~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library

In the Brilliant Light of Day [Complete] - DDC Novel Length Fanfic (+pics!)

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hungrybookworm:

Chapter 6
(AO3 Mirror)

There had to be a mistake. Shinmyoumaru read through the sheet of paper a second time, unsure what to make of it. The narrator said he was an inchling from a time before they lived in the World of Oni, but the story of how they got there was completely different to the one Seija told her. In this version, the youkai of Gensokyo were uninvolved. It was the Miracle Mallet that plunged the inchling race into darkness. Shinmyoumaru frowned. Was this story made up by the youkai in Gensokyo, intending to trick the inchling people at a later date? But it explained a bit too much, like why the castle was upside down, and why making big wishes with the mallet was a bad idea. Was this stuff common knowledge in Gensokyo? She?d never seen any of the newspapers mention it.

And what was it doing in Seija?s youkai encyclopaedia book?

Her head hurt. Shinmyoumaru didn?t like this, and she didn?t want to think about it now. She opened the book again, and put the sheet of paper back where it was before. Now Seija wouldn?t know she?d read it, in theory.

Then she opened the section on amanojaku again, and stared at it. Her brain wanted to focus on one new thing at a time, and right now it was Seija?s feelings. Rereading the section again seemed like a good idea, but she kept scanning the same sentence over and over, and losing her place in the paragraph.

Seija was an amanojaku. The inchling race misused the mallet. The youkai of Gensokyo hurt Seija. The castle turned on its head and plummeted into the World of Oni. The mallet ran out of power. The mallet will make their revolution a reality.

She heard footsteps, a crash, and Seija leapt into her room. ?Your Highness!?

Shinmyoumaru shrieked in surprise. Seija?s face was covered in sweat, and her hair was a mess. She was on the verge of panic. ?Oh, oh? is that my youkai encyclopaedia?? Seija took a few shaky steps forward, and reached down to pick the book up. Shinmyoumaru saw faded wounds on her forehead, and smelt tobacco smoke.

A wave of sadness, affection, terror and love rushed through Shinmyoumaru. She saw the Seija in her dream again, a broken lump of flesh. She could see Seija?s cuts and bruises as clear as day.

Shinmyoumaru couldn?t stop herself. She grabbed Seija?s arm, and yanked her down. Seija yelped, and struggled, but Shinmyoumaru held on tight. ?Stay still, please!? she ordered, and wrapped her arms around her. She felt bad for doing this, but she needed to hold Seija. She needed some kind of physical comfort. ?Please Seija, stay still. I need this.?

Seija growled, and fell still. Shinmyoumaru felt her tremble. Tremble? The big bad amanojaku was trembling? Of course, she probably hated this. Hugs felt nice to Shinmyoumaru, but they were probably agony to an amanojaku. Seija felt so weak in her arms, and so skinny too. Like her bones might snap if Shinmyoumaru hugged too hard.

Seija was weak.

Weaker than Shinmyoumaru.

?Don?t pity me,? snarled Seija. ?I hate that.?

?Sorry!? Shinmyoumaru let go. Seija scrabbled away, with the encyclopaedia in her hands. They looked at each other, neither knowing what to say.

Shinmyoumaru wondered if she should ask about the sheet of paper. But then she saw Seija quickly open the back of the book, glance down, and smile with relief.

With relief?

Seija flicked through the book, pretending to look for something. ?Are you reading up on me??

?Ah?? Shinmyoumaru blushed. ?Um, sorry. I didn?t mean to take it without asking you. I don?t know much about amanojaku, so??

Seija snorted. ?This picture?s so dumb. I?ve never seen such a stupid looking amanojaku.?

?You mean boy amanojaku aren?t purple??

?Some of them are! I mean the look on his face, like he?s just worked out how to count.? She tucked the book under her arm. ?I?ve got much better encyclopaedias upstairs. Read those instead.?

?Is all that stuff in the article true?? Shinmyoumaru had to know. ?It said amanojaku are contrary and take pleasure in being hated. Do they??

?Well?? Seija grinned. ?I suppose you could phrase it like that.?

?Then doesn?t being nice to me all the time hurt you?? Shinmyoumaru clenched her fists. ?If I had to be really mean to someone every day, I?d feel terrible. So for you, being nice to me must be really difficult. Right??

Seija looked terrified, as though Shinmyoumaru had seen through her act.

?That?s why you?ve been avoiding me so much, isn?t it?? Shinmyoumaru continued. ?Because it?s making you feel bad.?

?Shut up.? Seija glared at her. ?Don?t psychoanalyse me.?

So she was right. ?Sorry.?

Seija shuddered. ?Look, just? I? Fine, yes. The book?s right. Every time I open my mouth all I wanna do is throw insults at you.?

That hurt, but Shinmyoumaru didn?t want it to show. ?I thought so? I?m sorry, Seija. It?s not fair, is it? You can be mean to me if it makes you feel better. I?ll know you can?t help it.?

?Don?t be stupid!? Seija snapped. She jabbed a finger at Shinmyoumaru. ?You have no idea what?s going on in my head! If I let myself say whatever I wanted, you?d run away and never come back!?

Shinmyoumaru refused to back down. Seeing Seija yell was scary, but it didn?t frighten her all that much. ?No I wouldn?t!?

?You would. Anyone would! I?m not here to make you hate me; I?m here to change the world with you, so I have to keep my mouth shut!? Her voice quivered. ?I?m an adult amanojaku. I can hold my tongue.?

?You can be honest with me! I?m an adult too, an adult inchling.? Shinmyoumaru stood up. ?I?m fed up with acting like a kid.?

?I just said I can?t be honest with you. Listen to me!? Seija kicked a wooden beam on the floor in frustration. ?God. I?m fed up with this. I?m going to bed, it?s too late.?

?Wait, don?t! Please don?t go, Seija!?

?Tough, I?m going.?

Seija strode to the stairs, her wooden sandals slapping against the floor. Shinmyoumaru panicked, and dashed over. She lunged, and grabbed Seija?s arm

?Hey, get off!? Seija winced, and tried to fling her away, but Shinmyoumaru held on tight. ?Come on!?

?I won?t let go until you tell me the truth!?

?What truth? I am telling the truth! Let go!? The book slipped out from under Seija?s arm, and fell to the floor. ?Shit!? Seija yanked her arm free, and swooped down to grab it. Shinmyoumaru watched as the sheet of paper slipped out of the book. Seija snatched it up, and shoved it back in. ?Damn loose pages.?

?What was that?? asked Shinmyoumaru.

?A loose page, I just told you. Now let me go!?

?No! Be honest with me!?

?Only if you?re honest with me!? Seija looked at her, and sneered. ?You?re thinking about leaving me, aren?t you? I?m a big scary amanojaku, and I might gobble you up like the melon princess if you do anything I don?t like! I feel happy making people suffer! Seeing them scream and cry and look at me with eyes full of hatred makes me feel so good! No one in their right minds would live alone with an amanojaku. It?s unsafe!?

?I don?t want to run away from you, Seija.?

?What are you, stupid? A hardcore masochist or something?? She laughed. ?If you knew even half the stuff I?d done other the years, you?d never speak to me again!?

?You?re an amanojaku, though. You?re made that way.?

?It feels good! Every time someone looks at me with disgust I feel so damn good!? Her sneer widened into a grotesque smile. ?I could make you cry in seconds if I wanted to. I would make every day unpleasant if it made you hate me! That?s my job! I make people miserable! I ruin lives!?

She made people miserable. Was that why the youkai in Gensokyo hurt her all the time? Were they afraid of her? Protecting themselves? Or maybe they just hated amanojaku. And Seija wasn?t strong enough to fight back. Shinmyoumaru felt tears well up in her eyes. ?Seija??

?I told you not to pity me!?

?I?m not pitying you, I?!? What was she doing then? Feeling bad for her? Caring about her? Of course she cared about Seija. She wanted Seija to be happy. She? wait? no way?

Shinmyoumaru looked at Seija. Her heart rate tripled. No way.

?I?m?? How could she put this feeling into words? No, she mustn?t, Seija would hate it. Wouldn?t she? ?Um?? Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her heart was a mess. She needed to lie down somewhere quiet and think over all this new information. But Seija was staring at her, waiting for an answer.

Seija worked it out first. ?You?re in love with me??

Shinmyoumaru paused, then nodded.

Seija looked horrified. ?You can?t be serious. What?s wrong with you??

?I love you.? Yes, those words felt right. So this was love. Shinmyoumaru had never fallen in love before. ?Because? you?re so brave, and determined, and even though you?re weak like me, you?re actually really strong, and? I love you, I just love you.? She couldn?t stop herself. She was in love. In love! With an amanojaku! ?I?m sorry.? She looked away. ?I?m so sorry??

Seija kept staring at her. Shinmyoumaru sobbed. Things were just getting more and more complicated. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, unsure what else to say. Did Seija hate her now?

?I need time to think about this,? said Seija at last. ?I?m going back to my room.?

Shinmyoumaru didn?t stop her this time. She watched as Seija flew up to the fourth floor, and out of sight. Then she heard the distant rumble of the room dividers opening and closing, and at last she was alone.

That book. Seija had clung to it the whole time, and looked moments from a heart attack when the paper slipped out. She?d been afraid of Shinmyoumaru seeing it. Why? Because it was the truth after all? Maybe it was the truth? Shinmyoumaru covered her face with her hands. If it was the truth, then what about the story Seija told her?

What if Seija was lying to her?

Shinmyoumaru stayed awake that night, thinking and thinking and thinking.

*****
A red western mansion stood in Gensokyo, beside the Misty Lake. At night the mansion was filled with light and noise and excitement, as its vampire inhabitants ran through the corridors, laughing and shouting. But during the day the mansion was silent, and the servants did their best to clean up the mess.

A postwoman stood at the gates that afternoon, holding a large package. Sakuya Izayoi, the head maid, was inspecting the order form. ?Yes, seventy silver knives,? she confirmed. ?That?s what I ordered.?

?Then could you stamp here please?? asked the postwoman.

