Chapter 16
Questions of Vengeance The force landed in the forest. "Find positions," Nekiei ordered. "Shanghai, indicate the portal's location." Shanghai did so, firing a shot at the ground in the spot it would appear. Then she took her position, where she would be waiting for Alice. "Good. That's where Alice will appear, and she'll head straight for Shanghai. Position yourselves such that she won't be able to see you."
"The enemy is in position," Alice said. "We'll wait for a bit, then head in."
I would like to know more about you," Shiki said. "There may be something that would explain how you were able to cross the Sanzu."
"Unfortunately," I said, the memory loss issue makes that somewhat problematic. Hmm? well, first of all, is it true that only shinigami and Yama can cross the river?"
"Almost. Yuyuko Saigyouji cannot actually cross the river, but she can effectively do so, as she is able to travel between here and the netherworld freely. There are also the curse gods who placed the curse upon the river; it's their power that prevents others from crossing, so of course they can cross-although not even they could get back out. But none of them have gone missing."
"And what about this enemy force?" Komachi asked. "How did they move above the river?"
"Your boat can ferry people across," I said. "Is that something any such thing could do, or is there something special about the boat of a shinigami?"
It was Shiki who answered. "Charms are placed upon the boats when they are made. These charms are extremely specific, in order to prevent others from using them to cross. And even without that, they cannot be placed upon living beings. Or dead ones, for that matter."
"And nobody's tried to find a way to adapt these charms?"
Shiki was silent for a moment. "I have to admit that right now, I feel fairly stupid for not having thought of that."
"Um, boss," Komachi said, "what are you talking about?"
"Komachi, how much do you know of my previous shinigami, the one I selected you to replace?"
"Nochai? Not much. Just that he did something bad and got kicked out because of it. Well, that, and I also heard that he ended up going to Makai."
"He may be involved. The reason he was removed from his position is because he was trying to do exactly what Orphan just suggested. He was trying to adapt the charms for more general use-and no, I do not know why. I think, though, that it was less about the charms themselves and more about the concept of the border of life and death."
"You probably should have kept better track of him," I said, "if you were so concerned about what he was doing."
"It was thought that what he was attempting was impossible. It's not just a matter of creating an appropriate charm; the charms were actually built into the curse as it was placed, something that only the curse gods could do, and only those charms can protect from it. Altering the charms would result in them no longer being recognized by the curse."
"And general curse nullification wouldn't have helped?"
Shiki nodded. "We were? thorough. And this is no ordinary curse, either. It was specially crafted by the curse gods themselves. I suppose one could compare it to the difference between, say, water magic and the powers of a god of the water. Its nature is too different for anyone but the curse gods to affect."
"Well, it would seem that this 'Nochai' found something that worked."
"Yes. But we can set that aside for now. This is something for us to deal with; it is not your problem."
"If he's working with Makai now," I said, "it might be."
"Ah, yes, the demon attacks. I believe that a full assault from Makai is imminent."
"That's the impression I'm getting as well. And I have been told that I may be the only one who can unite Gensokyo against this threat."
"I see," Shiki said. "Yes, you did mention memory loss."
"It happened five years ago," I said. "I awoke in a forest in the outside world with no memory, and was there until finding my way to Gensokyo a few days ago."
"I see. And now you are searching for your identity."
"I've been doing that for the past five years. It is my search that led me to Gensokyo. And though I've been in Gensokyo only a short time, I seem to have made significant progress. I've been directed to the Moriya Shrine; apparently, the god there knows who I am."
"The Moriya Shri- wait, and five years ago. That? are you-"
"Um, boss?"
"Not now, Komachi." Shiki faced me again. "This is? who told you to go to the shrine?"
"Satori Komeiji," I said. "She apparently knows little besides my name, and I do not want to know that until I know the rest of who I am. So she directed me to the shrine, and sent Utsuho here with me as a guard, as she feared I might be attacked on my way there-which, of course, I was."
"Yes, she would know to send you there." Shiki paused, then bowed to me. "It seems I owe you an apology. I did not know who you were, but that does not excuse the disrespect I have shown you. And I apologize on Komachi's behalf, as well."
Um. This was an interesting development. It had already seemed that I was someone fairly important, but even so, I would not have expected the ruler of Hell to react in this manner. Neither, it seemed, did Utsuho. "Unyu?"
"Woah," Komachi said, clearly just as stunned as Utsuho and I. "Okay, um, boss, what's going on here?"
"That can wait," Shiki. "She has said that she does not want to know her name yet, and I will respect that. She has been shown enough disrespect already."
"It's not a concern," I said. "It would have been nice to avoid the battle, but I understand why you acted as you did."
"A battle would have happened regardless," Shiki said. "Even knowing who you are, I would still have to give you the same answer. Being the one who makes the rules here does not exempt me from following them. It would, however, have been a more formal battle, probably a danmaku contest. Less dangerous and less disrespectful than the battle we ended up having."
"I see. How much do you know about me?"
