Lacrimaeque Laetitia Cantus: Exposition (NSFW for Uncensored Profanity)

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

So I presume quite a few of you are indignant in Yuuji's sudden overpoweredness. That will be explained as the story progresses.

Once again I would like to point attention back to the introduction of the first chapter. I highly suggest reading it over again before reading this chapter.

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu

Retracing The Footsteps Is A Necessary Step in Recovery?and Acceptance.

The same girl from before.

I know who you are now.

For I have found my home once again.

?you'll run away again, won't you?

?or turn into another ridiculous monster?

No?

Well?it's just that?that's happened so many times now I thought it was to be expected?

?maybe it's because you don't want to scare me now?

?I don't know?

?but at least I know who you are.

And at least, from now on, whenever I see you, I won't be scared.

Saya.
Yuuji's eyes snap open, the regular black beads that they used to be.

He gets up, rolls up the futon, and stows it away in his closet. He looks around ? nothing in his study has been tampered with during their absence, which is good. Seeing the tri-mountain of papers and reports sitting, waiting, pleading to be looked through, Yuuji eyes it wordlessly. Turning suddenly, he exits his study.

A few minutes later, after a little bit of searching, the Chief slides open the throne room entrance, seeing everyone sitting around the giant meeting table that has mysteriously increased in size to accommodate the new commanders.

Reimu: W-wha? Sawatari-san, you're up so soon?

Yuuji: Yeah. What of it?

Reimu: Well?we?we all kind of?you know, expected you to take more time resting-

Yuuji: Work to do, not enough time. However much I slept is enough. But important business first.

He takes his usual place at table but does not sit down, remaining standing.

Yuuji: I'd like to briefly welcome our new commanders. I'm sure you've already been welcomed, presumably by Reimu, but because I haven't done so, there you have it. Look forward to working with you all. Hope there are no hard feelings, Yukari, Yuyuko. Both of you doing fine, I hope?

Yukari: Yes, thank you.

Yuyuko: Mhm~

The two of them are sitting next to each other at the large table, nibbling on slices of strawberry cake with relish.

Yuuji: Reimu, how have the conquered territory repairs and assimilation processes going?

Reimu: Don't worry about those, we have them covered. Patchouli-san is in charge, so if something turns up in the reports about those provinces, just ask her.

Yuuji: Mkay. Who are you three? I haven't seen you around.

A tall, well-endowed woman wrapped in icy blue layers of cloth and a scarf waves at him.

Letty: Sorry we didn't introduce ourselves before. I'm Letty Whiterock, Cirno-chan's teacher. I am the embodiment of winter, so that might explain why it's a little bit chilly in here. Nice to meet you.

Yuuji reciprocates her wave.

Yuuji: And you two?

Two fairies who look as if they are polar opposite twins turn to him.

Lily White: I'm Lily White, nice to meet you, this is my shy adorable sister Lily Black~

Lily Black: O-oi, Onee-chan, don't hug me in front of these people like that-!

Lily White: We're like Letty-san, but we're the embodiments of spring. Nice to meet you too~

Yuuji: Nice to meet you too. Hope we get along. Now down to business, hope I didn't miss too much of the meeting.

The commanders spend the rest of the morning discussing Hakurei politics, acquired territory assimilation, and other civil aspects of running the country effectively.
Lunchtime.

The commanders have moved out to the peaceful central courtyard of the Hakurei palace, where a single sapling from the great sakura tree from the Forest of the Sakuras has been transplanted at Yuyuko's request and is growing happily in the center of the courtyard. The fairies are playing among the oak and birchwood trees distributed evenly throughout the courtyard, Letty, the Lilies, Flandre, and Chen having joined them. The other commanders are sitting about the sides of the courtyard, resting on a low stone wall.

Reimu: It's been some time since we've been this relaxed?it's nice to take some time off war. But I'm just glad everyone made it out alive.

Yukari: Indeed. I would have never guessed I would work for the Hakurei again so soon?

Yuyuko: And of course I have my wonderful youkai friend with me! There can't be a Yuyuko-chan without a Yukari-chan!

Yukari: Y-Yuyuko, calling me "Yukari-chan" is a bit-

Yuyuko: Oh, Yukari, why so serious? I'm just thankful we're all together again.

Yuyuko leans her head on Yukari's left shoulder.

Yukari: There, there.

Alice: Sawatari, would you mind explaining what happened to make the Youkai of Borders and the Ghostly Princess of the Netherworld decide to work for Hakurei? I would have never expected them to suddenly join us like this.

Sakuya: Yes, please. I believe we who had not been there would also like to know as well.

Yuuji: ?yeah, I'll explain. No problems from you ladies, right?

They shake their heads, and Yuuji proceeds to narrate the recent events for those who were absent.

Yuuji: So that's that.

Only the low wind that carries the autumnal leaves gently along the lightly warmed air can be heard.

Yuyuko: ?as much as I am in your debt for saving my life, Yuuji-san, what?what are you exactly?

Yuuji: ?

Sitting cross-legged on the paving, Yuuji sets down his mug of orange-topped-with-lime tea next to him and leans backward, using his arms for support, his eyelids looking up to the sky as he sighs mouthlessly.

Yuuji: What?am I?

After a moment, he speaks.

Yuuji: I'm a soldier. That's all.

Yukari: ?but there must be more to you than just being a soldier. And as if we could not have known that before.

Yuuji: Let me elaborate a little, because I didn't explain my perspective.

His audience, realizing the truth of his words, stares at him intensely, waiting for him to continue.

Yuuji: When Yukari hit me with the extensions of her gaps, she tried to access my memories to see who I was and simply erase my memory. Don't hide that guilty look, Yukari. But her action backfired on her ? because my brain, my head is protected by an extremely strong magical presence that is augmented by my concentration that always protects my mental and psychological states, even during the time when I was an amnesiac. Yukari's attempt to access and consume my memory actually forced me to relive my own memories.

Yukari: R-relive?? You mean-

Yuuji: Yes. All of my memories ? all of my experiences ? I had to relive it. Everything. But it was as if it were on fast-forward?so I essentially, I was forced to take it all in, all at once.

Yukari: ?so?when?when you screamed like that?that must mean those memories were?terrible, weren't they?

Yuuji: ?to put it I perspective, I have only showed a few people my memories. Those people lost their sanities?at least, most of them did. The ones who stayed sane?let's just say they were changed forever. Because of what I have done and felt.

He puts his hand over his face and runs it over his hair for a moment.

Yuyuko: Then?then how did you defeat my Dark form? You mentioned that I was not the Goddess of Death because you were my death?which, I suppose, is true, because you killed my Dark form. But she was not supposed to be able to die. How did you kill her?

Yuuji: ?

He stares at his open right palm again, with the same eyes that a tired old man would his own wrinkled, age-old limb after so many years of wear.

Yuuji: I?have a rare condition that is caused by one of the bloodlines that runs in my body. Ever since a particular incident, I have been able to perceive?death. Death in the form of lines and dots. If I strike those lines or dots, I will obliterate anything that those lines or dots were covering?which goes on to say that I can kill just about anything. As long as it exists, I can kill it. These lines and dots are proof that something exists, and I can manipulate them. When you saw the world fall apart, that was the activation of my bloodline ? I call it the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception. It is not unique ? others have this too, but I'm not sure if anyone in this world called Gensokyou has acquired it yet.

Remilia: So?so you mean to say that you can, if you so chose, go around killing anyone you want to just because you can?

Yuuji: Yeah. But what's with the looks? This ability is not a gift?it's a curse, more than anything. I didn't choose to have this, nor did I want this. It is a parasite. That is all I can tell you.

The reddened and oranged leaves once again fall.

Marisa: But yer fully recovered now, Chief? Like, you know who you are an' all dat?

Yuuji: Yes. Don't worry. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do.

He gets up, picking up his mug of orange tea, and heads for his study, leaving his audience awe-struck in what they have just heard.
A few days earlier, immediately following the defeat of Yuyuko's dark form-

Cirno: Yaaay, it's time ta go hooooome!

Daiyousei: Ah, wait up, Cirno-chan! We have to wait for everyone else!

Cirno: Bahahahahahahaa!

Cirno, tumbling through the air, her icicle wings gliding and trailing lines of ice behind her, flies across the forests.

Rin: Oh, Cirno-chan, look out! There is someone in front of you!

Cirno: Eh? Oooof!

She pushes into something surprisingly soft. Backing up and rubbing the top of her head, she looks up.

Voice: Hm? What is this? Oh-

Cirno gasps, her bump on her head instantly and completely forgotten in her amounting joy.

Cirno: LETTY-SENSEI! ! ! !

Letty: Cirno-chan! ?

Giggling and laughing more than a pack of hyenas, the ice fairy tackles her former teacher at the speed of a subsonic bullet.

Letty: Owwww?ehehhe, still as energetic as ever, eh, Cirno-chan?

Cirno: Letty-sensei! ! ! Eye wuz hopin' ta see ya again! ! ! Eye'm so happy! !

Letty: Yes, I was hoping to see you again too.

Cirno: Is yer buziness done, dat u mentioned be4?

Letty: Mhm. I've done everything I have for now. I hope I didn't hurt you out there on the battlefields.

Cirno: Eye didn't even c u at all?so dat's y eye'm so glad to c u again!

Letty: Heh?I guess it doesn't matter in the end. Mind if I join you on your way home?

Cirno: Yeah! It's super fun in our new home, come wit us, come wit us!

Letty: Willingly. Hi there, Daiyousei-chan.

She takes the green fairy in her right arm, hugging both.

Daiyousei: Thank goodness we found you, Letty-sensei.

Letty: Truly. Who's this you have tagging along here? A new face, I see.

Cirno: Ah, she's my otha best friend! Lemme introduce 'er! She's Satsuki Rin, and we've known each otha for a long time!

Rin: Oh?h-hello?

Letty: Nice to meet you, Rin-chan. I'm Daiyousei-chan's and Cirno-chan's teacher from a few decades ago.

Rin: Oh?I?I see?

Letty: Hm? And who's this? Also a new face?

Cirno: Ah, she's Rumia-chan! She's also a friend, but she's a more recent one. She's a youkai of darkness!

Letty: Ah, I see, a fellow youkai, eh? Hello there, Rumia-chan, it's nice to meet you.

Rumia: Is that so~

And thus, the Youkai that Winter Left Behind joins the Hakurei.
Lily Black: Hurry, Onee-chan! We need to keep flying south!

Lily White: Ah, wait for me, Sis! I can't fly as fast as you can!

The two fairies of Spring are escaping the cold clutches of the incoming winter of PCB and flying south as fast as they can.

Lily Black: Our link to that Yakumo Yukari person who was feeding us energy from this place called the Forest of the Sakuras suddenly cut the flow of energy, and if she didn't, we wouldn't have to migrate like this since we depended on that energy to keep our existences throughout the winter even in the northern regions of Gensokyou. Not that we haven't done this migration before, but shouldn't she have at least given us a warning?

Lily White: Ah, slow down, slow down, Sis!

Lily Black: Eh? Why? !

Lily White: Look down! Under us!

Lily Black glances down. From their height around 550 feet above, they can see-

Lily Black: Oh no?it's the Hakurei!

No sooner does that gasp of realization escape her mouth does a Hakurei lieutenant on the ground look up to spot the two fairies.

Hakurei Lieutenant: Those are-! All archers and diviners, I have a confirmed visual on wanted PCB commanders Lily White and Lily Black! If you see them, you are cleared to engage! Take them down into custody!

Soon, an increasing volume of arrow showers and danmaku hail the wrong way, and the Lilies struggle to dodge them all. Then-

Lily White: Eeeek!

Lily Black: Huh? ! ONEE-CHAN! ONEE-CHAN! ! ! ! !

Lily Black divebombs after her falling sister, who sports arrows through her shin and protruding from her right shoulder. They both slam the ground, Lily Black just barely managing to catch her older sister. They are quickly surrounded by eight guardsmen armed with spears, spearheads pointing at the fairies' heads.

Lily Black: Urrrghhh?just our luck to run into these b*stards on our way down south?

Meiling: Eh? White-san? Black-san? What are you girls doing here?

Hong Meiling emerges from the throng of soldiers surrounding the Lilies to see who their new captives are.

Lily Black: Meiling-san! ?

Meiling: Oh no, White-san, you're hurt! Everyone, stand down, stand down! Let's take you two back to our place and patch you up. Were you heading south for the winter?

Lily White: Y-yes?owie.

Lily White rubs the area around her shoulder wound, still with the arrow stuck in between her fingers.

Meiling: Lucky that the arrows they shot you with had small arrowheads for easy removal. Come, quickly.

And thus, the Lilies are captured.
Here are the PCB arc notes. Please keep in mind they are very old, and may not correspond to how the story here progressed. These are the influences that led to them.

PCB Events

Vital Characters:

Letty Whiterock (not capturable)
Lily White (not capturable)
Lily Black (not capturable)
Lunasa Prismriver (capturable)
Merlin Prismriver (capturable)
Lyrica Prismriver (capturable)
Konpaku Youmu (capturable)
Saigyouji Yuyuko (not capturable)
Yakumo Chen (capturable)
Yakumo Ran (capturable)
Yakumo Yukari (not capturable)
Alice Margatroid (capturable)

Notes/Events:

-Letty Whiterock and the Lilies cannot be captured while PCB still stands. Because they are embodiments of seasons, they are not officially PCB's commanders; they only attack you as part of PCB's army only occasionally and randomly. After PCB falls, they are available for recruitment via PCB territory events

-If you capture Yakumo Chen, Yakumo Ran will defect from PCB and voluntarily turn herself in, making herself your prisoner. However, because of Chen's passive ability, it is extremely difficult to capture Chen, not to mention that Ran will always accompany Chen in battle

-To capture Yakumo Chen, you must fight Ran and Chen and lose to them three times, the last batte with Sawatari Yuuji participating. Afterwards, there will be post-battle event in which the Hakurei forces retreat, but Chen gets lost while pursuing them. Cirno must be recruited for this event to occur; she will be walking back to camp with a big fish that she caught from a nearby stream and run into Chen, who is getting hungry and follows Cirno in hopes of sharing the fish. When Chen realizes where they arrive, Chen cannot escape due to her want of fish, and is captured unwittingly. Ran will follow in the next turn

-If you attack FM3, Alice Margatroid will appear in a pre-battle event, declaring her intention to fight for her home. She will start to appear as a PCB commander after this. This will happen ONLY IF you attack FM3

-Once you conquer any FM territory, you will come into contact with the N territories. Konpaku Youmu, the leading general of PCB troops in N, will deem you as a significant enough threat and will begin to attack you. In every battle, whether an incoming attack from N territory or an invasion into N territory, Youmu will appear in the same position every time

-You have 6 turns to conquer both N territories. If you do not do so, Saigyouji Yuyuko will be released from her seal temporarily by Yakumo Yukari and will begin to appear regularly, but not as frequently as Youmu

-Note: You cannot attack BG until you have conquered all FM and N territories, but they can attack you. Yakumo Yukari will attack you from time to time

-Note: Konpaku Youmu is not capturable while Saigyouji Yuyuko is still sealed. If you conquer PCB before Yakumo Yukari unseals Yuyuko, Youmu will die protecting the tree of Saigyou Akayashi. Ending explained later

-To recruit Alice Margatroid, deploy both Kirisame Marisa and Patchouli Knowledge against her when Alice appears in any battle, before all N and FM territories are conquered. Capture her, and there will be a post battle event where Alice fights Marisa to kill her over a grudge in a solo commander battle, Alice vs Marisa only. If you do not defeat Alice within 7 counts, Patchy comes to Marisa's aid, but Alice summons Goliath Doll Shanghai, making her much more difficult to beat. Once you defeat her, Marisa invites her to Hakurei, where at least there Alice has another chance to beat Marisa in a rematch. Thus, Alice is recruited (no recruitment from prison necessary)

-NOTE: If you capture Yakumo Chen and Yakumo Ran and deploy them against Yakumo Yukari, their battle stats will be reduced by 90%.

-The first time you deploy Sawatari Yuuji against Konpaku Youmu, there will be a pre-battle event in which Youmu charges the Hakurei line by herself. Yuuji will rush out to confront her, and they will fight (no actual commander battle). After they fight for a few minutes, Youmu retreats a little, challenging Yuuji to another fight another day. All army battles that involve Youmu and Yuuji in the same battle will buff Youmu's and Yuuji's battle stats by 100%

-Before Yuyuko is released from her seal, the tree of Saigyou Akayashi that she is sealed in will emit a high-energy pulse that resonates throughout all of PCB every other turn. When this happens, all battles in that turn have Sakura Vortex environmental conditions, which favor the PCB troops by 25%. This will either stop if Yukari unseals Yuyuko, or if you conquer 4 territories out of N2, will have a search event for 50 SP to find the source of the emissions. If Yuyuko is unsealed, this event disappears, and the emissions also cease.

-PCB Ending 1: Blitz through all PCB territories as fast as possible to knock them out quickly. After winning the final battle, Yakumo Yukari will retreat with her shikigami to the tree of Saigyou Akayashi to release Saigyouji Yuyuko against Hakurei forces. Yuuji, Reimu, and the rest follow and confront them at the sealing site, where Yukari initiates the unsealing process before fighting Hakurei commanders. You will fight Yakumo Chen, Yakumo Ran, and Yakumo Yukari at once, and you must defeat them within the time provided. If you do not, Saigyouji Yuyuko will materialize to assist Yukari, and Konpaku Youmu will also arrive to join the fray. The battle will restart with Youmu and Yuyuko at full power, the rest the same as they were before. If you do defeat the Yakumos before time is up, you face Saigyouji Yuyuko and Konpaku Youmu only. Once you defeat them all, Yakumo Chen will expire due to exhaustion, and enraged and screaming, Yakumo Ran will explode and flood the vicinity with fire. Youmu will physically deflect the fires approaching Saigyou Akayashi, but in doing so, she will eventually suffer severe burns and die. Yuuji will personally capture Yukari and Yuyuko before they can escape, while the rest of the Hakurei commanders rally their forces to contain the massive forest fire. National power of N2 will decrease by 4.

-PCB Ending 2: If you select the event to search for the source of the emissions, Yuuji, Reimu, and Marisa will sneak past enemy lines to investigate Saigyou Akayashi. Note: if you have recruited Remilia Scarlett, she will accompany you as well, and event dialogue will change accordingly. When the 3 or 4 arrive, they see Yakumo Yukari readying the preparations to undo the seal on the tree. Once she leaves, Yuuji approaches the tree and activates the unsealing process early. Once the unsealing is complete, the body of Saigyouji Yuyuko will materialize, and Yuuji will carry her back to Hakurei with the rest. The emissions will stop, and Saigyouji Yuyuko will technically be your prisoner but cannot be recruited yet.

-If you complete this event, there will be an event in PCB's strategy phase in which Yukari will visit Saigyou Akayashi and find that Yuyuko is missing. Yukari, in her fury, will assemble a massive army and attack you in a three-battle blitz in the same turn to reclaim Yuyuko. If you withdraw from any of those battles, there will be an event in which Yukari demands the body of Yuyuko. If you say yes, the blitz will cease, but Yuyuko will leave your prison and be awakened, participating as a regular commander. If you say no, PCB will take over that invaded portion of territory. In those three battles, all vital commanders PCB will appear at least once if they have not been captured yet.

-If you beat off all 3 battles, PCB will weaken significantly. Now you can invade the rest of PCB and conquer it normally.

-Konpaku Youmu will now be capturable, and when you do capture and recruit her, Yuuji will show her Yuyuko's sleeping body and explain to her that he has tried to awaken her but failed, concluding that only Yakumo Yukari knows how to revive Yuyuko, now that Yuyuko has been separated from the tree that still seals her conscience. Youmu will agree to help Hakurei to capture Yukari and bring back her mistress.

-PCB Ending 3: when Yakumo Yukari releases Saigyouji Yuyuko, after around 2 turns following Yuyuko's unsealing, Yuyuko will summon the Poltergeists from the former Prismriver mansion and ask them to assist the PCB. They will at first refuse, but after another turn, they will accept and become PCB commanders. They are capturable at any time. To recruit, them, you must capture all 3 sisters and talk to Lyrica, Merlin, and Lunasa in that order. (scrapped)

-The Prismriver sisters will fight against you once you capture all Forest of Magic territories before attacking Prismriver, or N2. If you capture N2 before the Prismriver sisters appear in battle, they will lose their existences, as their mansion is razed in the wake of the Hakurei invasion

-After you defeat all FM and N territories, you can now invade BG. The only and final battle will always have Yakumo Yukari. Saigyouji Yuyuko, Konpaku Youmu, and the two Shikigami Yakumos will also be there if they have not yet been captured, and if their events have been triggered.

-After the final army battle, Yuuji will 1v1 Yakumo Yukari as her existential counterpart, in a battle of reality replacement vs. reality manipulation.

-After you conquer PCB, you will always capture Yakumo Yukari.

