[Finished] Rise of the Evening Star

[lightdreamer]

Yay, update! 

No fighting in this one though we (and Reimu) keep learning how dire the situation had become.

[Vicks]

I was so sure I knew who Hoshimi was...until I realized Renko has brown, not black hair :<

"Stargazer" fit her so well too...

[Dumanios]

Poor Flandre, Kaguya, Satori, and Orin. 

[TwilightsCall]

In celebration of reaching page 2, timely updates!

Every time I write a chapter and something bad happens to someone (ie Flandre, Mokou, all of Chireiden...) I feel like I'm a terrible person and that its all my fault...which I suppose in a way it is, but that doesn't really help me feel better about it lol.

Luckily, this chapter has significantly less pain and suffering, so I got to take a bit of a break from hating myself.


Chapter 10.5 – The Seven Colours of Chance

Alice sat back into her chair with a sigh.

It had been a long few days of experimenting and investigating, but she was no closer to the answer than she was when she had first started.

Just over two weeks ago, she had felt inexplicably tired in the middle of the day.  Thinking nothing of it, she decided to lie down and take a nap.  The next thing she knew, it was dawn.  She had assumed it was the dawn of the following day, but the amount of dust that had managed to accumulate while she was asleep was far greater than it should have been.  In addition, despite having slept for the better part of 16 hours, she had felt absurdly exhausted – far more so than she had felt when she first went to sleep.

A short trip to the human village confirmed that more than a day had indeed passed.  A total of fifteen days, in fact.  She was hesitant to believe it at first, but there was no reason for the villagers to lie to her, and the evidence pointed to the fact that they were telling the truth.

Of course, she was hardly satisfied with simply learning that she had been asleep for two weeks.  The all too vital question of ‘why’ just wouldn’t leave her be, so she immediately set out to investigate.

The first thing of note was of course that, despite sleeping that long, she was still exhausted.  A little bit of introspection was all that was necessary to determine that it was caused by a lack of sustenance.  Though she did enjoy eating, she didn’t need to, so this was a problem of a lack of magical energy.  However, it took only a few short tests to realize that the amount of magical energy in the vicinity hadn’t changed at all.

With no evidence to point to a possible excuse for her apparent shortage of magical energy, she could only settle on the conclusion that whatever had changed had started while she was asleep, and fixed itself before she had awoken.  In fact, it was more likely that she had fallen asleep because it had started, and awoken because it had been fixed.  Of course, that conclusion didn’t satisfy her curiosity in the slightest.

She had spent the next few days investigating whatever it was that had caused the disruption in her magical energy, but to no avail.  The natural magic of the area was stable, the leylines were unaltered, and her own production of magical energy was unchanged.  The only thing she had concluded after days of investigation was that she wasn’t going to find anything out.

Without any clues to lead her forward, she had all but given up on figuring out anything for herself.  The only way to move forward would appear to be to ask someone else for help.  But who could she ask?

Spending most of her time on her own, she didn’t have all that many acquaintances that were as well read as would likely be necessary.  There was Marisa, but she wasn’t a youkai, so the amount of help she could provide would be limited.  She was also acquainted with the group at Eientei, but being from the moon meant they were just as likely to be as inexperienced as Marisa.

She knew of a quite formidable magician living at the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but as its name implied, walking in uninvited wasn’t exactly a good idea.  Of course, there was always-

Knock, knock.

Alice paused mid-thought.  Someone was knocking on her door?  She lived out in the Forest of Magic, so there were very few people that ever came across her house.  Even those who knew her rarely visited her, and those who did rarely were polite enough to knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

Perplexed, Alice stood from her seat and walked slowly over to the door.  Normally, she would have had her dolls answer the door, but the visitor was so unexpected that the thought didn’t even occur to her.  Opening the door slowly, bright sunlight streamed around the person standing outside.
“Ace Reporter, Aya Shameimaru, at your service!”

Without changing her expression, Alice slowly pulled the door shut.

Or she would have, except for Aya sticking her foot in the doorway.

“I say at your service, but I’m actually at someone else’s service, today,” Aya continued speaking, seemingly unperturbed at the fact Alice had so quickly attempted to shut her out. “I’m here today to deliver a message from a certain Reimu Hakurei and Kanako Yasaka.”

At this, Alice stopped attempting to crush Aya’s foot with the door.  A message from both the Hakurei and Moriya shrines?  There was an obvious animosity between the two shrines – mostly just the Moriya Shrine always attempting to steal the Hakurei Shrine’s believers, with Reimu not bothering to do anything – so it was odd for them to send a message jointly.

“Ah, I see I have piqued your interest~” Aya practically drawled as she saw Alice’s reaction to her message. “Here, you can read all about it in this special edition of the Bunbunmaru Newspaper!” Without taking her hand off the door, Alice took the newspaper Aya proffered through the doorway and started reading.

Hakurei Shrine’s Doomsday Message.

Alice would have facepalmed at the headline if she had a hand free.  Instead, she just shook her head.  It was just like Aya to write such a tabloid-like headline without any ounce of truth behind it.  As she went to continue reading, she was interrupted by Aya.

“Eh…uhh, excuse me, Miss Margatroid, I have other deliveries to make, so would you kindly release my foot from your door…?” Aya asked in what probably would have passed as a timid voice for her.

“No.”  Alice thought for a couple seconds before responding.  This was a good opportunity, and she wasn’t going to let it pass her by.
“…excuse me?” Aya asked, surprise showing clearly in her voice and on her face.

“I need to ask you a question.” Alice didn’t waste any time getting down to the heart of the matter.  She could read a newspaper whenever she liked, but she could only ask a question to someone if they were there, right?  “A couple weeks ago, I passed out for a really long time.  Like, those two weeks long.  Do you know anything about why that would have happened?”

Aya thought for a moment, her face turning pensive.  “Hmm…seems like I should have included an article on the sleep wave as well after all…”
Alice threw the door wide open.  Luckily for Aya, it opened inside, so she was spared getting a door to the face.

“So you do know something! Tell me what you know, please!”

Aya’s face turned smug as she saw Alice’s reaction.  “Hmm, what do I know, what do I know…well…” Alice began to become frustrated as Aya put on a big show of trying to remember.  She was about to yell at her again when she finally started talking.

“Well, it seems that the entire Youkai Mountain went into hibernation for a week or two just recently.   Everything was shut down in the Tengu Village, and they even erected a huge barrier to protect the village while the guards were asleep.”

Alice’s eyes went wide.  So it wasn’t only her that had passed out.  If it had affected her in the Forest of Magic and Youkai Mountain, there was a good chance that it had affected all of Gensokyo. “Do you have any idea what caused it?”

“Well we don’t know for sure, but…” Aya continued to insert pauses into her speech, starting again only when Alice was thinking of doing something violent to her.  In all honesty, it was a pretty amazing skill to be able to read people’s moods so easily, especially of someone with which she was not well acquainted. “My sources tell me the Kappa weren’t affected by it at all, and in fact took countermeasures to prevent it from affecting them.”

Took countermeasures? If they knew enough to be able to take action against it, they must have known what caused it.  But the Kappa…how would she get into contact with a Kappa? Especially since it would need to be one that actually knew what was going on…

“Apparently, the Kappa are working with the Hakurei Shrine with their most recent incident, so a number of them are gathered there, but…” Aya winked at Alice as she continued. “If you want to know any more about that, you’ll have to read the article!”  With a short curtsy and a hop backwards, Aya took off into the sky and flew away at a phenomenal speed.

Alice turned back into her house and closed the door.  Despite the fact she had found an excellent lead, she couldn’t help but feel like she had been beaten in that conversation.  Shaking her head, she made her way back to her chair and sat down, turning once more to the newspaper Aya had given her.

Apparently, the Hakurei and Moriya Shrines had called a truce of sorts, working together to deal with Gensokyo’s latest incident.  It seems they had also put out a call to arms for all other youkai of passable strength in order to help them as well.  Alice couldn’t help but be skeptical over the entire article, judging from…well, what was written in it.

They were coming together to fight someone who kidnapped the entire Netherworld.  Was that even physically possible?  Even if it were, why would anyone ever want to do that? And even if they did, why would they come to Gensokyo?

She had apparently broken into the Scarlet Devil Mansion, travelled to the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, and fought at the Moriya Shrine all within the span of a little over two days.  Besides Yukari, Alice didn’t know of anyone who was capable of moving around that fast.  Aya could maybe pull it off, but she definitely wouldn’t have the strength to fight off the whole Scarlet Devil Mansion and Moriya Shrine.

She fought off Reimu, Marisa, Youmu, and Ran Yakumo all by herself, ignoring the spell card rules.  First of all, if she kidnapped the entire Netherworld, why was Youmu even there? Secondly, Alice might not have known much about it, but she did now Reimu had Fantasy Heaven.  How could it even be physically possible for her to lose a fight without Spell Card rules?

All in all, Aya’s newspaper told her little more than that she couldn’t trust a word it said.  It seemed if she really wanted to learn more, she would have to go to the Hakurei Shrine and ask around herself.  However, the fact that the Kappa were apparently there meant that she was already planning on making the trip, so it wasn’t that much of an inconvenience.

Alice stood up and set her dolls to work.  If there was actually a serious threat that needed her attention, she likely wouldn’t be back home for a few days at least.  That meant she would need to clean up and prepare her home for an extended absence.  However, the instant she set her dolls to work…
Knock, knock.

“I swear, if it’s that Tengu again…” Without even thinking, Alice sent a small troupe of dolls to open the front door while she grumbled.  Aya had been a useful and convenient appearance, but that didn’t mean she liked her.  And it definitely did not mean that she wanted to see her again.

As the door opened however, Alice was surprised yet again.  Standing in the doorway was not Aya, as she had expected, but someone she didn’t know at all.  The stranger had shoulder length hair that was a glassy black colour, and wore a long black dress.  Her hands were gloved, covered in intricate – yet, as Alice could tell just by looking, non-functional – magical designs and inscriptions, and she wore a bright silver necklace with five gems set in it.  Her sharp, violet eyes seemed to be appraising the room before her as she stepped through the door – uninvited, of course – before finally landing on Alice.

“Hello, Miss Margatroid.  Might I trouble you for some conversation?” The stranger smiled as she spoke, seemingly oblivious to Alice’s look of displeasure at having strangers step into her home uninvited. 

Alice was suddenly jolted out of her displeasure at the realization that this stranger had known her name without her having to introduce herself. 
“How do you know my name?” Alice immediately voiced the first question that was on her mind. For Aya, it was to be expected, but she knew for a fact that they had never met, so it didn’t seem to make much sense as to why she would know who she was.

The stranger walked comfortably up to her, unperturbed by her question. “My name is Hoshimi, and I’m here to ask you some questions.  Obviously, I’d know who you are.  I wouldn’t have come here if I didn’t.”

“That’s great, I didn’t ask you why you knew who I was, I asked you how.”

Hoshimi paused at Alice’s bitter response.  After a few blinks, she turned to look Alice in the eye.

“Naturally, if I’m going to attempt to fight off all of Gensokyo on my own, I need to know who is in Gensokyo.  Don’t worry, you aren’t getting any special attention.  I’ve been keeping tabs on most of the important people around.”

“While I’m flattered that you consider me important enough to spy on, I’m going to have to ask you to stop.”  Alice was getting slightly flustered and the stranger’s brazenness, but it was nothing she hadn’t had to deal with before, so she had become quite adept at hiding it.  She hoped.

“Oh don’t worry, I have no need to spy on you any longer.  As long as you answer my questions, that is.”

As Alice continued to mull through what Hoshimi was saying, she was getting less and less comfortable having her in her house.  Either the stranger was actually planning on fighting all of Gensokyo and so was essentially declaring herself Alice’s enemy, or she was incredibly pretentious and declaring herself to be someone Alice didn’t like.  She wasn’t sure which one would be worse.

Either way, the best way to get her out of her house was most likely to co-operate.  Normally, she wouldn’t care enough to bother – after all, she did just walk into her house uninvited – but she had somewhere to be, and she definitely wasn’t leaving a complete and total stranger in her house alone.

Sending her dolls back to work on preparing the house for her departure, she gave Hoshimi a flat look to show that she wasn’t pleased with the situation. “Alright, what do you want to know?”

Hoshimi looked genuinely surprised at Alice’s question.  After a brief pause, she spoke again.  “Honestly, I did not expect you to be so…cooperative…”

You and me both, Alice thought, giving everything she had to not give voice to her thoughts.

“Very well, if you are willing, that makes this much easier.” The stranger walked back so she was standing between Alice and the doorway.  “During my observations of you, I had a distinct intuition that you bear some characteristic that is very…detrimental to my person.  However, despite this realization, I have been unable to pinpoint exactly what that characteristic is.”

Alice raised an eyebrow at Hoshimi’s claim.  If there was something about her that was a problem for this person, that was fantastic.  If only she knew what it was so she could use it to get her out of her house.

“I need you to tell me what it is.”

“I hate to tell you this, but if you ask me like that I’m not going to have any idea what you’re talking about.”

Hoshimi clicked her tongue at Alice’s statement. “I’m sure you must have some idea.  It could be anything, from one of your latent powers to some artifact you possess. It really is imperative that I know what it is.”

Alice did her best to keep her face neutral.  She didn’t necessarily have any innate abilities to speak of – such was the fate of humans-turned-youkai like herself.  Her use of dolls aside, there was really nothing special about her magic.  If you’re talking about artifacts, however…

She could feel herself starting to sweat.  If you were talking about artifacts in Alice’s possession, there was only one thing that it could be.  No one had asked her about her grimoire since she came to Gensokyo, and she had hoped it would stay that way.  Now, this complete stranger was on the fast track to discovering it.

Suddenly Alice felt more threatened than she ever had been in her life.  That grimoire was the last thing she had from her old life, and while she didn’t feel that the contents were anything that needed to be kept secret, her old guardian begged to differ.  It had been made exceedingly clear that if knowledge of that grimoire became public, it wouldn’t just be Alice’s life on the line.

After giving her a long, hard look, Hoshimi spoke in a reserved tone. “It seems you do know what I’m talking about after all.  Would you be so kind as to share?”

Alice’s mind was racing.  She didn’t have her grimoire with her, it was tucked away somewhere nondescript but close at hand.  It was unlikely someone would find it without help, so as long as she could stop herself from letting her eyes wander on top of it, there should be no reason for it to be discovered.
“…sorry, I don’t have any idea what you are talking about.  I’m a doll user, that’s it.  I don’t have any special powers in particular.”

“Ah, so it was indeed an artifact of some kind.” Alice’s breath caught.  There was no way she should have been able to figure that out from what she said.   If she knew Alice was lying, it could be either – how could she have known that it was an object?

“Oh please,” she continued, “I can read you like an open book.  Such a simple misdirection is no use against someone of my stature.” Alice couldn’t help but wince at the mention of books, which she knew by the slight twitch in Hoshimi’s eye when it happened that it was a fatal mistake.

“So it’s a book, then.  Hmm…” Looking around the spacious room that made up Alice’s house, Hoshimi seemed to be cataloguing the various books she could see.  There were only maybe a dozen or so books in the house – Alice’s interests were particularly specific, so there wasn’t much literature that spoke to her tastes – so it didn’t take long for her to dismiss what she saw as irrelevant. “It must be hidden somewhere…well, no matter.  If I burn this place to ash, it’ll either destroy the book or reveal its hiding place.”

At that, Alice snapped. 

Magic flowed from her fingertips as they quickly darted around in front of her.  Within less than a second, every doll in the house that had been cleaning and doing chores was poised around the stranger.  Half of them held miniature weapons, and the other half were poised to fire any sort of projectile that Alice commanded of them.

“It’s one thing for you to rudely walk into my house without permission.  It’s another to try and interrogate me on things that are none of your business.” Alice raised her hands, now in a battle ready position. “But threatening me and my house? That is unforgivable.”

Hoshimi surveyed the dolls floating in the air around her with a half bored, half curious expression.  “It seems I’m being underestimated again…”  Finally, her gaze rested on Alice once more, her face adopting a smug expression. “Well then, no sense in wasting any more time here.”  Without move her gaze, he lifted her right arm…

…and all of the dolls surrounding her simultaneously burst into flame.

Alice was struck speechless.  There had been no spell, no flow of magic, not even a word.  Yet simultaneously, every single doll she had in position – and none of the ones she had in hiding still – burst into flame, being reduced to ash in no more than a few seconds.

Hoshimi’s smug smile broadened as she saw Alice’s stunned expression.  Alice knew, just from that single action, that she was simply outclassed.  As she was, there was just nothing she could do to this person.  Not with her standard magic, or with her dolls.  Which meant…she would need the grimoire.

Time seemed to slow as she decided her next course of action.  Over the space of no more than a second, Alice’s finger snapped backwards.  A pair of dolls behind her lunged towards the grimoire’s hiding place, obscured from Hoshimi’s view by the furniture and Alice herself.   Simultaneously, Hoshimi lowered her right hand, pointing it directly at Alice.

One.

The stranger’s mouth opened.  Alice could feel that her gambit wasn’t going to pay off.  She needed to move, and she needed to move fast. She had no idea whether Hoshimi’s attack would be a projectile, or if it would be instantaneous like when she attacked the dolls, but she could only bank on the former.  Not trusting her physical body to react in time, she quickly wrapped herself in an ethereal thread, just like she used to control her dolls.  It was a race, and Alice knew she had given up the advantage by waiting that one second to act.

Two.

Burn.

As the word left Hoshimi’s mouth, the air shook.  In strong contrast to her previous attack, as if lightning had struck right beside her, a wave of heat spread throughout the room.  As quickly as it had appeared, it condensed before Hoshimi’s outstretched finger, coalescing into a blazing fireball so bright Alice could no longer see.  Squeezing her eyes shut to avoid being blinded, Alice pulled as hard as she could on her ethereal puppet strings.

Three.

The fireball launched itself from Hoshimi’s finger with a hiss, speeding through the air towards Alice.  At the same time, Alice used her puppet strings to throw herself out of the path of the fireball, throw a shield doll into the path of the fireball and…

…order the previous pair of dolls to throw her grimoire to her from across the room.

Before either contender could blink, the fireball collided with the shield doll, instantly obliterating it.  Alice had no time to wonder at how her magic-proofed shield doll had been reduced to ash on contact, but instead had eyes only for the fact that it had stopped the fireball dead in its tracks.  After incinerating the doll, the fireball simply winked out of existence, as if it had never been there, and a small cloud of ash was the only thing remaining to mark its passing.

More important, however, was that through that cloud of ash passed the grimoire thrown by the other two dolls.

Not even attempting to keep her balance, Alice yanked hard on the puppet strings she had attached to herself to keep her upright, giving her the perfect angle to catch the grimoire as it was hurled across the room.  A total of four seconds had passed since their fight began and Alice was finally in the running.
A heartbeat later, Hoshimi moved to point at Alice once again.  Alice reached to open the grimoire as Hoshimi opened her mouth to cast another spell.  The instant that grimoire opened, Alice would win: she knew that, but she also knew that she wasn’t going to make it in time, especially since the book was still locked.  Holding tightly to the book, she braced herself to throw her body with the puppet strings to dodge the next attack-

Knock, knock.

Alice and Hoshimi both froze.  Honestly, they both knew that the other freezing was the perfect opportunity to strike, but neither of them could bring themselves to move.

“Yo, Alice! You home?” A muffled voice came through the door.

“Marisa…?” Alice said under her breath.  The only thing rarer than three visitors in one day was Marisa actually knocking before coming in.

She noticed something else important too, however.  Hoshimi’s eyes had narrowed at the mention of Marisa’s name.  Seeing her chance, Alice didn’t hesitate a second.

“It’s open, come in!” She yelled just loud enough to be sure her voice would carry through the door.

Hoshimi’s face flashed to an angry expression for only an instant before she pulled her hand back, which had still been pointing at Alice, and snapped her fingers in front of her.  The air began to rapidly contort around her, as if it was wrapping her in a blanket.

“This isn’t over.” Hoshimi hissed one last threat before vanishing entirely.

At the same time, the front door swung open and Marisa stepped into the room.

“Oh…uh…did I catch you at a bad time?” Marisa spoke awkwardly as she looked around the room.  Nine or so former-dolls were now smoldering clumps of ash on the ground, another cloud of ash was still floating in the air, and Alice was still suspended three inches off the ground.

With a bit of careful maneuvering, Alice straightened herself out and set herself down.  “Actually, for once in your life, you couldn’t have timed that better.”  Dusting herself off and straightening out her clothes, Alice made her way to her favourite chair and sat down with a thump.

“What are you talking about? My timing is always impeccable!” Marisa said with her characteristic grin.

A quick survey showed that the room had suffered minimal damage.  It seemed the worst Alice would have to deal with would be soot stains, which was alright considering Hoshimi was throwing fire in a wooden house.  After taking stock of the situation of the room, she connected thread to what was left of her dolls and got them to work cleaning up the mess.

“So, what brings you here today?”

“You’re awfully friendly today.  Did knocking first really make that much of a difference…?” Marisa’s expression turned curious as she continued talking to herself.

Though Alice had asked the question, her mind was already elsewhere.  Who was this Hoshimi person? She had never really said why she knew who Alice was, and she seemed to have a vague idea about the grimoire.  Apparently that grimoire was trouble for her?  She had no idea why she would think that was the case.  She hadn’t even opened it since she arrived in Gensokyo, so it was highly unlikely she would know anything about it.

“Hey, Marisa,” Alice turned back to Marisa, who was carefully picking her way across the room, artfully dodging the many dolls hard at work. “I had a strange person just come and…well, I suppose you could say visit. She was someone I had never met before, calling herself Hoshimi.  Would you happen to know anything about her?”

Marisa’s expression turned sour at the mention of a ‘strange person,’ but devolved into confusion upon hearing the stranger’s name.

“Can’t say I’ve heard the name before but…” her face turning uncomfortable again, “did she happen to have black hair, wearing a black dress?”

“And a silver necklace with five gemstones in it.”

“Geh…” Only that one incomprehensible noise escaped Marisa’s lips as she sat down on a stool across from Alice that had been placed there moments before by a team of hardworking dolls.

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

“Actually, yeah, she’s kind of the reason I’m here…”

Alice raised an eyebrow.  “If you had been a little quicker opening the door, you would have seen her.”

At that, Marisa paled. “Wait wait wait, she was just here? Like, right before I opened the door?”

“Yeah, she’s responsible for this,” Alice said motioning to the piles of ash that had now been mostly cleaned up.

“What did she want from you?” Marisa spoke tentatively, her expression guarded.  Suddenly, something clicked in Alice’s head.

“She wanted to know why I was a problem for her,” Alice said absentmindedly as she once again inspected Aya’s newspaper. 

“And?”

Alice paused.  She didn’t particularly distrust Marisa – okay, that was a lie, she definitely didn’t trust Marisa – but the less attention her grimoire got, the better. “Not sure.  She couldn’t find out, so she attacked me.”

“And…you’re okay?”

Alice grimaced.  “Mostly because you showed up.  As soon as she heard you at the door, she left in quite the hurry.”  The way Marisa was acting, the way Hoshimi was talking…Alice could reach no other conclusion besides that this person was the one the Hakurei Shrine was calling for help to fight.  Of course, Marisa wasn’t technically part of the Hakurei Shrine, but she meddled often enough that it was a safe bet.  Plus, the article did mention Marisa was part of the group that made first contact with her.

“I take it this is related?” Alice tossed the newspaper to Marisa, who deftly caught it in one hand.  After two seconds of reading, Marisa’s face showed that Alice had clearly guessed right.

“Well, that shortens the explanation at least…” Marisa was clearly not pleased, though Alice couldn’t tell whether it was because Hoshimi had visited her already or because of the article she was reading.

“Well, there’s a couple important points to add regardless.” Marisa’s face was serious as she tossed the paper back to Alice. “First, the article is more or less telling the truth – she did in fact take the entire netherworld, bar the gardener, hostage, and we did in fact get our butts kicked when we tried to fight her.”
Alice’s eyes widened in surprise.  Those weren’t the parts of the article she expected to be true.

“Secondly, we’ve since learned that she is using them to build some sort of weapon.  It’ll easily spell the end of Gensokyo if she manages to fire it, and even if she doesn’t, if we can’t dismantle it in the next week or so, the High Court of Hell is going to destroy Gensokyo so that she can’t fire it.”

Alice didn’t try to hide her shock at what Marisa was saying. “How strong is this person?!”

“Strong enough that even Yukari is worried about whether we can beat her or not.”

Alice decided it was about time to start hiding her shock.  “Wait, who is ‘we’ so far?”

Marisa tapped her chin with her finger as she thought.  “So far we have Reimu and I, Yukari, Remilia and her servants, Eientei, and the Moriya Shrine with us.  Reimu’s gone to look for help from the Palace of the Earth Spirits, and I figured I’d stop by here on my way to go see Hijiri.”

“You have that many people, and are still worried?”

Marisa’s face was dead serious. “She’s that strong.”

Alice closed her eyes and sank back into her chair.  Regardless of how close she had apparently come to being killed (apparently), it seemed Gensokyo was getting itself into a crisis far beyond its normal incidents.  At least the previous villains had enough pride and self-worth to follow the Spell Card rules.
“So, of course I have to ask you,” Marisa continued, “are you willing to help us take her down?”

Alice opened her eyes and met Marisa’s gaze silently.  If Hoshimi was as strong as Marisa said she was, then she was in a bind – was she even strong enough to make a difference? She had spent the vast majority of her life fighting under the Spell Card rules, so there was no guarantee that she would be all that useful in an actual fight.  As a counterpoint to that, even if she wasn’t, could she afford to not help?  If they lost, then all of Gensokyo was doomed.  To prevent that, every little bit of help would be necessary.

And there was still that one, key factor.  The grimoire.  Neither she, nor Hoshimi, seemed to know why that grimoire was such a problem to her, but if it could give them an edge in battle, it could very well be the difference between winning and losing.  No matter how she looked at it, that alone meant she was going to have to participate.

With one last sigh, Alice closed her eyes again. “Alright, where are you guys meeting?”

Marisa responded to her question with a sigh of relief.  “Geez, I can’t believe I was almost worried you were going to turn me down.”  Getting up from her seat, Marisa started walking towards the door.

“Well, we’re meeting at the Hakurei Shrine, but you might as well just come with me.  The Myouren Temple isn’t too far from here, and with your personal experience with this stranger – Hoshimi, you called her? That will help loads with trying to convince them.”

Alice stood from her seat, but didn’t follow Marisa. “No, I have…some preparations to make. I can’t leave just yet.”

Marisa stopped and spun back to face her. “Oh, did you want some help?  I don’t mind helping if it’ll get it finished quickly.”

“No! I mean, no. No thank you.” Alice did her best to hide the fact she was flustered.  “It’s okay.  I have a number of things to do, so it’ll probably take me…a few days. Three at the least. You are better off just going on ahead and trying to convince them yourself.  You don’t have the time to spare, right?”

Marisa looked unhappy at Alice’s refusal.  “Alright, alright, if you insist.  Just make sure you get to the Shrine as soon as you can, okay? We’re kind of on a deadline here.”

“Yes, yes, I know!  Just…get going!  If you’re on a deadline, you don’t have time to spare, right?!”

“Okay okay! I’m going! Geez, relax for a minute, would you?”  With a bit more urging from her and the dolls, Marisa finally made her way outside.  Hopping on her broom, she turned back to face Alice while she hovered a few feet off the ground.

“Remember Alice, this is serious business.  Fights to the death, and all that.  I know I probably don’t have to tell you this, but…prepare accordingly, okay?”
Alice nodded wordlessly.  While she appreciated Marisa’s concern, she just wanted her gone.  The longer she was here, the longer the preparations would take, and she was getting impatient.

Returning Alice’s nod, Marisa turned away and flew off into the distance.

After watching for a few brief moments, Alice turned back and headed inside, closing and locking the door behind her.  Seeing that the mess Hoshimi had made was now cleaned up, she called her dolls to her and had them clear a space in the center of the room.  Kneeling down, she placed her grimoire in front of her, and started casting a spell she had never expected to use.

Marisa was right – this was more than likely going to be a fight to the death.  Hoshimi had shown no hesitation in attempting to kill her, and she doubted her disposition would change much the next time they met.  Plus, there was no guarantee Hoshimi wouldn’t appear before Alice made it to the Shrine.  Her only option was to make the best preparations she could as fast as possible, and hope that she had time to group up with the others later.  If she was ambushed in transit, she could at least attempt a getaway if she had already done her preparations.

Carefully, and in painstaking detail, Alice began winding the ethereal threads she used to control her dolls together in front of her.  One, five, ten, thirty, a hundred threads came together, spinning rapidly as if they were making a picture in front of her.

All of the dolls in Alice’s control stopped moving.  She recalled all of their threads, focusing them all on this one task.  She broke out into a sweat after she finally achieved two hundred and ten threads working simultaneously.  Normally, she couldn’t control anywhere near that many dolls at once, but with a little strain, she could focus all of them on one spot for this one specific task.

The threads continued to spin and wind in the air in front of her, and after a full five minutes of hard and, admittedly, exhausting work, she had finally finished producing the object she was looking for.  Floating in the air in front of her, sparkling with a rainbow-coloured light, was a magnificently intricate key.  A key that fit perfectly into the keyhole on her grimoire.

Of course, Alice already had a key that could open the grimoire.  She had seven, in fact.  But those keys were special, and so was this one.  Each of those keys - four of which were hidden around the house, two within her favourite two dolls, and one she always kept on her person – had a very specific purpose.  They each opened the grimoire, but only one seventh of the pages would be visible.  The remainder would continue to be obscured by magic far beyond anything Alice was capable of dealing with, and she figured it would take someone of Yukari’s level or higher to even begin trying to dissolve it.

However, this rainbow coloured, ethereally crafted key was capable of unlocking the entire grimoire at once.  It took five minutes of intense concentration to make it, and would dissolve after only ten.  Yet with this, the full power of the grimoire could be released.

Taking a deep breath and wiping the sweat from her forehead, Alice carefully plucked the key out of the air, and inspecting to make sure she had crafted it correctly, finally put it in the lock and turned.  With a satisfying click, the lock released the book from its restraints.

Alice took another deep breath to steady herself.  In her entire time in Gensokyo, she had never once opened this book, let alone opened it with the complete key.  But desperate times called for desperate measures, and if this grimoire held the key to defeating Hoshimi, then Alice couldn’t afford to let it stay closed.

After one last deep breath, Alice gingerly reached forward and opened the grimoire.




And as the story builds up to the climax, we have only one major faction left to recruit from.  Will they agree to work with Reimu and Marisa? Will they even be useful if they do?  And in that time, who and how many people will Hoshimi be able to recruit to her side?

Despite the fact it feels to me like the Second Arc is winding down considerably, my outline says there is quite a bit of content to work through still...even I am starting to feel a little impatient xD

[lightdreamer]

Every time I write a chapter and something bad happens to someone (ie Flandre, Mokou, all of Chireiden...) I feel like I'm a terrible person and that its all my fault...which I suppose in a way it is, but that doesn't really help me feel better about it lol.

Aw, don't feel bad. With a story like this, you really have to push the Touhou characters to the limits. Make them face a dangerous threat that they can't easily solve.

Edit:
Oh, and by the way, Hoshimi can also mean "beautiful star", from "星美". Just want to let you know. 

[TwilightsCall]

And here is Chapter 11.

Not much to say about this one, other then that I had quite a bit of difficulty with it.   Hope you enjoy!



Chapter 11 ? The Path to Peace



Marisa touched down on the grounds of the Myouren Temple without much regard to her surroundings. 

She was still a little uneasy about what had happened at Alice?s house.  It wasn?t even that she had narrowly missed running into Hoshimi, but that she had, and Hoshimi had fled once she knew Marisa was there.

That was what really was bothering her.  There was no doubt in her mind that Hoshimi would have little to no trouble beating her in a one on one fight.  Even taking Alice into account, unless Alice had suddenly become stronger than Reimu, Ran, and Youmu combined, there was virtually no chance for them.  And yet, despite the fact she must have known that, and despite the fact she was already in the middle of fighting Alice, she ran away immediately after hearing Marisa?s voice.

There was no way she was afraid, so there must have been something else.  Unless Alice was hiding something from her, there was no reason for Hoshimi to be worried about her own safety, so that meant she must have been avoiding a confrontation with Marisa for some other reason.

Shaking her head, Marisa continued into the temple.  It wasn?t particularly busy, but there were a fair number of people inside.  Most of them appeared to be youkai of varying backgrounds, but there were a handful of humans present as well.  It seemed as if Byakuren?s message had made it to the human village, and while the behaviour of the people there didn?t seem particularly ?devote,? they were at least listening to what was being taught, so she figured that probably counted as progress.

Marisa continued to idly walk around the temple in search of someone she might recognize, but so far she wasn?t having much success.  When she gave in and started asking around, the people were either too busy to talk to her or were new enough at the temple that they didn?t know who she was talking about.

As she searched through the temple, she noticed something strange happening.  More people were coming.  Not just a few, and not just actual people, but a steady stream of youkai were making their way into the temple.  Though there sparse pockets of people there when she arrived, after only a short while, the place had quickly become crowded.  The sudden realization of how crowded it was becoming stunned Marisa, and she quickly found herself engulfed in the flow of people.

She briefly considered asking these people why they had all started showing up so suddenly, but she quickly found out that she didn?t have to ask at all.  Apparently, none of these people knew each other, so conversations as to what they were doing here sprang up all around her.

Unfortunately, standing around quietly listening wasn?t garnering much information.  She heard lots of talk about something terrible happening, and a few mentions of ?Gensokyo is doomed,? but no details. She wasn?t sure where they were getting the idea that Gensokyo was doomed, but she figured Aya probably had something to do with it.  In all honesty, she was quite surprised that people put that much faith into Aya?s writings.

Thinking that, Marisa finally heard something that caught her attention.

?Do you think the evacuation will really go as smoothly as they said??

Upon hearing that, it suddenly dawned on her that the entire crowd of people ? while constantly getting bigger ? was also moving in one direction.  Of course, it was obvious that they were moving, but she hadn?t noticed they were all moving towards something.

Marisa quickly picked her way through the crowd towards the person who she had just overheard.  This was something important, and it was something she knew nothing about, so there was no way she was going to let the chance at an informant get away from her.

?Hey, excuse me,? Marisa finally got up close to the speaker.  She was a young youkai that didn?t particularly stand out, wearing purple and black and holding a book tightly to her chest.  ?Did you mention something about an evacuation just now??

The youkai suddenly became quite nervous.  It seemed almost like she recognized her, but?no, that couldn?t be the case.

?U-um?yes, I did.  Isn?t that why everyone?s here??

?I suppose so.  Could you tell me more? I didn?t hear anything about this, so I?ve kind of just been caught up in the crowd.?

The youkai tilted her head to the side curiously.  ?Really? You don?t know? I guess they must have not reached your section of Gensokyo yet??

?Alright, let?s go from the top,? Marisa interrupted with a wry grin.  ?Who?s ?they???

The young youkai responded matter-of-factly, as if she was talking about the daily news.  ?The Emissaries from Hell.?

?What?? Marisa responded incredulous, ?what are the Emissaries of Hell doing in Gensokyo?!?

??well, ordering the evacuation of course,? The youkai spoke slowly, as if she wasn?t sure whether Marisa was seriously asking the question or not.  It seemed that she had missed a rather large point of significant news that all the youkai seemed to be privy to.

?Okay okay, got it.  Now, why are they ordering an evacuation?? Leaving aside that Marisa ? and apparently everyone at the Hakurei shrine ? had missed something this big, there was no point in worrying about it now.  What she did need to do was figure out as much information as she could.

However, at this question, the young youkai started to look worried.  ?Well, they wouldn?t tell us.  All they said is that they were evacuating Gensokyo, and they told us where we could go to get out safely.  I was told to come to the Myouren Temple, so??

?So they?re not telling anyone, huh?? Marisa mumbled to herself.  It appeared she wasn?t going to get quite as much information from this youkai as she thought she would.  Still, she had learned quite a bit, and could deduce quite a bit more.

Firstly, Hell had sent Emissaries to Gensokyo.  As far as she knew, that had never happened before, so in all likelihood it was something to do with recent events ? with Hell apparently plotting to destroy Gensokyo, that didn?t seem strange at all.  At least it seemed they had the decency to set up an evacuation program to minimize the loss of life.

Of course, she had no idea where they were evacuating to.  It?s not like the temple was on the edge of Gensokyo or anything, so they weren?t trying to cross the Hakurei Border.  As the crowd continued to push her forward, and she made it out the back of the temple, she finally saw where they were going.

Behind the temple, the giant Palanquin Ship was resting precariously close to the ground.  Multiple gangplanks had been set up leading into the ship from the ground, and slowly the youkai were being herded up into the boat.

Ahh, I see, Marisa thought.  The only people being evacuated were youkai it seemed, so it would make sense that they needed to go somewhere where youkai could survive.  There was no way the Moon was going to put up with refugees, but there was one more place the Palanquin Ship could reach with relative ease: Makai.  While Makai was certainly a far more dangerous place than Gensokyo, it was one of the very few places a youkai could go without either dying or already being dead.

Though, as far as Marisa knew, unless someone did something to help them, most of these youkai probably wouldn?t last long there.  After all, surveying the crowd, she could tell that the vast majority of the youkai around her were fairly weak. Most were little stronger than the average fairy, but a few managed to reach up to the level of someone like Rumia or Mystia.  Even if they stuck together, from what Marisa knew of Makai, there was little they would be able to do about what awaited them on the other side.

?Hey, you realize that- huh?? Marisa turned to warn her informant of what awaited her, but looking around she was nowhere to be found. Deciding she must have just been carried off somewhere by the crowd, Marisa continued letting herself be pushed forward by the constant flow of people.  She had already searched the temple thoroughly, so the next best place to check for Byakuren was going to be on the Palanquin Ship. 

The crowd moved forward slowly.  There were hundreds upon hundreds of people in the temple, but there were only five or so entrances to the ship, each via a gangplank that was small enough that it had to be traversed in single file.  With such slow progress, it was easy to see that it would take hours for all of the youkai to board the ship, an experience Marisa didn?t particularly look forward to. After about an hour of slowly creeping forward, Marisa got fed up with the crowd and flew straight up on her broom.

Surveying the ground below her, she could tell it would easily take her another two hours to get to the ship.  And then she?d probably be sent off, since the only people boarding the ship at the moment were youkai.  All in all, continuing to play along seemed like a fairly bad idea.

Now that she thought about it, it was kind of strange that she was the only person in the air.  Most youkai can fly to some extent, so she would have thought it would be more efficient to have everyone fly into the ship rather than walk.  For some reason though, only those who walked up to the front of the ship were permitted entry.

Unfortunately, Marisa didn?t have the time to play refugee at the moment, and she had quite a fair amount of experience getting into places without permission, so she took off towards the back end of the ship.

Though she had decided to sneak into the ship, she didn?t even get that far before she was spotted.

?Hey you! The entrances are on the other side of the?oh great?? As Marisa turned to face the speaker, she trailed off.  It seemed she wasn?t particularly happy to see her.

?Yo Nazrin! How?s it going?? Marisa quickly approached the guard mouse, who was making no attempt at hiding her displeasure.

?This ship is for youkai only.  You?re not allowed in.?

?Oh, don?t worry.  I?m not here to get on the ship.?

??then leave.?  Though Nazrin had never really taken a liking to Marisa, she couldn?t help but feel like she was being a bit more hostile than usual.

?I just need to talk to Hijiri and then I?ll be on my way.  Can you point me in her direction?? Marisa continued talking, trying to remain as amiable as possible. 

?She?s busy. Go away.?

Marisa was starting to really dislike diplomacy.

?Alright, I?ll tell you what,? Marisa said with a smile that was only a little forced, ?either you take me to Hijiri now, or I?ll beat you up and you can take me to Hijiri afterwards.  The choice is yours.?

Nazrin raised an eyebrow at Marisa?s threat. ?Hah.  As much as I?d love to have my revenge against you, when I said we were busy I meant it.  Now go home, I have much more important things to do than to keep wasting my time talking to you.?

As Marisa briefly considered whether or not threatening her had been a bad idea, Nazrin immediately turned to leave ? and then froze.  Following her line of vision, Marisa saw she was looking into one of the windows on the Palanquin Ship, standing in which was, if she recalled correctly, Nazrin?s master, Shou.  She was making some sort of convoluted gesture that Marisa couldn?t quite understand, but judging by the slump Nazrin?s shoulders had adopted upon seeing them, she could make a pretty good guess.

Turning back to Marisa with a sigh and an expression that half said ?I give up? and half said ?I hate you so much right now,? Nazrin reluctantly spoke.  ?Alright, alright.  Come with me.?

Grinning like a child who had just successfully stolen from the cookie jar, Marisa just nodded and followed her to the closest entrance.



-----------------



Marisa waited patiently within one of the deeper rooms of the Palanquin Ship.  Nazrin had taken her inside, and after being greeted curtly by Shou, she had been asked to wait and left alone in a rather bare looking room.  She didn?t know much about where she was other than that it was near the front of the ship, around where she suspected the captain?s quarters would be.

Though she was glad to have made some progress, she couldn?t help but feel?well, bored.  The room was completely empty, except for a few cushions in the middle of the room for sitting on.  There was no furniture, nor any decorations on the walls.  Nothing in the room to grab her attention or keep her busy, and no one in the room to talk to.

She hadn?t really been waiting for that long, yet the lack of anything in the room made her quickly lose herself to boredom.  Standing up from where she was seated, she slowly began pacing around the room.  Of course, there was nothing to be seen by doing so, but walking around doing nothing felt a little better than sitting down doing nothing.

Once again, with nothing to keep her busy, her thoughts returned to her ?confrontation? with Hoshimi earlier that day.  There had to be a reason that she had fled so suddenly, but no matter how she thought about it, she couldn?t figure out why.

She was clearly not averse to fighting.  She was in the middle of a fight with Alice when she fled, after all.  So she could rule out the possibility of her trying to avoid fighting in general.

She had shown quite clearly that she was quite a bit more capable in actual combat than Marisa was.  Though Marisa?s combative instincts might have been dulled after years of exposure to the Spell Card rules, she still felt she would be one of the more capable residents of Gensokyo in that regard, but even then she had to admit she stood no chance against Hoshimi, especially alone.  True, Alice was there, but as she had already concluded, unless Alice had some sort of secret weapon that she could only use if Marisa was present, it seemed irrelevant.

That left two logical possibilities that Marisa could think of.  One, Hoshimi recognized Marisa as a potential threat, and didn?t want to fight her unless it was absolutely necessary ? that way she wouldn?t be able to watch and analyze Hoshimi?s fighting for weaknesses.  While that was a rather flattering possibility, Marisa couldn?t help but feel it was somewhat unlikely.  If she didn?t want her fighting style analyzed, she wouldn?t be romping around Gensokyo attacking everyone she met.

