn't it?"

Rumia started to become aware that the lights inside the tent were started to dim, to the point that Mima was now enshrouded with shadow. However, her blue eyes continued to glow in the dark, until they were almost two floating spheres of cold flame.

"And as for you…The inverted High Priestess, the concealer of secrets. Are you keeping secrets to yourself, or has someone been keeping secrets from you? Or perhaps it is to be taking literally. After all, you're not exactly known for being vigilant about your job. And what's this? The Seven of Cups? And it's inverted as well! Looks like someone is getting a little fed up with deceptions and machinations! Good thing too, as this will lead to…The World. Not bad. Ascension to something greater."

What was going on here? Mima had specifically promised not to start acting creepy like everyone else had. But here she was, being creepier than Rin whenever she was trying to be nice.

Then two things Mima had said to her echoed in her mind.

I have no intention of harming you, scaring you, freaking you out or any of that other stuff you said for the duration of our session.

But at any rate, this session is over.

Oh. Crap.

Careful not to upset anything, Rumia slowly slid from her chair. Mima paid her no mind, content to continue flipping over the same three cards again and again, producing new results every time. She continued her readings in a low murmur, speaking to seemingly no one.

"The Fool inverted. You've had your naïveté taken advantage of, haven't you? Innocent to begin with, but that hasn't exactly turned out well."

Rumia cleared her throat. "Um, it looks like you're busy. So, uh, thanks for the prediction and all. I'm just…gonna leave you to your. Other. Customers? Is that okay?"

Mima paid her no mind. "Ah, you have a Ten of Swords as well. One wonders if things can possibly get any worse. I'd beware of asking that question, because it usually can."

Clutching her sword tightly, Rumia edged her way toward the silk-covered entrance to the tent.

"But all is not lost. For here we have the Hanged Man. Not as dismal as it appears. Look at the smile on his face. A sacrifice will be made, but it will be made gladly, and just might be beneficial toward you."

Enough of this. Rumia turned and ran from the tent, leaving the ghost alone with her cards and their meanings. Oblivious that her client had just left, Mima continued muttering readings, reading the fates of people who were not there.

…

Hmmm, I wonder what I should do with her after she expires. Skin her maybe? I don't know, sounds a little over the top if you ask me. What do you think? Should I…What are you doing?

Rin didn't answer. In fact, she couldn't even if she wanted to. All her concentration was focused on pulling the ragged bits of her psyche back into something that was at least functional.

The Dark Voice let out a low whistle. My gods, are you trying to get up? Don't tell me you're still trying to fight. Do the words 'resistance is futile' mean anything to you?

Enough damage had been repaired to allow for semi-coherent thought. The response Rin shot back lacked much in the way of subtlety, but the point was clear.

Wow, you really do have a foul mouth, don't you? the monster laughed. And hey, looks like you've finally decided to grow a backbone. About time too. Too bad I'm about to shatter it to pieces, but you get credit for trying. There was a rush of energy as it gathered its power together, ready for another strike. So this tragic tale has finally come to its tragic end. It was inevitable if you ask me. Any last words? Not that anyone'll ever hear them but hey, it's tradition.

Rin said nothing.

No? Just as well. Go out with dignity then. Sayonara, little girl.

Just before the Dark Voice struck, Rin used her remaining strength and will to bring up the best defense she could. It didn't stop the blow, but it was never intended to. Rather, it deflected it just enough so that it missed the core of Rin's being. Instead, it hit the dam holding back Rin's rage and cut right through.

Emotion is a funny thing. People believe they can control it, suppress it, hold it under. And under favorable circumstances, they can. To a degree. But it's impossible to get rid of. It's always there, lurking below the surface. Every experience adds to it, all those little triumphs and defeats, all of them making it all the stronger and more chaotic. And so people control to push it back down, covering it with reason and logic, hoping their minds would be enough to hold back the flood of passion that would drown them if it were ever to be loosed.

Sometimes it's possible. Those who've lived relatively normal lives, or at least lives free from excessive complication, can usually balance out the negative emotion with the good, keeping it in check. However, those who live under extremes find it to be much more difficult. Find someone who's known nothing but bliss and joy, someone who's lived their life ignorant of the world's hardships, and introduce them to real pain. Watch them collapse as thoughts and feelings they might never have thought themselves capable of rush up to consume them.

Likewise, find someone who has known nothing but pain and fear, someone who's lived their life devoid of happiness. Show them kindness, show them love. Show them that the world is not as bleak as they have thought it to be. Maybe they'll react with suspicion and hostility and bite the hand that feeds them. Maybe they'll weep tears of joy. But whatever the reaction, there will be little in the way emotional restraint.

Rin had lived such a life. She was not old. Perhaps she had lived a full set of years by how a human judges a lifespan, but according to a Kirin's calculations she was still a child. But even in her relatively short time she had known more pain, more fear, more anger and more frustration than many who had existed for centuries. And the Dark Voice had been right about one thing: she did always try to keep the worst of it in check, because she was afraid of what would happen were she to truly let loose.

However, the Dark Voice had hit her right where she had been keeping those emotions, holding them back. And as such, it got the full brunt when they came pouring out.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! it screamed as they poured into it like liquid fire. It tried to pull back, but there was nowhere to run. Rin couldn't stop the flow even if she wanted to. And after what the monster had said about Reisen, there was no chance she would be motivated to even try.

And so, her strength now powered by pure, unadulterated fury, Rin clamped down on the creature and refused to let go. It tried to lash out, but even it had a limit as to how much pain it could take. And now it was literally being burned alive.

If Rin could have, she would have started taunting the Dark Voice, letting it know exactly how she felt about what it was experiencing. However, all of her concentration was taken up by holding it place, so she remained silent and let it writhe in agony. Even when the fire began to burn her as well, she continued to hold on.

…

Rumia stopped running and looked around. It seemed that the tent had chosen not to cooperate with her desire to leave. The entrance had vanished, replaced with a seemingly unending passageway of blue silk. Ornate lanterns hung from overhead, providing her with enough light to illuminate her way, but not enough to see any kind of end.

With a shudder, she continued onward. The only other option was to go back, and her gut told her that doing so would not turn out well for her.

Then Rumia looked up and frowned. Through the thick folds of fabric, she could the winds begin to howl. Then thunder boomed from somewhere nearby, making her jump.

