Waking Up from the Dream - Welcome Home - Story Thread

[Kakyoin]

8:01 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Outskirts

How could this be happening?

Ken's head was spinning as he sat on the ground, numbly cradling a doll in his hands. That same doll from before...it seemed like an eternity since he had seen it before, and he certainly did not expect to see it now.

"She's still not awake," Mokou hastily mentioned as she took to sitting nearby. "You think what Yuyuko said is actually true?"
   He nodded. "What else can we believe? It all makes too much sense..."
   Staring at the doll once again, only now he could recall what it was, who it belonged to, what it represented.
   Su-san.
   He silently mouthed the name out loud. There were too many coincidences happening, and not enough evidence to answer them.
   "Hey, you all right?" Mokou asked, leaning forward to take a closer look at the doll. "Oh, that's...yeah, that's definitely..."
   The doll stared back at him, its serious yet melancholic expression burning an image in his brain. It held his attention, and he could not stop imagining what the implications of this were. What could he believe now? Just what did RAI do to them? Some things had even changed permanently from what they used to be.
   Jerking at Mokou's light touch on his shoulder, he took a deep breath, put Su-san down and looked over at the immortal. "Yeah...but this is deeply concerting. I mean, if you think about it, this explains a lot of things, but..."
   "But at the same time," she continued for him, "it doesn't explain how this tengu managed to take it with her--or even what she's doing here!"
   He rubbed his top teeth against his bottom lip, trying to comprehend everything. He decided to voice his thoughts out loud. "Okay, let me try to summarize everything that happened."
   Mokou rubbed her cheek. "Okay, but make it quick. We need to figure out what to do from here..."
   It was true, he thought. Hatate still hadn't woken up, which was not good at all. They were practically on the edge of Kamisuiwa though...the place seemed darker and more active than usual for this time of day, based on what they had seen from afar. To complicate matters, Su-san had fallen out of Hatate's pocket just as they had started to take this short break. She had somehow obtained that doll, but how?
   He shifted slightly. "All right...so, here's what happened. Remember in the virtual Gensokyo, Hatate came to help us fend off Nue?"
   "Hmmmmm...yeah, that was kinda recent. What about it?"
   "Mokou, she and I actually met before that...in fact, Hatate and I met in there just before I encountered you."
   "Oh?" She sniffed and wrinkled her nose as a small fire lit in her extended hand, lighting the small vicinity around them. "I found that kinda weird, y'know? In that virtual place or whatever, we didn't really know each other until that stupid floating explosive thing blew up all over me and I ran into you. What gives? Now here in reality, we suddenly know each other again? Seems pretty odd, I dunno..."
   "Yeah, it is. Anyway, so Hatate, well...she also ran into me like you did, eheh..."
   "Wow, what a day you must've had then."
   He looked down at Su-san, who lifelessly looked back up at him from between his spread legs, then back up. "No kidding...so, when she hit me she must've jarred this doll loose..."
   "Weh? You had that doll in the virtual Gensokyo too? I didn't know that."
   "Yeah, I did. But when Hatate collided with me, maybe she knocked it loose. I didn't notice it was gone until I had gotten back home. Maybe Hatate picked it up?"
   Mokou frowned. "Well in any case, she had it on her this whole time because it just dropped out of her pocket!"
   "True. But that brings up the question, you know? Why is she here?" He scratched his head. "I don't get it..."
   "Why not? I mean, Yuyuko is here and all that good stuff. So what's wrong with Hatate bein' here?"
   "Yuyuko...I--we really have no choice but to believe in what she says, it all makes sense. But that would mean that something else is controlling the mana links here, from behind the scenes..."
   Mokou flicked a few blades of grass at her side with her non-lit hand. "Okay, but that means it was something RAI did...right?"
   "It had to be. It's so hard to believe, but with everything that's happened, what else CAN we believe?"
   He sighed in frustration. Upon discovering Su-san in Hatate's pocket, Yuyuko had given a theory about it right away, which seemed logical enough given all the other crazy shit that had happened so far. She had said that because Hatate was carrying Su-san, whatever was controlling their memories when they escaped back into reality had glitched and brought Hatate into reality instead of Medicine. It seemed farfetched but somehow correct...Mokou had just brought up the point of why they didn't know each other in that fake Gensokyo world, yet they knew each other well enough here in reality. Could the RAI technology actually control their very minds like that? He had a hard time forcing that truth down.
   Wait a minute. Medicine?
   He had no recollection of Medicine before they got captured. That couldn't be right! Medicine wasn't in his memory, so it wouldn't make sense for her to be here right now with them. Unless...
   "Hey, you done relaxing? We should get going again, yeah?"
   His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of another voice. He turned around to be greeted by Kaguya's surprisingly serious face. "Oh...yeah we should keep going. We need to do something about Hatate and get to Amarillo and Nitori quickly."
   The Lunarian looked back towards the sleepy-looking town. "Bad news though...we went ahead to see if there was anything suspicious and..."
   "And there are these scary-looking guards everywhere!" Yuyuko floated in and finished Kaguya's sentence. "We need to be really careful...I bet they're involved with RAI, too..."
   He started standing up, but gasped as he saw Mayli in front of him, reaching between his legs. "Wh--"
   She froze momentarily and looked at him. "What? I wanna look at this doll a little..."
   "...oh. Yeah okay, sure." He adjusted his jacket and started to stand up. "In fact, hold onto Su-san for me. I gotta carry this tengu again."
   "Sure." She dusted the doll off and carefully rubbed the ribbon on its hat. "Aren't you a lucky little doll..."
   "We'll see what happens once we get to Tourist Helpers. I really hope Amarillo and Nitori can help Hatate somehow." He sighed and bent down to pick her limp form up off the ground. He could no longer feel much of her presence, which worried him greatly. If Yuyuko was right, then Hatate wasn't fully connected to him, or at least not properly...which was an anomaly in and of itself.
   Groaning, he picked her up with a grunt. He was stronger than the average human male back in the Human Village, but he most certainly wasn't incredibly muscular. Carrying Hatate for a majority of the time was taking its toll on him. His arms ached, and he wanted to help her get well as soon as possible. "Nothing is ever easy, indeed..."



(Notes: It is revealed that Hatate, similar to Yuyuko, may also be ill-matched with Ken, and Medicine Melancholy may be involved somehow. Unbeknownst to all of them, Hatate's bond with Ken is about 35% of the normal potential, and thus she has fallen into a permanent state of unconsciousness. For the next few hours, Ken's team will try to make it to Tourist Helpers while avoiding the occupying soldiers.)

[Grimarg]

12:00 PM, Day 2, Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Hotel?s caf?.

Odd?

Andy took a sip of his tea and looked outside the window.
Two soldiers walking down the street, one posted in the corner, and another two on the opposite corner over a rooftop.

If he had any worries about the situation, he made a good job hiding them. Well, it wasn?t the first time that he was surrounded by soldiers like that; he handled situations like this before, so it?s no surprise that he was unmoved by the amount of soldiers lingering around town.

He raised a brow when he opened his phone. There it was; the same message again.
It was a message so overly cloying that he wondered if Friedmann was the one that wrote it.
And that name, Amarillo Veridian. It looked like a name that Faber would use.

For a moment he wondered if his old partners had followed him to the other side of the world, but he dismissed the idea almost immediately.

Yet, something was odd. Most people would find this situation strange, but not him. ?This is strangely convenient.? He said while finishing his tea.

He checked his watch. 1:20 PM.

?Very well? he said to himself ?I?d better be off to that ?Tourist Helpers? shop and check the situation.?

He left some money over the table, enough to pay for the tea and the tip.  On his way out he stopped beside the doorman.

?Excuse me sir.? he said to draw his attention. ?Do you have a lighter with you?? He said while taking out a cigar from the inside pocket of his blazer.
In response, the man took out a lighter and lit the cigar in Andy?s hand.
Andy thanked the man and walked in direction to the town square.


1:55 PM, Day 2, Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Town Square, in front of the Tourist Helpers shop

Andy took his time walking to the shop. Thinking about how oddly opportune it was that the military had occupied the town just a few days before the convention. A convention to which he was invited for free.
He released a puff of smoke and sighted.

?I came all this way here, I might as well finish this.? He said to himself and opened the door.

OOC: Andy has entered the shop

[Kakyoin]

9:56 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Near Saniwa Shrine

"Hah..."

Kaguya ran over and pressed her hands and back against the edge of the exterior of the nearby building. Peering around the corner, she saw...nobody in sight. The coast was clear. Looking back, she motioned to the others with her head.
   "Coming," Ken silently mouthed back to her. He walked as lightly as he could, but he could hear his footsteps clomping heavier than he wanted them to. Gritting his teeth, he shook his head and blinked to clear away the one drop of sweat dripping down the side of his forehead, which he felt near his eye. He was still carrying Hatate in his arms, and this situation was just terrible luck. There were so many soldiers around...they had already been questioned by one group of them, and they were very unfriendly. Worse yet, they had guns...a few of them, at least. That had startled him. He had never had a gun pulled on him before, and his knees were still shaking from the encounter.
   Then again, he thought, perhaps his knees were shaking from exhaustion. They had spent so much time trying to maneuver through the streets of Kamisuiwa, and had narrowly avoided other soldiers. And Hatate had started shaking when Mokou was carrying her, so it was obvious that she needed to be close to him. The obvious solution was for him to carry her. However, his arms really were getting sore now. He wasn't sure what was keeping them up now, perhaps a desire to--
   "Whoa!" He had bumped into Mokou, who was looking around in the barely-lit darkness.
   "Dude...shh." She flipped her hair back and walked forward. "This..."
   "Hmm?" He looked back up and saw where Mokou was pointing.
   Panting, Mayli caught up with them. She bent down and caught her breath, putting her hands on her knees. "This, hah...isn't what I signed up for...hah..."
   "Phew..." Yuyuko, coming up at the rear of their group, also seemed quite fatigued. She had a hand to her chest in a ladylike manner, but it was clear that she was breathing quite heavily. "We got away from that light...thank goodness."
   "Er...Ken..." Mayli stood a bit further up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Where...hah, where are we going?" She looked at him. "Ken? Wh--"
   She looked up and saw what he was looking at. It was a shrine...or at least, what was left of it. It was the Saniwa Shrine!
   "This place, eh." Mokou spat on the ground and walked forward. She placed a hand on one of the pillars holding up the shrine's entry gate, which was untouched. However, the shrine itself seemed to have been slightly wrecked. She clicked her tongue. "Was there a fight here, or something?"
   "This is so very rude of those soldiers!" Kaguya exclaimed.
   "Shh...keep your voice down, fool. You never know if those damned soldiers might show up," the fire mage said scornfully.
   Ken had finished propping Hatate up against the other pillar. He sat down next to her and looked around. "Who knows? What I want to know is why there are so many officials around here. What's happened to this town? It used to be so peaceful..."
   "Yes, well..." Yuyuko began, holding a robed hand up to her face. "Perhaps they are RAI soldiers?"
   "That would kinda make sense," Mokou interjected. "But they kinda look like military soldiers...right, man?"
   Ken nodded. "Yeah, they do." His expression fouled. "And they're armed..."
   Mayli groaned and placed her hands over her chest out of habit. "No kidding...I thought I was gonna get shot..."
   "I don't like this...but we should probably check this area out." Kaguya stepped over Hatate's extended legs and walked around towards one side of the shrine. "Wouldn't want to be ambushed again."
   Mokou ran her tongue over her lips. "Fine. You take that side, I'll take the other. Don't get caught now."
   Kaguya looked back at her rival and smirked. "I should say the same to you." As Mokou shrugged and walked the opposite direction, she turned to look at the two who were sitting down. "You going to be all right?"
   "Yeah, thanks." Ken hung his head down and took a long, deep breath. His mouth was dry, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He could only imagine what the others might be going through right now...but then again, if there were this many soldiers occupying Kamisuiwa, and next to none in the RAI base they had just come from...
   "HEY! WHO'S THERE?!"
   His body jerked alive and he looked up. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

It was a group of three soldiers. They had been spotted.

"Ken!" Mayli gasped, trying to stand up in a hurry.
   "No!" He grabbed her hand instinctively, pulling against her flight instinct, holding her down and preventing her from standing. His strength and reflexes were returning briefly with the arrival of adrenaline.
   "B-But--"
   Yuyuko had walked over to the soldiers, one of which had a gun pulled out. The ghost princess had her hands up. "Sorry, sirs...what is it?"
   One of the other soldiers reached out and pulled the first soldier's gun down. "Easy now, we can't be too forceful." He stared up at the woman in front of him. "What's a lady like you doing out here at a time like this?"
   She assumed a fatigued, tired countenance and put a hand to her face. "Please sir...we have a slight problem..."
   The soldier tapped his helmet. "What problem? Why do ye need to come to this run-down shack, huh?"
   "We were resting...one of our friends fainted, and we're trying to get back home to let her rest..."
   "Oh, I see." The third soldier walked over to where Hatate, Ken and Mayli were sitting. The former had their hands out on the ground. "You kids wouldn't happen to know of any..." he paused for effect. "...magical people who live in this place, do you?"
   Ken felt Mayli's hand jerking in his. He cleared his throat and spoke up. "Officer, we haven't. We just want to get home. Will you let us go, please?"
   "Hmm." He looked back at the other two soldiers. "Whadya think?"
   The soldier who had pulled his gun out earlier also walked over. He nudged Hatate's foot, and she slumped over unresponsively. "Huh...this one's in trouble?"
   Ken was starting to get irritated, especially since they were being treated so harshly. Perhaps if he wasn't so tired, he would've resisted them. "Please be gentle to her...I've been carrying her for a while now..." Thankfully, Yuyuko had covered for them. That was a relief. He tried to think of what else he could say, if these soldiers asked for more information about them.
   "Yeah yeah, whatever." The soldier scraped his shoe on the ground. "I dunno, I don't feel comfortable letting 'em go. Besides," he said as he walked over to Yuyuko, "this one looks too...exotic."
   Ken saw Yuyuko's face change to that of worry. Yuyuko worried? What was the world coming to? Then again, there was a lot riding on what she was about to say. Her attire likely stood out, and that pink hair wasn't helping either. He prayed she would be as clever as she was known to be.
   "I-I," Yuyuko stammered. "I'm just...I came here for the main event happening soon, that's all...that convention..."
   Ah yes, he thought. They had seen posters of some convention happening soon. Perhaps Yuyuko could blend in as a participant.
   The first soldier who had approached them put a hand to his chin. "Hmm, I don't know..."
   "Please, can we at least stay inside this place for now?" She put her hands together in a desperate begging pose. "We want to see if she will wake up soon..."
   "Eh, I don't see why not," a soldier said. "Besides, we can just come back and check up on 'em sooner or later."
   "Really? Thanks, mister!" Yuyuko bowed.
   He rolled his eyes and looked away. "Whatever, just don't go anywhere for the next hour..."
   "Um...excuse me?" To Ken's surprise, Mayli had spoken up. "What's happening to this town? Why are there so many armed soldiers here?"
   He smirked and fiddled with the gun in his hand. "That's confidential, girly. If we told ya, we couldn't let ya live. Hehehe!"
   Looking over, Ken saw her face blanch. He squeezed her hand and stared at her for a moment. She looked truly frightened.
   "Hey, we're wasting time," another soldier stated commandingly. "You kids get inside then. Don't go anywhere for an hour or so. We'll be b--"

*BOOM*

   Everyone in the shrine's vicinity jumped and looked over towards the direction the explosion noise had come from. The soldiers quickly had their guns out and were running to investigate. Ken felt Mayli's fingers digging into his, causing him to wince.
   "You all stay here, you hear me!" One of the soldiers was shouting over his shoulder at them, while they ran to the right of the shrine and around the corner, finally disappearing.
   A moment of silence passed, and Mayli let out a sigh of relief. "Good riddance, I thought I was going to die..."
   "Well!" a female voice coming behind them caused them to jump slightly.
   Mokou calmly strode into view from the opposite front end of the shrine, hands in pockets. Kaguya was walking behind her. "I saw what was going on, so I thought we could use a little distraction..."
   "Oh boy," he groaned. "Your timing couldn't have been better, trust me."
   "Hey!" Kaguya exclaimed. "It was my idea, you know..."
   Mokou scoffed at her. "Yeah, but I did the work. Fair's fair, yeah?"
   "Hey, no fighting, remember?" He replied weakly.
   "Ken, we have to hurry!" Yuyuko said urgently. "Let's go into the shrine!"
   He was confused. That seemed like the opposite of what they wanted to do, even if that was the story Yuyuko had fed them. "Into the Saniwa Shrine? Why there?"
   Mayli finally removed her hand from within his, and smoothed her hands on her shirt. "Ken, we've been following what Yuyuko recommended for a while now. There's got to be something at the shrine, right?"
   "I had a feeling myself," Mokou started. "This shrine's got something secret hidden away. I remembered it as we got closer and closer."
   Kaguya helped Mayli up, while Mokou stuck her hand out to Ken. "I guess it's your turn to be thankful!"
   He seemed surprised at her offering, and took her hand. She pulled him up rather easily. "Ugh...t-thanks..." He noted that she was very strong, much stronger than he remembered her being. Or maybe he was just feeling weak right now, who knew.
   "Yeah, no problem. After all, you're the man of this group. If you go down we'll be like princesses without a prince...right, Kaguya?" Mokou looked over and gave a short, harsh laugh.
   Kaguya looked away apprehensively. "Ugh...shut up, Mokou. You pick the worst times, I swear..."
   A slightly distant voice arrived at their ears before Mokou could reply. "Well, Hatate seems the same still..." Yuyuko had kneeled down to check her condition. She looked up at them as they also made their way over to the other side of the shrine arch to where the tengu was slumped. "You think it could be because of Su-san?"
   "Because of that doll?" Mayli reciprocated.
   "It might be." Ken looked over at his friend. She was repeatedly lifting her shirt up around her chest area, presumably to try to air out her nervously sweaty body. He guessed she was still a bit wound up, as the form-fitting school shirt was preventing it from being very effective. "Hey, you should probably unbutton a bit if you wanna cool down."
   Mayli stopped mid-lift and looked up at him. Her wide eyes met his. "Erm...yeah, I probably should." Her fingers fumbled with a button on her shirt above her chest. First those near-death youkai experiences, and now having guns pulled on her? She closed her eyes and tried to relax, but her body was still shaking. Looking back up, she looked him in the eye again. "I guess I'm not thinking straight, huh..."
   "What's this?" Mokou inspected Mayli and saw how excited her body was. "What'd they do, pull a gun on you or something?"
   Mayli nodded silently.
   "Tch...I see." The fire immortal looked over at Ken, who was staring at Mayli. He looked concerned, but the opportunity was just too good to pass up. "Hey man, don't stare too hard..."
   "W-What? No..." he averted his eyes. As expected, he heard someone stifle a laugh, presumably Mokou. "I'm just...worried about her, that's all." Admittedly, Mayli was a ravishing, well-endowed young woman, but this was the absolute worst time to bring up something like that.
   "You know," Mokou began, a shit-eating grin forming on her face. "I had a feeling there was some extra camaraderie between you two..."
   Mayli blushed. "Ken...I'm glad you held my hand back there, but--"
   Mokou's eyes widened. "Oh my, that's quite an epic tale to tell, I bet..."
   Ken felt his cheeks redden. "Hey! I said I wasn't going to do anything!" He put a hand over his face, shaking his head. Still, he couldn't blame Mayli for worrying; having those armed soldiers appear was quite the harrowing experience. He imagined that none of them had imagined the situation would be like this when they arrived.
   "Yeah. Let it go, Mokou," Kaguya interjected. "Don't we have more important things to do, like, you know...save everyone?"
   "Oh c'mon, I was just trying to lighten things up a bit. Get their minds off of what happened." Mokou put her hands back in her pockets. "All right then, let's hope something good happens for once, mhmm?"
   "No kidding," he said dryly. "I'm tired of dealing with problems." If they were going into the shrine, he hoped he didn't have to carry Hatate much further. Whatever was causing her unconsciousness didn't seem like it was going anywhere anytime soon, but she seemed to have issues being apart from him for too long. Maybe what Yuyuko had proposed a while back was true...
   "Only one way to find out," he mumbled. He bent down to pick up Hatate.
   Yuyuko had already made her way to the shrine's door, which seemed to be intact still. "Let's go, we need to reach Amarillo!"
   "Amarillo?" Kaguya was puzzled. "Unless she is a shrine maiden in disguise, I don't think we'll find her here." Suddenly the Lunarian remembered something about the shrine. "Unless..."



(Notes: Ken's team is now officially in the town of Kamisuiwa, as of this post. They are about to enter the Saniwa Shrine.)

[IdiotsOpposite]

1:30 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Room 237

Zach sat up with a shock in the bed, looking around. His hair was all messed up as he stared blearily at the clock for a full minute. 1:30... damn, that late already... he thought to himself as he slowly crawled out of the bed. Stepping over to his suitcase, he looked over at the computer screen - still lit up. He had some Skype messages... no surprise there. What was a surprise was a strange pop-up. He knew that wasn't normal. Some sort of spyware maybe? Well... it could wait until after he showered. Picking up a black hoodie and jeans, he stepped into the shower, rubbing his eyes.

One shower later, Zach stepped out, refreshed. Adjusting his hoodie to make it more comfortable, he stepped over to the bed to tie his shoes, taking his first real look at the computer screen. The pop-up was simple - an advertisement for the Saniwa Shrine. "Hey, that's just a few miles from here... might as well check it out, right?" he thought as he clicked on the link, ignoring the Skype messages for now. He took one look at the Shrine, thinking it was an error for a moment. However, even after several refreshes, it still showed the same message: Do you have faith in yourself, and people important to you? "What an odd message to have in a website," he thought as he sent a quick message to his friends telling them he'd be gone for a bit. He wanted to see this weird shrine in person. Maybe ask them why they couldn't properly maintain their website. He grabbed a few items - his phone, his broken-screen iPod, his wallet. And then he stepped out of the hotel room, and started heading towards a shop he saw from the window. He saw that it said "Tourist Helpers". Maybe he could get a map of the city there.

1:45 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Outside of Tourist Helpers

Having made it to the shop, getting lost along the way, Zach couldn't shake that one message from his mind. "Do you have faith in yourself, and people important to you?" It was such a nonsense line and yet he just couldn't get it out of his head. Even the noise of the city couldn't drive that phrase out. He looked at the entrance of Tourist Helpers for a moment before entering the shop. He still needed a map, no matter how many strange phrases were bouncing around in his head.

OOC: Zach exits hotel and enters Tourist Helpers.

[Kuribohlv9]

1:00 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Room 126

Japan was interesting. Den had only come here recently, but he liked the change of pace that the eastern world had to offer.
?The people are much different here than in Europe, it's like a breeze of fresh air.? Den sat down by the table and grabbed a cup of tea. The days he spent in japan so far had been uneventful. The convention was supposed to be held tomorrow, and he had decided to spend this day at his hotel room. ?Still, the world is still the same.? He sighed and sipped on the cup of tea. The cafeteria downstairs had an elderly lady who made everything sold there by herself. It was quite refreshing.
"If there is one thing the Japanese knows, its tea brewing,? he thought, as he emptied his cup. The streets of Kamisuiwa was really calm when he arrived yesterday, but now he could see one or two soldiers passing by? what's up with that? As he got out of the chair his computer signalled him that he should check it out. He looked at his screen to find out what it wanted.

1:15PM
Do you have faith in yourself, and people important to you?

"What's this, faith in myself, what a dumb question,? The flickering screen spelled out a message, it seemed to come from a Amarillo Viridian.
?I have no people important to me, that is why I have faith in myself.? The sender of message seemed eager to get his point across, as the website hosting the message was one he checked out earlier, Saniwa shrine's website or something.
?Tourist Helpers, ey,? Below the message was an address to a shop.

1:25 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Outside Tourist Helpers

?That message wasn't a simple prank?. The shop was in front of him now. He had rushed to the store as quickly as he could. On his way he had seen a lot of soldiers roaming the streets.
The store blended in quite well with the scenery. It looked like every other building on the block. A regular japanese shop.
?I wonder if I really can find an interesting person in here,? He looks up at the sign of the shop and contemplates that question for a bit, ?I don't have high hopes though.? Shaking loose his thoughts, he decides to enter the shop.
"I've always had faith, maybe one day it will actually lead to something.?