The second possibility was that she had something very specific, and very personal, that she was trying to hide from Marisa.  Well, more likely she was trying to hide it from the Hakurei Shrine group as a whole.  After all, though everyone they had approached had generally had some run-in with Hoshimi before, none of them had any contact with her after they joined the Hakurei Shrine group.  Now, that might just be because she didn?t want to confront all of them at once, but Marisa felt for some reason like, judging from what she knew of Hoshimi, that wasn?t really an issue for her.

Either way, if she was trying to hide something, she was doing a pretty good job of it.  Marisa didn?t have the faintest clue as to what it could possibly be that she wasn?t even willing to show her face, and without anyone there who had had experience with her, she certainly wasn?t about to find it out on her own.
Neither of these reasons were particularly well-grounded, but try as she might, she couldn?t think of a logical explanation other than those two.

As she finally turned her attention to trying to decide which of these possibilities was more likely, the door across the room from her opened.

?And what do you have to say for yourself this time, young lady??  Walking into the room with a confident stride was Byakuren Hijiri, followed closely by Shou and the captain of the Palanquin Ship, Murasa.

?Uhh?I?m innocent??

Byakuren?s serious expression broke into a mischievous smile as she gestured for Marisa to sit.  ?I?m glad to hear it.  Hopefully this time it?s true.?
Sitting back down as she had been asked, Marisa couldn?t help but start grinning.  The past three or four times she had met Byakuren had kicked off with this exact exchange, and Marisa could finally say with confidence that she was, in fact, telling the truth.  This time.

As Marisa sat down, Byakuren sat down across from her.  Shou took a seat to her side, remaining as stiff and formal as ever, and Murasa stayed standing, leaning against the wall beside the door they had just entered through.  For some reason the captain didn?t look particularly happy, though it at least didn?t seem to have anything to do with her, as she wasn?t really paying much attention to what was going on in the room.

?Now,? Byakuren started, pulling Marisa?s attention back to the matter at hand, ?I understand you are probably here on business of your own, but if you don?t mind, I would like to ask you some questions as well.  Is that alright??

?I suppose so,? Marisa replied while attempting to maintain an air of indifference, ?I suspect we?re going to be talking about mostly the same thing anyways.?
While Byakuren?s face remained expectedly calm, both Murasa and Shou showed varying signs of displeasure at what Marisa had said.  While Murasa looked almost exasperated, Shou?s face adopted a grim expression.  It seemed they knew exactly what was about to be talked about.

?Well, let?s not waste any time then.  Judging by circumstances, I assume there is an incident of some magnitude occurring. Would you be able to enlighten us as to any of the details??

Marisa scratched her head and sighed.  She was getting a little tired of telling this story.

?A woman, who I assume to be some sort of youkai, recently appeared in Gensokyo.  She?s kidnapped all of the souls of the dead in the Netherworld, including the Netherworld?s caretaker, and when confronted is ignoring the Spell Card rules.  Reimu, Youmu, one of Yukari?s Shikigamis and I all tried to fight her and were beaten without landing a hit.  She?s apparently planning on attacking some other world, so in order to stop her, Hell is going to destroy Gensokyo in less than 10 days if she isn?t dealt with.  Kind of abridged, but that pretty much sums it up.?

Though Byakuren?s face remained calm, Shou and Murasa were clearly very taken aback by the short explanation, both of them straining to maintain their composure.

?That?is quite serious.?  Byakuren was the first to respond however, though she seemed like she was less concerned with the incident and more concerned with how reliable Marisa?s account was.  ?Well, if that?s true, it answers most of my questions.?

?Oh, well that?s good.  How about in exchange you tell me what?exactly is going on here??

Byakuren regarded Marisa carefully for a few moments before she spoke. ?Yesterday our temple was visited by an Emissary from Hell.  They warned us that all of Gensokyo was currently under threat, and asked for our?cooperation.  In the interest of saving as many lives as possible, they have drawn up an evacuation plan to get as many youkai out of Gensokyo as possible.  We agreed to function as one of the evacuation points, and are filling this ship with as many youkai as we can before heading off to Makai until this incident resolves itself.?

Marisa crossed her arms and closed her eyes, attempting to look as pensive as possible.  It seems the High Court of Hell was attempting to take some sort of responsibility for its actions, and was planning on evacuating as many youkai as possible before Gensokyo is destroyed.  Of course, destroying Gensokyo really just means destroying the Hakurei Border, and doing so would have no adverse effects on the human residents of Gensokyo, so it makes sense to only evacuate the youkai.

That being said, evacuating all of the youkai would save their lives should Gensokyo be destroyed, but it also meant there were that many fewer people left to try and defend it.  She couldn?t help but laugh a little at that thought ? anyone who would be strong enough to help them wouldn?t be scared away by an evacuation order.  In fact, it would be more likely to egg them on to fighting than anything else.  When she thought about it like that, it seemed like?almost too good of a situation.  She assumed it was coincidence, but if someone had actually planned that all out, they had really thought things through quite well.

?Well, I was originally going to ask you if you had any knowledge as to why the evacuation had been ordered, since the Emissaries refused to tell us, but I feel as if you have already done so.  However, I take it you came here for more than just to ask what we were doing??

Opening her eyes and rejoining the discussion, Marisa nodded.  Taking a deep breath, she started once again with a question she was also getting a little tired of asking.

?I understand you are busy here and all, but it?s not like this is unrelated, so I would appreciate if you would help us out.  Basically, we are looking for help.  We know we can?t beat this Hoshimi person ? that?s the woman?s name, apparently ? by ourselves.  So we?re out to collect help.  We expect a final showdown with her in the next week or so, and every able-bodied person we have to help us fight her increases our chances by that much more.  It will definitely be dangerous, and from our experience with her earlier, there is a chance that all of us together may not be enough, but if you are willing to take that bet with us, we would be deeply in your debt if you would assist us.?

Marisa had to stop herself from patting herself on the back after saying that.  That was quite possibly the most diplomatic thing she had ever said in her life, and she was quite proud of it.  The responses she got put a damper on her feel-good moment rather quickly, however.

?Are you serious?? The first to answer was Shou.  ?You come here, to a temple whose primary message is one of peace, in an attempt to recruit people to fight for you? Are you insane??

Well, technically we?re not in the temple? Marisa thought before she was cut off by Murasa.

?On top of that, we?re going to Makai here. Makai.  Do you honestly think all of these youkai are going to be okay there on their own?  They are going to need some sort of protection, and if we don?t do that, who?s going to??

Slightly discouraged by their all-too valid points, Marisa turned back to Byakuren ? and her courage was renewed.  Byakuren watched Marisa silently, a grim expression on her face.  It wasn?t often that Byakuren made such an unpleasant expression, but it was anyone?s guess as to why.  She may have just been upset that Marisa bothered to ask, as the other two had been, but?

?You aren?t seriously considering helping her, are you Lady Hijiri??  Shou turned to her incredulous, seeming upset only at the fact that Byakuren hadn?t yet offered a response.

Even as the retorts came pouring into her head, Marisa diligently remained silent.  Murasa and Shou may have responded with a resounding no, but everyone in the room knew it was Byakuren?s opinion that actually mattered.

Finally, her face regained its calm expression, and though she wasn?t smiling, she also no longer looked troubled. 

?B-but, Lady Hijiri, what about the people?  How will we justify fighting on one day and preaching peace the next?  Doing this will lose us everyone who has looked to us for help since this temple was built!?

Byakuren turned to Shou, and after a few moments of silence, she finally spoke.

??I have been in Gensokyo for one year.  Before that, I spent a great deal of time in Makai.  While I did not have freedom of movement about Makai, I was not alone there ? I was frequently visited by many the youkai who call that world their home.?

Closing her eyes and folding her hands on her lap, Byakuren continued her story. ?I did my best to teach our way to those who listened, just as I have done here, but more importantly, I also learned a lot from them. The residents of Makai are very similar, yet very different from those of Gensokyo.  The weakest youkai that lives in Makai is easily above average here, and their strongest would likely give this Hoshimi a run for her money.?

?I was confused though.  In a place where so many people of such great power are concentrated, why was there so little conflict?  As I spoke to them about peace, they spoke to me about how they already had it.  They had no Spell Card rules, like Gensokyo had, yet somehow an entire world of beings with the power to fight and the power to kill was living in harmony.?

?Naturally, I was curious, and so I asked.  Most of the youkai that visited me would just shrug, saying ?that?s how it?s always been, that?s how it always will be.?  They would say that the guidance of their god was all they needed, and with her they could find peace and happiness even in a world prone to violence.  One day, however, I was visited by this ?god.?  The ruler of Makai visited me one single time, to see what manner of creature had been sealed in Makai for ? at this point ? over five hundred years.?

?So naturally, I asked her the same question.  Why, in a world full of those who seem to be built to destroy, was there such peace?  I sought so desperately to bring peace to humans and youkai alike, and witnessing the world of Makai taught me that youkai were quite capable of remaining in harmony.  But when I asked her how this had been achieved, to see if I could learn and apply it elsewhere should I ever be freed, she responded with only a single phrase.?  Byakuren closed her eyes, looking somewhat pensive.

Opening her eyes again, she looked with somewhat of a sad expression at no one in particular. ??The path to peace is often soaked in blood.?  She spoke these words only, and refused to talk further on the subject.  At the time, I wrote it off as a ?Makai thing,? and ever since getting to Gensokyo I had that feeling confirmed.  There was no need for bloodshed here, even in a world where human constantly struggles against youkai, this balance of peace was able to be maintained for over a hundred years.?

?But as I learn more about Gensokyo, and its history, I start to learn how right she was in a metaphorical sense.  Sure, Gensokyo doesn?t maintain peace through the spilling of blood.  But that doesn?t mean that peace is a constant, natural state ? it requires?maintenance.  Hence the existence of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.?

Byakuren stood from where she was sitting and met eyes with Shou again.  ?It may seem rather brutish to attempt to solve all our problems by fighting, but if our opponent is unreasonable, then we have no other choice.  All we must do is defeat them in the name of peace, for the sake of peace, in a way that spreads that peace ? there is no need to kill them, only to stop them.?

?Besides, what Murasa said is true.  These youkai will not survive long in Makai, and there is no way we could keep them cooped up in the Palanquin Ship for the rest of their lives in order to protect them.  The best way we can serve them is to protect their homes?to protect Gensokyo itself, so they have somewhere to come back to.?

?Well, we can?t take them to Makai and stay here to defend Gensokyo.?  Murasa was the first to respond to Byakuren?s monologue.

?True.  That is why the plan remains unchanged.  As before, once all of the youkai at the temple have boarded the ship, you will take them to Makai long enough to determine that the situation has been resolved.  Then, if Gensokyo is still well, you shall return them here ? if not, we will attempt to make lives for them in Makai as safely as possible.  You all shall go as their escorts and their guards, protecting them from the perils of Makai as best as you can.  It will take most of our manpower to keep them safe, so we can only afford to leave one or two of us behind.?

Still not particularly happy with Byakuren?s conclusions, Shou finally spoke up. ?Well, Murasa for sure can?t stay, because she?s the only one who can pilot the ship.?

?Oh, don?t worry about who?s going and who?s staying,? Byakuren interrupted Shou, ?I have already decided that I will be the one to assist Marisa?s group.  I entrust the youkai here to you two.?

?Lady Hijiri, I must insist that-?

?Well, I?m sure you two have a lot of work to do making sure this whole endeavour stays organized, so Marisa and I should probably be on our way.?

?Lady Hijiri! You can?t be serious!?

?Come Marisa, let?s get out of their way.?

Rapidly, the situation turned from a serious lecture to something out of a bad comedy show.  Taken aback by the sudden transition, Marisa took a few moments to respond, but once she had sorted out what was happening she quickly jumped to her feet.

?Please, reconsider-?

?Good bye and good luck! See you two in a week or so!?  Pointedly ignoring Shou?s complaints, Byakuren calmly walked out of the room, leaving the three who were remaining in various states of confusion and anger.

Deciding it was best to get out before someone?s temper blew up, Marisa tipped her hat to Shou and Murasa and hastily made her way out after Byakuren.  It was a bit of a strange turn of events, but she had at least gotten some help.



---------------------------




Catching up to Byakuren ? which had proved to be quite the task, what with the pace she had maintained after leaving ? Marisa spoke while they were walking through the ship.  ?I appreciate the help, but what was that all about??

?You clearly needed our help, and I am the best person to offer that help,? Byakuren explained with a smile.  ?There was no way that I could have convinced Shou to agree with me at that point, so there was no meaning in staying and getting her riled up.?

?Best to just get her straight to being furious??

?She trusts me as much as I trust her.  Even if she?s angry with me, she knows this outcome is for the best.  Besides, I am a teacher, not a leader.  I won?t be nearly as much help to the evacuation team as those two seem to think I would.?

?Well, glad to have you with us.  Maybe if we?re really lucky you can just teach this intruder into submission and we can save ourselves a whole bunch of trouble.?

?Fingers crossed,? Byakuren replied with a wink and a smile, as the two took off from the ship?s rear exit towards the Hakurei Shrine.



Just as a bit of a taste of what's to come, I'll say that the next chapter is going to involve a lot less talking and a lot more doing.  Look forward to it!

[Esifex]

Just as a bit of a taste of what's to come, I'll say that the next chapter is going to involve a lot less talking and a lot more doing.  Look forward to it!

Just so you know, I'm actually very intrigued and entertained by the talking - the interplay and dialogues between the characters is very refreshing, and it helps us see the different portrayals of their various personalities as you've put them down. It makes the story richer!

Although yes I am very interested in seeing how everything is going to go down - and you've got quite the enigma whipped up with Hoshimi here.

[lightdreamer]

So, they're evacuating the youkai out of Gensokyo, huh? A wise move.

[TwilightsCall]

Just so you know, I'm actually very intrigued and entertained by the talking - the interplay and dialogues between the characters is very refreshing, and it helps us see the different portrayals of their various personalities as you've put them down. It makes the story richer!

Glad to hear it!  Once I realized that the story was going to end up being mostly people talking up til the climax, I was unsure whether or not the story would be able to hold interest (like...my own), but if you guys are enjoying it then I guess that worry was for nothing xD


And here we go with the next chapter.  Plot relevant? Maybe a little.  The main purpose of the chapter though is to give you a bit of insight into Hoshimi's thinking and style, as well as to show you that maybe things aren't going perfectly for her after all.

Hope you enjoy!


Chapter 11.5 – Force of Nature



This was going to be a problem, Hoshimi thought to herself as she stood surveying the enormous pillar of black crystal she had made the ghost princess make.

The problem didn’t lie in the structure itself.  Indeed, as would be expected of a plan concocted by her and executed by the princess of the Netherworld herself, the structure was flawless.  Neither was the problem the fuel source – she had long since known that it would take a tremendous amount of magical energy to fire the weapon even a single time, and ever since she had arrived in Gensokyo she had been setting plans into motion to acquire what she needed.  Those plans were proceeding smoothly as of yet, but…

Hoshimi was beset by a shrill shriek, followed soon after by a burst of great billowing fire in the air some few hundred meters away from where she was standing.  With a low growl, a very ineffective way to vent the frustration she was feeling, she turned to face the direction the fire had come from.
Her problem had come to make itself apparent yet again.

In her original plans, she was supposed to travel around Gensokyo, sowing seeds of terror and demonstrating her power to all of those around her.  There was an important reason for that, but in addition to the main purpose, she had hoped it would deter the residents of Gensokyo from making rash, headlong, solitary assaults on her obelisk.  Theoretically, if they had heard rumors of how strong she was, they should have stayed away, or at least waited to gather into large groups before attempting to fight her.  That would at least buy her time.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.  Ever since she had visited the shrine on the mountain, a steady flow of youkai had attacked the tower, almost all of them alone. While they were not even the beginnings of a threat to her, most being far weaker than those she had managed to recruit, she nonetheless had to defend against them.  Even if they couldn’t harm her, it would take very little comparative force to damage the tower – or worse, kidnap the ghost princess away from her.

And so, despite the overwhelming odds in her favour, Hoshimi was stuck playing the defense. 

The problem had been somewhat alleviated when she successfully recruited the immortal and the hell raven.  Originally she had planned on having them save themselves for the right time, but after being pinned down for so long by weaklings, she instead had them patrol and eradicate anything that drew close to the tower.

However, it was still important for them to maintain their strength, and so she had them call for help if they were fighting someone who had any sort of chance against them.  That fireball she had just seen was that exact call for help.

Judging from the lack of excess magical energy in the air, it seemed that the one who had given the signal made no attempt to fight the intruder.  That meant it was probably the immortal who had given the signal – the hell raven tended to attack first, think later.

Though she was glad her instructions had been followed in this circumstance, the fact it was necessary was still frustrating.  She was falling far behind schedule in her recruitments, being met with a lot of resistance from her potentials.  On top of that, having to constantly defend the obelisk meant that she couldn’t spend as much time out hunting for recruits as she had originally expected.  The situation was building to a climax, but she wasn’t ready.

One more.  Just one more and she would be ready for the Hakurei Shrine’s group.

Over the hill leading to her tower, still perhaps ten minutes walking distance away, a youkai appeared, calmly advancing directly towards her.  She had green hair, and from this distance seemed to be wearing mostly red.  Most notably, however, she carried a parasol.  From Hoshimi’s observations of the events in Gensokyo, she recognized this youkai – even if she didn’t immediately recall her name.

As she watched the intruder approach, suddenly a new plan began to take shape.  If she needed recruits, but couldn’t go out recruiting because of constant attacks on the tower, why not simply recruit from her attackers?

Originally, she had considered her as too much of a threat to consider recruiting, but witnessing the flower youkai with her own two eyes, she felt differently.  She carried herself with an elegance and grace to be expected of an older youkai, yet her eyes still held the burning, chaotic ambition of a young youkai drunk with its own power.  Her ability to maintain that balance made her seem like she would be a valuable ally – and would hopefully provide the mechanism needed to recruit her.

Hoshimi waited silently as the youkai approached.  Stopping perhaps fifteen feet in front of her, it regarded her with a cool gaze, passing the first few moments in silence.  As the two watched each other, Hoshimi couldn’t help but feel like her earlier assessment had been wrong.

Bowing her head slightly, the youkai finally broke the silence.

“Yuuka Kazami.  I will do you the favour of sparing you the list of my myriad titles.”

“And how can I help you today, Miss Yuuka Kazami?”

Yuuka’s gentle smile faded to expressionlessness as she shifted her gaze from Hoshimi to the enormous black obelisk behind her.  “I take it you are the one responsible for this mess?”

Hoshimi only smiled in response.  Yes, she had definitely made a mistake in her judgement of this Yuuka Kazami.  The quiet power she felt behind her eyes was not a restrained, youthful bloodlust. It was something much, much more.

Rather than rash, reckless abandon tempered by elegance and finesse, it was more accurate to describe it as a composure born from overflowing confidence.  She was truly a being that had never known fear, and she took the overflowing power she used to crush all opposition only as a matter of course.
And that made her perfect for Hoshimi’s purposes.

“Well, it is hardly my job to solve these kinds of incidents,” Yuuka began again, adopting her gentle smile once more, “but after coming all this way, it would be a shame to go home without at least having enjoyed myself.”

“Might I be able to interest you with a counter offer?” Hoshimi returned, holding her ground.  She had to admit, this was quite possibly the most formidable opponent she had come across since arriving in Gensokyo.  It was certainly the first time she had felt pressured.  That being said, she and this Yuuka were very alike in some ways.

For instance, in that she, too, was a being who had never known fear.  It would take a lot more than conversational pressure to push her around.
Yuuka tilted her head to the side slightly, a troubled expression crossing her face.  “My only recourse for entertainment was to obliterate you.  Someone who could win a four on one…and who was willing to fight without the Spell Card rules…that is truly a rarity in Gensokyo.  Do you think your counter offer can match that level of entertainment?”

“But of course,” Hoshimi said with a smile. “Why satisfy yourself with fighting a single opponent? Join me, and you will gain the opportunity to fight all of Gensokyo united.  Surely, that must be a much more tempting proposition?”

Yuuka stared expressionlessly at Hoshimi as she considered her words.  It was the perfect situation for Hoshimi.  A youkai who must have been one of the most powerful in Gensokyo came to her looking for a fight, all while she was brewing the largest fight in Gensokyo’s history.  If that didn’t satisfy her, then nothing would.

“That…would in fact, be interesting…” Yuuka raised the forefinger of her right hand to her chin as she thought, twirling her parasol with her left.  As her gaze drifted back to Hoshimi, her face broke into a wide smile once more. “But you know…”

As she spoke, a bolt of light from the air beside Yuuka lashed out at Hoshimi at an incredible speed, accompanied by a manic smile.

“I’ve just been feeling so impatient these days!”

Hoshimi clicked her tongue in disappointment as she deflected the bolt of light with her bare hand.  Normally she wouldn’t bother attempting such dramatic flair, but it seems her style was being slowly changed from spending so much time in Gensokyo.  Everything everyone did seemed to have a theatrical twist to it, and she couldn’t help but get caught up in the spirit of things.

Thinking this to herself, dozens more bolts of light fired from the air around Yuuka towards her.  It seemed she wasn’t going to have time to mull over her own thoughts if she wanted to put on a show for her new subordinates.

Without moving, strands of shadow from behind her lashed forwards, intercepting and redirecting the bolts of light to where they could do no harm.  A few stray shots grazed the tower behind her, but didn’t seem to leave any lasting damage.  She was going to have to remember to watch out for that.

Yuuka called out, her voice almost pouting. “Come on, you could at least fight back.” As she said this, the air around her began to warp and twist, and multiple dozens of similar bolts of light coursed through the air towards her.

Barely even thinking about it, a wall of stone rose from the ground in front of Hoshimi and intercepted the entirety of the attack.  “Very well,” she spoke with a sigh, “if this is how it’s going to be, I’ll just kill you as well.”

Raising a hand, the stone wall broke into a multitude of jagged stone fragments, twisting themselves in the air so that their sharp edges and points were pointed towards the flower youkai.  With one wave, the chunks of stone flew at a tremendous speed towards their target –

– and were completely blown away.  Incomparable to the previous bolts of light, a gigantic beam off almost pure magical energy erupted from the extended parasol of the flower youkai, completely obliterating Hoshimi’s half-hearted attack.

With a frustrated sigh, she once again knocked the attack off course with her bare left hand.  If she stayed where she was, she was going to have to keep blocking attacks like this to stop them from hitting the tower.  It was designed to take some punishment, but now wasn’t the time for that.

As the giant beam of light dissipated, shadows lashed out from behind Hoshimi, spreading into dozens upon dozens of tiny needle-like threads.  Finally, Yuuka moved, easily dodging from the path of the shadows and up into the air.  Wasting no time, Hoshimi launched herself into the air after her.

Maintaining the offensive, Hoshimi raised her right hand palm first towards Yuuka.  Almost instantly, a bolt of stark white lightning arced from her outstretched palm towards Yuuka, who deflected it with her closed parasol with unbelievable speed.  Without breaking the fluidity of her movement, Yuuka then flipped backwards in the air, dodging the shadows that had chased her from the ground and moving clear of them.

But she didn’t stop there.  She continued to soar around the field, dodging and deflecting the attacks Hoshimi launched with ease.  As Hoshimi called spears of stone from the ground, she countered with the small bolts of light, destroying each of them before they reached her.  As she launched weaving shadows after her, she effortlessly slipped between them.  As she used more direct, high speed attacks like the lightning from earlier, she effortlessly batted them away with her parasol.

As Hoshimi continued to press her with no luck, she raised her voice over the sound of her own attacks.

“Now who’s not fighting back?”

Despite the distance between them, Hoshimi could clearly see the wide grin on Yuuka’s face.

“As you wish!” the youkai roared, hurtling herself towards Hoshimi.

As Hoshimi narrowly dodged the beams of light accompanying Yuuka’s assault, she couldn’t help but feel her initial assessment of the flower youkai was more accurate than she had given it credit for.  No matter how she looked at it, Yuuka’s face was nothing but that of a child playing their favourite game.

“And she’s not even going all out yet…” Hoshimi muttered as she threw a handful of footlong crystals into the charging youkai’s path.  Veering slightly off course to dodge the projectiles, it was enough that Hoshimi could then dodge the full body tackle.  As Yuuka made to turn back towards her, Hoshimi threw another handful of crystals accompanied by a dozen or so shadows.

Without even seeming to look at the attack, Yuuka immediately propelled herself downwards out of the path of the crystals.  As the shadows turned to pursue her, another enormous beam of light erupted from her parasol, aiming for Hoshimi rather than the attack.

Clicking her tongue, Hoshimi dismissed the shadows and summoned a wall of crystal between her and the blast.  When the beam of light contacted the translucent crystal wall, it stopped dead.  After the attack faded, the crystal wall remained intact, now glowing brilliantly.

“Oh no, I’m not letting another person steal my Master Spark!” With that shout, Yuuka charged the crystal wall that had contained what she had apparently called a Master Spark.  Closing her parasol and using it like a spear, she plowed through the crystal wall, shattering it into hundreds of pieces as Hoshimi backpedalled away from the sight.

“Let me return it to you then,” Hoshimi replied as she clapped her hands in front of herself.  Doing so, the glow of the broken fragments in the air around Yuuka intensified, and after a short delay, simultaneously exploded.

Fighting the residents of Gensokyo was much more stressful than she had expected it to be.  For some reason, all of them seemed to be experts at avoiding attacks, making most of her standard attacks that she relied on frustratingly ineffective.  Something like this, however, that exploded violently and attacked from all sides in an artificially confined area, should work no matter how well one could dodge.

But she wasn’t so na?ve as to think that it would be enough to finish her.  Sure enough, emerging from the dissipated explosion with no visible signs of injury aside from burnt clothes, the flower youkai hurtled herself once more towards Hoshimi.  Rapidly closing the already short distance between the two of them, Yuuka swung her parasol violently in front of her.

Time seemed to slow as both Yuuka and Hoshimi exchanged glances that said the same thing.

Got you!

As Yuuka’s parasol reached Hoshimi’s body, her entire body dissolved into the air, leaving nothing but a thin black mist behind it.  Almost instantaneously, she reappeared only a few feet away, above the charging youkai.

“Too slow,” Hoshimi said with a smile as she placed her hand gently on the middle of Yuuka’s back.  Before the youkai could do more than turn to face her, revealing her surprised expression, Hoshimi spoke once more.

Impact.

The one, soundless word tore through the open sky with such force that the dust and clouds kicked up by their battle were blown away as if by hurricane force winds.  Simultaneously, without even the chance to respond, Yuuka was shot like a bullet, impacting heavily with the ground hundreds of feet below.  As she collided with the ground, new clouds of dust and dirt plumed upwards, obscuring the youkai from view.

Hoshimi flexed the fingers on her right hand a few times with a disappointed expression. “Hm.  I was hoping to reach the speed of sound with that one, but it seems I’m going to need to put a little more power into it for that.”

Pulling her from her thoughts, she heard Yuuka’s loud laugh come from the cloud of dust on the ground, prompting another disappointed sigh from Hoshimi.  Every time one of her attacks failed to kill this youkai, it deepened her regret towards being unable to recruit her.  She may not have been used to fighting against these people, but she was still serious.  The fact that this Yuuka had survived this long against her was a monumental testament to her strength and ability.

Floating upwards slowly from the cloud of dust on the ground, Yuuka was shaking her head.  “To think, some newcomer managed to hit me not once, but twice in a row.  And with such force!  Even with such cheap tricks, I can’t help but be awed by your prowess.”

In contrast to her words, her face looked more like she couldn’t contain her glee.  Despite all appearances, she was definitely quite the childish one.
 As she came level with Hoshimi again, her expression became uncharacteristically grave.

“But…even despite all your flashy attacks, I can’t feel the slightest bit of magical energy behind them.  I feel plenty enough from you, but your attacks…it seems almost as if they are launching of their own accord. Even that last attack, with force enough to completely blow me away, I couldn’t feel the slightest trace of magic behind it.”

Hoshimi raised an eyebrow.  Despite her childish nature, she was quite perceptive.  Had she been analyzing her throughout the entire fight?  Or did she just notice through coincidence? Whatever the reason, she had discovered something rather important to her style of fighting.

Thankfully, she had already rejected Hoshimi’s offer to join her, because she would have had to kill her now anyways.

“Very well!”  The youkai shouted, a smile finally returning to her face.  “As punishment for striking me twice, I will show you some cheap tricks of my own!”
With those words, Hoshimi could suddenly feel a surge of magical energy from the ground below her.  A quick look showed that the ground was now completely covered in enormous sunflowers.  Each had a flower large enough that a person could lie down on top of it…and each was turned facing her.
More importantly, however, along each sunflower’s head beads of light were beginning to gather.  In an instant, she suddenly realized what was about to happen – and at the same time, she heard the triumphant roar of the flower youkai racing towards her.

“Too slow!”

Dodging upwards as fast as possible, Hoshimi was barely able to avoid being speared by Yuuka’s parasol.  As shadows streaked from behind her towards the youkai, she simply batted them away with her parasol and responded with a handful of small beams of light.  A thin sheet of translucent crystal appeared between the two, blocking the light bolts almost as soon as they materialized, and as Yuuka smashed the crystal with her parasol, Hoshimi took her chance to increase the distance between the two of them.

Seemingly misjudging the effects of her crystals, Yuuka also hurled herself backwards away from the broken shards.  However, a second glance showed that perhaps it was her who had misjudged Yuuka’s intent.  The flower youkai now floated in place, facing the sun overhead with her eyes closed and her arms raised.

She saw the opening instantly.  Every fiber of her being screamed at her to take it, and send a spear right through the flower youkai’s chest while she stood still.  But it didn’t take long for her moment of caution to pay off, as Yuuka announced with a calm but loud voice.

“Four Seasons: Nature’s Kaleidoscope.”

As she finished speaking, Hoshimi could feel the air itself begin to shake and vibrate.  Looking down, she saw the hundreds upon hundreds of giant sunflowers each had a huge ball of multicoloured light in their center – and those balls of light were now erupting into beams of energy towards her.

The beams of light came in all varieties of colour, every single one of them seemingly to be slightly different than every other.  They were long, thin beams that cut through the air rapidly, and each of them was aimed at her.  Using all of her will power and agility, Hoshimi barely managed to dodge between the beams as they fired towards her in rapid succession.

Seconds after the first beam of light cut upwards into the air, the ball of light it had originated from suddenly exploded violently upwards, and the beam of light expanded in size to the same size as the attack the youkai had called a Master Spark.  As Hoshimi desperately maneuvered herself between the incoming lasers, she found that her escape routes were rapidly becoming cut off by the previous lasers expanding into massive beams.

Finally walled in, Hoshimi dissipated herself as yet another laser cut through the position she had been occupying.  Rematerializing well outside the mesh of lasers and beams, she was quickly greeted by yet another laser aimed directly for her.  With the spare moments she had earned by teleporting away, she was able to determine that not even a third of the flowers had fired their lasers yet.  Thankfully, however, the ones that had already fired did not change their aim, but the beams they fired did not disappear – it didn’t take her long to realize that once all of the flowers had fired, the entire area would be completely engulfed, and she would have nowhere to hide.

More importantly, though, the tower would also be engulfed.

Hoshimi stopped dodging and created a massive crystal plate, almost three feet thick between her and the ground.  Its massive length and width as well as its curled up edged ensured that none of the attacks from the ground could reach her, but even her magic absorbing crystal couldn’t take more than two or three of those Master Spark like attacks at once.

Thinking like that was part of the reason why she was on the run now.  She had let herself be too taken in by the atmosphere, gave herself over too much to the rules and styles of fighting in Gensokyo.  Why was she bothering to dodge these?  Instead, it would be much more efficient to cut them off at the source.

Just as the massive crystal plate shattered, Hoshimi propelled herself as fast as possible outwards.  If nothing else, she had bought herself three seconds to think, and that was all she needed.  Without slowing down, as lasers from the ground sliced through the air behind her path of travel, she pointed a finger at the hundreds of flowers and spoke.

Burn.

Along with the familiar silent thunderclap, a small plume of fire appeared in the middle of the still attacking giant sunflowers.  Though the initial burst of fire was only enough to consume three or four flowers, the flames took to the sunflowers as if it was a grassland in a drought, racing around the field and incinerating them en masse.  One more crystal wall gave her the time she needed to wait out the last of the attack, as the flames consumed the last of the flowers and the last of the pillars of light winked out.

Only ten seconds after she had spoken, the entire field was aflame, and only ten seconds after that, the fires had died down, replaced by a massive slow-rising wall of black smoke.  Satisfied that the threat had been suitably pacified, she turned to face Yuuka once more – and was greeted by yet another incoming Master Spark.

Pushing herself to her limits yet again, Hoshimi barely managed to dodge upwards and out of the way of the horizontally fired beam.  Still focused on firing her attack, Yuuka had left herself wide open.  Hoshimi wasted no time taking advantage of the opening.  Reaching a hand towards her, she opened her mouth to blast her out of the sky –

– and was enveloped in a beam of pure magical energy.

The impact stunned her momentarily, as she was lost to the burning sensation consuming her body.  How? What had happened? She could see her opponent, successfully dodged the attack…but was hit by another one?  After recovering from the shock of being struck, she quickly deployed a crystal sheet to block the attack.  She had been hit fairly hard, but raw magical energy could only do so much damage, so she was able to maintain her position despite being in a significant amount of pain.

As the light of the attack dissipated, she let the crystal wall fall from its place in the air so she could see where the attack came from.  Through the wall of smoke that had arisen from the burnt flowers, a massive hole through which the Master Spark had passed showed a painfully familiar location – the spot where, earlier, Yuuka had been plowed into the ground.

And now, standing among the charred flowers, where the dust from her previous impact had not yet completely cleared away, stood Yuuka Kazami, parasol raised and pointed at her, with a manic grin on her face.

Upon seeing Yuuka standing there with such a smug look on her face, Hoshimi instantly forgot about her pain.  Wild, hot anger began to well up in her chest.  How had she done it?  How could she have missed something as straightforward as a decoy? No, she hadn’t missed anything.  Neither the Yuuka she had been combatting, nor this one on the ground, were fake.  She could tell that much.  So how had she managed to pull it off?

Hoshimi took a deep breath.  There was no need to get so worked up.  She had fallen for a silly trick, but it wouldn’t work twice.  She would be ready now, no matter how many times she switched places.  Rebuilding her resolve, Hoshimi readied herself to attack.  As she started formulating a plan of action for her next attack – as she admitted now, taking this Yuuka Kazami lightly was no longer a good idea – she noticed that Yuuka had lowered her parasol and was now holding up one of her hands, with her forefinger raised.

“One?” Hoshimi muttered to herself.  One what?  Was she just keeping track of how many times she could land hits?  As she readied herself for her next attack, she suddenly heard a cheerful, ringing voice directly behind her – and felt fear for the first time in her life.

“And this will be two~”

There was no mistake.  She was looking at Yuuka directly, with her own eyes.  She was standing on the ground, hundreds of feet below her.  Yet, as she turned in what felt like slow motion, she saw for a split second the person she least wanted to see, fist raised and ready to punch.  This was, of course…Yuuka Kazami.

Time had seemed to slow almost to a halt as Hoshimi turned to see who was behind her, but the instant she made eye contact with the Yuuka that was there, it snapped back into real time immediately – just in time for the punch to connect. 

The force of the blow was tremendous, throwing Hoshimi towards the ground and almost supersonic speed.   However, despite the speed with which she had been launched, she felt time slow again, just in time to see that Yuuka was, in fact, still on the ground – and ready to punch again.

Before even making contact with the ground, Hoshimi took a second punch.  The first had hit her in the side of the face, stunning her briefly, but the second punch took her in the stomach so hard she blacked out momentarily.  Before she even had the time to feel the pain from the second punch, however, she plowed into a raised hill hundreds of feet away from where Yuuka was.

Hoshimi’s mind was completely blank.  It wasn’t even that she couldn’t believe what had happened, so much as she couldn’t process it.  The shock from the two hits and the impact had knocked her completely senseless, so she lay battered and broken, plowed almost ten feet into the side of the hill by the force of Yuuka’s blow.

“And that’s three,” her barely conscious mind registered a voice coming from above her.  “Now I’m winning.”  Through her disjointed consciousness, she could roughly understand that the voice belonged to the person that had hit her.

The person…that…had hit her.

“But you know, I’m really kind of disappointed.  That was my first time trying out Nature’s Kaleidoscope, but it didn’t even get to fire all one thousand Master Sparks.  I guess in the end the classic stuff is always the best though, huh?”

Hearing Yuuka’s voice, Hoshimi’s broken consciousness flared up.  In an instant, she was thinking clearly again – just long enough to lose herself to her anger.  It wasn’t a burning, raging anger like before however.  This time it was a cold, ice-like hate.  One that allowed her to stay calculating and controlled, if not calm.

Yuuka kept talking, and every once in a while her voice was punctuated by a laugh, but Hoshimi heard none of it anymore.  She quickly analyzed her own condition – the side of her face was completely shattered, as were most of the bones in her chest.  Her spine was broken in countless places, and her limbs were completely wrecked.  Luckily, she had no real need of internal organs, so there was little more to the damage she had incurred than structural damage.

Slowly, her face and throat began reconstructing and remodelling themselves.  As they did so, the rest of her body began following suit, and within thirty seconds or so, she was able to move again.  Picking herself up out of the crater her body had made on impact, she weakly stumbled outwards to where Yuuka was standing.

“Oh? You can still move around that much after taking two punches? You are an awful lot tougher then I gave you credit for!” Yuuka stood, her face practically jubilant, in front of the raggedly breathing Hoshimi.  Her face and head completely healed, she focused on rebuilding her spine and legs so she could stand properly. For almost two minutes, Hoshimi silently repaired her ruined body while Yuuka simply stood by and watched.

Finally fully healed, Hoshimi stood up straight and looked straight into Yuuka’s eyes.  The instant they locked eyes, she could feel the ice cold rage in her heart start losing to the blazing hot fury she was more prone to.  Apparently seeing the anger in her eyes, Yuuka’s smile simply grew wider.

“Allow me to save you the embarrassment of having to ask the obvious question,” Yuuka said as she twirled her open parasol on her shoulder.

As she did so…Yuuka Kazami landed beside her, opened her parasol, and rested it on her shoulder.

“You see? It all makes sense now, doesn’t it?” Yuuka seemed to be trying especially hard to not laugh as she spoke.

For a split second, she was confused.  But after thinking it through, it suddenly made sense.  There were two of them.  It didn’t matter whether it started out that way, or she had made a clone or duplicate, but the fact she could split meant that she could be in two places at once.

“…so, you split when you were on the ground?”

“Good guess.  I was truly worried when the fire started that it would reveal that I was hiding there, but luckily there was enough smoke that you didn’t seem to notice!”

Hoshimi stared at her, her disbelief almost matching her anger.  Who exactly was this Yuuka Kazami? So tremendously powerful, powerful enough to have so thoroughly beaten her, and yet she wasted the chance to finish her off so she could gloat?  And what’s more, after that, she proceeded to reveal the secrets she used to beat her without even being asked?  It was beyond stupid or insane, it was just incomprehensible.

“So, intruder who has yet to even give me your name,” Yuuka stated as the two copies of her recombined into a single person, “are you up for round two?”
Hearing that question, it all became clear.  Yuuka hadn’t finished her off because to her, this still wasn’t a fight to the death.  This was just a game.  A hobby.  A pastime.  She wasn’t here to win, she was here to have fun.  She only wanted to beat her and gloat, not kill her.

“Very well,” Hoshimi finally responded, her face breaking into a smile. “As a reward for hitting me three times, I allow you the honour of hearing my name.  My name is Hoshimi.  Before I came to Gensokyo, I bore the title of The Evening Star.”

“And what’s more, Yuuka Kazami, in the spirit of fairness, since you have showed me the technique you used to defeat me, I will give to you a piece of advice as well.”

Yuuka watched silently as Hoshimi’s smile grew to look just as manic as her own did.

“If you get the chance to land a hit on me…make it a killing blow.”  Yuuka had time only to raise an eyebrow at her statement before Hoshimi spoke again.

Blast.

The silent tremor that followed her commands was accompanied by a very audible explosion this time, directed right in front of Hoshimi in a cone towards Yuuka.  Since the two had been standing only four feet apart, there was no way for her to dodge, and she was sent hurtling backwards.

Though she was sent a considerable distance, she wasn’t particularly injured by the explosion.  Righting herself, Yuuka made to comment on the bad taste of surprise attacks, but stopped herself when she saw Hoshimi’s stance.

Standing with her right hand forward, palm facing Yuuka, Hoshimi was still on the ground.  Thick, black lines extended out from her hand, but this time instead of lashing towards her, they arced backwards and twisted themselves into the shape of a magic circle.  As Yuuka watched, the lines continued to multiply, and the circle got larger and larger, as well as more ornate and complex.

Even Hoshimi knew that such a blatant charge up type attack would be completely ineffective against a normal opponent, but Yuuka Kazami was not a normal opponent.

“So that’s how you want to play it, huh? We’ll have it your way then!” Smiling madly, Yuuka split herself into two once more, and both copies raised their parasols.  Rather than firing immediately, however, magical energy began gathering at their tips.

After all, this was just a game to Yuuka.  If Hoshimi made such a blatant challenge to her as to use an attack like this, someone like her would have no choice but to attempt to defeat it with something similar.  It was an unspoken challenge to her raw strength, one that Yuuka fully understood – and accepted.

Both combatants could begin to see signs of the tremendous amount of magical energy their opponents were wielding.  As Yuuka charged energy into her Twin Sparks, the overflowing magical energy flowed into the husks of the charred plants at her feet.  The burns that had utterly destroyed the plants began to recede, and life flowed back into the grasses and flowers around her.  As magical energy continued to gather, the area became more and more lush, far more than it had been before.  Such was the power of the flower youkai, that even without directly controlling it, her overflowing magical energy was enough to restore life to dead plants where only dust remained.

In stark contrast, the energy gathering around Hoshimi had a much different effect.  The space around her warped and twisted, and at odd times black lightning would arc out from the magical array taking form before her and would rake the ground.  The distortions were so severe, in fact, that she suspected even if one had launched a projectile at her, it would be completely thrown off course, ironically providing her a kind of protection she hadn’t considered before.

Yuuka began talking about how Hoshimi was now finally using magical energy for her attacks, but Hoshimi was beyond listening.  She had no mind for anything other than the spell she was casting, and the hate she was funnelling into it.  Her pure hatred at Yuuka, for having humiliated her so badly.  Her raging anger, practically burning her from the inside out, at having been deceived by such a simple trick as having two opponents.  She poured everything she had, everything she was, into the magical array in front of her.

