A Lotus, a Dream, and a Denial

by Esvee_Viridae

Summary:

A young girl is asked to awaken a sleeper, a magician faces her past, and a vampire confronts a new world. Novelization of Lotus Land Story (Complete)

Chapter 1: Maiden’s Capriccio

A young girl walked through the streets of the village, accompanied by a red-white splotched cat. She was perhaps twelve or thirteen years old, had long violet hair and wore the outfit of a shrine maiden. Heads turned as she went, staring eyes and the occasional muttered “ Hakurei .”

The girl reached a hand down, rubbing the cat’s head. People were still staring at her, even though it had been months since she’d revealed herself. She knew that Genjii would have said something like “A few months isn’t that much in comparison to eight years, my lady,” and she knew that was true. Gensokyo had been without a Hakurei Shrine Maiden for years, then to see one reappear out of nowhere, winning a magic competition against four combatants… (Even if two of them had been pulling their punches a bit.)

It had been eight years since Reimu Hakurei's mother had been murdered. Eight years of her living quietly in the shrine under Genjii's care, hidden by an illusion while rumors were spread about Reimu being sequestered away to parts unknown. Eight lonely years where she was asked to keep quiet, to not speak her name lest someone try to kill her like they did her mother, up until recently with only Genjii as company. 

That had all changed with Mima. 

After hearing a voice in her head asking for help, Reimu had inadvertently freed a Vengeful Spirit from a sealed box buried under the shrine. The spirit had immediately demanded Reimu surrender her weapon and inheritance, the Hakurei Orb, leading to an adventure through the underground, then to Makai, a strange land full of toxic mist and monsters. Reimu had managed to escape from Makai and the talons of the vampire Elis, confronting the Vengeful Spirit and sealing her away. 

But she hadn't stayed sealed. She'd broken out and covered her tracks, over a year recruiting and training her minions- Rika, Meira, and Marisa- until one day the trio had attacked Reimu and tried to steal the Hakurei Orb, intent on giving it to the ghost as a gift. Reimu had defeated them, despite a short trip into the Dream World, even managing to seal Mima for a time before she escaped again.

But then the Magic Competition happened. They’d fought again, Reimu against Mima and her goons, but at the same time she’d been forced to realize that a part of her cared about these goons who’d harassed her. Rika, nearly being murdered by the vampire Elis, Meira nearly losing herself to rage and seeing a worried Mima talking her down, Mima, the horrible, horrible, ghost, going to save Reimu after she’d been kidnapped by the people running the contest. Marisa…

Marisa…

Reimu closed her eyes, shaking her head to clear it. She couldn’t do anything for Marisa, nor did Marisa want her help. She had Mima trying to help her. Marisa didn’t need her help. Marisa didn't want her help. Marisa wouldn't get her help.

It wasn’t far to Kotohime’s home. It wasn’t a big mansion like some of the quasi-nobility like the Anaberals or Hiedas had, but it was big enough to have a small courtyard, and as Reimu approached, she could hear the sounds of yells and strikes. She sped up, her cat bounding behind, just in time to see Kotohime summon a violet barrier with a wave of her hand, protecting her from a sword blow from Meira. Meira swung twice more, quick slashes that cut the barrier apart, but Kotohime easily danced away. She drew back a fist and struck at Meira’s hand, hitting the hilt of her sword and knocking it out of the girl's hand.

“Meira!” Reimu reached down her hand, as her cat leapt up and shifted form, fur and flesh giving way to red and white crystal, patterned like a Yin-Yang. Reimu drew back and hurled the Orb to Meira, who caught it even as she ducked underneath a chop from Kotohime. Meira grinned as her eyes darkened to chocolate brown, the same as Reimu’s.

“Seriously, Rei?” Kotohime didn't turn as she summoned a barrier. “You're helping her?”

“You were winning!”

Meira leapt into the air, the Orb splitting into two, then four, orbiting around her in a blur of red and white. She held out her hand, and a storm of violet needles shot out from the whirl, but Kotohime dashed out of the way, one hand digging in her sleeves. Meira turned to track her, but Kotohime suddenly vanished in a puff of smoke. Meira looked around in confusion, only to cry out in surprise as she was sandwiched between two violet barriers, pinned and helpless. Kotohime reappeared, walking around the corner as smoke evaporated off her. She smirked, before pointing at Reimu. “You’re on her side today, should I do that to you, too?”

Reimu shook her head. Meira suddenly gasped, eyes closing in pain as the Orb recombined and dropped to the ground. It started to glow, spinning faster and faster. Reimu sprinted, fingers forming into a rectangle as she summoned a barrier of her own over the Orb- orange instead of purple, and even after months of practice it was still weaker than Kotohime’s, but strong enough that when the Orb exploded in a blast of needles and amulets, she was able to contain them all. After a few moments, the glow went away, and Reimu dropped her barrier. “We really need to work on that.”

Meira grunted in acknowledgement- Kotohime still hadn't let her free. The woman did so with a wave of her hand, then frowned as Reimu scooped up her weapon. "It's still doing that, even now?"

"I guess it's 'cause I haven't figured out how to give permission? I know you said Mom could, but we’re still using Meira's power to let her trick it into thinking she's me." The Orb shifted back into cat form, hissing at Meira as she attempted to pet it.

"Admittedly I didn't use it much- didn't really need to, there weren't many occasions that I'd be out there and she or Rin weren't, and it exploded on me too once. It seemed to like Rin more, didn't blow up on her, but, well..." Kotohime shrugged.

"Well, what?" Meira stood up, arms folded and eyes narrowed.

"Let's just say they were close, and that you two are too young to be thinkin' about being as close as Izzy and Rin were. Also that I'm pretty sure even when you are old enough Genjii and I are supposed to threaten your life, Meira."

Kotohime smirked, while Reimu blushed at the implication. She thought she caught a glimpse of a similar blush on Meira's face even as she sputtered out "I don't like her like that!" That just made Kotohime start laughing as Reimu's blush deepened.

Mima had changed everything. Without Mima, Genjii might not have brought Reimu to meet Kotohime, the once companion of Reimu's mother. No need to ask the experienced Incident Resolver for advice on how to deal with a foe like Mima. Without Mima, Reimu wouldn't have started up the sort-of friendship with her minions. Meira was perhaps the closest, due to her recent taking tutelage from Kotohime and their sparring, but Rika and Narumi occasionally visited the shrine- Rika to brag about her newly invented weapons to someone who hadn't seen the process, Narumi to keep her from demonstrating said weapons. Mima visited every so often, usually when Kotohime was around.

Marisa...

Reimu shook her head as she felt her cat press its head into her hand. She idly scratched it, while Meira retrieved her sword and sheathed it. She turned to meet Reimu's look, blush already replaced by her normal calm exterior. "Would you prefer to spar against me or Lady Kotohime first?"

Reimu drew her staff and pointed at Meira, not saying a word but grinning, as did Meira. Meira drew her sword and pointed as well. "Just weapons. No shields or Orb, and I won't speed. Simple technique practice."

"That's not really fair, you know! You're a good swordswoman without your speed!"

"Hone what you have, so that when you find yourself without, you're stronger than you thought."

"That doesn't make sense!"

"It'll make sense when you're as old and wise as I."

"You're barely two years older than me!"

"Are you gonna keep flirting, or are you gonna fight?" Kotohime laughed as Reimu and Meira both blushed again. The two turned towards her, then back to each other, eyes locking in a silent conversation, before as one, they pointed their weapons at Kotohime and charged the older woman.

 

---

A minute later both girls were pinned to the ground by a pair of violet barriers. 

Kotohime brushed dust off her hands and grinned. “Seems I still got it.”

“How…” The Orb rolled underneath the barrier and brushed Reimu’s fingers, but she didn’t have the leverage to do anything but squeeze it.

“I know the terrain, you fight like your mom, and the two of you kept gettin’ in each others’ way.” Kotohime waved her hand and the barriers vanished. Reimu sat up, while Meira closed her eyes and reached out her hand. Her sword, which had been knocked away during the fight, vanished, reappearing a moment later in a puff of mist, dew sparkling on the blade. Kotohime raised an eyebrow. “That’s a new trick.”

“Lady Mima taught me. She thought that if I learned how to summon my weapons, I could switch between them in the middle of fights to confuse my enemies.” Meira shrugged. “I haven’t managed to do it with anything but my sword so far.” 

“Not a bad thing to know, though. I know you got a mean kick, but you do better with that sword than without it.” Kotohime patted Meira on the shoulder, as the girl sheathed her sword. Reimu caught a glimpse of Meira squeezing the hilt of her blade, eyes closed and letting out a breath. Meira could fight without it, but Reimu knew she was attached to the blade almost as much as Reimu herself was to the Orb.

“So do we go again?” Reimu cracked her neck, then reached down for her fallen staff.

“Actually, I have something else for you today, Reimu,” Kotohime said, chuckling a bit. “I should have asked you to meet me back in the square, but I forgot. We've got plenty of time before we meet her, though.”

“Time? Meet who?” 

Kotohime sat down on the porch, hands on her knees, gesturing for Reimu and Meira to sit as well. After a moment, Kotohime taking a bit to think, she began. “There’s more to being an Incident Resolver than fighting. Certainly that’s a pretty big part of it, but the best Incident is the one that never happens, because you prevented it from happening.” Kotohime tilted her head back. “See, that’s why a Shrine Maiden’s supposed to be in charge of this stuff.”

“What do you mean?” Reimu leaned forward, as did Meira.

“Let’s start simple. What would happen if the youkai killed all the humans?”

“They'd starve to death,” said Reimu. “Because they need fear and conflict to survive.”

“Very true. Now, it doesn't have to be violent conflict, a couple good arguments, or an occasional prolonged trade dispute, those will suffice for most cases, and the most civilized youkai- the tengu, the kappa and yamawaro, the tanuki probably- can generate a bit of that conflict between themselves without needing humans. But they would go extinct without us, eventually, not to mention those more civilized youkai most likely would not be too happy about losing all our trade.” Kotohime paused for a moment, then leaned forward. “So what do you suppose would happen if the humans were to kill all the youkai ?”

This made Reimu pause for a moment to think. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, face screwed up in thought. Beside her Meira raised her hand. “It would kill everyone, just as surely as killing all humans. Lady Mima says that the Border would collapse and cause a thermonuclear explosion that would destroy the Home Islands.”

"Of course Mima told you that," Kotohime chuckled. "There's debate as to the exact results of a Border Collapse would be, but she isn't wrong that it would be as devastating to us humans as the youkai. Of course it ignores the problem of the morality of genocide."

"I… feel like that goes without saying?” said Reimu.

“Indeed?” Kotohime grinned, then continued. “So, why not just subjugate them then? No murder, but pull out that argument that comes out every time the Zashiki-Warashi go on strike- ‘they wouldn't exist without us, they owe us’. That sort of thing. Might have to remove a few bad eggs but other than that everything would be taken care of.”

Reimu scrunched up her face in thought. "...How many is a few? Because I don't think anyone, youkai or not, would be happy about being ruled over? Like you said with the Zashiki-Warashi going on strike. If youkai tried to subjugate humans I feel like people wouldn't just take it."

"Despite what some people in this village claim about them already subjugating us?"

Reimu frowned, scratching her head. "I don't think they are. If they were, wouldn't it be, uh, tribute? Instead of trading food and stuff to the Tengu and Kappa in exchange for tea and metalwork, couldn't they just take it and not give us anything?"

"Perhaps. Of course, why not do it the other way around? Force them to tribute their goods to humans."

"I mean, they'd fight back, right? Just like the humans would. Kill some humans, humans kill in retaliation, and, well..."

Kotohime nodded. "The cycle of revenge, that's a reason. Could get bad enough you're back to the genocide route. I could also say something about forced labor being bad for the economy, that happy people make for a more robust society, but then we're back to Mima and her practical reasons."

"Lady Mima says that simple morality won't convince someone who’s set in their ways," said Meira, eyes narrowed.

" 'S pretty cynical of her, and in my experience logic won't always convince either." Kotohime leaned back, closing her eyes. "For all that though, all the practical, non-blowing-up-the-world reasons for keeping balance between humans and youkai, at the end of the day, Gensokyo was created to be a home to both. The Border was made by a pact between humans and youkai- Reimu’s ancestor and She-That-Lies- er, that is, Yukari Yakumo. We chose to fight together against the empire a century ago, we choose to live together now.” 

Kotohime stood,  pressing her hands against the small of her back and stretching. “Of course, more often than not, the Shrine Maiden and her Incident Resolvers fight youkai. And youkai are generally more dangerous- tougher, better with magic. But to kill or subjugate them would destroy Gensokyo as surely as killing or subjugating humans. The Shrine Maiden must keep balance, finding a way for both to thrive. And to that end I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. Someone who can help with that.”

“Who?”

“You remember Fluffy Ellen and Sokrates, right? From the magic competition? They're both pretty high-ranking members of something called the Grassroots Youkai Network. And we're going to meet another high-ranking member, a woman who calls herself Orange-”

Meira burst into laughter. Kotohime took a step back, as Meira tried and failed to contain herself. “I’m sorry… heh… just… Orange? ” 

“You know her?”

“Not directly. She was the first to find Narumi when she transcended and became sapient. She taught Narumi some of the basics about living in Gensokyo but Lady Mima found it… lacking, to say the least.” Meira covered her mouth, breathing in and out as she composed herself. Reimu gaped- normally the other girl was good at controlling her emotions. 

Kotohime shrugged. “Well, I’m sure you can make a complaint to her. It’s one of the things the Grassroots Network does, keeping track of newly-formed youkai. The main thing though, is information.”

“Information?” asked Reimu.

Kotohime nodded. “The Grassroots Network is composed of all kinds of youkai, with two connecting traits. First, they’re generally not all that powerful. Outside of Kagerou and Fluffy Ellen, they’re generally not strong enough to cut out a place for themselves on their own, and while they’ve managed to create a loose society, they haven’t managed to band together well enough to make their own village for themselves either. Most of them live in small pockets in the three villages, others in the outskirts, close enough to still be part of civilization but far enough out to be a bit wild. Everywhere you go you can find someone in the network.” Kotohime paused, then smirked. “The second trait they share is that they’re all unrepentant gossips. If something is happening somewhere, they know, and within a day so will everyone else in the network.” 

“I think I understand,” said Reimu. “You want me to get to know Ms. Orange, because she can help me find out what is going on in Gensokyo?”

“The best incident is the one that never becomes an incident, kiddo. If the Grassroots Network can help you find any problems before they get big enough to explode, that’s good, right?” 

“I suppose so.” 

“Great!” Kotohime clapped her hands, then turned. “I assume Genjii’s somewhere in the village?”

“He stayed behind at a cafe. He said he couldn’t come into the residential quarters since he’s youkai.”

“Technically true, but I don’t think many people would care. He’s known to be safe and a generally good guy, he’s been around since before the Border went up.”

“He also said that since he can’t disguise himself as a Human, people wouldn’t have any excuse to not kick him out, and he was worried about if that would reflect badly on any other peaceful youkai?”

“Fair.” Kotohime shrugged. “Well, he’s welcome to join in this meeting too if he wants. Come on you two, you can flirt on the way if you like!” She laughed, then turned and started walking. 

Reimu started to follow after her, but turned as she noticed Meira not following. “Meira?”

Meira didn’t respond at first, just gripping the hilt of her sword, not meeting Reimu’s eyes. “I don’t like you like that,” she said, barely above a whisper.

“I know,” said Reimu. 

“She doesn’t.”

Reimu glanced towards Kotohime, who’d paused to wait for them. “I’ll talk to her, okay?”

“Thank you,” Meira squeezed the hilt of her sword again, and started walking. 

Reimu let Meira go in front of her, eyes on the taller girl as she walked. Meira was a bit of an enigma compared to the rest of Mima's kids. She had been the first to treat Reimu with any kindness, seeing their bouts as training instead of actual attempts to kill one another, and while she'd joined with the others during the Magic Competition in attacking Reimu, Meira had refused to draw her sword or use most of her strength, and seemed about to turn on Marisa by the end after one too many calls for Reimu's death. Reimu had teased her during their first fight, deliberately misinterpreting Meira’s threats as flirting in order to fluster her, but a part of Reimu thought that, if Meira were interested…

Reimu shook her head, keeping down a blush. She was happy as it was with Meira as something like a friend. And if she kept thinking like that, Kotohime would probably keep teasing Meira. She instead started running to catch up with Kotohime, matching Meira’s steps as she came up next to her. Kotohime had disappeared, but she wouldn’t be hard to find once they got out of the residential area. 

“Hey!” 

Reimu paused as someone shouted. She turned to see a woman with curly blonde hair pointing at her. She wore a red dress and sunhat, eyes wide as her hand shook. “You’re the Hakurei!” 

“...yeah?” Reimu turned to go, but the woman was faster, running up and grabbing her by the shoulders. Reimu spotted Meira turning to face them, hand on her sword’s hilt. 

“L-listen, Lady Hakurei- I need your help!” The woman shook Reimu’s shoulders, eyes wide. Reimu twisted, pulling out of the woman’s grip. “Please! It’s important!”

“Erm…” 

“We’re busy.” Meira stepped forward, eyes narrowed. “Go away.”

The woman shook her head. “Lady Hakurei, you’re the only one who can do this! Her life is in danger!” She stared at Meira, whose fingers were drumming on her sword’s hilt. “I won’t let you stop us.” 

Reimu felt something sink inside her stomach, and she reached her hand back, feeling her cat press its face into her palm. “I’m going to ask you to please step back. If it’s really important, we can go to Lady Kotohime, and she can-” 

Meira’s sword flashed as she drew and swung in one fluid motion, but it never reached the blonde woman’s neck, as she swept out her arm and a weapon of her own appeared- a red scythe, blade nearly as long as Reimu was tall. Reimu cried out and leapt back the woman swung her scythe at Meira, hooked blade catching on Meira’s sword and yanking it to the side, but Meira held onto it and stepped forward, swinging out a punch to the woman’s jaw. The woman fell back, rubbing her face and wincing. Reimu’s cat shifted into Orb form as it leapt in front of her, but before Reimu could command it to unleash a barrage of needles the blonde woman hurled her scythe, low to the ground. Reimu jumped, but her foot caught on the handle and she fell on her face, Meira falling a moment later, having also been tripped. In a second she felt arms scooping under her stomach, then being hoisted up and pulled onto the blonde’s shoulder. “I’m very sorry for this, Lady Hakurei, but it’s really, really , important!” 

Reimu cried out, commanding the Orb to fire, but the woman leapt into the air, carrying her away. She spotted Meira leaping after them, taking flight in hot pursuit, the Orb in cat form in her arms, looking uncomfortable but clearly in a truce for Reimu's sake. Reimu tried to kick and thrash. “Bring me back!”

“Not until you’ve helped me!”

“I don’t think I want to help you! Not if you’re doing this!” 

“It’s a matter of life and death, Lady Hakurei! I’ll explain when we get there!”

“Get where?” Reimu tried to turn in the woman’s grip to look around. They were flying fast- they’d cleared the Human Village and were flying off towards Youkai Mountain. Reimu felt her stomach drop- she still hadn’t learned to fly, and she didn’t want to think of the crater she’d make if she fell. Meira was chasing after them, but only barely seemed to match the woman, face contorted with effort. Maybe if she could force the crazy woman to drop her, Meira would be able to catch her before she went splat? No, she would have opened fire already if she thought she could catch me, Reimu thought to herself. She'd have to wait until they got wherever they were going… which was where? The blonde had curved towards roughly where the Hakurei Shrine was, but had sped past it, past the hills around it, past the hidden gateway to Makai, far enough that Reimu could see the air start to shimmer- The Border, separating Gensokyo from the World Outside. Was she being taken Outside? But no, they were descending, and Reimu could spot a building in a clearing among the trees- a mansion of some kind, all stonework covered in vines. She knew there were ruins throughout the forests of Gensokyo, often made into homes for youkai civilized enough to be people but wild enough to not want to live with others. Was this blonde lady one? 

The woman touched down on a stretch of tiled pavement just outside the house, landing in a run as she pulled Reimu from her shoulder. She set the girl down, brushing off her shoulders. “Alright, I'm very sorry for doing that, but-”

A dozen glowing spears made of light slammed down around them, followed by a crystal red and white orb. The woman cried out, drawing her scythe as a moment later Meira crashed into the pavement sword-first, tip embedding deep into the earth. The woman jumped back and swept her scythe over the ground, the tiles underneath suddenly flitting into the air, turning over and spinning. Meira stuck her hand to the side, her blade vanishing and reappearing in her hand in an instant. Reimu went pale as she saw the girl’s eyes starting to glow blood red- it didn't happen often, but she knew that when they did, bad things happened. Before Meira could close the distance, Reimu pulled a paper talisman from her sleeve and hurled it at the blonde’s arm. Sanctified electricity jolted her and she dropped the scythe, and Reimu ran over, a second talisman in hand. The woman held up her hands, crying “I yield! I surrender!”

Meira froze, tip of her sword mere inches from the woman’s face. Her eyes flicked over to Reimu, the red glow having faded away, waiting for Reimu to give an order. Reimu kept her hand and the paper talisman up, but not sticking it on the woman. “I really, really, hope you had a good reason for doing this.”

“I do.” The woman nodded.

“Start from the beginning. Who are you?”

The woman let out a breath, closing her eyes. “My name is Elly. And… my wife is dying.”

Notes:

Well, this took longer than I would have hoped to come out.

Chapter 2: Selene's Light

The couch hadn't been designed for humans. Parts of it had been cut out, allowing someone with wings or a tail to lay on their back comfortably, and while cushions has been shoved into the gaps, she could still feel the seams through her clothes.

“Make yourself comfortable, Marisa. You're welcome to lie down if you'd like.”

The man was youkai, a white wolf tengu. Neatly trimmed white hair, wolf tail and ears, his smile as warm as could be expected, considering his piercing eyes and sharp teeth. A straight-bladed sword and wicker shield painted with a maple leaf were mounted to the wall by his desk, standing in contrast to the books and framed paper. A former soldier who mostly treated other soldiers, though when Lady Mima had asked he had said he'd be willing to try helping her.

She wondered what dad would think if he knew.

“Are you comfortable? Then we can begin. As always, we can talk about whatever you like. This is a safe place, Marisa.”

Dad would have scoffed at that. A youkai, a wolf youkai. Dad would have made some comment about how wolf tengu weren't actually tengu, that they were a foreign species originally from the Mainland.

Of course if she'd listened to Dad, she wouldn't be here, would she?

Her therapist paused for a minute, then gently prompted. “So… how have you been since our last meeting? Anything new or interesting?”

She thought for a moment, then shrugged. “My hair is still blonde.” 

“So it is. Did you decide to keep it like that?”

“It still hasn't changed back.” She'd used a spell to change her hair color from its original red. Back before she'd caged the Monster. She'd grown her hair out since then, but it was still blond, all the way down to the roots, when it should have worn off after a few days.

She was lucky, really, that that was all that had happened. Magic was dangerous and unpredictable. A curse.

The man scribbled something down on a notepad, then smiled. “And how are your sisters? Anything interesting with them?”

They weren't actually her sisters. They weren't related, they hadn't even met dad, and Narumi wasn't even human.

“They're fine,” she answered quietly. “Narumi and Rika are waiting with Lady Mima outside.”

“And Meira?”

“Training.” 

She didn’t elaborate, even as the man waited for her to continue. Eventually he moved onto another question, and she'd give him another noncommittal answer. Just like she had the previous sessions. Sometimes she'd accidentally let a tidbit through, and the man would start scribbling, but so far she hadn't let out anything big. After all, for all the questions of missing magical power, of hair permanently bleached blonde, of going quiet, she wasn't really sure she could say the truth of it.

 

Marisa Kirisame wanted to die. 

 

She wouldn't say she was suicidal. She hadn't tried to end herself, or even hurt herself. But if a meteor had fallen from the sky towards her, or if a ravenous oni grabbed her intent on making soup, or even if she just fell asleep and never woke up… 

 

“Marisa?”

 

She shook her head and tried to remember what the man had asked. 

 

And so it went, until their hour was up, and she was free to go, hopping off the couch and starting to the door. Before she could take more than a step, however, the man has stood up as well. “One last thing before you go, Marisa.”

Marisa paused, then met the man's eyes. 

“Next time we meet, if you don't mind…” the man paused, glancing at his notes briefly. “Right now, I'm unsure what direction you want to take. I can't help you very much if I don't know where you want to go, you know?”

She nodded, and he continued. “So… for next time, how about you think about that a bit? And then we can work on that together.”

She didn't need time to think. “I'm here because Lady Mima wants me to be here.”

After a pause, the man nodded. “I see.” Finally he stepped aside and let her exit. 

Lady Mima was sitting outside, taking advantage of the skinny-backed chair designed for crow tengu to let her wings free. Lady Mima stood as soon as she appeared, grabbing the girl in a hug. “How did it go, Marisa?”

She didn't answer, limply hugging back. Behind her the man cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Ms. Geist-Hexe? Would it be possible if we chatted a bit before you go?”

Lady Mima let go, then patted her shoulder. “This won't take long, Marisa. How about you go find Rika and Narumi?” With that the woman strolled into the room, door closing behind her.

For a moment the girl considered listening at the door, but she decided against it. She didn't want to hear whatever Lady Mima would say. She knew it would only make the Monster chained inside her stir. She instead ran outside, out of the little office.

One might think that the Tengu Village would have been built rather vertically. The tengu were known for their flying ability after all, and the mountain wasn’t exactly full of flat space for building on. And indeed there were many homes and businesses carved into the rock, forming a stack of terraces interconnected by stairs and walkways. But there were safety rails at each level, and everywhere was accessible by foot, even the lofty council hall and the mansion of Lord Tenma. Relics of the days when the tengu served the oni, but also a matter of practicality- convenience for the merchants and traders from Kappatown and beyond, to facilitate use of wheeled carts for carrying things either too heavy for flight or too expensive to risk dropping, for safety for crow tengu with broken wings or too much drink in their systems. It meant that she could get around without relying on someone carrying her. That was one of the things she missed after caging the Monster. Rika had promised to teach her to fly the Evil Eye Sigma, but it wasn’t the same as flying under your own power. 

The Monster stirred, and she hurridly crushed the thought. Flying’s unnatural. If humans were meant to fly, we’d have wings of our own. Dad had said that, though he’d on occasion paid a tengu sky-rickshaw for rapid transportation. It wasn’t the same, he’d said, tengu were meant to fly so it was only natural to take advantage of that ability. Everyone and everything had their place in the universe, and hers wasn’t to go blowing herself up with magic.

Rika’s place, of course, was not hard to find. They’d passed a gunsmith on the way in, and a short walk proved that Rika was still there, eyes wide as she watched the broad-shouldered tengu drilling a hole into a metal cylinder. Narumi was there as well, sitting against the wall with her nose in a book. She looked up and smiled warmly. “How did it go, Marisa?”

The girl shrugged, walking over and sitting next to the jizou. Narumi didn’t appear to be any older than she or Rika did, despite only having been motile for a few months and the statue she'd been born from being decades old. Lady Mima had speculated on that, about the appearance of newly formed youkai and how they saw themselves- Narumi felt young and naive, so had unconsciously picked a form befitting that. Of course, Lady Mima had subsequently started hypothesizing if something similar had happened to her when she'd lost her memory, and if that was why nobody recognized her. “People see each other differently, and your own self-perception is no exception. A kindly hero to one might be a brutish bully to another, or see themself as a failure despite things, and as long as you aren't a satori or other mind-reader, you can't really see what lies beneath the surface!”

The girl didn't want to think about what was beneath her surface. She closed her eyes and shoved the Monster back down. When she opened her eyes again, Rika had turned away and squatted down next to her. She opened her bag and dug around for a moment, before pulling out something- a broad-brimmed hat with a pointed top, made of purple velvet, dark enough to be black in the right lighting. Rika tilted her head, then held the hat forward. “Do you want it back?”

 

 

The girl shook her head. “No thank you.”

“Hats are important, Marisa.” 

“I’m fine without it.” 

“Okay.” Rika reluctantly stuck it back in her bag. Rika had been raised in Kappatown, and kappa were almost as big on hats as they were cucumbers. She'd gotten in trouble from Lady Mima once when she'd… when the Monster had pranked Rika’s hat, with Lady Mima saying that a prank of that nature was too far. It made sense, she supposed, that Rika would be overly concerned about how she'd stopped wearing the witch hat, but she wasn't a witch any more, so it really didn't make sense for her to.

Rika turned back to watch the gunsmith, resting her elbows on the fence and chin on her hands. The gunsmith clearly was aware of her presence, as the woman shifted out of the way to let Rika watch her work. After a moment, the girl asked Rika “I thought you made your own guns. Why are you watching?” 

“Skill respects other skill. Besides, it's not the same, these are made for both gunpowder and direct use as a magical focus, mine are compressed gas and liquid spell reagent mix.” 

“Ah, like the kappa’s water guns, correct?” The gunsmith said, prompting Rika to blush. “An unusual choice for a human- my understanding is that kappa supplement the pressure with their native hydrokinesis.”

“Typically yeah, but I've got better machining than them, so I can get better pressure without magic. And gunpowder might be stronger, but I can change reagents in the firing chamber for different effects, so that's good for experimenting.”

“Completely fair.” The Tengu woman grinned, setting down her work. “I don't suppose you'd mind me having a look?” She gestured down at the pistols holstered on Rika’s belt, which she happily handed over. “Ooh, very nice.”

Narumi leaned over, grinning as she not-quite whispered, “Don't you think she's a bit old for Rika?” 

Rika choked and blushed, while the gunsmith burst out into laughter. “She’s not wrong, kid!” 

For a moment, the girl smiled along with Narumi and the gunsmith, chuckling at Rika’s expense. The Monster rumbled inside her, laughing as well, and she tried to push it down, forcing herself to stop smiling.

Rika glowered at them, cheeks bright and grey eyes stormy. "Shut up! And maybe she has a kid or something, you know? But they're not here so I'm judging based on who is , and-"

"Justice for the trees!"

Rika's rant was cut off by a crash. A child- no, not a child, a fairy, judging by the wings made of leaves and petals, kicked over a bin of charcoal while laughing. The gunsmith whirled, wings popping out as she drew a leaf-shaped fan from her belt. " You again?! " She swung, and a visible ripple shot through the air as wind blasted towards the fairy, knocking them away from the spilled fuel.

"I won't be denied! Take this!" The fairy crowed, bringing their hands together and tucking them back, blue light spooling up between them. "My super mega awesome attack! Spa- "

A stream of energy bullets tore through the fairy's chest, and they burst apart into glittering silver sparkles, never getting a chance to name the attack. Rika twirled her gun on her finger before holstering it, while Narumi looked on in horror. " That was a child! "

"That was a fairy, Nar."

"Fairies are practically children!"

"And it'll come back in a few hours no worse for wear and with the desire to prank gone for a week."

The gunsmith shook her head. "Not this one."

As if on cue there was a burst of light, and the fairy reappeared, arms and legs outstretched. "I'm back! Fight the power!" The gunsmith sprinted forward, hand outstretched to grab the fairy, but they ducked out of the way, scooping up a piece of charcoal and shoving it into their mouth before flying off, turning into a ball of light as they weaved through windbursts and energy bullets.

"Damnit..." the gunsmith lowered her fan as the fairy receded into the distance. "That's the third time this week."

Rika holstered her gun again. "How's it regenning so fast?"

"It's not common, but it happens. Usually the powerful ones can do it faster," The gunsmith said. "You kids are too young, but I remember the last Fairy War, went with Shameimaru and a couple others to watch. Cirno and Zephyr Blue going at it, barely taking a second to reform each time they got hit. They went on like that for hours, to the point where all the fairies watching got bored, ran off, then got bored again and came back. It only ended when Cirno managed to freeze Zephyr alive so she couldn't regenerate and escape." The woman shrugged. "I think the Herald of Spring can also reform pretty quickly, at least during the equinox."

"That would explain how my turrets ran out of ammo last spring..." Rika mumbled.

"If they weren't the only fairy around, I'd wonder if we should be expecting another Fairy War. Usually those start with the contenders going on a pranking spree to prove their skill to the others. But it's just this one, they're not shouting for others to come watch, they're just... causing chaos." The gunsmith frowned, then started cleaning up her workshop. "And they seem to like me. Leastaways I'm the only one in the village they seem to be targeting, though some of the wolves have mentioned them messing around while on patrol.”

“Weird,” Rika shrugged. "What do you think Marisa?"

The girl started. She'd been staring after the fairy, barely listening. She took a moment to think, then shrugged. "Normally aren't fairies better at behaving themselves in the villages? They don't usually bother anyone inside the Human Village's palisade."

"Not unless there's something else going on. A Fairy War, or a proper Incident, or something. We don't have a fence, but the wolves are usually enough to keep things peaceful up here, so when the fae get agitated, you know something's up. Just 'cause you can regenerate doesn't mean getting shot down is fun, after all." The gunsmith turned back to her work. "Probably should get back to work, then. Some of the crow soldiers asked me to make 'em new guns, I guess with the Lost Hakurei back, they think it's a sign of trouble to come? Or at least that they want to look all professional for her-"

The girl clenched her fists and stormed off, ignoring Rika and Narumi's calls. Her stomach twisted, throat feeling like it was burning, as she went down the path, speeding up as she heard the other girls following after. Hakurei! Always, always, Hakurei! She sprinted down the path, heedless of direction as tears stung her eyes. She didn't want to hear about stupid Hakurei again, wasn't it bad enough that Meira kept hanging around with her and her aunt? She couldn't understand it, how could the others be so casual about the Hakurei, she'd tried to kill Lady Mima, hadn't she? So focused was she on her rage, the girl didn't notice that she'd left the village and crossed the treeline, nor did she notice the trap until it was too late.

There came a sudden flurry of movement as vines shot out from a nearby tree. The girl barely had a chance to cry out before she was yanked off her feet and hoisted into the air, a vine wrapped around one ankle. Laughter rose as the fairy from earlier popped out. "Ha ha! You've fallen into my trap!"

Raw power flooded the girl as the Monster tried to take control. Sparks of electricity flickered through her veins, light seeming to flash before her eyes, before she managed to shove the Monster back into the corner of her heart. No! I'm human, not youkai! she screamed inside her head. The feelings vanished as the Monster whimpered and sank back down. If she'd shown any sign of her restrained magic the fairy hadn't noticed, as they fluttered up to stare into the girl’s eyes. She couldn't tell if the fairy was a boy or a girl, with elfin features and crimson eyes framed by messy green hair. They were wearing red gingham trousers and a vest, as well as a sunflower pinned to their hair. “I caught a human! That means I get to make a wish!”

“No you don't!” The girl thrashed, but the knot was tight around her ankle. She'd have to be clever, eyes wide as she looked around for a way out.

“Yes I do! That's how it works! If you catch a human they have to grant a wish for you!” 

If the Monster had been loose, it would have been trivial to escape- in fact she might not have even been caught in the first place. As it was though, she didn't need the Monster to be smart. She could see up above, the vines were hanging off a tree branch, held there only by friction. Each thrash caused them to move. The girl knew she could handle a short fall without issue, so she stilled herself, then started to kick with purpose, swinging further and further and slowly pulling the rope down the branch. The fairy didn't seem to have noticed, judging by their continued talking, but neither was the girl paying attention to their babbling. With a final kick, the vine pulled off the branch and she fell to the ground, shoulder ringing in pain but otherwise okay as she struggled to sit up.

“Hey! You can't do that!” The fairy flew down, hands on hips as they glared at the girl. “I caught you fair and square! You owe me a wish!”

“That's not a thing!”

“Uh-huh, yeah it is! You're a human, and a witch besides! A powerful one! I can smell it on you.” 

“I'm not a witch!”

The fairy didn't listen, pointing a declarative finger at the girl. “I wish for your help defeating the Monster!”

The girl had drawn back a fist, but she hesitated. “Monster? What monster?”

The fairy blushed, looking around themself. “It’s… kinda weird. Don’t laugh. But it lives in my heart, and tries to make me something I’m not!” 

Something whirred above, and the girl looked up to see a mechanical bat-winged eyeball, black with violet wings and a red iris. The machine warbled as its eye locked on the girl, no doubt reporting to Rika remotely. The girl turned back to the fairy, taking a moment to think. “I don’t think I can help you, but I think I understand.”

“No, you can help. I can tell!” The fairy paused, wings whirring. “And… I guess if you help me with my wish, maybe I can give you a wish? How about that?”

“I suppose… though I don’t know exactly how I’d even get to a monster in your heart.” 

“Oh, that’s easy!” The fairy ducked down and placed their hands on the ground. Power surged around them both, and red flowers sprung up around, releasing a soothing scent. The girl opened her mouth to ask a question, but found herself yawning. She covered her mouth, trying to step out of the flowers, but fell over, surrounded by the sweet scent as her eyes closed and everything went dark. The fairy landed next to her, stroking the girl’s blonde hair. 

“Marisa!” 

The fairy looked up, then dashed away as two more girls ran into the small clearing. Narumi first, eyes wide and surrounded by a ring of glowing bullets, Rika following with guns drawn and the bat-winged eyeball on her shoulder. Narumi covered her mouth as she saw Marisa fallen among the red flowers. “Marisa?”

“She’s not hurt, is she? Do you sense danger?”

“No, I don’t think so, I…” Narumi walked over to the girl, only to fall flat on her face as her eyes fluttered shut. Rika was on her in an instant, managing to grab the other twos’ arms before she also succumbed to the red poppies. The bat-winged eyeball flew up and started circling, warbling in a panicked tone. 

“Huh… I guess three is okay. Three times as many people to help. And I only promised a wish to one!” The fairy popped out from hiding. They made a gesture with her hands and the poppies rippled, closing up and wilting in an instant. The mechanical eyeball whistled as it turned towards them, eye glowing and a silver halo lighting up. “I’m just gonna take them somewhere more comfy, okay?”

The eyeball fired a glowing lazer from its eye and sliced the fairy apart. Moments later they reformed, wiggling their fingers as sunflowers burst from the ground, stems wrapping around the machine and dragging it to the floor. The machine warbled, wings beating in an effort to free itself, but by the time it managed, the fairy was gone, the three girls with them.

Notes:

Insert Wicked Witch of the West Reference Here

 

You may recall from last time that things did... not end well for Marisa. As in, she'd sealed away her own power. As we can see, the months have not improved things that much.
Wonder who this strange fairy could be? Hmm...

Chapter 3: We, Who Live in an Illusion

 

Six Months Ago

 

On the one hand, there was Elis.

Elis, a vampire from the Capital of Makai. Who worked the quiet-hours shift in a convenience store that let her get paid to read adventure novels save for the occasional customer looking for a late snack. Who had fallen in love with one such customer, Kurumi, and decided to take her on an adventure to the Mundanity outside Makai as a present.

On the other hand, there was Elis.

Elis, a vampire from the town of Virgil’s Den. Who was a treasure hunter- ahem, unlicenced archaeologist- who had explored the ruins outside the town. Who through her study of Vina’s traps and devices had fallen in love with a local artisan, Gengetsu. Who had found a Human wandering around, used it to bait the YuugenMagan to look for treasure, and subsequently had her memory erased by Mother and turned into the other Elis. Both Elises were confused, trying to sort memories and figure out how she was feeling. But they could agree on one thing at least-

Captain Sara was a huge bitch.

“No sign of her, Elis.” The voice came from another woman, also blonde, wearing a blue maid uniform. Mugetsu, or as one Elis knew her, Moog. The sister of her girlfriend Gengetsu- or the weird lady who had jumped Elis and her girlfriend Kurumi and started flinging accusations. “No sign of anyone actually- I think Sara spooked them all off when she attacked us.”

“Better for us, then, as long as she’s still here.”

As Elis and Kurumi had returned from the Mundanity, they’d been confronted by Mugetsu and Gengetsu for things Elis couldn’t remember. Their argument had brought attention, all the moreso when it escalated into Kurumi and Gengetsu fighting. Captain Sara has intervened, pulling the two apart, but when she saw Elis, she'd teleported away, taking the two with her, reappearing a moment later alone to punch the twilight out of Elis. Only Mugetsu’s illusions had saved her from being turned to paste, distracting Sara enough for them to fly off.

Elis stared down at the device before her- a mechanical eyeball with bat wings, partially destroyed. She'd taken it as a souvenir from someone she'd fought during her and Kurumi’s trip. The thing had flown about, firing off spears of energy from its pupil, and considering that Elis and Mugetsu had needed to flee Sara, not having the strength to face her head-on, Elis wanted any advantage they could get. All she had to do was figure out how to make it fly again. The Elis that remembered dating Gengetsu swore up and down that she could do it, that she'd picked up enough that she could do something that simple. And yet nothing was clicking!

There was a faint clunk as Mugetsu set down a mug of red tea next to Elis. Elis looked at her, giving her an appraising look. “ ‘zat why you wear that maid outfit, then? You’re your sister’s maid?”

“Hm? Oh, no, no. I just like it! I got one for a costume party once and I’ve been wearing them ever since.” Mugetsu grinned. “It’s kinda our thing now. ‘Need something fixed? Go to Twin Moon Mechanics, they have a maid, that’s neat!’” Mugetsu flicked open her hands, releasing a burst of sparkles and illusionary confetti. “And I do parties!”

“Works for brand recognition, I suppose.” Elis turned back to her work, frowning as she examined the interior of the machine. Mundanity electronics and wires, but also more standard magical runes and arrays, as well as universal clockwork. She thought she recognized an array of broken crystals as a weapon-  at least it was in about the place where the machine had been firing lazers from. “The wings seem intact at least, but I can't even get it to turn on.”

“What exactly are you trying to do? Maybe I can help.” Mugetsu leaned in, eyes wide. 

“I took it off a kid in the Mundanity. It's a weapon- flies around and shoots things. I thought if I got it working, I could use it to distract Sara or the YuugenMagan.”

“Why the YuugenMagan?” Mugetsu asked, as she pulled the machine to the side of the workbench and began to futz with the clockwork.

Elis closed her eyes. “Mother said something when she took my memories. I think. It's fuzzy.” She let out a breath and tries to focus. “It wasn't just that Sara thought I was trying to get out through the Gateway that day- I was being punished for disturbing the YuugenMagan. And… I don't know. I need to know why, what Mother has it guarding that's so bad that she decided to remove my memory.”

Mugetsu frowned. “Mother is Mother. If she took your memory, she had to have had a good reason, right? Maybe you shouldn’t go back. Just focus on saving Genny and your friend.” 

“That’s the thing , Moog. What kind of reason is good enough that she’d do that? It doesn’t make sense!” Elis shook her head. “It’s probably Sara’s fault. She never liked me.”

“No, she didn’t. Could you pass me that?” Mugetsu pointed to a mirror on the wall. Elis blinked, but complied, handing it over to Mugetsu. Mugetsu flipped it over and pulled open a compartment on the back, revealing an array of runes. “Genny made this for me. I can project illusions through it from a distance using a partner mirror, though mostly we just use it to pester each other.” Mugetsu winced. “Or when I forget the grocery list.” 

After a few minutes of work, Mugetsu stepped back, holding up the mirror, now with the mechanical bat-wings and lazer weapon of the destroyed eyeball-bat. “I think this should work? I had to leave a lot of the original circuitry intact but I think I managed to go around it, so it can be controlled from the partner mirror.” She handed the device to Elis, then ran over to a drawer, pulling out a pocket mirror and flipping it open. As she did, the wings started to whir, and it flew out of Elis’s hands. 

Elis’s eyes widened, taking a step back. “It’s working?”

“I mean, Genny could do it better. I’m cheating, really, she and the kid you stole the eyeball thing from originally did most of the work.” But Mugetsu still grinned, blushing slightly as she shifted the mirror around, the device mimicking its movement. Her eyes glowed, and an illusion of Mugetsu formed around the mirror, hovering in place. “It should be good enough though, right?” 

Elis examined the illusion- it looked enough like Mugetsu, though it still smelled like a mirror, not the vampire. She moved back over to Mugetsu, looking in the controlling mirror- she could see herself, as though seeing through the illusory Mugetsu’s eyes. “I think so.”

“So what’s the plan?”

Elis grinned, as she started to explain.

A few minutes later, the pair had made their way to Sara’s home- a simple house, as close to the Gateway as possible while still being inside the village. Even with Mugetsu’s illusions hiding them, Elis stayed behind several red-leaved shrubs- if nothing else, they’d be a barrier for Sara to get through if she saw through the illusion. 

Mugetsu followed close behind, eyes glowing as she kept them hidden. “I can't do sound and light at the same time, Elis. You're gonna need to shout from here to get Sara’s attention, but after that the decoy is gonna be quiet. I don't know how long until she notices and gets suspicious.”

“Probably about as long as it takes for her to realize I'm not fighting like I normally do. No shield, no missiles.” Elis stretched, cracking her neck. “I'll go as quick as I can. In and out, not gonna give her the chance to figure out what we’re up to. Sound good?”

“As good as it can be.” Mugetsu stared at Elis. “Be safe, okay? I… know there’s something weird going on, but Genny felt really awful when you disappeared. Please don’t do that to her again.” 

“I’m going to save her. And Kurumi.” Elis patted Mugetsu on the shoulder, then pointed out. Mugetsu closed her eyes, holding up the winged mirror, and tossed it out. Light shimmered around it as an illusory Elis formed around the mirror, and Elis called out. “Hey bitch-noodle! Looking for me?”

For a moment there was silence. 

Then Sara appeared in a blur of motion, slamming her fist down into the ground just inches from the fake Elis. Mugetsu’s eyes went wide, glowing as she held her control mirror and started trying to avoid Sara’s swings. She shot a glance at Elis, who shifted into bat form and started flying. She could see a window on the back side of the house, closed, but a quickly fired energy bullet fixed that. She dove inside, shifting to her normal form and scanning the area. She was in a bedroom, neat and tidy, but no sign of Kurumi or Gengetsu. Elis ran to the door, trying to listen for anything- anything besides the shouting from outside and sounds of Sara’s fist slamming into things. She pushed into the hallway, scanning- there! Faint sounds of movement, barely audible, but audible enough. Elis practically flew through the house, entering a parlor and spotting Gengetsu and Kurumi, tied up and gagged. Elis sprinted over, fumbling with knots for a moment before spitting out a curse and drawing her wand. A quickly chanted spell, and shards of force sliced through the bonds without so much as harming the two. Kurumi pulled herself free first, ripping off her gag and grabbing Elis in a hug. “Elis!”

Elis squeezed Kurumi close, “Are you alright? What did she do to you?”

“She just tied us up. She said something about sending us to Mother, but mostly she was just growling about you, Elis…”

“I’m fine too, thanks,” Gengetsu groaned from the floor, struggling to pull herself free. Elis let go of Kurumi and knelt down to help her free. “Where’s Moog?”

As if on cue Mugetsu screamed outside. Elis ran to the window, spotting Mugetsu being dragged out of the shrubbery by Sara. The illusory Elis vanished as the flying mirror dropped to the ground, Mugetsu’s control mirror dropping from her hand as well. Sara held Mugetsu by the arms, spinning her around and grabbing her wrists as Mugetsu started babbling. “L-look, Ms. Sara, this is all just a big misunderstanding! I know you don’t actually mean any harm so if we can just all calm down-”

“Where is she, Mugetsu?!?”

Elis drew her wand, swinging it and firing a burst of missiles straight through the window, shattering the glass. She shifted form for a brief second, long enough to launch out of the window and slam her wand’s starpoint into the ground. A wave of light flashed out, blasting Sara off her feet and knocking Mugetsu loose. “Right here, bitch!”

Sara vanished in a blur, teleporting away before reappearing in front of Elis, slamming her fist down. Elis summoned a spherical shield around herself with a wave of her wand, just in time to block a punch from Sara that sent her skidding back, glowing cracks forming at the point of impact. Sara was on her in a second, slamming her fist down once, twice, shield shattering as Elis fell back stunned. Sara leapt forward to grab her, but someone cried out, and Kurumi crashed into Sara, wings buzzing as she tried to hold on and bite down on Sara’s neck. 

Elis leapt to her feat as Sara hurled Kurumi off her, catching a lazer in the side from Gengetsu, who had scooped up the flying mirror and was aiming it like a weapon. Sara teleported only for Gengetsu to vanish in a cloud of illusionary bats, Mugetsu’s eyes glowing as she hid her sister. Elis drew her hand back and lashed out, a dozen missiles streaking towards Sara as she whirled around and locked eyes on Mugetsu, but the burly woman raised an arm and blocked, shrugging off the projectiles without so much as flinching. 

Kurumi landed next to Elis, wincing as she rubbed her mouth. “I couldn’t even bite through her skin. What is she?”

“A huge bitch, that’s what!” Elis grabbed Kurumi and summoned her shield again, absorbing a kick as Sara teleported above them and slammed down. She flared out her wings and burst her shield into a ring of bullets, using the distraction to shift to bat form and fly away, Kurumi on her tail.  Sara chased, only to yelp and instinctively dodge as a tree shot up in front of her- one of Mugetsu’s illusions. Elis landed and shifted back, panting. “I don’t think we can hurt her… She’s too tough.” 

“We could try to tie her down?” Gengetsu appeared on Elis’s other side, holding the controls to the flying mirror and taking potshots as Mugetsu hovered overhead, forming illusions of them all to distract Sara. Sara looked side to side, trying to figure out who was real.

“She’d just teleport out of it!” Elis shouted. She closed her eyes, trying to think, only to be taken out of it as Mugetsu screamed. Sara teleported straight up , grabbing Mugetsu by the wrist and hurling her at the ground. The illusions all winked out as Mugetsu went still, and Sara’s eyes locked on to the three. 

“Screw it! We run!” Elis hurled out a dozen missiles as Sara sprinted towards them. “Someone get Moog and follow me!” Elis ducked as Sara lashed out a kick, flicking into bat form and flying between her legs, then shooting up behind and summoning her shield. She caught a glimpse of Kurumi hoisting an unconscious Mugetsu onto her shoulder and taking off, Gengetsu shooting off lazers from the mirror and bullets from her free hand to try and put pressure on Sara, both speeding after as Elis flew. She went low, weaving in between trees as she headed in the direction of the Gateway, hearing curses from Sara as she tried to follow- she’d teleported a lot and was probably flying to save energy a bit. After a few moments though, there came an audible pop as Sara teleported again. Immediately Elis slowed, pointing to the side. “She thinks we’re heading for the Gateway and is trying to cut us off! We’re going this way instead!”

“Where?” Gengetsu shouted back.

“The last place she’ll expect! Stay behind me, both of you! I’ll lure it out!” Elis didn’t give the two a moment to respond, speeding off towards her real destination- the YuugenMagan’s lair. “Something Mother said- it’s guarding something! I don’t know what, but it’s gotta be important!”

“Is now the right time for an adventure?” Kurumi had sped up, nearly even with Elis.

“I said stay back! I don’t know, but it’s all I got right now!” Elis sped up, gritting her teeth as she caught sight of the cave- a cave that part of her didn’t know, but another part did , intimately. She could almost smell that little purple-haired human she’d tried to use as a distraction. It’s her fault. Her fault I went to the Gateway and Sara got me. Her fault that Mother wiped my memories.

There was a faint scent of ozone as they approached, followed shortly by a roar like thunder as five wheels rolled out of the cave, sparks flickering over their rims. Bolts of electricity shot between them as they rose into the air, red eyes opening on the hubs that glared out at Elis. “Remember me, huh?” She asked, flicking her wand in a circle. The YuugenMagan let out a shriek in response, lances of heat shooting from the eyes towards Elis. Elis dodged, glancing back at Gengetsu and Kurumi, who’d frozen at the sight. “I’m fine! Get in the cave and find whatever Mother doesn’t want us to find!” 

One of the wheels turned as the pair flew down, but Elis sent a swarm of bullets at it. “Eyes on me! You know me, you know I’m a pest-” Lightning speared out from an eye and slammed into her, overloading her shield and knocking her to the ground, spasming in pain. She was still twitching even as she struggled to her feet, the YuugenMagan’s eyes staring down at her.

“Elis! We found something!” Elis shook her head to clear it, looking towards the cave, where Gengetsu was waving. “Hurry!” She yelped and ran back into the cave as the YuugenMagan fired off a heat ray at her. Elis gritted her teeth, squeezing her eyes shut, then started to run towards the cave, dodging a spread of bullets by barely a hair’s breadth. 

“ ELIS!!! ” A pop of displaced air heralded Sara’s reappearance. Elis risked a glance back, as Sara leapt into the air, arms wide. “ To me, Demon Eyes, Child of Lightning! Authorization Code Second Phase Occult! ” The YuugenMagan began to shift alignment, lightning glowing around Sara. Elis turned her head back and flew as fast as she could, diving into the cave as lightning shot around her. Gengetsu was shouting something, pointing, before she turned into bat form and dove into a hole in the back wall, barely big enough for her even in the smaller form. An energy bullet struck Elis’s shoulder, but she bore the pain, shifting and following after Gengetsu as behind her the YuugenMagan and Sara roared in combined voices. She could hear the cracks of thunder and bullets, the tiny tunnel shaking as attacks hit, heating up as a heat ray speared in, just barely unable to catch Elis.