Hong Meiling, the gate guard, watched the exchange through half open eyes. The postwoman left, and Sakuya moved indoors. Finally, the replacements had arrived! Sakuya had been looking forward to this. She placed the package on the kitchen table, and cut it open.

Inside were seventy-one knives.

It was obvious which knife was the odd one out. One of the knives was longer, thicker, and sharper than the others. Sakuya picked it up, and frowned. She hadn?t ordered it. Should she send it back? No, Sakuya wasn?t one to turn down freebies. It was worth trying out, at least. She grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl, and held the knife to it. The blade slid through it with minimum effort, and split the apple into two perfect halves.

That felt good. The knife?s handle fitted into her palm perfectly. Its edge gleamed. Sakuya smiled. What a pleasant surprise! Maybe she would cook breakfast with it later, as a second trial. She tucked the knife into her garter belt, and turned to sort the other seventy.

By the end of the day, it was her new favourite.

*****
Seija lay in her futon, and wondered if she should run away.

She could, if she wanted to. Grab her stuff, snatch the mallet, fly out the window, the end. But no, things were fine. She was overreacting. She had no proof that Shinmyoumaru had read the translation. It was in the same place as before when she?d checked the book, and the strange mixture of emotions she detected from Shinmyoumaru ? confusion, wariness, even a hint of betrayal ? were perfectly natural for a woman who just found out she was living with an amanojaku. And all that sickly sweet love made Seija want to retch. Unbelievable.

She went to bed stressed out, but when she woke up that morning, her mind was clear. Shinmyoumaru being in love with her was perfect. Absolutely brilliant. Now Shinmyoumaru would never leave her. If Seija played her cards right, she could even get away with telling her nothing for longer, because the inchling would be too infatuated to notice. She?d obediently use the mallet for her, and never think twice about anything. Seija wasn?t going to ruin such a convenient development by rejecting Shinmyoumaru?s feelings.

But.

Love was disgusting. It made Seija?s skin crawl. It was a dumb thing other people felt that made them do stupid things. Amanojaku didn?t fall in love with each other. Why would they, when hate felt so much better? They didn?t go around in pairs, or rear children together. There was no benefit to it. When a male and female amanojaku met, they would circle each other, then lunge for the throat if interested. They would scratch, bite, snarl, and attempt to kill each other until the fighting turned to sex, then they would continue trying to kill each other until they were done. The instant the filthy act was over, they would run away and hope to never see each other again. Then the female amanojaku would have half a dozen chicks a few months later, and rear them by herself until she got tired of them.

Seija had done that stuff with a few male amanojaku in her youth (and several more female amanojaku over the years), but no children had come out of it. Just as well really, she couldn?t imagine rearing a herd of bratty kids. She?d never tried getting it on with a human or another youkai. It had never appealed to her. All the touching and kissing and tenderness disgusted her.

But.

She wanted this revolution to happen. It needed to happen, no matter what the cost. If romancing Shinmyoumaru made it more likely to succeed, then Seija would do it. Any other option could lead to failure, and worst of all, regret.

Seija pulled herself out of bed, and got dressed. Shinmyoumaru was nowhere to be seen in the main room, and was probably still asleep. Seija felt relieved, and sat down on top of the table. She wanted to spend all day in Gensokyo again. She wasn?t doing anything in particular down there ? it was still too early for them to attempt an attack, or to start recruiting other people ? but being away from the castle helped her think. She?d know how to handle things by sunset.

That night, Seija returned to the castle covered in cuts and bruises again. She?d made the mistake of picking on a group of tanuki, and now she couldn?t lift her arms above her head without wincing. She?d managed to get away before things got really bad, but Seija hadn?t been able to rest without worrying they were sneaking up behind her. Upsetting shape shifters was the worst. You never knew when they?d jump out at you. Her injuries would heal by tomorrow morning; she just had to put up with the pain for now. Her dress was torn in a few places. The wind blew into the tears and made her shiver.

She landed on the stone block, planning to smoke her pipe before finding Shinmyoumaru. But the inchling was already sitting on the block, on a slope near the opposite edge. She had her back to Seija, and the gold thread in her kimono shone in the moonlight. The mallet was tied to her obi, as always.

Seija paused. Was now a good opportunity to talk to her? If she left things any longer, she?d just be putting them off. Seija had thought about Shinmyoumaru?s feelings all day, and had come to a decision before flying back. She had no reason to hesitate.

Seija walked across the block, ignoring the pain that shot through her limbs with each step, until she was right behind Shinmyoumaru. ?What are you doing up here?? she asked.

?I couldn?t focus on anything.? Shinmyoumaru mumbled, and continued staring ahead.

Seija sat next to her. ?Thinking about yesterday??

?Yeah.? Shinmyoumaru sighed. ?I?ve been thinking about it all day.?

It was perfectly quiet. The sky was clear above them, and the stars glittered around a crescent moon. Shinmyoumaru?s emotions were hard to read, but love was definitely in there. Thick, syrupy, sickly love.

?What are we going to do, Seija?? she asked.

Seija took a deep breath. ?More like what are you gonna do??

?I?? Shinmyoumaru grimaced. ?I was thinking. That actually, it would?ve been weird if I hadn?t fallen in love with you. I mean, um? you gave my life new meaning. You showed me the sky.? She looked at Seija, and smiled. ?I?d never seen the sky before. I knew things like sunlight and clouds and the rain and snow existed in fairytales, but I?d never seen them before. Not until you showed me.? She blushed. ?Nothing but good things have happened since you came into my life. So? of course I?d fall in love with you. Even though you?re an amanojaku, so you?ll hate it? I?m sorry.?

They sat in awkward silence. Seija had no idea what to do next. Her eyes drifted to the mallet. Shinmyoumaru carried it everywhere now. Shinmyoumaru even brought it into the bathing area when she washed, and slept next to it at night.

Seija had no way of knowing how much power they?d used, and how much was left in the mallet. For all she knew, it could run out tomorrow, and backfire on them out of nowhere. She hadn?t told Shinmyoumaru about the price system, or the limited power the mallet had, but she?d made her aware of the importance of small wishes. The mallet still looked brand new. Its paint was bright and unchipped, and the red string on its handle clean. Seija wished Shinmyoumaru would leave it alone for once, so she could hold it. She?d spent so much time and effort getting her hands on that mallet, and hadn?t had any time with it since Shinmyoumaru got it out of that box for her. Seija wanted to gaze at its patterns, and trace a fingertip along its edge. She wanted to feel its power tingle against her skin. Her own little miracle maker. Her key to unlimited happiness.

Shinmyoumaru saw her looking. She unhooked the mallet, and held it out. ?Do you want to hold it??

Seija frowned, embarrassed. But she wasn?t going to say no. She accepted it, and held it in both hands. Here it was. The Miracle Mallet. Her Miracle Mallet. Seija felt the stress melt away as she turned it over in her hands. She could feel its power pulse and swirl beneath her fingertips, just like when they first prised it out of that box. Even now, it was hard to believe it was real.

She glanced up, and saw Shinmyoumaru watching her with a warm smile on her face. The love oozing out of her was covering up all her other emotions. Seija squeezed her eyes shut, and took a deep breath.

?Shinmyoumaru,? she said.

She heard Shinmyoumaru gasp. Seija had never said her first name before. Seija opened her eyes, tightened her grip on the mallet?s handle, and shuffled closer.

?S? Seija??? Shinmyoumaru didn?t move. Seija put an arm around her shoulders as casually as she could, and focused on breathing.

?Y-You don?t have to if it hurts!? gushed Shinmyoumaru. ?It?s okay!?

?It doesn?t hurt,? hissed Seija, which was the truth. ?I?m just not used to this.?

?Stop if it ever hurts you, okay? Promise??

Seija grunted, and gripped the mallet so hard its edge dug into her palm. Shinmyoumaru smelt like the cheap soap they used in the bathing area, and her kimono was soft. ?Have you ever done this stuff before??

?Not like this. I mean, um??

?How old are you anyway??

?I?ll be twenty soon.? Shinmyoumaru glanced up at Seija, then let herself lean sideways and rest her head on her shoulder. ?Is this okay??

Seija didn?t push her away. It was weird, but not too uncomfortable. She could cope with it as long as Shinmyoumaru did nothing sudden. ?Stop being nice, it?s annoying.?

Shinmyoumaru giggled. ?I can?t help it.?

?If I can stop myself being nasty, you can stop being nice.?

?Would you prefer me nasty??

?Not if you don?t mean it. It only works if you hate me.?

Shinmyoumaru sighed. ?I don?t hate you though. I love you.?

?I know.?

?It?s not fair if you have to hold back all the time and put up with me liking you.?

?I can deal with it.?

The first hint of dawn glowed behind the mountains. Soon Gensokyo?s youkai would curl up to sleep, and its humans would crawl out of bed, ready to start a new day. All totally oblivious to the women sitting high above them, awkwardly leaning against each other and plotting to change the world.

?How old are you, Seija?? asked Shinmyoumaru.

?Dunno. I forgot after a few centuries.?

?Isn?t it weird, living for that long? Can you remember everything??

?No way.? Seija didn?t want to remember all of it. ?I guess it?s weird if you hang out with humans, but who does that??

?The oldest inchling I knew got to one-hundred-and-fifty,? said Shinmyoumaru. ?He was my great-granddad.?

?Good for him?? Seija made a mental note to remember that. Maybe she could persuade Shinmyoumaru to have kids in a decade or two, to take over the mallet after she dies.

??We might get killed if this goes wrong, won?t we??

?Well, yeah.? Seija laughed. ?It?s a revolution. All or nothing.?

Shinmyoumaru put her arm around Seija?s back. ?Dying?s scary.?

Seija sneered. ?Having second thoughts??

?No, if it makes things better for my people, and for the weak, then? I can handle it. It?s scary, but I can handle it if it?s for that.? There was a spark of uncertainty that Seija couldn?t ignore, but it was gone in seconds, covered by the love and happiness pouring out of Shinmyoumaru.

Time to make a move. ?Because I?m here??

??It helps. I mean, yes?? She squirmed. ?Sorry.?

Seija gently pushed Shinmyoumaru?s head away from her shoulder. She gazed at her face, and smiled as kindly as she could. Her princess was blushing, and her mouth was pursed with determination.