As the array finished forming, it immediately began to collapse in on itself, condensing into the palm of Hoshimi’s hand.  Feeling the massive backlash from containing so much magical energy in a single spot, she waited, wincing only slightly – only a few seconds more, only a few seconds more…

Without waiting for Hoshimi’s attack to fire, Yuuka launched her attack.  The Twin Sparks tore across the open field towards Hoshimi at tremendous speed, but just before they reached her…she dissolved into the air.  As the spot she had once occupied was completely annihilated by the super-charged Twin Spark, Hoshimi reappeared only ten feet behind Yuuka.

Sensing the tremendous amount of magical energy Hoshimi still held in her palm, Yuuka immediately turned to face her.  Still in the process of firing the Twin Spark, however, she couldn’t move – not unless she dropped the parasol, and as Hoshimi had predicted, she would never be willing to do that.

With a smile rivalling the most twisted and vile expressions that had ever been borne by Yuuka herself, Hoshimi issued her parting words in little more than a hiss.

“Suffer in hell, Yuuka Kazami!”

The super dense concentration of magic in Hoshimi’s palm instantly redeployed into a standard magical array, immediately in front of her and with a diameter of just over ten feet.  The lush greenery that had reappeared beneath Yuka’s feet immediately turned to ash and was blown away by the backlash of the spell that had not even fired yet.  Finally, less than five seconds after she had initially appeared behind Yuuka, Twin Sparks still firing, Hoshimi announced the name of her spell.

“Hell’s Judgement!”

With those words, the magical energy within the array was released.  A massive beam of black light erupted from Hoshimi’s hand, easily five times the size of the Twin Spark Yuuka had just fired.  The opaque black light seemed almost like a solid substance, giving off bolts of black lightning around the edges.

Twin Sparks still firing, Yuuka and her clone were completely engulfed in the blast, but it didn’t stop there.  Continuing forward, the Twin Sparks themselves were also completely engulfed, as were the hill where Hoshimi had been standing, the hill behind that, and the entire forest behind that.

As the attack continued, it seemed as if it was sucking the very light out of the atmosphere.  It took only three seconds of continuous firing before the field that had housed their battle was as dark as midnight, the sun still shining futilely overhead.

The black light raged on, flowing outwards from Hoshimi as if it was a manifestation of her overflowing anger and hate.  After ten seconds of firing, the beam began to shrink.  It quickly shrunk to the size of a Master Spark, and then to that of a normal laser, even thinner than that, and then it finally disappeared.  With a deep breath, Hoshimi surveyed the results of her work.

The land in front of her was completely obliterated.  The hill she had been thrown into, the one behind it, and most of the forest behind that were replaced by a massive trench.  The air in the area where the blast had hit still crackled with black lightning occasionally.  Fortunately, Hoshimi had excellent night vision, because it took almost a full thirty seconds for the light of the sun to illuminate the area properly again.  Even the earth itself seemed to be still shaking after having witnessed the magnitude of her attack.

More important than the effect on the environment, however, was the effect on her opponent.  Not a single trace of the youkai known has Yuuka Kazami, from a scrap of clothing to a strand of hair, remained.  As expected, she had been completely erased.

And yet, she still felt unsatisfied.  She had definitely, beyond the shadow of a doubt, completely and perfectly won – yet she had been driven into a corner so badly, that if her opponent had been serious, she would have died.  Such a result was inconceivable.

“Even if I’m only at one fifth of my power, to think I’d do so poorly against a single youkai…” Though her raging anger had subsided, it had been replaced with a dull burning.  Even though she had a complete and total victory, she felt like she still had lost at something.

Turning around and looking at the massive black obelisk she had constructed, she sighed.  The tower was still in perfect shape, all according to plan.  The loss of a youkai as powerful as Yuuka Kazami would be a massive blow to the residents of Gensokyo in their attempts to stop her, but the very fact that someone as powerful as her had existed exceeded her expectations.  If there were any more in Gensokyo who had power similar to hers, it was very possible that she would be overwhelmed in the final confrontation.

Though, if they were anything like Yuuka was, they would probably come and try and fight her on their own.  She may have only been able to muster a fifth of her power since arriving in Gensokyo, but as long as she went all out from the beginning, she should be able to prevent a mishap like todays from ever happening again.

Conjuring a simple stone chair behind her, Hoshimi sat down with a sigh.  Her plans were finally coming to fruition.  Once she found her third recruit, she would be able to move into the final phase of her plan.  Then, the only thing that stood between her and true freedom was the Hakurei Shrine’s group.
Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back, resting it on the back of the chair.

Just a little further.  Just a little further…




One of my big inhibitions to writing touhou fiction is that I don't think I would be able to convincingly write a Spell Card battle that was interesting to read.  Thankfully, this story almost completely negates the need for those!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go into hiding for a few days so I don't get killed by murderous

Spoiler:

Yuuka

fans.  See you guys later!

[lightdreamer]

So, can I take it that Yuuka is 100% actually, truly dead? Not going to be revived for the rest of the story?

If so, well,

Spoiler:

I shall dance with joy! Finally, someone who isn't afraid to make Yuuka become other than the usual "unbeatable scary psycho" the fanon loves! Take her down a peg or two!

Spoiler:

But seriously, I think you're worthy enough to kill off a Touhou character. We know Hoshimi is really, really strong and you've managed to combine that strength with likeability.

[Sagus]

I'd be angrier with the death if it wasn't for the fact that the fight was really cool and overall pretty even. It's good to see Hoshime knocked down a peg or two, as well.

[Arcorann]

When I read that last part I thought "That's just begging to get contradicted by canon"... then I remembered that already happened.

Anyway, keep up the good work! You've created a very compelling story here.

[lightdreamer]

Oh, and I shudder on what she'd be capable of in her full power. This is just 20% of her, folks.

[TwilightsCall]

Suddenly, updates!  Because writing in English is easier than reading Seinarukana in Japanese!

While writing, I feel I have to constantly remind myself that I'm the only one who knows how the story is going to end.  I feel like the story must look so completely different from the point of view of the reader that I'm in danger of losing perspective as I write.  Though I suppose that applies as much to expression of character as it does to the forward movement to the plot.  Do the attitudes and expressions that I'm trying to write into the characters actually come across appropriately to someone who doesn't have the same biases and preconceptions I do?

For the same reason I feel like many of my characters must feel shallow from others' points of view.  The feedback I've received up to this point seems to run contrary to that feeling, but I'm still constantly worrying about it.  I feel like its a consequence of the story being so ambitious, including so many characters and not giving much time to build each of their personalities before moving on to the next one, and I can't really think of a way of amending that besides constricting the cast of characters, or adding a ton more filler content.

Anyways, enough blogging.  Have a chapter 12.


Chapter 12 ? Missing Power

Reimu stretched her arms above her head with a yawn as she walked out into the shrine courtyard.

She had arrived back at the shrine from her trip to the Palace of the Earth Spirits rather late the night before, and getting everyone up to speed ? including herself ? had taken no small amount of time.  As such, the amount of sleep she had gotten the night before was less than sufficient.

Waking up early the next morning, she had tried to contribute as much as possible to the preparations going on at the time, but in the end sleep deprivation after a three day journey had just been too much for her, and after much urging from the others, had gone back inside for a nap.

It was now maybe a couple of hours after noon, and the hectic atmosphere from the morning hadn?t abated even slightly.

Eirin, Kanako, and Remilia sat under a parasoled table, discussing a range of topics from how the weather was going to be over the next week to the current knowledge of their opponents.  Sakuya, naturally, was serving them drinks and the occasional snacks.

On the opposite side of the courtyard, Patchouli, Nitori, and Byakuren seemed to be working together on?something.  She honestly didn?t have the faintest clue what they were trying to accomplish, and asking them earlier had accomplished little other than getting herself bombarded with technical terms she didn?t understand.  It seemed their efforts were bearing fruit, however, so she felt it would be best to leave them to their own devices.

Though she couldn?t see them, she could hear the sounds of Youmu and Reisen sparring somewhere nearby.  They had started pretty much as soon as the sun had rose, and apparently were still at it.  And today wasn?t the first day of it, either.  The two seemed especially focused on improving themselves for the coming fight, and it seemed their focus was on developing skill and strategy rather than power or force.

On top of that, however, there were a fair number of people missing.  Marisa, for one, was a rather significant figure to be absent.  Kaguya, Komachi, and Sanae were similarly unaccounted for, and for whatever reason, Suwako and Alice ? both of whom Reimu had been told would be coming ? had yet to arrive.

And finally, but not surprisingly, Yukari was also nowhere to be seen.  She had been pretty hard to get a hold of since people had first begun gathering at the shrine, popping in and out to check up on things every day or two, but otherwise off in her own little world.  She assured them she was working on something important, but also assured them that if they defeated Hoshimi everything she was working for would be irrelevant.  Reimu hadn?t yet mentioned what she thought of the fact Yukari was making preparations assuming they would lose.

Regardless, if there was a chance of defeat, it was best to prepare for it, so she couldn?t be altogether upset.  If Hell decided to put an end to Gensokyo for any reason, Yukari was likely the only one who would have any way of doing anything about it, and indeed would likely be the only one with the capabilities to even begin rebuilding the Hakurei Border should it fall.  And even if everything worked out fine in this situation, it couldn?t hurt to have these preparations in place for the future.

As Reimu mulled over these thoughts for the nth time, Marisa and Sanae touched down in the center of the courtyard in front of her, apparently back from?wherever they were.

?Morning, sleepy head!? Strangely enough, Sanae was the first one to speak.  She seemed in especially high spirits, while Marisa looked quite unhappy.

?So, what did you two do wrong this time??

?Oh nothing~? Sanae said, averting her eyes with a smile.

?We were just at the human village.  We were supposed to warn Keine about the coming battle so she could be ready to defend the village if it needed defending.  But somebody decided it would be a good time for a publicity stunt??

?Oh come on, the people have a right to know!  It would be unethical to hide it from them!?

?Trying to incite panic isn?t particularly ethical either you know??

?I was not inciting panic!? Sanae responded, acting offended.  ?I simply warned the people of the coming danger, and ensured them the Moriya Shrine would ensure their safety no matter the cost.?

Watching the exchange between the two quietly, Reimu finally spoke up.  ?Did you at least actually talk to Keine??

?Yeah.  While Sanae was rallying the crowd, I managed to find her and give her a brief rundown on the situation.?

?Great.  You two can go back to arguing now.?

?No! I?ve had enough of this crazy, green haired maniac!?  Marisa threw her hands up in the air and stalked off towards nowhere in particular.  Halfway to her destination, she was called over by Nitori, and walked over to see what she was doing.

Sanae watched her go with an amused expression, shaking her head.  ?Some people?s kids??

Seeing Eirin beckoning her over out of the corner of her eye, Reimu turned to leave.  ?Alright, I?ve got business to attend to.  Go try and make yourself useful.?
With a smirk and a salute, Sanae started walking off towards the back of the shrine, where Youmu and Reisen were sparring.  Reimu, on the other hand, headed over to where Eirin?s group was sitting. Now that she thought about it, it was kind of strange that they had somehow acquired a table, a set of chairs, and a parasol that didn?t belong to the shrine at all.  She wondered about it for a moment, but after seeing Sakuya out of the corner of her eye, it suddenly all made sense.

Reimu made a mental note to be a bit nicer to the maid next time they met.  Even if she could manipulate time, carrying a set of chairs, a table, and a parasol over from the Scarlet Devil Mansion by herself would not have been an easy task.

?Reimu, we?ve come up with a problem, it?s solution, and now we need your input.?  Kanako spoke up first, getting straight to the heart of the matter.

?As long as it?s already solved, then great.  Let?s hear it.?

?We?ve managed to do considerably well in gathering people to fight against this Hoshimi, as you?ve called her.  Honestly, I?m a little surprised so many people were willing to help out, but it seems Hoshimi herself has been stirring up trouble, so I suppose it shouldn?t really be unexpected.?  Kanako was calm and collected as she spoke, showing no signs of being disturbed.  Good, it looked like the problem they were going to bring up actually was solved.

?The problem, however,? Eirin picked up where Kanako left off, ?is that with this many people, the likelihood of us being able to fight effectively together drops dramatically.  While putting more people against this single person initially sounds nice, more than five people together would be just as much a hindrance as it would be a help.  In the end, it would just be too much firepower, and we would lose as much focus from dodging our own attacks as we would gain from teaming up on her.?

?While it?s obviously true that people can learn to work together in large groups,? Kanako began again, ?that kind coordination takes years to develop, and we?ve only got five days left.  As such, we?ve decided we need to find some way of eliminating the disadvantage of overcrowding without forfeiting the advantage of superior numbers.?

?As such, we?ve decided to split our entire force into smaller combat groups.  The idea is that only one group will fight her at a time, and should they?find themselves at a disadvantage, another group can intervene while they pull out.  Like this, we?ll rotate who is fighting, keeping a fresh group in combat at all times, and hopefully whittling down the opponent as much as possible.  Eventually, the goal would be to exhaust her to the point she is incapable of continuing, and clean up from there.  Not an altogether glorious victory, but a victory nonetheless.?

Reimu pondered for a minute before responding.  ?Alright, fair enough.  What do you need me for, then??

Remilia was the next to respond.  ?For the plan to work, we need to split into groups, and while there are some obvious groups ? like me and my subordinates, Eirin and the others from Eientei, the whole group from the Moriya shrine ? a problem arises when we consider loners like you.?

?Ah,? Reimu responded noncommittally.  She didn?t particularly like the way Remilia referred to her as a ?loner,? but she decided it would be better to just let it slide.  She was getting better at that, recently.

?People who don?t already belong in larger groups include you, Marisa, Youmu, Byakuren, and Komachi.  I?ve assumed Yukari won?t be participating, and despite helping us out the Kappa have made it clear they have no desire to participate in the fighting itself.? Kanako took control of the conversation again. 
?While it?s tempting to just throw the lot of you into a group together, it?s not exactly a tactically sound choice.  You and Marisa aside, making the largest group full of people who aren?t experienced working together seems?rather dangerous.  And so, we?re asking for your opinion.?

Reimu tapped the side of her head with her forefinger as she thought.  ?Well, the first thing to think about I suppose is, is everyone in the other groups actually going to participate in the fight??

The three seated at the table looked at each other briefly before turning back to Reimu.  ?For the most part they should be,? Kanako responded for the group.
?Actually?? Remilia interjected, ?what are your thoughts on creating a non-combat group?  I know personally Patchy won?t be particularly fond of the idea of fighting, and if the Kappa don?t want to fight, we might be able to work out some sort of a support team.?

The eyes of everyone at the table suddenly went unfocused as their minds raced far ahead of everyone else, measuring out the possibilities.  Feeling a little left behind, Reimu exchanged a look with Sakuya who was in the middle of refilling drinks.  Sakuya returned the look with a shrug and continued with her work, as Reimu waited for the others to come out of their ?trance.?

?Reimu,? Eirin spoke up first, ?you mentioned that doll user would be coming eventually, right??

?Well, I didn?t mention it, but yes, if Marisa is to be believed then Alice should be joining us shortly.?

?If we added her to this support team, we could use her dolls as both emergency defensive measures for everyone, and a method to communicate en masse.  If we had her focus on that, she would no doubt be unable to participate in direct combat.?

?Furthermore,? Kanako added, ?we can?t expect that such a team would be safe just because they aren?t participating in direct combat.  They should be assigned someone who will be able to buy them the time necessary to collect themselves should they be attacked.?

?Alright, here?s my proposal then,? Reimu jumped into the conversation, causing all eyes to turn to her. ?Patchouli and Alice will form the Support group.  If one or more of the Kappa want to come along for some reason, they can join in as well.  Finally, we?ll assign Komachi to it as well, since she is quite adept at buying time and moving quickly.  In a pinch, her and Alice together should be able to work as an emergency rescue crew.?

?That leaves the group from the Scarlet Devil Mansion with only two members, however.  To remedy that, we?ll assign Youmu to that group.  Out of those of us remaining ungrouped, Youmu is the one most likely to be able to keep up with Remilia and Sakuya?s speed.?

?That leaves three people ungrouped, and the Moriya Shrine group is the smallest with two people.?

?Three people,? Kanako interjected, ?Suwako has finished with her business and is on her way.  She should be arriving within the next two days.?

Reimu nodded, glad to finally hear some progress on Suwako?s situation.  ?In that case, Marisa, Byakuren and I can form another group.  Marisa and I are fairly experienced with each other?s danmaku, if nothing else, so we should be able to work together perfectly fine, and we both have experience fighting Byakuren, however limited, so we should be able to work with her as well.?

?Of course, this all assumes we don?t have any more people join us,? Remilia added with a sigh, as if adding more people to the mix would be a bad thing.

?We can deal with that problem when it arises,? Kanako responded with a wry smile, ?the bigger problem is if the people we do have don?t cooperate?or show up.?

?Speaking of people not showing up,? Reimu was the next to speak, ?does anyone have any ideas as to where Kaguya and Komachi are??

?Last I checked, Kaguya was watching Youmu and Reisen,? Eirin answered, ?as for Komachi, she said she was going to ?take a look around? and has been gone since morning.?

?And it?s a good thing I did too,? Komachi?s voice suddenly came from behind them, ?or else I never would have found these!?

Reimu and the group sitting at the table turned to face Komachi, and were immediately stunned speechless.  Standing rather nonchalantly, scythe looped through her belt on her back to free up her hands, was a rather happy looking Komachi.  Over her shoulders were slumped the bodies of two familiar looking people, neither one they expected to see, though for different reasons.

Dropping the apparently unconscious bodies on the ground, it became clear beyond the shadow of a doubt who they belonged to.  One was none other than Ran Yakumo, who had been missing since the first encounter with Hoshimi over a week ago.  She didn?t seem to have any external wounds, though her clothing seemed a little worse for wear.  She didn?t seem to be breathing.

The other, whose presence was unexpected in a very different sense, was the little oni, Suika Ibuki.  On the surface, she seemed to be in much worse condition ? covered in bruises, bleeding from multiple places, her left arm clearly broken.  Even stranger, however, was that unlike Ran she was breathing ? snoring, in fact.

A full five seconds of stunned silence passed before everyone seated at the table, plus Reimu and Sakuya, immediately rushed over to the two unconscious individuals ? pointedly stating to themselves that they could only confirm both were unconscious ? and immediately began tending to them, almost in a panic.  Komachi quickly stepped back from the crowd, unslung her scythe from its resting place, and planted it on the ground to use to support her weight.

After a cursory inspection of Suika, Eirin waved her away and turned her attention to Ran.  As she did so, the others stood back to give her space to work, despite having rushed over so quickly.

?Sakuya, get rid of the Oni. She?s clearly fine.  Patchy! Come here, now!? Remilia immediately began issuing instructions.  With a quick bow, Sakuya made to pick up Suika, but stumbled slightly at the unexpected weight.  Seeing her having trouble, Reimu helped her pick her up, and the two carried her inside.
Once inside, Reimu quickly grabbed and unrolled a futon, and the two laid the little Oni on it without too much trouble.  Reimu fetched the sparse number of first aid supplies the shrine was equipped with, and the two immediately set to work tending Suika?s injuries.

In all honesty, she looked much worse than she was.  As Sakuya focused on treating the major gashes and resetting her broken arm, Reimu tended to the large number of minor wounds that populated her body.  Of course, minor wounds were mostly what her injuries consisted of, and even on a normal human none of the injuries she had received would be life-threatening. 

?And of course, she?s just sleeping like a baby?? Reimu couldn?t help but complain.  While they were taking care of her injuries, Suika herself seemed completely unperturbed.  She didn?t so much as twitch when her arm was reset, and her expression looked like she had just gone for an afternoon nap.

?I think I can take care of the rest here,? Sakuya spoke up without stopping her work, ?why don?t you go outside and see if there?s anything you can help with there??

With a nod, Reimu stood up and hurried outside.

Arriving back outside, she saw all activity in the shrine courtyard had ground to a halt.  Eirin and Patchouli were, for lack of a better word, inspecting Ran, while everyone else stood around and watched with dire expressions.  Barring Komachi, who was watching with a very distracted expression, as if there was nothing of importance occurring in front of her.  Even Youmu and Reisen had seemed to notice the crowd gathering at the front, and the two of them, as well as their two spectators, were gathered to watch as well.

Deciding her best bet was to let Eirin and Patchouli do their thing for now, Reimu decided to approach Komachi instead.

?Alright.  Talk.?

Pulled from whatever thoughts were keeping her occupied, Komachi turned to Reimu. ?Hm? Oh, uh.  I went to take a look around, to see if Hoshimi was making any moves, and I saw these two so I decided to bring them back.?

??that?s it??

?More or less.  Oh, I can tell you the fox isn?t dead.?

?Well, that?s great, but how?  It?s pretty obvious she?s not breathing??

?Mmm?Shinigami?s intuition??

Reimu simply shook her head at Komachi?s shrug. ?Well, regardless, good work.  No matter what condition they?re in, it?s better to have them here than with her.?

?Oh, don?t say that to me.  The real hero is the little Oni.  She was already halfway to the shrine when I found her, carrying the fox with her.  The instant I called out to her she passed out though.  I was worried at first, but I just feel like she wanted to pass the work on to someone else.?  Komachi spoke with an unsatisfied expression.  It seemed like she wasn?t taking the situation very seriously, and Reimu couldn?t quite tell whether an unhappy Shinigami was a good or bad sign in the presence of the injured.

Reimu turned as she heard Patchouli?s voice.  ?And one, two?three.?  As she spoke, she could see a shudder run through Ran?s body, and after a short coughing fit, she fell back on the ground unconscious.  The difference being that now, she was at least breathing normally.

Not five seconds after, a wide gap opened in the courtyard, barely missing the group that was standing there, and Yukari stepped out.  Despite the poker face she had adopted, after getting a single glimpse at Ran, she sighed in relief.  After her moment of relief, she immediately returned to her expressionless self.  ?Situation??

Reimu volunteered to answer the border youkai?s question. ?Komachi was patrolling around and found Ran and Suika.  She brought them both back unconscious.  As you can see, they?ve apparently successfully resuscitated Ran, and Suika?s inside having her injuries tended. She?s still asleep, but she seems fine.?

Yukari nodded to Reimu before turning to Komachi.  ?Anything else??

Komachi replied with a shrug. ?That?s all I got.?

?I take it,? Reimu spoke up before Yukari?s attention could be diverted elsewhere, ?that your connection with Ran is fine now??

?Yes.  Just before I arrived here we were suddenly reconnected, hence my sudden arrival.  As far as I can tell, she?s lightly injured, but nothing that won?t heal before she wakes up.  However?? Yukari stared hard at Ran?s unconscious body before continuing. ?That could take a while.  It seems she suffered the from the same thing the rest of you did, but having been subjected to it for so much longer, it?s going to take her longer to fully recover. Until she does, she?ll likely remain unconscious.?

?Chances of her being awake before we have to confront Hoshimi??  Kanako was the next to speak up.

Yukari?s gaze paused on Ran for a moment longer before responding.  ?Unlikely.?

?Considering what we were just talking about, I?m not sure whether that?s a good thing or a bad thing,? Remilia interjected with a sigh.  ?Alright, alright, nothing to see here, move along, move along!? For some reason, Remilia had delegated herself to crowd control, and strangely enough as she urged them to return to what they were doing, the crowd slowly broke apart and everyone returned to where they were before Komachi had arrived.

?So, what now?? Reimu asked no one in particular.

?As much as I took the time to come see what was going on, I don?t have the time, nor the resources, to take care of Ran at the moment,? Yukari replied, ?I trust it is acceptable to leave her in your care??

?Of course.  I?ll go get Sakuya and we?ll take her inside.?  As Reimu turned to go back inside the shrine, she stopped as she saw Sakuya walking out of the shrine with a stifled expression, as if she was trying to stop herself from laughing.

As Sakuya approached them, Komachi spoke up.  ?Well, I for one am exhausted, so I?m going to take a quick breather and then head back out.  Assuming I don?t find any more treasure like the last time, you can expect me to be back around sunset.?  Reimu nodded to the Shinigami as she took her leave.

?How is Suika doing, Sakuya?? Yukari asked as Sakuya approached.

With a mildly amused expression, Sakuya responded with an even voice.  ?Miss Suika has awoken, and she seems to be quite upset.  I came to ask if there were any drinks kept in the shrine that she might be able to help herself to.?

?Of course that?s what it is?? Reimu sighed, rubbing her forehead to stave off the headache that was bound to come when dealing with Suika.

?Well, I must be off,? said Yukari with a bemused expression, ?but I will leave this small gift with you.  Hopefully it will smooth things over with Suika a little bit.?  As she spoke, a small gap opened in front of her, and a rather large bottle of some unlabelled ? but presumably alcoholic ? beverage fell into her hands.  Handing it to the bowing Sakuya, Yukari gave a light bow of her own before disappearing into another gap.

?Alright, before we deal with Suika, let?s take Ran inside.? Reimu spoke as she moved to pick up the fox youkai.  With a nod, Sakuya assisted her, somehow managing to carry half of Ran?s weight without letting go of the bottle Yukari had given her.  Apparently working as a maid taught you all kinds of interesting skills.

?I think we can all guess the cause of Suika?s situation,? Kanako spoke as Reimu and Sakuya began heading inside.  ?I believe it will be best if we hear what happened from her with our own ears, though.  We?ll meet you inside, Reimu.?

After nodding in response, Reimu and Sakuya headed inside, closely followed by Kanako, Eirin, and Remilia, who quickly turned off to the room where Suika was waiting.  She thought briefly of telling them which room she was in, but after hearing the tantrum Suika was throwing, she decided it probably wasn?t necessary.

For the second time in less than half an hour, Reimu unrolled a spare futon and together with Sakuya laid the unconscious Ran onto it.  Seeing to it that she was comfortably laid out, Reimu and Sakuya headed back to where Suika was waiting.


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Suika gave off a satisfied sigh as she finished the last of her drink.  And promptly poured another one.  Despite being somewhat of a glutton for alcohol, she was quite refined in its consumption when someone else was providing.  The amount she could drink was still mind-boggling, though.

Across from Suika sat Kanako and Eirin, making idle chatter with the Oni as she drank her fill.  Standing at the back of the room was Remilia, leaning against the wall and looking bored.  After a quick check to make sure Suika was okay, Sakuya left to complete some errand Remilia had sent her off on, and Reimu was sitting in the room, apart from Kanako and Eirin but still fairly close.

Feeling a bit of a lull in the conversation as Suika took another drink, Remilia spoke. ?Can we talk about important things now? I?m getting a little bored of watching you drink yourself back into a stupor.?

?Oh? I thought this was all you wanted to talk about! Is there something more?? Despite being covered in bandages, and having her left arm in a makeshift sling, she still managed to look and sound like she didn?t have a care in the world.

?As much as I?ve enjoyed our chat,? Kanako spoke up next, ?I too feel like we should move on to more important matters.  Would you care to enlighten us as to what happened??

Suika blinked a few times as if she was confused, then her face turned decidedly bitter. After taking another drink, she scratched her head with her good arm and sighed.

?I heard a rumor, from Yuugi.  She said that there was someone new who was super strong, and she asked if I wanted to try taking them down with her.?

?Okay, hold on, wait right there,? Reimu was the first to interrupt, ?are you telling me that that Yuugi asked for you to help her in a two on one against someone she had never met??

Suika?s expression returned to its semi-permanent cheerful state.  ?I know right!  How embarrassing for her!  It was the first time she?d ever asked me for help in anything other than killing time!  Oh, though I guess we didn?t really have any goals, so it could have been considered killing time?anyways, I thought she was being pretty silly, but she was super excited about it, so I decided I could at least tag along and watch.?

?So we went and found this person, but even though Yuugi said she came to Gensokyo alone, there were an awful lot of people there.?

?Can you tell us who you saw?? Kanako was the one to interrupt this time.

?Mmmm?the white-haired fire bird girl and?the black haired fire bird girl??  Suika shrugged as she attempted to describe who she saw.  ?Oh, and we saw Yukari?s shikigami and the ghost princess as well.  Though they didn?t seem to be on her side, like the first two were.?

?What do you mean by ?on her side???

?Well, they were all acting important like they were guarding the place.  They mostly were just beating up fairies though, so I don?t think it was that big of a deal.  Anyways, they didn?t try to stop us, so we approached the stranger Yuugi was talking about, and she was super-unhappy to see us.  Like, her favourite book just got struck by lightning kind of unhappy.?

?Anyways, she asked us what we wanted, and Yuugi challenged her to a fight.  Without any warning she just went ballistic and started attacking us.?  Suika paused, and her expression grew dark once again.  ?It was fun for the first little bit, and I understood why Yuugi wanted me there.  Even with the two of us attacking her at once, we couldn?t lay a finger on her, and she was doing a super good job of keeping us pressured.  But when she didn?t beat us in the first few minutes, she decided to take things to a whole new level??

?She attacked us with something like I?ve never seen before.  It was like a super huge black light, and it completely destroyed everything it touched.  Of course, we dodged it without too much trouble, but we could tell what kind of attack it was just by seeing it.  Not even an Oni would be okay after taking an attack like that.?

?What do you mean by, ?not okay??? Eirin asked.

?I mean, screwed.  A goner.  Deader than dead. Nothing left to bury. That kind of ?not okay.?? Finishing her drink once more, Suika shook her head to try and get back on track.  ?So at that point it wasn?t fun anymore.  If she was trying to actually kill us, it would take an equal response, right? So Yuugi and I went all out too.?

Suika paused for a long moment, staring into space. ?Anyways, long story short, even when we were going all out, we couldn?t get close to her.  I thought I could get her once, but I screwed up big time.  Luckily, I got away mostly okay, though my arm was toast.  Yuugi stepped in and pulled her attention off me long enough for me to get my bearings again, but we couldn?t even match her when it was two on one, so she didn?t really stand much of a chance alone.?

?I told Yuugi we should stop and get out of here.  Obviously we had bit off a bit more than we could chew, so it would be better to come back when we were a bit better prepared.  And my arm was toast, so I wasn?t going to be of very much help anyways, y?know??  Suika seemed almost embarrassed as she talked.  However, her embarrassment quickly returned to bitterness as she continued.

?Yuugi wasn?t interested, though.  She kept fighting, and even she should have been able to tell it was a losing battle.  I, for one, decided I wasn?t interested in a complete loss, so I decided to try and at least take one of her hostages away from her.  Almost as much to spite her as anything else.?  Suika paused for a minute.  ?They were hostages, right?  The ghost princess and the fox??  Seeing everyone?s vigorous nods, she continued.

?Alright, so I wanted to try and steal the ghost princess away from her, but the instant I got close she appeared beside me and blew me away again.  I ended up landing right next to where the fox was, though I hadn?t even known she was there before that, so I grabbed her and booked it.  The stranger tried to stop me again, but Yuugi stopped, holding her attention just long enough for me to get away.?

Suika stopped once more, but when she started talking again her expression had lost its bitterness and she seemed to be back to her cheerful self.  ?I got a little bit aways, but then I realized I was a lot more tired from the fight than I thought I was.  I was about to take a break, when I saw that shinigami come down and ask me what was up, so the instant she landed I decided to take a break.?

?And the rest we know, I suppose?? Remilia tagged to the end of Suika?s story, seemingly as bored as ever.

?Well, thank you for your time, Miss Ibuki,? Kanako said, ?it seems we now have much to discuss.  Please rest well.?  Saying this, she and Eirin stood and made to leave.

?I?ll be along in a second, don?t wait up.? Reimu waved them out of the room, and with a nod, the two returned to the shrine courtyard.  After giving Reimu a look she didn?t quite understand, Remilia followed them out.

A long pause followed, as Reimu sat quietly watching Suika, and Suika poured herself another drink, emptying the bottle Yukari had provided.
?So,? Reimu finally decided to break the silence, ?how are you feeling??

?Absolutely terrible,? Suika replied without so much as a pause, her cheerful expression not even twitching.

?Well, that?s unfortunate,? Reimu said with a wry smile.

?But, when all?s said and done, I stole one of her hostages, so I didn?t lose completely, right??

?Right.  Any idea of what happened to Yuugi??

Suika paused in the middle of taking a drink and shot Reimu an unreadable look.  ?No.  Well, yes.  I know she would never give up or run away, so she probably would have stayed until the very end.  But it?s not often an Oni comes up against someone who they don?t have a chance of beating.  I suspect she was stubborn until the end, but I couldn?t tell you for sure.  Pretty unique circumstances.?

Reimu nodded silently.  Unfortunately, she was unable to get into contact with Yuugi or Suika before they confronted Hoshimi, and now there was a pretty solid chance neither of them would be able to help them at all.  Either way, Suika had successfully retrieved Ran, so it wasn?t a complete loss, like she said.  She still would have preferred having the two of them to help with the final battle against her, though.

?Oh, one thing, Reimu,? Suika spoke up as if she had just remembered something. ?That black light?it takes her a while to charge it up.  Make sure you keep an eye on her, ?cause she?ll definitely try to distract you somehow to buy herself time to use it. If you can keep her busy though, she shouldn?t be able to use it.?

?Is it really that strong though? I can?t imagine an attack strong enough to beat an Oni in a single hit??

Suika scratched her head lightly before replying.  ?Let?s just say, it?s not normal magic.  It seemed more like it was?destruction mixed with decomposition.  That makes it rather difficult to defend against, and the spread was wide enough that it would easily cover the entire shrine grounds if she used it here.?

Reimu was both surprised at the power of the magic Suika was describing to her, and at the fact Suika was acting so serious when talking about it.  ?Honestly, that sounds like something that?s too risky to use against one or two opponents.  I?m surprised she bothered with it at all if she was already beating you guys in the fight.?

?Yeah, something happened to make her pretty upset beforehand, I suspect, or she wouldn?t have bothered.  After all, as far as I could tell, it seemed more like magic designed to be used against an entire army.?  Suika shot Reimu a meaningful look as she said this, and the meaning was not lost on her.

Hoshimi was equipped to fight off an entire army by herself.  And on top of that, she wasn?t alone ? she had an a thousand year old immortal, as well as a hell raven who could control nuclear fusion and fission as her bodyguards.  It seemed as if she was ready from the start to fight at a numerical disadvantage.

That being said, it really just meant things were going to be as hard as they expected them to be.   Hoshimi had clearly been making preparations to fight off a large number of opponents, so that just meant they would need to make equal preparations to deal with that.

?Well, best of luck.  We couldn?t do it with two of us, so hopefully with all of you guys together you should be able to perform a bit better.?

Reimu was suddenly struck by an odd thought.  ?Wait a second, Suika.  How did you know we were planning on fighting her??

Suika shot Reimu a ?do you think I?m stupid?? look before responding.  ?Tell me one other reason why Kanako, Eirin, Remilia, and?? brandishing the now empty bottle of liquor, ?even Yukari of all people would all be at the Hakurei Shrine.?  With that, she unceremoniously flopped down onto her back, and without so much as a good night was snoring quietly.

Shaking her head, Reimu stood up.  She supposed she had a point, but she was more shaking her head at Suika?s ability to fall asleep instantly at will, especially considering the situation.

Taking one last look at the sleeping Oni, Reimu made her way back outside.


-------------------------------------


Apparently, at some point during the situation with Ran and Suika, a fourth chair had appeared at the table where Kanako?s group were discussing strategy.  Taking the empty chair as an invitation, Reimu sat down and began listening in to the discussion that was already underway.

?Even if the situation has changed, that doesn?t mean our plan has to.  In fact, as far as I can tell, our plan is better suited to the new situation than it was to the last one.?

?That?s a rather shallow way of looking at it, Remilia.  The whole advantage to the strategy was enabling rest time for three quarters of the fighting team while pressuring her into fighting non-stop.  In this situation, we?ll be lucky if a single team gets to rest at all.?

?So? This is combat, and we should be treating it like a fight to the death.  If you are relaxed enough to take a break in the middle of the fighting, you might as well not be there at all.?

?Brave words, but not everyone among us can fight for days on end without pause.  Frankly, we have no idea how long the battle will take, so having an opportunity to rest could make or break the fight for us.?

Deciding it was a good time to latch onto the conversation, Reimu finally spoke up. ?I assume this is an argument as to what to do about the fact Hoshimi has people helping her??

?Indeed,? Kanako replied, speaking up for the first time. ?Remilia recommended that we split our already formed combat teams up to take each of them down individually.  Eirin is arguing to say that that would ruin the point of the whole strategy.?

Reimu thought for a moment.  ?Well, the only way I can see keeping the old strategy intact would be to split the teams down into smaller units, but at that point??

??they might be able to handle the bodyguards, but not Hoshimi herself.? Eirin filled in the blank in Reimu?s sentence.

?Right.  So I think I agree with Remilia.  We should stick with the same strategy, but from a different angle.  Instead of trying to wear her down, finish it faster.?
Kanako gave a short laugh.  ?So, using the same strategy, try to end the battle as quickly as possible instead of dragging it out as long as possible.  Dividing and conquering, instead of a battle of attrition.?

?Sounds good to me,? Remilia piped up, clearly pleased that her idea was being accepted.

?Sounds like a death sentence to whoever is against Hoshimi, more likely.?  Eirin didn?t hesitate to voice her complaints.  ?The entire point of our previous strategy was to minimize the time each individual spent fighting her.  This would work both to allow us to rest as well as to keep her off guard by constantly switching her opponents.  Instead, we?re going to need a dedicated team forced to contend with her the entire time by themselves.?

?So why not do both, then?? Kanako responded with a smile. ?Let?s be honest.  The individuals she?s recruited are strong, no doubt.  But do you really think they can compare to any single team of us??

Eirin?s expression turned pensive.  ?So, assign a team to stall Hoshimi as long as possible, so that we can take care of the others.  Then, once they have all been dealt with, revert back to the original strategy and wear her down??

?No doubt, it?s risky for the team that has to keep her at bay from the start, but if there was no risk then we could just go and beat her right now.  We wouldn?t need any planning.?

?Honestly,? Reimu spoke again, ?I think it?s our best bet.  Marisa and I have some experience fighting with her, and Byakuren is pretty tough in her own right.  I think our group should be able to handle at least stalling her.  That is, assuming the rest of you are quick enough dealing with your opponents.?

?So, the problem then is,? Remilia stated again, ?she has two guards plus herself.  That?s three targets, for our four teams.  Should the free team assist in taking down the guards, or holding off Hoshimi??

?I suspect that is a problem we won?t have the luxury of facing,? Eirin replied.  ?If Yuyuko is still under her control, then more than likely we will need to fight her.  Of course, we?ll need to dispatch a full team to deal with her if she joins the battle.?

?It does bring up a relevant issue, however,? Kanako said.  ?Since we have a representative of each team here, I?ll say this now.  Once you?ve finished dealing with your target, immediately head to relieve the team holding off Hoshimi.  If you somehow have taken casualties, use your own judgment to see whether or not you will be more of a help than a hindrance.? 

Everyone nodded, and the conversation fell into a lull.  Seeing no one was in a hurry to bring up further points, Reimu stood up.

?Well, I will leave you three to continue discussing things.  I?m going to go give everyone a heads up as to this strategy so they can plan accordingly.  Fill me in when I get back.?

Walking away from the table, Reimu began walking to the next group.  They still knew next to nothing about Hoshimi, where she came from, or why she was doing what she was doing.  But they knew she wasn?t invincible, thanks to Kanako?s experience fighting her, and they had begun developing strategies that would work against her.  Hopefully.

They were far from winning, and as time went on it was only going to get more difficult.  But even so, where before there had only been despair pushing them forwards, they could now feel a small light of hope.  They could see the ending that they wanted, and though the path to get there was difficult, there was a path.

Reimu began to feel uncharacteristically excited.  She didn?t particularly look forward to the battle to come, and she fully understood just how likely it was that some of them ? if not all of them ? would come out of the battle seriously injured, if not worse.  But even so, she could feel the heartbeat of anticipation pounding away in her chest.

This stranger, Hoshimi, had waltzed into Gensokyo without a word, kidnapped, wounded, and for all she knew killed people without a second thought.  Soon, Gensokyo would show its response.


And today we have another milestone!  As of this chapter, the total word count for Rise of the Evening star is now 100,212 words.  Considering the longest thing I've written previously was a 5000 word essay, I feel like this is an accomplishment!

Anyways, thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to comment.  As much as I try to content myself with the spike in views every time I update, it is really very encouraging to get any sort of comments!

As far as actually story related things, I'm curious what your opinions of Hoshimi are.  She's shown up a number of times, but she's only really been in the spotlight during her encounter with Yuuka.  Is that enough for you guys to form an opinion on her character?  If so, feel free to share! It would be great to see how she looks in your eyes, since I'm too biased towards liking the character(s) that I've made :x

[lightdreamer]

Hmm, what I think about Hoshimi, huh...

You've managed to create a villain that inspires awe and respect. It's a nice combination of her strength and her personality. Without either one, you'll either have an annoying villain who just won't die or a pathetic villain who's clearly outclassed yet still acting like they're a big shot.

[Sagus]

My opinion on Hoshime... let me put it this way: my favorite moment on the fic so far was when Yuuka smashed her face and opened a crater on a hill with her body =P

I don't really like OC's that enter the fray and start beating everyone with no difficulty whatsoever; really, I was nearly abandoning the fic until I reached the part where Suwako was able to fend her off. Hoshime's latest beatdown was good, even though it ended up with her winning. I'm a bit annoyed at the "only 20% of my power", but I think that your writting is quite solid, so I'm still very curious to see how things will go.

[TwilightsCall]

Apologies for the delay, everyone!  Hopefully with the last chapter I finished I'll have broken through my little bit of writer's block and will be able to power through to the end of the story!

One thing, since the whole 20% thing keeps coming up.  I'll spoiler tag it, but its not really relevant to the plot of the story, so unless you want to be super surprised when you see Hoshimi's character profile after the Epilogue instead of just normal surprised, feel free to read it.

Spoiler:

Hoshimi often says she's at 1/5th of her power, and though she would likely talk about it as being 20% of her total power, thats not particularly accurate.  Rather than 20%, think about it more like "one out of five."  I won't say what those parts consist of, but I will say that they definitely are not equal - and the part she possesses now is the strongest of the five by a long shot.

With that off my chest, lets start storying.


Chapter 12.5 ? Wonderful Goddess


Alice walked through the cold, dark hallways slowly.  The place hadn?t changed much ? if at all ? since the last time she walked through these halls, but for some reason the poorly lit corridor felt more intimidating then it ever had.
It had taken her three full days to reach this place.  In all honesty, she had expected it to take longer, but her memory of the landscape had been unbelievably accurate, and the only thing that slowed her down was the sheer distance between her and her target.  She figured she had travelled at least twice the total length of Gensokyo since arriving, so the fact that it had only taken three days was more of an accomplishment than a setback.