I felt like derp writing this. Don't know if happy with the result or not.

We are in the shop now. Moving the story forwards bit by bit.

[Nemo★Ma]

*OOC: Hikari? Yami? I had to do this XD*
*Also, there are not any unmatched elements, it's just more symbolism and mindscrew.*

Day 2, Around 6:15 PM, ？？？


Submerge
Neil is very puzzled.
Yes, he did get knocked out once in the shop, however, the place he's currently in.... can be described of Anything, but a shop.
If you HAD to describe it so it sounds like a shop, it may be a glass workshop.
Since he is currently standing on a platform that entirely made of glass, (why it actually holds together, however, is mystery),
As he wanted to get a closer look... a light shone down from above, revealing the colors of the platform.
"That's...!" He wanted to say something, but found out he cannot for some unknown reason.
The platform has his own image on it, together with two other faces that belonged to the "persons" he couldn't known more.
The edge of the platform is surrounded by a circle of smaller emblems consisted of a burning comet with a cross emblazoned on it.
And, at the center of the platform, the two "personas" are fighting, with strange weapons that looks like.... Oversized Keys? Neil is more confused.
Then he noticed two other people, standing besides him, that he didn't know of.

One is a tall girl with strange ears and an oversized earphone thing, she seems to observe this fight with great interest.
The other is another girl with a lab coat, looking at something that's better called an mini-sized notebook.

As he is wondering what exactly is going on, the taller girl speak first, "Your mind... seems to conflict each other."
The other girl takes out a pen and starts to write something.

Before Neil can reply anything, Kimia uses her blueish-white weapon to push away her opponent, "And how can you declare that? reading our minds at will and making your own assumptions? "
Her words are abruptly cut off by a black flash, as Milican used her pitch-black weapon to summon a pillar of Light and sent it flying towards Kimia, "Every action comes with a reason, and I believe this will cause us no harm." as she cast another wave of fireballs to follow that pillar, she turned towards Neil, "Don't believe anything you see! You are in a visitor's lounge in Tourist Helpers and is-" she stopped as Kimia coated herself in a dark haze and charged at her.

"Then why did they inflict this vision on us?" Kimia's voice vacuumed from the distance as she charged forward. "Even there are reasons, it's not enough to cover it under something like this."

This tension is broken when the other girl stopped writing and looks up.
"No, Miko, you are wrong, these three hearts, do acts like one."
The girl that's referred as Miko shifted her focus from the fight back, "and what do you mean by that, Rikako? Can't you see these sparks spreading from their weapons? Or..."
"I thought you can hear 10 people speaking at once, turns out you can't even manage 3."Rikako nodded, then asked, "Personas of conflict! Do you have faith in the person you believe in?"

This question made both parties stopped their movement.
"If they are worthy for us to believe."
"If their faith are strong for us to follow."

"And, what will do in hardships that kept you from your eventual companion of faith?"
Then their weapon shattered, and the answer is heard.

"Any hardship won't stop us from breaking out towards what is truly dear."

"See," Rikako turns around, "That's the way it should be done, the hearts may be different, but the feelings are shared."
"Hmm, that's quite interesting for a human, good luck then." Miko turned her back, and leap down the glassy platform.

Ascend

But there is no platform anymore, with a blink of an eye, Neil is now sitting on a bed, and a girl with bright-colored jackets sits beside her as someone else leaves the room.
"So what exactly has happened?" Neil suddenly realizes he can now speak again.
"Nothing, and everything." The girl's cryptic answer didn't help anything. "You have proved yourself, We'll met again tomorrow, if you want to know more, come here tomorrow at night, 10PM seems good." She looks at the doorway, "I still can't get why Koishi didn't understand that simple fact though, maybe she's still too tired?"

"Err, excuse me?" having absolutely no idea what the girl is referring to, Neil asked.
"Ah, no, it's not your concern, sorry about that. Also, you hit your head...." she points to her own forehead, ".... a little hard just now, are you sure you are entirely fine? You can stay here if you want to."

With a smile, the girl quickly left the room. Leaving Neil alone.

[GuardianTempest]

6:17 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa Town Central - Tourist Helpers Shop

  Such an experience and a massive influence as well, as if a huge singularity of stimuli just exploded all over his senses. Still, was it really a hallucination? Neil keeps doubting his own mind, however, it does have a point. Somehow, it precisely pinpointed his subconscious and highlighted his own problems, self-conflict is prevalent. He sits around and idles for a bit to make more sense of whatever-the-hell just happened. Also he feels a bit...I don't know...embarrassed? He was knocked out on the forehead.

So...I've been revealed? The shell removed and the corrosion exposed? I-I shouldn't really think too deep about this...you two...

"It's alright, remember that line from the comic? "Everything happens for a reason" he said. You shouldn't worry about ourselves, after all, we all have our faults." "Still, it was bitter, but you have to see, this could give you some real insights right now." "You shouldn't beat yourself up about it, even though your perception is poor, your eyesight is still sharp."

Yeah, maybe so, but what's with the Key motif?

"Beats us, sorry we had to fight, but you were in a state of panic." "Those two girls, are they real? Fictional? Well, at least there's a scientist, you like science, don't ya?" "So, are you still going to stay here or move on to find an inn? Last you checked, there ain't one aside from the one owned by the elderly couple, which is probably full considering how kind they always are."

Actually, I think I might stay here, so long as any newcomers don't target me or anything, I think slacking off and browsing the internet here would be nice, maybe I'd rather settle upstairs instead. I wonder if this place has Wi- *clicky in his mind*

"Pakshet! Nasaan ang gamit ko!!!?"^*

  For twenty seconds or more, he scrambles around like a cat that has been sprayed with water in desperate search for his beloved belongings. It would be bad if anything happened to him...oh look. He finds it within a second, it's right there in the corner. He checks if there's any missing content and to his assurance it is untouched. Since he suffered severe trauma he thinks of staying here for the meantime, is there a kitchen? He has canned goods, for dinner later.

^*"Fuck-shit! Where is my stuff!!!?

[Kakyoin]

10:30 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Inside Saniwa Shrine - Ruined Shrine Interior

Mokou stepped over a fallen multicolored sheet cloth, catching herself as she nearly stepped on a crushed eastern hanging lamp. "Somebody beat us here. It's all gone!"

"No kidding...phew." Ken put Hatate down and felt the inside of her wrist. There was definitely a pulse, but she was completely unresponsive. Sighing, he sat down on the surprisingly comfortable polished hard floor next to her.
   Mayli sank to her knees adjacent to his other side, letting out a nervous-sounding groan of relief. "Hwaah~ Jeez...what a day this has been..." She glanced over to Ken and put a hand up in her hair. "I'm sick of being threatened by all kinds of crazy nonsense...you sure this isn't some sort of dream?"
   Mokou chimed in. "Hey, why don't you pinch her, then we'll all know whether or n--"
   "...no." His answer smacked of finality. "Give her a break...we've all been through a lot."
   "Aww, you're no fun." Mokou took one hand out of her pocket and twirled a lock of her hair. "But consider this, man. She's got...? Pausing for emphasis, she motioned towards Mayli with two fingers rubbing together. ?...two really big, vulnerable spots to pinch..." Upon seeing his eyes widen, she continued. "It's not uncommon in times of crisis, you know, to bond further with those you love mos--"
   "I SAID NO!" he yelled in protest, looking at his best friend next to him despite an obvious blush forming on his face. Thank goodness Mayli had buttoned her shirt back up, for his sake. "Look, that's not--"
   "Eh...w-whatever..." Kneeling, Mayli looked at him nervously. "At this point, anything is better than being at gunpoint..."
   A crooked grin formed on Mokou's face. "Do it, man! Pinch her and see if she wakes up, ya get what I'm sayin'?"
   He raised his index finger and looked at the fiery immortal. "Oh, be quiet about that already." He pointed the finger at her for emphasis. "You're just jealous."
   Appearing from behind, Kaguya threw her arms around Mokou and gave off a closed-eye smile. "Aww, poor Mokou~"
   "What the--?!"
   Before Mokou could say any more, Kaguya piped up. "The one male human she actually starts to like, and she's completely outclassed. Should've gone to see Remilia about getting fated to grow a bigger chest, eh?"
   Mokou's grin quickly faded as her cheeks reddened, and she reached her hands up to pry Kaguya from her. "No, shut up! My chest is big enough! Ugh, you just HAVE to have something stupid to say for everything, don't you?"
   Undaunted, the moon princess tightened her now hugging grip around her rival's neck. "No, you shut up~"
   "Grah!" Mokou let out a fierce growl as she finally succeeded in pulling Kaguya off of her. "You little--!"
   Sticking out her tongue, Kaguya stepped back. "Too easy to troll you, really."
   "Shut up, both of you!"
   The rivals turned quickly to face him upon hearing his shout. He heaved another sigh. "I'm starting to get a headache, so quit it. Why don't you make yourselves useful and search with Yuyuko? I need to rest for a bit, and the two of you certainly aren't helping..."
   "Eh..." Kaguya immediately started walking away in a purposeful manner. "Sure. Come, Mokou. Let's be productive for once and leave them be."
   Her fist clenched, Mokou gritted her teeth as she followed reluctantly, mumbling to herself. "That pompous, self-righteous excuse for a slut-whore...thinking she can just leave things like that and just walk away..."

After several moments passed, Mayli turned to look at him. He had his face in his hands. "Er...?"
   "Mmmrgh..." he groaned, his voice muffled by his hands. "I swear, if those two are always gonna be at each other's throats...eh?" He sat up as he felt Mayli's arm around his shoulder.
   "Well, finally...we can just talk for a bit, right? Just you and me?" She smiled as he raised his head. "You know..."
   He reached a hand up and brushed the front of his hair to the side. "What?"
   "This whole thing is like an adventure...isn't it?" Being the perceptive woman she was, she could tell by his relaxed shoulders beneath her arm that he was more comfortable now. "It's like some sort of fantasy novel come to life."
   "What are you implying?"
   "All these soldiers that we had to hide from, sneaking around a lot, the RAI lab and that strange Gensokyo place they emulated...all of it seems like something some creative fantasy novel writer would come up with, you think?"
   "I guess so...and all these magical characters suddenly appearing in our world, and they need our help? It does sound like--huh." He saw her smiling. "Oh, you really love the idea of that coming to life, don't you...I should have known."
   "Ehehe, yup~ But, it's quite a bit more exciting than I expected. But how do you feel now?"
   "Me? I feel fine...still worried though, about things...all kinds of things..."
   "I hope Hatate recovers soon," she replied hopefully. "Ken, do you actually...?"
   He raised an eyebrow. "Actually what?"
   "Well...do you like me like...like that?"
   His body froze. Why was she asking that right now? Mokou had only been teasing earlier, but he could not deny that Mayli had become quite a beauty. He cleared his throat to buy more time. Of course he liked Mayli, they had grown up together. This all seemed too sudden, but he had to be honest. "Uh..."
   She shifted slightly closer. "Yeah? Just say it..."
   "W-Well..." He gulped. "I--yeah, I mean...of course, but...I--ugh..." He sighed. "Why is it always so hard to talk about this..."
   She grinned knowingly. "Oh...well, y'know...I figured I'd ask now while we're alone. I kinda suspected it for a while, but then we got put in that crazy world and such...but now..."
   "Mayli!" He suddenly jerked to attention. "Listen...er..."
   "Go on, I'm listening."
   His mind raced, trying to think of a legitimate reason to not answer further. Wait...that was it! "Well, if you imagine that we're heroes in some kind of story..."
   "Okay. What about it?"
   "So, if we're like the heroes, then...the heroes in stories usually get involved in romantic things at some point, right? So usually you've got the hero and the mysterious female that joins him, and becomes his sidekick or partner in crime, right?" He felt more confident that this would work, thus spoke with greater fluency. "But the romance doesn't happen at the start of the story...so..."
   "Eh...hey!" She exclaimed. "No! You answer the question! That's not an excuse to delay!"
   He averted his eyes. "Ah jeez...c'mon, let's not..."
   "Not what?" Mayli moved her body even closer.
   "Hey! Stop that..." He knew he was only delaying the inevitable. Throughout all these years, she had always gotten her way and heard what she wanted to hear. "I already told you. And just because you want to play this whole thing out like a fantasy doesn't mean--"
   "Heehee, I know." She withdrew her arm and sat up straight. "I just...kinda wanted to hear that from you, I don't know. I'm probably just really tense. It doesn't really matter, I guess."
   He stared at her and opened his mouth. "Doesn't matter?! You don't just ask that out of nowhere and then tell me that it doesn't matter!"
   "Hehe, calm down, okay? I just wanted to talk about something more normal, to get my mind off of--"
   Oh no, he thought. She wasn't getting her way out of this one. "And you chose to talk about THAT? Ugh, you're such a pain sometimes." Turning away, he put his hands together. "Thank goodness you look nice, otherwise I might not've put up with your pesky insistence for so long..."
   She giggled madly. "Ken! That's so cute~"
   He looked blankly at her. "No it's not! Why in all that is holy is it so funny?"
   Look, we're in this kind of situation where we're being hunted and we have so little time to save everyone else. I'm kinda tense, so sorry. I--hahaha...I needed that."
   "Whatever, it's embarrassing for me." Feeling better, he pushed himself up with his hands and stood. "Let me guess, next you're going to ask me how I feel about Mokou and Kaguya and the others..."
   "Hey! I have to think about my future, you know? I'm twenty-three already, Ken. I'm an old lady," she quipped. "I have to think amongst all this madness about what I'm gonna do afterwards, and stuff." She sniffed and smiled as she looked up at him, then suddenly frowned. "I'll have to confront my parents though. Damn..."
   He wrinkled his nose at the thought of Mayli's parents. That was going to be a problem all right, he thought. It seemed like so long since they had last discussed their friends and families. His own family had no problems with him traveling to Japan, as it gave him a good opportunity to study abroad. But her parents were a different story. Poor Mayli had to put up with amazingly controlling parents. Her mother was a famous actress and her father a corporate suit. Since they had paid for her college fees and...well, just about everything else, they had pressured her to follow in their footsteps. Of course, he had no say in the matter as it shouldn't have been any of his business. But that one day he had come over to her house...just remembering that awful argument and Mayli bursting into tears and running away was enough to get him to stop remembering it.
   He shook his head. Everything had changed now, since this Gensokyo disaster had struck. Hopefully things would work out. Still, he felt sorry for Mayli and had since befriended her. Now there was a pleasant thought for once, he mused to himself. Her parents had heard that he was going to study in Japan, and for some reason decided to send her with him. He chuckled at remembering that they did so to see if she would get a different perspective on life, and make her feel more appreciative for what they were doing for her. Little did they know what had happened instead...
   "...Ken?"
   "Uh..." He had zoned out. "Yeah okay, fair enough I guess. We just need to figure out what we're going to do now." There certainly wasn't much to do in the shrine aside from maybe clean up the huge mess. The interior was ruined. Those soldiers probably did a number on it, those bastards.
   She pointed behind him. "Hey, there's Yuyuko. I think she's signaling for us to come over there. Maybe she found something?"
   He looked back and visually confirmed it. "Right. Lemme get this tengu then..."



10:50 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Inside Saniwa Shrine - Secret Passageway/Tunnel

Kaguya stood at the door at the bottom of a long set of narrow steps. They were pretty far down past the shrine already. Thank goodness they had remembered about this secret place. She opened the door and peered inside.
   Mokou, carefully wielding a small fireball in her hands to act as light, glanced over the Lunarian's shoulder. "It's a...tunnel."
   "Yep...a tunnel. What, you expected otherwise?"
   "Quiet, you. Don't bait me." Mokou looked back up and saw the rest of them finishing the descent. "Let's scout ahead. If I remember correctly, this tunnel leads exactly where we want to go, but..."
   Kaguya smirked. "But it's a long way to Tourist Helpers from here. We're basically on the other side of the town, yeah?"
   Mokou groaned. "Wait...that means--oh no, we have to ride in that stupid cart again. Great."
   "Cart? Oh, that thing." Yuyuko's voice echoed around them as she came up from behind. "Riding it is fun!"
   Ken and Mayli exchanged puzzled looks and spoke at the same time. "Cart?"
   Mokou shed light further down the tunnel. "Come feast your eyes, kiddies, on how we're gonna get to Amarillo!"
   The flame split and careened around as it leaped from her hand, showing the harsh, dark outline of something with wheels.
   Mayli ran over to it. "Oh...goodness, this is a...wait..." Her excitement faded to disappointment. "What the heck? This is a minecart! Like, one of those old fashioned ones..."
   Mokou laughed. "Look again, girly. It's not your typical minecart." She too suddenly looked disappointed. "But we gotta start it up somehow...that always was the problem with this ridiculous thing."
   Kaguya had her robed hand up to her chin. "Hmm...well, I know my magic won't work on it."
   Ken, still carrying Hatate, watched as Mayli pulled out her small sketchpad and started to draw some sort of mark on it. Looking closer, he found that it was the same as a strange mark that resided on the back of the rather large minecart. Seems like she was at it again. Mayli had the habit of drawing things that fascinated her, especially if they were more simple in design. Yet he couldn't help but think something was amiss...
   Wait...minecart?! Was he seeing things? He forced his eyes closed tight, then reopened them. Yep, it was a minecart, like one of those self-automated minecarts without any sort of propulsion system or seesaw lever system. "Okay, now I've seen everything. A minecart in a tunnel? Don't tell me this is how we get there..."
   Yuyuko examined the front of the cart carefully. "This is our ticket to ride...but we need to start it up somehow, yup."
   Kaguya was still in thought. "I can't remember how we started it up before...maybe--"

*SHING!*

Everyone jumped as the mark on the rear of the cart facing them lit up, making a sound similar to that of a sword drawn from a scabbard.
   Ken stared at the minecart in disbelief. Was it automated? Did it detect them? No, he thought, that was impossible. But by now he could believe almost anything, anyway.
   "O-Oh!" Mayli had dropped her pencil and notepad in surprise. She bent down to pick them back up, then gasped as she looked at her sketch. It was...glowing?
   "Hey, check this out," Yuyuko exclaimed excitedly. "Her drawing of the weird marking lit up. See? Glowy~"
   "Wha?" Mokou eyed the notepad sketch incredulously. "No way, this girl started it up? All she did was draw it, too...excellent work, girly."
   "I'm not a 'girly', stop calling me that!" Mayli retorted. "But yeah, that is weird...I mean, all I did was draw it..."
   "That's nifty," Kaguya added. "You sure you're just a normal human? Looks to me like you got yourself some magical drawing powers, or somethin'."
   "N-No, I don't--" Mayli gently bit her lip and looked back and forth between the glowing mark on the cart and the equivalent on her notepad. Was that possible?
   Yuyuko had floated into the cart. She busied herself with reading something engraved on the front, and read it out loud. "Hmm, this is strange...'Makeshift Isolated Networked Energy-Calibrated Automated Reconnaissance Transport'..."
   Mayli was still staring at her sketch. The mark's glow was fading. What had happened? It couldn't have been her drawing, that just wasn't possible. And yet, right as she had finished sketching it...
   The Lunarian walked over to where Yuyuko was reading the inscribed words. "Huh. There really are words here, I never knew that. Well anyway, this is how we get to Tourist Helpers. Everyone ready?"
   "...seriously?" Ken sighed. "Starting to suspect that this really IS all just a dream..."


(Notes: Busts, trolling and lampshade hanging, oh my. Mayli is not wearing a school uniform right now because it was standard attire for her in the virtual Gensokyo, but since then she has awoken in reality. And yes, that acronym for the minecart is MINECART. Ken's team will take MINECART to Tourist Helpers and arrive in roughly half an hour's time from the last half's timestamp in this post.)

[[Y]oukai [J]esus]

06:00 AM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Room

He could not sleep, and he had not, for the past four hours. Spending all his time engrossed in either reading a book he brought over - a compilation of HP LoveCraft's works. It kept him thinking, about the various what-ifs. The possibilities and much more. The endless abysses which lay forever entombed in the unknown would always be in many ways, exciting to the boy. Finally, reaching the end of "Dreams In The Witch House", the boy set his book down. It hit the ground with a loud thump, which the boy smiled to. It meant the book's soft, leather cover didn't bend to form dog-ears.

Lying back down on his bed, the boy tugged on his pillow, before turning around and rubbing his face in it. It's been a long time since he had slept on a rather good bed. The last time he did was when he visited his sister's place. Yes, his parents had left him to his own life, but the boy was still close with his sister. They shared an inseperatable bond that was forged with blood.

Heavily sighing to himself, the boy turned around again, the fabric of his shirt pulling away with the friction. His laptop laid beside him on the almost fluffy bed, still showing that weird pop-up. People from the army, yeah, no big deal. The shrine's resident disappearing. Yeah alright. The website dying and coming back with a weird message.

Sure, something was wrong.

The boy hadn't put much thought into the all-expenses paid trip and all the shenanigans...

"Faith, eh?" The boy abruptly jumped off his bed, twirling around. He had changed from his usual attire to just a plain t-shirt and pants. He lifted his hand up, pointing towards the sky before he flung it forward, pointing at the sky through the window.

"I,.. am God!"

...I wonder how long I haven't said that.

The boy turns back to face his bed, before dropping himself on it again. Damn. It'll be a long night.

-

9:37 AM - Day 2 - Kamisuwa, Japan - Town Square

...Why am I here again?

There the boy was, in his usual attire as always. It seemed more business-like then casual, but he just went with it. In his bag lay his daily need(s) - His laptop. He hadn't eaten, and just came straight towards where this "Tourist Helper's" thing was located once he woke. Hell, his hair was a mess, being all long and with split ends all over he place, but he didn't really care much. It was how he was, since he wasn't visiting friends... Like he would have any in a country he was new to. Even with his thick, concentrated love with Japan and everything japanese.

"...Well..."

The boy stared at the queer building. It was like a run-down shack or something along those lines. Maybe it was a trick, and kidnappers were hiding in there, waiting for unsuspectiving victims, or it could be some government experiment which to access it's underground facility, you had to enter some weird password on a book... Or it could be like that Witch House he read the night before. A gateway to the endless, eldritch seas of infinity.

And he was thinking too much. In his bag, unknowning to the boy, was his one weapon that would give the little protection he needed if any of those fantasies were true. Sighing heavily once more, Azrul Kyoki walked towards the door, and opened the queer door.

[Sonae]

Timestamp - Day 2, 8:35 P.M., At the Airport, Japan.
The buzz of voices filled the air, drowning out any sort of peace of mind one could hope to achieve. Overhead was the monotonous female voice of the speakers, calling out arrival and departure times in the country?s native tongue. Crowds of people waited gleefully, as if it was there to welcome some esteemed traveler to their home.
The speakers boomed with the announcement of another arrival, and soon after former passengers began to crowd into the airport.
Friends and family who had reunited chattered loudly, increasing the incessant clamour that already filled the airport.

Soon enough, the remaining arrivals had gotten off the plane and were now inside the large building.
Amongst them was a young man. His appearance was youthful, as if still in his teens. His hair was brown in color and fell softly around his face. His height was average, and he appeared to be rather thin. He wore simple clothes, nothing too lavish. The only thing about him that stood out was his eye color. A shade of deep purple.
The boy gazed about at his surroundings, and his eyes lit with excitement.
After his long flight, he was finally in Japan.
An elated smile slips across his face.


