Author Topic: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)  (Read 14888 times)

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« on: July 01, 2009, 10:39:41 PM »
Been a while since I posted anything, been working on a AD6A submission which will be appearing sometime in the future. No progress on RiG4 yet unfortunately however I have the plot planned now and so it's just a case of reading through, correcting and reposting OLaD, RiG2 and RiG3. So let's post OLaD.

Of course, this should be read before RiG2.

Also, RiG2/3/4 will be posted in the original RiG topic, OLaD has it's own topic in case I decide to continue the MS retelling part, no definites though.

---

Hieda no Akyu leant back in her chair, dropped the pen she was holding and gave a sigh of relief and satisfaction, ?Finished at last!? Leaning forward again, she quickly signed the page of the book that lay in front of her and printed her name on the front cover.

A few seconds later, Keine Kamishirasawa entered the room with her usual warm smile, ?I gather by the sounds of it, you?ve finished another book??

?Yes... and this one wasn?t exactly the easiest to write.?

Keine looked slightly puzzled, ?What is it??

?Well, regardless of the unexpected event that occurred, it shouldn?t be forgotten that the party was partly a celebration of Mima becoming the new god of the shrine.

Keine still looked quite puzzled, ?Yes, your point being??

?Well, you will probably know that there?s very little information on her, in one location anyway.? Akyu spoke, with a chirp in her voice.

?So, you went and made it so.? Keine guessed confidently.

?Correct.? Akyu stood up and handed the book to Keine. ?This book contains all the information I could get, as you might know, her history goes back a long, long way where there?s little remaining information.? Akyu gestured towards a pile of books, which were also sat on the table, some appearing to be in a terrible, old condition.

Opening the book, Keine began reading the book at a tremendous speed, taking in every word even though it appeared like she was only skimming through it.


?The first records of the being known as Mima date back to the start of Gensokyo, so it is safe to guess that she was an original resident, however among the other humans that lived alongside her, she proved to be an anomaly, she was one of the first humans in Gensokyo to have magical abilities, and for that reason she was feared by some. This proved to be a catalyst to the events, which made her what she is today.?


?Oh come on, put some effort into it!? A voice called, the voice had a distinct tone of someone eccentric, though it seems to drag itself down to sound more common.

?I?d like to see you do better!? Another voice called, much more normal sounding voice called, the voice was kind yet determined.

?I know you would, but you lost, so you have to do it!? The first voice replied.

The sound of something hitting the floor causes the source of the first voice to open her eyes, in front of her stood a green haired girl wearing pale cream robes and a large grin on her face. ?Well then, how about best of out two??

?Nah, get back to work.? The girl closed her eyes again.

The green haired girl sighed and picked up the broom again and continued sweeping the pathway, a moment later she looked up at the structure over-watching the path, the Hakurei Shrine, the building had existed for as long as anyone could remember, and currently it was home to one Murasaki Hakurei, the prodigy who was rumoured to have made Gensokyo what it is, a permanent dream world, and also her best friend.

It was also the same lazy Murasaki Hakurei who was lying down at the front of the shrine half-asleep after winning a bet where all the work goes to the loser.

?Aren?t you finished yet?? The impatient voice of Murasaki interrupted.

?It?s hardly been a minute since you last asked!? The other girl snapped back.

Murasaki rose from where she was resting, presenting herself, she wore typical shrine maiden clothing, a red robe like shirt and dress, decorated with white and a modest yellow ribbon just below her neck. Also on her arms were detached yellow sleeves, another part of her costume, but the most noticeable feature was her long hip length golden hair, tied up in several places with the use of matching red ribbons. As she wobbled from side to side dozily, ?Mima, shouldn?t you be working and not daydreaming??

The green haired girl, Mima, shouted into the sky in frustration followed by giggles from Murasaki, ?You?re so easy to wind up.?

Mima mumbled something to herself, but in her mind she was actually thankful, she didn?t have much of a memory and her ability to use magic, primarily controlling darkness, caused her to be shunted by the other humans, scared of her powers they had only seen used by the deadly youkai. Murasaki was an exception in both cases; she was extremely powerful at what you may call magic, and also Mima?s only and best friend.

Eventually, Mima finished the chores she was set and sat down with Murasaki at the front of the shrine casually drinking tea, ?You know, sometimes, I wish I never had this power.? Mima said out of the blue. ?Perhaps if I had something like light magic, the others might accept me. But I?m stuck with this, and they?re terrified.? Mima causes a trail of darkness to spiral around an extended finger before dispersing in the air.

Murasaki smiled, ?Don?t worry, there?ll be a time when they?ll accept things, everything?s still new to them and they?re bounded to have many more surprises ahead.? She assured, sounding oddly sage-like.

Mima sat back and thought upon the words for a moment, and the next thing she knew, the sky was dulling and darkness was beginning to creep along the world. ?I guess it?s time to leave.? Standing up and shaking her robes slightly, Mima walked off gloomily, ?See you tomorrow.?

?Bye, take care.? Murasaki quietly said, but so Mima could hear it.

Rather than take the pathway leading to the village, Mima chose to go straight through the forest, once again she was the only one who did so, but then she was the only one who could protect themselves if they were attacked. The only other humans you saw in there were children, thanks to their innocence and curiosity, they had a different opinion to Mima?s magic compared to their elders, so occasionally a group of them would visit and request a display, which Mima enjoyed, it was better than being holed up in her house.

Still deep in thought, Mima quietly returned to her house. Without little delay, Mima went straight to her bed, and lay there dreaming about what life could have been like without her powers.

Mima shot alert when an unknown noise interrupted her, someone screaming. Drowsily she sat up in bed, while the screams continued.

By the time Mima had got out of bed, the screams had stopped, with a yawn; she climbed back into bed, ?Probably? just some youkai playing games.? Without another thought, Mima fell asleep.

As the sun rose, Mima was awakened by a loud banging noise, accompanied by shouting. Slowly, Mima climbed out of bed, wobbling from side to side to see what the commotion was.

As she opened the door, the last thing she expected was a crowd of people around her house.


Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #1 on: July 01, 2009, 10:39:58 PM »
There was an awkward pause where both sides remained still and silent, until Mima quietly spoke, ?Can? I help you??

A man shouted in an arrogant, vicious tone, ?Try doing something good and bring her back to life!? A section of the crowd parted revealed the body of a girl on the floor.

Mima gasped and ran over to the body, ?Don?t act like you haven?t seen it before.? The man from before added.

"E-Excuse me?? Mima asked, disturbed at what was said.

?I know you?ve seen her before, my daughter? You killed her!? The man continued to fill with rage, accusing Mima.

?I?m sorry about her, but I didn?t do anything. If you look at the wounds, it looks like a youkai attack, the wounds are physical.? Mima looked again, brushing the young girl?s brown hair out of the way, ?These could be teeth marks, or a knife wound, it?s hard to tell.?

The man looked confused, ?Your point??

?My point is that I use magic as you know, and it?s completely different.? A tendril of darkness appeared around Mima causing the crowd to take a step back. The tendril floated aimlessly before striking her on the back of her hand leaving a small white burn-like patch, which she presented to the crowd. ?As you can see, it works completely differently.?

The crowd started to murmur between each other, ?How can we trust you!? In my eyes, you?re the killer, so of course you?d make an excuse!? The man continued to fight, ?In the name of the Kirisame family, I will not let you get away with this!?

Mima stared at the man, for some reason, he appeared to have a complete hatred of her even with a lack of evidence, it was fair for him to be mad, since his child had just been found dead, but something about the event seemed wrong.

Since the man had appeared to have no more arguments, the crowd started to disperse, mumbling like a shocked jury, taking the girl with them who was eventually followed by the man. Soon, Mima was the only person left, who gave a sigh of relief, before she turned back into her house and collapsed onto a chair.

In a daze, with the previous events spinning in her head Mima sat down at the table and buried her head in her hands and began to relive the scene?

Someone, or something had killed a child from the village, and for some reason, the blame was falling onto her, the only piece of potential evidence being the location, not even the cause of death matched with her.

Yet still, that human seemed almost? overzealous in an attempt to make me guilty.

The sight of seeing his aggression continue while the spectators had already lost their interest in the situation appeared in Mima?s mind again and again.

Something?s not right about this.

Mima laughed half-heartedly at the irony of her thought, ?Okay, maybe nothing is right.? She spoke out loud.

Leaning back in her chair, Mima started to think about other things, regarding the future. There was no way she was going to be left alone for a while, the pure anger in the accuser?s eyes, ?Mr Kirisame? was enough to prove that, yet the choices for herself seems close to nothing, fleeing was out of the question, diplomacy would obviously go nowhere and eliminating the source was completely out of the question.

A moment of silence was shattered by Mima striking the table with her fist, followed by the crashing of pottery hitting the floor, Mima looked up and laughed insecurely, ?Fine, if you want to play your stupid little game then play away.?

Mima soon returned to her regular schedule, which primarily consisted of visiting the shrine for most of the day. As she arrived she was greeted by Murasaki who was waving with one arm while holding something green in the other.

?Good afternoon Mima! Look!? Murasaki jumped up from where she was usually sat and stuck the object in Mima?s face. ?Look, it hatched!?

Mima stared at the creature since it was staring back, ?I see, it?s a turtle.? Mima pushed it back slightly to give her some space. ?So, have you named it yet??

"Genjii.? Murasaki spoke, ?I thought of it earlier.?

Mima nodded half-interested, still looking at the turtle, which was continuing to stare back, ?I see.?

The rest of the afternoon consisted of talking and drinking tea as it usually did, with the addition of continuing the staring contest with the new turtle and being bit by it when it had the chance.

After being bit for the 5th time Mima groaned, ?It?s a vicious little thing, I thought we?d be friends by now.? She started at the turtle for a few more seconds before finishing her cup of tea.

?I think he does really, but hating and biting you is probably more fun.? Murasaki laughed.

Mima giggled a little and added, ?That would seem to be a popular thing at the moment.? Mima sighed a little, ?The hating, not the biting, that is.?

Murasaki?s expression turned serious, ?So I?ve heard... Accused of nothing less than murder by the village. Please, tell me your side of the story.?

Feeling slightly threatened by the violet-eyed gaze of her friend, Mima started, ?There?s not much to say, really. I woke up, and there was the angry mob waiting for me to leave the house. I slept through the whole thing.? Mima laughed in her mind at how weak the alibi sounded.

?Did you know the girl who was killed?? Murasaki continued, still serious.

?Well, yes. She was one of the kids who used to visit my house every now and then, to see magic in action and all that kind of stuff. Quite young, quite long brown hair, green eyes, nice girl, she loved seeing me destroy things, quite the opposite of her father it would seem.? Mima paused for a second, ?No reason to kill her.? Mima added while laughing nervously.

Murasaki?s gaze continued for a few more seconds before completely changing back to her usual smiling self, ?Okay, I believe you.?

Mima gave a sigh of relief and straight afterwards she was hit around the back of her head, ?And don?t joke about such horrible things!? Murasaki?s voice rung in her ears.

"Yes, ma?am.? Mima groaned sarcastically.

The few hours before sunset passed quickly, and it wasn?t long before Mima got up to leave, ?Well, I should go home now, if that thing bites any more, I won?t have a finger left.? Mima said, nursing her finger, which was now covered in a bandage.

?Okay, have a safe journey home.? Murasaki stood up, ?Why don?t you give your new friend a kiss goodbye!? Mima once again found herself face to face with Genjii.

?I?ll pass, I?m quite fond of my nose, and I don?t really want it ripped off my face.?

Murasaki laughed, ?Okay, okay. Well, I?ll see you around.?

Mima started turned her back to Murasaki, ?Yeah, see you tomorrow, as always.?

?Oh, and one more thing...?

?Hmm? What??

?Don?t let those villagers bother you, but don?t do anything to them, how can I say it? they haven?t adapted to things yet??

The hell is she talking about?

?Yeah, whatever. If they don?t bother me, I won?t bother them.? Mima said as she started to walk away.

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #2 on: July 01, 2009, 10:40:56 PM »
As Mima walked away from the shrine, and began to descend the hill down into the forest, the sound of rustling leaves filled the air.

?Speak of the devil.? Mima quietly mumbled.

Moving over in front of the bush the sound came from; Mima stood still waiting for the inhabitant to move, to little success.

Not in the mood to play around, Mima shouted, ?Whoever is hiding, make themselves known in 5 seconds or I?ll kill you!?

?1? 2? 3?? Mima summoned a bolt of energy, which snaked around her arm. ?4??

?Fine, fine, here we are.? Mima wasn?t surprised to see the man from before, Mr Kirisame rising from the bush. However she was more surprised to see another two men rise from other bushes around her.

?What the hell do you want with me?? Mima hissed.

?At the minute, nothing...? The man paused, ?In general, dead.? Kirisame spat in her face.

Mima stayed composed and took a step back, keeping to Murasaki?s wishes, ?Why, in Hakurei?s name, would you want that, you and I both know I didn?t murder your child.?

?Because you?re a freak, a monster, you control and live in darkness, you?re no better than those damn youkai.? Mima once again felt overwhelmed by the bottomless purple eyes of the man.

He?s making no sense at all. Mima wondered to herself.

?Anyway, we have no time for dirt like you; we have other things to attend to.? Shoving Mima out of the way and into the dirt, the three men walked away towards the shrine.

?The shrine?? It didn?t take long for Mima to realize what they had set off to do. ?Trying to turn her against me now? Have you no shame?? She mumbled to herself.