-If you have captured and recruited Konpaku Youmu, she will have an event at 6 Normal affection in N2, in which she talks about her father, Konpaku Youki, with Yuuji. To be explained later

-If you have recruited all 3 Prismrivers, get them all to Trust, and talk to them at the Poltergeist Mansion in FM1. They will discuss with Yuuji about their plan and desire to revive their oldest sister, Layla Prismriver. Details to follow

-After recruiting Alice Margatroid, she has an event as soon as you recruit her in which she returns to her home in FM3 briefly to gather all the dolls she has ever created into her unit. +1000 dolls to Alice's unit

Here is the full roster of commanders that you should have by this point in the "game":

Sawatari Yuuji
Hakurei Reimu
Kirisame Marisa
Genji
A few random generic Hakurei commanders of differing unit types
Cirno
Daiyousei
Satsuki Rin
Rumia
Remilia Scarlet
Flandre Scarlet
Izayoi Sakuya
Patchouli Knowledge
Koakuma
Hong Meiling
Yakumo Yukari
Yakumo Ran
Yakumo Chen
Saigyouji Yuyuko
Konpaku Youmu
Lunasa Prismriver
Merlin Prismriver
Lyrica Prismriver
Alice Margatroid
Letty Whiterock
Lily White
Lily Black

LETTY WHITEROCK: 2, 6, 8, 5, 3, 2, 5, 6, 5
Starting Troops: 300/300
Starting Level: 150/600
Job: Elemental Youkai Mage (Ice/Snow)

DS1: WINTER'S HOWL: Letty converts environmental conditions to Blizzard. 1 ACT

DS2: WINTER'S LULLABY: Letty freezes the air in front of all friendly units. Blocks any physical attack. All ACT

Standby

OS1: ICE PUNCH: Letty fires off winter whirlwinds. Penetration, 1 ACT, both targets unable to move or counterattack for 5 turns

OS2: WINTER'S FURY: Letty sends down a storm of icicles. AOE, no prep, 2 ACT, 1.5x AK against guard and support units

OS3: BLIZZARD 2: Letty unleashes a blizzard on the enemy. 40% of max troop damage inflicted on all enemies, ALL ACT

PS1: WINTER ESSENCE: Because Letty is the embodiment of winter, she and her unit receive the following:
-+10% all battle stats in winter/cold/blizzard conditions|
-Blizzard conditions negated for ally units if Letty is deployed in battle

LILY WHITE: 4, 4, 6, 7, 5, 3, 6, 4, 3
Starting Troops: 200/200 (total 400/400)
Starting Level: 90/450
Job: Elemental Fairy (Seasonal, Spring)

DS1: SPRING FLAIR: Lily heralds the advent of spring. Environmental conditions improve to Sunny for all units on the field, and +20% to random ally battle stats. 1 ACT

Standby

OS1: SAKURA CASCADE: Lily showers the field with danmaku shaped like sakura petals. AOE, prep required, 1 ACT, 1.3x ATK against demonic units or non-human units, with exceptions

OS2: SPRING GALE: Lily controls the speed of spring zephyrs to disrupt enemy operations. Row-penetration, no ATK, battle order knockback, ignores guard, 2 ACT

OS3: CULMINATION OF SPRING: If synchronized with Lily Black, Lily White will engulf the field in a rune of light and flowers. To activate, Lily White must select this attack before Lily Black is able to select her own attack, whereupon Lily Black must choose to synchronize in her next turn. AOE, all ACT, all active enemy guard percentages on the field removed, enemy guard units may only activate guard percentages at half their normal rate, all stat buffs removed, enemy can no longer boost battle stats for the rest of the duration of the battle

PS1: SPRING ESSENCE: Because Lily White is the embodiment of Spring, she and her unit receives the following:
-10% battle stat reduction in any battlefield condition that is not Sunny or Cloudy
-Wherever she fights, revenue from that territory increases by 75% for that turn only
-Lily Black is technically part of her unit, but they are treated as separate commanders. Thus, this one unit may move the same number of times as two units combined, and their sprites appear together in their battle army sprite

LILY BLACK: 4, 7, 7, 6, 7, 5, 1, 2, 3
Starting Troops: 200/200 (total 400/400)
Starting Level: 120/450
Job: Elemental Fairy (Seasonal, Spring)

DS1: DARK SPRING CARNIVAL: Lily Black controls the sadness of winter before the coming of spring to materialize into tangible shields. All ally units receive Counterattack 2 effects for the duration of the battle, including support units, 1 ACT

DS2: SHADOW OF THE SAKURA: Lily Black sends a wave of uneasiness with the prospect of a delayed spring through the enemy ranks. -15% battleground reduction, 2 ACT

DS3: PETAL CURSED: Lily Black surrounds the entire ally field in cursed black sakura petals. No ACT, holds until chosen to end the move, +50% counterattack damage and +35% evasion to all ally units but inflicts 10% troop damage each time Lily Black's turn comes up

Standby

OS1: FAIRY BLACK SHOT: Lily Black's danmaku of the arrival of spring. 1 ACT, row penetration, cannot ignore guard, 1 ACT, 1.3x ATK against demonic units or non-human units, with exceptions

PS1: SPRING ESSENCE: Because Lily Black is the embodiment of Spring, she and her unit receives the following:
-10% battle stat reduction in any battlefield condition that is not Sunny or Cloudy
-Wherever Lily Black last fought will retain 75% increased probability of not being attacked if adjacent to enemy territory. Only works on friendly/occupied territory
-Lily White is technically part of her unit, but they are treated as separate commanders. Thus, this one unit may move the same number of times as two units combined, and their sprites appear together in their battle army sprite

And now, for a list of notes:

-Sawatari Yuuji, upon his recovery of his memory and identity, gains +150 levels
-Alice Margatroid should now have 1700 troops
-If Yakumo Yukari dies in battle (yes it is possible), Saigyouji Yuyuko will also die
-Sawatari Yuuji no longer can die in army battles (can still die in solo commander battles)
-In case you couldn't guess already, if Hakurei Reimu or Kirisame Marisa die at any time, it is instant GG
-Sawatari Yuuji's character profile picture and portrait will be altered
-me rambling on for much more than necessary (which isn't true since all this is actually kind of important)

Last note, I swear: the next few chapters will be event dialogues of Yuuji talking to each of the commanders currently in our roster.

Thanks for reading this far.

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

Just a short chapter covering Reimu's and Marisa's events after the conquest of PCB. Also, at the end of each chapter covering the event dialogues for each vital commander, I will be leaving a list of musics that pertain to each commander, so hope you guys like hard rock. However, the list will be updated as this story progresses, new songs being introduced when appropriate.

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu

What There Is To Know About Me

Reimu: Sawatari-san, it's me. I've come with snacks.

Silence opens the door for her.

Reimu: Um?alright??

Reimu allows herself in with some hesitation at the unusual absence of the Chief's usual "Come in", holding a platter of cinnamon rolls and sugar-sweetened water. Sawatari Yuuji, Chief of Staff of Hakurei, is buried in the tri-mountain of papers and reports that somehow maintain their same size with each passing day. She sets it down gently next to him, and his left hand twitches, turning to the platter of food, snaking over to it and grabbing a roll and guiding it to Yuuji's mouth noiselessly. Reimu decides to sit down on the chair on the other side of the desk.

Reimu: ?Sawatari-san, there?there's a few things that I want to talk with you about in private, just the two of us. Is?is that okay?

Yuuji: ?nyeah, wah ish it?

The Chief sets down his fountain quill pen and leans back in his rocking chair, cinnamon roll being munched with a flat expression on its eater's face. Reimu is reminded of a cow chewing the cud.

Reimu: Um?well?for starters, could you tell me who you are exactly? Like, your background and all? Now that you have your full memory back, you could at least tell me who you are?

Yuuji: ?I prefer not talking about by identity, nor my past, for fear that more people will become curious as to my past. However, I can tell you about myself that doesn't have anything to do with my past, if that's fine.

Reimu: ?isn't that just basically saying what I want to know?

Yuuji: What I meant was I can talk about me, not my past.

Reimu: ?okay?

Yuuji: Just so you know, I retain all my memories from when I was an amnesiac ? when I first entered Gensokyou without my original memories. You know how I mentioned when I first came here, that I felt as if I was born at the age of eighteen into a new world? Now, I feel as if I am born again, only, with my original memories back in place.

Reimu: So what does that mean?

Yuuji: I'm getting there. Do you also remember the day after my inauguration, when you were standing just next to me right here and you said that you hoped I would get my memory back?

Reimu: Um?yes, yes I remember?Oh.

Yuuji: See where I'm trying to get at?

Reimu cannot hide the worried look on her face.

Reimu: T?then?will?will you be leaving? You can go whenever you like back to your true home, wherever it may be. Just?just let me know before you do.

Yuuji: Did I say I was leaving?

Reimu: Well, no, but it seems?it just seems as if that's what you are implying.

Yuuji: Then, fortunately for you, you are mistaken. I cannot leave ? first, because I physically cannot, and second, desire to leave I do not. I have too many obligations and responsibilities that I must fulfill that others will find extremely difficult to take over in my place should I leave.

Reimu: That's?that's a relief?then?then can you tell me what your original home was like?

Yuuji: ?

He stares at Reimu, his eyes unblinking as if daring her to ask her request one more time. Reimu tempted to burst out laughing at Yuuji's serious but nonchalant nomming of his cinnamon roll, a hilarious combination of what-do-you-mean-this-isn't-awesome-ness and stoicness. But she controls herself, for fear something might happen to her.

Yuuji: My home?is right here.

Reimu: E-eh? Here?

Yuuji: Ever since a certain incident, my home has always been around me.

Reimu: So any place is your home? But that?doesn't make sense?

Yuuji: Give it some thought. Maybe?maybe you'll come to understand one day.

Reimu: Um, alright then?how?how about your family? What was your family like?

Yuuji: ?just an ordinary human family. I thought in the beginning, at least. Parents?older brother?younger sister?

Reimu: Ah, so you were the middle child? It must have been nice to have siblings?I've sometimes wanted siblings of my own.

Yuuji: They're dead.

Reimu: ?

A bird chirping "Awkward silence! Awkward silence!" flies above the palace.

Yuuji: I suppose it was nice to have siblings. They taught me a lot. But?

Yuuji puts his hand over the cup of sweetened sugar water.

Yuuji: ?sometimes, I envy people like you, Reimu. Because sometimes, I wonder what it would be like not to have siblings.

Reimu: Y?your family's all?gone? But when did this happen?

Yuuji: A very long time ago. Don't let it bother you.

Reimu: But doesn't it bother you?

Yuuji: ?yeah. I'm still bothered by their deaths. But I don't let it get to me. But enough chit-chat?I must get back to work. These papers aren't going to complete themselves.

Reimu: Then?take your time?

The Queen exits her Chief's study.

Reimu: What is his past like?? By not telling us, it just makes the rest of us even more curious. Also, he?he's changed significantly since the Forest of the Sakuras incident. He's not talking as much, he's not as friendly, and he's working even harder, which I didn't know was possible. But?most of all?

Reimu clutches the yellow ribbon that hangs like a necktie down her chest painfully.

Reimu: ?he hasn't smiled?once. Ever since then, his face hasn't changed. How could the last incident with Yukari have changed him so, and to this extent? I must speak with Yukari ? only she has the slightest chance of knowing what's going on with him.
Meet The Shopkeeper

Marisa: Hey, hurry up there, Chief.

Marisa is leading the Chief down one of the more lonely avenues of SSH, one without its flashy shops of food, antiques, and other various commodities.

Yuuji: Where are we going?

Marisa: I'm gonna introduce ya ta a good friend 'a mine, think ya need ta meet 'im. He can provide us some good weapons n' stuff when we need 'em.

The two take a turn at a lonely intersection in the northeastern sector of SSH. They soon come up to a run-down, seemingly neglected shop with a creaky sign that bears the kanji: 香霖堂.

Yuuji: Kourindou?? Hall of Fragrant Rain?

Marisa: And here we are. Here, come inside, the owner's my friend.

Yuuji: ?but there's a "Closed" sign on the door?

Marisa: It's fine, it's fine, jus' come on in!

They enter without even knocking.

Marisa: Oiii! Kourin! It's me, Marisa! I brought ya a guest fer today!

No audible response.

Marisa: Hm, usually he'd give out a "Yeah, I'm comin'" or somethin' like dat. He doin' somethin' now?

Yuuji looks around the shop, noting everything, observing everything. His dark, melancholic black eyes scan over everything in the shop meticulously.

Yuuji: ?

Man: Yes, I'm coming.

A very tall man, taller even than Yuuji, ducks underneath some cloth flaps that hang from the top of a doorway leading to the back of the shop.

Man: Hm? What are you doing here, Marisa? Aren't you supposed to be working at the barracks?

Marisa: Well I'm still on duty, technic'ly. I brought someone I'd like ya ta meet. Chief, dis is my family friend, mentor, and owner of dis shop, Morichika Rinnosuke. Kourin, this is the new Chief of Staff of our military, Sawatari Yuuji. I call 'im Chief.

Rinnosuke: Nice to meet you, sir. I've heard many good things about you and your recent successes for Hakurei as of late.

Yuuji returns his handshake silently, giving him an obligatory and curt nod of recognition.

Rinnosuke: Welcome to my humble shop. It's more of a collectibles and antique shop, more than anything, but sometimes my contacts can supply with interesting items that occasionally show up in Gensokyou or that I acquire from the outside world. You are most welcome to drop by if you are looking for anything, and I will be most willing in being of assistance.

Yuuji: Noted. Thank you.

Marisa: Oiii, Kourin, c'mon!

Rinnosuke: Oh, alright, Marisa. Would you like to join us for some tea? If you would allow, there are some things that I would like to ask you.

Yuuji: Show the way.

Rinnosuke: Alright, please follow me, you two.

He leads them through the same door he had originally emerged from, and in the spacious storeroom that holds miscellaneous articles of junk and random crap, there sits a table and a few chairs. They sit down, and Rinnosuke brings along a homemade tea set. In a few steamy minutes, the room burns gently with the fragrance of exotic huckleberry tea.

Rinnosuke: My best tea, reserved only for the most important of guests. Here you go.

Yuuji: ?I didn't think of myself as that important, but okay.

The Chief takes it anyway.

Marisa: Bullsh*t!

Yuuji: What's wrong, Marisa?

Marisa: Gdswejrl;ewjwaef?

The blonde magician rages silently.

Marisa: What's wit him and sayin' crap like dat? ! Pisses me off, rrrghhh!

Rinnosuke: Ah, well, now that everyone has their tea, I would like to ask you a few questions, Sawatari-san.

Yuuji: Just call me Yuuji. Easier that way.

Rinnosuke: Alright then, Yuuji it is. You recently led a successful campaign against our former neighboring country of Perfect Cherry Blossom, correct?

Yuuji nods once.

Rinnosuke: Did you by any chance persuade a certain youkai named Yakumo Yukari to come back to Hakurei?

Yuuji: She's sleeping in her room in the palace at the moment.

Rinnosuke fistpumps.

Rinnosuke: Victory?

Marisa: What's wit dat reaction! ?

Rinnosuke: Well, no, it's?it's just that Yakumo Yukari was at one point my main source of merchandise. I don't know how, but she would always turn up with things that she would stumble upon randomly, and whatever she didn't like, she just dumped on me. But ever since she left Hakurei three years ago, my supply of merchandise cut down significantly, and revenue has decreased greatly. But now that she is back, I can contact her again and possibly settle a business deal with her.

Yuuji: I will let her know.

Rinnosuke: You will? Thank you.

Yuuji: Anything else?

Rinnosuke: Right?hm, this is more of a personal thing, but how has Marisa been doing lately?

Marisa: 'EY, SCREW YOU, KOURIN, WHY ARE YA ASKIN' SOMETHIN' LIKE DAT IN FRONT 'A ME? !

Yuuji just holds his hand out towards the raging Marisa, palm up and fingers extended, with a :T look on his face.

Rinnosuke: I see?Marisa has a long way to go to maturity still?

Yuuji: Pretty much.

Marisa smacks Rinnosuke downwards on the head with her Mini-Hakkero.

Marisa: LISTEN TA ME YA KNUCKLEHEAD!

Rinnosuke: Hey, Marisa, watch where you're waving that thing, I was the one who made that for you in to begin with.

Yuuji: Marisa's Mini-Hakkero came from you?

Rinnosuke: Yes, I made the magical amulet amplifier that Marisa wields, called the Mini-Hakkero. We call it "Mini" because it is a downsized version of a Hakkero about ten times the size of the one she's holding right now.

Yuuji: Hm. Besides that, Marisa has been working hard. I have noted great improvement not only in combat ability but leadership ability within her own unit in the past two wars against SDM and PCB. She is doing well.

Rinnosuke: I see. Then there wasn't much of a reason to worry about her.

Marisa: See? I told you I can handle myself, Kourin! Now lay off me!

Yuuji: Are you her babysitter?

Rinnosuke: I guess you can see it that way, yes.

Marisa: HE'S NOT MY F*CKIN' BABYSITTER!

Rinnosuke: Whoa, Marisa. Do you always talk with a mouth like that around your own Chief?

Marisa: He doesn't care, so screw you, Kourin!

Yuuji: ?

And thus the three of them enjoy the rest of the huckleberry tea.
Once again, these were Reimu's and Marisa's events.

Note: just like in Sengoku Rance, each event will raise each commander's affection meter by 1. With each successful army battle, a random commander who has participated in a victorious army battle will also enjoy a +1 to their affection towards Yuuji.

Note 2: After Marisa's event, you are now able to access Kourindou for items and other general army or civil improvements. You can visit Kourindou anytime, but each visit will cost you an Action Flag.

Now, time for musics:

Game Intro | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-SrrBmKaHE
Alternate Game Intro | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lCQSnxj2zw

Strategy Screen BGM 1 (before Mountain of Faith) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfSErUfPTOg
Offensive Army Battle 1 (Main) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRaPh7FCXsU
Offensive Army Battle 2 (Final Army Battle) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3RQSFbLI3o
Pre-Battle Initialization Report (Army Unit Selection Screen for Army Battles) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV_3CDUoyoU
Defensive Army Battle | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFoQKfmhRVc&feature=relmfu
Special Defensive Army Battle (vs. PCB Blitz) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO5iNCi8jHE

A Stroll Down the Countryside | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R_sAFn0qKQ
Sunny Day | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENbgpg8tPy8
PANIC! | www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciXaNCKzR7I
Covert Operations | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-RrsOCxngg
Visiting the Frontier | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MSJWoHMfwM&feature=plcp
Minigame Time! | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECAiDQURgGw&feature=plcp

Hakurei Reimu's BGMs:
None Unlocked?yet.

Kirisame Marisa's BGMs:
Walking Into Kourindou | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCYAzJFWEaY
More to come

Sawatari Yuuji:
DREAMWORLD | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erkk6DQYRHI
More to come

Hopefully you guys can follow along with what the next several chapters or so will look like.

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

Now covering Genji's and Cirno's first important events. Unfortunately, I wasn't really able to think of any songs for Genji. I will post them once good ones come to mind.

However, Cirno on the other hand?

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu

The Old Servant of the State

Yuuji: ?

The Chief is peering through an open door of a room on the north wing of the palace, behind the throne room. Smelling sweet incense, he can see a single man, kneeling, hands together, in a seiza, praying. Yuuji slips in quietly, moves like a cat stalking its prey over to the man, and assumes the same position. The two men sit there for the next thirty minutes, unmoving as the incense burns its aromas to heaven, the portrait hanging above it.

Genji: I thank you for joining me, Sawatari-dono. You are a kind man, praying for one whom you have never known before in your time in Gensokyou.

Yuuji: ?

Yuuji opens his own eyes and looks up at the portrait.

Genji: Ah?yes, Hakurei Miko-sama herself. Mother of our current liege, Hakurei Reimu-sama, and founder and first Queen of Hakurei. She decided that it was time for the humans in Gensokyou to band together and declare their own country but invited any youkai and other non-humans to join them if they wished in peaceful coexistence. She was not the most accommodating lady, especially to those of certain species known to prey upon humans, but for any human or youkai who simply wanted refuge from the general lawlessness that was the bane of Gensokyou decades ago, Miko-sama was their best hope, and often only choice.

Yuuji stares into the soul of the portrait, and the portrait stares back, equally as intently. A stunningly beautiful yet fierce countenance paints the face of the bust of a jet-black-haired woman with long flowing locks that refuse to be tied up or restrained in any way, unlike her daughter's side locks kept in red hair tubes. The portrait also displays Miko wearing similar Hakurei red clothing and the same style of detached sleeves, though black on Miko's.

Yuuji: I?apologize for asking a rude question?but who was Miko's husband?

Genji: Ah?

The old commander chuckles lightly.

Genji: We may never know. In all my years of serving Hakurei and Miko-sama, she has never, even once, disclosed such information. But I believe it is better that we do not know, for if we did, that would be all what Reimu-sama would think of.

Yuuji: Reimu wants to know who her father is?

Genji: Yes, very much so. Oh, please do not tell her we conversed about this subject, she may give me a scolding of sorts. But yes indeed, knowing and possibly meeting her true father is her one unstated goal in her life ? one that she vows to fulfill before her time is come.

The Chief looks back up again at Miko's portrait.

Yuuji: But Miko isn't dead yet?is she? She is merely missing?

Genji betrays a sad smile.

Genji: Yes, that is true?officially, she is only missing. But?

The old commander sighs heavily, as if sighing for an entire country's populace.

Genji: There is still the possibility that she may never come back. Reimu-sama has already accepted that possibility and has wholeheartedly succeeded her mother. But the poor girl cannot hide her true feelings ? she longs to see her parents once more. There are some nights that do not escape her tears that comfort her to sleep, even to this day.

Genji repositions his seiza to face Yuuji, whose body still faces the incense pot but whose eyes follow Genji.

Genji: This is one of the reasons why I besought you to stay with us, Sawatari-dono. There is no other man who is worthy enough to comfort Reimu-sama in her silent pain. I can see her suffer every day, young man. As an elder, do ascertain that she does not crumble to her own sadness. My time is quickly writing its final pages, and I am fully aware of it. You must take my place, Sawatari-dono. Reimu-sama has seen me as a fatherly figure when she was young, but ever since she has moved on. Please, by the mercy of Hakurei Miko-sama, make certain that nothing tragic befalls her Majesty.

Yuuji: ?

The Chief drops his gaze from the small, peeking eyes of the aged old man in armor, closing his eyes.

Yuuji: My biggest concern is that I may not be the right man for Reimu. I am aware that my disposition is not the friendliest, and I am aware that my fellow commanders, comrades, and colleagues have realized by now that I have changed significantly compared to my previous, ignorant self. On top of this, I myself am engaged in no interest in pursuing a relationship with anyone. It is better to distance myself for the sake of this country than to pursue my own happiness or the happiness of a select few others.

Genji: But what is to say that you cannot obtain both?