As much as the place should have been familiar to her ? and indeed, to some degree it was ? she couldn?t help but feel like a stranger here.  The darkness, barely reduced by the light of torches set into the walls, created a very tense atmosphere.  The floor and walls were made of a translucent, deep blue crystal that not only sucked up the light, but also echoed quite loudly as she walked.  There would be no hiding the fact that she was here.
Not that she would have wanted to.  She knew exactly what it was like to have unwanted visitors in one?s home, so she had done everything in her power to make her presence known short of shouting through the hallways.

In addition to the intimidating atmosphere imposed by the building itself, the literal atmosphere also lent to the aura of the place.  The air felt incredibly thick, so much so that it was hard to breathe.  It almost felt like someone was constantly trying to smother her, and she had to make an intense effort to keep from hyperventilating.  Though she had been travelling through that atmosphere for three days, it had grown especially worse since she had entered the Palace.  She predicted that a normal human would pass out if they spent more than a few hours outside, but inside they would suffocate in only a number of minutes.

There was an up-side to the harsh, barely breathable air however.  In exchange for the oxygen that most living things needed to survive, the air was overflowing with magical energy.  Any magic used would be immensely amplified, and she could feel just being in the area filling her with strength and energy.  Unfortunately, unless she spent an extended time here ? something to the order of years or decades ? the effect wouldn?t be permanent.  As it was now, the pressure of the environment evened out with the advantages of it, and the end result was simply a very high tension situation for her.

Regardless, she wasn?t planning on spending much more time here, so it shouldn?t prove to be too much of an issue.

Alice continued walking aimlessly through the silent corridors of the palace.  She knew exactly where she was going, and in fact her memory was good enough to take her right there if she wanted, but as one might suspect upon hearing the word ?palace,? the owner of the place wasn?t someone you wanted to catch at a bad time.  So, trying to remain tactful, she wandered throughout the palace waiting for someone to come calling for her.

Of course, there was no guarantee that would happen, but considering both the circumstances and the people that lived here, she was more or less certain how it would play out.

As she was wandering, a turn brought her across the path of a familiar face.

Being the first person Alice had come across since she arrived, she had been taken a little off guard by the sudden encounter.  Apparently, the person didn?t know she was there either, as the instant she saw Alice her eyes went wide in shock.

The two stood staring silently at each other for a few moments.  Just as Alice made to break the deadlock and approach, the other person beat her to it.

?ALICE!? the girl practically screamed as she ? quite literally ? flew down the corridor and tackled Alice with an enormous hug, almost throwing her from her feet.

?It?s really you, right? You?re really the real thing right? You?re really Alice, right?? The girl stared up at Alice through teary eyes, clearly struggling to hold back from outright sobbing.

?Yes, Yuki, it?s really me.  It?s been a while, hasn?t it??  Alice rubbed Yuki?s head with one hand as she returned the hug with the other.  She couldn?t help but smiling at the reception, admittedly much warmer than she had expected.

Meanwhile Yuki, who was still struggling between smiling and crying, turned and shouted down the hall she had come from. ?HEY MAI! GET OVER HERE NOW!?

?For the last time?? a voice could be heard around the corner, ?I told you to stop telling me what to?.Alice?!?  Mai?s complaint was quickly cut off as she rounded the corner and saw what had sparked Yuki?s excitement.  Quickly flying over ? though thankfully not as quick as Yuki had been ? Mai approached the pair and set down, staring at Alice with wide eyes.

?It?s?it?s really you??  Though she seemed much less emotional than Yuki, it was easy to tell just by looking at her face that she was just as excited.

?Yes, it?s really me.? Alice couldn?t help but laugh quietly as she responded.  Despite all the time she had been away, it seemed as if these two hadn?t changed a bit.  The fact they were still happy to see her helped relieve the vast majority of the tension she was feeling.

?See, I told you! I told you she?d come back! Go on, tell her I told you!?  Yuki, speaking so fast it was hard to keep up what she was saying, continued to shout at Mai without letting go of Alice.

Mai averted her gaze with an angry expression, as if she was just upset at having been wrong.  Her anger quickly turned to embarrassment at what losing the argument had implied, and she soon turned apologetic eyes on Alice once more.  Alice simply returned her gaze with a smile, and soon Mai was smiling again as well.

Finally letting Alice go, Yuki took a step back and looked her up and down.  ?But wow you look different!  It?s like you grew up or something!?
Alice paused for a moment, unsure of what she was talking about.  Looking down at herself, and then back at the other two, who were now enjoying themselves inspecting her from every angle, it suddenly clicked.

Sure enough, she must look completely different to them.  After leaving Makai so many years ago, her appearance had changed dramatically.  Where once she had looked even younger than these two, now she looked like she had outpaced them both by six years.  And for their part, when she thought they hadn?t changed a bit since she last saw them, that applied to their appearance as well.

There was no doubt in her mind that Yuki and Mai were both significantly older than she was, yet in front of her now they looked like little more than children.

?I suppose I?ve changed a bit, haven?t I?? Alice mumbled mostly to herself.

?But that?s okay! You?re back, and that?s what matters, right?!? Yuki gave Alice another wide smile.

Alice couldn?t help but wince at that, earning her confused looks from the other two.

?Unfortunately, I?m only here today on business,? Alice said with an apologetic smile.

Looking completely confused, Yuki and Mai stared at her.  ?So?you?re not staying??  Her face seemed innocent enough, but Mai?s voice easily expressed her rapidly fading hope?and was only slightly tinged with accusation.

Kneeling down in front of them so that they were at eye level, Alice put a hand on each of their shoulders. ?But I got here now, so that means the gate is open, right?  I couldn?t before, but now I can come and go whenever I want.  I can?t stay for long today, but that doesn?t mean I won?t be back soon.?

The brightness immediately returned to the pair?s eyes as Alice spoke.  Yuki nodded vigorously to Alice?s words, while Mai smiled and averted her gaze, as if relieved.

?Don?t worry, that won?t be necessary.?

Alice felt both Yuki and Mai stiffen along with her as she heard a voice call from behind her.  Turning, she was greeted with eyes burning with anger that, unfortunately, were just as familiar as these two had been.

Standing up and turning to properly face her, Alice greeted the new arrival with a bitter smile. ?It?s nice to see you too, Yumeko.?

?Makai is no place for scum, and Pandemonium is no place for traitors.  If you never come back here again, it?ll be too soon.?

?Yumeko, back off!  There?s no reason to be so angry at her!? Yuki shouted back at Yumeko while both she and Mai moved in front of Alice, as if to protect her. 

Yumeko pointedly ignored the two witches as she continued her hateful glare at Alice.

?Alright, I?ll remember not to pay you a visit the next time I come then, if it upsets you that much.? Alice put on a brave front for Yuki and Mai?s sake.  Unlike with those two, Alice and Yumeko had never been especially close. For that matter, she couldn?t remember Yumeko being especially close with anyone other than Shinki herself.

That being said, Alice knew her well enough that she knew if Yumeko wanted something bad to ?befall? Alice, there was little she would be able to do to prevent it.  Though her raw power rivalled that of the Oni, and in fact probably surpassed it easily while in Makai, what was truly scary about her was that, unlike the Oni, she was very much willing to be crafty and clever rather than preferring straight up confrontations.

The fact she often lost that advantage due to her hot-headedness was little comfort, as that same hot-headedness was just as likely to get her killed at this point.

Luckily, though hateful and angry, her mood didn?t seem to be particularly violent.  ?If you care that much about my feelings, then just save us all the trouble and go home now.?  Yumeko?s eyes hadn?t changed, but the rest of her face bore a challenging smile.

?Don?t worry, all I need to do is talk to Shinki and I?ll be right on my way,? Alice replied with a wry smile.

Before her eyes could even catch up with what was happening, Alice winced as she felt a sharp sting on her cheek.  She immediately froze again as she realized her face was now only inches away from Yumeko?s, the latter now holding a thin bladed sword extended over Alice?s shoulder.  She didn?t notice the small strands of hair falling, nor the warm sensation of a few small drops of blood trickle down the side of her face ? all she saw was Yumeko?s eyes, burning with an anger she didn?t know was possible.

?Lady Shinki, scum.?

Alice realized quickly she had been wrong.  It wasn?t that Yumeko wasn?t in a violent mood ? it was that she was doing everything in her power to contain her desire for violence.

Without another word, Yumeko stepped back, turned around, and started walking back from the hallway she had come from.

Realizing she had been holding her breath, Alice finally relaxed and breathed out, followed shortly by inspecting the cut on her face.  It was a cut just deep enough to ensure that it would bleed noticeably, but highly unlikely to leave a permanent scar.  Honestly, if it hadn?t been her face, she might have been impressed with the precision that Yumeko could display while practically trembling with rage.

Standing up from where they had been knocked away by Yumeko?s unannounced charge, Yuki and Mai walked back over to Alice.  Both bore angry expressions directed towards the now retreating maid, but they were both also clearly shaken by the encounter, neither of them willing to raise their voices further in complaint.

Wiping the blood from the side of her face, Alice gave the two a weak smile to say that she was alright, but before either of them could speak, Yumeko called back to them.

?Lady Shinki has requested your presence.  I will show you to the throne room.?  In comparison to the hate-soaked tone of voice she had been using earlier, the way she spoke now was so emotionless it almost felt mechanical.  Not stopping to see if she was following, Yumeko turned the corner and headed off further into the Palace.

?Of course,? Alice muttered to herself.  Yumeko was one of the most powerful servants of Shinki, with both the power and authority of one who tended to Pandemonium itself.  She answered to no one other than Shinki herself.  So, the only reason she would have to hold back from hurting someone she clearly hated was because it was against Shinki?s instructions.

As she had announced earlier, she was here to see Shinki, so it was convenient that Shinki had noticed her arrival and called for her presence.  After all, if she hadn?t, she knew quite well that Yumeko was the kind of person that believed it was easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Alice made to follow Yumeko with quick steps, Yuki and Mai following silently behind her.


-------------------


After walking in silence for what seemed like hours, but what was probably only fifteen to twenty minutes, they finally arrived at the large double doors signalling the entrance to the Throne Room.  For some reason, it was Yumeko who felt the need to take a deep breath before entering.
Turning to face the other three, Yumeko?s expression had changed considerably since their exchange earlier.  She was obviously still not happy to have Alice there, but it showed only in her eyes ? the rest of her face bore an impassive expression.

?We are now entering the Throne Room,? Yumeko said in a voice that was cold, but not hostile.  ?Remember who you are speaking with, and remember your place.  This is your only warning.?  Finishing her rote monologue, Yumeko faced forward once again and pushed open the immense doors in front of them.
Alice struggled to contain a gasp of admiration as she saw into the room for the first time in years.  True, she had seen the Throne Room before, but its magnificence put her memory to shame.

For starters, the circular room was absolutely massive.  As if to try and match up to the huge size of Pandemonium itself, the room was easily large enough to hold several thousand people.  It was only a rough estimate, but Alice guessed one could probably lift up the Scarlet Devil Mansion and plop it down in the middle of the room, and still have space on the edges.

The next most salient characteristic of the room was the light.  In sharp contrast to the rest of the Palace, the room was overflowing with light, the change in brightness almost enough to make Alice squint.  Every fifty feet or so stood an incredibly intricate torch.  About five feet high and made of translucent, colourless crystal, above each was a pale white orb, a little over a foot in diameter.  Each orb of light hovered motionlessly, casting stark white light over the rest of the room.

Without a word, Yumeko walked into the Throne Room, not even checking if anyone was following her.  After a short pause, Alice, Yuki, and Mai all started slowly walking after her.

Like the rest of the Palace, the floor was made of semi-opaque crystal.  Around the walls, the floor was a deep blue colour, but as it approached the throne, it slowly faded from deep blue to a vivid crimson.  Lined by the crystal torches was a path from the door to the throne, cutting through blue and red crystal alike, made of what looked like a single piece of dark obsidian, wide enough for five people to comfortably walk side by side.

Though the path they walked on cut through the center of the room, Alice could also see there were two other entrances to the throne room.  All three entrances were aligned along the back wall, and though each had a walkway similar to the one Alice was now standing on, the other two were made of diamond, each reflecting the bright white light of the torches that lined them.  The paths were far enough away from each other that none of the three walkways came close to each other until they merged just before the throne.

Far beyond the two walkways to her side were massive walls of the same blue crystal that made up the rest of the Palace.  Reaching hundreds of feet into the air, the walls ? well, one wall she supposed, since the room was a giant circle ? smoothly transitioned into a massive dome.  The outer ring of the dome was lined by a thick band of white diamond, followed by a band of obsidian of similar width.  Within the two bands, the massive dome was inscribed with an incredibly intricate map of Makai itself.

Most of the ceiling was made of ruby, reflecting the reddish hue of the landscape of Makai.  Upon the ruby backdrop were intricate details made of every precious stone imaginable, showing everything from forests, to cliffs, to chasms, to cities.  Snaking through the ruby landscape were strands of sapphire, reflecting the light in such a way it seemed as if they were actually flowing water, just like the rivers they represented.  On the far end of the room, a massive sapphire plate marked the only body of water of significant size in Makai, from which all the rivers came.  Dotting the landscape were engravings clearly made out to be volcanoes, and orange topaz marked the flow of lava from their peaks.

The breathtaking detail of the map was only rivalled by its accuracy.  Simply by looking at the map, Alice could follow the path she had taken to arrive at Pandemonium entirely based on her recognition of the landscape she had passed.  And as she followed the path she took with her eyes, it naturally brought her to the center of the map.

A thick band of obsidian, representing the Moat of Stars, circled the center of the map.  Within the Moat of Stars was a single massive structure, made entirely of some jewel Alice didn?t know the name of.  Seeming to rise out of the ceiling, a translucent white jewel shining from within with a pale blue light and carved in a perfect likeness, was the Crystal Palace Pandemonium.  And under the likeness of Pandemonium, dominating the center of the map, was the throne of the Goddess of Makai herself, dominating the center of the Throne Room.

Tearing her gaze from the domed ceiling of the Throne Room, Alice let her gaze wander between the numerous torches they were walking past.  As she walked by them, a pale reflection of herself gazed back towards her.  She had to contain a smile as she saw out of the corner of her eye that Yuki and Mai were both as stunned as she had been upon seeing the Throne Room, each of them gazing up in wonder at the massive ceiling.

As they finally approached the throne, the two white diamond paths to their side converged with their own.  While the obsidian walkway continued forward, the diamond walkways instead expanded outwards, forming a circular disc around the throne.  Set within the massive diamond disc was another, approximately ten feet in diameter and made entirely of ruby.  The obsidian walkway continued through the diamond disc, ending just before the edge of the ruby one.

In the dead center of the ruby disc was a massive throne.  Sitting atop a wide, three-foot thick base of ruby, the throne itself was made of obsidian.  It was lined with a deep amethyst, darkened almost to the point of blackness by the obsidian it rested on, and incredibly fine details were inscribed all over the throne in the same ruby that made up the base.  The back of the throne extended up into the air, and near the top a figure of the sun, crafted entirely of diamond, was set into the obsidian.

And of course, on that throne sat Shinki, creator, ruler, and goddess of Makai.

Just like Yuki and Mai, her appearance hadn?t changed even slightly since Alice had last seen her.  As she sat atop her throne, expression unreadable, she stared directly into Alice?s eyes, as if she was waiting for something.

Reaching the end of the walkway, Alice stopped walking.  Yuki and Mai stopped a few steps behind her, and Yumeko continued forward.  Stopping directly beside the throne itself, Yumeko turned back to face the other three, eyes closed and hands folded in front of her, waiting patiently.

Taking a deep breath as covertly as possible, Alice bowed deeply enough to not presume familiarity. ?Thank you for granting me this audience, Lady Shinki.?  Alice held her bow, doing her best to ignore the pounding of her heartbeat in her ears.  Finally, after what seemed like ages, Shinki responded.

?You may raise your head.?  Rising to meet Shinki?s gaze, Alice could see her face was still as expressionless as her voice had been.  As Shinki regarded her silently, Alice had to force herself to keep breathing.  She had thought she was feeling tense just being in Makai earlier, but that was nothing compared to this.

And it wasn?t like she was unknown to the feeling of being outclassed.  She had come face to face with people far beyond her in every respect while in Gensokyo.  Each of them was quite intimidating, but as with any self-respecting youkai, Alice could maintain her dignity no matter what odds she faced.

But this was different.  She didn?t know if it was her own personal guilt, at having left without a word for years on end, or if it was just the aura presented by the Throne Room itself.  Maybe it was just her memories of Shinki herself that fed the tension, but whatever it was, she had a presence like nothing Alice had ever felt before.  Just standing in front of her made her feel like she had lost, and there wasn?t even a competition happening.

Or, perhaps more accurately, it felt like she was standing to be judged.  As if everything she ever had done, and everything she would ever do, were being measured on a scale to see whether she was worthy of leaving this room alive.

Then, for no reason that Alice could determine, the tension she was feeling suddenly?vanished.  Her heart rate returned to normal, her mouth no longer felt dry, and she became acutely aware of the fact she had started sweating.  It was everything she could do to stop from tilting her head to the side in confusion as all the discomfort she had been experiencing melted away without a trace.

As if she could see right through Alice?s confusion ? actually, she probably could without too much difficulty ? Shinki finally broke out into a gentle smile.

?Welcome home, my child.?


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Despite her initial apprehension, speaking with Shinki wasn?t actually as difficult as she had anticipated it would be.  For the most part, Shinki had just been happy to see her after such a long absence, so their conversation revolved mainly around what Alice had been doing since she had left.   As the conversation got more relaxed, Yuki and Mai began chiming in, and it didn?t take long before Alice felt like she was back amongst family.

To counterpoint Alice?s description of life in Gensokyo, Yuki and Mai provided a summary of what had changed in Makai since she had left.  Effectively, nothing had really changed, yet somehow the two managed to make it sound like the world had been dismantled and put back together several times.

Now, as Shinki stayed on her throne, Alice, Yuki, and Mai were seated on the floor.  It was anything but comfortable, but it was a lot more relaxing than standing. 

As they listened to Yuki and Mai speak, Shinki seemed to be just as amused by the stories as Alice was.  It felt just like old times, and Alice couldn?t help but think back with fond memories on the days they had actually lived together as a family.  It seemed kind of ridiculous now, considering the new perspective she had seen Shinki in, but once upon a time the legendary Goddess of Makai had faithfully played the role of mother to Alice as she grew up.  She knew that she couldn?t expect to be welcomed back like that, but being able to reminisce over those memories like this was enough.

As her last story wound down, Yuki turned to look at Alice, showing a reticence quite out of character for her. ?Um, Alice?I know you said you were only here to visit, and that you?d come back, but?why don?t you just stay here??

With an apologetic smile, Alice declined. ?I?m sorry, but I can?t do that.  I?d love to, but I just can?t.?

?Of course you can!? Yuki replied with more of her usual fervor, ?She can stay here with us, right Lady Shinki?  There?s no problem with that, right??

?Of course she can,? Shinki responded with a gentle smile, ?she can stay here until the end of time if that?s what she wants.  But Yuki, you have to remember??

Yuki?s triumphant smile at Shinki?s approval faltered as she continued speaking.

??Alice is her own person.  She?s been living somewhere else for years now.  She has her own friends, her own place in the world.  Just as much as we?d love to have her here with us, that?s how much Gensokyo needs her.  She?ll always be our family, our friend, but she has her own path to walk now.?

Yuki seemed to struggle to find words to say, but finally settled with nodding glumly.  She wasn?t particularly happy, but her expression was a far cry from how upset she had been earlier when Alice had told her she wasn?t staying.

As the silence extended, Alice could feel the unspoken question in everyone?s gazes.  Yes, she had her own path to walk now, and she was grateful that they had accepted that.  But it had been a very conscious choice for her to choose that path, and she had to have known from the start it meant possibly never seeing any of them ever again.  So, why?

She, of course, had plenty of reasons.  But in the face of the mother and sisters that had raised her, she couldn?t help but feel like those reasons were meaningless.  And so, the answer remained unspoken as well.

Sensing the building gloom, Shinki broke the silence.  ?Now, as much as I?ve enjoyed speaking with you, I?m sure you didn?t come here for the first time in almost a decade to just see how we are all doing.  Is there some business you have in Makai??

Shaking her head to attempt to dispel the gloominess that was settling over her, she replaced it with a renewed tension.  As Shinki had said, she was here on business.  She was glad she got to see and catch up with everyone again, but she had a very important mission to accomplish.

?To be honest, I have a favour to ask of you.  It?s incredibly selfish, and I see no reason for you to help me out, but I owe it to everyone back in Gensokyo to at least try and ask, so please forgive me for my?forwardness.?

Shinki sat up straight in her chair, and Yuki and Mai turned to face her with puzzled expressions.  Yumeko, who had been silently standing eyes closed the entire time, finally opened her eyes and regarded Alice with a cool expression.

?Gensokyo has recently been attacked by a stranger.  I don?t know where she came from, or what her ultimate goal is, but she?s proved to be?quite the problem for us.  To the point that all of Gensokyo has banded together to attempt to take her down.?

?Abandoning the Spell Card system Gensokyo is so proud of?? Shinki raised an eyebrow as she asked the question.  Of course she would be curious, what with
Alice just explaining how they resolved all of their disputes peacefully by Spell Card battles earlier, and now saying they were trying to gang up on one person.

?The problem is this stranger ? Hoshimi, I think her name was? ? is ignoring the Spell Card rules.  And she?s strong enough that the normal people responsible for policing them can?t defeat her, so they are asking for help.?  Alice thought she saw Shinki?s expression falter as she heard Hoshimi?s name, but it returned to normal so fast she couldn?t even be sure she saw anything.

Shaking her head to get back on focus, she started again. ?To be completely honest, there?s two reasons I?m here: one is to ask for your help, and the other is a warning.?

??a warning?? Shinki raised an eyebrow at that.

?First and foremost, I guess it makes sense to start there.  We don?t know what her plans are or why she?s acting as she is, but we do know that she is building some sort of weapon.  Supposedly, it is designed to attack other worlds, and naturally that puts Makai at risk.  I don?t have a clue as to what she?s planning on targeting, and we definitely don?t intend on letting her fire it, but I figured it would be best to warn you of the possibility regardless.?

?A weapon designed to target other worlds?? Shinki repeated Alice?s words to herself, closing her eyes and raising her left hand to her temple.  ?How close does it appear to be to being finished??

?I?don?t actually know that much about it.  It sounded to me though that they weren?t too concerned with the weapon firing, because the High Court of Hell is threatening to destroy Gensokyo if it isn?t dismantled in the next few days.?

This earned a gasp from Yuki and Mai, and even Shinki?s eyes went wide with the announcement of Gensokyo?s impending doom.  ?To think Hell would move so boldly?Well, in that case, I suppose we don?t have to worry too much about the weapon firing.  Either way, I appreciate your warning, and we will take the necessary precautions.?

Alice nodded, glad that she was being believed.  She realized her story was a little far-fetched, and considering this was her first time in Makai in years, it would be understandable for them to not believe her.  What was more important, however, was the next part?

?So I guess this is where the selfish part comes in?? As Alice tried to think of a good way of breaking the question, Shinki calmly folded her hands in her lap and waited.

?Okay, honesty is the best policy, right?  I have no idea whether or not we can beat this Hoshimi person.? Alice specifically dropped the name again to see if it would earn a response from Shinki like last time, but she remained impassive.  Maybe she was just imagining things after all. ?And as far as people outside of Gensokyo who can help us, I?m one of the very few people that know anyone who could help.?

?And this is, of course, us?? Shinki said, again more to herself than as a response to Alice?s question.

?Right.  I know it?s rude of me to ask, especially since it?s been so long since we?ve last met, and especially considering the?circumstances in which I left, but if there is anything you can do to help, I?ll do anything I can to make up for it.?

Alice put on a strong face and met Shinki?s gaze.  The tension she felt now was very different from that she had felt upon first entering the Throne Room, but it was still very real.  She knew they had no real reason to help her, but with so much on the line, she wasn?t willing to let any chances at help get away.

Shinki stared at Alice without any indication as to her thoughts.  Raising a hand to her temple once again, she closed her eyes and sighed.  Judging by the curious looks on Yuki and Mai?s faces, and the fact even Yumeko had turned to watch her, it seemed everyone in the room was equally curious as to the answer to Alice?s question.

??why do you think I?ll be able to help you??  The response was nothing close to what Alice had expected.  As such, she was at a bit of a loss for words.

?Well?umm?? Scratching her head awkwardly, Alice pondered for a minute.  Shouldn?t it be pretty obvious?

?For starters, I suppose you are definitely the most powerful person I know?in a lot of ways.? Alice tried her best to not make that last bit sound offensive. 

Judging by Shinki?s expression, it was hard to tell if she had succeeded. ?But more importantly??

Alice took out her grimoire and held it up for Shinki to see.  ?She was looking for this.  I don?t know why, and she didn?t give much of a reason, but she was willing to kill me to get at it.   Well, more accurately, to destroy it.?

Shinki seemed to lose focus on the conversation once she saw the grimoire.  ?Ah, so you do still have it.  That explains how you got into Makai without going through the Gate.?

?Since I got it from you, I figured you might know why she was after it??

Shinki?s pleased expression at seeing the grimoire turned grim.  ?Well, considering the grimoire is very closely linked with Makai, it seems all the more likely now that this Hoshimi is planning on attacking Makai with her weapon.?

?Oh,? Alice let slip a small gesture of surprise.  She had already reasoned far enough to think that, if the stranger was after a book from Makai, maybe she could get help from Makai, but she somehow didn?t make the connection that the stranger might have a vested interest in Makai itself rather than just the book.  She suddenly felt quite stupid.

?That is certainly quite relevant information, and I can see why you came to me?? Shinki said, closing her eyes as if she was thinking deeply about something.  When she opened her eyes, her gaze was warm, but apologetic.  ??but that is even more reason why I can?t help you.?

Alice blinked a couple times, surprised.  Shouldn?t evidence like that mean it is more important for her to help her?

Seeing her confusion, Shinki once more folded her hands in her lap and began to explain.  ?I understand why you came to me, and why you think I can help you, but in the end it?s not possible.  You have shown me quite convincing evidence that this person cares somewhat about Makai, or at least Makai?s magic. 

If you are correct about her building a weapon that can attack across worlds, there is no conclusion I can draw except that she is targeting Makai itself.  I do not know what her reasons are, but it is precisely times like this that we must maintain our guard.  We have no guarantee that she is working alone, and in a time when all of Makai could be in danger, every person we send to help you is one less person to defend against a possible attack from somewhere else.?

?I?see??

?I do not turn down your request lightly, Alice.  I understand the courage it took to come back here and ask, despite the circumstances, and I am glad you still trust me enough to ask these things of me.  But in this situation, I cannot put the safety of Gensokyo before the safety of Makai.  Please try and understand.?

Alice nodded dumbly.  She wasn?t entirely sure what answer she had expected ? she certainly didn?t think it was going to be easy to get help.  But she had been so unilaterally denied that she was more surprised than upset.  The fact that the evidence she had presented to make help more likely to come instead turned into the exact reason why help wasn?t going to come made the failure sting just a bit more than it needed to.

?Thank you for hearing me out, at least?and if it?s this big of a deal, I?m glad I at least was able to warn you about it in advance.?

?Indeed,? Shinki replied, her tone much more gentle, ?and know that no matter what happens in Gensokyo, you and your friends will always be welcome here.?

Alice returned Shinki?s smile as she stood.  ?Thank you.  And I?m glad that if nothing else, this incident meant I got to see all of you again.  And as much as it would be fun to stay longer, you know how serious the situation is.  I need to get back as soon as possible.?

Doing her best not to let the upset expressions on Yuki and Mai?s faces get to her, she kept her gaze locked with Shinki?s.

?Very well.  It has been a pleasure speaking to you again, Alice.  Yuki, Mai.  Please escort Alice back to Gensokyo.?

At that, for some reason, Yuki perked right up.  Even Mai seemed to suddenly become a little excited.

?Um, Lady Shinki, this is an emergency, right? We can use the fast travel room, right? Right? Right?!?

As if she was trying not to laugh, Shinki nodded with an odd expression.  ?Yes, you may use the Palace?s Gate Room.?

At that, Yuki and Mai both shot to their feet and grabbed each of Alice?s hands.  ?Oh man, you?re going to love the fast travel room Alice! Come on, we?ll show you!?

Somewhat bewildered by the sudden excitement coming from the two, Alice did her best to give a proper bow in farewell to Shinki as the two pulled her down the walkway out of the Throne Room.  Responding to Alice?s farewell with a nod and a smile, Shinki watched the two witches pull Alice by force almost the entire length of the Throne Room before agreeing to let her walk on her own.

As the large double doors to the Throne Room closed behind her, Alice couldn?t help but feel like maybe, just maybe, the trip to Makai had been worth it whether she had gotten the help she needed or not.


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Shinki watched silently as the large double doors to the Throne Room closed, blocking off the three from view.  Content that they had gone far enough to be out of eavesdropping range ? which was pretty far, considering Yuki and Mai ? she let out a sigh and stepped down from her throne.

Yumeko stood beside the throne, silently watching the door.  She had to commend her; she had zero expectation of Yumeko keeping her cool during the meeting with Alice, but she had remained silent the entire time.  Yumeko had truly grown a lot over the past couple years.

True to form, as soon as Shinki thought this, the maid spoke up.  ?Are you really not upset with her at all??  Yumeko asked idly, as if she was trying to make it sound like she was just talking to herself.

?Why would I be upset with her? One of my precious children has come home after long years of being away.  If she could have stayed longer, we would be hosting a feast right now.?

Yumeko finally lost her calm exterior as she practically shouted.  ?But?she left us! She left you!  You were like a mother to her, and she just left without saying a word!?

Leaning up against the side of the throne, Shinki closed her eyes.  ?I would be lying if I said it didn?t hurt when she left, Yumeko, but I was serious with what I said earlier.  Everyone needs to walk their own path.  Even you, someday, will find a path that leads away from me.  Alice just happened to find hers especially early, that is all.?

Yumeko seemed torn at Shinki?s declaration that she too would split off from her someday.  On the one hand, she wanted to claim she would stick with her forever, but on the other hand, that meant calling her a liar.  In the end, she settled for ignoring the issue.  ?Still, she could have at least said something before she left.?

Turning to look at the door through which Alice had left, Shinki spoke almost wistfully.  ?I was closing the gate.  It was supposed to be for good.  It must have been a last second choice for her, or she probably would have told us.  Besides?you could probably tell from seeing her today, but I?m sure it hurt her to do it just as much as it hurt us.?

Yumeko narrowed her eyes at nothing in particular as Shinki spoke up in defense of Alice.  Shinki knew that Yumeko?s heart was in the right place though.  She didn?t hate Alice out of a personal grudge, or because she had felt slighted.  She was just acting out after experiencing firsthand how much it had hurt everyone when Alice had left.  It was as if, since everyone else was so accepting of her coming back, she felt the need to balance it out by hating her by herself.

She knew it was for her sake that Yumeko was so bitter towards Alice, and that made it difficult for her to chastise her for it.  She of course had noticed the scratch on Alice?s face, and it was fairly obvious that it was Yumeko?s doing, but with neither of the two bringing it up, she felt like she had no place to either.

After all, each of them had their own path.  It would be up to those two to work out the differences between them now.  Even if they never came to an understanding, it wasn?t her place to force them to get along.  Someday they might work things out, maybe they wouldn?t.  Either way, it was up to them now.

?But more importantly than that?? Yumeko continued, ?Is it really okay to not help her?  It seems like she?s in quite the pinch.?

And this is why Shinki couldn?t bring herself to scold Yumeko for her behaviour.  Even if she hated Alice with a burning passion, even if she called her a traitor, or scum, she still knew that she was a precious member of their family.  And that family was more important to her than life itself.

?It will be difficult for them, but we have more important things that we need to do.  If she?s really alive, then??  Shinki trailed off.  Seeing she wasn?t planning on continuing, Yumeko spoke up again.

?Do you think they have any chance at beating her??

?Not even a little.? Shinki spoke without the slightest trace of humor or hesitation in her voice. ?But if Gensokyo is the sacrifice needed, it will be a small price to pay.?

Yumeko sighed irritably at Shinki?s declaration.  It was one of those sighs that seemed to signify she was unhappy with being right about something.
Walking towards the back of the Throne Room, where her personal quarters waited, Shinki called back to Yumeko.  ?As soon as Alice has left Makai, get Yuki and Mai and come back here.  We have plenty of work to do, and not much time to do it.?  Without waiting for confirmation, Shinki disappeared into a flash of black light.

?Yes, mistress.?  Yumeko bowed to the spot Shinki had disappeared from before setting off to make preparations of her own.


So while I was writing this I had to do some research on the Makai people, and I quickly realized Yumeko was much stronger than I had originally given her credit for.  I'm not sure how you guys would rate "the highest class of the denizens of Makai" in comparison to the youkai of Gensokyo, but this is my interpretation, so feel free to disagree with it XD

Anyways, hopefully the next update will be out a lot sooner than this one took.  I want to be at least a chapter or so away from (or maybe already at?) the final arc of the story when school starts back up again :x

[TwilightsCall]

I'm not gonna lie, this chapter went in a completely different direction than I had anticipated when I sat down to write it.  Still, I feel like it's an important one!

So here is Chapter 13, I hope you enjoy!


Chapter 13 ? Starlight Dialogue


Reimu sat on the roof of the Hakurei Shrine, watching the moon overhead in silence.  A cool night breeze blew past her, as if it was gently urging her to go back inside.

She had lost track of the amount of time she had spent up here.  Regardless, she was sure that she had been up here long enough that the date had changed.  Seven days since Komachi had warned them of the Hell?s decision to eradicate Gensokyo.  Two days until their threat would become a reality.

The day she, and everyone she had managed to gather together, would confront Hoshimi and everything would end.  For better or for worse.
As she stared up at the moon and the stars overhead, she couldn?t help but be filled with anxiety.  With a sigh, she closed her eyes and leaned back, lying on the slanted roof of the shrine.

Everything had come together as best as could be expected.  The day before, Suwako arrived early in the morning.  That same evening, Alice arrived, and with that the formations were set in stone.  Everyone knew who they were going to work with, and the strategy for the encounter had been hammered out in such a way that everyone had agreed.

They would divide into small groups of no more than three, and they would split up to take on each opponent three-to-one.  As those who defended Hoshimi were dealt with, they would rotate the team responsible for holding off Hoshimi herself to give everyone fighting chances to rest and recover.  They would continue to wear Hoshimi down little by little, and once they had her exhausted finish her.

?that was the first of Reimu?s myriad anxieties.  She had never once, in her capacity as the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, been required to take someone?s life.  The presence of the Spell Card rules made it unnecessary ? they could resolve any conflicts without the need for excessive violence.  However, this was not an opponent that could be dealt with like that.  In the world of Gensokyo, where common sense was cast aside, Hoshimi was like a cold hard reality being shoved down their throats.  They couldn?t cling to the fantasy of peaceful conflict resolution, or else they would all die.
She was not an opponent they could take lightly like that.  If every single one of them didn?t give their all, they could all lose.  There could be no pulling punches.

This didn?t particularly bother her, considering the person she was dealing with.  She had absolutely no inhibitions about hurting Hoshimi.  But even so, it was?different.  She had never had to fight with full, unrelenting force before.  She knew how necessary it was, and she could only hope that knowledge would remove any hesitation she might experience.

The larger problem was that, unlike the last time they confronted her, Hoshimi wasn?t alone.  She knew for certain that Utsuho was with her, and it was certainly a very real possibility that Mokou was with her as well.  Komachi had been keeping an eye on things as best she could, but she had reported no one else was with her.  Other than, of course, Yuyuko.

She didn?t know why Mokou and Utsuho had decided to help her.  She didn?t know if they would be willing to fight against all of the people who had gathered at the Hakurei Shrine when the time came, either.  Would they stand and fight a battle where they were hopelessly outnumbered, or would they turn and run?  Or, maybe they would listen to reason, and turn against Hoshimi?

Reimu smiled bitterly to herself.  That was far too convenient to be possible.  The fact of the matter was, Hoshimi was scary enough on her own, but she had those two with her as well.  When they had no idea how their combined force would fair against her, anything to tip the scales in either direction was a big deal.  And those two especially were not to be trifled with.

Mokou may not have particularly destructive abilities ? to be honest, anyone can use magic to make fire, it wasn?t actually that big of a deal ? but her immortality could make her an incredible obstacle.  Thankfully, there was no need to worry about going overboard and killing her, as Reimu had learned in previous encounters with her, but that also meant the threat of death wouldn?t be enough to suppress her.  Who knew what it would take to get her to stop fighting?

Utsuho, on the other hand, was a very different issue.  As far as pure destructive power, Reimu suspected that she could only be rivalled by Remilia?s little sister.  Containing her would no doubt prove to be a monstrous task.  Defeating her without taking casualties could turn out to be impossible, depending on how seriously Utsuho took the fight.  Furthermore, as far as Reimu knew, she was distinctly not immortal.  With someone as powerful as Utsuho, they couldn?t afford to pull any punches ? that was an unfortunate truth.  The risk of her dying was considerably high.

To make things worse, she had a number of character traits that would make her a difficult foe.  First, the fact she was willing to burn the whole surface world to the ground during the Hot Springs incident showed an alarming lack of conscience.  If she was willing to do that then, with a bit of goading, it was anyone?s guess as to how far she would go.  Secondly, she was incredibly reckless, and definitely didn?t take to thinking strategically, or measuring her options.  Threatening her with death might just make her feel cornered, pushing her into desperation rather than pinning her down.  Literally knocking her unconscious might be the only way to safely deal with her without outright killing her.

Yet, despite all her destructive potential, she was not the most dangerous person they were going to have to deal with.  It seems everyone had attempted to avoid thinking about it as much as possible, but that didn?t change the facts.  Yuyuko was still under Hoshimi?s control.  They still had no idea whether she was being controlled or was working with her willingly, but the latter seemed entirely impossible, given Yuyuko?s personality.

But, if Hoshimi could control Yuyuko in such a way as to make her gather all the spirits of the Netherworld in one place and make them into a massive weapon, it wasn?t too much of a stretch to think she might be able to make her fight as well.  Though, in all honesty there would probably be no need for that.

After all, Yuyuko could kill each and every single one of them without any resistance.  The only ones they knew for sure that weren?t susceptible to her power were Mokou and Kaguya, and one of those was an enemy now.  They hadn?t managed to come up with a strategy for countering that possibility, besides distributing the Hourai Elixir among everyone, but despite the ethical ramifications, there also wasn?t enough time for Eirin to make enough for one person, let alone all of them.

In the end, Komachi had said she and the support team would ?do something about it,? but of course none of them had any idea what that something was going to be.  In the end, there was nothing she could really do but hope that Komachi could deal with it, because if she couldn?t, that pretty much spelled the end of them right there.

And, if they got passed all of the above obstacles, then they got to fight Hoshimi herself.  They knew next to nothing about her.  She was immune to Time manipulation, she could make lightning, she could animate her shadows to attack people, she could control earth and stone enough to attack with them.  She was immune to Reimu?s binding magic, and she could deflect smaller projectiles without even lifting a finger.

Furthermore, from Alice?s account, she could shoot fireballs, and from Suika?s account, she could make some sort of incredibly dangerous black light, though Suika obviously hadn?t bothered getting hit by it to see what it actually did.

No matter how many times Reimu ran through the facts, she couldn?t piece them together into some sort of logical pattern.  There didn?t seem to be any sort of ability that could account for all of the things she could do, and though it could be accounted for with standard, if fairly advanced, magic, there was no indication she was casting any sort of spells when she was fighting.  And she definitely couldn?t think of any weaknesses she might have.

But even if they had no information, no hints on how to beat her, they had no choice but to fight blind.  It wasn?t just her life, nor the lives of those who were fighting alongside her ? all of the youkai living in Gensokyo were at risk.  Apparently, efforts had begun many days ago to evacuate as many youkai out of Gensokyo as possible, but where could they possibly go?

The moon definitely wouldn?t take them.  Hell or the Netherworld were only options if they all happened to die, which she supposed was a very real possibility.  Even the dead had difficulty getting into Heaven, so that was even more unlikely.  Sending them to Makai for any length of time would be a good way of making them die, but little else.  The Underground, where the former Hell was located might work for a time, but considering the amount of youkai they were talking about, she doubted it could support them for long.  It wasn?t quite as resilient a place as it had once been.

And so, the only safe and sure option was to return them to Gensokyo.  And that meant they had to win, no matter what.

But, even with all that, the situation wasn?t all doom and gloom.  After all, it wasn?t like Reimu was trying to take her down alone.  Most of the time something serious went on, Marisa would tag along, though her assistance was rarely necessary.  In sharp contrast, she now had almost all of Gensokyo united against this threat.  Hoshimi?s actions would spell the end of life for all of them as they knew it, so it was only natural, but it was still comforting to have so much support.

A vampire that could manipulate fate.

A maid that could manipulate time.

A magician with knowledge rivaling that of the rest of Gensokyo put together.

A youkai standing on the border between life and death.

A dollmaster, who could command an entire army in her own right.

A rabbit whose eyes held the power of the moon.

The moon?s tactical genius, and the princess she guarded, who held eternity itself in check.

The ferryman of the Sanzu River.

A god of the Sky and a god of the Earth, whose shrine maiden was also deified as a god of the wind and a bringer of miracles.

A magician so powerful she was sealed in Makai for over a thousand years.

The technological edge provided by the Kappa, and the behind-the-scenes support of the Youkai of Borders.

The most reckless ? and, in that right, probably the bravest ? magician Gensokyo had ever known.

And last, but not least, the Shrine Maiden of Hakurei.  It probably didn?t mean so much coming from her, but she was nonetheless already a legendary figure
in her own right.

Though she wouldn?t mind at all if that list could get a little longer, if someone had told her two weeks before that she would be working together with all these people, she would never have believed it.  But now, they would all be heading together into a battle that would decide the fate of Gensokyo.

On the other hand, this proved to be another source of anxiety for her in and of itself.  With so many people cooperating, their chances of success were no doubt constantly increasing.  Unfortunately, thanks to their attrition style strategy, it didn?t particularly reduce the chances of someone getting hurt.

Sure, if someone got seriously injured, it didn?t necessarily mean that they would lose.  There would always be someone waiting to fill in any gaps that were created, such was the entire merit of their strategy.  Unfortunately, that didn?t prevent people from getting hurt in the first place.  Something Reimu was forced to accept was that even if they did win, it didn?t necessarily mean all of them got to come home.

More than anything else, this is what was keeping Reimu from sleeping.

?You?re up awfully late,? a voice called from considerably close by.

Opening her eyes, Reimu sat up.  In all honesty, she had expected someone to come bother her up here.  Most likely it would have been Marisa or Yukari, though she supposed Sakuya or Sanae might have come if their bosses had told them to.  She was surprised, however, to see that the person now sitting next to her on the roof, watching the moon just as she had been, was none of the above.