Seija leant forward, and kissed her.


She felt Shinmyoumaru shudder, and freeze up. Seija pulled away almost immediately, reluctant to linger. ?We?re in this together,? she said. ?So don?t do anything dumb, okay??

?I won?t.? Shinmyoumaru?s voice trembled. ?Ah? can we do that again??

Seija sighed. ?All right.?

The Miracle Mallet stayed in Seija?s lap, its weight comforting her.

hungrybookworm:

Chapter 7

This chapter contains nsfw content! Since nsfw stuff isn't allowed on MotK, you'll all have to read this chapter on AO3 instead. So click the link below, and prepare yourselves for the sin.

[nsfw]http://archiveofourown.org/works/6641776/chapters/15816316[/nsfw]

(Reminder that the nsfw sections are necessary for the story (they wouldn't be there otherwise!) so you can't wimp out and skip this chapter. There's a few more later on too, so grab your holy water buckets while you still have the chance.)

hungrybookworm:

So. I was kinda hospitalised this summer and nearly died and blah blah blah long story short I forgot I was posting this fic here and not just on AO3 so, time for a long overdue update!

Chapter 8
(AO3 Mirror)

The cold, hard lump was still lodged in Marisa?s stomach the next morning. Eating her favourite snack food did nothing to shift it, and going on a walk just made it worse. Her head was fixated on the night before, and refused to focus on anything else. There was Miko?s offer, her own foul mood, the way Reimu smiled as she talked to Sanae... and the cold, bitter defeat that always came the morning after, when she remembered she hadn?t solved the incident. She hadn?t stood above her competitors. She wouldn?t get a fat paycheque for her trouble, and no one would even remember she was there.

Re-reading her grimoires and pouring over her experiment results rarely failed to cheer her up. But Marisa?s charts displayed nothing but duds and negatives these days: pages and pages of angry scribbles and red crosses. In the end Marisa had to snap the book shut, and toss it across her desk. She was wasting her time.

Instead she stood up, and went outside again. It was only seven-am, but the forest air was already stuffy. Marisa sat down on a half-broken garden bench, and tried to clear her head. Her garden was as messy as the interior of her house: there were weeds everywhere, and random items she?d picked up and couldn?t squeeze through the front door. Her mini-Hakkero sat on top of a cracked sundial, morning dew gleaming on its metal surface.

Marisa had to leave it outside now. It?d started acting up a week ago, and keeping it in the house was too dangerous. It destroyed the curtains in her living room the other day, and nearly set fire to her bed. Marisa had escaped any serious burns, but there were calluses on her fingers from the metal heating up too fast. She glanced down at her right hand, and inspected her fingers. In a way, she was delighted. She?d spent years trying to work out how to make the mini-Hakkero?s fire stronger, and now its flame was thicker and hotter than ever before. What had caused it though? Probably the same thing that made it disobey her. Whatever that was.

She didn?t want to think about it too hard. Marisa didn?t want to see the state of her magic once she lost the furnace?s power boost.

No, that was silly. Marisa?s progress couldn?t go backwards, not without some effort. But it was becoming more and more obvious that she?d gone as far as she could boiling mushrooms and setting fire to things. Any other year and she would?ve been excited. She would be down in the library with Patchouli discussing further options, or getting Alice?s advice on which spells to focus on in the future, but now?

Marisa was honestly terrified.

Forest mushrooms were the perfect research material. They were free, and some of them were edible. They were loud and flashy, but explosive in a safe way. Perfect for the easy going, perpetual state of poverty she lived in. If she had to switch to new materials, they would undoubtedly cost more money. And if she needed more money, she?d need regular work. Youkai extermination paid well, but it wasn?t something people needed every day. And regular work would mean less time to experiment, so her progress would slow down.

It was a downward spiral. Marisa was human, so unlike Alice and Patchouli, she only had so many years to research new things. She was going to have to make a sacrifice: money, or time. She needed money to eat. She needed time to improve. It wasn?t so much about which new direction to take her magic in, as whether she could continue practising it at her current level.

She wouldn?t be able to keep up with Reimu.

Marisa shook her head, trying to chase the thought away. So what about Reimu? Marisa didn?t become a magician just to chase after her. Did she? No, she definitely didn?t. Reimu could smile at Sanae all she wanted. Marisa didn?t care. She didn?t need the free meals whenever she visited the shrine, or the money from stealing Reimu?s customers. Reimu could keep all that to herself.

The lump in her stomach returned. She?d tried to pretend otherwise, but Marisa knew now. Their friendship was over. It?d been over for half a year. The flicker of hope she?d treasured all this time had died last night. Reimu didn?t care about her anymore, and Marisa was on her own finding food and work and ways to get noticed.

An orange flame shimmered in the mini-Hakkero, as though responding to her feelings. Marisa gazed at it, hypnotised. Was it trying to comfort her? She got up, and walked over to the sundial. The furnace wasn?t burning hot, just pleasantly warm. Marisa lifted it up, and held it in her lap, taking care to keep it aimed away from her. It was soothing, like having a small, metal cat. Well okay, not really, but Marisa relaxed regardless.


?I wish you behaved more often,? she said. ?I?ve got enough problems to deal with right now.? She felt stupid talking to her mini-Hakkero. Like she had no friends or something.

Wait.

Why was she talking to it? It wasn?t alive, was it?

Was it?

The revelation hit her. Marisa leapt to her feet, appalled at herself. Why hadn?t she noticed sooner? Her mini-Hakkero was turning into a tsukumogami! Why? She hadn?t neglected it recently, and she hadn?t brought anything into her house that could corrupt it. Should she go to Kourindou? Ask Alice? Talk to Reimu?

No. Her gut feeling told her it was something big. Maybe it was caused by a spell she?d tried earlier in the week, or maybe it was the start of a new incident. If it was the latter, she needed to get moving. Usually she waited for Reimu to notice before heading out herself, but this time she needed to resolve it first. For her pride more than anything.

Maybe Reimu would look at her, and feel pissed off.

Marisa?s fear turned to optimism. She grabbed her broom from the porch, clenched the mini-Hakkero in her right hand, and wasted no time setting off. She visited Alice, then Kourindou, and talked to a few merchants and blacksmiths in the village. By late afternoon she was rushing through the sky, dodging bullets and fairies through the clouds, moving towards an unknown destination somewhere to the west. Her gut feeling led her towards a patch of sky she?d never explored before. Through the bamboo forest, across forests and mountains, and then?

The clouds parted, and she saw an upside down castle floating in the sky.

Marisa gawped at it. The castle was at least five stories tall, and had a fat stone wedge attached to the top. How had no one noticed it before? This wasn?t the most inhabited part of Gensokyo, but surely the fairies would?ve noticed it? Was anyone living inside it? The castle didn?t bob or sway in the wind. It sat perfectly still, as rigid as a building constructed on the ground.

This was it. Whatever caused her mini-Hakkero to play up was waiting inside. Marisa knew she had to get in somehow. She flew closer, and looked at the windows. Most of them had wooden bars, and the big gate at the very top was bolted shut. But there were a few windows that had no bars, and Marisa saw that their wooden shutters were open. She could easily break in.

The owners probably thought security wasn?t necessary this high up, but they hadn?t met Marisa Kirisame yet. A castle was a status symbol. Castles meant rich people. Rich people meant treasure. Marisa grinned. Maybe she could borrow a few things inside, and use them to fund her studies. Two birds with one stone! Excited, she squeezed her mini-Hakkero, and flew over to the window.

The castle interior was also inverted, and sparse. There was a small table in the centre of the room, placed on top of a thin wooden board, and a ceramic bowl filled with sand and ash sat between two wooden beams, which Marisa guessed was some kind of hearth. A cupboard lay in the corner, with plates and bowls piled on top of it. Living in an upside down castle looked really inconvenient. Marisa glanced up, and saw tatami mats on the ceiling. The actual hearth was right above her. What was the point? The residents would have an easier time flipping the castle right side up.

Maybe they liked it that way. Marisa had no idea what kind of strange people she was dealing with. Reimu would know, of course. Reimu would have guessed the inhabitants with one glance at the room, and flown over to where they were hiding without hesitation. Marisa could already imagine her figure gliding over the floor beams, frowning at the weird interior.

?Why was she thinking about Reimu at a time like this? There was no one around. Time to raid the room, then find the occupiers. She walked over to the cupboard and yanked the door open, hoping to find something expensive. Inside were basic food supplies: rice, dried noodles, crackers, things that would last a while. There were one or two pieces of what was probably fresh food a long time ago, but now had a layer of green and white mould. The left corner smelt rancid. Disappointed, Marisa took a cracker out of an open packet, and put it in her mouth.

?Who are you??

A woman?s voice. Marisa jolted upright, and almost slammed the cupboard door on her fingers. She turned, and saw a youkai with streaked black hair staring at her. The blue bows on her dress were tied upside down, and two small white horns jutted out of her head.

What was she? An oni? Marisa wasn?t sure. The upside down bows implied she owned the castle. Maybe. ?Hey,? she said. ?Just checking out your larder.?

?How did you get in? Oh.? The stranger noticed the mini-Hakkero. ?Oh...?

Marisa grinned. So the castle was related to her mini-Hakkero! ?You know about this??

?I see. I see.? The stranger peered down at it. Marisa hoped the mini-Hakkero would choose this moment to vomit a pillar of fire straight into the stranger?s face, but no such luck. ?Are you here to join us??

?Join you? Doing what??

?Join our revolution, of course.? The stranger smiled. ?Did another tsukumogami tell you about it??

??Revolution??

?You?re a newly awakened tsukumogami, aren?t you??

Marisa pouted. ?I?m human!?

?Oh.? The stranger lost her smile. ?What are you doing here then? This is a youkai castle.?

?I?m a youkai exterminator.? Marisa produced her spell card deck. ?Paying you a visit to check your taxes and stuff. Why don?t you tell me all about this ?revolution? of yours? And your name while you?re at it.?

The stranger glared at her. ?I thought you looked familiar. You?re that magician from the newspapers, aren?t you? The exterminator always cashing in on that shrine maiden?s popularity.?