And then she was through- through meters of rock, and into another cave. Elis shifted back to humanoid form, landing next to the others. Mugetsu was whimpering in pain, head on Gengetsu’s lap as her sister cared for her. “How is she?”

“Not good, but she’ll live.” Gengetsu rubbed her sister’s head, glaring up at Elis. “That wasn’t just Sara hating you. She kidnapped me and your new girlfriend. And that’s without you not knowing who I was at first! I want answers, now .”

“Genny, I…”

“I concur.” Kurumi folded her arms, sitting beside Gengetsu and taking Mugetsu’s hand.

Elis closed her eyes. “Is this the right time? Sara’s still out there and I think she’s controlling the YuugenMagan now.” 

“I don’t think she can get through. Not unless she can change form, too. I had to leave the mirror behind, the hole was so small.” Gengetsu pointed towards the hole, barely visible in the dark, even as Elis’s eyes adjusted. Elis squinted, then lifted her hand and summoned a bit of magic into a glowing orb, letting her see easier. Indeed the hole was small, smaller than Elis would have believed. And the stone…

“That’s… that’s not natural stone. Those are bricks.” Elis frowned, running a hand over the crack in one brick that led to the tiny tunnel. “It was natural back in the YuugenMagan’s lair, I thought-”

“Illusion,” Mugetsu croaked out. “Spotted it when sis woke me up to fly… gonna sleep now…”

“Moog, no! You’re concussed, you shouldn’t sleep!”

“Actually she should, that’s a myth-”

“Shut it, you Capital floozy!” Gengetsu nearly lunged for Kurumi’s throat, but Mugetsu stuck a hand up between them.

Elis turned away from them, tossing her orb into the air and letting it rain light down. It looked like the roof of the cave was brick as well, but the floor was dirt and stone. A massive ditch meandered before them, the bottom lined with smooth stones. Across, Elis could see… a ruin? She frowned, taking off and hovering closer. 

“Elis! Get back here, we’re not done with you!” But Elis ignored them as she spotted a sign, glyphs worn with time, only a few still legible.

 

    ISTR    F        GHT      D       ONG - MA  AI   DIV  I 

 

“Where… are we?” Elis trailed off, as she turned back to the others. She couldn’t hear the YuugenMagan and Sara, but as she landed, she knelt down and grabbed Mugetsu’s legs. “Let’s get in there before we talk. Just in case Sara finds her way in here.”

“And then we’ll talk?”

“And then we’ll talk.”

Notes:

LLS. L-Elis?

As promised, Elis has returned. If you're not aware, this isn't in actual Lotus Land Story, this is something new. Let's just hope it works out.

Anyway, that's all three of the main plot threads started.

Chapter 4: Bewitching Dream

“I don't think she has the right person.”

Meira had her arms folded as she and Reimu followed after Elly, into the manor. Reimu gave her a withering look. “You're very confident in me.”

“What I mean , is that if her wife is dying, surely a doctor would be the appropriate person to kidnap.” Meira let out a huff. “We should just leave. Lady Kotohime will be missing us.”

“I can't fly, Meira.”

“I'll carry you.”

“And what do you think Auntie ‘Hime will say when she sees me in your arms?” Now it was Meira’s turn to give Reimu a look, letting out a hiss before turning away and rolling her eyes. “Meira’s right though, Mrs…”

“Just Elly is fine.” The blonde woman set her scythe on a rack as they passed through the front door, setting her boots down below them. She tsk ed as she paused to brush some dried mus off them, before turning back to the girls. “I've had a doctor check her. They were perplexed, and said it might be something spiritual, not physical. Something I might need someone else for, like a priest,” Elly’s eyes locked on Reimu. “Or a Shrine Maiden.” Elly walked over to a set of stairs, gesturing for the two girls to follow as she ran up them. 

“We can just leave,” Meira repeated.

“She'd just come chasing after us and probably do something even more ridiculous.” Reimu shrugged. “ You can leave. Fly back and tell Kotohime what happened.”

“Lady Mima would be disappointed with me if I left you with a crazy bitch with a scythe. And I would be very dead if she killed you and brought down the Border.”

“She's not gonna kill me!” Reimu hissed, then paused. “She probably won't kill me,” she amended, then paused again. “...how quickly can you draw your sword?”

“Quick enough.” The two shared a look before staring up the stairs, where Elly waited with wringng hands. Meira sucked in a breath and started forward up the steps, Reimu close behind her. If Elly noticed their nervousness, she didn't say anything, just waiting for them to follow. She led them through the hallway, eventually stopping at a door. Elly placed a finger to her lips, then gently turned the knob and opened it.

As Reimu peered inside, she was met with a burst of scent. The room was full of flowers, in vases, laid out on the floor, covering the bed, nearly hiding the form of the woman lying there. She had messy bright green hair, just long enough to cover her eyes and brush her shoulders, and was wearing pink pajamas. She was breathing, but only barely, so quiet and slow that Reimu couldn't see her chest moving. She held a sunflower in her hands, half the petals missing, the rest of them wilting. As Reimu stared one petal fell away, drifting down to the floor.

“Normally flowers don't wilt around her unless she lets them.” Elly said, just behind Reimu. “I think when the last petal drops, it will be too late.”

“How long has she…”

“Two weeks. The first petal dropped a week ago and they’ve been speeding up since.” Elly knelt down next to Reimu, brushing a hand over the woman’s cheek. “Oh, Yuuka…” 

Reimu tried not to stare at Elly’s hand and the two prosthetic fingers there. Something tickled the back of her mind- that was a tell, wasn't it? A way to recognize when someone was a youkai and what kind. But she put the thought aside, turning back to the woman- Yuuka, apparently. “Soo… she want to sleep two weeks ago and never woke up?”

“Yes.” Elly turned to Reimu, eyes pleading. “You will help her, right?”

“I can try?” Reimu pulled out her staff, holding the tassels against the haft so they didn't drag over the woman’s face as she waved it over her. “I'm gonna need specifics. Two weeks you said? Did you notice anything unusual then?”

“The window was open?” Elly tapped her chin, then looked up. “Here, want me to get you two some refreshments? It's the least I can do since I kidnapped you.” She grinned at Reimu. “And if you're paranoid about me poisoning you, your girlfriend can come with to make sure I don't instead of just glaring with her hand on her sword!”

“She's not my girlfriend,” Reimu hurridly said, as Meira turned bright red and clenched her hand on the hilt of her sword. Elly just smiled, before flouncing out of the room. Reimu grimaced, turning to Meira. “Sorry.”

Meira closed her eyes, breathing in and out. “Not your fault.”

Reimu turned back to Yuuka, reaching over the woman to tap the windowsill with her staff. If it had been open when Elly found Yuuka asleep, it was closed now. “There are youkai that can come into a room and cause illness, I know that. Genjii told me about Hōsōkami once, and how mom killed them all.”

“Deservedly.” Meira shuttered.

“But it could be something mundane, too? I think I heard of a disease spread by mosquitoes that causes people to sleep once, and mosquitos can get in through windows.” Reimu tapped her chin. “Or even a mix of both, if an Amikiri cut through mosquito netting.”

“Most people with glass windows don’t use mosquito netting.”

“I mean, do you have any better ideas?” Reimu asked.

Meira frowned, eyes scanning over the woman. “She’s youkai but I can’t tell what sort. That might matter.”

“True.” Reimu waved her staff again, eyes closed as she chanted under her breath. “Um... I’m not getting anything specific. Just ‘flower youkai’?”

“Very helpful.”

“It’s more than you’ve gotten!”

Meira shrugged and picked up one of the flowers decorating the woman’s sleeping form. “If she’s youkai, can you rule out a youkai cause to her sleep?”

“Probably not.” Reimu sighed. “I guess we wait for Elly to come back and... Wait.”

“What?”

Reimu tapped her chin. “You have an ability, you can use any weapon, and in order for that to work you kinda get a bit of knowledge about the weapon when you touch it, right?”

“Yessss.... what are you getting at?”

“You’re really strong, so can you use a body as a we-”

“ No .” Meira sighed. “Rika already asked that about Marisa. And herself.”

Reimu blinked. “Why?”

“Because she’s Rika. I think she was hoping if I tried to weaponize her it would turn me into a clone of her.”

Reimu shuttered. “That's honestly a pretty scary thought.”

“Yeah. Imagine never being able to touch someone or risk losing yourself.”

Reimu had meant the thought of two Rikas, but she didn't disagree with Meira. She turned back to Yuuka’s sleeping form and waved her staff again. “I… honestly I don't know. Nothing is possessing her, her soul is still there, as far as I can tell she's just regular asleep.” Reimu tapped her chin, than reached back, feeling her cat pressing its face into her palm. “Maybe I could ask my ancestors?”

Meira shrugged. “Hopefully they like Yuuka more than they hate me.” She grimaced as the cat turned to hiss at her. “I’m going to look around and see if anything stands out.”

“Maybe if she has a weapon somewhere, you could touch it and see if that tells you anything? Like if she got in a fight and got hit by a curse, maybe there’d be some kind of residue on it?”

“It doesn’t work that way. I’ll look though,” said Meira. 

Reimu nodded and squatted, clearing a patch of floor of flowers before sitting down with her legs crossed. The cat jumped into her lap and shifted into Orb form. Reimu placed both hands on it, closed her eyes, and focused.

The world around her went dark, colors deepening, while Meira appeared to turn into a wraith of black smoke. The Orb glowed in her hands, and a dozen or so glowing flames spun out of it. One floated out in front and grew, expanding into the form of a young man in the outfit of a priest. “I wouldn't say we hate Meira, but she should really learn to keep her hands to herself.”

“I gave her permission, Grandfather!”

Shinichi Hakurei- or rather, the reflection of his spirit implanted in the Orb to help guide future generations of Hakureis- shook his head, but Reimu thought she saw a hint of a smile on his face. A second flame expanded into a woman with long red hair tied back in ribbons-his wife, Kyō. She gently whacked him on the back of the head, then turned to Reimu with a broad smile. “It's good to see you, Reimu. What do you need our help with today?”

“We already know what she needs help with. We can hear anything around the Orb!”

“Sometimes saying a problem in different words can help find a solution, dear.”

Reimu couldn't help but grin as she watched the two bicker. “It's alright, I can explain it.” She quickly gave a quick run of events. The two listened, as did the other flames, hovering next to them in rows. All the while Meira’s shade scurried around the room in slow motion- from what Reimu could tell, time moved differently while she was in the trance, and she could have a full conversation in a matter of seconds. Not that she needed long, though- Reimu had little knowledge of medicine and with no obvious sign of spiritual nonsense or youkai maleficence she was stuck. And judging by her grandparents’ expressions they were just as lost as she was.

“Hmmm…” Reimu’s grandmother frowned. “Has this Elly gotten a second opinion? Or a third? Maybe she was too quick to jump to spiritual help.”

“It’s too bad Misumaru didn’t get to Rin before she and Izumi went and died,” said her grandfather. “Damn her, she got complacent. Right there, the day before you went into labor and got both of us just in case the curse killed me too, but the next generation down…”

“You know, it's quite interesting,” said an unfamiliar voice- one of the other flickering spirits of Reimu’s ancestors. Reimu knew they could talk, but it had always just been among themselves, leaving her grandparents to do the communicating with her. “Given we aren't actually us , that we're simple reflections of what we once were, surely Misumaru could make a replica of Izumi regardless?”

“I think she needs a good look first, mother,” 

“But does she? Could a sufficiently detailed account serve the purpose?” The flame flickered and expanded into a short shrine maiden with glasses. “Suppose we brought her to Kotohime and they talked?”

“Is now really the time, mother?”

“Well, given some of my theories, maybe?”

Meira's shade reached for something, when she suddenly screamed, voice slowed and distorted by Reimu's trance. Her body fell, while something white burst from her face, taking roughly humanoid shape for a moment before it vanished. Reimu’s trance broke immediately as she let go of the Orb, running over and barely managing to get under the other girl before she hit her head on the floor. The door burst open and Elly ran in, a tray balanced in one hand. “I heard a scream! What happened?”

“I don't know!” Reimu put her finger to Meira’s neck and checked for a pulse- she'd made the mistake of not checking before. Meira was alive, apparently asleep. But what caused it? What happened to her? 

Reimu scanned the area, spotting the thing Meira had grabbed and dropped- a pink umbrella. Elly noticed as well and before Reimu could say anything she picked it up. “This should probably be downstairs. Weapons don’t go in the bedroom.” 

Reimu's eyes widened, and she muttered to herself "Her gift doesn't work that way my ass ."

"Hm?"

"Nothing," Reimu shook her head, turning her attention back to Meira. She tried to shake the girl, poking her with her staff, even pulling out an anti-possession amulet and pressing it against her forehead- she'd refrained from doing that to Yuuka out of fear it might react badly to the youkai. But nothing worked, Meira was as asleep as Yuuka. Her cat pressed its head into her hand, and she scooped it up, dropping it on Meira, but while the cat kneaded its paws on the girl, leaning its head down to hiss in her face, that didn't work either. It turned to give Reimu what was clearly a shrug, then shifted back to Orb form and rolled into her arms. Reimu pushed away from Meira, kneeling and reentering her trance.

 

 

As blackness descended Reimu was plunged into a heated discussion between her ancestors. Her grandfather and great-grandmother were still in humanoid form, the latter turning as Reimu came into focus. "Oh, excellent! That gives me a lot more data to work with! Good job getting that sneaky one to fall asleep too!"

"It wasn't on purpose! And now she's in trouble too!"

"Serves her right," her grandfather shrugged.

“Hey!”

“This is perfect, though!” Her great-grandmother continued. “Reimu, I think I know what happened! I don't know how it happened but we can figure that out later.”

“What do you mean?” 

The woman tapped her chin. “Imagine a sponge, where one half is full of water and the other isn’t. You’d still say it’s wet, right? Even though half is dry.”

“I… what?”

“Hold on, bad metaphor. How about this? There’s an aspect of reality besides the physical world we’re used to. A realm of cognition, that deals with thoughts, especially the unconscious ones. It’s typically known as the Dream World. Oh, you've heard of it?” The last bit came as Reimu grimaced.

“I've visited.”

“Really? Why didn't I know about this?”

“Good question, mother, we were there , she had the Orb with her.” Reimu’s grandfather rolled his eyes.

“Well why didn't someone say something? I studied it during my tenure as shrine maiden, you know!”

“When you weren't getting involved in Outsider wars.”

“Son, if you were really you and me really me, I would ground you!”

“Can we stay on topic please? What do I do?” Reimu asked.

“If I’m right, Meira’s soul has been shunted into the part of her that’s in the Dream World- her dreamself. Normally her dreamself would be somewhere nearby relative to her physical body, but if it isn’t , that might explain why she’s like that. It might be the same with Yuuka!” Reimu’s great-grandmother nodded. “Simple enough- go into the Dream World and find them!”

“How? Please don’t tell me I have to go talk to Professor Okazaki and use her machine, I don’t want there to be two of me again.”

“ Again? Why does no one tell me about these things?”

“Mom, we were there. We can see out of the Orb.”

“Are you sure you two are my ancestors?” Reimu shook her head. “Aren’t ancestors supposed to be wise?”

“To be fair, we weren’t very old when we died…” Her grandfather grimaced. “When you know you’ll die as soon as you have a kid, but you also know you need to have one as quickly as possible before something else kills you and takes Gensokyo with you…” 

“I-in any case, what do I do?” Reimu asked, pleading.

“There’s a couple ways to get to the Dream World- spells, weak points in the world where it’s closer than normal, this machine that nobody told me about, apparently…” Reimu’s great-grandmother said. “But right here and now, it shouldn’t be hard. Your trance state is pretty close to sleep already, and with my knowledge inside the Orb, I should be able to get you the rest of the way there. After that, find Meira and Yuuka’s dreamselves and drag them back here, close enough to their physical bodies to resynchronize with them.” 

“What happens if I fail?” 

“Then you end up like your sneaky orb-stealing friend,” said her grandfather. “So, don’t.”

Reimu gulped, but nodded. “Looks like I don’t have a choice, then.” 

“Make yourself comfortable first- it really doesn’t pay to go to the Dream World only to wake up with a cramp.” 

“It won’t matter much if she gets trapped, mom…” 

“If she does, Genjii or Kotohime will notice she’s missing eventually, and at that point they can probably pester She-That-Lies into action…”

Reimu ignored her ancestors as she dropped out of her trance. She took a sip of tea- Elly had left the tray behind- then scooped up some extra blankets from the bed. She set out an improvised mattress for herself, then after considering for a moment, rolled Meira’s unconscious form onto it. No reason she should wake up with a cramp either. Reimu laid down next to her, closing her eyes and holding the Orb to her chest. She entered her trance, world going dark around her, then felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Ready, Reimu?”

“As much as I can be-”

Everything flashed white as Reimu’s consciousness was shoved from her body.

Notes:

I wonder if anyone will be able to guess what sort of youkai Elly is in this fic?
Anyway though, we get to see Reimu's grandparents in the Orb again. And her great-grandmother. That's pretty cool. If she looks familiar in the drawing, I based her design off of the Label Girl from the Comiket 62 version of Dolls in Pseudo Paradise. I added glasses because I felt like it.

Chapter 5: Blade of Banishment

 

Six Months Ago

 

“This makes no sense…”

Elis muttered to herself as she walked through the ruin, a glowing magic light hovering over her shoulder. Perhaps she could have shifted to bat form and echolocated, but echolocation didn’t work on paint or ink. And with how weird the ruin was, she wasn’t sure she wanted to miss anything. 

Of course, maybe I shouldn’t have wandered off… Elis thought to herself, biting her lip. As soon as the group had  made it across the ditch and into the ruin, they’d all sat down, and Elis had explained everything she knew, starting with her trip with Kurumi to the Mundanity, of fighting that Human girl Hakurei, memories of a past life where she had loved Gengetsu, and Mother erasing that life as punishment for her previous encounter with the YuugenMagan. The group had stared, silently listening, not speaking even as Elis stood back up and ran off deep into the ruins. 

She had no idea what to say to them, what to do about all this. So she decided to focus on something else. 

“We should go back.” One of the Elises, the newer one, said in her head. “ We can’t do anything, but we can at least be there for them. They’re hurting.”

“We can do this for them.” The other Elis replied- the older one. “ We know ruins. It’s what we did before. Scouting it out for them is helpful.”

“Is it the right kind of helpful though?”

“Shut up.” Elis said to herselves, who went quiet.

Elis held up her light as she gently pushed open a door. The wood felt like it would disintegrate at her touch, the hinges squeaking with age as she poked her head inside. The room was small, full of dust and splinters of derelict furniture. On one stone wall was a shelf, covered in the desiccated husks of books- she already knew she’d get nothing useful from them, trying to touch one in another room had seen them dissolve into so much sawdust and chitin of long-gone silverfish. In fact the room looked much the same as the previous one, and the one before that, three rooms one after the other in a long hallway. 

“It’s too non-linear. Just all these empty rooms in a row, like a-”

“I said shut up!”

“Elis?” 

Elis turned, pausing before she could really tear into her newer self. Kurumi stood behind her, hands together and a confused look on her face. Elis let out a breath. “Hey, Ku.”

Kurumi smiled, but it looked pained. “Elis… are you okay?” 

“I'm fine.”

“Are you sure? You just ran off. It’s not like…”

Not like you. Elis filled in for Kurumi. But who am I?

“We’re Kurumi’s friend.”

“We’re Gengetsu and Mugetsu’s friend.”

Elis shook her head to try to clear her thoughts. Kurumi was still standing there when she stopped, a hand gently reaching out. “Listen, Elis… when Sara grabbed Gengetsu and I, we overheard her. Complaining about you, and going on about ‘undeserved second chances’ and ‘ruining another girl’s life’. We believe you. That you weren’t cheating on Gengetsu, that your memory really was taken.”

“Doesn’t make it any less awkward. Or confusing.” Elis turned away, examining the far wall- something had hung on it once, judging by the large rectangular patch of discoloration, but whatever it was had long since disintegrated. “This whole place is confusing, too. It doesn’t make sense.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“There’re no traps. No puzzles. Ruins are supposed to be for letting people try their skills and wits. Mother leaves gifts for the clever in places and has Vina set traps to test. Succeed at Vina’s games and win a prize. Fail… well, Mother intervenes before you find out what Vina might take. You just have to stay out of the ruins for a while in penance.”  Elis couldn't help but smile as a memory pushed into her head. “It's actually how I met Gengetsu. Accidentally broke an axe trap in of the ruins outside Virgil's Den. And, well, part of the rules with Vina is that you have to play fair even if she doesn't. So I brought Genny in to have a look, but she kept falling into traps just getting to it, so I ended up staying with her and…” Elis trailed off as she saw Kurumi's expression. “...A-anyway, point is that I haven't seen any traps or puzzles. No sign of them, nor any treasure. There's supposed to be treasure in a ruin, money, usually. Or other unlicenced archaeologists like myself- when we complete a run, there’s usually a chest or something, you leave a little trinket and take one left by a previous person. Kinda a solidarity thing. But I haven’t seen anything like that either, or anything pointing towards treasure!”

"Unlicensed archaeologist?"

Elis blushed. "Treasure hunter. I thought it sounded better, got the idea from one of your Mundanity novels I borrowed."

Kurumi blushed as well, before turning away and examining the room. "It almost feels like an office- this room, I mean. Like, shelves, that discolored spot on the wall, a poster or map or something could have gone there." She kicked at a pile of decayed wood. "Desk would have gone about here."

"All the rooms in this hallway kinda look like this."

"So... it's an office building? But as a ruin?"

"Why would Mother have Vina create a ruin that looked like an office building ? What would the treasure be? The theming?"

"Maybe it wasn't always a ruin? Maybe it originally was an office building?"

"Then how'd it get like this? Why would it get like this? And who'd put it in a cave guarded by the YuugenMagan? Aren't offices supposed to be, ya know, used?"

"I sometimes kinda wished that my office was stuck in a cave guarded by the YuugenMagan. Then I wouldn't have had to go to work." Kurumi giggled, before turning serious. "Elis..."

"What?"

"You loved Gengetsu, right? Do you still love her?"

Elis froze, mind spinning, as she tried to figure out what to say, the voices in her head starting to argue. "Of course we do!" "Why would we? We don't know her!" "We did though!"

Slowly, trying and failing to meet Kurumi's eyes, Elis nodded. "...It's... difficult. Because for half of me, it's like... we never stopped. Because my memory was erased and it's like it was yesterday..."

"So you still love her? Or not?"

Elis bit her lip, finally mumbling out a quiet "Yes."

Kurumi let out a breath, eyes closing. "Good."

"Good?"

"It's like you said- you had your memory erased and got it back. You still remember her as your girlfriend. If you'd have said no, that she didn't mean anything to you..." Kurumi winced. "I guess it would make me ask, what you would say about me if she asked."

Elis grabbed the taller woman in a hug, holding her close. Kurumi hugged back. "I... don't know how this is gonna work, Elis."

"I don't, either. But I think it's gonna have to wait a bit, anyway. 'Cause of whatever happened and all."

Kurumi nodded, her chin bumping Elis's head. After a moment, she let go, gesturing for Elis to follow. "We should get back to the others."

It didn't take long for them to find the two- no traps or puzzles, after all, not even a maze in this ruin. Gengetsu had set up in a large room floored with dusty black and white square tiles, having folded up her vest as a makeshift pillow for Mugetsu, who was asleep on the floor. Gengetsu had found a moth-eaten blanket somewhere, and had placed a small pouch on the ground next to her sister, digging through it. "Mists bless Moog, she at least thought to bring some supplies with her," Gengetsu muttered as she dug through the bag, pulling out several bottles that really shouldn't have fit. "Not much, but she usually keeps snacks and water with her in case she overuses her illusions again, anyway." She looked up as Elis and Kurumi approached. "It won't last long though. And when we need more supplies, Moog's illusions are gonna be our best bet of getting them- Sara's probably watching the cave outside."

"And Moog is hurt, so we can't do anything about getting those supplies we're gonna need unless she gets better, quick." Elis summarized, kneeling down and placing a hand on Mugetsu's forehead. "She's not gonna die, is she?"

"If she was, you'd already be dead, Elis." Gengetsu said, eyes narrowing. "I'd cut a hole through the wall and ask Sara if she wanted to come play."

"She'd kill you too. And it's not my fault, anyway, Sara was the one who hit her."

"Because of you."

"Because of that Gensokyan brat . She's the one who got me in trouble with Sara," Elis growled. She clenched her fists, feeling her talons poking into her palms as she let out a breath. "Kurumi said you found something, Genny?"

Gengetsu stood, letting out a breath before gesturing for Elis to follow after her. "I didn't want to touch it, it looked fragile enough it would disintegrate if I breathed on it. I thought I'd let you have a look, since you're the ruins expert."

Gengetsu led Elis over to the far side of the room, pointing towards a sheet of paper on the floor- yellowed, brittle and flaking, but mostly intact. Rust stained cracked holes, and Elis could see a pair of metal pins in the wall nearby, flakes of paper still attached- it had fallen from there, the bottom edge shattering. The ink was faded, but as Elis peered it over, she could make out lines and shapes. She tilted her head, then her eyes widened. "It's a map!"

"A map?" Gengetsu peered over Elis's shoulder.

"Of this building. That part up there, that's the hallway upstairs, with all the identical rooms in a row."

"Huh. What are those?"

Gengetsu pointed at something, and Elis frowned as she knelt closer. "I... think they might be text?"

"Text? That's not Motherstongue, though." Indeed, the markings bore little resemblance to the blocky glyphs native to Makai.

"It might be a cypher? Some ruins will have puzzles like that, using different symbols to represent letters." But as Elis stared down, she frowned. "But usually there'd be a clue of some kind to help you along- like having a well-known phrase at the top that would help you match letters. And they'll usually have the replacement symbols be really distinct to make it easier to tell which is which- some of these are too similar for that."

"Can I look?" Elis felt a hand on her shoulder- Kurumi. She stepped back, pretending to ignore the glare from Gengetsu as Kurumi pushed between the two of them. Kurumi tapped her chin. "I... don't think it's Motherstongue at all. Some other language, which is really interesting."

"Interesting how, Ku?"

Kurumi stood back up, brushing off her skirt. "In Makai, everything is translated to Motherstongue- it's one of the Miasma's gifts. The Gensokyan girl you met, Elis, years ago. What did she speak then?"

"Motherstongue, duh."

"But when you met her again- when we were in the Mundanity- what did she speak?"

Elis frowned. "Gensokyan? That's why you bought these charm things." Elis dug into her shirt and pulled out a small necklace, a silver cube marked with red lines of dried Miasma.

"Actually, it's Japanese, not Gensokyan. But yes- we had to use magic to translate, since without Mother or the Miasma, we couldn't understand her."

"And what do you know about such things, huh?" Gengetsu said. "Capital floozy like yourself,"

"Excuse you. I am an appraiser . It's my job to know about such things! Learning how to recognize when something is from the Mundanity, seeing through the magic to figure out that it's being translated, that kind of thing! I know a lot about things!"

"Like your girlfriend having no memories beyond the past two years? Didn't that raise any suspicions, appraiser ?"

"Shut up!" Elis held up her hands to the two's mouths, quieting them before talons could come out. "Ku, if it's not being translated, that means there's no Miasma, right?"

Kurumi blinked, pushing away Elis's hand. She gave the air an experimentary sniff, frowning. "...No, I suppose not."

"And neither of you noticed that, Genny, Ku." Elis gave the air a sniff as well- nothing. None of the slightly sweet smell. "I didn't notice either, actually."

"I guess we're all equally idiots, then..." Gengetsu trailed off. "I mean, it's usually less prevalent in buildings, and this is a building ­in a building, so I guess we didn't think anything of it?"

"It's strange though." Elis felt a chill go up her spine, not unlike when she and Kurumi had entered the Mundanity. "We're still in Makai, right? We'd have noticed if we'd left, right?"

"We didn't notice the lack of Miasma until now, Elis."

“True.” Elis bit her lip. “If we did leave it though…” She looked at the map again. “It's not just the building- I think this part here shows the stuff around it too- that line there is the ditch outside I think. And there's an arrow here on one end of the ditch- what if that's an exit? Maybe there's another cave, we could sneak around Sara that way!”

“And what if we really are outside Makai?” Gengetsu frowned, but rubbed her chin.

“Well, then we just go find the other side of the Gensokyo Gateway, it can't be that far. While Sara is distracted, we still sneak past her, and then make a run for the Capital and Mother. Explain ourselves, get Sara off our back, and if we see her on the way, we eat that damn Gensokyan kid!” 

“Thought… ya didn’t like real blood…” 

Elis turned to see Mugetsu propping herself up on her arms. Gengetsu ran over to her, helping her sit up. “Moog, are you alright?”

“Better… can you get me some water?” Mugetsu had her eyes closed, groping out as Gengetsu handed her a bottle. She drank it down, before pulling herself to her feet unsteadily. “I think I can move now. Ouch.” She winced a bit as she rubbed her head. “You’re right, Elis. Sara’s a bitch.” 

“Yeah,” said Elis, catching nods from Gengetsu and Kurumi. “Are you sure you're okay, Moog?”

“Good enough. It's like you said, we need to get out…” Mugetsu paused to take another drink of water. “If there's another way, Sara might know about it. I don't think I can do much more illusions right now, my head is ringing…”

“Lie down again.” 

Gengetsu moved to grab her sister, but Mugetsu shook her head and pulled away. “We have to move. I can shift form for a while, and you know the basics for illusions, sis. Enough to hide us in bat form if we need. Besides, if Sara spots us again we can always push Elis out in front…” 

Elis folded her arms and glared, but internally she laughed a bit, as Kurumi and Gengetsu laughed externally. She stomped off towards the exit, though not so fast as to prevent the others from following. As they exited, Elis increased the power of her little light, filling the strange cavern outside the building, brightening further as more lights came on from the other vampires. “Map said there was something just past this ditch, right? We’ll follow it.”

“It looks like a riverbed.” Gengetsu ran to catch up with Elis, reaching down and plucking a stone from the ditch. “See how smooth it is? There was a river near town, sometimes I’d go there to get rocks.” 

“A river without water?” 

“And an office without anyone at work.” Kurumi caught up as well, a protesting Mugetsu draped over her shoulder. 

“All hidden behind a monster, because Mother apparently doesn’t want us here.” Elis summed up, shaking her head. “It makes no sense.” 

The group continued on for a while, as the dried-up river continued on, through the far wall and into a tunnel. The ground started to turn mushy under their feet- not quite mud, but soft with dampness. Further along, and they began to hear the faint trickle of water, their feet sinking a bit deeper, until with a yelp, Elis stumbled, falling on her face. She got to her knees, rubbing dirt from her face as she turned her light back. Her foot had sunk into the ground, and she could see a bit of water in her footstep, pressed out of the ground by her weight. 

“Are you alright, Elis?” Hands reached down, helping Elis up as she brushed her skirt off. She glanced at Gengetsu, who blushed a bit as she met her eyes.

“I’m fine.” Elis stretched, then held  her light up high, looking back down the tunnel. “River theory seems more likely, if it’s still damp.”
“What would cause a river to just disappear though?”

“Someone blocking it up?” Mugetsu said. She’d managed to detach herself from Kurumi and was aiming a light down the tunnel. “I think I see rocks over there.”
Elis turned and ran towards the point indicated, slowing as she slipped on some mud, but indeed, she could see the rocks, filling all but the very top of the tunnel. Water dripped through the cracks between them, leaving a large puddle just in front. Elis released her light and shifted to bat form, letting out a burst of sound, before shifting back. “There’s a way through- not that much bigger than the crack we used to get inside, but I think it opens up further back. I’ll scout ahead.” Before giving them a chance to respond, Elis shifted again and flew off into the darkness, guided only by echolocation. The trickle of water grew louder, becoming a rushing sound, until she burst out into a massive cavern, staring down at a very not dry river down below, blocked from going down the tunnel by a dam of rocks. Elis landed and shifted back, summoning her light again as she looked around. The cavern was massive, so tall she couldn’t see the ceiling above, even as she hurled her light up into the inky blackness. A great fence of metal wire ringed the area. She could see a sign attached to the fence with wires, facing away from her.

“What do you see, Elis?” Mugetsu called up from the tunnel. “Is it safe?”

“I think so, come on up!” Elis flew over to the fence, examining the wires, woven into a square mesh. She tested a talon against the wire, trying to saw it apart.

“Woah…” 

Elis turned as the others flew out of the tunnel. Mugetsu was shining her light at the ceiling, head craned back as she tried to spot the top. Gengetsu grabbed her by the shoulders.  “Careful! Don’t get yourself dizzy!”

“I’m fine , Genny!” Mugetsu said, even as she stumbled a bit, Gengetsu grabbing and holding her up. 

Kurumi landed next to Elis, examining the fence with folded arms. “What is this?”

“I don’t know. There’s a sign on the other side, but-”

Kurumi grabbed onto the wire mesh and pulled , ripping wire apart with her bare hands and a shriek of tearing metal. Elis jumped back with a cry as wires flicked this way and that, nearly scratching her, before blushing as Kurumi smiled at her. “You can get through, now.”

“ Why , are you so strong, Ku…” Elis shook her head, even as she carefully shifted to bat form and flew through. “Not that I’m complaining…”

Kurumi’s smile broadened. “I’m an appraiser. Sometimes I have to appraise really heavy things.” She glanced back towards where Gengetsu and Mugetsu was staring at her. “Problem, Genny?”

“I could have opened it a lot quieter and with less sharp edges…” Gengetsu growled, eyes narrowed as she stuck a tool back in her belt. Kurumi stuck out her tongue at her, and Gengetsu rolled her eyes. Mugetsu looked between the two of them, wincing, before shifting to bat form and slipping through the hole in the fence.

Elis stared at the two as well, herselves whispering to each other. “Think they're gonna fight? That'd be hot.” “We don't have time for that.” “Come on, just imagine.” “They'd be hurting each other, how's that hot?” “I mean they'd be hurting at first, but then they realize their common interest-” 

“Hey, this sign is in Motherstongue!” 

Elis turned as Gengetsu shouted. She was pointing at the sign. Elis shifted form and flew through the gap in the fence to join her, frowning as she held up her light and read.

 

Restricted Area:

By order of the Chthonian Council and Shinki, Meter Megale

Ministry of Right and Wrong- Makai Division Personnel Only Beyond this Point.

Violators Will Regret

 

"Regret what?" Gengetsu asked.

"And what's the Ministry of Right and Wrong?" Elis rubbed her chin. "Or the Chthonian Council?"

"I... think it's something to do with being underground?" Kurumi appeared next to Elis. "Maybe it's not translating right."

"Translating?" Elis frowned, then narrowed her eyes. For a moment, the letters seemed to waver in her vision, shifting to unfamiliar glyphs before snapping back. "So... we're back in Makai?"

"I don't smell or see any Miasma though."

Gengetsu appeared as well, reaching forward and pressing a hand against the sign, running a talon over the edge. "The sign itself is enchanted. There's a spell on it- don't recognize it, but then again, I've never had to make a translation spell before."

"Huh," Kurumi leaned forward and pressed her hand next to Gengetsu's. "Good catch, Bumpkin."

"Bumpkin?"

"You keep calling me Capital floozy, I-"

"Can you two please stop ?" Mugetsu pushed her way in between the two. "You're making my concussion worse."

Elis stepped back, looking over the torn fence, reading the sign again. "We came from inside there. I... guess that means we're authorized, right? The sign's facing this way, against people who'd be coming in." Elis thought back to the worn glyphs on the sign outside the building back in the cavern- they seemed to match up a bit, she thought. There'd at least been a part that looked like 'Makai' written on it. She considered going back to check, but decided against it. "We should get going. Maybe…” Elis paused as she smelled something faint in the air. Was that... blood ?

Elis turned, feeling a breeze from deeper in the caves carrying the scent. She started walking, glancing back only once to make sure the others were following. The metallic tang grew as she went, and soon the others were audibly sniffing the air. They entered a tunnel, cut gems giving off dim golden light around them as they walked. This was no more natural than the cavern the building had been in, hiding behind the YugenMagan's lair. Elis could see faint red as the exit came into view, growing and growing, until they stepped into a new cavern and gaped.

An entire lake of blood lay before them, receding into the distance.

Rock isthmuses and peninsulae crisscrossed the lake, while more glowing crystals shone from above. Another sign and fence surrounded it, but Elis didn't have time to read it before Kurumi had torn it open, running to the edge of the blood and scooping up some in her hand. She gave it a taste, eyes lighting up. "It's real! Not an illusion, it's a real lake of blood!"

Gengetsu and Mugetsu ran past, Mugetsu a bit slower as she held her head, but soon they were also scooping up handfuls and drinking. "It's kinda oily- like that gross artificial stuff you like, Elis!" Gengetsu called, then frowned. "...Do you still like that stuff? Or did that go with your memories?"

"Oh yes, she still drinks it. I don't know how, it's gross." Kurumi laughed. "And then they put like all flavors in it too!"

Elis made a rude gesture at them both, which only got them laughing harder. She started to run towards them, intent on shoving them into the lake, but she paused as she caught sight of the fallen sign. The letters ran for a moment, much like the other sign had, before resolving into Motherstongue-

 

Restricted Area:

By order of the Chthonian Council and the Ministry of Right and Wrong-

The Hell of Blood Pools is Indefinitely Closed for Reevaluation

Violators Will Regret

 

Additionally someone had scribbled underneath it with a marker-

 

"this place sux"

 

-along with a picture of a grinning face with two huge horns.

 

Elis frowned, looking back towards the others. Kurumi had taken off her boots and socks, holding up her skirt as she carefully waded in. Gengetsu was filling up an empty water bottle, while Mugetsu had simply laid back, staring up at the ceiling. Elis glanced at the sign again. "Do you think maybe we shouldn't be here?"

"Why not?" Kurumi turned back to call to Elis.

"Just... this feels off. Like, it's stuff we've never heard of. At least Mother's name was on the last sign we saw, but I don't think this is just the Mundanity."

"Weren't you the one who was insisting on figuring out what Mother was hiding?" Gengetsu finished filling the water bottle. "I mean, so far it doesn't seem anything too bad."

"There's a lot of blood, maybe she was worried about people gorging themselves and getting sick?" Mugetsu added. "Maybe this is like, some kinda blood well, and normally you're only allowed down here to bottle it for selling back home."

"In which case get your stinky feet out of the blood, Kurumi! " Gengetsu turned and shouted. "I don't want to taste you every time I eat!"

"We already decided it tastes more like the artificial stuff! Besides, natural blood comes from blood-beasts, not from a well!"

"Or from stupid Gensokyan brats..." Elis muttered under her breath. She started towards the others, but stopped as she heard a shout behind her. She whirled, eyes widening at the sight of a massive woman, nearly twice her height and broad shouldered. She was wearing a red uniform and had black hair pulled into a messy ponytail, as well as a long red horn jutting from her forehead. She had a massive curved sword strapped to her back, which she drew and pointed as she shouted again, revealing massive canines, not delicate piercers like a vampire’s, but big for slicing and tearing. Elis didn’t know what she was saying, or even what language it was, but she could guess the intent as the mystery woman pointed at the torn-up fence and fallen sign.

 

 

Elis frowned, glancing back as Gengetsu grabbed her shoulder. "El...?" Her other hand was at her belt, fidgeting at a pouch. Kurumi was hastily rubbing the blood off her lower legs as Mugetsu held her socks and shoes.

The woman shouted again, eyes narrowed. "I'm talking to you four!" She gestured towards herself. She'd switched languages- Elis felt a slight warmth from her pocket from the translation charm Kurumi had bought. She's speaking Japanese ? A glance back showed Gengetsu looking as stumped as ever- she and her sister didn't have translation things.

Behind her, Mugetsu raised a hand and called back, "Um, excuse me, I don't know what you're saying!" She poked her head near Elis and whispered "What do we do, Elis?"

"I don't know, play dumb and mime confusion? She switched to something that Ku and I can pick up, but she doesn't need to know that, we'll just pretend we couldn't read the sign any more than she can understand us. Simple, right?"

The woman frowned as Elis spoke, but after a moment her eyes went wide. She opened her mouth, but it took several tries for her to finally say “Makai? You’re Makaian?!? ” 

This time however the translation charm didn’t activate- she was speaking Motherstongue. Still, Elis shook her head and shot back, “What’s it to you? And what’s with you, speaking nonsense if you knew our language?”

The woman slipped her sword back in its sheath. “How… The Makai Ministry is supposed to be a closed system per Shinki’s demands, did something happen to your Yama? Did something overload your local Reincarnation Cycle and force you into general circulation? But no, you don’t smell dead-”

Elis felt a tap on her shoulder and turned. “What’s she talking about?” Kurumi asked.

“No clue.”

“-what was her name, Hikariko? Ayana? No, those aren’t right-”

Elis looked past the woman, judging space. “Let’s just leave. Bolt past her and back into the main caves and look for a way to the Gateway, just like planned.”  

The giant woman paused in her rambling for a moment, then pointed. "In any case, you four- you're trespassing in areas where you shouldn't be. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me."

Elis folded her arms. "We'd prefer not to."

"Your preference is irrelevant. I'd prefer to keep things simple, you lot coming in peacefully. No one gets hurt." The woman reached behind her back, hand wrapping around the hilt of her sword again. "But this is serious."

Elis shot looks to the others, subtly nodding. She slipped a hand to the hilt of her wand, squeezing it. She grinned. "Serious, huh?"

"The Hell of Blood Pools is off limits for a reason. And you really shouldn't be drinking out of it."

"She's drunk worse things," mumbled Gengetsu, getting a snicker out of Mugetsu and Kurumi.

"You three were the ones drinking!" Elis hissed back, which only made them laugh more.

The massive woman glared at them, letting out a breath. "No more joking. Last chance before I start-"

Elis didn't give her a chance to start whatever, whipping out her wand and sending out a spread of missiles. “Move it!” she barked at the others, swinging and releasing another round of missiles before the smoke even cleared. Something flashed however, slamming into the missiles and sending them spiraling away. The massive woman stood, sword drawn and looking none the worse for wear. Elis gaped. “Seriously, another stupid tough melee person? You better not teleport too!” The woman didn't respond, bringing her blade up into guard position. Elis spat, then growled "Split up, she can't stab us all!"

Gengetsu and Mugetsu were already on the move, splitting up and trying to flank the woman, while Kurumi made a beeline for the broken fence, grabbing onto one of the poles and yanking it out of the ground. The woman still didn't move, but her eyes flickered to the right, locking on Gengetsu as she brought her hands together, light glowing in her cupped palms, then thrust forward, sending a glowing ball of light spiraling towards the swordswoman. The woman's sword blurred, slashing through and dispersing the energy, but continued the motion, hurling her blade at the wall behind her. The sword stuck into the rock, hilt quivering, as Mugetsu yelped and appeared inches from the blade, the illusion she was hiding behind vanishing. She scrambled back as the woman spun on her, but Kurumi was there in an instant, slamming the metal pole down on the woman's back. She fell to the ground from the sheer force, and Kurumi pressed the attack, but the woman rolled onto her back, kicking up the pole away and spinning on her shoulders onto her fingertips and toes. Kurumi leapt back, hissing, then hurled the pole like a spear, but the woman twirled into a roundhouse kick that launched it away, nearly hitting Gengetsu as she tried to sneak past, the pole sticking in the rock despite hitting sideways .

Elis hurtled towards the woman, summoning her shield a moment before impact, but the woman turned, stopping Elis with an outthrust hand and slamming a short-range knuckle punch into the shield, shattering it and sending Elis reeling. She's so strong! Elis shook her head to try to clear it. Kurumi swung her hand, firing off a pair of lazers that bounced erratically off the walls, trapping the woman in a cage of light, then an actual one as Gengetsu appeared overhead and dropped the remains of the wire fence on her like a net. Mugetsu pressed her hands together and unleashed a burst of energy bullets. The woman twisted underneath the wires, then evaporated into black smoke, slipping through everything and reforming next to her blade, pulling it out of the wall in a continuous fluid motion. So strong, but nothing like Sara- Sara smashes things, but she's almost dancing around all our attacks... Elis brought her fists up and focused, then started to swing her wand in a circle, firing off dozens of energy bullets- small and weak, but so many of them as to be nearly impossible to dodge. The woman shifted back into smoke, reappearing beside Mugetsu, but as she grabbed at her the illusion burst in a flash of light, revealing the real Mugetsu several meters away, running backwards towards the exit. The woman narrowed her eyes, but as she tried to pursue Kurumi landed on top of her again, claws scrambling for purchase and biting futilely at the woman's neck. Elis shifted to bat form and barreled towards them, shifting back to normal just as she crashed into the woman's legs, tripping her, then scrambling away as a stalactite fell from the ceiling, smashing the woman underneath. Elis rolled onto her back, staring up at Gengetsu, who'd pulled a tool out of her belt and cut through the rock. "Nice aim."

"Thanks." Gengetsu dropped to the ground, helping Elis to her feet. Kurumi reached a hand up for help, but Gengetsu ignored her, turning towards Mugetsu. "You okay, sis?"

She was met with a retching sound, then Mugetsu reappearing from behind a stalagmite, wiping her mouth and looking queasy. "Think I overdid it... head still hurts."

"Well, we killed her at least," Elis let out a sigh. "Maybe when we get back to Makai, we could lure Sara under a stalactite too-"

 

“ARDENTI ASTRUM MATUTINA!!”

 

Elis turned around, just in time to see the woman's sword shoot into the air and explode in a flash, glowing like the Lodestar back home but much, much , brighter, brighter even than the Mundanity's horrible burning Lodestar. Elis screamed and covered her eyes, hearing the others' cries as well, felt her skin heating up. She and Kurumi had used a protective lotion to walk around in Gensokyo during the day, but if there was any left, it didn't seem to do anything as she curled up into herself, whimpering in pain. It was so bright she thought she could see motion through her eyelids and fingers, thought she could smell herself cooking , but almost as soon as it started, it vanished. She opened her eyes, blinking to clear away afterimages. The horned woman stood, brushing dirt off her clothes and glaring. "I warned you."

Elis rolled to her knees, eyes squeezed shut, groping on the ground for her wand. She spat out a curse, chanting as she swung her wand back and forth, but before she could unleash hell, the woman disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. Elis suddenly felt a sharp pain as something grabbed her shoulder and pinched, and then everything went black.

Gengetsu fell next, then Kurumi. Mugetsu had gotten to her knees, raising her hands and crying "I don't suppose you'll reconsider the offer of surrender?"

Black smoke coalesced into humanoid form behind Mugetsu, hand freezing just as it reached for her shoulder. The woman paused, then drew back. "Yeah, sure." She stepped around, then helped Mugetsu to her feet. "I heard you puking earlier, and something about your head hurting. Let me see your eyes." The woman knelt down, summoning a light over her fingertip and shining it in Mugetsu's face. "Concussion, looks like."

"Yeah..." Mugetsu wobbled.

"And you're still fighting?" The woman shook her head, then pulled a flask from her hip. "Here, drink this. Should heal you up. Just one sip though, too much will kill you," she added as Mugetsu took the flask.

Mugetsu opened it, staring at the clear liquid within, but after a moment of consideration, carefully gave it a sip. Almost immediately the pain in her head started to clear even as her throat gave a comfortable burn. "That's pretty good. What is it?"

"Oni liquor. Good stuff, in moderation- too much will kill you if you aren't an Oni." The woman smirked, as Mugetsu’s vision started to blur. She started to fall, the edges of her vision going black, being caught by the horned woman before she hit the ground. “And if you're not used to it, just a sip will knock you out, too."

Mugetsu fought to try and keep awake, fluttering in and out of consciousness. She felt herself being dragged, the rumble of an engine. Her head hurt still from the concussion, wanting nothing more than to sleep, but still she struggled. Rumbling engine, a brief flicker of light followed by an explosion, muffled in her ears like so much cotton. She felt new hands, a figure with two branched antlers, and finally she gave in to the darkness.

Notes:

And back to Elis we go for a this chapter.

It seems she and her compatriots have wandered somewhere very strange. And very far from home. Hmm...
In my first draft I had a Konngara perspective immediately after, but I ended up removing it and instead letting Mugetsu hang on to consciousness just a little.

(Also, I added a little "six months ago" to the previous Elis chapter, for anyone who's reading along)

Chapter 6: Dream Land

The girl’s eyes opened, staring up into the dark sky. Stars hung overhead- literally hung, shaped and colored as though drawn by a child’s scrawled crayon, looking like they'd been glued to a distant ceiling. The moon hung overhead as a similar cartoony crescent, along with a planet the girl recognized as Makai by the red glow and string-like roads that curved up to it, almost invisible due to distance.

“I'm in the Dream World?”

The girl stood up, examining her surroundings. Lady Mima had taken her into the Dream World as part of a lesson once- to Reimaden, a region that served as a sort of crossroads between Gensokyo, Makai, and the Moon. And the Monster had visited once as well, dragging her and Hakurei into Reimaden and abandoning the shrine maiden there as punishment for hurting Meira. Of course the Hakurei had escaped though and gone on to try and kill Lady Mima, and-

“Oh good, it worked! You're still alive!” The girl turned to see the green haired fairy, leafy wings beating as they hovered. The fairy grinned, pointing into a grove of black trees. “It shouldn't be far now, so-”

“What do you mean, ‘good, it worked’? Did you think it wouldn't or something?”

The fairy grimaced, blushing. “Weeeeell… I mean, I knew I could get here, but I wasn't entirely sure about you, and you took so long coming too I was almost afraid you'd be asleep forever.”

The girl set her head in her hands, sighing, but pausing as she looked at her arms. “Oh yeah, you might see some changes like that.” The fairy wafted down, grabbing the girl’s sleeve, which was now white instead of dark purple. “Something to do with Dream World stuff I think?”

“You look the same,” said the girl. And this didn't happen when Lady Mima brought me to the Dream World on a field trip.

The fairy thought for a moment, then shrugged. “I'm still me though. You're possessing your dreamself in order to be here. It's different.” 

The girl frowned, then shook her head, confused. She reached up and grabbed a lock of hair. “Still blonde, huh…”

“Blonde looks good on you.”

“It used to be red. I liked it red.”

“Maybe you could try a strawberry blonde then? Just a bit of red to enhance it. We can ask the others, too!”

The girl shrugged, but then froze. “What ‘others’?”

As if on cue some nearby bushes shook, and Narumi popped out, hatless and a hand pressed against her forehead as she groaned. Her colors were different too- black hair turned a tawny blonde, her dress a much darker grey. Rika appeared a moment later, her own colors all mixed up too. Most of her clothes were black, save for her now green cape, but strangest of all was her hair, which was purple. The girl took a hesitant step forward. “Rika? Narumi?”

Rika whirled, drawing her pistols and aiming them, only to lower them and let out a breath. “Marisa? Is that you?” 

“Yeah.” The girl grimaced, then turned towards the fairy, who was hovering next to her. “You knocked them out too?”

“Not on purpose! I-”

An energy bullet tore through the fairy, vaporizing them in a flash of sparkles. A moment later they reappeared, eyes closed in pain. “Oooow!”

“Where are we?” Rika shoved her way out of the bushes, guns trained on the fairy. “Why are we here?”

“The Dream World. They asked me to help kill a monster.” The girl narrowed her eyes at Rika. “How did you get here?”

“We found you unconscious in a bed of poppies.” Narumi said from inside the bush, rummaging around in search of her hat. “And… I think we got it too.”

“Yeah, you did! Don’t worry, I moved your bodies somewhere safe-”

Another bullet ripped through the fairy. They were back a second later, hands on their stomach. “Stop that! It’s harder to reform here!”

“Shoulda thought of that before you started dragging us around!” Rika took aim again, but Narumi grabbed her, pulling away the guns and sticking them in her hat, which had turned bright red. Rika folded her arms and pouted, but didn’t try to take her weapons back as Narumi plopped her hat back on her head.

The girl turned to the fairy, looking them up and down. “Do you have a name?”

“Kazami!” Kazami hovered forward, their nose nearly touching the girl’s. “Are you ready to slay the monster, Marisa?”

“I still think you have the wrong person.” The girl sighed. “But I'm guessing that unless we help you we're not getting back to the normal world.”

“Probably not!”

The girl stuck out a hand to Narumi. “Give me one of those guns.”

“Those are mine!” Rika stomped.

“You have two plus whatever robots you’ve got with you.”

Rika shook her head. “None. They're back with Sigma’s big body and Sigma’s small body got left behind.”

“Then it’s a good thing you have two guns-” The girl tried to grab a proffered pistol, but her hand went straight through it.

The girl, stared, reaching out again, but nothing changed- she could sense the gun's presence, but her hand went right through as if it were air. Narumi reached out a hand, trying to touch the girl's shoulder, only to gasp as she passed through. "M-Marisa?"

"This... didn't happen the last time I was here." The girl walked over and tried to touch RIka, whose eyes were wide with confusion, but she couldn't. "You two-"

Rika swiped at Narumi, taking one of her guns back. "Still physical. And we came in the same way you did, Mari."

"That's interesting. I don't know how that happened..." Kazami stopped hovering for once, eyes wide as they stared between the three girls. "Um... I guess it means the Monster probably can't hurt you at least?”

“I probably can’t hurt it either. Does this mean we can go home?”