Fortunately, the walk back to her house from then on was uneventful, but Mima guessed at one thing, that group were going to try something soon, so something would have to be done, Mima stood in thought for a moment before talking to herself, ?I know what will stop them.? With a grin, Mima stepped into her house and waved her arm, utilising the magic, which came to her so naturally.

Within seconds, her entire house was covered in a wall of darkness, nothing, not even light could work its way into the house without her say-so. ?Well then, let us have a waiting game.?

As Mima had thought, the few humans from the previous encounter appeared after some time, with surprised expressions at the sight they saw. After talking amongst themselves, they tried to get past the wall before them to little success, after conversing once more; they left, occasionally looking back at their target.

Mima laughed out loud, ?So, what?s your next plan then?? Walking over to the window with a smile, Mima remained happy over her victory; using the thing they feared she managed to deter them without any complications.

Minutes turned to hours as Mima stood on guard with no sign of any human activity so the witch sat back in her chair and grinned again, ?Looks like I might be getting some peace and quiet now.? However soon enough, her thoughts were interrupted by a sound she?d heard before.

A crowd? No? don?t tell me?

Jumping out of her chair and looking out of the window presented the sight she feared, a crowd, consisting of most of the village, like the day before.

The three ringleaders were barking out at the other villagers, though whatever they were saying was completely incomprehensible to Mima.

Alright, you can have numbers and make everyone hate me, but you still can?t get past magic! Mima?s voice shouted in her head, but something was telling her something bad was going to happen, again.

Everyone outside stood still and inactive for a moment, before the three in charge walked up to the house and once again tried to get past the wall, again to little success.

Kirisame talked to the man beside him who reached into his coat and pulled out something Mima couldn?t quite make out.

What is it? I swear I?ve seen it before.

The human then walked up to the wall, closer to where Mima stood, allowing her to see it.

Damn! Mima dived away from the wall as a ray of light blasted down upon where her wall once stood.

The noise outside rose in volume, the source of which being the mob that was now charging at the house or more accurately the newly formed entrance into it. Making a retreat, the witch ran to the other side of the house while trying to think of a plan, only to have her thoughts taken by panic.

How the hell did they get a talisman!? Only Murasaki has them! She hasn?t betrayed me? has she?

A swarm of villagers swarmed into the room, some smirking at their apparent catch. In desperation, Mima summoned all the darkness that formed the wall around the house and spread it out, causing the entire area to be pitch black.

?Block the exit! Don?t let her escape!? The villagers fumbled around trying to find Mima and listen for clues when the sound of a window smashing echoed through the room.

?What are you waiting for!? Get after her!? Another voice ordered.

Running as fast as she could, Mima ran away from her house and up the hill she travelled every day. ?I don?t want it to end like this? but? if it must; I? want to know the truth about those talismans??

A small rock hidden in the darkness caused Mima to tumble to the ground and for the first time, Mima wept.

Why did those fools have to do this, I just wanted to live, damn it. If anyone should die, it should be them? not me...

Picking herself up and making paying little attention to the state she was in, Mima persisted up the hill until finally she stood before the shrine.

Stepping forward, Mima spoke to herself quietly, ?Come on, where are you, Murasaki??

"M-Mima? Is that you?? A startled voice sounded from the building, a few seconds later Murasaki came into view.

Murasaki walked forward and saw the horrific, almost frightening sight of the state Mima was in. ?What the hell is going on??

"You should know... you helped those damn barbarians.? Mima spat back.

?Explain.? Murasaki ordered.

?Those damn humans from before, they?re out to kill me, and what?s more is that they used your talismans in order to get to me!? Mima shouted hysterically.

Murasaki sighed, ?They still haven?t learnt, what a tragedy.?

Mima raised an eyebrow, ?What are you talking about??

?Nothing, come here, you look a mess.? Murasaki smiled weakly and held her arms out, as to offer a hug.

Mima stumbled towards Murasaki and buried her head in Murasaki?s shoulder, ?I? just want to live a peaceful li-?

Mima cut off as it felt like she?d just been punched in the stomach, but she knew what it was, and that it was much worse.

?Why?? Looking down at the knife protruding from her, the witch grabbed and pulled it out of her before falling to the floor.

?It?s just not? fair?? Mima took a final look at Murasaki whose face was also covered in tears, before her strength disappeared completely causing her to fall down limp.

?I?m? sorry? it?s all I can do.? Murasaki apologised.

Closing her eyes, Mima felt like she was falling asleep, and welcomed the feeling.

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #3 on: July 01, 2009, 10:41:55 PM »
?She?s here!? A voice called, bringing Mima to her senses.

Was that a dream?

Opening her eyes, Mima was shocked to see the scene in front of her; an almost colourless world, where she was looking down on her dead body, Murasaki Hakurei was crying beside her and the source of the voice being the usual trio of villagers.

?She?s already dead! The shrine maiden killed her!? One shouted, sickening cheerfully.

?She did!?? Another villager put his arm around Murasaki, who pushed him away immediately.

Mima watched bitterly at the scene, as the humans cheered over her corpse, and her, in her seemingly shapeless ghostly form slowly felt herself being dragged away.

Struggling to keep herself composed in the whirlwind of emotions, the dead witch turned away, to freely go to where she was being taken, when she heard a line that pierced her soul.

?Ha, that girl?s death was worth it, wasn?t it??

Kirisame grunted positively, more pleased about his kill then caring about the death of his child.

?You mean that you?!? Murasaki shrieked.

The men merely sneered before turning their backs to her and walking away, only to stop dead in their tracks when an incredible crash echoed around them.

?What the hell was that!?? One of them shouted in panic before he shook violently as a whip-like tendril pierced through his chest and threw his lifeless body into a tree.

?Forget this! I?m getting out of here!? Another shouted before running in the opposite direction, straight into a cloud of darkness, as it mist faded it left only a skeleton on the floor.

The final villager, Mr Kirisame, backed away from the scene and watched as the scattered darkness gathered around and merged with the body of his former target.

A few seconds passed though it felt like an eternity, ?Is? that it?? The man took another step back, before another huge crash cracked through the air, causing him to fall to the floor. Looking up, he saw the sight of Mima rising out of her body, dressed completely different. Instead of the usual plain clothes, she was now wearing a long, baggy blue robes with a yellow trim along the edges and the odd shape, matching the robes was a pointed hat on her head, complimented by a large yellow sun covering part of it. Finally, accompanying her magician-like appearance, in her hand was a long, metallic staff with a crescent moon at the end.

In terror, the man could only look at Mima?s devilish grin, ?Well, now whose fearing for their life?? The apparition laughed.

?Stay away from me, you? monster!? The man cowered in fear.

?No!? Mima lunged forward with her staff, catching the man?s neck in the crescent of the moon and lifting him in the air. Mima?s voice rose to a vicious scream, ?The only monster here now, is you. You killed your child, purely so you could murder somebody else, especially since that ?somebody? had no reason to be die!? A bolt of darkness pierced straight through the shoulder of 'the man.

?How do you think your daughter felt? Killed... Just so you could get rid of something that scared you. How do you think I felt!?? Another bolt blasted through his other arm, causing him to shout in pain.

?I made it clear I wasn?t going to hurt anyone, yet you continued and continued to hunt me down and find a way to kill me, and you succeeded, are you happy now!??

The man shouted again as darkness covered one of his legs and shattered it, shortly followed by the other one.

Mima started to shout again, mixed with hysteria and insanity, ?You?re a monster, and the world will be a better place without you, you took my life, and now I?ll take yours!?

As Mima was about to unleash her final blow, there was a flash of light, which sent her flying backwards and to lose her grip on the man. Looking up, she saw Murasaki looking down on her.

?What the hell do you think you?re doing, Murasaki!? The spirit shrieked.

?I can?t let you kill him, Mima.? The shrine maiden spoke disheartened.

?Why! They deserve it, they deserve more than this! They?ve killed for their own worthless benefit!?

?I? know they have, however, they need to be able to do things on their own, they need to learn from their mistakes and adjust to all these new things!?

?Silence! Your preaching makes no sense, not that I care anyway.? Mima began to walk forwards, towards the helpless human again, only to find Murasaki dive in the way. ?Move out of the way and I?ll let you live.?

?No? I won?t let you kill him.? Murasaki spoke shakily.

Mima stopped momentarily before she shouted with the insanity returned, ?Very well, I?ll kill you as well!? There was a silent pause for a moment, ?Why, I think you told me once that your powers could potentially even bring back the dead, you have a use after all!?

Mima dispersed into a cloud of darkness and rose away from Murasaki before returning to her normal human form.

Looking down at Murasaki, the spirit merely smiled as dark orbs began to appear around and behind her. The shrine maiden jumped backwards and assumed a combat stance.

?Oh look, the shrine maiden is actually going to fight back, you do surprise me.? Mima laughed, before she began grabbing the orbs and launching them at the maiden in rapid succession.

Murasaki ran to the side, weaving between the orbs as they struck the ground like meteors, sending sprays of dirt into the air. Jumping backwards as an orb hit the floor directly in front of her; the maiden reached into her robes and pulled out paper talismans, similar to the ones used on the magic around Mima?s house.

Skilfully, Murasaki threw the enchantments each one hitting an incoming orb, wiping both of them from existence. As Mima?s barrage returned to nothing, a final talisman flew past the others towards the spirit, though it met its early end as it was blocked by her staff.

Mima laughed, ?That?s all you have? Bits of paper?? As the talisman stuck on the staff quickly lost its enchanted glow, Mima peeled it off and tore it into pieces before throwing it at the shrine maiden. ?That?s what I think of it, useless scrap.?

?Mima, please?? Murasaki begged, ?Just pass on quietly and let the humans adapt peacefully.?

?Stop being so damn enigmatic!? Mima shouted as she fell towards her staff poised to attack.

Rolling to the side, Murasaki drew more talismans and threw them at Mima, who countered by fire more orbs, again causing a stalemate. ?It?s useless! I?m sure my power will last long then your paper!? At that point, Mima realized that Murasaki was out of sight.

Scanning the area, Mima looked around vigilantly before being somewhat surprised as Murasaki walked into view with nothing new, minus her gohei in her hand. ?Another trick?? Mima mumbled.

Murasaki held her arms close to each other and mumbled something, light glittered and shined for a couple of seconds before an orb appeared in her hands.

Murasaki threw the orb at Mima who fired another ball of darkness to dispel it. At the last moment, Mima noticed the orb ploughed through threw the orb and dodged to the side, narrowly missing the incoming attack.

?Oh, you do have some power?? Mima gloated once more, ?Well then!? Mima vanished from sight leaving Murasaki looking around, out of the corner of her eye; the girl saw something move and ducked as a blade-like wave of darkness blasted over her.

As she recovered, she noticed a spot on the ground losing its colour, fading to black. Murasaki hastily moved away from the spot and watched as it exploded. Suddenly many more patches appeared like it, again causing the Shrine Maiden to dodge between them carefully. Finally, Murasaki spotted Mima standing on the top of a tree and summoned several yin-yang orbs and launched them, catching her off-guard.

Mima shrieked a little in panic and then pain as the yin-yangs struck her with surprising power, leaving her breathing heavily on the floor. ?You? do surprise me.?

Murasaki grinned at attaining the upper hand, ?Will you go now??

Mima grinned back, ?Of course? not.? Before laughing maniacally as she rose into the air and spouted two black wings.

?Fine, but know I won?t go lightly on you, even if we were? best friends once.

Mima sneered, ?Ha, and then what happened? You killed me. Thanks, I owe you one.? She ended sarcastically. ?But enough of this, time?s up!? Mima laughed, as the wings grew larger and larger and more out of shape until it was just a large mass blocking the sky. ?Farewell, friend.? The dark mass suddenly glowed brightly, almost blindingly, a few seconds passed, feeling like an eternity to Murasaki before Mima clicked her fingers causing an enormous explosion.

Mima merely floated in the air, laughing senselessly at the destruction as the wall of light blasted at the earth in the form of a giant wave of energy.

As the blast finally subsided and the dust settled, Mima?s eyes widened with shock slightly to see Murasaki still standing in the centre of the newly-formed crater, swaying slightly with her arm extended holding her gohei.

Mima screamed, ?How?!? Descending from the sky, Mima floated towards Murasaki as she fell onto one knee and leaned against her gohei.

Mima spoke quietly, ?You should be dead.?

Murasaki coughed slightly, ?Well, if you used that all the time, I would have seen why the humans feared you so much.? Murasaki laughed.

Mima, not quite so cheerful spoke harshly, ?Are you going to die peacefully or am I going to have to kill you right now??

The wounded maiden closed her eyes as Mima walked in front of her.

?Well then, look what I have to finish things.? Mima flashed the knife that took her life in front of Murasaki, who was still motionless.

The spirit stared suspiciously at the maiden who dived up at Mima without warning.

??Sealing boundary!? Murasaki shouted as she jumped up and tackled Mima.

?What are you up to you??? Mima froze with shock as behind her she saw herself falling into a red object she?d never seen before and it was too late to react.

The maiden smiled at Mima, who was now through the crimson-ish portal, unable to escape, ?Enjoy your little prison, you?ll be spending some time in there to think about what you?ve done.?

Mima fired attack after attack at where Murasaki stood, through the tear-like opening with little effect, after a scream of fury, her former friend spoke quietly, ?Goodbye, Mima.? Quickly the entrance closed, leaving Mima alone on the other side.

Mima looked around at her surroundings, which consisted of nothing but red and black colours and something that Mima found uncomfortable, even in her unstable state; Hundreds of red eyes in all directions, staring at her and never blinking.

