Absolution of the Requiem

~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore

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an unmatched sock:
Well, while I wait for more votes, I have some shorts of the "during the incident with non-vital characters" section. As of right now, I have 3 shorts, and I may make some more, but it depends. One of them is a combination of two, since they will most likely be shorter anyway. I need those votes to continue, I like to know the public opinion on things like this. As it stands, here are the current votes:

Main Protagonist: Reimu - 1 Marisa - 1 Yuyuko - 1 Satori - 0 Koishi - 0
Secondary Protagonist: Reimu - 0 Marisa - 0 Yuyuko - 0 Satori - 1 Koishi - 2

It looks like Koishi will be the secondary protagonist at this point, while main is still up in the air. Remember, one vote for main, one for secondary, and the only pairing I will not allow is Satori and Koishi to go together. So what are you people waiting for? Cast them votes! And a thank-you to those who have voted already.

Chapter 0.5
Falling Gloom ~ Tales of the Miko, the Baka, the Neko, and the Devil
Part 1: Moriya Conspiracy?
Her eyes snapped open, cold sweat dripping down her face and heavy breathing. She sat bolt upright, bringing a hand to her head. "What an odd nightmare..." she said, turning to look out of the window. It was still nighttime, nowhere near time to be awake, unless there was to be youkai exterminating. She had done so multiple times in the past few days, so that night was to rest. Her nightmare still troubled her, however. "Maybe Lady Kanako will know what it means..." She did a quick nod to reassure herself, then got up and proceeded to the actual shrine atop the mountain. "The shrine part of the shrine," she heard Suwako call it one day. She yawned and stretched as she walked, sleepiness all too apparent on her face.

She approached the lake, ominous onbashira pillars still present, as always. Sitting upon the largest and lowest one was a woman dressed in red with a mirror ornament on her chest. Her hands were folded in front of her mouth, and she seemed to be concentrating. Sanae had seen this look before, often when she wanted to make an impression of a god with a lot on her mind, yet she will put it aside for those who visit. She would do this to Sanae quite a bit, pretending not to notice her come in just to mess with her. She thought this was one of those times. "Look, I know you're probably not going to pay attention right away, but please...this time it's important."

Without moving any other part of her body, the goddess spoke. "Yes...go ahead. What's on your mind?" Her usual showmanship wasn't present. Come to think of it, was Kanako usually up at this time? Sanae couldn't entirely remember, she never thought to pay attention to it. I guess that since she's a god, she wouldn't necessarily need to sleep, but maybe even they delight in such a pleasure on occasion. Regardless, she was taken aback by Kanako's genuineness. "Um...normally, you don't listen right away. I know how you like to mess with me," Sanae retorted, a bit sarcastically and suspiciously.

Kanako raised one hand toward her. "I know, but...well, let's just say, I'm a bit troubled right now."

Now Sanae was curious, and managed to push aside her tiredness and even her urgent question. "What's troubling? There hasn't been anything wrong for a while. In fact, this has been the best early summer I've spent here!"

The goddess chuckled. "You do realize we haven't been here more than maybe a year or two, right?"

"Only a year or two? That doesn't seem right. It had to have been longer..."

"Sanae, time is a strange thing. It's possible that I'm wrong and we were here longer, I don't have an exact time." Now Sanae knew that something was up. It's not normal for Kanako to admit even the possibility that she could be wrong. "But that's actually the problem. The weather's been too nice. I haven't sensed nor created any rain or winds, apart from a gentle breeze now and again for those hotter days. Usually early summer is supposed to be rainy to nourish plants and such, but there's been none..."

Sanae could recognize how this could be a problem. "So...we might lose faith because plants and crops are dying of dehydration?"

Kanako sat bolt upright, an indignant look on her face. "Goodness, no! If anything, they're happier than ever, they think I've figured out a way to rain their crops without an actual storm. Which means that moisture is coming from somewhere, but I don't know where. And to top it all off, " she added, leaning forward and pointing a finger at Sanae as if saying 'I figured out a major part of this mystery, but not quite yet.' "I can feel some sort of storm brewing...a BIG one. An unnatural one. We're in the calm phase. Youkai probably feel it and are deciding to enjoy it rather than cause major incident, which works out for everyone involved."

The shrine maiden was more than a little confused. "So the crops are getting rain without rain...they're blaming you and as such are giving more faith...and the lack of storms means that an unnatural one will be arriving soon, since we've been due for one?"

"Mmm, close. The unnatural storm has nothing to do with the lack of actual rain, but I can feel it. It's gonna be a huge storm. Suwako's a bit excited for it." Although it wasn't completely back, it was good to see that nothing was seriously wrong with Kanako, as her personality returned to normal. It might be the time of night, Sanae thought. She needs rest just like everyone else. At least now she understood why Kanako was troubled.

The goddess returned to her pose from before, but this time resting her chin on her interlocked fingers. With a slight smile, she focused back on her...subject, i suppose you could say. "So tell me, what are you doing up this late at night?"

Sanae had almost forgotten why she went to see Kanako. Any sense of elation at the thought of even more faith was suddenly brought to a halt as she was reminded. How could she forget something that important? Her face went serious as she began. She took a deep breath as sweat already began accumulating on her brow. "Well...it was a nightmare, my lady."

Kanako gave a sarcastic look of sympathy. "Aww, did the big, bad shrine maiden get scawed of a wittle night terror?" She couldn't help but laugh at herself.

Sanae turned a bit pink at this. "My lady, this is serious. I haven't been this freaked out since when I was really young and dreamt of being locked in a closet with man-eating produce..."

Kanako raised an eyebrow. "What was this now?"

Sanae only turned redder. She was starting to get irritated. "That's not important! Just listen to me! This is about you, Suwako...it's about US, alright?"

Kanako's smile quickly faded. "Right...I'm sorry. Please continue."

"So...I don't quite know where I was. It was dark...very dark...and misty. It looked like I was in some different world, like when I went to Makai with the Palanquin ship when it went to resurrect Byakuren. In the distance, the sky looked red, with black clouds all around it. I thought I saw something in the distance, some glowing point of light, and I started running towards it."

"I don't quite see what this has to do with us," Kanako interrupted, slightly bored.

"Please, just listen!" Sanae said, almost stomping the ground out of temper. "Anyway, so as I kept going, I heard a yell, so I picked up the pace, even though it didn't seem to move any faster. For some reason, I couldn't fly." This was a serious detail, since her ability to fly depended on her power to perform miracles, which was supplied by Kanako and Suwako, besides the faith she gathered for herself. She swallowed and continued, a few tears forming in her eyes as she formed the recollection. "As I got closer to the point of light, I saw three figures. It was you two, and some third person I had never seen before. One of you -I think it was Suwako- was on the ground, her back to me, and pulsing with some strange shadow-looking blemish on her skin and clothes. She...she wasn't moving. My gaze finally fell upon you two. The one was taller than you, with a halo over her head, and some strange-looking wings, even for youkai standards. Or was it a cape..."

"Go on," urged Kanako, now fully drawn into the story. She didn't want any digressions, especially not about the finer points of cape identification.