“You can still hurt it. You’re a witch!” The fairy popped up into the air again, grinning. “That means you can blast it until it’s dead!”

“I’m not a witch!”

But Kazami was already flitting off. “This way! We aren’t far, so just follow me!”

Rika and Narumi started to follow after, but paused as they noticed the girl wasn’t following. “We should probably go, Mari.” Rika grimaced. “I don’t like it either, but if we don’t play nice I don’t know how we’re gonna get back, unless you have the reagents for that portal spell Lady Mima used on hand and can teach Narumi really quickly.”

The girl shook her head. “Lady Mima put magic locks on the reagent cabinets.” And with the Monster trapped, she hadn’t felt any desire to poke around in there anyway.

...Well, a little, but even her lockpicking skills couldn’t get past those locks.

Rika and Narumi started to leave again, but the girl still didn't move. Narumi paused. “Marisa?”

The girl had frozen, feeling the hair on the back of her neck prickle up. She slowly turned, scanning the horizon. Standing on a hill, some distance away, was a heap of black, viscous, goo. The mound grew, goo stacking onto itself, then a golden eye sprouted from it, locking onto them.

“Run!” the girl didn’t bother to see if the others were following as she sprinted after Kazami. The fairy had vanished into the trees, but there was a path going through them, which the girl followed. Soon she could see Kazami loitering up ahead, buzzing around a large sunflower. The fairy looked up, a pout on their face, only to pause as they saw the girl running. “Hey, what’s wro-”

The girl bolted past the fairy. “Run! It’s coming after me, it-”

But as she turned to look, she saw nothing. Nothing but more trees, and a confused-looking Rika and Narumi following after. No monster, black and gooey or otherwise. 

"What..."

Kazami hovered up to the girl's shoulders and gave a shrug. "The Dream World's a weird place. It's... I think the word is "subjective"? Like, even if you see the same general thing, it's not all quite the same. 'cause everyone has different dreams."

"So monsters that only one person can see?" The girl stared at the fairy. "How do you know we can even see yours, let alone do anything about it?"

There came a sudden crash from deeper in the trees. Kazami whirled, rubbing the back of their head. "Because I think you all noticed that."

The girl met Rika and Narumi's eyes, as the fairy suddenly flitted off. "We're getting close! You'll know when you see it."

Through the woods, the path sloped down, until trees gave way for a clearing, and past it a red lake. On an island in the middle was a mansion, built of stone in a Western style. Kazami pointed. "The monster lives there. There should be a boat down below, and it should be a lot easier to row with more than just me this time."

The girl considered that for a moment, before Rika pushed past, running down the hill. "Is that blood? Who dreamed up a big lake of blood?"

"It's been like that since the Monster came. Be careful, look out for the-!"

Rika shrieked as she suddenly vanished in a splash of something pink. 

“Dream goo…”

The girl and Narumi sprinted to Rika, finding her unconscious, splattered with something pink and sticky. “What is this stuff?” The girl reached out to pull some off of Rika.

“No, wait-!”

 

A girl with chestnut braids sat at the front, closest to the shrine. Tears burned in her eyes but she held them in. She was strong. 

People came to her and offered their condolences, first to her, then to her uncle and aunt. “Mr. Hara was a good man.” “You must be so devastated!” “Poor Rika, first her mother and now her father…”

But she was strong. She would be strong. She could handle this. Death came to everyone eventually, even immortals, when the sun went out. It was earlier than she'd have hoped but she could make it through.

The last through the line was Ms. Yamashiro. Ms. Yamashiro placed a hand on her shoulder, tears dripping a bit but holding firm. “My condolences, Rika. Hideki was more than just a trading partner, he was a friend.”

“Thank you, Ms. Yamashiro.”

The yamawaro bent down and gave her a hug. “I do hope you'll remember us here in Kappatown and visit from time to time. When you're old enough, come to me and I'll make sure you get some contracts to pick up where Hideki left off.”

The girl nodded but frowned. “Why would I need to visit? I live here.”

Ms. Yamashiro grimaced as she stood back up, eyes meeting those of the girl’s aunt’s. “Rika…” her aunt said. “You know you're coming to live with us in the Human Village, right?”

“What?”

“You can't live alone here, you're too young!”

“But… but our home. All my stuff. Dad’s stuff.”

“We'll stop by and take everything you need. Everything else will be sold, the house included.”

“The proceeds will be held until you come of age. When you do you'll have a tidy sum to start off with,” Ms. Yamashiro added.

The girl shook her head. “Kappatown is my home! Everyone I know, all the stuff I've been learning!”

“Rika-” 

Tears finally burst forth as the girl pushed out of the ring of adults and ran. She heard cries for her but she didn't care, nor did she care about the people staring as she ran away. Her vision blurred, but she'd lived in Kappatown for as long as she could remember, every street, every canal, every building, she knew it all, and it was trivial to get back to the house. Her house, with Dad gone.

“It's not fair!” She whispered, tears spilling freely as she got on her knees, slamming a fist into the ground over and over again. “It's not fair! It's my home! And I'm not too little to be on my own, I don't need to live with Auntie, I’m fine!”

A fist pounded at the door, and she could hear her aunt calling her name, but the girl ignored her, wiping her face and gritting her teeth. “I'll show them. I'll show them all! I'll prove that I'm fine and they can't take me away!”

By the time Ms. Yamashiro got there with a spare key, the girl was gone, the house ransacked of food and supplies. There was no sign of the girl, save for an open window-

 

“Marisa?!?”

 

The blonde girl’s eyes shot open- she was no longer watching the little kid who'd just lost her father. She was standing in the streets of Kappatown, but everything had a hazy look to it, save for the little brown-haired girl in the blue smock pulling a wagon full of canned food and plush toys. 

“Marisa, what, how…” 

The girl turned and saw a bigger version of the child- Rika, standing semi-transparent in front of her. The girl looked between Rika and the child. “Is that… you?”

Rika closed her eyes and nodded. “Wouldn’t think it was only a few years ago, huh? Since dad died…” 

The girl frowned and stared at the younger Rika. “You had a growth spurt. You used to be my height when we first met.”

“It's not just that, it's…” the older Rika shook her head. “Marisa, what's going on? How are you here? How am I here? Like I'm playing vouyer to my own memories.”

“You stepped in something I think. And when I touched you I ended up here.” The girl shrugged. “I don't know how to get out.”

“I guess we follow kid me for now, then?” Rika said, turning to follow. Nobody noticed as the two of them jogged after the younger Rika, who'd jumped into her wagon, steering it with the handle as it rolled. The quiet whir of an electric motor came from the wheels, but weighed down it was barely faster than a walk. “I remember that thing. Dad found some broken Outsider appliance, bigger than usually gets through the Border. I stripped the motor out of it. Probably the first “big” thing I ever made.”

The blonde girl remembered it too. Specifically she remembered Rika nearly running her over.

 

Kappatown had no walls, though it did have a couple tall scaffolds for gunners. None of them stopped the young Rika, one even waved to her as she went past. Soon she’d left sight of the village, rolling downriver, all the while muttering to herself “I'll show them. I'll show them all…” What exactly she would show them she couldn't tell- not at the moment at least. She was too consumed with pain and anger to think straight- or to notice the ripples in the water until it was too late.

As she rounded a bend, a creature burst from the river- horse-shaped with a dangling seaweed mane and a mouth full of piscine needle teeth. The girl cried out as she recognized it- a Kelpie, a youkai from the far west. The monster snorted, nostrils flaring as it turned on her- horses and kappa traditionally didn't get along, with many tales of the two killing each other. And while the girl was human, she looked and smelled like a kappa.

Backward-facing hooves slammed down on the wagon, sending girl and supplies scattering. The kelpie whinnied and galloped towards the fallen girl, shaking its mane loose- the girl knew if she so much as brushed the hair with her skin she'd be stuck fast, soon to be pulled into the river and drowned- even kappa needed to breath air, much less a human like herself. She scanned her strewn supplies, eyes locking on colorful plastic gun. Her dad had opposed her getting a proper yamawaro-made gun, and without a kappa’s natural hydrokinesis she was reliant on a hand pump to build pressure inside the water gun. But as she hurriedly cranked on the pump, backing away from the encroaching monster and towards her wagon, she felt strangely calm. She had no magic, but she had her mind. She fought smarter, not harder. 

The girl hopped on top of the wagon and pulled some wires loose from the wagon’s motor, jamming one into the back of the gun as she fired. Salty brine arced out in a stream, striking the kelpie in the face. With a CRACK! electricity arced through the brine and into the kelpie, grounding into the moist riverbank. The monster screamed, while the girl grinned to herself. 

Then, either by some failsafe or perhaps simply the batteries running dry, the electricity cut out. The kelpie shook itself, twitching, but still alive, eyes glittering with malice. It burst forward and snapped its jaws down on the girl’s arm, needle-teeth puncturing skin and holding fast. The girl shrieked, slamming the butt of her water gun down on the monster’s head, but it ignored the blows, dragging her back to the river, towards her death. She clawed at the ground, grasping for purchase and finding none in the soft mud, struggling even as she was pulled into the river, water over her head.

Something shot down into the water, striking the kelpie in the shoulder. The monster bellowed in pain, letting go of her arm. She hurriedly kicked, scrambling back onto land. The kelpie burst out after her only to be knocked back by a rush of wind. A woman leapt in front of the girl, a woman with long green hair and a blue robe. She held up her hand, light glowing as she loosed a spread of energy bullets, driving the kelpie back into the water. The kelpie gave one last frustrated scream before it dove beneath the surface, dozens of glowing bullets chasing after. 

“Clever trick with the water gun, kid.” The woman turned to stare down at the girl, grinning. “Piece of advice, if you’re going for a kill shot you’d best make sure that the electricity goes through the heart- something that wet, most of the charge probably went through its fur and around anything vital.” 

 

“Of course now that I’m older and have proper weapons, I don’t need to improvise a taser like that anymore,” said Rika, as she smiled towards her younger self. “Still, it felt good to get the compliment. I felt… ya know.”

“Appreciated?”

Rika snapped her fingers. “Yeah, that! Like, someone actually cared what I thought. Add to that Lady Mima offering to get me supplies, and, well, me not wanting to go crawling back to Auntie after running off like I did…” Rika grimaced. 

Around the two, the memory started to fade to black. Rika shook her head. “Anyway though. Here I am now. With you idiots. And I even made peace with Auntie eventually. It got better in the end, didn't it?”

“I suppose.”

Color and shapes started to form again, along with noise- yelling? It sounded like Narumi and Kazami. One of the shapes coming towards them had a big enough hat. The blonde girl shook her head and tried to focus. She was lying on her back, staring up at crayon-sketched stars.

“Marisa! Rika!” 

As her vision cleared the shape resolved to definitely be Narumi, reaching towards her. Kazami was trying to pull her back, leafy wings buzzing as they pulled on one of Narumi’s arms. “Stop! You'll get sucked into the memory too!”

“I think we're fine now,” Rika sat up, rubbing her head. “What happened? What is this stuff?” She scraped some of the pink goo off herself, only for it to dissolve and vanish.

“It is such things as dreams are made of. Literally.” Kazami flitted over and poked at some of the residue. “We need to get moving. Before she notices we're here.”

“She who?” asked Rika. “Your supposed monster?”

Kazami shook her head. “Not her. The boss.”

“Boss?” The blonde girl thought. “Of the Dream World? You mean the Baku-”

“ Shhhh!!!” Kazami slapped their hand over the girl’s mouth. “If you say her name out loud she'll hear you!” They whirled around, eyes wide, before letting out a curse. Pink goo was bubbling out of the ground, expanding into a great bubble. “Too late! Run!”

The bubble burst, revealing a figure made of black smoke. Kazami vanished in a whirr of wings, the Baku charging after them. Rika dove out of the way, vanishing into the underbrush, while Narumi instinctively dove for the blonde girl but passed through her intangible form, crashing into the ground next to her. The Baku bolted past, barely missing the blonde girl, while Narumi reached up. "Get down!"

Kazami came speeding past the other way, screaming and hurling energy bullets as the Baku chased them. Rika popped up, having recovered her guns and firing at the thing, only to duck down and vanish as the smokey beast whirled towards her, blue eyes glittering. " How rude! "

"Marisa, come on!" Narumi whispered, pointing to the side. "We have to run!"

"But Rika, Kazami-"

"They can handle themselves, you can't!" Narumi's instincts had kicked in, driving her to protectiveness. Red energy bullets formed around them, while Narumi gesticulated. "We'll regroup later! You need to hide, I'll go back for them!” Narumi leapt into the air and hurtled back the way they’d come, 

The blonde girl stared after Narumi. Lights flashed, mixed with the sound of energy bullets and gunfire, screams of pain and battle cries. Will they be okay? She thought to herself.

Something wet touched her hand. She whirled, eyes going wide as she jerked back. Black, oily, viscous goo, stacking on top of itself, shaping itself. A human face poked out, yellow eyes glowing. “ Why are you running? ”

The girl screamed, leaping to her feet and running, away from the monster, away from the battle, losing herself in the black woods.

Notes:

No drawing for this chapter, I was too busy to do anything.

Our second Marisa chapter! You may remember from A Phantom, A Diversion, and a Determination that Dreamselves use the Player 2 palettes- Reimu's wearing green, Chiyuri's wearing red. Since Rika and Narumi don't have Player 2 palettes, I created some for them- Narumi's is meant to kinda evoke Rika's Stage 1 field sprite, as briefly seen in SoEW (With a red hat for Rika's Ex Stage/normal as I draw her hat), and Rika's is based off the Evil Eye Sigma.

Beyond that though, a bit of a look at Rika's memories.

Chapter 7: Unlocated Hell

Elis woke up in surprisingly little pain, for having been beaten up by a big horned woman. 

She felt sore, yes, but not as much as she expected. And she wasn't dead, or lying on hard rocks or anything. Actually she was lying on a bed.

What?

Elis sat up, needing to push herself with her sore arms. She appeared to be in a bedroom of some kind, sparsely but comfortably decorated in forest green. The room was small, and she was alone, in a bed that took up a good third of the room. The lone window looked out over a dark city, further shaded by wire mesh over the glass.

Elis struggled out of the bed, stumbling a bit as she did. She heard noise from outside the door and reached for her wand, only to find it missing. The door opened, and a head poked in at waist-level. A faintly glowing creature that Elis didn't recognize but looked aquatic from its sleek fur. It said something Elis couldn't understand and gave her a questioning look. Elis stared back and it repeated itself, but this time Elis was able to recognize the speech as Japanese. She felt at her neck, then scanned the room- there, on a small table next to the bed- her wand, and a necklace with a tiny cuboidal charm marked with red glyphs. She hurriedly scooped both up and clasped the necklace around her neck, feeling it warm against her skin. "What did you say?"

"Oh! You understand me now? Good, I was hoping I wouldn't have to try something else." The creature pushed its way into the room, waddling on short legs. It held a tray in its paws, holding it up to Elis. "I'm glad to see you're awake! I've brought you some coffee."

Elis stared down at the mug of unfamiliar steaming liquid. "Er... okay?"

"Oh, would you prefer tea? I'm sorry, I-"

"No, no, it's fine." Elis picked up the mug and pressed her hands around it to absorb its warmth. She gave it a polite taste, finding it more bitter than she liked and better smelling than it tasted, but somewhat refreshing and not altogether awful. "Where're the others?"

"They're here too, just in other rooms. You're the first one to wake up though, so that means you get to talk to the boss!"

"The... boss?"

"Yeah, she'll probably want to talk to you right away," the creature said, pausing and giving a bit of a shiver. "It's probably best to not keep her waiting? She won't be happy if we do."

Elis narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. She took another sip of the bitter liquid, running her tongue over her fangs. She was still feeling sore and a bit tired, but she felt hale enough to fight if she had to. And I should at least listen to whoever this boss is. I've no clue what's going on, and if this is the tall lady's boss I don't want her calling down burning light again.

The creature gestured for Elis to follow after, then led her out of the room and into a hallway, wood paneled and richly carpeted. Doors lined the hallway, and Elis was tempted to stop and open them to look for the others, but she refrained as the creature sped along. She did manage to pause at a window long enough to look outside a bit, only to gape a bit as she saw how high they were- dozens of floors up, higher than all but the tallest buildings in the Capital.

"The top three floors are the boss's- the entire penthouse, plus guest rooms and accommodations for her top lieutenants." The creature poked its head up next to Elis's arm. "But now's not the time for a tour. Come on!"

Elis kept her head trained on the window even as she was led away. Past sculptures on pedestals and paintings and tapestries on the walls. She caught sight of other creatures, most seeming to be the same sort as her guide, but other unfamilar beasts as well, and a handful of people with animal features too- wings, fangs, horns. She eventually came to an ornate door guarded by two hulking horned men in dark suits, eyes hidden by black glasses. Her guide knocked, and after a moment a voice called from inside. "Enter!" The creature reached up and turned the knob, stepping inside and gesturing for Elis to enter.

Past the door was an office with large picture windows on two walls, covered by wire mesh so fine it barely dimmed the light. An ornate hanging of a dragon covered the third wall, and in the middle of it all was a great wooden desk and some chairs. Sitting behind the desk was a blonde woman. Her clothes seemed far less formal than the rest of the room, a simple blue blouse and skirt, though in her hand she held an ornate golden pipe, and a set of forked antlers sprouted from her head. She leaned back, and what Elis had taken for the back of the chair was revealed to be a spiked green shell that covered the woman's back along with a long scaled tail. Next to Elis her guide gave a deep bow, paws pressed together. "My lady, I've brought you one of our guests!"

"So you have." The woman's eyes scanned over Elis, before she grinned and gestured with her pipe. "Sit." Elis's guide pushed a chair next to her, and Elis carefully sat down, finger brushing the wand in her pocket. 

“So-” The woman leaned forward, pointing her pipe at Elis's face. "Name?"

"Elis."

"Just Elis? No family name?"

Elis frowned. "Family name?"

The woman stared at Elis, eyes narrowing. "None, I’m guessing. Where are you from?"

Elis started to say Makai, but paused. The big horned lady with a sword reacted weirdly when she heard us speaking Motherstongue, asking about Makai. She decided to try a lie for the time being. "Gensokyo?"

"Huh." The woman sat back and shrugged. "Well, Just Elis. My name is Yachie Kicchou, and you're quite lucky to have fallen into my claws."

"Lucky?” Elis frowned. “Your mook beat us up.”

“What mook?”

“The big red lady with the horn."

Yachie burst into laughter.  "What, me? Do I look like a Ministry stooge? No, we rescued you from her. You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Rescued?”

“Yep. Had Svetlana give her a little kiss.” Yachie gestured to something in the corner of the room- a metal tube with a flared end and a pair of short handles at the other. “Not often I get to use her, but you’d be surprised how effective the right mortal weapon can be, even against an Astral Knight.”  Yachie’s laughter trailed off and she leaned forward. “Of course, it’s all very interesting that you were being held by an Astral Knight, and that she decided to risk going through the Animal Realm to get to wherever she was going with the four of you.” The woman’s eyes flickered to Elis’s wings. “Four of you, three bats and an oxpecker. All blonde, and you’re speaking Japanese without any propriety. Don’t know how typical that is of Gensokyo to be honest, but it makes a woman curious.”

“I’m sure it was just a mistake on her end. We’re no one.” Elis folded her arms, eyes narrowing as she met Yachie’s gaze. 

“So you say.” Yachie smirked, then leaned back, hands behind her head. “Well, here’s how I see it. Astral Knights are hard targets. Taking her down, especially with as little warning as we had, well, wasn’t easy. I only have so much ammunition for Svetlana. Taking out any Kishin, especially one like that one, is worth it of course, but, well…” She grinned. “I saved your life. Not your afternoon, your life . Therefore, you owe me your life. Capiche?”

A part of Elis remembered using those exact words on the Hakurei girl, and her fists clenched as Yachie continued. “Now I’m not stupid. Loyalty can’t be forced, it takes time and effort to grow. A resentful employee is an ineffective one, and I don't like wasting time and treasure where I don't have to. So if you want to leave, you can. That said…” 

Elis had started to stand, but paused. “What?”

Yachie smirked. “The Animal Realm is a nasty place, Just Elis. It'll chew you up and spit you out, wily beast and weakest creature alike. It doesn't matter how smart you are, how strong you are, the only way to survive is with friends in the right places.” Yachie’s grin grew, and she leaned over the desk, eyes glittering gold and red. “You can leave if you like. Maybe you'll live, but will your friends? Four little curiosities  who don't know what's what.”

That got to Elis- she felt her stomach sink at Yachie’s words. It can't all have been for nothing. We've come so far. Slowly she sat back down. “What's the alternative?” 

“Most of the Kiketsu Family is made out of beast spirits. Certainly useful in their own right, but sometimes you need someone a bit more… physical. And most of the beast spirits we have are otter spirits, with otter spirit ways of thinking. It’s a good idea to bring in new blood to prevent bottlenecking, if you catch my drift.” Yachie reached over, patting Elis’s hand. “Join the Kiketsu Family, and you will be under my Aegis. I treat my underlings well if they treat me well. You will be compensated fairly for your duties and perhaps may find room to grow.”

Elis sat for a minute. “I’ll need to think about it. And talk to the others when they wake up.”

“Of course.” Yachie leaned back, then waved to the beast spirit still next to Elis. “Lu, escort Just Elis to her friends, then bring her someone to eat, alright? No good making hard decisions on an empty stomach, though I think you’ll find she’ll make the smart choice.”

“Yes ma’am!” Elis's guide- Lu apparently- tapped her hand and gestured. "This way, Ms. Elis." Elis was silent as the beast spirit led her out of the room, cognisant of Yachie's eyes following as she went. As soon as they'd left the area, past the guards and back into the hallway full of doors. "I think the one with the maid outfit was here?" Lu tapped one door, then pointed at two more in turn. "The one with feathered wings was there and the tall one there."

"Lotta rooms."

"Guest rooms, in case of guests! I'm sure that now that you work with us though we can find you something better if you like." Lu knocked on Kurumi's door, then opened it and peeked inside. "Still asleep."

Mugetsu was also still sleeping, but just as Lu opened Gengetsu's door the woman in question nearly flew out, eyes wide, catching herself on the door frame as she looked around. "Elis? Where are we?" Her words were in Motherstongue, and Lu stared confusedly as she spoke.

"Somewhere safe." Elis gripped the translation charm, then turned to Lu. "May I have a moment?"

"Oh! Yes, yes. I should go check on getting you four some food, shouldn't I?" Lu scampered off.

Gengetsu stared after the beast spirit, then turned back to Elis. "El-"

Elis placed a hand over Gengetsu's mouth and pushed her back into the room, closing the door behind them. She took her hand away, cheeks heating up as she noticed Gengetsu blushing at the touch. "Sorry. Look, I had to tell 'em we're Gensokyan."

"What?"

"You saw how that horned lady reacted when we started speaking Motherstongue, I figured we'd best keep quiet about Makai, and I had the translation charm still."

"Elis, what in the mists is going on? Where are we?"

Elis gritted her teeth. "Someplace called the Animal Realm. We're safe for now."

"How much am I gonna hate the explanation?"

The two went quiet as someone knocked at the door. Elis cautiously cracked it open, relaxing as she saw Mugetsu and Kurumi. "Not as asleep as you looked, huh?"

"I used an illusion. I was being devious!" Mugetsu grinned, but Kurumi's eyes shot back and forth down the hall, muscles tensed. Elis grabbed the two by the arms and pulled them both inside as well, door clicking shut behind them.

For a moment the four just stared at each other, until finally Elis spoke. “So… I’m pretty sure the buff horned lady is dead.”

“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” asked Mugetsu.

“She was attacking us!”

“She didn’t kill us though! And whatever she did to knock me out after, my concussion is gone.” 

“Why is she dead, Elis?” asked Gengetsu. Elis quickly gave an abbreviated explanation of her wakeup and meeting with Yachie. “So… what? We work for this Kicchou lady now?” Gengetsu added. “Doing what , exactly?”

“I don't know. But like she said, we don't exactly know what we're getting into, right? It's better to just take the offer.”

Gengetsu gave Elis an odd look. “Are you alright, Elis? I mean, I'm not questioning the logic, but…”

“But what?”

“Nothing.” Gengetsu shook her head. “I guess as long as we're here, and as long as we're pretending to be Gensokyan, maybe I can try to replicate yours and Kurumi’s translation thingies?”

“I thought they used Miasma? How are you gonna get that?”

Gengetsu smirked. “Remember the signs we found with the translation spell engraved on it? I'm gonna try to do that.” She held out her hand. “I'm gonna need to borrow one of yours though.”

“We only have the two,” said Kurumi.

“And there’s four of us, none of whom know Japanese without these things.” Gengetsu shrugged. “Worse comes to worse, Elis just keeps doing the talking. She’s already kinda doing all the talking anyway. Best case scenario though, all of us can speak and understand. Eventually.”

Kurumi looked at Elis, then pulled out her charm and handed it over. Gengetsu flipped it over in her hands, then jumped as someone knocked again. She hurriedly stowed the charm as Elis made her way to the door, peeking outside, then down at the otter spirit. “Yeah?”

“Just wanted to know, do you prefer live food or dead? It might take some work if you need fresh blood, but-” 

“No, dead should be fine.”

“Alright, good. Bring it in!” Lu called down the hall, and a moment later came a rumble of cart wheels, and a cart covered in plates of steaming meat, bright red and dripping, was pushed inside. Lu entered after, carrying a tray of glasses and a bottle. “Courtesy of the boss!”

Elis licked her lips, stomach growling, and she could see her friends staring ravenously. “See? She’s not that bad.”

It was hard to tell exactly how long it was until Yachie called for Elis. A day or two maybe, but there was no Lodestar slowly circling overhead to tell by. While they hadn't gotten dining service as extravagant as that first meal, Lu had taken them down a floor to a dining room, where they ate with others on Yachie's employ. Lu and the other beast spirits didn't seem to eat the same as Elis or the other more humanoid beings- youkai, apparently- but that didn't stop the otter from joining them, drinking mugs of what looked like glowing tea and teasing Elis if she wanted to try. (She did not.) 

Most of what they did those few days seemed to be a sort of orientation- Lu showing Elis around the tower that made up the Kiketsu Family’s center of operations, both Yachie’s penthouse as well as offices, barracks, and armories. Elis found herself introduced to a dozen people whose names she'd forget- quartermasters, accountants, gunners and sentries who manned the balcony emplacements who watched out for foes. As for the foes, Elis got a quick rundown of the political situation of the realm- the Kiketsu Family was one of three major powers vying for control, against the mighty but blunt Keiga Family and the highly mobile Gouyoku Alliance with their apathetic boss. The three struggled against each other, while doing their best to keep things from escalating too much, less “the powers that be” start paying attention and smash them.

From what Elis could tell, the horned lady had been one of those powers. She heard whispers wherever she went, polite nods of respect as though she'd been the one to fight her, instead of her captive. That respect opened doors, with Gengetsu being given access to a workshop where she quickly managed to replicate the translator charms, impressing one of Yachie's on-staff magicians. Mugetsu’s illusions got her in a conversation with one of the balcony guards about their applications and stealth. Kurumi's knowledge of appraising led to her examining the artwork around the penthouse and talking to an accountant about the values.

And Elis... was Elis.

She'd gotten a few interested looks during a meal when she'd described her time treasure hun- Unlicensed Archaeology-ing when asked about what she did, but maybe her spotty memory meant the answers were too vague, or maybe when she told them that no, she hadn't had to fight off natives or rivals to claim a treasure, it got people less interested? She didn't have any good stories from her time working quiet hours of a convenience store, not unless people wanted to hear the story of how she and Kurumi met, and she didn't really think it would be an easy thing to discuss with Gengetsu around.

Elis couldn't really blame the others for scattering and looking around, she did the same, but still she couldn't help but feeling a bit lost as she stepped out on the balcony, alone. A pair of otter spirits stood guard at one end, scanning the sky and ground with binoculars- they were high enough that anyone down below was little more than an ant, unidentifiable as friend or foe by the naked eye. Elis leaned against the railing, staring off towards an area full of trees, green rather than the familiar reds and browns of Makai.

"I'd be careful if I were you. It's a long way down."

Elis looked over as Yachie rested her arms on the railing next to her. The woman didn't meet her gaze, staring down and pointing. "You see that one, down there? That one's a plant."

"A plant?" Elis looked, eyes narrowing as she tried to discern who Yachie was talking about.

"Every so often Nippaku tries to sneak one of her goons in here, spy on us or try to subvert us from within. Hasn't worked so far- her Kishin are too straight-laced for the job and the regular Oni, well..." Yachie grinned. "I pay better."

"Nippaku being the boss of that horned lady?"

"Yep." Yachie leaned back. "I don't really care what beef you have with her and others like her. Chthonian Council and the Ministry can suck my tail. But whatever ya did, you stirred up Hell- literally ."

"Is it really that bad?"

"Yup." Yachie grimaced. "I don't regret doing what we did, don't get me wrong. Any chance to bloody the Ministry's nose is a good one, but we're gonna have to play things careful here. Heat's up, and if it gets too hot-" Yachie slammed a hand down on the balcony rail, metal ringing with the force. "Ministry gets off their arse and shuts us down like that ."

Elis considered, mind pushing around concepts she wasn't entirely sure of. "So the Ministry kinda owns this place, but they let you run rampant? Or am I misunderstanding?"

"It's complex. You have all these different pantheons up there, all with their own ideas of death and hell and stuff, and their relevant gods making up the Chthonian Council. They delegate to the Ministry to run it all, but then don't give 'em the money they need and can't even agree on why Hell exists in the first place. I mean, some think of Hell as the worst possible place for the worst possible people. So they don't care what goes on, after all they're not here since they're oh so better. Some think of Hell as a place where people can live how they like, always with a snide little comments. ‘Oh, those hedonistic dolts, let them play, away from us better people.’ Some say Hell’s supposed to be a place of rehabilitation, for people to get better, but they don't exactly say how and the only one of ‘em who ever put their money where their mouth was could only take it down here for three days.” Yachie chuckled. “Me? I say people everywhere suck. It's just those of us down here who are honest about it. People like me who come down to the worst part of the worst place and make something of it, cause why the literal hell not?” She paused. “Actually now that I think about it you're Gensokyan, aint'cha? I’ve heard your Yama's something of a reformist."

"I..." Elis froze up a bit, not sure how to answer. The horned lady had said something about Makai having a Yama, but she wasn't sure what that was. Thankfully she was saved from having to answer as a shout rang out from down the balcony. A guard pointed and Elis squinted, catching sight of distant shapes flying towards the building. Yachie held out a hand, and someone dropped a set of binoculars into it. After a moment scanning the skies she cursed and slammed her hand against the railing. “ Seriously ?” She turned back to her men, waving. “Red alert! All sentries open fire immediately, this is not a drill! Blast that sheep out of the sky!”

Energy bullets and lasers burst from balconies all over the building, spearing into the distant flyers. Yachie spun her finger in a circle, light glowing on the tip and forming a rainbow hoop. “Now's not the time for this, Toutetsu !” She shouted into the void. “We've got Ministry running around and we should be lying low , not violating base sovereignty! Damn you!” She hurled the hoop, which split into a dozen spreading rings of different colors, growing as they flew and sending the flying forms scattering, all but one that Elis could barely make out- someone with a set of large curled horns, who seemed to be dancing almost, taunting as Yachie charged up another attack and hurled. For a moment it looked like the ring would hit, but at the last moment part of it vanished as though a bite had been taken out of it.

Elis considered for a moment, then spread her wings and hopped off the balcony. Yachie yelled something but she ignored it, shifting into bat form and rocketing out, curving through curtain fire and beams to appear behind the taunting foe, a woman with curly white hair and horns somehow bigger now that she was close. Elis soared up, shifting back to humanoid form and summoning her shield just as she slammed into the woman from above. She hit like a billiard ball, spiking the woman straight down to crash into the pavement below. Elis drew her wand and chanted, her shield shattering, shards reforming into missiles that streaked towards the stunned woman, but by that point she was gone, scooped up by a glowing eagle spirit and away. 

Cheers rang from the balconies as all around her, foes soared off after their fallen leader. Elis’s ichor pounded in her ears- a part of her wanted to chase after and finish them off, see what they tasted like, but a look back spotted Yachie looking contemplative. Elis flew back, landing on the balcony next to her. Yachie gave her a slow nod. “Nice work.”

“Thank you.” 

Yachie squinted at Elis for a moment, looking her up and down, before turning. “Call your friends, have them meet me in my office in ten minutes. I think it’s time we started talking about paying your debts.”

Ten minutes later the four Makaians were crowded together in Yachie’s office. It had taken a bit to round them all up, for a few minutes Elis had worried she wouldn’t make it as she struggled to track down Kurumi, who’d found her way to the armory and had been swinging around an oversized sword. Yachie had a map on her desk and was leaning over it, muttering to herself as they entered. After a minute, she looked up, standing up straight with arms folded. “So. Toutetsu ’s decided she doesn’t want to keep quiet while the Ministry’s poking around. Would’a expected Kurokoma to be the first to break the peace, but here we are.” She grimaced, shaking her head. “There are rules for running our operations down here. Well, not rules, guidelines, really. Like I was telling Elis earlier- we have a pretty good thing down here, and we don’t want to give them a reason to get the funding they need to wipe us out. So we have the gentlewomen’s agreement- don’t fight when there’s too many goons poking around, don’t attack the boss’ homes. Just because I’m smarter than Toutetsu  and Kurokoma and put the bulk of my operations in the same building as my penthouse, so any attack has to be very cautious lest they accidentally break the agreement…” Yachie huffed. “Jealous, that’s all. That and probably my covering our tails by trying to pin the death of that Astral Knight on the Gouyoukus, but that’s just part of the game!” 

Elis nodded. It made sense to her. “Then what are you going to do?”

“Toutetsu  will need to be punished, of course. In a way that doesn’t further escalate things. Enough of a slap to tell her to bugger off, not so much that we go into full war. Doing so would at best leave both our operations weak enough for the Keigas to swoop in and take us both out.” Yachie pointed down at the map. “Instead, we’ll be hitting her here . My spies report she owns this building under an alias. It’s fair game under the gentlewomen’s agreement, but since she thinks we don’t know about it, it’s gonna burn her when we hit it.” Yachie looked up and grinned. “Which is where you four come in.”

Mugetsu raised a hand while fingering her new translation charm. “How?”

“I’ve kept an eye on you lot the last two days, figuring out how you can pay your debt to me. Way I see it, I’ve got a pre-made fireteam with a good variety of skills. You’ve got your illusions, good for infiltration and stuff. You-” she pointed at Gengetsu. “Magical girl. Always handy, never know what tricks Toutetsu ’s got up her wool. Elis’s already kicked her ass once today, and once you’re actually in , well…” She smiled towards Kurumi. “Someone’s gonna need to appraise the place, figure out what’s so valuable and important that she’s pretending she doesn’t have it.” 

Elis nodded again, but she couldn’t help but notice shifting glances between the other three. “So, get in, find what she’s hiding, and take it?”

“If you can. If it’s too heavy then report back and I’ll send a truck. But the point is to send a message .” Yachie folded up the map, handing it over to Elis. “Show this to Lu and take him with you. He’ll get you there, after that getting in’s on you. Stop by the armory if you want, but I’m only authorizing equipment from section A.  You're not trained with the fun stuff and you're not gonna need ‘em- Toutetsu  thinks I don’t know about this place, she’s not gonna advertise by leaving a big garrison there.”

“Shouldn't be a problem.” Elis grinned. “We'll be sneaky.”

“As long as she doesnt have even more teleporting punchy people,” said Gengetsu. “We're getting sick of those.”

Yachie belted out a laugh, but Elis felt herself silently agreeing with Gengetsu.

Notes:

Originally this and another chapter were merged together, but it was too long, so I broke it in two.
Anyway, hello, Yachie!

Chapter 8: Broken Sabbath

The five of them- four Makaians and one otter spirit- hid in an alley. Lu had led them through backstreets and between buildings, staying out of sight of anyone and everyone. “You never know who’s on the take, and I don’t just mean the Keigas and Gouyokus,” he said, glaring across the street at a pair of penguin spirits standing at the corner. “Everyone’s always looking for an opening. Including some jerks who’d overthrow the boss and take over as head of the Kiketsu family if they could- or even wipe us out and form a new gang in our place.” 

“Like you?” asked Elis, only partially joking.

Lu shook his head. “I know a good deal when I see one. The boss’s smart, smart enough to keep the entire organization in line. I couldn’t run something as big as the entire Kiketsu organization, and anything smaller just becomes easy pickings. People’ve tried, and don’t get me started on the humans either.” Lu shook his head. “This is the Animal Realm. If you’re not gonna try and fit in, give in to your instincts and instead try to pretend you’re still a living human, what’s the point? Useless in a fight, useless in scheming, they deserve every bit of bullying they get.” Lu raised a paw, pointing across the street. “Just there’s our target. The one with the eagle spirits sitting in the lobby pretending to be busy. Those are guards.”

“You’re up, Moog,” said Elis. 

Mugetsu nodded, pressing her hands together. “I’m gonna need everyone to stick close together. I can hide all of us in one illusion, but only just.”

“We’re not going in smashy?” asked Kurumi. She’d procured a sword nearly as tall as she was from the armory and strapped it to her back. “We’ve had enough fights already.”

“Not if we can help it,” said Elis. “If we smash, we surprise smash.”

“Shush! I can’t mask your bodies and voices!” Mugetsu hissed. Light shimmered on her palms, and everything around them went dark, their surroundings barely visible, like light through thin cloth. Lu hopped onto her shoulder, while Kurumi and Gengetsu pressed in close to her. 

“I like this.”

“Now’s not the time, me!” 

Elis bit back a growl at herselves, focusing on keeping pace with Mugetsu as they crossed the road. Mugetsu paused as she came to the door- she’d apparently not considered the need to open it while invisible, and how suspicious it would appear to have it opening on its own. She froze and turned to Elis, panic on her face, but Elis shook her head. “Just open it, Moog.” 

Mugetsu nodded, then slowly, carefully, pulled the door open a crack. Neither of the two eagle spirits seemed to notice, and Mugetsu pushed it open fully. The others quickly scurried inside, letting Mugetsu gently close the door. Still no reaction- the two eagle spirits seemed to be having a conversation, talking and laughing and neither noticing or caring the mysterious self-opening door. Lu hopped off Elis’s shoulder, pulling out a knife and gesturing, before scampering out of the illusion and underneath a table, making his way behind one of the eagles. Elis led the others behind the other eagle, ducking down as Gengetsu raised her hands and Kurumi carefully drew her sword. “Now!”

Mugetsu dropped her illusion, and before they could do more than squawk the eagle spirits were surrounded, Lu jumping on one with his knife to their throat, Kurumi and Gengetsu surrounding the other, sword pointed at their chest and Gengetsu’s fingertips sparking with power. Mugetsu breathed out, recovering her strength as she recovered from her sustained illusion, while Elis drew her wand and casually tapped it in her hand. “How many more of you and where's the goods?”

“Wh-what goods? It's just us!” 

“Don't play stupid. Toutetsu wouldn't leave guards where there’s nothing.” Lu pressed the flat of his knife against the spirit. “So what are ya hiding?”

“Nothing! We don't use this building except for team building exercises!”

“Yeah! Like practicing raiding Kiketsu headquarters and stuff! Boss just doesn't want squatters coming in so she set us here as punishment! This is a boring post!”

Lu scoffed. “Some punishment. Everyone knows that the boring posts are the best, it means you're not getting shot at!”  

Elis nodded to Gengetsu. “You still know that sleep aid spell, right?”

“W-wait-”

Light flashed from Gengetsu to the two eagle spirits, and both fell asleep snoring. Gengetsu grimaced. “It works better when someone wants to sleep. It probably won’t last longer than half an hour.”

“That’s longer than we’ll get before more of Toutetsu ’s goons show up to check on their unconscious comrades,” said Lu. He looked between the four of them, then clapped his paws. “So get moving! Kurumi you’re with me, the rest of you spread out and start searching!” Lu sprinted over to a nearby desk and started pulling at drawers.

“What should we do, El?” Gengetsu asked. “You’re the treasure hunter.”

Elis scanned the room- it was a lobby, with doors to stairwells at the far end. A corridor led further in, but it didn’t seem deep. She thought for a moment, then pointed. “Moog, Genny, head upstairs- don’t look too hard at first, just kinda inventory what you can see, then dig through whatever looks most promising. I’ll check down here before coming up to meet you. Force open a window while you’re at it for exfiltration, second floor and on the back side.”

“Alright.” The two shifted to bat form and flew off to the stairs, echolocation cries pinging back to Elis’s ears. Elis hurried towards the corridor, eyes flitting back and forth. One door led into a closet full of cleaning supplies, which Elis gave a quick scan with eyes and a spell before she moved on. There was a potted plant and a vending machine in one alcove, neither appearing to have much interesting to them, though she did take a moment to stab her wand into the coin slot and magically trick the machine into dumping out several candy bars. Beyond that, there was another door leading outside, and one labeled “Basement”. Elis gave the knob to the basement door a jiggle, found it locked, then jabbed her wand into the keyhole. Just like the vending machine, a simple spell was all it took to open the lock, and Elis was in.

Down the stairs, everything was dark. Elis shifted to bat form and gave the room an initial scan of echolocation, then swapped back and conjured a glowing orb over her shoulder, casting shadows over the room. There didn’t appear to be much of interest- chairs and folded tables in one corner, a massive metal boiler further back, a strange hum coming from a metal box that a quick scan with her wand revealed was full of lightning and powering the lights upstairs. No chests or crates, save for a red metal box full of tools. No engraved words on the walls indicating a puzzle. 

Elis ran her hand over one wall, alternating taps with her wand and pressing her ear against it, but she couldn’t sense any hollows behind it. She was about to give up and head upstairs when she paused and looked at the boiler. There'd been one in the basement of her apartment back in the capital- Makai’s temperature fluctuated little under the constant glow of the Lodestar, but the boiler ensured hot water for bathing. The boiler there had been a freestanding structure, where the one here appeared to be partially embedded in the wall. Elis walked over to the joint, tapping with her wand- nothing, solid as a rock. Again, she started to walk, but paused, then pressed her hand to the boiler- cold to the touch. The boiler in the apartment had always been running. Maybe because those guards were right about nobody using the building? But it didn't sit right with Elis- it was a puzzle, the kind that a treasure hunter like herself might think through. She walked to the front of the boiler- cylindrical and on its side, with a big circular cap- a cap with hinges and a padlocked handle. Elis tapped the padlock with her wand, then again as she poured more power into her unlocking spell. It clicked loose, and Elis pulled it free and opened the door.

The boiler inside was completely hollow- just an empty metal tube, without any of the internal piping there should have been. Elis shone her light down into the tube. It went deep, tilting downwards and going back several meters until it came to a rectangular metal door. “Bingo…” Elis muttered to herself, as she stuffed the lock into her pocket and started forward. She spotted no traps, magical or otherwise, and another overpowered unlock spell forced the door open. Elis twisted the handle, stiff with disuse, and carefully opened the door into the dark room beyond.

“Is that you, Chang’e?”

Elis froze midstep, foot coming down on soft padding. She held her breath, trying not to make a sound.

“ Junko smells you. Junko hears you. Chang’e…”

Elis brought her light forward, eyes widening at what she saw. It was a small cell, lined with cushioning on the walls, floors, and ceiling. A woman knelt in the middle of the room, wrapped in a white straitjacket, metal cuffs on her neck and waist chaining her to the walls. Reddish-blonde hair hung down all the way to the floor, and a blindfold covered her eyes. She smiled, too-sharp teeth bared. “You’re not Chang’e.”

“Who are you?”

“It wants to know who Junko is, Chang'e! It doesn't care about Chang’e, it cares about Junko!” The woman giggled, head tilting, face locked on Elis despite her blindfold. “Junko is Junko. And you, not Chang’e?”

“Elis.” Elis bit her lip, looking around the tiny cell. “Um… are you alright? Do you want me to remove the blindfold, or…”

“Hmm, hmm, Junko does not care. Nothing for Junko to see. Right, Chang’e?”

“...Chang’e?”

“ CHANG’E!” The woman burst forward as she screamed, snarling and snapping her teeth. Elis cried out and fell back, but Junko was held back by her chains. After a few moments, she dropped back down, shaking. “Chang’e… Junko’s sorry… we can talk about this, Junko knows it wasn't Chang’e who did it…” she sniffled, then tilted her head, smiling. “Junko will kill Chang’e quickly! It won't hurt that way.”

“O…Kay. I'm guessing you're down here for a reason, then… Do they know about you upstairs?”

“Hmm, hmm, Taotie knows about Junko. Taotie found Junko after Ministry ran off. Taotie said Junko was Taotie’s now, because Junko was too dangerous for Ministry. And Taotie never came back to Junko.” The woman growled. “Chang’e says Taotie is never coming back. Says Taotie hates Junko. Chang’e lies! Liar! CHANG’E!” Junko thrashed again, howling as she strained against her chains, but after a moment she stopped, panting. 

“Okay… I have to go now,” said Elis, reaching to close the door on the mad woman.

“Junko knows what's wrong with Elis.”

Elis froze as Junko spoke. “What?”

“All mixed up. Not one Elis in there. Multiple Elises. Impurities fill Elis, confusing Elis.”

“I think your refusal to use pronouns confuses me more than the voices in my head.”

“Junko could fix it. Fix Elis. Purify Elis.” The woman sat upright, smiling. “Free Junko and Junko will free Elis.”

Elis stared at Junko as the voices in her head squabbled. Do it! At the very least because it's horrible down here. No, she’s clearly nuts and dangerous, don't be stupid! Elis cleared her throat, then asked “What will you do if I let you go?”

“Hmm hmm. Kill Chang’e. Kill everyone near Chang’e. Kill everyone in Junko’s way to Chang’e. Maybe Junko could kill the planet after? Junko might need a hobby and that sounds fun.”

“I'll think about it,” said Elis, stepping back and slamming the door. She braced herself, expecting to hear screams of frustration, but none came. She frowned, before lowering her ear to the keyhole.

“ Elis will be back. Junko knows this. Stupid Junko! Elis ran off like Taotie did! Shut up Chang’e! Shut up! SHUT UP!”

And then the screaming started. Elis hastily locked the door again with a tap of her wand and barreled out of the false boiler, padlocking it behind herself. She paused to catch her breath, then shifted into bat form and flew back upstairs. 

“So… you're telling me there was nothing.”

The four plus Lu stood in front of Yachie's desk. Yachie herself leaned back in her chair, gesturing with her pipe. “Seriously, nothing?”

“We found a calendar in one of the desks in the front lobby, but it was old and just dates for team building exercises.” Lu said.

“The desks and other furniture were just cheap particle board, and what paintings we saw were prints- mass produced, like, the kind you buy a hundred of for each room in a hotel.” Kurumi added. “The most valuable thing we found was probably one of the guards' knives.” She withdrew a sheathed knife and held it out to Yachie. 

Yachie took it, flipping it over in her hands and unsheathing it, giving an appreciative whistle. “Pretty nice knife. Looks like an employment anniversary gift. Here you go, Lu, go learn to dual-wield.” She sheathed the knife and tossed it to the otter spirit, then frowned. “Keep reporting. Maybe you missed something.”

Gengetsu bit her lip. “Mugetsu and I checked upstairs. No rooms were locked and all we found was more furniture.”

“Wall safes. Behind the paintings.”

“We checked,” said Mugetsu. “Just wall. I’d have seen if there was an illusion.”

“What about the basement? They’ve gotta have a basement.”

“Nothing but the boiler and maintenance stuff,” Elis lied. She gave it a moment, then offered “I did steal from their vending machine, if that counts?”

“Pettiness always counts,” said Yachie, but she wasn’t looking at them anymore, having stood and started to pace. “She posts guards, tries to pretend the building isn’t hers… Toutetsu’s not that clever, you should have found something .” She turned back around. “Are you sure you’re not forgetting something? Just an innocent slip of the mind?” 

Elis considered telling Yachie about Junko for a moment, but decided against it. Instead, she deflected. “It was pretty close to our building, maybe she used it as a staging ground to meet up before she attacked earlier?”

Yachie paused at that, tapping her chin. “Maybe… Not a bad thought, actually.” Yachie thought for a moment, then pointed with her pipe. “Lu, show the new girls where to collect their pay. You did your job and your regular pay is deserved, but I can't justify a bonus this time. Damn it all, if it wasn’t for the guards I’d think she just forgot she owned that building…” 

Yachie hadn't dismissed them properly, but Lu gestured for them to go anyways. “Leave the boss to thinking, it's her job. For now, dinner’s on me! There's some good restaurants downtown, in neutral territory so no fighting, even if we see some Gouyoukus!”

The others grinned and started to chat as they left the room, but Elis stayed quiet. I could tell Yachie, without the others knowing. Junko’s words had chilled her, the mad woman picking up on Elis’s split selves- before and after Mother had wiped her memory. Yachie would probably be interested in Junko. She’d probably send us back to take her to our base, and maybe if we treated her better than locking her in the basement maybe I could get an explanation out of her. But Elis wasn’t stupid- she wasn’t sure who or what Junko was, but she was clearly dangerous. Freeing her, even to take her to Yachie, would be too dangerous. She said something about the Ministry leaving her behind- so the horned lady and her friends were afraid of her too.

“Elis!” 

Elis had slowed down as she thought. She was brought back to reality by Gengetsu. The woman grabbed her hand, and Elis fought back a blush. Gengetsu smiled, while past them both Kurumi glared daggers at her.

“Sorry. Just distracted.” Elis shook her head and smiled sheepishly at Kurumi. Kurumi reached back and grabbed Elis’s other hand. A part of Elis wanted to die as she was forced between a rock and a hard place, while inside herselves argued over whose hand they preferred to hold. Lu smirked and chuckled as he bounded up onto Mugetsu’s shoulder. 

In another time and place, maybe Elis would have enjoyed it as Gengetsu and Kurumi subtly fought over her. They didn’t say anything, no, but it was obvious to anyone who bothered to look- the glares they gave each other, how they’d make any excuse to grab Elis’s hand that presented itself, the tossed hair and flirtatious gazes… 

“Could we get them to start flirting with each other? That’d solve things for us.”

“Would it? I still prefer Kurumi and you prefer Gengetsu.”

“Yeah, and then we get both! Everyone’s happy!”

“Unless they decide to ditch us and stick together.”

“Shut up…” Elis growled under her breath. Kurumi and Gengetsu turned to look at her, but she brushed if off  with a cough and smile.

Notes:

I've been sitting on the second art piece for a while now, so it's good to have it in the wild. Thanks to ZeeTheZebra for helping with the text on it. She's doing a PC-98 Ficof their own too, so if you're interested I encourage you to go look.

Chapter 9: Decorated Battlers

“They should have been here by now. I swear, they were right behind me.”

“Maybe they got lost?”

“I doubt it, Ms. Orange. Reimu and Meira have visited Lady Kotohime's home several times and know the way.”

Kotohime of Agatamori sat at a table outside a cafe. Across from her was a woman wearing green and yellow, with long red-orange hair from which she got her name. The third member of their party was a massive tortoise with long eyebrows and a mustache. He stood on his hind legs to reach the table, a cup of tea somehow held in one foreclaw. “It is possible that they were… waylaid,” said Genjii. “Since revealing herself Reimu has been stopped in the street more than a few times and asked for a blessing, or to drive out a spirit.”

“The sort of things that someone could get from a different priest. Doesn't even have to be Shinto.”

“She is the current Hakurei. That carries some amount of weight.”

Kotohime sighed. “Maybe I should go find them.”

“Want us to go with you?” asked Orange. She started to hastily drink down her tea, but Kotohime held up a hand.

“That won't be necessary. They can't be far and technically you're not allowed.”

“People know I'm safe, Princess! And Ellen goes in the residential quarter all the time!”

“Ellen gets away with it because of her job as a freelance magician. That and she's weird enough that people forget she and Sokrates are youkai.”

“An impressive feat considering usually it goes the other way around. But then, I think she herself forgets she's youkai sometimes,” chuckled Genjii.

There was a sudden crash as a figure landed next to the table. Orange yelped and fell out of her seat, Genjii nearly dropped his tea, but Kotohime just sighed as she identified the person. “Flying isn't allowed in village limits, ghost-witch.”

Mima Geist-Hexe stood up, brushing nonexistent dirt from her clothes and smirking. “Technically I wasn't flying, I was falling, princess.”

“With your wings open?”

Mima glanced back, as though noticing her outspread violet-feathered wings for the first time. “Fool that you are, surely you understand the importance of aim? A ballistic trajectory without steering is just asking for me to land on your stupid face! Not to mention break my legs if I don't slow down enough.”

“You mean the ghost legs with no bones that half the time you don't even have?” 

Kotohime stood, towering over Mima and glowering down at her with folded arms. Mima just continued to smile, flipping her hair back before pushing past to take a seat at the table. Mima nodded to Genjii. “Good to see ya, Clothahump. Keeping Vimes out of trouble?”

“Are you making these up, or is there reason to your nicknames?”

“And you… Chen, right? Hope you’ve been considering the changes to your introduction package I suggested.”

“We have, in fact.”

Mima nodded, then turned away from Orange. “Either of you two seen my kids? The short ones specifically.” 