Mima floated awkwardly for a few seconds before screaming again, ?Stop looking at me!? Casting a spell quickly, she surrounded herself in a cloud of darkness, in the comfort of the pitch-black surroundings; Mima was left to think about everything.

Trivial irrelevant thoughts like ?Why did this happen to me.? were quickly ignored, replaced by something more important; getting out of this prison and killing the humans which caused her so much misery. This prison wouldn?t hold her forever; eventually she?d find a weakness and escape and make the humans, and especially Murasaki Hakurei, suffer.

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #4 on: July 01, 2009, 10:42:40 PM »
The mood of the village was reported to be, unsurprisingly, very anxious and scared after the incident, however, time mended the wounds caused by Mima and the amount of humans born with some talent regarding magic began to rise greatly, faced with this, almost all humans soon accepted magic with the event buried in their minds as a mistake.

The spirit herself wasn?t seen by anybody in the following years, and Murasaki Hakurei refused to explain what happened to her, merely answering with the odd answer, ?She?s having a break, thinking about what she did.? And as time passed, the story became merely a fairy tale, told to scare the new generations.

However, this wasn?t the end of the story.

Years later, Murasaki Hakurei disappeared in her later years with her fate unknown, leaving the later generations to watch over the shrine as she did previously. It was during the 4th generation of the Hakurei bloodline where a strange occurrence was recorded by another historian.

??During this time, there was a loud thundering sound that echoed throughout the shrine, upon investigation a single figure could be seen hovering in the courtyard of the shrine, a few seconds later, the figure began to behave erratically causing aimless destruction, before the Hakurei shrine maiden engaged the spirit. After a vicious fight, the spirit was struck by a stray yin-yang orb knocking her out of sight. As the maiden investigated, the spirit was nowhere to be seen, leaving everyone including herself, confused about what happened??

The passage along with other passages, each with a gap of one hundred years between writing all follow the same lines, the spirit appeared, attacked before mysteriously vanishing, each time the fate of the evil ghost was unknown.

The Hakurei clan worked hard to keep the events relatively unknown, having villagers swarm at the shrine in hope of seeing the 100 year event would have proved dangerous, so only a few select individuals, including the Hieda clan were informed.

Finally, hundreds of years in the future, the seemingly endless cycle ended, when on the day of the expected attack, the spirit was nowhere to be seen?



Mima sighed, the years of forced solitude had started to take their toll on her, having regained her senses and self-control during her latest imprisonment she was left confused rather than angry. Rather than being content with the thought of revenge in her mindlessness, she was aware of every minute passing and each one felt like an eternity.

What do I do now? Do I keep fighting; keep trying to destroy the Hakureis? Should I just give up? Do the Hakurei?s deserve this? It was all their ancestor?s fault. Can I really live through another 100 years in this place? Mima kept asking herself the same questions, desperate to know what to do.

Eventually, she came to a final decision, ?This is it, my final try. If I succeed, I?ll be resurrected and live a normal life, if not, I?ll end this cycle and just try to enjoy what I am now.?

But, let?s make things a little different this time. Mima grinned to herself as she started to plan ahead.

Finally, the day came when the seal trapping her in the unsettling realm was weakened enough for her to break it, taking care to only shatter a small part of the seal to remain undetected, Mima spied out to see a few figures, already in wait for her arrival.

?Let?s see, historians, journalist?? Mima?s eyes scanned between the individuals, ?Ah, there?s the new shrine maiden.? The spirit watched the latest shrine maiden, taking in every detail of her future opponent.

The latest maiden was still very young; possibly no younger than 10, however age has never stopped someone or something from being powerful. The girl had long blackish-brown hair, draping behind her in a ponytail with a red ribbon tied on the top of her head. Her clothes were normal for shrine maidens, a white folding garment and a long red dress watching her ribbon.

Finished, Mima leaned back from the gap and waited, she didn?t want any attention on her for a while, so she continued to watch from her open prison until all the spectators had left in confusion. Mima continued to stay put until she saw the lights in the shrine disappear, most likely signifying that the shrine maiden was asleep.

Taking care to break open the seal, Mima was finally free from her prison and stretched in relief as the wind hit her refreshingly. Hastily, she made her way away from the shrine and into the woods following the route she followed so many years ago. In surprise Mima gasped when she saw that despite how many years had passed, her house still remained intact.

Hovering over to the windows to check for residents, she was relieved to see it was still empty and relatively untouched by time, as proven by the amount of dust in and around the house.

The spirit?s next stop was to look at the village, watching unseen from the trees, she saw that the village had grown in size, as expected, but it appeared and felt the same as it was when she left it, except that there was now youkai among them, which no-one seemed to be caring about.

Mima laughed to herself, ?Well, it seems she was right, maybe the humans did adjust to things.?

Preferring to stay out of sight, Mima soon retreated back into the trees and returned to her old house, if no-one had been there in the hundreds of years that passed, then surely no-one would notice her.

Days passed as the returned spirit remained undetected by the current inhabitants of Gensokyo as she remained quiet, only encountering others through surveillance, primarily the current shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, looking for some sign of the power she had to adjust her plans accordingly. However there was little success, even at a promising age like hers where children are usually bursting with energy, instead the maiden preferred to leave the youkai alone and laze around the shrine, drinking tea amongst other things.

It must be a habit passed down the bloodline.

One, seemingly ordinary day, Mima was taken by surprise when she arrived in the grounds of the shrine to find it completely wrecked. Stone pillars had been knocked down, trees uprooted, even several sections of the shrine itself were damaged or falling apart.

Pausing for a moment, Mima attempted to sense where her target was, but all she could fathom was that she wasn?t located on these premises, but instead heading in a direction away from the shrine and heading into the woods. Curious as to what had happened and also in what the shrine maiden?s intentions were, Mima began to head in the same direction.

?Excuse me! Spirit!? A voice called from behind Mima, catching her attention and prompting her to turn to meet the voice.

In front of her was a priest, wearing a tall, simple blue hat and equally simple white and blue robes. Those details were irrelevant to the spirit, what stood out more is the blatant energies that emanated from the priest, an illusion, and a weak one at that.

?Stop trying to fool me.? Mima growled, throwing her arm forward and casting a spell causing a white ball to quickly form and strike the priest harmlessly.

In the following seconds, the priest slowly faded from existence and for just a few milliseconds afterwards, Mima could make out a yin-yang or something extremely similar in its place before another flash left a woman in its place.

 The woman was far more notable than the priest illusion, cascading red hair which trailed past her shoulders and where her hair ended was about the same place her equally red dress started, adorned with some white markings. Above that, she wore a white shirt covered by a blue shawl, both sides tied together with a red bowtie. The final detail that stood out was the two pairs of horns that erupted from her head.

?Well? well?? Mima grinned, ?What do we have here.?

The figure approached, ?None of your concern, I am only here to make you leave this holy place.?

Mima?s smile widened, ?You? Are you going to make me leave, or just ask me to? I can sense your power, or lack of it.?

?Listen, spirit, you are a curse, unwanted by anything or anyone, leave my shrine before you? desecrate it.?

?Your shrine?? There was a pause, before the penny dropped and Mima realised what she meant, falling into a fit of laughter with the realisation, she sneered, ?You. You?re the deity of this Shrine? Seriously??

The horned woman nodded, unaffected by the taunting, ?If you must know, yes. I am Shingyoku, the deity of the shrine.?

?You?re no deity, you?re a parasite, you grasp to the smallest bit of existence, you have no energy of your own and rely on the pitiful amount of faith to manifest a form that no-one can see.?

The deity paused, ??That may be the case, I just used several hundred years? energy to test my shrine maiden? but I will do my duty to the best I can despite that? I?ve seen your failures for over a millennium now, and I await your next.?

Mima frowned, ?You sure talk confidently for someone with no power.?

?I have other ways to make you leave.? The goddess immediately replied.

?Go on then, surprise me.? Mima taunted.

Shingyoku continued to stare at Mima, with her deep red eyes, ?I know the truth, the full story of what happened all those years ago, about your death.?

Mima laughed and shrugged, ?Who gives a damn? It?s nothing for me to be blackmailed by, I don?t care.?

?You fail to understand, I know the truth behind what happened, what you didn?t see.? Shingyoku spoke back, voice still completely neutral.

?There is no hidden truth, I was murdered by Murasaki, I saw it, the humans also tried the same; they?re all worthless.? Mima growled.

A slight smile appeared on the woman?s face, ?Or so you think.?

Mima growled, having started to get bored of this game that was being played, ?Your tales to keep yourself alive are boring me now.?

?Oh, whatever do you mean by that?? The goddess replied hostilely.

?I am here to destroy the Hakurei Shrine and all that are linked to it, you are the deity and therefore a primary target.? Mima smirked.

Shingyoku turned her back, ?Don?t get your hopes up. This form barely allows a spectral appearance, seen only by other spirits-?

?And you think the fact you barely exist means you cannot be harmed. Well, that?s true.? Mima closed her eyes and spoke. ?Of course, one way would be to kill your worshippers and stop the faith.?

Shingyoku merely continued to stand there, with her back turned to the evil spirit.

?Or I could wait for your faith to build up to the point that you gain some corporealness, but that?d take too long.? Mima?s staff appeared in her hand, and she twirled it slightly.

Once again, there was no reply from the goddess.

?So, I will simply use the fact that you have underestimated me to cast? this!? Mima shouted, as she threw what appeared to be a green lightning bolt at the deity, striking her in the back.

?W-what did you do?!? The deity cried, finally showing some emotion.

Mima sneered at her finally panicked adversary, ?Is it not obvious? I used a part of my energy to make you more physical, and you know what that means???

?No! Stay back.? Shingyoku warned as Mima approached with another white orb slowly building up in her hand.

Now being the emotionless one, Mima fired the charged beam of light, which impaled the goddess, freezing like ice after impaling her, leaving her suspended helpless in the air.

?You?re truly pitiful, you hid behind your own weakness as a means to be? invulnerable.? Mima spat the final word out, ?You?re no god, just a weak being clinging to a empty life, real gods have power, they don?t need faith, they?re self-sufficient, they make themselves known, feared, loved, respected, and you? you are none of those.?

?What!? Stop!? Shingyoku begged, aware of her own sudden mortality.

?Farewell, leech.? Mima slowly and calmly said, before swinging her staff forward and plunging the sharp crescent moon into her chest.

It barely took a few seconds for the goddess to die and permanently fade from existence, leaving Mima alone once more.

?I never expected this shrine to have such a worthless god??

?Still, that means I only have one target left before the bloodline, and the shrine is gone? forever.?

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2009, 10:43:19 PM »
After some moments of thought, Mima recalled the situation from beforehand, she?d thrown away a part of her strength to rejuvenate the goddess, so a full encounter with the shrine maiden would be a bad idea but a chance for surveillance is something to not be passed up.

Repeated the movements she was heading before, Mima entered the forest by the shrine, following the energies of the shrine maiden and as more progress was made, the series of youkai remains she had left in her wake, fortunately for Mima, it didn?t take that long for her to locate Reimu, mostly since it seemed she had gone a fair distance in one direction before almost circling back from where she had been.

As the shrine maiden wondered through the woods, she was attacked by several youkai, most likely related to the destruction. In reply to the attacks, the shrine maiden produced a single yin-yang orb, similar to the ones used by Murasaki and launched it at the group of youkai. It struck into the nearest one, disintegrating it upon impact before the orb bounced off, striking another youkai. As the orb began to lose its speed and power, the maiden dodged her way over to the floating orb and struck it with her gohei, seemingly renewing the orb's power allowing for more youkai to be fought and inevitably destroyed.

She?s only using one orb, are you telling me she?s lazy to the point she hasn?t trained at all? All the others in the Hakurei bloodline were able to use countless orbs. Mima criticized in her head, knowing the power that the orbs had and knowing how fatal they were in numbers.

Mima continued to follow the shrine maiden through the forest and before long; the girl entered a cave where she was attacked by more youkai who were promptly exterminated.

She seems to know where she?s going, anyway.

The cave was surprisingly bigger then Mima had expected, and as the two entered a large, lit chamber the girl suddenly spoke.

?What do you want? You?ve been following me for a while now.?

Impressive, she knew I was there all along.

Not hiding anything, Mima flew into plain sight before the shrine maiden. ?I?m merely trying to work you out, who are you??

The girl replied uninterested, ?Reimu Hakurei, of the Hakurei Shrine, and I swear if you?re with those who trashed it, I?ll kill you.?

Mima grinned, ?Oh, that?s quite threatening for someone your age.?

Unhappy with the reply, the girl threw the yin-yang orb at Mima who quickly dodged out of the way.

Fine, a little practice run then.

Mima started to fire back, sending several waves of dark projectiles at the shrine maiden who dodged between them while keeping the yin-yang flying at Mima. Grinning again, the spirit sent a larger wave of projectiles followed by several other beams of magic and was pleased to see that the girl dodged between the beams while reflecting the light-enchanted orb to dispel the weaker projectiles leaving her unscathed as the attack settled.

?Not bad, I can see you?re a true Hakurei.? Mima said happily.

She?s surprisingly powerful, especially for her level of magical energy. At least it?s a sign of what I?m dealing with.

The spirit threw some dummy waves of magic at Reimu, who continued to fight back, as the yin-yang flew at Mima, she purposely flew into it and using her magic to create a display producing beams of light she used it to make her exit, while hopefully making her look exterminated to the shrine maiden.