Sanae gulped again and continued. "She was dressed in white with red trim, her sleeves looking too long for her. The ground had signs of battle, but she didn't have a scratch on her. You were all bruised up. She...she had you...had you by the..." She made the motion of strangling at her own neck for effect. "You were struggling, but you couldn't break free of her one hand. Eventually, the same shadow seemed to overtake you, but you refused to lose consciousness. I tried to rush in to fight her off..." She was getting close to breaking down into tears. Reliving the nightmare was a much different experience than experiencing it the first time, she noticed.

"Take your time, Sanae. There's no rush. Now, do you remember anything else about this attacker?"

She shook her head. "No. That's all I can remember. Wait...I remember, as I ran up to her, she had a mask on...it had two small black dots for eyes and a red mouth that looked like some cross between a U and a V. But when she looked at me, someone...something...burst out from her shadow. It was this massive, pitch-black thing. It seemed feminine in shape, but its face was hideous, two bright, rust-colored eyes and a mouth with six fangs, three on each side. The thing also had six scythe-like blades coming off of some arms from within its cloak. They looked wickedly sharp. The cloak the creature was wearing seemed to blend in with the body, which just seemed to connect to the ground like a shadow. It also had two large, grotesque black wings, with bright green webbing. That's when the dream started to turn really bad." She took another deep breath. "The thing took a swing at me and missed, but while I was dodging, it moved over to your prone form. I guess the angelic creature dropped you. She stood you up somehow, then..." She started sobbing. "She wrapped her cloak firmly around you before you could respond, all six blades in the cloak as well, deep in. As I watched, since I couldn't turn away...she pulled each of her arms. The blades must have sliced right through you, like an iron maiden torture chamber...I heard you scream in pain, then fall silent. Blood dripped from the blades and the slots on her cloak, and she simply had a look of devilish pleasure from tearing you to pieces. Remembering that Suwako was still in danger, I turned, only to see the other creature take her by the arm. A strange rift opened behind them, and they disappeared into it. I was left alone with the demonic shadow. I wanted to run, to turn away, to get away."

Kanako, eyes wide, suddenly got up and floated down to Sanae, who was staring at the ground, trying not to burst into tears. She embraced the poor girl. "Sanae, honey...stop. It was only a nightmare. It's obvious that it left an impact on you, but it was no more than a figment of your imagination."

Sanae, instead of returning it, shoved Kanako away. "You...you don't even believe me! Kanako, I saw you die! You can't just shrug that off! You know I've had prophetic dreams in the past, after you made me shrine maiden."

Kanako bit her lip. It's absurd. What could have the gall, let alone the means, to attack goddesses...and win? Besides, immortal beings such as gods can't die...right? Kanako's mind was still full of questions, but she didn't want to do any more to Sanae. "How about you just go get some rest? It'll be morning soon enough. Maybe you can relate it a bit better tomorrow, after you've had some more time to think it over?"

Sanae wiped her eyes, and nodded. She was ushered out by Kanako, who closed the door behind her. As she walked back, she sighed. "That corresponds with Suwako's dream rather well. She was incapacitated, and remembered hearing me yell, Sanae scream, and then she gets dragged off...but she awoke in the same time frame Sanae did."

"I know we've been accused of conspiracy in the past...but now it looks like someone conspires against us. Perhaps it would be best if, when that storm does arrive, that Sanae sit this one out. She has enough troubles already."

She looked over the mountain side, watching the sun start to rise. She couldn't stifle a yawn if she tried. "I should probably get some sleep. After all, any day could be a big day here." She chuckled at a thought. "Well, at least it's more than that Hakurei girl could say. I bet she looks forward to incidents so she has something to do." She laughed a bit, but quickly enough her mind turned to sleep and the dreams she heard about.
You know, somehow I knew Koishi would wind up getting involved in the main story due to votes. I wonder how I knew...oh right. Dammit Koishi.
Also, it's all cool, LaserTurtle. Author (me) is not displeased with you.

TwilightsCall:
Reimu/Koishi.

8D

an unmatched sock:
Well, now it looks like the pairing will be Reimu and Koishi, but don't let that discourage you! If you REALLY want to see...uh...some other combo, then vote for it! I'm totally not desperate because the plot can't fully continue until I get your selections, and this totally isn't filler until then! Absolutely noooot~!

...

Anyway, next part!
Chapter 0.5
Falling Gloom ~ Tales of the Miko, the Baka, the Neko, and the Devil
Part 2: A Chill in Summer, Lost in the Breeze

"Ahh, I love summer. Sometimes." A girl was floating in the lake, upon what looked like a miniature iceberg. "Only when it's not that hot out. Like today! It's just perfect." The ice was sculpted to be like a reclining chair, and she was laying back, arms behind her head, and one leg partially submerged in the lake, the other crossed over it. Feeling a bit off-balance, she whipped a hand around, and more ice formed on the side of the floe, balancing it again. She sighed, closing her eyes and smiling. "Got a busy schedule tomorrow," she mumbled to herself. "Gonna hang out with the rest of the gang. Hmm...Wriggle said something about how the games we play are gettin' kinda dull now. Our favorite game...tag...hah! As if that could get boring! What does she know? She doesn't even have good fashion sense!" She had to chuckle at her own joke. "But still..."

Her train of thought was interrupted as she thought she heard a yelp from across the water. It wasn't Daiyousei... "She wouldn't be back yet. Her trips to the human village for random whatevers usually takes longer. Meh, not my problem," she thought out loud. "Now...gotta think of a new game...let's see...they said they don't like half of the danmaku games we play..." One could see the strain on the young girl's mind on her scrunched-up face. "Involving danmaku with tag wouldn't go over well, I'd think. I remember trying that, and flipping out and using Perfect Freeze when I got out." Suddenly her face lit up with inspiration, and she sat bolt upright. "Wait a minute...Perfect Freeze...tag...freeze..." She snapped her fingers in revelation, jumping to her feet with a slight flutter of her icicle-like wings. "Freeze Tag! Perfect! I am such a genius..."

Immediately she snapped out of the sound of her patting her own back when another yelp - more like a scream - echoed out across the water. She turned and saw, to her chagrin, her three rivals in some sort of scuffle. Star, the one in blue, was already knocked out on the ground, and the scream seemed to come from Luna, the one in the yellowish-beige color. Strange...usually Luna's the first to get knocked out in their little fights. That was when she noticed a fourth in their group. She was tall and elegant, wearing mostly white with red. She seemed to be holding Luna by the leg, and fending off Sunny, the fairy in red, with her other arm. The strangest part was what looked to be a halo over the tall woman's head. Now curious, Cirno turned so she could get a good look at the scene, considering most of it was quite a ways off. She got on her tiptoes on the edge of the ice floe, shielding her eyes from the sun to try and get a better look. Suddenly, she heard "Let go of my friend, you big...big...JERK!"