"Not a lot," Shiki admitted. "When you disappeared, a certain god paid me an official visit-it happens rarely, but there is a mechanism in place for such a thing. She was worried that you had died, and came to me to learn if you had. She provided me with your name and description-although I see that your appearance has changed since then, though I think you may still be somewhat recognizable. I also needed to know your kind, human or youkai, and if youkai, what type. So she told me, and knowing what you were, I was able to confirm that you had not died."
"So you know what I am, but not much about who I am?"
"That is correct. Would you like at least that much information?"
I thought about it. "No, I don't think so. If that's all you could tell me, then I will wait until the shrine and learn it all at once."
"Understood. In that case-"
"Hey, Eiki!"
The four of us turned towards the new voice. I didn't recognize the woman flying towards us, and I don't think Utsuho did, either, but Shiki and Komachi seemed to. Shiki stepped forward. "Lady Yuyuko."
"Who's that?" Utsuho asked.
Shiki turned back to us. "Ah, yes, introductions. Lady Yuyuko, this is Utsuho Reuji, and this is Orphan. Orphan, Utsuho, allow me to introduce Yuyuko Saigyouji, the ruler of the netherworld.
"Oh, come on, Eiki," Yuyuko said, "don't be so formal all the time."
"There will be time for friendly relations later. I am currently engaged in business."
"Oh?" Yuyuko looked at us. "Oh, that's why I'm here, too. I felt a feeling. Something messed-up messed up something. A screwy life-and-death thing. I didn't know what it was, but these two are alive. That has to be it, right?"
"Most likely."
"Okay. How'd they get here?"
"They crossed the river while alive," Shiki said, "and I think I may have figured out how, too. If you wish to know more, please wait for me in the usual spot, and I'll tell you everything you wish to know once my business with these two is concluded."
"Oh, okay," Yuyuko said. "Try not to keep me waiting too long, okay?"
"I apologize for her behavior," Shiki said as Yuyuko flew off.
"It's not a problem," I said. "She did seem to be an? interesting individual. So she is able to come here at will?"
"Yes. She is actually the ruler of the netherworld, as little as she acts like it."
"I see."
"So you truly do not know who you are, then. Despite being? no, you said you wanted to wait on that information."
I nodded. "I do. Of course, I'll need to get back to Gensokyo first. You can return me there, correct?"
"Yes. Ordinarily, it's not something I would do even after losing a battle, but given the circumstances-some of which you are not yet aware of-I believe that allowing you to return is the proper action. I think the situation-especially the fact of what you are and the fact that your being here at all is in a sense my responsibility, since it was my former shinigami who attacked you-warrants an exception. Come with me; I will open the way back."
I guess I have to be serious for a bit, here, don't I? Well, fine. My name is Yuyuko Saigyouji, and my story really has two beginnings. It began before my birth. I was conceived beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi. My parents didn't know what it was, as it appeared to be simply an enormous cherry tree. They never knew what it really was, not even when it killed them. From the moment I was born, I had an unusual connection to death and the dead. My parents thought it was simply a power I had as others have their own powers, but that did not change their concern for me. And I suppose it's understandable that my behavior caused concern. I spent a good deal of time in cemeteries, for example, apparently preferring the company of the dead to that of the living. It was in my thirteenth year of life that I began to realize that my connection to death came from the Saigyou Ayakashi. I could feel? something between it and myself. I'm not sure how to describe it. There was a link there, but I didn't know what it was. I began spending more time there, attempting to figure this out. On one of my visits, I accidentally stumbled upon my parents doing something beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi. I didn't know what it was, but it was what prompted them to explain about sex, which of course is the act they were engaged in. I was told that beneath the tree was one of their favorite 'private spots', and then I realized what the connection was. I asked them if the time they'd made me had been beneath the tree, and they said that it probably had. Being conceived beneath the Saigyou Ayakashi, I had been close enough that a link formed between us. And as time went on, I began to realize the nature of the link, and of the tree itself. I realized that the tree contained death. The tree was the reason I had a connection to death, but there was more to the link than that. The Saigyou Ayakashi was sealed within the form of the tree, and it was using me to break the seal. And I learned this because my condition became frail. The tree was drawing on my life, intending to use it to break the seal. I fought against it as best I could, but I could tell that I was losing. Slowly, but I was losing. My parents didn't want me to be alone, so they began bringing people to our home for me to meet. I didn't really like them, but my parents didn't give up. And eventually, I did meet someone. I was fifteen when we met, him being a few years older. We got along well from the start, and as time went on, we came to love each other. I believe he intended to marry me-I understand it's unusual these days for a woman to be married so young, but this was thousands of years ago, and it was normal back then. I knew how much he loved me, and I loved him just as much. But we couldn't be together, I knew that much. The Saigyou Ayakashi was going to kill me. But I didn't tell him this. I didn't know what he'd think if he knew I was linked to the tree of death. But then something happened. I don't remember what it was about; it was just another ordinary overly-dramatic teenage-girl-disagreeing-with-her-parents