Yuuji: ?

Genji: I can see the future and potential of young men and women who are destined for great works, my son. You are the brightest, the most elusive of the diamonds in the rough. You have what is expected and demanded from a leader that this nation deserves. Whether you come upon this epiphany now or in the future, you must recognize that in the end, you will be the only one Reimu will have in mind to continue the legacy of the Hakurei bloodline.

Yuuji: But even if I were to adopt such a position, in the end I know that I will just end up hurting everyone, everybody. And no matter what kind of work I accomplish on behalf of this nation, if I hurt the feelings of those who are close to me?let us just say that I do not want that to happen, either.

Genji: Ah, but you already know how to answer such a dilemma, do you not?

Yuuji: ?yes.

Genji: I am not asking this of you all at once, Sawatari-dono. But at some point in Hakurei's future history, you must make a decision about our Queen. But this is all of your jurisdiction. At the very least, please take the time to make your choice.

Yuuji: ?I understand. I will think about it sometime. Thank you, Genji-san.

The Chief stands, bows to the old commander still sitting on the tatami, and turns to leave. But after taking a step, he stops, glances at the portrait of Hakurei Miko, and decides to give it the same treatment before exiting noiselessly.

Genji: So fortunate are we to have a kindhearted leader?even if his temperament is not the most social of dispositions. Oh, my old man syndrome is starting to show?no good, no good. I wonder, Miko-sama, what you would think of this boy?

The portrait looks back at him, clueless as usual.
Why Is She Called Nineball, I Wonder?

Yuuji is making his way from his study to the Hakurei Archives tucked away beneath the palace in the center of the courtyard, underneath a cleverly disguised patch of flowers that externally commemorates one of the great victories of Hakurei Miko. In order to do so, he must first cross the gardens in which the fairy commanders essentially dwell.

Cirno: Haaaay! Yuuji, catch!

Cirno, from the small lake in the garden, hucks a basketball-sized ball of ice straight at Yuuji's face as he is crossing over the arching bridge that spans the two far ends of the lake. Yuuji simply accelerates his left fist upwards from his pocket without blinking or even reacting, merely punching the iced projectile over his own head and sending it diving into the other side of the lake with a noisy splash. Stopping, he turns to the ice fairy.

Yuuji: What is it, Cirno.

Cirno: Uuuu?ur no fun! Y can't ya put on a fun face fer once, liek before? !

Yuuji: Because I don't wanna.

Cirno: That's no fun!

Yuuji: I suppose I'm just not a fun guy, then.

Cirno: Yer not a wha? A mushroom? 'Course not, yer a human, what are ya, stupid?

Yuuji: ?

Cirno: Hay, wut's widdat look! Eye dun liek it, it just says "yer stupid ain'tcha" all over!

Yuuji: How did you know?

Cirno: BECAUSE EYE'M DA SMARTEST! Also, DA STRONGEST!

Yuuji: But where are the others? Don't you play with them all the time?

Cirno: Ah, my friends? We were playin' hide-n-seek liek usual, but eye dunno where everyone is. Dey're really good at hidin'.

Yuuji can see Daiyousei's wings poke out quite obviously from a few small bushes on the other side of the lake.

Yuuji: ?right.

Cirno: Hay, hay, u shud play wit me! Eye'm gettin' bored jus' waitin' fer 'em ta come out.

Yuuji: ?but what shall we play?

Cirno: Umm?gud question. Eye duno, waddya wanna play?

The two stare at each other aimlessly with equally blank faces. Suddenly, Cirno tugs Yuuji without warning into the lake. They both tumble into the lake.

Cirno: Ahahahahahahahahaha! It's fun, rite, rite, rite?

The two of them emerge out of the water. Cirno sits on the water's surface, laughing heartily and pointing at the Chief, who stands out of the chest-deep water and wiping his face.

Yuuji: ?I see how it is?

Cirno: Eh? Ah, hey-!

Yuuji splashes water over Cirno with his hands suddenly, and soon the two start their twenty-minute water fight with danmaku, icicles, and torrents of flying water.
Yuuji: I hope Reimu doesn't yell at us for watering the garden?

Cirno: Ahaha?yeah?hope she doesn't?

The Chief of Staff and the ice fairy sit up on the small grassy knoll next to the stone-lined lake, looking around anxiously. Their water fight has depleted the lake of nearly 40% of its water, the missing water being flown out of its original source and raining down on all the plants of the garden. The plants in the garden seem quite happy with the new-found water, however, and they seem to be standing taller in the jovially dancing sunlight which is also drying off the human and the fairy.

Cirno: But hay, Yuuji, y're u workin' so much dese days? Eye hardly see ya outside anymore.

Yuuji: Leading a country is hard work. Gotta do what I can.

Cirno: Yeah, but it's not gud ta keep workin' 'n workin' 'n workin', ya no?

Yuuji: Can't help it?no one else can do the work I do, really.

Cirno: Muuuu!

Cirno stands up and grabs Yuuji by the ears, shaking him back and forth.

Cirno: Y duncha get it? ! Ya gotta play hard at least once in a while! Eye mean, sure, eye mite keep on playin' all da time, but it's betta den workin' ta death!

Yuuji: ?

Cirno lets go of his ears, getting irritated by his lack of reaction.

Yuuji: ?yeah, I got it. Thanks, Cirno.

Cirno: Hmph!

She plops down again, pouting.

Yuuji: ?your wings, Cirno. Are they edible?

Cirno: Ya! But how'd ya no?

Yuuji: Ah, I just saw Reimu absentmindedly nibbling on something that looked like one of your wing shards...

Cirno: Yeah, sometimes she asks me fer sum whenever it's hot out. Wanna try one?

Yuuji: Huh?sure?

Cirno: Just take one off! Dey come rite off.

Yuuji: But don't you need them to fly?

Cirno: Dat's wut eye thought at first. But turns out eye dun need 'em!

Yuuji plucks one of Cirno's ice shards from her floating wings branching out from her shoulder blades and sucks on it.

Yuuji: ?tastes like?soda.

Cirno: Ya, people tell me dat a lot.

Yuuji: Hm. Thanks for the treat.

Cirno: Ehehe!

Yuuji: I guess it would make sense that you're an ice fairy.

Cirno: Yup! Eye'm da strongest ice fairy dere is! Eye can even control water ta a certain extent!

Yuuji: Like sitting on water?

Cirno: Mhm! Eye'm tryin' ta practice mah control over water. Eye got my ice powers down, eye jus' gotta get my water powers down.

Yuuji: How far have you gone? Can you show me?

Cirno: Yeah, 'course! !

Cirno puts on a waterworks display for Yuuji, making the water in the lake dance around merrily.

Yuuji: ?pretty good.

Cirno: Eye no, rite? But it's not done yet. Eye gotta practice moar!

Yuuji: When did you start practicing?

Cirno: Um?Around the time we came here from T9.

Yuuji: Okay, I see. Keep at it. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it one day.

Yuuji ruffles Cirno's short but sleek and icy blue hair, bouncing her hair ribbon tied to the back of her head up and down.

Cirno: Ngh!...oh, dat?feels gud?

Yuuji keeps petting her for a few minutes as Cirno sits next to him, not sure whether to enjoy the sensation or not. Then, he stands up.

Yuuji: I'm pretty dry now. I'll see you around, Cirno. I'll make sure to play with the rest of you guys once I'm off work.

Cirno: O-okay?bye!

Yuuji puts his right hand up as he walks away towards the direction of the archives without looking back as Cirno rubs the top of her head, wondering if she should ask Daiyousei to do the same for her later. But as Yuuji walks away, his face somehow grows darker than it already is.

Yuuji: Cirno, Ice Fairy, controller of ice and blizzards. She is not supposed to control water, ice should be the only domain that her power extends control over. Is this because of her newfound youkai powers that she doesn't necessarily realize she's acquired? What is making her more and more powerful? Fairies' strengths are usually consistent throughout their lives; whatever power they are born with, they usually do not get much stronger than that. But she has dramatically improved her control over ice and even adopted control over water, and at this rate, she's definitely going to master her manipulation of water soon. All this is swell and dandy?but what is this that is bothering me, I wonder.

He continues to ponder this as he enters the Archives.
Cirno's BGMs:

-The Arrival of the Strongest (Cirno's Intro) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lYfZOwsqpA
-Madness of the Strongest (Cirno going Berserk over Daiyousei's death) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR8dgKJQlWY
-Facing The Blizzard (whenever you fight Cirno's EX-Form before doing Daiyousei's event to auto-capture T9) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoGMJHbV4Wk
-Freezing Friendships Back Into Place (after defeating Cirno's EX-Form, when Daiyousei comforts Cirno) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzDzrH6ICcI

Some of these songs I have cherished in times of want and need. For sometimes, the only happiness that can derived in times of pain and desolation can be found not in fellow humans, but in the magic of enjoying life for what it is and offers, and music is one of the ways that we can do so. These songs that I have kept for so long to myself can now be shared with the world desperate for comfort, and may these jewels be embraced by those in need.

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

Daiyousei's and Rin's first events. Do note that all these event dialogues are not necessarily in chronological order.

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu

What It Takes To Be A Friend

The Chief is working in the gardens where the fairies dwell, commonly referred to by the palace inhabitants as the Hakurei Gardens but as the Fairy Gardens by the military personnel walking by. The garden caretaker that usually would maintain the gardens had called in sick one day with a slight cold, and Yuuji had taken over the job temporarily, at least until the usual gardener came back. Youmu had offered to help, but Yuuji refused, instructing her to oversee the reconstruction and re-stabilization of the newly conquered PCB provinces. He stands straight after forty minutes of weed-pulling, wiping his brow and looking up at the cool afternoon sun.

Daiyousei: H-here you go.

Yuuji: ??

He turns to his left to see Daiyousei holding out her hands, which hold a cup of a light blue liquid.

Yuuji: ?thanks, but what is this?

Daiyousei: It?it is a kind of beverage that we fairies sometimes drink whenever we are tired or doing some sort of strenuous work. It is called Yousei no Omizu?just a simple name, really.

Yuuji looks at her funny. Daiyousei, at first confused at Yuuji's countenance, then explodes red in her face.

Daiyousei: N-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-n-not t-t-t-t-t-t-t-hat w-w-w-w-w-w-way! ! ! ! !

Yuuji, still eyeing her with a look of Are-You-Sure-About-That-ness, takes a sip.

Yuuji: Hm?refreshing?tangy, more like.

He downs the entire cup and stashes it in his back pocket.

Yuuji: Where's the others?

Daiyousei: O-oh?um?they went to the nearby shops. I think there is a human children's exhibit going on with food and toys and the like.

Yuuji: Oh? And what about you?

Daiyousei: Um?I just?decided to stay back, yeah.

Yuuji: ?

Yuuji keeps staring at her, as if trying to force the truth from within her to permeate through the air.

Daiyousei: Nnnn, please don't look at me like that?I'm sorry, I lied to you?it's just that?I just saw you here, working alone in our precious garden that we call home, and?and I just thought that?I would?um?to show a little bit of thanks, I would get you something to drink?

Daiyousei bows her head, ashamed at admitting such an embarrassing confession.

Yuuji: ?

He takes off his right glove and puts his hand out anyway on Daiyousei's head.

Daiyousei: E-eh?

Yuuji: Thanks. You're a kind girl.

He removes his hand, puts the glove back on, and stoops down on his knees again, beginning to finish up the last section of planting needing weeding.

Daiyousei: ?couldn't you just use your powers to help with that?

Yuuji: ?I would, but when I think about the other gardener who does this as his job everyday, I can't. This is his livelihood ? he doesn't have special magical powers or any innate ability that can aid him in his work. He is but a normal human being. It would be disrespectful of me to help myself when I can't even help him with what I can do.

Daiyousei: B-but it's not your fault?you're working so hard on other things yourself, I've heard?

Yuuji: ?I know?but?can't help it, I guess. I know I could be done with this already, but?I suppose thinking does make it so?

Daiyousei: Then?would you like my assistance?

Yuuji: It's okay, I'm fine. This isn't really your work. Besides, it's nice for me once in a while to come out and work in the sun like this.

Daiyousei: I insist!

Yuuji looks up at her, still squatting. Seeing her eyes, he narrows his own, then removes his left glove.

Yuuji: You're left handed, right? Get the ones near the side there.

Daiyousei: Y-yes!

They work silently for a few minutes, then Yuuji breaks the silence.

Yuuji: So you said before that Cirno is your best friend, right?

Daiyousei: Huh? Oh, um, yes. She?is my best friend?she was my first friend.

Yuuji: That so?when did you meet her?

Daiyousei: Um?I think when I was 20?she just showed up at my front door in the forest back in T9. Back then, I was a shy fairy?while fairies are like humans in that we are normally gregarious beings, I was?I was different, to say the least. Back then, when I was younger, I used to be afraid of my own wings, it was that bad. Those first twenty years were very rough ? it was because of those early years that I sometimes still have a stutter in my speech or when I meet new people I am extremely shy and cautious?if Cirno-chan?now that I wonder, if Cirno-chan hadn't shown up then?I can't think of where I could have ended up?

Yuuji: ?no one wanted to make friends with you except her?

Daiyousei nods.

Daiyousei: The other fairies knew I was?weird. So they didn't really bother me?which was a good and a bad thing, I suppose. I had seen other fairies get bullied and all?but I couldn't help but think that at least, at the very least, they were getting attention. I, on the other hand, did not get any attention at all, so I just withered away in the confines of my own home. Until Cirno-chan kicked down my door and dragged my butt outside?

Yuuji: Heh?that's Cirno for you?

Daiyousei giggles as Yuuji chuckles.

Daiyousei: Yes, indeed. I'm so very glad that Cirno-chan was my first friend. Even now, she really is my only true friend. Well, I suppose I have Rin-chan, because Cirno-chan introduced me to her, but I would have to get to know her more. I think?I think Rin-chan was Cirno-chan's best friend before me?

Yuuji: ?what makes you so attached to Cirno, besides the fact that she was your first friend?

Daiyousei: ?

The green light fairy's hands stop.

Daiyousei: Her cheerfulness?it?it was something I always admired about her. I remember?one day, in my little house, during those hopeless days, I looked out while laying in my bed and saw her, laughing and smiling with the sun. I strangely wasn't envious of her?I?I simply wanted to have the same ability to just laugh, smile like she could. Even now, I can't?seem to match her. Maybe I never will?maybe I'm only her friend because I want to leech off the cheerfulness that she radiates all around her?I just don't know.

Yuuji: ?don't call it leeching.

Daiyousei: Eh?

Yuuji also stops and stands, gathering up all the pulled weeds off the ground as he rises. Without looking, without talking to anyone in particular, he speaks.

Yuuji: You can't leech happiness. Especially not from Cirno. Because while leeching implies that whatever is being leeched will eventually run dry ?

He tosses the bundle of weeds he has just now tied with a band of rubber into a giant bag of straw and string he holds open with one hand.

Yuuji: - happiness, on the other hand, cannot run dry. For happiness, no matter who experiences it, is meant to be shared with others; like a candle lighting other candles around it, happiness won't burn itself out lighting up the faces of those you hold dear around you.

He drops the bag that he pulls closed with the neck-tied bead string on the ground and dusts his palms off.

Yuuji: I know Cirno is dumb and isn't the brightest. But when you two first met, I think she did just about the smartest thing anyone could have done. Ironic that a fairy of ice would be the one to be that starting candle?

Daiyousei: ?

Yuuji: We're done here. Good work today, Daiyousei. I'll take the glove and these bags back. I'll be seeing you, Daiyousei.

The Chief leaves the green fairy still on her knees, hands still tainted with the thoughts and guilts of yesterday.
The Forgotten Performance

Sawatari Yuuji is once again at the Fairy Gardens, this time measuring the air composition in the palace. As part of the weekly routine that the palace security must conduct to ensure that the palace is always safe from possible pathogenic or metaphysical assaults on anyone in the palace, Yuuji has participated in such routines and has been assigned to the Fairy Gardens. He stands on a giant scenic cobblestone boulder that has been cut in a perfect cube, and a tiny, tiny pickaxe with a teal-dyed blade has been engraved for whatever reason into the bottom right corner of its northeast face. Holding up a shikigami paper talisman with steadily glowing blue kanji that, like a thermometer, increases the volume of blue glow over time in his right hand and an open book on the proper ways to perform this procedure in his left, Yuuji has been like this for about ten minutes when the puppy-fur-soft musical notes of an erhu sail the melodious eardrums of his conscience. He turns without interrupting his work to the source, and from his perspective, he can barely spy the characteristic horsehair bow bobbing up and down over a hedge some twenty meters away. Right on cue, the talisman in his right hand vibrates like an alarm clock, and seeing that the talisman's reading is satisfactory, Yuuji jumps off the shoulder-height cubicled stone pedestal and makes his way over to the source of the euphonious rehearsal.

Standing near the lake with the bridge spanning its ends on a small grassy knoll not even taller than the bridge itself, Satsuki Rin levitates in the humble grandiosity of her quietly ear-warming melody of her erhu. Her white butterfly wings, now sublimely but radiantly glowing translucent a bright, thankful red, rock back and forth softly with each passing gale of calm wind. And as she continues to rock her elegantly long, beautifully carved redwood bow, her delicate, baby-soft fingers stroking, tapping, waltzing on the strings, Yuuji takes a seat at the base of the knoll, sitting right in front of the stone-lined edge of the lake in front of Rin. The performance continues until Rin releases the last ephemeral note.

Yuuji: ?

He slowly begins to clap.

Rin: Oh?

Rin blushes, smiling shyly and drawing her instrument close to her chest.

Rin: T?thank you?

Yuuji: No, thank you. It?has been a very long time since I have come across an erhu player?and a fantastic one, at that.

Rin: Oh?but?I was?very rusty, so?so I didn't know if?if my playing would be satisfactory.

Yuuji: Then rest assured, for at least I have been satisfied.

Rin: Oh?well?thank you very much. But?this song?that I just performed?it?I would have preferred to, had I known you were my audience?perform it at?night?

Yuuji: ?yeah?you're right. It would sound much nicer at night. But still?that does not take away from its wholesome beauty to begin with. All it would do is amplify its glory, but such an effect would still be worth listening to. And, of course, the musician herself is, we cannot forget to mention, instrumental in the quality of the music. And I'd have to say that she passed with flying colors.

Rin: Oh?please?you flatter me?

Yuuji: May I see your erhu?

Rin: Oh?um?

Yuuji: It's fine if you don't want to. As someone who has played the erhu before, I just wanted to feel it.

Rin: No, um?here?

The forgotten fairy shyly offers her instrument to the Chief, who takes it gingerly.

Yuuji: ?mahogany and red sandalwood fusion construction?python skin?condensed ultrafine silk?horsehair stringed bow made of redwood?this?this is a wonderfully crafted erhu. Who made it?

Rin: Oh?this?my mother made it herself. We?my family and ancestry have historically been erhu makers and players?it was only natural for me?to take up the tradition.

Yuuji: ?

Rin: Oh??

Yuuji's countenance darkens significantly as he continues to hold the erhu.

Yuuji: This erhu?is crying inside.

Rin: E-eh??

Yuuji: ?it's sad.

Rin: ?

Yuuji looks up at Rin, whose face is turning paler by the second.

Yuuji: You've?known about this?all this time, didn't you??

Rin: H-how d-d you know??

Yuuji: ?

He looks back down at it.

Yuuji: I just do?can't explain how, but it is. Rin, talk to me. Why is this?
Rin: When I was born, I only had my mother. My father had disappeared, and my mother received word from a family friend that his body had turned up fifty-odd miles away?missing his head, arms, legs. The culprits were accounted for later, and we found out that they had tried to extract the secret of my family's erhu making from him, but he defended our family's pride until the end. That was right before I was born?and when I was born, my mother, too?passed away soon after. All she had left me was this erhu that she had spent her entire life with. That's why I am extremely hesitant to allow anyone else hold this erhu?for fear some tragedy may befall it. I am nothing without this erhu?and if I am separated from this erhu for longer than a day?I begin to fade away?with no one to remember me until I can find my beloved heirloom again.

Rin and Yuuji are seated next to each other, gazing out to the small lake, watching the dragonflies and the butterflies dancing with each other above the water.

Yuuji: Then how did Cirno remember you? She was aware of your existence even before we met you.

Rin: I?oh?don't know how either. Perhaps?perhaps Cirno-chan is an exception?

Yuuji: ?but your words?might explain a little bit about this erhu's?sadness. Has this erhu always been this way?

Rin's head bobs down depressingly.

Rin: Oh?yes?all my life, I have always felt the erhu?as such. Only?only one day in my life have I felt it any other way?

Yuuji: ?could that be the time that you first met Cirno?

Rin: E-eh? ! H-how did you know??

Yuuji: ?doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. She's your best friend, and before we met you, Cirno said that you were her first best friend, before her other friend Daiyousei. It seems you two first met a very long time ago.

Rin: ?oh?she?told you that?but it is true. The day I first met Cirno-chan?I will never forget that day?the first time my erhu?felt warm in my hands.

Yuuji: ?so Cirno is that important to you, huh?

Rin: Yes?without Cirno-chan, this erhu?I would have never felt that same surge of warmth.

Yuuji: Then tell me?whenever you're around Cirno, do you feel the same way?

Rin: Yes?but?the erhu?doesn't seem to agree with me.

Yuuji: ?I see?

Silence befalls the two for a moment as the crickets scratch their choir into full gear. Then, the Chief stands.

Yuuji: I must head back to work. But, Rin, I've noticed that whenever you play, no one is here to listen. Is?it lonely for you to rehearse, without anyone else basking in the gentleness of your music?

Rin: ?oh?yes?it?is a painful pill for me to swallow?the fact that?no one really listens to me play?

Yuuji: ?I see?

He turns to her.

Yuuji: Then practice as you have just a little bit longer. One night, on the night with a full moon, give me this same performance, and I will be your audience. It is a shame for me not to listen to your playing, and I desire to hear more. So convince me that coming to hear you perform is a far greater use of my time than working on my own governmental chores.