?Something on your mind?? Kaguya stated without breaking her gaze from the moon.

?A better question would be what?s not on my mind,? Reimu replied with a sigh.

?I hear sleep is a good way to clear the mind of worries.  Plus, by the time you wake up, there won?t be time for worrying anymore.? Kaguya spoke cheerfully, trying her best to maintain a straight face as she spoke.

?Honestly, if I could sleep, I would be right now.  Unlike most people here, I actually like sleeping at night time.?

?Well, why don?t you share what?s on your mind?? Kaguya turned to give Reimu a sidelong glance, grinning mischievously. ?I figure I?d be a pretty good therapist, considering what I?ve gone through before.?

?Hah, Moon Princess to Therapist? Quite the career change.?

?And tomorrow, I?m changing again to Hero of Gensokyo.? Kaguya turned back to face the moon.  Though she had clearly meant it as a joke, her face turned serious as she said it.  Even as the two of them made light of the situation, they both knew how serious it was.  Or maybe, because of how serious the situation was, they felt the need to make light of it.

With a sigh, Reimu leaned back and lay down on the roof of the shrine again, watching the moon and the stars from where she lay.  In less than twelve hours, she would more than likely be locked in combat, fighting for her life, and the lives of everyone in Gensokyo.  It honestly felt a little surreal, which was bizarre considering Gensokyo was already a pretty surreal place.  Wait, did that not just make it normal?  Maybe the correct way of saying it was, it felt too real.

?I just can?t help but feel anxious.  We have so many people working together, which no doubt is good, but the more people cooperating, the more people we can lose.  I?m not sure I?m ready to bear the weight of being responsible for that kind of loss of life, even if it is the right thing to do.?  Reimu may have had doubts as to Kaguya?s claims of being a good therapist, but either way, talking about it couldn?t hurt.  Besides, though her age was hardly unique, having someone with that kind of experience to bounce ideas off of might be helpful regardless of who it was.

Kaguya, however, sat silently watching the sky as she mulled over what Reimu said.  As the moments dragged on with neither of them speaking, Reimu wondered whether Kaguya had been joking a bit more than she had anticipated.

Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Kaguya spoke again.

?You know, Reimu, you missed an awfully interesting discussion inside while you were out here.?

?Oh? What about?? Reimu honestly had no idea what she was talking about, but she couldn?t help but smile wryly to herself at Kaguya?s changing the topic.

?About you, actually.?  Without breaking her gaze from the sky, she spoke softly, as if she was speaking to a child.  ?They were discussing whether or not it was okay to let you fight in the battle tomorrow.?

?Huh? Of course I?m going to fight in the battle tomorrow.  That?s my job, whether I like it or not, and definitely whether they like it or not.?

?But think about this, Reimu.  What happened when you lost to Hoshimi before??

?Uhh?? Reimu scratched her head as she thought back.  It felt like just yesterday that the fight had happened, but she supposed it had been over a week now.  ?I was passed out for an afternoon??

?And what result did that have on Gensokyo??

??next to nothing? I was fine, after all.?

Kaguya shot Reimu a withering look, clearly not impressed with her conclusions.  Wondering what she could have missed, she thought over the situation again.  She had lost to Hoshimi, and been knocked unconscious.  The next thing she knew, she had awoken to Marisa poking her side with her foot, and was back at the shrine at sundown.  Ran had been missing, and when they started talking about it, Yukari walked in and asked what happened?oh.

?Ah.  The Hakurei Border was disrupted, and Yukari completely exhausted herself trying to hold it in place.?

?Correct,? Kaguya replied, her upset expression returning to a smile.  ?In just one afternoon of you being gone, one of the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo had to expend so much effort to uphold the Border that she would take weeks, possibly even months to recover.?

Reimu frowned.  She wasn?t sure what the guilt trip was about, it wasn?t like Yukari was going to die or anything.  If anything, having her removed from the fight made it more likely for them to be able to recover Gensokyo in the case that they lost against Hoshimi.

?Oh.? Reimu involuntarily spoke as suddenly the point Kaguya was trying to make became clear.

Seeing she had finally understood, Kaguya nodded in satisfaction and returned to stargazing.  ?Exactly.  If something were to happen to you, the entire border would collapse.  Not even someone as powerful as Yukari could hope to maintain it for more than a few hours, and she still hasn?t recovered from the last time.  And as far as I?m aware, there?s no one else in Gensokyo who has that kind of power.?

?Yeah, I suppose that?s true?? Reimu admitted grudgingly.  She didn?t like where this conversation was going anymore, since it was almost enough to convince her to not fight.  ?But even so, even if me staying back would help if we lost, it doesn?t matter if we win, right??

?Incorrect,? Kaguya said without changing her expression.  Noticing Reimu?s confused silence, she continued. ?Let?s say we win, this Hoshimi is defeated, and everyone is saved.  Saigyouji is rescued, Mokou and the hell raven are returned to their senses, and no one on our side takes any injuries at all?except you.?

Reimu?s expression turned bitter once again.  She was starting to really not enjoy speaking with Kaguya.  She was too right all of the time.

?As I?m sure you just realized, if you die, it doesn?t matter what happens in the rest of the battle.  The instant you?re down, we?ve all lost.  Everyone in Gensokyo has lost.  The Spell Card rules were enough to protect you before, and allow you to solve these incidents by yourself, but that won?t be enough this time.  As such, despite the fact your presence would be incredibly helpful to us, it is undeniable that the safest option is to keep you out of the battle.?

?But even if you say that, I can?t just sit back and watch while the rest of you fight.  This is my fight as much as it is yours!?  Reimu was starting to get a little worried.  If she of all people were to be convinced, then there was no doubt the others would be convinced too?and if they were all convinced, she would no doubt have trouble even getting out of the shrine when the time came.

?Oh, and why is that?  All of our livelihoods depend on your safety, so what possible reason could you have for throwing yourself into danger like this??  Though her words were somewhat bitter, her tone spoke a different story.  She wasn?t just trying to argue Reimu down; she was legitimately asking for a response.

That made Reimu stop and think.  Why did she think the way she did?  What possible justification could she have for risking all of Gensokyo?s wellbeing, just so that she could participate in the fight??

??Gensokyo is my home,? Reimu replied after a few moments pause, ?and that home is now being threatened.  Not only is it my job to protect Gensokyo from things like this, but as someone who can fight, not only can I not afford to do nothing, but I also am unwilling to just sit back and watch while others fight.  The fact that all of Gensokyo is relying on me is just as much a reason for me to stay back as it is for me to go and fight.?

Kaguya turned to face Reimu, her expression unreadable.  After a few moments of silence, she turned back to the sky and spoke again.  ?Exactly.  Your home, your life is at risk.  So, in order to protect that, not only are you willing to, but you are required to put it all on the line.  You are willing to risk your life, your whole self, on protecting that which is important to you.?

Kaguya paused briefly, then continued. ?No one in any world could deny that resolve, could deny your wish to protect that which you hold dear.  Not even if it meant certain death for you.?

Reimu frowned.  If that?s what she thought, then?

?Exactly.  The idea of making you stay behind was, after much discussion, thrown out.  There is no doubt that you need extra protection, as any single one of us dying is better than you dying.  Well, technically, since I?m immortal me ?dying? is the best possible choice, but we rarely get to choose such things, do we??

?Anyways, there is no way in good conscience we could keep you back.  This fight is as much your fight as it is anyone else?s.?  Kaguya paused, looking at Reimu.  Seeing she hadn?t quite got what she was trying to say, she continued.

?So, Reimu.  Why do you feel like anyone dying in the coming fight is your responsibility??

Reimu spoke slowly, not quite understanding what Kaguya was getting at.  ?Well, for starters, as the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, it?s my job to protect the wellbeing of Gensokyo.  Also, I personally am the one who asked all these people for help.  They are here to help me, so in the end it?s my fault if one of them gets hurt, right??

Kaguya gave an unhappy sigh upon hearing Reimu?s reply.  ?Okay, let me ask you this.  How many people are here against their will??
Reimu hesitated.  She had never really thought of that before.  She had assumed that, if they had come, they were willing to come, and there was no real way she could force them to participate if they didn?t want to.

?Uhh?zero??

Kaguya smiled, clearly happy with Reimu?s answer. ?Good.  No one is here against their will.  Next question, then.  If we assume they all want to be here, what reason do you think they have for coming??

?Well, I imagine because I asked them for help.  Okay, we asked them for help.  Marisa and Youmu did just as much work recruiting as I did.?

?Oh? You think everyone is here just to help you? Just because you asked them to?? Kaguya responded with a sly smile, looking at Reimu through narrowed eyes. ?That?s kind of cute, but don?t you think you?re getting a bit full of yourself??

Reimu frowned.  ?Are you saying I?m wrong??

?Of course I?m saying you?re wrong,? Kaguya said, her expression turning mildly exasperated.  ?Let me ask you this way.  If the incident this time was that the shrine needed repainting, and you did the same thing to ask for help, do you think all these people would have come??

?No one would come for something silly like?oh.?

?You understand now, right?  You may have thought you were recruiting everyone into some kind of personal army, but the fact is you three were nothing more than messengers.  All you did was spread the word.?

?Alright, I get what you?re trying to say.  Everyone came for their own reasons, right??

?Exactly.  I can?t tell you what those reasons are.  Everyone will have different ones, but I can tell you ours.  Reisen is here because she believes in Eirin.  Eirin is here because she would do anything to protect me.  I?m here because Mokou was taken away by that stranger, and I know she wouldn?t go with her unless something was very wrong.  Those are the reasons we came here, but there is more to it than that.?

?We came to the shrine under those pretenses, but when Komachi delivered the message from Hell, everything changed.  I can no longer afford to think only about Mokou.  Eirin can no longer afford to think only about me.  Gensokyo, our home, is in danger, and unless all of us work together, it?s not only possible, it?s likely that it will be destroyed.  None of us are willing to let that happen.?

?Each of us are fighting, each of us are putting our lives on the line, because there is something that we want to protect.  Even if it means our own deaths, Gensokyo is that important to us.?

Reimu pondered for a moment for replying.  ?I get what you?re saying, but I don?t get why you?re saying it.  Are you just trying to say that I?m getting too full of myself??

Kaguya?s shoulders slumped. ?Of course you don?t get it.  Alright, let me try and explain it clearly then.? Turning to face Reimu properly, Kaguya?s expression was serious.

?We?re all here for our own reasons.  Our homes, our Gensokyo is in danger, and we want to protect it, even if it means risking our lives.  That is the choice we?ve made, and the potential consequences we have accepted.  You said you would feel responsible if anything were to happen to one of us, but that?s just arrogance.?

Turning away, her voice became more gentle.  ?I said earlier, this was your fight as much as it was ours, but the opposite is also true.  This is our fight as much as it is yours.  We?re not here to help you, nor are we here because of you. We are all here because we have something we want to protect, and we?re willing to risk it all to do so.? Kaguya?s voice turned bitter once again. ?Frankly, you?re not important enough to be responsible for all of us.  Thinking like you are isn?t just wrong, it?s insulting.?

Reimu was taken aback by Kaguya?s harshness.  As she struggled to find words to reply to her, Kaguya stood up and walked to the edge of the roof before turning around to face her.

?I understand you?re worried, and that can?t be helped.  Everyone is worried.  But maybe if you decide to stand with us, rather than in front of us, you?ll understand what I?m trying to say.  You?re not the main character of some tragedy, you?re the same as all of us.  And we?re all in this together, right??  Smiling as she finished speaking, Kaguya took a small step backwards off the roof of the shrine and slowly floated down out of Reimu?s line of sight.

Reimu sat speechless, still lying on the roof of the shrine.  Turning her eyes up to the night sky once again, she let the minutes pass by in silence.

When she actually thought about it, Kaguya was right.  This fight wasn?t about her, and it wasn?t happening because of her.  She?s not the only one who wants to win, and she?s not the only person who has something to lose.

Of course, these were all things she already knew.  It was pretty obvious, after all.  That being said, it was definitely something she had taken for granted, and not really thought on.  Even though she had asked Kanako to act as the ?leader? of their group, and Eirin had teamed up with her to help plan everything out, she still had thought of herself as being the center of their efforts.

Saying something like everyone was fighting for their own sake was pretty obvious, yet it was still something she needed to hear.  Just like last time, when
Yukari reminded her that Yuyuko was still being held captive, she couldn?t help but feel like she had been approaching the situation wrong the entire time. 

And the worst part was, it wasn?t because of anything she forgot ? it was just that she hadn?t considered it.

Everyone was working together, everyone was putting their lives on the line to solve this crisis.  That realization didn?t change anything, nor did it alleviate her worries that maybe not everyone that left to fight would come home.  But in some strange way, it did help.  The realization gave her a confidence which she couldn?t help but feel was unfounded, just from realizing the obvious fact that everyone else cared about this just as much, if not more so, than she did.

Reimu closed her eyes and finally relaxed.  Nothing had changed, yet everything was different.  When the sun rose, they would all leave the shrine and put a stop to Hoshimi for good, no matter what the cost.

And they would do it together, not as her army, but as her equals.  She had no idea how any of them would live to see the sun set that day, but she finally understood their feelings.

That they would rather die than let Gensokyo be destroyed.


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Yukari slipped out of a gap onto the roof of the Hakurei Shrine.  It was well past midnight, and the light of the moon and the stars still gently illuminated the shrine grounds.  With the heat of the sun completely gone from the air, the gentle caress of the night breeze was just enough to make it uncomfortably cool.

?You know, Reimu??  Yukari started, looking at the shrine maiden, still lying on the roof of the shrine, seemingly without a care in the world.

??it?s pretty irresponsible of you to be sleeping up here,? Yukari grumbled to herself.  Reimu was lying down, eyes closed, her arms crossed behind her head as a makeshift pillow.  Apparently, despite Yukari?s concern that Reimu was going to let everything bother her too much to let her sleep, here she was sleeping on the roof, of all places.

?Well, I suppose if you can sleep here, I must have underestimated you,? Yukari whispered, careful not to wake her. ?Even so, it won?t do to have you getting sick today of all days.  Let?s go inside, shall we??

With that, a small gap opened beneath the sleeping Reimu, and she was gently lowered into the inside of the shrine.  Seeing she had properly been placed into her futon, Yukari let the gap shut and turned to face the night sky.

Today would be the day everything ended, for better or for worse.  It would be Gensokyo?s most important battle since it was first created, and yet she, Gensokyo?s self-appointed Guardian, wasn?t going to be able to participate in the fighting.

That being said, it wasn?t like she wasn?t working hard like everyone else.  In fact, while they had all been preparing to fight, she had probably been working harder than any of them at making sure things were ready.  Thanks to having preparation time, she could confidently say that even if something were to happen to Reimu, they would have 24 hours to evacuate as many youkai out of Gensokyo as possible.

After that, it would only take a few hours for the land to adapt to fit in with the outside world, which would mean Gensokyo would become empty of magical energy.  That would give them just over a day before youkai started suffocating.  Thankfully, a certain someone?s efforts meant that most of the youkai were already evacuated out of Gensokyo.  It shouldn?t prove to be too difficult to evacuate the remainder in a 24 hour timespan.

Of course, that was the worst case scenario.  She also had multiple other plans in motion, all designed to prevent that from happening.  There were multiple mechanisms in place to pull Reimu out of the fight in case she was put in danger ? naturally, she didn?t know about any of them, but that was probably for the best.  Furthermore, she had prepared a very special present for Hoshimi, just in case the tides of battle needed a little turning.  She highly doubted it would decide the battle, but any advantage was a necessary one at this point.

Taking one last glance at the moon overhead, Yukari opened another gap and stepped inside.  The stage was set, the actors were gathered.  All that remained was for the curtain to be drawn, and the largest event in Gensokyo?s history would take place before her very eyes.

And Yukari Yakumo, Youkai of Borders, Guardian of Gensokyo, would be ready.


Hmm, a week and a half until I go back to school...I wonder if I can get two chapters posted in that time?  Probably not, but I guess we'll see how it goes!

[TwilightsCall]

Chapter 13.5 ? Daughter of Heaven


Tenshi yawned as she watched the Sun peak up over the horizon.

Floating maybe a hundred feet or so off the ground, she sat on a keystone relaxedly watching the Sun rise.  She had heard rumors that something big was going down in the Human Realm, big enough that all the residents of Heaven were stirred up into a frenzy.  Naturally, she assumed anything of import happening in the Human Realm would take place in Gensokyo, so following her curiosity she arrived just before the Sun rose.

It was really an odd occurrence.  It wasn?t often that those who lived in Heaven were concerned about anything, and it certainly wasn?t often that that anything had to do with the Human Realm.  So, in an attempt to dispel her perpetual boredom, Tenshi made her way to Gensokyo to at least watch the goings on.

Of course, she didn?t have any clue where to look.  One might think that she should start with the Hakurei Shrine, but if an incident was happening, the Shrine Maiden would be long gone by now.  No, she would have better luck if she set out to look for clues on her own.

Finding that clue didn?t take nearly as long as she expected.

Looking down from the horizon, she surveyed the field laid out below her.  The field which must have been a featureless, grassy plain at some point, was now scarred with burn marks and upturned earth.  A massive trench cut a line for almost a mile away, and though traces remained of whatever had caused it, it was impossible to tell exactly what that was.

Dominating the center of the war-torn field was a massive black tower.  Made of a glassy crystal, it stretched over fifty feet into the air, coming to a triangular point at the top.  As if an ornament above it, a blue-clad ghost hovered mere inches above the tower?s tip.

Honestly, she was almost disappointed with how fast she had found the cause of whatever incident was occurring.  She had looked forward to trying her hand at investigating, but having arrived in Gensokyo right beside the tower, it seemed foolish to look around now.  All hope was not lost, however.  She may have found the source of the incident, but that didn?t mean she knew anything about it.  If nothing else, she?d at least be able to play detective long enough to figure out what exactly this tower was supposed to do.

Though her excitement had been somewhat dampened by finding the tower so quickly, she supposed it probably was better in the end.  Aside from the obvious fact that it saved her time, the dampening of her excitement meant she was in a sound enough mind to take stock of the situation before approaching.  After all, whatever was happening here was enough to scare the people in Heaven.  There was no doubt some danger to herself here as well.

Taking a look around, she could see that there were no readily visible other people in the area.  There was her, of course, and the ghost above the tower, but otherwise no one could be seen.  Of course, just because someone couldn?t be seen, didn?t mean they weren?t there.  This was a simple truth that might have evaded her had she let the excitement get to her head.

Turning her head slowly to survey the field below her, she searched for signs of people in hiding.  As she had expected, the currents of magic in the air throbbed unnaturally ? meaning someone or something was disturbing their flow.

Reading the ebb and flow of magic in the area wasn?t a particularly special skill.  Even a normal human could do it, provided they had the training to recognize what they were looking for.  Even so, it could be an incredibly powerful skill.  Generally, one could only see that there was a disturbance, but not necessarily be able to pinpoint a cause.  However, thanks to her experience with manipulating the weather, Tenshi had become quite adept at reading atmospheric flow, and it just so happened weather formations were not all too different from the flow of magical energy in a place like Gensokyo.

The first and most obvious source of the distortion was the massive trench that marred the field.  The area was completely devoid of magical energy, and though the flow of energy avoided the place in general, what small amounts of magical energy that flowed into the area vanished inexplicably.  It seemed it would be best to avoid that area for the time being.

Beyond that, she could feel two relatively small distortions in the area.  Surprisingly, they were quite a fair distance from the tower.  The anomalies corresponded quite regularly to that of a person ? and one of quite some caliber.  Judging by their distance and slow, circling movements, it seemed as if the two persons were patrolling the area around the tower.  Whether they were trying to keep people out or keep people in was anyone?s guess, but it seemed they either didn?t notice her or didn?t care that she was there, as her appearance didn?t mark any change in their behaviour.

Ignoring the obvious distortion caused by the ghost above the tower, there was one more distortion in the area.  Located near the base of the tower, it seemed in a way quite similar to the previous two distortions, yet at the same time quite different.  On the one hand, it was much smaller.  That would normally indicate a person of power that wasn?t very significant ? stronger than an average fairy, but not much above that.  However, the nature of the distortion was entirely different.

While most youkai would be perceived as areas where magical energy collected, this was the opposite ? instead of magical energy gathering and collecting around the person, the person was giving off magical energy.  While it was possible ? and among the powerful, quite common ? for a youkai to produce magical energy of their own, it was somewhat counterproductive for them to release that energy into the air.  As such, this was quite the anomaly.

Even so, judging by the size and area affected by the distortion, she could make a safe guess that it was indeed a person of some sort, most likely a youkai.  The bizarre nature of the distortion prevented her from guessing at the person?s strength, but in all honesty, this kind of detection didn?t really lend itself well to gauging the strength of others with much precision anyways.

What concerned her more than anything, though, was the tower.  The massive, jet-black structure stood imposingly in the field, clearly crafted by magical means.  Yet, the tower had no impact on the flow of magic in the area.  It neither absorbed, nor released magical energy.  It didn?t obstruct the flow of energy either, allowing it to pass through unaltered.

Tenshi tilted her head to the side lightly as she observed the tower.  If it didn?t affect the flow of energy at all, was it just ornamental?  She had expected ? maybe ?hoped? was a better word ? that the tower would be some sort of doomsday device, but it appeared as if it had no purpose other than to just?stand there.

Fighting the urge to feel disappointed yet again, Tenshi cautiously approached the tower.  She refused to believe that the tower was as benign as it seemed.  After all, if it was just to be a monument of some sort, they would have tried to make it look pretty, not carved it out of black crystal and left it unadorned in the middle of a random field.

She hadn?t been moving for five seconds when she felt all three of the people she had detected, but not yet seen, suddenly act strange.  The two patrolling people froze in the paths they had been following for what must have been hours.  The third one, located at the base of the tower, vanished entirely.
?So you do know I?m here.  Well, let?s see what you?ll do about it then.?  Talking quietly to herself, she floated closer to the tower, still seated comfortably on her keystone.  She continued approaching until she had closed maybe half the distance between her and the tower, before she felt something.

It wasn?t a distortion in the magical energy of the area, nor was it something wrong with the physical atmosphere.  No, the only thing she could call it was intuition.  And it?s message to her was very clear.

Stop. Run away.  This place is too dangerous.

Of course, she had no intention of turning back.  She had come here to investigate, and she wasn?t going to leave until she had some answers.  But even so, she wasn?t stupid.  Stopping her forward movement, she sat and waited, letting herself get tense.  Something was coming, and she wasn?t planning on getting taken by surprise.

She didn?t have to wait long, either.  Seconds after she stopped moving, the familiarly strange distortion reappeared right in front of her.  Shortly after, the air itself bent and warped, and out of the distortion stepped a woman Tenshi had never before met.

Simply laying eyes on this person made Tenshi?s heart begin to race.  Even just looking at her, from the all-black outfit, to the confident look in her eyes, told Tenshi all she needed to know about this person ? she was the culprit.

It seemed her desire to solve a mystery wasn?t going to happen.  One after another, her questions were answering themselves.  But even so, that didn?t mean there was no fun to be had.

?Good morning,? Tenshi greeted the stranger with a condescending smile.  To her credit, if it bothered her, she didn?t show it in the least.

?My, what an auspicious omen,? the stranger replied, smiling with an equal amount of condescension, ?to be greeted by a Celestial at sunrise on such an important day.  To what do I owe this pleasure??

Tenshi paused for a moment.  She was mildly surprised that this woman was able to identify her as a Celestial just by sight, but she supposed her heritage wasn?t exactly something she kept secret, so she let it slide with a shrug.

?Oh, you know.  I heard something interesting was going on down here, so I figured I?d come watch.?

?Is that so?,? the stranger said, her smile changing to one that said she was inwardly laughing at some private joke.  ?Well, you?ve picked a good day to come watch.  In just a few hours an event will occur that?s sure to pique your interest.?

Tenshi gave a noncommittal hum as she looked past the stranger at the tower again, attempting to feign indifference.  ?So, what exactly is this event??

?Oh come, you must be able to figure that out on your own.?  The stranger spoke as if she was disappointed, though there was still a playful tone to her voice.

Tenshi frowned.  She figured that she was talking about someone coming to stop whatever she was doing, but she couldn?t imagine that being worth as much attention as this person seemed to imply.  Granted, she was likely new to Gensokyo, so she probably just had an inflated sense of self importance.  Unfortunately for her, these incidents were not quite as big a deal as she thought they were.

Of course, there was also the possibility she wasn?t talking about that.  Maybe she was talking about the reason why the higher ups in Heaven were so worried.  She didn?t know the details, but she knew enough that it was safe to assume this person was the cause of the uproar.  And if intuition served, then?

?Something to do with that tower, I suppose??  Tenshi replied offhandedly, avoiding eye contact.

??Something?? Is that the best you can do?? Her playfulness had disappeared, and she was now just sounding disappointed.  For some reason it seemed as if she had high hopes for her, which was strange because, yet again, they had never met.  Maybe just because she was a Celestial? That didn?t seem like a very good reason, though.

?Well, let me give you a little hint, then,? she said, her playful tone returning.  ?This tower is made of a very special, very rare crystal.  One created from the souls of the departed.?

At that, Tenshi could no longer maintain her fa?ade. Her eyes went wide as the implications of what this stranger had said raced through her mind.

First of all, the tower was huge.  If it was made from the souls of the dead, it would take a tremendous number of souls to make something this big.  She would have had to tap the Netherworld itself to get this much crystal.

Secondly, this wasn?t the first time she had heard of crystals made from souls, though it was admittedly the first time she had seen it with her own eyes.  For starters, any kind of crystal was excellent for storing magical energy.  This kind of crystal could hold much more than most other types of material.  With a tower this large, it wouldn?t be exaggerating to say you could hold enough magical energy to wipe out all of Gensokyo in the blink of an eye.

And so it wasn?t hard to connect the dots.  Something important happening here today.  A tower that could store more magical energy than she had ever witnessed in her life.  The higher ups in Heaven in a panic?as if their very lives were in danger.

It might have seemed like a bit of a stretch to think it was aimed at Heaven, but it was pretty clear that if this tower was supposed to be some kind of weapon, it was way overkill for attacking Gensokyo.  Gensokyo wasn?t a very large place, as far as places are concerned at least, so something less than half the size of this tower would have been more than sufficient.  That kind of reasoning led one to believe that it would most likely target somewhere else?but where that was was anyone?s guess.

There was also one other thing that didn?t add up.  While it was true that the amount of magical energy the tower could store was enormous, it still needed to acquire that magical energy.  Gathering that energy by natural means, like absorbing it from the atmosphere or tapping into local leylines, would take weeks, maybe even months to gather enough to fill the tower.  What really made it strange though, was that the tower wasn?t doing any such thing.  There was no magical energy flowing into or out of the tower ? it was just standing there, doing nothing.

?I see,? she said, trying her best to not make her voice sound shaky, ?it?s some kind of weapon, then.?

?Indeed,? the stranger responded, finally satisfied that Tenshi had managed to figure something out. ?And soon, all of Gensokyo will be fighting here to take it away from me.  Exciting, no??

Tenshi?s eyes snapped to the stranger, then back to the tower, feeling her mouth suddenly go dry. 

?Wait?all of Gensokyo??

The stranger?s smile turned slightly sinister.  ?Oh? It seems you?ve realized something.?

?Only that it?s better to be on your side, rather than against it.? Tenshi tried to feign indifference again, though by the expression on the stranger?s face she could tell it wasn?t working.  It was obvious that she had underestimated this person, and though she realized it now, she could only hope it wasn?t too late.

The tower should have been a dead giveaway once she had found out what it was made of.  If not that, then she should have at least figured upon seeing the massive trench gouged out of the field.  This person was clearly playing a game beyond anything Tenshi had ever seen.  Well beyond the incident she herself instigated.  And what?s more, not only did she seem unperturbed at having all of Gensokyo coming down on her head, she seemed to be looking forward to it.

Tenshi realized now that she was in way over her head.  Even so, she couldn?t just let things be as they were.  After all, the residents of Gensokyo may have been a hundred percent right that they needed to get rid of this person, but she knew also that they were playing right into her hands.

If it was true all of Gensokyo was united against her, they were all about to make a huge mistake.

Though Tenshi had figured out this stranger?s plan, she also knew that knowing too much often proved to be a liability.  Even if she knew what she was planning, it wouldn?t do her any good unless she could tell someone.  And if this stranger was as strong as she appeared, then that possibility would evaporate the instant she realized Tenshi knew what she was planning.

?Well, with something like this, I doubt even all of Gensokyo will be a match for you?? Still attempting to act like an indifferent spectator, she watched the stranger?s face closely.  Her expression was unreadable, not giving any clues as to what she was thinking.

?If you have that much confidence, why don?t you join in on the fun?? The stranger spoke with a smile, causing Tenshi to pause.

At first, she thought she was asking her to help fight against her, but she realized by looking at her expression she was attempting to recruit her.  Tenshi didn?t know how the stranger interpreted the look she was giving her, but in any case she continued.

?You came here because you were bored, right?  Well, why not participate in a battle that will determine the fate of all Gensokyo?  Since you?re a Celestial, you shouldn?t have any concern as to the outcome, so you really have nothing to lose, right??

Tenshi?s mind was racing.  This development was unexpected, but?

?That might be true,? Tenshi replied, watching the stranger with one eye closed, ?but battles are risky regardless, right? I may not be able to die very easily, but that doesn?t mean I enjoy getting hurt.?

?Of course, I wouldn?t expect you to help me for free.  There would be ample compensation for your efforts.? The woman spoke with a friendly enough tone, but
Tenshi didn?t miss the tension in her expression.  Her eyes had a dangerous look, and that spoke more to Tenshi than any words she had given.

You aren?t leaving here alive, so you might as well help me out, right?

Of course, she had no real basis for thinking this.  After all, Celestials were practically immortal, so the only thing she really had to fear was pain.  That being said, she knew there were fates worse than death that she had no particular desire to experience, and pain was often a very key element to those.

Tenshi hummed thoughtfully as she looked past the stranger at the black crystal tower once again.  She didn?t know how much the stranger thought she knew, but regardless, she wasn?t interested in letting Tenshi get away.  If she wanted to go warn the residents of Gensokyo about the stranger?s plan, she would have to gamble on her ability to escape first, which after seeing the massive trench gouged out of the field, she didn?t have much confidence in.

However, that wasn?t her only option.

?I?ll tell you what,? Tenshi said, returning her gaze to the stranger.  ?You make me a promise, and I?ll help you out.?

The stranger raised an eyebrow, but otherwise didn?t reply.

?If you can promise me that you won?t use this weapon to attack Heaven, then I?ll join your fight.?

That was the second option available to her.  If she could stop the residents of Gensokyo from getting to the tower in the first place, the problem would be as good as solved.  If she couldn?t stop them, then she would have ample opportunity to warn them of the dangers.

The stranger?s expression had grown dark, however.  It seemed she wasn?t pleased about something, and Tenshi quickly realized what it was.

She had taken it for granted that the weapon would attack somewhere outside of Gensokyo, but it seemed the woman wanted that kept secret.  Was she really that unhappy about that being found out?

?or was she actually planning on attacking Heaven?

After a considerable pause, the stranger sighed.  ?Very well.  If you perform at your full capacity, I will guarantee you that no harm shall come to Heaven due to my actions.?

In all honesty, Tenshi didn?t care one way or the other about who she attacked, even if it was Heaven.  But she needed a believable reason to be here, something to disguise her true goal.  If the stranger thought she was in it to protect her home, that ignorance should give her the opportunity to act when the time came.

?In that case, I look forward to working with you,? Tenshi said with a smile that, surprising herself, wasn?t forced. ?My name is Tenshi Hinanawi.?  Making eye contact for possibly the first time that day, she held out her right hand.

?Hoshimi.  The pleasure is all mine,? the stranger said as she shook the offered hand.  Her smile spoke more of just happiness at having successfully recruited Tenshi. ?Now come, we have many preparations to make, and considering our?colleagues in this endeavour, we should likely introduce you before the others arrive.?

Tenshi followed after Hoshimi at a slow float.  She had originally come to Gensokyo to play at being a hero, just to kill time.  Now she was fulfilling that goal with such tenacity it surprised herself.

Truth be told, she knew the situation wasn?t as benign as that.  Honestly, she was just following the path that lead to the highest probability of her getting out in one piece.  As things stood, Gensokyo had little chance against this Hoshimi.  Even without Tenshi helping her, Hoshimi?s chances at victory were fairly high ? adding Tenshi didn?t change much.

The opposite was not true, however.  Though Gensokyo?s chances at winning were minimal, with Tenshi acting as a double agent, their chances would skyrocket.  And even if they couldn?t win, Tenshi?s role was covert enough that she could still sabotage Hoshimi?s efforts from the inside, as long as she played her cards right.

And if things turned really sour, there wasn?t anything to stop her from actually joining Hoshimi.  After all, though Gensokyo was certainly an interesting place, and she had no ill will towards it by any stretch of the imagination, it was, in the end, not her home.  Plus, as far as she could tell, the only risk to Gensokyo itself was the risk of fallout from their battle with Hoshimi.

Tenshi shook her head to dispel the unpleasant thoughts.  While that option was open to her, it smacked too much of ?the easy way out? for her liking.  She had come here looking for entertainment, for a way to challenge herself.  She may have been following the path to save herself now, but there was no reason to throw away her other goals.

Besides, if she succeeded, Gensokyo would be eternally in her debt.  Tenshi smiled as she pictured the shrine maiden and her friends heaping praises on her as she delivered them from certain death.

?You seem in an awfully good mood,? Hoshimi called out, turning to regard Tenshi with a bemused expression.

?What can I say?? Tenshi shrugged in reply, ?the more I think about it, the more excited I get.?

Seemingly satisfied with Tenshi?s response, Hoshimi turned back.  Tenshi could now see the other two that had joined Hoshimi.  Tenshi shook her head one last time to throw the unnecessary thoughts from her head.

The board was set, the pieces were in place, the players were ready.  Gensokyo?s fate was in her hands, and that meant there was no time left for idle thoughts.  From now on, she could afford to do nothing but plan ? right up to the moment her opponents would arrive.


I feel like after writing an almost 9k word long chapter, posting a 4k word chapter is almost a cop out :/

Either way, my apologies for the month delay on this one.

[Failure McFailFace]

Yay, new update!

Welcome to Chapter 13.5: Hopeless Masquerade. Next stop: Chapter 14: Double Dealing Character


Great post, have been following this since it started. Great story so far.

[Sagus]

Oh man, I'm really glad you didn't abandon this. Each chapter makes me more insterested. Can't wait for the next one!

[MaJO]

dat climax

[TwilightsCall]

Glad to hear you guys are enjoying it so far!  As we're bearing down on the ending, I can't help but second-guess pretty much every choice I've made with regards to the story, so its good to hear that it's still holding interest XD

Anyway, here's a relatively short chapter to preface a series of rather long chapters.  Enjoy!


Chapter 14 ? The End of the World



Marisa stood in front of the Hakurei Shrine, quietly surveying the gathering of people and youkai ? mostly youkai ? before her.

It was barely two hours after sunrise, and the wind bore an unseasonable chill.  Everyone who was planning on taking part in the battle with Hoshimi was gathered in front of the Hakurei Shrine, making last minute preparations and waiting for the word to move out.  Stifling a yawn and adjusting the broom resting on her shoulder, Marisa impatiently waited for something to do.

Her preparations had all been completed a long time ago.  She already had everything she needed ? her trusty broom, resting on her shoulder; her mini-hakkero, resting snugly in her front pocket; and last but not least, Nitori?s secret weapon.

It honestly blew Marisa?s mind how fast Nitori had been able to come up with the device.  The speed with which she had made it made Marisa doubt its reliability, but Nitori seemed exceedingly confident in it, so she was just going to have to hope that when the time came, her expert craftsmanship would pull through.

And, though compared to the others her preparations had been?sparse, she was just as ready as any of them.  She had already had a taste of what she was about to be dealing with, and her style didn?t really involve any clever tricks or genius strategies, so all she had to do was stay sharp, keep her eyes on the prize, and give it her all.

?If only it was that simple for everyone else?? Marisa mumbled to herself.  Though the atmosphere wasn?t frantic per se, it was definitely overflowing with tension.  As she stood off to the side, watching the goings on around her, she couldn?t help but feel like everyone would be better off if they were in the same situation as she was.

It wasn?t that she wasn?t worried, or didn?t feel the pressure of the situation.  But she had done everything she could, prepared in the way that played best to her strengths, and so there was no stress.  No worries about whether she had done enough, nothing she could regret should the situation turn sour.  So even under this pressure, where the fate of all Gensokyo was resting on the outcome of a single battle, she found herself surprisingly at peace.

Maybe I should be teaching at that Temple, Marisa thought wryly to herself.

Ironically, as Marisa thought this, Byakuren approached her while keeping an eye on the bustle around her.  Marisa greeted her with a wave, which she returned with a smile before stepping in line with Marisa so as to be out of the way of the others.

?And how are you doing on this fine Spring morning??

?Anything but fine,? Marisa replied forcibly attempting to sound glum.

?Oh? And what could possibly be the matter?? Byakuren replied, her face showing she had caught Marisa?s playful attitude.

?I?m bored, y?know?  I?ve been ready for days, I?m sick of waiting.  I just want to get this over with.?

?How interesting.  Most of the others seem to want to put off the coming battle as long as possible.?

?Yeah, well.  The way I look at it, the outcome won?t change much no matter how long we take.  Whether we?re going to win or lose, it?s better to just get it out of the way early so we can move on?is what I?d like to say, but I suppose with something like this moving on isn?t necessarily something we can do.?

?But you realize you are right,? Byakuren said with a rare sigh.  ?If we?re going to lose, it?s better to do it sooner, rather than later. That will give us more time to prepare for the follow-up catastrophe.?

Marisa silently shrugged.  She had little inclination to think of what was going to happen after the battle, regardless of whether they won or lost.  If they won, there would be no problem.  If she lost?as one of the members of the team trying to hold Hoshimi at bay, she doubted it would be any of her concern.

As Marisa and Byakuren quietly watched the crowd at work before them, people started organizing into their groups.  Out of the mess of people, Alice emerged, approaching the two of them with a distracted expression.  As she came within speaking distance, she approached Byakuren with a smile.

?Here, this should be of some help.? Byakuren graciously received a small doll from Alice, normal except for it carrying a small shield with intricate markings on it. ?Its real bonus is that it?ll allow all of us to communicate from any distance, but it can also be used as a one-time shield, so please don?t hesitate to use it as such if the situation calls for it.?

With a nod and a word of thanks, Byakuren tucked the small doll snuggly into her clothes, ensuring it wouldn?t fall out in flight.

Turning to Marisa, Alice?s expression immediately turned serious.  Without a word, she held out a similar doll, placing it firmly in Marisa?s outstretched hand.

?Thanks, I?ll take care of it.?  Marisa responded pre-emptively with a grin.

?Marisa.?  Alice spoke in a serious tone, still holding tight to the doll.

A few moments passed, and Marisa?s smile became more awkward.  ?Um?yeah??

??I want this back, okay??

?Got it.?

?No, Marisa, listen. I. Want. This. Doll. Back.  Understood??

?Yeah, yeah, I got it, I got it.  Do you honestly think this is a good time for me to be stealing your things??

?Of course not.  And since you feel the same way as I do, it shouldn?t bother you at all to hear that this one has a self-destruct function. A very violent one.  Just so you know.?

As Marisa?s expression turned sour, Alice finally let go of the doll and made a show of spinning around and heading towards the next group of people.

?A reputation sure is a hard thing to break, isn?t it?? Byakuren said with an amused expression.

?I wish she?d lighten up a bit.  It?s just a doll,? Marisa replied with a whiny voice, earning a short laugh from Byakuren.

I heard that.

Marisa jumped as Alice?s voice suddenly appeared, cold and unfriendly, within her head.  When she turned to look, she saw Alice was giving her an equally icy glare from across the courtyard, which she returned with an apologetic smile.

?Ignoring the whole ?getting busted? part, it looks like these dolls are going to be awfully convenient?? Marisa inspected the doll as she spoke.  Allowing the ability to communicate with each other across a large distance was already a big advantage, but being able to do so in a way that their opponents couldn?t hear them made it a surprisingly powerful tool.

A quick glance told Marisa that she was talking to herself, as Byakuren was focused on something across the courtyard. Following her gaze showed what she was interested in ? Reimu had just come out of the Shrine, finally finishing her last minute talks with Kanako and Eirin, and was now making her way towards them.

Reimu approached the two of them wordlessly, giving them a nod and turning back to watch the others as they finished gathering into their groups.  There was something different about her today, something?new.  Her eyes and expression gave a very different feeling today than they had even the night before.

She couldn?t really say Reimu had seemed fearful, but there was definitely an undercurrent of anxiety and bitterness to her expression before.  Now, that was all gone, being replaced by a firm resolve, showing the calm confidence that Reimu typically adopted before taking down the enemy.  Of course, that was generally in a Spell Card battle, so ?taking down the enemy? had a very different meaning then than it did now.

Marisa scratched her head with an exaggerated sigh.  ?I guess I?ll have to get serious now too, huh???  Shaking her head lightly, she looked up to watch the other groups? progress.  It seemed everyone had gathered into their groups, and was now looking at Reimu, waiting for the word to start.

Kaguya, Eirin, and Reisen made up one group.

Kanako, Suwako, and Sanae made up the second.

Remilia, Sakuya, and Youmu made up the third.

Reimu, Byakuren, and herself were the fourth group.

And outside of those groups, the support team consisted of Patchouli, Alice, and Komachi.  It also seemed like, for whatever reason, Nitori was tagging along with them, though Marisa suspected it was more to watch than anything else.

An anxious calm settled over the courtyard.  Everyone looked to Reimu, though their gazes held no traces of hesitation, or fear.  If anything, she would describe it as impatience.  After all this time, all this waiting, they were finally ready.  The only thing they had left to wait for was Reimu?s signal.

Everyone?s gazes turned as one to watch as a gap opened up beside Reimu, revealing Yukari, hovering a couple feet off the ground with her parasol resting on her shoulder.

Reimu turned to glance at Yukari.  ?Any last minute words of wisdom??

Yukari replied with a veiled smile.  ?I believe it?s your job to give the last minute motivational speech.?

Reimu sighed.  ?Why?d you even show up if you don?t have anything to say??

?To hear your speech, of course.?

Shaking her head, Reimu turned back to the others, who were looking at her again.  Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

?I?m sick and tired of this incident.  It?s been going on so long it?s borderline boring.  I know you all have your own reasons for being here, and that gives you all the motivation you need.  You don?t need a motivational speech from me, so all I?ll say is this.  Let?s go.  Let?s win.  And let?s all come home, so we can drink the night away at the Shrine tonight.?