fight. But then something happened. Something came from me, and my parents died. I didn't know what I had done, but then I realized that it wasn't truly me that did it. My link with the Saigyou Ayakashi connected me to death, and gave me the power to kill. It was the tree's fault, not mine. The man I loved came to visit later that day. He didn't know that anything had happened, and I didn't tell him. But I did tell him something. I told him goodbye. I didn't know who would die next; it might even be him. And I didn't know how many would die if the seal on the Saigyou Ayakashi was broken. But I knew that I didn't want the tree to break free, and I knew that I didn't want to live as what the link had made me. So I told him goodbye, then went to the tree. I told him that I was going to die. I pushed what remained of my life through the link, but not into the tree itself. I used my life to reinforce the seal, to ensure that the tree could not break free. But doing so, of course, cost me my life. Which brings us to the second beginning, that of my existence as a ghost. As a ghost, I knew that I had been alive, but I couldn't remember much of it. All I had were general impressions. But I didn't care. As I would later learn, I was much more carefree as a ghost than I had ever been while alive. Not remembering much about my life simply wasn't important. But then he showed up. It turns out that the man I loved was devastated by losing me, and found himself unable to go on without me. So he came to me. But he did not kill himself. This man made his way into the netherworld while still alive. By this time, I had been approached by the Yamaxanadu-not Shiki; her predecessor. See, my connection to death remained with me as a ghost. I am no longer connected to the tree, but the power that connection gave me remained. And because of it, I was actually able to manipulate the netherworld, to alter it. Which, the Yamaxanadu told me, was supposed to be impossible. But she then told me that this ability made me uniquely qualified to take a position as the netherworld's ruler. I was already the ruler of the netherworld when he arrived. Seeing the man brought back memories, caused me to recall some-but not all-of my life. It was my time with him that I recalled, and my feelings for him. But we were of separate worlds now, and he couldn't simply die and come to mine. There was no guarantee that he would even become a ghost; most do not. And even if he did, there was no telling how long he would remain as one before passing on to the next life. I am the only ghost who will never pass to the next life; my connection to death ties me to the netherworld and keeps me here, another reason I'm uniquely qualified to rule over it. He could not die to be with me, but if he remained in the netherworld while alive, it would be only a few days before he died, as the living cannot remain here for very long. But he wanted to be with me, no matter what. And as it happened, there was a way. He knew that he could never 'have' me physically, but that didn't matter to him; he just wanted to remain with me. I knew I couldn't simply abuse my position to keep him with me, but I was able to take him in as my servant. And to allow him to remain in the netherworld, I changed him. He could remain, but only by ceasing to be truly human. I placed the essence of the dead within him, making him the first half-ghost of the Konpaku line. This change had the additional effect of greatly extending his life, but he did still die eventually. However, his descendents continue to serve me in his place, his half-ghost nature carrying on through his line. They do so not out of any loyalty to him, but because they believe me to be someone worth serving. In fact, my current servant, Youmu, has developed feelings for me similar to her ancestor's-while, I will we mind you, were emotional, not physical. Anyways, there was another incident with the Saigyou Ayakashi. See, although killing myself severed my link with it, it was still brought into the netherworld with me. But I didn't remember what it was. Eventually, though, I got curious because of the fact that it never bloomed, so I investigated. And I felt the presence of someone within it, some person. And, of course, I also felt the seal, but I didn't know why it was there or what it contained. So I decided to break it. I had Youmu go into Gensokyo and gather the essence of spring, which I then gave to the tree. This, as it turns out, extended Gensokyo's winter, which drew in a trio of individuals to take the spring back. But by the time they arrived, I had enough. Or so I thought. The seal didn't actually break; it simply reverted to the state it had been in before I killed myself, and the person I felt within it turned out to be me. It was at that time that I remembered what the tree was and what I had done. Fortunately, the seal hadn't fully broken, so I just put my life right back into it and then gave Gensokyo back its spring. Good, the serious stuff is done. I don't like being like that. Sure, I take my duties as ruler of the netherworld seriously, but that doesn't meant I have to be all serious about it, right? What would that get me, anyways? It's just so boring to be serious all the time. Yes, I'll do my duties, but why shouldn't I enjoy myself while I do, huh? I don't know what's going on in Gensokyo right now, but it's not really my concern. If it ever reaches that point, sure, I'll do something, but that's not my realm. The netherworld is, and so that's where I'm staying.
The portal opened, and four people came through it. They fanned out and approached Shanghai. "Copenhagen," Shanghai said. "Hourai. Holland. London. Where is she?"
"Right behind us," Holland said. And she indeed was.
Alice emerged from the portal and went straight over to Shanghai. "Shanghai. I didn't think I'd see you again."
"Just shut up," Shanghai said. "I don't want to hear it."
"Then why did you call me here?"
"Because I had to," Shanghai said. "There's trouble, and you're the only one I could think of who could help."