?Wow, rude!? Marisa glared at her. ?She?s the one cashing in on my popularity, actually! Without me she?d be eating her donation box for dinner. With seasoning and miso soup on the side.?

?Sounds like extermination?s not the greatest gig. Why not switch careers?? The stranger held out a hand. ?Join now and I?ll give you half of Gensokyo to rule over once we?re done.?

?Yeah right!? Marisa laughed at that. ?How gullible do you think I am? Now start talking or I?ll have to use brute force.? She lifted the mini-Hakkero. It was already warming up in her hand.

?Fine, fine.? The stranger produced a spell card deck from her dress pocket. ?I?ll tell you whatever if you beat me. But if I win, you?re listening to my sales pitch.?

?All right, I?m fine with that.? Marisa noticed the stranger glancing at her mini-Hakkero again. She had to be involved with it somehow. If she solved the incident now, maybe she could go down to the shrine tomorrow and rub it in Reimu?s face. What a great reward. ?Four cards.?

?Four cards! Bring it!?

Marisa held up her first card. ?Magic Sign: Stardust Reverie!?

And the stranger did the same. ?Reverse Sign: Danmaku Through the Looking Glass!?

*****
There was a loud bang, and Shinmyoumaru was shaken out of her seat. She immediately curled into a ball, and covered her head. It was an earthquake. The worst earthquake she?d felt since leaving the World of Oni. Then she came to her senses, and remembered they were floating in the air. The explosion had come from above.

She heard shouts and yells. More bangs. Crashes. An unfamiliar voice snarling in pain. Shinmyoumaru leapt to her feet. She snatched her bowl helmet up from the board. ?Seija?? There was a stranger upstairs. Someone had found them. Someone from Gensokyo had located their castle, and challenged Seija to a fight. Shinmyoumaru?s hands trembled as she swung her needle sword onto her back. ?Seija, I?m coming!?

She floated up as fast as she could. The noise grew louder. Shinmyoumaru felt sweat drip down her back. She felt tiny again. Tiny and powerless, and praying she wouldn?t get crushed. Seija had warned her about this. Someone from Gensokyo could investigate them any day, and shut down their revolution before it even happened. Shinmyoumaru hadn?t expected a visit so soon. Peace had made her lax. She unhooked the Miracle Mallet from her obi, and prepared for the worst.

She got to the second floor. Through the hole in the ceiling she could see hundreds and thousands of brightly coloured bullets flying above her, interspersed with Seija?s familiar purple danmaku. There was a flash of light, then a crack. She heard Seija yelp.

?Seija!? Shinmyoumaru had to get up there. She had to help Seija. But her legs wouldn?t move. She was paralysed with fear. This was a full blown, serious danmaku fight. There was no way her own cards would cut it. Not against a pro like this.

The courage ran out of her. Shinmyoumaru covered her face, and bit back tears. It was over. She thought of the snow castle they?d made all those months ago. One well aimed kick, and that was it. Their revolution would crumble away.

If Seija lost, Shinmyoumaru would have to face the intruder. Their revolution rested on her shoulders.

There was a loud crack, and the castle shook again. She heard Seija yell. The match had ended. Shinmyoumaru wasn?t ready, but she forced herself to move. ?Seija!? She jumped through the hole in the ceiling. ?Seija!?

The first floor was a mess. The table had been overturned, and plates lay broken on the floor. Seija was on her knees, clutching her left side and shuddering. Her opponent stood a few metres away, gasping, but smiling. Shinmyoumaru recognised her as Marisa Kirisame, the human magician from the newspaper articles.

A youkai exterminator.

Was the shrine maiden with her too? Thankfully not, by the looks of things, but Shinmyoumaru still wanted to cry. She stood firm, and tried to look menacing.

?Hey, another one.? The magician had spotted her. ?Are you a part of this revolution too??

Shinmyoumaru looked at Seija. Seija stared back at her, panic-stricken. She was afraid. Shinmyoumaru felt the responsibility loom over her. If she didn?t win against Marisa, that would be it. The weak would stay weak. The inchlings would never get the justice they deserved.

Seija was weak. Far weaker than Shinmyoumaru had imagined. And she was weak too. This was how things were in Gensokyo. The strong did what they wanted, and the weak relented.

?I?m the leader,? said Shinmyoumaru. She felt angry with herself. What a joke of the leader she was! She held up her Miracle Mallet. ?My name is Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, and I?m a member of the inchling race.?

Marisa Kirisame laughed.  ?Inchling? You?re almost as tall as me. What?s an inchling doing up here, in an upside down castle? And who?s this?? She pointed at Seija. ?Your underling??

?She?s my retainer.? Shinmyoumaru kept her voice level. ?Her name is Seija Kijin.?

?Funny looking inchling,? commented Marisa.

?I?m an amanojaku,? grunted Seija.

?An amanojaku?? Marisa looked back at Shinmyoumaru, surprised. ?You?ve teamed up with an amanojaku??

?We?re here to make things better for the weak,? explained Shinmyoumaru. ?We?re going to readdress the balance, and make the world a better place.?

?An oversized inchling and an amanojaku in an upside down castle. This sounds like the start of a bad joke.? Marisa Kirisame didn?t seem impressed, but that was hardly a surprise. Marisa wasn?t weak. She probably didn?t know how it felt to suffer.

?The world we?re going to create will be a nicer place for humans too,? Shinmyoumaru continued. She and Seija had discussed this strategy in advance ? if any strong enemies showed up, they?d try and recruit them before the fight began. She doubted it would work, but it was worth a shot. ?I?m sure you?re here to get rid of us, but I?d like to ask you to reconsider. If you join our cause, then it would be a huge boost to our-?

?I came here because my mini-Hakkero started playing up. We can save all this revolution stuff for after you explain what you?ve done to it.? She held up the metal, octagon-shaped furnace in her hand.

?Don?t point that thing at the princess,? snarled Seija.

Shinmyoumaru wasn?t afraid of it. She gripped the mallet tighter. ?Let me have a look.? Shinmyoumaru could feel the same energy flowing out of it as all those knives and forks she?d struck. It was weaker, diluted, but unmistakably the Miracle Mallet?s. ?Oh, that?s interesting.?

?What?s interesting?? asked Marisa.

?It?s the same energy as my Miracle Mallet?s. But I don?t remember striking it. Hmm.?

Marisa jumped back. ?The Miracle Mallet?? She looked afraid. ?You?ve got the Miracle Mallet!??

?Yep.? Shinmyoumaru was relieved to see fear on her face. ?See, here it is! With this, nothing is impossible. All of our wildest dreams can come true.?

?You should?ve told me you had the Miracle Mallet!? Marisa was furious. ?I can?t just sit back and let you play revolutionaries if you?ve got that thing with you.? She held up her spell card deck. ?Five cards.?

Here it was. Shinmyoumaru felt strangely calm. ?I?ll show you what we?re capable of.? She held up all the cards she had. ?Five cards!?

Light filled the room again.

*****
Seija sat in the corner, and watched the match with bated breath. Her bruised body wouldn?t stop shaking, and she gnawed on a fingernail to keep calm. She wished she?d brought her pipe up, so she could have a smoke as she waited for the end. Maybe she could grab the mallet the moment Shinmyoumaru lost, and take off before Marisa noticed. She?d need lightning fast reflexes, but then she could rendezvous with Shinmyoumaru again at a later date, and continue their revolution from there. As long as they had that mallet, nothing was impossible. But Marisa Kirisame probably knew that, and would take the thing for herself.

Why did Shinmyoumaru have to mention its name! Seija couldn?t believe she?d been so careless. Then again, Shinmyoumaru was currently using it to inflate her tiny bullets into giant globes. It would?ve been obvious they had a wacky magic item on their side, and not many of them were mallet shaped. Seija didn?t know why Shinmyoumaru was even bothering with the spell card duel, really. It would be faster to just give in and try and stall for time.

Their revolution was minutes away from falling apart, and all Seija could do was watch and hope for a lucky break.

Except maybe it was her imagination, but wasn?t Shinmyoumaru doing well? Seija looked up, and saw the princess staring at Marisa?s bullets, making tiny side steps and dashing between the gaps. She hadn?t been hit yet. Her own bullets were flying everywhere, and Marisa seemed to be having trouble moving out of the way in time. One clipped her elbow, and Seija heard Marisa?s spell card crack.

It was too early to get hopeful, but if Shinmyoumaru somehow managed to win, what then? Would Marisa leave them alone? Would she go and get reinforcements? If Seija was quick, and the princess helped, they could probably gather all their possessions within an hour, and flee the castle until things calmed down.

Another crack. Marisa had been hit again.

And again.

And again.

Seija got to her feet. She covered her mouth, hardly believing it. What was going on? Marisa looked frustrated. And she looked tired too. Had Seija?s cards exhausted her? Seija began pacing. Shinmyoumaru was still staring at the bullets, still concentrating with all her might.

Marisa was at the end of her tether. Seija saw her raise the furnace, and aimed it straight at Shinmyoumaru. ?Fine, dodge this!? she snarled. Bright light shone from the furnace. ?Love Sign: Master Sp-?

And before she could finish her sentence, a bullet smacked her in the stomach.

hungrybookworm:

Chapter 9
(AO3 Mirror)

The explosion made the whole castle tremble. The shouji screens shook, and a room divider spun across the room. Shinmyoumaru stood victorious above Marisa. Her bowl helmet lay on the floor and her hair and clothes were a mess. The mallet gleamed in her hand.

Marisa was sprawled on the floor, lying across one of the wooden beams and gasping for breath. She tried to push herself upright with shivering arms, but her strength gave way, and she fell back onto the beam. She snarled with pain.

?No rematches,? said Shinmyoumaru, exhilarated. ?I?ve shown you the power of the inchling race.?

?Yeah? urgh?? Marisa closed her eyes. ?God??

?And the power of the Miracle Mallet.? Shinmyoumaru?s eyes narrowed, and she smiled. A strange, almost seductive smile that Seija had never seen before. ?I?ve read about you in newspapers, Marisa Kirisame.?

?Who hasn?t? I?m pretty famous.? Marisa finally got to her feet. Her strange furnace weapon was still clutched in her hand. ?Come on, one more time.?