“I have not,” said Kotohime. She sat back down across from Mima, leaning on her elbows. “Meira was training with me and Reimu earlier. We’re waiting for them to get here.”

“Damn,” said Mima. She shook her head. “I sent Marisa up ahead while I had a talk with her therapist. By the time I was done, she was gone, Rika and Narumi with her. No sign of the Evil Eye Sigma either, so they probably flew off somewhere.”

“Did you check back home?”

“First place I checked.”

Orange raised a hand. “Want me to call in some help searching for ‘em? One of the network will probably have seen them.” 

“Kind of you, but nah. I have my ways of checking their status, they’re all fine, outside of, well… the obvious.” Mima went quiet, as did the rest of the table- Kotohime and Genjii were aware of what had happened to Marisa, and while Orange wasn’t, she clearly could read the room. After a moment though, Mima perked up. “If anything, I think we should be more worried about literally everyone else. Rika’s been behaving herself but it’s only a matter of time before she gets mad enough to blow something up!” 

“Hopefully not me this time,” added Orange. 

“I trust ‘em to take care of themselves. Within reason, but that's what the dolls are for. I'll know if they're hurt bad or leave Gensokyo.” Mima pulled out a plush toy resembling Meira, carefully holding it in her hands. “You know, maybe I should make one for Reimu? For next time some dumbass from another dimension tries to kidnap her.” 

“As much as it unsettles me to have you offer to make what is essentially a voodoo doll of Lady Hakurei,” said Genjii, “I have to admit it might be of use.”

“A reverse voodoo doll.” Mima corrected. “Works the other way ‘round. Instead of hurting the doll to hurt someone else, the doll gets hurt when someone else does.”

“Strange. I seem to remember you sending a healing spell through the dolls,” said Kotohime. “What's stopping you from doing the same but with something harmful?” 

“Morality, princess.” But Mima grinned as she said it, and Kotohime couldn't help but chuckle a bit. 

How many years has it been? Since I've laughed with people like this? Kotohime had kept up her contacts in the years between Izumi Hakurei’s death and Reimu’s reappearance, but it had been difficult- even a check-in with Orange or Kagerou made loneliness eat at her. Enough to almost make me miss Lady Matara sometimes, she thought to herself, mind flicking back…

“Alms! Alms for the poor…”

A young girl with bright red hair zipped down the halls, poking her head out a window. The house cook stood with arms folded, blocking the door into the house. “Begone beggar!”

“Please, good mistress. Just a bit of day-old rice, your most wilted vegetables… I will work for them, whatever you need.” The beggar had been blonde once, hair falling out in patches, leaning against a crutch with kelloid-covered arms.

“Get out of here you filthy-” The young Kotohime couldn't hear past that as the cook kicked the crutch out from under the beggar, before slamming the door in her face.

Kotohime waited a minute before slipping through the window. The beggar had gotten to her feet and was starting to leave but paused as she heard the girl's footsteps. She turned, opening her mouth to speak but not having a chance before the girl held out a hand full of coins. “Oh, thank you dear child, but this is too much!”

“Consider it recompense for appalling behavior. The cook’s refusal spits in the face of the generosity of the Agatamori family and even if we had nothing to share, there are much politer ways to say no.” Kotohime pushed the coins into the beggar’s hand. “I will speak to my father and ensure she loses her job.”

“Such a ruthless child…”

“Mercy and justice are two sides of the same coin. To forgo one is to lose the other. Or so my father says,” the girl shrugged.

“Indeed…” the beggar woman looked the girl over, eyes sparkling with an odd look. “Well, Lady Kotohime of the family Agatamori. I will share your generous gift with others I know who need it. And I will think on your wisdom, as you should as well.” The coins disappeared into the beggar’s pocket, and she hurried off, before the girl could ask how she knew her name.

“Whatcha thinking about, Princess?” asked Mima.

“Hm? Oh, nothing,” said Kotohime. 

“Looked like you were spacing there for a moment. Like Fluffster but without the cat,” Mima chuckled. “Even on a date she gets unfocused.”

“Yeah, I heard about that!” said Orange, perking up a bit. “How’d that go?”

Mima shrugged. “She’s good people. Clever too. Pretty spacy, which isn't bad but if we were a couple we'd probably end up in a feedback loop of mutual distraction. And I don't know I'm up for the package deal. Or at least I don't think Sokrates is, not with me. Friend material for sure, though, we've been meeting to work on those Spellcards of hers.”

“I can't help but notice that you used his name correctly,” grumbled Genjii.

“My mistake, I meant Aristotle. Matching you, Aris-turtle. ” Mima snickered. 

Genjii sighed. “Must you?” 

“Hey, it ain't easy coming up with all these dumb nicknames. If anything it’s a sign of respect, that I took the time to think ‘em up for you.”

“Don’t be absurd,” Genjii scoffed. “Or would you claim you wouldn't make up nicknames for your enemies for the purpose of riling them up?”

“Then they’re not nicknames, they’re insults. There’s a difference in intent, oh Great A’Tuin.”

“With our deepest pride, we of the Hieda family are happy to introduce our step-daughter, the Lady Izumi Hakurei!”

Polite applause filled the room. At one end, just behind her mother's arm, stood the young Kotohime, eyeing up the new introduction and holding back a scoff. The girl was practically a toddler, no more than five years old. A mere fetus compared to her own ten years of age. Standing there in what looked like the standard red-whites of a shrine maiden but all primped and fancified- all finest silk, subtle patterns printed red-on-red. The Hakurei Shrine Maiden was a shrine maiden, yes, but she was also a very important person, as were the people who cared for her. One had to show off, didn't they?

A hand pinched Kotohime’s shoulder. “Jealousy doesn’t become you, dear,” her mother whispered down to her. Kotohime blushed but her mother just smiled. “Look over there,” she tilted her head to the side. “You look like Mr. Miyadeguchi. He keeps glaring at Lord Hieda- jealous that they got to take care of Izumi, I’m sure.”

“I’m not jealous,” said Kotohime. She was, of course. It wasn’t fair- this was the first time her parents had allowed her to join them at one of these parties, but here the Hakurei girl was, half her age and invited too? She was a kid, barely sapient, and she’d probably be sitting at the same table as Kotohime and the other younger folk. Still, Kotohime controlled her emotions, putting on a smile as her family walked over to the Hiedas and their charge to pay proper homage to the Hakurei brat. The girl didn't say much, just polite blessings as prodded by her adoptive parents, but her smile seemed genuine enough. That didn't stop Kotohime from wandering away the moment she was free, of course. While the Hiedas were known for the periodically reincarnating Child of Miare and the Gensokyo Chronicle, the rest of the family was no slouch in academic pursuits. Lady Hieda was an avid geologist, and Kotohime had spent a few visitations examining her collection while the lady and Kotohime’s mother chatted over tea. She made her way swiftly through the halls, slipping into the door-

-and stepping into what was definitely not a lapidary exhibit.

Kotohime stood in a room of glass, overlooking thousands of doors floating in space. A great throne stood at one end, while three people were about halfway from it, eyes wide in shock at Kotohime’s appearance. For several seconds no one spoke, until one of the three women, a blonde woman in orange and green, sitting in a wheeled chair, moved forward. “You're not supposed to be in here, Kotohime of Agatamori," she said.

“And you are? Who are you? What did you do to the room? Lady Hieda won't be happy you took her rock collection.”

“Such a rude little brat!” said the second woman, wearing a green dress and pointing a bamboo pole at her. “Shall we kill her, ma’am?”

“That won't be necessary, Mai. Lady Agatamori is an old friend of ours.” The blonde woman smiled, and her features shimmered, briefly taking the form of the beggar that had stopped by Kotohime's home once. Kotohime took a step back, eyes wide with confusion. 

“Who are you? What are you doing here?”

"I am Okina Matara. Protector of those forgotten, god of the back door and those who use it." The woman gave a low nod approximating a bow. "As for why I am here, I will speak plainly. One of the Hieda's guests is not who they claim to be. She is an assassin set on killing the Hakurei girl. I aim to prevent that."

"That's what the guards are for. The Hiedas have guards and stuff." Kotohime paused. "And they'll get you, too. Since you took the rock room without warning."

"The room is quite intact, I assure you. I simply changed the destination of the doorway to allow my entrance. I suppose though, you are right that my bursting in would cause confusion, even in disguise." Okina tapped the armrest of her wheelchair. "Although..." she trailed off, eyes flicking over Kotohime. "Perhaps you would like to aid me, Lady Agatamori?"

"What, warn the guards? I could do that. If you tell me what to look for-"

"No, warning will not be quick enough. The creature you face can move very quickly. Should she feel threatened she will snap up the Hakurei girl in an instant and eat her alive. Mercy is not an option, not when she's already infiltrated. Justice must be meted out."

Kotohime bit her lip. "...What do you need me to do?"

Okina snapped her fingers, and the third woman, this one wearing a pink dress, handed her a metal thermos. "A Futakuchi-Onna is cursed with perpetual hunger. While she can suppress that hunger for a time, there are some things she simply cannot resist." Okina unscrewed the top of the thermos, letting out the scent of hot meat. "Wagyu steak. Bring this near her and she won't be able to help but eat it. And when she does-"

"She'll reveal herself to the guards?"

Okina chuckled, darkly. "This meat is laced with oomukade venom, child. She'll die . There is no chance for mercy at this time, not with her so close to the Hakurei girl." She shook her head. “Are you still willing to help me, Lady Agatamori?”

Kotohime didn’t hesitate, holding her hand out to the thermos. “Killing her saves a life, right?”

“More than just the one. The Hakurei’s death would destroy everything.”

“Then give me the meat.” Kotohime took the thermos, closing it up and turning back to the door. “Any clue as to who I should look for?”

“The Futakuchi-Onna has a mouth on the back of her head, she’ll be wearing her hair in a way to mask it. Once she strikes her hair will grasp like tentacles, so do try to be careful when you approach her.”

“I’ll be back soon,” said Kotohime, opening the door and stepping back into the Hieda manor.

It took little effort to sneak back into the main room- most people were still occupied pestering Izumi Hakurei for blessings, trying to worm out connections and friendships that would benefit them when the girl was older. It made Kotohime sick, especially the unsubtle attempts to carve out marriage deals. She was well aware that they happened- the Human Village had no aristocracy on paper, but some families with wealth or history enough pretended otherwise, including her own family. Indeed Kotohime knew she'd been scouted out as a potential bride, that in a few years she'd probably be being courted by the Miyadeguchi boy. But Izumi was only five, and as a Hakurei she wasn't even the Hieda’s to give away- not that the Hiedas looked particularly happy as Lady Anaberal introduced her son and started talking him up…

Kotohime shook her head and focused. She had to save the kid’s life first. Her eyes flicked around, looking for anything unusual… there- a woman with long black hair, standing with her back facing Izumi but slowly getting closer, closer. She had a plate full of appetizers, piled high and occasionally stuffing one into her mouth. Perpetual hunger, Lady Matara said… thought Kotohime. Was the woman staving off that hunger, trying to fight her urge to kill? Or to hold herself until the moment was right? Kotohime made her way to the appetizer table, snatching a plate as she walked past. She turned her back on the party, stealthily pulling out the thermos and dropping several cubes of steaming marbled beef onto the plate. If anyone noticed they didn't say anything, though a few heads turned at the smell of meat as Kotohime walked past. The suspicious woman especially, whose nostrils flared as Kotohime passed, taking a large sniff, then tried to cover it up with a cough.

“What do you have there, Koto?” 

Kotohime froze as her mother approached. “It smells good. I didn't see that at the table.”

“Oh, it's not good. It tastes awful actually,” said Kotohjme as she moved her plate away before her mother could take a piece of poisoned beef. The suspicious woman’s eyes tracked the plate, and she took a subtle step forward, turning around to face away from Kotohime- or rather, face her second mouth towards the plate.

“Do you think it I asked nicely Lady Hieda would unlock the rock gallery?” Kotohime changed the subject in a rush.

“I suppose, though we did come here for you to meet with others your age. Shouldn't you try socializing?”

“W-well, I like rocks. And I thought maybe I could play tour guide for the others?” Kotohime moved the plate towards the suspicious woman- subtly enough to not be obvious what she was doing, she hoped. The woman stepped closer, her hair starting to move as though blown by wind. A black lock flitted over, touching one cube of meat, then suddenly pulled away, taking the bit with it. 

“I… suppose that if they wanted to and Lady Hieda okayed it, you could do that, but really, Koto, it might be better to just stay here. I saw the Miyadeguchi boy over there, you like him, right?”

Kotohime did not, but she was barely paying attention. Two more cubes had vanished, the last one vanishing with another blown lock of hair. If Kotohime hadn’t known to look she wouldn’t have noticed anything besides the suddenly empty plate. The woman was shuffling away, eyes turning back towards Izumi, when suddenly she shuttered. She coughed, covering her mouth and the back of her head. Her hair started to rise up as she turned to stare at Kotohime. “What was in that meat? What was in that meat ?!?”

“Ms. Kawasaki? What’s going on?” Kotohime’s mother stepped back, throwing an arm across her daughter. The other woman’s neck snapped, swiveling one-hundred eighty degrees, hair splitting apart to reveal a shark-toothed maw on the back. She screamed, blood splattering down both sets of lips, then charged at Izumi. “You’ve killed me! I’ll take you all with me!” Black tendrils lashed out at the girl, wrapping around her, but before she could draw the tiny shrine maiden into her mouth Lord Hieda was there, slashing through the hair with a sword. Guards burst in with spears ready, but the woman collapsed, spasming as the poison finished her off.

Chaos reigned, people screaming and shouting. Izumi was spirited away to a secure room, while other guests with children departed, Kotohime among them. Her mother had forgotten that Kotohime had had the poisoned meat, or else hadn’t put things together. She and Kotohime’s father were holding a whispered conversation- the Futakuchi-Onna had been someone they’d known- or had she? Had she been transformed into a monster? Had she died and been replaced by a monster in disguise? She’d been sick recently, hadn’t she? Kotohime pretended not to listen, as she was escorted to her home, then her room. As the door closed behind her, leaving her alone, she felt something- a presence. She had a wardrobe, and light could be seen coming from the cracks. Kotohime opened the door, and once again stepped into Okina Matara’s domain.

The woman sat on her throne now, her assistants at her side. Kotohime stepped through, holding up the thermos. “It’s done.”

“Well done, Lady Agatamori,” said Okina. She gestured, and one of her servants ran over to Kotohime, leading her up to the throne’s plinth. “The Hakurei bloodline continues, and Gensokyo with it.”

“Wouldn’t she know? The Futakuchi-Onna, I mean. That if she killed Izumi it would destroy Gensokyo.”

“Possibly not. No doubt She-That-Lies prefers to keep the vulnerabilities in the system she created under wraps. And even if she did know, she might not care- devour a Hakurei, so the thought might go, and the power and ability to uphold the Border would come with it. Or perhaps that power alone would allow you to survive the inevitable cataclysm. Greed winning out against wisdom.” Okina leaned forward. “I believe you have earned a reward, Kotohime of Agatamori. What do you desire?”

Kotohime considered for a moment. “Do you do this often? Take out threats to Gensokyo and the Hakurei?”

“I help to uphold Gensokyo, yes. That, She-That-Lies and I agree on, even if our methods are different.”

Kotohime nodded. “I want in, then. I want to help.”

“You’re a child, Lady Agatamori.”

“A child who just saved Gensokyo!” 

“Yes, by killing. That is not an easy burden. Will you feel so good about it tomorrow morning? Knowing you slew someone, someone your family once knew?”

“Mercy and justice are two sides of the same coin. To forgo one is to lose the other.”

“Yes, as you once told a poor beggar woman.” Okina tapped her chin. “Unlike She-That-Lies, I don’t use children for pawns. I at least wait until they’re teenagers.”

“Then teach me! Teach me so I'll be prepared to do what’s needed when I am old enough.” 

Okina stayed silent for a minute. “The burden of the Hidden God and her followers is a heavy one. Not only for what must be done, but what must never be said. I am the Hidden God for a reason.” She considered, then leaned forward. “Your reward will be thus- I will see to your tutelage now. You will learn about Gensokyo, learn skills valuable both as my weapon, or as just another wealthy quasi-noble. In three years time, on your thirteenth birthday, if you still say you wish to carry this burden, then we shall discuss terms. If by then you have changed your mind, then we shall depart.”

“I understand,” said Kotohime, giving a deep bow. She already knew how she’d answer when she turned 13.
And by the smirk on Okina’s face, Okina knew as well.

“Yeah, you’re definitely dozing off or something.” Mima reached out to flick Kotohime’s nose, though even distracted she was fast enough to whip her hand out and knock the ghost away. “It’s alright, princess- we know you’re getting old.” 

“Oh, please. I'm not even fourty yet.”

“Practically in the grave for a human!” Mima chortled. “You should just die already. Join me in post-mortem and lock your age in before it's too late!”

“No thank you.” Kotohime rolled her eyes. “I’ve dealt with enough ghosts to know how that usually ends. The fact that you haven't gone mad already is exceptional.”

“Did you hear that, Maurice?” Mima elbowed Orange. “She called me exceptional!”

“Maurice?!? You really are just making things up, aren't you?” asked Genjii.

“No, I actually got that one!” said Orange. “I had a great-great-grandfather from the Netherlands.”

“See? See?” Mima gestured at Orange. “She gets it. It's important to be well read and broadly knowledgeable, especially if you're a ghost. I guarantee you'd have a lot fewer problems if you let them out of the wells or videocassettes or boxes or whatever and gave them some enrichment. Same with any living creature, ya know?”

“I'll keep that in mind, Ms. Geist-Hexe.” Genjii said, shaking his head and chuckling. 

“Really, if you did join me, Princess, it’d be good for both of us. Keeping each other sane, keeping each other company as the world changes around us.” 

“That sounds almost like a proposition,” said Kotohime. The skin of Mima’s cheeks turned more solid briefly, her version of a blush. “Take me out on more dates than you have Ellen first, then we’ll talk.”

“Is that a promise?” Now it was Kotohime’s turn to blush, though she managed to hide it by ducking her head back down. 

True to her word, Okina began to tutor Kotohime. She would spend her days living the life of a young technically-not-an-aristocrat girl, being educated, tutored in manners, in inter- and intra- village politics. 

But at night, she would wait for light to pool out of the cracked door in her wardrobe, and step into Okina's domain.

To her peers and teachers she was a nice, if somewhat spacy, young woman. The kind who would get distracted and lose attention, or fall asleep during a lecture. She did try, of course, but her attention was away. It was one thing to listen to a lecture on the economics of Tengu-grown tobacco in a classroom, another to walk through a field of the crop listening to a god who remembered a time before the crop was known to the Home Islands. It was one thing to hear about the best way to trade with a Kappa, the right manners and all, from a stiff and dull-voiced merchant, another to sneak into their village disguised, purchase a snack, and walk out without anyone realizing you were human. It was one thing to learn to shoot the bow at targets, as a traditional pastime of the well-to-do, another to spend nights sparring with Satano and Mai, learning the spear, the tonfa, the sword. 

Kotohime grew, in mind and body. The growth spurt that set her taller than the boys, even taller than the men, couldn’t be helped, but it was an effort to appear normal, to resist the urge to pick up a man’s bow instead of the lighter woman’s bow, to ignore your tutor when she mistakenly confused Kappa and Yamawaro’s preferences for foods and gifts, to act like a simple-minded girl, ignorable save for her height, which she made seem less so by slouching. 

On her thirteenth birthday, Kotohime endured a party, bowing and accepting congratulations and best wishes, politely deflecting the parents of boys who'd eventually become suitors, waiting for the moment she could escape to her room, to the light coming in from her closet. Escape to applause from Okina and her assistants, congratulations, and  most importantly, the contract. 

Okina had stood to pat Kotohime on the back, but now she sat on her throne again, eyes hard as Satano set a table before the throne. Mai slid a sheet of paper and a pen on the table, the two bowing and backing away as Okina began to speak. “As promised, Kotohime of Agatamori. I have kept my bargain with you, acting as your tutor for the past few years.”

“And I have learned much. I’m ready to take responsibility as your knight.”

“Indeed?” Okina leaned forward. “As I said once, the burden of the Hidden God is not an easy one. Izumi Hakurei has not yet taken her mantle, and fear of her father Shinichi wanes- the next few years will be dangerous.”

“All the more reason for me to take her place.”

“The Hidden God is just that, hidden. Actions kept secret, with little hope for recognition or love.”

“No love but that I have for my homeland.”

“Your burden will be hard. You will no doubt have to take lives, to strike in the name of the Hidden God, not in defense but in offense, not as a man but as a phantom.”

If Kotohime hesitated, it was only briefly. “I will not kill without necessity, but I would mete out justice when it is.”

Okina nodded, leaning back. “If you turned away now, I would not be displeased. I have seen your heart as I taught you. With the knowledge and the skills I’ve given you, I know you’d grow to be a force for good. I foresee a world where you might become a village councilor, if not the mayor. Respected and listened to, bringing justice and mercy, being praised and lauded. Would you give all that up to stand with me? Would you still accept this burden, Kotohime of Agatamori?”

Kotohime stepped forward, took the pen, and signed her name. Ink glittered blood red, but Kotohime never faltered, staring into Okina’s eyes as she finished, handing the paper to the woman. The woman looked over the contract, then stood and bowed to Kotohime, joined by her servants. “Kotohime of Agatamori. I accept you as my knight.” 

Okina stepped forward, producing a box and opening it, revealing two tonfas, black wood inlaid with a rainbow of metal wires, resting on a bed of velvet. And as Kotohime took them, she felt a sense of strength, and of rightness.

 

If Kotohime was strange before, she was outright erratic after that. It was one thing to hide secret nightly lessons, another to hide a full double life. Tiredness from late-night classes could be excused by awkward sleep schedules, but an entire night out fighting monsters was another. How did you explain going to bed one night and showing up for breakfast the next morning covered in cuts and bruises? How did you distract from the odd coincidence of someone being spotted running along rooftops outside your house when you’ve left the window open? One night she'd nearly been shot, caught by village guards as she poured diluted bleach into a well to kill off a potential cholera epidemic. She'd escaped, and no one had gotten cholera after, but Okina had ordered her to take a break after that, in an effort to calm her frayed nerves. 

Not all of her missions were grim. The Hidden God was a patron for all those abandoned by society at large. Kotohime brought food to shut-ins and old widows, used her family's connections to help find good work for single parents. Some of her deeds didn't need to stay hidden, indeed how could they, when she convinced her parents to hire on a girl who'd been kicked out of her home as a servant? She had resources, and Okina had knowledge of where to bring them.

But other tasks were more serious. 

A man who took advantage of and abused a Zashiki-warashi, one of the passive, child-like Youkai who willingly served in some houses in the village. 

Kotohime strangled him, before escorting the traumatized Youkai into Okina’s domain for protection. 

An Outsider woman, secretly an agent of some government who'd accidentally stumbled into Gensokyo and now intended to reveal it to her government, to use as a pawn in global politics. Kotohime drowned her in the canal. 

Outside the Human Village, a Yamawaro who'd found a way Outside and was smuggling in assault weapons with designs on building his own military junta. 

Kotohime stabbed him to death and blew up his supply. 

Some assaults didn't require murder. A village councilor who had devised some plan to find and expose all youkai living in the village- both the mischievous and benign alike- was convinced not to after taking an illness only a youkai magician could cure. A Kamaitaichi trio that had gone on a rampage in the fields outside the village were scared off when Kotohime stole their sickles and gave them a taste of their own medicine. Rumors of strange feelings and headaches around Bamboo Forest led Kotohime to a compound of Lunarian refugees, one of whom was inadvertently plaguing the forest with psychic nightmares. Kotohime had found a way to help her calm down, earning the respect of the Lunarians and their host.
When Izumi Hakurei turned 13 and officially took up the mantle of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, moving into the shrine and declaring herself Gensokyo’s protector, Okina sent Kotohime out to test her. “Better she learns her limits against an opponent who has no interest in her death, than against someone who sees her as an imminent meal.” Their first battles were embarrassments- The Hakurei girl had been given the same sort of basic training with a bow and sword expected of any child of high station in the village, had been trained in the miko arts by a non-Hakurei Shinto priestess and furthere advised by the tortoise Genjii, and of course had the Orb, with its attack charms designed to penetrate the defenses of the most powerful youkai.

Kotohime, however, was a veteran assassin at this point, a full (if young) adult at 18 now, with a suite of weapons, martial arts, and her own recently discovered barrier powers, not to mention a Human physiology that left her immune to anti-youkai charms and many shrine maiden tricks. A clash would inevitably lead to Izumi crushed, with Kotohime, hidden beneath dark-blue robes and hood, ordering her to train harder for next time.

So things went for a time. Izumi faced regular ambushes from her mysterious rival. Kotohime honed her skills in these brawls, testing different weapons and techniques against the girl, which also helped to prevent rumors- the thing Izumi Hakurei was fighting every week couldn't be the same person, not when one week it would come at her with a Wolf Tengu’s sword and shield, and tail, the next with energy bullets and magic barriers, yet another with fists and a horn, clearly an Oni.

But Izumi knew it was the same person, seeing past costume youkai parts, to the same eyes hiding under the hood each time. She never realized who it was underneath- Kotohime the human was too spacey, the kind of person you'd tell to go home for her own good if you saw wandering around the market. That suited Kotohime just fine- she was ignored, considered an amusement or even a decoration by most, letting her listen in on conversations by people who considered her too stupid to understand. 

That was how she knew before anyone else that Izumi had recruited a companion.

Rin Satsuki wasn't “important” in the way Izumi was, or even Kotohime was. Her parents were both in the Wall Guard, her father was a captain, her mother a medic, and Rin herself had been training as a nurse there until she realized she was better at setting things on fire and summoning windstorms than she was at healing. Perhaps that's how Izumi and Rin first met- Kotohime had heard something about Izumi getting hurt in a fight only to get in another fight when she'd gone to a guard post to get patched up. The next time she'd gone to fight Izumi, Rin had been there, all cocky grin and garbage words about justice and such, right up until Kotohime performed a tried-and-true tactic for dealing with magicians.

Chanting incantations was a lot harder after someone punched you in the nose, you see.

 

 

 

With Rin writhing from a nasal fracture and Izumi still unable to defeat her, Kotohime was about to dismiss herself, when she heard Okina's voice.

“Good work. Now kill the spare.”

Kotohime stared, gaping under her hood, as a shadowy figure stepped out in front of her, like Okina in silhouette. Izumi gasped, while Rin froze in her pain spasms. “She is weak. She will drag the Hakurei down with her. Kill her so the Hakurei can pick a better companion.”

“D-don't touch her!” Izumi scrambled in front of Rin, spreading her arms protectively. The Hakurei Orb ripped over to her, bouncing into the air and hovering like a shield.

Kotohime stared down at the two girls, then back at Okina's shade. “No.”

“No?”

“I will kill when I have to, but not like this. This isn't justice. Nothing here is right.”

“It's for the greater good. The Hakurei needs a companion strong enough to-”

Kotohime kicked Rin’s fallen spear up to her hand, then hurled it through Okina’s shade, before stomping off into the night.

“It still doesn't make sense to me..”

Mima froze, finger an inch from another attempt at flicking Kotohime's nose. “What doesn't?”

“My… previous employer. She wasn't acting like herself that night. The last time I saw her.” Kotohime sat up, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes. “She told me to do something I wouldn’t do- something I couldn't do. She should have known better, and…”

“And it was uncharacteristic of her?” Mima asked, getting a nod from Kotohime. “Sounds like a test to me.”

“Some test. I don't even know if I passed or not. Like, was I supposed to kill her, prove I'd do whatever it took to protect Gensokyo? As if everything else wasn't enough. And if I did pass, figuring out that she wouldn't ask me to do something so absurdly unlike her to ask, then what? She never talked to me again.” 

Kotohime sighed, and leaned back. “I still wanted to do help after that. A few days later I went to the Hakurei Shrine, told Izumi and Rin that I was working with them from now on. Once they realized my noble idiot persona was an act, after I kicked their asses without being disguised, well… there we were. For a while, at least.” 

“Might be that’s the reason,” said Mima. “I mean, ya spent years running around in secret, living a double life. That can’t be easy on anyone , much less a teenager. Working with those two, you wouldn’t have to hide anymore.” Mima picked up a mug of tea, breathing it in and holding it close for a moment, though she didn’t sip, of course, being a ghost. “Even the big-bad act. Probably made you look pretty good to Izumi, seeing you reject dark powers to do what’s right and not skewer a downed enemy. Instead of just showing up out of the blue with no idea what kind of person you are, ya know?”

“I suppose. I just wish she’d have said something afterwards.” 

The group sat in silence for a while, before Mima pulled out a handful of objects from a pouch, muttering under her breath before turning her head. “Hakurei Shrine’s that way, yeah? Looks like the kids are in that direction. All four’a mine and presumably Reimu if she stuck with Meira.”

“What are they doing over there?” Kotohime stood, glaring off in the direction of the shrine. 

“Dunno. Don't have a hair sample at the moment, makes the spell less precise. Could be they’re still in the village and just in-line with the shrine. Hell, all of ‘em could be in a line at varying distances.” 

Kotohime shook her head. “That would be a monstrous coincidence if so. Still, the shrine makes as good a place as any.” 

“Shall I fly over and check?” Asked Genjii, pushing back from where he’d rested his claws on the table.

“We’ll all go. Might as well. You too Orange, if you’d like.”

“Sure!” Orange took a quick gulp of her drink to finish it. “I’ve got some good gossip anyway, so we can talk as we go.” 

“Oh?”

“Yeah!”

The four started on their way as Orange began regaling the story of what a local mermaid had seen at Misty Lake. Something about a silver-haired woman with a comical amount of knives. Kotohime paid little attention though, as she wondered. If I’d stuck with Lady Matara, would Izumi and Rin still be alive? If I’d been striking from the shadows, maybe killing their assassin… or would they have already been dead, without me being there as a companion?

Kotohime shook her head, dispelling the thoughts. It was important to consider the past, to learn from it, but it couldn’t be changed. Instead, as she walked next to Mima and considered what she’d say to Reimu and the other kids when they found them, she looked to the future.

A red-haired man watched as the three women and turtle walked off.  He stayed focused on blue-clothed woman with green hair, a part of him wanting to run out and stop her.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" The man glanced over to his companion, another man, this one blonde with a pair of spectacles. "I always knew Lady Agatamori was an idiot."

"Ah?"

The blonde man nodded. "I was quite nearly betrothed to her, you know. Before she took up with Izumi Hakurei and her pet nurse. It's truly a miracle that Kotohime not only managed to outlive those two, but that she's still alive." He gestured. "And yet here she is, best of friends with known Youkai."

"I... don't think it's hard to not know Lord Genjii is a Youkai."

The blonde man hmph'd . "He shows up enough in the histories, both the offical and secret. One of the Sages in all but name. If the Hakureis had to have a Youkai as a guardian they could do worse- or at least I would have thought so before recent events." He motioned with his chin towards the green-haired woman. "The lineage has grown soft. Regulations have gotten lax."

"...How much did Kana get out of you?"

"I thank you to not speak that name," the man hissed. “Less than I feared, more than she deserved. Thank the gods that that… whatever it was masquerading as the cook vanished, I can handle Fluffy Ellen and the poltergeist still feared me enough to not get greedy.” He shook his head. “We'll need to deal with some people when council selection next comes up, though. That cow especially.” 

The red-haired man nodded but didn't say anything, still staring after the women. His companion patted him on the shoulder. “We'll get your daughter back. I promise.” 

“I know. Thank you, Lord Anaberal."

The blonde man raised an eyebrow. "Mr. A when we're in company. What's the point of a secret society if you can't have a little fun with it, Mr. K?” He clapped the other man on the back. “Now, we really should get back. Mrs. N was just about to give her report.”

Thomas Kirisame nodded, though he gave one last look towards where Mima and the others had disappeared around a corner.

Notes:

Well, that was a long one, wasn't it?
You can tell that I've been sitting on this for a while. Some things that have come out in CDS don't quite fit with what I decided to have, mentioning a Miyadeguchi family among the quasi-nobility of the Human Village. Perhaps they're a separate branch of it?
Canon Kotohime is a bit of a weirdo. My take on her back in A Phantom, a Diversion, and a Determination was less of one. Having the chance to show her past though, was something I was looking forward to, considering that I could do something a bit different from regular Touhou. Perhaps I'll have to revisit some day.

Chapter 10: Spirit Battle - Perdition Crisis

Notes:

CW: Abuse
This chapter and the next are gonna be a bit heavier than the others, as we get flashbacks for Meira and Marisa.

 

 

Reimu’s eyes opened to an unfamiliar ceiling. She sat up, examining her surroundings. She still seemed to be in Yuuka’s bedroom, but all the colors were off- everything was black, outlined in neon color. There were no flowers, nor were Yuuka or Meira there. Which makes sense, if great-grandmother was right about Meira’s dreamself being desynchronized from her physical self? Reimu instinctively reached out, but to her dismay there was no sign of her Orb. She checked herself over, but still nothing, and in fact her staff and the handful of attack talismans she kept as backup were missing too. Her outfit had changed as well, shrine maiden's red turned to green. Like my dreamself, when the Professor’s machine dragged her into the physical world.

“Well…” Reimu stood up and grimaced. “I guess that means I really need to find Meira.” Reimu suspected that Meira probably didn't have her sword, but an unarmed Meira was still far more protection than nothing.

Reimu scanned the room in a bit more detail. Yes, it was an exact replica of Yuuka’s room in the physical world, but the missing bodies and flowers weren't the only changes. The bed seemed smaller, the table was covered in neon crayon drawings, a wardrobe full of red gingham that was too small for either Yuuka or Elly…

Reimu came to the window, which unlike the physical world was open. She peeked her head out but instead of forest, the house was surrounded by a red lake. At least she hoped that was a lake, discolored by the strangeness of the Dream World, and not blood. She looked down, then checked the window frame, looking for signs of forced entry by someone taking Yuuka’s dreamself, or that Meira had climbed out, or something. Indeed, as she looked, Reimu spotted a long purple hair stuck on a splinter in the wood- Meira's, most likely.

“Human…”

The hair on the back of Reimu's neck rose as she heard a voice from behind her, accompanied by a soft drip, drip, drip ping sound. She slowly turned, letting out a breath. “Oh. You're Mrs. Elly’s dreamself, right?”

The woman had Elly’s face and clothes, blonde and reds replaced with grey and brown, but unlike Reimu's dreamself she was more than just a palette swap. She wasn't wearing her physical self’s prosthetic fingers, her clothes were caked with wet mud, dripping onto the floor. She had no hat, loose hair covering one eye, and unlike the ornate curved scythe her physical self carried, Dream Elly carried a simpler utilitarian one, though from the shiny blade Reimu could guess that it was just as if not more deadly.

“Human… rotten humans, getting on my land…” Dream Elly hefted her scythe, slowly advancing on Reimu.

Reimu took a step back, things clicking into place. The three fingers, the mud, the farming tool as a weapon… “You're a dorotabō. A mud farmer. A spirit of vengeance against those who mistreat the land and don't farm responsibly.”

“Rotten, wretched, humans…” Dream Elly growled. “Who needs proper land management? Letting a field fallow for a year to recover or planting something else once in a while is a waste of money, just inject massive amounts of ammonia into the ground, surely that won't have any consequences when it gets in the water table!” Reimu cried out as Dream Elly swung her scythe, just barely getting out of the way. “And while we're at it why don't we put our cows upstream of the drinking water. I'm sure no one will mind when they poop in the river!” Reimu dropped underneath a scythe swing, feeling a tug as several hairs were cut through.”And don't get me started on monocropping!”

Reimu backed into the wall. “L-look, I don’t disagree with you, we can talk about this-”

Dream Elly swung low. “Die!” Reimu managed to jump as the scythe embedded in the wall, landing on the blade. Elly let go and lunged for her, and Reimu made a break for it, scrambling through the window. She grabbed at neon blue ivy, shimmying down. Dream Elly clambered out the window after her, fingers digging into bricks. “Get back here! I’ll grind you into fertilizer!” 

Dream Elly swung and slashed through several vines. Reimu dropped a few feet as ivy gave way, grabbing onto another patch. Now would be a really good time to be able to fly… She’d been able to fly briefly the last time she’d been in the Dream World, guided by her Dream Self. She also knew that on occasion, she’d felt… something, a sense of lightening as she fell, slowing down before she went splat.

Reimu barely managed to dodge as the scythe slammed tip-first into the wall just to her side. Dream Elly cursed as she tried to pull it free but the scythe was stuck fast. One hand clung to the wall while she hung by her toes to the windowsill. Reimu barely gave a moment of thought, as she reached over and yanked on the scythe just as Elly tugged, embedded blade acting as a fulcrum as Elly was levered out of the window, falling with a scream and a crash as she hit the ground. 

Reimu held her breath for a few seconds, but all she heard was Dream Elly's moans of pain. Incapacitated but not dead, thankfully. Reimu didn't know what would happen if a dreamself died but judging by what apparently happened if it got too far away from the physical self, she could only guess it wouldn't be good. She slid down the vines, pausing by the moaning dorotabō to hastily apologize before scurrying away.

The manor on an island in the middle of a red lake. A small jetty poked into the water, but there was no sign of a boat. Reimu ran down to the jetty and squinted, trying to spot anything on the far shore- there, a boat, dragged onto the shore. So did Meira row over there? Or is she still on the island and the boat was there to begin with? There were bootprints in the soft soil leading from the house- Meira's? They were big enough for her. At the end of the jetty was a winch, rope stretching all the way to the far shore, dipping into the water in the middle. Reimu tugged on the winch, then started pulling in earnest as she saw the boat start to move. A minute later and she was climbing into the boat, panting a bit but satisfied as she spotted a few violet hairs stuck between the planks. Maybe I should cut my hair shorter? Meira’s is longer than mine now but I have to wonder how often she gets stuck on something. Reimu shook away the thought, instead focusing on the rope and pulling herself to the far shore. More bootprints awaited her, as well as a freshly broken stub off a black tree, oozing thick pink sap. 

“Meira?” Reimu called out. 

Nothing.

Reimu scanned around, eyes settling on a drop of pink sap, standing out amongst black leaves edged neon green on the ground. Luck or deliberate? But Reimu wasn't about to turn away a shot at tracking down Meira. More drops were visible up ahead, a coagulated pink sphere stuck to leaves or dribbled on the ground every two meters or so, accompanied by the occasional snapped twig or kicked-aside rock. As Reimu tracked further into the woods, she started to smell something- smoke? Reimu started to run, following the scent, which seemed to be where the sap drops were leading.

The source of the smoke was a burnt building in a clearing. Reimu out of the trees, spotting what she thought was the remains of a large house. Colors flickered in it, shifting from the neon-outlined black to scorched brick and back again- all save a conspicuous spot of familiar purple. “Meira?” As Reimu stepped forward a burst of cold wind hit her, chilling her to the bones. She shivered and pushed on, but the wind persisted, trying to push her away from the ruins. She hugged herself and tried to ignore the chill. It didn't feel natural- there was no sign of cold around her, no ice nor snow, and rubbing her arms didn't seem to help. And now she thought she could hear whispering, unintelligible but malicious in tone. She could see Meira clearly now- she laid in the middle of the ruins, and much like Reimu her colors had changed, the reds on her outfit replaced with blue. The air around her shimmered and wavered, like the air above a road on a hot day. And the cold wind seems to be coming from there… As if in response the wind picked up, nearly knocking her over. Biting wind tore at her, eyes tearing up and tears freezing a moment later. Still she pushed forward, until she was standing over Meira. The girl was flat on her back, eyes closed and lips moving without speaking. Reimu knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. “Meira!” 

The girl shivered, mouth moving more rapidly but soundlessly. Reimu pulled at her shoulders but could barely budge- something was holding her to the ground. The wind picked up, tearing at her, as Reimu moved to Meira’s arm and pulled that instead. Strings of sticky pink glue stretched between the arm and the ground, like the sap trail she'd followed. Reimu shivered and reached out to try and brush the strings aside- 

 

“The blood of samurai is in your veins, my Starlight.”

A woman and her daughter sat on a mattress. The girl may have been four or five, with long brown hair, eyes wide as she asked her mother “What's a samurai?”

“A samurai was a noble warrior, from the time before the Border. During the last days, they sacrificed their positions and titles to protect the people who would become Gensokyans, fighting against the evil emperor.” The mother stroked her daughter’s hair. “They were brave and strong, heroic.” 

Outside the room a door slammed, followed by stomping feet. A fist started banging on the door. “Why is this locked? What did I say about locking doors?”

The woman winced, then grabbed the girl in a hug. “Be brave, my Starlight. Like the samurai.” 

She hurriedly stood up and went out the door. The girl covered her ears and tried to ignore the subsequent shouting and cries of pain-

 

Reimu’s eyes shot open. “What…” She was standing in a small room, a short distance from a small child. The girl was crying, hiding her head in her blanket as shouts came from outside the room. Reimu went over to the girl, trying to put a hand on her shoulder. 

A hand shot around from behind and covered Reimu’s mouth, another grabbing her around the chest and pinning her arms. Reimu tried to scream, thrashing against the grip. The brown-haired girl didn't so much as look up as Reimu was dragged back. “ Stay away from her…” a voice hissed in her ear. 

Reimu's struggles died at the sound. Meira ? She tried to say it but all that came out was a muffled “Mmhmra?”

The grip loosened a bit, but Meira kept her hand over Reimu’s mouth. “Hakurei? No, you can't be here! Get out!” She started tugging Reimu away, towards a window.

Reimu managed to get her mouth free. “Meira, what's going on? What is this-” Meira slammed her hand back down over Reimu’s mouth, before scooping her up and shoving her out the window-

 

“Come here, girl!” 

The brown-haired girl was a bit older now, maybe ten or so. Her hair was long, limbs awkward from a burgeoning growth spurt. She entered the dining room carrying a bottle of sake. Her father sat with several of his friends, laughing and drinking around a game of cards. One of the men whistled as she entered. “Scrawny thing ya got there.”

“Knock it off, she’ll grow. Besides, I've got plans for her already.” The girl’s father grabbed the bottle and started pouring. “Anaberal’s got a kid about her age. Give us a couple years and I'll marry her off to him.”

“Good luck. Kirisame’s got a girl too, he's probably thinking the same thing.” 

“Yeah, I heard. The little brat with sticky fingers by some upstart shopkeeper.”

“A shopkeeper who's doing pretty well for himself, I heard. How's House Miyadeguchi doing recently?”

“A lot better after I win the next hand and soak you for all you're worth.” The girl’s father snarled. “And money only gets you so far. Our blood is noble.” He turned to point at a sword mounted above the mantle. “You see that? Tokugawa himself gave that to our family back in the other world as thanks for our service! When that aunt of ours betrayed everyone my branch of the family offered to help raise future Hakureis to prove our loyalty to humanity! We helped take care of Shinchi Hakurei- in fact I knew him before he called himself Shinichi. Only a matter of bad luck put Izumi with the Hiedas, and had Reimu not disappeared she'd be here.”

“Or with the Hiedas again.”

“They're busy with the Ninth. Now shut up and play!” The father gestured to the girl. “Go get more snacks.”

“Yes sir.”

“And that's another thing! Look at her! No swiping things off market stalls, she's a perfect little flower. All demure and submissive!” The girl didn't say anything, doing her best to ignore the leers and jeers as she left for the kitchen. 

 

Reimu was standing in the middle of a party, She’d been shoved through the window only to fall through another and into another room. What’s going on? The girl was older now, doing her best to avoid the men in the room as she served food, then scurried into the kitchen. Nobody noticed Reimu there. She considered trying to kick the chair out from under one of the men, but she had a sneaking suspicion that wouldn’t do anything. She suspected she knew what was going on, in fact, but she wasn’t sure. I guess I just follow for now, she’ll likely lead me to Meira again. Reimu pushed open the kitchen door.

 

The girl’s mother was at work in the kitchen, preparing a tray of food. She gave her daughter a soft smile, as best she could with one eye blacked. “They'll be gone soon.”

The girl nodded.

“He's under a lot of stress, that's all.” The mother smiled again, but pain crept into her voice. “You’d best hurry,” she said, carefully handing the girl the tray. “Don't want to give him a reason to get mad again, right?”

 

A hand clamped down on Reimu’s mouth again, but she was ready for it this time, twisting around to stare up at Meira. Meira stared at her for a moment before turning away, eyes closed. “You're not here. You can't be here.”

“That's you, isn't it? This is your memory.”

“You're not here. You're not here.” Meira repeated under her breath. Besides her the brown-haired girl- the younger Meira- ran out of the kitchen to a round of cheers from the gamblers outside. 

Reimu reached out to touch Meira’s arm. “Marisa once mentioned that Mima took you all to the Dream World as a field trip, do you know how we get out of here?”

Meira didn’t respond, eyes scrunching shut as she shook her head. Her hand drifted down to her belt, reaching for a hilt that wasn’t there. “You’re not here. You’re not real.” Her hands shot out and she shoved, launching Reimu out the kitchen door-

 

“Oh no…no…”

The girl sat on the mattress as her mother ran fingers through her hair. She held a few strands- purple, instead of brown like the rest of the girl’s hair. She grimaced. “Starlight, hold still.” 

The girl tensed as her mother snipped the strands away with a scissors. “What’s wrong?”

“We’ll need to start dyeing your hair soon…” The mother started combing her hair again. “And hope your father hasn’t noticed.”

“What’s wrong?” the girl repeated, as she picked up one of the fallen hairs. “Why is it purple?”

Her mother just shook her head. “It’s… a sign. Of power in your blood.”

“The power of the samurai?”

Her mother shook her head. “Magical power.” 

“That’s good, right?”

“Your father won’t think so. He and his friends, they…” She shook her head. “It’ll be okay. We’ll hide it! Like a little game. We’ll just need to make sure you dye your hair regularly and don’t do anything obviously magical.”

“But why? Why doesn't he-”

“Hush.” The mother pressed a hand on her daughter’s cheek. She closed her eyes, tears leaking at the corners.  The girl’s mother held her daughter, whispering into the air. “Your father was a kinder man when he was younger. Before he started associating with those friends of his, before he started drinking…” She drew out a handkerchief, white silk embroidered with a crane, and dabbed at her eyes before giving a sad smile. “He’s just stressed, that’s all. Some day soon he’ll be back to his old self and we’ll be happy together, the three of us.” 

 

 

Reimu stood next to the mattress and the sitting mother and daughter once again. She knelt down, staring at the fallen violet hairs- the same color as they would be for the present Meira. “Did… Did he hurt you, Meira?” Reimu asked, not needing to turn to sense Meira appearing behind her. Meira didn’t respond, but Reimu could hear her voice hitching. “Does Mima know what happened to you?” Meira didn't respond, even as Reimu turned and reached out, gently taking the girl’s hand. Meira flinched at the touch-

 

 

The scene changed. The mother gave a soft cry and went silent as a blade embedded in her gut. The father drew his knife out, kicking the woman away.

A body hit the ground- not human, but that of a crane youkai, wings disheveled and feather-pecked. 

“Filthy lying beast,” the man spat, as he turned towards the cowering girl in the corner. Despite their best efforts, violet had snuck through the brown dye, revealing her magical nature.

Her half-youkai nature.

The man snarled as he approached. “And you. Half-breed. Monster. Just as corrupt as her.” His voice slurred with alcohol, his steps unsteady, but they were steady enough to make his way to the girl, grabbing her by the hair and hauling her to her feet. The girl cried out, struggling, as her father swung his knife, blade slicing through her ear as she ducked her head to the side. Blood poured down her cheek as her father cursed and tried to pull the knife from the wall. The girl looked for an escape, eyes settling on the mantle, and the sheathed sword on it. 

“Ha!” The knife pulled out of the wall with a lurch, her father stumbling back, long enough for the girl to leap forward and grab the sword off the mantle. The moment her hand touched the hilt, strength flowed into her- not just strength, a feeling of rightness. In a single fluid motion she pulled the sword to her, drawing it, smacking the knife away, before with a scream she drove it point-first into her father’s chest. The man gasped, blood spilling from his mouth and wound, covering her hands, soaking into the hems of her clothes. Slowly, he slid off the blade, eyes wide open as he died. 

The girl knelt next to her mother. The woman opened her eyes, a smile crossing her lips as she struggled to lift her hand. “Be… brave… Starlight…” 

Her eyes closed, and the girl was on her own.

 

 

Everything went black, room and people vanishing, leaving just Reimu and Meira. Reimu turned to meet the other girl’s eyes but Meira looked away, hand clenching her missing sword. “You can't be here. You aren't real.”

“It's the Dream World. And dreams draw from our memories. Oh, Meira…” Reimu stepped forward, spreading her arms and grabbing Meira in a hug. After a moment Meira hugged her back, squeezing Reimu close as she started to sob. 

 

 

A new scene formed before them. The house was dark, reeking with the smell of rot and blood. The girl knelt vigil at the front door, sword over her lap. She was covered in dried blood, surrounded by the dead. 

Her father had been joined by a few of his friends. They’d come seeking him, only to scream demon at the sight of the girl. She had been forced to silence them when they'd come at her with knives.

Two amikiri, youkai like a cross between a lobster and a serpent, had smelled fresh meat. Their chitin armor had been no match for the girl’s blade.

A lonely wolf, split from its pack, had thought her an easy meal. It had thought wrong.

A bandit, seeking a place to hide and perhaps valuables as well. All he had found was death. 

The girl didn’t know how long she’d knelt there. She hadn’t eaten or drank since she’d killed her father. She knew she couldn’t last long.
She didn’t care. She waited with her blood-soaked hands, waiting for death to claim her.

Someone knocked at the door, but the girl didn’t so much as flinch. She didn’t respond to the query “Anyone home?” nor to the arm phasing through the door to click open the lock. She stayed kneeling, as a woman stepped in- a woman with green hair and blue robes. She paused as she caught sight of the girl. “Hey-”

The sword flashed, a cut that would have sliced the woman’s head clean off, but the blade passed through without reaction. The girl got to her feet, eyes glowing red as she spun, stabbing and slicing to no effect, before finally collapsing to the floor. The woman, unharmed by the display, hurriedly knelt down, pulling out a canteen and putting it to the girl’s lips. “Shh… calm down, kid. It’s okay. Everything’s gonna be okay now..”

 

Once again everything faded to black, leaving just Meira and Reimu in the void. Meira turned away, face covered in tears and shame. “I can’t…”

Reimu squeezed the girl in a hug again. “It’s okay, Meira.”

“No it’s not!” Meira pushed away. “I- I killed them. I killed him! My own father! I-I-”

“He tried to kill you. You protected yourself. Meira-”

Meira got to her knees, hands covering her head as she curled in on herself. “I can’t… I can’t… I’m…”

Reimu knelt down next to Meira, embracing her even as she started to cry alongside her. “Meira…”

“Lady Mima… She… She took me home…” Meira whispered. “She didn’t care what I’d done. She didn’t care that I couldn’t speak… She just…”

“She took care of you. Gave you the love your father didn’t and your mother couldn’t anymore.” Reimu gently patted Meira’s back. “You’re not a monster, Meira.” 

Meira just cried, but she slowly put her arms around Reimu again. “It’s not even my real name… Lady Mima, she… she gave it to me, because I couldn’t tell her…”

Reimu paused, before gently lifting Meira’s face up to meet her own. “Meira’s what the people who love and care about you call you. I think that makes it as real a name as any.” Reimu considered for a moment. "I don't know your original name, but if you wanted, I could-"

Meira shook her head. "No, thank you. You're right. And..." She brushed at her hair, holding up a length. "And it feels right. Meira, I mean."

Everything around them was still black. Reimu let go, looking around. "What happens next? Mima found you, then..."

Meira shrugged. "We burned the house down, then she took me home and took care of me. I never went back to the ruins, nobody went looking for me- though there's still a bounty on the records for the monster who killed the Miyadeguchi family..."

The darkness began to dissipate as cold wind and whispers spun up around them, the scent of smoke with it. "I think the monster who killed the family is already dead." Reimu took Meira's hand and helped her to her feet, shivering against the chill. Reimu looked at Meira's other hand, at the stick still held in her grip. “Could I borrow that for a moment?” Meira frowned but after a moment's hesitation handed it over. Reimu raised the stick, chanting a liturgy as she waved it in a circle overhead. It wasn't the proper tool for the job, but the wind died down around them, warmth returning as Reimu drove away negativity and pain. After a minute, she lowered her makeshift staff. “I don't know how well this will work- the Dream World is supposed to be a reflection of thoughts, and, well, I don't think I can purify your thoughts like a piece of land.”

Meira closed her eyes, letting out a breath. Despite the tears still staining her face, she smiled a bit. “I think… I think it helps. A bit at least.”

Reimu held out the stick to Meira. “Well, we still have to go figure out what happened to Mrs. Yuuka. And her wife kinda chased me away from the manor. I think I could use a samurai’s help.”

Meira took the stick, slipping it into her belt and gripping the base of it, like the hilt of her sword. She wiped her face, before smiling at Reimu. “Let's get to work, then.”

The two walked off, leaving the ruins of an old life behind them.

Notes:

Meira's backstory has been something I've been thinking about for a while. As with a previous note on the Kotohime chapter, there's some things that don't quite match what's since been revealed by CDS, but there's ways around it. A side branch that denied Mizuchi, for example.