"It must be something major to get you to resort to asking me for help. I thought you hated me."
Nekiei stepped out of her concealment. "She does. The problem she wants help with is you still being alive. Ah-ah-ah," she added as Alice took a step backwards, "no running. You, um, might want to look behind you."
"No need," Alice said. "You've got people between me and the portal. Surely you didn't think I'd fall for Shanghai's trick."
"You already have," Nekiei said. "Emerge!" At her signal, the demons of her force emerged from their concealment. "You're not escaping, and you're not winning this fight. You're going to die, Alice Margatroid."
"No, she's not," Alice said. And then three things happened at the same time. First, 'Alice' started shimmering, and her form changed. Second, another Alice emerged from the portal surrounded by dolls, the portal closing behind her. The new Alice tore through the surprised demons that thought they were blocking her escape. And third, the living dolls leapt into action against the nearest targets.
'Alice' laughed as she completed her change. "Sorry," Nue said, "but I'm not Alice. You've, um, kinda been tricked."
"Not really," Nekiei said. "You still lose. Second wave, attack!" More demons came out of hiding. "I'm well aware that our setup was suspicious. I was quite prepared for you to see through it."
"Yeah? Well, guess what? We're ready for you, so bring it on!"
"Okay," Wriggle said, "here we are. The shrine's just at the top, right?"
"Right," Cirno said. They and the others were at the base of Youkai Mountain, ready to begin the ascent.
"Cirno," Rumia said, "you won't be immediately attacked by the 'frog-lady', will you? Because we're here for information, not a fight. So don't start one, either. Meaning no freezing frogs."
"Oh, fine. Come on, let's go." Cirno led the way up the mountain, Rumia close behind. Daiyousei and Tewi followed them, and Wriggle and Mystia brought up the rear, far enough back that they could talk without being overheard.
"Wriggle," Mystia said, "what if this is really nasty? What if there's more danger?"
"I'm not backing down, Mystia," Wriggle said. "I told you; I'm not going to do that anymore."
"I know," Mystia said. "I just don't like it. I don't like having to watch while you risk yourself, Wriggle. I? Wriggle, I want to fight with you."
"Mystia, you can't. You're?"
"Weak," Mystia said. "I know. But you were weak, too. Now you're not. You can fight now, and I want to fight with you."
"I can't let you do that, Mystia," Wriggle said. "I? I would love to have you at my side, fighting with me, but if you try to fight?"
"They'll kill me. I know. I'm like you were, too weak to actually fight. But you found power."
"I claimed power that was rightfully mine to begin with. I doubt you have any such thing."
"I don't, and it's driving me crazy. I? Wriggle, I can't just sit back and watch you risk yourself!"
"But you don't have the? power? to? Mystia."
"Huh?"
"I have an idea," Wriggle said.
Nue impaled a demon on her trident. She swung it around, using the demon to block an incoming blast from a second one. Nue then pulled her trident out and blasted the demon herself, sending it flying into the second demon. She sent UFO familiars at them and turned her attention elsewhere.
A demon grabbed hold of Ichirin, then quickly dropped her as he evaded a punch from Unzan. Ichirin opened fire, but the demon evaded. And then he got an anchor to the back of the head, courtesy of Murasa.
Holland leapt into the path of a blast aimed at Hourai and raised her shield to block it. Hourai leapt above Holland and launched a counterattack. The demon tried to move, only to find Copenhagen holding him in place. And as Hourai's blast hit, London came shooting down with a kick to the head before quickly rising back into the air.
Alice ducked under a sword strike and punched the attacking demon in the face. Another one came in behind her, only to be swarmed by Copenhagen dolls. The first demon formed a ball of energy and threw it at Alice, who moved Holland dolls in to block it. A third demon tried to intervene, only to find itself occupied fending off a horde of weak but troublesome and hard-to-hit London dolls as Alice combined with Hourai dolls to blast the first one.
"This isn't what I understood the plan to be," Shanghai remarked. She and Nekiei had drawn back and were watching the battle.
"That fake Alice changed things," Nekiei said. "I couldn't hit Alice with the special trick when she wasn't there, you know. Then she brought her help in, so I called out our second team and the battle began. I'll move in against Alice when I have a good shot, but I wouldn't be surprised if she came at me first. After all, I am one of those responsible for killing her mother."
"Yeah, but would she know that?"
"Wouldn't surprise me. And you said she had spies, right? Osira mentioned something like that."
"Moscow is the only one I know of, and I think that only started recently. I'm not sure how many of your little group she's identified."
"Well, if she doesn't come to me, then I'll move in. Don't worry, Shanghai; she won't live through this."
Nue touched down near where the portal formed. She had her trident stuck through the dead body of a demon, and was using said body as a club. She smacked away a demon that leapt at her and sent a UFO after it, then swung to the side and hit another. A small group of demons came up from behind her, one of them taking hold of her. Nue couldn't break loose, so she shrunk herself and ducked away before returning to normal size. Then she flung the impaled body free from her trident, sending it into the demon.