Mima quickly left the cave and headed on her way, confident that Reimu would complete whatever task she had planned in that cave.

As she returned home, another idea struck Mima. ?Why do all the work myself, when I can get someone else to do it?? Mima laughed at her idea, there was sure to be beings in Gensokyo that want to test their powers or skills, making them do so against Reimu would just be killing two birds with one stone.

Wondering how and where she could find such people Mima?s thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound.

Is that? crying?

Hunting for the source of the noise, Mima looked around the forest for a moment before finding the source of the noise, a child huddled up beside a tree.

Before she could stop herself, Mima spoke out, ?What?s up, kid??

The child jumped in shock hearing the voice and looked up, revealing a young blonde haired girl with golden eyes. ?Nothing? Go away.?

Mima raised an eyebrow, bemused at the situation. ?There?s no need for that, if you?re lost, I guess I can take you back to the village.?

?No!? The girl shouted suddenly, ?I?m not going back there.?

Mima laughed at the girl, ?I see, so you?ve ran away from home, so how long are you expecting to survive before you get killed??

The girl paused, ?I-I don?t know.?

?Come on, what could be so bad that you risk your life to run away from home?? Mima hovered in the air besides the girl.

?My stupid family? They won?t let me use magic? They just want me to be boring and work in the shop with everyone else.? The girl coughed, ?My mum said the family?s always been against it, so there?s no chance I?d be allowed to do it.?

The story sounded strangely familiar to Mima; someone who had the ability to use magic and wanted to use it, yet was surrounded by those who were against it.

?Tough luck, kid.? Mima sighed, reminded of her past, ?I?ve heard that story before.?

?Huh?? The girl answered, confused,

Mima closed her eyes, ?Never mind, anyway the matter at hand is that there are currently around 5 youkai watching us, and since I?m not in the mood to fight them, it would be best to leave, don?t you think??

?You best not be thinking to dragging me back there!? The girl complained.

The spirit sighed, ?Fine, suit yourself.?

You try and be good for once and they do nothing but complain?

?Okay, my house isn?t too far away from here, we?ll head there.? Mima started to slowly move away, waiting for the child. ?What?s your name anyway, kid??

?Marisa? Marisa Kirisame??

Kirisame!?

Images of the horrible events from the past flashed though Mima?s eyes at the mention of the name.

That would explain her family?s reluctance against magic, with scum like him in the bloodline.

?I see, well, you may call me Mima. Now come on, let?s go.? Mima ordered, leading the girl away.

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2009, 10:43:36 PM »
On the way, the girl started to talk out of the blue, ?You know, my dad told me a story once about someone called Mima, she was really evil and killed people including my great-great-great-something grandpa. It?d be pretty funny if you were her.?

?Yes, wouldn?t it.? Mima feigned laughter.

It?s good to hear I actually killed him.

?Well, here we are.? Mima held her arm out, presenting her ancient house.

The girl suddenly shouted, ?What! You live here?!?

Mima sighed again, ?Yes, I do. Let me guess, you were told stories by your parents that the house is evil??

?Well, yeah? So that means? you really are that Mima from the stories? It?s not as funny as I thought it would be?? Marisa spoke in a confused tone.

?Correct, I?m the evil being known as Mima, here to kill everyone and all that from the story.?

Marisa replied with a laugh, ?For some reason, you don?t seem all that bad.? The girl?s voice remained positive, ?Does that mean you know magic!??

?Correct again.? Showing off, Mima caused the door of the house to open from a distance, before causing the house to light up by itself. Heading into the house, Mima caused a fire to light in the fireplace. ?Is that alright??

Mima noticed the girl?s mood had improved more upon seeing the magic, ?Yeah! Magic?s great!? The girl suddenly went quiet, ?Say, could you kinda? teach me how to use magic? Not this kind of stuff, but real magic, you know, magic that can defeat youkai, let you fly across the sky and stuff like that.?

Mima drifted over to Marisa and stared into her golden coloured eyes, ?Well, you seem to have magical potential?? Marisa?s face suddenly lit up, ?However, I think a test is in order before I teach you.? The girl?s expression suddenly reversed.

?What kind of test??

?An important thing that magic requires is a good memory; after all, if you can?t remember an incantation or gesture, then you can?t use the spell, which means you?re useless.?

?So??? The girl replied slowly.

Mima flicked through a few of the dust-covered books on a shelf. ?So, your test will be? to recite the first 50 digits of Pi, unaided.?

?Of what!?? The girl instantly complained.

?Pi, it?s a mathematical number.? Mima picked up a book and opened it to a page before handing it to Marisa. ?Mathematics also plays a part in magic, especially if you want to make your own spells sometime.?

The girl replied with another complaint, ?What!? This is stupid! This is unfair!?

?Life is unfair, but you have to live with it.?

For the rest of the evening, Marisa continuously read the book and tried to recite the numbers, failing every time to Mima?s amusement.

?You?ll get there one day.? Mima encouraged. Marisa replied with a yawn, ?Tired, kid? There?s a bed in the other room if you want it. It just might be a bit dusty.?

?Well, where are you going to sleep?? Marisa asked, confused.

?I?ll be alright, it?s not like missing sleep will kill me.?

The girl continued to look puzzled, ?Huh??

Mima sighed and lifted the bottom of her robe, revealing her wisp-like tail where her legs should have been. ?I?m dead; sleep is just a form of entertainment.?

The girl yawned again, having not taken what was just said in correctly, ?Whatever? Good night.? The child mumbled before leaving the room.

After the girl had left, Mima sat back to wonder how on earth she?d managed to be looking after a child while planning on how to kill someone.

Putting the thought behind her, Mima went straight on to thinking about the more serious issue, making a list of possible magic spells and overall plans for her attack on the shrine.

Before she knew it, Marisa called out while entering the room, ??Morning.?

?Oh, hello again. Sleep well??

Marisa raised her voice, almost shouting, ?3.14159265358979323846264?? Slowly her voice drifted off, losing its volume. Suddenly she gave a growl of frustration and admitted her defeat.

?Not bad though, you?ll get there one day.? Mima smiled back, after looking at the girl for a moment. As she did, she realized something, ?You know... there?s nothing for you to eat or drink here. Like it or not, you?ll have to go to the village? I don?t have any money either, so it might be hard to keep a low profile.?

Marisa interrupted confidently, ?Easy, I know a guy who works with my family, he can get me stuff and he?ll keep quiet.? Before Mima knew it, Marisa was halfway out the door.

?What are you going to do about the youkai!?? Mima shouted after her.

Marisa spun around and grinned, ?Don?t worry! I can run fast!? Without another word, the girl quickly disappeared into the trees.

?She?s certainly bursting with energy...? Mima said with a sigh before returning to her magical studies.

A few hours passed, and bored from the work looked out the window, ?I wonder where that kid is?? Looking back down to the book she was reading and flicking a few pages back, she laughed to herself, ?Probably made up with her family and returned home??

Mima ran her pen down the page, scanning through the text before noticing something and scribbled it out, writing someone above it. Holding her arm out, Mima began to read what was wrote down and as she finished, a small red orb began to orbit around her. The spirit watched the orb for a few seconds before clicking her fingers, causing it to fade from existence and wrote something else down into her book. ?Small and weak but with a lot of potential... quite like humans.?

Mima jumped when she heard a bang from the door, followed by Marisa entering the room with a large pile of items, obstructing her vision. ?Jeez, I must have hit every tree on the way here, twice!?

?That?s quite a lot of stuff you have there.? Mima commented.

With a wink she replied, ?Yeah, well, it?s my parents stuff, so it?ll be mine when they?re dead anyway.?

Mima looked back bemused, ?That?s quite unique logic.?

?Also, I got this!? Marisa shouted while she dug into one of the larger bags producing a large, typical looking witch hat and placed it on her head which looked almost like it was about to devour her. ?I?ll be needing this!?

Mima walked over to the child and inspected the hat and snatched it off her head, ?But not yet, you still have a test to pass remember??

?Aww, please!? The girl begged.

?No, a deal is a deal.? Mima looked at the upset girl, ?Besides, I?ll think you?ll do it soon.?

Marisa looked up, ?You think??

?Yeah, now if I was you, I?d use this time to be learning more.?

?Okay!? The girl sung, reaching for the book.

The afternoon passed quickly, with Mima returning to her work as Marisa continuously attempted to memorise the fifty-digit number, without success. Though it made Mima smile when she saw how fascinated Marisa was as she watched her testing the spell she was making.

After 30 or so attempts, Marisa finally gave up and left the room to go sleep. Taking the chance, Mima waited a few minutes and left the house to check the shrine and local area for anything new or worth noting. Unfortunately for Mima, there was neither, the village was as boring as it always was and Reimu Hakurei seemed to have gone to bed early.

Upon her return, Mima was greeted by the voice which she was getting used to hear, ?Where you been?? Marisa was sitting at the table.

?Just a fly around, it?s not good to be stuck indoors all day. It?s not healthy.? Mima replied.

?Like health matters to you, you?re dead.? Marisa laughed.

?Anyway, what are you doing up at this time?? Mima turned the conversation around.

?Memorising, what else!? Marisa grinned again before closing her eyes. 3. 14159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510!? Opening her eyes, Marisa looked at Mima expectantly.

Mima looked surprised for a second before grinning back, ?Not bad. Quicker then I honestly thought you?d do it.?

?Does that mean that I-?

?Yes, I?ll teach you.? Mima interrupted.

Marisa cheered and hugged Mima, ?Thanks, Lady Mima!?

Mima raised an eyebrow, ?Lady? Mima? What?s with the polite behaviour??

?Why not? You?re helping me after all.? Marisa explained excitedly.

Mima replied, waved her arms to tell Marisa to calm down, ?If you say so, still, just call me Mima if you wish.?

?Can we start now?? Marisa asked, buzzing with energy.

?No.? Mima said sharply, ?its past midnight, we?ll start in the morning, now go on, go to sleep.?

Disappointed, Marisa left the room, ?Alright? See you tomorrow.?

?Good night.? Mima replied, strangely tired herself. ?Maybe? a few hours sleep wouldn?t hurt.? Lying back in her chair, Mima closed her eyes and soon lost consciousness.

Mima

  • Permabanned
  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #7 on: July 01, 2009, 10:43:56 PM »
?Welcome back.? A voice sounded, ominously.

?Huh, welcome to what?? Mima replied, finding herself in a pitch-black area, which even her magic couldn?t seem to shift.

A giggle echoed around her before the reply came, ?Welcome back to the world of? self-control, of being civilised, sanity, though that?s quite questionable.? The voice giggled again.

?Show yourself!? Mima commanded.

Yet another giggle filled the air, ?Not just yet.?

Mima stamped her foot on the ground, ?Stop playing games! I have no time for this!? The spirit shouted.

?Oh, you do, you?re dead, and a free soul at that. You have all the time in the world!? The voice laughed eerily.

Mima, losing her temper shouted out, ?What the hell do you want with me!??

?Just observing you, I hadn?t guessed you?d change so much.? The voice took a more serious tone, ?Last time I checked you, you were a senseless raging lunatic out for death and destruction, and now look. You?re rational and back to normal, for lack of a better word, and you?ve even started to look after a little girl, how cute.?

Closing her eyes, Mima paused and then spoke calmly, ?We?ve met before haven?t we? I recognise your voice, too much.?

The voice once again laughed, ?Yes, we have, and just for you, I?ll put you out of your misery and show you who I am.?

A silhouette glowing white appeared in front of Mima, causing her to shield her eyes as they adjusted for a moment, slowly the light began to fade, finally making the figure visible.

The first thing Mima noticed was an umbrella or similar object in the person?s hand, waiting impatiently and with anticipation she spoke, ?Can?t you hurry it up??

?Can?t you tell who I am yet? You?re foolish if you haven?t guessed.? The voice returned to giggling.

The light suddenly dispersed revealing the person who was hiding all along, ?You!? But-?

?Lady Mima! It?s time for magic!?

Mima sprung up from the chair she was in to see Marisa standing in from of her, with the witch hat returned on her head.

?Damn it, damn it, damn it!? Mima shouted.

Marisa took a step back, ?S-sorry Lady Mima, I thought you said sleep wasn?t important to you.?

?No, it?s not that. I was just having an? interesting dream. Nothing to worry about.? Mima stood up and smiled weakly, ?Now, like I said I would, I?ll teach you how to use magic.? Marisa jumped into a chair and waited eagerly while Mima flicked through a few books, finding the one she wanted, she picked it up and threw it in front of Marisa.

?I guess you?ll want to start with the practical work first, so we have to start with the easy stuff.? Mima turned around, ?Have you managed to tap into your magical energy yet??

Marisa replied with a blank look. ?No? Well, that?s the first thing then. Concentrate deeply or try to think really hard, something like that, engage your mind.?

Marisa closed her eyes, furrowing her brow as she tried to follow what Mima set. ?Feel any different?? Mima asked.

?No, my head hurts though.? Marisa complained.

Mima sighed, ?Well, try and make the magic active, you know yourself best, do what you think will let your energy loose.?

Marisa concentrated again, closing her eyes for a minute, eventually opening them, her golden eyes almost seemed to have intensified and the grin on her face had reappeared, ?I think that did it, either that or my brain just blew up.?

?So, what did you do?? Mima questioned.

?Think about cool stuff, like blowing things up and showing off.?

Mima shook her head in disbelief briefly before opening the book from earlier. ?Well, there?s only one way to see if it worked.? The spirit opened the book to a page early in the book. ?Easiest spell there is, creates a little beam of magic, can?t do anything with it, but it?s a starting point.?