Rin: Oh?

Rin clutches her instrument.

Rin: Y?Yes!

Yuuji: Goodie?I'll be looking forward to it, then.

He departs, leaving the forgotten lullabies to manifest themselves into existence once more.
Daiyousei's BGMs:
None Unlocked?yet.

Satsuki Rin's BGMs:
The Forgotten Performance (the song Rin plays at the beginning of the event) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NguIpRFLM4M

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

Now for Rumia's and Remilia's events. These are pretty important, for I have a lot in store that I want to write about for these two.

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu
It Ties Down More Than I Think

Rumia: Naaaaa-mph!

Yuuji: ?

The Chief of Staff, looking blankly at Rumia, whose teeth is digging into his left arm, is working on his usual stack of papers and reports with a dish of dango and a steaming mug of coffee.

Yuuji: ?you missed.

Rumia: Naa aahh hiihenn~

Yuuji: ?but my arm isn't food?

Rumia: Iii haa hoh~?

Rumia relinquishes his arm of her teeth's grip.

Rumia: Can I take some~?

Yuuji: Help yourself.

Rumia: Okay~ itadakimasu~

Rumia shoves the entire dish into her mouth.

Yuuji: ?

Rumia: Gochisousama~

Yuuji is looking after Rumia today. The others are taking a trip back to T9 with Reimu and Marisa and some guards to escort a team of taxonomists eager to visit the T9 regions to uncover new organisms to add to their library.

Yuuji: But why didn't you go with them?

Rumia: Ah?well, since I'm the youkai of darkness, and plants don't like the night, it doesn't really make sense for me to go, right~?

Yuuji: Mm?good point?

Yuuji works silently for another ten minutes as Rumia rolls and spins around in his study, casting off liquidy balls of oily darkness from her skin. And, of course, the occasional "Is That So?" jumps from her tongue every few minutes.

Yuuji: ?Rumia?I've noticed?that you've never touched that ribbon all this time. Why?

Rumia: Oh, my ribbon? I think it's a seal of some kind, whoever put it there told me not to touch it~ Actually, I can't touch it, even if I wanted to~

Yuuji: Hmm?really?

Rumia: That is so~

Yuuji: Then what about other people?

Rumia: No one can touch it, I don't think~ I think there is, but I forgot~

Yuuji: ?let me try to take it off.

Rumia: If you want to see my ribbon, here you go~

Rumia pulls out an identical copy of the ribbon on her head from her back pocket.

Yuuji: ?you carry a spare around?what dedication?

The Chief rubs his brows, pen in hand.

Yuuji: But who put that ribbon on you? And why can't you touch it?

Rumia: It was a long time ago, and I forgot who did it~

Yuuji: ?

A warped popping noise rebounds off the wall behind Yuuji.

Yuuji: ?what is it, Yukari?

A soft tap on the polished oaken floor replies, and the Youkai of Borders leans over the Chief's right shoulder, closing her frilled parasol, marveling at the mountains of reports yet remaining on his desk.

Yukari: Ho ho?you do all this by yourself? I came to inquire where Reimu is now.

Yuuji: She has departed for T92 with Cirno, Daiyousei, Rin, Marisa, Genji, and a few others including a team of taxonomists on an animal and plant-naming mission.

Yukari: Right?Reimu told me about such a trip?cannot be helped, I suppose. Oh?

She notices the jovial ball of darkness floating around in the study sleepily, Rumia barely able to be discerned within.

Yukari: That?is the youkai of darkness, no?

Yuuji: Yes, that she is?she's staying with me for the time being, as I am temporarily her guardian.

Yukari: ?

Yuuji: Why the serious face, Yukari?

Yukari: ?whatever you do, Sawatari, do not let that ribbon detach from that head of hers.

Yuuji: Rumia already told me about that. She says I can't take it off her, even if I wanted to.

Yukari: While that may be true, it is better to be safe than dead. Take care as to follow my instructions, Sawatari.

Yuuji stops writing. Turning his swiveling rocking chair to the tall elegant woman to his right, he stares hard into her mystical purple eyes of grace and serenity.

Yuuji: Do you?by any chance, know anything about this?? Why that ribbon is the way it is??

Yukari: ?I prefer not discussing that, if possible.

Yukari turns to leave as a gap the same height as hers warps open in front of her.

Yukari: But?I will tell you this.

As she steps into the gap, the red eyes staring back at Yuuji threateningly, Yukari speaks ominously.

Yukari: ?I would prefer not having to clean up that mess again.

Zip! goes the gap, and Yukari is no more. The Chief, listening to the oil bubbling comfortably in the background, narrows his eyes?in infinite contemplation.
My Favorite Weapon Unfortunately Isn't the Spear

Working late into the night, candles burning low, Sawatari Yuuji, Chief of Staff of Hakurei, mulls over the last remaining stash of papers as the old, musty grandfather clock whispers its nostalgic bell chimes twice. A bat pitters past the window that allows Yuuji a view out to the clearing in the faraway forest.

Yuuji: Hmmmm?done.

Yuuji sighs and stretches, setting down his pen as his pent-up muscles elongate themselves uncomfortably. Next to his desk, on his left, five 1000-stacks of paper stand, waiting to be picked up the next morning by royal secretaries whose jobs are to process the papers and ensure that the orders written on them are carried out.

Yuuji: You know, Remilia, my blood doesn't taste as good when I'm tired, right?

Remilia: Uuuuu?how did you know I was here?

Remilia was about to sink her vampiric teeth into the right side of his neck.

Yuuji: I am a Deep Blood host for a reason, Remilia?please do not tell me you have already forgotten. Or are you already getting intoxicated by the smell of my sweet blood?

Remilia: Uuuuuu, stop teasing me! Must I remind you that I am the Scarlet Devil by my enemies, who are terrified of my reign of terror and blood throughout the night? !

Yuuji: ?only to succumb to the lowly lust of a single human's blood. You're quite the devil, I see.

Remilia: You are an exception!

Yuuji: It's alright?you will grow up.

Remilia: Waaahh? ! Why must you treat me as a child! ? Uuuuuuu-!

The short vampire begins to bop Yuuji's head like a drum.

Yuuji: ?sorry. Couldn't help it.

Remilia: What do you mean "couldn't help it", I would have never known you had a twisted sense of humor so long as your face was set in stone as it is?

Yuuji: ?

Remilia: ?

Yuuji: Well?if you're here to feast, go ahead?though, it's better if you wait until I sleep a while?

Remilia: Oh, but I want some now?

Yuuji: Then fine. But you haven't been drinking blood lately, Remilia. We made sure to transport your blood stores here from your mansion.

Remilia: It?it is because?ever since I tasted your blood for the first time, all other blood?has just?tasted dull?and flavorless?compared to yours.

Yuuji: Addiction is a bad thing, Remilia?I hope you realize that?

Remilia: Uuuuu, it is not an addiction! I am simply stating the truth!

Yuuji: Right, right?

He pulls down his right sleeve a little.

Yuuji: There's a little bit of rosemary tea on the desk here after you're done.

Remilia: ?thank you for the meal?

Remilia sinks her teeth in, and her deep crimson slit-like pupils hide from view underneath her luxuriously eyelashed eyelids. Two one-milimeter-wide trails of blood trickle down Yuuji's body. After a few minutes of heavenly sugar-sweet-induced bloodgasms, Remilia draws back.

Remilia: Uuuu?thank you?

The vampire smacks her lips, savoring every drop.

Yuuji: Here. The chaser.

Remilia: We are not ingesting alcohol, you know?

Yuuji: Lack of a better term.

Remilia takes it and seats herself on the other side of his desk, sipping it, satisfied.

Remilia: So you are done with today's work, hm?

Yuuji: Yes?I plan to go to bed soon.

Remilia: I see?

Yuuji: ?one quick question, Remilia?when you drink my blood, does it give you any kind of strength of sorts?

Remilia: Um?I suppose you can say that, yes. I feel?strangely refreshed every time I feed off your blood. But I only drink maybe a maximum of 2 fluid ounces at a time?maybe if I drank more, I would experience something different?

Yuuji: I see?

Yuuji sips from his own cup of steaming rosemary tea and pops a bite-size chocolate chip cookie into his mouth.

Remilia: Hey, Yuuji?I wanted to ask you about one of your abilities.

Yuuji: Which one?

Remilia: The one that you summon weapons. How?do you do that? Like, you know how one of my spellcards is a spear, correct? How do you summon a spear the way you do?

Yuuji: ?

He sets his teacup down.

Yuuji: I call my weapon-summoning ability Trace. It is a rare ability, only shared by one other person, to my knowledge. This ability allows me to summon ? no, summon is a bad choice of words ? recreate any weapon that I can imagine.

Remilia: R-recreate-? Wait, you do not mean to say-

Yuuji: Yes?in other words, I can bring into existence something ? specifically a weapon ? that had no prior existence beforehand.

Remilia: But hold on a moment! That would mean your very existence would break apart the dimension of reality, since your power is the equivalent of "playing God"!

Yuuji: Ah yes, that would be correct. But yet you are still speaking to me. Why is that?

Remilia: ?why do you ask me? I am the one asking you.

Yuuji: Here's why. The weapons I recreate are not permanent ? after their intended duration, they disappear, losing their brief existence, thus restoring the balance in the field of reality.
Remilia: I see?well, can you really recreate any weapon?

Yuuji: Trace has its limitations?for one, it is much easier on my body to recreate weapons I have already seen before. Just a glance will suffice, and I can create a perfect physical replica. If I were to try to create a weapon from scratch, an original design, it takes roughly a thousand times more effort and energy to do so successfully. But the most dangerous aspect of Trace isn't its capabilities?
While the Chief speaks with a low voice in the dwindling and flickering candlelight, the Scarlet Devil inches her way closer to him, leaning forward on her chair, thirsting for more of his intriguing words.

Yuuji: Trace is a bloodline, just like my Deep Blood bloodline. But Trace is an embedded bloodline ? my body is run with a network of invisible leylines that act like circuits. These leylines are what gives me the power to recreate weapons. They also reinforce my skeleton and muscles, giving me superhuman strength and endurance on a biologically molecular level, but only when I truly need it. But because it is so established into my bodily systems, if I overdo my Trace ability, there is a chance that I might not ever walk again.

Remilia: ?interesting?then, just wondering, but could you, by any chance, completely copy my Spear the Gungnir??

Yuuji: I can only make a physical replica, like I mentioned before. I cannot actually produce the exact same Gungnir, with all its effects.

Remilia: Can you demonstrate this to me, by any chance?

Yuuji sighs.

Remilia: Um, no, it is fine if you are too exhausted from your work today-

But he just ignores her and sits upright in his rocking chair. Holding his hands out in front of him, kidney-level, he closes his eyes.

Yuuji: Trace, on.

Instantly, his arms glow with blurred lines of magenta. Static crackles of electricity at first spark and fly with the same hue, then wrap around themselves to condense and thicken. The blurry image rapidly whirls into form, forming the distinct shape of a spear.

Yuuji: Spear the Gungnir.

The static electricity, buzzing into high frequency, fuses itself into a single string of audio as the physical manifestation of Spear the Gungnir solidifies, the spitting image of Remilia's original spellcard. After establishing its existence in the world, the spear falls into Yuuji's open palms, and his arms fade to normal. He opens his eyes again.

Yuuji: Take it.

He hands the spear to Remilia, who looks it over.

Remilia: Wow?it is indeed the perfect replica?you even got the barbed hooks on each end of the spearhead spikes?

Yuuji: You can keep that.

Remilia: E-eh? Oh, t-thank you, but did you not mention before that it would just disappear on its own??

Yuuji: This one is special. I made it last indefinitely.

Remilia: E-eh? ! But-

Yuuji: If you don't like it, I can always take it back. Or you can think of it as a parting gift for tonight.

Remilia: No! Well, I mean, I will keep it, then, sheesh!

She indignantly stomps out of his study, clutching it to her flat chest, pouting.

Yuuji: Whew?this is troublesome?

Yuuji also exits his study to wash up and go to bed.
Alright, now for the long awaited musics:

Rumia's BGMs:
-Fighting In The Dark (Rumia vs. Yuuji, first SDM encounter) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqQTOUJQ7tk
-Retrieving the Fallen Darkness (Rumia's capture scene) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdd8SK7dotk
More to come

Remilia's BGMs:
Note: I haven't assigned these songs to any particular event yet, but they're too good for me not to include them here. You can place them wherever you feel is apt to along with the story so far.
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-WmpoP6ZSs
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwSyCew4KWo
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdd8SK7dotk (I'm aware that this was used in Rumia's list of BGMs, but that was only meant to be the first minute or so. The rest of the song is Remilia's theme)
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypN0eor3LM8
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a21u0OxLDV8

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

This is a short chapter, unfortunately. Maybe it's because I'm already burnt out from writing simply event dialogues? I'm not sure. But it's no excuse for me to start slacking off on my writing. For the time being, here it is.

Another word: I forgot to add Remilia's BGMs in the previous chapter, so head over to the previous chapter to see Remy's BGM's. They should be there now.

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

It's Tough Being Alone?No One Else Could Understand More Perfectly.

Flandre: Kyuu~

Yuuji: Ugh?

A Faraday's cage made of blood red danmaku collapses into its center in the middle of the forest neighboring the royal palace, throwing up a massive duststorm in its wake. The rainbow-winged vampire soars high above the scene of the crime, despite the brightly sunny day. Out of the dust cloud pops out the Chief, flying straight for the little vampire.

Flandre: HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAAHHA!

With an open smile and face reminiscent of a death-intoxicated murderer, Flandre draws her arms back and thrusts them towards the general direction of her opponent. Hundreds of shards of red danmaku mar the air space around her and dart towards Yuuji, who kicks off a small magenta rune cast by the sole of his right foot to the left, dodging the wave of broken danmaku glass.

Flandre: YOU CAN'T ESCAPE FLANDRE! ! ! ! AHAHAHAHHAHA! ! ! ! !

She flies so quickly to track her prey that to Yuuji's eyes, it almost seems as if she has just teleported to his feet. The vampire slaps her hands onto his shins and locks her grips of death around them, and somersaulting once, she hurls him down to the crater below. To her surprise, Yuuji manages to flip back onto his feet on his way down, slam the ground with a perfect landing, and use the momentum of his fall to bounce off the crater back up to Flandre again.

Yuuji: My turn?

He thrusts his right hand out, the hand's scrunched fingers pointing at Flandre, as he accelerates skyward. Around Flandre, twelve white balls of flame whisk into view in a dodecahedral pattern.

Flandre: E-eh?

Flandre swiftly air-steps backwards to get out of the trap, but it seems the trap is already locked onto her, as they follow her movements perfectly.

Yuuji: Dodge this, Flandre.

The Chief jerks his arm back, and suddenly on cue, the twelve balls of flame erupt into five illuminant white arrows each that expand from their origins outward into the surrounding airspace vicinity in a rough, giant sphere.

Yuuji: [Cat's Cradle].

He throws his arm out, his hand a fist this time, at his target. The soaring arrows of light suddenly twist themselves back onto tracking the target and home in. Flandre, panicking, tries to destroy the incoming danmaku, but she only removes half of them, and the other half of the volume of incoming attacks nail her all over her body amidst her screams.

Yuuji: I've won, Flandre. First to get hit loses, remember? Let's return home.

Flandre's smoking but unmarred body hangs in the air as she pants to recover from the shock of the attack.

Yuuji: I'll go back first, Flandre. Be careful on y-

SLAMMO.

Flandre drives home the strongest punch she can muster right into Yuuji's stomach. Like a bullet, Yuuji's own body disappears from view as another colossal explosion detonates on the forest floor.

Flandre: E-eh? Oh, oh no, what did Flandre do? ! Flandre didn't mean to do that-!

She hurries after her friend.

Yuuji: ?ow?

Flandre: Oh! You're okay, Yuuji! Flandre was so worried for a bit?

Yuuji: ?my intestines feel as though they've ingested a triple dose of potassium cyanide and salt pewter. What did you do to me, Flandre?

Flandre: Um?Flandre?uh?punched you as hard as she could?sorry?

Yuuji: ?angry that you lost?

Flandre: ?yeah?

Yuuji: ?it's alright. Losing is frustrating, I understand. Just try not to kill me. Ugghhh?if my mage defensive shield matrix wasn't there?

Flandre: ?sorry?

Yuuji opens his eyes and lets the world in front of him focus back into view. His eyes discern Flandre's apologetic and very worried face directly over them, and tree leaves blocking out most of the sun high above.

Yuuji: ?hm?maybe a lap pillow is more comfortable than I thought?

Flandre: Lap pillow?

Yuuji: Yeah?but it's time for me to get up.

He gets up and crawls over next to Flandre and sits up next to her against a tree trunk.

Yuuji: How long was I out?

Flandre: Um?Flandre thinks?maybe?about ten minutes?

Yuuji: Oh, so it wasn't even that long. That's okay then?

The Chief sighs.

Yuuji: At least this is a great way to blow off steam from all the chores I got to do back in the palace?

Flandre: Um, Yuuji?Flandre?wants to tell you something?

Yuuji: And that is?

Flandre: ?that she's really?really thankful that you can play with her like this whenever she wants to?

Yuuji: ?

Another bird flies past in the forest canopy, chirping "Awkward Silence! Awkward Silence!"

Yuuji: I swear, I hear that bird one more time, I'm killing that piece of sh*t?

He sighs again.

Yuuji: No problem. I don't mind.

Flandre: No, it's?it's that?no one really plays with Flandre like you do?

Yuuji: Is it because I'm the only one who's durable enough not to break in your hellstorms of bullets?

Flandre: Oh?um?not only that, but?people?people just don't want to be near Flandre?because they know what Flandre can do. They know that Flandre is a little?a little crazy up here.

She taps her cap, and with each heavy word, her rainbow-colored wings with multi-colored Christmas lights droop more and more.

Flandre: People have heard what Flandre does in battle. How she fights?how she goes around ripping people apart?people know what Flandre is capable of, and they are terrified that the same might happen to them, even though Flandre knows not to just randomly kill people?Flandre doesn't understand people, why they think like that! That makes Flandre want to kill them ? all of them!

Flandre growls mournfully, lost in her own quagmire of oily and watery feelings of seething frustration and cold sorrow.

Yuuji: ?so basically, you feel lonely.

Flandre, scrunching her knees into her chest, buries her face into her upper thighs.

Yuuji: ?

Silently, he nudges himself over next to Flandre, places his left elbow on her left shoulder, and pats his left hand on her hat.

Flandre: O-oh??

Yuuji: Don't worry. You're not the only one who's felt alone the way you are.

Flandre: ?you know?what Flandre feels?too?

Yuuji: It feels like you're dying from the inside, no?

Flandre: ?yeah, sort of?

Yuuji: Then whenever you feel lonely like this, just find me. Because in times when you feel down like this, go to your friends and family. They will comfort you the best, more than anyone else ? more than you can comfort yourself. Because if you keep burying your pain and anger, it tears away at your life until you self-destruct ? and I've been there more times than is tolerable by a normal human being.

Flandre: But Onee-sama and the others are busy doing other things, and you're super busy too! Flandre is just thankful you make the time to play danmaku with me and such-

Yuuji: I don't care. What's important is that you stay happy while you're here. Because that's still my job as Chief ? to make sure that my comrades are happy where they are. Sounds corny, I know, but it's still one of my responsibilities, and because it's my responsibility, I'm making sure it gets fulfilled. So like I said, Flandre, just find me.

Flandre: ?

The little vampire rests her head against Yuuji's side.

Flandre: Okay?and?thanks?Yuuji?for being Flandre's?friend?

Yuuji: ?Anytime?say, are you hungry? Do you want some blood?

Flandre: Huh? Oh, um, is it okay with you?

Yuuji: I don't mind.

Flandre: Then?thanks for this too?

And so the vampire feeds underneath the cool shade of the apple tree amidst danmaku craters and under the burning bright sun.
The Elegant and Perfect Maid?Perfect for a Reason, I See.

On a chilly and brisk overcast morning, Sawatari Yuuji is sweeping the granite curbed floors of the front grounds of the main Hakurei Shrine courtyard, brushing away fallen autumnal leaves and dust into the passing breezes that lull themselves along the earth. He hears several quiet clicks of high heels against stone behind him.

Yuuji: ?Sakuya.

Sakuya: Sawatari-san, I believe this was my job.

Yuuji: What, sweeping the grounds? Funny, 'cause Reimu told me to do it while she was at a board meeting with some of her economic advisers.

Sakuya: Heh?well, whatever the case, this is still my work, and I do not allow someone else to finish it for me.

She removes a miniature broom from her back and, gripping both ends of the broom, pulls it apart, sliding it out to a full-sized broom.

Yuuji: ?suit yourself.

They both stand, back to back, sweeping monotonously in the quiet sighs of the wind and the whispers of the broom heads rubbing against the cold, emotionless granite.

Sakuya: ?Sawatari-san. May I ask you a few things?

Yuuji: Have at it.

Sakuya: Alright?firstly, has Milady been visiting you recently for?how should I say, feeding times?

Yuuji: ?yeah, she has.

Sakuya: I see?lately, she has not been utilizing her personal blood stores that we transferred from the SDM. I was wondering where she was drawing her blood from ? I was worried, too, for if Milady goes without human blood for an extended amount of time, her powers as a vampire will eventually dwindle down to nothing, making her as powerful as a normal human being.

Yuuji: ?that so, huh?

Sakuya: It seems Milady is extremely fond of you, but is it only because of your sweet blood? Is there any other reason why she visits you so often?

Yuuji: Yeah, of course. She services me at night, and she does favors- BUGH.

Sakuya slams the hilt of a knife she draws faster than Yuuji can react down on his scalp.

Sakuya: Had I known you were spewing out the truth, however foolish you may be to mention such an abomination in front of me, the Head Maid of the Scarlet Devil, I would have killed you this instant.