More demons landed in front of Nue. "Man, there's a lot of you guys. You just don't give up, do you?"
"You talk tough," one of the demons said, "but do you really think you can take all of us?"
The demon got blasted from behind by several UFOs. "Yeah," Nue said, "so come on!"
Alice sent a group of Copenhagen dolls ahead of her, knocking a pair of demons out of the way. Hourai dolls fired behind her as she moved away from the main battle.
"See?" Nekiei said. "Here she comes."
"I'll let you handle her, then. I'd rather not get knocked out; I want to actually see this."
"I know. Just leave her to me."
"Okay," Cirno said, "why are we stopping here?"
"I'm trying something," Wriggle said. "We'll continue on afterwards."
"And what exactly are you doing?"
"Mystia wants to fight, too," Wriggle said.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Mystia," Rumia said. "Remember, the three of us are a lot more powerful now."
"I know," Mystia said, "but Wriggle thinks she has a way around that particular problem. We ready, Wriggle?"
The insect youkai nodded. "Let's do it."
Cirno raised her hand. "Um, question: what are you doing?"
"I believe it's possible for me to lend a portion of my power to another. I am going to attempt it with Mystia."
"You can do that?" Tewi said.
"I know it's possible," Wriggle said. "I know what I can and cannot do, although I don't necessarily know what I can do until then. I know it'll work, but I don't know if it'll work."
"That didn't make any sense."
"She's tried to explain it," Mystia said, "but she can't figure out how to."
"Um, right."
"Remember, Mystia," Wriggle said, "this will be my power, not yours. Your own abilities won't be enhanced, unless you count having more raw power to draw on when using them."
"So my night-blinding won't be improved," Mystia said. "I doubt I'd be doing much of that, anyways. It's the raw power that I need in order to fight."
"You'll need to practice in order to determine what you can do with the power I'm giving you, but I should be able to help you with that. You ready?"
"Yeah. Do it."
Wriggle nodded. Her spear appeared in the air, and she moved the tip across both of her hands, drawing blood. Mystia held out her hands, and Wriggle did the same thing to her. Then the two of them clasped their hands together.
The two of them rose a few inches off the ground, and Wriggle began to glow with a green light. Then the glow began to spread slowly into Mystia. "I can feel it working," Wriggle said. "Mystia?"
"Eeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiioooooiiiuuuuaaaaauuuuu."
"Woah," Cirno said, "is she okay?" Mystia nodded. "Oh."
"UuuuuiiiieeeeeeeiiiiaooeeeeeeaaaaaooooaaaaAAAAAHHHH!"
The glow faded. Wriggle landed gently on the ground, but Mystia fell flat on her face. "Ow."
Wriggle helped Mystia up. "It worked."
Mystia nodded. "Yeah. It feels like? well, now I understand how hard it is for you to explain what gaining power was like. I don't have the expanded awareness you have, but the power? yeah, I can feel it."
"You shouldn't have any new abilities. All you have gained from this is raw power, but that's what you needed. When we get a chance, we'll practice, get you a feel for its use."
"Yeah. Um, how long will this last for?"
"As long as I want it to. I can recall the power to myself at any time, but unless I do, it should remain within you."
"Okay. Um, this doesn't make you too weak, does it?"
"No. I only gave you a fairly small amount. Relatively, at least; I'm still amazed by how powerful I am now. And I think I still haven't realized what all I'm capable of now."
"Even though you know what you can do?"
"Even though I know what I can do."
"That still doesn't make sense," Tewi said
I don't know what Shiki did, but Utsuho and I found ourselves back in Gensokyo. "There," Shiki said.
"Thank you," I said, "and I am sorry to trouble you."
"Do not worry about it. It was due to circumstances beyond your control. Now, you were bound for a certain destination, were you not?"
I nodded. "Yes. The shrine atop the mountain. I was told that I can learn who I am there."
"And that is correct. But I think you already know that there will be more to come after you do."
"It seems likely. Satori said and I may be able to unite Gensokyo against the demons, and given that they just tried to kill me, it seems that they may share that belief."
"They are correct," Shiki said. "You are able to unite Gensokyo against them. The question is whether or not you will."
She had a point. I'd only been in Gensokyo for a few days; was I really ready to take such drastic action in its defense? But I already knew the answer. "I may only have arrived here a few days ago, but there are fragments of my memory present. I may not remember my life here, but I know that I belong here. I know that Gensokyo is my home. So I will do everything I can to protect it."
Nekiei had kept her distance from the battle, which was just fine by Alice; this way, she wouldn't have to worry about the other demons while battling their leader.
And she told them to leave me to her, anyways. Nekiei came forward as Alice approached. "Well, hello there. You must be Alice."
"You're responsible for my mother's death."
"Oh, not really. I only came up with the means; I had little to do with the plan's execution. Maorol is the one who landed the killing blow, although I understand that Malachi did most of the actual work."