Marisa jumped up, ?So what do I do!??

?Well, you have to move your arm in this pattern.? Mima pointed to a simple triangle on the book, ?While muttering these words.? Mima moved her finger down the page, pointing to a couple of words.

Less than a second after explaining, Marisa jumped and tried to cast the spell with no result.

?You have to concentrate like you did before; magic without magic energy is a little useless.?

Attempt after attempt passed with failure as Marisa started to lose her temper and Mima had started to read a book near her when a small bolt of energy pierced through it, just missing her hand.

?Alright! I did it!? Marisa jumped in the air with joy.

?Yes, you did. Congratulations.? Mima smiled, while throwing the now-useless book at the wall.

?Let?s go onto the good stuff now! Explosions, flying, cool magic!? Marisa shouted.

?You have to go one step at a time; I can?t have you blowing yourself up.? Mima complained

?Fine, fine, but hurry up!? Marisa demanded.



Almost a year passed as Marisa quickly learned magic, in a few months she was at the point where she was able to help Mima designing her spells, to a small extent though still unaware of the overall aim of Mima?s plan which was only a day away.

?Hey, Lady Mima?? Marisa asked.

?Yes??

?All this work you?ve been doing, and leaving to see things, what?s it all for??

Mima sighed, ?Well, I guess I should tell you... I gather you know Reimu Hakurei??

?Oh yeah! Everyone knows her; we used to be best friends, before I ran away, anyway.?

?Well? I?m planning on causing her? downfall, if you want to call it that.? Mima explained with a hint of regret, hearing Marisa?s history with her.

?You mean you wanna kill her?? Marisa interrupted, saying it as though it was a normal thing.
   
?If it comes to it? I guess so, it?d be nice not to though.? Mima continued talking.

Marisa asked a question quickly, ?Why?d you want to kill her then??

?In short, Reimu?s ancestor killed me, and only by using her powers can I resurrect myself and get my life back.?

?Why do you want to be alive again? There?s nothing wrong with what you are now, is there?? Marisa asked inquisitively.

Mima paused for a moment, ?That?s a good question, and I wish I knew the full answer myself. But there?s just something that drives me for that aim, and it would be nice to live what you?d call ?A normal life? peacefully. I never got the chance.?

?I? see?? Marisa replied, a little confused.

Mima rose her voice slightly, ?Still, I?m not expecting you to help, if Reimu is your friend, then I won?t force you to even face her. I know what fighting your closest friend is like?? Mima?s voice drifted off along with her thoughts, back to the times she lived once again.

?It?s alright.? Marisa replied.

?What?? Mima rapidly replied.

?I?ll help you fight Reimu.? Mima opened her mouth to speak before she was interrupted, ?But, I don?t want to kill her or anything, but there?s nothing stopping me from wearing her down is there?? Marisa winked.

?I? A-alright, I?ll let you fight then.? Mima spoke shakily, not used to the kindness of others.

?There?s no ?Let me? about it! I?m fighting and that?s final!? The witch spoke arrogantly.

Mima smiled back, ?Okay, okay.? Mima walked backward to the table she worked at, ?But you need an extra edge, which is where this comes in.? Mima reached for the single book on the table and presented it to Marisa.

?This is? the spell you?ve been working on? You mean it?s finally finished?!? Marisa shouted in interest.

?I think so, try and cast it and see what you think.? Mima invited.

Marisa flicked through the book to the appropriate page before placing it on the table. Looking down on the book she read the incantation out while moving her arms to form the spell?s pattern, adding in the middle, ?This spell takes ages to cast!?

?Well, hopefully it?ll be worth it then.? Mima replied.

Soon, a red orb appeared next to Marisa and began orbiting her, ?Wow, it works! This is awesome!? Marisa paused for a second, ?What?s it do??

With a sigh, Mima walked forward to her apprentice, ?Can?t you feel it? First of all, it?s amplifying your magic, should give us a bit more power to play with, then they?re the physical feature of it, if that orb hits someone then they?ll know about it, the concentrated magic makes it quite nasty to be struck by.?

Mima quickly summoned a small orb of energy and fired it at Marisa, ?Lady Mima! What are you??? Marisa flinched, preparing for the impact, though after a few seconds she looked up. ?Huh??

?Another feature is that it blocks magic, and it's not just some one-hit wonder; it can take quite a lot of damage before the spell breaks and even then you?ll just have to cast it again.? Mima explained further.

Marisa got a glint of inspiration in her eye, ?Well, it?s a pretty cool spell, but there?s one thing wrong about it.?

Slightly surprised, Mima asked, ?What??

Reaching for a pen, Marisa flipped the book a few pages back and crossed it out completely despite Mima?s complaints, ?What are you doing?!?

?Making it better!? Marisa shouted while rewriting the page at an impressive rate.

Mima could only wait, slightly worried while the witch kept switching between writing and crossing the same writing out.

Eventually, the witch gave a small cheer, ?Finished!?

?What did you do to it?? Mima inquired.

?Watch and see!? The witch said enthusiastically before casting the spell again, after ten seconds later, the red orb formed around her, along with three others, a blue, a green and a yellow. ?You see, the orb was too small to do that physical stuff effectively, if you spread it around you, then it?s going to block more stuff, right!?

?I see... Yes, that?s quite impressive Marisa. Well done.? Mima patted Marisa on the head as she watched the clock. ?And it would look like it?s almost time.?

?Time for what? Lady Mima?? Marisa asked, puzzled.

?Time for our visitors to arrive, the ones who will be helping us with my plan tomorrow.?

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #8 on: July 01, 2009, 10:44:18 PM »
Mima successfully ignored the bombardment of questions from Marisa, about who she had invited around this evening, until there was three sharp knocks at the door.

?Someone?s here Lady Mima!? Marisa shouted as she raced to the door, only to jump back to see Mima had got there in a flash. As Mima opened the door, she talked, ?Hello again! Glad to see you decided to come!?

Another voice sounded far from cheerful, like Mima?s, ?Indeed.?

?Well, come in, come in. We have plenty to discuss.? Mima invited, as the person walked into the house and into Marisa?s view.

The woman wasn?t what Marisa had expected, the woman had a large build, taller than Mima and had an aura that gave the impression she could overpower Mima physically in seconds. Her robes were reasonably basic, red and white robes that resembled a Samurai?s training garb, which along with the sword at her waist confirmed the woman?s job. Her hair was quite long, tied to a ponytail, which trailed behind her; the hair on the front of her head covered her face slightly, keeping her ever-the-more mysterious.

Marisa walked in front of the woman as she went to sit down, ?So, who are you??

The samurai looked at the witch for a moment before walking past her, ?Hey! I asked you a question!?

The woman spoke quietly, ?Meira.?

?Good! I?m Marisa! How ya doing??

The samurai spoke awkwardly, ?I?m? alright, I guess.?

?Alright, and-?

?Marisa, please go and make some tea.? Mima interrupted.

Marisa sighed, ?Okay, Lady Mima??

Mima laughed quietly once the apprentice witch had left the room, ?Sorry about her, she?s quite the handful.?

?Forgiven, now let?s talk about this plan you had.? The samurai quickly changed subject.

?Alright, let?s keep it simple. Once my plan is in motion, and the shrine?s thrown into disarray, I can guarantee you that the Shrine Maiden you?re after will leave the shrine down the northern road.? Mima walked over to a bookshelf and scanned through book titles.

Meira looked up, looking confused, ?The north road? But that leads to nothing, does it not??

Mima laughed, slamming a book down on the table and opening it to a map of the shrine area, ?Oh it will, it will be leading right towards the bait, me.? Mima grinned maliciously, ?That shrine maiden will head straight for me.? Mima pointed to a position north of the shrine, in the mountains. ?And the quickest route is the north road.?

?Fine, and then what?? Meira asked.

?Isn?t it obvious? You fight, you kill her, and you take her powers, whatever you?re planning?? Mima laughed.

Meira paused in thought for a moment, ?Why are you helping me? What?s your reason??

Mima stared back with a deadly serious look, ?Isn?t it obvious, I want her dead as much as you want those powers, the reason doesn?t regard you so I suggest you just get on with it.?

A slight look of discomfort was visible in the Samurai?s eyes for a moment, before she blinked out of it and returned to normal, ?Fine. I?ll do it.?

?Good, I predict you?ll encounter her at around midnight, make sure this opportunity doesn?t go to waste.? Mima added.

The samurai rose from her chair and walked to the door, opening it and stepping out, ?Of course, I won?t lose. I assure you that.? Meira said before slamming the door.

?I assure you, you will.? Mima said, once the warrior was out of earshot.

Mima sat back and laughed, ?She believes in herself too much, she seriously thinks she can win? Even Marisa could beat her.?

?And that?s a bad thing?? A voice from Mima called, causing Mima to almost fall off her chair.

?No no no, she was acting as though she was the absolute most powerful being there was and you?re a witch who?s been learning for less than a year so it?s really-?
?Forget it Lady Mima, you?re embarrassing yourself.? Marisa interrupted with a giggle. ?She didn?t even drink her tea.? She said as she placed the cups on the table.

Marisa sat at the table facing Mima, ?So, you just hired her because you know she?ll lose??

?Indeed, I did. She?ll wear the maiden down somewhat though, and that?s all I care for.? Mima paused for a second, ?Still, the night?s not over yet, we still have someone else to come tonight, they?re already lat-?

Mima was cut off by a bang at the door, ?Speak of the devil!? Marisa sung as she opened the door again.

?Hello! Is this Mima?s place?!? The voice said loudly, but friendly.

?Yeah, who are you?? Marisa asked; a little overwhelmed.

?Name?s Rika! Mima told me to come around about some plan or something like that.?

?She?s over there, I?m Marisa.?

?Alright then!? Rika walked into the room, showing herself, her clothes were relatively simple, a white shirt with various black stains smudged across it and red trousers, which were equally as dirty. Her appearance was also simple, long brown hair trailing behind her back and brown eyes to match. Marisa noticed as she walked by that she was carrying a large metallic box-like object, which appeared to be quite heavy.

?Good evening, Rika. Please take a seat.? Mima said, in a lighter tone then when the samurai was present.

Rika smiled and followed the order. Dropping the box onto the floor with a large crash. ?Oops, sorry about that.?

?No problem.? Mima mumbled, ?Now, let?s get to business, the plan for tomorrow night. You?ve been looking for a way to test your? mechanical skills, was it??

?Yes.? Rika quickly said.

?A way to that will be handy for the both of us will be, as ridiculous as it sounds, to attack the Hakurei Shrine.? Mima said with an evil grin.

Rika looked confused for a second, ?You mean that old building on that hill??

?The same. I want you to cause as much damage as possible. That?ll be your first test, your second, will be to fight the shrine maiden, she?s of? reasonable power, but certainly not unbeatable, so that will be your second and final test.? Mima explained with a serious face, hiding her smile.

?No problem, nothing beats a bit of technology!?

A voice came from behind Rika, ?What?s technology mean? Is it some kind of magic??

?Oh, no no no, it?s quite the opposite, Marisa!? Rika kicked the box slightly, causing it to open and revealed a collection of various shaped pieces of metal. The girl reached into the box and picked out various pieces, ?Let?s see, what can we make?? Rika paused for a minute in thought before jumping slightly, ?I know!?

Rika began place pieces next to each other, before using another bit of metal to seemingly stick them together before layering more and more, only raising Marisa?s confusion, finally after a few minutes she had finished.

?This... is the wonders of technology!? Rika moved slightly, showing Marisa the now assembled creation.

Marisa continued to look confused, ?What?s it do??

?This!? Rika shouted excitedly, ?Pressing a button on the side, the weird creation suddenly made a loud sharp bang, followed by the sound of Mima?s window smashing. ?Ah hell, sorry about that! It was a bit more powerful than I thought!?

Mima only sighed, ?Fine, just make sure you succeed tomorrow.?

?Of course!? Rika replied. ?Anyway, it?s late, and my ultimate creation isn?t even done yet!?

Mima looked puzzled, ?And that is??

?Top secret, even to you, Mima!? Rika laughed as she left through the door, ?See you around!?

As she shut the door behind her, Mima swore she heard the mechanic say, ?Now, if I put it on the south road, I bet she?ll run right into my trap!? But Mima decided it was just her imagination.

?Is that it?? Marisa asked out of the blue.

?Yes, it is. I thought it would have taken longer than it did. Anyway, you need to get some sleep now, tomorrow?s the big day.? Mima smiled at her apprentice.

?Alright, g?night Lady Mima!?

?Good night.?

As Marisa left the room, Mima turned around and stared out of one of the unbroken windows. ?After all this time, we?ve finally come to the conclusion, once and for all.?

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #9 on: July 01, 2009, 10:44:35 PM »
?Lady Mima! Today?s the day!? Was the first thing Mima heard, stirring her from her sleep.

Falling asleep again? This is becoming a habit.

Looking up, Marisa looking down on her, fully dressed and ready to go.

?What we gotta go?? Marisa shouted enthusiastically.

?Well?? Mima paused as her brain warmed up, ?You should really practice your magic, and there?s a spell we?? Mima was interrupted by her own yawn. ?We need to cast, to counter the shrine maiden.?

?What, another one? What is it this time?? Marisa said, curiously.

Mima grinned, ?You won?t have heard of it, and you won?t be learning it any time soon. You?ll just have to wait.?