Timestamp - Day 2, 9:48 P.M., Hotel Room, Kamisuiwa.
?Here we are sir, this will be your room for the duration of your stay.?
?Ah, thank you.?
The man hands the keycard to the guest, wishes him well, and heads on his way back to the main desk.
Nikolas looks at the keycard for a moment before swiping it through the scanner. A click noise can be heard as a green light is lit on the scanner. Nikolas exhales gently and turns the door?s handle, pushing forward, opening the door. He grabs his luggage and brings it inside.
The boy wanders into the darkness, trying to find a switch for the light. By the time he had arrived in Japan, night had already fallen. Streetlights glowed amongst the darkness, illuminating the road for travelers and workers alike. Further from urban settlement was less lighting, but in return, more peace. Here, silence ruled the night.
Finally his hand stumbled over the light switch. The room was promptly lit up, revealing its contents.
The room was large and slightly luxurious. A large bed was the centerpiece of the room. It sat away from the window with enough space to allow you to walk around it. Across from the bed was a large television sitting atop a cabinet. A desk sat in the far corner of the room. On it sat a lamp. Beside the bed was a small nightstand with a different lamp atop of it. The window was large, supporting a sitting area where one could sit and gaze outward. The curtains obscured the window from in front of the sitting area.
Close to the entrance was a bathroom, which contained a shower. Opposite to the bathroom was a wardrobe for hanging coats and other such clothing. A chair sat at the desk and a short distance from the wardrobe. The room was spacious enough to allow a few people to stay comfortably.
Nikolas smiled faintly at the sight of the room. The flight had been long, draining much of his energy. After placing his coat on a hanger and setting his suitcase against the wall, he flopped onto the bed.
He let out a sigh as he closed his eyes for a moment, and after a few seconds, he opened them again. The boy lay on the bed, arms outstretched and gaze to the ceiling.
I?m not dreaming right? I?m really here in Japan at this very moment? He thinks to himself as he gazes straight ahead, as if looking past the ceiling and up to the stars. I can?t believe it?It still feels strange?unreal even? As Nikolas thinks, he feels his eyelids become heavy, sleep calling out to him. I?ll have to explore tomorrow?
With that thought, the boy rolls onto his side and closes his eyes, allowing his thoughts to blur out of focus and for his mind to be overcome with a dark, peaceful, silence.

[Nemo★Ma]

Day 2 6:30 PM Tourist Helpers second floor
"Are you...." As Koishi wakes up and seeing Amarillo setting at the computer, looking at a screen of scrolling text.
"I don't need to answer that question five times a day!" Amarillo heard her and turned back, "See, I'm okay." She tilted the computer screen, "And I'm looking at the logs you made, as far as I know these people are very reliable... But I need you to explain this."
She load up a text file titled "Den.txt". "Tell me, why is this one almost empty? Don't tell me you directly pulled both answers directly from...."
"Nonono, I can't do that!" Koishi stood up from the sofa and looks at that text file, "Yes, he has someone very special in mind, I asked for his...... telephone number......? Whatever, it's in that text file, I think you should phone him and speak to him yourself."
Looking at that textfile, Amarillo nodded, "Yes, I think that's necessary."
"So what should we do now?" The Youkai asked, "Also, about that curse thing..."
Amarillo looks at the time shown at the bottom of the screen.
"You have 30 hours remaining." and replied.
"remaining for what?"
"30 hours remaining until this thing expires, at that time you'll be in very big trouble. But I got this covered."
"Sometimes you reminds me of my sister. You always seems to have a plan about different situations. " Koishi commented.
"Actually, no, it's all about calculation." Amarillo opened another text file, "We'll discuss the further plans when I'm finished with these."

------
Andreas.txt

Report of Reanimated Phantasm of Andreas Jaeger
Time: Around 2:00 PM
Phantasm: K.Keine
Reanimated Grounds: Human Village

Details:
Andy walks in the shop at close to 2PM, and the grounds of Human Village materialized.
He tried to question if it's a reality, but soon accepted that this is a projection of its subconscious.
Subconscious materialized as Keine, asking him about his "old job", and confirms that if he is ready to switch to a new one.
More details are provided in the recordings. The following exchanges are given.
~
"So it's a chance for me to be a hero, hmm..."
"Not a hero, just something you think will be fun, and better than your old job."
"Seems interesting - Is this town real?"
"I make it real - It's all a simulation to bring out what you truly think, after all."
"But you are a part of me, right?"
"Soon it won't"

Andy answered Yes to both questions.

------
"Koishi~~" Amarillo calls out in a flat tone, "Such descriptions aren't enough!"
"Yeah I know, I know." Koishi giggled, "However you see, this guy is so dull, I don't have the time to listening to him and Keine talking about philosophy in an empty room all day, so I intervened and bring him out."
Amarillo sighed.
"That's called personality, respect other's personality, Koishi!"
"Okay, I got it, don't behave like Keine, and don't headbutt me!" Koishi jumped away.
"I won't do that...." The girl turned back and opened another text file.
------

Zach.txt
He ran into the shop, after a bit of searching, he pressed the summoning bell.
We deployed the projection.

------
"Ooh, this one is far more better, who wrote this?" Amarillo looks around.
"I did!" Lily White rise her hands.
"Heh, nice work!" Amarillo continues reading.
------

The heavens unfold around the shop.
Orin appears and ram him through, if it's not a projection, the shock alone would be an insta-kill!
Though firstly appeared to be confused, Zach eventually accepted the truth that deep down within him, he want to witness something unusual and interesting.
(I told you, it's not deep down, I can see through that!)
Then, Tenshi and Aya appears. It seems this guy in real life does the same job as Aya.
(I hope he don't get us on the news, that would be terrible!)
After he listened to what Tenshi and Aya said, he eventually decided that it's a good idea to join in, and maybe turn this to a newsstory.
Then I told him to check back tomorrow night.

------
"Eh, it's already over?!" Amarillo stopped reading.
That's the difference between a Youkai and a Fairy, Fairy are basic and simple, while Youkais are more complex on writing, she thought.

She moved the cursor to the last txt file, and looks at the "0 byte" file size.
"Who did this?"  She looked at the filename again, it says "Unauthorized Entry - Azrul.txt"

"Ahh, this file is already there! We did nothing!" Koishi looks at the file name, "Unauthorized? He's not supposed to be here!"
Amarillo suddenly bounced up from the chair, and runs downstairs.

Day 2, 6:50 PM, Basements, Tourist Helpers
As soon as Amarillo opened the basement door, someone rushed towards her.
"Whoa!" she jumped back and avoided the attack. and the attacker jumped out, and froze in place once he get a clear view of Amarillo.
"Eh? I don't thought my kidnapper would be..... this frail." the attacker turned around as the others rush down from upstairs, hearing the crushing sound.
"And you clearly don't realize I have no indent to kidnap you." Amarillo sighed, "by the way, I'm Amarillo Viridian, pleased to meet you."
"But he almost hit you on the face!" Koishi jumped up, "How can you still be this friendly?"
"Ahh, that's our Amarillo." Lily Black nodded, "next thing happens is that he stabs her and she help him escape!"
"Ok, so you are not a kidnapper, not a witch, then what are you?" The boy looks at Amarillo carefully, "no offence, but you seemed too..."
"Oh come on, I apologize about the hammer, ok? It's a self-activated defense system, probably mistaken you as a thief or something."
"Plus, we are not back by the time you got here! " Shouted Lily White, "though we forget to unarm the hammer.. oh wait, nevermind."
"Oh, well, You guys are quite interesting... looks whatever you guys are up to would be too, and the hammers didn't hurt too much, it knocked me into the basement and that's it. name is Azrul. By the way, what's the time?"
"Almost 7." Lily Black replied.

"How could it be? I entered on 9! oh wait..." Azrul realized something, "Don't tell me..."
"Yeah, not hurt at all." Lily Black laughed, "but it put you out for...."
"Oh well, guess I can't help it. So what are you up to?" The boy looks out and saw the nighttime sky.
"We got friends to save, interested to join? Since you just said that it would be interesting." Amarillo replied.
"Hmm, Let me think for a while."
"You got plenty of time to think, if you made up your mind, just return here tomorrow around 10."
"Okay, I'll see you then. and sorry for that punch!" The boy opened the shop door and quickly walks away.
"Getting hit by a hammer and got himself knocked into the basement, not very good." Lily Black smirked, "Well, I bet he'll be interesting as a partner."

Day 2 7:00 PM, Tourist Helpers
Time to form a plan.
As Luna and Star are being sent out to deliver some package to the train stations, Amarillo called Sunny over.
"What happened?" She asked.
"I need you to return to the Graveyard, and tell them about Diamond, one very important thing is that when he arrived at the base tomorrow, they musn't fight him, but rather, avoid combat. Also, bring Nitori with you, see if there are any technology to unlock there."
"Get it! I'm on my way!" As Sunny is running out, Amarillo stopped her.
"Fly if you have to, avoid the soldiers on the street!"
"I will."

Day 2 7:30 PM, Graveyard
The news quickly spread out in the graveyard.
"Don't fight?" Hirowaza is puzzled, "You mean we are supposed to run away?"
"Well, if the enemy is beyond our ability, then the only logical choice is to run, I don't see any wrong in Sunny's message." VIVIT replied.
"But Amarillo is an adapt fighter herself, What if..."
"One sign of winning is realize how weak you are compared to others, " As Etch walks in with Akyuu and Nitori, "However, we are not powerless as well, look what we found!"
He showed a monitor to Hirowaza.
"What...? An airship? in here?!" Hirowaza can't believe his eyes.
"It's labelled under "Copies of Lost Technology", so we unlocked it, and we may figure out how to operate it tonight."
"Hah, time to get to work, then!" 

[IdiotsOpposite]

2:00 PM - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Outside of Tourist Helpers

Well,  that was certainly odd. After using the odd bell to try to summon someone to help him out, he had... he had to consider this vision. It was definitely confusing, and as he leaned against the wall outside of the shop, he had to sort through this a bit. First, the facts. He pulled a small notepad and pencil from his pocket as he began to write things down.

1. I am not the type to experience visions.
2. There is no way that what I experienced could be reality.
3. The vision told me to come back here tomorrow night.

He stared at these three statements for a moment, considering the truth of all of them before he continued. He knew the first was true, because this was the first vision he had ever had. He knew the second was true, because of what he saw in that vision. And he knew the third was true. Bowing his head for a moment, he put two fingers to his forehead and rubbed it as he stumbled toward a decision. He began to mutter to himself.

"So what do I do here...? It's clear that something is causing this. And as a journalist... I suppose it's my responsibility to find out what, isn't it? If my hunch is correct, the story behind this would kill the front page on any newspaper. I have to figure out what's going on."

A youthful grin appeared on his face as he lifted his head. He was going to find out what was going on, he was going to make a report on it, and it was going to make the front page of every paper in the US. The idea that he might die didn't even enter into Zach's head - he had never really had to deal with danger before. He pulled out his iPod and tapped the "Calendar" app, pressing carefully to not break his screen further.

"One appointment... the vision said tomorrow night, but that's not very specific. I guess I'll set it for 8 PM. Aaaaaand done."

Putting the iPod away, he looked up to the sky, trying to decide what to do next. It was clear that he didn't really have anything else to do until tomorrow night. So he might as well explore the town a little, right? He still wanted to visit that shrine after all.

"I guess I'll meander on over there. Hm... might want to grab my camera first, though."

Of course he had a camera, and it was a good one. But for some reason, he had left it in his hotel room. Had to go grab it, of course. So he'd stop by his room real quick before heading off to the shrine. Perhaps the receptionist at the hotel would be able to offer directions. And with that, he straightened himself from the wall and set off towards his hotel.

2:15 PM - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Room 237

And there it was, sitting in its case next to his bed. A small but powerful camera. He stepped forward and grabbed the case, looking over at the computer. It still showed that pop-up. That definitely had something to do with this story. He was sure of it. And that meant that this Saniwa Shrine had something to do with the story. Which made it all the more important that he investigate. He set off to do just that, checking in with the receptionist for directions first.

2:35 PM - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Saniwa Shrine

As Zach stepped into the Shrine, he was shocked at what he saw. He expected a shrine to be clean, shiny, and most importantly populated. Instead, this one was ransacked and empty. He couldn't even begin to imagine what had happened, but he knew one thing - this had to do with the story as well. Did the soldiers have to do with it too? Probably, but he didn't want to attract their ire with questions or photos. Not yet. He had to see what this vision had to do with it first. However... he took his camera out of its case and wielded it more deftly than any weapon as he snapped rapid-fire shots all around the shrine. He wasn't sure if these pictures of an empty, ransacked shrine would ever be useful, but who knew? After taking all the pictures he needed, he set the camera back in its case and started cleaning up the shrine a bit. He didn't exactly have anything else to do, and he felt, for some reason, that he should do this. He didn't get far though before he got bored, though, and instead of cleaning settled for relaxing in the shrine for a little while.

3:35 PM - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Saniwa Shrine

After relaxing, Zach had taken a few more pictures before picking up his case and stepping out. He wanted to get these pictures on his computer, and more importantly, on his internet storage area. Stopping at the entrance to take one last shot, he set off back towards his hotel room.

4:00 PM - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Room 237

Stepping into his room, he closed and, after a moment, locked the door behind him with the deadbolt. He wasn't sure why, but he felt that it would be a good idea. Settling in, he kicked off his shoes and set the camera down next to his laptop. Informing his chat friends that he was back, he pulled out a slim cord that connected his camera to his computer, allowing him to download the photos onto his computer. From there, it took him only a few more clicks to upload them to a virtual internet storage folder, and from there he had little to do really but relax and chat with people on the internet. And so he did.

7:25 PM - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Room 237 and Hotel Library

After plenty of relaxation, Zach just couldn't shake that vision from his head. He needed more info. And he knew where to get it. After doing a quick Google search for "two-tailed cat spirit", he found that the first thing he saw in his vision was probably something called a "nekomata". He remembered the other two looked like normal people, but best not to assume that either... he needed an encyclopedia of Japanese spirits. To the library!... but not before grabbing his notepad and pencil.

...

Down at the library, located ever-so-conveniently across from the dining room on the first floor, Zach talked to the librarian for a minute or so, asking what would be the best encyclopedia on traditional Japanese spirits. She recommended a fairly recent book called "Encyclopedia on Yokai, Oni, and Kami", and he set off. It took him a couple of minutes to find the book he was looking for, but as his watch struck 7:30, he found the book he was looking for and reached for it.

...

{To be continued}

OOC: Zach leaves TH, goes to SS and takes pictures, then heads to hotel. There, he goes to library.

[Kuribohlv9]

7:25 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Library

After he asked where he could find information at the reception, he found out that the hotel had a library. It was a pretty small library, it was part of the hotel so it's understandable, but Den didn't mind. He was only looking for info on the creature called tanuki.

?Tanuki? In that case you should look for a book on youkais. Youkais are Japanese mythological creatures. Tanuki is a kind of youkai, so you should find it in the shelf over there,? The girl at the front desk said while pointing towards a shelf on the other side of the room, ?The whole section over there covers mythology of different kinds, but that shelf is for Japanese mythology only, try looking for the book"Encyclopedia on Youkai, Oni, and Kami".? Her faced was lit up as if she finally could put her knowledge to use. It seems like a quiet and boring place, devoid of visitors. I bet if you wanted to look up something you would want go to a bigger library
?Is there anything else you want help with??
?No, thanks for your help.? He thanked her, and went off towards the shelves. ?The Japanese are well mannered, it's hard not being nice when they are so polite.? He thought.

Reaching the shelf in question he searched the rows for the book. After a short time of searching he finds the book, "Encyclopedia on Youkai, Oni, and Kami". He stretches out his hand to take the book?

Gonna edit in Den's thoughts about his vision when i get clearence from Nemo Ma what actually happened (empty text file is hard to work with)

also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2RzKNCahRg

[Kakyoin]

11:20 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan – End of Secret Passageway/Tunnel

"Mayli?"

    The artistic young woman seemed entranced, and continued to stare at her pad of paper with the runic symbol still glowing. The aura it emitted had faded slightly, and as she looked back at the cart they had just ridden in, she suddenly was reminded of Sanae. Perhaps it was the greenish hue of the symbol, she thought. She hoped Sanae was okay. Clenching the pencil in her other fist, she knew they had to rescue everyone as soon as possible.

    "Hey, you okay?"

    "Ah..." She turned away from the mysterious transportation vehicle. Ken was looking at her, and he was now holding Hatate once again. She wondered how his arms still had any strength left; he wasn't the strongest guy around physically. Perhaps this 'mana' had something to do with it...
    His expression softened. "You look a little lost in thought."
    She could see his arms shaking slightly. Sighing, she rolled the pencil through the binding of the notepad. "I was just thinking...I hope Sanae is doing okay, y'know? And yet..."
    "...and yet?"
    As she started walking away from the cart, he followed next to her. "Well...it's strange to you, isn't it? That everyone else is still trapped in that fake world...the fake Gensokyo that we came to love..."
    "Hmm...yes, but...what are you getting at?"
    "I have a feeling that there are some who are maybe...okay with staying in there, y'know?"
    Ken blinked several times and readjusted his grip on the comatose tengu. He hadn't considered that, likely due to the adrenaline rush of being pursued throughout the streets of Kamisuiwa. He'd read a few books that involved virtual worlds...little did he know they had actually been in a virtual world this whole time too.
    He shook his head. The more he thought about it, the more he began to question RAI's motives. Why had they trapped them in such a place? He could think of much greater punishments.
    "Ken," Mayli started matter-of-factly. "What does RAI know about us?"
    "At this point, I don't really know..." He could have sworn that he used to know their motives though. Perhaps there really was something else going on...just how powerful was RAI's technology?
    She continued. "So then, what about those still trapped? The ones still virtualized? Don't you think it's more like a paradise inside?"
    "Yeah, that...does make sense, actually. Urgh..." He grunted as his grip loosened due to sweat on his hands. Pausing momentarily, he leaned Hatate against the wall, wiped his palms on the bottom of his jacket and resumed carrying her.
    The artist stopped and turned, waiting for him. "Heh, you sure you're okay? No need to prove you're strong, y'know...just have Mokou carry her, or somethin'..."
    He sighed. "Come on, not right now. We're so close to our goal too, just wait a bit longer to tease me..." Yuyuko had insisted that they were in fact close to or even adjacent to Tourist Helpers, but he wasn't sure. Seeing was believing, and yet he had no choice but to place his faith in the friendly ghost.
    "Haha. Just trying to lighten the mood." She had brought the pencil out of the binding and was twirling it between her fingers. "Anyway, do you think that there are those who...wanted to remain in Gensokyo?"
    "What?" He steadied his grip on Hatate and resumed speaking once the two of them had picked up a gait once more. "Huh...that's...I can see that being the case. I don't think someone like Ms. Keine would though." Wincing, he could feel sweat dripping down his face. His body was nearing its limit. "We gotta help them...I really, really hope Nitori and Amarillo are here, otherwise..."
    "Ken!"
    Upon hearing Mayli's loud voice, his attentiveness rose slightly as he looked around, expecting danger. "W-What...?"
    "Look up there!"
    His gaze shifted upwards, quickly skimming across a narrow, tall flight of stairs...and he promptly gasped. At the top stood a young girl.

    It was Amarillo.

    Warm relief washed over his body. They were safe after all...thank goodness.



11:30 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan – Tourist Helpers Shop

"Well, this is certainly a surprise. And to think that it was hard to get here." Amarillo sat at the table as Ken unloaded Hatate onto the nearby couch.
    "Ugh. Believe me, it was a bit more than expected. There were some...unexpected delays." He sat down on the floor, leaning against the front of the couch. "You got any water or something?"
    "Water, huh?" A smiling girl presented him with a small teacup. "Sure ya don't want something a bit stronger? Looks like you could drop any moment now!"
    He sighed and reached his hand out, only to suddenly jerk it back. The girl had that closed eye...and the weird string attached to it! It was the girl that he, Yuyuko and Mayli had run into previously...Koishi Komeiji!
    She closed her eyes and laughed. "Kehahaha~ I know what you're thinking, but we are allies outside that place, remember?"
    After a slight pause, he calmed down and took the teacup. "Y-Yeah...sorry, we've been through some pretty close, harrowing experiences lately..." He took a quick sip expecting hot tea, but to his surprise it was indeed cool water.
    Koishi cocked her head to one side. "Really? Like what?"
    "Probably the soldiers." A fairy with long black hair had flown over. Ken recognized her as Star Sapphire.
    "Ehhhh?! What's this?!" A loud female voice stole the attention of everyone in their vicinity. Kaguya had come over. She pointed her finger at the fairy. "Who's this? Looks just like my kid, or something!"
    Ken nearly choked on the water he was about to swallow. "Gnkkk..." Truth be told, Star Sapphire did look very similar to Kaguya.
    "Oh be quiet, stupid princess." Mokou sipped from her own teacup in a surprisingly refined manner. She turned to face the general direction of their new audience. "Mostly run-ins with soldiers. Y'know, the usual expected stuff with a town so full of 'em."
    "Usual stuff?!" Mayli heaved a large sigh. "Y-You think guns are just toys then, don't you..."
    Amarillo had stood up and suddenly interrupted. "Wait, those soldiers actually pointed their guns at you?"
    Mayli responded by standing up herself, and she put a hand to her chest before continuing. "Yes--twice even! Once outside the Shrine, and--"
    "The Shrine?" Amarillo yawned and strode over to where Hatate was sprawled over the seat of the couch. "Hmm, the Saniwa Shrine...I take it that the place is not in good shape now, most likely."
    "No, it's pretty much been destroyed," Yuyuko responded. "At least the interior was." She gave off a whine. "Even the food was ruined..."
    Ken groaned. "Not this again...was there even any food there to begin with?" To him, it sounded like Yuyuko was complaining. Typical Yuyuko to complain about food, even though she was a ghost. He still didn't understand how that worked, but decided to dismiss the thought for now.
    The fairy leader motioned to Star Sapphire, who seemed to understand and floated off. "Well in any case, I bet you all are quite hungry." Amarillo had stooped down to look at Hatate. "What's the deal with this one?"
    "You got food? Thank goodness, I'm starving!" Kaguya crowed.
Ken nodded as his stomach moaned in agreement. "No kidding. We'll talk about Hatate after some food."



11:57 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan – Tourist Helpers Shop – Spare Room

Ken flopped down back-first onto one of the two beds in the spare room they were to stay in. After getting some food in him, he felt better, but he could hear Mokou and Kaguya bickering in the background as he closed his eyes.

    "I'm a princess, so naturally I should get to sleep in this single bed here!"
    "Fuck off, bitch. You of all people should sleep on the floor. It builds character, something you seem to lack."
   