"Guess there's a storm going on," she muttered to no one in particular. "Hope it's nothing serious."

The lights flickered. For a moment she was worried that they might go out entirely, but they managed to remain lit.

"Okay, let's get out of here before the whole place collapses."

Rumia increased her pace, starting off at a jog but eventually escalated to a full run. She charged through the tunnel of blue silk, holding the sword out in front of her in exactly the sort of way she wasn't supposed to.

A strange howling filled her ears, like wind rushing through a canyon. Fear started to trickle through her veins. For some reason, she felt like something was following her. She stole a glance over her shoulder. The tunnel lay empty behind her, but this did nothing to calm her. If anything, it made her run all the faster.

Suddenly the tunnel opened up and her feet were slapping on cold stone instead of soft fabric. Rumia skidded to a stop and looked around. She had emerged in some sort of stone passageway. It was completely windowless and lit only by torches set in intervals along the walls. It reminded Rumia of the sort that one might see in castle basements.

Or dungeons.

The skin on the back of her neck started crawling. Rumia looked behind her and saw nothing more than a blank wall. Whatever entrance she had emerged from was long gone.

"Guess I'm stuck here," she whispered. "Okay then. Not cool."

That was when the sound of Mystia's sobs returned, echoing through the hallway. Rumia flinched at the unexpected noise.

"This again?" Rumia sucked in air between her teeth. "Okay, fine. Let's finish this quest already."

Biting her lower lip, Rumia cautiously made her way down the passageway, blade held at the ready. The sound was definitely coming from up ahead. Just a little closer, just a…

Rumia stopped in her tracks. She had come to a rectangular wooden doorway with iron hinges. Set in the upper half was a barred window. From the sound of things, Mystia (if it was her) was inside.

Rumia stood on her tippy-toes and peeked in. The room appeared to be some sort of laboratory. All along the walls were shelves and shelves of all sorts of things; books, scrolls, bottles of strange liquids, instruments of unknown purpose and design, boxes containing who-knows-what, even what appeared to be a full human skeleton, disassembled and spread over two of the shelves. In the center of the room was a flat stone table with several leather straps attached, presumably to keep whatever poor fool that had been unlucky enough to be experimented on in place. The place was dimly lit, with a dull grey light coming from an unseen source.

Rumia shuddered. Though this was (as far as she knew) the first time she had seen this room, it still sent spiders crawling up her spine, not too dissimilar to how Yukari made her feel. She didn't know if this was something from her past or her future, but she prayed it was the past. Though the idea that she had spent any time here was repugnant, it was better than the idea that she was going to have to go here in the future.

Mystia cried out again, louder this time. She was inside, there was no doubt about it. And now she was saying something, repeating a single phrase over and over.

"Die. Gone," she wept. "Die. Gone. Die. Gone."

What? Was she dying in there? Sure, Mystia's dream double had been incredibly annoying, but that didn't mean Rumia wanted her to die in a place like this.

But wasn't it all fake? It wasn't like this Mystia was a real person anyway. She was just doing whatever weird stuff the dream had programmed her to do. She couldn't feel any actual pain or actually die, because she hadn't been alive to begin with. And Rumia wasn't hero enough to go risking her life (or at least what peace of mind she had left) to save someone who didn't really need saving.

"Die. Gone. Die. Gone. Die. Gone."

Rumia rolled her eyes. "Damn it," she whispered. Then she seized the iron ring on the door's side and pulled back.

It didn't budge.

With a growl, Rumia dropped the sword and grabbed the ring with both hands. She braced one foot against the wall and yanked back as hard as she could.

It took all of her strength, but the door finally began to slide open with a groan. The iron hinges loudly protested the disturbance, but she managed to open a crack wide enough for her body. Rumia grabbed up her sword and squeezed through.

Doing her best to avoid touching the stone table, Rumia searched the room. It was just as dismal now that she was inside than it had been when she was observing it from without. "Mystia?" she said in a loud whisper. "Damn it, quit hiding! You're making this harder than-"

Then she saw her. Mystia was indeed in the room. She was sitting in one of the far corners, knees brought up and arms wrapped around something Rumia couldn't make out, something white. Her face was downward as she continued to weep as she repeated the same two words.

"Die. Gone. Die. Gone. Die. Gone."

Rumia slowly made her way over to the night-sparrow. "Mystia, what's wrong? Are you from the past or the future? Or is this a…I don't know, what's going on? What are you holding?"

Finally Mystia looked up to face her. Startled, Rumia sucked in air. This Mystia was most definitely not the one she had met at the tea party or in the circus. This Mystia had none of that infuriatingly smug emptiness that seemed to define her friends' doppelgangers. Rather, this Mystia looked like she had been through hell. Her face was filthy and bruised and streaked with tears. Her hair was disheveled and unwashed and missing its winged hat. Her clothing was likewise in need of a good laundress and seamstress. And the look on her face…

Rumia had never seen her like that before. Sure, there had been time when Mystia had gotten upset, but it wasn't like this. This was naked grief, pure and painful.

Rumia gulped. "Mysty," she whispered. "What happened?"

Mystia didn't answer her question. She just clutched the white thing closer to her chest and said, "Die. Gone."

"What does that mean? Who died? What's gone?"

"Die. Gone. Die is gone."

The room suddenly filled with a brilliant flash of light. Rumia cried out in surprise and covered her eyes. Her sword fell to the ground beside her, clattering against the stone.

When she was sure she could stand it, Rumia opened cracked open her eyes. Golden sunlight was pouring in through the doorway, lighting up the dreary laboratory.

"Wow," Rumia said in amazement. "When the Sun comes out, it comes out!" Then she frowned. "Unless of course it's not the sun and the place in on fire or something. That would go with the sort of day I'm having."

She glanced down. "Look, that's probably our cue to leave. You can fill me in later on what-"

She stopped talking. Mystia was gone. Vanished, as if she had dissolved in the sunlight.

Rumia stared at the now-empty space, unsure of how to react. On the one hand, having Mystia suddenly disappear was perfectly keeping with how this dream had been behaving. Her message, confusing and disturbing as it had been, had been delivered. Therefore, she had served her purpose and it was time to move on.

On the other hand, Rumia couldn't get her mind off of the expression on the night-sparrow's face. That look of anguish had been more real than anything else Rumia had encountered thus far. It troubled her to her core.