"Maybe so, but they were just help. The ones truly responsible are you and Netese. She's the one who led the usurpation, I understand. She's the one who decided to kill my mother, and you're the one who told her how. Both of you are going to pay for it. Although I think I'll be having a? meeting with this 'Maorol', as well."
"You know," Nekiei said, "I never really thought you were the type for pure vengeance."
"This isn't only about vengeance."
"Oh? You know, even if you manage to kill Netese, you're not exactly going to throw us into chaos."
"I'm well aware that your leadership structure would survive her loss. I imagine her position as leader would pass to Tokekei. But that is not my goal."
Nekiei laughed. "What are you going to do, assault Pandaemonium? You'd die within a minute."
"I think you underestimate me."
"Oh, not really. Not that we'll find out, of course. I mean, hell, the whole point of this little operation here is to kill you."
"And you think you can? My side seems to be winning."
"Oh, I'll fix that. After I've dealt with you, of course."
"And just what makes you think you can do that?" Alice asked, despite already knowing the likely answer.
"Oh, not much. Just a little trick I picked up from your dear mother." A coin-like object adorned with various symbols appeared in her hand. "I don't suppose you know what this is, do you?"
"An amulet, presumably sensitized to my mother's energy. An attempt to take some of her power."
"Oh, very good. You're right. We made quite a few of these. None of us have figured out how to ascend to your mother's state of being yet, so none of us actually has her power, but these do the trick. This variety in particular is quite useful. They are, sadly, limited in number, as they're a bit trickier to make then the other types-we actually had to draw on your mother's remaining essence to make these, so what we have now is the entire supply. So I guess you should really feel honored that I'm going to use it; we aren't exactly wasting these."
"As I thought," Alice said. "You're going to attempt to use my mother's command over her creations to control me. Well, sorry, but I'm not precisely normal in that regard. I'm not just a creation of hers, not in the sense that you are. Yes, she made use of her power to conceive me, but I was born like any other. All she did was eliminate the need for a male. I am truly her daughter, and as one-the only one-who shares her blood, I think you'll find that she didn't have such power over me."
Nekiei gave another laugh. "You don't really think that didn't occur to us, did you?" She spoke a word, and the amulet flew at Alice. Alice brought in a Holland doll to intercept it, but it simply veered around the doll and hit Alice, seeming to melt partway into her skin. "Sorry, dear," Nekiei said, "but those don't just have your mother's essence. That amulet has a little of my essence, too. That's how the power knows I'm the one control is given to, but it also has the quite convenient effect of altering things a bit. Not much, but I don't think your mother's blood is going to protect you from it."
Before Alice could reply, the pain began, and she fell to her knees. "AaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Don't fight it," Nekiei said. "I think you know that's futile."
"Don't? think? you've? won."
"Oh? Yeah, you've got some capable allies, but that won't be enough. Especially not when you turn against them."
"That? won't? happen."
Nekiei was about to reply when there was another scream of pain. But this one came from behind her. She quickly glanced over her shoulder to see Shanghai fall to the ground, screaming. "What the hell?"
Alice stood up. "There is a link between us."
Nekiei faced Alice again. "What the hell?"
"The process I use to bring my dolls to life results in there being a link between me and them. I'm sending the magic of your little amulet through that link." She grasped the amulet and pulled, but it refused to come off. "Well, that much I expected."
"How long can you maintain the transfer, Alice? Because you won't be removing that thing any time soon."
"Long enough." In fact, Alice herself wasn't doing anything at all. Shanghai was the one doing it. She was, through the link, fighting the control in Alice's place, preventing Alice from being affected by it. Not that either of them planned to tell Nekiei that. "I can remove it. Sure, maybe you've added your own essence to it, but it is my mother's that gives it its power, and I can remove my mother's essence from it. It'll take a little time, but that just means I'll have to kill you first. And now that I think about it, that might be enough on its own to remove the thing, since you have your essence in it as well."
"Not just me," Nekiei said. "Your side may have been winning the battle, but now you have me to deal with. Which means you're out of that particular fight. Can your allies continue to win without you?"
"It's time, Byakuren," Nogales said. "Get in there."
"Shit!" Netese exclaimed as the portal opened again. "Don't tell me you're a fake, too?"
Alice laughed. "What? You think only I can open that portal? It's a spellcard, and I gave the card to another before coming here."
"You're right," Nekiei admitted as Byakuren exited the portal, which closed behind her. "That was dumb of me. It's still not a problem, though. It just means that I'll have to intervene once I'm done with you."
"You won't win." The grimoire appeared in front of Alice. "Do you know what this is?"
"A magic tome, from the looks of- wait, is that-"
"My mother gave this to me upon my departure," Alice said. "I've only used it once before, so I'll admit that my knowledge of its spells is rather limited, but fortunately, it comes with a way to fix that."