Yuuji: ?I get the feeling I shouldn't doubt you?

Yuuji keeps sweeping while holding his pulsing scalp.

Yuuji: No, but really, Remilia just comes for blood. She's friendly to me, true, but she never really comes unless it's something important or for blood.

Sakuya: Mmm. Figured as such. Another question?where did you obtain your knife?

Yuuji: Which one?? I have many knives?

Sakuya: Drop the pointless lies, you've only ever used one against me.

Yuuji: Oh that one?you mean this one?

He produces fruit knife from his back pocket that previously wasn't in his back pocket with the etching, 歌月十夜.

Sakuya: Yes, that one?the one that gave me my first injury in quite some time. I still have that scar, thank you very much.

Yuuji: You deserved that one; you tried to kill me, after all.

Sakuya: Yes, I am aware of that?but my question regarding that knife is this: Where did you first obtain that knife? I am rather interested in is quality, for its construction is unlike any that I have seen before.

Yuuji: ?this knife?

He closes his eyes and sighs, ceasing his sweeping momentarily.

Yuuji: I received it as a celebratory gift?a winner's gift, if you will, from a certain fight with the original owner of this knife.

Sakuya: ?the person you defeated gave you this knife? Why?

Yuuji: He?wanted to see that I was indeed stronger than he. When I defeated him, he told me that he had no regrets dying to someone stronger than himself, and entrusted me with the knife that meant his life to him so that at least a part of him could continue on with my own life, fulfilling his greatest desire of fighting and killing via Sawatari Yuuji.

Yuuji grips the smooth, cool light peach hue of the handle of the small pocket blade tightly.

Yuuji: It is also the only knife that I can use to cut apart the lines and dots of existence that I see with my Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

Sakuya: ?hm?you cannot use any other blade? Why?

Yuuji: No other blade in my possession has seen more death?more blood?more souls than this blade here. I'm not quite sure if you can understand this, seeing that you are a user of many knives, but blades do have their own memories and emotions. I'm not trying to be all touchy-feely about my own weapons, but every time I hold this knife, it?reeks of death.

He puts it away, the knife slipping away into oblivion in his back pocket, and resumes his sweeping, with only a little section at the edge of the massive stairs of the Hakurei Shrine left to go.

Sakuya: ?then one last question. Ever since our successful military venture in taking over PCB, you?have not changed your facial expression so much as an inch. What?what has happened to you? Everyone is worried about you, that you?you have started to act?nonhuman.

Yuuji: ?

He finishes his sweeping and turns to head back. As he walks past Sakuya, he speaks.

Yuuji: ?I suppose the simplest answer I can give you at this moment in time is that I simply don't have a reason to change my fa?ade.

He continues walking off, then suddenly slows to a halt and turns around.

Yuuji: I also don't want to hear that I am acting "nonhuman" from a human who can throw knives and stop time.

Sakuya: ?
More Musics~

Flandre's BGMs:
-Breakdown (Flandre's Meltdown to Deep Blood) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_vtVahCYRk
-The Tears of A Vampire (Flandre's first event, near the apple tree) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GksL2E1sjLI
Sakuya's BGMs:

-Knife Fight (Sakuya's first battle with Yuuji), Alternate BGM | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em8pH8boS3k
-MAID PANIC! (whenever Sakuya panics over Remilia being gone) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEjqygBIQ8E
NOTE: Please be aware that some of the events that I have written chapters for up until now may be dependent on other events; for example, Sakuya's event here is only activated when you do Remilia's event first. And if you paid any attention to the event dialogue at all, you would at least be able to understand why.

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

For this chapter, I have decided to expand a little on our main protagonist's background, since I know at least some of you are wondering more about him. But it most likely will not be anything you have ever imagined it may surmount to.

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu

You Need To Get Out More, Bookworm.

Patchouli: So how about you reveal to me what magics you are capable of?

Yuuji: Why do you ask this in that tone?

Patchouli: Because now that you have acquired your original memories, it looks like, you are now perfectly aware of what powers and abilities you hold, no?

Yuuji: ?while I cannot deny that, I would prefer only revealing my abilities when I must.

Patchouli: Do not be such a spoilsport. What harm is there telling me? We are no longer enemies, might I remind you?

Yuuji: True. But I do not want you to pass me off as a scrooge, but I would prefer keeping knowledge of my magical abilities to myself, really. It is not that I do not trust you, but I would rather give my enemies a surprise than be surprised myself that they somehow know what I am capable of.

Patchouli: Sigh?well, no can do, I suppose.

Sawatari Yuuji and Patchouli Knowledge are seated at the Great Unmoving Library's desk in her office straddling the peak of the Hakurei Library of Knowledge. The library, since its opening, has attracted many, many students of learning of all species from all over Gensokyou and has significantly increased Hakurei's national hegemony. The famed and acclaimed instructor and lecturer of education and history, Kamishirasawa Keine, has recently paid a short visit to the Library, meeting with Patchouli for a brief time. A photo of the two now hangs above Patchouli's head on the wall behind her, a dear memoir to Patchouli, who greatly admires Keine-sensei.

Koakuma: Here are your tea and ginger cakes.

Patchouli: Ah, thank you, Koakuma.

Koakuma, prim and tidy in her remarkably modern one-piece business suit and blood-red necktie, appears carrying a platter of Earl Grey and ginger cakes and sets it down on the desk, doling out the goods.

Yuuji: But I suppose I can tell you a little bit, if you are so inclined.

Patchouli: Whatever you are comfortable with telling me would satisfy me, Chief-san.

Yuuji: Koakuma, would you like to listen as well?

Koakuma: May I, Patchouli-sama?

Patchouli: Yes, help yourself.

Koakuma: Thank you.

The little devil, who is taller than Patchouli, takes a seat next to her mistress.

Yuuji: Where to start?right, let's talk about elementals. I haven't shown this yet, and I kind of don't want to disclose this, but whatever. My man element is fire ? fire has always been my natural element, and it's the most compatible with my body.

Patchouli: How great is your control over fire, if it is your main element?

Yuuji: Probably greater than a Class 8 Helldragon's own control over fire.

Patchouli: Remarkable?considering what you said compared to the scale on 1 through 10 of Classes denominating Helldragons, of all dragons?

Yuuji: Don't just take that for granted. For all you know, I could be lying.

Patchouli: But you are not the type of person to lie to your own colleagues, no?

Yuuji: Sigh?got me.

Patchouli: Fufufu?continue, please.

Yuuji: Right?but fire isn't the only element I control. Water, wind, earth?among others. But I have far less control over those, and often, I can only control them through medium, like my sword. I've also tried my hand at fusing elements, but they didn't work out so well?

Patchouli: F-Fusing elements? ! But such a task is the most monumental of efforts, all elemental magicians should know that! And to say that you actually attempted it-

Yuuji: Yes, I know, stupid of me. But I was simply curious as to what I could do?too bad I nearly lost a few limbs in the process.

Yuuji sips his tea.

Yuuji: Moving away from elementals?you know my basic magic attack, correct? The Arrows of Light?

Patchouli: Yes. I have observed you using them before.

Yuuji: I learned that from a friend of mine, far, far away. His name?reminded me of a certain onion?but it was one letter off. He is the strongest mage I have met thus far, and I am thankful I met such a person to learn from him.

Koakuma: A teacher, of sorts, possibly?

Yuuji: Hm, now that I think about it, I wouldn't say so much as a teacher, but more of a friend who was willing to teach me a few things about magic. He saw my potential for magic and helped me develop and hone my skill and control over my magical powers. You wouldn't know him ? he's too far away, figuratively speaking?

Patchouli: Do you also have the mage shield?

Yuuji: Yes, I have what you would call the mage shield. But mine is different from yours specifically, and it is more like Marisa's and Alice's. While yours is an actual, tangible, spherical barrier that you must consciously activate but can potentially block entire attacks, not only can I do the same, but my primary shield is more of a gel-like exoskeleton that wraps and covers my entire body. It?is like?actually, it would be better if I gave you an example. Say that I took a punch. My?let's call it the Exosuit?will concentrate on that blow as soon as my nervous system feels what my brain registers to be a damaging blow, wrapping a sizable portion of its "mass" around it to cushion the blow. I will still feel the punch, but its effects will be extremely dulled, and if I concentrate on defending against a punch with the Exosuit enough, that punch won't even feel more powerful than a slow slap.

Patchouli: So this?"Exosuit"?is a passive ability? You do not even need to think about it, and it will activate?

Yuuji: Yes. Arguably the most effective and best feature of this Exosuit. Mm, I retract that. The best feature about this "Exosuit" is that any magician or any living being with any grasp over magical control can learn this ability. With enough time and practice, any magical being can transform it into a passive ability like mine. Just keep in mind that Exosuit is merely a name I give this ability ? it's known as different things from magician to magician, for those who have it.

Patchouli: ?but, thinking about it, would not that mean that there are potential flaws with this Exosuit you speak of, the chief flaw being that if you are attacked in rapid succession, or many times at once?

Yuuji: Nailed it. That is the main disadvantage that the Exosuit has over the the Shield technique, let's just call it that. Clearly, the Exosuit is meant to be a magical defense for "battle mages" like me and Marisa, who use magic at close range and utilize normal fighting attacks in conjunction with magic, but its weakness is the very thing that will be targeted most easily. This is why in reality, the Exosuit is only ever really intended for single hits, like guarding against one big attack than a succession of rapid attacks. Unless one has extremely honed concentration and stamina, the Exosuit should only be used to guard against attacks one at a time.

Koakuma: Then what about you, Sawatari-san? How do you fare with the Exosuit?

Yuuji: I've used it as my primary magical line of physical defense that I am nearly fully synchronized with it. What I mean by synchronization ? well, given that you are both mages, you probably know what I'm about to talk about ? means that it is a passive ability, activating without my conscious control. But what I didn't mention before that synchronization will cover is that when I do suffer a blow, the amount of synchronization determines how effective the Exosuit will be when you take a hit you didn't expect. Full synchronization means that the Exosuit will be just as effective as if you concentrated on activating it ? which, of course, means that you never need to consciously think about using it again.

Patchouli: Huh?intriguing?

Yuuji: Obviously it is not suited for either of you, no offense. You both are the support mage types, and I don't think the Exosuit will do much justice for you, especially with Patchouli's asthma and all.

Koakuma: Yes?that is true?

Yuuji: God, the time?s'bout time for me to head back and get to work again. Enjoy yourselves here, the tea was good, Koakuma, you're getting better. We'll talk again, Patchouli.

He gets up and exits the office, descending down the vertical tram down to the first floor of the library.

Patchouli: And to think that this is only one of his myriad of magical techniques?

Koakuma: B-but Patchouli-sama, you also have a wide array of techniques as well!

Patchouli: While that may be so, they are merely elemental. Chief-san's magical arsenal is most definitely not just limited to elementals ? and it may be vaster than I would ever venture to guess. There was no need to train him, it would seem, Marisa. He might be stronger a magician than almost everyone in the Mages' Guild of Gensokyou?though, it would be interesting to see him fight against the Sealed Hybrid Mage?if only she was not trapped in the hell that she is now?
Holy Crap, She Knows Kung Fu

A tiger palm whooshes past Yuuji's right cheek, missing by a hair as he tilts his head to the left. But he doesn't have time to marvel at his reaction ? Meiling throws one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twice, thirteen, fourteen tiger palms in a row as the Chief parries them all back them the backs of his hands.

Pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat pat.

The sounds of knuckles slapping against knuckles, skin grinding against skin, grunts riding along the various sounds of martial arts.

Meiling: HA!

With a sudden leap forward, Meiling crashes her left elbow into Yuuji's collarbone, and Yuuji leaps backwards to minimize the blow's effects. Jumping at her with rapid flying front kicks, the Chief achieves massive hang time as his legs from the knees down barrage against Meiling's arms, which match the speed of Yuuji's legs. Suddenly throwing his arms out in front of him, Yuuji somersaults too quickly for Meiling to react and hammers down on her head with a swift right flying axe kick.

Yuuji: Shi-

Without so much as a flinch, Meiling slams her mighty hands down on the foot that just bashed the top of her head. Pulling it over her head, Meiling hops and twists her body to the left, flinging her right arm into a wide, arcing hook to ram Yuuji in the side, knocking the breath out of him momentarily, but that is all the stunning she needs to twist her body to the right this time and bash her left fist into his lower stomach. With a final body thrust forward to catch her flying opponent still in the air with a body slam, left side first, Meiling watches in her stance as Yuuji flies off some fifty meters away.

Meiling: Geez, Yuuji-san. That isn't all you got, what happened when you beat my ass over the first time we fought?

Yuuji hops back to his feet fifty meters away.

Yuuji: Meh ? dunno. I'm just guessing you got better.

Meiling: Flattery doesn't work against me, you know, Chief?

Yuuji: Enough of it will?but let's stop here for today.

Meiling: E-eh? ! Why? I was just starting to get pumped!

Right on cue, the light, cheerful chimes of the clock tower in the Hakurei Library of Knowledge knocks on the two combatants' eardrums. Twelve such melodious and playful notes denotes noon. And-

Meiling: Lunchtime?? Already?

Yuuji: Can't go on without food now, can we?

Meiling's stomach growls in concurrence.

Yuuji: And there we have it.

Meiling blushes, grabbing her torso.

Meiling: Ho whea hi huu hearng Hihee haaha haah?

Yuuji: What the f*ck?

Meiling takes a massive swallow of sandwich.

Meiling: I'm sorry ? I meant to ask you where you first learned mixed martial arts like that.

Yuuji: Hmm?

The two are sitting on a picnic mat under a giant sequoia tree near the training grounds at the military base of the capital. They had gotten up early that morning to spar, and have sparred nonstop until now. Yuuji takes a small bite of his bacon, chicken, and cucumber sandwich with sweetbread.

Yuuji: When I was young, mixed martial arts was the first things I learned. I would go on to later learn everything I could about martial arts ? jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, karate, kung fu, tae-kwon-do, everything?

Meiling: Then if you know so many techniques and styles, why was I able to beat you in every spar we had today?

Yuuji: ?why do you think??

Meiling: ?because?you?weren't trying??

Yuuji shrugs.

Meiling: No?? Then- then it must be because?you're?trying to match my level??

Yuuji: As long as I can push you to nudge your limits outwards bit by bit, I'm doing my job as your superior. Training you but not absolutely murdering you is what I am trying to achieve.

Meiling: ?I see?then?thank you for spending time with me.

Yuuji: Anything I can do?

They munch in silence for a little bit longer. The sounds of the forest gently swirl around them, birds chirping, wind softly rustling the canopy leaves, the baby-warm rays of early afternoon sun hugging the earth.

Meiling: Can I?ask you something, Yuuji-san?

Yuuji: ?what?

Meiling: Um?I kinda wanted to learn a little bit about?your, um, childhood?and how you grew up.

Yuuji: ?

He ceases eating. Meiling can no longer see his eyes, as they have retreated behind his bangs.

Meiling: Bad topic, huh?sorry, Yuuji-san, didn't mean to-

Yuuji: I was the middle child of a family of five?parents, older brother, younger sister. It?it was a fun childhood. No worries at all. Family loved me, I loved family. Everything?was perfect.

He rests the back of his head on the tree trunk behind him, eyes still closed.

Yuuji: Perfection doesn't exist, is what I was forced to learn. When I was five, the world?broke?

Meiling: B-broke??

But it is now almost as if Yuuji no longer knows she is there.

Yuuji: ?when I came to?I was?covered in?blood?for?the first time?my eyes?my mouth?my skin?all?covered in it?all filled in it. They took me away?into the deeper depths of hell?never to return again to that house?that?housed my world, which had?already shattered inconceivably?to?the point where?I?wasn't sure if?I had any family to begin with?brother in pieces?sister gone?Mom, Dad?ugh.

The Chief bows his head over, takes his middle finger and thumb and presses against the pressure points on the sides of his eyes.

Meiling: W-what- oh no, Yuuji-san, your eyes! Your eyes are-

Yuuji: Calm down?this usually happens.

A trail of blood has popped from his right eye and streaks down his cheek, the scars of the memory still haunting him. The single drop plinks off his chin and lands on his sandwich.

Meiling: Th-The memory is so terrible for him to recall that it actually physically?hurts?him??

Yuuji: I would tell you more, Meiling, believe me, I would. But?an undeniable fact that I am forever a slave to is that my mind and body?since that day?has never been the same. You can safely call me insane with sanity in the form of self-control. I'm?I'm sorry.

Yuuji wipes the blood away.

Meiling: Sorr- Yuuji-san, there isn't anything that you should be sorry for, that would be my job!

Yuuji: ?no, no it's not. You were just curious. You cannot be held accountable just for being curious. At the very least, you had no hostility when you asked me about my childhood.

He sighs heavily.

Yuuji: But now that you have seen what it does to me, I would like to ask you not to ask me such a question again. Whether I want to or not, if you ask about my past, I will subconsciously recall?my death.

He takes a look at his sandwich, sees that Meiling has finished hers, and finishes the rest of it in two clean chomps.

Yuuji: Let's get back at it again.

Meiling: A-are you sure? You?you're a bit pale?

Yuuji: As I am most of the time anyway. My past is something I have already conquered, Meiling. But?it was a Pyrrhic conquest?and when acceptance fails, ignorance must take its place. I'll go a little harder on you, Meiling. Have at it.
NOTE: I did not mention this previously when, now that I think about it, I should have, but after the PCB arc ending, Yuuji will now gain a shield that deflects 300 damage in solo commander battles. Patchouli's event basically explains why Yuuji has gained this bonus.

Also, after Patchouli's event, Yuuji can now select his own unit type (if I didn't already mention that before). Not only can he toggle through whatever unit type he wishes to choose, but he can also toggle through different magic types, notably elementals. His move set, however, stays consistent, and it costs massive amounts of money to buy him different unit types. However, once bought, you can freely have Yuuji command whatever unit type you have already bought.

One last note: Patchouli's event is also considered Koakuma's first event too. But Koakuma will have her own event plot.

Done with SDM's?on to PCB's.

Patchouli's BGMs:
-Welcome To The Library | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFIGNjHyNNg
-Welcome To My New Study | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0CKGlMubio
-more to come

Meiling's BGMs:
-Enter The Dragon | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRYqp0qRIYU
-Just A Spar | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZqry92jhzc

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

Time for the Yakumo family.

By the way, Happy Mother's Day:

Yukari, Ran, Shinki, Miko.

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu

I Am You. You Are Me. We Are What We Are Not.

Yukari: Whew?

The Youkai of Borders, sitting on the porch of her room in the Hakurei royal palace, next to Reimu's own personal bedroom, looks out to the Zen garden in front of her, holding on her lap a cup of steaming hot green tea, boiled just right to her liking. Beyond the low stone wall that establishes her backyard's perimeter, the forest surrounding the hill on which the royal palace is situated high above the rest of SSH can be easily seen.

Yukari: Sawatari?Yuuji?

Closing her eyes, she sinks into her mental pensieve.

Yukari: Ever since his projected arrival here in Gensokyou, I have sensed a familiar?nostalgic, almost?energy source. It?turns out to be this boy. Could he?could he be?? Just maybe?? Because upon talking with Reimu, it seems almost certain that the timing of all this is too perfect ? his arrival, my discovery of some distant energy source identical to mine?could he be the holder of the last remnants of his ancient power, aside from myself? If so-

Yuuji: Nice day, isn't it?

Yukari jumps a little, locking her concentration on the Chief in jolted alarm. Yuuji, also sitting on the porch with her, takes a sip from Yukari's own cup.

Yuuji: Hope you don't mind, there wasn't another cup and I didn't want to drink straight from the kettle, it being hot and all?

He puts it back in her hands.

Yukari: H-how did you slip past my room without alerting me-?

Yuuji: Huh? Your room had alarms?

Yukari: ?you mean to say that you were not even aware??

Yuuji: ?no?

Yukari: ?

Yuuji: ?

A bird flies over the two, chirping "Awkward Silence! Awkward Si-CAAWWWWW!!"

Yuuji nails it with a pebble.

Yuuji: I warned you?

Yukari: ?what?

Yuuji: Nothing?

Yukari: Then?might I ask what my Chief is doing in my room?

Yuuji: Nothing much?just here to answer a few questions you might have.

Yukari: W-What questions?I am not sure-

Yuuji raises his right hand, as he is sitting on Yukari's left.

Yuuji: It is rather pathetic to be listening to lies, especially coming from my existential counterpart, no?

Yukari jumps to her feet.

Yukari: So you ? all this time, you knew ? ? !

Yuuji: Of course not. I only regained such knowledge when you forced my memory back online.

Yukari: ?correct?

Yuuji: Sit down, Yukari. We have much to discuss if we are to understand what it is that ties us together like so.

Yukari hesitates to sit down, but she eventually does, but cautiously.

Yukari: What do you want here and why did you come to Gensokyou? Existential counterparts are no supposed to meet personally like this. And besides, we have not established full synchronization yet, if any. How are you so certain that we are counterparts?

Yuuji smirks slightly.

Yuuji: You already know that answer, don't you? Allow me to explain everything, back to you, so that no more doubt yet remains in your heart. In other words, I shall be your mirror?but you already knew this was coming, so please stop deceiving yourself, Yukari.

Yuuji takes a deep breath.

Yuuji: I have come to Gensokyou to warn its proprietor and master ? that would be you, Yukari, but you knew this ? of an imminent threat that will strike within the next year or so. I had hoped upon my arrival that the land of Gensokyou was united to make the job easier, but alas, they are divided. My mission objective is to use Hakurei as a catalyst for the unification of all of Gensokyou to brace this world for the catastrophe that is due in that time. And the way I managed to locate Gensokyou was by focusing on the identical energy signature that radiated so greatly that it was impossible to miss?the only tricky part was actually getting here, and, as you have heard and seen, my memory was jarred upon arrival. But now that you have knocked my memories back into place, for that I must thank you.

He bows.

Yukari: ?but?but it was completely by accident?