She took a steadying breath and looked around. Even in the sunlight, the strange laboratory still creeped her out. "Okay, I guess I'd better go." She shook her head and moved toward the door. "Rin, I don't know what the hell you're doing out there, but I've got a serious bone to pick with you. Whatever you've dug up better answer everything."

With that, she shoved her back against the door to open it further and stepped outside into the light.

…

Dying, it (something, he, her, me?) was dying, had to be fading away (off, like smoke. Like. Smoke), drifting into not(emptiness? Nonexistence? Hehehehe)hing.

Hurt. Yes, it was hurt. Everything hurt. She hurt, it hurt (what was it? Is it me or her or him or everyone?), they might or might not hurt, but it still was hurt. Everything was broken (smashed, ripped torn {to pieces [and bleeding!]). Could it be fixed?

Could?

It?

Be?

…fixed…?

It's not moving anymore. It's talking (speaking? Taunting). It's hurt too. Can't talk/think in a straight, straight line. W-w-wel-l-l-l. G-go-good job-ob. Y-you b-bb-beat the bb-b-bad guyyyy. B-bbuuutt-t-tt yo-you still l-l-l-loozzzz. Th…They'll n-never ac-c-cept you. Yo-ou'll b-be f-f-forev-ev-ever hun-hunted. No m-m-atter wh-what you d-d-do, y-you'll-

Nothing. Silence (quiet, all no longer speaking/thinking). Dead? Is it dead? Is I(t) dead? Dead and gone? Dead. Died. Dies. Die. Gone. Die. Gone. Diegone.

No (nothing), can't let. What? Nothing. Falling? May(be). R(a)ising? Don't wanna. Don't make m(h)e(r) get up Reisen, I want to sl(di)eep in!

Reisen? (R)e(i)se(n)? Reisen-ese=Rin, right? It must mean some(thing). Soemtihng. Must firuge it uot. Msut furige it…

...

Can I sleep now?

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

...

..

.

.

Well, damn. I can't use this mess. On to Plan E then.

Chapter Text

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…

The first thing Rumia noticed when she stepped outside was just how bright it was. Every place she had visited from the burned-out building on had been dimly lit, and her eyes were not ready for the excessive amount of light that awaited her. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered them with her hand. When she was sure that she could open her eyes without having them feel like they were melting, she slowly cracked them open, which led to the second thing she noticed.

She was outside again. And unlike the tea party or the tunnel-shaped forest, she was not back in those faux exterior sets. Nor was she in some strange field she had never seen before sharing company with burning instruments of torturous execution. No, this time she stood at the top of a short but steep grassy hill. The surrounding area was surprisingly peaceful, especially when one took into the account the sort of day Rumia was having. The top of the hill was sparely inhabited by the sort of gnarled trees with bent trunks and low-hanging branches that practically begged children to climb them. At the bottom was a healthy-looking meadow, dotted with patches of wildflowers and large stones that had been stacked in large piles. The sun shone cheerfully overhead, and the air filled with the cries of cicadas.

Also, unlike the areas she had visited thus far, Rumia knew this place. She knew it very well. She and her friends played here often, chasing each other through the meadow, pretending the stone piles were indestructible fortresses as they made war upon one another and rolling down the hill (well, at least most of them did. Daiyousei downright refused to participate in rolling of any kind after that one time Cirno had snuck up behind her and pushed her down the hill's slope, resulting in a broken wing). In fact, it was located only a few short kilometers from their hideout in the side of the Youkai Mountains, which technically made it part of their "territory".

Frankly, Rumia wasn't sure how to react. On the one hand, it felt good to be back in a place she knew and was comfortable in. As far as she could tell, it was exactly like the original. But on the other hand, she was now very suspicious of anything this dream presented her. She didn't want to have a place she actually liked to be corrupted by some sadistic turn in events.

Her eyes swept over the meadow, looking for any sign of weirdness. At first it seemed like there was nothing. Just grass and flowers waving in the wind. Rumia started to relax.

Then her spine stiffened. Her eyes narrowed. She had caught movement.

There, in the center of the field, was a person. They had been hunched over and been mostly concealed by the grass, which is why Rumia hadn't seen them at first. But now they had straightened up. They were wearing a robe woven from the blackest midnight. It was completely formless and perfectly concealed their body. The hood of the robe was pulled up over their head, hiding their face from Rumia as well. In their hands was a wooden-handled shovel. From the look of things, they were busily digging a hole.

Rumia licked her lips as she looked around nervously. Everything she had learned from stories combined with plain common sense told her that approaching strange black-robed people was a bad idea. People generally didn't wear such outfits unless there was something weird about them. Especially if they were by themselves, digging holes. And given the sort of dream she was having, the chances of the stranger having malevolent intentions only increased. Unfortunately, so did the odds of something showing up and forcing her to go and meet them.

Rumia looked down at her sword and frowned. Maybe she should just cut to the chase and cut their head off. She had been given this weapon for a reason. Would it work? Would the dream even let her attack? And if she was successful (and that was a big "if"), who's to say that she wouldn't make things worse? For all she knew that person held the final clues she needed.

Of course, it was quite possible that the hole was intended for Rumia herself. In which case approaching them would be a very bad idea.

As she turned the problem over in her head, Rumia's eyes wandered up the hill's slope. Then her eyes widened. There was a third person with them. There, sitting in the shade of the climbing trees, was what appeared to be a girl with her back against one of the trees. She had her hands in her lap and was watching the robed stranger.

Rumia glanced from one stranger to the other, wondering which person she should approach first. Well, the girl was closer than the robed stranger and much less threatening looking. Plus, she seemed to be unarmed, though that really didn't count for much in Gensokyo. Still…

Rumia cautiously made her way toward the girl. As she drew closer, she could make out more and more of the girl's features. She looked young, roughly around Rumia's age. She wore a simple red dress with a thin, pale pink open robe over that. In her short hair was a large red bow from which dangled large red beads.

Wait a minute. Rumia slowed to a stop. She tilted her head and frowned. There was something familiar about that girl. Something very familiar…

Then her head jerked backed. Her eyes narrowed and her teeth bared. She knew that girl all right. Oh yes, she knew her. And she had one hell of a bone to pick with her.