?Why do you want to win so badly?? asked Shinmyoumaru. ?Does losing bother you??

?It?s not ideal,? said Marisa. She winced, and touched her ribs. ?Ow... you didn?t break my ribs, did you??

?You know, when you?re weak, losing becomes a part of your daily life.? Shinmyoumaru?s smile faded. ?Victory is a luxury only the strong can enjoy.? She spun the mallet in her hand. ?You understand that, don?t you? I wasn?t sure if you did at first, but you really do. You know what it?s like to lose.?

Marisa glared at her. ?Are you stupid? Do you have any idea how many youkai I?ve exterminated over the years? I?m just out of shape. Today?s not my day.?

?That?s a bit much for out of shape!? Seija couldn?t hold back anymore. She strolled into view, unable to contain her glee. They?d won. They?d won! ?Look at you, you can barely stand up. I thought Gensokyo?s humans packed more of a punch than that.?

?Shut up.? Marisa lifted her furnace. ?Give me a rematch.?

?You might not make it home tonight if I give you a rematch.? Shinmyoumaru glanced at the window. ?It?s getting dark too. Isn?t it dangerous for humans to walk around after the sun sets??

?I?m not scared of the dark.?

?Why don?t you stay the night?? Shinmyoumaru?s eyes shone. Seija was surprised she?d thought of such a cunning tactic by herself. ?We can tell you all about our revolution. A human ally would be beneficial to us, especially one as well known as you.?

??What are you even revolting against??

?Weren?t you listening earlier? We?re gonna overturn society so the weak switch places with the strong!? declared Seija. ?We?re gonna make this unfair world our paradise!?

?Right, uh, that?s kind of drastic.? Marisa looked sceptical. ?I kinda like Gensokyo the way it is.?

?Do you? Really?? Seija sneered, and enjoyed the way Marisa?s expression twisted. She could taste her uncertainty. ?I think you?ve got your doubts.?

?Look, just...? Marisa reached into her pocket too quickly, and winced. She pulled out her spell cards again. ?Just... give me a rematch. We?ll decide this once and for all.?

?And I refuse,? said Shinmyoumaru again. ?We can have a rematch if you come back tomorrow.?

?Don?t say that, you idiot!? hissed Seija.

?All right, I?ll be back then.? Marisa ignored Seija?s comment, lowered the brim of her hat, and limped away. ?Where?s my broom??

Shinmyoumaru looked at Seija. ?Why not? She?ll just pester us for the rest of the evening otherwise.?

?She might come back with friends, or a spell card designed to beat you!?

?Good, it?s intact.? Marisa picked the broom up. Seija realised she was leaving. She couldn?t let Marisa go right now. She?d felt the power oozing from her furnace. They needed more time to talk.

?I?ll be right back,? she said to Shinmyoumaru, then ran up to Marisa. ?Why don?t I escort you out?? Seija put an arm around her shoulder. ?We can have a little chat on the roof.?

?Hey, hands off.?

She heard Shinmyoumaru sigh behind her, and slowly sink to the floor. Concentrating for so long had drained the princess? energy, and she needed time to rest. Good, Seija could handle the rest by herself.

?Why didn?t you let the princess fix your mini-Hakkero?? Seija recalled the name of the furnace once they moved through the window.

Marisa stood on the underside of the gabled roof, and straddled her broom. ?She can do that tomorrow when I beat the crap out of her.?

So she didn?t want it fixed after all. Perfect. Seija grabbed Marisa?s upper arm, and gripped hard. ?Then why bother going all the way back home if you?re coming tomorrow? Take up the princess? offer and stay the night.?

Marisa tried to shrug her hand away. ?Since when were you amanojaku so touchy-feely? I?m going home.?

?I can read you like an open book.? Seija dug her nails into Marisa?s arm. ?I can taste your frustration. You?re really pissed off, aren?t you??

?Well, yeah. I would?ve won if I?d Master Spark?d her.? Marisa looked uneasy. ?That hurts, you know. Let go of me.?

?You know, the princess only started learning danmaku a few months ago. She?s never had a serious match before.? Seija leant forward, and whispered in Marisa?s ear. ?She?s strong because of the mallet.?

Marisa flinched. ?Are you telling me she was cheating??

?No, nothing that brilliant. The princess is weak, but she?s very clever, where it counts. A fast learner. Keen to discover new things.? Seija?s smile brightened. ?She?ll make a good ruler, don?t you think??

Seija loved the look of uncertainty on Marisa?s face. It?d been so long since she?d had fun with a human, and Marisa?s reactions were pushing the right buttons. Humans had an odd effect on amanojaku. They smelt delicious.

??Are you serious about this revolution thing?? asked Marisa.

?Completely.? Seija squeezed her arm again. ?Join us, Marisa Kirisame. You can stand above your rivals as a ruler of Gensokyo. All the power and wealth and glory you could ever imagine would be yours for the taking.?

Marisa didn?t respond. Seija could taste her temptation. Humans were all the same. So greedy. So easy to lead astray. She leant forward again, trying not to get too close. She didn?t want to cross the line between seductive and creepy. ?You want power, don?t you??

Marisa laughed nervously. ?Who doesn?t??

Seija glanced at the mini-Hakkero in Marisa?s hand. She?d seen what it was capable of earlier, and wanted more. ?The mallet can grant you all the power you could ever desire. It can make your mini-Hakkero even stronger.?

That got a reaction. She felt a flicker of emotion run through Marisa. Greed. Excitement. Hope. ?Look, I need to get going.? Marisa was too tempted. She wanted to leave. She shoved Seija?s arm away, and gripped her broom handle. ?I won?t blab about your revolution to anyone, if you?re worried about that. Not until I beat you both up tomorrow. See you then.? And she kicked off before Seija could grab her again, and flew out of sight.

Seija clicked her tongue. They were so close! She wasn?t going to let Marisa just fly off, not after that. She didn?t believe for a minute she?d stay quiet about their castle. ?Princess!? she shouted through the window. ?I?m following after her. You stay here and guard the castle.?

?Okay?? She heard Shinmyoumaru?s voice through the window. ?Be careful.?

Seija flew up to the stone block. She could still see Marisa through the clouds, moving slowly but steadily back home. Trailing her wouldn?t be too hard. Seija set off behind her, and kept her distance. Looking at the mini-Hakkero gave her the same kick as holding the Miracle Mallet. It had to be hers. Seija wouldn?t rest until it was on their side.

*****
It was pitch black by the time Marisa arrived home. She shoved her front door open, washed quickly, then changed into her nightclothes and slumped into bed. She fell asleep seconds after her head hit the pillow, and her mind busied itself with anxiety dreams and the worst kind of nightmares.

She was floating under an engorged full moon, trying to dodge horrifyingly complex danmaku patterns. The terror of being hit pounded through her bruised body, and she screamed as bullet after bullet narrowly missed her. She felt a sharp pain hurl through her chest, and realise she?d been hit. The bullet had gone straight through her, and Marisa was tumbling head over heels, to her death.

The dream changed. She was sitting next to Reimu at the shrine. It was a bright sunny day, and she could feel the sunlight warm her knees through her black dress. Reimu was looking away from her, and Marisa felt relieved they were friends again. Their falling out must?ve all been a bad dream. She was so happy she wanted to cry. But Reimu wouldn?t turn around. Why not? Marisa reached out, and placed a hand on her shoulder. It was cold. Reimu slumped to the side, and fell off the porch. There was blood all the way down her front. Her face was mangled. She was dead, and Marisa hadn?t noticed all this time.

Marisa woke up. She shot upright, gasping for breath, trying to take in her surroundings. She was in her own room. In the Forest of Magic. Reimu wasn?t dead. It was all a bad dream.

Just a dream.

Marisa whimpered.

She covered her face to try and stop herself from crying, but it was no use. Tears flowed down her cheeks, and dripped onto her blanket. She couldn?t breathe through her nose. The sensation of Reimu?s cold skin remained on her hand. She could still smell the blood. All the pain, frustration, and humiliation from the last few days spilled out of her. Marisa wanted to scream. She wanted to kick her wall and pound her fists into her pillow. Some kid who?d barely learnt spell card rules had annihilated her! Marisa had thrown everything into beating that amanojaku, and had no energy left to deal with the inchling. An inchling! It was pathetic. Marisa wanted to lock her front door and never venture outside again.

She wanted to see Reimu. She wanted to throw her front door open and fly over to the shrine, and make sure Reimu was still alive. But the urge faded, and Marisa knew there?d be no point. Reimu wouldn?t want to be woken up this late at night, and things would just become awkward between them, like they always did these days. Marisa wouldn?t know what to say, and Reimu would just sit there in silence, as though Marisa wasn?t there at all.

She missed talking to Reimu.

Marisa missed hanging out on the shrine porch, drinking tea and chatting about nothing. She missed watching the sun set and the lights glowing brighter in the Human Village below. She missed the way Reimu smiled, and the warm feeling it gave her. Why hadn?t she been satisfied with just that? Why did Marisa have to try and kiss her?

No, what was done was done. She couldn?t change the past, and mulling over regrets wouldn?t make them go away. Marisa wiped her face, lay back in bed, and pulled the covers over her head. She wanted to shut out the world. Pretend it was still last year and nothing had changed at all.

She rolled over, and found herself face-to-face with Seija Kijin.

?What the hell are you doing in my bed!?? Marisa leapt up, and snapped on the lamp. Seija was lying in bed next to her, fully clothed with a gross smirk on her face. ?How long have you been there!??

?Long enough to see you cry like the snivelling brat you are.? Seija made no attempt to move. ?I saw you twitch in your sleep too. Enjoying a nightmare??

?You have some freaky hobbies.? Marisa reached for her mini-Hakkero, furious. But she?d left it outside as usual, so her hand groped empty space. ?I didn?t know amanojaku had side careers as burglars. How did you find my house??

?It was pretty easy to spot. Now don?t be so tight.? Seija patted the pillow. ?Lie back down and tell Aunty Seija all your woes and fears.?

?No way in hell.?

?Let it all out. You?ll feel better afterwards.?