Yuuji raises his head and locks eyes with her.

Yuuji: Even though it was, no one else in Gensokyou could have restored me to what I was. You still deserve my thanks, for I am very fortunate to have still met you even in my ignorance.

Yukari's cheeks flush slightly.

Yuuji: Now, now, no need to get embarrassed over a little thing like thi-

SLAP.

Yukari strikes him with a downward swipe of her paper fan.

Yuuji: Oi, what was that for? No, really, you shouldn't, you being millennia old, should you not be used to this?

He cannot see Yukari's face, which is hiding behind the same paper fan that hit him on the head.

Yuuji: ?or could it be that you aren't necessarily acclimated to male company?

Yukari: ?

Yuuji: Heh. Some counterparts we are. But anyways?continuing on.

He clears his throat.

Yuuji: I can only prove that we are counterparts by words and one little thing that I can show you. You, Yukari, are the manipulator of borders and boundaries ? that is, you are the manipulator of external existence. You can change whatever you please, but you cannot change yourself. Your ability does not allow that. That is why you, if you want to teleport from place to place, must use your gaps as a medium of teleportation, in the roughest sense. You cannot simply teleport yourself. I'm sure you know this by now?

Yukari, whose brilliantly and quietly lit purple pupils peer over her paper fan decorated with sakura trees, nods slightly.

Yuuji: Well?I am the exact opposite. You know what that means??

Yukari: You?you are the manipulator of?internal existence.

Yuuji: Precisely. My ability is to change whatever it is that I see needs to be changed about myself, and myself only to exert change over my environment. This is why we are counterparts, Yukari. You manipulate everything you are not, and I manipulate everything that I am.

Yukari: ?

The Youkai of Borders lowers her fan.

Yukari: But does it matter if we are different species? I am a youkai, and you are, most undoubtedly, a human.

Yuuji: No, it does not matter. It is our ability that must remain unhindered for us to remain counterparts.

Yukari: I see?then?what about this?thing?you said you would show me?

Yuuji: Right. Let's get to that?

He puts his hands, palms up, on his lap.

Yuuji: What I am about to show you will explain that energy source you have been wondering about ever since I got here?it is the same thing that I feel, especially now, when we are in lose proximity. Both of us have this?it's just that you don't realize you had this your entire life.

Slowly, hazy blue matter, reminiscent of a nebula steadily churning itself into a star, swirl and centralize into a small ball above Yuuji's hands. As it gains momentum and matter, it begins to shine, brighter than the sun above.

Yuuji: Sonzai no Chikara.

Upon his words, the ball of blue matter pulses strongly, once. No more hazy wisps of matter orbit it, and it floats, silently, placidly, the size of a large whiffle-ball, in its creator's hands.

Yukari: ?that?is what I have detected all this time?

Yuuji: Yes. This energy is what drives the existence in everything that exists. You find more of this in living and sentient beings. It is no wonder why Sonzai no Chikara is the most powerful energy source in existence. Its subtle strength is what we detect through our abilities, as we are directly linked to the concept of existence itself through our very manipulations.

Yuuji turns to Yukari and holds out his hands with the shimmering blue ball.

Yuuji: Here, take it. It is my gift to you.

Yukari: ?

Yukari holds out her hands hesitantly, not sure if what she is doing is the best idea. Yuuji gently takes the ball and presses it firmly but steadily against Yukari's hands.

Yuuji: It now recognizes your existence, Yukari. You will, like it or not, slowly absorb this ball until there is nothing left. Or, if you don't want to hold it all day, you can choose to absorb it all at once.

Yukari: ?it feels nice?

Yuuji: As it should. The power of existence's texture and feel are unique to each individual. What does it feel like to you?

Yukari: Um?it?it is cool like the water in the forest stream, but it?it also has the same gentle furriness that Ran's tails have?

Yuuji: Yeah, it tends to have weird feelings mixed in together, but it works out in the end.

Yukari: Thank you for this?gift.

Yuuji: The least I can do for you.

Yukari: But?all my life I never knew about such a power. And now, suddenly, I know how to generate this myself. How did you learn to do this?

Yuuji: Hmm?let's just say it was a family thing.

Yukari: ?family??

Yuuji: Don't be so serious, Yukari.

Yukari: Serious- excuse me, might I remind you that you are the one with the frozen face?

Yuuji: It's not frozen, I gave you a smirk a few minutes ago.

Yukari: Regardless!

Yuuji: ?

Yuuji scootches over on the porch next to Yukari and, reaching out, takes off her double-tied hat and ruffles her hair.

Yukari: Nya! Wh-What are you doing? !

Yuuji: We'll work just fine together, Yukari. Don't you worry about that.

He stands to leave, plopping her hat back on her head.

Yukari: How dare you-! Do not treat me so insultingly, I have lived for so much longer than you have, you impudent human! ! !

Yuuji stops in his tracks on his way out through her room. Yukari catches glimpse of his countenance ? and sees only pain.

Yuuji: If only that were true?

And he exits.

Yukari: ?if?only that?were?true??
The Fox And The Unlucky Cat

Ran: So what brings the Chief out here on a lovely day from his lonely den?

Yuuji: Nothing really. There weren't many reports for today. So I decided to take a stroll?and I saw you two.

Sawatari Yuuji and Yakumo Ran are sitting on the small grassy knoll near the shoulder-high lake in the Fairy Garden in the Hakurei royal palace. Ran is watching her daughter shikigami Chen play with the other fairies and youkai.

Ran: But?is there any reason that you may give me that might explain what you are doing to my tails?

Yuuji: I'm using your tails as a pillow. Problem?

Ran: Um?no, per se, but?it?felt?well, rather weird because you didn't tell me beforehand?

Yuuji: Well, now you know.

Ran: But?is there not something else you could use as a better pillow?

Yuuji: Nope. Ran's tails are truly the best pillow.

Ran: Oh please?

Yuuji: I'm serious. I accidentally walked into Yukari's room one time when she was sleeping in her underclothes, and she was hugging something that looked like a dismembered tail?

Ran: Oh?

Ran begins to laugh heartily.

Ran: Haha?yes, I know that pillow that Yukari-sama uses. I made that for her. Chen also has one too. It seems everyone likes it, at least the people I have shown my tail pillows to.

Yuuji: Then will you make one for me?

Ran: If you would like me to, yes I can.

Yuuji: Just kidding. I was just asking.

A few minutes of sleepy afternoon sunny listlessness rolls by.

Yuuji: How are you liking it here in Hakurei?

Ran: I am very much enjoying it here, thank you. The atmosphere and whether are much more suited for me and Chen, more temperate and warmer than Northern Gensokyou. We traveled to PCB to follow our master because she is more used to colder climates, but it is not as though she would die living in central Gensokyou.

Yuuji: ?that's good to know.

Ran: I?how should I put this?there seems?to be a sense of peace here that I really have not felt anywhere else in Gensokyou in quite some time. It is very nice, much better than the draining atmosphere in the north.

Yuuji: Reimu has done a good job conveying the sense of security to her people that they can live daily lives without having to worry about whether they are going to die the next day or not.

Ran: Indeed?

Yuuji: Can I ask you about Chen?

Ran: Chen? What about her?

Yuuji: What is Chen to you?

Ran: What is she?? She is my daughter, of course.

Yuuji: Well?that's not what I meant, but?to begin with, she's no-

Ran: Sawatari-san, please!

The tails wrapping around Yuuji's head tighten tensely.

Yuuji: ?my bad.

Yuuji gets up from his fluffy tail pillow and starts to walk past her back to his study.

Yuuji: Excuse me. I will take my leave now; I apologize for my obtrusiveness.

As he turns to go, a cat's shrill shriek calls out to them.

Chen: Ran-shamaaaa! Ran-shamaaaa! Look what I found! Look! !

Chen is dashing madly towards them, holding what looks to be a ball of ice.

Ran: Oh, really? Let me see!

Chen: Here, Ran-sha-eeeeeek!

In her sprint, she trips over her own left tail, headbutts Yuuji in the stomach, and dominoes him down into Ran.

Yuuji: Ow, be careful, Chen?hey, Ran, you okay?

Ran and Yuuji lock eyes, and find that their faces are centimeters away from each other. Both his hands are on her shoulders, his left leg is in between her legs, and Chen gasps.

Ran: ?

Yuuji: ?huh?

Ran: KYAAAAAA AAAAA AAAA AAAA AAAAA AAAAA AAAAA AAA AAA AAAA AAA! ! ! ! ! !

Ran slams her left knee into Yuuji's stomach and propels her right foot as hard as she can into Yuuji's chest, sending him flying over the forest surrounding the Hakurei royal palace.

Chen: Oh?oh?what?what did I do, Ran-shama? !

Ran: Y-Y-You didn't do a-a-anything! This i-impudent-!

She fails to finish her sentence, angrily blushing and gnashing her teeth in a very foxlike manner as Chen continues to look tearfully horrified at what she has done.
Note: After Yukari's event, whenever you deploy Yuuji and Yukari together, they both have their battle stats increased by 10%, irremovable. Also, after her event, Yukari gains +50 levels and a free unit upgrade without depleting her affection level.

Yukari's BGMs:
-Standing Before the Sakuras (Yakumo Yukari's Introduction scene) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgs5OYwCZHE
-Encounter (Yakumo Yukari's brief fight with Yuuji before Youmu attacks) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtVQy7AIIxM
-Just Like Old Times (whenever you deploy Yakumo Yukari and Hakurei Reimu together in battle) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXyI7iVShyU
-Welcome To Hell (Final Fight vs. Yakumo Yukari) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuLLO_VS7B0
More to come

Ran's and Chen's BGMs:
-Fatal Fight (BGM of first army battle you fight against Ran and Chen) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu3zE4xrBMU
-Ran's Quest (Chen and Ran's capture event BGM) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kFAmYilV7c
-Standing Among the Cattails and Foxtails (Ran's and Chen's first event BGM) |〖東方妖々夢〗Arrange 「幻想郷の日常 -Utopia-」〖Yuy〗
More to come

Thanks for reading!

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

These are Yuyuko's and Youmu's first events.

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu

So This Was Your Home??

Yuyuko: And here we are! Thank you, Yukari! Pick us up in an hour!

The characteristic gap of Yukari melts itself away, leaving Saigyouji Yuyuko and Sawatari Yuuji at the entrance of the secret garden of Sakurachou, the Forest of the Sakuras.

Yuyuko: Well then, Chief-san, shall we enter?

Yuuji: ?lead the way.

They enter.

Yuyuko: Hyaa, this place hasn't changed since the last time I've been here!

Yuuji: ?that's because it's only been a few weeks since you first came to Hakurei?

Yuyuko: Ehehe~, I know that~

The kimonoed and tall young lady, as tall as Yuuji, leads the way on the low bridge lit dimly by charring blue hitodama flames that light the path, spinning with her arms out and humming cheerily.

Yuyuko: Aaaand here we are~! Hello, Saigyou Akayashi.

The great sakura tree that was once her sleeping chambers glows an amiable pink in reply, a gentle shower of sakura petals touching her cheeks lightly.

Yuuji: ?here we are again. Tell me, why are we here again?

Yuyuko: I'm just here for some sightseeing. I know we brought one of the young ones here with us to Hakurei, but sometimes being among my friends is most satisfying~

The entire forest glows warmly.

Yuuji: They must really like you.

Yuyuko: Of course~ They're all my family, after all~

Yuuji: ?

The Ghostly Princess spins childishly in front of Yuuji and draws her full height, spreading her arms out to her sides as far as they can reach as the sakura trees behind her emit their celebratory pink and purple sakura petal afterglows into the eternal starlit sky.

Yuyuko: With all of my heart and with all of my love, Sawatari Yuuji, I am forever in your debt. I humbly thank you for helping me regain life again on that deathly silent night of my resurrection.

Yuuji: ?no need to thank me. I merely defended myself. The person to thank is your dearest friend, Yakumo Yukari. She was the one who dedicated all that time and effort to reviving you so that you may taste the sweet elixir of dewy life once again.

Yuyuko: I already thanked her enough, she's tired of me fawning over her now, ehehe. It is you who must now be the victim of my deathly tokens of thanks~

Yuuji: I'm fine too, you know.

Yuyuko: But that's too bad! You get to have some anyway!

Before Yuuji can even take a step backwards, Yuyuko whisks herself away, seemingly disappearing and reappearing right in front of him in a flash. Leaning over to him, she presses her lips against his lightly.

Yuyuko: Thanks for being my prince. :3c

Yuuji: ?

Yuyuko whirls away, laughing and giggling like the child that she is away again to mingle with her brothers and sisters, leaving Yuuji still standing where she kissed him. He raises his left index finger to his lower lip and and presses his lower lip against his teeth.

Yuuji: ?tastes like sakura petals?

He walks after her.
Yuyuko: Where did you get your power?

Yuuji: Hm? Which one?

Yuyuko: You know what I'm talking about, don't play stupid with me. The one that you used to kill my dark form, silly~

Yuyuko bops him in the side of his head with her palm. They are sitting together, resting their backs against Saigyou Akayashi.

Yuuji: ?long story.

Yuyuko: Oh, just tell me, it can't be too long, can it?

Yuuji: ?trust me. It?it's long.

Yuyuko: ?what is?

Yuuji: My power.

Yuyuko: Oooh? :3c
Yuuji: You're disgusting?even I don't go that far?

Yuyuko: But you played along. :3c

Yuuji: Ugh?

The Chief facepalms.

Yuyuko: Anyways, will you tell me? My curiosity got the better of me. :3c

Yuuji: I?prefer not to disclose such a story. Maybe?maybe for another time?

Yuyuko: Awww?fine. Then can you at least tell me how you killed Dark Yuyuko?

Yuuji: ?I thought you already knew?

Yuyuko: I thought I did, but as I kept thinking about it over the past few weeks, I came to realize that what Yukari said when we talked about it and what I thought happened weren't matching up. So you get to explain it to me again.

Yuuji: Sigh?alright. When I first accessed this ritual control panel that Yukari had set up to monitor your resurrection progress, I realized immediately that some of the coding of the ritual was incorrectly done. I didn't know how to fix it, and at that time we couldn't stay there for very long. All I knew was that if Yukari got a hold of you and finished the resurrection, you specifically would not come back ? instead, as we could see, Dark Yuyuko came to meet us when Yukari completed the ritual. That's why we stole your body for a little while to delay the ritual as long as possible, but it didn't work out. So when Dark Yuyuko did show up, I knew what the only thing that would save you was?the Mystic Eyes.

Yuyuko: What?what did you see with those eyes?

Yuuji: Do you remember the world tearing itself apart before you?

Yuyuko: Y-Yes?it?was quite disorienting, to say the least.

Yuuji: That is what I see for the duration of my Mystic Eyes. I see the world scarred with lines and dots that I can cut at any time, whichever one I want. Even?even after all these years?I am frightened by what I see?I can never quite get used to the concept that I can kill just about anything I want to, whenever I want. It has slowly drained my sanity throughout my life ? I would not be surprised if one day, my sanity vanishes. But anyway, that is what I saw over you. But more so.

Yuyuko: What do you mean?

Yuuji: See, the ripping apart of the world that precedes the arrival of my Eyes is a phenomenon that I call Kara no Kyoukai. That means that I am crash-landing into the world of death ? as the lines and dots that I see with the Eyes signify the death of everything that they cover. Most ordinary things have relatively the same frequency of lines and dots surrounding them. But you, when I saw you?

Yuyuko: Was?I different?

Yuuji: Yeah. For example, when I glimpsed at Reimu, she had three dots and an array of lines. But you?you had a hundred. And the lines that wrapped around your body were so great that I could literally poke you and you would be no more. It?it was almost as if you were on the verge of disappearing altogether, by yourself.

Yuyuko: ?

Yuuji: But everything I described about you in terms of what my Eyes saw applied to the concept of "Saigyouji Yuyuko", meaning that if I struck Dark Yuyuko, you would also be dead as well. So instead, I focused only on the death of "Dark Yuyuko", and soon, there was one dot that I saw among the rest. That was the existence of "Dark Yuyuko", and when I ran that knife through, I killed Dark Yuyuko but preserved your life instead, and I healed your wound with the dispersing power of existence that was once Dark Yuyuko's.

Yuyuko: ?So?does that mean that Dark Yuyuko?was the reason why the ritual was a failure, had it not been for your intervention?

Yuuji: You're quite sharp. When Yukari resurrected you, she resurrected everything ? your identity, your past, your death, your memories, but most importantly, your regrets. Your past indignities and pains manifested your spirit as it was being brought into the world of the living to create "Dark Yuyuko" with an unrestricted control over your manipulation power. In other words, the final product was a defect. You, in essence, were stillborn?until the virus was eliminated.

Yuuji sighs.

Yuuji: That is why you were fully conscious while Dark Yuyuko was rampaging about. You didn't want Dark Yuyuko to appear, but she was too powerful for you and emerged anyway. So you watched in horror as your altered self assaulted your friends, innocent people who were caught up in the moment and couldn't escape and do anything but watch and dodge.

Yuyuko: H-How did you know? ! I-I thought-

Yuuji: When I ran that knife through Dark Yuyuko, our minds mingled for an instant. But that instant was all I needed to realize that you were watching us this entire time ? and your train of thought as the fight progressed. I had known that, at the start of our fight, that Dark Yuyuko was not the true Saigyouji Yuyuko. But I hadn't known that you were actually awake all that time ? I personally thought you were unconscious.

Yuyuko: ?then that must explain why, at that moment, when you stabbed Dark Yuyuko, I only felt one thought of yours?

Yuuji: ?yeah. I am a simple young man, Yuyuko. My mind is?simple, to say the least. I don't understand my own mind all the time. But all I care about is what I can make happen. And that's why you only felt one thing when I killed Dark Yuyuko.

Yuyuko: ?"I must save her"?

Yuuji sneezes.

Yuuji: Excuse me. Hm?

Yuyuko slowly entangles him with her arms, leaning her head against his right side.

Yuyuko: You know, it?it would be nice if you took the time to?smile?once in a while?

Yuuji: ?sorry. I know?I get that a lot?but?honestly?I haven't smiled yet because?there's?nothing for me to smile about.

Yuyuko: Nonsense?at least, smile for me?

Yuuji: ?I have tried before, Yuyuko. But I fail each time ? my mind refuses to change its mindset, that I am only doing my job and nothing more?I'm sorry. My fa?ade?will not change anytime soon, I'm afraid. I'm sorry.

Yuyuko gently squeezes him in her arms and shuts her eyes painfully.

Yuyuko: I suppose?it's okay for now?but?I understand. I won't ask too much of my savior.

She cuddles her soft, royal face against Yuuji's cozy stomach.

Yuyuko: ?Youki?you're just like him?

And she falls asleep.

Yuuji: ?sweet dreams.
The Missing Link

Rain pours down. As if Cirno had blasted all the water out of the small lake in the Fairy Garden. No, Cirno did not have anything to do with this.

Yuuji is sitting with the Ghostly Gardener, watching the royal gardens soak up the rainwater joyfully, both holding ceramic cups of piping hot barley tea.

Youmu: Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to speak with me, Sawatari-dono. It means much to me.

Yuuji: Not a problem. It's my duty to tend to my subordinates' needs. So what is it that you wanted to speak with me today?

Youmu: Well?it?this is more of a?how should I say, personal, if not selfish, request of mine that I would like to ask of you?

Yuuji: What is it?

Then, Youmu places her cup down on the tatami mat porch and bows low on the floor.

Youmu: Please, allow me to look for my grandfather.

Yuuji: ?first of all, get up. Such a request needs not a bow to be asked.

Youmu: E-eh?

She gets up, surprised. Myon hovers above head, wondering the same thing.

Yuuji: First, you should at least tell me a little bit about your grandfather, and why you want to look for him.

Youmu: Oh, I see. I apologize?it seems I was too hasty?

She clears her throat.

Youmu: My clan, my family has been a family of gardeners and swordsmen and swordswomen. We have, since humanity first began, been serving the Saigyouji clan with pride and dignity. Currently, my mistress, Saigyouji Yuyuko, is the only surviving member of the Saigyouji clan. Have you heard her refer to the sakura trees in Sakurachou as her brothers and sisters?

Yuuji: Yes.

Youmu: That is because?well, I do not know if she would disagree with what I am about to disclose, but for the sake of both our families?those trees in the Forest of the Sakuras?are the graves of her three brothers and two sisters.

Yuuji: ?huh?

Youmu: It was not during my time that this happened?but I heard from Yukari-dono what had happened?presumably, my mistress?lost control of her power and?accidentally killed her entire family and?and my grandfather, who was the Saigyouji clan gardener and chief bodyguard at the time?and promptly afterwards, Yuyuko-sama committed suicide to prevent herself from killing any more innocent people?

Yuuji: Just asking, but what is the name of your grandfather?

Youmu: His name was Youki. Konpaku Youki.

Yuuji: ?

The Chief scratches his head.

Yuuji: Quite the family struggle?

Youmu: Yes?indeed?

She sniffs.

Yuuji: Myon, c'mere.

He holds out his arms to the hitodama, and to Youmu's complete shock, Myon swims through the air and squishes itself in his arms. Yuuji proceeds to rub the top of its head.

Youmu: O-oh?

Yuuji: You can feel the same thing, hm? Don't mind me.

Youmu: A-Alright?but where I was getting at was that all this time, all these years I believed my grandfather to be dead. I loved Youki-ojii-san very much ? much of my childhood was spent with him. I was devastated when I learned that my grandfather died on that tragic night?but recently, I heard of rumors and reports of a ghostly figure that matched the description of my grandfather at the time of his death.

Yuuji: When did you hear these?

Youmu: Within the last week. The rumors indicate that such a figure was sighted in the county of Prismriver, near its border with Yukari-sama's Garden of Borders. I would like to search for my grandfather there, if you would allow me.

Yuuji: Hmm?

He closes his eyes in deep thought as the charring smell of barley clogs his nostrils.