Her grip on the sword tightening, Rumia stomped over to where the girl sat. "Hey!" she called. "Hey, you! Rin! Rin Satsuki!"

Rin Satsuki, fully clothed for the first time since Rumia had involuntarily been introduced to her, looked up to her and smiled. "Rumia!" she said happily. "Hey, you made it! I was wondering when-"

The rest of her greeting was prematurely cut off when Rumia smacked her in the nose with the sword's pommel.

Rin fell to her side, clutching at her face and wincing in pain. "Owwwwww!" she shouted. "Why'z youse dooz dat fur?"

It was all Rumia could do not to hit her again. "That was for sending me on a weird-ass journey through dreamland! And for not pulling me out when I told you to!" she shouted down at the Kirin. "And come to think of it, I still owe you for eating me without permission and ruining my life!"

Rin pulled her hand away from her face and flinched when she saw the blood. She pulled a white linen handkerchief from her robe and pressed it against the bleeding nostril. "Ogay, ogay, I'm sowwy alweady! No need do hwit me!"

"Oh, I can think of plenty of reasons!" Rumia snapped. "And what the hell are you doing down here anyway? You're supposed to be trying to figure out what's in my memories! What, did you get bored and decide to go for a walk in my subconscious or something?"

Rin made a huock! noise from the back of her throat and spat out a gob of mucus and blood. She sniffed. "Um, yeah. About that…"

"About what?" Rumia demanded. "I swear to everyone worth swearing to, if you've got some lame-ass excuse for being down here I'm gonna take this sword and shove it right up your…" Her voice trailed off when something occurred to her. "Wait…wait, wait, wait, you're the real Rin, right? Please tell me you're the real Rin."

Rin looked down. "Uh, what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Don't give me that! Gods, what is it with people and not giving me a straight answer? Are. You. The. Crazy-ass, freaky-weird blobby girl-thing who ate me?"

"Er, not really?"

"Rin!"

Rin sighed. She straightened to her feet, handkerchief still held over her nose. "Okay, fine. No."

"So you're a fake then?"

"Hey!"

"I'm serious. You're just something my subconscious thingy cooked up? Another fake person sent to talk nonsense and piss me off?"

Rin scowled. "Look, just because I'm a dream doesn't mean I don't have feelings."

"Uh, it kinda does? What are you doing here, anyway? You're not a part of my past. At least I sure hope not."

"I…uh, well. I'm…not really sure," Rin admitted.

"You're not sure?"

"Yeah. To be honest, I don't think I'm supposed to be here." She looked around at the trees surrounding them. "Maybe I'm a piece of the real Rin that…got stuck here? And was turned into a full Rin? I don't know, I just sorta popped up here and no one bothered to tell me why."

Rumia stared at her. "May I hit you again? Because right now I really, really want to hit you."

"Heck no!" Rin shouted as she jumped half a step back. "That hurt!"

"So…if you're not the real Rin or…whatever the hell you are, where is the real Rin? Why didn't she take me out when I called? Or do you not know about that either?"

"Oh. That." Rin stared down at the grass. "Um, I sorta do know something about that. Which is why I think I may be part of the original Rin, because otherwise how could I-"

"Stop it!"

"Right, sorry. Anyway, about that. See, the thing is…" Rin gnawed on her lower lip. "She's kinda dead."

Silence fell. Well, to be strictly accurate, it wasn't complete silence. The breeze continued to blow, the leaves continued to rustle and the cicadas continued to chatter. But insofar as the two youkai girls were considered, there was nary a peep to be heard.

Rumia stared at Rin, neither blinking nor changing the rhythm of her breathing. Rin shifted her weight from one foot to the other. She removed the handkerchief, sniffed, and pressed the opposite corner to her nostril.

Then finally, Rumia spoke.

"Huh?"

…

.

.

.

.

..

…

Rin fell backward, tripping over a tree root as she tried to scramble away.

"Rumia, knock it off!" she shouted. "It's not my fault!"

It should be noted that Rumia was not in much of a listening mood. Rather, she lunged for Rin again, with the intention of grabbing her by the collar and swinging her spine-first into the closest tree trunk available.

Rin rolled out of the way and hopped to her feet. "Seriously, stop it! Calm down al-Gack!"

Rumia had succeeded in catching the fleeing Kirin and made good on her intentions of introducing her back to wood. "What do you mean you're dead?" Rumia screamed in Rin's face. "How could you be dead? That's impossible! You were fine just a few minutes ago!"

Rin grimaced as her face was pelted with saliva. "Put me down and I'll tell you, okay?"

Rumia's arms were starting to shake but she acquiesced, giving Rin a rough shove in the process. Rin landed on her butt with a wince and an "Ow!" She started to pull herself up but found herself staring up at a very angry Rumia.

"Talk," Rumia growled.

Rin cringed back. "Okay, but can you not hover over me like that? Because it's kinda-"

Rumia nudged her toe under the hilt of her sword, which she had dropped to free both hands. She kicked it up to her waiting grasp.

"-or you could stay right where you are, perfectly fine with me." Rin grimaced. "Wow, this day just keeps getting better and better."

"Oh, you don't know the half of it. Now, start talking already."

"Um, okay. It's like this: remember that evil deep voice that I…uh, she said was whispering to her when you were gone, the one that sounded like a psycho-you? The one that disappeared right after?"

"Yes."

"Well, uh, she found it. In your memories."

Rumia rested the blade in her other hand. Her fingers started to drum a rhythm against the steel of its side. "Explain."

"S-sure. Where'd you find that thing, anyway? Because it kinda looks like-"

"Rin…"

The Kirin flinched. "Okay, okay! Anyway, she was busy trying to pick apart your repressed memories when it jumped out of nowhere and attacked her."

Rumia raised an eyebrow. "Attacked her?"

Rin nodded. She looked down at her feet. "Yeah…"

"And it killed her?"

"Well, her mind was torn to pieces and she stopped thinking right after, so I'm pretty sure she's dead, yeah." Rin shook her head. "I mean, she got in a few good hits, and I'm pretty sure she took it down with her, but-"

"You're lying."

"Eh?"

"You're lying. You have to be. This is just more dream-bullshit meant to mess with my mind. You're just trying to confuse me. More."