    "No way!" Kaguya turned to face Ken and attempted to plead to him. "C'mon, Ken. Can't you just let me sleep in the bed? I shouldn't have to sleep on the hard floor..."
    Mokou moved to get in-between the Lunarian and the bed he was lying down on. "You just expect everything to go well for you, dontcha? Life don't work that way. Now you're finally seeing it again, so just accept it."
    He groaned. Why were they arguing about something as petty as who gets to sleep where? There were two beds in the room, and the one he was on was definitely large enough to fit two people. But he was tired enough that even bare floor would work as a bed for him.
    Upon opening his eyes, he stared up at Mokou's concerned face. "Er...what? Just do whatever...does it really matter? Just use the outermost layer as a bed and give a pillow to whoever sleeps on the floor, that's good enough..."
    Mokou seemed to debate the proposal in her head briefly, before turning to Kaguya. "Fine then. I was hoping this idiot could sleep on the floor..."
    "Um..." Yuyuko, having taken up sitting on the single bed, finally spoke up. "May I please sleep in this bed?"
    The two rivals paused to look at the ghost's smiling countenance. Mokou piped up first. "That's fine by me. What do you say, Lunarian?"
    Kaguya bit her lip. "F...Fine, then I'll grace the floor with m--"
    "Grace?!" Mokou looked ready to explode with laughter. "Mmmph...okay, you and I will sleep on the floor then. That way neither of us end up at an advantage. Deal?"
    "Fine...but you really want to let those two sleep together?" Kaguya pointed at Mayli.
    "Wait," Mayli interjected. "My back kinda hurts...I should probably sleep on the floor then."
    "Haaah? Your back hurts?" Mokou's mouth twisted into her now-trademark grin. "I bet I know why..."
    "U-Um..." Mayli turned away embarrassed at first, then looked back intensely. "No, it's not because of that! I bumped against something hard earlier...when those soldiers first threatened me..."
    The fiery immortal's mouth returned to normal. "Oh yeah, I remember you hit your back pretty hard against the corner of that building."
    Ken sat up for the first time in a while. "You sure? I wouldn't mind letting you sleep wi--" Knowing what he had said, he immediately shut his mouth.
    "Oh, I bet you wouldn't," Mokou said as she grinned casually. "Two childhood friends sleeping in the same bed...sounds like an opportunity for something else, now, doesn't it?" Netting the reactions she desired from both of them, she continued. "It's probably safer to let Yuyuko sleep next to him, huh?"
    Ken seemed accepting of the suggestion. "That's not a bad idea, Mokou..."
    Mokou turned around, opened her arms and closed her eyes. "Well then, that was easy to decide."
    "...except, there's one thing that still needs to be taken care of."
    She responded without looking back at him. "Oh? And what might that be?"
    He decided to take a risk, and pointed at her back. "You, Mokou...I want to feel your warmth."
    "...guh?!" Eyes widened, Mokou whirled around to face him once more. "Wha---WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
    "HA!" Kaguya let out a short burst of laughter. "I knew it~"
    "I...I-I don't..." Mokou stammered, trying to catch her breath. "You...you're naughtier than I expected...hah..." Looking back at Kaguya, she tried to look unfazed. "But...you did do a lot of work today...not b-bad for a human, I guess..." She licked her lips as her eye twitched slightly in embarrassment. "I understand that you want to feel comfortable...so if you want, I suppose I can lend my fire to--"
    He put on a poker face. "Actually I was only kidding about that part."
    In the silence that followed, Mayli nearly burst out laughing at the sight of Mokou getting her just desserts. "Hahahaha~! Gghhh...hehe...hnghf..." She held her laughter in and turned away to face Yuyuko before Mokou could react to her outburst. "C-Could I...mmmph...use the comforter for a b-bed on the ground..."
    Smiling happily, Yuyuko slid off of and stood next to the bed. "Sure!"
    Before Mokou could explode, or Kaguya could explode with laughter, he stood up and jerked off the comforter of the bed he was laying on. "Take this then, I hope the floor is comfortable enough." He threw a corner of it towards the princess, who grabbed and pulled it over to a space on the floor.
    Before he could take off his socks, Mokou grabbed his shoulders and stared at him. "You...this better not be what I think it is...!"
    "What?" He couldn't help but crack a semi-victorious smile. This was certainly one of the perks of being a mana provider. "I really was just joking about that though, seriously."
    Mokou shook him slightly for a moment, then stopped. She seemed to calm down. "Fine, then...no funny business though..."
    He held up his hands innocently. "C'mon, let's not be like this...what's wrong with sleeping in the same bed?"
    Mayli slyly looked at Mokou from afar. "You deserve what he said, for all that teasing you did anyway."
    Mokou quickly turned back. "Quiet, you." She then returned to holding her gaze on Ken. "Just because you two are friends from way back doesn't mean--"
    "Look, let's just go to sleep already, all right? I won't do anything, I was only teasing you about that because you kinda...well, you deserved it." He fell back onto the bed as she released him. "Ugh...I need sleep, I'm gonna fall asleep any minute now..."
    "Yeah yeah, fine. I get it, I know." She cursed under her breath as she started to remove the large ribbon from her hair. "I guess this was only delaying the inevitable..."
    He set his glasses on the chest of drawers across the room and walked back over as he rubbed his eyes. "You're mature enough to handle this, so I figured it'd work out well enough."
    She smiled to his surprise. "Heh...I guess Keine was right to choose you, even if it was in that virtual world. We all gotta trust you anyway." Sitting down on the left side of the bed, she tossed her incredibly long hair back. "Besides...Keine won't...I have to..."
    He sighed and sat down opposite her, near where Hatate was lying on the floor. "We'll rescue them somehow, including Keine. But for now, we need--" A growing urge to yawn cut him off as he flopped backwards onto the bed. "...to...sleep..."
    Mokou's slid beneath the covers. The day had certainly been exciting, but could they really be at ease here? Tourist Helpers seemed safe enough, she thought. She reached over and turned the light off.



12:29 AM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan – Tourist Helpers Shop – Spare Room

Mokou was still wide awake. Looking towards the other bed, she could hear the soft sounds of breathing. The others were asleep.   She couldn't help but think about RAI and the virtual world they had been thrust into, and about their trip back to Kamisuiwa and this tourist joint.

    "Keine..."

    As she whispered her dearest friend's name, she heard movement nearby. Glancing over, she saw a bulge in the covers come closer to her. She tensed up, but let out her breath as she felt Ken's hand touched her arm. "Heh...a bit touchy-feely, huh?" she whispered softly. He certainly wasn't causing any trouble after all.

    "Mokou...?"

    "Ah...!" She jerked slightly. He was awake?!
    He pulled the covers down sleepily and, upon realizing the situation, responded quietly. "Mmmgh...you're still up?"
    "Y...Yes..." She scratched her head and turned her body to face his. "You can't sleep either?"
    "I heard you say Keine's name..." He rubbed one of his eyes and moved closer to her, seeing her initially move away but stop.
    "Yeah...I'm worried about...the situation, I guess...kinda." She turned to make sure no one else was awake and watching them, then turned back. "What do you think?"
    "Well, mmm...er..." Realizing that his extended fingers were grazing against her skin, he hesitated before responding. "I hope this will all work out somehow."
    "Nitori wasn't here, you know."
    He paused to take a breath before answering in a whisper. "I know, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I talked to Amarillo about it anyway."
    "Oh?"
    "Yeah, she sent Nitori over already, to the base."
    Mokou sighed softly. "Well, that's a relief. I was a bit worried about that, I suppose."
    "Mokou?"
    She blinked. She could see his face in the dark, but couldn't quite make out his expression. He was probably just sleepy-looking. "What...?"
    "Don't worry, okay? I'll--we'll rescue them all somehow, and deal with RAI."
    "Eh...yeah." She felt a chill suddenly, and closed her eyes as her body shook slightly. "I'm not worried...huh?" She saw him prop himself up and...wait, what was he doing reaching over all of a sudden?
    A pleading whisper escaped his lips. "Mokou..."
    She gulped as his other hand wrapped around her back and drew them closer together. "W-What are you--"
    He pulled her into a single-arm hug. "Uh...thanks..."
    "Ahhh...t-this is...wait, for what?" Her breathing quickened slightly, and she felt warmer suddenly. She had to strain to keep her voice at a whispering volume. "I'm not a confidant, you know..."
    His voice was difficult to hear as he rested his head close to hers. "You helped us with those guards at the shrine and...with Hatate, and everything else..."
    Averting her eyes, she knew she had developed a blush. She prayed that he couldn't see it in the darkness. "Y-You're welcome, I guess...nnngh..." These situations weren't something she found herself in often, and it was showing. Yet all she could think about was why he wasn't removing his hand. She rolled her eyes and quietly hissed at him. "D-Damn you...this isn't...I'm not--ehh..."
    He squeezed her slightly. "It's...just like Keine...that one day she saved me..."
    She let the breath out of her opened mouth. She recalled Keine telling the story of how she rescued him before he became a youkai snack. But how did this relate to his situation with Keine? "Wha...?"
    "I feel...relieved right now...like waking up in Keine's arms that time..."
    "H-Hey..." Suddenly she felt more complacent, but why? Her mind raced. Maybe it was because she felt an obligation to comfort a friend of Keine, or perhaps because she herself was--no, it couldn't be that. But, was this kind of warm feeling always expected between close proximity mana partners? Probably, she thought. "What a...nuisance you are...r-really..."
    After several silent moments passed, he gave a quiet, airy laugh as he withdrew his hands and moved away from her. "Thanks, Mokou. It's been rough, I kinda needed that...sorry..."
    She closed her eyes and twisted her body, now staring at the ceiling. "Yeah, whatever. Just go to bed already, kid..." She lifted up and readjusted her head on the pillow. For some reason she was smiling slightly, so she twisted her mouth into a frown. What on earth just happened? The warm feeling was fading now, and yet...

    Idiot, she thought to herself. Making me seem like a good person...
    She rolled over. What a silly man...



(Notes: Ken's team has made it to Tourist Helpers somehow, and will spend the night there.)

[Kakyoin]

7:30 AM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Tourist Helpers Shop ? Spare Room
Ken opened his eyes. Vision blurred, he pushed the covers down and blinked rapidly for several moments as he sat up. It was all coming back to him now. They were in Amarillo's downstairs room and had crashed for the night. There was still work to be done though.

"Hey!"

About to rub his eyes, he glanced over and saw Kaguya--oh no...
    "What do you think you're doing?!" Mokou roared to life and seemed to leap from bed at Kaguya, who was holding a cell phone in a position not unlike that which is meant for taking pictures.
    "Hey, it was only a joke! Jeez..." Kaguya moved out of the way and showed the camera face to both of them. "It's not on anyway...that tengu's phone died a while ago, stupid."
    Oh please, he thought. More of this? Now rubbing his eyes, he felt surprisingly refreshed. Without bothering to interrupt them, he stood up and walked across the room over to the chest of drawers and put on his glasses. There was a small clock alarm nearby, reading a bit over 31 minutes past 7 o'clock.
    He did a double-take. It was only 7:30 in the morning? How did he feel this refreshed? It was a mystery to him, but right now there were other issues to attend to. He took his sheathed sword in his hand and turned back around.
    "Oof!" He ran smack into Mayli. "Er, sorry..."
    She gave off an enormous yawn. "Haaaaaaahn...s'ok. Somehow I slept well enough. Still kinda sleepy though." She motioned behind her. "Take care of those two, will ya? I'm getting kinda sick of their bickering..."
    Raising an eyebrow, he tilted his head to look past her. Kaguya and Mokou, turned away from each other slightly, were still quibbling. Was it not possible for them to go even an hour without fighting somehow? Immortals must all be like little children, he thought. Then again, the two of them had a huge rivalry that apparently went quite a few years back. He wasn't sure of the details, but at this point it didn't matter.
    He stepped over to them. "Okay, look...I'm sick and tired of you two going at each other's throats. What do I have to do to keep you two from arguing? Seriously..."
    Kaguya wore a pouting face. "Sheesh, it was just a joke...she's making a big deal out of--"
    Mokou reached out and snatched the phone from Kaguya's grasp in one swift move. "Even if it was off, you just HAD to be a bother, didn't ya, stupid loony Lunarian?" She turned to face Ken and tossed him the dead phone. "This bitch tried to take pictures of you and me sleeping together...honestly, how immature can you get?"
    He groaned and walked away. "You know what, I don't even care anymore." Leaning down, he slipped the phone back inside Hatate's pocket. "Clearly the two of you absolutely cannot get along if you need to." Turning back to face them, his brow furrowed. "I guess if it's beyond your grasp, I'll have to do something about it myself, eh? And not another word about it. Jeez..."
    Giggling, Yuyuko floated by without a word, heading outside the room.
    Kaguya averted her eyes. "I'm telling you, it was just a j--"
    Suddenly, he lunged forward and seized Kaguya by her forearms. Staring into her wide, scared eyes, he squeezed her arms for emphasis. "I don't care if it was a joke, you need to behave yourself even around Mokou. You think this is all just time to play, huh?"
    "N...No..." she responded meekly. The fear of losing her power took hold and her body tensed.
    "Then cut it out! Did that time in the RAI base mean nothing to you?!" He released her and swiveled to face her rival. "And you! Why does it matter so much if she takes pictures? All we did was sleep in the same bed together. I was under the impression that it didn't mean much to you."
    Mokou nodded. "Yeah, you're right. My bad, it's just habit on both of our parts." She walked past them. "I'm gonna go freshen up."
    He sighed again. Hopefully this wasn't going to be as long a day as yesterday was. Sitting down on the bed Yuyuko slept in, he wondered again why he felt so alert. They couldn't have gotten more than 7 hours of sleep, or a bit more than that. Given all that happened yesterday--he carried Hatate everywhere, for heaven's sake! Perhaps all of that training in the virtual Gensokyo had come in handy, but even then...
    Hearing sniffling, he perked up and looked over. Kaguya was...crying? "Hey, c'mon now..."
    She looked over at him, and he saw her wet eyes. Maybe he had been too hard on them? After all, they were likely stressed out as well.
    "Ken...you favor Mokou, don't you?" she whispered.
    "No, not particularly...just, try not to goof off and do silly stuff like that, okay? I know we're all on our toes, just...okay look, come here." He held his hand out.
    She instead got up off the floor and sat down on the bed near him, still looking down. "I just wanted to get my mind off of--"
    "Off of being unable to save Eirin and the rest?"
    The Lunarian looked over. "Y, Yeah...there's nothing I can do...what if they're all in trouble somehow? What if those awful machines do something to them?" She moved closer. "Since Yuyuko got here, I starting wondering if I'm even supposed to be here..."
    He shook his head and looked at her. "What? What do you mean? You're tied to me someh--"
    And there it was.
    In all the chaos and confusion, he didn't even consider Kaguya's presence, he had just accepted it because he didn't hear anyone contesting it. He racked his brain for memories of Kaguya before being thrown into the virtual prison. Come to think of it, he thought, he had gotten to know Mokou a bit, but not Kaguya...at least, not as much as Mokou...
    "You see?" She flopped her head back onto the ruffled pillow of the unmade bed. "This is beyond even what is capable of happening in Gensokyo..."
    "So you're trying to cope by doing stuff like this..."
    "Mhmm. I can't help it..."
    He thought for a moment before speaking up. "Well, all right. Just leave Mokou alone for a while, it's too easy to misinterpret teasing her as starting something bad."
    She smiled slightly. "All right...and, I'm sorry. I'm still too used to being able to do pretty much whatever I want."
    His face stiffened. "However, you still need to be punished."
    "Eh--EHHHHHH?!" She recoiled and moaned unhappily. "You aren't being serious..."
    "Hey, I already made Mokou do something. It's only fair, right?"
    After a long pause, she removed her sleeved hand from in front of her face. "Eh...well...like what? Stay away from Mokou? I could do that..."
    He cleared his throat. "Nope. You're sleeping with me tonight instead."
    She sighed. "Somehow I knew that was coming..."
    Trying to make it seem like more of a punishment than it really was, he looked blankly at her. "I think it's reasonable enough."
    "Nono, that's nothing, I'll do it." She sat back up. "It's not really a punishment, but I get it. But you know," she said as she grinned, "if you wanted to sleep with me, you could have just said so right off the bat...many would love to sleep with a princess..."
    "Hey! No, it's not like that!" Groaning he got up and walked away, hearing her giggle softly behind him. "I swear, you two..."
    "Ah wait, come back."
    He turned back around to look at her. "What? Lemme guess, now you want to pull some other shenanigan..."
    She clicked her tongue and beckoned him forward with her hand. "No no no, I want to talk seriously for once."
    He blinked. "For once? Perhaps I ought to reconsider..."
    "Hey!" She yawned and rubbed sleep from her eyes. "Mmm...come on, can't you give me the benefit of the doubt?"
    "I suppose." He sat back down next to her. Her teary-eyed expression had returned to normal. She was indeed majestic and breathtaking, truly a youthful blossom. He had to look away and pretend to rub his own eyes, lest his gaze go wild. These women from Gensokyo were something. Then again, Kaguya wasn't a human, even though she looked just like one. Looking back, he saw her expression had turned serious. "So, what is it?"
    "Has Mokou told you anything about...about me?" She looked suspiciously towards the entrance to make sure no one else was watching.
    Ken scratched his head. "About you? Well...nothing outside of how much she despises you. Why?"
    She leaned closer and took his hand. "So...you don't know what is special...about me."
    "What, that you're not a human? I know that..."
    "Not that. I figured you didn't know the truth about me. There's been no evidence as to how my body behaves, I suppose..."
    He stopped breathing momentarily, taking in the situation. Her fingers were moving slightly over his, and they felt slightly inhuman. No way could he guess what she was talking about.
    "Heh, I guess you don't know then. Well...it'll become apparent eventually, so I might as well just say it now."
    "What is it?"
    She stared at him. "Are you sure you want to know now?"
    "Hey, you're the one who brought it up in the first place...you must be interested in telling me, or something..."
    "Yeah, that's true. All right, then. This is not going to go over well in this world, as opposed to Gensokyo...but..."
    He swallowed and waited to hear her continue. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally heard her once more.
    "Ken, I'm..."



8:32 AM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Tourist Helpers Shop ? Employee Lounge

*knock knock knock*

Koishi opened the employee room door. She suddenly smelled something delightful. Her inquisitive face changed to delight. "Oh hey, it's food! Yay!"
    "Hehe. It's just some breakfast...I needed some fresh air anyway." Mayli stepped inside, having returned from the nearby bakery. She was holding several bags. "I think I got enough for everyone here..."
    "Hee~ You're a good human, yep." Koishi picked up several boxes from the table and placed them on the floor.
    Mokou watched from the other side of the room, leaning against the wall with crossed arms. "Oi, you still haven't told us what all that stuff is."
    Koishi stared over and spun her hat over her head. "Ahhhh...well, it's--"
    "It's several things we needed to use, to combat our enemy." Amarillo walked in calmly, and placed another box on top of the ones on the ground. "Ah, the food's here...I'll go tell the others...eh?"
    Star Sapphire entered the room from the back entrance, pulling a bicycle with her. She seemed to struggle slightly with the task, her wings fluttering as she pulled it into the room.
    "What the heck?" Mayli finally put the bags onto the table. Her eyes were still trained on the interesting scene. "What is she doing with that bike?"
    "Phew...huh? Oh whoops, wrong room. Haha~" Star chimed.
    "No, it's fine," Amarillo instructed. "Just leave it near the door, I'll move it later."
    Yuyuko sniffed near the bags on the table. "Ah, it smells good~"
    Mayli giggled. "Hehe...go right ahead, dig in. Just make sure everyone gets some." She was glad to be useful for once. Being a normal-looking human, she could blend in safely. None of the soldiers she saw paid her any attention, which was a relief for her. But she was still worried about the slight loss of breath she had experienced. Perhaps it had been her imagination, but perhaps not. Maybe it had to do with proximity to her best friend...if she was indeed leeching mana from him, this was going to be a problem, and she would try her hardest to prevent it from being one.
    "Oh, I need to let you all know what's going to happen," Amarillo said before Yuyuko could reach into the closest bag. She noticed the ghost and sighed. "No, go ahead..."
    Mokou walked over. "What's going to happen, you said?"
    "Yeah. Here, sit down and I'll explain what all this prep is for."
    Mayli sat down just as Mokou did. It felt good to finally do something more normal, although she had the feeling that Amarillo was about to ruin the mood.
    The youthful-looking fairy leader looked over at her. "Er...you went to get breakfast, right?"
    Mayli shifted uneasily. "Uh...yeah. Why?"
    "Did anything seem suspicious out there?"
    She shook her head. "Not really...no one questioned me, everything seemed normal enough..."
    "Did anyone follow you back here?"
    "No...I was careful to make sure no one followed me."
    Amarillo smiled. "Well, that's a bit of good news for once."
    Mokou took a bite of the warm bun she had pulled out. "Hmm, this is pretty good...and yeah, big bummer about Yukari and Jeremy being captured the other day. Pity we weren't there to help them."
    "This is the nature of the opponent we are now up against." Amarillo herself bit into a bun before continuing. "You know, even Yukari has her limits in reality..."
    "That's true," Mokou mentioned. "But how does that demonstrate the power of this Diamond fellow? None of us can really fight at our full extent, without using physical weapons and such."
    A voice rang out nearby. "If that's the case, we'll just have to fight smartly."
    Everyone at the table turned to see Ken walk in, sword at his left side and Kaguya on his right.
    "Ah, there he is." Amarillo pushed one of the bags across the table to several empty seats. "Get some food in you, we have a lot to discuss and not much time to discuss it."
    He sat down and immediately reached into the bag. "No need to tell me twice. I forgot how much of an appetite one gets from being a mana provider."
    Mokou eyed the two of them but decided to stay silent. She had the feeling something had happened while they were left in that room, but she instead focused on consuming the rest of the bun.
    "Ken, you know that we have a huge problem on our hands."
    "Problem, huh?" Kaguya pointed to the bike standing against the wall near where they had entered the room. "What kind of problem needs a bicycle to solve it?"
    "Hey, that's--we have our reasons!" Star Sapphire objected surprisingly fiercely.
    "Ha, well this will all be made apparent in good time," Amarillo responded. "You know of Diamond, yes? Do you all know of his powers too?"
    Ken scratched his head before starting to eat. "Sort of. You said he has some great power to manipulate...events, somehow."
    Amarillo sighed. "This is just what I can guess...you know, I'm not always right, so don't take this as the full truth..."
    "That's okay," Mayli assured coolly. "Not like we know any better."
    "Yeah. So, apparently Diamond has troops, and he sent them to Graveyard..."
    Ken paused mid-chew. "Wait...you mean there are RAI reinforcements heading to the place we were held at?!"
    "Ah, calm down. It is not an entire army, you know... I made sure to send Sunny and Nitori over there too, so we have adequate allocation at that place."
    "I suppose, but even so..."
    Mokou interrupted after finishing her bun. "If this Diamond character is so powerful, then surely we need to prioritize him first and foremost. Personally, I'd like to see just how powerful this bastard is myself..."
    Amarillo held up her hand and shook her head. "That's--we have plans, you know. A good leader is never unprepared."
    Koishi looked around the table at everyone, staying silent as she nibbled away at her own pastry.
    Ken had quickly finished his first helping and was reaching for another. "Tell us then, oh wondrous leader. What's this ingenious plan you have?"
    "First you need to know what the extent of Diamond's power is...at least, as much as we know it to be. You see, some time ago we ran across him, and he demonstrated that he can manipulate things to...well, to go his way, as he says they will go."
    "Ehhh?" Mokou's eyes widened. "The power over manipulating events? Sounds like we have a male Kaguya to deal with."
    Kaguya rolled her eyes. "I can't do that right now, you know what would probably happen..."
    "Yeah yeah, I know." Mokou turned to face Amarillo. "Is it just like this Princess can do?"
    Amarillo shook her head. "This power is...well, to give a short-term example, he is able to flip a coin and declare its result, heads or tails. Normal coin flips have a fifty-fifty chance to land either way, right?"
    Mayli frowned. "You mean he can actually change the outcome of what happens, as long as he says it?"
    "Well, the coin flip he declared ended up being correct...and some of our allies--well, they fell victim to this ability of his. It was very untimely and we didn't expect this..."
    Ken took a drink of water from the cup in front of him. "Well in any case, we are in this situation now, so we need to figure out what to do."
    "Yeah, here's where we come in!" Star exclaimed.
    "Hmm? What's the mini-Kaguya with wings going to do?" Mokou asked nonchalantly.
    The fairy twisted her mouth in dissatisfaction. "Hmmph. Maybe we shouldn't tell you after all..."
    Amarillo leaned forward and sat up in her chair. "Well, long story short...we are going to try to keep this guy at bay as long as we can...but there is no guarantee that we can do a lot. We've already put the plan in motion, and I hope it has worked so far."
    "Already? Not bad." Ken put the shumai bun down. "But the fact that you're still looking bothered is a bit demotivating..."
    The fairy leader pointed at him. "This is where you come in."
    "Me?" He looked around briefly before sighing. "It seems like everything comes back to me sooner or later..."
    Amarillo also sighed. "Well, you're the most well-suited for the backup plan...alas, it will probably end up happening anyway..."
    He took another drink of water. "Okay, let's hear it."
    "So, as I said, we will try to do what we can...however, we still don't understand Diamond that well...it's highly probable that he remembers us in particular. because of this, the plan is to make him think he can win against us easily."
    "Hold on a minute," Mayli interrupted. "Where's this going to happen? You keep saying things as if there will be a fight...but if it happens here in the city, won't that draw too much of a crowd?"
    "We don't have any choice," Amarillo stated. "Diamond is dangerous and he has a large ego, such men are not bound by anything."
    She rested her head on her hand. "That's true. So how're we gonna help?"
    "Diamond wants us captured, this much is apparent. They got Yukari and Jeremy without much problem, and this isn't good for us."
    "The problem is," Ken said, catching on to her plan, "we're at a disadvantage if we're caught alone. So you want to bring him into a situation where he has to deal with more than just one party."
    "Yes. However, because of what he can do..."
    Mayli broke her thinking concentration. "Wait...so, why don't we just set a trap for him?"
    Amarillo looked over at her. "That's what I was going to suggest. But remember, he can influence situations to some extent..."
    Ken took his glasses off and placed them down on the table. "Now I see why you want my help, because of this..." He unsheathed his sword and laid it on the table as well. "For some reason, this sword came with me into reality..."
    Mokou's face brightened slightly. "I see. Some sort of assassination ploy? I think Kaguya and I can help out in that department as well...right, Princess?"
    Irritated, Kaguya closed her eyes. "Y, Yes...I suppose so...ehehe..."
    He stood up and re-sheathed the sword. "This should work. But I'm still worried about you all. You sure you can stand up to him? You yourself said that he can easily take down smaller parties, and yet..."
    The fairy commander shook her head. "We'll be fine, it's not like everything will go completely wrong. You see, Diamond does not know how to see the future, or at least I don't think he can. At the least, we can learn more about him..."
    "But to what extent?" Mayli scratched her arm and continued. "We need you with us, you know!"
    Amarillo blinked hesitantly. "It's all right, this kind of thing has to happen. What other choice do we have, really?"
    Ken nodded grimly. "Sounds about right to me. So you'll be distracting him somehow, and we'll have to think of some awful surprise since he'll follow you back here."
    "Hold on," Mokou interjected. "Then, he has to not know about this. It seems obvious that he won't know of a trap, but we can't be too careful, right?"
    "Yes, I think that would be for the best." Yuyuko finally spoke up after devouring her fourth bun. "Since Diamond can manipulate the outcome of events...what if Amarillo and her fairies know of our plan, and he somehow forces them to reveal it?"
    "Then," Amarillo wiped her mouth on a napkin before standing up and pushing her chair back. "I'll leave that to you all."