?Get out of my bed!? Marisa grabbed Seija?s front, and tried to wrestle her out. But Seija just laughed, and gripped Marisa?s arms. She pushed, and made Marisa lie back down. ?Hey!?

?Shhh.? Seija smiled. Marisa could smell tobacco in her breath. ?I won?t do anything bad, don?t worry. I just want to listen.?

?I don?t wanna tell you anything!? snapped Marisa. She struggled, but Seija was stronger than her. She couldn?t move.

?I heard you say ?Reimu? a few times earlier. It?s got something to do with the Hakurei shrine maiden, hasn?t it??

Marisa looked away. She must?ve spoken in her sleep. ?No.?

?I think it has. Come on, tell me.? Seija squeezed her arms. ?Did she dump you??

?No she didn?t, shut up.?

?I?m an amanojaku. No one believes a word I say, so I can?t gossip about you. You can tell me whatever you want.?

?I don?t believe you.? Marisa was furious. ?I?m not stupid enough to confide in an amanojaku.?

?Then let me guess. See how right I am.?

?If it makes you go away faster.?

Seija let go of an arm, and skimmed a hand over Marisa?s hair. ?I think you?re in big trouble.?

?Oh?? Marisa didn?t move. ?How am I in trouble??

?You seemed pretty desperate to beat the princess earlier. All the newspaper articles about youkai extermination focus on the Hakurei shrine maiden, your business rival. You were saying her name in your sleep, and woke up crying? I know a fellow weakling when I see one.?

Marisa gritted her teeth. ?If I?m so weak, how come I beat you up earlier? Your cards were a joke.?

?Do you want power?? asked Seija.

?I?ve got plenty of power already, thanks.?

?You want more though, don?t you?? Seija grinned. ?That?s why you didn?t ask the princess to fix your mini-Hakkero. Because you can?t beat us without it.?

?Nah, I don?t need it.? Marisa?s voice didn?t sound as confident as she wanted. How did Seija know all this? It scared her a little. ?You?re crazy to start a revolution, you know. You?re finished once Reimu finds out. The youkai sages will penalise you for it. You might even get permanently exterminated.?

Seija snorted. ?Oh you?re funny. It?s better to have a go and fail than to never try in the first place. Don?t you agree? People like the youkai sages don?t scare me.?

?I guess, but?? Marisa frowned. ?Gensokyo?s pretty nice the way it is now. It?s a youkai paradise. Why would you want to change it??

?You?re a human. You wouldn?t understand.? Seija continued caressing her hair. Marisa was tempted to bat her hand away, but didn?t act on it. There was something strangely soothing about Seija?s touch. ?We have the Miracle Mallet with us. The power of dreams is on our side. Nothing stands in our way.?

?You?re aiming for the top, are you??

?The absolute highest.?

?Plenty of room to fall back down.?

?Maybe. Or we could reign supreme over Gensokyo.? Seija giggled. ?Your mini-Hakkero would cover a lot of the mallet?s weaknesses, you know. If you want more power, then the mallet can give you that. It can give you anything in the world.?

Marisa thought of the negative results in her grimoires. She thought of Reimu smiling at Sanae at the party, her own uncertain future? and the power gushing out of her mini-Hakkero, like a beacon of hope. ??You can do that??

?Yes, though you won?t stay human.? Seija gave her most sinister smile. ?A small sacrifice.?

?Oh, never mind then.? Marisa had no interest in losing her humanity. ?I can live without it.?

?Even without the power boost, your mini-Hakkero would still benefit our cause. How about it? You scratch our back, and we?ll scratch yours. You might even rule over Gensokyo by the end of it.?

She was tempted now. It was madness, of course. Rule number one of dealing with amanojaku was to never let them talk you into doing anything, no matter how innocent. And a crazy plan to turn Gensokyo?s society on its head was a recipe for disaster. But Marisa ran away from home to live with a ghost back when she was a kid, and it opened up all kinds of doors for her. This wasn?t too different from that, at the end of the day, was it? ?Rule over Gensokyo, huh??

?Changing Gensokyo?s society is within your interests. We?ll make things much nicer for humans than they are now. You can see to it yourself, when you?re standing beside us at the top.?

?I see.?

Seija pulled Marisa closer. Their noses touched. ?How about it??

Marisa didn?t struggle, or pull away. It was obvious she should refuse. Nothing good would come out of joining a revolution, especially once they lost. But if she said no, things would return to the way they were before. Back to sitting in her room staring at dud results. Back to watching Reimu sprint ahead of her, farther and farther away until she was totally out of sight. She would fix her mini-Hakkero, and be left with nothing. Marisa Kirisame?s career as a human magician would be over.

In the end, Marisa shook her head. ?Sorry, I just can?t imagine you guys beating Reimu.?

Seija snorted.

?It?ll all be over once she notices. She?s superhuman, you know. She can teleport and everything.? Marisa took a deep breath, and pronounced each word carefully. ?So, how about this instead? I?ll hang around until she shows up. I?ll make things super hard for her. Give her a real work out. Make your revolution a bit more than just a pipe dream. And if you somehow beat her and zip to the top, well, I guess I won?t mind ruling over Gensokyo too. Sound good??

Seija looked ecstatic. A bright, almost innocent smile appeared on her face. ?Yes, good.? She pulled Marisa into a tight embrace. ?Very good! Now pack your bags and come with me. We can discuss things further at the castle.?

?Great.? Marisa knew she?d made the wrong decision, but when had making the right one ever helped her? She wrapped her arms around Seija?s back, and gently squeezed her new comrade. ?Looking forward to it.?


And like that, Marisa joined their revolution.

hungrybookworm:

Chapter 10
(AO3 Mirror)

Reimu finished rinsing the bath, and threw the bucket onto the bathroom floor. She got to her feet, and inspected the room one last time. It was the middle of September, and the air held no hint of autumn. The cicadas chirped through the grounds, and linen-white cumulonimbus clouds towered behind the mountains. Once winter came, the bathroom floor would be painfully cold against her bare feet, and the hot water difficult to climb out of. This year had been long and unpleasant, and Reimu wondered if it would ever end.

The bathroom looked as clean as it was going to get. Reimu retrieved her sleeves from the side table, and noticed that her purification rod had disappeared.

?Gyaaah!?

A drunken scream came from the front of the shrine. Reimu sighed, quickly tied her sleeves back on, and went to see what the problem was. She found Suika running in a circle, yelping as Reimu?s purification rod bounced after her, taking an occasional swipe at her behind. ?Call it off,? she yelled, once she saw Reimu. ?Call it off!?

Reimu snatched the purification rod up from the ground. It struggled, and she held it with both hands to stop it escaping. ?Calm down,? she hissed at it.

?God, Reimu!? Suika rubbed her backside. She was swaying from left to right, and stank of booze. ?Chill out for a minute, I was only peeking at your donation box.? She laughed. ?Donation box! You know what that sounds like, right? Hic!?

Reimu wasn?t amused. ?I don?t have the time to play around with you. I?m busy.?

?When did you learn to do that? that trick??

?What trick??

?Getting the rod to chase after me without you holding it.? Suika smirked. ?Pretty scary stuff. Are you learning manipulation magic or something? Like that Alice girl??

?Something like that.? Reimu was relieved Suika was drunk. She didn?t notice the rod was moving by itself. ?Why don?t you go visit her? She can teach you how to do it too.?

?Aw, come on, I was hoping you?d join me for an afternoon drink or two.?

Suika?s ?afternoon drinks? consisted of her chugging down Reimu?s sake supply, one barrel at a time. ?I told you I?m busy. Come back later.?

?Pffff!? Suika stuck out her tongue. ?You?ve been no fun ever since you broke up with Marisa.?

Reimu glared at her. ?I wasn?t dating her! And don?t loiter near the front of the shrine. You?ll scare the worshippers away.?

?Fine, fine.? Suika staggered away. ?See you later, maybe??

Reimu waited until Suika was out of sight. Then she grumbled to herself, and turned back to the main room. Any mention of Marisa always put her in a bad mood. It made her want to kick something.

Things had been awkward between them ever since Marisa tried to kiss her back in January. Then there were all the unsolved mysteries in the village, and the young man Reimu had to exterminate. She still hadn?t found the culprit behind the rotting planks and the disappearing room dividers. Marisa stopped visiting the shrine not long after that, and Reimu found she had too much food in the larder, and too much time to kill.

And as Marisa showed her face less and less, Reimu?s purification rod began acting up. It went from twitching in her hand, to actively bouncing around the shrine grounds by itself, chasing any youkai it fancied. Reimu wasn?t sure what to make of it. While it definitely freaked her out, it did have its conveniences. Less youkai meant more human worshippers, and it didn?t need feeding or looking after like a normal guard dog. It made extermination a lot easier too. She just had to chuck it in the youkai?s general direction, and it did all the work for her.

But it was only a matter of time before someone noticed it hopping around. Then Reimu wouldn?t be able to ignore the unpleasant feeling in her stomach that told her purification rods weren?t normally sentient, and she would have to go sort it out. And as much as Reimu enjoyed beating up youkai, she just wasn?t in the mood these days.

She slipped off her shoes in front of the main room, and slid open the shouji screen. Yukari Yakumo was sitting uninvited at her table, helping herself to the fruit bowl.

?Don?t just let yourself in and eat my food,? grumbled Reimu. She strolled into the room, and sat down opposite her.

?Why not?? asked Yukari, holding an apple. ?Someone needs to help you eat it.?

?I can manage just fine by myself.? Reimu placed her purification rod in her lap, and kept hold of it. ?What do you want??

?I wanted to see how you were getting on.?

?Getting on?? Reimu frowned. ?With what??

?Oh, just your daily life. I want to make sure you?re carrying out your duties properly, as the Hakurei shrine maiden.?

Reimu didn?t like the way she phrased that. ?Of course I am. I?ve got nothing else to do, after all.? Did Yukari know about her rod? It wasn?t impossible.

Yukari gave her a pointed look, then took a bite out of the apple. ?Are you feeling lonely??

?No.?

?Marisa Kirisame hasn?t been here for a while, has she??

Not again. Reimu prepared herself for the usual questions. ??And??