Rin's head snapped up. For the first time, there was a flash of anger in her eyes. "I felt it happen!" she snapped. "Don't tell me it didn't happen, because it did!"

Rumia stared. "You're serious."

"I am! Jeez, why do we have to go through every time?"

"Rin is dead. For reals."

"Yes! For reals for reals."

Rumia suddenly found herself on her butt as well. Strange, because she had made no conscious decision to sit down. Her mind was whirling with the implications of what she just been told. And she had no idea how to feel about it.

She didn't like Rin. There were no surprises there. The girl was weird, unreliable and annoying. When she wasn't babbling in circles and making things more confusing, she was being casually terrifying and completely oblivious about it. Plus, there were all those stupid games she liked the play "to pass the time". And that wasn't even touching on the bit Rumia had mentioned earlier about the fact that the Kirin had, for all intents and purposes, ruined her life.

But still, like it or not Rin was her only ticket out of here. She was the one who had sent Rumia to this place and as far as she knew, she was the only person who could bring her out. Also, Rin had been right when she had said that she was Rumia's best chance for survival. Desperate situations made for strange bedfellows, and being hunted by virtual (and in some cases, literal) gods was about as desperate as things got. Rin had indestructibility three times over. Rumia…didn't.

Plus, as much as she hated to admit it, Rumia had been starting to get used to her.

In a low monotone, she said, "She has Miss Kaguya and Miss Mokou's power. She can come back."

Rin shuddered. "Maybe. Wow, I sure hope so."

"What does this mean for me?"

Rin shrugged and shook her head. "Sorry, I have no idea. All I know is that her mind was shutting down, and suddenly I was here, waiting for you."

Rumia inhaled through her nose and let it out through her mouth. Then she moved her body around so that she was sitting next to Rin, back against the tree and eyes staring down at the meadow below. The robed stranger was still busy with their hole and making good progress. From the look of things, it was almost a full meter deep.

They just sat there for a long while, listening to the wind and watching the stranger dig. Then Rumia said, "So, what happens now?"

"Now?" Rin sighed and stretched out her legs. "I dunno. I guess wait and hope you're right about the rest of me coming back. If not…well, at least this place is nice. And it looks like your home."

Rumia's eyes narrowed and grew cold. "I don't want to get stuck in someplace that looks like home. I want to go to my real home."

"I hear yah," Rin said softly.

"Besides, I was talking about here. Inside the dream. Is this it? Or is there any more?"

Rin shook her head. "Uh, I don't know. Maybe you should ask her." She pointed down the hill toward the robed stranger.

"That's a her?" Rumia said. "How can you tell? Did you talk to her?"

"No way. I mean, she's wearing a big black scary robe! Haven't you read any fantasy stories at all? But yeah, she moves like a woman, so…"

"Okay, but now you want me to go talk to the scary robe lady?"

"Good point," Rin admitted. "But I'm not seeing much of a choice here. I mean, you came for answers, right? And she might have them."

"I hate you sometimes," Rumia muttered. She stood up. "Well, fine. I'll go talk to the creepy lady with a shovel. It's not like I'm learning anything useful from you."

"You mean besides the thing about the real Rin dying."

"Still might be fake, so that doesn't count. See yah."

Rumia started down the hill, half walking, half scooting her way down the steep incline.

"Wait," Rin said.

Rumia turned around. "Oh, what is it now? And please, make it good."

"There actually is something important I need to tell you, something that just came to me."

"Oh?" Rumia raised a questioning eyebrow.

"But it's not something about your past. Still have no idea about that. But anyway…"

Rin looked Rumia directly in the eye. "One day, when all of this is over, for good or evil, you and I will end up sitting on this hill again. And I'll ask you to do something, something that's harder than anything you've ever done. And you need to do it."

Rumia's jaw dropped. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You…you think you can just show up without explanation, claim to be dead, tell me jack-shit about what I want to know, and then go spouting off random predictions like you're some kind of drugged-out oracle? Where do you get off, you-"

Rumia shut up. She was yelling at empty space. Rin was gone. Rumia stared at the place she had been and considered whether or not a tantrum of some kind was warranted. Maybe test just how realistic this new setting was and see if she could uproot a few trees and use them like a pair of clappers.

"Screw it," Rumia muttered. She resumed her descent. "And while we're at it, screw her too. I'm adding the real one to my 'Need to Punch for Real' list."

…

..

..

..

..

...

…

Rumia slowly made her way down the hill, using small shrubs for support and digging her heels into the hillside when necessary. Finally she reached the bottom. Over in the meadow, the strange woman paid her no heed, content to focus on her rapidly deepening hole.

"Well, here goes," Rumia said. Then she set off towards the woman.

When she got close enough to communicate without shouting, Rumia cleared her throat and said, "Um, excuse me? Hello?"

The sound of metal scraping against dirt ceased. The woman straightened up and turned to look at her. Rumia couldn't make out much of her face, but what she could see made her shudder. The woman's skin was a sickly shade of purplish-pink, and her chin was mottled with blisters. It looked like she had been horribly burned and had only begun to recover.

Now more than ever Rumia decided to not take any chances. She made sure to keep a good distance between her and the hole and held her sword at the ready.

"Oh," said the woman in a bored voice. "It's you. Figures." She looked back down to her hole. "Go away."

"What?"

"You heard me. Go away. Scram. Beat it. Vamoose. Get lost. Return from whence you came. Getting the picture?"

Rumia blinked. She had seen plenty of strange things the last few minutes, but never had anyone outright refused to talk to her. "But…I can't! The door's gone, and I-"

"Oh, the door's gone, the door's gone," the woman mocked. "Big deal. See all this open space? Looks big, don't it? Pick a direction and keep going."

"Look, I don't know who you are, but I've been through too much to just stop trying now. This dream led me here, so-"

"Oh, did it? And are you sure you wanna keep riding this cart? I'm offering you a chance to get off."

Rumia thought for a moment. She shook her head. "No, I'm not giving up now."

"No, of course you wouldn't," the woman grumbled. She looked up again, though her cowl still obscured her features. "Look, small fry, I don't have time to-"

Then the woman stiffened. She leaned in closer. "Where," she said, the word coming out in a low hiss. "Did you get that?"

She pointed at Rumia's right hand. Rumia glanced down. "What, this sword? I found it. Why?"

"Found it. You just found it. Where?"