Marisa looked puzzled for a moment, before her mentor spoke again, ?Now get your broom, we?re going on a trip, in fact, bring everything you need, we won?t be coming back here again today.?

?Alright!? Marisa ran off into her room, followed by the sounds of rummaging and items falling. As the sounds continued, Mima looked around with a hint of sorrow, if everything went wrong tonight, then everything she had gained in the short time in her return would be lost, especially Marisa who felt more like a daughter to her now, all in the name of revenge.

It?s not just that, right? I?m working to get my life back. Surely?

?I?m ready!? Mima?s thoughts broke as Marisa ran into the room, holding her broom with a blanket wrapping in a bundle and tied to it, presumably containing all the items Mima told her to get.

Mima took a final look around, ?Alright, let?s go.? She took a deep breath and opened the door for her apprentice to leave through.

In the few seconds it took to turn around from shutting the door, Marisa was already floating around in the air on her broomstick, which was an ordinary broom until a few months ago when Marisa?s complaining of not being able to fly really began to annoy Mima and she cast a spell on it. ?Eagar to leave are we?? Mima called out.

?Yep!? Marisa said simply, before flying away.

?Wait! You don?t even know where we?re going!? Mima shouted after Marisa as she took into the sky after her.

She?s oddly excited; I wonder if she really knows what lies ahead.

After managing to redirect the young witch, Mima and Marisa found themselves at the base of the mountain, just north of the Hakurei Shrine.

?Here? What are we doing here?? Marisa quickly asked.

Mima gave a menacing grin, ?This is where we lay our final trap for Reimu.?

Marisa tilted her head in puzzlement causing Mima to continue, ?We will actually be up there.? Mima pointed up, towards the peak of the mountain. ?It?s a long way to fly or travel, so if we present a shortcut, then that lazy shrine maiden will be sure to take it.?

Mima drew a pattern on the floor and chanted causing a purple rift-like portal to rise out of the ground. ?Also, due to the proximity of the shrine, there?s some instability, so with this link to the dream world, we can use it to make a short entrance to the peak.?

Marisa continued to look completely confused, ?And??

Mima shook her head, ?If we fill the dream world shortcut with traps, then it?ll be a benefit won?t it??

?Ah ha! I see, but what are you going use then?? Marisa asked.

Mima grabbed Marisa by the hand and pulled her into the portal, ?Let?s have a look!?

The world almost seemed to take a while creating itself, as blocks shifted into place forming a pathway. ?Wow? This is amazing!? Marisa shouted. The witch ran along the seemingly never-ending road of transparent tiles, looking around at the stars, and spinning around as the occasional one flew by. ?Wow, Lady Mima! Look at that!? The girl shouted, pointing through the tiles at the nearby sun, which Marisa has just noticed the platform seemed to be orbiting.

As she looked up, she saw Mima was already floating away in the distance, ?Wait up Lady Mima!? She saw Mima physically sigh, as she turned around to wait for her.

?What is the trap going to be then?? Marisa asked yet another question.

Mima grinned and point where she was facing ahead, ?Those.?

In front of them was a large gap with another platform on the other side, containing another portal, presumably the exit, and five weird stone orbs with various inscriptions. ?Those? What are they??

?In simple terms, magical orbs, but can?t you feel the magic radiating from them? They?re no ordinary statues.? Mima spoke, as she drifted over the large void.

Marisa thought a moment, ?So, we activate them and set them on Reimu??

?Correct!? Mima sat down, in front of the middle stone and began to draw a pattern in front of it with a piece of chalk. Soon after she began quietly reciting a spell which even Marisa could not understand, and seemed to never end.

A few minutes later, there was finally some activity as the orbs cracked and seemed to radiate green energy for a few seconds, before returning to normal.

?Uh, Lady Mima? Did the spell fail or something?? Marisa asked.

Mima turned around with a grin, ?Oh no, the orbs powers are merely being hid, as soon as Reimu gets here, they?ll activate and until she destroys them all, that portal over there won?t open.?

?Ah! I see! Clever!? Marisa looked around again, ?Is that everything? Can we set up your spell now??

?Yes, it?s time.? Mima smiled weakly, leading Marisa through the portal.

As reality reappeared to the two, Marisa complained, ?What?! There?s still miles until we reach the top!?

?That?s because I want you to distract Reimu halfway, to give me more time.? Mima said coldly.

The two magicians started their trek up the mountain, enjoying the view of Gensokyo they had, including the Hakurei Shrine. ?It?s fun to think that place will be trashed by Rika in a few hours.? Mima laughed.

Mima?s mind drifted off again, thinking of the events that are to take place tonight. Will she win? Can she really kill a girl to get back her own? Can she put Marisa through all of this? Mima shook her head and dismissed the doubts; of course she?ll succeed, and be a step closer to finding Murasaki and making her pay.

?Oh, we?re here already?? Mima said quietly, aware they were at the peak, ?Marisa, please set up what I told you to.?

?Alright, Lady Mima!? The girl sung as she began to take out various items from her broom-blanket compartment.

A couple of hours passed, as Mima and Marisa quietly worked to set the spell up, all that was required now, was the power that only the Hakurei?s held, by far the hardest ingredient to get.

Night soon fell, and Mima started the spell, soon her ?henchmen? would move into place and Reimu would be attracted towards the beacon of magic that is Mima?s spell, and the night?s events would begin.



?And so it begins.? Mima spoke, as a small explosion tore through the side of the shrine.

?Wow!? Marisa laughed, ?That?s kinda cool! That?s Rika and her machines, right??

?Indeed it is, though I didn?t want her to cause that much damage. If we win, we might own that place.?

?Oh yeah, we would wouldn?t we!?? Marisa shouted, as excited as ever.

Minutes passed as more explosions shattered around the shrine, until there was a different sight, amongst the explosions were flashes of other colours, reds and blues appearing at different points, suddenly causing the other explosions to come to a halt.

?It looks like she?s arrived.? Mima spoke calmly.

As the explosions died down, Mima relaxed a little when Marisa screamed almost in her ear, ?Look, she?s not done yet!? Mima looked up curiously to see a much larger object slowly move into the shrine?s grounds; it looked like a large box with a yin-yang painted on the top, as it got closer more explosions tore through the area.

?She?s certainly doing more than I thought she would.? Mima commented.

The signs of Reimu fighting back continued around the destruction until the large machine stopped and a few seconds later erupted in one final explosion.

Mima closed her eyes, ?Farewell, Rika.?

Marisa groaned, ?Aww, that was awesome, she should have won.?

?I knew she wouldn?t.? Mima spoke.

?Stop being a spoilsport, you can always hope!?

?Hope?Like I hoped I?d live a peaceful life one day, before I was killed?? Mima snapped back.

Marisa went silent and looked down, ?Sorry, Lady Mima.?

Mima tried to sound brighter, ?It?s alright, now look, Meira should appear soon.?

The two magicians watched the path between them and the shrine for any sign of activity.

?Do you think she turned up? Maybe she chickened out?? Marisa spoke out.

Mima laughed slightly, ?It would be ironic would it not? After what she was like when you met her.?

Suddenly there was a flash of light, ?Oh! Is that her do you think?? Marisa shouted.

?It must be. It?s not the shrine maiden.?

There were several more flashes followed and after every flash, a tree collapsed in the area. The colours of Reimu?s attacks struck back at the samurai, the closer proximity allowed Mima and Marisa to watch the projectiles fly around in all directions, as some flew into the air, Mima commented, ?Interesting, it looks like Reimu can fly somehow, I didn?t think she?d learnt that yet.?

?Huh, you say something Lady Mima?? Marisa turned, distracted by the fight.

?No, nothing.? Mima replied.

Soon enough, small red and purple orbs were flying around in all directions, ?I believe our Samurai friend is getting desperate.? The spirit spoke. ?At this rate she won?t last-? Mima was interrupted by all the orbs disappearing, and the flashes ceased. ?-much longer??

Mima stood up, with Marisa following suit, ?What are we doing?? Marisa asked.

?I?m just going to try and see what state Reimu is in, before she enters that portal.? Mima explained.

?Oh.? Marisa followed Mima as she hovered down the side of the cliff slightly, and as Mima said, they saw Reimu hovering forwards. ?I knew there was a turtle at the shrine!? Marisa cried out randomly.

?What?? Mima spoke out, before noticing that Reimu was indeed, riding on the top of a turtle.

It can?t be the same one, could it? Mima wondered to herself.

At that point, Reimu noticed the two on the mountain and looked back. There a pause of tension between the two, where if the distance was smaller, a battle could have started right then, instead, the shrine maiden looked back ahead, and flew into the portal. Causing Mima to burst out in laughter.

?What?s so funny, Lady Mima?? Marisa asked, confused at her master?s outburst.

 Mima stopped laughing slightly, ?I created that trap in the dream world, because I was expecting her to be on foot, but with that turtle, she could have easily just flown up to here, missing the trap altogether!?

?Oh, I see!? Marisa laughed alongside Mima.

?Well, she?ll be here soon enough, let?s move on.? Mima ordered.

The two walked back up the slope, towards the ritual site, ?It?s nearly time for your performance, Marisa. Be sure to try your best.?

?Of course I will! I?ll try my hardest so that you can get your life back and we can live normally again!? Marisa grinned.

Mima stopped walking, ?Well, this is it. All we can do now... is wait.? Mima waited a moment, ?I can feel the energy of those stones fading... She?ll be here soon.?

A few minutes passed as Marisa discussed her spells and tactics, when they were interrupted, ?No more running, it ends here!?

Mima looked ahead, to see Reimu looking slightly scruffy, riding on the turtle, laughing she answered, ?We?ve done no 'running' shrine maiden, we?ve been here to start with.?

Reimu suddenly changed subject, ?I know you? I thought I killed you last year!?

?Obviously, that?s what I wanted you to think, but I?m not as weak as that.? Mima taunted.

Reimu paused for a moment, ?You?re Mima aren?t you??

?Oh, I?m glad you heard of me. I believe you missed me at one point?? The spirit laughed.

?Typical, you turn sane when it?s my turn. Still, whatever you?re planning, it ends here!? Reimu drew several talismans.

?Not quite, there?s one more obstacle for you.? Mima giggled, while hovering backwards.

Reimu growled in frustration, ?Oh, what now!??

?Me!? An all too familiar voice to Mima shouted, as she dropped down in front of her. ?You gotta get past me!?

?Marisa? What are you doing here? I thought you went missing?? Reimu said confused. ?And what are you doing with her!? Are you out of your mind? She?s evil!?

?She?s not! She just wants to get back what was stolen from her?? Marisa argued.

The maiden sighed, ?Look Marisa, get out of the way, I don?t want to hurt you.?

?No! You want to fight Lady Mima, you gotta go through me!? Marisa shouted, before quickly reciting the spell the magicians had worked on, causing the four orbs to orbit around Marisa as she took off into the air.

?Go now, Lady Mima! Get the spell ready!? Marisa shouted.

?A-alright! Be careful!? Mima shouted, as she flew over to the site.

Be careful, Marisa. I don?t want anything to happen to you, this is my business.

Rushing through the spell, Mima set the final components into place and read the final incantations; all that was needed now was the Hakurei power.

Mima hurried around, hearing the sounds of battle echo around her, the familiar sounds of Marisa?s lasers blasting the ground around them, followed by the sharp thud of Reimu?s yin-yang orbs.

By the sound of it, she can use more than one orb now. It?s about time.

Almost by coincidence, as Mima stood up, and turned to face the battle, the noise stopped. Grabbing her staff, Mima silently waited to see who would walk up onto the top of the mountain to face her and was unsurprised to find herself face to face with Reimu Hakurei.

?Well, Miss Hakurei, welcome to the finale of this story.?

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #10 on: July 01, 2009, 10:45:37 PM »
?So, we finally meet, Reimu. How do you do?? Mima grinned.

?We met a moment ago.? Reimu sharply replied.

Mima smirked, ?Ah, but I was in a rush then, was I not? There?s nowhere else to go now.?

Reimu continued to be on guard, ?Why are you doing this? What exactly are you doing??

?Didn?t Marisa just tell you before? Getting back what was stolen.?

Reimu?s face showed signed of puzzlement, ?Which is??

?My life! It?s simple! I just want my life back.? Mima shouted with a hint of glee.

?What the hell has that got to do with my shrine, and hiring some goons to attack me!?? Reimu shouted back.

Mima turned her back to the shrine maiden, ?That... is simple. The Hakurei bloodline, as you know watches the Hakurei border, takes care of it and whatnot, however, that border manipulation can be used, to give me my life back! In other words? I need your powers??

?So you dragged me all this way, so you hope you could kill me?!? Reimu shouted again in anger.

?That?s correct, well, I could possess you and you?d live, but? I can?t see you letting me do that.? Mima smirked, still with her back turned.

?Damn right, I?m taking you down, right here.? Reimu continued to be aggressive.

?You can?t even fly by yourself yet, can you? You need that turtle, Genjii, am I correct?? Mima continued, smugly.

?S-so what!? Reimu said, slightly desperate.

?And where is my old friend now? I notice he?s not with you.?

Reimu sounded slightly puzzled, ?He?s back down there, taking care of himself, and Marisa. How do you know about him??

?Oh nothing, we just met? a long time ago.? Mima sounded melancholic, remembering her past and the day she died.

?Still, I think it?s time we begin, time to see how well you trained!? Mima spun around, and looked at her opponent, before bursting into laughter.

?W-what?s so funny?!? Reimu suddenly shouted, bewildered.