9:20 AM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Tourist Helpers Shop ? Spare Room

Ken sat on the bed he had slept in, thinking about what their plan could be. He still couldn't think of how they could properly ambush Diamond, all things considered. Mokou and the rest couldn't really fight to their fullest extent, or else it would be lights out for him again...it was frustrating. And what if he had soldiers with him? Amarillo had said he had a big ego, but even so...
    He also couldn't stop thinking about what Kaguya had told him. She was ageless...immortal, unable to die, always recovering from any wounds...if the entire world were to find this out, it would surely cause an uproar. He suddenly felt numb. Was all this really happening after all? Perhaps sometime soon, he would find himself waking up from the dream he was having...
    He shook his head. No, this was real, no way was it fake. They had already experienced the fake Gensokyo, and it had been surprisingly pleasant except for the beginning and the end. Others were still caught in it.

    "Sup, dude?"
   
    Glancing up, he saw Yuyuko floating towards him. He was relieved to see her, as she could probably help them come up with something. "Er, hey."
    She sat down on the other bed, and faced him. "You okay? You look like you could use some company..."
    "Yeah, I came here to do some thinking..."
    "Ah, lemme help out. Umm..." She closed her eyes and smiled. "Any leads?"
    "Well, if we want to ambush him, we'll--"
    "By the way..." She paused. "Er, sorry for interrupting..."
    "Hmm?" He stared at her. "No, go ahead..."
    "Are you all right, after all that happened yesterday? I mean, with the soldiers and all? Mayli didn't seem so calm, but..."
    "Nah, I'm fine. I mean, I have to try to stay calm, you know...for her sake...and--"

    Soldiers.
    That was it.

    He smiled suddenly, and she looked at him strangely. "Wha? What is it?"
    "Oh, nothing. Thanks for the help, ghostie."
    "Eh?"
    "I got a really good idea just now. Here's what we should do..."



(Notes: More of Diamond's abilities are revealed. Amarillo's team is preparing to deal with Diamond as best it can. Ken's team will remain at Tourist Helpers until later on in the day. It's almost time for some action!)

[IdiotsOpposite]

7:30 PM - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Library

As Zach reached to grab the book, he noticed another hand reaching toward it. A distinctly European hand. He said the first thing that came to his head, a rather asinine comment. "You're not Japanese."

The other person, Den, looked over at him. "Hmm?"

Zach thought quickly. He knew he needed this book, and the other person probably didn't need it as much. Let's see if he could be persuaded to give it up. "I'm sorry, but... I need this book. I'm researching something highly important, possibly world-changing event." He said as he gave a smug grin.

"...Will you need it for long?" Rather than be persuaded, Den answered him with a neutral look.
"Crazy kid, who does he think he is?"

Zach replied quickly, perhaps a bit too quickly. "Depends. I just need to figure out more about a nekomata. For research purposes. The name's Zach, by the way." He kept his expression neutral, instead scanning Den's expression.

Den, however, noticed something peculiar in Zach's statements. "A nekomata, eh," he said, somewhat interested now. "Is there a reason for being so specific?"

It was at that point that Zach realized he had said too much, too early. He was going to look crazy now. Backpedal, backpedal! "Um, no, no reason. It's just that I need info on that particular youkai. Haven't you noticed anything strange about this place?" He said, desperately trying to change the subjects.

Den nodded, seeming to follow along. "Does it look like the soldiers are trying to avoid attention to you?" He said with a sarcastic tone. "By now, the whole town must feel strange about the current events." "Not to mention the vision", he added to himself, not wanting to divulge too much.

Zach nodded, internally grateful. "Yes, you're right. This place is definitely strange, not a normal convention at all. And then there's that Tourist Helpers place-" he stopped suddenly, realizing that he was getting too close to that topic he was trying to avoid. He had to finish the sentence, of course, so he hastily continued, "and of course the Shrine."

Den said nothing for a short while, pondering to himself. After a few moments, he spoke slowly and softly, "So, the gray-haired vision girl got to you too...? He looks towards Zach, ?I wonder how many people she's contacted so far..."

Zach, startled by this revelation, talked while his mind tried to adjust. "What? Gray-haired vision girl? That - what? No, no, there wasn't any gray-haired vision girl."

Den smiled as he got the reaction he was looking for. "Looking up information on a nekomata," he continued with a smirk, pointing at the book "what exactly would that be used for?" He was clearly trying to cross-examine the reporter.

Zach again moved to change the subject. This was a bit too personal for him right now. "Never mind that. The important thing is, you had a vision too, right? A few people appearing to you and asking you for help?"

Den nodded slowly. "Something... like that. The soldiers roaming the streets aren't the only weird thing happening in this neighborhood. I would assume that you too have been called to come back tomorrow?"

Zach nodded, continuing on his probably irrelevant tangent. "Yes. And if you know that, you're either someone I can trust... or someone involved in this conspiracy. And there's definitely a conspiracy. Why else would you taunt people with visions of spirits and tell them to come to a place at a specific time? There's something strange... and I'm going to reveal it to the world." He had a triumphant expression on his face as he said this.

Den, on the other hand, had a skeptical expression on his. "Do you really think you can make a story out of this? A tourist shop giving out visions of Japanese mythological spirits? No sane newspaper would host that kind of story." His skeptical expression turned resigned as he continued. "But there is no denying that there will be interesting people involved in this." "That tanuki..." he muttered to himself, a muttering that Zach caught.

Zach spoke quickly, almost stumbling over his own words. "There's more to this than just that shop. I know there is. It'll be a killer story, I'll make sure of that." He only then really noticed Den's muttering. "Tanuki? What are you talking about. There was a catgirl and two people with silly hats. No tanuki - whatever that is."

Den shrugged. "It seems that we were shown different things in our visions..." he thought to himself a moment before continuing. "I'm guessing the character appearing in the vision is somehow connected with the person viewing them. Anyway, it seems we both have the same goal and the same need for the book. You live in this hotel too, no?"

Zach nodded, thinking to himself. "So you saw a tanuki, you say. Just one? There wasn't anyone else in your vision?" He then caught up with Den's other speech. "Yes, I'm in the hotel. Not living here, of course, but I'm here. We might as well share the book, I suppose. We need it for the same purpose."

Den nodded, attempting to answer both questions at once. "I only saw one person in my vision, yes.? And with a smirk, ?So you don't mind if I have the book? A journalist has many, many information sources, right?"

Caught in that little comeback, Zach could do naught but sigh. "Take it. But I'll need it after you're done. If you only have one thing to look up, it should be quick. And most of my information sources are back home in America... all I have here is the power of Google. And my photos of the ransacked shrine, but I doubt those will come in handy." Another sigh.

Den smiled, rather reassuring at this point. "No worries. It would be best for us to meet up again before we go to Tourist Helpers tomorrow. And could you bring those photos with you, they should prove interesting. Would breakfast be fine with you??

This was met with a shake of Zach?s head. "No, I'm asleep for breakfast. How about a late lunch? I'll be awake then. If lunch is fine with you, how about we meet up in the dining room across the hall? At say, 1:30 should work. You bring the book, and I'll bring those photos."

Den gave him a nod, grabbing the book, he started walking back to his room. Zach shouted after him, "Wait, I didn't catch your name!" He turned his head back, one last look and two last words. "It's Den," he said as he walked out of the library.

7:40 PM - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel (Solo now)

Zach walked up the stairs to his hotel floor, pondering about this Den, and about Amarillo Viridian. He could still get most of his research done, he thought as he stepped into his room. He?d just need to use the internet more. And when he got the book tomorrow...

Yes, that would be perfect. But for now, it was almost 8 PM, so he plugged in some headphones to his laptop and began to play some music that would relax him. That would be a good idea.

[Grimarg]

? ? Jaeger family house, Stuttgart, Germany.


?Happy birthday, Andy!? The girl said and hugged him.

It was a beautiful summer day, and they decided to spend it outside, basking in the sun.

?I... I bought you something.?  Her face flushed deep red as she separated from him.

?You shouldn?t have bothered??

?Don?t be like that Andy, I saw this and I wanted you to have it.?

He ripped off the paper and opened his gift, his face light up ?This is??


She smiled. ?I knew you?d like it.?


1:15 AM ? Day 3 ? Hotel room, Kamisuiwa, Japan.


Andy was sitting in his bed, holding in his hands the gift that he received years ago, a first edition of A Study in Scarlet, and his most precious treasure.

He opened it and skimmed through the pages until he came to the one he was searching for, marked by a picture over it. A picture of him a few years back, a picture of him and a girl.

He passed his fingers over the picture, caressing it. In the picture, they were both smiling happily.
The girl had big purple eyes, like two amethysts, in contrast wit her light skin. She had long silver-gold hair, styled in two ponytails that flowed all the way to her waist. She was wearing a simple red dress in the picture, combining with the red shirt that Andy always wore.

That was my last year in that place. Andy thought.
I wonder how different things would?ve turned out if that didn?t happen?


No use in thinking like this. he stood up and walked to the window. The past can?t be undone. This is something I have to live with now. 
He looked up to the night sky to see the moon, then back to the picture. She has your eyes. He said with a sigh.
Of course, they were different in color, but there were something else, a fire that they had that made them look alike.
[/i]She even talks like you? But that?s to be expected, since she was a projection of my subconscious.[/i]

He put the picture back in the book and closed it, and walked back to the bed.

I could never refuse people like that.

He sighed and put the book over the night table, then he lay down in the bed.


There?s no point in arguing with myself. 


I?ll go.



15:00 PM ? Day 3 ? Hotel Room, Kamisuiwa, Japan.

This is going to be an interesting day. Thought Andy as he tied the laces of his boots.

He had changed his usual suit for clothes more appropriated for what he was going to do. Working boots, cargo pants and a windbreaker. Probably the occupying military forces would stop him, and that?s what he expected. He hoped to get even a small bit of information about their purpose in this town.
He grabbed his cell phone and his backpack and exited the room.

The doorman seemed scared when he saw him exit the hotel.
?Don?t worry, I?m just going for a run, I won?t rob you.?

Good. It won?t be long until one of them stops me.

With that thought in mind Andy started running to the woods near the town.


21:00 PM ? Day 3 ? Hotel Room, Kamisuiwa, Japan.


Well that was disappointing ?

He wasn?t stopped by anyone, not in the streets, nor in the woods.
He found that abandoned shrine though. It seemed that someone had been there recently, but he couldn?t find out much more, so he spent the rest of the day training in the woods.

He came out of the bathroom and looked at the clock, he should get going soon. He put his red shirt on and as he buttoned it up he kept thinking about his partners.

Why not solve problems, if one has that gift? Why not interfere, if one has the power, the means? I wondered how much time would pass until fate brought more adventures at us. I hoped for a sign that told me that what we were doing then wasn?t wrong.

He found himself fully dressed after this pondering and grabbed his cigar case and his cell phone and headed for the store.


Now that time has come?


21:58 PM ? Day 3 ? Outside Tourists Helpers


There were people outside the store; he wasn?t the only one that had received that ?vision?, he knew. There were people on the hotel that seemed to have come for the same reason than him. He wasn?t the best investigator but he could figure that much.

Two, three, maybe more. Some of them were talking.

He approached them quietly, and when he was a few meters away from them he took out a cigar from his case and spoke.

?Gentlemen. Excuse me, but is any of you by any chance is carrying a light??

[Amraphenson]

21:59 PM ? Day 3 ? Outside Tourists Helpers

"Ah...no," Xuezheng responds, blinking at the formal attire of this new, very tall person. Clearly European, and...

His eyes narrow just the slightest. Of what he could see from the rest of the 'con participants', none were particularly combat trained, which concerned him a tad. There was still that growing feeling that something was going to go horribly down hill with this entire situation, and he could not help but wonder if he'd be the only one able to defend himself if it came to that.

But this other man, perhaps a year within his own age...there was that lightness to his step, a sort of...stance? It couldn't be called that, not when he seemed relaxed (as relaxed as anyone could be given the strange circumstances), but there was definitely the beginnings of one. Xuezheng prided himself on his observational skills, combined from both his martial arts training and artistic education; like could spot out like, his father had told him, and the tells of a trained fighter were there for him to spot.

"...Glad to see there are so many of us," he says finally, after mulling the thoughts in his head. The artist shakes his head of the thoughts clouding his mind, then straightens up and speaks up. "Yes...there certainly seem to be a lot of us. From what I can tell, we were all subjected to that...incident, I suppose? We all have questions. Maybe not the same ones...but no matter how I see this, it's like something bad is going on behind the scenes. The military, this 'convention'. These otherwordly beings that call out to us and, in my case, expose my innermost fears. I think...I think it's for the best that we stay together and help each other out. The thought might not be savory, but I think it's a good idea."

There. It was done. With each person that arrived, he couldn't help but let those thoughts grow. He...he didn't want to be alone, for this. Part of him was scared. A large part of him, really.

(OOC: Aaaand that's that. Xuezheng's made his statement, and it's up to everyone else present to interpret it as they will. Feel free to take over for any following conversations about teaming up; Xuezheng wants some companionship, but he won't push for it if anyone denies it.)

[Kuribohlv9]

11:30 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Room 126

Den laid down on the bed in thought. The book had not been as useful as he initially thought. It didn't have a lot of information about specific creatures. Rather, it went through all kinds of creatures related to Japanese mythology. And the most important point of all, the book described Youkais as beasts, almost every creature in the book did not have human like bodies and features, the tanuki was an example of this, as it looked like a racoon.
?Someone better have a good explanation for this?? Still lying on the bed he took up the book in his hand. The books cover was deep brown and had big letters spelling out ?Encyclopedia on Yokai, Oni, and Kami?.
?There are so many kinds of creatures depicted in this book. Are there really such beings out there?? He sighed; this was only leading him to more questions than answers. Getting up from the bed he chose to take a shower before doing any actual sleeping.

00:00 AM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Room 126
Closing the door to the small hotel bathroom he dried the last body, put on some underwear and went to bed.
?? A whole new world. A more exciting place to be. A place where I could throw the common sense out the window. This world has gotten boring. Interesting people gets drawn together. Maybe it's finally my turn to have fun now.? A cold breeze was blowing through the open window. Den closed it and went back to bed.
?Fucking wind, ruining my sleep.? And then he went to sleep.

[IdiotsOpposite]

1:15 PM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel Restaurant

Zach stepped down the stairways at a brisk pace, refreshed from the previous night's music session and sleep. He even had a smile on his face, wearing his standard dark gray hoodie and jeans as he walked into the dining room. A well-dressed man approached him with a smile.

"Welcome, sir, would you like a table?"

Zach nodded, holding his laptop case in one hand as he gave the waiter a smile.

"Yes, please, for two. I'm expecting someone called Den within the next half hour or so. Oh, and a place next to an outlet would be helpful. Not necessary, though."

The waiter smiled, nodded, and took him on his way, seating him in a small booth with an outlet in the wall. While Zach waited for Den to arrive, he started setting up his laptop, making sure it was plugged in and the folder that contained all of his photos was the only program open. That done, he waited for Den, sipping water from the glass that a waiter placed down every once in a while. He did hope that Den would bring the book. He hoped even more that the book would be useful.

[Reisen-tanith]

09:00 hours, Day 2 Kamisuiwa, Japan, Hotel Room, Floor 1
The empty room, silent and dark save for the one window in the room pointing towards the side of the Hotel. A click on echoes through the room and the door swings open casting the darkness out.
“Haaa, finally, I'm here.”  The old Pilot walks into the room carrying an old standard issue duffle bag slung over 1 shoulder and a Hiking back pack slung over the other.  A quick glance around the room finds the light switch and a flick turns the lights on. His attention focused on the bed he walks over dropping the duffle at the foot of the bed and pack on the side before slumping over onto the bed to sleep of jet lag.
13:00 hours, Day 2 Kamisuiwa Japan Hotel Room
“Gahh!” the pilot wakes up with a start. Sweat dripping off his brow panting heavily.
“Damn…” He grabs a picture from his bag and wipes the sweat off, while looking at the picture depicting a younger him and another Pilot in front of a F16, posing. Calming down, Chuck grabs his toaster of a laptop and plugs it into the hotels outlet and connects to the internet.
A heavy engine outside catches his attention. A peak out the window reveals a truck driving by filled with armed troops.
“There shouldn't be a base nearby, and those don't look like regular soldiers,” he muses as they pass around the corner. His attention returns to his laptop the internet loaded and ready.
"Let's see what's going on here.” He says checking the Town's Visitor center site. One line appears on the screen: Do you have faith in yourself, and people important to you?"What's with the self help question?”
A carefull search of the page reveals only the address of the visitor's center.  Grabbing his survival knife from his Duffle bag and his jacket off the chair he heads for the door, locking it behind him before setting out for the visitor's center.

[Kakyoin]

9:25 AM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Tourist Helpers Shop ? Spare Room

Yuyuko scratched her arm and bared her perfect teeth in a smile. "So, you want to pretend to be one of Diamond's soldiers, then catch him off-guard when Amarillo lures him back here? Sounds like a great plan!"
    "Yeah, I guess." Ken traced the pattern on the ghost's clothing for a short duration with his eyes. He raised his head to look at her again. "But, what do you think about getting one of those soldier outfits? It's a bit risky. You think we can really get one without being noticed?"
    "Well...I'm sure if we can find a clearing somewhere...hmm." The ghost rolled over on the bed. "The tricky part would be getting them to follow us and not remember what happened..."
    He averted his gaze. Now wasn't the time to consider how flawless she was, or any of the others who came from Gensokyo, but he couldn't help it. To anyone else, Yuyuko would probably look like somewhat of a top model, and her pink hair certainly stood out even in Japan. Under more normal circumstances, what would they do if RAI wasn't trying to hunt them down? It sounded like a typical harem or romantic comedy anime, he thought. He swallowed at the thought of living with those he was linked to, considering they needed him to be nearby. That was almost certainly what would happen...
    "Hey, Ken?"
    He turned back to Yuyuko. "Ah, yeah...I was just thinking about what things would be like if we weren't being chased down by RAI." He shifted a bit closer to her. "You look pretty comfortable..."
    She reached over and pulled him down gently. "Hehehe~ That's something to consider, yes~"
    "Urk...w-wait, Yuyu--!"
    He suddenly found himself pressed against her, caught in a hug. "Ah...this is kinda...nice, I guess..."
    She giggled quietly. "You know, we have to get to know each other better sooner or later...kinda like you did with Mokou last night."
    "Uh, t-that's...well, er..." he stammered as his face started feeling warm. "Wait a second...how'd you know about that?!"
    Yuyuko winked happily. "I'm a ghost, y'know...I don't really need to sleep. I just rest, so I heard you two talking about something...it sounded...lovely."
    Squirming, he found himself pressed closer to her as she kept him from moving. "Ergh...it wasn't that significant, really...w-what're you trying to do right now, ghostie?!"
    "Shhh, just relax. Anyway, keep going. What else were you going to say?"
    His eyes closed halfway in an unamused manner. "Now I can't focus...are all ghosts as appealing as you?" Admittedly, he rather enjoyed having her around even if she was often whimsical. It was better than Mokou and Kaguya going at each other's throats.
    "Maybe~ But you know, I'm more playful than anything. I may be an illegitimate partner, but I gotta work hard to keep things in line. Smile some more, all right?"
    Ken sighed. His life would never be the same after this. Had he known he would get into such a serious situation, he wondered what he and Mayli would have done instead of come to Japan to study abroad. Now he was friends with fairies and their commander, an immortal from the moon, a ghost from the underworld and a whole bunch of others. Non-humans existing in this world, magic introduced to humanity...

    Magic.

    He remembered that his treasured sword had carried over from the virtual reality to the real world. When he had slapped Mokou, his healing powers had still worked. Even Mayli seemed to have some magical properties to her. His body tensed up as he realized how valuable their existence was, and how dangerous this issue could become. They were practically like superheroes in a dramatic TV series.
    "Ooof!" He gasped as his right cheek suddenly met Yuyuko's remarkable chest. She was squeezing him even harder now. "Hey, go easy on me!" he managed to eek out. "I'm not soft and squishy like you are..."
    Undaunted, she maintained her hold. "You keep getting sidetracked, so I'll just keep squeezing until you tell me~"
    "Okay, okay! Fine..." For a ghost, he thought, she sure had one heck of a death grip. How did that work, anyway? Ghosts were quite light and even ethereal, but this one seemed strong. Then again, ghosts were not something of this world. He didn't bother questioning it further, as she had loosened her hold. "So...I was thinking we could wander around town for a bit..."
    "Mmmkay~ Then what?"
    "We'd do that for a while until we found one of those soldiers alone. They're with RAI, right?"
    She nodded and, seemingly satisfied for now, released him completely. "It's a good assumption to make. Both RAI and those soldiers seem to share the same goal: catching us."
    He sat up and rubbed his neck. "Right then. But we gotta get our hands on the soldier's uniform without the soldier even realizing who we are...that might be difficult."
    Still laying down, she put a finger to her lips, thinking momentarily. True, it was very unlikely that a straightforward baiting trap would actually work. The soldiers only needed to see their faces, and they could be in trouble. Out of all their powers, which ones could help best? Only Ken, Mayli or Kaguya looked normal enough to be some sort of decoy. Occam's Razor, she thought, might work well here. What was simple?
    She snapped her fingers. "Aha! I got it." Sitting up, she raised a finger for emphasis as he looked over. "Why don't we use the Shrine for cover?"
    "Saniwa Shrine?" He shook his head. "I think I understand what you're hinting at, but we want to keep attention off of the Shrine. We already had a run-in there once before..."
    "Somewhere near the middle of town, then, since it's the median point between here and the Shrine."
    "That sounds fine. In case we draw attention while trying to do this, it's best to draw it to an area that's far away from Tourist Helpers and the Saniwa Shrine."
    She rubbed her cheek. "We can have Kaguya help us, with her power."
    "Really now...what would that be?"
    "Mmm...she can cause things to happen fast, in an instant. Or even slow things down a lot, yup."
    "Huh, really? Is that so...in that case, we can have Kaguya hit him hard when he least expects it." He stood up and felt a slight rush of blood to his head. "You think this is worth it, though?"
    "It's all for a setup, right? How else can we fool Diamond though?"
    Ken rubbed his chin, feeling a small amount of stubble growing. He'd have to take care of that sooner or later, he thought. Despite their crucial roles right at this very instant, they were still just people. He had to remember that, and never forget it. He was no superhero, he never was and even now, never would be. Such was his fate.
    He turned back to look at Yuyuko. "Remember that Amarillo doesn't know about our plan to ambush Diamond, only that we will do so and no more. But we can't assume that she won't get caught and reveal who we are..."
    She frowned. "That's a good point. Luring him into thinking he has someone on his side here is a great idea, and probably the best we can do. It's almost positively worth the risk in obtaining a soldier uniform."
    Smirking, he adjusted his glasses and beckoned her to get up with a gesture from his right hand. "Ha, I thought as much. Ready to get this show on the road?"
    Yawning, she sat up and produced a closed-eyed beaming smile. "Yeah!"