Yuuji: I have no problem with you searching for a loved one and a family member, for I do not feel it is right for me to deny you such a request, and you are not one to fabricate stories. But out of responsibility for this country, I cannot let you go just now. Maybe later, after this country has settled down after our recent assimilations of SDM and PCB, we shall travel to find your grandfather.

Youmu: Y-You will accompany me?

Yuuji: Yes, I would like to. I should want to meet your grandfather, the famously unrivaled swordsman in all of Gensokyou's history.

Youmu: W-When did you learn that?

Yuuji: The Archives is my friend, dear Youmu. It has taught me many things.

Youmu: I see?then, will you let me know the soonest possible date on which we may depart for my grandfather?

Yuuji: Yes, I will let you know.

Youmu: I see. Thank you very much, Sawatari-dono.

Yuuji: No problem. And, another thing, Youmu?

Youmu: Yes?

Yuuji: Don't call me "dono". I am not qualified for such an honorific.

Youmu: B-B-But you are my superior-

Yuuji: Forget all that. We are all comrades here ? for me anyway, honorifics are trivial. On top of that, I do not like the haughtiness that such honorifics imply about me. I wish not to degrade my image, for all the crap that I give about it.

Youmu: Umm?then?would Yuuji-san be fine?

Yuuji: That much, I can tolerate?

Youmu: Well?understood, Yuuji-san. By the way, how are things going between you and Yuyuko-sama?

Yuuji: Mmm? What do you mean?

Youmu: Well?I often?see you two together?and many people around the palace believe that?well, your relationship is?a little deeper than?we might?think?

The Ghostly Gardener blushes.

Yuuji: Hm?admittedly, our relationship is more entrenched than a mere friendship. But it has not yet reached the state of love. Quite honestly, I have no desire for our bond to develop as such. It will only get in the way of our work.

Youmu: But?but I care deeply for Yuyuko-sama's well-being! If you are the man for her, for her sake, I must urge you to help her become happy and satisfied.

Yuuji: I think that she is only feeling the way she does because she feels that she owes me something for saving her life on that death-ridden night. She does not have to feel entitled as so, is my point.

Youmu: Please, Yuuji-san. I will support your relationship with all my heart.

Yuuji: ?

The Chief of Staff sighs heavily.

Yuuji: I will see what I can do?but seriously. Love is not my expertise. If anything, the future shall reveal that?should I go down such a path, only pain and the tearing and alienations of friendships will be the pitfalls of everyone involved. It will ultimately be because of me that everyone must suffer ? and I would prefer not going down such a path to hell.

He stands to leave.

Yuuji: Thanks for the barley tea. I will let you know when our rescue mission is a go. Bye, Myon.

And he exits.

Youmu: A path?to hell?? Surely?surely he is not referring to the Netherworld??
Yuyuko's BGMs:

-Advent of Dark Yuyuko (fight scenes against Dark Yuyuko) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6k7c2OGbCs
For this one, I actually didn't intend to put this one in, but I couldn't get myself to deny Xi-On's epicness. Not putting this song here would mean great injustice for this story.
-Yuyuko's First Fight (BGM that plays when you first deploy Yuyuko in her first army battle) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTxGXSX1WiY
-When The Silent Sakuras Sing (Yuyuko's Event BGM) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNCT4AZ0mUI
-The Pulsing of the Sakura Forest | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq9PeA7YHC8

And a little vocal for you guys, because I absolutely f*cking love Japanize Dream and Bloom Nobly, Cherry Blossoms of Sumizone or however you say that.
-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVj2u35xKBU
More to come

Youmu's BGMs:

-Youmu's Introduction (Before Youmu's and Yuuji's first fight) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArIKKI17_YE
-Fight On Flight (Youmu's and Yuuji's First Fight) | Hang 'Em High by Pierre Gerwig Langer (couldn't find any links on youtube but this is as closest as you'll get: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c20b8RuOmBU)
-It's Hell, So Let's Rock (Youmu's and Yuuji's Last Fight, aka Youmu's capture scene) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKD3lA-bOZM

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

These are the 1st events for the Prismriver sisters and Alice Margatroid.

Go Alice. Woohoo.

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu

Oh The Music?How We Miss You

Yuuji: ?

Sawatari Yuuji is sitting in the royal palace courtyard, where the Prismriver trio is rehearsing. The sweet melodies of Prismriver music flow across the courtyard, light as the butterflies that sail on its notes.

Lunasa: And that is it. Thank you for visiting us, Sawatari-san.

Yuuji claps.

Yuuji: Nice playing, as always, ladies.

Merlin: Of course!

Lyrica: Hmph!

Yuuji: Still angry with me, eh, Lyrica??

Lunasa: Hehehe?she?it seems she is still a little sore over your fight?

Yuuji: With understanding. I might've gone a little bit harsher on her than I wanted to?

Lyrica: Oh shut it, you.
The four of them sip lemonade from bright yellow ceramic cups, brought to them by Reimu some time ago while the Prismrivers were still having their rehearsal.

Yuuji: So you mean to say you are all?poltergeists??

Lunasa: Yes?we are simply the embodiments of the collection of memory and music that were once our real selves.

Yuuji: I see?I?I'm not sure what to say?

Merlin: It's okay, Yuuji-san. We've existed as such for centuries now ? we don't need any more pity, for it is not what keeps us alive. Instead, it is because of our passion for music that lets us continue on in this mysterious world called Gensokyou.

Lyrica: Slurrrrrrrp?

Lunasa: Lyrica, it's not polite to do that?

Lyrica pouts silently.

Yuuji: Well, in any case, it is good to have you three continue to pursue your passions, especially for others who enjoy what you do. But on to more important duties: what is it that you wanted to talk with me, besides inviting me to listen to your marvelous rehearsal?

Lunasa: Yes. We, the Poltergeists of the Prismriver Mansion, would like to request your help in finding our fourth sister ? our lost youngest sister.

Yuuji: ?what?? You had another sister??

Merlin: Yeah?her name is Layla, Layla Prismriver. Like Lunasa-onee-chan said, she's our youngest sister, even younger than Lyrica here. But while she may have been the youngest of us all, she was undoubtedly leagues stronger than all of us. She was the daughter of our family who inherited the true "Prismriver Flow".

Yuuji: ??

Lunasa: Allow me to explain. The Prismriver Flow is a phrase we use to describe the prot?g? of each generation of Prismrivers. In our generation, it turned out to be Layla. Her power far exceeds all of ours combined ? and it was she who first created us, the poltergeist selves of her sisters, to carry on the Prismriver legacy through the years in Gensokyou.

Yuuji: ?indeed. To create poltergeists to have lasted a few centuries is no small feat. I am interested in meeting this Layla you speak of. But?I assume that is the very thing you would like me to assist you in??

Merlin: Correct. We would like help finding our sister again, but we don't have any leads or any knowledge of doing so. And, seeing that you even managed to defeat the two lords of our domain, Yakumo Yukari and Saigyouji Yuyuko, we believed that no other person could be more qualified in helping us with our endeavor.

Yuuji: ?well first of all, sorry to let you down, but searching for a person whom I have never met before, whom I have no information about other than that which you tell me, and who is most likely dead is a Herculean task in itself. It's not that I refuse to help you, but I would like to know more to first start this search.

Lunasa: Well?what we can tell you is that we do know for a fact that Layla did seal herself away after she created us. But during the time that she created us?

Lunasa falls silent, her black crescented hat drooping drastically.

Merlin: Oh?she?she is very sensitive when it comes to talking about?that night?but?but for the sake of finding our sister again, I will finish for her. A few centuries ago, when our real selves were still alive, when our family was still one, our mansion was ransacked by a band of thieves that was roaming the province. During that raid, our parents and our real selves were killed, and Layla, witnessing the disaster unfold before her, unleashed her rage on the intruders, murdering all of them but weakening herself to the point of death. She took our spirits that still lingered after our deaths and created the poltergeists that we are ? that is why we have all retained our memories?

Lyrica: After Layla made us, her body sealed itself away by breaking up into orbs of light and flying away somewhere. We don't know where. But that's what we know. And that's what we want to find out?to repay our debt to her.

Yuuji: ?and how do you know Layla is still alive?

Lunasa: ?the spell?the spell that she used?if?if the user?dies, then?then the creations?cannot exist?that is how we know?

Yuuji: So you are absolutely certain that Layla is, somehow, somewhere, still out there?

The Prismriver sisters all nod.

Yuuji: Well, can't be helped. I also would like to meet her. And?it seems?we're not too far away from each other?in the afterlife.

Prismriver Sisters: ...?

Yuuji: ?nevermind. We shall return to Prismriver for clues in our search for Layla Prismriver in due time.
Would You Like To See a Magic Trick?

Yuuji: Oh, hello, Al-

The Chief stops his words short.

Alice Margatroid is sitting on a veranda that she has built extending from her room porch in the royal palace. It sits comfortably at the edge of the forest, presumably to allow Alice to keep in touch with the original forest-like environment that she has lived in for so long. As for Alice herself-

Alice: Yes, Sawatari-san? May I help you?

Yuuji: ?no, I'm fine. But may I sit with you?

Alice: Not a problem.

Yuuji: Thanks?

He takes a seat next to Alice. She is not wearing her usual white capelet and red-and-blue dress today. Instead, she simply wears a sleeveless long white gown, all the way down to her ankles, and the characteristic red hairband still straddles the top of her head. With the way that the sunlight reflects off her, she could have been easily mistaken for a goddess.

Alice: ?you have been staring at me for some time now?is there something on my face??

Yuuji: ?sorry. I?I, had it not been for your hairband, would have mistaken you for someone else?

Alice: And what is that supposed to mean?

Yuuji: That your change of clothing today is making you absolutely f*cking beautiful.

Alice: Oh?

Alice narrows her eyes and holds the book she is reading up to her lips so that Yuuji can no longer see them from his perspective, but Yuuji can detect in her eyes a subtle sense of victory that light her passively malicious eyes up.

Alice: So what brings the Chief of Hakurei here to my room?

Yuuji: I haven't spoken with you in some time. I just want to make sure that all my commanders are doing well and that there is nothing troubling them.

Alice: I see. Playing caretaker, are we now?

Yuuji: More like it is more responsibility than whim. I take this upon myself to ensure none of you want to blow the capital up or go off committing suicide.

Alice: ?well, I can ensure you I have no such desire?yet, at least.

Yuuji: Where is Shanghai and Hourai?

Alice: Ah?they should be in my room. Why?

Yuuji: Just asking?they're usually always around you. It's?it's rather disorienting to see you without your dolls.

Alice: Then should I keep them with me at all times?

Yuuji: I'm not trying to ask that either?I'm just speaking what I think.

Alice: ?

The Dollmaker of Bucuresti lowers her book and locks gazes with Yuuji. The Chief can now see the hate surge forth uncontrollably.

Alice: As if this world were that convenient and accommodating-

Yuuji: Put aside your troubled past and let go of it. This is a place where we do not care what you say, so long as you do not endanger public safety.

Alice: ?oh really? Huh.

Yuuji: Oh boy?looks like you won't be pacified so easily. I am not here to start a confrontation ? the last thing we need is to have a civil war in such a busy time of ours.

Sawatari Yuuji reaches into his back pocket and draws a deck of ordinary playing cards.

Yuuji: Would you care for a magic trick?

Alice: ?are you insulting me right now? I, a magician, and you are showing me a magic trick?

Yuuji: I can assure you this is a bit different from the usual tricks you have seen.

Alice: Oh really?fine, I shall entertain your request.

Yuuji shuffles the deck, and hands it to Alice.

Yuuji: Take any card from the deck, look at it, and memorize , put it back into the deck and shuffle it.

Alice complies.

Yuuji: Now grab my arm and grasp it firmly.

Alice: Wha-? What is this you are asking me to do?

Yuuji: It's part of the dang trick. Just follow my instructions please, unless you have a morbid fear of touching male body parts.

Alice slaps him with her book.

Yuuji: Ow, now if you're done, just do it please.

Alice grips his wrist as hard as she can.

Yuuji: Okay, now just sit there and I will determine your card.

Alice: As if- you say you can determine a card just by what I have felt?

Yuuji: When you do this for years and years on end?well, let's just say card-handling skills will skyrocket and become magic in and of themselves.

Yuuji looks through the deck of cards. After a few minutes, he pulls out five cards and places the rest of the deck on the table.

Yuuji: So in these five cards here lies your card. And the way I can determine which the real card is goes like this-

He presses the five cards against his right arm that Alice had squeezed earlier. After contemplating for a second, he speaks.

Yuuji: Your card is Jack of Spades.

Alice: W-what? ! H-H-How-

Yuuji: As you can see, card tricks are a little different from where I come from. While natural magicians as yourself may get the hang of it quickly if you seriously dug into them, most people from my world never understand or appreciate the subtle joy of magic tricks.

Alice: Tell me!

Yuuji: Tell you what?

Alice: How you knew what my card was!

Yuuji: Heh. Well, sorry, Alice. Can't tell you that just now.

Alice: I-Said-Tell-Me!

Alice, blushing furiously and tearing up a little, is grabbing Yuuji by the collar and shaking him back and forth, causing his head to go bobble-head-mode, wobbling back and forth.

Yuuji: But I can show you another one. This one's a little more simple.

Alice relinquishes him, crossing her arms, with a small pout on her lips as Yuuji shuffles the deck again. She watches him as he picks out the four Jacks and the King of Spades.

Yuuji: So this is a little more interesting because it's got a little bit of a story going on. So here's the story: one night, four thieves ? the Jacks ? decide to loot a nearby castle. The deck is the castle ? and on that night, the thieves make their attempt, and slip into the castle at each of the four floors ? one down in the basement, one in the first floor, one in the second floor, and one in the third floor.

The Chief puts the Jack of Clubs at the bottom of the deck, the Jack of Diamonds in the lower half of the deck, the Jack of Hearts in the upper half of the deck, and the Jack of Spades at the top.

Yuuji: The thief at the third floor tells the others that he didn't find anything valuable on his floor, and because it was too risky for him to go down to the other floors, he would stand guard on the roof, making sure the king or anyone else wouldn't find them. The other thieves agree, and they go about their business. But soon, the guard thief sees the king returning home. The king, seeing the guard thief on his way back, immediately alerts his guards and and hurries into the castle as the guard thief tells his accomplices to book it out of the castle. And so-

Yuuji slaps the king into the middle of the deck and shuffles it.

Yuuji: -after a panicky cat-and-mouse chase between the king and the four thieves, the thieves manage to make it out, one-

Yuuji, after completing his shuffle, takes the first card at the top of the deck and turns it over, revealing the Jack of Clubs-

Yuuji: -at-

-the Jack of Diamonds-

Yuuji: -a-

-the Jack of Hearts-

Yuuji: -time.

-the Jack of Spades.

Alice: ?I?I don't?I don't believe it?

Yuuji: For crying out loud, you are a magician and you are telling me you have never seen anything like this?

Alice: ?but?but I did not feel you using any magic at?at all?only?just nothing?no magic?how??

Yuuji: Like I said, card tricks are one of the more interesting things that magic can help you learn. But only the good ones, the truly magical ones require no magic when things would suggest there is all the magic in the world hidden in those very tricks.

Yuuji stands up to leave.

Yuuji: Well?I believe I've wasted too much of your time with these trivial magic tricks. I shall head back to work. It's been nice being with you, Alice-

Alice: Wait-!

Yuuji turns around.

Yuuji: Yes?

Alice: One day?one day, will you?teach me those tricks?

Yuuji smirks.

Yuuji: Sure. But only if you settle with your pains.

And he departs. The King of Spades stares back at Alice, the keen eye of Yuuji watching her even through his eyes.
Moar musics time. Do any of you even look at this section? Well, not that it matters. Someone will enjoy this music ? even if it's just one person, that's one person I am sharing my love for music with, and even one person will make this effort all the while.

Prismrivers' BGMs:
-Prismriver Mansion (Prismriver Introduction) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiMIpOqcwRg
-Rehearsal Under the Afternoon Courtyard Sky (Prismrivers' First Event BGM) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIFzgfHDoE0
-Fighting Against the Music (Yuuji vs. Lyrica Prismriver) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr4Wiz0SYUk
More to come

Alice's BGMs:
-Advent of the Dollmaster (Alice's Intro BGM) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOIXEU1LZDM
-The Civil War of the Mages' Guild (Alice's capture scene, aka Alice vs. MarisaxPatchy) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umk7WuU2ayA
Because "I Simply Love The Structure of the Female Body", here is this song.
-The Beachside, Sunnyside Up Dollmaker (Alice's first event BGM) | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTDsBQuy3Js
More to Come

Thanks for reading!

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

Enjoy the read,

-Akyuu no Joshu
So In Other Words, It'll Be Winter All Year Long?

Letty: Would you care for a snow cone, Yuuji-san?

Yuuji: A snow cone? Such a treat exists here in Gensokyou?

Letty: Well?if you put it that way, virtually anything can exist here in Gensokyou.

Yuuji: Huh, really. Any flavors I can choose from?

Letty: Um?winter berry, winter cherry, winter melon?

Yuuji: Hmm?they're all winter-themed?I'll go with the cherry, then.

The Chief and the Winter Youkai are sitting in the sunny Fairy Gardens, watching the fairies play their usual and everyday game of hide-and-seek. Letty makes in O with her hands and lightly puffs through it. Within her hands churns a frosty ball of winter essence, and when it is fully developed, she clasps her hands together, mysteriously revealing a perfectly made snow cone dyed a pale red when she pulls her hands apart. She hands it to Yuuji.

Yuuji: Cheers?by the way, is it okay for you to be out in the sun like this? It's not winter yet?

Letty: Oh, it's fine. I have a charm with me that the purple-haired magician was gracious enough to make for me. Normally I would be hibernating, for I would not be able to withstand the strength of the sun and shrivel from the lack of cold of the winter, but with this, I am able to stay awake year-round without problems. I must thank you for allowing me to meet that particular magician.

Yuuji: I didn't do anything. You sought her out yourself ? you owe it to yourself.

Letty: But if not that, I would like to thank you for taking care of Cirno-chan. I know she is a handful to take care of, but she has really grown a lot during the last few decades.

Yuuji: Well?that?that's only partly true?we haven't even had Cirno working with us for more than three and a half months.

Letty: I see?

They gaze off at Cirno, who is squealing and rapidly throwing a hailstorm of baseball-sized bullets of ice at Rumia, who is countering perfectly with bullets of darkness and her taunts of "is that so?"

Yuuji: Mm, delicious.

Letty: That is good to hear.

Yuuji: Since we have some time to ourselves, may I ask a few potentially?personal?questions?

Letty: It would depend on how personal they would be.

Yuuji: Would asking about your relationship between you and Cirno be considered to personal?

Letty: Not at all. Allow me to explain our?rather complex?relationship. Has Cirno-chan or Daiyousei-chan taked to you about me?

Yuuji: Yes, but only slightly. All I know is that you were their former teacher, or their "first" teacher.

Letty: They had another teacher?? But no matter. Yes, I was their first teacher, it seems. I found Cirno-chan when she was merely two decades old, and seeing her potential for ice-based attacks, I decided to take her as my student to help her improve her control over ice. Daiyousei-chan followed a little bit after, but I could only really teach her defensive skills, as light is not my specialty. She eventually became my little sidekick ? for a little time, anyway.

Letty draws her legs to her bountiful chest.

Letty: Then, about a decade after I first encountered her, I had to migrate to PCB, up north, lest the changing environmental patterns of Gensokyou rid my existence forever until the next winter. We parted, and we have not laid eyes on each other until just a few weeks ago, when Cirno-chan invited me to work under Hakurei.

Yuuji: Fitting, indeed. Are you happy to see your former students again?

Letty: Yes, very much so. Thank you for letting me see them again.

Yuuji: Like I said, I did nothing- whatever?on to my next question ? are you the embodiment of winter, or do you simply have winter essence?

Letty: Hmm?I would have to say that I am the embodiment of winter. I'm sure you've noticed the temperature drop whenever I am around?

Yuuji: ?yes?I calculate that the temperature drops on average 25 degrees Fahrenheit whenever you are in the vicinity, give or take 5 degrees, until the temperature hits 30 above zero.

Letty: Interesting, you actually figured out exactly how much my presence chills the air. But yes, those with winter essence cannot do what I can. For example, Cirno can effect the same temperature drops, but she must consciously do it, while just with my presence alone, I can make everything cold ? or, at least, colder than it normally would be.

Yuuji: ?Letty. This is?more of a serious topic now. But?is Cirno capable of?controlling water?

Letty: C-Controlling water?? No, no she shouldn't be able to. I mean, she is very talented and holds much potential, but in no way should she be able to manipulate water.

Yuuji: Huh?figures?

Letty: Why? Did?did Cirno somehow?learn to control water?

Yuuji: See, that is what I believed too. Fairies are only supposed to be capable of developing a solid skill in one elemental aspect ? history and tradition tells us that much. But Cirno?just earlier this week, Cirno demonstrated to me that she has, to some extent, manipulation over water.

Letty gasps.

Letty: I-I never taught her water techniques, for I was certain she would not be able to learn them! How did this happen?

Yuuji: Is it dire that she is learning to control water?

Letty: Well- no, there's nothing really dangerous about it, it's just that I am very surprised at this turn of events?

Yuuji: Here is what happened. When Hakurei invaded T9, we captured Cirno's friend Daiyousei. When we did, Cirno became enraged, and I am certain for a fact that Cirno evolved into a youkai, just like yourself, Letty.

Letty's pale sky-blue eyes widen dramatically.

Letty: O-Oh n-no?Cirno?C-Cirno is a youkai n-now??

Yuuji: ?I'm afraid so. There's nothing else that can explain how Cirno is currently developing water manipulation techniques.

Letty: ?

Yuuji: ?I apologize?the?the course of events?that occurred when we invaded T9?bears responsibility on my shoulders alone. Cirno became the way she did as a direct result of my intervention. Now, she is a fairy, but unbeknownst to her, Cirno can turn into a youkai any time she wants to. You didn't want her to become a youkai, did you??