?And you aren?t getting too attached to things you shouldn?t get attached to?? Yukari glanced at Reimu?s lap. ?If you know what I mean.?

?No, I have no idea what you mean, as usual.? So she did know about the rod. Reimu closed her eyes, and resisted the urge to chuck it at her.

?Never mind.? Yukari took another bite. ?I?m sure you?ll work it out once you hear about the ruckus near the Misty Lake.?

Reimu opened her eyes. ?What ruckus??

?Nothing of importance. When did you last see Marisa Kirisame??

?God, why do you all care about me and Marisa so much?? Reimu felt unease creep through her. There was something about Yukari?s carefree expression that bothered her. ?Are you trying to sell information to the tengu or something? We weren?t dating. She wasn?t my girlfriend.?

?When did you last see her??

??During this summer?s incident, so about six weeks ago,? admitted Reimu. ?Just incident resolving. It barely even counts.?

?Six weeks. Hm.? Yukari finished the apple. She placed the core on the table, and held it upright with the tip of her gloved finger. ?Interesting. I should mention that the puppeteer in the forest hasn?t seen her for six weeks either.?

?Maybe she?s researching something.? There was a period when Marisa didn?t visit the shrine for a week, and came back with some kind of weird laser-water hybrid spell card. Reimu beat it in two attempts. ?She?s a magician, it?s not exactly weird.?

?The Scarlet Devil Mansion has reported no break ins over the last six weeks, and when I asked their librarian, she said no books had gone missing. In fact, there has been only one reported sighting of Marisa Kirisame in the last six weeks. A minor youkai told me she saw a figure in black with a broomstick approach her and offer her power. When I showed the youkai a picture of her, she said the figure looked uncannily like Marisa Kirisame. Do you understand what I?m saying, Reimu??

That was a bit strange, Reimu had to agree. ?No, not really. Are you telling me she?s running a scam or something?? Her head throbbed. She wished Yukari would stop talking in riddles. ?Go talk to the village police if you think it?s a problem.?

?A human going missing for a long period of time rarely means anything pleasant.? Yukari?s eyes narrowed. ?Marisa Kirisame still counts as a human from the village, as you are well aware, and keeping an eye on them is part of your job.?

?Obviously.? Reimu thought of the young man she exterminated. ?Marisa can look after herself. She doesn?t need my protection.? But Yukari was right. Six weeks was a long time for a human to be missing. Reimu started to feel worried. ?Did you check her house??

?Why don?t you check her house yourself? Maybe you?ll find a few clues.? Yukari stood up. ?Either way, I have things to do myself. It?s almost my bedtime.? She smiled mischievously, and picked up her parasol. ?I?m sure you have a lot to do too, this afternoon.?

?Yeah, I guess.? Reimu should?ve expected this. Yukari rarely did any dirty work herself. ?I mean, yes, obviously.?

?I?ll leave you to it.?

Yukari was gone when Reimu looked up again. Only the apple core remained on the table. Reimu picked it up, and tossed it in the bin. The rod leapt out of her lap, and started jumping around on the tatami.

?I?m glad you know when to behave,? grunted Reimu. She got up, and started rummaging through the chest of drawers. She wanted a spare pair of clothes, at least one hundred ofuda, twenty or thirty needles, and some snacks to last the journey. Her hands touched the yin-yang orbs, clenched them, then decided against it. She could always come back and get them later if things got serious.

Last winter, Reimu pulled Marisa into a tight embrace. They were both drunk, it was cold outside, and Marisa was warm. She could still remember it, clearer than any of her more recent memories: the sharp smell of the cold night air, the texture of Marisa?s clothes, the comforting taste of alcohol. Marisa was far better than a kotatsu, or a fire in the hearth. Reimu had held her tight, and enjoyed it.

But then Marisa tried to kiss her. Reimu panicked, and pushed her away. Then they argued, and Marisa went home, leaving Reimu alone in her freezing cold shrine. Reimu had vowed to explain herself the next time she saw Marisa. She didn?t feel anything romantic towards her friend, and hadn?t meant to imply it by holding her. But whenever Marisa visited, she couldn?t find the right words. They would just sit there, unable to maintain a conversation, while Reimu struggled to say what was on her mind.

And then those weird incidents started in the village. Things going missing, and that young man turning into a youkai. Reimu?s intuition failed her, and she never found the thief. The young man?s confident smile had haunted her for weeks and weeks, until his face overlapped with Marisa?s, and Reimu woke up from nightmares sweating and shivering. By then Marisa rarely visited her shrine. Their endless conversations about nothing in particular had long dried up. Marisa never showed up at all now.

It was inevitable, Reimu told herself. Marisa had always been a pest at the shrine, eating her food and stealing customers whenever Reimu?s back was turned. It was only a matter of time until she got bored and moved somewhere else. They hadn?t really been friends anyway. They never confided in each other, or talked about their personal lives or anything.

It wasn?t appropriate for the Hakurei shrine maiden to have friends in the first place.

Reimu glanced at the purification rod. It was for the best Marisa wasn?t around; she would?ve asked about the rod moving by itself. Reimu finished packing her things, and closed the drawer. Time to check Marisa?s house, then see what was going on at the Misty Lake. The rod bounced into her hand, eager to get going, and Reimu couldn?t help but smile at it as she stepped outside.

*****
The forest air was suffocating. Reimu strolled through it, sweating from the heat. She batted overhanging branches aside with her purification rod, and tried to ignore the growing fear in her stomach. Marisa was fine, she told herself. She?d probably ask what Reimu was doing, and make fun of her or something. Or maybe it would just be awkward, as always.

Or maybe Marisa would be lying under something, crushed to death and slowly rotting, with no one around to notice.

Reimu turned the corner, and saw Marisa?s house. The curtains were closed, and there was a stack of newspapers piled up on the doorstep. It looked uninhabited. Reimu tried the front door, and found it unlocked.

?Marisa?? She stepped inside, afraid of what she might find. ?It?s me, I?m coming in.? No answer. She shut the door behind her, and slipped off her shoes. The floor was covered with the usual junk, and the furniture coated with dust. Reimu threw the curtains open, and was relieved to find no corpses. The house smelt of spice and mushrooms. ?Marisa, are you in here??

Reimu trod carefully through each room, afraid of finding something unpleasant. What would she do if she did find Marisa dead? Reimu had no idea. She didn?t want to think about it.

In the end she had no reason to worry. There was no sign of Marisa anywhere. Reimu even checked the garden shed, and found nothing. She returned inside, and sat on the sofa. Reimu rarely visited Marisa?s house, so she had no idea what was and wasn?t normally inside. There was no way for her to look around, and immediately spot some vital object missing, or see something out of place that could give her a clue to Marisa?s whereabouts. Marisa always visited Reimu, so there was no need for her to return the favour.

The forest wasn?t the safest place to live. There was a very real chance Marisa slipped up and hurt herself while foraging for mushrooms, or was eaten by one of the monsters. Some were big enough to swallow a human whole. There would be no corpse. ?All right,? Reimu said to the purification rod. ?We?ll look around for clues next, something that might help us find Marisa.? She let go of it, and watched it bounce through the room. ?Don?t knock anything over.?

The rod bounced over the junk piles, towards Marisa?s bedroom. Reimu followed after it, wondering if it knew where it was going. The rod hopped onto Marisa?s bed, and started smacking itself against the mattress. The bed was unmade, and Reimu peeled the blanket aside to see what lay underneath.

Nothing. No gruesome stains, or hidden messages. Except?  Reimu could make out one or two black hairs on the white bed sheet. Reimu picked one up, and held it between her finger and thumb. Marisa?s hair wasn?t black, and the hair was too short to be hers. So whose was it? She realised, with a jolt, that whoever it belonged to had slept in Marisa?s bed. Reimu had always suspected Marisa did things with other people at night, but it felt weird to see the evidence right in front of her. It made her feel strange. She tossed the hair back on the bed sheet, and to her surprise, saw the rod leap over to it, and start hitting it.

Whoever the hair belonged to wasn?t human.

The unease churning in Reimu?s stomach got even worse. Her intuition hadn?t been working for the last few months, but Reimu could feel it coming back. The fog covering her mind was clearing, and sharp, vivid fear rose through it. She turned to the wardrobe and threw the doors open. Half of Marisa?s dresses and boots were missing. She ran to the kitchen, and found the larder empty. When she looked at Marisa?s desk, she saw several gaping holes in the bookshelves lined up along the wall. She was looking now, and there was evidence that something was wrong everywhere.

She had to calm down. There could be several explanations. The door was unlocked, so some dark-haired youkai could?ve squatted in her house for a few nights, and eaten all her food. Aya Shameimaru had short black hair, and Reimu had seen her newspaper outside, so she was a candidate. But why would she steal Marisa?s clothes and books? And it didn?t change the fact that Marisa wasn?t here, and hadn?t been here for a while.

After one last circuit around the house, Reimu picked up the rod and left through the front door. Yukari had mentioned that Alice hadn?t seen Marisa in six weeks, so she walked towards Kourindou instead. She could barely remember the route to Rinnosuke?s shop through the forest, and arrived there hot and exhausted twenty-five minutes later.

Kourindou was devoid of customers, as always. Rinnosuke was slumped in his chair, reading a book with an intrigued look on his face. He glanced up when Reimu entered the shop. ?Oh, Reimu.? He put the book down. ?I haven?t seen you here in a while.?

?I?ve been busy,? said Reimu. ?Have you seen Marisa anywhere??

??I thought that might be why you?re here.? Rinnosuke sighed. ?I saw her two weeks ago, which is apparently more recent than most.?

Reimu felt comforted by that. ?Where did you see her? What was she doing??

?She came in and asked to buy all the cloth and fabric I had, then haggled over it. She left with a pile of material taller than her. I have no idea how she got it all home. I didn?t think much of it.?

Reimu hadn?t seen any cloth or fabric in Marisa?s house. ?What did she want it for??

?She said something about a personal project.? He frowned. ?She was wearing a new set of clothes, so I assumed she?d become interested in sewing again. She was wearing a cloak too, in this heat. It was strange.?