?Reimu, you?re still underage,? Yukari said, pretending to whisper.

?Shut your mouth, woman.  Let?s go!?


---------------


Remember, do NOT begin fighting until you get the all clear. Wait for your designated opponent, and do your best to pull them away from the battle area.
Marisa sighed as yet another reminder from Alice echoed inside her head.  They hadn?t been flying particularly fast, so that it was easier for them to maintain some semblance of formation, but ever since they had reached about the halfway mark, Alice had felt the need to start making use of the Communication Dolls.

At first it had just been tests and explanations of how they worked, but shortly after she had begun relaying warnings and ?tips? from one of the others.  Marisa could only guess who it was that was pushing her to do it, but from Alice?s tone it was clear that even she was getting somewhat frustrated with the constant reminders.

Suddenly, Alice?s voice stopped, and a chill-like tension could be felt rippling through the air.

Just ahead of them, coming into view now, was a massive trench that had been gouged out of the countryside.  Carved through plain, hill, and forest alike, the trench held no signs of life, and a suffocating ?wrongness? emanated from it.  A glance around showed that Marisa wasn?t the only one who noticed it.

?So this is what Suika was talking about?? Reimu mumbled to herself.  Hoshimi had definitely not shown any indication of that kind of power when they had encountered her earlier.  Had she gotten stronger since then? Or was she holding back the first time?

Whichever the case, the time for questions was over.  They had already reasoned out as much as they could about Hoshimi and her plan, so there was nothing left but give it their all.  If there was anything to be learned from thinking, there were others who were much better at that than she was, so trying to puzzle it out herself would be meaningless.

Yukari, who had accompanied them thus far, spoke in a voice low enough that Marisa could barely hear it from where she was beside Reimu.  ?Alright, this is as far as I go.  I won?t tell you to expect it, but I?ll be watching, so at least be ready for my help.  I may not participate in the fight directly, but I?ll be damned if I don?t at least meddle a little bit.?

Reimu nodded in response, and Yukari vanished into a gap in short order.

Alright everyone, this is it! Alice?s voice came through again, her usual excessive seriousness finally sounding like it was appropriate. We have information on their positions now.  Here are your instructions.

Marisa smiled.  She couldn?t say she was particularly happy, or excited about the fact they were about to be fighting for their lives.  But after this long of a wait, she couldn?t help but be filled with a certain flavour of anticipation, and she had to put a significant amount of force into her grip to stop herself from shaking with it.

Hoshimi herself is directly beside the tower.  The ghost princess is right above it.  Essentially, that means draw your designated opponents away from the tower as much as possible.

The closest to us is the immortal.  As per the plan, Eirin?s team will deal with her.  Eirin, take your team straight forward and pin her down so that Reimu?s team can get by you.

The hell raven is guarding the rear-right of the field.  Kanako?s team will skirt the right side of the field and engage her from the outside to draw her attacks away from the other groups.

Marisa frowned.  If Mokou was directly in front of them, and Utsuho was in the back right, that left a rather noticeable gap in their formation.  Normally, that would seem too good to be true, but as Alice?s voice continued in her head, her suspicions that something else was afoot.  Specifically, that the expected number of opponents was wrong.

There appears to be another person guarding the rear-left?

Marisa apparently hadn?t been the only one to reach this conclusion, as upon hearing this the expressions of those around her showed a grimness that lacked any element of surprise.  All that was left was to figure out who that third guard was.

It appears?the rear-left is being guarded by a Celestial.

With that, the expressions around her, including her own, definitely turned to surprise.  What was a Celestial doing in Gensokyo at all, let alone helping Hoshimi?  Marisa didn?t know much about Celestials, other than that they rarely interacted with others outside of Heaven.  Specifically owing to their contempt of all those they consider their lessers.  That being said, there was one Celestial that had been known to come to Gensokyo, and as Marisa recalled her name and face-

Figures.  It?s the same one that showed up in that strange weather incident.  Tenshi Hinanai?Don?t let your guard down.  She?s very likely to be a problem for everyone.  Remilia?s team will take the left side and attempt to bring her out of the fight.

Marisa?s mind raced trying to remember what she knew about Tenshi.  She could create earthquakes, and had a crazy sword that did crazy things to the weather. It was going to be a rather large nuisance if the weather started acting up in the middle of their fight, enough that Tenshi alone might be able to ruin their chances on her own?

Regardless, dealing with Tenshi wasn?t her job.  She would have her hands quite full with trying to keep Hoshimi at bay, so there was little she could do but trust Remilia?s team to do their job.

Finally, a word of caution.  Remember, except for Hoshimi, we have no idea what motivation the others have for working with her.  Do not attempt to take their lives unless it is completely unavoidable.  Casualties are completely unacceptable, regardless of whose side they are on.

Marisa rolled her eyes.  Though she knew Alice was right, she figured there was very little threat as to anyone on Hoshimi?s side being seriously injured.  After all, Mokou was immortal, and Celestials would just reappear in Heaven if their physical bodies were destroyed.  The only one who?s life was in any actual danger was Utsuho, and it was anyone?s guess as to how mortal Hoshimi herself was. 

Luckily, from the way their formation was set up, it seemed that Yuyuko wasn?t going to be participating in the fight.  Though there was little risk of her ?dying? should she have been involved in the fighting, there was a very real risk of her killing every single one of them.  What?s more, if she had been fighting, their plan would have needed an immediate rework, as there would be more opponents than they had teams to deal with them.

Thankfully, the second issue wasn?t going to be a problem, and as with Tenshi, Marisa could do little other than trust everyone else to do their job so that Yuyuko?s ability to inflict instant death wouldn?t be a problem.

That?s it for instructions.  Everyone, move out!

With that, the four combat groups immediately split up.  Kanako?s and Remilia?s groups sped off to the sides, avoiding crossing through the middle of the battlefield, while Eirin?s team picked up speed and rushed forward.  Marisa and Byakuren followed Reimu and she flew upwards, gaining altitude so that they could fly over the other fights and cut right into the heart of the enemy?s guard, confronting Hoshimi herself right off the bat.

They had been flying only a few feet off the ground as they travelled, so Marisa couldn?t get a proper look at the battlefield until after she had ascended.  Sprawled before her was the open field she remembered from her last confrontation with Hoshimi, their opponents organized exactly as Alice had described them.  They were still far enough away that she could barely identify who they were by looking at them, but standing beside that jet-black tower seemingly made of glass, looking more ominous than ever, was the unmistakable figure of Hoshimi herself.

Seeing her with her own eyes, Marisa felt anxiety for the first time since she had narrowly missed confronting Hoshimi at Alice?s house just less than a week before.  Taking a quick look at her partners, she saw more or less what she had expected to.  Reimu, her expression vicious, glaring mercilessly at the culprit before her.  Byakuren, keeping pace with the two of them, her expression calm yet serious.

After taking a deep breath to steady herself, Marisa muttered a quick spell under her breath, careful to make sure the others wouldn?t hear her.  The comforting flow of chaotic, overflowing magic that she was used to filled her body with a tension that melted her anxiety away.

?This time, for real?? Marisa spoke quietly, though this time only because she was talking to herself.  Her face broke into a sinister grin, reminding her of a certain youkai from which she had ?obtained? her signature spell.  ?This time, I?m not holding back.?

Though she was too far away to see clearly, it seemed to her as if Hoshimi smiled in response to Marisa?s claim.  Then, as if she was whispering in her ear, she could hear Hoshimi?s voice carry directly to her across the tremendous distance.

?Come, then.  Show me the full power of this Gensokyo that you are so proud of.?

With that, Marisa instantly knew.  It was nothing ground-breaking, and they had already reached this conclusion while sipping tea at the shrine.  But after that one chilling statement, Marisa knew that they were all acting perfectly in accordance with Hoshimi?s plan.  All of this, the gathering of everyone, was likely a huge mistake.

Yet she felt no anger.  No sense of dread at having made a wrong move, no sense of outrage at having played directly into the enemy?s hands.
All that was left now was the battle before her.  Even her anticipation was crowded out of her mind by her one singular purpose.  She would fight, and she would win.

And she would show Hoshimi how big of a mistake she had made in uniting Gensokyo against her.

[Esifex]

THE WHEEL OF FATE IS TURNING

REBEL ONE
FIGHT

[TwilightsCall]

This chapter probably could have been merged into the last one, but I suppose it's a bit late for that now!

This is the definite start of the third and final story arc.  The ending is in sight!


Chapter 15 ? Into the Web of War



Mokou watched quietly as one of the small groups approached her.

There were a lot more people attacking than she had initially anticipated.  She was worried, for a moment, that it would be too much for her to handle, but just before they came in range, they all split up and flew away.

It didn?t look like they were retreating but?what reason could they possibly have for splitting up the way they did?  Personally, she thought it would make more sense for them to just power their way through the middle, but she supposed they had their reasons.

Her expression grew dark as she recognized who was in the group still aiming for her.  Kaguya, her doctor, and the moon rabbit.

Strangely, she felt nothing of the burning rage that had possessed her the moment she decided to join with Hoshimi. Instead, she just felt cold, as if there was a small lump of ice in her chest.  Hoshimi?s promise had apparently done wonders for her composure.  She knew Hoshimi would win, with or without her help ? she had witnessed her strength firsthand during the fight with the flower youkai, as well as the Oni afterwards. There was no doubt in her mind that Hoshimi could fulfill the promise she had made.

To kill an immortal.  She felt like it should be a terrifying prospect, but instead she was oddly calm about it.  The fact that a method to kill Kaguya existed meant that a method to kill her must exist as well.  Even so, the thought of finally finding an end to her revenge crowded out any fears for herself.  As long as Kaguya got what she deserved, she didn?t care what happened to herself.  She would pay any price.

Taking a deep breath, Mokou carefully watched them approach.  All she needed to worry about now was stopping these three from getting by her.  Her revenge would happen in due time ? right now, she needed to focus on the battle at hand.

Mokou?s eyes went wide with surprise as suddenly, Kaguya and her group appeared immediately in front of her.  She hadn?t taken her eyes off of them for a second, but somehow they had all crossed hundreds of feet in distance in an instant, and were now no more than twenty feet away.  She braced herself for an attack, but strangely, none came.  The three of them hovered in front of her, on guard, but otherwise making no hostile moves.

A few moments passed in silence as Kaguya and Mokou locked eyes.  She couldn?t read anything from Kaguya?s expression, and as the stare-down continued, she could tell Kaguya was looking for something in hers as well.  Finally, Kaguya broke the silence with a sigh.

?So, I take it that means you?re here of your own accord, then??
Mokou narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.  Seeing she wasn?t going to respond, Kaguya continued.  ?Will you at least tell me why you are helping someone like her??

At this, Mokou couldn?t help but smile.  ?Because she knows a way to kill you.?

Her declaration, which she thought was something to be taken as a matter of course, earned her looks of shock from the three across from her.  Was it really that surprising?  The two of them had been fighting for hundreds of years, why would things be different now?

?Are you?serious?? Kaguya spoke in a small voice. 

?Of course.  Why is that so surprising?? Mokou responded with a frown, speaking more to herself than to Kaguya.  She felt like something was off, like there was something she had missed.  She couldn?t imagine why her words would have the impact they had seemed to have. They were sworn enemies, after all ? one didn?t typically take the fact that their enemies didn?t like them all that hard.

Kaguya dropped her gaze, continuing to speak quietly.  ?Do you really hate me that much?that you?d sacrifice all of Gensokyo to get back at me??

Yet again, Mokou was caught off guard.  ?Sacrifice Gensokyo? I don?t know what you think we?re doing here, but it has nothing to do with Gensokyo.?

?It doesn?t matter what your plans are,? Eirin spoke up, her cool voice poorly matching the angry expression she was wearing.  ?If Hoshimi isn?t stopped, then Hell itself is going to act to destroy Gensokyo.?

Mokou raised an eyebrow at Eirin?s claim.  It didn?t seem like they were particularly trying to trick her, since they weren?t trying to actually convince her of anything, but the story still seemed a little far-fetched.  Granted, considering it was Hoshimi they were talking about, she supposed it wasn?t that surprising that some people in high places were out to stop her.

?Even if that?s true, it has nothing to do with me.?

?What do you mean it has nothing to do with you?!? The next person to burst was Reisen.  ?Forget the fact that you live here, aren?t you worried about your friends?  All the innocent people whose lives are at risk because of what you are doing?!?

Mokou surprised herself by seriously considering what the moon rabbit had said.  ?Of course I wouldn?t be happy if that happened.  Even someone like me has people they care about, you know??

?Then, why??

?Think about it.  If Hoshimi?s plan involves Gensokyo, do you think she would just let it be destroyed that easily??

?Are you honestly telling us to trust her to protect Gensokyo?? Eirin almost laughed as she spoke.
Mokou shrugged.  ?Like I said, it has nothing to do with me.  If Gensokyo is destroyed, that?s unfortunate, but as long as Hoshimi keeps her promise to me, the rest is irrelevant.?

Kaguya?s downcast expression lifted at that, replaced by a hard glare.  Though she was looking into Mokou?s eyes, her words were directed towards Eirin.  ?There?s something wrong with her?there?s definitely something wrong with her.  Mokou would never say anything like that.?

At this, Mokou?s icy composure shattered.  The cool fa?ade she had adopted was rapidly replaced with the boiling anger she was more accustomed to. 

?Don?t talk like you know anything about me, you monster!? As she screamed, the air around her ignited with a flash, and a swath of flame lashed across the intervening space towards Kaguya.  However, not only did she not flinch, she didn?t even move as the fire passed over her ? and through her.

Mokou?s anger was briefly stifled by confusion.  She had fought Kaguya numerous times before, and it was not uncommon for one or both of them to ?die? multiple times during each encounter.  Yet never before had she seen her just ignore one of her attacks, and be completely unaffected by it.

?Thoughts, Udongein?? Eirin spoke matter-of-factly, as if nothing had happened.  The other two made no reaction to the attack either, leaving Mokou to wonder if they had even noticed it happening.

?She certainly seems different from a subjective standpoint,? the rabbit said with a hum, ?I could do a brainwave analysis to see if there was any tampering there, but that would require a bit more time than we have, and I doubt she?d cooperate??

Mokou threw fire at the group of three once again, this time less as an attack and more as a test.  The wide band of flame engulfed all three of them, yet once again none of them showed any signs of noticing the fire, let alone being affected by it.

?Can something be done about it?? Kaguya spoke, sounding hopeful.

?Well, that depends on if there is actually something wrong, and there?s no guarantee it will be something I could do anything about but??

?..it?s not like it?s hopeless, right??

The rabbit gave a weak smile and a shrug, as if she didn?t have the heart to share her disbelief.

?Well, either way, there you have it,? Eirin spoke again, ?the only way we can figure it out is if we can knock her out and take her home.  Assuming of course she isn?t willing to cooperate.?  As she said this, she turned her gaze to Mokou, who replied by throwing another fireball through her face.  As expected, it sailed right through, Eirin not even flinching as it passed.

?So? What will it be, Princess??

After thinking hard for a moment, Kaguya locked her gaze with Mokou?s again, her eyes brimming with resolve.

?Either way, we need to take her down to stop Hoshimi.  In the end, both goals require the same means, so we might as well.  Go ahead, take her down.  There?s no need to be gentle ? there?s too much on the line here.?

Mokou finally managed to hold herself back from throwing more fire.  For some reason, she couldn?t hurt any of them at all.  She had fought all three of them before, and they had never showed any ability like this, so she was honestly quite confused.  The only one who she knew would have any way of producing an effect like this was the rabbit, but that didn?t explain-

?Oh, is that how it is??  Mokou murmured to herself, turning to face the moon rabbit.  The slight movement allowed her to see around Kaguya, who was directly in front of her, just in time to catch a small glimmer of light from behind her.  Instinctively, she threw herself to the side, just as a bolt of light pierced through ?Kaguya? and sailed past her, barely grazing her arm.

Mokou winced, grabbing the spot on her arm that had been hit.  Though it had just grazed her, it was close enough that she was bleeding considerably.  She hadn?t expected them to be holding back, but understanding that with her head and realizing that first hand were two entirely separate things.

Gathering fire in her right hand, she lunged forward towards Kaguya, and as expected, her fist ? and the rest of her as she followed the attack up ? went right through her.  She briefly noted that none of the three had turned to watch her movements, then brought her eyes back in front of her to watch the distance just in time to see another arrow of light coming for her.

This time, she had ample time to dodge to the side, and the arrow missed her by a wide margin.  As soon as she had successfully cleared the projectile, Mokou threw the fire she had built up in her hand and the spot she thought the arrow had come from.  A few seconds later, it impacted with the ground, exploding outwards.  Though she hadn?t seen anyone at the spot she had attacked, she knew she couldn?t rely on her sight anymore.

It seems that the moon rabbit had stepped up her game considerably.  Mokou knew she had a penchant for illusions and tricks, but even then they were generally straightforward, meant to obfuscate and distract more than to mislead or confuse.  But if her short experience ?fighting? the three of them were any indication, she was dealing with full on hallucinations, if not something worse.

?Seems you catch on quick, huh??  Without even turning to see who had spoken, Mokou hurled herself downwards and ? as she soon realized ? out of the path of a stream of bullets.  Casting more fire at the source of these new shots, she saw them pass through her target harmlessly.

Where before Kaguya, Eirin, and Reisen had been hovering nonchalantly in the air, practically ignoring her, now stood three seemingly identical copies of Reisen.  Splitting from where they hovered, they moved into position surrounding Mokou, and raised their hands pointing one finger at her and her thumb upwards.

Launching herself towards the closest apparition, Mokou spun upwards cleanly, if barely, dodging the shots it fired.  Sweeping widely to the side to dodge the shots from the other two clones, she let loose a wave of small talismans.  Though they weren?t thrown with much accuracy, a handful of Reisen?s shots were intercepted by the talismans, bright flashes marking where bullet and talisman vanished.

Mokou frowned.  As she had suspected, Reisen was using fairly low-level danmaku in her attacks.  Her own talismans weren?t particularly fit for actual fighting, so the fact they were able to cancel out Reisen?s shots meant that she wasn?t using particularly powerful attacks either.

It took Mokou only a brief moment to realize what was going on, and her panicked dodge allowed her to narrowly avoid another bolt of light passing straight through her skull.  As she twisted to dodge out of the way, she noticed a split second too late that this time, there was more than one arrow.  Awkwardly spinning herself in the air, she managed to barely dodge the second arrow, while the third struck a glancing blow to her left leg.

Though it wasn?t a direct hit, the force of the blow sent her reeling backwards, taking precious seconds to right herself.  As she did so, she was greeted by another barrage of Reisen?s bullets, coming at her from three sides once again.

Throwing a handful of talismans in front of her desired path, Mokou launched herself after them.  Though the fact they were concentrated in such a tight area meant they were able to block off most of the bullets in that space, a handful made it through biting painfully into her shoulders and arms as she plowed through the remainder into open air once more.

As expected, though Reisen?s shots hurt, they were anything but decisive attacks.  Instead, it seemed more like they were being used as pressure, to try and force Mokou into disadvantageous positions.  A quick mental check showed that her left leg was going to be effectively useless even after just taking a glancing hit.  Thankfully, you didn?t need legs to fly so much, and it wouldn?t affect her balance as long as they didn?t blow her leg right off.

Using Reisen?s illusions to protect them, and her bullets to keep pressure on her while Eirin made decisive attacks from a distance.  Mokou had to admit it was a frustratingly effective strategy, and without being able to trust the origin point of the shots aimed at her, she couldn?t prepare to dodge properly until the shots were already fired.

After a quick spell, fire flowed from Mokou?s hands onto her back.  Stretching outwards into two blazing wings, she wasted no time using her new mobility to dash back into the fray.  Though the wings were admittedly ornamental in nature, they were not without function.  As she soared towards the clones of Reisen, the huge flaming wings cut through two of them, and as she banked to regain perspective, another bolt of fire passed through the third.

Mokou gave herself a mental nod.  With that, she could be reasonably sure that none of the clones she was fighting was the real Reisen.  Though it wasn?t particularly useful information, it did rule out that possibility, allowing her to focus on finding the real one.

The lynchpin of their strategy revolved around Reisen?s illusions and pressure.  With her there, there was no way Mokou could mount an effective offense or defense, so if she was planning on fighting back, she would have to be her first target.

With a low growl, Mokou used one of her newly formed wings to bat away another wave of bullets, then leapt upwards to dodge another volley of three arrows.  As the clones moved back into position, her mind was racing.  Constantly weathering Reisen?s assault and dodging Eirin?s arrows was not only preventing her from thinking up a counter-strategy, it was also tiring her out.  She could still keep this up for a little while longer, but at best the only one she could outlast was Reisen.  Eirin would be more than capable of moving in to close quarters should the situation demand it, and Kaguya hadn?t even started participating in the fight at all.

While that was worrisome in its own right, it meant that Mokou couldn?t allow this to become a battle of attrition.  She was going to have to make decisive gains sooner, rather than later, if she was going to come out ahead.  But try as she might, Reisen?s constant volleys of bullets and Eirin?s carefully aimed arrows were keeping her from coming up with an effective strategy.

Dodging yet another volley of shots, Mokou flew herself clear.  Though she was only safe for mere moments, she took the opportunity to take a calming breath.  There was always something she could do, some way she could turn the tide.   It was just a matter of lasting long enough to find out what that something was.


-----------------------------------------


Utsuho waited impatiently as she watched Mokou?s fight begin.  It wasn?t that she particularly wanted to fight, or that she was that zealous about supporting Hoshimi?s goals, it was just that she was bored.  She had come here because of Hoshimi?s promise that she would make her stronger than anyone, but all she had done since she arrived was beat up fairies.

Which was entertaining in its own way, but not quite the fulfilling pass-time that fighting someone at her level would bring. 

Unfortunately for her, the number of people in Gensokyo who were close to her level were few.  As such, she could only cross her fingers and hope that those who came up against her would be strong enough to keep her entertained.

Utsuho turned from watching Mokou?s fight to look at the three that had just arrived before her.  She didn?t notice them approaching until they were fairly close, so they must have flew around behind her, though she had no idea why they would bother.  Either way, there were now three opponents of her own to worry about, though strangely she couldn?t really work up the will to fight.

?That?s it? No dramatic entry, no declaration of war, you?re just going to fly up to me and wait??

The closest of the three looked a little miffed, as if she was taking Utsuho?s side on the issue, while the other two looked like they were stifling the desire the laugh aloud.

?My apologies,? one of the people in the back said, ?but we aren?t here to play around no matter how much Sanae wants to.?

Utsuho frowned, staring at the one who had just spoken.  She didn?t look like anyone she knew, but for some reason that voice was?familiar.

?Oh? It looks like the little bird remembers something.? The other person in the back piped up, smiling as if to some kind of inside joke.

?Now now, let?s not poke fun at her Suwako,? the first person who spoke chided her partner.  ?It?s no surprise she remembers me.  She wouldn?t be here if I hadn?t helped her, after all.?

Utsuho?s eye?s widened in surprise.  This must be her!  The one whose voice she heard in the underground so long ago.  The one who had given her the power of the Yatagarasu.  The one who had helped her to be more than just another Hell Raven, wandering without purpose in the underground.

Utsuho turned to the first speaker, who was watching her with a somewhat condescending smile.  ?May I ask you for your name??

?Maybe she doesn?t remember you after all,? the one who had been called Suwako said with a giggle, earning her a stern look from the first speaker.

?My name is Kanako Yasaka, god of the Moriya Shrine on Youkai Mountain, who holds the winds in check and gives the blessing of rain.?  Kanako spoke with a smile, exuding an air of superiority beyond that even Hoshimi had.

Without hesitating, Utsuho gave a small bow, earning surprised looks the three across from her.  ?I owe you a tremendous debt of gratitude, Kanako Yasaka.?  Rising from her bow, she met the god?s gaze with her own, her inner fire rapidly building.  ?If it were not for the gift you gave me, I would not be the person I am today.?

?Well then, I?d like for you to repay that debt for me right now,? Kanako spoke in an amused tone.

?Of course, I?ll hear you out, but?? Utsuho spoke with a smile.  She wasn?t stupid, so she knew exactly what Kanako was going to ask her to do.  But it was the least she could do listen to the request, if nothing else.

?Leave Hoshimi?s side, go home, and let us by.  See how generous I am, that I won?t even ask you to join our side!?

??but of course, I?ll never be able to fulfill a request like that.?  The smile on Utsuho?s face as she spoke was not that unlike the one on Kanako?s, though she suspected for different reasons.

To Kanako, this was all just a game.  And frankly to her, it was the same.  Though she was acting condescending because she was looking down on her, Utsuho was smiling in anticipation.  This was the person who had given her her power, her strength.  If she could beat this Kanako, she would be stronger than even the source of her power.

Utsuho was suddenly filled with the urge to prove herself.  To show that she was more than what had been given to her, to show that she had taken the gifts she had and made them into something beyond anyone?s expectations.  She would show Lady Hoshimi, who had gambled on her strength.  She would show Orin, who didn?t believe in her.  And she would show Lady Satori, that she could be strong enough to protect everyone in the Palace of the Earth Spirits from anything.

And this time, there would be no Spell Card rules to hold her back.

?Of course then, you must know?? Kanako spoke again, her face barely reflecting the seriousness in her voice, ??that as the one responsible for giving you your power, I am also the one responsible for punishing you when you step out of line.?

Flourishing her cape, Utsuho casted a short, wordless spell, summoning the control rod to her right arm.  ?Naturally, I wouldn?t have it any other way!? She finally had worked up the will to fight.  Heart pounding in her ears, she raised her left hand into the air, getting ready to shower her opponents in a wave of burning destruction?

?But I?m feeling kind of lazy, so I think I?ll have Sanae do it instead.? Utsuho practically tripped over herself in mid-air as she heard Kanako dismiss her lazily.  ?We?ll go find a nice hill to watch from, so go ahead and clean this up for me.?

Sanae, an unhappy look on her face, turned to face Kanako slowly.  ??you can?t be serious.?  Only these four short words made it out of her mouth before Kanako and Suwako flew off into the distance.

?Sorry, but I?m just not into this whole fighting thing today, either.  Go have fun!  Oh, and try not to die, you still have cleaning to do around the Shrine!? Suwako called back as the two of them drifted off into the distance.

Utsuho was speechless.  She had gotten so worked up, been so ready for the most intense battle of her life, and then she had just been dismissed like trash.  Rather than insulted, she just felt?let down.  As if she had bitten into a chocolate chip cookie only to find out that they were raisins.  Her previous fire gone, she just slumped her shoulders and stared lazily at the shrine maiden floating across from her?who was doing the same thing.

?Well?uhh?I guess it?s just you and me then?? Sanae spoke rather awkwardly, as if she wasn?t sure whether she had actually just been left alone.

Utsuho let out a sigh, scratching her head with her not-control-rod hand.  ?Honestly, after that, I don?t even care anymore.  Could you just go home? I don?t feel like wasting my time fighting small fry like you.?

At that, Sanae?s eyebrows twitched.  ?Did?you just call me, small fry??  It seemed she had forgotten her previous agitation with Kanako and Suwako, her expression straining to remain friendly.

?Look, you may not know this, but I have the power of a god.  The power of the Sun flows through my veins.  A shrine maiden like you isn?t even comparable to someone like me.?  Utsuho spoke offhandedly, turning back to watch Mokou?s fight.  It seemed things were looking bad for her.  She would consider going over there to help, if Lady Hoshimi hadn?t been so adamant that she maintain her position here.

?I will have you know,? Sanae spoke forcefully, ensuring her voice would carry not just across to Utsuho, but behind her to where Kanako and Suwako were lounging on the ground. ?I am Sanae Kochiya, Priestess of the Moriya Shrine, and a deity of the Wind! What?s more, as priestess of the Moriya Shrine, the favour of Lady Yasaka and Lady Moriya rest on my shoulders, and their power rests in my hands!?

Utsuho turned back to look at the shrine maiden.  It seemed like she was getting all fired up by herself.

?I have the power of three gods! Someone like you, who only has the power of one, could never be a match for me!? Sanae ended her declaration triumphantly, managing to both flip her hair with one hand and point condescendingly at Utsuho with the other.

Utsuho smiled.  For being a shrine maiden, she had a lot of guts.  Her claim that she had the power of three gods was ridiculous, but she certainly was brave enough for three of them.

?Alright kid,? Utsuho called back, earning another unhappy look from Sanae, ?I like your attitude, so I?ll give you a special lesson.  I?ll show you the true meaning of strength??  Waves of heat began rolling off of Utsuho, the air around her control rod starting to spark wildly. ??and maybe if I burn you to a crisp, it?ll convince those gods in the back to come fight me themselves.?

?I, Sanae Kochiya, challenge you?? Raising her hand that was already pointing at Utsuho so it was pointing directly above her, she immediately dropped it down to point at her again. ??to a Spell Card battle! Wah-!?

The second she finished her challenge, she let out a short yelp as she narrowly dodged a fireball three times her size.  ?Oh no,? Utsuho practically whispered, a borderline-manic grin on her face.  ?No Spell Card rules this time.  This time?we?re going all out.?

Raising her hand in the air pointing at the sky as Sanae had done, the air around her trembled as she drew in magical energy, preparing to unleash a full on barrage this time.

Seemingly having shaken off the lack of seriousness that had plagued their conversation, Sanae recovered quickly from the near-miss and barreled towards Utsuho.  The distance between them was not large, but it was large enough that Utsuho had plenty of time to release her attack.

Ten more fireballs, each as large as the last, roared through the air towards the shrine maiden.  Immediately breaking off her course, she nimbly rolled into the tight spaces between the fireballs, somehow managing to avoid scorching her hair and clothes in the process.  As soon as she was free of the barrage, however, another wave of much smaller, much more numerous balls of fire cut through the air towards her.  Flipping backwards to widen the distance between her and the incoming projectiles, she held her gohei in both hands in front of her and closed her eyes.

An instant before the wave of fire engulfed her, a massive wind, intense enough that it was visible, formed in front of her.  Looking similar to a miniature hurricane that had been flipped on its side, it effortlessly blocked the small balls of fire, throwing each of them wildly off course before they reached her.  The instant the last ball of fire soared past her, the wind stopped, and she opened her eyes.  Reaching into her clothes, she drew out a talisman and threw it into the air above her head.

As Utsuho wondered how she could throw paper so high so easily, the talisman flashed into a bright ball of light and rocketed towards her like a shooting star.  Instinctively, Utsuho raised her control rod to point it at the incoming projectile and unleashed a true explosion for the first time that fight.

It would have taken the shooting star maybe two seconds to reach her where she was, but thanks to her quick reflexes, Utsuho completely obliterated it just after it had reached halfway.

?Wow, you?re pretty good!? Utsuho exclaimed loudly. She had practically no expectations of the shrine maiden, but she had easily stopped her first two attacks and launched a legitimate attack of her own.  While it wasn?t even close to hurting her, it was refreshing after fighting all those fairies to have an opponent that didn?t practically try and hug the balls of blazing fire.

With a smile, Sanae drew what looked like a star in the air in front of her with her gohei.  As it moved, a trail of light followed it, and a brilliantly glowing five-pointed star soon hovered in front of her.  Shortly after she finished drawing it, the star split into five more identical stars, each about as large as she was, and their glow began to intensify.

?Please, save the compliments for after I beat you!? Each of the stars immediately became dozens of rays of light, each cutting through the air towards Utsuho.  She laughed as she flipped upwards, easily dodging the hundreds of lasers and answering with a crescent-shaped wave of fire. 

It was far from the thrilling battle of life and death that she had been hoping for, but it seemed Utsuho was going to be able to enjoy it after all.  And Lady Hoshimi had told her only to keep them from reaching the tower.

It should be alright for her to play around for a bit before roasting them then, right?


-------------------------------------


Tenshi stifled a sigh as she watched one of the groups of three that had split off from the rest circle around towards her.  It seemed for some reason they all felt the need to attack them from the outside, which she didn?t really understand.  What?s more, the group that was apparently targeting her was moving considerably slower than the others.

She had known from the start what she was signing up for, but in all honesty she still wasn?t particularly happy with the idea of fighting three on one.  It wasn?t like she had never fought the residents of Gensokyo before, but most of the time they at least had the limits of the Spell Card rules.  If she wanted to be taken seriously ? both by her opponents, and by Hoshimi ? she was going to have to let those go, as well as the protection they offered.

As she waited for her opponents to arrive, she once again reconsidered her plan.  One thing was certain, that Hoshimi had to be stopped.  However there were any number of ways to go about that, and no matter how many times she went over it in her head, stopping the residents of Gensokyo from getting to the tower always seemed to be the best way.

Tenshi winced as a massive explosion echoed behind her.  It seemed the hell raven had begun fighting.  If she had to put a finger on where she had first started having doubts as to her plans, the moment she knew Utsuho was going to be fighting alongside them would definitely be the spot.  Luckily, they had been split up enough that she didn?t need to concern herself with getting caught up in the crossfire, but she couldn?t help but feel moderately responsible for whatever damage she would cause.

With a shrug, Tenshi dismounted from the large keystone she was sitting on.  It seemed like her opponents were finally closing in.

She didn?t bother to stifle a sigh as she saw who she?d be fighting against.  It was no wonder they had taken so long to get here ? the group of three was being led by that vampire.  She had floated leisurely the entire way here, parasol in hand, careful not to be drawn into the sunlight.  Even if it would make her job considerably easier, she sincerely hoped that she didn?t plan on fighting while holding that parasol.  It would just be too depressing.

Accompanying the vampire was, unsurprisingly, her maid.  Somewhat more surprisingly was the half-ghost gardener that also was accompanying her.  What was surprising wasn?t the fact that she was here to try and rescue her master, but instead the fact that Hoshimi hadn?t killed her when she first kidnapped Yuyuko.

As the three stopped in front of her, she casually glanced over their faces.  Remilia seemed completely indifferent, except for the hint of a smile that was playing on her expression.  She was either underestimating Tenshi, or was revelling in some sort of private plan that she had cooked up.  Sakuya was doing a much better job at controlling her expression, wearing a perfect poker face.  In sharp contrast to the other two, Youmu wore a look that seemed to be fighting between confusion and anger.

?Why?are you here?? Youmu was the first to speak up, though it was little more than a mutter.  Meeting Tenshi?s gaze, she spoke again in a much more forceful tone. ?Why are you helping someone like her??

?Hm? Is there a reason I shouldn?t be helping her?? Despite realizing this was entirely the wrong situation to be doing this, she couldn?t help but try and tease Youmu a little bit.  To her surprise, however, instead of exploding as she had expected her to, Youmu instead seemed to actually calm down.  Well, on the surface, at least.  She could only imagine the tempest that was raging beneath.

Her voice on the edge of trembling, she spoke again quietly.  ?I will rescue my mistress.  I won?t let anyone, not even a Celestial, stand in my way.? Drawing her sword slowly, she took up a stance facing Tenshi. ?This is your only warning.  Step aside, or I?ll cut right through you.?

With an exaggerated sigh, Tenshi shrugged, making a ?life-is-so-hard? expression.  ?And here I thought I could afford to have a little bit of fun before we got serious.? 

Adopting a more serious expression, she drew out the Sword of Hisou, meeting Youmu?s icy glare with a cool gaze of her own.

?I?m not particularly thrilled at the idea of helping Hoshimi either but?I can?t let you reach that tower.?

?Is it that important that you would sacrifice all of Gensokyo to stop us?? This time it was the maid that spoke up.

Tenshi gave a wry smile.  ?If you think Gensokyo is all that?s on the line here, you?ve been grossly misinformed.?

?Well, by all means,? Remilia spoke up from the back, somehow managing to sound smug while she shouted. ?Please, enlighten us.?

She briefly considered doing just that, but even if she thought they would believe her, she doubted Hoshimi would just let her spill the beans, as it were. ?Alright, if that?s what you want,? Tenshi spoke brandishing her sword in front of her, ?I?ll teach you for days?if you can beat me.?

Remilia gave a sly smile, twirling her parasol on her shoulder. ?Deal.?

The instant she spoke, Youmu and Sakuya sprung into motion.  While Youmu dashed forwards with a bold slash, Sakuya flew backwards to come alongside Remilia.

Despite Youmu?s speed, Tenshi had been more than ready, and easily blocked Youmu?s sword with her own.  Though she had attacked quickly, she hadn?t put much force behind the slash, allowing her to cleanly transition into another strike.  Without the need to cover such a large distance, she was able to bring the sword along a far less predictable angle, making it much more difficult to defend.  But defend Tenshi did, and as she deflected the second cut, a third came, followed by a fourth, and a fifth.

None of the attacks had her full force behind them, allowing Youmu to constantly attack without overcommitting herself.  And as Tenshi continued to block and deflect, the attacks started coming faster and faster.

For being so angry, Tenshi had to commend Youmu?s ability to use such a logical plan of attack.  If Tenshi attempted to sweep away Youmu?s sword and counter attack, Youmu would easily be able to disengage and exploit the opening, since she had little commitment to her low-powered strikes.  However, if Tenshi held back and focused on defense, eventually Youmu would gather enough speed that she wouldn?t be able to keep up, and it would take only one hit getting through to make the opening Youmu would need for a decisive slash.  And, if at any point something went wrong, she could cleanly disengage.  A very low risk, high payout strategy.

That being said, as good as it sounded it wasn?t a perfect.  For instance, if her opponent could block and attack at the same time?

Taking the bait, Tenshi swept aside Youmu?s next attack and swung hard.  As expected, Youmu?s defense was quick, misdirecting Tenshi?s attack and leaving her ?helpless,? her attack so exaggerated that she spun to the point she was almost upside down.  Without hesitating, Youmu moved from defense to offense, but right before she brought her sword down on Tenshi?s unprotected back, she dashed backwards?a split second before a keystone the size of her head passed through the space she had just been occupying.

Without breaking the momentum of her first slash, Tenshi broke the keystone she had been sitting on before the fight started into four pieces, moving them to surround Youmu and crush her from four sides.  As the keystone fragments moved, Tenshi rushed forward for a flying slash of her own.

Youmu deftly dodged the incoming shards of keystone, causing them to collide with each other and obstructing Tenshi?s view of her.  Ignoring the intervening stone shards, she slashed hard, quickly learning that Youmu had done the same.

The force of the two swords colliding as they cut through the stone blew away the fragments of keystone, and both Tenshi and Youmu were knocked several feet backwards.  The brief moment of peace allowed her to sneak a look at her other two opponents ? and she immediately gave a defeated sigh.

Remilia had, surprisingly, let her parasol go.  Somewhat unsurprisingly, the reason Sakuya had stepped back alongside her was so that she could hold the parasol for her.  Meanwhile, it seemed Remilia was doing something with her hands, and judging by the fact Youmu had taken a defensive posture, it seemed it wouldn?t take long to figure out what that was going to be.

After only a few moments of waiting, Sakuya pulled aside the parasol and Remilia threw her arms up into the air.  Immediately, thick red mist plumed upwards from her outstretched hands, and after only a dozen or so seconds, the entire sky had been concealed by fog.

?Now, doesn?t this bring back memories!? Remilia exclaimed brightly as Sakuya unceremoniously let the parasol she was holding drop to the ground hundreds of feet below.

Tenshi gave a quiet hum of admiration.  She had to admit, it was a pretty clever way to deal with the sunlight issue.  She wasn?t sure if it had been a part of her plan, but it would also likely interfere with anything she tried to do with the weather.  Somewhat troublesome, but she could cross that bridge when she got to it.

?Now?? Remilia spoke in as condescending a voice as a small, child-like vampire could muster, ?let?s get this over with, shall we??


-------------------------------------


Reimu?s group slowly approached the spot where Hoshimi was waiting.  They had managed to get past the three ?bodyguards? that Hoshimi had acquired, but since she had made no attempt to leave her current position, Reimu wanted to take her time getting up next to her.

The fact of the matter was, no matter how resolved she was to see this fight through, she was still very uncomfortable with the thought of actually fighting Hoshimi again.  Their last fight hadn?t even been a contest, and she had very little reason to believe that the fight would go any differently this time.  Would trading Ran and Youmu for Byakuren even make a difference at all?  It seemed they would find out soon enough.

But before that, she was dead-set on buying as much time as possible.  The entire strategy revolved around everyone being able to tag in and fight Hoshimi as necessary.  If they were all tied up in their own fights, and something dire happened to someone in Reimu?s group, there would be little any of them could do.  So, every second that they bought was another second closer to those three fights being over, and another second closer to this three-on-one becoming a twelve-on-one.

For whatever reason, it seemed Hoshimi had no desire to speed things up either.  She simply hovered in the air in front of the massive black tower, watching Reimu?s group approach, not even so much as glancing at the three fights happening around her.

As they approached, the sound of explosions began to echo around the field, signaling the start of Kanako?s fight against Utsuho.  A few minutes later, a familiar, thick red mist burst out and up from Remilia, blocking out the Sun and casting a reddish tint on the entire battlefield.  All the while, they slowly approached Hoshimi, and she quietly waited for them to arrive.  It was a somewhat disconcerting feeling, but in all honesty such pride was common enough from the youkai in Gensokyo ? it was really nothing new.

Finally, Reimu and her party came to a stop just barely within conversation distance.  There was no fear or anxiety left ? there was only room for focus.  She had no idea how, when, or whether Hoshimi would attack, so the best she could do was be ready for it whenever it happened.

?You sure took your time getting here,? Hoshimi called out with an amused expression.  ?I was beginning to wonder whether you?d come at all.?  Turning her head slightly, she shifted her gaze to look at Byakuren, who was calmly hovering at Reimu?s side.

A few moments passed in tense silence.  Both Byakuren and Hoshimi seemed to be sizing each other up, neither of them taking up a battle-ready stance.

?If there?s something you want to say,? Hoshimi continued, her half-smile still on her face, ?I suspect now is the time to do it.?

Byakuren, who had been expressionless until now, responded with a wry smile. ?Alright, I?ll be frank then.  What exactly do you want??

Hoshimi blinked a few times as if surprised, her face turning impassive.  ?That is, unfortunately, a secret.  Though, in all honesty, you?ll know soon enough anyways.?

?Then let me ask you another question.  What could you possibly stand to gain from working against us that you couldn?t gain by working with us??

Reimu did her best to not be impatient.  She had agreed to let Byakuren talk to Hoshimi before they fought if the opportunity presented itself, but she knew from the start that Hoshimi wasn?t the kind of person to negotiate.  At best, she?d laugh and wave the attempt off.  At worst, it would insult her, prompting her into an even more vicious fight.

But regardless, even if a peaceful resolution was beyond any reasonable probability, she couldn?t say that the probability was zero.  And so, Byakuren was resolved to try for one.

Surprisingly, Byakuren?s question was not greeted with laughter, nor with seething anger.  These both would have been expected results from the kind of villain Hoshimi was clearly trying to be, yet instead she simply returned Byakuren?s gaze with a silent poker face.

