I don?t remember how long the knife just lay motionless on the floor. Maybe it was a few seconds, maybe more. I just stood there not knowing what to expect. Then the blade began to emit a thick black smoke that spiraled upwards until it resembled a small, stationary funnel cloud. The smoke finally began to dissipate, and floating above the knife was a strange woman with long, green hair and a blue conical hat adorned with a large white bow and a pair of blue ribbons on either side. She wore a blue caplet fastened on the front with a yellow over a simple blue dress. Her legs? I did a double take. Under her dress were no visible legs, just a wisp of white smoke that wagged around like a tail.
?Aaaaah, finally I?m free!? the woman exclaimed, stretching her arms out. She looked down below her, reached down, and picked up the knife. ?Another decade in this damned prison and I would?ve gone nuts.? She looked at me, standing there looking as though I?d seen a ghost, though in this case the expression wasn?t misplaced. ?Hey, girl over there. Where am I??
It sounded like Rin was telling me not to say anything to her, but the word ?Hakurei? had already slipped past my lips. The corners of the ghostly woman?s mouth curled up.
?Hakurei, huh? Oh, this is just great. You look a bit young to be the Maiden, but so much the better.? The woman lifted her arm into the air, and a black cloud formed above her; as her fingers closed around it, it coalesced into a silver staff topped with a crescent moon, which was suddenly pointing directly into my face. ?Finally I, the great Mima, can begin my revenge! Sorry, little girl, no hard feeling, alright??
There was a crackling sound, like peals of thunder spaced very close together, and something bright was gathering at the top of the staff. Well that was it. I was probably going to die now. Well, it was a short life and didn?t quite amount to much. Goodbye, father, whoever you are. I?ll see you soon, mother.
?REIMU, GET DOWN!?
?Huh??
Several things happened at once. First, Kasen put her bandaged hand on my shoulder and pushed down. I was surprised by how strong it was. Second, Rin slid in between me and the ghost woman, reached into her bag, and pulled out a handful of acupuncture needles. Third, the yin-yang orb ricocheted off the ceiling and crashed into the back of the ghost woman?s head, knocking her hat off. Last, her aim shifted at the last second thanks to the impact, so the ensuing blast only blew a hole in the ceiling rather than my head. A shaft of sunlight fell through the ceiling, illuminating the now battered storehouse.
?Owww owww ow!? She held the back of her head, seething with apocalyptic rage. ?That hurt, you miserable little sow!?
While the ghost woman was still reeling, I saw Rin flick her wrist, and a hail of needles shot across the room like darts. The ghost woman saw them in time to bat them away with a swish of her staff, which she swung around with surprising ease for something so long.
?Three against one, and I?ve only just woken up. Those aren?t very good odds, even for me.? She looked up at the gaping hole in the ceiling. ?I think this might be the right time for a? uh, strategic relocation. That?s right! Later!? She threw a mock wave over her shoulder as she rose up into the air and through the hole. After a while I felt Kasen?s grip on my shoulder loosen; it was then that I realized my entire body was shaking.
?Wh-wh-what just happened here!??
?It?s not your fault, Reimu.? Rin was already by my side, putting a calming hand on top of my head. ?It could have happened at any time, if the ofuda was already damaged enough to break from a simple fall.?
?Didn't she call herself Mima?? Kasen picked up the hat that had fallen from the ghost?s head and found the yin-yang orb resting on the ground close to it. It had finally come to a stop. ?Pretty sure she was sealed away about, what, three hundred years ago? Long before the Border went up, anyway. Better go check in at the village, just in case she decides to exact her ?vengeance? on the locals. You?d better stay here with Reimu and make sure she?s okay.?
?Miss Ibara?? Rin began to speak, but faltered.
?One of the villagers has apparently awoken to a power,? Kasen was still talking as she picked up the orb. She didn?t even appear to have taken notice to what Rin had said. ?It seems she can make the whole village invisible or something to that effect. But she?s just a teenager, and I?m not taking any chances.?
Kasen walked over to me, opened my hand, and placed the orb in my palm. ?Keep it by your side, don?t lose it. If anything tries to hurt you, call Miss Satsuki. And if she can?t get to you?? she trailed off, thinking. ?Just throw it at them.?
?Wait!? I practically shouted this. Even Kasen, who was moving like a bat from hell stopped in her tracks. ?Tell me what?s going on!?
?Reimu?? Rin began. ?That was the spirit of a very powerful magician who was sealed away by your ancestors. She?s called Mima, and she has a grudge against the entire human race.?
?For? what??
Rin threw her arms up ? the first time I?d ever seen her unable to come up with a certain answer. ?For being alive, I suppose.?
?Suffice to say, it would be really bad if she ever found the village.? Kasen was moving again, towards the door.
?I? I understand.? I finally managed to stammer out. ?This is my fault. At least let me help fix it.?
Rin and Kasen exchanged glances. Eventually the ascetic spoke. ?You?re not ready yet, Reimu. There?s no way you could make it to the village in time on foot. And even if you did, the odds that you would make any difference in a fight are, honestly, slim.?
Even though I knew the fact myself, hearing it from someone else still stung. I knew I was young, even though I was a descendant of the Hakurei I was a failure as a shine maiden. But I still couldn?t sit on my hands while someone else cleaned up my mess.
?Miss Ibara, you go on ahead.? Rin said. She had been looking into my eyes and seemed to have caught a glimpse of my unspoken words. ?I?ll bring Reimu to the village.?
Kasen stood in thought for a second and then turned around. The chain on her manacle clinked as she extended her left arm to me. ?Okay, consider this your first test, Reimu. Take my hand.?
I took it uncertainly into my own. There was no way I could have expected what came next.
This is the end of Chapter One. Hopefully not too many people stopped reading as soon as Mima appeared. Also, the whole 'bouncy yin-yang orb' in the storehouse is meant to be a homage to HRtP's gameplay.