"Uh…Earlier in my dream. There was this big old field thing, and there was this cross-"

"A cross?" the woman said sharply. "Did you say there was a cross in a field? Was it on fire?"

"Uh, yeah actually. Why?"

"And the sword? Where was the sword?"

"Stuck in the cross, where the foot-nail should be. Why, does it mean something?"

"Perhaps," the woman muttered. "I'm not sure. The sword obviously allowed you to hold it. I wonder…" She shook her head. "Well then, I suppose we're overdue for a conversation."

Rumia perked up. "Really?"

"Yes. But I still have some work to do. So long as you're here, make yourself useful."

She pointed toward the pile of dirt and uprooted foliage that sat next to her hole. Lying on the ground next to the pile was another shovel, identical to her own.

Rumia blinked. "You…want me to help you dig?"

The woman moved her head in a manner that suggested that she was rolling her eyes. "No, I want you to hop around on it like a pogo-stick. Come on girl, snap to it."

Rumia of course had no intention of joining the woman in the hole. That would just be stupid. No, better to stay here, a safe distance away, so that if the woman made any threatening moves, she would have enough time to swing her sword and…

Rumia looked down. To her surprise, in her hands where her kick-ass sword had been was now the wooden handle of a shovel. Furthermore, she was no longer standing a safe distance away. Quite the contrary, she was now standing in the hole directly next to the woman. And the sword in question was sticking blade-first into the pile of dirt.

Now, when had that happened?

"I won't get any deeper by you just standing there," the woman said. "Unless you hope your stench will erode it away."

Rumia quickly jammed the shovel blade into the earth at her feet. She pushed it in with her foot, grunted as she pulled up a decent amount and tossed it into the pile.

"So…" she said. "What are we digging for?"

The woman glanced at her. Rumia expected her to snap at her again, but instead she just shrugged and said, "The way down."

"The way down?" Rumia asked curiously. "You mean the way out? Out of this dream?"

"No. Down."

"Ah. Okay. Well, uh, you're definitely going in the right direction. Down, I mean. You're definitely headed downward. No one would mistake this for going up, right?"

The woman returned to her work. "Is semantics really what you wanted to discuss? Don't babble on unnecessarily."

Rumia flinched. "Oh. Sorry."

Despite the woman's promise of a conversation, the next couple of minutes passed in silence. As she pulled out shovelful after shovelful of dirt, Rumia wondered why she was even going along with this. This is ridiculous, she thought to herself. It's getting me nowhere. I should be asking questions, not looking for her lost bone or whatever. Still, something compelled her to keep on digging. It just felt like the thing to do.

She stole a look at her impatient companion. Now that Rumia had stopped talking, the robed woman appeared to be ignoring her. Despite this (or was it because of it?), Rumia found herself growing steadily more or more uncomfortable. It wasn't just the reprimand or the oddness of the situation, it was something about the woman herself. Like just about everything else Rumia had encountered today, there was a feeling of horrible familiarity about her, something Rumia just couldn't identify. It was as if Rumia had been greatly terrified by this woman sometime when she had been younger but could no longer remember exactly when.

What's wrong with you? Rumia thought in disgust. Come on, you faced down Miss Yukari! Sorta. And she ended up throwing you off a big-ass column, but the point still stands!

"So," the woman said suddenly. "Word has reached mine ears that you are on something of a quest. Trying to piece together details of your spotty past. Am I right?"

"U-um, yesss…"

"Had a bit of a rough time with it, haven't you?"

Rumia inhaled and slowly let it out. "Yeah. Had everything from inside-out rooms to creepy festivals to getting thrown from like a hundred feet up to way too many cards."

"Huh. Sounds annoying."

"Yeah," Rumia said with a nod. "So…Uh, sorry, but I need to ask: I'm kinda running out of options here. Is there…anything you can tell me to help?"

The woman paused. She stuck her shovel-blade into the earth and leaned against the handle while she thought. One gloved finger idly rubbed one of the blisters on her chin. "Well, that's an interesting question. Help you? Mayhap, mayhap not. It all depends."

"On what?"

"On what kind of help you're looking for. Help in escaping from this dream? 'Fraid not, kid. I intend to only go deeper. Help in cutting your way out of what's left of Satsuki and going home again? Again, no luck there. But if you want help in understanding who you were …Well, maybe there is something I can do about that."

Rumia felt a brief flutter of hope. "Really?"

"Sure. No one knows you better, actually. But first, there's something you need to answer for me first: why?"

The question caught Rumia off-guard. "What?"

"You heard me. Why is it so important that you find what you're looking for? You were perfectly happy living in ignorance. Why spoil that with something you might regret learning?"

"Uh, because people are trying to kill me over it and I wanna find out why!"

"So it's self-preservation that motivates you? Fine."

The woman straightened. She extended her arm and pointed toward the horizon. Off in the distance, the hump of the Youkai Mountain could be seen.

"At the foot of that mountain you'll find a series of caverns identical to the ones that you and the rest of the little vermin have been infesting, right down to the last strip of salvaged linen. I suggest you head over there immediately and make yourself at home. The rest of the vermin should show up sooner or later as well, acting exactly as you remember. Forget this stupid mission, forget Rin Satsuki, forget the mess of the world you left behind and reclaim your life. Hide forever deep within your own mind. You won't be able to tell the difference, promise."

Rumia stared at her. "B-but it wouldn't be real, it'll be fake-"

"Not real? Fake?" The woman laughed. "Big deal. So are you."

"Say what?"

"You're not real," the woman said in an almost conversational tone. "You barely even exist. You're an empty shell that somehow got the idea that you should have a life of your own. You're a shadow of…No, check that. Don't want to insult the shadows, after all."

Rumia could scarcely believe what she was hearing. "What the hell are you-"

"You're a speck of ash, blowing from the burning remains of a great city. You're a filth-filled latrine placed over the foundations of a once magnificent mansion."

Okay, so the freakshow had begun. Rumia slowly laid her shovel against the wall of the hole and inched her hand toward her sword.

"You're a punctuation mark in a footnote of the greatest story ever told. You're nothing, you getting this? You. Are. Nothing!"

Rumia's hands grabbed at empty air. Surprised, she saw that the sword no longer occupied the mound of dirt. She turned back to the woman.