Finally, after an extended silence, Hoshimi replied. ?It?s not a matter of gains and losses.  It?s a matter of probability.  This plan is the one with the highest chance of success, that is all.?  Hoshimi broke her poker face with a wry smile.  ?Nothing personal.?

?Then, let me ask you again.? Byakuren continued, her face serious as ever. ?Will you drop this silly fight and cooperate with us? You are surrounded by the most powerful youkai and humans of Gensokyo.  You are massively outnumbered and hopelessly outgunned.  What possible chance of success is there for you now??  Byakuren paused slightly, letting Hoshimi?s chuckling subside before continuing.  ?Surely, you?re chances of success, whatever your plan, would be far higher working with us than against us now??

?Alright, I will give you that you have me outnumbered,? Hoshimi spoke, the laughter still evident in her voice, ?but I would not be so hasty to claim that I am outgunned.  Go ahead, look around you.  You said yourself that I am outnumbered by the most powerful youkai and humans of Gensokyo, yet what do you see? Has a single one of my champions fallen? No, even with your numbers, we still hold our ground.  I?m sorry to burst your bubble, but everything so far is all according to my plan.  My chances of success are higher than ever.?

?I do not understand the source of your confidence,? Byakuren continued, ?for I cannot imagine your ?champions? lasting much longer than they already have.  Each of them is outnumbered three to one, after all.?  At Byakuren?s claim, Hoshimi simply shrugged.  Seeing her response, Byakuren gave a small sigh.

?Surely, no matter your plans, there is no need for this conflict.  Is there no hope for a peaceful resolution??

Surprising Reimu yet again, Hoshimi?s expression turned serious at Byakuren?s final plea.  Crossing her arms in front of her and tapping her lips with her forefinger, she seemed to descend deep into thought.  A few moments later, she lifted her gaze back to Byakuren, lowering her hand just enough that she could speak clearly.

?Very well, if that is what you wish, I will indulge you.? Reimu could tell she wasn?t the only one who?s eyes went wide at Hoshimi?s statement.  ?Your desire for peace is admirable.  Your tenacity in front of overwhelming odds is commendable.  So, as a reward, I will present you with this counter offer.?
Reimu gulped.  Deep down, she knew that the chance of a peaceful resolution was still practically zero.  But even the fact that Hoshimi was considering it was infinitely more than Reimu would have ever thought possible.

?I know of your plight, the difficult situation Gensokyo has found itself in.  Caught between my designs and the schemes of Hell, where doom seems to wait on either side.  Tell me, how long until Hell moves and destroys Gensokyo??

Reimu was once again shocked at how much Hoshimi seemed to know.  Did she even have spies in Hell? No, it was more likely that she had found out from someone in Gensokyo.  Either way, she knew a lot.  Would it hurt to tell her more? Reimu was hesitant to give her any information, but she couldn?t think of a way Hoshimi could use the information against them.

?One day.  Either sometime tomorrow, or at the end of tomorrow.? Reimu?s compliance earned her a look of mild surprise from Byakuren, and much-less-mild surprise from Marisa.

Hoshimi, on the other hand, sighed and closed her eyes.  ?The timeline is much more?constricted than I had thought.  However,? opening her eyes again, she met Reimu?s gaze, ?while this is no issue for me, I understand the pressure it puts you under.?

Reimu couldn?t believe her ears.  Was Hoshimi?taking their side?

?And so, this is my offer to you, in the spirit of peaceful resolution.  Join me.?
Hoshimi?s words echoed painfully in Reimu?s head.  The instant she had finished speaking, Reimu knew that there was no way she could accept the proposal.  But something inside her made her keep listening seriously.  And, as futile as she knew it was, she knew that ?something? was?hope.

?I don?t mean you yourself.  Nor do I mean you three, or even all of the people you have gathered to fight against me.  I mean all of Gensokyo.  I will not ask you for subservience, worship, or even loyalty.  All you have to do is follow my instructions.  If you do, I will guarantee you that I will not harm a single living thing in all of Gensokyo.  This tower will be deconstructed within the day, and I?ll even return the ghost princess to you.?

?What?s more, I will even offer you ? Gensokyo as a whole ? protection from the agents of Hell who seek to destroy it for their own selfish reasons.  And not just now, not just this incident ? for all time, Gensokyo will be safe from their meddling.  This I can swear to you.?

Hoshimi?s offer was followed by a stunned silence.  As expected, her claims seemed much too good to be true.  The incident would be resolved, they would be safe from Hell?s intervention, and everyone would make it home alive.  It seemed like the ideal outcome, but?

?Do you really think?that after all the suffering, all the pain you?ve caused, that a single one of us could bear to be on your side?? Marisa spoke up for the first time.  Her voice was quiet and forceful, yet still calm.  It seemed, despite the contents of her words, that she wasn?t as taken with anger at the proposal as one might have suspected.  Of course, when you considered what Hoshimi had put the residents of Gensokyo through, Marisa hadn?t exactly suffered much compared to most others.

?Naturally, I do not expect you to accept happily, nor do I expect you to forgive me for what I?ve done.  I am not so arrogant as to consider myself above right and wrong.  If that is what you wish, I would gladly get on my hands and knees and apologize, for the sake of?peaceful resolution.?

Marisa turned her gaze to Reimu.  Whether she was content with Hoshimi?s response or not was anyone?s guess, but for now she said nothing.  Even Byakuren, who was the one leading the charge for a peaceful resolution, had turned to Reimu to await her response.

Reimu took a deep breath.  She knew it was more complicated than that, but she couldn?t help but feel that simply responding with ?okay? would solve all of their problems.  As much as she hated to admit it, it was tempting. And if there was anyone who could deliver what Hoshimi was promising, it was Hoshimi herself.  While it was dubious whether or not she was actually strong enough to protect them from Hell itself, she imagined that it wasn?t so unbelievable that, Gensokyo working together with her, would be able to manage somehow.

?As much as it pains me to do so,? Reimu spoke up with a sigh, ?I will, of course, have to refuse.  No matter how good it sounds, no matter how much proof you offer, I just can?t trust you.  And there is no way I could betray the feelings of all those who?ve come with me to stop you.?

Hoshimi smiled in response to Reimu?s refusal.  ?Of course.  No matter how sweet the deal?if it?s not possible, it?s not possible.  That?s just the way it is.  Both for you?and for me.?  Hoshimi raised her gaze, as if she was looking off into the distance.  ?No matter how much you may want to, when there?s so much on the line, you can?t afford to trust your enemy.  That?s just the way it is.?

Reimu shook her head, trying to expel her last traces of hesitation.  With that, there was no longer another way out.  Today, just as planned, they would fight.  And no matter who won, everything would end here.  She could feel the air grow thick with tension as her, Marisa, and Byakuren prepared themselves for what would quite possibly be the most dangerous encounters of their lives.

Coming back from whatever memory she had been lost in, Hoshimi met Reimu?s gaze.  ?Well, if the three of you are finally ready?? Hoshimi raised her right arm so that her palm was facing Reimu.

?Why don?t we get started??



So I briefly contemplated doing a spin off where Reimu accepts Hoshimi's offer, but the result would be...messy, to say the least, and probably long enough to be its own standalone story, so if that happens it will be some time in the distant future lol.

Thanks for reading up to this point, Reimu and Co. will be eagerly awaiting your prayers for their success.

[Sagus]

ugh goddamn man you're really good at building tension and cliffhangers
by which I mean post the next chapter at once or else i'll hunt you

Seriously, I'm really hooked. I'm very curious on how all of this is going to end. And a short story showing what would happen if they allied with Hoshimi would be awesome as well!

How many more chapters are there left, you think? One or two?

[an unmatched sock]

Rather than insulted, she just felt?let down.  As if she had bitten into a chocolate chip cookie only to find out that they were raisins.

I know that feel, Utsuho. It's the worst.

[TwilightsCall]

ugh goddamn man you're really good at building tension and cliffhangers
by which I mean post the next chapter at once or else i'll hunt you

:ohdear:

Seriously, I'm really hooked. I'm very curious on how all of this is going to end. And a short story showing what would happen if they allied with Hoshimi would be awesome as well!

Short story...maybe.  If I wrote it out to my liking, I imagine it would be longer than this entire fic to be completely honest XD

How many more chapters are there left, you think? One or two?

Probably more like...5 or 6?  It was supposed to be five, but then I wrote 15, which wasn't actually part of my outline, but it gave me some freedom to collapse the following chapters in on eachother.  Then I realized that the next chapter I had planned would end up being about....15k words?  Which is almost 4x the length of a normal chapter, so I split the collapsed chapters back into their own sections. 

Spoiler:

Basically we're looking at 1 chapter each for Mokou, Utsuho, and Tenshi, then maybe 3 chapters to wrap up the rest of the story.

So, this chapter ranks #2 for longest chapter I've written so far, coming in at 9220 words!  The average chapter length before this point is about 5k words, so that should give you a little insight as to what writing this chapter was like.

PS Thinking of a name for this chapter was SO HARD AGH.



Chapter 16 ? Eternal Chains



Reisen took a deep breath to steady herself before firing another volley of bullets with her clones.  It was getting harder and harder for her to keep the tension from getting to her, though admittedly, the tension felt awfully superficial.

Eirin?s plan had, so far, worked splendidly.  Pushing Reisen?s abilities to the limit, she had managed to completely mask the location of herself, Eirin, and the Princess no matter where any of them went.  On top of that, she had four clones who could constantly harass Mokou, forcing her to keep moving and keeping her from being able to trial-and-error their locations without taking significant damage.

On top of that, Eirin was somewhere distant on the ground, sniping with incredibly powerful arrows.  Mokou had managed to dodge almost all of them, but a few had managed to graze her, and even that much contact had apparently inflicted incredible damage.  A direct hit would most likely be fatal.  Well?as fatal as any hit could be, considering the target.

More importantly, however, the strategy was being incredibly effective at frustrating Mokou herself.  She had been content to spend the first while dodging, but as the fight went on with no visible change and no progress for her, she was clearly getting more and more impatient, taking bigger and bigger risks.  The plan had two possible outcomes ? either the constant harassment from Reisen and Eirin would wear down Mokou?s willpower, and she would surrender to avoid further pain, or it would wear her down physically, and she would exhaust herself to the point they could capture her.

In sharp contrast to Mokou?s frustration, Reisen felt her stress was almost silly.  While hiding everyone simultaneously was taxing, and operating four clones shooting real bullets required focus, she was more or less safe.  As long as she paid attention to Mokou?s blind shots, she could avoid any harm to herself. 

Another burst of fire from Mokou filled the air.  At the start, Reisen had tried to have her clones act more realistic, dodging Mokou?s attacks, but now she didn?t bother.  The fact that none of them cared about the attacks they were receiving would just be another thorn in Mokou?s side, confirmation that she didn?t have the slightest semblance of control over the fight.  As the fire dissipated, another arrow flew towards Mokou, and thanks to her recognizing at the last second, she was able to dodge out of the way.  In a bad position after dodging the arrow, she was forced to take a full volley of Reisen?s bullets.

Mokou righted herself from the blows, the fire in her eyes not even slightly diminished by her wincing in pain.  As Reisen moved her clones back into position to surround her, she tracked them with her eyes, vainly throwing cords of fire in a ring around her.

After shouting something incomprehensible to vent her frustration, she suddenly froze.  She moved again just in time to dodge another volley of bullets from Reisen, flipping upwards, and as she came to a stop she looked up at the sky.

Reisen followed her gaze, but she didn?t see anything that was worth noting.  The sky was covered in a thick blanket of red fog, completely blocking the Sun.  Most likely, it was a tactic employed by Remilia so that she could fight despite the time of day.  She had no idea why it had suddenly grabbed Mokou?s attention, however.  It was unchanged from when it had first formed, and the only effect it had really had on their fight was to make everything slightly darker, and slightly redder.

Looking back to Mokou, Reisen saw her previous expression of frustration had turned to a big smile.

It looks like Mokou is planning something.  Be careful.

She had to admit, the dolls given to everyone by Alice were incredibly useful.  Not only did they allow voiceless, long-distance communication, but with a bit of practice one could even choose exactly who they wanted to send the message to.  Already having experience with telepathy, picking that up had been natural for her, so communicating with Eirin had been incredibly simple despite the large distance between them.

Shortly after sending this message, another arrow of light shot past Mokou, who had narrowly avoided it once again by twisting her body awkwardly in the air. Following up the arrow with a volley of her own bullets, fully expecting Mokou to dodge them easily, she was surprised to see she decided to block them instead. 
Using her wings of fire ? she still didn?t really understand why she had bothered making those ? she covered herself, blocking the entire volley from all four directions.  If she was just going to block with them, there were much more effective formations of fire to use than wings, but Mokou only ever blocked the attacks with her wing-shaped fire.

With a flourish, she spread her wings again.  She then raised her hand into the air above her head, and her smile turned to an expression of deep concentration.

What?s she doing, Udongein?  Eirin sent from her spot on the ground.

I?m?not sure.  It looks like?she?s declaring a Spell Card?

Why would she pick a Spell Card?  Using one outside of the Spell Card Rules was pointless, all it did was reduce the intensity of your attacks to non-lethal levels.  Besides, with most Spell Cards, you couldn?t even aim-

Luckily, the fact no one could see Reisen meant that the shock on her face went completely unnoticed.  As a ball of white-hot fire appeared in Mokou?s outstretched hand, Reisen immediately backpedalled as far as possible.  On one hand, many Spell Cards weren?t aimed ? but on the other hand, those Spell Cards didn?t need to be aimed.  Being unable to see her opponents wouldn?t be a weakness at all for those types of attacks, and if she could amp up the intensity of the attacks?
Reisen had just about doubled the distance between them when she heard Mokou call out with a loud voice.

?Volcanic Sign: Breath of Hourai.?

The ball of fire above her hand quivered slightly before bursting outwards.  However, instead of bursting into more fire, as was the norm for her attacks so far, what came out was considerably?darker.  Billowing out rapidly from her hand was a massive cloud of thick, black smoke.  The cloud expanded far quicker than she had expected, and Reisen was quickly engulfed.

Despite being surprised at the new turn of events, Reisen didn?t stop moving backwards.  It took only a few seconds before she had cleared the smoke-cloud, which after covering an area of approximately 100 meters in diameter, mysteriously stopped expanding.

Udongein, are you alright?

It was just normal smoke, I?m outside of it now.

Reisen gritted her teeth as she watched the massive smoke cloud just hang in the air.  It didn?t seem like it was moving anymore, nor did it seem like it was dissipating.  Reisen was honestly fairly familiar with the majority of Mokou?s Spell Cards, but she could honestly say this was one she had never seen before.  She didn?t know if she had just never bothered before, or if she had made this up on the spot, but she suspected it was the latter.

She had to give Mokou credit, as frustrating as the situation was.  Their biggest advantage so far had been that they could attack freely while Mokou had no idea where they were.  But with one fell swoop, Mokou had managed to level the playing field ? there was no way she could see through that cloud of smoke, but there was also no way that they could either.  All of them had been perfectly concealed.

Reisen fired a test shot into the cloud, and the bullet easily tore through the smoke.  As soon as it had passed, however, the smoke reformed into a perfect wall.  It seemed Mokou was also holding the smoke in place, meaning it would be incredibly difficult to get rid of it.

Reisen started as a burst of fire flew out from the cloud of smoke.  In the shape of a bird, maybe the same size as she was, it flew out of the cloud in a wide arc.  She almost made to dodge, before realizing that it wasn?t aimed at her at all.  Instead, it arced right past her, flying harmlessly off in the distance.  Reisen watched the firebird, confused for a second, before she realized what was happening.

Sure enough, as she turned back to the cloud of smoke, she could see more firebirds begin to emerge.  At first, only a handful, but after a short while they started emerging in larger numbers.  Dozens began to emerge from the smoke, and despite being fired blindly, she quickly had to begin dodging out of the path.

Eirin, of course, was far too far away for the attack to be a threat, but neither of the two of them would be able to effectively counter attack without being able to see where Mokou was.  She couldn?t see to confirm, but she was fairly convinced that the firebirds were coming from Mokou herself.  A few quick shots confirmed that they were substantial enough to block any shots Reisen might fire, and with the number that were appearing, it would be next to impossible to fire a shot through the cracks at this distance.

Moreover, unless she wasn?t moving, it would be next to impossible for Eirin to fire accurately.  Her shots would have no problem breaking through the firebirds, but there was no way for her to figure out where she should be firing.  With her painfully slow re-fire rate, it would take a miracle to land a hit.

Reisen dodged nimbly around the firebirds continuing to pour out of the smoke.  So quickly, the tables had been completely turned on them.  They had been taking things slowly before, but it was a calculated risk, one that was making returns.  Now, however, they were being stalled out, and though they weren?t at risk of losing the fight in the near future, she knew they couldn?t afford to keep dragging this out.  Everyone was going to be necessary against Hoshimi, and that meant they couldn?t afford to spend much longer dealing with Mokou.

Reisen took a deep breath to steady herself, and released her illusions.  The three of them would now be visible again, but it meant little with that smoke in the way.  For what was coming, she couldn?t have that spell weighing on her concentration.  Taking one last look to confirm Eirin?s position, she propelled herself into the cloud of smoke.

They had managed to keep themselves almost perfectly safe up until that point, but that strategy wouldn?t work anymore.  She was going to have to take some risks if she wanted to make any gains now, and they couldn?t afford to let this fight drag out.

Though she moved quickly through the smoke, she didn?t approach her full speed.  The smoke stung her eyes and lungs, but even so she breathed calmly and kept her eyes wide open.  As expected, visibility was practically zero.  On top of the walls of smoke surrounding her, the smoke also perfectly blocked the sunlight, making it dark as night inside.

Out of the corner of her eye, Reisen suddenly noticed a glow approaching through the darkness.  As quickly as possible she hurled herself upwards, and a firebird passed just under her, singing her clothes.  She hadn?t noticed the glow until the firebird was within ten feet of her.  Considering how fast they were moving, that gave her little more than a second to dodge out of the way.

Reisen smiled in spite of herself.  That was much more time than she had expected to have.

She continued heading deeper into the smoke cloud, tracing backwards from where the firebirds seemed to be coming from.  Continuing to dodge the incoming firebirds, the increased number she was coming across told her that she was getting closer to Mokou.  However, as she got closer, it also became more and more difficult to dodge in time ? she was definitely going to need a new outfit at the end of this fight.

The most difficult part of the entire thing was not dodging the fire, however.  Rather, the smoke itself became a disconcertingly effective obstacle.  She had to continue taking shallow breaths, lest the smoke provoked a coughing fit that would not only give away her position, but also rob her of her ability to dodge, and her eyes constantly stinging from exposure to the smoke not only made her want to instinctively keep them closed, but also made her eyes water excessively while she forced them open, blurring her vision regardless.

Despite her second thoughts as to how good of an idea this had been, she had no recourse but to press forward.  After all, it would be incredibly more difficult to make her way out of the cloud, as she would have to worry about firebirds in front of her and behind her at the same time.  Believe it or not, the safest method for her was to keep searching for Mokou.

Reisen bit off a cry of pain as a firebird grazed her arm, burning her painfully.  She had had virtually no time at all to dodge that one, so she hadn?t been able to dodge it cleanly.  As she dodged sideways to avoid another firebird that had come almost before the first one left, she suddenly found herself free of the smoke.

It took a brief moment for her to realize what had happened.  For a brief moment, she thought she had somehow managed to break through the other side of the cloud, but she quickly discovered that was not the case.  Instead, she had entered into a small pocket of smokeless air.  And at the center of that pocket, was of course, Mokou herself.

Reisen let out a rather undignified yelp as she quickly dodged upwards.  Mokou had noticed her as soon as she arrived, and she wasted no time redirecting the firebirds towards her.  The time she had to dodge the attacks was practically zero, her only recourse to move constantly to keep Mokou from having an easy shot.

Mokou said something with an angry smile, but Reisen was too busy dodging attacks to listen to her.  She was forced to give her all to dodging the attacks as they came.  Pushing herself slightly beyond what she believed she was capable of, she fired a short volley of bullets towards Mokou as she dodged another firebird.

As expected, Mokou simply launched another in the path of the bullets, blocking them cleanly long before they reached her.  However, thanks to that, Reisen was able to predict where the firebird was going to fly before it even appeared, and she had managed to get out of the way beforehand.  This bought her a full second of freedom within the attack, and she didn?t even give herself time to think about what to do with it.

DUCK! Reisen shouted through the telepathic link provided by the dolls as she rose her uninjured arm ? directly away from Mokou.  With the time given to her, she fired the densest, fastest shot she could manage. Without looking to see where the shot went, she immediately hurled herself away from the next incoming firebird, answering with another barrage of her own bullets, this time aiming at Mokou properly.

Without pausing her shots, Mokou smiled sarcastically. ?That was an interesting place to??

Mokou?s voice cut off as an expression of fear overtook her face.  As the latest firebird cleanly wiped away Reisen?s incoming shots, Mokou launched herself upwards toward them.

Reisen heard the telltale whistle of the arrow long before she saw it.  Only three seconds after she had fired her shot in the ?wrong? direction, an arrow of light punched through the smoke cloud ? and tore directly through Mokou?s chest.

The expression of surprise never had a chance to change to pain as she fell, lifeless.  The firebirds immediately stopped, and the cloud of smoke began to dissipate and drift upwards, the small bubble quickly collapsing.  Taking a deep breath of clean air while she could, Reisen followed after Mokou as she plummeted through the air.

Despite the somewhat brutal outcome, Reisen couldn?t help but feel proud of how well her plan had worked, especially considering how suicidal it had seemed at the time.

Diving into the smoke cloud had been dangerous, but it was the only way to pinpoint Mokou?s location within it.  After following the path of the firebirds, she was able to find where Mokou was, and knowing Mokou would rely on blocking her shots, fired a volley of bullets at her.

Using the opening created by the misdirected firebird, she positioned herself perfectly between Mokou and Eirin, and fired a shot outside of the smoke cloud, acting as a tracer for Eirin?s shot.  Immediately, she threw herself up and over Mokou?s head, launching another barrage of shots.
Mokou managed, at the last second, to see through her plan, and propelled herself upwards to dodge the incoming arrow.  However, Reisen only had trusted Eirin?s ability to analyze Mokou?s fighting.

Their original strategy had been for Reisen?s attacks to funnel Mokou in one direction, and for Eirin?s arrow to cut her off as she went that way.  However, Mokou quickly had caught on to this tactic, and for most of the fight had been dodging into Reisen?s shots to avoid the arrows. Realizing she would do this, and knowing Reisen?s penchant for dodging upwards and over her opponent, Eirin corrected her aim from the tracer and let loose an arrow.

It had been a lot of dangerous assumptions on both of their parts ? both Eirin?s assumption that Reisen and Mokou would act according to how she expected, and Reisen?s assumption that Eirin would realize what was happening and capitalize on it ? but somehow, it had paid off, and the arrow had taken Mokou directly through the chest, killing her instantly.

Finally clearing the smoke cloud, Reisen exhaled and breathed deeply, glad to finally have clean air again. Looking above her, the smoke cloud had almost completely dissipated.  Below her, she could see Mokou free-falling, and seconds later she unceremoniously hit the ground below.

Landing a few feet away from where Mokou had fallen, Reisen inspected the burn on her arm.  It seemed to be a lot worse than she had anticipated, and the pain was rapidly catching up with her.  It wouldn?t keep her from fighting normally, but she doubted she could do anything complicated like hiding the three of them while she was in that much pain.

Furthermore, they couldn?t afford to let Mokou try that Spell Card again.  Being over a thousand years old, she was anything but stupid.  If she managed to conceal herself again, they wouldn?t be able to surprise her like they did the first time.  It might be impossible to get to her again if that happened.

So, to make sure she couldn?t activate the Spell Card again, she would have to take this fight to close quarters.


--------------------------------------


Mokou awoke to the memory of pain.

Coming back to life was an odd experience, to say the least.  She had done it numerous times, but it had never really been something she had gotten used to.  She figured it was probably better that way.

She felt a cold tingling sensation in her chest, where Eirin?s arrow had taken her.  It didn?t hurt anymore, and the actual death had been effectively instant, so as far as her physical condition, she was actually not doing that badly.  In fact, her injured leg had been completely healed, meaning she was actually in better shape than before.

Looking up, Mokou could see the last vestige of her smoke cloud vanish into the sky.  Sighing, she stood up and stuck her hands in her pockets, closing her eyes.  Resurrection had the interesting side effect of cooling her mind, so her anger, frustration, and stress from the fight had completely evaporated.  Normally, she was quick to take up such emotions again, but for some reason it came slowly to her this time.

That Spell Card had been a stroke of genius, if she could say that about herself.  It had evened the playing field easily, and even in losing the exchange, she could see now just by looking that the moon rabbit had been seriously hurt in exchange for ending it.  She felt a pang of guilt at that, since she had no grudge against her, but she quickly crushed it.  There was no room for guilt any more.

Unfortunately, even if she had recovered due to the resurrection, and her opponents were tired and injured, she couldn?t say that she was ahead.  That Spell Card had taken a lot out of her, a combination of being huge in scale and high in intensity.  Being immortal made fights like this easier, but it didn?t really protect her from passing out from exhaustion.

She briefly considered trying the Spell Card again, but quickly wrote the idea off.  For starters, she could probably only do something of that caliber once more.  Now that they had seen it once, it would probably be much less effective, and if she lost the exchange again, she would be finished.  Additionally, the moon rabbit, despite her injuries, was sticking close and watching her carefully.  She didn?t know why she wasn?t attacking, but it was clear she wouldn?t just let Mokou use it again.

Mokou sighed again.  She couldn?t help but be disappointed at how easily she had been read.  Without any communication between the two of them, they had managed to corner her splendidly, and her massive advantage was wiped away in the span of no more than three seconds.  She was more embarrassed than she was worried or angry.

Looking up into the distance behind the moon rabbit, she could see Eirin, slowly floating upwards and towards her.  She didn?t know where she had been before, but she was now moving to get a clear shot.  Even further in the distance, Kaguya floated motionless, apparently watching the fight.

?It figures she wouldn?t even raise a finger to help,? Mokou muttered under her breath.  Despite the fact she had spoken only to herself, it seems the rabbit heard, as she responded with a sly smile.

?Oh, don?t worry about that.  We?re the ones who told her she couldn?t participate in this fight.?

Mokou raised an eyebrow in reply, but otherwise said nothing.

?After all,? Reisen continued, ?there are much more important fights to be had today than with you.?

Mokou smiled.  Was she honestly trying to get a rise out of her? At this point? ?Big words for someone who looks like they can barely stand.?
Letting go of her wounded arm, she raised her good hand and pointed at Mokou.  ?Alright, no more wasting time.  Let?s hurry up and finish this.?
Mokou called out her wings of fire once more. ?As you wish.?  As she spoke, three small threads of fire arced from her towards Reisen.

Jumping out of the way of the fire, Reisen quickly landed and took up aim again.  Her eyes flashed briefly, and for an instant, three exact replicas of her appeared around Mokou.  Each of them fired a small volley of bullets before vanishing, forcing Mokou to dodge directly upwards.  Keeping an eye on the distance, she continued her ascent as fast as possible, dodging one of Eirin?s arrows aimed at where she was a moment before.  She couldn?t ignore Reisen?s attacks, but she wouldn?t let them distract her from Eirin?s arrows either.

Reisen moved quickly, hopping from place to place rather than flying.  It seemed she was a little worse off than she had originally anticipated if she couldn?t even fly.  Even so, as she moved around, a constant stream of bullets made their way towards Mokou.

Nimbly dodging around most, and blocking the rest of the bullets with her wings, Mokou moved in pursuit.  With her first opponent this weak, if she could take her down quickly, it would be much easier to deal with Eirin.  Once Eirin and Reisen were both down, it would be just her and Kaguya, a matchup she had quite a bit more experience with.

Seeing Mokou?s pursuit, Reisen began moving in large circles.  The movements were done in such a way that the optimal pursuit pattern would lead Mokou through a tight ring, rather than a wide path, so Mokou instead opted to add a little randomness to her path.  As Reisen jumped to her left, Mokou went right, opening the distance between them, opting instead to send a volley of fire to intercept her.  Deftly dodging the fire, Reisen brought her index finger up between her eyes, which flashed again.

Three clones appeared momentarily, just long enough to surround Mokou and fire off a volley of shots.  Mokou propelled herself towards Reisen, dodging the shots and attempting to tackle her with her wings.  Reisen slid under the diving Mokou, barely avoiding contact, and fired off another volley of bullets.

Mokou batted away the incoming bullets, quickly turning to see where Eirin?s next shot would be aimed ? and was greeted with a veritable hail of arrows.

Panicking, Mokou did her best to dodge between them, but the unexpected density left her unprepared for a true dodge.  Three arrows hit her, two in her left leg and one in her right shoulder, while the rest scattered into the ground behind her.  Mokou almost sighed a breath of relief as the arrows hit her.  It was inconceivable that an attack with such spread would have the same stopping power as her focused arrows from before, but a small part of her had expected it.  While these were still quite painful, and would certainly slow her down, she wasn?t nearly as crippled as she would have been from getting hit by a single one of her earlier arrows.

Mokou decided to take a chance and feigned a stagger backwards from the attack.  She didn?t expect to gain much from it, hoping for little more than some breathing room, but instead was rewarded by having Reisen pull up right behind her, almost at point blank.  Before she had a chance to fire a shot, Mokou rapidly spun around and released her wings at her.

Reisen was immediately engulfed by the fire, a short scream confirming the hit.  Mokou made a silent apology to the moon rabbit ? shortly before taking a foot to the back of the neck.

The force of the kick drove Mokou face first into the ground.  Before she could move, she felt another hail of arrows line the earth around her, and almost instantly something that felt similar to a thin rope wrapped around her, pinning her to the ground.

Reisen walked around into Mokou?s field of view, proving that Mokou had only burned another clone.  If she wasn?t so furious at having been duped, she might have applauded how convincing the clone had been ? they were only supposed to be optical illusions, so having it reel backwards and scream as it was hit was an impressive touch, and it had been just enough to trick Mokou into thinking she was dead.

Mokou struggled vainly against the bonds that held her.  She had no idea what they were made of, but could only assume they were some kind of magic.  She tried burning them, but not only did it have no effect, it proved to her that even her magic was being inhibited by the bindings.  Clearly the work of Eirin, but knowing that didn?t provide her a way out.

Reisen stood nearby, cautiously keeping a finger trained on Mokou in case she found a way to escape.  She was breathing hard and covered in sweat, clearly well beyond what she was comfortable with as far as fighting goes.  From this distance, Mokou could tell just how bad the burn on her arm was, which was bad enough that not even a youkai would be able to heal from it without specialized care.  Not much for compensation.

Mokou let out a frustrated cry as she struggled against the bonds again.  She couldn?t believe how strongly they were holding her, and how quickly they had been set from such a distance.

?Well done, Udongein,? Eirin?s voice came from behind her.  ?Though I will say, you look a little worse for wear.?

Reisen gave an embarrassed smile, ?Yeah, I made a bit of a mistake in that cloud earlier.?

?Well, I?ll send you back to the support team.  There?s no way you can keep fighting in that condition.  Now that Mokou is secure, the Princess and I can move on to help Reimu?s group.?

Reisen gave a silent nod in reply to Eirin?s comment, keeping her eyes on Mokou.

Was this really it? After all that fighting, was she just going to lose to the first binding spell that got thrown her way?  Her anger building, she continued to push against the bonds, but they didn?t give an inch.

?I think?I think we need to secure her a little better,? Reisen said hesitantly.

And that was that. If she couldn?t break out of these bonds, there would be no way she could get out of anything more secure.  Giving up, she focused the last of her available magic into a concentrated ball of fire in front of her, releasing it forward in a surge of frustration.

Reisen calmly sidestepped the fireball, and it soared off into the distant sky.  ?Now now,? Eirin?s voice came from behind again, ?there is no need to be a sore loser.?

Mokou relaxed against the bonds, and she could feel them tighten around her as she did so.  She had done what she could. All she could do now?

Reisen and Eirin continued talking overtop of her, but she no longer was listening.  Breathing deeply, Mokou tried to relax.  There was no point in being angry, or letting herself get panicked.  All she could do now was calm down and wait for an opening.

Suddenly, Eirin and Reisen?s conversation stopped.  Reisen looked up questioningly, wondering why Eirin had stopped talking, and it was only a short moment until the reason made itself apparent.

?Udongein?UDONGEIN, DODGE!?

Without waiting to see why, Reisen leapt out of her field of view, shortly before Mokou was engulfed by a beam of white-hot, liquid fire.


-------------------------------


Mokou stood up slowly, carefully watching around her for another incoming attack.  Once again, she had been killed and brought back to life, a chill hanging over her entire body telling her she had been completely incinerated.

She couldn?t help but smile.  It seems Utsuho had noticed the signal she sent off, and decided her best way of helping was to obliterate her.  She wasn?t sure she liked that line of reasoning, but she had to admit it had worked splendidly.  Eirin and Reisen had backed off far enough that she had some breathing room to prepare herself, and Eirin?s binding spell had been completely destroyed.  The method may not have been her favourite, but the result was ideal.

Mokou summoned her wings of fire again, hovering a couple of feet off the ground and taking a look at her surroundings.  Reisen and Eirin were standing still, watching her from a considerable distance.  It seemed like they were still on guard from Utsuho?s blast.

Despite the calming effects of the resurrection, Mokou was quickly becoming frustrated.  She had died twice now, in the span of only a few minutes.  Both times had been due to trickery from Reisen, so she had been focused on eliminating her, but the real culprit ? the one who killed her the first time and trapped her the second ? was Eirin.

Mokou turned and flew towards Eirin.  She had been trying to deal with Reisen so she could focus on fighting Eirin properly, but that clearly wasn?t going to work.  Besides, at this point, Reisen seemed far too exhausted to put up much of a fight, so she might just collapse if she left her alone.  All she had to do was keep Eirin preoccupied enough that she couldn?t use that binding spell again, and the fights should be hers.

Eirin reacted immediately to Mokou?s rush, responding by firing a hail of arrows.  Using one of her wings to bat the incoming projectiles away, she lunged forward using the other wing as a weapon.  Eirin artfully dodged upwards, releasing a stream of lasers below her, narrowly missing Mokou as she rapidly accelerated forward.

Having dodged Eirin?s attack, she spun around and threw two small balls of fire, one slightly delayed, before changing course back towards the fight.  Eirin simply raised a hand, palm facing the incoming projectiles, and they washed over her harmlessly, as if she was in some sort of protective sphere.  Before Mokou could follow up the attack, Reisen came running from beneath Eirin and threw a volley of bullets.

Dodging the stream of the bullets to the side, Mokou responded with another ball of fire, which surprisingly hit its target.  Memory of her last failure vivid in her mind, she rapidly spun, swinging one of her wings behind her.  Sure enough, another Reisen waited behind her, and was similarly incinerated.  Unlike the first time, however, this one made no sound ? prompting Mokou to turn again, barely managing to block a kick from the real Reisen with her bare arms.  Before she could retaliate, Reisen leapt backwards, and rather than pursue Mokou instinctively did likewise, narrowly avoiding one of Eirin?s arrows.

Mokou took a deep breath as the fight settled into a lull.  She was figuring out their new battle strategy a lot faster than she had expected.  Despite her injuries and obvious exhaustion, Reisen was still putting up a strong fight ? in contrast, despite being in close quarters, Eirin continued to play the role of sniper.  By changing her pattern of movements and keeping her wits about her, she was able to defend against their combined attacks, but even then she didn?t know how long she?d be able to keep it up.

Well, as long as Utsuho didn?t lose her fight, she supposed she?d always have a get-out-of-jail free card.

Though Reisen?s face showed little more than how tired she was, Eirin?s face showed a considerably more uplifting expression ? she was frustrated.  It appears that this battle was not going the way she wanted it to, and frankly, that was exactly what Mokou was hoping for.  If the strategist in Eirin couldn?t keep on top of things, that meant nothing but good things for her.

Mokou gave a small chuckle.  Her instructions from Hoshimi were just to stall them as long as possible, but at this rate she might actually win.

??that?s enough, Eirin.?  Mokou spun halfway around, trying to look behind her without letting Eirin and Reisen out of her sights, to see Kaguya approaching slowly.

?Princess! Please, you know the plan, you have to leave this to us-?

?The plan isn?t working, Eirin.  You know that as well as I do.?

Eirin bit her lip as she was reprimanded by Kaguya.  After a short pause, she continued. ?Whether it?s working or not, we can?t change it.  We need you at full strength for the fight to come ? we can?t risk exhausting you on this meaningless fight.?

Meaningless? Mokou almost said aloud, before realizing she was right.  Neither of them cared about this fight?s outcome at all.  All Mokou was trying to do was stall them out, and all they were trying to do was move on ? the actual fight itself was, somewhat humorously, just an obstacle that needed overcoming for both sides, not a goal in and of itself.

?And I?m telling you,? Kaguya continued with a sigh, ?that that?s not going to work anymore.?  Kaguya turned and met Mokou?s gaze before she continued. ?We can?t afford to spend any more time here ? If the two of you are pushed so hard against her, then Reimu?s group is likely to fall at any moment.  They need help Eirin?even if only one of us can go.?

Silence descended upon the four of them.  It was a difficult situation for Mokou ? she had managed to hold her own ? if you ignore the two times she died ?with a two on one, but not only did she have little confidence she could do the same with three opponents, the third opponent was Kaguya herself.  Mokou might have had the tenacity to face down Kaguya alone, but even if it was just Kaguya and Eirin, she didn?t have much hope for success.

So, for the sake of stalling for time, she waited.  If she attacked now while they were talking, most likely the three of them would converge on her and she?d be defeated rather quickly.  She may have been able to last longer in her peak condition, but after all that had happened, she was far too tired to handle Kaguya, who had been doing nothing but watching from the start.  If her goal was just to hold as long as possible, then letting them talk it out was her best possible option.

Once again, she was surprised at her coldness.  In any other situation, Kaguya approaching like this would have made her explode, and she would have attacked without a second thought.  Yet for some reason, she felt like there was something inside her, holding her back, making sure she made the best moves.  She wasn?t sure whether she was thankful for that, but either way, it was leading her in the right direction.

?I?ll deal with Mokou,? Kaguya finally broke the silence, ?you go ahead and help the rest of them.?

?Princess, I cannot agree to this! You must??

?Eirin, this is not a discussion!  They need your brains more than they need my brawn.  Now go!?

?Do you really think I?ll just let them go?? Mokou finally interjected, her tone carrying the hint of a legitimate question.

Kaguya responded to Mokou?s question by lifting a hand over her head.  As she did so, the air around her began to waver, as if she was surrounded by a mirage, and soon the tremors reached through the air to where Mokou was floating.  Mokou braced herself for the incoming attack.  In all her years of fighting with Kaguya, she had never seen her do this before, so she immediately prepared for the worst.  Her mind raced, trying to figure out what kind of attack she would use, and she prepared to dodge the instant it was loose.

?Princess! You can?t-?

Before Eirin could finish talking, Kaguya lowered her hand, pointing at Mokou.  With a sound like the air itself was being torn, four beams of opaque white light appeared from behind Kaguya.  Rapidly, the beams of light arced out from her towards Mokou.  She attempted to dodge out of the way, but found herself caught on something. Looking down briefly, she noticed too late that the mirage-like air was surrounding her as well.

It wasn?t that she couldn?t move, but it felt like the air had thickened, like she was trying to move through mud.  Struggle as she might, she couldn?t break free in time, looking up to see at the last second?

?the four beams of light arc straight past, coming to a point several feet behind her.

Confused, Mokou finally broke free from the strange bindings, but hesitated before moving further.  The four beams of light from Kaguya had arced around, forming a perfect sphere around the two of them.  Before she could realize what was going on, the light began to intensify, and the air inside the sphere began to shake.  Sound from all around her seemed to fade away, and the deep bass of the air humming filled her ears.  Mokou could vaguely here Eirin screaming something before the beams of light exploded outwards, blinding her.

Covering her face with her arms, Mokou attempted to weather the storm, but as her eyes filled with blinding light and her ears filled with a screeching like metal being torn apart, she soon lost her grip on consciousness.


------------------------------------


With a flash of light bright enough that it probably blinded most of the people on the entire battlefield, Kaguya and Mokou were gone.

Just like that, Kaguya had whisked them away to who knew where.  Eirin let her arms drop to her side, defeated.  They were gone, and even though she knew exactly where they were, she knew she could spend a thousand years trying to get there and never make it.

Eirin quickly turned to Reisen, but was greeted by another defeated expression.

??no good.  I can?t reach her through the doll at all.  Did she get rid of it, or???

?No,? Eirin replied with a sigh, ?I?m sure she still has it.  But if you can?t reach her telepathically, then we?ve got nothing to go on.  She?s?out of our reach.?

Reisen slowly floated up to the spot where the two had disappeared from.  ?It feels?like the spell that used to be on Eientei.?

Eirin smiled inwardly, barely able to keep herself from testing Reisen just like usual despite the circumstances.  Without speaking, she inspected Reisen?s condition.  To be frank, it was terrible.  She had multiple minor burns, and one very serious one.  She had been pushing herself quite hard to keep the illusion up at the beginning of the fight that hid the three of them, and even after it went down, she didn?t let up at all.  She was clearly trying to hide it, but her exhaustion and her pain were clearly evident on her face.

It seemed like she?d be out of the fight from now on.  She had taken considerable risks while fighting against Mokou, and while each gamble she took paid off splendidly, she didn?t come out unscathed.  If she were to try and take that mentality into a fight against Hoshimi, injured as she was, she?d be killed instantly.

Reisen turned to look at her, eyes questioning.  With a sigh, Eirin uncharacteristically decided to give her the answer straight up.

?It?s very similar to the Eientei spell.  It creates a perfect border, where no one can cross it in either direction until she lifts the spell.  It wouldn?t be impossible, but I imagine even Yukari would have difficulty intruding on that space.  For people like us, we?d sooner be able to walk on the surface of the Sun.?

Reisen gave an impressed hum, turning back to inspect the area where the two had disappeared.  Eirin hadn?t seen Kaguya use the spell before, but she recognized it the moment she saw it.  Normally, the barrier had one flaw, in that anyone trapped inside could find a weak point and break out with a little effort ? and a lot of firepower.  With Kaguya trapping herself inside the barrier with her target, however, she could perfectly mask that flaw from the inside.  Originally, the flaw was designed for occasions just such as this, so that Kaguya could escape while leaving her victim trapped inside, but if she wanted to guarantee that they remained trapped, she would have to stay there with them.

She didn?t know how long the barrier would last, but she suspected, knowing Kaguya, that it would be anywhere from weeks to centuries before it would collapse naturally.  Which meant she and Mokou were, for all intents and purposes, completely removed from the fight.