Cirno decided that, even if they were her rivals, she couldn't just watch fellow fairies get beaten up without demonstrating how strong they can be. It looked like those three weren't even putting up a fight! "If it's not one thing, it's another with that group. Troublemakers, that's what they are. Probably stole from the woman's bags, so it serves them right." Cirno couldn't convince herself of this. She knew something was up. As she got closer, the taller woman threw Luna in a perfect arc to hit Sunny and drop the three of them in a pile. Still infuriated, Sunny rose back into the air, and started gathering sunlight around her. In a bizarrely angry voice for the usually jovial fairy, she yelled "Sun Sign 'Aggressive Light'!" Flurries of danmaku began being hurled at the woman, in much greater intensity than Cirno remembered. Maybe because she was just watching them this time, instead of actually being the target. Of course, she was much smaller than the woman, so dodging was so much easier.

That didn't stop her, though. With unbelievable grace in just a simple side-to-side dodge, she managed to not only weave through the danmaku, but emerge completely unscathed. Sunny just looked bewildered at her. The woman raised her arms laterally, and three orbs of shadow rose with them. Suddenly Cirno's eyes went wide. What the... Cirno thought, watching the shadows be converted to Dark Matter. Since when did shadows have eyes?! The woman waved both arms forward, and the three orbs moved at once, converging directly on Sunny, passing through her as if she were air, and staying rooted inside of her. She had a brief look of pain, before it subsided to lethargy and exhaustion. However, she stayed floating, determined to avenge her defeated friends. The woman raised her arms again, and this time they were shot out of her sleeves (or so it seemed), with the same effect, only a lot more this time. Sunny couldn't stand the barrage, and went down quickly.

Now Cirno was moving even faster across the lake. I had to declare war on them in order to beat them all at once, and this woman just takes them all down that fast? Yeah right! Time to show her some REAL fairy power! It appeared as though her rivals being defeated didn't faze her, it was more a blow to her pride than anything. The woman turned to face Cirno as she flew over the lake. Now in clear sight, Cirno saw that the woman was wearing a white mask, with two small, black dots for eyes (How does she even see through those?) and a red mouth, shaped like a crescent with the open part facing upwards, but also pointed a bit, like an odd V. The woman raised two fingers, in a position she saw the bunny from the moon do once for danmaku, and she shot another shadow blob at her from her fingertips! Unfortunately, she was going too fast, and it hit directly. Now off-balance in mid-flight, she had no choice but to make an emergency landing in the dirt.

Slightly irritated in being face-first in dirt, she hears the woman scoff at her and the sound of someone walking away. Scrambling back to her feet, Cirno boldly announces "Hey! I don't know who you think you are, but nobody just assaults fairies out of the blue like that!" This got the woman's attention, just like how Cirno wanted. "Well, except for maybe that shrine maiden...and that witch...and the other shrine maiden...but that's beside the point! We fairies are strong, and I'm obvious proof of it!" I mean, look at me! I am Cirno, the..."

While she droned on, behind the mask a single eye rolled in irritation. This little girl is so full of herself. This should be easy. Finally fed up with her boasting, she interjects. "Look, I don't care who you are. I have a schedule to keep, and this doesn't involve you. It would be in your best interest to just stay out of my way." She turned to continue on her path.

Cirno was now furious. She swooped back in front of the woman. "Did you just turn your back to me? Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, turns their back on me! You're lucky I don't just freeze you where you sta-"

"Enough! I don't have time for this!" the woman interjected again. She raised her arms, like before, and a flood of Dark Matter flew from her hands. Luckily, Cirno was ready, and started dodging everywhere to avoid getting hit. She could tell getting hit with these things was bad, and she didn't want a first-hand experience with it. She returned fire with some of her own danmaku, beginning to force the woman on the defensive. One bullet managed to hit her on the red portion of her cape, which caused her to cry out in pain. Managing a smirk at finding what looked like her weak point, Cirno kept firing shots at her, trying to get her to dodge and knock her cape into a stray bullet. The woman managed to practically dance her way to having Cirno between her and the lake. "Begone, fairy!" came a yell from the woman. A few bolts of Dark Matter flew from her, and distracted Cirno long enough to get a good stream attacking her, a good three or four times how much infected Sunny. Completely in shock, Cirno was launched towards the lake, where she fell in with a large splash.

The woman walked over to the lake to savor her victory, when suddenly the shape of a frozen lotus floats up on the water. It opens, and Cirno jumps out. "What, you thought that little attack would do me in? All ya did was surprise me!"

The woman took a step nervously back. Impossible...that should have been enough to render the most devout spiritual creature under my power! How is she not even affected? I can sense it swarming her mind...or at least, what it can find of it...jeez, this girl must be a moron...

Cirno folds her arms, a look of triumph smeared over her face. "Heh. I knew you weren't that strong. I am the strongest, after all." At this point, the word 'gloat' would be an understatement of the highest caliber.

The woman regains her composure, and quickly thinks of a new plan. "Alright...I guess I'll just have to try more." With that, she snaps her fingers, and a couple dozen orbs appear around Cirno, cutting off any escape. After a few seconds, they all crowd in, holding her down, as the woman now used her entire form to spawn Dark Matter to plague the girl's mind. Cirno had to reel her head back from the attack, which felt only like dull thuds and the rush of wind. When it was over, and her captives also possessed her, she just looked around a bit, confused.

The woman, confident that she had put down the fairy, had already begun to walk away. "Was that supposed to do something?" Her eye widened behind the mask, and she whipped around to see the fairy still there, as normal as ever. "I mean, I feel a little stiff, but otherwise I feel fine. Your attacks are weak. I'm going back to lounging."

Thinking quickly, the woman raises her arm, turns her palm flat towards the ground, and moves it straight down. Cirno immediately plummets to the earth. Amazing...her intelligence must be so low that she isn't affected by the cognitive-dependent process alterations, yet her movement is completely restrained to my will...this will do as a suitable alternative. A good experiment. "I suppose coming here wasn't a complete waste of time after all," she muttered, only half-aware that she was speaking out loud.

Cirno was infuriated again. "Who you calling pointless?"

This time, the woman leaned down to Cirno's face. "You. You're pointless. A mere test dummy for more powerful creatures. You may be immortal, but you will amount to nothing. And, I put emphasis on the 'dummy' part of it. Your intelligence makes an inanimate rock look like a genius. Yet, that will only lead you to a fate worse than what was planned for you. You have no more free will, simply a free mind. Go ahead and wander about in your wonderland of blissful ignorance of which I envy you deeply."

By this point, the poor ice fairy was completely lost. "I...um..."

The woman held up her hand, and Cirno rose with it. "Save your breath." The wicked smile she put on under the mask could just be felt. "You're going to need as much of it as you can get" She then lifted her again telekinetically, wound up, and threw her back into the lake, Cirno screaming the entire way. With a chuckle, she turned and headed off into the forest to continue her war against positive emotion, with something new learned to aid her. She already seemed to be winning. Cirno, luckily, landed on her little ice floe. She could only hope that Dai would get back before the ice melted. Being paralyzed, she couldn't form a chilled breeze if she tried.