The woman balanced the sword on one hand, resting the arms of the cross-grip on two mangled fingers with the blade sitting between them, pointing down.

"Looking for this?" she asked. She flipped the sword upward and caught the grip in her hand. "Okay, so maybe you're not so worthless after all. You at least make a good delivery girl."

…

...

...

...

...

...

…

Rumia was out of the hole so quickly that she couldn't remember making the conscious decision to jump. All she knew was an intense feeling of alarm, and the next moment she was seven feet up and twenty feet away.

She wobbled a bit but managed to steady herself. Oh, hey. I can fly again. Cool.

She looked toward the hole. The robed woman still stood within, holding Rumia's sword and watching the young youkai with manner that suggested amusement. That…wasn't cool.

"Oh, come on" the woman asked. "Don't be like that. I'm not going to hurt you."

Rumia brought up her hands. "Stay away!"

The woman laughed. "I'm not going anywhere." She held out a hand and crooked a finger.

Rumia's arms were suddenly thrust to either side of her and her entire body stiffened up completely.

And then she was rushing forward, heading straight for the woman at breakneck speed. Rumia couldn't even form enough thought to scream.

The woman held up a palm, and Rumia came to a sudden stop in midair.

Rumia tried to move her body, but found that she couldn't. At least not from the neck-down. Her head and mouth still had mobility at least.

Oh no, she thought in despair. It's like that whole thing with Rin all over again.

"Seriously, calm down. I have no intention of hurting you. Doing so would be counter to my intentions anyway."

Rumia stared down at her. "So you say I'm worthless and then freeze me up?" she shouted. "Sorry, but that looked like all kinds of malice right there! And what do you mean, 'Your intentions'? Aren't you just another part of my dream?"

The woman shook her head, tsking under her breath. "I never said that you're worthless; I said that you're nothing. There's a difference. And no, I'm not part of your dream."

Rumia felt ice water flow through her veins. "You're…not?"

The woman's scarred lips, the only real part of her face Rumia could see, parted in a mirthless smile. "No, I'm not. I'm not even supposed to be in here. Had I not arrived, you would have likely traveled for an even longer of confusing sequences. So say 'Thank you'."

Rumia wasn't feeling very thankful. "So, who are you then? Are you like me from the future? Because Miss Mima said that time's all weird and twisted here, so…"

The woman shook her head. "No, I can honestly say that you will never become me."

"My past then? Are you someone from my past? Are you-" Rumia let out a small gasp as a horrible though occurred to her. "Wait, you're not…my mother are you?"

Rumia's question resulted in a sudden bout of surprised laughter. The woman wrapped her arms around her stomach as she doubled over.

"What?" the woman gasped out between guffaws. "Your…mother? Wow, I…guess I am in a way." Still chuckling, she straightened up and brushed away what were probably tears of mirth from under her hood. "Never really thought about it like that before."

Rumia was starting to feel dizzy. "Wait, you mean you are?"

"In a matter of speaking." The woman shrugged. "Though not in the way you're thinking. But I suppose I did unintentionally give birth to your existence, as insignificant as it may be."

"What does that even mean?" Rumia demanded. She was now completely fed up with it all. Fed up with mysteries, fed up with being denied answers, fed up with confusion, fed up with everything. "Who are you? Tell-" Then she had a sudden flash of insight. Her eyes widened and throat constricted. It suddenly became difficult to breathe.

"W-w-wait a minute…" she stuttered. "You're not…the past me, are you? That Evil Rumia Miss Marisa mentioned in that memory? The one everyone's so frightened of?"

The woman stood still for a moment. Then she slowly and laboriously pulled herself out of the hole. Once she was out, she reached up and pulled the hood away from her face.

Rumia felt a surge of disgust well up from within. The woman's face was hideous. The damage she had managed to glimpse thus was only a small fraction of the tortured waste she saw now. Hair had been burned away in clumps, leaving a few feathery threads of varying lengths sticking out of her skull. Blisters rose up from all over, with one especially thick clump over her left eyebrow, or at least where it would have been had not both eyebrows been burned away. Several white scars slashed their way over her visage, standing in stark contrast to the sickly purple of her skin.

But even with the incredible amount of damage, there were no mistaking those round, scarlet eyes, eyes that were completely identical to Rumia's own.

"Well, I'll say this about you," the ruined woman said as she tugged at the loose collar of her robe. "You're slow as all hell, thick as an oni's skull."

The robe fell away, revealing a body that was just was as burnt and twisted as her face, covered by the torn remains of a sleeveless black dress. Still, even with the extensive damage, Rumia knew it instantly. The huge leathery wings that were now slowly stretching out from the woman's shoulder-blades were a tip-off, but even so there was no mistaking it: it was her nightmare self, the one she had seen in the Funhouse's mirror.

The woman smiled. "But given enough time, you catch on."

…

...

...

...wha-

…

Her body locked and frozen in place, Rumia could only watch helplessly as her nightmare self slowly walked around her. She casually twirled the sword between her talons, spinning it around in slow, lazy arcs.

"I have to admit, I was wondering when you would figure it out," the Other Rumia said in a conversational tone. Her voice had changed in an obvious way. Before it had been somewhat generic and unforgettable. Now it was very similar to Rumia's own, only much more sinister. "I mean, you waltzed right through memory lane, my memory lane I might add, and all you did was whine, whine, whine. 'Oh, everything is so confusing, why won't anyone just tell me what's going on, I'm so annoyed, oh, oh, oh'. Good fucking gods, you had everything short of a flashing sign in big neon letters, and it took you this long to start putting two and two together?"

The Other Rumia stopped her pacing and stood in front of Rumia. "Well, come on. You've just the revelation of a lifetime, haven't you? It's not every day someone is presented with an opportunity of this level. Surely you must have something to say?"

Rumia gulped. "Ri-R-R…"

"Yes, yes, very good. We have an 'R'. Now, where's the rest of it?"

"R-Rin was right, w-w-wasn't s-s-s-she?" Rumia squeaked. "About you. I mean me. I mean…you-you're that evil voice that was talking to her, making her try to k-k-kill people." If it were possible, Rumia would start feeling even colder now. "And you k-killed her as, as, as well."