Fighting the urge to curse, Eirin surveyed the battlefield at large.  Her combat plan had required Kaguya.  Required.  Without her, she would have to start from scratch.  With Reisen completely worn out, she was now the only one left in her team, and that meant even more replanning.  As much as she hated to admit it, her old strategy was completely unsalvageable.

Similarly, she hated to admit it, but Kaguya was right.  Her plan had been so close to succeeding, but thanks to the hell raven?s intervention, it went from being barely a success to a colossal failure.  There was no way they could possibly have suppressed Mokou sufficiently with Utsuho standing by to blast her into oblivion, meaning their only recourse was to wait for Utsuho to be defeated.  And that was something they definitely did not have time for.

?Come, Udongein.  We?re pulling out.?

?Eh? Is it really okay to just leave them like this?  And shouldn?t we move out to help someone else out instead of retreating??

Eirin turned to look at Reisen with a small smile.  ?Let?s be honest, Udongein.  My plan is in tatters, and so are you.  We need to, at the very least, pull back and regroup before heading in and getting ourselves killed.?

Reisen seemed to wilt slightly as she listened.  ?I?m not done yet?I can?t afford to be done yet.  There?s so much more to do here?? She seemed to be just muttering to herself, showing she clearly knew she was in no position to be fighting any more.  If she had thought she could, she would have raised an actual argument.

?Listen. Just because you can?t fight anymore, doesn?t mean your job is over.  Come, let?s pull back and treat your wounds.  There is something very important that I need you to do, and you won?t be able to do it if you pass out from your injuries before then.?

At that, Reisen seemed to perk up.  With a vigorous nod, a sharp contrast to her otherwise exhausted posture, she managed to get herself into the air, and the two of them flew back to where the support team was stationed.

Eirin?s mind was already racing.  Her plan was in tatters, and that meant she needed a new plan fast.  Fortunately, modesty aside, she was somewhat of a genius.  A new plan of action was already well on its way to forming in her head, and by the time they reached the support team and finished treating Reisen, she would be more than ready to enter the fray once more.

Hold on, you three, Eirin silently wished, careful not to let her thoughts carry through the doll and distract Reimu?s group as they were fighting.  Help is coming soon.


----------------------------


Mokou opened her eyes the instant she was awake again.  She almost started throwing fire too, until she noticed that she was alone.

Looking around, she brought a hand to her head.  She was suffering from a massive headache, and though it quickly fading, it still made it hard for her to think.  The last thing she remembered was being trapped in an attack by Kaguya, then blacking out.

Whether it was fortunate or not, the fact she had a headache was proof that she hadn?t died again.  So there was at least that.

Nursing her aching head, she did her best to take stock of the situation.  Superficially, it seemed like she was in the same place as before ? the field a short distance away from Hoshimi?s tower, where she had just been fighting.  She instantly understood that she was somewhere different, however.  For one, there was no sign of the others, whether they were the people she was fighting or the groups fighting in the distance.

Secondly, everything seemed?hazy.  If she focused on something, it would come sharply in to focus ? almost too sharply ? but when she looked away it would waver, like a mirage.  All in all, it lent the area a feeling of irreality that was hard to miss.

?Awake already? I was hoping you?d be out for at least thirty seconds?? Mokou spun around as Kaguya?s voice came from behind her.  Somehow, she had failed to realize Kaguya was there.

Unlike the rest of the world around her, Kaguya?s shape didn?t waver and bend.  Out of curiosity, she looked at herself and found she was the same way.  It seemed everything except the two of them had this strange otherworldliness to them.

Her moment of confusion past, Mokou?s temper immediately flared.  The coldness that had been holding her in check before completely gone, she was rapidly overcome by anger and hate.  Without a word, she hurled a fireball as large as herself at Kaguya.

Kaguya floated in the air expressionless as the fireball came towards her.  Not even attempting to dodge, she let the fireball collide into her?and as if it was water on glass, it washed past her, leaving her completely unharmed.

Mokou?s anger was tempered by surprise.  This wasn?t something Kaguya was capable of.  Well, it wasn?t something she should be capable of.  She had fought her hundreds, thousands of times, and never had her fire been unable to hurt her.

?You could at least say something before you attack me, you know.?  Kaguya seemed to be trying to make light of the situation, but there was an undercurrent of sadness to her voice that she couldn?t quite hide.

?What?what did you do? What is this place?!?  Mokou shouted at Kaguya, bringing back her wings of fire.  She didn?t know where this was, or how she got here, but it must have been Kaguya?s fault.  She didn?t know why Kaguya wasn?t hurt by her fire, but it had to be something to do with this place.

Kaguya paused, watching Mokou silently for a few moments before closing her eyes and responding.  ?Perfect Boundary: Field of Eternity.?

Mokou blinked.  ?A Spell Card??

Kaguya opened her eyes, a slightly mischievous grin on her face. ?Not a Spell Card.  Just a spell.  A pretty strong one at that.?  Mokou just stared, waiting for her to continue.

?A many-layered boundary that separates us from the real world.  Nothing from outside can affect anything inside, nothing from inside can affect anything outside.  A perfect boundary that will last as long as I wish it to.  And what?s more??

Suddenly, from behind Kaguya a laser as large as Mokou?s head fired towards her, quickly enough that the unsuspecting Mokou had no chance to dodge.  But as she tensed for the impact, and the laser raked across her body?nothing happened.  She felt the impact, but it didn?t hurt.  Her clothes were completely undamaged, and it felt like someone had just poured sand over her.  She looked at Kaguya with a wary expression, not quite trusting what had happened.

?Everything within the field is sustained at its current state.  No danmaku, no fire, not even one of that hell raven?s explosions can hurt you here ? the field itself rejects any phenomena of change.  Of course, that includes injuries.  Even if someone were to cut your arm off with a sword, your arm would reappear as if nothing had happened.?

?If that?s the case,? Mokou said with a low voice, ?you won?t mind this at all!?

As she finished speaking, she lunged at Kaguya, throwing her wings of fire before her.  As before, the fire washed over Kaguya like so much air, but quickly following it was Mokou?s fist.  Whether she was taken off guard or didn?t care enough to move, Mokou?s fist connected cleanly with Kaguya?s face ? and nothing happened.

She didn?t flinch, she didn?t get pushed back, her head didn?t even move.  As soon as Mokou?s fist made contact, it just stopped.  Frustrated, Mokou pulled back her hand and brought up a foot to kick her in the side, but no matter how much force she put behind it, she couldn?t even push past Kaguya?s clothes.

?See? Anything you try and do is meaningless.  Just be glad I?ve relaxed the field enough that we can move and talk.?

Mokou backed away, carefully watching Kaguya.  If what she said was true, she could manipulate the effectiveness of the field.  That meant she could increase its power to protect herself, and then reduce its power to allow her to attack.

Her mind raced, but as the situation became more and more hopeless, even her anger against Kaguya began to die down.  But even as she waited, Kaguya made no move to attack.  It seemed like, despite being in a position of absolute dominance, she had no interest in actually fighting.

?So?? Mokou finally raised the question.

Kaguya blinked, confused.  ?So?what??

?So? What do you want?  If your plan was just to lock me in here, there is no reason for you to be here as well.  So, what do you want??

Kaguya?s expression, which had been attempting to maintain some degree of cheer, finally broke and turned serious.  ?I want to know.  What happened to you??
It was Mokou?s turn to blink dumbly in surprise.  ?What do you mean??

?Something happened.  You?ve changed.  Just two weeks ago, we were friends, and now you want to kill me.  Even if you were faking it the whole time?even if you never really liked me, something must have happened to make you change.?

Mokou listened silently.  What had happened?  She could remember being on good terms with Kaguya, but she couldn?t remember why.  As it was, she couldn?t even think about her without wanting to burn her to a crisp, and the only thing that kept her from doing so was the knowledge that it would be pointless to try and attack her here.

?So?? Kaguya asked, a hint of playfulness returning to her face.

?So what?? Mokou responded, her expression contrastively grim.

?So?are you going to tell me??

Mokou thought for a moment.  She didn?t think she could provide an answer that would satisfy Kaguya, but she knew it would be more irritating if she just didn?t try to answer.  She couldn?t attack her physically, so if she wanted to get revenge on her, she would have to use more?creative means.

?Alright, I?ll make you a deal.?  Mokou spoke, a dark grin making its way to her face.  ?You answer my question, and I?ll answer yours.?

Kaguya frowned, but otherwise didn?t respond.

?Tell me.  Why did you betray my father?  Why was a simple ?no? not good enough? Why did you have to humiliate him?  Tell me that, and I?ll answer your question.?

Kaguya?s expression went from one of shock to one of bitterness.  As expected, Mokou had managed to find something she didn?t want to talk about.  A long few moments passed in silence, as Mokou watched Kaguya struggle with the question she had raised.

Eventually, honestly surprising Mokou, Kaguya raised her head and responded.  ?Alright.?

??eh??

?Alright.  If that?s what you want, fine.  If dragging all of this out into the open will make you feel better, fine.?

Mokou was speechless.  She never expected Kaguya would actually talk about it.  She did spend a considerable amount of time with Kaguya before ? as much as she hated to admit it ? and she knew this was one thing that she never wanted to talk about.  For the most part, anything involving her past was something known by those around her to be off-limits.  So why was she suddenly willing to talk about it now?

Kaguya unceremoniously landed on the ground and sat down.  ?Have a seat, get comfortable,? she said, looking back to Mokou with a mischievous grin once again. ?This is going to be a long story.?


And then there were three.

Writing these past few chapters (read: 16, 17, 18) has been kind of an interesting experience, because I spent the first half going 'dammit, this is too short, this is going to end too soon, I need to find a way to make this longer' and then as soon as I figure out how it's going to end, it becomes 'WHEN WILL THIS END AGH WHY IS IT SO LONG.'

Fair warning, I have a lot of difficult things coming up in school over the next week, so it may take a little while to get the next chapter posted.  Please wait warmly!

[TwilightsCall]

I planned to have this out a day or two earlier, but...well, you'll know why this took me so long in a couple updates.

Here is Chapter 17.  Enjoy!

Chapter 17 ? To Cage the Sun


Utsuho lowered her control-rod arm, revelling in the waves of heat flowing from it.  She thought it was disgraceful that Mokou had called for her help ? she was immortal, how  could she lose so quickly? ? but she had to admit that the thrill of using her power in such a direct and exact fashion was worth it.

Not even turning to look, Utsuho created a small, directed explosion to her side, blowing away the shrine maiden?s attack.  Speaking of disgraceful, this shrine maiden did a fairly good job of filling the word.  She claimed to have the power of three gods, yet somehow couldn?t match her?  As laughable as it was, she had to admit the issue was probably more that she was misinformed.  As far as she could tell, those other two gods weren?t helping her one bit.

And, to her credit, despite being left out to dry, she was making a valiant effort, and the fact she had managed to hold her ground for so long was admirable, considering her strengths.  She wasn?t even comparable to the Hakurei shrine maiden, let alone Utsuho herself, but Utsuho was impressed by her ability to tough it out.  And so, since she was doing so well, Utsuho decided to bump it up another level.

?Okay, shrine maiden!  We?re going one more step up, fair warning!?  Utsuho yelled, across the considerable gap between the two of them.

??what?? the shrine maiden replied, tilting her head to the side in confusion, ?what do you mean ?going up a step???

?I mean,? Utsuho said, raising her control-rod arm up towards her, ?that now I?m sending the explosions at you!?
As she finished speaking, an explosion tore through the air towards Sanae, who narrowly dodged out of the way.  She gave out a small yelp as a barrage of smaller fireballs followed it, scrambling to dodge between them.

As they had fought, it was obvious that despite all her big talk, Sanae wasn?t all that strong.  So, to make things interesting, Utsuho decided to put some limits on herself.  She wouldn?t move from her spot, she wouldn?t use the superhot fire she had fired at Mokou earlier, and she wouldn?t direct explosions towards her.  Now, she was lifting the last of those restrictions.

Utsuho scratched her head.  Had using the white fire on Mokou counted as breaking one of her rules? She supposed it technically did, but it should be okay since she didn?t use it to attack the shrine maiden.  She shrugged, batted away an incoming wave of talismans, and launched another wave of explosions and smaller fireballs.

This time, however, Sanae didn?t scramble.  Dodging the initial explosion with a wide margin, she charged headlong towards Utsuho, heedless of the incoming fireballs.  The first few missed of their own accord, but she was forced to throw a handful of talismans to intercept the next couple.  As talisman struck fireball, a small flash of light burst outwards, and both vanished without a trace.  The path between them now clear, Sanae came straight at Utsuho, raising the gohei in her right hand as if to use it as some sort of weapon.

?You really must want to die,? Utsuho laughed, ?what are you going to do, punch me??

As Utsuho finished talking, Sanae came into her range, swinging down her gohei hard.  Utsuho responded with a backhanded swing from her control rod, and after a brief clash, Sanae was thrown backwards.  Utsuho?s eyes widened in legitimate surprise.  She hadn?t expected there to be such force behind the attack.  Still, it was obviously nothing she couldn?t handle.

As she pondered, Sanae backed away a few feet and threw another handful of talismans.  Instinctively, Utsuho responded with an explosion, blowing the projectiles away.  She had forgotten she was allowed to attack with her explosions momentarily, so she had made it small enough to destroy the talismans without hitting either of the two of them.

The air between them full of smoke, Utsuho could no longer see the shrine maiden.  With a laugh, she raised her control rod high.  ?I know your plan, shrine maiden!?  With an exaggerated cry, she brought the control rod down like a hammer, cutting through the smoke where she knew the shrine maiden would be.

Her arm cut through the smoke just in time for her to see the shrine maiden fly up?over to her right.  No more than two feet between them, Sanae passed behind Utsuho, who was already dedicated to her swing.  Before Utsuho could recover, Sanae spun in the air, and yet another handful of talismans flew.  This time, however, the projectiles struck home, three purple-glowing talismans hitting the hell raven square in the back.

Utsuho let out a cry of pain as the talismans struck her.  She had been completely fooled, not expecting the attack at all.  What?s more, the talismans hurt.  She had taken hits during danmaku battles before, but these were something more.

Feeling anger for the first time that day, Utsuho spun to face the opponent that was now behind her, only to see her no more than a couple feet away.  It was all she could do to bring her control rod up in a defensive posture, blocking the incoming gohei-strike.  This time, she could see the attack long enough to notice the gohei had a bright-green glow to it.  Clearly enhanced by magic.  The power of the attack was, once again, higher than expected, but not beyond what she could deal with.

With another cry to psych herself up, Utsuho pushed, throwing the shrine maiden away.  Instead of backing off to throw projectiles as she had before, though, she instead closed in again, swinging her gohei low.  The awkward angle of the attack meant Utsuho could only block weakly, and she deflected the attack to her lower left rather than trying to match it strength for strength.

Utsuho smiled as the shrine maiden continued to spin.  She had put so much behind the attack that, as it was deflected, she continued to somersault.  Utsuho made to exploit the opening, only realizing at the last second that the spin had slowed slightly ? she was still spinning, but she was also still in control.

Panicking, Utsuho raised her bare arm in front of her head, just in time to block the incoming axe kick.  A dull throb assaulted her forearm, where the kick had connected, but she could tell that no real damage had been done.  After all, though she said she was a god, she was little more than human.  There was no way a single kick could inflict lasting damage on a youkai like her.

Sanae?s recovery from the kick was slow, allowing Utsuho to react.  With the flick of her wrist, she grabbed Sanae by the ankle, giving her a wide grin.  ?Got you!?

Sanae didn?t respond, her face bearing a concentration a hair short of frantic.  Raising her gohei slightly, she pointed it at Utsuho.  Utsuho?s confusion lasted only a moment as the pale green light emanating from the makeshift weapon began to intensify.

Having no desire to figure out what Sanae was about to do, Utsuho did a full turn, hurling her by the leg downwards and behind her.  Sanae yelped in surprise, the small bolt of light fired from her gohei going wide.  Without hesitating, Utsuho brought the control rod up and aimed it at the falling shrine maiden.  A bar of white hot fire, so intense as to almost be liquid, erupted from the front of the control rod.

Sanae, unable to properly right herself due to the moment from being thrown, did her best to dodge while bringing her gohei up between her and the incoming attack.  The instant before the fire connected, a flash of pale violet light appeared from the gohei, blocking its path.  The shield lasted for less than a heartbeat, the fire punching through it just slow enough that Sanae could get out of the way.

Utsuho idly noted that she had broken the second rule for sure this time.  Oh well, it was clear that the shrine maiden had more skill than she had given her credit for.  She didn?t feel so bad about going up to the next level.

As she thought this to herself, Sanae also seemed to pause, gathering herself rather than continuing the attack.  She had very narrowly dodged being completely incinerated, and it showed ? the skin on her hand and face were showing light, non-serious burns, and her clothes were marred with scorch marks in various places. She was breathing hard now, apparently taking stock of her situation before continuing the fight.

Utsuho sighed. She didn?t like catching herself in explosions ? they hurt her just as much as anyone else ? so if she was going to restrict herself from moving, the shrine maiden closing in on her made it very difficult to fight properly.  Suddenly, it clicked that that was the whole point ? she must have been keeping in melee distance so that Utsuho couldn?t use her explosions.

?Ah, so that?s how it is?? Utsuho thought out loud to herself.  Well, if she was interested in a hand-to-hand fight?

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Utsuho forcibly relaxed her arms and legs.  She then activated the control rod, but instead of directing its force outwards, she sent it inwards.  After a few seconds pause, she began to glow with a faint yellow light.  Three orbs of bright white light began to circle around her, reminiscent of electrons around an atom.

Utsuho opened her eyes to issue a challenge, but it seemed unnecessary as the shrine maiden was already charging towards her.  She threw a fireball from her bare hand, which was easily dodged, before bringing her control rod up in a defensive posture again.  As expected, Sanae?s gohei came down, impacting hard, but instead of pushing her away, she let her struggle against her defense.  In seconds, her sleeves began to blacken, the edges glowing with embers.

Sanae?s expression suddenly became pained as she disengaged, retreating backwards and throwing her gohei to the side.  Despite its magical enhancements, only three seconds after it made contact with the control rod, it ignited, and the entire thing burned to ash before it reached the ground.  Sanae, meanwhile, wasn?t looking much better.  Her sleeves were still smoking, though the embers had died out, and her hands showed more serious burns from where she had been holding the gohei.

Utsuho shrugged, meeting the shrine maiden?s gaze.  ?If you want to keep coming at me like that, I don?t mind, but?I wouldn?t recommend it.?

Sanae responded to the jab with a handful of talismans, which were easily blown away by another explosion.  Utsuho followed the explosion with another volley of fire, forcing Sanae to go on the defensive once again.  Once the projectiles passed, she stopped, adopting a sour expression.

Utsuho raised her bare arm above her head, gathering fire above her palm.  ?Don?t give up now,? she said with a grin as she threw a fireball twice the size of herself at the shrine maiden, ?the fun is just beginning!?


--------------------------------------


Kanako watched the fight proceed with a placid look, an ill fit to Suwako?s troubled expression.

?Is she really going to be okay like this??? Suwako spoke quietly, as if she was talking to herself.

?Under normal circumstances, she?d have no problem with a fight like this.  Unfortunately?these circumstances aren?t particularly normal.?

?So, do you think she?ll actually be able to pull it off?? Suwako?s tone became concerned.

Kanako?s only response was a shrug.

?Hey hey, if you act like that, it looks like you?ve sent your shrine maiden off to die.  That?s bad form, y?know??

Kanako turned to Suwako with a smile.  ?She?s a tough kid.  Have a little faith.?

?Ha ha, you?re very funny.?  Despite the unimpressed look, Suwako turned back to watch the fight without complaint.  Kanako, likewise, turned to watch, her expression becoming unreadable once again.

Despite her brave words, her confidence in the situation wasn?t actually that high.  The fight had taken a turn for the worse once Utsuho came up with a way to stop letting Sanae get into close range, and she was having difficulty getting any attacks in.  And though she had done a good job of avoiding almost all of the attacks sent her way, the one or two attacks she didn?t manage to avoid were taking a heavy toll on her.  In all honesty, she wasn?t sure how much longer she could last.

?Maybe we should help her out after all?? Suwako mumbled quietly, wincing as yet another explosion tore the air between the two combatants.

Kanako sighed, crossing her arms.  She had felt the same way for most of the fight.  In truth, they had known from the start that sending Sanae off by herself to fight was a huge risk.  However, huge risks had a tendency of reaping huge rewards ? and considering the circumstances of their fight, they needed that huge reward if they were going to be able to keep fighting against Hoshimi.  At this rate, Sanae would be sitting out from the final battle even if she did win, but that was a small price to pay for what they stood to gain.

Utsuho was a dangerous opponent.  Barring Hoshimi herself, she was likely the most powerful as far as raw output was concerned, and definitely the most volatile.  Her potential to inflict devastating damage across a massive area was worrying enough to put the entire battle against Hoshimi into jeopardy.  It was imperative that they find a way to contain Utsuho, not only taking her out for the sake of their own protection, but so that she wouldn?t be able to participate in the rest of the fight.

As she had demonstrated earlier, she had the range and firepower to influence all four of the battles currently happening.  In all honesty, if she had been going all out, she probably could have wiped out their entire operation single-handedly.

And that left two possible courses of action.  The first would be to crush her with overwhelming force ? kill her as fast as possible.  That was obviously not an ideal plan, and not only because they were trying to finish the battle without killing her.  If she ever got to the point she felt cornered, in her desperation she would not hesitate to give everything she had, and with the firepower she had, she could inflict devastating casualties on them before they brought her down.

The second option was to make sure she never went at her full strength.  If she never went all out, the possibility of defeating her before she was able to seriously hurt anyone was high.  Furthermore, as long as she never used her full power, there wasn?t a need to kill her.  They would hopefully be able to find a way to fight her into submission, or at least find some way of suppressing her, without the need for serious injuries or death.

The problem, of course, was in finding a way to stop her from going all out.  The answer they had come up with, difficult as it was to bear, was to make Utsuho underestimate them ? in this case, by sending the person she would assume is the weakest of them off to fight by herself.  If Sanae could somehow blindside Utsuho while she was being underestimated and end the fight quickly, they would be able to reach the ideal outcome.

However, as the fight continued to progress before them, it was becoming exceedingly clear that Sanae was not in control of this fight.

Seeing Suwako beginning to get restless once again, Kanako put a hand on her shoulder.  She calmed down slightly, but her expression remained pained.  It was obviously difficult for her to watch the fight continue without helping at all, but she did know why she couldn?t help.  It didn?t make it any less painful to watch, but hopefully it would be enough to keep her sticking to the plan.

?I know it?s hard to watch,? Kanako spoke softly, ?but we have a job to do as well.  She is trusting us to do our part, so we have to trust her to do hers.?  Suwako nodded, but Kanako could tell that she was beyond being comforted by words.

Kanako winced as a beam of white hot fire sliced the air above them, thankfully missing Sanae by a wide margin.  It seemed Utsuho had stopped her glowing to launch attacks again, but she suspected that she could turn it back on at a moment?s notice.  The fight was continually getting more and more difficult for Sanae, but as much as she wanted to help, she knew there was no room for her intervention.

All she could do was pray for a miracle.


-----------------------------------


Utsuho fired another beam of white hot fire, which went disappointingly wide, before reactivating her defense.  Seeing the glow return, Sanae backed off, returning to a more distant position.  Once Utsuho had started alternating between using the control rod?s power for offense and defense, Sanae had tried to slip in between attacks to get in melee range while her defense was down, but Utsuho could switch too fast for her to make it.

She did have to admit, it was quite bothersome that she couldn?t use the control rod for offense and defense at the same time.  Having to switch between them made the fight much less one-sided, but she supposed it was a necessary handicap, considering her opponent.

Especially since she no longer seemed to stand a chance.  Ever since Utsuho had figured out how to keep her from getting into close range, she hadn?t even come close to landing a hit on her.  While it was true that she wasn?t exactly landing hits either, the difference was that she was holding back ? she knew she could end the fight whenever she wanted.

?Alright, I?ll tell you what,? Utsuho held up a hand to stop Sanae from continuing the fight.  ?We aren?t getting anywhere like this.  For me, I?m just going to get bored, ?cause neither of us are landing hits, and I?m sure that it?s getting depressing for you to be unable to do anything.? Sanae raised an eyebrow at that, but Utsuho didn?t seem to notice. ?So here?s what I?ll do.  I?ll give you three more chances. I won?t attack at all ? just purely defend.  You can attack me in whatever way you want, and I won?t interrupt you at all.?

Utsuho lowered her hand, instead choosing to brandish the control rod.  ?But after those three attacks, we?re done.  No more holding back, I?m going to go all out and crush you.?  Utsuho smiled as she saw Sanae?s face pale slightly.  That was a good reaction ? she clearly understood the position she was in.  Hopefully, that desperation would give her enough strength to punch through Utsuho?s considerable defense.  It would be nice if she could at least leave a scar on her opponent before getting obliterated, and as much as she didn?t like getting scars, she was nice enough to give her that chance before toasting her.

Sanae took a deep breath, steadying herself.  Utsuho dropped her heat shield, and prepared her response. From what she had seen so far, after losing that gohei, her only offensive options were talismans and other similar projectiles.  Unfortunately for her, those were quite easy to prepare for.

As expected, she led her attack by throwing three quick handfuls of talismans.  As she threw the third, she charged forward, following the projectiles in.  It was a pretty standard tactic she had been using the entire fight ? throw talismans as a distraction, and when Utsuho used an explosion to stop them, use the ensuing cloud of smoke to hide her advance so she could get in range safely for a melee attack.  It had become somewhat predictable, however, so Utsuho had no problem stopping it.

As the projectiles closed, she threw an explosion forward to knock them away, careful not to catch the shrine maiden in the explosion itself.  She didn?t want her to have to think about defense, so it was important to avoid hitting her.  The explosion was far enough away, however, that there would still be a considerable area of clear air that she would have to cover if she wanted to come into melee range.

Utsuho gave a small hum in admiration as, unexpectedly, two sets of talismans came out of the cloud of smoke.  She thought it was odd they were thrown nowhere near her, but she knew it would be stupid to ignore them, so she kept tracking them with her eyes.  Sure enough, after a couple seconds of flight, the talismans banked sharply, now coming quickly towards her from opposite directions.

One explosion quickly took care of the first batch of talismans, however she had to spin awkwardly to send another one to block the second set.  She was honestly impressed ? if she had been a split second slower, that second batch would have hit her.  She had underestimated how difficult it would be to send explosions in opposite directions.  She turned to look at the shrine maiden again, just barely noticing out of the corner of her eye that she was charging towards her, feet first.

Fortunately, she noticed just quickly enough that she was able to bring her bare arm up in defense, and she managed to actually catch the incoming kick with her hand.  The force of the impact pushed her a couple feet backwards, but otherwise didn?t hurt enough to matter.  ?Almost there!? Utsuho shouted as she threw the shrine maiden backwards.

Unsteady from the throw, Sanae did a full spin in the air, and as she reoriented, threw another handful of talismans at her.  Once again, Utsuho?s reaction was just barely fast enough, and she managed to backhand the projectiles out of the air with her control rod.

Seeing all of her attacks had been blocked, Sanae backpedalled, opening the gap between the two of them again.

?Whew!? Utsuho said exaggeratedly, pretending to wipe sweat from her forehead, ?that was well done!  A little bit more and you might have actually hit me!?  Assuming a defensive stance again, she lowered her voice, though still spoke loud enough to be heard.  ?Two more tries.  Better make them count!?

Sanae backed off a few more feet before throwing more talismans.  This time, for sets of three talismans flew, each in widely different directions.  As expected, once they travelled a considerable distance, they turned towards Utsuho.  As they did so, Sanae began her charge as well.

The extra distance she had taken worked against her, however, as Utsuho had plenty of time to spin around, directing explosions at each of the four groups of talismans.  As she finished dealing with them, she turned back to Sanae in time to see her throwing a handful of talismans directly for her.

A quick explosion knocked them away, simultaneously obscuring Utsuho?s view of the shrine maiden.  As expected, once hidden, another four sets of talismans fired, arcing widely to come at her from four directions once again.  This time, however, the proximity was far too close for Utsuho to make the full rotation, so she opted instead for a ring of fire. The placement was difficult, but she managed to align it perfectly so that when expanded, it intercepted all four groups of talismans.

Turning back to intercept the kick she figured was coming, she was instead greeted by yet another group of talismans.  The distance from which they came was so short that it was all she could do to bring her control rod up to block.  As the felt the impact of the talismans on the control rod, she saw Sanae out of the corner of her eye, flying below her.

Utsuho spun as fast as she could to track Sanae, who had flown behind her, and saw her throw more talismans.  Having been prepared this time, a quick explosion knocked the talismans away.  Utsuho mentally kicked herself, as she realized she had just provided more cover for Sanae.  With the explosion so close, it was impossible for her to see anything in that entire direction.  As the smoke drifted over her, she brought her control rod up in a defensive posture again, making a best guess.

In a stroke a luck, she felt a strong impact as Sanae came in with another kick, hitting squarely in the middle of Utsuho?s block.  Rather than push her attack, however, she quickly pulled her foot back, coming in with a punch from a different angle.  From this range, Utsuho could see her even through the smoke, so she was able to block the hit with her control rod again.  Once more, Sanae changed angles and came in with a knee, which Utsuho stopped with her bare hand.

Sanae righted herself for another attack, but held back just in time to see Utsuho?s heat shield flash back on.  ?That?s enough of that,? Utsuho said with a smile.  ?I know you like fighting hand to hand, but I?m going to have to draw the line somewhere.?

Sanae disengaged, opening the distance between the two of them and reorienting herself.  For some reason, she felt the need to move back to her original position, so that Utsuho was between her and the tower.  She thought that was odd ? if she was trying to get to the tower, why was she specifically trying to put Utsuho in her way?  Well, it wasn?t any of her concern.

?One try left,? Utsuho said with a sigh, ?try to make it spectacular.?  Though she acted bored, the truth was that since she had put the limit on her, she had actually been doing much better.  She still hadn?t done anything that Utsuho couldn?t stop, but she seemed to be putting much more effort into her attacks, and they were much more interesting to deal with than her waves of easily predicted talismans.

Sanae wasted no time preparing for her final attack.  Using the first two fingers of her right hand as a replacement for her gohei, she began to draw a five-pointed star in the air.  Over and over, she repeated the motion, and soon light began to gather in the air in front of her, outlining the shape she was drawing.  After six repetitions, the star in front of her flared brightly, and five equally shaped stars ? each slightly smaller than Sanae herself ? scattered outwards from the original.

Utsuho dropped her heat shield, getting ready for the incoming attack.  This was the first time Sanae had used it, so she wasn?t sure exactly how it would come, or if her usual method of dealing with them would work.  However, even though she felt like she should be worried about the attack, she found herself instead eagerly anticipating it.

The first two stars launched themselves at her.  As soon as they began moving, Utsuho fired off two quick explosions.  As she had expected, the explosions didn?t impede the stars at all, and they continued catapulting towards her, spinning like giant blades.

Fortunately for her, the fact they were coming at her edgewise meant that it would be that much easier for her to avoid them.  As they closed in, she twisted herself awkwardly, narrowly dodging the first, and then spun to hit the second with her control rod.  To her surprise, the impact of the star on the control rod knocked

Utsuho away, luckily clear of the shot.  It seemed as if she didn?t really have a way of stopping the stars.

She turned back to Sanae to see the second pair of stars had launched themselves towards her, and had already covered half the distance.  Though still coming edgewise, they were spinning on two axes, rather than just vertically, meaning she would have to dodge them as spheres rather than straight lines.  With no time to think, Utsuho finally gave in, releasing herself of her last constraint.

Dodging upward, she easily cleared the first of the incoming stars, and fired a burst of white hot fire from her control rod at the second.  Unlike the explosion earlier, this attack had the force necessary to blow the star away, and it collapsed and vanished before reaching her.

The last star came at her next, its wide face pointing towards her instead of the edge.  Behind it, Sanae was following with a charge.  Utsuho clicked her tongue.  She couldn?t use the white fire to wipe away this star without hitting Sanae in the process, and that would break the rules.  She may have lifted her other restrictions from herself, but it would take a lot more than this to make her break a rule she had told her opponent about.

Utsuho carefully gauged the incoming projectile, measuring its size and the distance between it and the shrine maiden.  A few short seconds before it hit her, she created another explosion in front of her.  She knew that the explosion wouldn?t block the attack, but that wasn?t what she was trying to accomplish ? the shrine maiden had been abusing the smoke from those explosions to conceal herself the entire fight.  Now it was Utsuho?s turn to do the same.

As the star closed in, Utsuho curled herself up tightly.  Trying to make herself as flat as possible, she moved into a lying position, head forward, and curled her wings around herself.  A split second later, her gamble paid off ? the star arrived, and she passed right through its hollow center.  Not waiting even for a second, she immediately righted herself and dashed forward.

The shrine maiden?s final attack was over ? it was her turn for offense.

Emerging from the smoke cloud created by the explosion, she was greeted with Sanae?s shocked expression.  No doubt, she was wondering how Utsuho had managed to get past her projectile unharmed ? her cover had worked perfectly.  Attempting to break off her charge, Sanae reeled backwards, fighting desperately against her forward momentum as Utsuho brought her control rod to bear.

She managed to bring her arms up to block just as Utsuho executed a wide, backhanded sweep.  A bright flash of pale violet light indicated an attempt at defense, but Utsuho had put magic into her offense as well.  The explosive force of the blow shattered Sanae?s defense easily, and though slowed, hit her with enough force to send her careening off towards the ground.  There wasn?t even enough time for her expression to change from shock to pain.

?Game over,? Utsuho said to herself, wearing a satisfied expression as she watched Sanae impact the ground below.  The shield she had managed meant that she wouldn?t have been hit with enough force to kill her, and she doubted that the impact on the ground would finish the job, but as the seconds passed, she remained motionless on the ground.

She briefly considered what to do next.  Now that she had defeated the shrine maiden, she suspected the other gods that had come with her would be more inclined to fight, yet neither of them made a move.  It seemed she was going to have to drag them out.  Slowly, she descended to the spot where Sanae had hit the ground.

They were at least friends with the shrine maiden, if not something more.  She doubted they would just sit idly by as she roasted her.  But it seemed she would have to do so from close range to make those idiots understand.

Utsuho shook her head as she descended.  Even if the shrine maiden had survived the fall, and the other two attacked before she finished the job, who knew what damage she had sustained, what pain she was feeling.  Their stubbornness had caused their friend to suffer so badly.  If only they had been willing to fight from the start, maybe then things would have turned out differently.

In all honesty, she hadn?t expected to win a three on one.  She knew she had the strength to, but like Hoshimi had told her before, there was no way they were going to attack without some sort of plan.  So, her instructions were just to delay them as long as possible.  If she could keep them away, wear them down, it wouldn?t matter if she lost ? Hoshimi was strong enough that she could likely fight them equally by herself, so if Utsuho was able to wear them down even a little bit, the scales would tip in her favour.  And if Hoshimi won, so did she, whether Utsuho had lost her individual battle or not.

That had been her goal.  But these foolish gods had taken her lightly, sending their weakest to fight her by herself.  Did they really think so highly of themselves?  Now, for all they knew, she was dead.  If only they had helped from the start, they could have avoided it.

Utsuho landed a few dozen feet away from the still motionless shrine maiden, approaching the remaining distance on foot.  Unlike her friends, even if Utsuho wasn?t going all out, she was still willing to take her seriously.  She had fought hard, and considering how weak she really was, she had done well.  So she would give her a proper send-off ? she deserved as much.

Stopping five feet away from the fallen shrine maiden, Utsuho levelled the control rod at her.  ?You fought well, for someone like yourself.  There was no need for this, but it seems your friends are too stubborn to help you out.?

Sanae reacted to her words, but she still couldn?t move from where she had landed.  Utsuho couldn?t really tell whether she was conscious or not, but from the way she was moving, she was clearly alive, and clearly in a lot of pain.

Utsuho sighed.  ?I hope that in your next life, you have better friends.?  Utsuho closed her eyes as she prepared to fire, when suddenly the earth began to shake.

She opened her eyes just in time to see everything go dark.


--------------------------------------------


?Restraint: Earth God?s Prison!?  Suwako shouted triumphantly as stone erupted from the ground beneath the hell raven, encasing her in a dome of solid rock.  Kanako had used her wind to pull Sanae away just in time, enclosing Utsuho in the dome alone.

As soon as the earth stopped shaking from Suwako?s spell, Kanako clapped her hands in front of her.  Falling from the sky, apparently materializing out of nowhere, six pillars wrapped in shimenawa rope landed in a circle around the rock dome.  From the air above the dome, between the six pillars, another length of shimenawa rope coiled downwards as if from a hole in the air, wrapping around the stone and joining together seamlessly, creating a perfect circle of rope.

?Restraint: Sky God?s Seal.?  Kanako announced the name of her spell as it finished, unable to keep a smile from her face as well.

A few long moments passed, and the three of them ? Suwako and Kanako, hands clasped in front of them, and Sanae lying on her stomach with one eye open ? watched the place where they had trapped Utsuho.   After a full minute of nothing happening, the three of them let out huge sighs of relief.

?I am never doing that again!? Sanae practically shouted, standing from where she had been lying.  Closing her eyes and clapping her hand in front of herself as if in prayer, her burns and other various injuries rapidly began to heal of their own accord.

?But you did so well,? Kanako prodded jokingly, ?I thought maybe we?d make it a regular show at the shrine.?

Having finished healing, Sanae opened her eyes, expression angry.  ?Do you know how hard that was?! An entire dual, and entire fight, without insulting my opponent a single time?! Not even playful mid-combat banter?!?? The rest of whatever she had been trying to say became unintelligible as she shouted angrily at no one in particular.

While Suwako just sat and laughed, Kanako continued with a bright smile.  ?But in all seriousness, you did really well.  I can?t imagine holding back against an opponent that was already as strong as you ? or stronger, maybe, considering what we saw today ? was a very easy thing to do.?

Sanae gave a frustrated sigh as she walked up to where Kanako and Suwako were.  ?Looks like I?m going to need to change completely?these clothes are completely ruined.  And she destroyed my gohei too, that monster.?

?Small price to pay,? Suwako said, her voice still carrying a trace of laughter.  ?After all, you did manage to bring down the most difficult opponent ? practically by yourself ? with, effectively, no injuries.?

?Yeah, well, as long as she stays down,? Sanae said, faking a glum voice.

?I wouldn?t worry about that.  My dome will keep in stuck there for a while, especially with Kanako?s seal suppressing the Yatagarasu.?

Sanae blinked in surprise.  ?Wait, it only suppresses the Yatagarasu? Won?t she be able to break out using?you know, normal magic??
Kanako hummed thoughtfully.  ?Well, she would, if we were to leave her to her own devices.  But??

??that?s where I come in!? Suwako filled the blank with a grin.  ?As long as I stay nearby, feeding energy into the prison, there?s no way mundane magic will break through it.?

?So that means?? Sanae said, looking at Kanako out of the corner of her eye.

?That?s right,? Kanako replied with a sigh. ?We decided that Suwako was strong enough to help, but she wouldn?t be able to fight Hoshimi herself.  It?s going to take her a lot longer to recover than the two of us hoped.  So she?s going to stay here and make sure Utsuho doesn?t escape until the battle is over.?

?So make sure you don?t let Hoshimi get over here, okay?  I?m sure you don?t want to go through that whole fight again!?  Suwako said, laughing as she saw Sanae?s eyes widen and face go pale.

?Whatever it takes?? Sanae whispered to herself, a hint of mania in her voice.

?Speaking of which, why was that so difficult? I hadn?t predicted you having that much difficulty with her, to the point you would have to feign unconsciousness.?

Sanae gave another exasperated sigh.  ?For some reason, that entire time, she refused to move.  No matter what I threw at her, no matter how obvious I telegraphed my attacks, she decided to stay still and defend every single time.  I couldn?t get her to move at all, let alone lure her towards the ground.  In the end, I just let her think I had gotten desperate, and that was enough to make her come after me.?

?And what would you have done if she decided to shoot you with her nuclear fire from the air while you were lying on the ground??

A cold wind blew by the three of them, the sound of the breeze conveniently filling the silence following Kanako?s question.

?W-well!? Sanae finally responded, ?why don?t we go regroup with Alice?s team now!  No time to be hanging around here, there?s a battle to be won!?  Sanae quickly took off, flying away before the other two could say anything.

The two goddesses shook their heads as they watched her go.  ?As much as I know that was a dodge,? Suwako said, ?she was right, you should probably get going. Who knows how much longer Reimu will last against her??
Nodding, Kanako floated into the air.  ?Keep me informed if anything happens here.?  With that, she flew off to catch up with Sanae.

Suwako, now alone, walked around the dome where Utsuho had been trapped.  She couldn?t get too close to the prison, or else the whole thing would collapse.  Her prison and Kanako?s seal did work wonderfully together, but they were inherently different spells ? just as the prison trapped anyone within the dome, the seal would suppress anyone within its confines.  If Suwako were to walk within the six pillars that had been setup, her powers as a goddess would be suppressed, and the dome would instantly collapse.

And so, despite the fact that it was a perfect vantage point, she was forced to pick another hill to watch the rest of the fight from.  Taking a seat on the top of the largest hill within the immediate area, she gave a quiet sigh.

A bitter smile crossed her face as she realized that, ironically enough, the only thing she could do now was to pray for the others? success.


So, as of the moment I post this, it has been November for a little less than two hours.  That means that NaNoWriMo has officially started.

Unfortunately for this story, that means I will be spending a great deal of time writing...something else.  I have no idea what my writing schedule for NaNoWriMo is going to be like, but there is a considerable chance that updates for this will slow drastically for November.  I'm not pleased with that possibility, since we're so close to the end, so I definitely do not intend to put this on hold for the entire month of November.  However, regardless, updates will be slow.  My apologies in advance!

[Sagus]

Huh how did I miss the previous update

While your writting style can make battles a little slow paced, they were still pretty great. I'm quite curious to see how the battle against Tenshi is going, and what Mokou and Kaguya are talking about.

If there's one thing that kinda iffs me, though, is that you seem to put Eirin as a pretty low power char. I mean, she was the Watatsuki sisters' teacher, and is outright stated to hold back simply because she doesn't want to outshine the princess. Pretty sure she'd be able to bring down Mokou alone without much, if any, trouble. But then again, that wouldn't make for a very interesting fight, I suppose.

Also, REALLY wishing you had put the taoists here now. Ugh it'd be so perfect. Miko, Futo and Tojiko on the good guys side vs Seiga and Yoshika on Hoshime's side. I've been dying to find a fic where this happens, and it could have happened so well here. Oh well, still anxiously awaiting for the next chapters~

Ah, and good luck with your NaNoWriMo story!