I do have a name in mind for what Meira was originally called, though I think Meira fits her well now. One of that name's meanings is "Darkness". Her birth mother's nickname for her was Starlight. And it's in darkness that the stars shine.

Less grim, we do get a reveal of Elly's species. Dorotabō traditionally are formed when a farmer dies and his children squander the wealth and hard work he built up for them, though I like the idea of one being born from hatred of farming practices that drain the land in exchange for short-term profits. Or the cows pooping upstream of rivers, which is something I actually did research on in college.
Odd how Elly looks a lot different in the Dream World than her regular self does, more than just using palette swaps like I've been doing. Hmm...

Chapter 11: Vessel of Stars, Casket of Scars

Notes:

CW: Abuse
While not the same as what happened with Meira, Marisa doesn't have a happy backstory either, for different reasons.

The blonde girl ran. She didn't know where she was going, everything looked the same as everything else, the same black trees edged in neon. She'd long left the sounds of battle behind her, and more importantly, the monster.

She slowly came to a stop in a glade, surrounded by neon-hued trees. She scanned the area, and when she confirmed no sight of the monster, sat down, panting. As she did though, her vision started to darken. She tried to sit up, but it was as though someone had glued her dress to the ground, and as she pulled her hand up she could see sticky pink dream goo on it, just like had happened to Rika. She started to curse as everything went black-

 

"Kourin! Look!"

At the counter in a second-hand shop, a young man with spectacles and prematurely grey hair perked up, a bemused smile crossing his face as a young girl with bright red hair burst in. "Look at this neat bug I found!"

"Oh-ho? What kind of bug, Marisa?" The man ran around the counter to squat next to the girl. The girl opened her hands to reveal a large horned beetle with a metallic carapace. It turned in her hand, elytra opening to briefly buzz its wings. “That is a neat bug!” The man reached out and ruffled the girl’s hair. “A lucky sort, I imagine, if you return him to his home.”

“I will! I just wanted to show you first.”

The door opened again, and the man hastily stood, slipping on an aire of professionalism. “Welco- Ah, Mr. Anaberal. What can I do for you?”

Mr. Anaberal ignored him, storming into the store while two men chased after- one Mr. Kirisame, a short man with red hair matching the girl’s, the second man a priest with ringed staff. Mr. Anaberal raised a finger and pointed. “Before these witnesses, I accuse you, Rinnosuke Morichika, of being a disguised and dangerous youkai.”

“Anaberal, is this really necessary? I know Morichika, he's a good kid,” said Mr. Kirisame, wringing his hands and starting to sweat as Mr. Anaberal turned on him. 

“Evidence of the accusation,” Mr. Anaberal pulled out several pieces of paper, holding them up as if about to hit someone. He slapped one down. “From the Gensokyo Chronicle as written by Aya of Hieda, a description of a cook for one of the defense regiments, one Rinnosuke Morichika, described as a young man with similar appearance to how he is now.”

“W-well, my family has been in the area for a long time.” The red-haired girl couldn't help but notice Rinnosuke starting to clench his hands.

“Yes, the family that Mr. Kirisame tells me is all dead, save yourself. How convenient for you.” 

“Now that's uncalled for!” Mr. Kirisame started to speak up but wilted under Mr. Anaberal’s glare. “Just, well, he is an orphan.”

“Most people eventually become one once they outlive their parents. How old did you say he was?”

“Twenty? That's what it says on his paperwork.”

“Really… He doesn't look it.”

“It's the hair,” offered Rinnosuke. “I've had people guess anywhere from 15 to 50!” He grinned but Mr. Anaberal just glared. 

“Further evidence- an article in the Bunbunmaru from seventy years ago, asking human opinion on a large tanuki smuggling ring. Among those interviewed was one Rinnosuke Morichika, who was of the opinion that Outsider goods were ‘fascinating’. Coincidentally now one Rinnosuke Morichika works at a store that occasionally acquires and sells collected Outsider goods. Another article, during the Great Kappa Migration- Yet another Rinnosuke Morichika with opinions. And another during the purge of the Hosokami- recent history I may point out. If he were really twenty right now then that tengu would have been interviewing a young child.”

“That was my father.”

“Your father who had the same name as you.”

“It's a family name. We’re all named Rinnosuke.” 

“I’m sure. So if your father was alive for that, how recently were you orphaned?”

“Now now, we can all calm down, surely. There’s a very simple way to get to the heart of the matter.” The priest held his staff forward. “Mr. Morichika, if you would place your hand on my staff… now, answer- are you a human?”

“Yes.” Rinnosuke’s hand gripped the staff.

“Are you a youkai in disguise?”

“No.”

“There we have it then!” The priest nodded. “If he’d been lying he’d be on fire right now.”

Mr Kirisame nodded appreciatively. “I apologize for the inconvenience, Morichika. But, well, you can’t be too careful! Right, Mr. Anaberal?”
“...Yes, exactly.” The man glared at Rinnosuke, before turning to go, the priest in tow. Mr. Kirisame ran to catch up with him, and once again the girl and Rinnosuke were alone in the shop… for all of a minute, before the door played open and a woman with orange hair and a garish green and yellow outfit burst in. “I just saw, is Anaberal causing trouble?”

“Unsuccessfully,” said Rinnosuke, chuckling a bit. He gave the woman a hug. “I’m fine, Orange. He really should have worded his questions better.”

“What does that mean?” The two froze at the sound of the little red-headed girl’s voice. She stood, having been forgotten until that moment, with folded arms and a glare. “You told them you were human!”

“I am,” said Rinnosuke, too quickly. He grimaced as the girl continued to glare. “Half, at least. One of my parents was human. And I’m not exactly disguised , really-”

“But the other half! You're youkai!”

“Half, at most.” 

“It doesn’t work that way! Either you are or you aren’t!” The girl huffed. ‘I should tell dad.”

Rinnosuke smiled. “Maybe, but I don’t think you will. Besides looking silly, claiming that after that priest just proved I'm human, who would you show your cool bugs to?” Rinnosuke got down to his knees, eye-level with the girl. “Things aren’t always so black and white, Marisa.”

“They should be…” but the girl sighed. “I won’t tell dad.” 

“Thank you, Marisa,” 

Rinnosuke started to hug the girl, but she held up a hand. “But you owe me!”

“Naturally,” Rinnosuke chuckled, as he embraced the girl.

 

The girl’s eyes shot open. She was in the clearing again, face to face with her Monster. Black, viscous goo, shaped like a human face- her face, her golden eyes. “What are you running from?” it asked.

The girl cried out and kicked, foot sinking into the Monster’s viscous form. She yanked it out and kicked again, then a third time, each time the black goop distorting and reforming into the face. “Get away from me!” 

“What are you running from?”

“You!” 

The girl pulled her leg free, then scrambled to her feet and ran again, climbing up a tree as her monster turned liquid, a puddle forming underneath. A face formed in the goop. “I’m not your enemy.” 

The girl ignored the monster, panting as she held herself against the tree bark. She bit back tears, trying to ignore the shuffling below her. “Go away!” She tried to climb higher, but her hand came down on a patch of sticky pink sap, and once again everything went dark-

It happened slowly at first. Lights seemed brighter around the girl, colors more vibrant. Rinnosuke seemed to notice too, though he didn't say anything, not until the first time her magic truly, undeniably, showed itself.

At the time there was no official school in the village, so like many with the money to do so the girl had been sent to a tutor, a young woman named Keine Kamishirasawa. The girl had been one of a few who’d she’d been tutoring, sent to her house on a daily basis to learn, and so when during an argument with one of the other students, the young girl had accidentally drained and exploded every lampstone in the house in a display of blazing light, word spread quickly. 

The girl was a magician, and potentially a powerful one.

Ms. Kamishirasawa seemed to take it in stride, thankfully, walking home to proudly announce the girl’s new-found gift. Rinnosuke had clapped her on the back, promising to make something special for the girl, to pay back the debt of silence he still owed her. 

Her father had simply stood, nodded, and not said anything, even as he was congratulated for his daughter’s magic.

One day Rinnosuke came to work with a blonde woman in tow. “This is Fluffy Ellen. She’s a freelance magician, and she says she’s willing to train you, Marisa!” 

The woman raised her hand and smiled, a white cat perching on her head and scanning the room. The red-haired girl was about to shake the blonde’s hand when she felt her father’s presence behind her. “I… appreciate your wanting to help, Morichika, but I don't think it will be necessary.”

“Ah, did you pick out a magic tutor already?” Fluffy Ellen deflated a bit but quickly perked up. “Who did you pick? Is it someone I know? I should go congratulate them!” 

“That’s not what I mean. We’re not going to be training Marisa in any magic.”

“You’re not?” asked Rinnosuke.

“No. Marisa is an ordinary human. She has no need for such things. This… problem will fade in time.”

“Problem?” Ellen gasped. 

“Magic is a thing of youkai, not humans.” 

“That’s just silly thought!” Ellen stomped her foot, her cat meowing. “Are you going to call the priests in town who perform exorcisms and healings youkai? What about the Hakurei shrine maidens or their companions? Rin Satsuki and Kyō Araya were as human as you are!” 

“Divine gifts are different.”

“They’re really not! Not unless you’re doing high-level thaumic calculations or are a pedantic doofus who nobody invites to parties!” 

Rinnosuke glanced between Ellen, the girl, and her father. “With all due respect sir, untrained magicians have a hard time controlling their power, and, well… Marisa might have a lot of power. Even if it’s just for safety, shouldn’t she be trained?” 

The man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’ve talked to Lord Anaberal about this. He gave me some… recommendations. Things we can do to prevent that problem.” 

Ellen scrunched up her face in thought, before her eyes widened, her cat arcing his back and hissing. “You're talking about sealing her magic? How could you?!” Her eyes flashed, indignation and fury driving her voice higher in pitch. She started to shout, but the father was stepping forward, pushing the little witch out of his shop.

Rinnosuke covered his mouth, shaking, as the man slammed the door. He didn’t say anything as the other man passed by, back towards the shop’s storeroom. After a few minutes of silence, Rinnosuke let out a breath. “Damn Anaberal. Damn him…”

“It’s fine, Kourin. Right?” 

Rinnosuke shook his head, squatting down to put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “No, it’s not fine. You have a gift, Marisa. He doesn’t have the right to take that away from you.”

“He’s right though! I’m human, not youkai!” 

“And Ellen’s right- there’s plenty of humans who use magic. Most might not be as powerful as you, but it’s not just priests serving the gods or heroes like the Hakurei and her companions, either. Blacksmiths who can keep their forges burning hotter with a little spark of power, members of the Wall Guard who enhance their bodies to fight off monsters and feral youkai- or even directly attack with energy bullets. Things aren’t as black and white as your father or Anaberal seem to think, Marisa.”

The girl shook her head, squeezing her fists closed. “I still blew up Ms. Kamishirasawa’s house. It’s bad.”

“Accidentally, and no one was hurt in the end.” Rinnosuke sighed. “You can choose to use your gift, or to not use it- but the choice has to be yours . Not your father’s.”

“Not yours, either.”

“Not mine, no,” Rinnosuke chuckled. “Just yours, Marisa.” 

The girl met his eyes, still squeezing her fists. “I… I don’t know.”

Rinnosuke nodded. “Marisa, if you need, I can help. Ms. Ellen would no doubt be happy to teach you secretly, and if your father decided to try to force the issue, I have… certain friends. Who could get you away from him.”

The girl met his eyes, then pushed away. “I need to think, that’s all.” Before Rinnosuke could respond, she ran out the front door and into the street, ignoring as he called after her.

The girl’s eyes opened to forest canopy. She hurt, but not as much as she might have expected for falling unconscious and out of a tree. She sat up, feeling something sticky on her back. More of the pink dream goo? But she wasn't falling unconscious again.

“You're welcome.” 

The girl sprung up, whirling to see the Monster, reforming from the puddle she'd landed in. Had it broken her fall? The thing piled up on itself again, forming two eyes and a face again. “Why are you running?”

“Is that all you know how to say?”

“Is that all you know how to do?” The Monster congealed out an arm, reaching for the girl. “Why are you running?” 

The girl pulled back. “Stop trying to be me!”

“But I am you.”

“You’re not! I’m human! Human! ” 

The Monster didn’t respond, just staring at her. It reached out a hand again, but the girl stepped back. “I don’t want you! I don’t need you!”

“What changed with us? We weren’t always like this.” The Monster slithered forward, and the girl stepped back again, tripping over a root, darkness enveloping her again as pink goo stuck to her skin-

 

She ran. She kept running. Through the palisade gate and out of the village, past farms and patrols, not coming to a stop until she was in the woods. Only then did she stop, lean against a tree, and start to cry. If anyone had come after her, she didn't know. She'd always been quick, too quick for her own good, really. Fingers too light, able to snatch things off tables, return them before anyone noticed, feet too quick to be caught if she was.

And now she'd been so quick that she had outrun her brain. She looked around but couldn't recognize where she was, surrounded by trees too thick to see through, too thick to see the Human Village or surrounding farms outside the forest. Tears threatened to obscure her vision, and she forced herself to sit down. She wasn't that far into the forest, and she'd been told that if she was lost, the best way for someone to find her would be to sit still. Rinnosuke knew she'd run off, he'd come after her eventually, with enough wall guards to fend off any hungry monsters who approached her while she waited.

…Right?

She waited. And waited. She considered starting a fire, to give Rinnosuke or anyone else some guidance. “But that would work for the monsters too, right?” She said to herself. She knew that feral youkai- the people-eating kind of youkai, not the kappa and tengu who came to the village to trade, indeed the kind that would eat a kappa or tengu as quickly as a human- roamed the deep forest. Occasionally they'd strike out to attack farms when they grew bold or hungry enough, raiding barns and killing anyone they caught outside. Unlike the farmers though, the girl didn't have a gun or charms to prevent monsters from getting too close. If she was caught…

A twig snapped somewhere in the underbrush. The girl gasped, scrambling through her pockets and pulling out a small penknife. It was a pitiful weapon, and not even hers to begin with- she'd “borrowed” it from Rinnosuke’s pocket a few days ago. Still, she flicked out the blade and pointed it forward.

The foliage rustled, and a dog pushed its way out, head down, tail between its legs. Its fur was white, streaked with bluish-grey and matted. It looked up at the shivering girl and gave a plaintive whine. The girl slowly took one hand off the knife and raised it. “Hey, girl…”

The dog walked forward, and the girl tensed- she'd heard that dogs who got desperate enough could revert to wolfish behavior. But the dog didn't attack, and gave her hand a tentative lick. The girl in turn scratched the dog’s head, earning her a tail wag. “You’re lost too, aren’t you?” 

The dog barked as if in affirmation, before settling down next to her, head in its paws. “I guess we’ll both wait then,” the girl said after a while. “They’ll come looking for me, right?”

More time passed, the sun starting to go down. The girl started to worry- what if no one had gone looking for her yet? If Rinnosuke had let her go instead of chasing after, he wouldn’t have seen her running for the village gate and out of the village. What if they hadn’t started looking yet? If they assumed she’d just gone into the streets, and they’d as likely end with her being hauled back to the shop by an angry merchant who’d caught her attempt to shoplift as to see her return home on her own. Eventually one of the guards might come to her father to tell him she’d run past, though, right? “But what if they don’t? What if they don’t come looking for us?” The dog whined, placing its head in her lap. The girl scratched its head again, but the dog suddenly stood, barking at something. “What do you see, girl?” The girl stood as well, pulling out her penknife. She held it up, scanning the area for whatever had upset the dog. Something flickered in her vision- to the side, A shadow was moving between the trees, two red eyes glittering in the blackness. What was it? The girl took a step back, then another, the dog letting out two more barks with its tail between its legs. The thing turned, moving the other way, but the eyes never left the girl. For a moment it seemed to pause, then started to grow, taller and taller, a mouth opening to reveal far too many humanoid teeth, curling into a vicious grin. 

The girl screamed and bolted, dropping the knife as she ran. The dog tore ahead, barking in a frenzy, head turning back occasionally. Behind them crashed the monster, smashing through branches, as all the while it laughed, deep, hungry, not entirely human. The dog sprinted forward, making a sharp turn to the right, pausing to bark to the girl. Was it leading her somewhere? The girl didn’t have time to think about it, following after the dog wherever it was going. It couldn’t be any worse than that thing, surely. 

The dog led the way, pausing every so often and whining as it waited for the girl to keep up. The monster never stopped laughing, growing louder as it grew closer. It knew these woods, the girl didn’t, and she had to slow occasionally to avoid tripping roots and whipping branches. But finally she entered a clearing, surrounding a lonely moss-covered Jizou statue. The dog pressed itself next to the stone, whimpering with terror. The girl ran, ducking behind the statue, while the laughter suddenly stopped, changing to something almost resembling cursing. The girl turned, heart pounding. A massive black-furred hand pressed against thin air, as though an invisible shield surrounded the Jizou statue- and the girl and dog with it. A human face leered from the trees, mouth too large and too full of teeth, smile turned to a spiteful frown. It slammed its hand against the invisible shield, and though both girl and dog cowered, the monster couldn’t break through. It stepped back, black-furred form fading into the shadows, but the eyes remained, circling, probing the Jizou’s aegis for holes. The girl pressed herself close to the statue, sitting down and leaning against its shins, while the dog sat in her lap and whimpered. The eyes never vanished, and every so often a black-furred hand slammed against the shield, startling her, baiting her to try and run once more. The girl closed her eyes, shaking, tears leaking, hoping and praying that someone would save her. 

The beast circled around several times, claws raking against thin air every so often to no avail. Hateful eyes locked onto the Jizou statue, the thing preventing it from eating dinner. A growl rose in its throat, followed by a glob of spit, splattering against the statue’s face. The monster seemed to pause, then disappeared. A moment later a rock came sailing out of the woods, just missing the statue. The girl lept up with a cry, dog bounding away to the other side of the statue as another rock came flying, over the statue’s head. It had terrible aim, but just one of those rocks would be all it needed to destroy the statue. In desperation, the girl closed her eyes and focused, feeling for her burgeoning magic, raising her hands and unleashing. A bright flash lit up the dark woods, briefly illuminating the beast- huge, shaped something between a dog and a monkey, covered in black fur everywhere but its humanoid face. It howled, covering its eyes, dropping the rock it was about to throw, but didn’t run. It rubbed its eyes, then leapt forward, slamming its fists on the invisible shield. The girl cried out and fell, reaching for her magic again, but she felt exhausted, between the running and sudden use of magic. 

The monster grabbed its rock again, rearing back to throw,. The girl hunched down, covering her face, but suddenly the monster screamed. Blue fire rained down from above, the monster writhing in agony. The flame cut off, and the monster sprinted away, howling in terror. Slowly, the girl lifted her head, staring as a woman drifted into the clearing. She had long green hair, wore ragged blue and white clothing, and where her legs should have been was a strand of mist, like a tail. She stared down at the girl. “Are you lost, child?”

The girl scrambled back, while the dog whimpered and vanished into the undergrowth, terror finally forcing it to abandon her. “N-no, I’m not!” 

The girl tried to run, but tripped, while the ghost floated over to her, hand turning solid as she gently lifted the girl to her feet. The ghost tilted her head, bright green eyes meeting the girl’s. “Do you have a name?”

“M-Marisa. Marisa Kirisame.”

“Hello, Marisa Kirisame. I’m Mima.”

 

 

"She took you home after that, didn't she?"

The girl whirled around to see Narumi standing there, hands together, staring placidly at the Jizou statue. "You came back with Lady Mima a few times, looking for that dog. You never found her, but you did leave a hat once, for the statue."

"How are you here?" The girl took a step back, mouth agape.

"I was always here, Marisa." Narumi smiled, reaching up to pat the statue. "Don't you recognize my old body?"

Indeed looking at it closely, the statue did share Narumi’s features, albeit weathered from standing in the forest for however long it had been. The girl looked between it and Narumi, who folded her hands together. “More specifically I found you on the ground with that same pink goo that got Rika.”

“She didn't.”

“Hmm?”

The girl let out a breath. “Lady Mima didn't take me home with her that night. I asked her to bring me back to the Human Village. To dad.”

“You did?”

“What else would I have done? I didn't know her. Rika and Meira had nowhere else to go, but I had a home still.” The girl paused again. “Dad was worried that I'd run off, but he was more worried about the thing that brought me home. Especially when she brought up how much magic she could sense on me. He threatened to call the guards if she didn’t leave, and even after…” The girl’s breath hitched. “He got into fights with Kourin. Mr. Anaberal kept visiting, dad kept hinting that he was gonna get my magic sealed. And Lady Mima… She was watching me, too.” 

“She was?”

“She wasn’t stalking me, not really, but sometimes I saw her around. She had Rika to care for by that time I think so she was buying food, but still.”

“Did she want to rescue you? From being sealed, I mean.”

The girl clenched her fists. “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter anyway. Kourin got in another argument with dad, I sided with Kourin- I don’t even remember what the argument was anymore. But I got upset, upset enough to run off again.”

“And then she took you in?”

The girl closed her eyes. “She was kind to me. She told me it was okay to be upset, and that I could stay at her castle until I cooled down. And… I didn’t. I didn’t go back after that.” 

Around them the memory had been fading away, and now the girl sat against a neon-outlined tree, head in her hands. “It started slowly. Rika was already there and we became close- I’d never had a sibling before, not unless you count Kourin, and Rika was closer to my age. Lady Mima brought Meira home one day and asked us to help care for her, and I couldn’t really not do that. And even when I lost control of my magic again, she was always there to help clean up and guide me through it. Eventually I asked to learn, so I could control it on my own, and…” 

Narumi sat down next to the girl, reaching a hand around her but passing through. "She's a good woman. I should know, I'm a Jizou," Narumi chuckled, but the girl didn't respond. "Marisa, things will get better."

The girl closed her eyes. "I shouldn't have left home. It's obvious now."

"What's obvious? Marisa, if you hadn't left home, you'd never have met Lady Mima, or Rika or Meira. I wouldn't be alive and conscious, I'd still be a statue gathering moss." Narumi pressed her hands together. "I don't know what happened when you fought Reimu-" The girl flinched at the name. "-but we can fix it. I promise we will."

"There's nothing to fix." The girl's voice dropped lower, colder. "Dad was right. All my magic ever did was cause problems."

Narumi pulled back, frowning. "Marisa, that's not true."

"Oh, Marisa, you nearly destroyed Gensokyo blowing up the Hakurei ." The girl stood, speaking in a sing-song tone. "Oh, Marisa, didn't I warn you about teenage pregnancy? But here you go bringing statues to life again with your magic! Oh, Marisa, what the hell was that thing you did in the arena? It's got everyone else spooked!"

"All three of us decided to go after Reimu and the Orb." Rika pushed her way into the clearing. "And if anyone's guilty of nearly destroying Gensokyo it's me . I put a suicide bomb in Sigma and threatened to destroy Gensokyo because my temper got the better of me." Rika made her way forward. "Narumi's an objective benefit to the world and I won't have anyone say otherwise. As for whatever that was, who cares? You're still Marisa. You're still our sister." She paused, glancing at Narumi. "We chased off the Baku for now. Kazami flew off towards that island, said something about more people entering the Dream World through their house. I didn't want to go off without you two. Because we care about you, Marisa. And all this crap you're going through."

The girl closed her eyes, fists clenched. "If you care so much, then why are you all so insistent on making me get my magic back?" She heard something rustling in the underbrush behind her, sensing her Monster close at hand. "If you cared, then you'd love me for who I am. Not for my power."

"We do love you." Narumi reached forward. "Marisa, don't be like this."

"Like what?"

"So... black and white. It's like you're convinced that your magic is inherently bad. You know that's not true."

"Her dad was a trash fire who thought all magic and crap was evil, Nar," said Rika. "Lady Mima had to poke a lot to get her to realize otherwise, but I guess it's still there deep down."

"Don't call my dad that," the girl hissed.

"What? A trash fire? A jerk who couldn't stand who you were and wanted to forcibly change you? Some of us aren't lucky enough to be born with magic, Marisa. You're special and he wanted to destroy you because of it."

"There we are again. I only matter because of my magic."

Rika took a step forward, grey eyes growing stormy. "You know that's not what I mean."

"Rika..." Narumi grabbed Rika's arm and tugged on her.

"Isn't it?" The girl spat. "Why don't you tell me what I know, since clearly you know more about me than I do."

Narumi stepped between the two, but Rika pushed her aside, temper starting to flare. "You changed since that fight. Not just your magic going away. You're not like yourself."

"Yes, do tell me. How I'm not like myself, because clearly you know better than me." The girl's nails bit into her palms.

Rika stomped as she lost control. “You’re literally only half there! Or haven’t you noticed that you’re intangible? We’re in the Dream World, you’re inhabiting your dreamself, which is a reflection of your inner psyche, so what’s being intangible mean, huh? Are you being stupid on purpose , Marisa?!?” 

It’s a fact of life that sometimes people can be completely right and completely wrong at the same time. Rika was right that the girl’s present intangibility was evidence that something was dreadfully wrong. But even as Rika said it, she realized how she said it was a mistake. 

The girl closed her eyes, raising her fists as she began to laugh. “It’s always the magic, isn’t it? Either I shouldn’t have it, or it’s the only reason I’m worth keeping around.” The girl’s eyes shot open, glittering with tears and fury. “You’d rather have her as a sister, wouldn’t you? Hakurei. ” 

“That’s not what she’s saying!” Narumi clamped a hand over Rika’s mouth.

“Even Kazami now. They brought me in here, then abandoned me because someone else came through. Who do you think that is? Hakurei, that's who.”

Narumi shook her head. “Marisa, please, calm down! Think about this! This isn’t all-”

“What? Black and white? Sometimes things are .” The girl turned, eyes locking on her Monster hiding in the bushes. “Either I’m magic or I’m not. Either I’m a monster or I’m not. Fine. Fine. They want you . Not me,” she hissed, before stabbing her hand into the Monster, letting black goo course up her arms. She didn't scream, letting it consume her, until she was just a puddle of black ooze that started to pile up and take humanoid shape.

Narumi stepped back, summoning energy bullets into a swarm around her, while Rika drew her guns, hands shaking as she took aim but unable to shoot. The thing in front of them finished taking shape, two eyes opening- one Marisa’s normal gold, one bright red. “You asked for this. You want a monster? I’ll give you a monster.”

Notes:

This might be a problem.
Marisa's backstory is a mystery in canon, beyond knowing that she doesn't talk to her dad unless it's through Rinnosuke, and even he wasn't quite sure about talking to him again, and it's implied it might be over Marisa being a magician.
So Marisa nearly being sent to conversion therapy seemed like a potential answer for why.
She's caught between a rock and a hard place, having been told since she was young how dangerous magic can be, and her own burgeoning power. Combine it with her hatred for Reimu and what do you get? Problems.
I don't remember off hand what the creature was that chased Marisa, but I picked something out that gave me the description.
Also Narumi and Enoko are there. UDoALG came out while I was working on this and the little tidbit about Enoko seeing a girl crying in the woods kinda needed to fit in. And while Narumi doesn't have much backstory to share, being a statue until a few months ago, I thought it would be nice to see she's always been part of the family, in a way.

No picture at this time (Work stuff) but I'll try to get one drawn when I can. Mima and Marisa's introduction needs visualization.

Chapter 12: Incomplete Plot

"Kiketsu forever!"

"For Boss Kurokoma! Keiga, go!"

Dozens of wolf and otter spirits swarmed like waves, crashing into each other in clashes of claws and teeth, then breaking and scattering back, only to regroup for the next charge. Fewer in number but just as violent were the handful of youkai, hurling energy bullets and swinging weapons at each other, or at the opposing swarm of beast spirits. War cries and cheers rang out louder than screams of pain and cracks of energy bullets- in the end victory would go to whoever held firm longest, not whoever did the most damage. A battle in the Animal Realm was as much about posturing as it was blood, proving oneself strong. It would be over in a few minutes, after people had gotten their fill of blood and adrenaline and honor.

So they only had a few minutes before the distraction was over.

"This way!" Elis ran through an alley, trusting Mugetsu's illusion to keep her hidden. They'd gotten better with practice, Mugetsu needing less time to imagine and project an image of everything but their group, letting them run faster. They weren't invulnerable by any means, a stray bullet or an enemy stumbling into the bounds of the illusion could ruin things, but they were smarter than that, and in moments they'd made it to the door of a nearby building. Elis drew her wand, jamming the point of its star-shaped tip onto the lock and cast a spell. The lock clicked open, and Elis kicked the door in.

The lobby inside was nearly empty- the wolf spirit guards had run outside to join the battle, along with most of the garrisoned fighters Saki had stationed there. A few number-cruncher types had their noses pressed to the windows to watch the brawl. One, a cyclopic woman, turned as Elis forced her way in. She started to cry out, only for a streak of violet and black to crash down on her. Kurumi was back up in an instant, drawing a massive broadsword from her back, swinging side-to-side with the flat and knocking enemies away. Elis was beside her, missiles blasting from her wand as they cut through screaming idiots. A nearby elevator dinged, opening to reveal a host of wolf spirits, apparently late to the party, but the door closed back up before they could so much as yip. Gengetsu grinned from next to the dissected control panel, wires in hand. "That should keep 'em occupied." Someone pounded on the door and a chorus of howls rang out, but the elevator stayed closed.

Elis nodded, pulling a folding mirror from her pocket and holding it up. "We're in."

"Good work, Elis." The antlered face of Yachie Kicchou peered out at her. "Lu's team is holding firm. Proceed to objective."

“Understood.”

It had been a few months since they’d come to the Animal Realm. Just as Yachie had said, the four had been safe and well cared for in exchange for their work. Rumors had died down about them being rescued from the clutches of a Ministry agent, and they'd been accepted as a part of the Kiketsu family. A well-respected part, no less.

Elis stowed the mirror and ran over to the stairwell, kicking open the door and shifting to bat form. She flew up, shifting back to humanoid form at the top floor and kicked the door in and stepped through, only to leap out a moment later followed by a dozen energy bullets. "Turrets!"

"I'll handle them!" Mugetsu's hands were already moving the moment she shifted back to humanoid, an illusory Elis appearing next to her that took off down the hall, just as the real one had. The spherical turrets continued to fire, not seeming to notice their bullets zipping through the false Elis, at least not until the illusion stood in the exact center of the corridor and the turrets shot themselves apart.

Elis waited a moment, then risked a peek inside. "We're clear. Move!" Down the hall they went, Elis pausing to kick at one of the destroyed turrets- it looked uncomfortably like the Hakurei brat’s war crime orb. They shoved through a door and into an empty conference room. Elis pulled out the mirror again, flipping it over to show the room. “Will this work?”

“It should. Kurokoma likes to keep a couple different meeting places and swap between them at random to discourage spies. It's about as much cleverness as one can expect from her, no counter-spy operations or anything. She's a big dumb horse and all she knows is kicking and moving around.”

Kurumi dug into her bag and pulled out a trio of glass vials, each containing a thick worm. “Be careful with those. I paid a lot for them, and I want them reporting to me with Kurokoma’s plots, not to a Yama with yours.”

“I'm wearing gloves, don't worry.”

“ Good. Put them under Kurokoma's seat. The big one with the thin back to accommodate wings.” Gengetsu moved over to the chair in question. “While she's at that, the rest of you start searching. Kurokoma likes to get physical during fights and that means clothing damage. She'll have at least an extra hat if not a full wardrobe at all her secondary command centers. Find it and take it.”

“Er, boss…?” Mugetsu asked.

“She'll know you were here regardless. I don't want her realizing we bugged her. Stealing her clothes is petty enough to piss her off and make her one brain cell stop working. Especially if you leave with Elis wearing her hat. There's no better way of showing dominance than stealing and wearing your enemy's hat. That's why I don't have one.”

“Understood.” Elis didn’t understand, if she were Kurokoma she’d be suspicious anyway, but she also didn’t usually wear a hat. Just do what Yachie says. If she’s wrong she’s wrong, and that isn’t our fault. . 

"Over here!" Gengetsu waved over to Elis, stepping out of a closet carrying a transparent box. Inside was a brown leather hat and several colorful folded scarves. "Found it in a storage closet. I detected an alarm spell on the box, it'll trip if we open it."

"Open it anyways. Kurokoma already knows you're there. You set off enough alarms already."

Gengetsu reached for the lid, but Elis put a hand over hers. "Better idea. We disable the spell. Taking the time to deactivate it makes it look like it was really important to grab it when she checks the room and finds it missing. Like it was the main target."

Yachie stayed quiet on the mirror for a few seconds, then huffed out "Fine. But be quick about it, scouts are reporting she’s heading your way now. You need to at least be out of the building before she arrives, hallway fighting benefits close-range combat."

Elis already had her wand out, spinning it in her hand before jabbing the tip just underneath the lid. Light flickered as she twisted the haft like a key, and the box popped open. Elis hurriedly pulled out the hat and scarves, while Gengetsu scurried to put the box back in place. Kurumi walked over, pulling her gloves off and stowing them. "Egress?"

"Rooftop," said Elis. "Downstairs is flooded and the windows are probably reinforced against attack." She adjusted the hat, then ran over and kicked open the door to the hallway. "Let's move!"

Back to the stairwell, up the stairs, until they came to a door marked 'Roof Access'. Elis shouldered the door open, checking the mirror. "We're out. Lu, get out of there, we'll follow-"

A blue dart-like energy bullet smashed into the mirror, sending shards of glass across the ground. "I reckon ya won't."

Elis whirled, to see a woman hovering above the door- brawny, with black hair and broad wings, as well as an impressive hat. She spat to the side, arms folded and a smirk on her lips. "Yer Yachie's trouble squad, aintcha? Had enough reports, seen ya a couple times around in neutral territory, but can't say we've properly been introduced." She bowed, tipping her hat as she did. “Saki Kurokoma, head of the Keiga family. But you already knew that, didn't ya?”

 

 

 

 

Elis drew and pointed her wand. Beside her Kurumi drew her sword while Gengetsu held up her hands, each surrounded by glowing runes. A brief heat haze formed around Mugetsu- she'd been experimenting with using them to make it harder to target them. Saki just grinned however, cracking her knuckles. "I see you know the universal greeting." With a shout she burst forward, spinning and barely missing Elis with an axe kick as Elis scrambled to dodge. Kurumi leapt forward sword first, but Saki dodged, twisting around the point and slamming a fist into Kurumi’s shoulder. Kurumi was knocked down but there was Gengetsu, pulling two objects from her side pouches and tossing them to her sides- winged mirrors, one bat-winged, one with feathers matching Gengetsu's own. Runes flashed on the glass and blue bullets streamed out towards Saki. 

Saki crossed her arms to block and stamped a foot down, shaking the entire rooftop. Gengetsu stumbled, bullets cutting out as she lost her focus, and Saki pressed the attack, lashing out a roundhouse kick that launched a dozen glowing darts at Gengetsu. Gengetsu suddenly flickered and vanished, reappearing a bit to the side as the darts passed through one of Mugetsu’s illusions. Mugetsu herself had leapt into the air, spreading her arms to unleash a cote of illusory doves, each carrying an energy bullet. Saki leapt back, springing off her hands in a backflip and landing, lashing out a flurry of rapid kicks. Each kick launched out a bullet, shearing through and dispersing Mugetsu’s attack. Mugetsu vanished in another illusion, revealing Kurumi diving down at Saki, swinging her sword in a wide circle, narrow beams shooting out from the tip and bouncing off the ground and nearby walls, ricocheting back towards Saki. The woman drew a knife and shrugged off the beams, catching Kurumi’s blade with her own and shoving her back with a kick to the chest. She grinned, whipping her head around. “Who’s next?”

“Me.” Elis growled. She drew a large circle in the air with her wand- one of several glowing beside her. She jabbed her wand forward, and each ring burst, shattering into individual motes of light, reforming into glowing missiles and speeding towards Saki, a mass swarm curving and twisting around incoming defensive bullets. Just as the swarm was about to slam into Saki however the woman grabbed her hat, big black wings spreading wide, and vanished, reappearing several meters away while missiles flew past.

“Are you kidding me?!? Another of these stupid teleporting punchy people?” Elis swung her wand, her missiles turning to track after Saki only to be cut down by another flurry of kicked bullets. 

“Ya think someone who fights up close isn’t gonna be fast? That’s just askin’ for natural selection to take its course!” Saki burst forward, grabbing Elis’s wrist and pulling her close. “What, are you afraid of getting close to me? Y’all are already wearing my clothes,” she said, tapping Elis’s stolen hat, before leaning in close.

Elis tried to shove away but Saki held her tight. “I’m taken,” she spat, not really sure of what else to say.

“Innit that cute. Your gal know you’ve been going through other girls’ panty drawers?”
“Panty drawers?”

“Well, hat boxes, same thi-”

A lazer slammed into Saki’s back. She turned towards the source, Gengetsu, only to get knocked to the ground by Kurumi dropping elbow-first on her. Elis managed to pull herself free, drawing a line in the air as she scrambled away. More of Mugetsu's birds hurled themselves at Saki, followed by Elis’s missiles as she tapped the glowing line with her wand. Saki vanished in a cloud of smoke, while Gengetsu and Kurumi ran up to join Elis and Mugetsu. “Think we got her?”

“Oof… in the back, while I’m down? You lot really are Kichou’s.” The smoke cleared, revealing Saki, rubbing her back and hat askew, but grinning broadly and otherwise no worse for wear.

“Seriously? Seriously?” Elis swung her wand back and forth randomly, too furious for coordination, as missiles formed on the tip and spiraled off towards Saki. “ Every single time ! Everyone we fight is a punchy teleporting person who ignores bullets!! ” 

Saki casually knocked aside randomly swarming missiles with a flurry of kicks.“That's natural selection, kid! The ones who don't make the cut get weeded out, leaving the strongest!” 

“Actually I think it's the survivorship bias,” said Kurumi, just loud enough for the others to hear. “The guys we do beat the crap out of don't stick in Elis’s craw like that.” Gengetsu snickered, while Elis let out a huff.

Saki chuckled as well. “I'll tell you what. I'm feeling generous. How about you lot ditch the turtle and come work for me? Whatever she's paying you, I’ll double it.”

Elis considered for a second but was preempted by Mugetsu before she could even list any pros or cons. “Um… if we did that, wouldn't that be really bad? ‘Cause if we did, we'd lose all progress with Lady Kicchou and you wouldn't trust us, since you would know how easily we could be bought, so in the end it wouldn't be worth it?”

“Shut up, Moog!”

But Saki just laughed. “I like you! Blunt and direct about it. You're not wrong, I'd be suspicious of you, but that's just common sense of any new minion. You think your boss trusts you?” Saki chuckled. “Buuuut, seeing as you're all locked in with her, looks like I've got no choice.”

With a burst of speed Saki charged, landing a roundhouse kick that managed to hit all four of them, sending the vampires flying off the building. “An’ tell Yachie if she wants to steal my clothing, she can come herself next time and rip ‘em off my body! Cold and dead or otherwise!”

Elis shifted into bat form, popping her wings and managing to stop herself from splattering. Two bats and an oxpecker formed next to her, forming up in a v-shape. 

 

---

 

As the Kiketsu forces retreated, they were watched. Not by wolf spirits, not by any of the Keiga family, but by a woman in a violet dress, with long black hair and a flower-shaped veil. She held a pair of binoculars, eyes locked on the four blonde vampires leading the retreat- especially the one with the facial tattoos. As the group vanished into the dark cityscape, the woman pulled out a small bronze hand mirror, flipping it open. "Reporting in."

A face appeared in the mirror. " We're receiving you ."

"I found them. All four, exactly matching Konngara's description."  

The face in the mirror nodded. " Good work. Keep an eye on them. Sariel and Nippaku will be meeting with Hecatia shortly to decide what our next step is. Don't lose them ."

The woman smirked, raising a gloved hand as several vines coiled around her wrist. "Won't be a problem, Kikuri. You know I never let go of my prey."

 

---

 

“Hail, the conquering heroes!” 

Cheers ringed the lobby as Elis and the rest of the strike team entered. Yachie stood on the mezzanine balcony, leaning over the railing. Lu and his otter spirits saluted. “A couple bruises and things, and Jerry took a direct hit from one of their magicians, but he’ll pull through. No deaths, ma’am!”

“Good to hear.” Yachie nodded. “And the Keigas?”

“Roughed ‘em up good! They’ll think twice about fighting us next time.” Lu held up his sheathed knives. “And Elis’s team not only fought Saki Kurokoma, they managed to survive and steal her hat too!” Lu pointed towards Elis, who pulled the hat in question over her face to hide her blush at the round of cheers and applause. 

“Yes, yes, well done all,” Yachie said as the noise died down. She clapped once. “Bring out the good sake, I’d say you’ve earned a drink. Elis, meet me in my office with that hat, there’s some things to discuss.” Yachie turned and vanished, while servants ran in carrying bottles of liquor and cups. 

“Hurry back,” said Gengetsu, kissing Elis on the cheek before scurrying off. Kurumi glared at her, before kissing Elis on the cheek and running off as well. Elis blushed, watching after the two.

“You really shouldn't be playing with them like that.” Mugetsu appeared beside Elis, rubbing the back of her head. “It's not fair to keep both of them pining after you.”

“I don't wanna hurt their feelings. Ku’s or Genny’s.”

“And you don't think leading them on isn't hurting them? You never say anything solid to one or the other who's your girlfriend, you just let them both hold your hand and kiss you. Eventually things are gonna need to be settled.” Mugetsu cut Elis off as she started to speak. “And no, I don't think polyamory is a way to settle it, not while they're both seeing each other as rivals to your affection and ignoring the positives in each other.”

“No offense, Moog, but what do you know? Last I checked you had no interest in romance. I don't see how you could understand.”

“I understand that I have a sister who never got over your disappearance, despite the forged letters Sara brought saying you hated us.” Mugetsu sighed. “Go talk to the boss, El. And… please. It's been months. At least sit down with Genny and Kurumi, okay?”

Elis didn't respond, turning on her heel and heading out of the lobby, towards the penthouse elevator.

 

---

 

“Ah, Just Elis. Come in, have a seat.” 

Yachie didn’t look up as Elis entered the office, busy filling a pair of short glasses with amber liquid. She set them down on the desk, gesturing for Elis to sit, then pulled out a thin metal case. “Smoke?”
“No thanks.” 

Elis sat in the chair, taking one of the glasses and swirling it. Yachie slid out a cigarette from the case, slotting it into a gold stem and lighting it with a flicker of power. The two sat for a moment, before Yachie blew out a ring of smoke. “So, you fought Saki. And survived.”

“Barely.”

“Not barely. Saki likes to play with her foes. Note that despite everything, she merely drove you away and didn’t pursue you even when she had the chance.” Yachie took a sip of her whisky. “Despite the hat thievery. If you’re especially lucky, she might decide she likes you for it, and you’ll have another girl for that harem of yours. One who isn’t blonde, for once.”

“I don’t have a harem. ” Elis blushed.

“Whatever ya want to call it then.” Yachie breathed out another smoke ring, then leaned forward. “Which is part of what we need to talk about.”

“What do you mean?”

Yachie’s face hardened a bit. “I understand that sometimes situations in the field change. A good commander needs to know when to take initiative. But a good commander also needs to know her place and respect her commanders.” Yachie tapped her cigarette holder. “When I tell you to do something, I expect to be obeyed. Even on something as minor as tripping an alarm in a building they already know we're raiding. Especially on something so minor.”  Elis clenched her fists as Yachie continued. “If I told you to enter an area inundated with soldiers, that would be one thing. Minor nitpicking, however…”

“Is minor. It doesn't matter.”

“No?” Yachie’s eyes narrowed, locking on Elis. “The nature of our organization lies on trust. One big disagreement is one thing- after all, we all get bad intel sometimes, and the commander who disobeys in that case saves lives and comes home a hero. Her general pats her on the back and admits fault, and everyone claps and cheers. Little niggling snatches over things that don't matter, however… those add up. They build resentment between the ranks. No one is a hero, everyone is just a pedant.” She leaned back, eyes glittering. “I like you, Elis. If I didn't, we wouldn't be here talking, woman to woman. I'd be hauling you out the back and shooting you in the head. Which is why I want to make sure things are clear between us. When it comes to things that don't matter, they don't matter. So you shouldn't worry your pretty little head, and just do as I say. ”

For a moment Elis's fury built, and she considered biting the woman's head off. If it doesnt matter then why get all up in arms about it? She opened her mouth, then closed it. It worked both ways, didn't it? It wasn't worth getting in a fight over. Elis slumped a bit. “You're right. It's more important to keep aligned with each other. You're right.” 

Yachie’s eyes glittered and she smiled. “It's a lesson we all need to learn. When to push back against command, when it isn't worth it. I expect great things of you, Just Elis. You have great potential- one merely needs to look at how effective your team has been.” Yachie pulled out a folder from her desk, opening it. “A pre-made strike team, gifted to me by a stupid Astral Knight…” She pulled out several pictures. “Mobs of beast spirits slamming into each other with individual youkai skirmishers has been the norm for years down here. A mobile squad is, if not new, hardly common. Like today, Kurokoma’s crew was completely unprepared for you to sneak in behind the lines. Toutetsu’s neither- you raid a building, you expect either a lone specialist or a mob of spirits trying to press the doors open by weight. Not a team- still small, but stronger than the individual. Really, it's a wonder no one thought of it sooner.” Yachie blew out a smoke ring, catching it on the end of her cigarette holder. “Well, besides me, and even then it took me a while to find the right people for it. Shame on Kurokoma especially- she leads wolf spirits. The pack is literally what wolves are about, and she's a horse besides, horses ain't exactly solidary upstairs with their mortal masters.” Yachie paused, tapping her chin. “But I digress. I've talked to you before about the stability of the Animal Realm.”

Elis frowned, thinking back. “Er… that's the thing about how the Ministry doesn't pay attention to you or the other gangs’ operations, so long as it doesn't get so disruptive they have to pay attention?”

"A simplified version, yes." Yachie picked up her glass and gave it a swirl. "Three major gangs- Ourselves, the Keigas, and the Gouyoukus- plus a handful of minor independant-in-name-only gangs who we let run around in case we need plausible deniability. Without the gangs, things would be chaos. Life would be nasty, brutish, and short. But if there were one gang ruling things, that would be a rival to the Ministry's power- they'd have no choice but to come in and smash things up, before we got too 'uppity' or something and invaded other places. Which we totally would." Yachie took a sip of her drink, pausing for a moment, then continued. "I've thought before, about a sort of triple alliance- the three gangs grouping up, pretending to be at each other's' throats, but secretly training and growing our forces. Until we were ready, and then bam! We've overthrown the Chthonian Council and rule Hell proper." Yachie considered. "Maybe not all of Hell. Bit too big even for a united Animal Realm. Maybe one of the hidden realms like Gensokyo. No offense."

It took Elis a moment to remember she’d told Yachie that she and the others were from Gensokyo.  “None taken?” Yachie gave her a curious look. “I mean, you couldn’t do any worse than whoever’s in charge now. And I’d probably do pretty well for myself afterwards since I helped.”

“Very mercenary of you,” said Yachie. “Anyway, a secretly unified Animal Realm. A nice thought, but a pipe dream given the current rulers. Kurokoma is a meat-headed idiot who wouldn't know subtlty if it snuck up behind her and pulled her tail. Even if we agreed to an alliance she'd go running towards the first checkpoint with fists raised expecting me to be a step behind her, no planning or tactics. And the less said about Toutetsu the better. That perfect blend of idiot who’s just smart enough to think they know everything. Assuming she didn't immediately tattle on us to the Ministry just because it would amuse her. It's a shame that accountant of hers ran off a century or two ago, she'd have made for a worthy rival.” Yachie leaned back in her chair, shell scraping against the wood. “No, it won't work as we are now. Not with those two running the rival gangs. It would be better if they were run by people I trusted. Hmm…” 

“Hm?”

“Suppose you and your lot pretended to betray me and asked Saki for a job…”

Elis frowned. “I don’t think that would work. She wouldn’t trust us because she’d know we betrayed you and could do the same to her.” 

“I think you overestimate her intelligence, Elis.” 

Elis blinked. She didn’t seem too stupid to have that thought when she brought it up during our fight and Mugetsu mentioned it… But Yachie continued on. “Of course that might be the case with Toutetsu, good point. No, it would have to be something else. I’ll think of something. For now though, Elis…” Yachie leaned forward. “I like you. You and your crew. Your arrival was a blessing, and I’d be a fool not to make use of it. You work exceptionally well together, of course, but imagine if I could spread out that skill and leadership among the rest of the family.”

“Ma’am?” 

“I think you lot have acclimated enough. You're loved and respected by the mooks- I’ll declare you all my lieutenants and give each of you a proper command. You’ll be free to set them up as you like- conditional on my agreeing of course- but instead of one diverse fire team I can send out to do my will, imagine hordes of elite specialists! And if in a few years we fake a schism, splitting into “four” gangs, and absorbing the Keigas and Gouyoukus into our numbers…” Yachie rubbed her hands together, eyes glittering. “It’ll be perfect , Elis. You and me, we’ll rule together.”

Elis stared, as Yachie leaned back and gave a dismissing gesture. “You may go. Go have fun with the rest of the men! And send Kaguya from accounting here on your way out, she should still be at her desk.”

Elis nodded, slipping out of the office. She passed on the message to the accountant as she left, but she only returned to the festivities briefly, long enough to sneak some food into a folded-up napkin, before sneaking out the back door, shifting into bat form, and flying off.

 

---

 

“Is that Elis Junko smells? Bring out the good wine, Chang’e, we have guests!”

Junko smiled and wriggled in her chains as Elis entered the mad woman’s cell. “Hmm, hmm, silly Junko. It seems Junko does not have any wine. Perhaps Elis would like some of Chang’e’s blood? Chang’e would be most happy to offer it.”

Elis started to fake a smile before she remembered that Junko was blindfolded. Still, she attempted to humor the mad woman. “Thank you, Chang'e.”

“Do not thank Chang'e!” Junko scowled. “Chang'e is lucky Chang’e gets to be the meal of an honored guest!” 

“Er, right. It was… sarcastic?” Junko continued to clench her teeth, until Elis slammed her fist into her hand a few times, before taking a loud slurp from a canteen. “Um, take that, Chang’e?”

This seemed to mollify Junko. Elis shook her head and bit back a sigh. She still wasn't sure exactly what the relationship between Junko and her imaginary friend/enemy was. Sometimes Junko would talk to Chang’e as if they were right there, other times she'd fill in dialogue on Chang’e’s behalf. Most of the time she'd scream about wanting to cause Chang'e harm but sometimes she'd act as though Chang’e were her valet, speaking familiarly or asking for an opinion from the imaginary person. 

Elis still kept well out of range of Junko’s teeth, of course, only approaching to feed Junko smuggled food. She'd taken to visiting the mad woman every so often, whenever she could sneak past Toutetsu's guards. According to Junko, “Taotie” had interrogated her after the first time Elis had broken into Junko's cell, but apparently “Chang’e” had told Toutetsu that Junko hadn't seen anything. “ Hmm hmm, but Junko never sees anything! Junko is blindfolded! Chang’e tricked her!” The mad woman had giggled after her explanation. There were more guards since then, as well as alarms wired into the door on the fake boiler, but Elis could bypass them easily. The cell’s padding as well as it being buried in a cellar wall, hidden behind the boiler, meant that no one could hear her once she broke in, no matter how loudly Junko ever screamed.

Junko’s nostrils flared as Elis drew out her smuggled treats. “No cheese, yes?”

“No cheese.”

“Good. Junko hates cheese. Makes Junko’s tummy itchy. Give the cheese to Chang’e.” Junko opened her shark-toothed mouth, while Elis unwrapped a slice of cake and began to spoon pieces into her mouth. She wasn't exactly sure what Junko did with the food- she clearly didn't need to eat, given how long she'd been locked up alone, nor did she need to relieve herself given the lack of facilities in the cell. Junko ate regardless, hmm hmm- ing as she did. “Chang’e is such a good cook… maybe instead of killing Chang’e, Junko could kill Hou Yi and make Chang’e Junko’s wife? Hmm hmm, no, silly Junko, Junko already killed Hou Yi!” Junko smiled, then shrieked, yanking on her chains. “ Does Chang'e hear Junko? Junko killed Hou Yi! Chang'e’s next! Chang'e's next! ” 

Elis took a step back, waiting to see if Junko would calm herself, which she did after several seconds. “You good?”
“Hmm hmm, Junko is still chained up. Junko does not consider that very good.” Junko shrugged. “When will Elis free Junko?”

Elis froze, midway through offering another piece of cake to Junko. 

“Elis understands, Junko cannot kill Chang’e while Junko is chained, yes? These chains stymie Junko.” Junko rattled her chains. “Titanium, Junko thinks it was called. Very fancy when Junko was first chained. Had to be, to prevent Junko from simply destroying them.” 

“Yeah, I bet…”

“Junko understands. Elis knows Junko will fly off to wreak justice on Chang’e and every person who ever met Chang’e. Elis is reluctant to free Junko because Elis is afraid to lose Junko’s friendship!”

That wasn't quite why Elis was afraid of freeing Junko, of course. She didn't admit so though. “I think I'll be fine. For now at least..”