The aforementioned woman was now wandering the Forest of Magic, without a single clue as to where she was going. "I told them not to leave without me. I know we have a schedule, but I'm the important part of the scheme. I just hope I can find them soon...being lost doesn't bode well."

A fairy pulling back a branch suddenly let go, sending the tree limb on a direct collision course with the woman's face. She managed to duck in time, and in that same motion, she shot down the fairy with Dark Matter. "I just hope I can find somewhere soon, some sort of landmark." She sighed. "I hate being lost."

Well, she wasn't lost, per se. She could sense the general direction of the cloud, and she knew her position relative to it, but otherwise, she had no idea where she was. She knew her destination, and simply wanted to reach it swiftly. That, and she really wasn't supposed to be off the cloud...but she didn't care. Nothing bad had happened, so she saw no need to confine herself. Besides, it is easier to spread Dark Matter in person than over long range, she found.

As if on cue, she walked into a clearing, and before her was a huge mansion, in what she guessed was a traditional fashion. Certainly different from what she was used to when she was growing up, back when she was still alive...

Her memories were cut short, as she notices a red thing curled on the ground just inside the mansion gates. She can tell it's a living thing, but she can't quite tell what it is. As she approaches, she can see some hair, brown hair, on one end of it...and two tails from the other? Looking more carefully, she sees two black ears on top of the brown hair...just who was this? She decided to go another step closer, not fully understanding why her heart was pounding, and her instincts were screaming out to her...but she still went closer, starting to conjure some Dark Matter just in case.

As she approached, the ears moved up a little bit, on the sides of a green hat. The thing gave a long stretch, and slowly stood up, before stretching again like how a person would. The woman was in shock, oddly enough, at seeing this cat...person...thing just laying on the ground sleeping. Something was strange, though...She tried to take another step forward, accidentally scraping her foot against the ground, getting the girl's attention. The woman simply froze at her error.

She slowly turned around in a very un-catlike way. Her face was soft and loving, even though they were meeting for the first time. She turned all the way around, directly facing the woman. Their eyes locked, the shorter one with a smile, the taller one breaking out in a sweat and twitching under her mask. I..I don't understand...why am I on the verge of panic? Alright...just stay calm...stay calm...

The girl took a step forward, which prompted the woman to take a step back and gasp, hiding the arm creating Dark Matter. Her breathing escalated suddenly. Staycalmstaycalmstaycalm...stay...calm...don't let this thing control you...you're stronger than it...

Then the girl did the most bizarre thing. She just made a little noise. "Nyah~." Short, sweet...rather adorable, actually...

The woman's face was suddenly drenched in sweat. STAYCALMSTAYCALMSTAYCA- SCREW IT RUNAWAYANDPANICRUNAWAYANDPANICRUNAWAYANDPANIC!!!!!! The woman began screaming bloody murder, long and continuous, not even breaking to take a breath. The hand conjuring Dark Matter shot forward, pelting the area with high-speed bolts of the entity. She just wouldn't stop screaming, and eventually used her other arm to fire more. She was constantly backing up, and creating larger and larger spheres of Dark Matter to hurl. When she was almost to the treeline, she shot into the air, and yelled "Dark Matter 'Dark Star'!!!!!" A massive sphere of dark matter appeared over her head, growing larger and larger, until eventually she just threw it. It impacted the ground near where she thought the girl was, and she hit the ground running, quite literally, back the way she came.

Back at the mansion, a door opened, and an elegant woman with nine fox tails emerged from it. "Cheeeen, where are you? I thought I heard a noi- HOLY..."

All around the cat girl, there were craters, including a huge one that seemed to hit everywhere around her except for where she was. Upon hearing her master, the girl leaped effortlessly over the crater and ran to the fox, embracing her with a cry of "Ran-sama! We had a visitor! She saw me and ran off! I don't even know who she was, but she wore a mask! Her cape and halo were cool too!"

Ran just stroked Chen's hair, and surveyed the damage. "Well, at least nothing was damaged. You're not hurt, are you Chen?" She shook her head no, a smile still on her face. "Good. Maybe you should come inside..."

Chen looked up, confused. "But the weather's been so nice. Surely it won't rain, will it?"

Ran looked up to the sky, watching a lone black cloud way off in the distance. "...Better safe than rained on."

I think I intended these two to be a bit shorter...oh well. Staying up late typing up stories tends to do that, I think.
Don't forget to vote for main protagonist and secondary protagonist! It's like election day all over again, but this time it's for people who you may actually like!

an unmatched sock:
Wow. There's usually at least one vote between posts of the story itself. Oh well, I expected there to be more opinions. Don't let that stop you, though, so vote!

Remember: Your choices are Reimu, Marisa, Yuyuko, Satori, and Koishi. First vote is for main protagonist, second vote is for peripheral protagonist.

Also note that this is the last opportunity you will have to vote: the next part is the main story!
Chapter 0.5
Falling Gloom ~ Tales of the Miko, the Baka, the Neko, and the Devil
Part 3: Heaven Eclipses Hell

She slowly turned the crank, once, twice, five times, until it could not be turned anymore. After starting, a little tune was played, and the girl leaned back on her chair. The tune always soothed her. She looked out of the window, barred and high up on the wall, the sunset streaming in slightly. She loved the music box. It was a gift from her sister many years ago. It would always calm her down, and still does. She often stared wonderingly at the mechanisms inside, wondering how they worked just from turning one little handle on the side. Her favorite part was what happened when the catch on the top was released. In addition to being able to see more of the box, two little figures rose from the box, spinning and whirling. Their actions were opposite, yet similar. When one turned left, the other turned right. They would separate and perform on their own before meeting back in the middle to dance together before separating again, an endless whirl. The girl always thought the two figures to be her and her sister, doing a dance in the moonlight to the tune.

She yawned contentedly. These were the moments in which she could just sit there and ponder in peace. She often thought of outside, meeting new people and finding new places, undiscovered or otherwise. In some ways she hated feeling cooped up. She never got to go outside. Well, that wasn't true. Her sister did take her outside once. Sure, the nice doll lady's house got burned down, but that wasn't entirely her fault. Even she knew not to just leave matches lying around! But still, no one ever visited her. Well, again, that's untrue. Although usually her visitors were just fairy maids who wound up down there. And they usually fled in terror upon seeing her. None of them ever wanted to play...She wanted to go out, be free, and do stuff. Sure, she was kept well entertained, but that didn't change much. Then again, her sister always told her that it was for her own good that she stays down here. Why would she lie? There had to be good reason. So, she dutifully stays put. Although, she could do with more visitors...the few they get never seem to want to see her.

Just as that thought crossed her mind, she thought she saw something move down the closest corridor to her. Raising one eyebrow questioningly, she hopped up, stretching her wings, which she kept folded behind the chair. She walked cautiously down to the threshold and peered around the corner. Nothing was there. She scratched her head. "Strange...I thought for sure I saw something go down there." Still puzzled, she turned back to go back to the chair. The music box needed rewinding. However, further down the corridor on the opposite side, movement was seen again. This time she jogged towards that direction. She knew it led to a dead end, so she could ask this intruder what she was doing there. "I know I saw something this time," she said. She noticed that the blur looked like white and red. But the red was a different shade than the red her sister often wore, and the rest was white, not pink. As she rounded the bend, all she saw was hallway, with another hall branching off of the left further ahead. This hallways wasn't there before...it was installed to give the basement more room last summer. D'oh.