Letty: ?no?at least, in Gensokyou, a fairy is better received than a youkai. I wanted her future to be as painless and worry-less as possible ? but, I suppose, I can't ensure that anymore for her.
Yuuji: At the very least, you can be sure that within a few years, at the rate that she is learning, she will become an extremely powerful fairy and youkai.

Letty: E-Eh? ! That quickly-?

Yuuji: Yes. Even though she might be an idiot, I cannot deny the rate at which she is progressing through her self-training is extraordinary.

Letty: ?maybe I should begin training her again??

Yuuji: It?may be in her best interest, yes. I encourage you to continue mentoring Cirno. Hopefully she will become very strong in the future.

A shrill squeak slashes through their eardrums.

Cirno: AAAAYYY! ! ! YUUJI! ! ! CHECK OUT WUT EYE KIN DO! ! !

Yuuji looks over to Cirno, and she dive-bombs into the small lake in front of them. The water from the splash blows out in all directions ? and stops in midair, as if Sakuya clicked on her stopwatch. Then, the water droplets morph into needles, just like Cirno's ice needles, and Cirno explodes out of the lake again, but not without a translucent aqua-blue bubble shield surrounding her. The water needles zing and pepper the water shield, but the shield withstands the barrage of the razor-sharp needles. After the self-inflicted attack, Cirno's shield drips away, revealing the triumphantly proud fairy floating above the lake as the rest of the water splashes back down into the lake.

Cirno: Waddya think? !

Yuuji: Not bad.

Letty: ?that's amazing, Cirno?

Cirno: Yayyy!

Cirno bullets into Letty's arms that open in instant reaction to her arrival.

Cirno: Letty-sensei likes it! Eye'm so happy!

Yuuji: And to think that just earlier this week, she was only controlling at most two different vectors of water ? now she can effectively control over four dozen, to varying sizes.

Letty: ?yes, I think I will start teaching her again. Her potential?is much greater than I had ever predicted. Thank you so much, Sawatari-san.

Yuuji: What did I do?

Letty simply smiles brightly at him as Cirno sticks her tongue playfully out at the Chief under her arms.

Letty: You did what I could not ? open her future.
Hey, Spring Isn't Here Yet.

Lily White: IT'S SPRINNNGGGG!

Yuuji: Buh-

The spring shower of sakura-petal-shaped danmaku batter Yuuji's body from three feet away from its source. Lily White has just acquired another victim of her spring cleaning.

Lily Black: Onee-chan, I told you not to do that! ! ! That's why nobody likes us!

Lily White: But I can't help it, spring is about to come!

Lily Black: WHICH MEANS YOU AT LEAST SHOULDN'T DO THAT YET!

Lily White: Oh?ehehe?my bad.

Yuuji: It's the Lilies?what are you two doing?

Sawatari Yuuji gets back to his feet on the sandy path that winds through the Fairy Garden. Lily White and Lily Black have apparently established their abode in the Fairy Garden and regularly play with Cirno and the others.

Lily Black: Sorry, Chief. Onee-chan likes to do that to people?it's no wonder people don't like us?

Yuuji: It's okay. She's just doing her job.

Lily White: Yeah! That's right! See, Blackie, there's one person here who understands!

She swirls around to face the man, who is a whole foot taller than she, her oversized sleeves struggling to keep up.

Lily White: I like this person! I'm going to keep saying "It's Spring!" to him!

Yuuji: Oh God, please don't?

Lily White: Awww?

Lily White's shapka droops depressingly as she starts to tear up.

Lily Black: W-What are you crying for? !

Yuuji: Here, a lollipop?

Lily White: Oh my gosh, for me? Thank you! ! !

Lily White literally yanks it from his hands and noms it, wrapper and all.

Yuuji: ?uh?you forgot to take off the wrapper?

Lily Black: Don't try, Chief. She's already gone.

They take a look at her, and Lily White is off to Lollipop Land, her entire body glowing amorously white as her face registers nothing but pure, angelic joy that is marred by the stupidly crooked, orgasmic smile on her face.

Yuuji: ?ignoring her, what are you guys doing?

Lily Black: Onee-chan and I were going to go pay Meiling-san a visit.

Yuuji: Oh, Meiling? You know her?

Lily Black: Yes, we know her. We've been good friends for a long time ? just don't ask us how we met.

Yuuji: Noted. But you've lived pretty much on opposite ends of Gensokyou ? which must mean it's been some time since you've last seen her?

Lily Black: Mhm. We hadn't seen her for a few years ever since we moved to PCB, before you took over. You've heard how we were captured?

Yuuji: Yes. Meiling filled me in on that incident.

Lily Black: I see. We're at least glad that we can now go see Meiling-san any time we want now ? for the next three years, anyway.

Yuuji: ?Meiling is in her quarters right now, most likely sleeping. It'll do her some good if you two can wake her up.

Lily Black: Alright, thank you for the info. Hey, Onee-chan, wake up, d*mn it!

Lily Black pimpslaps her sister.

Yuuji: ?eh?

Lily White crumples to the sandy ground.

Lily White: Oowwww?you're so mean, Blackie?

She starts to cower in mock fear on the ground.

Lily Black: C'mon, Onee-chan, we gotta go see Meiling-san!

Lily White: That's right! Let's go!

Lily White, recovering instantly, jumps up to her feet.

Lily White: ?where does she live again?

Lily Black facepalms, sighing heavily.

Lily Black: Shouldn't it be a little imperative that you know where she even is, first? Follow me, Onee-chan?

Yuuji: Have fun.

Lily Black: Yeah, we will. Thanks, Chief. C'mon, Onee-chan, hurry!

Lily White: Ah, wait up!

The lilies drift away from the autumnal wind.

Yuuji: ?does she?drop sakura petals as she flies?? Actually, who's the one dropping the petals to begin with?? Or maybe?maybe they both do??
Hope you enjoy the rest of this story?for as long as it shall live in the hearts of Gensokyou.

Letty's BGMs:
-Enter Winter (Letty's Intro BGM) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if4gj_4C6Fg
-Que Winter (Letty's first army battle after her recruitment) | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2Lebjs8OBg

Lily White/Lily Black's BGMs:
On Their Way With Due Time

Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu

[TeamShanghaiOkuu]

Haven't been uploading to Shrine Maiden lately.

-Akyuu no Joshu
Late one night, to mark the end of autumn and to signal the heralding of winter, the Chief of Staff has invited all commanders of Hakurei to a special royal dinner in the courtyard of the royal palace of Hakurei. The servants and courtmaids and courtmen, all garbed in royal Hakurei red, have busily worked for the past few days in preparation for this event, making sure everything is nicely decorated and taken care of. As a surprise for their guests, Reimu has ordered that the courtyard be closed off to everyone but the workers to keep the event a pleasant surprise. She, needless to say, has begged Yukari not to be a troll and slip inside the courtyard in secret. Yuuji, meanwhile?

Reimu: Marisa, have you seen where Sawatari-san is? I haven't seen him all day today?

Marisa: Me neither?I was startin' ta wonder dat myself?

A red ribbonned gap pops into view in front of the two girls, and Yukari pokes her upper body out of it.

Yukari: If you would like to know where our dear Chief is, he's in the kitchens. But I suggest you leave him be until later tonight, he's working quite diligently at the moment.

Reimu: Why? What is he doing?

Marisa: Oh, isn't it obvious, Reimu? He's cookin', he's cookin'!

Reimu: Huuuh? But he never mentioned he could cook!

Yukari: I had no knowledge of it myself, but peeking in there, it sure would suggest that he has definitely some experience in cookery. We shall see what he can surprise us with ? it was, after all, his idea of a potluck. I shall bother him a little more?

Yukari dips beneath her gap again, waving a quick good-bye to the two girls before the gap zips itself closed and away from existence.

Reimu: Man?that guy's full of surprises still?wonder if it's because of his awakening??

Marisa: Probably. C'mon, Reimu, let's get da others, it's 'bout ta be nighttime soon!

The two girls hurry out of the east wing hall of the royal palace, flanked by a pair of handmaids who also hurry after them in case they can be of use.
Nighttime has fallen, seven in the early evening. The sun has just dove into the horizon, and the vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows of the last beautiful autumn sky retreat to return another year.

Yuuji: All maintenance personnel, finish your posts quickly, the guests will be here in fifteen! We gotta get moving, c'mon!

The courtyard resembles an anthill from above ? the many workers are scittering this way and that, and the Chief is at the center of the activities, directing the traffic. Outside the courtyard, the assembled guests of honor eagerly anticipate the grand opening of the potluck.

Yuyuko: I'm so excited, Yukari! So many things to eat, I can just see them right now~

Yukari: Oh geez?you will never change, will you, Yuyuko?

Yuyuko: Nope~!

Reimu: Settle down, Yuyuko. We all know that black hole stomach of yours; there's enough food in there to satisfy even you.

Yuyuko: Really? How do you know? What did you see?

The Ghostly Princess of the Netherworld suddenly nudges up against Reimu, staring at her soul with puppy-dog eyes glistening and shining with anticipation.

Reimu: W-w-what are you doing? ! Y-You'll see for yourself soon enough!

Remilia: Uuuuu uuuuu~!

Reimu: Geh-!

The little vampire flies straight into Reimu's back, knocking the wind of out the human.

Remilia: I art here, thy precious human of mine!

Reimu: Oh please, drop the olden tongue. And don't body-slam me from behind!

Remilia: Uuuu, but I wanted to see you again! It has been some time, has it not?

Yukari: Why, hello, Mrs. Vampire. Come for the banquet, I see?

Remilia: Why yes, Mrs. Youkai of Borders. I suspected that you would be here, as I did not spot you snooping around the Library of Knowledge and Magic recently.

Flandre: Marisa, Marisa! Where's Onii-chan? Flandre hasn't seen him all day!

Marisa: Ah, Chief? Chief's inside, he's getting everything ready, just be patient, now.

Flandre: Okay. Meiling, Meiling, Marisa says he's inside!

Meiling: Busy getting everything ready, I would assume. He really needs a break once in a while.

Sakuya: Knowing him, however, such a possibility is about the same as finding you actually doing your job.

Meiling: Sakuya-sannnn, that's mean! ! !

Sakuya: Why do you not take a leaf from his book once in a while, at the very least?

Patchouli: Good evening, Marisa. I have brought our dollmaster with us.

Marisa: Ah, goodie, goodie! How ya doin', Alice?

Alice: Why in Burcesti's name am I here?

Marisa: Oh c'mon, stop bein' the spoilsport and join us fer a change!

Patchouli: But could this be some sort of custom now? If I recall, Chief-san had something like this when SDM was first taken over.

Marisa shrugs.

Marisa: Dunno?but I still get ta eat good food. Hopefully.

Alice: Sigh?since I'm here anyway?might as well ask him to show me more of those tricks from earlier?

Marisa: Hm? Somethin' 'bout magic tricks, Alice?

Alice: I-I-It's nothing, okay? J-just something Sawatari showed me earlier, no need to be so inquisitive about it.

Marisa: Heeeehhhhh~

Marisa leans over close to Alice's face with the most epic trollface ever. Recoiling in disgust, Alice smacks Marisa across the right cheek with the draw of her heavy Grimoire.

Marisa: Ow, d*mn it- hey, what was that for!

Alice: Just- just s-shut up! Geez!

Patchouli: I see?so that is how it is, eh?? Maybe, just maybe, our dear Guild member could quite possibly be in a deeper relationship with Chief-san than we had once thought??

Alice: N-N-No! I-It's not like that! He just walked into my room to talk to me and he ended up showing me some neat tricks, and I just want to see more of them!

Marisa: Wow, Alice. I'm kinda disappointed, seeing that, ya know, yer a magician 'n all?

Before Alice can begin bopping Marisa's head to make her shut up, a deep gong erupts over the crowd of eagerly waiting commanders. The gates to the courtyard slowly open, and the guests begin to pour in.

Reimu: Ladies and gentlemen, do enjoy your night tonight.

Yukari: ?hm?

Yuyuko: Waaahhhhh~

Youmu: Wow?

Remilia: Interesting?

Flandre: Ooohhh, so many bright lights! Like Flandre's wings!

Fifty waiters and waitresses, clothed luxuriously in royal Hakurei Red, stand on either ends of a long red carpet as the procession of guests slowly walk through, marveling at the transformed courtyard. The central Sakura tree, transplanted from the Forest of the Sakuras, is shining magically, showering the courtyard gently in illusive pink sakura petals. The sheer grace and power of that one sakura tree alone infuses the rest of the oaken and birch trees in the courtyard to also glow the same afterglow, shining beacons of celebration of the joyous occasion. High above, the stars and galaxies can be very visibly seen, eerily beautiful and serene scenes of deep red, blue, orange, and green hazes and clouds that exist amidst millions of specks of light that shine their light years down on Gensokyou, amiably and gently.

Reimu: ?wow?I?just?wow?

Yukari: Breathtaking, is it not?? Even one as old as I must confess that this?was one out of my own imagination?

Marisa: Seriously, who thinks 'a dis? Did Chief really do all 'a dis?

Reimu: Yes?apparently from what I've heard, he planned all this, he made everything work the way we see it now?all the attendants and assistants were only doing the manual work?

As the guests near the end of the carpet that stops at the central sakura tree glowing with eternal happiness, Sawatari Yuuji awaits them, solemnly.

Reimu: Hello, Chief of Staff Sawatari Yuuji-san. You have done a marvelous job here, and I'm sure we are all very, very thankful to you for putting this show for us?not to mention also providing the dinner for tonight as well?

Yuuji: 'Tis least I could do. I apologize that it couldn't've been better ? work got in the way?

Marisa balks.

Marisa: DAFUQ DO YA MEAN, YA CUDN'TA DUNIT BETTA? ! HOW THE HELL DO YOU MAKE DIS BETTA? !

Reimu: C-Calm down, Marisa, he didn't mean that to be derogatory!

Patchouli smacks Marisa on the top of her head with her Great Unmoving Library.

Yuuji: ?anyways. Enjoy yourselves, ladies and gentlemen. The last night of autumn is upon us ? enjoy it while we can.

The crowd of guests, military commanders, officers, and court officials, cheer and clap thunderously in hearty thanks to their Chief. They disperse into three groups to the nearest tables that are lined with the food that Yuuji has prepared for the entire day leading up to this banquet.

Reimu: Care not to join us, Sawatari-san?

Yuuji: As you wish, I shall take up your offer, my Queen.

Reimu: Oh sheesh, enough with the formalities?

Yuuji: Just kidding.

Reimu: Sigh?

At the food tables, Yuyuko is drooling profusely.

Yukari: Y-Yuyuko, don't just stand there and make a mess of yourself like that?

Yuyuko: B-B-B-B-B-But I can't help it! ! ! WHY DO THESE ALL LOOK SO GOOD TO EAT! ? Yuuji you idiot! ! ! ! !

With unusually good reason, Yuyuko pouts and frets, annoyed and almost in tears at the personal crisis that she must face. All across the twenty-meter-long redwood table, platters, massive bowls, and dishes of food await their consumption. Mountains of vibrantly glazed orange chicken, deep-fried and tossed and sizzled to perfection, suffocate the air with their heavy and sweet aromas. Bowls of saut?ed and fried beef, grilled twice over and burned just slightly to achieve the maximum level of flavor, still pop and crack loudly, burning their containers with their intense taste alone. Short ribs continue to cook gently in specially heated obsidian holders to retain their taste and heat for as long as possible, cooked Korean-barbeque-style and sizzling. Dishes of giant, honey-fried and glazed shrimp, sharing their porcelain holders with honey-dipped chunks of walnut and cashew, attract the honey lovers like bees, who marvel at the shrimp, chattering excitedly about how perfectly the honey is lathered over the shrimp and nuts. Mounds of fried rice deep-fried in both olive oil and lard, then cooled, then cooked with a hint of soy sauce, teeter precariously on their huge dishes, small cubes of celery, carrot, broccoli, lettuce, and peas dotting the fried rice. Three different kinds of sumptuous noodles ? deep-grilled yakisoba, thick, Tuscani-style pasta with Lombardian sauces to augment the texture and flavor, and pit-roasted chow mein with grilled leaves of iceberg lettuce, cauliflower, and onion ? sit ready to be devoured in between every other entr?e. Fresh garden salads by the fountain bowl, piled high with crunchy, crisp, and water-rejuvenated greens, namely lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and cabbage, sprinkled with croutons with the perfect amount of sea salt. Flanking all of these entrees are seemingly endless numbers of jugs and pitchers nearly overflowing with all beverages imaginable ? water, sparkling water, sugared water, three kinds of cider ? green apple, red apple, and dragonfruit, fifteen kinds of juices ? apple, orange, lemonade, limeade, blueberry, grape, pomegranate, acai berry, and punch, and of course, the widest array and assortment of alcohols and sakes available to the Royal Palace of Hakurei.

Yuyuko: Geeezzz, you're so difficult on us, Yuuji!

The Chief comes up behind her.

Yuuji: Then please, take a little bit of each.

Yuyuko's face immediately transforms from melancholic and downcast to bright and eager.

Yuyuko: Oh my God, really? I can eat all of this?

Yuuji: As long as you leave some for the rest of the guests.

Yuyuko: Yaaaay! Thank you! Itadakimasu~!

She pulls out a dish from her kimono.

Reimu: What the- Yuyuko, do you always carry around a dish like that? !

Yukari: ?I'm afraid so?that girl, she's?interesting, when it comes to food?

Youmu: Sigh?yes, as much as it is to my chagrin to admit, my master is a little bit of a glutton?there is justification in the locals calling her the Black Hole of Hakugyokuro?

Yuuji: ?let's just hope I made enough to satisfy her. Anyways, everyone, dig in.

And so the merrymaking and feasting begins.

Reimu: Mmm?

Marisa: Whoa?

Yukari: ?

Youmu: A?Amazing?

Yuyuko: Hyyaaaaaaa~

Yuuji is seated with these ladies on the other side of the central sakura tree, eating and watching the sakura petals flutter to the ground and evaporate quietly.

Marisa: Goddangit, Chief, why ya gotta hafta be so d*mn good at everythin' ya do? !

Reimu: Should I make you our new Chef in Staff instead, Sawatari-san? I actually think you might be better off doing this?

Yuuji: Er, no. My original duty lies with leading the country ? this was all something extra I decided to hold in thanks for all the hard work that these fine ladies and gentlemen present today have committed to improve this nation.

Youmu: Sawatari-san, I beg of you. Please teach me how to make this kind of food the way you have!

Yuuji: Why? It's nothing special.

Youmu: I refuse to believe that "it's nothing special"! Just?just the taste, texture, and sheer presence alone of this repast are very?how should I say, fulfilling, even for a half-ghost like me. Please teach me. I promise that I will not disappoint.

Yuuji: ?If you indeed insist, I suppose teaching you wouldn't hurt.

Yuyuko: Yuuji, you must teach her! There is no way I will survive without subsisting on foods such as this! I implore you! ! ! !

Yuyuko grabs Yuuji by the hair and shakes his head back and forth with a cry of waaaaaahhhh!

Yuuji: Ugh?fine, I guess I will?

Yuyuko: Yaaay! Thank you, Yuuji. As a reward, would you like to eat this honey shrimp with me??

Yuyuko takes a honey-glazed shrimp from her plate and pops it in her mouth with most of the shrimp still showing.

Yuuji: ?and why??

Yukari: Oh sheesh, Yuyuko?

Marisa: N-N-N-No! I absolutely forbid ya from doin' dat, Chief! No, just no!

Nonetheless, the alluring figure of Saigyouji Yuyuko leans forward, closer to Yuuji, who is devoid of any reaction. Then, a small gap barely bigger than a pencil bag zips open right behind Yuuji's shoulder blades, and a curiously gloved white sneakily emerges from it, giving Yuuji a quick push forward.

Yuuji: ? !

And his mouth lands right on the shrimp ? and it is too late, for the Ghostly Princess has caught the Chief in her kiss of death.

Reimu: W-w-what are you two doing? ! ? !

Youmu: Y-Y-Yuyuko-sama! ! ! ! How indecent of you! ! !

Marisa: Nnoooooooo! Chieeeeef!

Reimu and Youmu blush furiously as Marisa tries to pull Yuuji off Yuyuko's unyielding lips. Yukari, in the meantime, is laughing heartily at the other girls' reactions.

Reimu: You did that on purpose didn't you, Yukari? !

Yukari: Ahahaa?huh? What? Um?no, most definitely not, I, uh, I do not know what you are trying to tell me here-

Reimu: What I'm trying to tell you here is that there was a small gap behind him before he somehow got pushed forward!

Yukari: Ah- so you saw it?ehehe~

Reimu: Geeeeez, Yukari! Don't treat my Chief like a commodity!

Yuyuko finally relinquishes the Chief.

Yuyuko: The honey shrimp was good, Yuuji? :3c

Yuuji: ?surely you're not mistaking that for an apparent affinity for me?

Yuyuko: Maaaybe~ :3c

The two vampires soar in from above and land on his shoulders.

Remilia: Well well well, what do we have here, Sawatari, flirting with these lowly humans and youkai? You are wasting your time here, we best take you back with us-

Yuyuko: No! Yuuji stays here!

Yuyuko hugs him again with another death grip, while Yuuji's face remains unchanged even after all this.

Yuuji: What are you two here for, Remilia, Flandre?

Flandre: Ah, Onee-sama and Flandre want some blood! Can we have some please?

Yuuji: Don't drink too much.

With squeals of delight, the two vampires descend onto his neck with eagerly waiting and bared fangs and canines.

Yuyuko: Ohh?maybe I should do that too??

Yuuji: No. Please don't.

Yuyuko: Awww?

And thus, the night comes to pass.
But deep underground, throughout the nation of Hakurei?

Ibuki Suika: Da time's come, fellow onis. Der's a party up der?it's time ta join 'em~!
Thanks for reading,

-Akyuu no Joshu