"Got that straight. Whiny little bitch didn't have the sense not to pry into areas that didn't concern her. Thought I'd teach her a lesson. Maybe even wrench control of this whole ridiculous whatever it is away from her again." She ran her talons down on ruined cheek and smiled. "Unfortunately, she made a better showing than I expected. Credit where credit's due. That was impressive."

Rumia's jaw dropped. "Rin did that to you?"

"Yup. Beautiful, ain't it? Went and torched herself in the process, but hey, she tried. Nearly took me down with her too. Fortunately, I'm just a little bit harder to kill than she is. It's not the first time I've been burned alive, after all." The Other Rumia shrugged. "'Course, it probably won't be long before the powers she got from those two freaks kicks in and she's back in business, but I think we still a little time." She turned to look at the partially dug hole. "Pity she went and burned away all the work I've made on her mind, but there's more than one way to vivisect a cat."

"Wh-what?"

"Don't worry about it, none of your concern."

"But what are you?" Rumia screamed. "How can you be me? How can I have even been anything like-"

"You just don't get it, do you?" The Other Rumia shook her head pityingly. "You're not me, not really. After that bitch Yukari and her cronies finished ripping apart my mind and sealing off my strength, the body still lived. Of course, it was all just pure, animal instinct to begin with, but over time it started to develop something resembling intelligence, small as it was. Enter you."

Rumia felt like vomiting. Is that all she was? An accident? A sort of secondary mind that formed in the shell of a monster?

"But you know what really irks me?" the Other Rumia said. "That your creation is probably more than just an unfortunate side-effect. I wouldn't be surprised if that bitch Yukari did it on purpose, just as a final insult to my memory. Leave nothing of her onetime arch-nemesis except a weak, stupid little slip of a girl who can't even use her own powers properly. Bet she thought the real me was gone for good, wiped away by that green-haired ghost's spells. She of all people should have known that nothing is ever gone for good."

The Other Rumia got a faraway look in her eye. "I can't tell you what is was like, being nothing more than a shattered mind. I didn't even a real consciousness. Just a bunch of fragments, floating around in the back of your mind. It took years for them to slowly come together again. And even when my awareness began to reappear, I was still too weak to do anything. I'm tied to my power, you see. And so long as that damned ribbon was in place, I couldn't even whisper to your dreams."

"My…ribbon?"

"Yep. Clever use of fashion, I must admit. Disguising a powerful sealing spell as a hair ornament. Of course, once it was gone and Satsuki started using my powers, then there was nothing stopping me from coming back." The Other Rumia shrugged. "Of course, I was a bit…overeager at first. Probably should've been a little more subtle when working on the Satsuki girl, but hey, spilled milk and all that."

The Other Rumia headed back toward her hole. "And when I get done here, it won't even matter anymore. Anyway, I've monologued long enough and the clock's ticking. So if you'll excuse me…"

"No, wait!" Rumia screamed. "What's this all about? Why didn't anyone ever tell me? Why did they let me go? Where did you come from, why are trying to kill everyone, why…Who are you?"

"What, wasn't all that enough for you?" The Other Rumia chuckled. She turned around again and strolled right up to Rumia. She reached up with her twisted talons and lightly brushed the tips against Rumia's cheek.

"Isn't it enough to know that you were born from the shattered remains of the greatest terror ever to walk the dust of Gensokyo?" The Other Rumia purred. Her hand slipped down to caress Rumia's neck.

Rumia grimaced and tried to pull away from the touch. "Wait, stop-"

"Isn't it enough to comprehend the entirety of your pointlessness in this world? That the threat to your life is simply reflective of your status as a scapegoat?" The Other Rumia's hand moved even lower to run up and down Rumia's thigh. "No other purpose than to take the penalty for my sins. Delicious irony, isn't it?"

"I don't-"

The Other Rumia pressed herself uncomfortably close. "Of course you don't. I'm surprised you're even capable of understanding language, much less comprehending your place in this world. But getting back to your question: if it's an introduction if you want, then I suppose I have the time to indulge you. After all, it's not like you'll remember any of this anyway."

Rumia gaped. "Wait, what?"

"You really didn't think I'd let you just stroll off and report back to Satsuki that I survived? The last thing I need is for that girl to start hunting me down again. As far as you'll be concerned, you stepped through that door and ended back at that silly tea party."

"But you can't!"

"Oh, I can. We're connected, remember? And you're no longer delving into the depths of your subconscious. You're in my world, Rumia. I can do whatever I want to you." The Other Rumia laughed when she saw the look on Rumia's face. "Oh, don't worry. I've left the bulk of your journey intact. Hell, it might send little Rin after Yukari. Revenge by proxy isn't as satisfying as doing it yourself, but hey, let's be practical. Now then…"

She stepped away from Rumia and spread her arms to either side. The meadow began to darken. Rumia looked up and saw that the once clear sky was now being blotted out by storm clouds. Lightning flashed without thunder.

She looked down again and inhaled sharply. The meadow was dying. All around her the grass and wildflowers were wilting away, blackening right down to their roots. An icy wind picked up, biting right through her clothes and chilling her to her bone.

The Other Rumia seemed not to notice. Her arms remained stiffly outstretched and her eyes pointing upward. The wind tore at the tattered remains of her dress, flapping them around.

And then, in a low monotone that was nevertheless filled with power and authority, she began to speak.

"I am…" she whispered.

"First among the bastard daughters of He who is called I Am, I have come.

I am she who was cast from Heaven and rejected by Hell.

I am she who steals men's hearts with a look and their souls with a kiss.

I am the heretic who was crucified, the apparition that stalks the night.

I am the shadow that lies in all men's hearts, the consuming flame that they refuse to see.

I am she who was betrayed by my people, and so shall I reap my vengeance tenfold.

I AM the dark, I AM death given flesh.

I AM Rumia Yagami. The one, the only, the original.

I AM the Shadow Youkai."

The Other Rumia threw her head back and shouted her boasts to the sky. The wind leapt up in response, howling ever so loud but not loud enough to drown out the monster's words.

"And from my hand shall come the fires that will scorch Gensokyo to the bone. And as I look upon the ashes, as the smoke of burning flesh enters my nostrils and the screams of the damned souls sings in my ears, I will say that it is good.

For I am the Alpha of the Omega, the beginning of the end. And I will strike down with great vengeance and furious anger on those who attempted to betray and destroy me! And they will know the name of the Shadow Youkai when I lay my vengeance upon them!"