After her moment of forgetfulness, she turned suddenly back around, trying to get another glimpse of the intruder. She was starting to feel a little nervous at some stranger barging into her house and creeping her out. It felt fun! This time, however, she didn't see the person. She decided that maybe if she waits near the music box, maybe it'll show up again. Maybe. That was when she noticed that she could hear the music box. That didn't make sense, it had already unwound. She raced back to the first hall, sliding a little as she entered it, seeing the tall figure standing in front of the table her music box was on. "Found you, hee hee!" she exclaimed. Almost immediately, her giggling cut short as she noticed something off about this woman. She was dressed all in white with bits of red, like how she was dressed in red with bits of white. The difference was that it looked more like a robe than her skirt. Her cape was also strange, but the most noteworthy thing to her right know was the gold ring over her head. She remembered hearing about things - angels, were they called? - that wore those. But they weren't supposed to be on earth, so why was this one here? And why was her back turned to her? Surely she was more interesting than her music box...although that was also interesting.

Her exclamation actually did get the angel's attention, since she turned slightly. The girl was rapidly becoming annoyed with the woman for remaining so mysterious, so to try and alleviate the tension, she spoke first. "Well hello, I'm Flandre. What's your name?" She tried to be as friendly as possible.

The woman didn't respond.

Flandre had already begun moving to get a better view of the woman. Not getting a response made her angry and uneasy. Who was this stranger who just barges into other people's houses, and doesn't respond to a single question? How dare she have the gall to not talk! She got closer to her, and then realized that she was wearing a mask. Two small black dots for eyes, and a red mouth that looked somewhat like a V-shaped smile. The girl gasped, then immediately realized that that would seem rude. She had no reason to be rude to a guest...yet. So, she cleared her throat and tried again. "I said, my name's Flandre, what's your-"

"Does it pain you?"

Flandre was taken back by this sudden question. Caught unaware and not having an answer, she responded with a very genuine "Huh?"

The angel turned to face her fully. "This. You're trapped in a room, locked here, unable to leave. Of the people you know, some only pretend to care about you, some flee in terror from you, and others flat out deny your existence. Does this not pain you?"

The young girl was still at a loss for words. Trapped? No, she could leave when she wanted. She just does what her sister asks and stays put. She does care...and so does everyone else...right? Sure, the maids often avoid her, but no one has said she doesn't exist... meanwhile her mind was acting strange, as if it were warning her about something. It told her to run, get away, stop talking to this stranger. All she could think of to respond was an unsure "Umm..."

The woman scoffed. "Obviously not. It was foolish of me to think you might have been able to understand." She turned as if to leave.

"Wait!" Flandre didn't know why she called out. It went against what her mind had been yelling at her to do. She pushed those thoughts away. But just in case, she was ready to summon Laevateinn if the woman decided to attack her for some reason. "I'm just not sure what you mean."

The woman turned back to fully face her. "Imagine. Imagine a world where you are free to move wherever you pleased. But nobody acknowledged your existence. No one knew, no one cared. No measurable space to confine, for the prison was the mind."

Flandre tried to wrap her mind around the concept. Mostly only knowing this basement didn't help. "But surely there was someone out there who cared. There had to be someone..."

"Not for me. Everyone either ignored me completely or made life worse. Just because I didn't even know who my parents were. Just because I was an orphan with no money to her name. Just because. Just because." Her voice sounded like she was on the brink of being angry or bursting into tears. "Every day of every year of my life, I was not noticed. No one noticed me gone."

Flandre risked a couple of steps forward. "Well, I do have sympathy for you. I really do. But I just don't know how that is. I've got Remi, and Sakuya and Patchy and Meiling...and a bunch of other people.

The angel turned away from her again. "Then you don't understand what it's like to be alone. To be truly alone. To be no greater value than zero." Now she sounded like she had lost, or was lost...she just sounded lost. Flandre was almost in tears for the woman. "I do not need your pity. Continue to fester in this hole in the ground." With that, she started walking back towards the entrance. The door slowly shut, and Flandre dropped to her knees, music box still clinking away at the tune. She sniffled. Her mind was doubling back on itself, questioning all she had known.

Before the woman could take a few steps past the door, a cry of "Red the Nightless Castle!" was heard, and suddenly a cross of red energy appeared. She barely had time to dodge before a seething red-eyed, light-blue-haired girl in pink stepped forward. "What did you do to Flandre?" A maid in blue with silver hair followed close behind her.

She looked at the two, and turned to walk away and ignore them. Suddenly, the maid appeared in front of her, cutting her off. "The mistress asked you a question. I suggest you answer it." Her voice was cold steel, but not without caring. The woman gave a short laugh, and brushed the maid aside. What she didn't see was the handful of knives the maid had drawn. Instead, a red spear punctured the wall in front of her, surprising even the maid. She simply said "Now you've gone and done it."

The young girl cried out "What did you do?!" and willed the spear back to her hand.

"Enlightenment. I taught her that she does not know what loneliness truly is." She turned to the panting girl. Behind the mask, she smirked. "And I told her of how you don't deserve her."

This really got the girl angry. She threw the spear again, a perfect arc that would have skewered any living thing in the head, dashing its brains. The woman sidestepped and caught the spear. She saw the maid begin throwing knives at her, so she quickly dodged. The last few were deflected with the spear. This was a perfect distraction for the girl to rush forward, fangs bared, ready to battle. The angel, however, had another trick up her sleeve. She thrust her open hand behind her, and a rift opened. Odd mist began pouring out, and it looked pitch-black. She jumped in, and the rift closed. The girl began looking around, still wanting to tear her to pieces. Not only did this angel, a being known for its antagonistic views towards vampires, break into her house, but she even came in contact with Flandre without permission.

Suddenly a voice boomed out from seemingly nowhere. "I assume you must be Remilia Scarlet, the self-proclaimed devil of Gensokyo. Yet, you lack perception." With that, Remilia heard a yelp, and turned to see the end of a few orbs of Dark Matter infusing themselves in her maid. She was down and out. Time was no longer on their side. The angel had said this without even batting an eye, and the rift behind her closed as if it never were. "I guarantee that Heaven has never been so prominent to you. Even though I'm the furthest thing from it."

Remilia glared at her. "The last being I know from Heaven is a celestial who caused earthquakes. You two don't seem much alike."

"Celestials? No, they're from a different Heaven. The one I hail from is all angels. I was sent back."

"So what? Now you're out for revenge or something?"

"Right. It was emotion that brought me back. I apparently had a lack of it. So, I'm using Dark Matter to steal it for my own use. Once I gather enough, I can just leave."

"Then why attack us?"