Mima looked at Reimu again, and stifled her laughs, Reimu looked quite the same as before her fight with Marisa, only her clothes were slightly more damaged around the arms, and most noticeably, she has a large bruise around her eye. ?I? I see Marisa got past your guard.? Mima spoke as she laughed again.

?So what, it?s only because of that stupid spell of hers!? Reimu defended herself.

Mima quickly cast the spell in discussion around herself, the four orbs appearing around her, ?You mean this one??

Reimu sighed, ?Oh hell??

?Anyway, shall we?? Mima spoke calmly, as she flew backwards several metres.

Reimu jumped backwards also, and drew several talismans, ?I?ll make sure you?re banished for good!?

?Of course you will.? Mima replied sarcastically, waving her staff causing a wall of small balls of energy to fly at Reimu. ?I should warn you, I?m not quite the pushover your last opponents were.? Mima calmly spoke, as she threw wave upon wave of bullets at the maiden.

?Duplex barrier!? Shouted Reimu, as she caused an orange barrier to appear, blocking the projectiles.

?Not bad, it would have been a shame to end this so early.? Mima spoke with a grin.

?Fantasy Orb!? The shrine maiden called out, as large mist-like orbs appeared of red, green and blue and homed in on Mima.

Weaving between them, Mima carefully dodged, hitting one away with her sphere before getting hit by the final orb in the back.

Damn, that was careless?

Mima composed herself, before hovering above Reimu. ?Fine, the basic stuff can be skipped, time to play properly!?

Mima swung her staff around her causing darkness to swirl around, and fill the area in which they stood until Reimu was surrounded by a black void.

?You can?t see in the dark can you, Reimu?? The spirit?s voice called out to her.

Reimu spun around, trying to track where the voice was coming from, ?Looks like you?re struggling a little, allow me to help!?

Suddenly the darkness disappeared from around Reimu, leaving the first thing she saw as Mima swinging her staff at her side and then her head, sending her flying to the ground.

?That was? unfair?? Reimu said weakly as she picked herself off the floor, coughing up some blood.

?Life... is unfair. Learn that fact.? Mima spoke coldly. ?Ready for another go??

Darkness started to appear around Reimu again, leaving her looking around again, ?Oh Reimu, you can?t see a thing can you? Well let me-?

?Evil sealing circle!? The shrine maiden suddenly shouted as Mima was swinging her staff.

?What!?? Mima shouted in surprise as the darkness suddenly erupted with a blast of light, sending her flying backwards. Hitting the floor painfully, Mima grimaced before looking up and seeing the shrine maiden advance towards her.

?What the hell was that? You shouldn?t have those powers, not yet.? Mima said, still surprised.

?Who knows, maybe it?s my bloodline.? Reimu said with a grin. ?And look, it?s the end of this ?game? as you called it.?

The shrine maiden summoned several yin-yang orbs and launched them at the spirit, sending her further along the ground in agony.

Mima pulled herself up onto her knees and looked around at the spell around her, was all this for nothing, this spell she had spent so long making, setting up, if only that one fateful ingredient wasn?t so? difficult to achieve. Then she realized something, she was sat on the altar-like area, where the shrine maiden crashed to the ground earlier.

Her blood.

?Begone, evil spirit.? Reimu said mercilessly, as she pulled out several more talismans. ?Face your punishments-?

?Reincarnation!? Mima suddenly shouted, slamming her hands onto the floor.

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #11 on: July 01, 2009, 10:46:03 PM »
Reimu found herself being pushed back, as another blast of light, only more powerful than her Sealing Circle pushed her back.

Reimu picked herself up and waited for her eyes to adjust from the beams that dazzled her eyes.

?Did you think it was over?? An all too familiar voice called.

?For a minute, I did.? Reimu spoke out, blindly.

?Well, obviously, you?re incorrect.? The voice continued.

?Obviously.? Reimu repeated sarcastically.

Finally her eyes adjusted, and she saw Mima stood in front of her, fully recovered and with the addition of six purple wings.

?What? did you do?? Reimu said, puzzled.

Mima laughed, with a returned tone of insanity, ?Your blood contained your power, and I used what little of it there was to cast my spell somewhat.? Mima held her arms out wide, ?What you see now, is no spirit, I?m a soul, cast between the border of life and death!?

Reimu looked as though she was going to step back, but remained still, ?Whatever you are, I?ll wipe you out and leave the next realm to judge you.?

Mima grinned devilishly, ?I invite you to try.?

Grabbing another handful of seals, Reimu launched them at Mima, who remained still as a wall of darkness materialized and blocked them. ?You need to try harder than that.? The soul taunted.

With an uncertain look, Reimu leapt forwards at Mima and shouted, ?Evil sealing circle!? The resulting light filled the mountain once again? Only to be interrupted by laughter, ?That didn?t work did it??

As the light quickly fade, Reimu saw a cocoon-like shape of darkness dissolve around Mima. ?Damn, you?re persistent.?

Reimu jumped backwards, and summoned another yin-yang orb, firing towards Mima. ?The yin-yang orb, a strange attack that only the Hakurei bloodline can control?? Mima swung her staff out and covered the orb in darkness, and held out her hand, causing the orb to slow down and stop in front of her.

?Fascinating?? Mima spoke, examining the orb before striking it without warning at the shrine maiden.

Reimu hastily swung around to dodge, but was struck by the orb in the side, hurling her to the floor. Coughing and trying to catch her breath, Reimu struggled to pick herself up off the floor. As she looked up, she saw a flash and the next thing she knew, she was struck on the neck, and lifted off the ground.

As her eyes refocuses, Reimu saw she was being suspended off the ground, held by the head of Mima?s staff. ?Well, Reimu. Looks like you?re out of time. Final chance, surrender to me??

?You? wish?? Reimu hissed, as she ran out of breath.

Mima smiled, ?Don?t worry, I?ll make it quick, you deserve that at least.?

Suddenly there was a flash all around Mima, causing her to jump slightly. ?What the hell?? The spirit looked around at the scenery, of which there was none, nothing but darkness, which even her powers couldn?t shift.

?I?ve been here before?? Mima said quietly to herself. ?Show yourself, Murasaki!?

The age-old voice laughed around Mima, ?Alright, I see you?re so eager to go back to what you were doing.? Suddenly a figure lit up in front of Mima, with her back to her.

From the angle Mima was at, she could see that the woman in front was wearing a long vibrant purple dress with white frills, and the parasol that was seen before was open behind her, blocking the view of much of her. Despite the obstacle she could see that she had long blonde hair, tied up in many places with various coloured ribbons.

?We meet again.? Mima said calmly. ?You just won?t leave me alone will you.?

?Of course not.? The woman giggled, ?You?re causing more dangers then you know.?

?Let me out of here, let me kill Hakurei and finish the spell, then we can talk all you want.? Mima shouted.

?Oh? but obviously that?s why I?m here.? The voice continued, ominously.

?You want to try and stop me? Try it.? Mima stretched out her six wings.

The voice gained a serious, sharp edge, ?No. I?m only here to tell you something.?

?Go on then, spit it out.? The magician demanded.

The woman suddenly disappeared, and quickly Mima sensed her right next to her, followed by a whisper in her ear, ?You?ll never get the normal life you desire.?

?I-is that a threat!? Mima shouted as she swung around to strike her, to find nothing.

The figure appeared a little distance away again, ?No, like I said, it?s a message. Think about it.? The voice continued, ?There?s two possibilities, you remain as you are, living your? afterlife out as you already are, or you kill the Hakurei Shrine Maiden and use the powers to resurrect yourself.?

?I know that, I made the plan!? Mima shouted in confusion.

The voice giggled disturbingly, ?But did you not think of the consequences??

?Consequences, such as? Being hated by villagers? Boo hoo.? Mima replied sarcastically.

?No, about the Hakurei.? The voice rose her voice slightly, ?You said earlier that the Hakurei watch over the shrine, and the border, which is correct. They take care of it; keep it stable, that kind of business.?

The figure suddenly appeared closer to Mima, ?But what happens if there?s no Hakurei to tend to it? It decays, and decays, until it breaks. And what happens then? Gensokyo will be destroyed, in at least one way, maybe just cease to exist and destroy everything.?

?So, you?re saying?? Mima said weakly.

?If you kill Reimu Hakurei, the only living member of the Hakurei bloodline for your own selfish purpose, then not only are you killing yourself, but everyone else as well, even your beloved Marisa Kirisame.?

??You?re lying.? Mima tried to argue back.

?Oh, I wish I was, however, I will not allow Gensokyo to be destroyed, and if you have any sense at all, you?ll make the right decision and face your punishment once again. Who knows? Maybe you?ll be sealed away for good this time? Reimu has a natural ability with borders.?

?I hate you.? Mima replied almost silently.

The woman laughed strangely again, ?Oh, I know that. But I blame you for the reasons why.?

?Don?t you dare blame me! If you hadn?t been such an idiot to believe those humans and kill me, none of this would have happened!? Mima screamed.

?And I didn?t kill you because of that!? The voice shouted back, surprisingly powerful. ?I killed you to save you, from suffering at their hands. I didn?t know you were weak enough to lose it and lose your control for over a thousand years!?

?You just won?t admit you made a mistake will you?? Mima growled.

?Oh, just think what you want. It makes no different, now make your choice. I?ll see you in another hundred years!? The voice laughed, slowly drifting away as the world flashed back to the previous event.

Reimu continued to lay suspended in the air by her throat, stuck in the crescent moon head of her staff.

The end is so close, yet now this happens.

What if I kill her and risk fate, she could have been lying.

Marisa would hate me for killing her, and she?d probably die early because of my actions? not to mention lose her friend.

?Lady Mima! Is it over!? Another familiar voice called.

Not at a time like this.

?Is she? dead yet?? Marisa cautiously questioned as she finished climbing to where they were. Noticing the scene, she fell silent for a moment, ?Oh? I see.? Her face filling with pain at the realisation she?d arrived at the moment her friend was about to die.

Why? why can?t I do this? After all this time? She?s spoilt everything again, damn her.

Mima suddenly lowered her staff allowing Reimu to reach the floor; who fell backwards and coughed loudly, desperately trying to catch her breath.

?It?s quite funny Shrine Maiden, you?ve won.? Mima said, with a smile, but her voice suggested otherwise.

?Lady Mima! What are you doing!?? Marisa?s panicked and puzzled shouts echoed around her.

?Doing what is? right? what is good? for once.? Mima again feigned a smile to her apprentice.

?You mean that?s it, you?re giving up?!?

?Yes. It?s for the best.? Mima?s voice continued to fill with sorrow. ?Reimu Hakurei, this is the part where you seal me away with your Sealing Boundary.?

?? What are you talking about? I?ve never heard of that.? Reimu said, equally as confused as Marisa.

?Check your pockets; she?ll have placed it somewhere.? Mima replied.

?She? Who do you mean?? Reimu asked, as she quickly searched, and found a deep purple card. ?Sealing Boundary? I?ve never seen this before.?

?Use it and I?m gone for another hundred years?? Mima found it disorientating how she was explaining her own loss. ?I?ll be better next time, I mean, I won?t do anything wrong.?

The expression of cluelessness never left the girl?s face for a second. ?Why are you doing this??

?Yeah! Why are you doing this!?? The voice of Marisa screeched into Mima?s ear. ?You?re quitting, and now you?re just going to leave me!?

Mima gave a lacklustre smile, ?Don?t worry too much, you can have the house, I won?t need it.? Mima turned around, ?Now hurry up, and claim your victory or whatever... Banish this evil soul once and for all.?

?Sealing??

Mima closed her eyes and awaited her fate, ignoring Marisa.

?

?

?Nah, forget it.?

Mima?s eyes sprung open to see two halves of the mysterious spell card hit the ground, ?What??

?I?m too? worn out to cast the spell.? Reimu smiled. Quietly, she added, ?You say casting the spell would be getting rid of evil, but I think it would be more evil to leave her alone, she obviously has some respect for you.? Reimu slightly motioned towards Marisa.

Marisa suddenly jumped in the conversation and stood beside Mima, ?Thanks, Reimu!?

?No problem, now I?m going. I need some sleep.? Reimu grinned as she turned around and shouted, ?Genjii!?

?Lazing on the job again I see. You?re meant to be exterminating beings like me, not letting them free.? Mima taunted.

?Watch what you say, I could still change my mind.? Reimu mocked.

?Not while that card?s on the floor in pieces!? Marisa shouted back.

Soon enough, the green turtle from earlier rose from over the hill, ?Have you finished her off, Reimu??

The turtle then noticed Mima and Marisa standing there, ?Oh, I see not.?

?Let?s just go, I?m finished her.? Reimu quickly explained.

?Whatever you say, I trust you in your actions.? The turtle calmly replied.

Reimu sat upon the turtle as it floated off, past Marisa and Mima towards the shrine. As they passed, the turtle spoke, ?It?s been a long time, Mima.?

?That it is. What are you going to do, try and bite me?? Mima replied bemused.

?I think? I?m a little too old for that now. Farewell.? Soon the turtle and shrine maiden combination had descended out of sight.

?Well, I must admit Marisa. I honestly didn?t think this conclusion was possible, I always thought of it that one of us must lose. The girl?s wise for her age.?

Marisa merely replied with a yawn, ?Can we go now? I?m tired.?

Mima looked down at her apprentice, ?Sure, let?s go.? Mima promptly rose into the air, and Marisa jumped onto her broomstick and they both travelled away, back towards the forest.