The grimoire opened to the first page, and the text on that page began to glow. As it did, Alice's eyes seemed to flash, and if someone was able to look closely enough, they'd see that the flash was actually the glowing text appearing briefly on Alice's eyes. The age turned, showing more glowing text, and Alice's eyes flashed again. As the pages began to turn faster and faster, the flashes seemed to meld together into a constant glow.
Nekiei launched a large sphere of energy at Alice, but Alice moved in a group of Holland dolls to block it. Then some Hourai dolls opened fire, forcing Nekiei to evade as she returned fire.
When the Grimoire reached the last page, it closed and vanished. "Time's up," Alice said. "My turn."
The ground turned red, and a wave of flame swept quickly across it. Nekiei leapt into the air to avoid it, only to find that a ceiling of fire had formed above her, one that had a similar wave sweeping over it. Nekiei made her way between the two waves, but this distracted her from the shots Alice was firing, and she got hit. Alice ended the spell and immediately followed up with another. Ice shot out of the ground, sending Nekiei into the air. Alice then sent out five violet orbs, which immediately began firing bolts of electricity. Nekiei managed to avoid this one, dropping underneath the blasts. And then Alice took a hit.
Alice bounced back up to see Nekiei surrounded by orbs that looked exactly like the ones she'd used. And the blasts they fired confirmed her suspicions.
She's copying my spell! "You're a mimic."
"I am," Nekiei said. "What are you going to do ab-shit!" Nekiei evaded as ice crashed down from above her. Then she was hit by a sudden and extremely strong gust of wind from behind, which sent her right into the ice.
Nekiei mimicked the wind, attempting to blow Alice into the ice. Alice, however, expected this, and covered herself in a barrier of flame. She flew through the ice, putting her momentum into a kick to Nekiei's chest.
A human would have been killed, but Nekiei was a youkai, and she recovered fairly quickly. Alice formed more orbs and sent them spinning around Nekiei in varying orbits. Beams connected the orbs as they spun, requiring evasion, and if Nekiei moved out of the encirclement, they moved along with her.
Alice sent out another blast of wind, attempting to knock Nekiei into the beams, but Nekiei countered with a gale of her own from the opposite direction, canceling Alice's out. Alice cut hers off, but Nekiei stopped hers at the exact same time. "Did you really think I couldn't mirror you perfectly? I am a mimic, you-"
The orbs disappeared at the exact same time as a large chunk of earth hit Nekiei on the head. Alice created a gust of wind to blast herself forward, tackling her and throwing her downwards, where a group of hammer-wielding Copenhagen dolls was waiting. They hit her back up to a diving Alice, who grabbed her and slammed her into the ground.
"It's called a distraction," Alice said, standing over Nekiei. "You know, I really don't think you were the right choice to come after me. I think Netese underestimated me if she thought you could take me. Although I guess she probably did, since I've only used the grimoire's power once before. I wouldn't be surprised if she failed to take that into account."
"It? doesn't? matter," Nekiei said. "You won't? be? getting out of? this." She managed to send a flash of light into the air, signaling a third group of demons, who'd been hanging back, to rush towards the battle. "You still? lose."
"Oh? You might want to double-check that."
Nekiei looked towards her approaching third group. As the group passed between a pair of crystal trees, the trees suddenly opened fire, tearing into the demon group with lasers. And as they did, the illusion faded. "What? the hell?"
"Simple," Alice said. "They've been there the entire time. I happen to have a few very handy little objects called Seeds of Non-Identification. You and your force expected to find only the crystal trees of the forest when you arrived here, so crystal trees are what you saw when laying eyes upon those two who have seeds attached."
"Oh? yeah? And are you? sure? that just those two? will be? enough?"
"I'm in the battle again, as well, since you've been dealt with. I will, of course, be restraining you, and I'll have some questions for you once the battle's done."
"I won't? tell you anything," Nekiei said. "And know this: you may have? bested me, but Netese is? far more powerful. Don't think you can defeat her."
Nekiei began chanting, but was interrupted by a kick to the chest from Alice. "Let's not be trying anything."
"Too late," Nekiei said. "Only the first words matter. The rest is? just to make people think they stopped it in time. It means 'fuck you'."
Nekiei exploded.
"Okay, Wriggle," Cirno said, "why are we stopping this time?"
"Change of plans," Wriggle said. "Orphan just entered my range, and she's on her way to the mountain. I'd assume her destination is the shrine, and I don't know if we should get ourselves involved with whatever will happen when she arrives. Let's just hold back, and I'll observe what happens."
"The cautious approach," Rumia said. "I see."
"Right," Mystia said, "let's find a good place to wait, then. Maybe somewhere that'd be a good place for me to get some practice in."
"I've already found a spot," Wriggle said. "Follow me."
"Mystia has power now, too," Daiyousei said. "I'm really beginning to feel left out."
"You could always ask Wriggle to do the same thing for you," Tewi said.
"No way. I'm perfectly happy staying out of the fight."
"I see. Well, come on. I think they'll leave us behind if we don't get moving."