10:50 AM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Norinaga Square

Shading his eyes from the sun, Ken looked to both sides. The marketplace, at least as it was now, was moderately crowded. He guessed the presence of several soldiers scattered every which way influenced the low turnout. They had left the others behind for quite some time now; it was just him and the Lunarian Princess. Safety in lesser numbers in such a populated place, he thought. Clever Yuyuko was clever.
    The markets in Japan were as impressive as ever, even in Kamisuiwa in its current state. They had already passed several produce stands, a baked goods stand and even several stands selling imported natural foods. Even more impressive than the variety of edibles was the abundancy of handmade clothing and jewelry. The material goods looked very extravagant and well-made, as Mayli was kind enough to emphasize periodically. He sighed, finally with content. This was Japan at its finest.
    "Oi, Ken." Kaguya, who was walking alongside him, pointed to the midst of two lines of people walking through the market along both sides of the streets lined with tents. There was a single soldier, no doubt about it.
    He looked at the Lunarian next to him and nodded. This was their chance, and given Kaguya's power over immediate events it would be difficult to mess up...or so he hoped.
    Without a word, Kaguya released his hand and began wandering towards a nearby break in the row of tents opposite them, a short distance away. They had spotted out an alley nearby, with no houses or apartment windows in sight. Given Kaguya's attire, she blended in with the crowd perfectly, and she even looked just like a younger sister to him. Nobody had suspected anything so far. Reaching down to touch his sheathed sword at his side, he then walked over towards the soldier, who seemed to be just on regular patrol. He hoped that the appeal he was about to make was accurate.
    As soon as he was within range of the soldier, he slightly quickened his pace and put on a look of concern. "Excuse me, sir?"
    The soldier turned his head, and adjusted his helmet without a word.
    Ken hesitated slightly at first, then continued once he could confirm that he had the soldier's attention. "I think I got separated from my sister somewhere around here. Could you help me find her, officer?"
    The soldier looked around briefly before speaking up. "Hmm...." Turning to face him, the soldier continued. "Can't you ask anyone else? I have some rounds to do..."
    He froze temporarily at hearing the surprisingly feminine voice. The soldier was a woman? Due to the weapons and other equipment on her belt, he wasn't able to see the shape of her body initially. Looking around nervously, he tried again. "I don't want to make a big deal out of this in public, so I thought I'd ask the police force to help..."
    "Oh..." She looked down at her gloved wrist briefly, then looked back up at him. "I'm not--"
    "Please, ma'am...I'm worried about her!" His heart was pounding slightly. He figured there would be some resistance.
    She sighed, her voice muffled beneath the "Look, we're not the pol--well...okay, fine then. I can only spare a few minutes though."
    He smiled in fake gratitude and adjusted the hat on his head, which was a part of his disguise. "Ah, thanks! She wears--"
    "Hold on a minute." The soldier reached down and touched the sheathed sword at his side, hanging on his belt. "Why are you carrying this?"
    Fortunately he had prepared for this question, thanks to the convention going on in town. "Oh, this? This is just a part of my cosplay for the convention, ma'am. I'm kind of..." He turned away in embarrassment. "I'm a bit of a geek, so this is...yeah..."
    She laughed abruptly. "Haha, a gentlemanly swordsman, I see. All right, what's she look like?"
    He sighed in relief. The appeal to authority worked. Yuyuko had guessed that if the soldiers were indeed RAI affiliates, they wouldn't want to start any problems and would pretend to act like a police force if cornered. She was right after all. "She's got long, straight black hair...wearing a robe too, with long sleeves."
    The soldier tapped the gun at her side. "Got any leads, then?"
    He purposefully fumbled with his words. "Well...I lost sight of her somewhere over there..." He pointed past the break in the market tents. "She got a bit angry after I refused to buy her something at the tent over there, and then after I had only browsed it for another minute she was gone." He moved his extended hand to point at the material goods tent on the street corner and groaned. "Little sisters are so finicky sometimes..."
    "I suppose." She started walking towards the tent in question.
    He noted that she sounded somewhat annoyed. Glancing around, he pretended to search for Kaguya. "Sorry, officer. I hope it's not a huge problem..."
    "It's fine, just keep quiet about it." Reaching the tent, she looked around. "This is where you lost track of her, right?"
    "Yeah, that's--huh?!" Ken quickly looked down the cross street, beyond the tent. "I thought I saw her...! Weird...I could've sworn that was her going around that corner way over there..."
    "Hmm? There's an alley over there...if your sister is there, then you should be fine, go on."
    "Er..." He scratched his head. "Do you mind checking over there? It'd be faster if I stayed here and surveyed the area, right? I know what she looks like if I see her, so..."
    "Heh. Good thinking, boy." She pressed the side of her helmet and her face visor slid up, revealing a set of gentle yet focused brown eyes. "Wait here then." She turned towards the street leading to the alley between buildings and began jogging in that direction.
    After waiting a few moments, he ceased his fake panoramic viewing and looked back towards the alley. She was just going around the corner. Clenching his fist, he ran quickly in that direction. If all was going according to plan...

    *BAM*

    Flinching, he quickly closed his mouth shut to prevent any outcry as he felt his body being squeezed tightly...the feeling of mana draining out of him. He pressed his back against the side of the nearby building and peeked around the corner.
    To his pleasure and relief, he saw the soldier on the ground, unmoving. He felt a bit sorry for her, but it couldn't be helped. Looking back to make sure no one else had followed them, he turned the corner himself.
    Kaguya stood with a victorious smug expression as the orb of power in her hands shimmered away to nothingness. "Well, that was easy. Good thing I have cat-like reflexes~"
    He rolled his eyes. "You didn't kill her, did you?"
    "Nope, just some blunt trauma to the head. You know, danmaku is pretty potent." She sniffed casually and sat down on the ground. "You all right, by the way? I know that what I just did would probably use up some of that precious mana we have."
    He leaned down and started to remove the soldier's helmet. "I'm fine. Did she catch a glimpse of you?"
    Kaguya shook her head. "Not a chance. The moment I saw someone turn the corner, I slowed time down, got close and pelted that bitch with danmaku."
    He winced at how proud she sounded. "Okay, good. Now let's just--" his hands locked up as he remembered that the soldier was female, and taking her clothes off wouldn't go over so well.
    Kaguya clicked her tongue. "Hah, what's wrong? Hurry up and get his clothes off."
    "Er...well, there's a slight issue with that..."
    "What? Lemme guess," the Lunarian mused, "the soldier is female, and you being the chivalrous guy you are, don't want to leave her looking sparsely dressed in an alley."
    He finally removed the soldier's helmet. "Who knew the Lunarians were such good guessers."
    Kaguya peered down and put a robed hand to her mouth in surprise. "What?! It IS a woman?!" She walked over to the corner of the alley that lead to the main street and looked around the corner to make sure they weren't receiving unwanted company, then turned around to face him. "I was honestly guessing, really. I swear!"
    He grunted as he started to take off the soldier's shirt. "You're having fun with this, aren't you..."
    "Hey! That's my line, you know. You're undressing a female in public, I bet a man would love to--"
    "Grrr...be quiet and help me out! This is just what--" He glanced down at the woman's figure and gulped. Even these female soldiers looked nice...he couldn't help but think that this was all just a dream, and he was imagining being a part of some anime-like plot. Shaking his head, he carefully started taking her outermost layer off. "Let's just get this over with quickly, all right?"
    Kaguya giggled softly. "Hehehe...as you say, big brother~"
    His eyes widened and he shook his head in dissatisfaction. Trying to ignore Kaguya's snickering, he proceeded to pull first the gun and then the soldier's belt off. The uniform was, as he expected, a singular coat-like outfit, and more form-fitting than it initially seemed.
    "Hey, this is the woman's ID and stuff..." Kaguya held up the badge and ID that she had found in the woman's pockets. She scanned for the name and quickly found it on the ID. "Mabel Sinevera...interesting name, I guess." She looked up at him. "Should we steal this stuff too, just in case?"
    Throwing his hat to the side, he put his hands down on the woman's stomach area and thought momentarily. "Let's just take the badge. It has her name on it, right?"
    "Yeah. We should probably be aware of what her name is, in case Diamond tries to address whoever is disguised."
    "Mmkay." Kaguya pocketed the soldier's badge and placed the rest of her belongings next to her. "Thank goodness she has a second layer or two, eh?"
    "Indeed." He stood up and wiped sweat off of the side of his face with his free hand. "I guess that worked out. Sorry Mabel, but we needed your uniform. No hard feelings."
    Kaguya picked up the soldier's helmet. "That's just like you, to say something like that. Let's get outta here now."
    As they walked around the corner of the alley, he slid the uniform and weaponry into a large durable bag he had strategically placed in the alley ahead of time. It was heavy, but he could easily carry it compared to an unconscious Hatate, especially with the bag.
    Kaguya put the helmet into the bag and looked around. "So we just gotta get back to Tourist Helpers now...any plans?"
    "Of course. Now you get to do what you do best."
    She cocked her head innocently. "What I do best?"
    He closed his eyes as he walked back into the mainstream of the marketplace with her. "Well, carrying all this stuff with a pr...pretty girl like you, is kinda...ehh..."
    An uncontrollable grin spread across her face. "Ohoho, I get it." She instantly clung to his free arm as they walked through the crowd. "Thanks for buying me SOOOOO much stuff, darling!" she announced loudly. "And carrying it too...you're the best boyfriend ever~"
    Gritting his teeth, he looked down to hide his face and his hot cheeks. "You...you don't have to go that far..."
    She pouted. "Aww c'mon, Ken. Pipe down, you're so stuffy and serious. You need to let go every so often or else you'll break down, I'm telling you."
    He heaved a great sigh. "Yeah, okay. Just don't make a big fuss over it..." It was at least a fifteen minute walk back to Tourist Helpers. He should be happy that Kaguya was fawning all over him, even if it was mostly an act...smiling, he kept his head down and plodded on. They had succeeded yet again. With this valuable acquisition as well as Kaguya's powers, Diamond was certainly going to get a run for his money.



(Notes: Ken and Kaguya succeed in retrieving a soldier's uniform for their plan to catch Diamond off-guard. They will now head back to Tourist Helpers.)

[Kakyoin]

Since Nemo Ma has been busy for the last few weeks, I have written Aiko's vision (which was somehow forgotten) in her stead.  :moogy:


5:55 PM - Day 2 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Tourist Helpers

Aiko pulled her headphones off and left them around her neck. She wasn't sure what to make of this strange place, but she had to be aware in case something happened.
   "Oh, another one!"
   She turned her head to the side and saw where the voice had come from. A girl wearing a stylish hat and some sort of yellow shirt stared back at her, smiling. "Huh? Who are--aaugh!"
   Suddenly Aiko's vision blurred and she staggered backwards, losing her senses...


Submerge

"Hey, wake up!"
   Aiko opened her eyes and blinked several times. She was on her back, and a hand was extended towards her. A girl with short pink hair wearing a red dress and a small white capelet of sorts around her neck looked down at her.
   "Come on, let's go! You've been lying here for a while now..." The girl anxiously shook her hand.
   Aiko finally reached up to take it and was pulled to a standing position rather quickly. "Hah...thanks, whoever you are..."
   "It's fine." The girl smoothed the sides of her dress with her hands before placing one of her hands on her hip. "You know, you have more strength in you than you think. You ought to believe in yourself more, so you don't fall down as much."
   Aiko felt for her headphones but couldn't find them around her neck. She wasn't quite sure who the girl was, but she sure looked confident. How had she fallen down? It was all a mystery to her. Either way, she had to say something. "Well...I'm not sure what to say."
   "Do you have faith in yourself, those around you and those you shall meet in the future?"
   She pondered the question that this girl had posed to her this very moment. Was there a hidden meaning behind it? She decided to answer as confidently as she could muster. "Yes, I would say that's accurate enough...what else can I do otherwise?"
   "Hmm, all right, that's good enough." The girl crossed her arms. "You probably realize this is an illusion you're having, don't you?"
   "Is that so..." Aiko looked around but she could not recognize their location. They seemed to be near a cave in an otherwise open area, but everything else looked foreign. "There's more to it, probably..."
   "Soon you may be called upon to help those that you may not know yet. I hope you're willing to help them out."
   "Huh?" Aiko reached a hand out, but the girl took a step back. "Wait...what do you mean? People I don't know need my help? What's so special about me?" Her appearance aside, she did not think she was special in any way. "Does this have to do with the convention?"
   "It looks like," the girl said with a grimace as she began to fade away, "you'll just have to find out soon enough..."
   "W, Wait--! Don't go yet..."


Ascend

Rubbing her eyes, Aiko found herself back in the room of the place she had walked into. "Was that..."
   "Heehee, you saw something special, didn't you?" The girl with the yellow shirt and black hat smiled at her. "How did it feel though, seeing what you saw?"
   "Did you..." Aiko paused to consider the situation more before she responded. "You caused that?"
   "Yep~ Anyone who comes into this place must be on the same mission, oh yes."
   Aiko reached up and felt her headphones around her neck. So that really was a strange vision of sorts. She didn't--it wasn't a dream, was it? Everything here seemed real enough. Glancing over, she saw a smaller girl with wings on her back at a computer. Now she must be seeing things. "Um..."
   "Before you go, I have to ask you one more thing though." The girl who caused her vision stepped forward. "You think you can be relied upon, er..."
   "Ah. The name's Aiko."
   "I see, hehe. Well it seems as if you do indeed hold faith in yourself. You think you can maintain the faith you have when you will be needed?"
   So she would probably have something happen to her later on as well. She couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing, but things had certainly become interesting. "I can do what I can...what are you hinting at?"
   "Come back late tomorrow evening and find out. Will you be okay after this?"
   Aiko nodded. "I suppose...this is a lot happening at once. I think I need to think about what I just saw..."
   "That's a good answer," Koishi responded with. "Ah, please do come back around two hours to midnight tomorrow though!"
   As she was leaving, Aiko grabbed her headphones yet paused before putting them on. Was that a premonition she had just had? Already her first day in Japan, and things had gotten this weird. Yet it intrigued her more and more. Who was that girl with wings on the computer? More importantly, who was the pink-haired girl in her 'vision', if that was what it could be called? She ran her tongue against her teeth. What were their names? She hadn't even asked, since she had been so surprised at what happened.
   Stepping outside, she placed her headphones back on and thought carefully about what she had just witnessed. Glancing around, she noted that the day was still young. No time seemed to have passed during this strange occurrence. She wondered what she could do with the rest of the day, aside from trying to figure things out.

[Orphea.Russ]

10:00 PM, Day 2, Kamisuiwa, Japan - Hotel, third floor

Aiko sat down-- or rather, more like slumped back-- onto the bed in the hotel room. Thankfully it was a decent mattress, and somewhat comfortable at that. Of course, that wasn't what was on her mind right now. She'd already set up her laptop on the desk in the corner and plugged her headset into it to charge; eight hours only gave you so long on a full battery, after all.

Her questions were all on the events of four hours ago. She probably wasn't being all too truthful when she said she had faith in herself; she didn't know much about  herself, the girl named Aiko. So what was there to have faith in?
... No, that wasn't right, she knew everything, she just had to figure out how to get to the memories.

Like hidden, passworded folders on a machine... and you've forgotten what's inside them, and don't know what the password might be. Your curiosity is killing you, but at the same time, what's inside might be more than you bargained for.

Such was what she had been thinking about since before she came to this town. She wanted to know more about herself but, at the same time, didn't. At the same time as being curious about herself she was afraid of what she might find, if she'd find anything at all.
More importantly, however, was the... vision, illusion, or whatever word you could find to describe it. The pink-haired girl, what she said.
"Soon you may be called upon to help those that you may not know yet. I hope you're willing to help them out."
Inside, she doubted that she could help. Not that she had any experience with helping.
"You know, you have more strength in you than you think. You ought to believe in yourself more, so you don't fall down as much."
The sentence played back in her head. She just groaned aloud.

"Believe in the me, which has lost her memories of everything... Rather than fear the unknown, trust it and believe in it. And what's this all about 'falling down' so much... rather than answers I have thousands of questions..." And yet, such is the way the world works. You've been told to believe in yourself. Why not give it a chance?

Rather than debate with herself further, she just reached out for the headset, still plugged into the laptop, and put it on before lying down in bed. It was comfortable. It didn't help her mind ease, but she knew what would.

"... Sarah, open and play Shuffle." A brief moment passed and she heard the voice through the headset. "Shuffle playing. Current is Buleria Del Alba, good eve."
"... yeah, good evening, Sarah." The microphone's light clicked off as Aiko hit the button to mute it. Before she knew it she was fast asleep.

Unknown time -- Unknown location

... And she opened her eyes to stare at a vaguely shadowed sphere; hints of deep blue at what she could see, at the lit edge; which she could tell was much larger than she was. A gray orb, much smaller, was oh so slowly revolving around it.  What caught her attention more was the small yellow ball of light in the corner of her vision. Surrounding all three objects was a field of purple, white, even some brown gases. She knew, then, that this was a celestial scene; and very literally. A star, planet with a moon, surrounding nebula, which would potentially form into a gas giant of some form. At the same time, she knew she shouldn't be able to be here. But...

... Somewhere, she'd seen this before. The familiarity tugged at the back of her mind. Her hand stretched out, grasped at the mixed wisps of color, knowing it'd simply pass straight through.
The moment she touched it, she heard a quiet, slightly echoed voice; almost like that of a child's.

"Will you be joining us soon, sis?"

... then everything just went white. And from there, it faded to black.

(Nothing real important to note here other than yes she made her laptop talk back to her, I did it on something of a whim. Aside from that, yay for twenty-minute posts?)

[Kakyoin]

12:00 PM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Tourist Helpers: Employee Break Room

Mokou held up the soldier's uniform, dangling it momentarily. "So this is it, huh? All that work just for a simple uniform?"
    "Not just that, you smelly hobo." Kaguya lugged the bag onto the table with a grunt and placed it on its side. "There's a pretty big gun in here too, and some other stuff..."
    Mokou turned her head away. "Humph. Not bad, I guess."
    "Whoa!" Mayli leaned over and looked inside the bag. "There IS a gun! Looks just like the ones those soldiers had...I guess they really did get the plan to work!"
    Ken finished cleaning his glasses and glanced up towards the others from his seat on the couch. "We did, but I wasn't expecting a female soldier..."
    "Oh, a lady soldier, you say?" Mayli took the uniform from the table after Mokou had put it down in exchange for examining the gun. It was tighter at the waist and wider below it. Indeed, it seemed built for a female to wear. "Wait, I thought Ken was gonna pretend to be the soldier..."
    "That was the idea," Yuyuko interjected as she checked the soldier's badge. "But in reality, not everything works out according to plan."
    "Right, it can't be helped." He stretched his arms out palm-first, fingers intertwined, until they were fully extended in a stretch. They'd have to rethink what to do, but as it stood right now there was an obvious solution to the problem. "Well, one of you will have to be the soldier then."
    Mokou pointed the gun towards the wall. It was impressively large and sleek, but not overly heavy. "Huh, this is a pretty nice weapon. Maybe we could use it to shoot that fucker Diamond in the head when he comes by." She glared at Kaguya suddenly.
    Kaguya seemed taken aback. "Wha...what? What did I do this time? That gun not big enough for you? You need to overcompensate with something even larger?"
    Mokou growled. "No, you...damn idiot. I was going to say 'you actually did well for once', but so much for that..."
   
    Yuyuko surveyed the gear and supplies Ken and Kaguya had brought back. Aside from the deadly-looking weapon, the soldier's badge and her uniform, there also seemed to be a small rectangular container with a cross embedded on the front, likely a healing kit. In addition, she saw a small knife and the soldier's rather small, tight-looking helmet. There was a belt with several holders attached to it, but she wasn't sure what they held.
    Given all of this, surely they would be able to trick Diamond into thinking one of them was the soldier. It was actually to their advantage that the uniform was female, she thought, since Ken wouldn't want to be bogged down with lots of gear when he tries to attack Diamond. An idea was forming in her head.
    The ghost approached the others and raised her hand briefly to catch everyone's attention. "I think I have a really good plan to use this stuff and take Diamond out."
    "Is that so?" Mokou put the gun down and pointed it away from everyone, then slipped her hands in her pockets. "All right then, let's hear it. I'm ready to crush me some Diamond!"
    Yuyuko smiled upon hearing Mokou's phrase. "Okay, here's what we do..."



1:20 PM - Day 3 - Kamisuiwa, Japan ? Tourist Helpers: Downstairs Bedroom

"Okay...you can come back in now."

Holding some rope, Ken came walking into the bedroom. His eyes met the woman in front of him, and they widened in slight surprise. "Whoa..."

Mayli stood tall and upright, the uniform fitting her figure perfectly. She had a book in her outstretched hand, her eyes trained hard on him behind spectacles. The tight binding of the uniform had constricted her chest slightly, but she looked much more serious and deserving of respect.
    "Huh...well, you look pretty sharp and snappy, soldier," he said with a chuckle. "I'm still surprised that you agreed to do this though. You sure you're okay with it?"
    She put the book down on the bed and her expression softened. "Yeah, I can do this. You know what they say, right? The cute ones are usually great for doing cruel things, and you and I know each other so I figured this will be okay."
    He tossed her the rope and kept his hand held out. "All right then. Now give me my glasses back!"
    Giggling, she carefully removed them and handed them over. "I just thought it would compliment how I look, that's all. It's good that you can still see reasonably well without your glasses though, just in case you lose them."
    "Hey, you're the same way. You lost your glasses to those youkai in the virtual world, but you can see really well anyway." He pushed the bridge of his glasses up to secure them on his face. "In fact, I don't think you really need glasses..."
    "It's true, I mostly wear them for cosmetic effect." She backed up and sat down on the bed behind her. "Are you sure this is okay, Ken? Pretending to hold you hostage like this..."
    He casually waved a flat hand forward in uncaring protest. "Oh please, this won't be tough to manage. I bet you'll have fun with it, actually..."
    "What?! Ken!" she exclaimed loudly. "What are you...saying?"
    "Hahaha! Calm down, don't worry. I just thought you'd like a really intense situation like this...acting it out, at least. You were always one to love fantasy stories, and this kind of thing seems right down that alley. I was thinking you'd get a kick out of doing this, as it'll probably end up being dramatic."
    Blushing slightly, she squinted at him and pulled the rope taught between her hands. "You want to find out, pal?"
    "Er...don't be so scary," he said nervously. "I certainly hope you're pretending..." He looked away to hide his reddened cheeks.
    "What's wrong? Why are you looking away from me?"
    "N-No reason..." He felt his face getting warmer. Mentioning that was a mistake, and knowing Mayli, she would probably pick up on it. She was more meek when in threatening situations, but alone with him now...
    "Oh?" Mayli grinned with surprising viciousness. "Ken, don't tell me you're thinking naughty things at a time like this. Perhaps you ought to consider your own words, hmm? You want to be tied up by me for real?" Hearing him gurgle softly instead of replying, she continued to lay it on thick. "Come to think of it, just what were you really dreaming of yesterday when you conked out in the RAI base?"
    "Now hold on just a minute..." he stammered.
    She gasped lightly and turned away, dropping the rope and holding her cheeks. "Hwaa~ Ken, don't tell me...you're a closet masochis--"
    "NO!" he hollered. "I'm not like that!"
    After a short lull, she began giggling madly, falling over onto the bed completely. "Ahaha! I was only kidding...I know you aren't like that. Ha, your face was so red~ Ehehehaha!"
    He frowned. "Grrr...you're enjoying this way too much. C'mon, I get teased enough by Mokou and Kaguya, I don't need any more..."
    "Haha...hey, I get teased by Mokou too, you know!" Finally calm again, she stood up and grabbed the rope from where she had dropped it on the bed. "Well, lemme practice pretending to hold you captive."
    Sighing, he stood up, turned around and put his hands behind his back. "Sure, just give me my sword then..."



(Notes: Mayli will dress as a soldier to try to fool Diamond if and when he shows up at Tourist Helpers, according to Amarillo's estimations. Their plan is to make it look like Ken has been captured, but he will try to attack Diamond when there's an opening.)

[Kakyoin]

Wondering what's happening in the virtual Gensokyo while all this silly reality stuff is going on?

Kakyoin presents, courtesy of no one and nothing in particular...

"Meanwhile, in Virtual Gensokyo..."


10:25 AM - Day 3 - Virtual Gensokyo (Human Village Outskirts)

"Yuyuko-sama!"