“For now , Elis says? Hmm hmm, what does that mean, Chang’e? What does Elis mean by that?”

Elis shrugged. “Nothing. Yachie was just thinking something.”

“Jidiao, yes? Taotie had thoughts about Jidiao. Tell Junko.”

Elis took a moment before giving an abbreviated version of her conversation with Yachie, ending with “But it was only in theory. Nothing set in stone yet.”

“Hmm hmm. Hmmm… Jidiao has a way with words, so said Taotie. Not just words either- some power. Makes someone lose the will to fight, decide it's not worth continuing, so just does what Jidiao says…”

Elis frowned, something itching in the back of her head. It wasn’t worth it, though, right? Nitpicking with her. Or refusing to join her. Or… Something in Elis’s stomach twisted- had Yachie been using this supposed power on her ?

“Hmm hmm… Jidiao’s been playing with Elis, yes?”

“No,” said Elis, far too quickly.

“Yes, Junko sees. Jidiao is scared , Junko thinks.”

“ Scared? ”

“Yes! Scared of Elis and friends,” Junko nodded. “Elis is useful. But Elis is powerful, has allies. Could overthrow Jidiao and take over operations. So Jidiao keeps Elis compliant, unwilling to oppose Jidiao. And Jidiao breaks up Elis’s group so they can't consolidate their power and overthrow Jidiao.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” said Elis, but her stomach continued to twist. “We wouldn’t do that! Yachie runs things, but we couldn’t take control after her, everything would collapse and just make things worse for the entire Kiketsu Family.”
“That’s what Jidiao told Elis, wasn’t it? That it wasn’t worth fighting over .” Junko growled. “Why is Elis here, then? Only three sorts in the Animal Realm- Beast Spirits, Ministry, and opportunists like Taotie and Jidiao and Pegasus. Elis isn’t Ministry or a Beast Spirit. What else would Elis be here for?”

“Not for this! We didn’t choose to come here.” Elis closed her eyes. “We weren’t supposed to be here. We were going to make our way back, explain to Mother that everything with Sara was a mistake…” Ellis panted, rubbing her temples. When was the last time she'd thought of Makai? Of explaining to Mother, getting Sara punished for attacking them. Had Yachie taken that from her too? Make it seem not worth doing, in comparison to fighting for her? 

“I need to go.” Elis finally said.

“Of course Elis does,” sighed Junko. “When will Elis be back? Elis still needs to free Junko.” 

“Soon. I promise.” 

“Junko told Elis. When Elis frees Junko, Junko will fix Elis. Purify Elis of all impurities, meld Elis with the other Elises.”

“It hasn't been a problem lately. Being two of me.” Outside of leading on Kurumi and Gengetsu…  

Junko stayed quiet as Elis left the cell, locking the door behind her. She paused at the basement door a few moments, listening for passing guards, before slipping out in bat form, flitting her way out a slighly-open window and into the streets, shifting back a few blocks later in the middle of a huddled crowd of human spirits, sending them fleeing. Elis considered grabbing one- they had no substance for her to feed on, but it felt good and she could almost taste fresh blood when she did. She decided against it though, shoving her hands in her pockets and mumbling to herself. “Has she been doing this to the others? She mostly talks to me, but the others took to working for Yachie pretty easily…” 

A figure stepped out from around a corner across the street, but Elis ignored her. “She said we owed her. Have we paid that off yet? Maybe if we promised to come back she'd let us go talk to Mother… but how would we even get back? I told her we were Gensokyan, not Makaian, even if she agreed she'd expect us to go the wrong way, even if we knew how to get back… is it long enough Sara and the YuugenMagan would have forgotten about us and we could go back that way? Unless there's more people like the big horned lady.”

The figure matched Elis’s pace, eyes invisibly tracking the vampire from underneath a flower-shaped veil. 

“I suppose if she said no, I could unleash Junko as a distraction- I bet that's why Toutetsu was keeping her in the basement, as a secret weapon…” Elis trailed off, looking up and across the street, but there was nothing there.

Vines shot out of the alley behind Elis, wrapping around her and yanking her into the darkness. Elis tried to cry out, but a hand slipped over her mouth as more vines coiled around her. “There you are, Makaian. We've been looking for you.”

Elis tried to bite at the woman’s fingers, flexing her talons to try and scratch through the vines, but she was held tight. “It’ll be easier if you stay calm. You’ll soon be safe away from here. We do apologize for the delay, but someone has been playing with old Soviet weaponry and blew up our courier. She’s better now, thankfully, and it also meant we had the excuse we needed.”

Elis narrowed her eyes, confused, as the woman giggled. “It’s been so long since the bosses got to really let loose. Almost as long since someone cleaned this realm up a bit...”

Elis's eyes widened at the sound of explosions- one from Yachie's home base, then two more, in roughly the directions of Saki and Yuumas’ home bases.  Her captor laughed. "It's too bad we don't get to see it. Xir Sariel, and Lady Hecatia, and Lady Nippaku, all finally dealing with this rotten pit? We should have sent Konngara to get blown up sooner! Kikuri evenadmitted she didn't actually hate Konngara after she came back injured, so thats good for those two.”

Elis squirmed, trying to sense how much she could move- the vines weren't crushing, she could breath deeply, but they'd contract as soon as she breathed back out. It was almost as though they'd been stuck to her, than simply constricting her.

"Say, if you promise to be good and not fight, we could fly up to the roof and watch." The woman tapped her chin. "I suppose I'm not getting a bounty for you, so I can't offer my normal deal for compliance..."

Elis managed to maneuver her hand a bit, reaching towards her pocket and her wand, but she couldn't quite slip her fingers inside. There was some let, and the vines took a moment to readjust every time she moved, but it wasn't quite enough to make for the grab.

"Though Lady Hecatia said she'd try to get in some hazard pay requests... so if I extracted your fellows, I'd probably get that, right?" The woman smiled. "What do you say? Want to help me extract your friends in exchange for cash?"

Elis stared at where the woman's eyes were, underneath her veil, and clenched her fists. "What I want is to stop being played around with! " Elis shifted to bat form, too fast for the vines to keep up with, managing to slip through a gap in the writhing tangle as it tried to close around her. She shifted back, rolling in the air as she drew her wand, drawing spiraling circles of light that split into a swarm of missiles and smashed into the woman. Elis landed and took off again, swinging her wand behind her with more bullets as a beam shot past her ear. She risked a glance back, spotting the woman in hot pursuit, riding on top of a mass of vines. “Get back here!”

Elis didn’t respond, banking and raising her wand as she sighted her target- the building she’d only just left. A missile shattered the door, sending eagle spirits into a squawking panic as Elis landed. One ran at her, wings raised, but she sidestepped and kicked it aside. The veiled woman landed behind her, vines shooting out as Elis ran for the basement door, blasting it open with a missile. She slid down the bannister, cracking open the false boiler and yanking it shut as she heard her pursuer start to descend, begging it would buy her the time she needed. She hastily unlocked Junko’s cell, as the woman in question looked up. “Hmm hmm? Elis is back already? Or is that you, Chang’e, playing a trick-”

Elis slammed the door and locked it, then grabbed Junko’s chains. Junko cried out and hissed, but Elis ignored her. “Hold still while I pop these open.” She found a keyhole in the cuff around Junko’s neck, jabbing her wand into it, but her spell fizzled without so much as a shake. 

“Won’t work like that. Junko told you, fancy metal. Resists magic, and too strong for Junko to snap. Elis needs the key .” 

“And does Junko know where the key is ?”

“...No.” 

“Then hold still!” Elis drew her wand back out, glaring intently on the metal cuff, as outside she heard the rumble of the boiler’s false door opening. “Hard metal, very strong.”

“Yes, yes. Very fancy back then.”

“And probably pretty difficult to work with back then.” Elis ran her finger over the cuffs. “Simple workmanship. More reliant on strength and the anti-magic than the actual ability to lock, that and they didn’t expect anyone to let you out I bet.” Elis frowned, then pulled a pin from her hair, removing the decorative flower, unbending it, and poking the pin into the lock. “Probably a pretty basic locking mechanism, so…” 

With a twist, the cuff popped open, dropping off Junko’s neck. Junko gasped in shock, while Elis ducked down and hastily did the same to the cuff around her waist. Chains fell, and Junko shifted. “How…”

“I’m an unlicensed archaeologist. I solve puzzles.” Elis grimaced as the doorknob shook, the cell door shaking while the veiled woman shouted something unintelligible from outside. Elis’s fingers flew over the woman’s straitjacket, finding clasps and undoing them, unwrapping strands of cloth. Junko moaned, as for the first time in untold centuries, her arms came free. Outside something slammed into the door, once, twice, crack! as the lock broke.

The door was wrenched open revealing the veiled woman. Elis drew her wand and drew a circle, summoning a spherical shield around her and Junko, just in time to deflect a mass of vines, but they coiled around the shield, squeezing tight.

Junko got to her feet, loose straps trailing as with shaking hands, she slowly removed her blindfold. Elis held her hands up, struggling to hold up her shield against the vines assault, threatening to crush her shield and grab them both. Glowing cracks formed in the shield, and Elis took a step back, pressure transmitting from her shield to herself. She could see the veiled woman smirking through the net of vines, then saw the smirk freeze, shifting to open mouthed horror. Elis slowly turned her head.

Junko hovered behind her, eyes magenta and wide in mad malice. Flames burst from her, violet, forming streaming tails. “Junko thanks Elis. Elis freed Junko, so now Junko will free Elis.” Before Elis could react Junko grabbed her, hoisting her into the air and pressing her forehead against Elis’s, and power flashed between them.

Elis screamed, pain burning through every ichor vein as Junko’s power surged through her. Her shield went down, but vines flashed into flame the moment they touched them, not that Elis noticed. Memory flooded her as the remains of Mother’s memory erasure were burned away- and then more . More and more burned away, as Elis was refined into her pure, true Elishood, and pure, true, pain. Elis’s eyes rolled back into her head, and as the process ended with Junko gently lowering her to the ground, all she could think was “Why, Mother, why?”

 

---

 

Hisami Yomotsu ran, flipping open her mirror as she sprinted back up the stairs. “I need backup! Drop everything, we have a Code Typhon!”

“Code Typhon?” Kikuri’s face appeared in the mirror, surrounded by several small mirrors like her own. “Hisami, what’s-”

The building exploded , sending Hisami flying, skidding across the street in a pile of dust and rubble. She tried to get up, but her leg was trapped, as a figure rose from the ruins. Hisami fumbled with her mirror, pointing it as the figure stood, a blonde in an open straitjacket, glowing with magenta power, as she raised her hands and screamed. “ Junko is free! Chang’e dies! EVERYONE DIES!!!”

Notes:

It's Junko time!

I updated the last chapter to include a new drawing. I think MIma and Marisa needed that picture.

Back to this chapter though, things are heating up! We'll just have to see what happens though. Because if Junko has her way, well...

"EVERYONE DIES!"

Chapter 13: Sleeping Terror

“Just over there,” Reimu pointed across the red lake. “Looks like Mrs. Elly’s gone.” Internally she sighed in relief- The woman was okay, and more importantly, out of their way. Not fighting was still the best option, even with Meira at her side.

Meira still seemed shaken from the trip into her memories, repeatedly squeezing the hilt of her swo- the stick she’d placed in her belt to replace her missing sword. Like Reimu nothing seemed to have followed her into the Dream World but the clothes on her back. It was enough of course- even without a weapon, Meira was fast and strong, something that in retrospect made sense, now that Reimu knew of her partial youkai heritage. A part of her wondered how much Mima knew, or had figured out. That said she supposed it didn't make too much of a difference- after all, she'd been raised by a turtle. Still, she reached out a hand to Meira’s arm. “Are you okay? Just, after all that…”

“I'm fine.” Meira’s voice was quiet, terse, but she didn't pull away from Reimu. After a moment she asked “What's your plan?”

“I'm not sure yet. Mostly it was finding you- you touched Mrs. Yuuka's umbrella and somehow that forced your soul out of your body and into your dream self. I think that something like that happened to her, and your power did the same to you? And according to the Orb, if we don't bring Yuuka’s dreamself back, she'll eventually die.”

“Your dreamself seemed to think something along those lines.”

Reimu frowned. “My dreamself?”

“Yes. You're inhabiting her body right now, as I'm inhabiting my own’s. I talked to her briefly before I decided to look for Yuuka on my own.”

“Then that's why you climbed out the window, right?”

Meira shrugged. “Your dreamself told me she expected you'd be along shortly.”

“Ah.” 

“She… also said that I was pretty and that it was a shame that I didn’t like girls.”

“...ah.” Reimu blushed. ‘She… said that?”

“Dreamselves tend to be composed of subconscious thoughts, things left unsaid.” A bit of color rose on Meira’s cheeks as well.

“Sorry…” Reimu turned away from Meira. 

 “You can’t help who you’re attracted to,” said Meira. “Or… not attracted to.”

“Still…”

Meira shrugged. “It hasn’t stopped you from being my friend. And I appreciate that. Truly.” 

Reimu nodded, closing her eyes. 

“If you’d like I can put in a good word for you with Rika.” 

Reimu choked. “Rika?!?”

Meira shrugged. "Rika likes anyone. Anyone who will bow down and worship her, at least. As a shrine maiden, isn't that kind of your job?"

"Not her though!"

"I don't know what Narumi's preferences are, though to be fair, she’s only a year old. Rika's not so bad when you get to know her."

"The same Rika who blew up my home ."

"...Well, she didn't know you then."

Reimu shook her head, but she thought she could hear a bit of a chuckle from Meira. If she's making jokes, if she's feeling better, that's good. Reimu had only viewed Meira's memories briefly, to have actually lived them, then to be forced to relive them with someone else, even a friend...

"Regardless, Reimu, you were saying?"

"Hm?"

"Your plan. Or lack there of. Find me, regroup, then what?"

"I guess if we found Mrs. Elly's dreamself, between the two of us we could probably make her stand down and talk instead of just scream and swing her scythe around. Surely she must know what's going on, right?"

"Perhaps..." Meira paused as the two came to the edge of the blood-colored lake. "...do you hear that?"

"What?"

"I thought I heard screaming." Meira looked around. "A fight...?"

On the other side of the lake a figure, too small to make out more than a blur of green and red, burst from the trees, speeding towards the house. Nothing followed after it, though some distant trees rustled. The two stood watching for a moment, before Reimu finally spoke. "Mima was teaching you to summon your sword, right?"

"I've tried already."

"...can you try again?"

Meira stuck her hand to the side, closing her eyes and concentrating. Mist started to appear, forming a rough line in her hand, but dissipated after a few seconds. Meira shook her head. "It's more than the last time I tried, but I wouldn't count on me being able to do it if we're attacked."

"Hopefully we aren't. I don't think I'll be able to bait Mrs. Elly's dreamself out of a window twice."

Down to the edge of the lake, towards the pier where the pull-boat sat. Nothing attacked them, nor did Elly come out to scream or slash the rope with her scythe, though Reimu thought she saw movement in the windows of the mansion. The doors were unlocked, and inside the mansion seemed to have the same layout Reimu remembered briefly seeing. Inside though, everything was different- flowers strewn everywhere, dolls and crayon drawings scattered about. Reimu ducked down, scooping up one- a drawing of Elly, holding hands with a short person with leaf-like wings. Reimu picked up another, this one in color, showing a woman with short blue hair and a long red cap. More pictures had flowers, most of them sunflowers.

"Reimu, look at this one."

Reimu looked up as Meira held up a drawing- a woman in a violet kimono, with long red hair pulled into a ponytail- Kotohime. Two more women stood next to her- a woman in a shrine maiden's uniform with a short black bob, a blonde woman in red and white with a spear. Reimu snatched the drawing, recognizing her mother despite the childish scrawl. "How..."

"Sometimes people forget. Fairies live a long, long , time."

 Reimu whirled, to see a figure at the top of a stairwell. Child-sized, with messy green hair and crimson eyes, wearing red gingham trousers and a vest. A sunflower was pinned in their hair, and they had a set of wings made of leaves and petals.

They also had the same face as the sleeping Yuuka, back in the normal world.

"You're her dreamself. Yuuka's."

Reimu took a step back, staring as the fairy hopped onto the bannister and slid down. The fairy grinned. "Is it 'her' right now? I suppose that's proof, isn't it, if we're going by different pronouns at the same time. And call me Kazami by the way."

"Kazami, Reimu repeated. "What do you mean by proof?"

Kazami's wings buzzed as they hovered up to meet Reimu eye-to-eye. "Reimu Hakurei, isn't it? You have Izumi's eyes. Her hair too- she was a purplette when she was your age too."

"You knew her?"

Kazami grinned. "I did. And your grandfather. And your great-grandmother. All the way back to the first Hakurei, during the rebellion. You know, nobody knows where you all came from? One day a wandering miko walked into the war camp and asked to fight. Just called herself Hakurei, nothing else. I wonder if that's why they plugged her into the Border? Nobody was gonna miss her if it didn't work. But then again it it didn't work nobody was gonna miss anyone , huh?" The fairy giggled. "Not that I was paying much attention back then. As far as I was concerned, genocide was just a game for Sages and Emperors."

"Okay... listen. We're here to help. Elly sent us."

"Yes, she did. Well, the part of her out there did, the part of her here's been grumbling ever since I got back that you defenestrated her! Very rude of you." Kazami tutted and shook their finger. "This is why you weren't my first choice, Ms. Hakurei! Buuuut, I guess beggars can't be choosers. My chosen champion's got... other stuff to deal with, and we really need to do this before the Baku realizes I doubled back."

"Do what? What's going on?" Reimu started after Kazami as they started floating up the stairs. "Elly kidnapped me and told me you were dying! Your physical self's been asleep for two weeks!"

"Has she? Hmm." Kazami gave a non-commital shrug as they led Reimu upstairs, towards the same bedroom as before. Dreamworld Elly stood guard outside the door, glowering at Reimu but keeping her scythe resting against her shoulder. Kazami flitted up to kiss the dorotabō on the cheek, who promptly blushed, covering her face with her hands. Kazami grinned, then pushed open the door. "Well, I wouldn't have picked you, but you're here, and the witch girl isn't. Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?"

Kazami raised their hands, and the room flickered. Reimu could suddenly see both versions- the black and neon dream world room, and the normal physical world. She and Meira lay on the floor, translucent in this half-and-half version, as did the sleeping Yuuka on the bed. A glowing line stretched from the sleeper's heart to Kazami's own. Kazami fumbled in a pocket for a moment, before pulling out a knife, holding it out in both hands.

"Are you ready to kill the monster?"

 

---

 

With a last scream the jizou fell, her orbiting bullets winking out. A mass of black shadow stared down on her with mismatched eyes, then at the equally unconscious human. It hadn't wanted to fight them, but they'd pushed it. Pushed her.

 

Not my fault... Her fault.... Hakurei...

 

The mass slithered away through the trees, towards the lake, pausing for a moment to stare across towards the island manor. Its eyes glowed, seeing not light but magic, and the familiar, hated tone of one of the glowing souls.

 

Hakurei.... Hate... Kill...

 

The thing slid into the lake, leaving barely a ripple.

 

---

 

"Monster?"

Reimu stared, looking from Kazami and their knife to the sleeping Yuuka and back. "What are you talking about?"

"I can't cut myself free from her. It has to be someone from the physical world." Kazami pushed the knife towards Reimu.

"Cut yourself free- she's you! "

"No she's not! " Kazami hissed. They pointed with the knife. " I'm me! Not her! Not this monster, this... overly tall doppelganger! "

Meira glided over, eyes narrowed as she looked over Kazami. "You transcended recently, didn't you."

"Transcend?" asked Reimu.

"Fairies are... peculiar. Embodiments of nature, who exist so long as what they're born from does. Sometimes though, they can transcend that state, becoming an individual youkai. A new fairy appears to take their place, and they walk away an adult."

"Zephyr Blue did it a few years ago, before she got shot trying to sneak into the Human Village to try and prank someone," Kazami added. "Fairies can get over being killed, as long as our born nature exists. A youkai can't, though."

 "And you're newly transcended. Two weeks, I'm guessing."

Kazami chuckled. "A whole month, actually. It took a bit to get over the shock, especially after I finally convinced Elly to marry me. She'd refused before I transcended, since, well," Kazami gestured at themself. "Marrying a fairy is highly suspect, even with me technically being a good deal older than Elly."

Reimu nodded, grimacing a bit, and Kazami continued. "Once the excitement wore off though, I started to realize. How bad this was. I'm mortal now. You know how many fairies transcend and immediately get killed because they don't realize that death sticks now? And those who don't turn boring . 'Cause now you have to think about things like eating and clothes and taxes 'cause you can't just fly up until you run out of air and your wings freeze over and reincarnate your problems away!" Kazami brandished their knife again. "So I'm taking my life back . Cutting that monster that stole my existence out of it so I'm me again. And I need someone physical to do it, before the Baku shows up and tries to lecture me to annihilation and back."

Reimu stared at the glowing line between the two. “I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can! If you’re worried ‘cause you’re in your dreamself’s body, there’s a metaphysical reason why-”

“No, I mean I can’t . Your physical self is dying!”

“So? All the more reason to cut myself free of her!”

“She's dying because you ran off!” Reimu took in a breath. “Look- I know it's scary, having your whole life change like this. Needing to learn to adapt, to move on. But-”

“But what? Gonna tell me it's all a part of growing up? Comparing it to something like a parent dying and moving on?” Kazami shook their head. “You don't get it. You're the Hakurei, not a regular person, human or otherwise. You've been a tool since the day you were born. What do you know of loss when you don't even remember your mother? What do you know of growing up when you've never had a chance to be a kid?” 

Reimu flinched back. Meira growled from next to her. Reimu touched the girl’s arm, hoping to calm her a bit, as Kazami continued. “This is why I wanted the witch as my champion. I could see it in her eyes- she understood . What it meant to have everything you know turned upside down, to see yourself replaced by a fake- a monster. ”

“Leave. Marisa. Out of this.” Meira’s voice went cold, shifting her hand to the side.

Kazami just smiled. “Oh, she's already deep in it. Deeper than you can imagine. I might not be the Baku, but I am a flower fairy. I know everything going on around my plants, in the physical world and the dream world. Everything .”

With a sudden roar a beam of black and violet hatred smashed through the wall. Meira grabbed Reimu and pulled her to the ground, but just being near the lazer made Reimu's stomach clench. No! It can't be…

The attack cleared, and something pulled itself through the hole in the wall after it- black, viscous goo, piling up on itself into humanoid shape. Two eyes glared out of the muck, one red, one gold. “ Hakurei…”

“M-Marisa?” Reimu got to her feet, hand on Meira for support. The thing rippled, the liquid turning solid and changing colors, revealing a bifurcated girl. One half wore white, a simple village girl’s kimono, shredded at the hem, with Marisa’s original red hair and a single gold eye. The other half wore black witch’s robes, with blond hair and a glowing red eye, as well as a lone bat-like wing. Black ooze dripped from the girl’s fingertips as her eyes locked on Reimu. 

“Marisa, what happened to you?” Meira gasped. 

“ What happened? What happened? She happened!” Marisa raised an accusatory finger at Reimu. “ It’s her fault! Everything is her fault!” Marisa raised her hands and unleashed a blast of energy bullets- stars, blood-red, sickly green, jaundiced yellow, asphyxiated blues. Reimu brought up her hands, trying and failing to form a barrier, but Meira was already there, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her out of the line of fire in a blur of movement. Kazami was caught in the spread, getting hit by several of the toxic bullets and bursting into sparkles.

Meira dropped Reimu on the other side of the room, instinctively shoving her hand to the side. Mist coalesced, and for a brief moment her sword flickered, transparent and vibrating, only to vanish a moment later. Reimu took a step forward, but Meira flung her other arm out, blocking her. "Marisa, stand down ."

" Or what? Are you gonna stab me? " The girl hissed. " I know you love her more than you love me. Just kill me already and get it done with, then! " Meira froze. Marisa didn't. Another black and violet lazer roared to life, catching Meira in the side as she grabbed Reimu and tried to speed away. Meira screamed in pain as she fell, black tendrils crawling up her skin and clothes from where she'd been hit. 

A glowing energy bullet shaped like a flower petal hit Marisa's shoulder, causing her to flinch. "Hey! You missed! Aim here " Kazami had reformed, and was holding the cord connecting them with the physical Yuuka taut. Marisa whirled on the fairy but Meira, still trembling from pain, jumped on top of her, struggling to grapple her. Reimu shook herself, managing to focus from where she'd been lying on the floor dazed, and managed to summon a barrier, trying to help Meira by boxing in Marisa.

The hallway door burst open, revealing Dream Elly, scythe raised. "Who's destroying my house? Wretched humans, I'll cut you all down!" She charged into the room, straight for the wrestling girls. Meira let go with one arm, sticking it out, and finally, finally , her sword formed in her hand, just in time to deflect a downward strike from Elly's scythe. In doing so however Marisa managed to squirm free, dissolving into liquid goo and slipping from her grip.

Reimu shifted her barrier, trying to block Marisa's movements but she slithered away, slipping past each barrier and speeding towards Reimu. Reimu focused, remembering something she'd seen Kotohime do once, and summoned several overlapping barriers, forming a rough cube around the liquid Marisa. Marisa shifted solid again, slamming her fists against her prison in frustration, then drawing back and raising one hand in the air, golden light flickering around her fingers, then slamming it back down. Reimu's barriers, weakened from the effort of maintaining several at once, burst, and a ring of glowing gold light shot across the ground, blasting everyone off their feet.

Reimu hit the wall, sliding down it with a groan of pain. She struggled upright, spotting Meira across the room, not moving, head awkwardly held against the corner of the wardrobe. Reimu scrambled towards the other girl, praying that she hadn't broken her neck, only to get knocked down by a wave of black tar. Marisa reformed on top of her, fists swinging wildly at Reimu's face. Reimu managed to grab the girl's wrists and shove her away- even with whatever was happening to the girl she was still smaller than Reimu was- and crawled over to Meira, cradling the other girl's head. "Meira, wake up..." Meira was breathing, at least, but Reimu could feel wetness on her scalp, where she'd hit the wardrobe.

" Your fault ." Reimu looked up to see a shaking Marisa across the room, pointing an accusing finger. " You made me do it. It's your fault she's hurt. Just like last time. When you buried her alive. "

To the side of the room Kazami reformed in a flash of light, right next to Meira's fallen sword. The fairy scooped up the blade, eyes glittering. "A sword from the physical realm, here? This could work too. Worth a try at least!" They reached out a hand, the cord between them and the physical Yuuka glowing in their grip as they pulled it taut and raised the blade. They swung down, laughing, when a pink umbrella suddenly appeared, blocking the strike. "What?" Kazami looked up, crimson eyes meeting crimson eyes. Before them was a person in pink pajamas, with long green hair the exact shade of their own, holding the umbrella. A line of light connected the two by the heart- the sleeper had awoken. " You! Thief! Doppelganger! Monster!"

"I could say the same about you. You're the one trying to kill me." Yuuka slammed the umbrella down on Kazami, knocking Meira's sword away and sending the fairy flying. Kazami twisted in the air, wings outspread as they kicked off the wall. Blue light ran up their fingertips, and they drew back their hands, light swirling between them. Yuuka raised her umbrella, popping it open as a green glowing orb formed on the tip.

Marisa's eyes glowed as dark veins streamed down her arms, her hands and fingers entirely black as she stared at Reimu, eyes burning with hatred. " One of us has to die, Hakurei. Only one of us gets out of here alive. "

" Super Mega Awesome Attack! Spark! "

" Super Mega Awesome Attack! Spark! "

" Die already! "

Three massive lazers, one spring green, one bright blue, one blackened violet, crashed into each other, and the universe exploded.

Notes:

Don't be ridiculous, this is Touhou. Meira isn't straight, she's ace.

I knew Marisa was going to be the final boss of LLS since I started this project. In the end, Yuuka may be responsible for the plot of the game, but the entire series has been about Reimu's relationship with Mima, and by extension, her kids. Making Marisa's moniker of "black white magician" a bit more literal, both in how she sees the world and in the bifurcated Marisa we see, I think that was a good idea. The wing is modeled after the ones she has in PoDD, for the record.

Chapter 14: Scarlet Symphony

“Elis should have been back by now,” Mugetsu frowned, scanning the crowd. No sign of the woman anywhere. Genny and Kurumi were around, chatting and halfway to being drunk, so Elis hadn’t snuck off with one of them. She couldn’t still be meeting with the boss, Yachie had arrived a few minutes ago to great cheering, and Elis hadn’t been with her. 

"Mugetsu." Mugetsu jumped a bit as the woman in question grabbed her shoulder. "Nice work on the illusions today," Yachie grinned as she wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Is that a natural gift, or something you practiced?"

"I mean, I've always been good at them, but I've practiced a lot."

"Clearly." Yachie's eyes flicked up and down Mugetsu's frame. "And still with the maid outfit. Can't say I understand it but I know some of the men like it, say it's an inspiration, if that makes sense." The woman took a drink of something, then clapped her on the back. "You ever considered breaking off with the others? Sick of playing third wheel to Elis's polycule?"

"They're not..." Mugetsu trailed off as something moved in the corner of her eye. A good illusionist was observant after all, the better to meld their creations in with the world. Something was moving across the street from the building's lobby.

"Elis and I've been talking. I think the four of you've got skills, skills that I'd like to see spread around the rest of the men. Perhaps give you all a chance to spread your figurative wings, in fact-"

Mugetsu burst forward and pulled Yachie down, just as something crashed into the lobby, sailing right through where her head had been a moment before. Mugetsu risked peeking as screams and shouts chorused- a glowing blue spear, with a skull stuck to the end. The spear vanished in a blink, reappearing in the hand of the woman who'd thrown it through the glass- a woman with long blue-black hair and a pair of short yellow horns, wearing a green blouse and blue trousers, decorated with red cords. Next to her stood a tall woman in a red uniform, with one long red horn and a messy black ponytail. Mugetsu covered her mouth- the horned woman who attacked us! Next to her Yachie pointed, hand shaking. "No! We killed you!"

"Nearly. Takes more than that to bring down an Astral Knight."

The red woman drew her sword, while her companion hefted her spear, leveling it at Yachie. "Such a cruel world you've enforced, Jidiao."

 

 

Yachie got to her feet and shrieked. " Kill them! "

Bullets flew, half-drunk Otter spirits sprinting towards the women with knives and claws, as Yachie grabbed Mugetsu. "Cover me, Moog! We need to go!"

"But the others!" Gengetsu and Kurumi had engaged as well, Kurumi clashing her broadsword against the spear-wielding woman, Gengetsu surrounded by glowing runes as she deployed her mirrors and summoned a barrage of energy bullets.

Mugetsu tried to run towards them, but Yachie's grip was too strong. Her eyes seemed to glitter. "It's no good, Mugetsu. You think that Astral Knight was tough the first time? Now she's brought her boss. We need heavier firepower and quickly, else we're all dead."

Mugetsu's heart sank, realizing Yachie's truth. "I'll cover you, boss." She hurriedly raised an illusion, masking them, as Yachie tore towards the armory, pulling out a mirror and shouting orders into it as she ran.

By the time they got to the armory chaos reigned, youkai and beast spirits grabbing weapons and armor. Almost the moment they entered an otter spirit was pushing a helmet onto Yachie's head, horns slipping through special holes, while another spirit ran up with a notepad. "It's not just us, boss! We've got reports that Toutetsu and Kurokoma are being hit too!"

"Is this it, then? Ministry's finally cracking down..." Yachie gritted her teeth as someone belted an armored vest onto her. "Has someone found Elis?"

"I haven't seen her since she went to talk to you," said Mugetsu. A vest and helmet was shoved into her arms as well, and she hurriedly strapped them on.

"Where'd she go? Damnit, what good is having lieutenants if they're just gonna disappear?" Yachie was handed a weapon, a metal tube with a flared end and two handles opposite it. "Tag, start tearing things down. Take Squad D to safehouse five and bunker down, we'll meet you there later." An otter spirit saluted and ran off. Yachie gritted her teeth. "Mugetsu, with me. You're my best hope of a fighting retreat. We need to take those Oni down- without us, the Family collapses, and if we can't get rid of them, they will find us." Yachie slid something green and conical into the tube, hefting it on her shoulder. "Everyone else, scatter and go to ground! Fight and hide, live to retaliate! Kiketsu forever!"

"Kiketsu forever!" came the answering roar.

---

 

 

Kurumi fought for her life, back to back with Gengetsu. They were the last ones standing, the other spirits and youkai driven away or downed. Two foes circled them, the one-horned woman with a sword, the two-horned woman with a spear. Kurumi got the sense the two were playing with them, experimentally prodding their defenses but never comitting. Just get it over with! a part of her screamed, unable to handle the tension. She swung her sword back and forth in a continuous sweep, warding off a probe from the spear woman, then risked her own front, letting go with one hand and almost throwing her sword forward. The woman backed off a few steps, deliberately twirling her spear but not striking back. Behind her Kurumi heard the keening of energy bullets from Gengetsu, forming a literal curtain of curtain-fire to try and ward off her opponent. 

“Do you think we've bought Moog and Yachie enough time?” Gengetsu hissed over her shoulder, in Motherstongue. The translator charms could be overridden with a bit of focus, handy for privacy even among others.

“They must have, I haven't seen any others but these two!” Kurumi ducked under a probing jab, grabbing the spear’s shaft and pulling, but her opponent held on tight, hopping into the air and using Kurumi's own pull to close in with a kick to the chest. Kurumi gasped and stumbled back, barely avoiding crashing into Gengetsu. Kurumi tried to raise her sword but her opponent slammed the butt of her spear into it, sending it skidding. She slashed her hand out and loosed a spread of thin lazers, speeding out and bouncing off the floors and walls, driving her opponent back. “Where's Elis when you need her?” 

“If I knew then we wouldn't be in this mess! Switch!” 

Gengetsu flew overhead, wings spread, glowing feather-bullets shooting from her pinions. Kurumi grabbed her sword and spun onto her knees, chopping down as the one-horned woman tried to pursue Gengetsu and forcing her to block with her own sword, grabbing the unsharpened back with one hand and holding it like a staff. The woman grinned as she shoved Kurumi’s sword away and stepped back. “Remind me, which one of you is Elis? I never got your names.”

Kurumi spat out a curse- after months of no one so much as recognizing Motherstongue, much less understanding it, she’d forgotten the horned woman had been able to speak it when they’d fought her, all the way before they’d entered the Animal Realm. 

"We did make an effort to find you," said Two-Horns from behind Kurumi, also in Motherstongue. "Unfortunately by the time Hisami was able to sneak in you'd vanished, and it was some time before Konngara recovered enough to give a full report. Another good reason to finally deal with the Animal Realm, don't you think? These gangsters really shouldn't have weapons able to do that much damage to an Astral Knight."

Kurumi risked a glance back to Gengetsu, who shrugged, apparently as confused as she was. Two-Horns must have caught the look, because she gestured and lowered her spear a bit, as did One-Horn and her sword. "I suppose that doesn't make much sense to you, though. The important thing is that we get you away from here so we can debrief you properly."

"What are you on about?" Kurumi kept her sword up, pressing hard against Gengetsu's back.

"You're Makaian. Shinki doesn't allow you to leave, doesn't she? Nor does she let people in- even Sariel’s forbidden from going anywhere but the palace grounds.” Two-Horns circled in front of Kurumi, next to the other horned woman. “It’s her domain of course, but it makes one worried, when the Yama assigned to Makai goes quiet. Shinki goes on about restructuring and setting up her own reincarnation cycle, but even Eiki Shiki in Gensokyo puts in for time off.” The woman lowered her spear. “Stand down. We will take you in for debriefing, and no one will get hurt.”

“I…” Kurumi spotted movement on the mezzanine balcony, behind the two horned woman. Gengetsu’s eyes also flicked to it for a moment, before shooting a look towards Kurumi. Buy more time , it seemed to say. “Look, if you wanted to talk to us, why attack like this?”

"Not you. These gangs. Like I said, they really shouldn't have ways of taking down an Astral Knight." A red dot flickered to life on the floor between the horned women. Neither seemed to notice, and Kurumi tried to keep her focus on them, to avoid bringing attention, as Two-Horns continued. "You're an excuse, yes, but you're also being rescued. The Hermit Goddess hasn't said anything but Sariel has noticed tension, even beyond the elusive behaviour Shinki typically has in their meetings. We would need to debrief you regardless, to learn what else the Jidiao and her ilk have been up to, so if we ask a few other questions along the way, and Sariel makes mention of your recovery in their next meeting-"

Yachie chose that moment to strike. Light flashed from the mezzanine and something streaked down, slamming into the pavement with an explosion that distorted the very light around it. One-Horn had turned at the sound of a rocket motor and evaporated to black smoke a moment before the missile hit and blew her away, while Two-Horns had raised her spear, a glowing shield flickering to life a moment before impact, but she'd still been knocked away as well, launched over Kurumi and Gengetsu to crash into the far wall. Kurumi and Gengetsu hadn’t been spared either, knocked down by the sudden rush of wind, despite their distance from the explosion.

Yachie leapt off the balcony, hitting a perfect three-point landing while Mugetsu hovered down next to her. Yachie barely spared a glance at the other two as she pulled out a metal cone and jammed it into the nozzle of her weapon. Fire shot from both ends a moment later, sending another missile streaking towards where Two-Horns was pulling herself back up. The woman hurriedly got to her knees, summoning and hurling her spear, slamming into the missile and exploding in a distortion of light and noise. Fragments of the spear scattered nearby Kurumi and the others, its blue glow replaced with ashy grey. Two-Horns stuck her hand out as though to summon her weapon back, before grimacing. “Fulminated Hihi’irokane?”

“Svetlana’s a needy girl, but she's very good at killing things,” Yachie growled as she pulled out another missile. She tried to jam it into the front of her launcher, fumbling as she did. “Damnit-”

“ARDENTI ASTRUM MATUTINA!!”

Black smoke reformed into One-Horn, looking a bit worse for wear but still up. She hurled her sword into the air where it detonated in a flash of burning light. Mugetsu raised her hands and a vortex of illusory black paper sprung into being around them, blotting out the sudden brightness. “It's just light. I can handle light,” she said, but she took several steps back, sweating as she strained her power. Gengetsu ran over, grabbing her sister’s wrist and pouring power into her, reinforcing the protective illusion. Yachie had taken a knee, having managed to reload and pointing her weapon through the flurry of paper, eyes narrowed as she took aim at One-Horn through momentary gaps in the fluttering sheets. Just as she pressed the trigger though Two-Horns burst through the illusion, smoke trailing off her from the heat of One-Horn’s light. Yachie barely got out a scream as Two-Horns barreled into her, knocking her weapon aside with a slap and hoisting her up in the air by her collar. Yachie’s eyes sparkled. “Y-you know I’m more useful to you alive than dead,” she choked, hands scrabbling at the Oni’s fingers. “Controlling the Animal Realm isn’t worth it for you, not when you have me-”

“Silence,” Two-Horns said calmly. “Don’t try and use your power on me, or I’ll turn it back on you threefold. You haven’t controlled anything with your perpetual gang wars, just perpetuated misery.”

Kurumi leapt forward, jabbing her sword at the woman but she hopped to the side, not even looking as she brought Yachie down to meet her eyes. “I see you've been using that power on the Makaians. You've made them into your bodyguards.”

“Makaians? What Makaians?” 

HONNNNNK!

A car horn blared, followed shortly by shattering glass, squealing tires, and a sharp oof! Two-Horns turned, and Yachie struck, lashing her tail forward and whipping into Two-Horns’s face with a crack! Two-Horns cried out, dropping Yachie as blood welled on her cheek. The same moment Kurumi rushed forward and stabbed, sword stabbing into the Oni’s chest, striking bone and failing to penetrate but leaving a long bleeding cut as Two-Horns fell to the ground.

Mugetsu dropped her illusory shield with a gasp, revealing One-Horn once again dispersed to smoke, her sword stuck in the floor next to a van. The van’s window rolled down revealing a waving Lu. “Boss! Get in!”

“You heard him, move!” Yachie scooped up her fallen rocket launcher and broke for the van. Gengetsu chased after, half carrying Mugetsu, while Kurumi held the rear, running backwards with sword out before jumping into the back of the van with the others and closing the door. 

With a screech of tires Lu took off out of the lobby and back to the streets, awkwardly balanced in the seat, paws on the wheel and tail on the gas pedal. Gengetsu scrambled over the front seat to sit next to him, while Yachie leaned back, rubbing the tip of her tail. “Keep an eye out, Kurumi, those two will be following us the moment they're back up. How bad are things Lu?”

“I can't tell, ma’am! None of the Ministry’s spies activated until after we came under attack, I don't think they knew this was coming any more than we did!’ Lu shifted his weight, yanking the steering wheel into a hard turn. “Word is that the Angel of Death themself came for Toutetsu and HLL for Kurokoma.”

“And all I warranted was Nippaku and a single Kishin?” Yachie scoffed. “I feel insulted.”

“At least they sent numerical superiority against you? That's something, boss.”

“Lucky me,” Yachie sighed. “Mugetsu, are you well enough to hide the van?”

“Yeah. Just needed a moment, illusions are a lot harder when someone is trying to burn them away.” Mugetsu shook her head to clear it before pressing her hands against the roof of the van.

“Good. Lu, head towards safehouse five. We’ll regroup and wait out… what in all the hells is that?”

Yachie pointed out the window. Kurumi turned to look, gaping at the sight of hundreds of beast spirits flying overhead, fleeing as behind them in the distance a building collapsed. Red light bloomed like a flower in the remains, tendrils of energy having cleaved through steel and glass. Two figures hovered above it all, the apparent source of the chaos. One glowed bright with magenta energy, the other…

“Is… that Elis?” Gengetsu asked, peering through a pair of binoculars she'd pulled from somewhere.

 

 

---

 

 

“Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Die! Die!”

Beast spirits and Youkai alike fled in terror, as a woman hovered overhead. Long blonde hair, clad in an untied straitjacket, with seven tails of burning magenta fire. The woman raised a hand, and red light flashed from her palm. 

A fleeing otter spirit caught in the light stopped existing.

“Eh heh heh… Junko sees through you, Chang’e. Chang’e wants to delay the inevitable, yes? But Chang’e is right… What better healing is there than a rampage? DIEEEE!”

Junko reached back and grabbed one of her tails, pulling it off, letting it collapse into a sphere, and hurling it at a nearby building. On contact the sphere blossomed into flaming tendrils, grabbing and shearing through brick and metal. The building shuttered, and started to collapse, bringing a fresh wave of panic. Junko cackled, regrowing the tail with a twitch of her neck. “Hmm hmm, Elis should join in, yes? Let Elis adjust to new strength.” 

Behind Junko hovered another woman, with short blonde hair and a pair of violet bat wings. Her clothes were disheveled, bowtie untied, a wand held loosely in one hand, as she hung in the air like a puppet with cut strings, dangling from a red halo over her head. Her eyes were closed, and if she heard Junko, she didn't react. Junko turned her head back, clucking. “Hmm hmm, if Elis stays catatonic, Elis will miss the fun! What good is that?” 

“Elis has things to think about.” Elis spoke, but her eyes stayed closed. 

“Yes, yes, think about things, but later. ” Junko turned to face Elis, swiping several eagle spirits out of the sky with her tails as she did. “Unless it’s how to leave the Animal Realm? Junko and Elis must, and Junko does not know how. Does Elis know how to get to the moon?”

“The moon?” 

“Yes! To kill Chang’e. That’s the whole point, hmm? And then Junko and Elis can hurt whoever hurt Elis. Jidiao, this ‘Mother’ of yours-”

“Mother isn't the problem!” Elis grabbed her head in her hands. “She can't be. She can't be.”

“Hmm, just Jidiao then.” Junko shrugged. “If Elis says so-”

“Open fire!” 

Energy bullets shot up from below as several brave wolf spirits led by a dog-eared youkai popped out of an alley. Junko’s tails curled forward but Elis had a hand up before Junko could enact violence. Red mist burst from Elis’s pores, a thick cloud that rapidly formed into humanoid shape, coalescing into a red-tinged woman with Elis’s features and blonde hair, dressed in armor. The gaseous knight crashed into the spirits with an ethereal cry of “For Mother!”, laying about with sword and shield. Bullets hit the shield and dissipated like it was metal, and her sword was just as solid. Within seconds the beast spirits were puddles of ectoplasm, their youkai commander’s physical form on the ground dissolving into sparks. The gaseous apparition saluted, then dispersed back into red mist.

“Hmm hmm, hmm… Could Elis always do that?” Junko asked.

“No, I…” Elis looked stunned, staring at her hands, red smoke boiling off them. “The Miasma, it’s Mother’s gift to us…”

“Elis has been purified, yes? Pure Elis-ness. Side effects may vary.”

Elis clutched her head again. “What does it mean? I… I remember things, Mother, but… she’s given me this…”

“It… means Elis should help Junko murder people?” Junko suggested. “Junko needs to kill Chang’e, so Junko needs a way out of here. Elis needs to ask questions, so Elis needs a way out of here. Partners, yes?”

Smoke boiled off Elis again, forming a new gaseous form- same face and blonde hair as the knight had had, but this one was bookish looking, eyes hidden behind thick glasses, which she adjusted as she spoke. “The Taotie clearly kept you as a contingency plan, Junko. She presumably would also keep a way of escaping your wrath, considering, well,” The figure gestured to the collapsed skyscraper. “We can reasonably expect she has a way out of the Animal Realm.”

“Hmm hmm, Junko likes the way you think!” Junko cackled as the figure bowed and dispersed back into vapor. “Now, where is Taotie…?”

 

---

 

The place had once been a restaurant. A buffet, befitting the one who had kept a command post hidden in the basement. At the moment though it was a battlefield, littered with slowly dissolving youkai bodies and puddles of mist that had once been eagle spirits. A handful of human spirits huddled in the corner as two combatants dueled- their master, a short woman with curly white hair and equally curling horns, against a literal angel.

Yuuma Toutetsu growled as she ducked under a swipe from the angel’s staff. She skipped away from another strike, twirling her own staff, shaped like an oversized spork, in her hands. “The Ministry never cared about us before, what the hell are you doing now?” 

“The Ministry tolerated your gangs, Ms. Toutetsu. This is no longer the case. Your crimes are great and you will now pay for them.” Yuuma nearly lost grip on her staff as the angel slammed a wing into her, managing to dodge a second wing blow but not a third, sending her crashing into the buffet. 

Yuuma shook her head to clear it, grabbing and stuffing a piece of spicy chicken in her mouth before getting to her feet. “You're making a mistake. The Ministry is drawn thin enough already, the gangs at least enforce some amount of order down here. Really, you should be putting me on your payroll for managing things so well.” 

“You rule through force and terror.”

“And the Ministry doesn't? We’re not the ones who invented Hell.” Yuuma felt her stomach warm as her power activated.

“The current system is imperfect but results in some amount of redemption. Yours merely encourages the worst-”

Yuuma opened her mouth and breathed fire. Not just heat poured out, but also the chemical pungency she’d absorbed from the food, roaring out like burning pepper spray. The piece of chicken didn’t have much power in it but it was enough to drive the angel back for a moment, long enough for Yuuma to hop over the buffet and take cover grabbing another piece of chicken as she did. Jokes about her appetite aside, there has been a reason she'd set up base in a restaurant- when your powers came from eating things, it was a good idea to have plenty of stuff to fuel said power nearby. Yuuma let loose another breath of burning chemical warfare but the angel batted it away with a single wing beat. Yuuma’s eyes flicked to one wing as she breathed out another gout, paying careful attention as the angel again shrugged it off. Could I pull off a feather if I got close? Yuuma was suddenly consumed with desire. How much power could I absorb if I ate that? Enough to drive the angel away, surely, as their own strength was turned against them.  

Yuuma ducked back into the buffet tables, scurrying away as light blasted down where she'd been standing only a moment before. "Running delays the inevitable, Ms. Toutetsu!" The angel unleashed another blast of light, but Yuuma had already moved on. "Return to the cycle and try again better, now-" The angel suddenly paused.

Yuuma risked a peek, still eyeing the wing but watching as the angel lowered their staff and drew out a small bronze hand mirror. They flipped it open with rolled eyes. "Yes, Kikuri? You're ruining my attempt at drama-"

"Code Typhon! We have a confirmed Code Typhon!" A panicked voice rang from the mirror. "It's headed your way, Sariel!"

"What? Kikuri-"

The restaurant's doors burst open, and a trio of figures made of red smoke sprinted in. The angel whipped around, raising their staff and incinerating them, but not before one of the figures locked glowing red eyes on Yuuma's hiding spot. A moment later magenta flames ripped through the ceiling, peeling away the building and revealing two figures hovering in the sky. "Oh Taotie-e~ Junko's come to play-y~!!"

 

---

"Code Typhon! We have a confirmed Code Typhon! It's headed your way, Sariel!"

Hecatia Lapis Lazuli stared at her mirror, as on the other end Kikuri scrambled back and forth, bundles of scrolls and books in her arms as she shouted into one of the many mirrors on her end, the one corresponding to the Angel of Death's mirror.

"She's already here, Kikuri. Looking for-" Something rumbled, both on Sariel's mirror, and in the distance. Hecatia instinctively looked up, past all the wolf spirits Clownpiece was keeping passive with her torch, whimpering in paralyzing madness.

"How bad is it?" Saki Kurokoma asked, bound and pinned to the floor by Hecatia's knee. The woman had put up a fearsome fight, but her cocky grin had turned to a desperate scowl, then outright terror, before Hecatia had knocked her down permanently. Right now Saki just looked worried, staring in the direction of the explosion as well. "Wha's a Code Typhon?"

"Potential planet killer," said Hecatia, voice quiet. "Kikuri, are you sure?"

"The records are scarce, ma'am, but if I'm right, it's something the Ministry couldn't handle and had to lock up, then lost track of during the Yeshua affair. It's..." Kikuri gulped. "If they couldn't put it down back then, what are we supposed to do now?"

"Good question," said Hecatia. "Do we know anything? Weaknesses, how they locked it up in the first place?"

"Thoth owes me a favor, I can see if he can dig up anything, but, Hecatia, if I tell him, he's telling Anubis, and then the entire Chthonian Council gets on our asses! This was supposed to be discrete, wasn't it? That's why it's just you, Sariel, Nippaku, and a couple trustworthy goons!"

"This would all stop being discreet the moment someone looked at the Animal Realm long enough to notice the gangs disappeared, the hope was always that by the time someone did notice things would be wrapped up nicely." Hecatia gritted her teeth. "Contact Thoth. Dealing with that Code Typhon takes priority. We can deal with the political fallout later."

"Yes, ma'am!" The mirror went dark as Kikuri vanished.

Hecatia stood, cracking her knuckles. “ ‘Piece, full blast. Set them at each other’s throats.” The Lampad nodded, lowering her torch briefly to fiddle with it.

“Wait!” Saki squirmed under Hecatia’s boot. “It’s me you're after, ain't it? Not them.”

“You're hardly in a position to bargain, you realize?”

“Doesn't mean I shouldn't try though, yeah?” Saki grimaced and tried to push herself up, despite being pinned down by Hecatia's boot. “Besides, we can help. The Animal Realm is our home, we know the place, we can help!”

Hecatia frowned, staring down at the woman. “I would have thought the leader of a gang had more pride than to beg.”

“What’s better, pride that will get your men killed, or the honor to trade that pride for their lives?” The woman hung her head. “Sometimes I wonder how my old master’d thinka me if she saw me now. Ya gotta do what you can to survive down here, survival of the fittest an’ all, but what’s the point of surviving if you don’t have a reason for it?” 

Hecatia considered, then turned to her Lampad. “Stand down. Αν προκαλούν προβλήματα, δώστε τους ένα πρόβλημα.” She added.
“Ναι, κυρία μου.” 

Clownpiece’s torch went dark, and wolf spirits started to wake up, clearing their heads of the Lampad’s power. Hecatia removed her boot from Saki’s back and untied the woman's hands, letting her rise. Saki scrambled to her feet, grabbing her fallen hat as she turned to the wolf spirits. “You heard her! Our home is under attack from somethin’ that’ll wipe all of us out, here and the mortal realm! Are we common beasts or are we a pack?”

The wolves let out howls, mixed in with cheers of “Kiega Family!” and “Boss Kurokoma!” Saki pumped her fist, then turned to Hecatia with a grin. “We’re with ya.”

“Hmm,” Hecatia nodded, then flipped open her mirror again, watching as Kikuri tapped at one of her end’s mirrors. “Any ideas you have on this thing would probably be helpful.”

“Can’t tell without knowin’ more, but I wouldn’t put it past either Toutetsu or Kicchou to have a big “Screw you!” in her hand in case of, well, the Ministry invading like ya are now. From your friend it sounds like it’s tryin’a kill Toutetsu too though, so…” Saki tapped her chin.

“It’s a place to start.” Hecatia gestured for everyone to follow, then sprinted to the building entrance as she spoke into the mirror. “Kikuri, what’s Nippaku’s status?” 

Kikuri turned to look at her, shaking her head. “No response.”

“Damnit. What’s going on over there?”