A demon narrowly avoided a laser from Shou, only for Nazrin to slam her in the head with a dowsing rod. Two more moved in, and Shou attacked them with more lasers. The demons attempted to evade, but Shou's favorite trick wasn't limited to danmaku, and she curved the lasers into her targets. They weren't particularly strong blasts, but they did give Nazrin an opening to apply metal rod to head.
Byakuren took hold of a demon that was charging at her and tossed it over her shoulder. Another came at her from behind, but she interrupted his charge with a punch to the face. She took hold of it by the arm and threw it into a demon group. Then she turned back to the first one, driving her elbow into its chest before landing a kick to its head.
Copenhagen swung a giant hammer into a demon, sending it flying. She changed her weapon into a spear and threw it at the demon, impaling its arm. Murasa dove in and smacked the demon with her anchor, sending it back a Copenhagen. Copenhagen formed a hammer again, and the pair began hitting the demon back and forth.
Alice finished off the last of the demons attacking her, then examined the battlefield.
Just a few of them left. I think it's safe to say that we've won this fight.
I bid farewell to Utsuho when we reached the mountain, and began my ascent. I didn't remain alone for long, though. Soon after beginning my ascent, I was approached by yet another woman with a hairstyle that was distinctive even for Gensokyo, although in this case, it was a deliberate stylistic choice; she had her green hair tied in front of her.
"So it's true," the woman said. "You have returned."
I nodded. "You know who I am, then."
"I do, but I suspect you would rather hear that from the god of the Moriya shrine. She knows more about you than any other."
"Then yes," I said, "she's who I would like to speak to. Can you take me to her, um?"
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry. I am the curse god Hina. You are going by the name 'Orphan', correct?"
"I am. Anyways, Hina, could you take me to this god?"
"Yes," Hina said after a brief hesitation, "but, well, I don't think she'd be very happy with me."
So I'll have to fight my way in, then. "So you're going to try and stop me."
Hina laughed. "Oh, no, and not just because I know you'd defeat me. She may be the ruling god on this mountain, but I am not under her command. Only one has the right to command me, and she wants something different."
"Which is?"
"Well, what do you want?"
"As previously stated," I said, "I want to proceed up the mountain."
"That is what she wants."
"So I can proceed unimpeded?"
"I will not try to stop you," Hina said. "You may-"
"Who's this?"
Hina and I turned to face the newcomer, a blue-haired woman that Hina seemed to recognize. "Laqara. What do you want?"
"Nothing from you," Laqara said. "I just made a delivery to the human village, and now I have to get up to the shrine."
"Convenient," I said. "My name is Orphan, and I am also headed for the shrine. Can you-"
"No time for requests," Laqara said. "Can't be a guide today. Takes too long, and I'm running late. Bye!" She flew off.
"What was that about?" I asked Hina.
"That was Laqara," Hina said, "a kappa. I guess she has business at the shrine, too. A shame she wasn't willing to take you there."
"It's not hard to find, as I understand," I said. "It's just at the top of the mountain, right?"
"Right," Hina said. "And, Orphan?"
"Yes?"
"Be careful. I suspect that the god will attack you when you get there. I don't think she'll take a final strike against you, but you'll be in danger while any battle is ongoing."
"Another told me much the same thing," I said. "I think I understand why she's likely to attack me, although I'll need to meet her before I can say for sure. But I assure you, I am quite ready to fight her if I must."
"Good," Hina said. "Get going, then. And good luck, Orphan."
Alice helped Shanghai up. As she'd predicted, the amulet had fallen off upon Nekiei's death, but fighting its effects had taken its toll on Shanghai. "I'm sorry to make you do that," Alice said. "Are you all right?"
"I'm? fine."
Byakuren and her group approached. "The battle's done. A few ran, but the rest have been taken out."
"The runners are dead," Alice said. "My children have been dealing with them. If any escaped, they did so unseen."
"I? don't think that was necessary."
"The less information Netese gets about what happened here, the better. If all she knows is that she never heard from her force, she can't know how we beat them. It'll leave her in the dark as to my capabilities. And, of course, there's the fact that any of them we kill is one less they'll have for the attack on Gensokyo."
"?True," Byakuren said, "but I still don't like it. And what of Nekiei? I thought you intended to leave her alive."
"I did. She had a suicide spell prepared."
"Oh."
"We won't be able to get information from her as I'd hoped," Alice said, "and in addition, I'm pretty sure that losing her will not set Netese back too much. She wasn't a hugely capable fighter, and I doubt she'd be used as a commander in the attack. That's probably another reason Netese chose her to come against me."
"We'll have to hope that Orphan can act fast, then," Byakuren said, "because if we haven't bought any time, then we probably don't have much time left."
OOC: Yes, I had Yuyuko show up just so I could do a backstory for her. I got the idea for it from the song I linked to and decided that I wanted to include it, so I did. Also, is it just me, or does Simone Simmons (the female vocalist) have the perfect voice
for Yuyuko? Anyways, get your final theories about Orphan's identity in now, because in the next chapter, it will be revealed.