"Because. Your emotions..." as she spoke, the room turned darker. "...are the most pure. Devotion. The easiest emotion to harvest. I knew the only way to make it surface was to attack your home. The guard was put under easily. Sneaking in here was rather easy after I-"

She was cut off as Remilia jumped her while she was talking. A few swift blows to the abdomen, followed by a slash across the face. As the angel turned to catch herself from her fall, the mask could be seen sliding across the floor. She lifted one hand to her now bare face as the young vampire advanced to continue her assault. The angel rose, and turned, one hand still to her face. Her left eye was covered with a white bandage. The other eye was strange: the sclera was red, the iris black, and the pupil was white. Her hand was to the left side of her face, and a single, glistening red drop started falling down the right side of her face. Now angry, darkness began to bubble around the angel. She lifted her hand off of her face, its expression changing from surprised to furious. She yelled and threw both hands forward, pelting the area with Dark Matter.

Remilia was shocked momentarily upon seeing her adversary's face for the first time. She quickly dove around, dodging the Dark Matter flying haphazardly around her. She eventually returned fire, causing the angel to also have to dodge. Small victories, she told herself. Eventually she'll win.

Between barrages, the woman could be heard shouting "Tell me, brat, how can you affect one whose fate is already sealed? You're powerless!"

This baited Remilia enough. She pulled out a spellcard and read it, deciding not to use it. It didn't fit the situation. She then found the one she was looking for. "Scarlet Sign 'Scarlet Meister'!" As the blood-red bullets began pouring, the angel called a card of her own. "Dark Matter 'Miracle Matter'!" Dark matter swirled in her palms, and began to take shape. It formed a white icosahedron, with one eye like hers on each face. As the bullets in Remilia's initial shot came into contact with the substance, they merely boucned off and fizzled out of existence. She began firing wide arcs of normal Dark Matter, intending to cut off escape routes and end it.

Remilia was being slowly surrounded, and while thinking quickly remembered that the angel dropped Gungnir. She willed it back to her, and wound up to throw it again. "You're so confident, you're nothing more than a freak! A zero!" She also intended to end this conflict. She released the spear, which flew forward, puncturing through the defense of Miracle Matter. She smirked, confident she won.

As the spear passed through Miracle Matter, she too smirked. "Configuration: Ice Form!" she called. Miracle Matter then transformed into what looked like a giant ice cube. The spear froze instantly, and ice shards began to mix with the Dark Matter. Remilia, now being boxed in with ice fragments, and having lost her spear in a block of ice, could literally do nothing as Dark Matter infected her form. She could feel it in her mind, suppressing all charisma, joy, hope...only leaving sorrow and strife. She tried to force it to leave, but it was too strong. The ice shards stopped, but the Dark Matter continued. The stream was cut off, and Remilia landed on the ground, then fell over. The maid, now awakening, tries to rush to her mistess' aid. The angel, meanwhile, grabs her mask, and lets out another round of Dark Matter. They were aimed at the rest of the house, and they began passing through walls to seek their targets. "You're right. I am zero. I am nothing. And that's what makes me strong." She turned and left, walking out through the front door, the gate guard lying on the ground nearby.

Inside of the mansion, a door opens, and a blonde girl steps out. She sees Remilia passed out, and rushes to her sister's side. Remilia put a hand to her sister's face, a last show of caring before she slipped entirely into the influence of Dark Matter. Her eyes looked hollow, and her skin and clothes were pulsing with shadow. Remilia's eyes closed, Flandre's became filled with tears. The maid, able to stand, picked up her fallen mistress, and carried her to her room for rest.

Outside, the angel looks up at the sky, and sees a black cloud speeding towards the mansion. She flies up, still holding the mask. Upon reaching the cloud, the gate opens, and she walks to the end of the hall. "Hmph. I'm sure word will get out soon. Perhaps I didn't think the idea of personal Dark Matter usage through. Indirect possession from here will suffice for the rest of Gensokyo." And yet her thoughts turn back to Flandre. She sighs. "She's too young to truly know what it means to be alone. I too had a denial phase. But now she will know what it's like to truly be alone. After all...no one will know she's there anymore."

By Remilia's bedside, Flandre sits near her. Sakuya enters with a cup of tea. Flandre speaks to break the silence. "How long you think it'll take for her to get better, Sakuya?" No response. "...Sakuya?" The maid sighs and turns to walk away. "Sakuya?!" She doesn't even turn around. "Don't you ignore me! Hey, get back here! SAKUYA!!" Flandre was in tears. Now one of the people she thought cared for her won't even recognize that she's there. And in her mind, all she could think of was the angel's words: 'Imagine a world where you are free to move wherever you pleased. But nobody acknowledged your existence. No one knew, no one cared. Of the people you know, some only pretend to care about you, some flee in terror from you, and others flat out deny your existence. Does this not pain you?'

All she could see was that mask's smile.

I'm annoyed. Almost an hour of typing was lost just because I accidentally closed out of the tab when I tried opening a new one. How else are you supposed to look up how to spell "Laevateinn" without looking it up without losing your place? And now I had to retype everything I had.

Hatred.

an unmatched sock:
Well, I guess that the current consensus stands, since I gave extended time. The votes were already tallied, and everyone already knew Reimu would be the main protagonist, with Koishi as the side protagonist! (Confetti and fanfare :toot:)

This will probably be the last commentary I shall type...From now on, unless a question is to be addressed, I will only be posting story.

I should mention, I plan little of the writing itself, most of it is improv. I just keep certain events in mind, and use those in whatever way I see fit. This can lead to a few errors. Don't be afraid to point them out (unless it's a minor spelling error or something.), and don't be afraid of giving constructive criticism! I'm pretty sure I'm not a very good writer anyway.

Anyway, without further ado, let us begin the true tale...
Chapter 1
Black Cloud in Clear Skies

*pit* *pat* *pit* *pat*

"Pacing's not helping either...ugh, what's wrong with me..." grumbled a young girl. Maybe it was her red-white outfit, with a red bow in her hair, but she didn't look much older than a teenager. She was walking around the front porch of her shrine, out of the sun, trying to determine why she felt like crap. She stopped, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples. "Alright...focus...now, maybe this is food related, what did I eat recently?" She went over a mental checklist in her head of what she had eaten the day before. Nothing out of the ordinary, until dinner last night...She had gone to get grilled lamprey, she remembered. Although, if Mystia wanted to use lamprey as a weapon, she would have done so the first time against her, not out of the blue. She wasn't smart enough for that. No, it couldn't have been that...

"Reimuuuuu!" A girlish, whining yell sliced through her thoughts. A girl who looked younger than the miko walked out of the shrine, remembering to turn sideways so her horns didn't get caught in the doorway for once. Wait, has she ever remembered to do that?! She walked up to Reimu, obviously distressed. "Reimu, my head hurts! I don't know why...Make it stop!"

Her train of thought effectively gapped off the rails, she really had no choice but to listen to her. "Suika, you've had hangovers before. You usually just drink more sake, then fall asleep. Did you try that, or did you forget?"

The little oni shook her head. "No, I tried that. That's what I've been doing for the past hour! It's only gotten worse!"