An unassuming wind blew through the leaves on the surrounding trees, causing the blades of grass surrounding the young woman's feet to waver back and forth like the needle on a seismograph recording an earthquake. The sun shone innocently between the trees. The weather didn't care, another day was well underway.

"Yuyuko-sama..."

After briefly surveying her surroundings, she sighed heavily and continued flying forward. The Human Village was just ahead, but it wasn't likely that her mistress was there. Still, she had to check.



10:30 AM - Day 3 - Virtual Gensokyo (Human Village)

The young woman landed into a jog on the ground, continuing to move forward with reasonable speed. She didn't visit the Human Village often, but it seemed relatively normal and somewhat busy even. Despite the sudden disappearance of many of Gensokyo's key residents, it looked like Keine had done a good job maintaining peace and preventing chaos.

"Hey, half-ghost. What are you doing here of all places?"

She turned to see the Village's self-proclaimed guardian, Keine Kamishirasawa, walking towards her.
    "This place seems pretty quiet."
    Keine frowned. "You expected otherwise, Youmu?"
    "Ah, I guess not. You do a good job keeping everyone in line here." The swordswoman heaved another sigh of futility. "I wish I could say the same about myself and Yuyuko-sama..."
    The were-hakutaku's frown twisted back into a smile. "Yuyuko? She's not the easiest to deal with...speaking of which, you being here must mean--"
    Youmu nodded. "Yeah, she still hasn't been spotted anywhere. Have you seen her recently?"
    The teacher shook her head. "Sorry, but I haven't seen her around. I doubt she would hide from you. Maybe she got swallowed up by the Hakurei Barrier and--"
    "No! She wouldn't do that..."
    "Hey, don't despair, half-ghost." Keine lifted her hat up and scratched her head, the blue-silver hair shining gently from the sun's rays. "Mokou is gone too...I think she was one of the ones who vanished due to that barrier, but...I'm pretty sure she's fine. Mokou is immortal and your Yuyuko is quite crafty, I doubt either of them are really gone forever."
    "Yeah...okay, you're right. I just can't--" pausing, she gave the situation more thought. She had already searched Youkai Mountain, Eientei and now the Human Village, yet there was no sign of Yuyuko anywhere. Keine was right, perhaps it would be best to not worry as much. Putting both hands behind her back, her fingers gripped Roukanken's sheath as she put on a light smile, the best happy expression she could muster at the time. "I guess I've searched enough...if Yuyuko-sama is here, she'll come back to the manse, I suppose..."
    "Probably." Keine glanced to her right briefly before looking back and grinning modestly at the energetic Youmu in front of her. "I--wait..." She turned again to look for the person she had just seen. "Oh, I thought I had seen you!"
    "Yo!" Sanae waved and flew towards the two of them, landing nearby.
    "Eh...Sanae is here too?" Youmu tried not to show her surprise at Sanae's disgustingly optimistic expression.
    The shrine maiden looked around at her surroundings almost warily, before turning back to face them. "Your apprentice guy is gone?"
    Keine bit her lip. "Ken? I...I think so. I haven't seen him, or Mokou...and I'm not sure where Reisa is either."
    Sanae shrugged. "Kanako is missing too. Lots of people missing. It must be a Hakurei Shrine conspiracy! Ahaha..." her face blanked. "...no one's laughing."
    Youmu put her left hand to her forehead. "Of course not...what's wrong with you mikos?"
    "Hey now," the shrine maiden said, poking Youmu with her gohei. "Just trying to lighten the mood is all. You think I'm happy that our poor Kanako's gone? Without the Moriya god, we could be in some trouble..."
    Youmu brought a sheathed Roukanken out from behind her back, and rested it point-first on the ground at her side. "And I'm worried about Yuyuko-sama myself. She doesn't seem to be here though..."
   
    "Oh, here are some familiar faces. Finally!"
   
    The three of them turned to see Eirin and Aya approaching.
    Sanae raised an eyebrow. "What an odd pairing. Why are you two..."
    "Well," the pharmacist began to answer. "I haven't--"
    "Ha! I'm here because this is so much scoop it's too good to pass up!" Aya crowed, successfully interrupting Eirin.
    "Yes, well..." Eirin gave a scary look in the direction of the tengu before continuing. "Right now this excuse for a journalist can actually be helpful, so I had her follow me around. This whole thing is like a mystery novel come to life, yes? Our poor princess has vanished, and now we find you lot here. Let's see, we have Saigyouji's butleress, Moriya's maiden and--well, Keine is standard here."
    "Of course," Keine muttered. "But this kind of situation almost demands for it, right? Mokou is gone, and my apprentice as well..."
    "Apprentice, eh?" Eirin smirked. "That kid who tried to stop our princess and that friend of yours from fighting? He seems pretty hard-working."
    "You met him?"
    "Kind of, when I left Reisen here yesterday." The Lunarian looked over at Aya, who was scribbling notes into her notebook quickly. "Hey, be a useful crow and listen carefully, will ya? Maybe you'll find out where your tengu friend went."
    "Ah...but!" Aya declared. "Without Hatate here, there's no one who can defeat my newspaper!"
    Sanae coughed in dissatisfaction. "Yeah...a rather hopeless bird indeed." She turned back to Keine. "So what're we going to do? I've searched just about everywhere, I think..."
    Youmu groaned. "Me too...maybe it's all just one giant prank?"
   
    "I doubt it, hmmhmmhmm~ "
   
    The party of looked towards the direction the voice had come from. A green-haired woman with an umbrella strode almost nonchalantly. Spinning her umbrella once, she walked up to them.
    "You..." Keine took a step back, immediately on her guard. "The flower master of four seasons...what are you doing here?!"
    "Me?" Yuuka asked innocently. "Why, I was just flying about trying to figure out what happened here, with all these disappearing people. I thought there'd be quite a gathering here, and it looks like I was right."
    A long pause filled with silence followed. Not to be deterred, the flower youkai closed her umbrella and pushed it point-first into the ground. "What? You all don't believe me?"
    "In all honesty," Keine replied, "even with these circumstances I wouldn't have expected you to come here, to a village of humans."
    "Calm down, I have no desire to create harm." Yuuka shifted her eyes around to analyze who was present. "So I reckon you all have missing friends too."
    "Interesting," Aya commented as she continued to write. "Being a wanderer, you must have encountered others like us recently, yes?"
    "I have," the old flower mentioned offhandedly. "But according to a few I talked to, everyone who went missing should be okay. Something about walking through the Hakurei Barrier."
    Keine put her hat back on her head. "Walking through it? Not being swallowed up by it?"
    Yuuka twisted the handle of her umbrella back and forth. "That's what those two had to say. They were right there too, so of course they saw it."
    "Those two?" Youmu questioned. "Who were they?"

    "I bet it's the ones who planned this."
   
    "Oh hey, Reimu!" Sanae waved as the party saw it was indeed the Hakurei Shrine's miko. "You're late to the party!"
    "Whatever," Reimu grumbled. "Those two hooligans, Nue and Mamizou...they're the ones she's talking about, I have little doubt in my mind."
    "My my," Yuuka mused. "It seems like quite the group has gathered."
   
    "And it's all thanks to me, wahaha!"
   
    Eirin sighed and spoke before even turning her head. "You know, this constant interruption and addition of people to the conversation is getting a little out of hand...are you really responsible for this, oni?"
    Suika grinned happily after taking a swig from her sake gourd. "Ah...well, it's my duty, y'know?" She turned and saw Reimu. "Oh, Reimu is here too! You going to solve this problem too?"
    The unhappy miko cleared her throat. "I don't have much of a choice, do I? People have disappeared, and not just one or two--a whole bunch of 'em."
    "I say," Youmu exclaimed, "that we go find those two and get them to talk some more!"
    "That's not a bad idea." Yuuka flipped her closed umbrella up onto her shoulder. "Looks like another incident has taken its hold of Gensokyo~"
    "Be quiet," Reimu snapped. "The last time you were at an incident, you kept claiming you were responsible for it. I bet you're just having a grand old time with this, aren't you?"
    "Either way, we need to make sure that what those two and that fairy leader said is indeed the truth." Sanae wrinkled her nose. "I still have a hard time believing it myself..."
    Reimu started tapping her foot impatiently. "No kidding. Well, as much of a pain as this is, we have to try to figure out what to do about it. What do you recommend, old flower?"
    Yuuka grimaced somewhat menacingly. "The same as always, I see. Let's head over to Reimu's haunt, they might still be around there."
    Youmu ran her fingers through her silvery hair as everyone slowly started to head out. This was a truly serious series of events that had quickly escalated just overnight. But without Yuyuko around, she wasn't sure what would happen at Hakugyokurou...it would be better if she headed back and let everyone else take care of this, no matter how curious and eager she was to see this solved. Gripping Roukanken, she prepared to depart.



(Notes: Yuuka introduced for the first time in Season 2. I tried to include the more relevant Touhous of the ones still stuck in the virtual Gensokyo, i.e. the ones that will become partners for OCs later on.)

[Bias Bus]

3:00 PM, Day 2 - RAI Graveyard Base ~ Virtual Gensokyo Laboratory Room

This was all so...strange. To put it in simple terms, everything that had happened up til now was apparently a lie, a fabrication, or at least...something that was a little fake. Owlbear had spent most of the time in a state of silence as the others from Makai conversed and caught up with each other. If everything he and the others experienced in that Gensokyo...or Makai was a virtualization...then how did they get here and, more importantly, who brought them here? "Whoever stuck us in those tanks...I have a feeling they're somewhere in this tin can." Owlbear reasoned, looking around the current area already finding that Ken had went on ahead into the base area. Interestingly, Owlbear seemed to forget the fact that Luize was still comfortably nestled onto his lap...at least, until she voiced her opinion on him being so quiet.

"There you are being silent again~" Luize teased, Owlbear perking up to the sound of her voice and realizing that she had been compensating for his lack of input on seeing the other Makai residents again. Most importantly, how the fuck could he lose sight of the fact that Shinki of all people was here with him. The woman that he liked...working for, was right here with him and he wasn't even making a move. "Something on your mind again?"

Did he really want to tell them this now? They looked to be having a better time catching up and enjoying each other's company. "Oh...nothing, sorry for spacing out." So, Owlbear set to just keep it to himself for a bit. It wasn't anything big so, he could just reveal his feelings whenever everyone got situated with the new location and current situation.

"Hm, even when in a strange new area you're spacey." Yumeko remarked with crossed arms, "But...you're not on duty now, so I suppose I can allow it." Was she...was she being tsundere? It...kinda seemed like it, but it was a bit odd seeing as Owlbear and believed Yumeko to show him anything but annoyance and disdain since he started working for Shinki.

"I suppose the same can be said about your no nonsense attitude, Yumeko." Shinki chuckled, giving the maid a smile as she watched Yumeko's face tinge to a very subtle shade of pink. Only Shinki could make the domineering demon maid blush like that. If Owlbear tried the same stunt, the end result would be much more violent and involve a lot of pointy things going into places they shouldn't. "Even so, we do need to consider what to do in this situation. I believe the best course of action is to that Tourist Helpmates place."

"Tourist Helpers." Why was it so hard for others to remember how to correctly say it's name?

Otherwise, it was a fairly sound course of action. Aside from having no other options save for exploring a base that could be choked full of people wanting to experiment on their corpses or something of the same nature. "Well, I'm all for ditching this place," Yuki agreed, hands behind her head as she took another look around the mechanical chamber they had all gathered in. Steel and metal weren't exactly things she's used to seeing as opposed to the otherworldly material that made up Shinki's crystalline palace.

As Luize nodded and arose from Owlbear's lap, the darks skinned human arose with a stretch only to realize something was a bit off...or at least, he thought it was anyway. "Hey...wait a second," All eyes fixated on him for a moment, his gaze scanning across the present bodies before him counting only about five in total. Now, he wasn't the most reliable person in terms of memory but...Owlbear was sure there was at least one other. "Aren't we missing a party member?"

Luize was second to notice, "Oh dear, where's Sara?" Sure enough, the others took note of Sara's missing body among them. Alice would have counted if she hadn't already ditched the crew years ago after the Mystic Square incident. "Did she not escape those...things we were in?"

"It...would appear so." Yumeko said, turning on her heels unwittingly directing everyone's attention back to the area that held the many enigmatic pods in which each of them rose out of. All of them were opened, save for one lone tank that stubbornly remained closed. Sure enough, within that same unopened pod lay a comatose Sara. Or at least, that's what can be assumed the kind of state she's in.

"Should we get her out?" Yuki asked, curiously strolling up to the pod in which the gatekeeper 'slept'.

"I think we should at least try," Owlbear nodded, seeming to side with Yuki on the matter on getting Makai's one (and only) gatekeeper out of the metallic 'coffin', the dark skinned  tapping the glass of the pod with the back of his fist, as if testing for how tough it was. "It ain't right to leave her in there while we go run free."

"Yeah, just what I was thinkin'." Yuki nodded in agreement to Owlbear, the fire witch(?) walking up to the pod peering inside. "So...how're we gonna pop her out?"

"We don't." The duo paused, turning around to see Yumeko giving them both a stern look. Although considering who this was, that much was not uncommon in the least. "We're on a time limit and if we don't leave, we're going to be in deep trouble."

"Yeah, for two days." Owlbear said, recalling the discussion with the others. "I think we can spare two minutes to try and get this tin can piece of shit open." Yumeko, of course, applied palm to face and decided to enlighten the dark skinned young man on what sort of point he was missing.

"You don't know how to open it. You're going to need time to research how. Not only that, but what if something happens to Sara from being released prematurely?"

"released prematurely...?" Owlbear echoed, looking to Yuki who merely shrugged before he consulted Shinki for enlightenment on. "What's she going on about, Miss Shinki? I mean...we can't just leave her here." Which was something Shinki herself didn't want to do, however...

"I don't want to leave Sara behind either, but you and Yuki must understand that we have to leave her behind or face...whatever these RAI people have in store for us." The demon goddess told the both of them. "Don't worry we can return for her someday, but for now we must retreat to Tourist Accomplices."

"Oh, come on. That one doesn't even have an 'H' in it!"

Owlbear and Yuki stood in silence for a moment, taking a last glance at Sara before the both of them slowly inched away from the pod, letting Shinki and the others know that they had perhaps avoiding something...irreversible to Sara's body (or mind). "I'm glad you two understand. Now, let's get moving, the sooner we leave here the sooner we can begin planning our next moves."

---

9:58 PM, Day 2 - Entrance to RAI Graveyard Base

Even though the decision to leave Sara behind wasn't exactly an easy one to accept, actually navigating out of the RAI base proved to be an even more difficult ordeal to overcome. Not exactly being native to the base itself and having no real map of the area, Owlbear and the small gaggle of Makai natives were more aimlessly wandering the corridors of the base, looking for any sort of indication of where they needed to go to escape the recesses of this metallic labyrinth. Fortunately, Luize had a naturally ability that helped ease the otherwise painfully confusing trip. That being her rather sharp sense of direction and navigational skills. Being a tourist and traveller, Luize had developed a latent attribute for navigation which not only seemed to help her...not get too lost during her travels, but also in leading her group through the base and out into the open airs of freedom.

"Mmm, smell that fresh air~" Yuki hummed, as she took in a deep breath during a stretch to relish the feeling of being out of the base and outside once again. Yuki soon took a moment to look around, noticing one key detail about their current location, "This place looks...very different from Makai...at least certain parts."

"Indeed, the sky isn't a crash course of colors, for one thing." Mai added with a nod, the attention brought to the sky causing Owlbear to look up for a moment. It was...strange that the sight of the night sky above him gave him a feeling of...nostalgia. As if he hadn't seen it in a long time...but, that was impossible, he's always been in Makai.

...Right?

"Yes, yes, the stars are very pretty but, we must keep moving." Yumeko advised, her golden eyes darting about the horizon making sure she didn't spot anything. Luckily, there didn't appear to be any personell that could hinder their trip to Tourist Helpers, but she was certain that would change sometime soon. RAI may have looked abandoned, but it was still quite active behind the scenes. "We can use the cover of the night to move in the shadows and reach our destination. Yuki and Mai, watch for any thing strange whilst we journey, Luize you're our navigator again. Owlbear, you're with me in protecting Lady Shinki...please don't mess this up."

"Oh come now Yumeko, don't be so hard on the boy." Shinki spoke up, seeming to take defense in her human servant. Something Owlbear had to resist squealing over, but it was clear he appreciated Shinki's gesture quite a bit. "Yes, he maybe a bit lazy and childish, but remember, he does work hard. I'm sure he'll do fine."

Yumeko sighed, finding no reason to argue Shinki's words but, at least finding some place to insert her opinion on the matter. "Fine, I'll...try to be less harsh on him. We do need him in this situation after all." Well, at least she was going to try. "In anycase, we better hurry. The longer we stay here, the easier it is for us to be a target..."

---

10:25 PM, Day 2 - Kamisuiwa ~ Outskirts

Leaving the 'comfort' of the RAI base was something of a double edged sword for Owlbear and the others. On one hand, they were at least out of the danger zone, (or at least, what would become a danger zone in the coming days) however, there was also the factor of being in a foreign environment and thus having no idea where to go and how to get there. Saying they were going to tourist helpers was one thing. Actually getting there was proving to be another. As the team of Makai natives weasled their way through the surrounding forests, had it not been for Luize leading the group along with her navigational skills, Owlbear would have caved to the suspicion that they were lost. A common effect that occurs when you have no idea where to go.

"Sheesh, this forest is like a maze." Yuki noted, keeping a close eye for anything odd in the distance, Mai taking up the other side as Owlbear and Yumeko were at the back and front of Shinki respectively. "Oi, how will we know when we get to this Tourist Help-whatever place?"

Luize didn't even bother to correct her this time.

"A sign of some kind will probably be up to tell us, that we don't have to worry about." Owlbear said, looking behind him periodically to make sure nothing was following them. "It's actually getting there that may prove to be the problem. Even though Luize is great with navigation, it's going to be tough locating something in a place you've never been to."

"Trust in my ability of navigation, Owlbear." Luize spoke up, "This place maybe foreign but, I assure you I'll-"

A sudden jerking motion from Yumeko silenced the tourists words, her hands clasping over her mouth as she gestured everyone else to be silent. At first glance this action appeared...random and unnessacary, but sure enough...

"Did you hear somethin' just now...?"

"I think so. Sounds like it came from back there somewhere."

Yumeko narrowed her eyes in malice, reaching into her dress under her dress to grab a small dagger. With her weapon out, she released the silence Luize and gestured her and the others to hide. It didn't take much for one to know that she was going to fight whoever was out there. Only Shinki seemed to have the initative to speak against the demon maid's actions.

"Yumeko, wait." Shinki whispered, "Must we be hostile with them?"

"It is the only way. It's no doubt in my mind that that they're from that base..."

"We don't know that." Truth. "Furthermore, we can simply talk them down if they're unfriendly...we should only use force if we have no other option."

Yumeko hesitated to retort, hands gripping the dagger as she began comparing Shinki's option with her original course of action. in the end, Shinki's method was the safer route to take, if only due to how disposing of whomever was in the woods would eventually raise suspicion about them. Defintely not something they needed at the moment.

"You're right..." She said, putting away her weapon and sighed. "However, I still do not trust them."

"You don't have to, we only need to convince them." Shinki remarked, looking up and seeing a beam of light shine from the distance.

"Who's out there!" The male voice shouted, his letting those hiding know he was onto them. "Come on out!"

Shinki arose gesturing everyone to rise from where they hid and follow her to the open. The demon goddess took in a single breath to ready herself before venturing out into the open, the flash light revealing her form as well as the rest that followed her. "Ah, hello there kind sirs." She said in a cheerful tone putting on a friendly facade to try and fool the soldiers standing in front of her.

"What're you folks doin' way out here?"

"I'm afraid we're new to the area, and I'm afraid we grew a little...lost, you see." That much was actually true. "If you could direct us to the nearest town we would be really grateful for your help."

The pair of soldiers looked to the group in silence, seeming to process what Shinki said to them. In truth, what Shinki gave to them as an excuse did add up a little, but

"I dunno...we've been told to keep an eye out for some strange looking folks and," He looks them up and down, seeming to gauge their appearance for a moment. "Judging from the looks of you folks, you certainly qualify as 'strange'." Yumeko had to hold back her urge to pounce the man where he stood, finding it  to let someone call her mistress 'strange'.

"We're just on our way to a special event."

"Event? You mean the convention in town?"

The goddess perked a bit, finding the fact that there was a convention being held in a nearby town as a chance to not only escape the nearby vicinity of the base but, also come a step closer to Tourist Helpers if it was located there. "Yes, the convention. We were on our way back to where we were staying, when we decided to tour this forest. You see, someone told us of a rather ancient landmark found somewhere in here and we decided to try and find it for ourselves. Of course...we lost our way sometime there after." She topped off her story with a bit of a chuckle to reflect a sense of embarrasment toward getting the group lost.

The soldiers remained silent looking to each other then back to the group ahead who awaited their verdict on the entire thing. While they looked to be in a sense of calm, the tension in the air was as thick as butter, Shinki's heart starting pound with an increased sense of anxiety the longer it took the soldiers to answer. Eventually, something was finally said about their little 'story'...

"Well...I dunno why you folks would come all the way out here but, whoever told you there's something old out here is liein' big time." The soldier shook his head before turning around and gesturing somewhere off into the distance. "If you wanna get back to Kamisuiwa then, you should keep straight til' you hit a path...should lead you somewhere to the town outskirts."

"Thank you so much kind sirs, we'll be on our way now. Sorry if we caused any trouble." Shinki said with a smile, leading every past the soldiers and toward the direction they were told to go. However, before taking another step, "Oh one more thing."

Everyone froze as Shinki appeared to try and prod the soldiers once more, for what reason remained to be seen...

"Yeah, what?"

"Is there something going on? We never heard anything about soldiers wandering in the woodlands here..."

"Classified information, miss." One of the soldiers replied. "You should just head back into town where it's safe."

"Alright, thanks anyway." The goddess was trying to pry more info out of the soldiers, perhaps in an attempt to learn a bit more about RAI and what their objective is. Of course the information regarding such a thing was a well kept secret among the ranks and, with her already treading on thin ice, Shinki saw fit to just leave the conversation where it was and continue the journey to Kamisuiwa. At one point or another, they would learn about RAI's motives on their own...

---

10:50 PM, Day 2 -Kamisuiwa, Japan ~ Neighborhood Area, Hanazono

"Dammit, my legs are killin' me, man..."

Came the complaint of Owlbear, the dark skinned human seeming to curse having walked all the way from the forest to the outskirts of town. Thankfully, the soldier spoke the truth in his directions and, with the help of Luize's navigational prowess, they were able to find the town and escape being recaptured by RAI...for now, at least. Of course, this did not mean they were out of the woods just yet...

"Stop complaining, we still need to find a place to rest for the night." Yumeko noted, her golden eyes scanning across the various buildings that now surrounded them. The demon maid may have lived in a fantastic structure like a palace of crystal but, she's never been exposed to modern architecture. From her stand point, she found it bland compared to that of Makai's. "I would rather not to have Lady Shinki simply rough it in the wilderness."

"Then where do you suggest we stay there?" Yuki spoke up, "Case you haven't noticed, we're not really in Makai any more."

"We'll just have to convince someone to allow us to stay with them..." Luize said, seeming to be a little...distant, her (closed) eyes admiring the surroundings. Being a tourist by nature, it was only natural that she show more interest in these new surroundings "But goodness, isn't this a quaint little town~ I could spend ages here just wondering what to do~"

"Well, you'll have plenty of time to do that...I highly doubt we'll be getting back to Makai soon." Owlbear muttered, . Why did these surroundings look so familiar to him? Sure, he's seen towns and such in Makai, but these were different and foreign and yet, somewhere in his mind he felt he's seen them before. It was all such a confusing case of deja vu, one Owlbear was beginning to grow a bit irritated at as he couldn't exactly fathom what was triggering it.

"So are we just going to keep walking or are we going to find someone to take us in for the night?" Mai asked, this being one of the few times her monotone voice was ever heard among the group.

"Mai does have a point, how much longer are we gonna be walking for?" Yuki was next to voice her concern on the matter, something Yumeko was just fine with elaborating on to enlighten the both of them.