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #12 on: July 01, 2009, 10:46:31 PM »
From that moment on, Mima and Marisa were regularly sighted at the shrine grounds, to the point where if they weren?t sleeping or doing magic-related business, then they?d be at the shrine.

Reimu didn?t seem to care much at all about the magicians staying around the shrine, despite Mima being what she was. Time passed by, and Mima finally began to enjoy her life, or her equivalent of it.




The following year, there was supposedly a large event take place in Gensokyo, if the stories are to be believed then there was a large tournament held, and the winner was granted a wish. However this is considered very unlikely, since the masterminds behind the tournament were supposedly humans from the outside world, which should be impossible.

It was also mostly reported that the evil spirit Mima took part, losing the Reimu Hakurei in the finals, Reimu then went on to defeat the masterminds, but once again, there has been no sign of her prize, so it should be considered a large rumour.


The following year from that, another incident occurred, youkai swarmed the lands for reasons unknown, and once again it was up to the shrine maiden Reimu Hakurei to see to the situation, also for unknown reasons, Marisa Kirisame, the apprentice of Mima went along, and both ended up facing the youkai, Yuka Kazami, and brought the incident to a close.

The lack of intervention from Mima should be considered suspect, considering her and Marisa were noted to always be together, not to mention Mima?s presence at the shrine was growing ever more?


Mima rolled over and stretched, ?Marisa! You there?? The spirit shouted dozily as she opened her eyes to see the shrine grounds in front of her. ?Marisa??

?Reimu!? She shouted afterwards, but again, there was no response.

?Now where the hell could they have got to?? Mima said puzzled, as she climbed up, and hovered to look in the shrine itself. ?No-one.?

At that moment, Mima woke up enough to notice the shrine grounds, which looked disturbed and broken in places. ?There?s been a battle here? I must have slept through it.? Mima considered whether to begin looking for the two but decided against it, ?I?m sure they?ll be fine, I?ll just wait here.?

Wondering into the shrine, Mima quickly prepared herself some tea, and sat dozily on top of the shrine, looking for signs of anyone. ?I wonder what they?re up to?? She said aloud to herself.

?Hunting the source of the large number of youkai that stormed the shrine earlier.? A voice said from behind.

Jumping from shock and nearly spilling her tea, Mima spun around, ?Don?t sneak up on me like- Oh, it?s you.? She said, with a displeased tone, having found herself back-to-back with her nemesis.

?Oh, a shame, you?re never pleased to see me.? The voice regained its ominous tone.

?I wonder why, Murasaki? I wonder why?? Mima spoke quietly, ?Oh wait, could it be because you?re always messing things up for me, and tried to get me sealed again? I bet you?re gutted I didn?t get sent away again, aren?t you!? Mima suddenly snapped.

?I'll admit I was quite surprised. But that doesn?t matter now.? The voice suddenly cut the conversation.

?Anyway, you?ve taken quite a liking to the shrine again, missing the old times?? The voice jeered.

?The times before you backstabbed me? Nah, it?s much better now than it was back then, Murasaki.?

?Please, call me Yukari, Yukari Yakumo. I don?t really want any Hakureis knowing.? The voice actually sounded honest for once.

?Yukari... But why?? Mima said semi-confused.

?Just think about it. What kind of example would it be, if the Hakurei bloodline found out, that one of their most respected members, was actually still alive after all this time, and now a youkai, the things they swear to defeat?? Yukari spoke out.

?True, but I doubt Reimu would be bothered enough to care.? Mima laughed.

?Regardless, I don?t want her to know, I want you to keep it secret? regardless of what I have done.?

?Whatever.? Mima said, uncaring, if she was going to get Murasaki back, it?d be more then tarnishing her reputation.

?You know, any human who came here would think you?re the goddess of this shrine.? Yukari added out of the blue.

Mima laughed slightly, ?Nothing wrong with that.?

?If you like it so much, why don?t you actually become the deity of the shrine then?? The voice giggled ominously.

?But now do I do? that?? Mima turned around in interest to find Murasaki had disappeared.

?Damn it!? Mima quickly scanned the area, but saw no sign of her. ?Who does she think she is, bothering me all the time?? Mima snapped.

Leaning back against the roof, Mima spoke out to herself again, ?She had one point though, how can I become a god??

Mima

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  • By Benny1
Re: Of Light and Darkness (RiG 1.5)
« Reply #13 on: July 01, 2009, 10:47:03 PM »
Mima opened an eye, followed by the other and noted she was in her own house in the forest. Slowly her mind started to work and she recalled the events last night, a night of magical testing turned into live-fire practice when Mima and Marisa found a group of seemingly timid youkai, but didn?t want to take the risk and used them for target practice.

?Marisa! You still here?? Mima yelled.

There was no reply. ?She?s already at the shrine at this time?? Mima dozily looked at the clock which showed 12:30. ?How the hell did I sleep? I?m going to be late!? As Mima quickly straightened her robes and collected her hat, she thought that there wasn?t anything to be late for, but continued to rush anyway.

Drifting above the trees of the forest to wake her up, Mima soon arrived at the shrine which once again looked like a warzone with damage everywhere, and oddly enough, what looked like a pile of clothes heaped by the shrine. Reimu and Marisa stood in the centre, the former looking unhappy.

?So, what fun?s gone off here? Had a fight between you?? Mima laughed as she dropped down from the sky.

The shrine maiden replied, ?Don?t tell me you didn?t notice all the youkai running around lately!?

Mima paused, ?No, not really, I haven?t been looking; it?s not my job to hunt for them.? She replied with a sly grin.

Before Reimu could reply abusively, Marisa cut in, ?Hey, well, you?re just in time Lady Mima!?

?For what?? Mima asked curiously.

?Our journey to stop them, of course! You slept through the last one!? Marisa continued enthusiastically.

?Oh, yes. That time.? Mima recalled her encounter with Murasaki.

?Well, shall we go then?? Mima questioned.

Reimu shook her head, ?We?re doing things a little differently this time.?

?What?? Mima said, puzzled.

?We don?t know where they?re coming from specifically, so we decided we?d go in pairs, that way we can search twice the amount!?

Mima looked sceptical with an eyebrow raised, ?A pair means two, and don?t get me if I?m wrong, but there?s only three of us, four if you count the turtle, but little miss shrine maiden?s not good enough to by herself.? Mima evilly grinned.

Once again, Marisa cut in before Reimu, ?Yea-yeah?? Marisa looked around, ?Hey Reimu, there is only three of us.?

?There?s one more.? Reimu spoke, before pointing towards the shrine, ?You?re with her, now come on Marisa.?

As Marisa was being pulled away she shouted, ?Race you there Lady Mima, bet we beat them before you do!?

Mima slowly floated over to the shrine, looking for whoever Reimu pointed out.

There?s no-one here. Nothing but this broken statue, shrine wall and? this pile of clothes.

Suddenly it hit Mima, it wasn?t a pile of Reimu?s red and white clothes, it was someone curled up asleep.

Bemused by the situation, Mima used her staff to poke the sleeper, causing muffled speech, ?Mrf, leave me alone? I?m trying to sleep??

Grinning, Mima continued to poke the girl until she started to stir. ?Go away? what do you want...??

Eventually, the girl sat up, causing a cascade of long green hair to flow in the wind slightly, before she yawned, ?Who? who are you?? She spoke, quietly, and barely awake.

Mima stood in a formal position and spoke in a boastful voice, ?I?m Mima, and I?m the deity of this shrine.?

?Really...? Didn?t think there was a god here?? The girl yawned again.

?Yes, well there is, standing in front of you.? Mima spoke impatiently.

?Okay??

There was an awkward pause, where Mima stood as the girl yawned once more. ?So? what do you want then?? The girl mumbled.

?I was told by Reimu that we were meant to be going together to fight some youkai, and stop the source of them all.? Mima explained impatiently.

?Fighting? you say? Sounds fun.? The girl suddenly picked up at that sentence.

?Yes, now are you coming along or are you going to fall back asleep?? Mima complained.

?Of course I?m coming!? Suddenly in a burst of energy, the girl jumped off the floor, grabbed an object nearby, which turned out to be a parasol and stood ready. ?Yuka Kazami.?

Mima was half-surprised at her sudden burst of energy, ?Okay then? I guess we should leave now, Reimu and Marisa have already had a head start.?

?Of course we should, we?re missing out on the fun.? Yuka spoke excitedly as she took to the air and floated down towards where the pair previously left.

Mima paused to wonder how she knew the way, but then realized it was clear from the trail of destruction, shrugging slightly she hovered to catch up with the rushing youkai.

?Kazami, perchance are you the youkai that was beaten last year by those two?? Mima questioned.

?I hardly call it ?beaten? when they storm into my house and beat me up while I?m asleep.?

Looking at her when she first woke up, I?d hardly call it that either.

?It seems the shrine is becoming a home to youkai lately, there?s been more and more youkai hanging around there.? Mima commented.

Yuka looked back, ?What?s the problem with that??

Mima laughed slightly, ?Oh nothing, just a sign of how lazy Miss Hakurei is.?

Yuka didn?t reply and instead opened her parasol, using it to block the sunlight.

A few moments later, Mima noticed that they?d come face to face with a familiar site, the mountain from the events a few years ago.

Never thought I?d be here again so soon.

Although the track lead them to the other side, where eventually an entrance could be seen in the side of the mountain.

?I?d say this has to be it.? Mima stated.

Yuka replied sarcastically, ?You think? Just look at the pattern around the entrance, that doesn?t occur by itself.?

Mima glanced at the formation and saw a strange foreign pattern, with more structured marks at the top, possibly even another language?

As the duo studied the strange pattern a voice called out, ?More intruders, what?s with them today??

Mima looked at the entrance of the cave, where a pink haired girl emerged wearing a simple red dress with a white shirt beneath it. Her eyes matched the colour of her shoulder length hair. ?What do you want?? The girl questioned.




Mima grinned, ?You wouldn?t have seen a witch and a shrine maiden around here would you? We?ve? lost them and we need to find them.?

The girl looked pained for a moment, ?Yeah, I?ve seen them; they caught me off-guard and got past me? But I can?t let you do the same! I?m meant to be guarding this place!?

?Interesting, we?ll be going now.? Yuka spoke uninterested and tried to walk by, before the pink haired guard held out her arm and blocked the way.

?I said no.?

?And I said we?ll be going!? Yuka shouted, with a hint of anger as she delivered a kick to the guard?s side.

Even half-asleep, she?s terribly violent.

Flying backwards, Sara caught herself on the wall and threw herself back at Yuka swinging her arms as she flew causing rows of bright orbs to fly along with her. With a bemused look, Yuka stood still as the bullets approached, and they miraculously all flew by her. ?Your aim is a little off.?

Growling, Sara jumped into the air, summoning more and more rows of bullets, hurling them at the youkai who just smiled back, almost waltzing between the bullets. ?Ready to fight yet?? Yuka gloated.

?Stop?? The guard spoke, diving at Yuka, ?Taunting me!? Sara suddenly fired a large amount of bullets right at Yuka as she approached her. However Yuka?s expression didn?t change as she quickly leapt to the side as the barrage struck the floor, sending up a cloud of dust.

Laughing again, Yuka watched as Sara was landing on the ground, ?Take this!? The guard suddenly shouted as she hit the ground and immediately pounced at Yuka in a flash, ?Try dodging this! You?? Sara cut off as Yuka leant back almost horizontally as Sara flew over her, noticing the devilish grin in Yuka?s face, Sara braced herself but immediately felt a strong pain in her stomach as well as her motion stopping.

?Wha? what?? Sara spoke quietly as she looked down, to see Yuka?s parasol stuck in her, holding her in the air.

?I think you lost.? Yuka whispered into her ear before swinging her parasol sideways, putting her foot against Sara and kicked her off the parasol, into a wall.

?Come on, Miss Hakurei Deity, let?s go.? Yuka sung as she walked away, further into the cave.

Slightly shocked what just happened, Mima stepped forward, ?You know, that really was overkill you know, she wasn?t that powerful?? She mentioned slightly.

Yuka merely laughed for a moment, ?It?s all for fun, why not do it??

Mima paused for a moment, when two lasers appeared, surrounding Yuka. ?You won?t enter Makai!? The voice of the guard called, from the source of the lasers.

Suddenly, hordes of bullets began to fire between the two lasers heading towards Yuka, who continued to smile. ?Still fighting? Maybe this was, worth my time.?

Weaving between the bullets Yuka effortless dodged until she got near the end of the laser wall, and leapt into the air above Sara, opened her parasol and firing a multitude of thin lasers at her, promptly causing the bullets and beam-wall to disappear and then as though nothing had happened, Yuka her arm out towards where Sara was guard, ?Shall we head on??

As the two walked down the tunnel, Yuka was humming a slow tune to herself when Mima spoke, ?You have some power there.?

?Of course, what did you expect?? She spoke quickly, before returning to her humming.

Mima just looked puzzled for a moment, before continuing on down the passage, until eventually, the tunnel came to a stop. ?Oh, a teleport of some kind.? Mima spoke.

?What?? Yuka spoke out, as though she was daydreaming.

?There?s a teleport spell that on this altar, this must be the way in.? Mima explained.

?Well then, let?s go!? Yuka shouted as she leapt onto the altar, and promptly disappeared.

Mima sighed, ?She?s almost as much as a handful as Marisa. That could well have been trapped.?

Without saying anything else, Mima hovered up onto the stone altar and touched the rune, causing the scenery around her to change.

---

And we're done. To be continued in RiG2. Will post a link when it is posted.