"Well when was the last time you drank before that?"

"Uh...I think it was only about three hours."

Only three? She can usually last five, maybe six if she was heavily drunk before that...maybe some sake would help me feel better... "Are you sure? You have a habit of losing your sense of time...not that it really matters to you..." she added under her breath.

"No, I'm sure it was three hours. After a-" She suddenly froze, and stood straight up, her arms rigidly at her sides. Reimu noticed this and rose an eyebrow curiously. Suika's eyes began drifting apart from each other like magnets with the same poles pointed towards each other. Still standing strangely still, she starts speaking in a monotone, robotic voice. "In three hours, one batch of sake in the maturation process is approximately between .00347 and .004623 percent mature." She shook her head, snapping herself out of her trance. She then grabbed her head and started shaking it again, a look of pain on her face. "Arrggghh! Make it stop make it stop make it STOP!!" As she yelled, she stomped on the ground, causing small tremors that slowly grew larger.

Reimu had to fight to keep her balance as the ground began vibrating from Suika's little tantrum. She could hear the wooden boards creak and bend with every stomp. "Alright, alright! Just stop trying to break my shrine!" With small tears in her eyes and an expression of mental pain, Suika calmed down and slowly looked up at Reimu. She stammered a bit as she thought of a way to get Suika out of the shrine so she couldn't actually break anything, as futile as that could be, depending on the situation. "Alright, why don't you just go on top of the gate like I usually see you, sit in the sun and drink sake? That usually makes you feel better."

Still holding her head, Suika nods once, and proceeds to the torii. About halfway there, her arms suddenly dropped again, and Reimu could hear her spout "The density of sake is .98 grams per cubic centimeter. Since the density of water is 1 gram per cubic centimeter, one could theoretically make a raft out of sake, and if the two would merge, then the sake would float. It is 1.553 times less dense than packed dirt and 8.061 times less dense than steel." She stopped in her tracks, yelled in frustration, and punched the ground, creating a small crater, cracking the ground in all directions. She just walked on, and flew up on top of the torii as if nothing had happened. The top of a sake gourd could barely be seen from Reimu's angle.

Reimu sighed. "And that's why I got you out of the shrine in a hurry." She decided against asking her for a bit of sake to make her feel better. But still, something couldn't be right, her intuition was telling her. Suika, becoming sober? That's less of a chance than getting that coin she found a few weeks ago back from Marisa. She also knew what this meant; whenever her intuition started going off, she would appear and tell her about something that she usually didn't want to hear. Well, two hers, actually. One was due any minute now. The other she could see inside already, sipping the tea she had prepared earlier. Reimu didn't even try to hide her disappointment as she walked in and sat down. "Of all people to be here, stealing my tea, when I'm not feeling well..."

The other figure pulled the cup from her lips and fixed her hair. "Hey, it's better than her sneaking in here and getting it first, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure which of you I'd rather be stuck with," she retorted bitterly, whether it was intentional or not.

The woman made a tsk noise. "And to think you would have gotten used to me by now, since we've known each other for so long..."

"Admit it, you're also affected." Reimu had enough of the side conversation.

"Alright, yes. I am. I'm just better at putting on a false image than you, I guess. It's not hard to see what it is; the hard part is...well, figuring out what it is. Not even I know what they are. They just appeared, started to...what's the word I'm looking for..."

Reimu was now getting annoyed. "Well? This could be serious, you know."

The woman chuckled. "Well, for lack of a better word, they started infecting people. I could only see their darkness though, I couldn't tell you what they were, or what they looked like. Sort of like spirits, but almost a negative version of them."

"So, vengeful spirits, then?"

"Mmm, not exactly. They're evil, for certain, but not vengeful. They're not trying to all-out possess everything...but it's like some sort of mental plague." She put down the now-empty cup before rising and stretching. "Well, I had best be on my way. And so should you. Putting on this facade is giving me such a headache...a quick nap is in order, I believe. I'll just sleep it off..." As she departed deeper into the shrine, she could be heard complaining that "it's not like I do much else anyway..."

Reimu shook her head before stepping outside. Although her intention was on leaving, her intuition told her to look left, and, lo and behold, a small dot was making its way to the shrine. It was approaching fast...very fast. She knew who it was even before it came into view. As she descended to hover a few feet off the ground, stopping on a dime, Reimu gave a very disapproving glare and simply said "Hello, Marisa."

The teen witch, full of energy as always, jumped up so she was standing on her broom. "'Ey, Reimu! I'd ask how you've been, but I have some exciting news!"

Reimu rolled her eyes, then got the feeling it would be happening a lot more in the near future. "What? Manage to finally steal a book from Voile without having to fight anyone?"

"Well, erm, yes..." Marisa scratched the back of her head. "But that's not the exciting part! I tried the first spell I found, and I summoned-"

"Summoned?! Marisa, if I go to your house and there's a Cthulhu running around, I flat-out refuse to help you. Go fight your own demons."

Marisa cocked her head. "Uh...what the hell is a Cthulhu?"

"Something Sanae told me about a while back. Some sort of demon of chaos. It apparently has a squid for a face."

"Really?" Marisa pondered the possibilities of a squid-faced demon doing her work for her. She snapped back to why she was actually there. "Anyway, no, it's a book about some water spells and such. One of the few I can actually read. The first one I found was how to manipulate water into clouds and then into storms. I guess I'm a natural at water magic, ze! First try, I got a cloud up in the sky!

"Uh-huh...right...Marisa, there hasn't been a cloud in the sky for weeks. Well, until this morning."

"Yep! I made that cloud!"

"And ever since that cloud rolled by, I've been feeling like crap. Headaches and such. I was about to go and see if I could find it."

"Ah-ha! So you've seen it in action!"

Reimu brandished her gohei, ready to beat the snot out of her friend. "What, you tried to make a cloud that would affect people's mental health?"

"What? No, just listen! After I made the cloud, it zoomed off. I looked at some fairies, probably about to use danmaku to paint my walls with graffiti, and they suddenly just dropped, almost like they were dead! It kept happening further along the trail, affecting everyone! I thought it was great at first, like a new weapon to take down youkai with, but then I realized something."

"I'm still stuck on the fact that you thought it was a good thing at all," Reimu muttered.

Marisa ignored her and continued. "If it takes down all the youkai, then I won't have any to exterminate! That's no fun, ze! Now you get where I'm comin' from?"

"I guess...but what are you doing here then?"

"I tracked it all the way here. I need to take down my own creation." She assumed a false look of determination and sadness. "My own work of art must be snuffed out by its own creator...*sniff*...Well, " She dropped the act, and waved, before going back to her usual broom-riding posture. "See ya!" She kicked her heels against the broom twice, which then lurched and took off at ludicrous speeds.

Reimu reached a hand after her, she wasn't done talking, but Marisa was too far away by this point. "She's not even going in the same direction that cloud was going in..." As she watched the small shape that was Marisa slowly become smaller and smaller, she felt a chill run down her spine, and a shadow fall upon her.

"A cloud, you say~...?"