"We're not going to settle for just any old house. We need to find one suitable for Lady Shinki-"

"Yumeko, please." The goddess halted her servant, a hand placedon her shoulder. "Let's just find someone who will take us in for the night. If not, we'll just find somewhere to sleep until sunrise. We're going to need our strength to find that tourist place." Once again, Yumeko found herself effectively silenced by Shinki's words.

"Now then, let's start with this house here and see if they'll allows us to spend the night." Shinki continued, turning everyone's attention to a simple two story home. The group of demons (plus one human) entered past the threshold of the stone wall surrounding the house and approached the door a quick glance among their group giving rise to the silent question of who would do the honors of asking first.

All eyes drifted to Luize.

"I'm not even sure anyone will be awake at this hour, but..." Luize began, rapping the back of fist on the door and awaiting a response from inside. The group waited for several long minutes, the door not seeming to budge in the slightest when Luize finally decided to chalk it up as the residents being in bed. However, as the tourist set to inform them to move on, a voice rang out from inside the home.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" It shouted, the voice sounding to be masculine in tone. The sound of footsteps approched the door before it finally opened to reveal a young man looking no older than 18, his blonde hair slightly messy and unkempt. "Uhm...who might all of you be? Convention goers?" He said, giving the group an odd set of looks, even though he assumed they were all in costume.

"Yes, we're a tad bit loss and was wondering if you could perhaps take us in for just this one night." Luize asked, the young man jumping a bit as he took in the group and realized just how big it was just now. "I know we're just strangers but please...we've been walking all day and we need a place to rest. After that we will be out of your hair."

"Uhm...I..." The young man stammered, his mind at a stalemate on what he should say. On one hand, he would be doing them a huge favor in allowing them to stay here. However, he wasn't sure if he could actually keep up with 5 people at once. The young man stood in silence, wrestling with his conscience before he finally spoke up with his answer to the group. "...A...Alright. Come inside, just try not ot break anything..."

He hoped karma would give him something for this...

( Notes: Long ass post and still not at Tourist Helpers. Owlbear's team will get back to searching in the morning though so, this post isn't a complete waste of space. )

[Caber Knight Etch-A-Sketch]

The Second Day, 12:45 PM, the Virtual Reality pods, RAI Laboratories.


Etch awoke to the sci-fi hiss of pods opening up, groaning from a rather piercing headache. Looking around, he some of the other pods were opened. The place was dark and eerie, as one would expect from a place with such terrible decor. More hissing, and two other pods popped open.

"Augh... I feel like I got hurled into a wall..." Ichirin held her forehead as she stepped out of the pod, stumbling a bit. Etch barely caught her before she hit the ground, the monk's eyes blinking more as the fog of slumber cleared from her mind.

"I don't think it was a wall that we were hurled into." Etch propped her back up as he looked over at the still sleeping Akyu. "Well, everyone seems to be intact, right?" Ichirin was silent, looking at a bottle of cloudly, pink water.

"As... intact as we'll get. Unzan seems alright, but I don't think a bottle is the best place to keep him..." Ichirin still wobbled about before finally leaning against a wall. "Ugh, I feel so... drained." She groaned once more, this time in unison with the awakening Akyu. Etch's brow furrowed as he recalled these symptoms from somewhere... but...

"You two, hold onto me." Etch said firmly as Akyu and Ichirin blankly stared at him. Akyu was still half asleep, her head tilting at his words. Ichirin, on the other hand, only looked at Etch more firmly.

"Never took you for being a per" her words were cut off as Etch quickly grabbed her up. A flustered flurry of stutters left her mouth before Ichirin finally pushed Etch away, the treachcoat wearing figure falling to the ground with a comical thud. Before Ichirin could throw a table at Etch, she noted how she didn't feel like something had sucked out her brain. Ichirin stuttered and hurmed as Etch did the same for Akyu.

"Huh, i never figured we'd have to do this again..." Etch said to himself. He pauses, Akyu tilting her head at his words. Ichirin uncorked the bottle, letting out the misty, pink cloud. Unzan let out an audible yawn. He froze, blinking for a moment as he wondered why he said that. What again? This had to be, he thought, the weirdest case of deja-vu ever.

Akyu leaned against Etch, stretching out a little as she tries to get herself more awake. "Mmh... is it time for breakfast?" She nuzzled her cheek into Etch's chest, prompting a cough from him as Ichirin and now Unzan looked at the two.

"Yes, it's time for... wait, what time IS it?"


A look at the clock on the wall, and Etch turned back to the sleepy girl now leaning on his shoulder. "It's actually lunch time, and it'd be a good idea to get out of here."

"You're right" Ichirin looked around as Unzan whuffed around the trio, "This place gives me the shivers." They heard the others leaving, quickly following them so as to not get left behind.

Time passed, and it didn't take long for them to get lost inside the base.


(Long and short, I'm still alive and my team got themselves lost in the base.)

[LordVant]

RAI Graveyard Base: 3:30pm, Day 2

   Vant sits up slowly, his head swimming as he looks around and tries to take in his surroundings. "Aaaggh...feels like I drank too much last night.." He attempts to pull himself up but quickly finds that he's held down by three women. "Oh right...you three."

   Kanako yawns rather unceremoniously as she stretches a bit and sits up, staring at Vant and the pile-on. "This floor wasn't the best bed...but you were a nice pillow~" Kanako snickers at Vant for a moment before roughly shaking Komachi. "Come on, wake up! We don't have time to enjoy our stuffed boy-toy~"

   "Hey! I'm not some lifeless doll! I'm far more than that~" Vant slyly winks at Kanako before getting punched in the face by Meiling. "AH ****!"

   "You'd best not say that again or I'll break more than your face." Meiling pushes herself off Vant before taking off briskly down a dark hallway. "Damn jerk, always trying to get me angry just so he ca-..." Meiling disappears down the passage, her voice drifting off.

   Komachi giggles at Meiling~ "You seem to have a knack for that." Komachi dusts herself off before walking down the same hallway with Kanako behind her.

   Vant rubs the back of his head. "Seems I'm under fire by all the women. Well father always said redheads were crazy. Guess I'll get more than used to it!" Vant laughs to himself before running after them, only to get clothes-lined by Meiling and landing headfirst on the hard floor.

   "Heh, jerk. So eager to blindly rush into danger without thinking about consequen-...Vant?" Meiling peers down at him before realizing he's been knocked out-cold. "Ah! Oh nonono...V-Vant? Can you hear me?!" Komachi and Kanako also join them and also get a close look at the half-dead man.

   "I-is he gonna be okay?" Komachi looked worryingly over him; particularly concerned about the large knot on the back of his head. "He's still breathing...so that's a good sign.."

   Kanako lifts Vant and swings him over her shoulder. "He'll be fine. Believe me, he's had harder hits to the head than this. Something about him causes things to gravitate towards his head...or so he says. It's not uncommon for him to have head injury. Let's just go about searching for any hints on what we can do for those still trapped in the other Gensokyo."

   Meiling nods solemnly as she fidgets nervously, looking at Vant every half-second for any kind of motion showing that he's okay. "Nnn...I-I'm sorry...I didn't know.." Meiling looks down depressingly before getting slapped on the back by Komachi.

   "Com'on! He's not dead! He's just a little on the stupidly intelligent side! He'll be fine, I promise." Komachi smiles brightly at Meiling while leaning on her. "You just need to relax more~"

   "I relax more than enough...but I guess...I really shouldn't worry too much about him. He never has let anything do too much damage to him." Meiling shakes her head and looks around. "Umm...by the way...how long have we been walking?"

   All three stop walking as they look around, realizing they've made several turns but unable to remember them all. Kanako is the first to speak up, "So! Seems we're kinda lost. Where do we go now?" Kanako looks about confusedly before setting Vant down and resting his head in her lap. "OK! We need to figure out what we're going to do now rather than wander aimlessly."

   Komachi sits beside Kanako and rests her head in her hands. "So what can we do? Like Vant said, we're not exactly tech savvy. I mean...he may have some computer knowledge, but if it's protected...well there's not much we can do." Komachi looks downcast as she kneads her fingers into her dress.

   Meiling stares into the darkness looking for answers, and unfortunately finds none. "There's got to be SOMETHING we can do! We can't just sit on our hands and hope the others solve this!" Meiling punches the wall in frustration, leaving a small dent before rubbing her hand and sitting next to the others. "Come can't just WAIT HERE until someone else solves it! Not while Sakuya-san and the Mistress are stuck in there!" Meiling slams her fists down on the floor as Komachi gently grips her shoulder.

   "Look, I'm as upset as you. Even if she's my boss...and a bit annoying at times. I still care for Eiki-sama. I won't let her stay in that fake world for any longer than has to be, but we CAN'T let it drive use crazy. We need to focus and regroup for now." Komachi shakes her head and stands up, pulling up Meiling as Kanako picks up Vant with herself and they nod collectively before heading back down the hallway.


RAI Graveyard Base, 9:00pm, Day 2(Pod room)

   Vant, Komachi, Meiling, and Kanako collapse in the pod room. Finally having made their way back to the beginning, they look around and see the same people locked in chambers. "So no one has yet to be released, huh?" Kanako glances around the room before summoning a small ball of light to illuminate the surrounding a bit better.

   "ACK! Hey hey hey! Watch it with the powers! You know you rely on me now, right?" Vant huffs at Kanako before an idea clicks in his head. "Hey...you guys remember that someone said reinforcements were coming here? I don't think sitting around is a good idea...but maybe we CAN do something. I'd like to focus on this 'mana link' a bit more. What can and can't we do?" Vant stands up and stretches a bit before turning to Meiling. "How about a sparring match...but this time, use your abilities. Let's see how far we can take it before I run on empty." Vant lunges at Meiling as she fires off a blast of colors towards him. Kanako and Komachi watch for half an hour before Meiling switches out with Komachi. Vant is getting progressively tired but demands that they continue. As Komachi slowly and hesitantly fires spells out, Vant's fatigue becomes blatantly apparent. Kanako doesn't even get a turn before Vant falls to his knees after only an hour of practice. "Jeez...thought I could last longer than that. Guess spells really cost a lot to use."

   Kanako rushes over to Vant to help him up, only to stumble a bit on the way. "So it affects all of us. We need to be especially careful so that we don't all wind up incapacitated." Kanako lifts Vant before pulling him over to the redheads and sitting him down gently.

   Vant lays his head in Meiling's lap and smiles up at her. "Guess our usual bouts have managed to pay off more than we realized." He laughs as she chuckles along with him. Komachi leans over to Kanako, "Are they always like this?"

  "I've never seen them together...but it's no surprise~"


(End of Act. Vant and crew will train and learn limits in order to prepare for oncoming reinforcements from RAI.)

[Kakyoin]

Kakyoin presents, "Meanwhile in Virtual Gensokyo..." part II!

(note: post contains nude Byakuren. Couldn't be helped, I swear!)



5:45 AM - Day 3 - Virtual Gensokyo ? Myouren Temple (Byakuren's room)

A slow creak and soft sigh were heard in the room as Byakuren Hijiri rose before the sun had shown its face.

A gentle croaking sigh escaped her lips. "Haaah..."

Rubbing her right eye with one hand, she gently threw her bed covers over themselves with her left. She swung her legs over the side of her bed and rubbed her exposed thighs to stimulate her body's blood flow. Today was another important day, but for unfortunate reasons beyond her control.
    Standing up, her vulnerable nude body reflected back at her in the wall mirror. Had Ichirin really just suddenly disappeared entirely during that fight two nights ago? It wasn't just her either, it seemed that a multitude of residents had vanished...
    Byakuren walked over and grabbed her underwear from atop the chest of drawers below the mirror. This seemed like a large-scale problem that even the mikos could not solve on their own, greater than previous incidents. Naturally since her own followers were either missing or somehow involved, she had to do her part too.

    *click*

    She fastened the hook on her brassiere and stooped down to slide her panties on. The missing inhabitants weren't the only problem either. It seemed like Nue had provoked or at least had been behind the cause of the incident. Gensokyo genocide was no easy task, but since it was Nue, she knew there was more to it than that. It wasn't uncommon for Nue to go missing for long periods of time, but this time she had more reason to be absent than simple foolish mischief.
    Opening the topmost drawer, Byakuren grabbed a pair of black stockings. She walked back over to her bed and sat where no covers remained, sliding each stocking onto her feet and up her legs. Was Myouren Temple going to be in danger because of Nue's supposed involvement? Tracking her down seemed to be a high priority as well, but to the monk's disappointment she had not yet found her. Perhaps the nue was hiding with her friend Mamizou somewhere.
    She walked back over and slid the middle drawer open, lifting a neatly folded dress out. Still, she thought, she had to remain hopeful. The others in the temple seemed a bit disturbed but weren't as gloomy as she thought they'd be. But there was no use panicking after all, as in Gensokyo things had a habit of working out.
    Sliding the dress on, she realized that Gensokyo was at a standstill right now. After the massive fight and sudden disappearance of quite a few prominent figures, everything seemed to stop. All activity aside from searching and investigation had ceased. She herself had continued her daily rituals, prayers and recitals, but to her surprise there weren't as many humans or youkai seeking salvation. It was likely because there was no real enemy to begin with, only...a situation that ended abruptly.
    After tying the dress stripes across her chest in the usual pattern, Byakuren walked over to the closed door to her room and took her cape off of its hook. The ?god of plenty' as it was commonly referred to had suddenly vanished, despite its rampage of consumption throughout Gensokyo starting several days back. What else was there to do? No one was to blame, at least no one aside from perhaps Nue and Mamizou.
    She shook her head after securing the cape on her back. They had their reasons for doing what they did. Nue was quite a prankster, but she was inherently a good youkai at heart. The rumors that were going around claimed that a hole had opened up in the sky and, as it grew larger and larger, had swallowed up a great deal of Gensokyo's inhabitants. Those two were not capable of such feats. There was another one, Amarillo Viridian, who witnesses claimed was one of the ones unlucky enough to be swallowed up. But as far as she knew, even that fairy girl did not possess such powers...
    Glancing down to the side, Byakuren leaned down and picked up her shoes. Walking over to her bed, she sat down and began to tie the laces as she put her feet inside them. Somehow, she thought, this situation would be resolved. However, it troubled her that such a giant hole leading to some other world or dimension could be created. Perhaps the ?god of plenty' was actually responsible somehow, but it has disappeared after that incredible fight.
    Standing up, she strode towards the door to her room, reaching over and grabbing the Sorcerer's Sutra Scroll off the top of the chest of drawers on the way there.
    "All right," she said resolutely to herself. "Let's see what's in store today!"
    With a twist and a push, Byakuren Hijiri threw open the door to her room and set out to uncover the truth.



6:00 AM - Day 3 - Virtual Gensokyo ? Myouren Temple (Outskirts)

"Bye-eee~!"

"I'll be careful. Take care of the temple for me!"

Byakuren waved back at Kyouko, who was excitedly seeing her off. She couldn't help but smile at the yamabiko's antics. Everyone who was still here kept their composure, as if nothing had happened. There was something to be said for trust and camaraderie. No way could she let them down.

"Oooohh! That Komachi..."

The monk turned around upon hearing an anguished yell. To her surprise, her eyes met the figure of Shikieiki Yamaxanadu. "Yama, you're here..."
    "Eh?" The judge turned to see Byakuren staring at her. "Oh, it's you. I don't suppose you have happened to have laid eyes on my shinigami, have you?"
    "Komachi? I can't say I've seen her at all since that nighttime battle." The monk floated over to her. "I'm about to do some searching myself, for poor Ichirin."
    "Hmm." Eiki tapped her Rod of Remorse gently against her hip. "Well then. Where are you off to so early?"
    Byakuren thought momentarily. "I was going to check around the entrance to the Underground. Maybe Komachi went there to hide?"
    "Possibly. It's also possible that she was one of the ones who went through that hole to reality."
    ?Hole to reality'. The words echoed in Byakuren's mind. Was it true? Could that hole have led into an alternate reality? There was no way to tell now, as it had vanished without any trace of opening whatsoever. The one person who might've known, Yukari, had also been reported as having disappeared as well.
    "So what'll it be, monk?"
    Byakuren blinked and shook her head slightly. "Ah, sorry. Yes, can we travel together?"
    "I don't have any problem with that, but I may peel off and check elsewhere."
    The monk smiled happily. "Great! Let's go, then!"



8:15 AM - Day 3 - Virtual Gensokyo ? Underground (Outside Entrance)

Eiki sniffed and looked around them. No Komachi in sight. Perhaps the only option was indeed to head in.
    "What do you think?" Byakuren sat down on a nearby rock, smoothing the skirt of her dress. "Should we head inside?"
    The judge was about to answer when she suddenly became alert to another nearby presence. Turning around, she spotted two figures flying closer. "Huh, now that's not a pair I've seen yet..."
    "Eh?" Byakuren stood up and immediately caught sight of two women, one with rabbit ears and the other adorned with a swath of red ribbons. She identified them as Reisen of Eientei and Hina the curse goddess.
    "Ah, that monk..." Reisen noted as she slowed to a hovering halt. "And the Judge of Paradise?! What are you two doing here...?"
    "I'm searching for my--well, we're both searching for our comrades," Byakuren answered.
    Eiki grumbled. "Comrade...more like runaway, in my case. I assume you two are doing the same?"
    Hina looked at the Yama with curiosity. "Yes...but, do either of you know what's happened? No one seems to have a clear idea where everyone went off to."
    Byakuren raised her hand to capture attention. "I don't know much, but here's what I got..."



--------------------



2:33 PM - Day 3 - Virtual Gensokyo ? Eientei (Inside Mansion)

Sitting on the ground, Eirin was lost in thought. Their previous investigation had revealed more information after Reimu had threatened Nue and Mamizou to get them to talk. They believed that the hole had led into reality!
    She cursed to herself as she stood up, walking around in search of her bow and arrows. The worst part about this was that there was no way to prove them wrong. If the hole that was created due to the sheer amount of energy outputted in that fight two nights ago did indeed lead to reality, that means that this world, their Gensokyo...
    No. The pharmacist shook her head. They couldn't jump to conclusions. But upon her investigation of the Youkai Mountain waterfall, it was very easy to arrive at that conclusion. Since when did waterfalls flow upwards? Those two youkai said that Amarillo and her fairy companions were behind it, and yet...
    She grabbed her bow and arrows. It was time for her to take action herself, and do her part for Gensokyo. She refused to believe that this was a fake world. There was no proof that either of them were telling the truth, since Amarillo and her fairies had gone missing. She had to do her research. She had to get answers. She had to gather evidence.
    It was time for the Brain of the Moon to put the question of reality to rest.



3:59 PM - Day 3 - Virtual Gensokyo ? Human Village (Outskirts)

"Well? Out with it, bird."

"Ah~" Mystia seemed to lose her composure in front of Eirin's imposing form. "Ah, then I'll tell you what I heard, just please put the weapon down..."
    Eirin sighed and lowered her bow and arrow. "I wouldn't have to do this if you had just agreed to tell me in the first place, instead of joke and blow it off the whole time. Don't you realize that this is serious?"
    "I--I do, yeah. Okay, fine then. You want to know what I heard about your Princess, right?"
    The Lunarian sighed. "Yes...just tell me already, I'm losing my patience more and more. Makes me want to have sparrow soup for dinner. Doesn't that sound delicious to you?"
    "Not really..." Nervous, Mystia licked her nails tenderly. "So, I heard from one of those humans who was kind enough to tell m--"
    "You mean, a human you tricked into whatever scheme you're up to this time..."
    The night sparrow seemed taken aback. "Eh...how'd you know...well whatever. So he told me that the pretty woman with long black hair, y'see...she got taken away, ya got me?"
    "...taken away?" Eirin swallowed before continuing. "You mean she was taken through that portal against her will?"
    "That's what I heard. Matches your Princess, doesn't it?"
    Eirin paused to consider the possibility of Kaguya being taken away. It irked her just to think of it. "It...it does. Continue, then..."
    "All right." Mystia sat down on the ground. "I--I mean, this human told me that the man who took her away...he snatched her up, right...that one had like, black hair and a really cool sword. Told me it was that guy from the village, the one under the teacher--"
    "Huh?!" Eirin could hardly believe what she was hearing. The same young man she had met a few days ago, had kidnapped the Princess and took her with him into reality, if it was indeed a portal to reality? "Are you sure, bird?"
    "O-Of course!" Mystia said with an assuring smile. "Why would I lie, hehe...everybody knows that the bird has the word!"
    "Humph. Fine, then. And that's all you know? You didn't see any proof of it yourself, right?"
   Mystia eyed the bow in Eirin's hand nervously. "Well...the man did tell me something else...I don't think it's that important though~"
   Eirin sighed. "Out with it, please."
   "Okay okay, fine. He said that this man, the one who took her with him, had previously been so entranced with her...so perhaps he stole her away. Given how rough he grabbed her, it sounds like a runaway bride's tale, doesn't it? Ahaha...ha..." Mystia's laughter gave way to a frown upon seeing Eirin's deadly stare. "Hey, I'm just saying what I heard!"
   "That...that can't be..." Eirin felt numb. Kaguya had been lured into that, or perhaps she didn't even have time to react? "You're ABSOLUTELY sure this is what you heard, right?"
    "Yes!" Mystia squeaked. "Now please let me be...don't hurt me, I did nothing wrong!"

    "I could believe it, given all that has happened."

    From behind a tree, Toyosatomimi no Miko emerged, sword sheathed at her side.
    "What, who's there?" Eirin looked over her shoulder. "Oh, it's the one who claims to be able to hear everything."
    Miko ran a hand through her hair as she smirked. "You know, you really ought to remain calm if you want to hear what folks have to say."
    Eirin scoffed. "I know, I don't need to hear that from you. This bird needs to be intimidated before she'll speak, though."
    Miko laughed. "True, true. I hear there's a missing Princess. Any luck finding her?"
    "Well," Eirin replied, "based on what this one told me, it seems like she's been taken through that hole into...hmm. Why are you here, anyway?"
    "Isn't it obvious? This is a problem that everyone needs to get involved in."
    "Really now? You sound like you're looking for trouble while the pot is being stirred."

    "Eh...hey!" Mystia piped up. "You just gonna ignore me now? Is that all I'm good for?"

    "A youkai like you should stick to doing youkai-like things." Miko motioned with a hand. "Go run along now, let the adults talk."
    Looking relieved, the night sparrow turned around and flew away, musing to herself.
    Eirin ran her fingers across her hair bangs. "Well, this isn't good. It makes out some of our friends to be enemies, perhaps."
    "Why is that? Because Kaguya got snatched away, supposedly?"
    Eirin grimaced. "It's certainly a possibility. But the more individuals I talk to, the more information I find out. Still, hearing this about our poor Kaguya...if it is indeed true...and to think that he seemed like an honest man, too..."
    "Oh?" Miko put a hand to her chin. "Eh, given all that's happened I could almost believe anything. You want some help?"
    Eirin raised an eyebrow. "You're actually offering? You probably want to help make a name for your religion, or something."
    "To be honest," Miko replied, "I'm a little...bored."
    The pharmacist resisted a laugh. "Bored? That's rich. Don't you have duties to attend to?"
    "I would...if not for the--well, how do I put it...everyone's too abuzz with this disappearing act, we actually aren't getting much input. It's a little sad but it makes sense, too."
    "I see...that's interesting. If you are indeed looking for something to do, then I'd appreciate the help." Eirin twirled an arrow in her free hand. "And don't expect any immortality elixir out of this either."
    Miko put her hands up in mock despair. "Oh no! You wound me, Moonling! My plan is ruined."
    "Heh." It was Eirin's turn to smirk. "Then, have you seen the waterfall at Youkai Mountain yet?"
    "I haven't, why?"
    "Then," Eirin started, "let's go there. The waterfall is flowing backwards, it's quite a spectacle to behold. I found a hidden cave inside, and according to Reimu that's where Amarillo was seen when she was working with Nue and Mamizou."
    "Backwards? That's amusing. All right, I'll tag along. Sounds like a good place to check again." Miko began hovering in the air as Eirin followed suit. "I can't let that Hijiri get all the credit anyway."


(Notes: Byakuren Hijiri re-introduced for the first time since the very beginning of the story thread. Toyosatomimi no Miko and Mystia Lorelei introduced for the first time. If you're wondering why Reisen and Hina were traveling together, they had time to talk to each other since they left the Human Village at around the same time in my other post.

And yes, nude Byakuren dressing scene. Because YES.)