 

---

“I’m fine, Konngara,” said Zanmu Nippaku as the woman in question helped her sit up. “I’ve literally been eaten alive before, I can handle a near-mastectomy.” Still, she didn’t turn down the help, nor the flask of Oni Liquor. Zanmu took a deep swill, letting the liquid burn down her throat. Her chest started to itch, pain from her wound dulling as she felt her body start to heal, accelerated by the alcohol. “Report.”

“I pursued as long as I could, ma’am. When I lost them I came back for you. Our mirrors aren't working anymore, I think the Jidiao’s weapon damaged the magic?” Konngara winced. “It did something to me too, it's harder to stay in smoke from.”

“You should recover in a few days. For now though we'll need to regroup.” Zanmu instinctively pulled out her mirror, but as Konngara had said, all it did was reflect light now, the connection to Kikuri, and consequently the communication goddess’s network, severed. Zanmu cursed under her breath.

“Hisami’s probably the closest, ma’am. She tracked the Makaians to this building,” said Konngara. She'd pulled out her own mirror and was tracing a nail over several inlaid runes. “She should have a working mirror and even if not, she's our best tracker.”

“Right.” Zanmu took another swig of liquor, as much as she dared without getting properly drunk. Her metabiology meant she didn't have quite the tolerance of some of the heaviest drinkers among the Oni- though then again, compared to the likes of Ibuki who did? She grabbed a pair of knives from a fallen gang member before nodding to Konngara. “Let's go.”

---

The trouble with being as tough as Hisami was, was that when something managed to hurt her, it really hurt.

Hisami bit back a cry of pain and tried to summon vines to pull away the rocks crushing her leg. She'd blacked out after her warning to Kikuri, and her mirror now laid somewhere out of sight and reach. She feared to think what her leg would look like under the stone, she suspected it was broken, but if she didn't get free of the rubble…

The Animal Realm was home to the spirits of those who'd given up wisdom for the sake of base desires, beasts in mind while alive, beasts in nature when dead. At best they'd slit Hisami’s throat.

Hisami gasped in pain as she managed to slip a vine under some rock, forcing her to stop and lose concentration as pain overwhelmed her. Her hunter’s instincts warned her to be quiet, that she was being watched, but it couldn't be helped. Hisami retracted her vines, coiling them around her wrist, ready to lash out. She turned her head, catching sight of her observer- a spirit, but not a beast spirit. A humanoid one. One who had despite the hedonism and violence of the Animal Realm eventually returned to wisdom, only to get beaten down by the more powerful beast spirits. The spirit stared at Hisami, eyes wide. For a moment Hisami considered calling out, to see if they could do anything to help free her.

“Hey over here!”

The humanoid spirit scampered away in a panic as three beast spirits- hyenas, she thought- popped over some rubble. “Hey, look at that, it's a Ministry!”

“A Ministry?”

“Yeah, one of them uppity types!” The leader lolled out a tongue, pulling a knife from somewhere. “I heard once if ya eat their liver, you turn proper alive again!”

Hisami flicked her wrist, sending out her vine with a crack! One of the hyenas flinched, but the other two just laughed. “She can't get us all, not pinned down like that.”

Hisami gritted her teeth, tried to shift for another swing of her vine whip, only to cry out as pain burned from her leg. All that got was more laughter. 

One of the hyena spirits started towards her but froze at the sound of an engine. A motorcycle roared from around a corner, ridden by a pair of Oni. The driver drew a long sword, slashing at one spirit as she drove past, while the passenger leapt off the back of the bike, slamming an explosive punch into the others. The beast spirits fled in a panic, as the woman turned to Hisami. Long silken black hair flowed in the wind, her head backlit like a halo. Her clothes were torn revealing muscle and dried blood over a recent wound, but her focus was on Hisami. “Yomutsu, are you alright?” 

“I…” Hisami stuttered, blushing. “Leg’s stuck. Might be broken.” 

Zanmu rushed over, clearing the rubble in seconds. She grimaced at the sight of Hisami's leg and hurriedly tore a strip from her already damaged shirt. “Hold still, this might hurt.” Hisami managed to keep from crying out as Zanmu tied a piece of rebar fast to her leg, then carefully lifted her out of the rubble with muscular arms. “Konngara, do you have any liquor left?”

“A bit but not much.” Konngara drove the motorcycle over, holding a flask in hand. “I found her mirror over there, too.”

“Good,” Zanmu carefully set Hisami on the back of the bike, then took the flask and gave it to her. “Drink that. Konngara, get her to the extraction point. I'll tell Kikuri you're on the way.”

“Got it boss.” 

Konngara passed over the mirror as well, before kicking the bike into gear. Before she could take off though, Zanmu placed a hand on Hisami's shoulder. “Good work, Yomutsu. I'll take it from here.”

As Konngara drove away, Hisami stared back at Zanmu, as the woman checked the mirror and ran into the ruins of the building. Hisami's eyes lingered even as Zanmu left her sight, even as they left the Animal Realm. She'd known Zanmu for as long as the human-turned-oni had held sway in Hell, but until today…

Perhaps she could be forgiven for falling in love a bit.

---

“Damn her. Damn that Toutetsu! She always ruins everything!”

Mugetsu stared out the van window as another building was shredded by magenta fire. Yachie was pressed up against the window next to her, seething. “If she isn't stealing plunder after me or Kurokoma did the hard work for it, she's messing with plans solely for her own amusement! We’re supposed to have an arrangement down here and she flouts it at every turn! And now look what she's done!” Yachie gestured towards the destruction outside. “Obviously she got nabbed by the Ministry's minions so of course she had to go and unleash a big “Screw You” on those of us who are smart enough to not get caught. Because if she can't play none of us can! Damn her! Damn her to… New… Jersey.” 

Mugetsu blinked, confused, looking past Yachie to Kurumi and Gengetsu, who looked equally confused. “Oh, don't give me that!” Yachie scowled. “And I want an explanation. That’s Elis up there, isn’t it? Why’s she up there? Did she let out Toutetsu’s plaything? And what was Nippaku on about, calling you Makaians?”

Mugetsu opened her mouth to speak, but Yachie held up a hand, eyes glittering through a glare she turned between the three of them. “Before you answer, understand that lying isn't worth it. I will figure things out. It's a matter of if you're going to be up front about it now, or whether I'm going to be very pissed off later. Capiche?”

Mugetsu felt a sudden heaviness on her soul. Gengetsu slowly raised her hand. “It’s… Elis thought that we needed to be careful. Because the one-horned lady attacked us after she figured out what we were.”

Yachie sighed. “You really are Makaian, then.”

Gengetsu nodded. “We were afraid we'd get attacked again. And, well, it didn’t really matter, did it?”

“I don’t suppose it did. Gensokyan or Makaian, I knew you lot were a risk,” Yachie grimaced. “You were all wrapped up on the back of an Astral Knight’s vehicle, I knew they’d come looking eventually. Is that why they're here?”

“They said we’re an excuse,” said Kurumi. “That as long as they were here to get us, they might as well destroy you and the other gang leaders.” 

“Hmmph.” The pressing weariness dissipated and Mugetsu blinked. Neither Kurumi or Gengetsu seemed to have noticed, but they’d been quite ready to tell Yachie everything. Mugetsu frowned. Did she…? Mugetsu focused, waiting for Yachie to look away before conjuring an illusion of herself, on top of herself. She carefully slipped out of her seat and into the one next to her, leaving her illusory doppelganger behind while hiding invisibly. 

Yachie glanced between them again, eyes glittering. The heaviness returned, but weaker than before, as Yachie focused on the fake Mugetsu instead of the real one. “And Elis? What's going on out there? Tell me.”

“I don't know,” said Mugetsu, hoping Yachie didn't notice her voice coming from a meter to the side. “She never came back from meeting with you.”

“So you told me earlier. But surely you must have a guess. Some hint of what's going on. Even a smidgen?”

“No.” Mugetsu answered. It was true, though, thinking back, Elis had sometimes vanished for a few hours after a mission. Mugetsu had assumed it was with either Genny or Kurumi, just more of Elis’s refusal to deal with her dating situation, but…

Mugetsu started to speak up, but the already weaker heaviness passed as Yachie turned to get an answer from the other two. Mugetsu gulped, her suspicion confirmed. She's doing something to us. Crushing our will, making it hard to push back against her. Had that power been what had led Elis to agree to all of them working for Yachie in the first place? It had seemed so sensible at the time, lost and confused in an unfamiliar realm, but how much of that had been Yachie’s power leaving them vulnerable to persuasion? And Two-Horns- she told Yachie to not even try to use her power, right after Yachie tried to claim that killing her would just make things worse! She must have been trying to do that to her.

Yachie pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a huff. “Fine. I'll accept your ignorance for now. We have more pressing things to deal with, starting with that thing out there. Svetlana only has one missile left but if I aim right I might be able to deal with it.” Yachie hefted her rocket launcher, before opening the van door, hair whipping in the wind. “Lu, proceed as ordered. The rest of you, stay with him.” 

“But Elis is out there!” 

Kurumi moved to unstrap herself, but Yachie growled, eyes shining. “I said stay . You won't do any good out there.”

“But-”

“If I can bring Elis back I will,” said Yachie, before slamming the door shut and leaping away, briefly falling behind the van before turning to fly off towards the distant chaos.

Judging by the woman”s expression as she flew off, Mugetsu had a sick feeling that Yachie would not be trying very hard to bring Elis back.

Mugetsu let her illusion drop, leaning forward to grab Kurumi's shoulder. “Well?”

“Well what?” Kurumi shrugged, pulling her legs onto her seat. In the front Gengetsu looked back at them both, eyes downcast. “You heard the boss.”

They've really been hit by it, huh. “Elis is our friend- more than that for you two. Even if the Boss is the only one with a way of dealing with Elis’s new friend, we're gonna be the best at dealing with Elis herself. So are we going for her?”

Neither of them could meet Mugetsu’s eyes. “Seriously? Sis, you held a torch for Elis even when we thought she hated us. Kurumi, you were ready to beat the crap out of us when you thought Sis was a crazy person out to do harm to Elis. We fought Sara, the YuugenMagan, ran away from home and left Makai for her… Don't tell me you're gonna give up on her now?”

“I still think Genny is crazy…” Kurumi said under her breath. Even so, she looked at Gengetsu, meeting her rival’s gaze. “I… I know we should…”

“It'll be fine! The boss is a badass, you know that!” Lu chirped up from the driver's seat. “Just relax, we're almost to the safe house!”

Mugetsu stared as Gengetsu and Kurumi turned away from her. She sighed, then focused, flexing her fingers. Her time in the Animal Realm had strengthened her powers. Where once she was limited to sights or sounds, she could now make illusions that affected all the senses, bigger and more realistic than before. (So long as an Astral Knight wasn't calling down burning sunlight on her illusion.) What was once unthinkable was now simple. Mugetsu conjured a knock on the van door, then Yachie’s face through the window, pointing towards the door. Kurumi stared, confused, then opened it. “I changed my mind,” Mugetsu had the fake Yachie say. “If Elis has gone rogue I don’t want her jumping me from behind, and if she hasn't, I’m not gonna have time to play therapist or whatever.”

Kurumi and Gengetsu blinked, then hurriedly undid their seatbelts and leapt from the van, even as Lu barked for them to at least wait for him to stop. Mugetsu smiled to herself. Idiots, she thought, warmly.

 

 

 

 

Notes:

Well, time for everything to collapse and catch fire.

I once again recruited the aid of the excellent Zee for some art here. Go say hi! (tumblr) (AO3)

Junko's building-shredding fireballs are supposed to resemble her Lilies of Murderous Intent Spellcard, where she throws a fireball at the edge of the screen and unleashes a bunch of energy tendril thingies. Just a bit more destructive.
I think though after untold centuries trapped in a padded cell it's understandable that she'd let loose a bit.
If you're unaware, Hihi’irokane is a legendary metal not unlike orichalcum. You may have heard of it as "Scarletite" in Final Fantasy, or a mention of it in one of the Curiosities of Lotus Asia chapters. Fulminates are a group of explosive ionic compounds, of which you may have heard of fluminated mercury. Fulminating a magic metal would definitely be something I'd try if I could, but I don't think I'd be as able to shrug off the explosion!

We're not done here yet. The battle of the Animal Realm has only begun...

Chapter 15: The Soul where the Home Dimension is Reflected

 

“In the name of the Ministry of Right and Wrong, I order you to stand down!”

“Hmm hmm, Ministry, sinister-y, empty dynasty, the world’s naught but suffer and misery. Junko does not care!!”

Pure Fury and the Angel of Death collided above the flattened restaurant, crashing with such force that windows shattered, debris was blown free, and one Taotie was blasted into the air. One of Junko’s flame tails shot out, reaching for the flying sheep, only for it to be disintegrated by a lazer from Sariel.

Yuuma landed hard, rolling to a stop before slamming her staff down and jumping to her feet. Up above the fourth combatant, who Yuuma recognized as one of Yachie’s lieutenants, Elis, curled up into herself, wrapping her wings around her body as red smoke erupted from her pores, forming into the shape of a red-tinged knight. The knight dove forward, slamming her shield down at Yuuma, but Yuuma hopped back, twirling her staff and bringing it up into a guard position. The smoke knight’s sword crashed into the staff, more solid than it had right to be, and Yuuma gave ground as the knight pressed her attack. 

"Do you know how much of an idiot you are, letting her loose?!" Yuuma twirled her staff, knocking the sword away as she shouted to Elis. "You think I was keeping her locked up for no reason?"

No response came from the hovering vampire, but the gaseous knight snarled. “Vile warden, you’ve kept her isolated! Is it any wonder she's gone mad?”

“Spare me. She was mad when I got here.” Yuuma ducked under another slash, slamming her staff down and vaulting into a pile of rubble. She slipped the staff under her arm, aimed, and fired off a spread of energy bullets like a shotgun. The knight dispersed into vapor, but rapidly started to reform. Yuuma leapt down and inhaled , attempting to absorb the mysterious red mist, only to choke as it burned her lungs, leaving a faint saccharine taste. Yuuma coughed and rubbed her throat, and hurriedly lashed out her staff, dispersing the knight again before she could reform. Yuuma’s eyes flicked towards where Elis hovered above, insensate. Yuuma’s eyes narrowed, and she hurled her staff at the woman like a spear, right for her heart. A moment before it hit a spherical shield formed around her, the spork-like tines of Yuuma’s staff digging into the shield and holding firm. Still Elis didn't move, glowing red eyes staring forward even as Yuuma leapt up and grabbed the embedded staff. The knight leapt after her but was knocked away by a spread of energy bullets crashing into her shield and knocking her askew, and still Elis didn't respond.

Yuuma spat, then hopped onto the staff, both hands gripping it. “All of Yachie's talk about balance and making sure we can keep our gangs in perpetuity, and it's her that breaks that balance with a rogue agent, huh? Well, I'd tell you to explain the irony to her, but I need to leave and you need to die.” Power flooded her, pouring into her staff as she prepared to fire, direct into Elis’s chest.

“Confirmation,” Yuuma started at the voice behind her, just before something heavy slammed into the back of her head. Yuuma's face smacked into the shield and she lost control of her building power, energy discharging harmlessly around the shield.

Yuuma shook her head to clear it and turned on her attacker- another being made of red smoke. Like the knight it had similar features to Elis, but this one wore thick glasses and held a large book, which it was scribbling in with a pen. “You say you will leave, and knowing the potential destructive power of Lady Junko suggests you have a way out of the Animal Realm so as to escape her wrath. Surrender your methodology and clemency may be granted.”

“Eat shit. ” Yuuma raised her hands and unleashed a burst of bullets that evaporated the spector. The knight went down a second later, just as it reached out to grab her shoulder, but then another Elis appeared- an Elis dressed as a maid, an Elis in a business suit, an Elis in sturdy overalls, and those were just the ones individual enough to differentiate. For every one of the Elises that piled on Yuuma were a dozen silhouettes, nothing but vague smoky shapes with glowing red eyes. Yuuma struggled, kicking, biting, unleashing bursts of energy bullets, but there were too many, iron grips pulling her limbs taught, forcing her to her knees. 

Above it all was the actual Elis, eyes finally focusing on Yuuma. She hovered in front of her, toes barely scraping the ground. Next to her the bespectacled Elis reformed, flipping through her book. “Let's see… how best to extract hidden information from a prisoner-”

“Hiyah!”

Saki Kurokoma came out of nowhere, slamming a roundhouse kick into Elis and her double. Howls rose around them as wolf spirits charged into the fray, biting and ripping apart misty wraiths. Yuuma dropped to the ground on hands and knees, panting before looking up at Saki, who was smirking at her. “I had things well in hand.”

“I'm sure ya did,” Saki held out a hand, helping Yuuma to her feet. 

Across the way Elis was pulling herself off the ground, aided by the gaseous knight. Her eyes glowed red, fixing on Saki and Yuuma, only to start as the knight shouted and pointed. Bullets splashed down in a ring around Elis as Yachie flew overhead, armored and carrying a rocket launcher over her back. “ Elis!” She screamed as she halted a few meters above the vampire, pointing an accusatory finger. “I demand answers! Wh-”

Elis’s wings burst out and she rocketed into Yachie, not even bothering with a shield as she body checked the jidiao into a wall. As if waking up the vampire lost all limpness, snarling as she grabbed Yachie by the collar and hauled her out of the rubble. “ Deceiver! Trickster! Child of Vina, I see through you!’ Elis’s voice resonated, as though it were being said by every duplicate of her. “ I see the will of Mother more clearly than ever. This has never been about the Gateway, or the YuugenMagan, has it?” 

“Let go! Elis, I- urk!”

“ All of this- everything! We've been in Makai the whole time! All my lives, the sixty year cycle, our journey, and now confronting you, that was my final test, wasn't it? And now I have been blessed- I am not just Mother’s child, I am Shinki's daughter!” Elis tipped her head back and laughed, wild and mad. 

“What the hells’re you on about?” Saki stomped forward, pointing a finger as her wings flared. “Listen here, pal, I'm always up for a brawl, but this? This ain't a brawl, not with Ministry running around and that flattening the financial district!” Saki pointed at Junko, then spread her arms. “What the hell, Yach? Yer the one always on about balance and crap and not given’ the Ministry an excuse!”

“ Excuse me?!? That's Yuuma 's pet flattening the financial district, it has nothing to do with me!” Yachie struggled against Elis’s grip, lashing her tail at the vampire’s face to no avail. “I trusted you! You told me you didn't find anything in that building and now you unleashed the destruction of the entire realm! How could you?”

“ What does it matter? Just like any other of Vina's ruins. I have passed the test, by overcoming your control on me. ” Elis threw Yachie aside, red mist pouring from her, forming into humanoid shapes that knelt at Elis’s feet. “ I am become like Mother. This is the dawn of my apotheosis!”

“Yeah, she's nutso.” Saki cracked her knuckles. “No problem, we'll just punch it out of her. Right, Toutetsu?” 

The only response was the rapidly fading patter of Yuuma’s feet as she ran. A moment later, a dozen Elises made of red smoke descended on Saki and her wolves.

 

---

“ Junko will rip Angel's pretty wings off like a bug!!!”

Sariel flip-turned out of the way of a gout of violet fire, pulling their wings in and weaving through a hail of technicolor fire and lazers. Junko was close behind, uncaring as Sariel loosed spreads of their own bullets, blasting through without trying to dodge or even wincing.

“What in His name are you…?” Sariel said under their breath. They flared their wings and flipped over to face her, raising their staff and praying. Divine light shown from the head of the staff, bathing Junko in blinding holy power. Violet flames flared up all over Junko’s body as she howled, throwing an arm in front of her eyes, but she wasn't burned to ash or forced to turn. She barreled forward and crashed into Sariel, grabbing their wrist in one hand and crushing it. Sariel grimaced but held on, turning the staff to keep Junko in its light, only to scream as Junko grabbed their neck and pulled herself forward, over their shoulder and sinking her teeth into a wing. Bone crunched, and for a moment Sariel thought they could feel Junko’s teeth meeting in their flesh before they focused and turned immaterial. The silhouette of an angel fell from Junko’s grasp. Junko screamed, flame tails curling up into balls that she hurled as Sariel flew off, each fireball exploding into a mass of energy tendrils that shore through buildings like scalpels, slicing apart steel, brick, and glass like butter. Even while immaterial Sariel could feel one tendril as it cut through them. They stayed intact, but to even feel it…

Sariel turned, shifting back to material form and raising their staff, drawing a large circle around themself, inlaid with letters. A dozen points of light appeared, each blasting out either a massive beam of light or a thick hail of bullets. Yet more magenta flame boiled off Junko as she was struck, but she charged forward still, Sariel barely managing to summon a shield on the protective line of their circle before the mad woman hit. “What are you?” they gasped.

“What is Junko? Junko is pissed off!” Junko hammered on Sariel’s shield with clenched fists, tilted her head back and tried to bite it, shark-like teeth still stained silver with angelic blood scraping against the barrier. One of her tails whipped around, slashing at the barrier and leaving a long white scar as it nearly cut through. More tails whipped around, and Sariel focused, trying to keep their shield up as it was battered, criss-crossed with scarring, all the while Junko bit and clawed at it. 

Then suddenly the blows stopped. Junko was wrenched off Sariel by the scruff of her neck, held by a woman with messy red hair and a punkish outfit. Hecatia Lapislazuli flashed a grin. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Sar. I was busy making friends.”

Junko snarled and drove an elbow into Hecatia's stomach, so hard the god gasped and let go, crumpling in on herself just as Junko followed with a punch that sent her crashing into one of the few remaining buildings in the area, chasing after in a rush of flame.

“ Sariel! Are you there?!”

Sariel glanced down at the pocket where they'd stowed their mirror. They flicked it open to see a harried-looking Kikuri, surrounded by open scrolls. “ Thoth says he found something.”

A bird-headed man poked his head into view. “ A receipt, from Kanayamabiko no Mikoto. Payment due for the creation of chains of a metal strong enough to withstand the might of purest rage. An alloy of titanium purported to restrict one’s strength, along with a note boasting that he ‘wouldn’t have needed three tries to chain a wolf’.” 

“That's how they restrained her then. What about stopping her to begin with?” Sariel kept their mirror up but dove down, light flashing from their staff and blinding Junko, who had grabbed Hecatia in a head lock and trying to rip the goddess's head off. Hecatia took the distraction, stomping on Junko's toes and slamming her head back into her chin, then roughly pulling free and leaping away.

Hecatia landed next to a roughly human-shaped patch of glitter as Sariel descended next to her. Hecatia spared a glance at the sparkles and grimaced. “Clownpiece should reform in a moment. Anything from Kikuri yet?”

“Just how to chain her once we pin her down.” Sariel ducked as Junko hurled a chunk of masonry, nearly as big as they were. “Getting her there is the trick, does she seem worn down at all?”

“Nope. If anything she seems stronger!” Hecatia pulled out a pair of torches and crossed them. Fire sprang up around them and formed a shield, absorbing a thrown magenta fireball. “Kikuri, any chance you can convince Kanayamabiko to remake those chains?”

“Not on short notice.” The communication goddess shook her head on Sariel's mirror. “ Zanmu just came back online, she's near the building Hisami said Junko came out of. I can have her look to see if the original chains are there and intact.”

“Do that!” A fireball went arcing overhead, slamming into the ground behind them and erupting in tendrils of red energy. Sariel tried to summon a shield but couldn’t before they were grabbed, more tendrils grasping for Hecatia as well. Sariel ignored the burning pain and shifted immaterial, slipping free, only for Junko to slam into them the moment they were physical again. Junko’s foot stomped down on Sariel’s back, hands grasping the wing Junko had already bitten, then Sariel screamed as with a horrible ripping sound Junko tore it from Sariel’s back.

Hecatia struggled against binding energy, trying to reach Sariel as Junko reached for another wing and started tugging. A brief flash and Clownpiece reformed, the lampad looking dazed as she got to her feet. “Wuh…”

“ Clownpiece! Nuke her!’ Hecatia screamed, half from pain. The lampad shook her head to clear it, then rushed forward, drawing a torch of her own and pointing it towards Junko’s face, hurriedly shielding her eyes as purple flame started to glow and grow. Junko stiffened, loosening her grip on Sariel enough for them to shift immaterial and escape her grasp. In a flash of light a second blonde Hecatia appeared next to the original one, slicing through Junko’s flaming tails with a knife.  A third Hecatia, this one a bluenette, appeared in a flash, reaching out as Sariel took physical form again. “Sar, your wing-”

“I’ll heal,” Sariel grimaced, reaching back to touch the stump of their missing wing. They could grow it back later, once Junko was dealt with. The woman in question had frozen, eyes transfixed on Clownpiece’s torch, but before their eyes Junko slowly took one pained step forward, then another. “Zanmu’s on her way, right?”

“Tell her to hurry…” Clownpiece took a step back, hands shaking on her torch. “I can’t hold her long,  she’s already insane…” 

The blonde and bluenette Hecatias ran forward, grabbing Junko by the arms, trying to hold her back. Junko strained, growling. “No… never again… Junko will not be chained again! ” Junko’s tails spiked, spreading out and slamming into the ground. Violet cracks spread like a spiderweb around Junko, erupting in magenta flame, tossing everyone aside as an inferno whipped up around the mad woman, still as hale as ever. 

 

---

“ Elis!”

Mugetsu, Gengetsu, and Kurumi flew in a rough triangular formation, speeding towards Elis just in time to see her hurl Yachie to the ground. Red mist swirled around Elis, forming into the shapes of warriors and magicians, clashing with beast spirits as humanoid spirits watched from the shadows. 

One of the commanding mist wraiths- a fully defined maid- caught sight of the trio as they approached, calling out and directing a dozen of the simpler apparitions to attack. Gengetsu dashed in front, wings flaring as her two mirrors took up formation next to her, beams of light flashing into the mob. “Elis, it's us!”

“The boss was right, she's gone crazy!” Kurumi drew her sword and slipped past Gengetsu to stab the misty maid. Her blade sunk deep but the apparition barely seemed to care, grabbing Kurumi's wrist and summoning a thin stiletto out of the surrounding mist. 

A wave of illusory butterflies crashed into the apparition just before she could stab Kurumi, followed shortly by Mugetsu, surrounded by a flight of illusion creatures. Mist wraiths burst, blasted apart by Mugetsu’s swarm or cut apart by Gengetsu’s lazers, but they kept coming, as another more defined wraith- this one a knight, flew in with a shout of “ For Mother!” She charged for Gengetsu only for Kurumi to burst out in front, catching the wraith’s sword with her own. 

“Has she even noticed us?!?” Mugetsu directed a dozen illusory birds towards Elis but they were all intercepted, as a matching pack of mist wraiths unleashed a hail of energy bullets. “She’s not looking at us, it’s just those things!” 

“Khh…” Gengetsu growled, “Kurumi, I need you to call me a skank and insult me about losing Elis to you or something.” 

“ What? ” Kurumi swung her hand, loosing an array of thin lazers that bounced off the ground to strike the knight in the back.

“I have an idea, but I need to be right pissed off for it!” 

Mugetsu’s eyes went wide. “Genny, no! You nearly burned yourself out last time! Mother directly intervened to stop you!”

“I’m stronger now. We all are, after all this time down here!” Gengetsu blasted the knight back into vapor with a beam from one of her mirrors. “Do it, Kurumi!” 

Kurumi turned on Gengetsu, closing her eyes and breathing out, before glaring at Gengetsu. “Elis deserves better than you. Your insisting on staying interested just holds her back from moving on.”

“ Harder, ” Gengetsu hissed, as sparks started to flicker up her arms, tracing her veins.

“Elis was wasted on you and your little bumpkin village, in the Capital she could reach potential you’ll never know.”

Gengetsu growled, lifting her hands. “Is that the best you have, Capital Floozy? She meant something back in Virgil’s Den, not just another faceless wage slave like you .” 

“Elis doesn’t even like you. She’s dating you so she can hang out with Mugetsu-”

“ Don't bring my sister into this!!!” Gengetsu screamed with fury, jabbing one hand forward, the other grabbing her bicep, and unleashing a massive lazer directly at Kurumi. Mugetsu launched herself forward and pulled Kurumi out of the way, the beam scorching past and through the mob of mist creatures to slam into the ground near Elis. 

Kurumi blinked spots from her vision. “Vina, I went to far…”

“No, that’s… about what it was like last time.” Mugetsu surrounded them both with an illusion, hiding them from the raging Gengetsu, though she needn't have bothered- Gengetsu drooped in the air, panting, while Elis finally turned to look at them all. Her eyes had gone completely red- no iris or pupils, just solid glowing crimson. She vanished in a puff of red mist, reappearing next to Gengetsu and grabbing her arms. Gengetsu started to cry out, only for Elis to kiss her, lips parting as she held Gengetsu close.

After a moment Elis let go of Gengetsu, leaving her hovering and stunned, red miasma leaking from her mouth. Elis’s eyes locked on Kurumi and Mugetsu, despite Mugetsu's illusion, and a moment later she was on top of Kurumi, kissing her just as passionately, so hard that Kurumi’s sword dropped from her hand, landing in the midst of the still battling beast spirits and mist wraiths. Mugetsu gagged, turning away from the sight. “Get a room. And better timing.”

“Shouldn’t a goddess bless those she cares for?” Elis turned on Mugetsu, leaving a gobsmacked Kurumi in the same state as Gengetsu. Elis grabbed Mugetsu’s hands. “I’d offer you the same blessing if the delivery method wouldn’t repulse you. I’ll have to think of something else.”

“What do you mean, goddess?” Mugetsu pulled her hands free, blinking at Elis. “What’s going on? What is all this?”

“Do you not see the Miasma? Mother’s gift to us in my control? I have become like her!” Elis raised her hands, and red mist swirled around her. “All of this- all of this- has been according to her designs. No wonder Sara hated me, she must have known my destiny all this time.” 

“Destiny? Sara?” Mugetsu shook her head. “This isn’t making sense. Elis, Sara took you to Mother to erase your memories.”
“She did! And it wasn’t the first time.” Elis pointed down below, at the dozens of smokey other Elises. “All of those- those are all me. Lives I lived before Mother erased and sealed those memories out of reach, that I could live another. Slowly, experiencing all life had, so that when I finally arrived here, I would have the knowledge and experience a god needs!” 

 

 

Kurumi shook herself out of her stupor, just as Gengetsu recovered and flew over. “You’re… all of them?” 

Red mist puffed from Elis’s skin, forming into another figure. Gengetsu and Mugetsu both gasped in recognition. It was Elis, as she had appeared on her last day in Virgil’s Den, that day she’d gone to fight the YuugenMagan, carrying the human girl Hakurei as a sacrifice. That Elis grabbed Gengetsu in a hug, while the other grabbed Kurumi’s hand. “I am. I am all of me, now. As Mother willed, so it has become.”

“So we can go home, right?” Mugetsu asked.

“Home?”

“Back to Makai. If all of this was Mother’s plan, she should be informed, right? That you’ve ascended to godhood. We can go home.” 

Elis grimaced. “I’m still not sure how. And there are other things that need to be taken care of first. I promised Lady Junko to help her get to the Moon to take her revenge.”

“...What?” 

“It’s the lesser of the Mundanity’s two Lodestars,” said Kurumi. “The one that’s too dim. It’s in the Rhyme of Warning. You know, the ‘Do not go to the Mundanity’ one?”

“Advice you clearly didn’t take…” Gengetsu mumbled.

“I know what the moon is! Just, she needs to take revenge on a Lodestar ?” questioned Mugetsu.

“On someone who lives on a Lodestar,” corrected Elis.

Mugetsu blinked. “It’s… a Lodestar. People can’t live on a Lodestar.” 

Kurumi nodded. “Their Moon is too cold and their Sun is too hot! It's in the Rhyme. Anyone who did manage to get to one would probably die immediately, right?”

Elis frowned. “I didn’t think of that. Huh.”

“In any case, this Lady Junko was part of Mother’s plan, right? She’s just acting as part of the test,” said Gengetsu. “So, you don’t need to, right? Not now that you’ve attained godhood.”

“Perhaps,” said Elis.”I suppose if we left, they'd just stop fighting. Hmm.” 

Elis closed her eyes, and the maid mist wraith reappeared, curtsying before speaking. “I recognize one of the people fighting Lady Junko- the one wearing blue with all the wings.” The maid Elis turned and pointed. “They got in arguments with Mother, perhaps they were a liason of Vina? Regardless, they had a chariot they used to travel from Makai to the Mundanity and back. If they are here, that chariot probably is too.”

“Then that’s our way out,” said Mugetsu. “Can you find it?”

“Anywhere the miasma touches is ours to see. I’ve sent out feelers already.” The maid curtsied and evaporated, as Elis shook her head and opened her eyes once more. 

A stream of blue darts shot up from the ground. Elis flicked out a hand on instinct, red mist solidifying and blocking the attack. Elis casually turned, glaring down at Saki Kurokoma. The woman had cleared a circle among Elis’s mist wraiths, snarling wolf spirits holding the line. A squirming Yachie was slung over the winged woman’s shoulder, struggling to reach for the rocket launcher strapped to her back to no avail. Saki shook her fist at Elis. “Get your ass down here, my boot has an appointment with your face!”

Elis gave a few slow claps. “You have played your role well. I'm sure Mother will bless you for your performance. Even you, Yachie. There's no need to continue the act now, however.”

“Damn you… Elis…” Yachie groaned from Saki’s shoulder. She turned her head back, glaring. “After everything I did for you . I made you my lieutenant! We could have ruled the Animal Realm together!”

Elis sighed. She gently reached out a hand and touched Gengetsu’s shoulder, releasing a puff of red miasma that sunk into her skin. Gengetsu gasped, straightening as her strength returned. Elis nodded, drawing her hand away. “Genny, would you?”

“With pleasure. ” Gengetsu raised her hand and unleashed another massive lazer- this one bigger than before, tinted red, screaming with raw heat and rage. Pavement melted on contact, cement cracking and asphalt boiling, and when Gengetsu lowered her hand, no sign remained of Saki and Yachie.

“Hmm, that worked better than I expected,” Elis said, turning. “Good news, Moog, I can empower you without kissing you after all.” Elis turned as the misty maid reappeared and gestured. “I've found our ride out of here. Now come, my friends… disciples? Angels? What does a god call her mortal companions?” Elis considered for a moment, then shrugged, before taking Kurumi and Gengetsu by the hand. “I'll figure it out later. For now though, we have one last thing to do. After that, well…” Elis grinned at Mugetsu. “I did promise Moog I'd talk to you both about our future, didn't I?”

Mugetsu held back a bit as Elis flew off. Vina’s eye and Mother’s mists… What have we gotten ourselves into?

 

---

“Sucker!” Yuuma cackled as she ran, leaving Saki behind to face the wrath of an angry Elis. Red smoke things pursued her, but with so much attention on Saki, they were less coordinated and fewer in number. A few swings of her staff, a rain of energy bullets, and a couple dives into piles of rubble. Soon what few mist creatures remained were confused, unable to find her, while Yuuma giggled silently, unseen by-

“Boss!” 

The glowing violet form of an eagle spirit popped up next to her. “Boss, you're okay!”

Another eagle’s head poked up from nearby rubble. “Of course she is! She's the best there is!”

“The way-too-reliable boss with nearly-invincible power!”

Yuuma groaned as more eagles appeared. More had survived Sariel's attack and Junko’s subsequent devastation than she'd thought, but now as they clustered around her they risked betraying her hiding spot. “What are you all doing? Didn't you notice the thing trying to kill us all?!”

“Well, we had to find you! What are your orders, boss?”

“Get the hell out of here, you dumbasses, that's my orders!”

“Boss?”

Yuuma sighed, then sat, one hand raised serenely like a holy woman, cleared her throat, and spoke. “Just as a braid of three cords is less easily broken than a lone string, so is a lone needle more easily hidden than a haystack.”

As if that explained anything, each of the eagle spirits nodded in turn, before dashing off in flight. Yuuma smiled, though no humor reached her eyes. Damnit, I miss Ran. She never played sycophant to me.

Yuuma scanned the area- Junko and Sariel were on the ground now, joined by a goddess Yuuma didn't recognize but could smell the power radiating off of. And yet Junko holds her own… maybe it's time I paid Ran a visit up in the living world. Yuuma took a breath and dashed, slipping from rubble pile to rubble pile. An unearthly scream reverberated from the fight, but Yuuma ignored it, set on escape, at least until she caught the faint scent of blood nearby. She glanced to her side, eyes widening at the sight of one of Sariel's wings, tattered and partially shredded, but still mostly intact. Yuuma started to salivate. Hadn't she just earlier been wondering what it would be like to eat one of those iridescent feathers? No! I need to get out of here before Junko or Elis realizes I'm escaping. But those shiny feathers, that power…

“Well, one little bite couldn't hurt.”

 

---

 

“Genny, would you?”

“With pleasure. ” 

Saki closed her eyes, bracing herself for the flash of light and heat that would incinerate her, when suddenly a pair of hands grabbed her around the waist. The world whirled by in a rush of movement and suddenly they were gone, watching Gengetsu's massive lazer from the distance. 

Saki blinked to try and clear her eyes. She set down Yachie and turned to confront her rescuer, only to bark out a laugh. Yachie stared at her as well, eyes wide. “What the hell did you eat, Toutetsu? You look like a Valentines Day card!”

Yuuma hovered in front of them, white hair flickering with rainbow light. A pair of poofy cherubic wings were stuck to her back, along with a silver halo. Yuuma smiled, though it seemed slightly forced. “One of the combatants fighting Junko is an Angel. They had a wing ripped off during the fight.”

“An’ you ate it and it brought out yer better nature, huh?” Saki laughed and clapped Yuuma on the back. “In the most Yuuma way possible too, showin’ up at the last minute when we're both exhausted so you can steal the treasure! That's amazing.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Yuuma grumbled. “Let’s get outta here, before Junko or Elis notice us.” 

“I don’t think Elis’s gonna care, looks like she’s buzzin’ off,” Saki shaded her eyes, watching as the vampire and her minions flew away. “Well, so much for loyalty, eh, Yachie?” 

Yachie laid on the ground, cradling her rocket launcher. “Everything I did for her, everything…” 

“Ah, some people suck. If it makes ya feel better she turned down betrayin’ you for me!” Saki grinned.

Yuuma stared into the middle distance, at the Ministry forces battling Junko. “Everything we did for the Animal Realm, and there it goes. Wiped out by that thing.”

“ You were the one keeping it locked up!” 

“I didn’t lock her up, she was locked up when I got here! The Ministry or Chthonian Council or whatever straight up couldn’t deal with her so they locked her up. What chance would I have?” Yuuma shook her head. “We need to get out of here. There’s nothing we can do about Junko. Get as many of our own as we can to cover before someone calls in the real big guns.”

Yachie rubbed the barrel of her weapon, then growled. “Not yet.” She struggled to her knees, hefting the rocket launcher. “I’ve got one more rocket. Damn Elis. Damn Junko. Damn the Ministry and damn you two as well.” Yachie’s arms shook, but her voice was steely. “The Animal Realm is ours. Wily beast and weakest creature, not any of you above-ground shitheads!”

Yachie pulled the trigger and with a flash and rush of flame, a rocket streaked towards the distant combatants. 

 

---

Zanmu arrived fist first, her hand wrapped in the divine titanium chains that had once held Junko. She chambered a punch and slammed it into the woman’s chest, knocking her off the blonde Hecatia and sending her flying. Zanmu pursued, landing a second punch, but her third was intercepted as Junko’s hand shot up, snatching her by the wrist. Junko raised her other hand and Zanmu saw stars.

She landed on her back, skidding before coming to a rest in some loose concrete. Blood welled from a broken nose, her head fuzzing from a burgeoning concussion, but Zanmu didn’t have time to dwell on it, not with Junko stalking towards her. Zanmu scrambled to her feet, raising her arms to block a blow from a flaming tail, biting back a scream of pain. Junko swung another tail but a pair of arms wrapped around her stomach, dragging her away from Zanmu. The bluenette Hecatia, bleeding golden ichor, struggled against Junko’s strength, as the other two Hecatias dove in to grab her arms.

A hand reached down to grab Zanmu’s arm. Zanmu jolted, turning to look at Sariel. The angel grimaced. “It's as though the angrier she gets the stronger she gets.”

“She must have been plenty angry while locked up, and yet the chains held.” Zanmu loosed the chains off her wrist. “They weren't broken, someone unlocked them.”

“The trouble is, getting them back on-”

Red-haired Hecatia flew overhead, as Junko shrieked “ Smells like Moon! Smells like Chang’e!!” before sinking her teeth into blonde Hecatia’s wrist. The goddess screamed, golden ichor flowing as she tried to pry Junko off her. Bluenette Hecatia grabbed for Junko’s head, but it was too late- Junko snarled, wrenched, and bit through , severing the hand. All three Hecatias cried out, the red-haired one stumbling and clutching her own intact wrist.

Sariel burst forward with a shout, drawing a circle in the air with their staff and bombarding Junko with bullets. Junko hissed and raised an arm, letting go of Hecatia, but another flash of magenta fire left her seemingly unharmed. Clownpiece dove in with her torch raised, bathing Junko in violet light but although the woman flinched a swung tail reduced Clownpiece to sparkles again.

It's no good. Everything we throw she shrugs off. As long as her strength and rage are tied together… Zanmu's struggling thoughts trailed off as she caught movement far off to the side. The three gang leaders, taking cover together. Zanmu's eyes flicked to Yachie's rocket launcher. Fulminated Hi'irokane. It destroyed my spear, laid up Konngara for months with a glancing blow,  deactivated Kikuri’s mirrors while they were on us and we were barely brushed by the disruption effect. Was Yachie spiteful enough to attack, even as she had the chance to escape? 

Zanmu gritted her teeth, then burst forward, putting Junko between her and the jidiao. “Over here!” Junko whirled, locking onto Zanmu. Just keep her distracted for a few seconds. “I know where she is and how to get to her!” It was a guess, that Junko had a grudge of some kind- she'd heard Junko shouting about Chang’e but it was hard to be sure if it was good or bad when Junko only had one tone of voice, screaming.

“ Where is Chang’e? Bring to Junko!” Junko’s eyes glowed, tails flaring out and leaving scorches across the ground. Zanmu took a step back, then another. Had she misjudged? Her eyes flicked past Junko, towards where Yachie had gotten onto her knees. Light flashed, a rocket streaking towards them both. Junko turned at the sound, but Zanmu ran, shoulder-checking the Junko into its path before diving away. The missile exploded in a burst of distorted light. Everything went dark as Junko’s flames went out, leaving her sprawled over the cement. 

Sariel landed next to Zanmu, their staff extending for them to lean against. Red-haired Hecatia ran up behind them, clutching her wrist in phantom pain. “Is that it, then?”

Junko snarled, pushing herself up on unsteady feet. She reached back, grabbing for a tail, but they were gone, just like her flames. She frowned, raising her hand and trying to summon energy bullets, but nothing happened. “What is this?” She hissed. “ What did you do!”

“Now!” Zanmu burst forward, loosing the chains from her wrist. Junko screamed, punching and kicking, but with her power disrupted she was merely a very strong woman. Zanmu tackled her, followed by Hecatia and Sariel, pinning Junko down, wrapping her with the chains. 

Junko screamed, eyes welling with tears as she struggled. “No! Not again! Not again!” Biting, kicking, straining as her straitjacket was closed up again, the locks on her chains snapping together around her waist and neck. For a brief moment her fire returned, magenta lighting up her eyes, screaming “ Chang’e! Help Junko! Please!” before with a final click of the lock, she fell, powerless and weeping.

Zanmu sighed, laying on her back. Sariel sat next to her, head in their hands, while the three Hecatias stood in a small circle, apparently trying to reattach the blonde Hecatia's hand. Heads poked up from the rubble, staring- Humanoid Spirits, watching, ducking away the moment Zanmu’s gaze caught them. The gang leaders had disappeared, leaving the small group and the whimpering Junko in the middle of a field of devastation.

“Hello?” a small voice came from next to Zanmu. Zanmu sat up, winced with pain, then scooped up the small bronze mirror, opening it to reveal a worried Kikuri. “Are you…”

“‘Piece needs to regenerate again, and we've got injuries. We're alive though.”

“Code Typhon has been contained,” added the red-haired Hecatia, through her own mirror. “We'll have to consider future handling. Later, though.”

Kikuri visibly winced in the mirror, tapping at something out of sight. “I don't think later is an option, Hecatia.”

“Tell the Chthonian Council to go-”

“It's not just the Council. I've got calls from every major pantheon demanding to know what's going on.”   

Thunder roared, and for a moment the ruined city block glowed bright as the sun. Zanmu blinked to try and restore vision, getting nothing but a dozen silhouettes of warrior gods. 

Hecatia sighed. “Well, shit.”

Notes:

Catbox pooped itself so I had to change sources for my drawings. It may take some time to edit the rest of the chapters if it doesn't come back up.

Anyway though, that was a battle. Junko did quite a number on them all, didn't she? It's probably good that she's a lot calmer in LoLK.

Elis seems to be a bit... different now, doesn't she? More than just not quite understanding what's going on. We'll have to see what the consequences of that are, won't we.

Chapter 16: Inanimate Dream

Reimu fell into whiteness.

The Dreamworld had been torn apart by the collision of the three lazers. The manor was gone, the blood lake was gone, all Reimu could see was herself, a black speck in the middle of unending unyielding white.

It couldn't be unending, could it? She was falling, wind pulling on her clothes and hair. And she hadn't been the only one there.

Yuuka. Kazami. Elly. Meira. Marisa.

Reimu closed her eyes, forcing herself to concentrate. It's the Dream World. It has to still be the Dream World. The land of thought and memory. There has to be something I can do!

With a sudden rush of wind, and a sound almost like shattering glass, Reimu landed, crashing down on soft grass under a moonlit sky. She laid, stunned, panting, but otherwise unharmed. Slowly she regained her focus, sitting up to examine her surroundings. 

Reimu sat next to a stone pedestal, staring up at a familiar stone lion statue. “I'm… I'm home?” Reimu stood, giving the statue a pat, and frowning at her sleeves. “Still green. So I'm still in my Dreamself’s body…” She started down the path, towards the shrine, fairly certain of what she’d find at the end, and indeed, as she approached, she saw herself, a few years younger, crawling out from underneath the shrine, a small wooden box in hand. 

The night I freed Mima. The night all our lives changed.

Something landed behind Reimu with a ground-shaking thump, just as her younger self smashed the box containing the ghost-witch on the ground. Reimu turned, already knowing what she’d see there. “Marisa-” 

Marisa slammed into her, punching her in the stomach with a shriek of rage. Reimu gasped as the wind was knocked out of her, crumpling, but managing to step aside as Marisa swung at her again. Reimu caught Marisa’s wrist, stepping around her and yanking the arm up. “Marisa, stop!”

Marisa liquified into black ooze, slipping out of Reimu’s grasp. She slithered between her legs reforming behind Reimu. Reimu turned, eyes flicking momentarily behind Marisa, towards the shrine, where Mima was forming out of a cloud of mist. Marisa took the moment of distraction to charge again, but Reimu managed to catch her wrist and push her away. She stuck out a hand towards the shrine on instinct, calling for the Orb, but the only thing she got was Marisa’s hand, grabbing and crushing her fingers. “ There's no Orb here, Hakurei. What are ya gonna do? You're nothing without it.”

Reimu summoned a barrier as Marisa tried to grab her other hand, shoving it into Marisa and pushing her down. The ground shattered and they fell into darkness together, landing on red clay in a grove of crystalline trees, surrounded by choking scarlet miasma. Reimu’s throat instinctively tightened and burned at the sickly sweet smell. It's still the Dream World. This isn't actually Makai. This isn't real, I'm not choking.

Reimu pulled her hand free, leaping back and away. The pep talk reduced the feeling of burning a bit, but she was back on the defensive as Marisa brought her hands forward and loosed a spread of toxic-colored stars. Reimu blocked two with a barrier, then grabbed onto a nearby tree branch, pulling herself into orange foliage. Stars shot past her as she scrambled across the branch and to the next tree over, one catching her in the thigh, sending pins and needles down her leg. Reimu shrugged off the pain and numbness, clearing another tree and jumping to the next. Behind her Marisa’s footsteps vanished as the girl took to the air, crashing through branches in her pursuit.

Reimu had only been to Makai once, but she remembered her time there enough to guess where her past self was. There, through the trees- a screaming purple-haired girl running out of a cave, pursued by five massive cartwheels with eyes on the hub, each sparking with electricity as they took flight.  The YuugenMagan let out a roar like thunder, filling the air with bullets, heat rays, and the scent of ozone. Reimu shivered, muttering to herself “It’s still the Dream World. The YuugenMagan isn’t actually here. Elis isn’t here.” 

Marisa was there, though. A bullet slammed into Reimu’s back, followed by Marisa, knocking her from the tree. Reimu hit the ground, rolling and kicking Marisa away before getting to her feet. “ Why? Why are you like this?”

Marisa brought her hands together and unleashed the black lazer. Reimu threw up a barrier, too weak to stop it but lasting long enough for her to dodge. Marisa stumbled as the beam tapered off, panting with exhaustion, but tiredness didn't stop her from charging Reimu and throwing all her weight into a tackle, knocking them through the ground and into white light.

This time they landed in Reimaden- the crossroads of the Dream World that connected Earth, Makai, and the Moon. Two girls wrestled nearby, squabbling over a crystal orb- Reimu, still much the same if a bit shorter, Marisa, back when her hair had been red. Reimu got to her feet, then shot out a hand, catching Marisa's wrist as she tried to punch her. “Is it because I sealed Mima? Because I hurt Meira? Marisa, I'm sorry, but you need to stop! Look what this rage is doing to you!”

“ You sound like Rika and Narumi. How would you know what's normal for me? This is who I am!”  

Marisa swung her other fist, but Reimu caught it as well. “If I sound like them it's because they're right!” 

“ Shut up! Don't talk about them! That's also your fault!”

“What? What's also my fault?”

Marisa turned away, teeth gritted. Black tears welled at the corner of her eyes. “Marisa… where are Rika and Narumi right now?” Reimu asked.

“Sh-shut up…” Marisa closed her eyes, and for a moment her voice almost seemed like her own again. 

“Marisa-”

“ Shut up!” Marisa slammed her forehead into Reimu’s nose with a crunch! Reimu's vision went black with pain as she fell, and when she opened her eyes Reimaden was gone, replaced by dark stone. Marisa was gone as well, but Reimu could hear combat down the hall. 

Reimu scrambled to her feet. “Marisa!” She sprinted for the hall, only to be driven back by a sudden gout of blue fire. Her younger self was dueling Mima, fighting for her life.

I wasn't though, not really. Reimu hadn't thought about it at the time, but Mima’s demands for the Orb had been couched in doubts about Reimu's ability to wield it, or if she were strong enough to defend Gensokyo. She said she stopped being interested in the Orb because holding it hadn't given her back her memories, but even so, that was also after I unlocked its power and proved my strength to her…

Reimu shook her head and focused. The past was just a memory, but Marisa was real. “Marisa!” Reimu called out. No response but the sound of her past self’s fight. She couldn’t have gotten far, I didn’t spend much time in Mima’s castle that night. Reimu took a few steps forward, ignoring the battle, only to freeze. But Marisa had been there that night, too.  

Could the memory have incorporated aspects of both of them? Reimu continued down the hall, slipping past her younger self’s and Mima’s duel, into a corridor she knew she hadn't gone into that night. She passed the past Marisa, watching from around the corner, and spotted light spilling from a door a few meters away, beyond her past self’s line of sight. She couldn't have remembered this, even accounting for how the Dream World filled in details she might not have been conscious of. Reimu darted for the door. “Marisa!”

Reimu ran inside, but there was no sign of the girl. A cot stood at the far end of the room, holding a body- Meira's. Reimu ran over, lifting a hand as if to touch the girl's forehead. Meira’s face was covered in cuts and burns. Presumably so was her body under the blanket, victim of the Hakurei Orb’s fury, While she'd been cleaned up, her clothes, folded on a nearby table, were still covered in dirt from Reimu's attempt to bury the girl she'd taken for dead. Meira’s arms were wrapped around her sheathed sword, hugging it close to her chest.

Reimu didn't turn as she heard Marisa pool out of the shadows, solidifying back into human shape. “I am sorry, Marisa.”

No response.

“The first time we fought, you wanted justice for Meira and for sealing Mima. The second time, you said you hated me, because I had everything for free you had to fight for. Cool powers, a supportive mentor, friendship.”

No response.

“...What do you want from me, Marisa? I can't change what I did.”

“...I want things to make sense again.” Reimu turned to look at the smaller girl, who glared up at her with heterochromic eyes. 

“Make sense again? What do you mean?”

“...you wouldn't understand. You wouldn't. Because you never made sense.” Marisa's voice shifted again, and Reimu barely got her hands up as the girl tackled her. Reimu was knocked to the ground, and Marisa brought back a fist, an energy bullet forming over her hand as she swung.

Everything flashed white, and the two were on cold concrete, on a highway to a vast Outsider city. Blood flowed freely from Reimu's nose, her vision spotty, but she managed to shove Marisa away before she could hit her again, kicking her into the side of the RV that Professor Okazaki used as a mobile laboratory. Reimu scrambled to her knees, pressing a hand against her broken nose, fighting through pain to focus. This is the Dream World. It's not real. The blood stopped, but the pain didn't go away entirely, and it mattered little as a star bullet hit her in the side and send her sprawling again. 