Reimu slowly turned to face her next visitor. Although unusual, seeing this pink-haired blue-clad woman wasn't particularly disturbing...except this time, that is. She could sense her fury in place of what is usually her joviality. "Yuyuko."

The ghost princess continued staring her down like she was the last dumpling in someone else's chopsticks. "I heard something about a cloud. I want answers."

Reimu took a short step backwards; she had never seen Yuyuko like this! She had seen her get angry before, but this is more than that. This is a matter of dignity, or honor, or something... "Before that, I want to know something. What happened? You usually don't show up here alone."

Yuyuko's gaze softened a little, and she turned away. Her anger was subsiding into disappointment and sadness. She turned back, looking even angrier. "That's private business, Reimu. Just tell me where it went, or so help me..."

Reimu raised her hands in an effort to show she wasn't going to fight as she saw small glowing pink and blue butterflies swirling around her hands. "Look, I don't want a fight. I just want to know what happened. You don't look like you should be out and wandering."

The butterflies slowly faded as Yuyuko closed her eyes. "...Alright. This cloud...there's something strange about it."

Oh you don't say? she thought sarcastically. Instead, she chose the wiser, less likely to get her dead response. "How so?"

"I think an angel lives in it."

Reimu looked puzzled. "Um...an angel?" She shuddered subconsciously, remembering the first encounter she had with something angelic, deep in Makai...she still didn't like thinking about it. All those years ago...

"Yes. You know, robed, has a halo and wings, that stuff."

"Well how do you know?"

The ghost paused. "It attacked us."

"I though angels weren't malevolent, though?" She knew this couldn't be true, especially after her encounters, but she figured this would help get the story from Yuyuko.

"Yes. Here, let me give you the scenario...It was only recently, I was walking outside in the gardens in Hakugyokorou, Youmu was off tending them nearby. I noticed, near the largest area of my favorite cherry trees, there was a lone figure. She wore a white robe with red trim, had a strangely shaped cape, and sleeves that looked too long for her arms, with red feathers attached to the sleeve with two blue beads. Over her head was a gold circlet, a halo. Her hair was mostly white, with red near the end of her hair. I was about to go over and introduce myself, when I saw her raise her right arm." She mimicked the action. "Suddenly, some of my trees lost many of their petals, and started drooping. I rushed over to her, and was about to ask what she thought she was doing, when a sudden shockwave knocked me back. My head was spinning for a few seconds, and I started hearing the sounds of combat. As I came to, I started to sit up, and saw Youmu attacking the stranger, who was shooting blobs of what looked like shadow from her hands. I knew Youmu could win, since even the speed of the blobs couldn't keep up with her. I took the time to notice that the stranger wore an odd mask, with two small, simple, black eyeholes, and an oddly shaped, pure red mouth. I saw her raise both hands..." Yuyuko paused again, bringing one hand up to her mouth to hide it. Reimu deduced that this was the part that had enraged Yuyuko. "She launched another volley, but it wasa feint. Youmu dodged, but in the opposite direction of me. The blobs made a sharp angle, and were about to overrun me, but Youmu jumped in to save me. Youmu was -sorry- She was flooded with them. She was fighting their influence, but even her willpower has limits. Eventually her entire form went pitch-black, before being unceremoniously dropped to the ground. She turned mostly back to normal, but small shadowy spots would appear all over her, even on her clothes. Then her ghost half, in her form, charged in to avenge its other half. However, without the human half, it isn't nearly as powerful. The angel caught the ghost half by the throat, and as the dark blobs were infecting it too, its borrowed eyes went wide in terror. I don't want to imagine what it saw or heard, being in direct contact, but it soon also passed out, with the same treatment. I rushed over to Youmu and held her in my arms. She was alive, but locked in an unconscious state. I looked up and, through the tears in my eyes, I saw the angel fly back through the portal, into a dark cloud, which then sped off in a different direction."

Reimu didn't have a response. "Oh...well...I'm sorry...I guess..." For some reason, although this also aggravated her, she was unable to feel sympathy for Yuyuko. Something was cutting it off, somehow..."Look. You shouldn't have gone out for revenge so soon. You just left her there, didn't you? Just resting on the ground?" Yuyuko nodded, tears in her eyes. "I would suggest going back and taking her to Eientei. If anyone knows how to fix ailments, it's them. She needs you now more than ever. Just leave the cloud to me, I'll deal with it. Alright?" Yuyuko nodded again. "Okay then. Now go get her and take her to Eientei. Like I said, I'll deal with it."

As Yuyuko turned to leave, between sniffles she said "Make sure you blast that angel to hell."

"I'll see what I can do."

That was all the assurance Yuyuko needed. She took off, back towards the border that separates the dead from the living. With that, Reimu had but one more visitor to take care of...one she noticed was there, yet had no time to address since Marisa showed up. Even now, she could feel the slight tugging on her left sleeve, threatening to pull it down. "What is it, satori?"

"It's Koishi."

"Aren't you a satori, though?"

"No, Satori is my sister."

Reimu sighed, and shook her arm away from Koishi. She must have nudged her hat, because Koishi was fixing it as she walked in front of her. "Come to tell me of some problem in the underground, or what?"

"Mm, no, we're doing fine. Well, Okuu and Orin are sick, and big sis is all in a huff. I thought it would be better if I just walked around up here for a bit."

"So apparently this plague reaches down to the underground as well..." Reimu thought out loud. She happened to do that more when Koishi was around, she noticed. Not that she ever really noticed when Koishi was around.

"I felt an awful lot of emotions n' stuff coming from the shrine, so I came here to investigate. Whatever's happened to everyone else, I seem to be immune to it~."

"That's nice, Koishi, but I don't have time to play. I have important things to do. Important places to go."

"Reeeeeaally?"

Reimu's irritation was spiking again. "Yes."

"Reeeeeeeeeeaaaaaally?

"Yes."

"Reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaa-"

"Yes, Koishi, this is really, really important! It's another incident, and I need to resolve it," she said through clenched teeth.

"Well, I was just gonna invite you to come to the beach with me, but if you don't wanna..."

Reimu brought a hand to her forehead, relieved that she finally got rid of...wait a minute..."Did you say...beach?"

"Yep!" Koishi was just as radiant as ever. The...whatever it is must not be affecting her, just like she said.

"...Take me there. Now." Because there aren't any beaches in Gensokyo.

With a look of triumph, Koishi clapped a few times. "Yay! Come on, I know a shortcut~!"

Reimu rolled her eyes once again, and started following the skipping Koishi. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could see small hearts rising out of Koishi. Hopefully she wouldn't accidentally use "Release of the Id" while she was skipping. Maneuvering past that and then "Inflated Superego" as she tries to take it all back is too much of a hassle, especially now. Koishi lifted off of the ground and entered the Forest of Magic. Reimu stopped in front of it, not feeling the same energy she usually feels from it. Something is definitely wrong, she thought. Koishi's head popped out from the treeline. "Come on, slowpoke~!" With a sigh, Reimu lifted off of the ground and followed her into the forest, on her guard for whatever might spring out at them.

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