?At the end of August? She?ll be roasting hot.? Reimu thought that was strange too. ?Do you know where she went after that? Any clues or hints??

?If she isn?t in the usual places, then I have no idea. She doesn?t visit me very often, so I didn?t realise anything was amiss until the gap youkai came. Although?? He remembered something. ?Before then, around six weeks ago, she did come to the shop asking about her mini-Hakkero.?

Reimu?s heart thudded. She gripped her purification rod tighter. ?What about it??

?It was acting strange. She wouldn?t go into detail, and didn?t want to leave it with me for maintenance, but she did ask if any of my items had started acting up.?

?I see?? So Marisa?s mini-Hakkero had started moving by itself too. Reimu thought it looked stronger than usual during the popularity incident.

?And after that, I did notice a few of my items going missing, or being in places I didn?t put them.? Rinnosuke looked at her. ?Have you noticed anything strange yourself? Is your purification rod acting as it should??

?Yes, everything?s fine.? Reimu lied, and tried to change the subject. ?Is Marisa?s hair naturally blonde??

The question took Rinnosuke by surprise. ??Yes, it is, believe it or not. Her father?s hair is naturally blonde too. They?re not descended from outsiders, so I don?t know what combination of genes she got to make it happen. Stranger things have happened in Gensokyo. Why do you want to know??

?Just curious.? Reimu wanted to completely rule out the possibility the black hair belonged to Marisa. ?I thought she dyed it.?

?Are you going to keep looking for Marisa?? asked Rinnosuke, and Reimu finally noticed how worried he was. ?I was thinking of making a search party if she didn?t show up in the next week.?

?Yes, I am.? Reimu didn?t need to think about it. ?I?m going to find her, and drag her back home, so don?t worry.?

Rinnosuke smiled, relieved. ?Good. She won?t like me saying this, but she isn?t as strong as she pretends to be. I?m amazed she?s lived as long as she has without seriously hurting herself.?

?I?ll bring her back in one piece.? But Reimu didn?t feel as confident as she sounded. She?d hoped getting a few clues would reassure her that Marisa had run off to meditate in a cave, or something wacky like that. But instead they just made her feel even more afraid. ?I should get going. I need to check on the Misty Lake.? And she had other things to do today. Reimu was going to be busy this evening.

?Is something happening there?? asked Rinnosuke.

?Maybe.? Reimu turned to leave. ?Thanks for the information. I?ll see you later.?

?Let me know how it goes.?

Cold sweat ran down the back of her neck.

*****
The lake was in complete chaos.

Reimu had seen a black mass shimmering above it from a distance, and it looked much worse close up. It was a huge crowd of fairies, swarming like angry flies, shrieking and yelling and tossing danmaku around left, right and centre. It was normal for fairies to gather around powerful youkai, but this was a whole new level of mayhem. Reimu couldn?t see the Scarlet Devil Mansion through the swarm.

?Hey!? She grabbed one of the fairies. ?What?s going on??

The fairy giggled. Her eyes were wide open, and her pupils dilated. ?It?s a festival! The weak are strong now! We can do whatever we want!?

?What??

?Look!? The fairy pointed to the left. ?Hah, gotcha!? She threw a danmaku bullet the moment Reimu turned her head. ?You can?t win, shrine maiden!?

Reimu sighed, and deflected the bullet with a swipe of her purification rod. ?I don?t have time for this.? She let the fairy go, and watched it dive back into the crowd. Reimu needed to get to the centre of that swarm. The Human Village was nearby, and the villagers would be terrified if they noticed it.

?Hey, hey you!? Reimu felt something kick her leg. She looked to her right, and saw Cirno the ice fairy looking up at her. ?Ready for the beating of your life??

Reimu knew how to deal with this one. ?How many cards??

?I don?t need spell cards anymore! Behold my amazing danmaku curtain hell!? Cirno didn?t bother declaring a card. She tossed clusters of tightly-packed bullets around her, and laughed as they expanded, and slid towards Reimu.

But all Reimu needed to do was float aside, wait for gaps to appear between the bullets, then step through them. The usual, really. Though this was a lot of bullets for Cirno, she had to admit. She reached into her pocket, and tossed a few ofuda out in retaliation. Cirno ducked, and one of them skimmed the top of her bow. ?Your fancy tricks are above me now, shrine maiden!? she yelled. ?It?s my time to shine!?

Reimu was already bored. She decided to be done with it, and threw the purification rod at her. The rod flew at Cirno like a starving dog smelling food, and struck her right between the eyes. Cirno squealed, fell backwards, and into the lake with a loud splash. Reimu swooped over the remaining bullets, and grabbed the rod before it plunged in after her.

That was fast. Reimu wasted no time turning back to the swarm, and to her surprise, saw that it had thinned considerably. She heard screams coming from the centre. The sound of something slicing through the air.

She saw Sakuya Izayoi in the centre of the swarm, moving her right hand in quick, graceful movements. Reimu saw the glint of metal. She was holding a long knife; the one Reimu saw at the party six weeks ago. The blade cut through a wall of fairies, and they disappeared immediately.

Reimu called out to her. ?What are you doing here? Killing time??

?Milady asked me to take a look at the lake,? said Sakuya, not looking up. There was another shriek, and the remaining fairies dispersed. They were running away. ?I do believe I?m done.? Sakuya held the knife up, inspecting it for blemishes. ?Not a spot of blood.?

Her tone of voice sounded different. Sakuya had always been a bit strange, but Reimu figured anyone would be strange if they served a bratty vampire for a living. But there was something dangerous about her smile, and the glint in her eyes made Reimu want to keep her distance.

?Do you know anything about knives, Reimu?? asked Sakuya.

?No, not really.? Reimu felt the purification rod twitch in her hand again. It wasn?t sure about Sakuya either.

?This one is quite remarkable. No matter how many times I use it, the blade never seems to dull.?

?Good for you.? Reimu remembered being told that at the party too, but she doubted it was a good idea to mention that. ?Were you killing those fairies just now??

?It was the easiest way to deal with them.? Sakuya didn?t look particularly bothered by it. ?There were too many for danmaku. I took care not to spill any blood. Although?? She looked down at the lake. There was a pool of red liquid below her feet. ?It seems a little slipped through.?

There was a loud splash, and a head rose out of the water. Reimu leapt aside, and reached into her pocket for more ofuda. It was a mermaid, giggling like a child playing in the water.


?Did I surprise you?? she asked, brushing her curly hair aside. Her fish tail surfaced with another splash. ?I bet you didn?t even realise I was here!?

?Oh, why hello there.? Sakuya smiled politely. She hadn?t moved at all. ?I didn?t realise there were living creatures in this dead lake. My apologies for dirtying your home.? She gestured to blood beneath her. ?The fairies made a bit of a mess.?

?The blood drew me here,? said the mermaid. ?It?s the strangest thing; I?ve always been disgusted by it, until now.? She sneered. ?I bet you?ve never thought about us mermaids before. We?ll be feared all over Gensokyo once everyone hears about this!?

?Hears about what?? asked Reimu.

?That I beat you two up!?

Typical trash talking. Reimu had heard this all before, though she?d never expected to hear it from a mermaid. They were peace-loving youkai who sang songs and swam around all day. They didn?t attack humans. ?What?s your name??

?Wakasagihime,? said the mermaid. Her pupils were dilated, just like the fairies. ?I already know who you are. You can both take me on at the same time, if you want. I don?t mind!?

?With pleasure.? Sakuya held out her knife.

Reimu grabbed her arm. Fairies came back to life if you cut them, but a mermaid didn?t have that luxury. Reimu had no idea if that knife was a proper youkai extermination weapon or not, but she wasn?t going to sit back and let Sakuya ignore the rules. ?Sakuya, spell cards,? she hissed.

?Oh, of course.? Sakuya tucked the knife into her apron string. ?Three cards should do it.?

?Two,? said Reimu.

?Two as well!? Wakasagihime held up her cards. ?Here we go!?

The fight wasn?t challenging, though Reimu was surprised by how easily Wakasagihime slipped between her ofuda. The mermaid didn?t leave the lake the whole time, despite the disadvantage it gave her. Danmaku was designed for mid-air battles, so staying on the ground made dodging certain patterns harder.

Sakuya didn?t get a chance to declare a card, and had a deep scowl on her face as the fight came to a close. There was an explosion to signal the end of the match, and Wakasagihime disappeared into the lake.

?I?ve never seen a mermaid act like that before,? said Reimu, tucking the cards back into her pocket. ?Do you think there?s something in the lake water? Like fairy blood, for example??

Sakuya pretended not to hear that. ?They were rabid when I arrived. You saw the look on that mermaid?s face. Whatever affected the fairies was affecting her too.?

Sakuya looked at Reimu. Reimu stared back. This was an incident, clear as day, and only one of them could solve it. This was their cue to either fight, or split up.

But Reimu didn?t feel comfortable letting Sakuya roam around Gensokyo by herself. Any other incident and Reimu would?ve fought and defeated her, and sent Sakuya back to the mansion until the incident passed. But Reimu had seen the look on Sakuya?s face when she gazed at that knife. Sakuya wouldn?t be satisfied with laying low. She would go out again, and cause havoc wherever she went.

?Let?s team up,? said Reimu. ?For now.?

Sakuya hadn?t expected that. ?Does this incident really need both of us involved??

?I think it does.? Reimu glanced in the direction of the Human Village. ?Just a hunch.?

?Hm.? Sakuya looked annoyed, but gave in anyway. ?All right, just for the time being. We should check the village next. I saw some of the fairies go in that direction.?

?I?m on it.? And Reimu flew ahead, already focusing on the houses near the lake shore. She glanced back, to check Sakuya was following her. The Scarlet Devil Mansion shone bright red in the evening sunlight behind them.

Each mystery hung before Reimu like strands of spider silk. The missing floorboards. The rotting room dividers. The riot at the lake. Reimu could fiddle with them as much she pleased, but if she wanted answers, she had to find a way to tie the strands together. Then maybe the whole, beautiful web of an incident would reveal itself.

And Marisa would be fast asleep in its centre, wrapped in a long piece of translucent silk, with a peaceful smile on her face.

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