“ A shrine maiden protects people from Youkai. You were raised by one.” Marisa hovered overhead, her single wing spread. “ A shrine maiden seals ghosts, you freed one.”

“Would you rather I hadn't? You yourself told me Mima was the best thing to ever happen to you!”

“ Shut up!”

“Why? Because I don't make ‘sense’? Whose sense?” Reimu got to her feet and erected a barrier, blocking a stream of bullets. “What happened to Rika and Narumi, Marisa?”

“ Th-they weren't making sense either. Y-your fault. You corrupted them!”

“You attacked them?” Reimu’s eyes widened in realized horror. 

“ The Monster attacked them! I had to!” 

“Had to what? Marisa, you're not making sense now!” 

“ I know!!!” Marisa screamed, black tears leaking from her eyes. “ Why did you have to make everything stop making sense? Why did you have to destroy everything? Why don't you just finish the job? ” Marisa slammed her hands together and unleashed one more black lazer, smashing through Reimu's barrier and engulfing her in blackness.

Reimu yanked herself to the side, pulling out of the beam. Her skin burned with pain but it hadn’t turned black, like the first time she’d been caught in the horrible attack, during Professor Okazaki’s tournament- which was also where they were now, in the middle of the glass-lined square. Marisa’s weakening, burning herself out. “How many more times can you do that, Marisa?”

“ Enough times.” Marisa was on her hands and knees in the dirt not far from Reimu. She struggled to get up, panting as she landed on her side. Reimu knelt by her, and Marisa flinched back. “ Get away from me!”

“Marisa..” Reimu swallowed. “Marisa, you’re burning yourself up.” 

“ What do you care?” Marisa slammed her fist into the ground, unleashing a blast of light that sent Reimu flying. Reimu landed in a roll, coming up to her feet only to be knocked down by another wave.

Reimu formed a barrier just as a third wave hit. “Do you really think killing me will change anything, Marisa?” Another barrier deflected a spread of star bullets, but Reimu stumbled as she summoned it- She was running out of strength too. “What happens afterward? Is it what you want?”

“ I don’t know anymore! ” Black tears flowed freely down Marisa's cheeks as she raised her hands, unleashing a lazer, barely missing Reimu as she dove to the side. “I don't know what I want anymore! I just want it to stop!”

Reimu dodged but no attack came. Marisa had collapsed, her power completely spent. Reimu cautiously approached, reaching out a hand. “Marisa?”

The girl curled in on herself, pressing her hands against her temples, eyes screwed up and wimpering. “I wanna go home…”

“We can do that. I can take you to Mima’s castle-”

Marisa shook her head. “I wanna go home. B-back to the village. Before everything…” she let out a sob. “B-before I was magical. Before Dad looked at me like I was a m-monster. B-befo-ore…” 

Reimu grabbed Marisa, letting the smaller girl collapse into her arms, weeping and clinging to Reimu. “You're not a monster, Marisa.”

“Y-yes I am! H-he was right ab-bout me. Y-you-u’re the shrine maiden, you n-need to-”

Reimu squeezed Marisa close. “Marisa, you're not a monster. I'm not going to kill you. ”

“Why not? I-its your job! Everything I've done, attacking you, M-m-eira, Rika, Narumi, oh g-gods… ” Marisa shook in Reimu’s embrace, sobbing harder. “I hurt them, oh gods…”

“They'll be okay. Meira’s had worse from me, Rika handled her tank blowing up while inside it, and Narumi’s literally made of stone.” Reimu smiled, but her attempt at a joke only made Marisa cry harder.

“E-even Lady Mima… when she heard what I d-did, in the arena… this…” Marisa lifted one black stained hand. “I-I could see it in her eyes… she was sc-scared.”

“Scared for you, not of you.”

Marisa shook her head. “Why do you have to always have an answer? W-why can't you just hate me as much as I hate you?” 

“I…” Reimu struggled to come up with a response. Of Mima and her kids, Marisa had always been the worst- Rika might have been the one who actually destroyed the shrine once, but Marisa had been the one to come up with the idea of trying to steal the Orbs as a gift to Mima in the first place. Marisa had been the one to attack her in the arena after Mima had forfeited the tournament, and had goaded the other girls into joining her. Marisa had blasted Meira into unconsciousness and attacked the others, all for a chance to try and kill her again. Why don't I hate her? 

…Do I?

Marisa was undoubtedly the worst. But Reimu had seen the pain and worry on her girl's adoptive sisters’ faces when Marisa lost it. And she’d chosen to free Mima after She-That-Lies had sealed the ghost-witch, knowing that Mima would do everything she could to care for the girls. “I don't like you, Marisa. But I don't hate you. I care about Meira, Rika, and Narumi more than I dislike you.”

“A-aren’t you the shrine maiden? They'd understand, it- it's your job-”

Reimu put a hand over Marisa’s mouth, stopping her from continuing. “The job of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden is to keep balance in Gensokyo. That means sometimes I fight people- monsters, youkai, and humans sometimes. But why don't I just kill everyone? Every youkai I mean.”

Marisa stared up in confusion. Reimu continued..”It wouldn't bring balance. It wouldn't solve anything and just make it worse. It's one thing to fight the ones who are causing harm but to assume the same about others…” Reimu trailed off. “When we first met, you told me Lady Mima was the best thing to ever happen to you. If you could go back, before you got your powers, would you have ever met her? Or the others?”

“N-no…”

“Would you be fine with never having that chance to meet them?”

“I-I don't know…” but Reimu could see in Marisa's eyes that she wouldn't be fine with losing her adoptive sisters. 

“Marisa, you've done bad things. You've hurt me. But you're not entirely evil. Even when you attacked me the first time it was because you wanted to avenge the others, or because you wanted to give my Orb as a thank you gift to Mima. Because you love them. A monster wouldn't have that love. A monster wouldn't feel horrible because she hurt her friends.” 

Marisa looked down, ashamed and crying. “I-I'm sorry… I…” 

Reimu held the girl close. “You can't kill all youkai because some are evil. You can't kill a girl because she makes mistakes. Things aren't as simple as that.”

“They used to be, before my magic, before dad, he…” Marisa sniffed. “I… I know he's wrong. About me. About magic. About w-wanting to get rid of my power… But it… when I did that, after all this…”

Reimu didn't say anything, just letting the girl cry into her chest. Around them the memory faded away into white.

“I… In my head I know… Rika’s right. But it doesn't make it easier, knowing in my heart… he’s still my dad, he should have…“

“He should have cared for you regardless. Not tried to force you into something you're not.”

“What am I though?”

Reimu held Marisa up, looking her in the eyes. “You're Marisa. You're my rival. You’re a turd, but still someone who cares about her family. You're a skilled magician who can hold her own against me and every power and weapon I have that you complain about being unfair.” Reimu closed her eyes. “You're not my friend. But you could be, one day.”

Marisa lowered her head, eyes closed, but slowly a smile appeared. “I… don't understand you, Hakurei.” With a sudden flash Marisa split in two, right down her divided self. On one side sat a village girl in a white kimono, on the other a roughly witch-shaped mass of black goop. Both looked up at Reimu, speaking in unison. “I can't promise… it's… hard. I thought I'd found a way forward when Mima took me in…” Both Marisas reached for each other, pulling together and merging, but this time instead of a corrupted, bifurcated, mix of villager and witch, one whole Marisa stood there, neither black nor white, but a silver grey, hair reddish gold, wearing simple magicians robes. The girl looked over herself. “I think this will do.”

“Are you feeling better?”

Marisa shrugged. “I feel… more intact. But I still feel like if I'm not careful, I'll come apart again. That I'll drive my magic away again…” Marisa swallowed. “I… think I need to talk to the others. To Lady Mima.”

“We will. As soon as we're out of the Dream World.” The world in question was coming back into focus as the memories evaporated. Reimu and Marisa laid on the shores of the blood lake, surrounded by debris from the mansion.  

Figures clashed in the sky above, visible by light of the crayon-drawn moon and bursts of energy bullets. Yuuka and Kazami were obvious by their umbrella and wings, respectively, as was Elly and her scythe. The two verdettes flew in circles around each other, while Elly flitted back and forth between them, screaming unintelligibly and slashing indiscriminately with her scythe. Yuuka shifted into a ball of light, weaving through Kazami’s bullets before popping out back into humanoid form and loosing a giant green lazer, while Kazami turned into a ball of light themself to dodge it. Something flitted across the dark sky, and Reimu squinted. “Is that Meira up there? Did she get back up?”

Marisa shook her head. “No, I think that’s someone else? They look shorter-”

Kazami reformed and unleashed a lazer of their own, ignoring Yuuka and targeting the shadowy figure. The silhouette of a woman briefly appeared, backlit by the beam, before she fell, plummeting to the earth and hitting with a splat! of pink dreamstuff. The two girls ran over, as a surprisingly hale woman pulled herself out of the crater, shaking her head as she struggled up. She wore a black and white pom-pom decorated dress, with apparent short blue hair under a long red cap. She winced, then smiled as Reimu approached. “Ah, hello again, Lady Hakurei. I do apologize for not being a better host, but I am- urgh! ” The woman pulled herself out of the hole, leaving a perfect indentation of herself in the ground. “-In the middle of something, I’m afraid.” 

Reimu frowned. “Have we met?”

“I suppose I was being mysterious that day, wasn’t I? Back in Reimaden.” 

Reimu’s eyes widened. “The Baku?”

“That’s me!” The Baku got to her feet, pausing to brush herself off before giving them both a short bow. “And Ms. Marisa. It seems you're doing better, that's good.” The Baku turned away to stare up at the combatants. “This is actually quite bad. Dream selves and physical selves meeting often is, but this…” as she spoke two lazers burst to life, slamming into each other. The sky around them cracked, white lines glowing amongst the stars. “I'd hoped to convince Yuuka’s dream self to go back peacefully and stop trying to kill their other half, but things have escalated a bit.”

Reimu stared at the cracks. She could see more cracks, including several in the ruins of the manor. “Is that normal?”

“No. They really shouldn't be able to do that, but that doesn't change the fact they're tearing my realm apart each time those beams collide.” The Baku shook her head. “I fear I’m going to have to take more direct action. I can seal them both for a time, but that won’t stop them fighting again if I let them loose. Extended disentanglement is bad enough, as you’ve seen, but permanent separation would result in lobotomization at best. Options are few and all of them terrible.”

Marisa stared up at the fighters. “Kazami- that is, Yuuka’s dream self?”

“Both names are correct.”

“Kazami came to me for help with separating from their physical self. I think… I think they saw themself in me? Someone else who had their life change and turn everything upside down.” Marisa shook. “Maybe… maybe I can try to talk to them.”

“If you can, It would be most appreciated.” The Baku said. “I can get you two up there and restrain them for a while. If it works, that's great. If it doesn't…”

“We won't know unless we try,” said Reimu. She looked at Marisa, meeting the girl’s eyes. Marisa looked back, and gave a nod. 

“True enough, Lady Hakurei. Stand back!” The Baku spread her arms, then planted her fists down, going on all fours. Dream goo flowed up her limbs, solidifying into metal plates, forming around the Baku like armor until all but her head was encased. Wings and gun barrels formed, as well as a massive pair of horns. The Baku had been replaced with a massive mechanical sheep. Reimu gawked as the woman winked at her. “What? You didn't think that the ruler of the Dream World didn't have odd dreams?”

“Are you sure that wasn't one of Rika’s dreams?” Marisa said under her breath, getting a guffaw from the Baku.

“You might be surprised. Now, climb on my back, children.” The Baku squatted down for Reimu and Marisa to climb on and they did so. Reimu clenched her fingers around synthetic wool, feeling metal armor under her knees. Marisa squirmed in discomfort, but Reimu found it surprisingly like riding on Genjii’s shell. The Baku waited a moment for them to settle themselves, then bounded forward, picking up speed before leaping into the air with a rush of jet engines. Yuuka and Kazami grew in Reimu’s vision, rapidly shifting between glowing orb form and humanoid form, blasting at each other with their massive lazers, while Elly fluttered back and forth while screaming. The Baku’s gun barrels pointed forward, and with a series of thump!s blasted the combatants with pink dream goo, which rapidly solidified into metal chains, dragging them all down to the ground, restrained. The Baku dove after them, landing next to the trio.

Kazami’s wings buzzed with fury as they struggled to raise their hands for another beam. Their physical counterpart roared in frustration, muscles straining under her pink pajamas but unable to break free. “Get this off! I'm the victim here, they're trying to kill me!”

“She's trying to kill me!” Kazami shouted back.

“Oh stop it you two! You're killing each other, don't you see?” The Baku called out. 

“Kazami.” Marisa slid off the Baku and approached the fairy. “Do you really think this will help?”

“Oh hey, witchlet! You look more solid now.” Kazami nodded to Marisa. “Help me out. Or stab the other one? I’ll owe you a wish for helping slay the monster, remember?”

“Kazami…” Marisa sucked in a breath. “You're scared of dying, right? Because you're not a fairy anymore.”

“...Didn't they regenerate like one during the fight earlier?” Reimu asked, earning her a glare from Marisa. 

“There's still enough of me that's fairy for some regenerating,” said Kazami. “That’s why I know I can kill the doppelganger and take back my life! I'll just form another physical body, like I have for centuries before I transcended. Speaking of-” Kazami's cheeks puffed out as they started to hold their breath.

“What if you're wrong?” Asked Marisa. “What if you kill your physical self and you just die permanently?”

Kazami let out their breath. “Then I die on my own terms! Better than dying stupid from, like, a falling boulder or an atom bomb. And now I have to start over!” Their cheeks puffed out again.

Reimu’s eyes flicked between the two Yuukas, but something caught her eyes- Elly, also wrapped in chains, staring at Kazami and muttering under her breath. Reimu frowned, something stirring in her mind. “Dreamselves are a reflection of one's mind, right?”

“That's correct, Lady Hakurei,” said the Baku, who'd slithered out of her armor and was standing behind her.

“My dreamself and I look pretty much the same, but Marisa's was all monstrous until a bit ago because of how much she's been hurting. And Yuuka and Kazami look super different because they're struggling to figure out what to do about being mortal now.” Reimu stared at Elly’s dreamself- just as when Reimu had first encountered her, the woman was covered in mud, no prosthetic fingers or hat, compared to the more elegant version of Elly back in the physical world who Reimu hadn't even been able to identify as dorotabō. “If dreamselves change because people are in distress, then what's going on with Elly?”

Everyone turned to the woman in question. Kazami let go of their breath again and frowned. “I mean, Elly just looks like that sometimes. Usually when she’s mad about something.”

“I am mad, you…. You dummy .” Elly hissed. “My physical self didn’t want to say anything, because she trusts you, but that doesn’t mean we’re not mad that you're essentially trying to kill yourself!” The dorotabō sat up, struggling in her chains. “I knew you were shocked by your transcendence, but I didn’t know things were so bad at first. Maybe I could have, but by the time I realized how bad you were feeling you’d gone to sleep and my physical self couldn’t wake you!”

“You could have told me here,” Kazami shrugged, but their eyes couldn’t meet Elly’s. 

“I did tell you. You just laughed it off and said you’d fix things, and then flew off into the physical world looking for someone to cut you off permanently. And mess with people, I’ve heard.” Elly closed her eyes. “What was I supposed to do, Yuuka? How am I supposed to help when your physical self is trapped asleep and your dream self is pulling pranks on blacksmiths?” 

Kazami’s face turned away in shame. After a moment her physical self spoke up. “We’re… scared, Elly. I don’t want to die, by my dreamself’s hands or otherwise. Humans have it easier, in a way- they have time to adjust as they grow. Me, I went to sleep a child and woke up as an adult.”

“So you kill yourself instead,” said Elly in a growl. Neither of the two Yuukas could meet her eyes.

Marisa stepped forward again. “Someone said something to me earlier. About loving more than they hate. What about you? Do you hate being mortal more than you love Elly? Enough to risk dying and losing everything?”

Kazami shook her head. “No. No, I don’t.”

The Baku waved her hand, and the chains around Elly and the two Yuukas dissolved. Kazami immediately ran over to Elly, grabbing the woman in a hug, which Elly returned. “You might not live forever anymore, Yuuka, but you can at least spend what time you have with me. Isn’t that better than worrying and cutting it short?”

“I don’t know. There’s a lot of stuff I still don’t understand. I think it’s gonna take time to figure this out.” Kazami let go of Elly, brushing mud off their clothes, then sizing up their physical self. “I think… I think we need to try though, right? No killing each other.”

“No killing each other.” Yuuka reached out, grabbing Kazami’s hand. The fairy glowed and shattered into sparkles, reforming into a taller, more mature form, nearly identical to their physical self, save for the red gingham outfit and shorter hair. 

“I think I can accept that truce for now.” The Baku smiled and stepped forward. “Now, how about we get you back to where you belong, Yuuka Kazami? I imagine you’ll have some things to take care of after two weeks asleep.”

“Probably.” 

The pajama-wearing physical self reached a hand to the Baku, but the dream self grabbed her wrist first. “When you get back, promise me you won’t be boring? I won’t try to kick you out again, but don’t be just a stupid adult, okay?”

The Baku grinned. “When I became a woman, I put away childish things. For example, the idea that certain things are inherently childish and should be grown out of. I'm sure you’ll learn that lesson in time.” Black smoke filled the area, and she vanished, taking both Yuukas and Elly with her.

Reimu and Marisa were left outside the mansion, staring at each other. Marisa let out a breath, seeming to collapse a bit, but Reimu was there to grab her shoulder. The blonde girl looked at Reimu, giving her a weary nod. “I… guess it worked.”

“It's like you said. They came to you because you could empathize with them.”

“Yeah, huh?” Marisa sat down. “I… guess that’s good.”

“You saved a life.”

“I still attacked my sisters.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about that.” The Baku reappeared before them in a flash and a curtsy. “Their souls have returned to their physical bodies, no worse for wear. I made sure of it. And now I think it's time I did the same for you, hm?”

Reimu nodded, but Marisa shook her head, still sitting. “What if they hate me? Or what if it happens again? The thoughts are still there, about me and magic, and…”

Reimu took Marisa’s hand. “Then we deal with it. Before it gets this bad again. We all know, and we all care about you, Marisa.”

 

---

 

Marisa looked into Reimu's eyes. Guilt still weighed on her heart, and even now she could still feel lingering loathing. Memory of her dad and Lord Anaberal talking of sealing her power, of how her magic made her an inherent danger.

But as she looked in Reimu's eyes, felt the world vanish as the Baku channeled shadows around them, heard Rika, Narumi, and Meira 's voices as she returned to the physical world, she knew she didn't want to die.

Nobody tells me what to do. Not dad. Not anyone.

And never that part of me again.

Notes:

It'll take time.
But at least there's a chance.

Chapter 17: The Path to Makai Where None Turn Back

The four vampires clung onto a blue chariot as they hurtled through nothingness. No creatures pulled the chariot, nor did it seem to need any input, beyond Elis holding reins that linked to nothing.

“My power should protect you when we arrive,” said Elis, after a few minutes. “Their greater Lodestar is bright but not as bright as that oni’s attack.”

“Lodestar?” Kurumi asked. “Aren't we going home? To explain to Mother everything?”

“There's something we- I need to take care of first.” Elis growled, staring forward. “One last loose end in everything. The one who doesn't fit with Mother's designs. The outsider.”

“Reimu Hakurei must be destroyed.”

 

---

 

It was a rare sight to see Kikuri outside of a mirror. But here the mediation goddess was, knocking at Hecatia's villa, stepping inside the moment Hecatia opened the door. “Well?” She asked.

Hecatia shook her head. “Not here. You're the last to arrive, we'll talk in the courtyard.”

Kikuri nodded, and Hecatia turned, leading her deeper into the house. The inner courtyard opened to the sky, perpetually twilit by Hecatia's godly will. Zanmu, Hisami, Konngara, and Sariel sat at a table, Hisami making furtive glances towards Zanmu every so often, while overhead Clownpiece fluttered around with a group of her fellow lampads, regaling the battle against Junko. Sariel stood as Hecatia approached, but Hecatia waved them back down. “It's not as bad as I feared.”

“That means it's still bad, then, right?” Kikuri grabbed a chair, spinning it around and kneeling in the seat. “Out with it.”

Hecatia sighed, pulling up a chair of her own. She pressed her fingertips together, letting out another sigh, before speaking. “Kikuri, they've decided to not renew your contract and find a different god to run messages for the Council.”

“Psh, good luck to ‘em.” Kikuri rolled her eyes. “I’ll be back in a few months. They've tried replacing me before, there aren't many high-level communication specialists that have experience with the underworld like I do. And I don't see Hermes or Ratatoskr doing crap like negotiating cease-fires between Izanagi and Izanami any time soon.”

Hecatia nodded. “Sariel, you've been removed from your position of Angel of Death.”

“Unfortunate, but expected,” said Sariel, shrugging. Their wing had regrown, though it was covered in pin feathers, not quite fully fledged. 

“Zanmu-”

“Fired?”

“No, surprisingly.” 

Zanmu folded her arms and hmmm ’d “Let me guess, they're worried that without me at the helm the Oni will riot?”

“They didn't say that, specifically.” Hecatia said. “I expect you're on thin ice though. Same with Hisami and Konngara- in fact, I was told that your first duty after you're back from medical leave was to discipline them.” 

“Easy. Konngara, Yomutsu, one month mandatory leave at half pay. Go do something that doesn't involve getting shot at.”

“Y-yes, Lady Nippaku!” Hisami saluted, blushing, before wincing in pain. She ducked down and rubbed at her injured leg, fingers scraping against a cast.

Konngara signed and leaned back in her seat. “Well, Kikuri?”

“Well, what?”

“Are you disappointed I'm not fired?”

Kikuri huffed. “Please, Konngara. I want to be the one who fires you, not some other twit. In fact, would you like to take a job working for me during your leave?”

“Are you going to fire me immediately?”

“Naturally, Konna dear~.”

“Don't call me that!”

Hecatia smiled, wanly. “Things certainly could have gone worse. Sariel, if you’d like I’m sure I can find a different job for you.”

Clownpiece hovered down from the mob of other Lampads, glancing around the table. “I don't get it. We defeated Junko, didn't we? We might have saved the world! Why are they mad at you?”

Sariel shook their head. “Heaven prefers not to think of Hell, and will avoid doing so as it can. Officially, we had no business entering the Animal Realm- policy is that it is left to its own devices, a wild realm for wild souls. Unofficially, we went in to recover Lady Shinki's subjects- something we failed to do.”

“And even less officially we were there to take out the gangs,” added Zanmu. “They're scattered, but their leaders escaped alive. The only thing we did was defeat Junko and recapture her.”

“Which is good, right?”

Hecatia grimaced. “As far as the Chthonian Council is concerned, Junko was only released to begin with because of our entering the Animal Realm and forcing the gangs’ hands. And since Junko was supposed to be Ministry's responsibility, only for them to lose her to the gangs to begin with, well… we sullied the entire Ministry’s honor, and by extension the Council.”

“Not to mention that in the end, it was the head of the Kiketsu Family that took her down, so technically we didn't even do that, either,” said Zanmu.

“That's not fair!” Clownpiece stomped her foot. “I got splattered like five times, Xir Sariel lost a wing, Lady Hecatia got her hand bitten off…”

Hecatia nodded. “It is what it is, unfortunately. Just be glad it isn't worse.” She experimentally flexed her wrist- she'd managed to reattach her other self’s limb, but it still twinged every so often. At least Junko hadn't swallowed- Tyr had never grown his hand back.

Silence reigned for a few minutes, before Hisami spoke up. “What about you, Lady Hecatia? Were you removed from the council?”

“Officially no. I've simply been given an assignment that will likely take all my time and energy, assuring that I don't bother the rest of the council.” Hecatia chuckled darkly “Someone has to keep Junko from getting loose again.”

“They're not killing her?”

“Historically it's proven difficult,” Hecatia shrugged. “I don't think they expect me to manage it. If I do, then that's taken care of. If not, I’m taken care of. Either way, it's one less problem for the Council.”

The small meeting continued for a while, checking in on injuries, contemplating the consequences of their failed attempt to bring peace to the Animal Realm. But all the while, something dug in Hecatia's brain. Something she'd heard Junko say during the fight.

Chang’e.

Eventually they dispersed, one at a time, until it was just Hecatia. Even Clownpiece had flown off, once again regaling to the other Lampads her bravery. Hecatia closed her eyes, taking a moment to compose herself, then headed back into the house. Downstairs to a basement, and unlocking a door.

The room was fully furnished, far better conditions than the padded cell Junko had previously resided in. She had a bed and blankets now, a small window near the ceiling for light, she had proper clothes in the form of loose black trousers and a matching shirt. Even her bonds had been improved, simpler padded cuffs that allowed her more freedom to move than her old straitjacket, and a single toughened chain allowing her to walk about the room. And yet Junko chose to kneel on the floor, eyes closed, arms wrapped around herself as though she were still straitjacketed. A lone magenta eye opened as Hecatia entered. “Junko hates Hecatia,” she growled.

Hecatia ignored the comment, as she squatted down in front of Junko. “How are you feeling? Do you need anything?”

Junko held silent for a minute, before finally saying “Junko wants the blindfold back.”

“Blindfold?”

“Too bright in here. And Junko doesn't want to see anyway.”

Hecatia considered for a moment, then conjured a strip of black silk out of the air. She gently wrapped it over Junko’s eyes, tying it in the back. “Is that better?”

“Hmm hmm… Junko does not know what better is. No such thing. Just worse and worse.” Junko shrugged. “Darker though. That's nice.”

“I'll see about getting some thicker curtains for your windows. And maybe some sunglasses? If you change your mind though the new blindfold shouldn't be hard to remove.” 

“Hmm hmm.”

Hecatia shifted to a sitting position, across from Junko. She waited a minute, watching Junko, before finally speaking again. “Junko?”

“What?” 

“I had a cousin. He used to drive the sun. One day though, he was shot down…”

Junko didn't move, but Hecatia thought she could sense the woman focusing on her. “Junko… would you like to talk about it?” Junko still didn't move. “About… Hou Yi. And Chang’e-”

Junko snarled and lashed out, reaching for Hecatia's neck. Even without her fury-enhanced strength she was strong, but Hecatia managed to grab the mad woman’s wrists and hold her back. Junko hissed and bit at the air, but eventually she slumped down in Hecatia's grip. Hecatia dropped her, then stood to go, only for Junko to grab her leg. Hecatia paused, turning to look at her. 

“Junko…” Junko shivered, then reached up to push her blindfold up, magenta eyes meeting Hecatia's. “Junko would like to talk. Just… hard. Junko hates Chang’e. Hates so much...”

Hecatia sat back down. “Alright. Promise not to attack me?” 

Junko slipped her blindfold back on. “Junko makes no promises. Junko will try though.”

 

 

---

 

“To us!” Saki lifted a shot glass, as did Yuuma. “We showed that lot. Nobody messes with the Animal Realm!”

“Cheers!” Yuuma slugged down her glass. She still bore evidence of devouring the angel’s wing- the halo and wings of her own were still there, though they had lost their luster. “To you, Kurokoma, who fought off Elis and her gassy minions!” 

“Ha! And to you, Toutetsu, for comin’ through in the end and saving my tail!”  Saki drank down her own glass, then pointed across the table. “And to you too, Yach, for having this lovely safehouse! Even if it's your fault Junko nearly wiped us out and brought the Ministry down on our heads.”

Yachie hid her growl behind the fakest smile in the world, as her two least favorite people drank down her whisky and put their feet up on her table in her safehouse. How did it end like this? She thought to herself, downing her own glass as well. “You know, it's my weapon that brought Junko down in the end.” 

“Ah, true enough. Quite convenient that you had that,” said Yuuma with a smile Yachie couldn't read. I swear she's more annoying like this. I can't tell if she's making fun of me or some angelic garbage is making her nicer, and I don't know which is worse. 

“Well, way I see it,” said Saki as she poured another dose of whiskey into her glass. “Prolly for the best we got that Junko outta here somehow. Wouldn'ta picked this way myself, but we can ride it out, long as none of us poke our heads out as long as the Ministry's lookin’.”

“Those aren't Ministry,” Yachie’s grip tightened around her glass. “Those are full on war gods, sent to make sure nothing else like her was left down here.” And kill us if they get the chance.

“Then it's a good thing you thought to set up a safehouse for us, Yach! Almost enough to forgive ya for bringing down the wrath of hell on our asses.” Saki laughed and slapped Yachie on her butt. “Yours too!”

Yachie blushed and growled, as laughter filled the room- including, she couldn't help but notice, the handful of otter spirits who managed the safehouse. Traitors , she thought to herself. Lu had arrived with the van just after she'd blasted Junko, only for Saki and Yuuma to jump in with her, as if she were offering them sanctuary. And now she had to grin and bear their teasing.

“I cannot say I will be amenable to the idea once the angel feathers are out of my system,” said Yuuma, pausing to take a sip of her drink. “But perhaps it would be in our interest to form something stronger than our gentlewomen's agreement. If we wish to continue holding power down here, after all…”

“Hey, yeah! Like, if we kept fighting so they still thought we were at each other's throats and not a worry, but we were secretly allied and usin’ it as training…” Saki grinned and rubbed her hands together.

“Exactly!”

“I…” Yachie blinked, stammering as the two idiots came up with her plan, the one she'd offered Elis. And now the two idiots were treating it like their own? Yachie groaned, slumping back into her seat, and downing another glass and pouring another. She needed to get drunk, quickly. At least this day can't get any worse…

 

---

 

Some said the Animal Realm was a punishment for those who had forsaken wisdom for base pleasure. A beast in life, a beast in death.

Some said the Animal Realm was a place for those who desired unrestricted freedom. Away from innocents, where the only ones harmed would be those who were also willing to harm. To eat, or be eaten, like a beast of the jungle.

Some said the Animal Realm was naught but a holding cells for animals- regular creatures of the mundane world, with all the beastliness that implied.

Yet humans there were. Bullied, enslaved, ignored as irrelevant. Be they the souls of ordinary humans who'd ended up here by as some divine joke, or beasts who'd decided they wanted more than base desires, it didn't matter. What did it matter when your lot in life was to be at the bottom of the food chain?

The island had been spared from damage during the battle against Junko. A nature preserve and park, and the home and hiding place for these human spirits. They had watched, hiding in the shadows, as their oppressors had fought against beings beyond their ken. How many had been lost as collateral? How much time did they have before the bosses returned in force to enslave them again?

Wet clay splattered onto stone- a small glob, a human spirit only had so much strength. But globs added up. Spirits pressed and kneaded, while their fellows made a chain, bringing clay dug from the edge of the island and adding it to the lot. Slowly, surely, a shape was formed-  a human shape. All the while, the spirits prayed, begging someone, anyone , to help. To take advantage of this moment of freedom, and make it last. 

A humanoid form became a woman’s form, shaped by prayers and hands alike. The chest began to move, slowly at first, rising and falling. Clay flaked away from the hands, revealing dexterous fingers. The spirits backed away, as the idol broke apart, clay falling from the form of a goddess.

“I have been summoned.” 

The goddess stood, shedding clay off her naked body. Spirits bowed in reverence, while some presented clothing to her. She brushed long blue hair from her face, picking a simple smock and apron as she examined her bowing supplicants. One spirit dared raise its head, meeting the goddess’s eyes. “Can you help us?”

The goddess looked around, her mind whirring as she envisioned a fortress. An army. Fingers idly picked up a ball of clay, her thumb pressing in to form eyes and a mouth. 

“I will do my best.”

 

---

 

A blue chariot appeared in a flash of light, crashing into an alleyway. A moment later four vampires emerged from the alley, squinting from the light of the sun. Still, they did not burn, protected by a thin layer of red mist. 

Elis sniffed the air, teeth bared, then turned and pointed. No words were exchanged as they headed into the residential quarter, seeking out the Gensokyan brat.

Notes:

Things take time to wrap up, but we can talk a bit about it.

I've mentioned before that I wondered what Junko was doing before LoLK. Part of that also means, how she and Hecatia met and what brought them together. It'll take some time for Junko to recover her sanity a bit, but one of Hecatia's traditional roles was protector of those in a transitional state- traveling from one city to another, or in this case, from insanity to sanity.

Keiki's arrival was another thing that seemed to fit in, as chaos grew within the Animal Realm as I wrote. It'll take time for her to get off the ground, of course. Just over two decades, perhaps? It'll take time to build up her forces, just as it will take time to rebuild for Yachie and the others.

Elis is on the move. Be careful.

Chapter 18: Magical Girls' Crusade

Reimu woke up with a sneeze.

She sat up, her Orb still clutched to her chest, flowers falling off her form. She sneezed again, rubbing away pollen as she scanned the room. She was alone- Meira and Yuuka were both gone, no sign of them but piles of discarded flowers where they'd once lain.

Reimu closed her eyes and entered her Trance, connecting to the Orb. The specter of her great-grandmother appeared. "Did it work?"

"It did. Thank you."

"Of course, of course. It's what we're here for- or, well, not here for. We're just memories after all!"

"Mother..." Reimu's grandparents appeared, her grandfather pinching the bridge of his nose. The woman in question laughed, before reverting to a small flame and flitting off to hover with the other ones representing past Hakureis. Her grandfather shook his head, but smiled as he turned towards Reimu. "They're both awake. Meira came out first and stood guard before Yuuka awoke about a minute ago. I think they went downstairs."

"Thank you." Reimu smiled and let go of her Trance. She stood, brushing off flowers as the Orb shifted into cat mode, and left the room. In the hallway she could hear voices from downstairs- more than just Elly, Yuuka, and Meira, and familiar voices at that. Reimu started to run, catching the scent of fresh-baked pastries and tea as she came to a dining room, eyes widening as she entered. Elly and Yuuka sat together at one end, hand in hand. Meira sat pristinely with a cup of tea, while Rika sat next to her futzing with a piece of equipment. Across from them Narumi fussed over Marisa, the little witchlet looking better than she had since before they'd fought during Professor Okazaki's contest. All eyes turned to Reimu as she entered the room, and silence reigned for a minute.

Rika made the first move, standing and marching over to Reimu, pointing a finger at her. "Hakurei."

"...yes?" Reimu started, only to gasp as Rika grabbed her in a tight hug. Reimu slowly brought her arms up to return it, and after a moment Rika stepped back and grabbed her shoulders.

"In light of your services, I hereby declare that you are not , in fact, an idiot." Rika's eyes were as steely as ever, but their grey was tempered with genuine warmth. "For your part in helping Marisa, I am glad to call you acquaintance."

"She means friend."

" Shut up, Narumi !" Rika turned and pointed at the jizou, who covered her mouth and giggled. Meira looked up, a wry smile on her lips as she met Reimu's gaze. Reimu blushed a bit, remembering Meira's offer to try to set her and Rika up together, and focused her attention on Marisa instead.

Marisa did look better now- not evil black goo, for one, but also her eyes- livelier, golden flecked with red. Reimu sat down next to Marisa, noting that although Marisa flinched, she didn't pull away or hiss. "How are you feeling?"

Marisa didn't answer at first, looking down at her hands. She spread her fingers, sparks of light dancing across the tips. "Did you see the lazers Yuuka and Kazami were using when they fought each other?" she finally not-answered. "It felt... familiar. Like what I was throwing at you, but less painful. For the user, I mean."

"Maybe you could ask her- them? about it?" Reimu looked up to Yuuka, who had pulled out a sheet of paper and was scribbling on it happily. "Is there-"

"I'm a plant, we're not confined to your notions of gender." Yuuka looked up, grinning. "Not a boy though. And not a 'Very Special Episode' either. I'm Yuuka Kazami, and what I am is amazing ." She held up the paper. "What about this, Elly? Sunflowers, for miles around! Wouldn't that be pretty?"

"Yes, up until a blight goes through. You know how I feel about monocropping, dear!"

"Well, what if we made it smaller and then moved the field around? Planted it in a different place each year so it never drained the soil. Ooh, I bet the cartographers would hate it." Yuuka grinned. "That's one thing that's good about being a full youkai now, I can think bigger . Forget pranking someone by kicking over their charcoal bins, I can gaslight an entire population ."

"You're so silly," Elly chuckled next to her. "Lady Hakurei, please help yourself. There's plenty for everyone."

Reimu helped herself to some of the pastries and tea, relaxing into the warm atmosphere. This... this was nice. If all troubles ended like this, tea and snacks and talking things over... Across from her Rika regaled how she, Narumi, and Marisa had been pulled into all this to Meira, clearly enhancing her story by the looks Narumi and Marisa passed to each other. As she wrapped up, Rika held up a finger. "Which reminds me!" She reached for something, frowned, then looked over herself. "I must have left my bag with Sigma. She should be back by now, she chased after when Kazami took us away but left her big body behind. I kinda need that to get around." Rika stood up and ran outside, only to sprint back inside a moment later, eyes wide as she panted. "Someone set the Human Village on fire!"

"What?" Reimu pushed back her chair and stood. Had it only been that morning she'd been there, training with Kotohime? Was it only this morning? How long was I out? I feel like it's been months!

"For the record, I didn't do it," Yuuka called as Reimu followed Rika back outside, followed by the rest of Mima's children. Rika pointed as they exited the mansion, towards where thick black smoke rose in the distance. Reimu stared, mouth agape and stomach twisting, as the others lined up beside her.

"It doesn't look too bad," said Meira, quietly. "I don't see any flames."

"Doesn't need to be bright to be bad," Rika growled. "Narumi, anything?"

"My gift doesn't work that way, Rika!"

"Why not? Village is fulla kids, isn't it? You sense danger and instinctively protect them!"

"It's not that simple!"

"My aunt lives there, Narumi!" Rika tightened her fists.

Reimu stared, heart starting to beat faster as she noticed something- a reddish tint to the smoke. "No..."

"Lady Kotohime and Lord Genjii were in the village," said Meira, reaching to squeeze Rika's shoulder. "And Lady Mima would probably head there after seeing you and the others had left. Your aunt will be fine."

It wasn't just the smoke- small puffs of red mist dotted the town, appearing for brief moments before vanishing. "No..." Reimu whispered again, taking a step back, then another.

"Maybe, but I can worry! I'm not that cold, you asshole!"

Reimu started to hyperventilate. She could almost taste it, sickly saccharine, burning her throat as she breathed. She fell to her knees, wrapping her arms around the Orb and holding it close. Marisa turned, frowning. "Hakurei?"

"It's not... it can't be..." Reimu whimpered.

"What?" The others turned to her as well, Narumi kneeling down to rub her back.

"It's not just smoke. It's Makai Miasma."

"Makai? Like that Elis bitch I fought?" asked Rika.

"Makai has that same red mist, it chokes you. And it's in the village now. Why is it there?" Reimu clutched her head.

"If it's Elis we can kick her ass. I had her on the ropes with barely any material and you did beat her."

"And what if it's not? That's a lot of miasma and smoke, what if she brought friends?"

Marisa spoke, quiet but determined. "Then she won't be the only one."

"What?" Reimu looked up, as around the other girls looked at each other, nodding. "You..."

"A Hakurei doesn't fight alone," said Narumi. "She has her companions."

Rika grinned. "And she needs worthy companions. The kind who can keep up with her and kick just as much ass."

"When we first met, we did wrong by you, Lady Hakurei... Reimu." Meira knelt. "If you would have us, we'll do what we can."

Reimu stood, wiping tears from her eyes. "Are... are you sure?"

"Honestly at some point it was inevitable. Just like with Kotohime and Lady Mima gettin' along," Rika grabbed Reimu around the shoulder. "Lady Mima always did say we should fight you to train and get stronger. Part of me thinks she thought it was inevitable too."

Reimu looked at each of the four, tears welling in her eyes. Her eyes met each in turn, ending on Marisa. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Besides, we can't let you have all the glory, can we?" Rika grinned, then turned and whistled. A metallic shriek answered her, followed shortly by the Evil Eye Sigma speeding over the hills towards them. A massive four-winged eyeball bat with a glowing halo and dangling with vines and leaves, it was surprisingly graceful as it landed next to Rika. Rika reached up to rub the machine's brow. "How's your flying, Hakurei?"

"I still can't," Reimu admitted.

"I think I can manage," Marisa cautiously lifted her hand. "I'm out of practice, I know, but-"

Rika scooted behind Sigma, popping open a hatch and digging inside, before pulling out a broom- not a simple one for sweeping, but one covered in brass, with footrests and a curved ram. "Happy birthday. Woulda given this to you on the day of, but, well..." Rika grimaced, then tossed it to Marisa. "It's got a rocket motor at the back too, in case you need a boost. Oh, and you'll need this."

Rika pulled out a hat- broad brimmed with a point, violet dark enough to be nearly black. Marisa slowly reached out, took the hat, and after staring for a moment, put it on her head, flicking the brim up and grinning. "Hats are important, right?"

"That they are." Rika spun and pointed. "Alright, let's go! Elis or someone else, Gensokyo is mine to eventually rule over, not hers!"

Marisa hopped into the air, hovering experimentally, while Narumi ran over to her, whispering something in her ear before they both got on the broom and took flight. Reimu started to go over to Meira to ask for a lift, but Rika grabbed her shoulder. "Mei's gonna need all her limbs for stabbing things. You're riding with me and Sigma."

"Er..." Reimu blinked. The massive eyeball-bat turned, just enough for a red iris to focus on Reimu. "Sigma?"

"Yes, she’s intelligent," said Meira, strolling past. "She's just really shy and only talks to Rika."

"I..." Reimu shook her head. "I don't know how I'm supposed to respond to that."

"Don't. It helps." Meira shrugged, then took off after Marisa and Narumi.

Reimu stared into the machine’s eye. “...you probably remember me destroying you before, then, I guess.”

“Don't worry, Sigma forgives you,” Rika punched Reimu’s shoulder as she approached. “Right, Sigma?”

Sigma rumbled and her eye turned back forward. Reimu wasn't sure what to make of that, but nothing happened to her as Rika guided Reimu down the hatch. After a moment of Rika strapping them both in, with a roar the Evil Eye Sigma took flight, taking place in formation between Meira, Marisa, and Narumi.

And as they approached the Human Village, Reimu steeled herself for what was coming next. She was afraid, how couldn't she be?

But a Hakurei didn't fight alone. Just like her mother had fought with Rin and Kotohime, Reimu had companions- fellow incident resolvers- of her own.

Elis wouldn't stand a chance.

 

Notes:

The end approaches.

Adapting LLS was the hardest for me to do, I think, since while having a fight between Marisa and Reimu while both were protagonists does make sense from a perspective of their relationship, it was figuring out how Yuuka fits into all of this that made for difficulty. Finding a way to make her and Marisa thematically reflect each other was what ended up making things work for me, but in the end, the story was about Reimu and Marisa more than Yuuka. Which perhaps isn't a bad thing- after all, the whole point of An Omission, a Rivalry, and a Remembrance does have to do with Reimu's relationship with Mima and Marisa.

Some housekeeping before we go. I don't know how long it'll be before the next one comes out- I've been trying to work on it but life stuff has made it difficult. I am writing, though. Hopefully it comes out in a quicker timeframe than this did. I have some collabs I've been working on as well, we'll see if those get released (I hope they do! One of them involves Elis)

Thank you as always for reading. When I started this project back with A Response, an Orb, and a Prayer I didn't expect anyone would read my fic. So to see people coming back to read this even after so long a delay warms my heart.

We have one chapter left. You know what it is. Akyuu has some things to say.
Until then, I hope to see you up ahead, for A Mystic, a City, and a Sacrifice.

Chapter 19: The Inevitably Forbidden Game

Elis wouldn't stand a chance.

Kosuzu Motoori stared down at the words on the page in front of her. Next to her Sumireko Usami, as though sensing she'd finished, slid the page closer to herself. 

“Is… that it?” Kosuzu asked, looking up to where Akyuu of Hieda reclined in an armchair across the parlor. Akyuu had her hands folded and eyes closed, and for a moment Kosuzu wondered if she had fallen asleep. 

“Huh, a cliffhanger,” Sumireko also looked up. “I mean, you kinda did that with the last one, with Elis and all, I guess, but this seems weirdly out of place. What comes next? Fighting Elis I guess, but why wait?”

Akyuu let out a breath and sat up. She took a moment to settle herself before speaking. “It's funny how things work out. Vampires, red mist, maids with strange powers… and, well, R.S. sounds a lot like Elis, doesn't it?” Akyuu sighed, before looking at Kosuzu. “Where were you that day? I think you'd have been old enough to remember.”

Kosuzu frowned, then her eyes widened in realization. “ That day?”

“That day.”

“What day?” asked Sumireko.

Kosuzu clenched her fists. “You're right, I was old enough to remember. I didn't know what was going on though. Dad hid me in an empty book chest, told me that we were playing hide-and-seek, and that I shouldn't leave or even make a sound until he or Mom came for me.” Kosuzu bit her lip, eyes closing as she started to shake. “I don't know how long I was in there. I heard stuff outside and I was terrified, too much to not obey. Eventually Grandpa found me and I found out Mom and Dad had both been injured…” Kosuzu giggled, humourlessly. “Would you believe I was worried I'd be punished for disobeying them and letting Grandpa pull me out? 

“Terror is a strange thing, Kosuzu. Speaking as someone who has experienced her fair share over all her lives.” 

“ What terror? Hide from what ?” Sumireko pushed herself up, hands on the table. “I wasn't here for whatever it was, remember?” 

Neither Kosuzu or Akyuu met Sumireko's eyes, but after several moments, Kosuzu quietly whispered “The Vampire Incident.”

“The Vampire Incident?” Sumireko’s face screwed up in thought. “That's, the thing with Remila Scarlet, right? Where things got so bad that everyone agreed to move to Spellcards to try and reduce collateral damage. Or something. I don't know, that Tanuki explained a bit when I first got in here but I was busy freaking out, and when Reimu and Kasen sat me down and explained why I couldn't just shoot people they didn't go into the history that much. And I was freaking out then, too!”

“Elis does sound a lot like R.S., doesn't it?” Akyuu repeated, a wan smile on her face. “I have no doubt that Lady Scarlet had her eyes on Gensokyo long before her official arrival. Besides rumors of what we later knew to be Ms. Izayoi spying, in an interview I had with her, Ms. Knowledge admitted to having read Professor Okazaki’s doctoral thesis- the one discussing pocket dimensions and how one might study them. The one which led to the creation of the Probability Space Hypervessel and her subsequent entrance into Gensokyo. I suspect that Ms. Knowledge used that research to aid in composing the spell that allowed transferring the entire mansion.” 

“So… Professor Okazaki was responsible for Remila Scarlet coming here?”

“Only in the same way you were responsible for the Lunar Invasion, Ms. Usami.” 

Sumireko flinched at the comment.

“In any case, I would not be surprised if Lady Scarlet tailored her entrance to resemble the true Vampire Incident. She has a flair for the dramatic, and blotting out the sun was never her end goal- she's not stupid enough to forget that her prey need the sun to grow crops. A second dose of red mist in such a short time and effectively taking the blame would increase the fear she caused, and subsequently her foothold.” Akyuu shrugged. “In the same way that the Urban Legends Incident and the Lunar Invasion tied together, in the same way that the Arrival of the Moriya Shrine brought about the Religious War, you could say the Vampire Incident and the Scarlet Mist Incident were partners. But no, Lady Scarlet didn't cause it. She merely profited off it, perhaps was inspired by it, but she didn't cause it.”

Sumireko nodded. “So… what happened? Is that the next part?”

Akyuu turned and pointed to a shelf. “Over there. Every news article, both local and Tengu, about it. Including Shameimaru’s original treatment before Lord Tenma ordered her to censor it on pain of being plucked and broiled. I also have the official after-action report from the village guards, security recommendations from the council, minutes from the Grassroots Youkai Network, and a copy of the journal of a member of the Secret History Association. Please don't ask how I got that.” 

Kosuzu frowned. “Aren't you writing it?”

“It's already written.”

“It barely gets a mention in the Chronicle, Akyuu. It's not really up to your normal standards.” Kosuzu swallowed. “Akyuu, you said yourself you’d put this off for too long. That you didn't want to face what happened.”

“What does it matter in the end?” Akyuu snapped. “I don't know what comes next! The Vampire Incident, and then something happened in Makai, but I don't know what!” Akyuu clutched her head. “Lady Hijiri said it wasn't her story to tell, Alice threatened me if I brought it up, Reimu and Marisa….” 

Kosuzu stood, walking over to Akyuu and hugging her, but the other woman just shook. “It doesn't matter. In the end we got the Spellcard System. That's the important thing. Anyone can go look up what happened, or talk to the survivors. Just step into any bar in the village and ask anyone where they were that day, they'll know what you mean.”

“But what about your story, Akyuu?”

“Perhaps my next incarnation can write it down,” said Akyuu. She gently pushed Kosuzu away and pulled her feet up into her chair, hugging her knees and burying her head. “I'm tired. Humans weren't meant to live as long as I have, even in chunks like I do.”

“Akyuu…”

The conversation was interrupted by a knock at the parlor door. Sumireko hopped up and went to answer it, opening the door a crack before cursing and slamming it, pressing her back against the door. Several more knocks came, harder. “ Damnit Usami open the door! ” came the muffled voice of Reimu Hakurei.

Kosuzu sprinted over to hold the door as well, looking back at Akyuu. “You said she got mad when you asked about things, was it this bad?!”

“No.” Akyuu hung her head in resignation.

Sumireko drew out a Spellcard. “You two, out the back! I can hold her for a while.”

“You really can't, Usami,” Both Kosuzu and Sumireko jumped as suddenly Reimu was there , right next to them, as if she'd been in the room the entire time. Reimu's hand lashed out, and Sumireko screamed, but no blow landed- just a ruffle of wind as Reimu swiped Sumireko’s hat from her head. Reimu turned towards Akyuu, approaching slowly. “I'm not here to kill you.”

“Yeah, just to terrify us,” said Sumireko. 

“A little terror is good for the soul. Especially yours, Usami.” Reimu folded her arms and sighed. “You know we talk to each other, right? Byakuren asked me if it was alright to tell you what she knew. Alice was complaining the other day about how she still can’t get out from under her mother’s shadow. Yuuka said some nonsense about a fourth wall but that’s just Yuuka.” Reimu shook her head. “We know you’ve been digging into things, Akyuu.”

“If you're here to tell me to stop, don't worry. I'm finished.” Akyuu closed her eyes. “I can't go any further. I just...”

Reimu squatted down next to Akyuu, gently patting the woman’s shoulder. “The story of the Geist-Hexe family is different from the other Incidents in Gensokyo’s history. Not just in how small of scale they were, for the most part, but in how large they were for those involved. For those involved, it might as well have been as big and important as an eternal winter or a tool rebellion.”

“I know. I just…”

Reimu nodded. “You needed to do this. To build up the courage and context to finally face what happened. To understand why Elis targeted you that day. To understand if it was all worthwhile.”

Kosuzu gasped, as did Sumireko. Akyuu simply slumped in her chair, eyes welling with tears. “It doesn't matter. The story will remain incomplete. I can't face it.”

Reimu stood, staying silent for a minute. “The others and I have… decided. If anyone should know the truth, you have the most right. We’ll tell you what happened in Makai. And you'll tell us your story. We'll help you face it, like we helped each other.”

“Who's we?” Akyuu asked, quietly.

Reimu smiled. “Who do you think?” 

“...very well. I’ll try.”

Reimu held out a hand to Akyuu. “Then come with me. There's some people you need to meet.”

Reimu helped Akyuu to her feet, as Kosuzu scurried over. “Lady Hakurei-”

“This deal is only for Akyuu. Whatever she decides to tell you about what happened to her that day is her own decision, but the rest isn't hers to make.” Reimu shot a glare at Sumireko. “Especially you, Usami. No following us.”

“Fine, fine,” Sumireko raised her hands. “Wasn't gonna anyway. Just kinda curious about the end of the story…”

“What about everything I told them already?” Akyuu asked. 

“Enough of it could be discovered from public records. And what you made up wasn't that different from reality. Even the thing with Marisa pretending to be you happened. It was interesting to read your account.”

“You read it? How? I've kept it only to us three.”

Reimu gave Akyuu a withering look. “One of my closest friends is literally a book thief. She's been sneaking in and making copies.”

“...oh.”

Reimu led Akyuu outside, followed closely by Kosuzu and Sumireko. Kosuzu reached for Akyuu’s shoulder “Are you gonna be okay?”

Akyuu nodded. “I think so. I've admittedly been curious since the beginning, it's just…”

Kosuzu nodded, then looked Reimu in the eyes. “Don't hurt her.”

“I won't.” Reimu scooped Akyuu up into her arms, under her knees and shoulders. “If the others agree, maybe we'll let Akyuu tell a bit of what happened. At the very least to get people to stop prying.”

Sumireko narrowed her eyes, but with a nod from Akyuu, the two went back into the house, and with a rush of wind, Reimu carried Akyuu away.

“Where are we going?”

“To the place it began. And where it ended.”

And as the sun started to descend, Reimu turned towards the mountains, and towards the Hakurei Shrine.

Notes:

Akyuu will return in A Mystic, a City, and a Sacrifice

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 4 of An Omission, A Rivalry, and a Remembrance- A PC98 Retelling