~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore

Absolution of the Requiem

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an unmatched sock:

And, at last, the epilogue. Hopefully you enjoyed the journey...
Chapter 9
Fare...Well?

   "Impossible..." was all she could mutter through her shock and pain. Through blurry vision, she could barely make out the image of the very creature she just thought she destroyed. "But...your halo is still over...huh?" She flipped her head to look over to where the broken halo used to be, but nothing was there, not even the faintest shimmer of light to prove it was there. She couldn't tell if the white sleeve on the wall was the one she threw to the side or hers.

   "Yes...believe it, Reimu. I have not left yet. However..." the angel turned away. "This may sound...cliche, or perhaps 'sappy', but...you have done it, by your own strength and willpower. You overcame my influence, and triumphed over an agent of heaven. Although I do not have the honor of being the first angel you have defeated, I am still honored that I lost to one such as you. You truly do deserve the title of Gensokyo's defender."

   "Uh, yeah...great." The massive creature was still pinning Reimu down, and she was focused almost entirely on not blacking out, and could hardly register her words.

   "I'm serious, you know. No ordinary human could hope to best me in combat, even danmaku. If it were not for you, this world would be plunged into my own darkness. Ugh, I'm disgusting myself with how annoyingly kind I'm being right now..." she chuckled at her musings. Another tear streaked down her cheek, and she casually wiped it away with a finger. She stopped herself before she threw the tear to the ground, and stared at it in awe. "It's...clear..."

   The creature's three eyes all turned to look at each other, a bizarre, if not rather comical, sight. Suddenly, Reimu felt a massive weight lift off of her chest, and she took a very gratifying gulp of air. She turned to see the entire host of Dark Matter swarm their revived queen, the colored ones first in line. Reimu heard the angel hit the ground and begin laughing as the horde completely surrounded her in a strange embrace. Slowly, Reimu stood to her feet, cracking her back as she rose. "Well, it was fun and all, but I need to get back home, and it's a long trip. So, have fun with your Dark Matter things, and don't try something like that again." As serious as she tried to make her tone, she couldn't help but feel happier. The Dark Matter not infesting her probably had something to do with that. As she began walking towards the door, a wall of the substance opened, showing Jozero sitting on the ground, surrounded by it.

   She walked past, awkwardly aware of the hundreds of eyes staring at her as she went. The last battle apparently brought her closer to the door than she thought, and she took a deep breath. Getting back wouldn't be easy, but it was still part of the journey. "Reimu..." She stopped, her hand barely brushing the handle, as she heard her name. She turned to see Jozero floating off of the ground, the rest of her Dark Matter flying behind her, save the three colored ones and Miracle Matter, which spun much less haphazardly. "Don't bother. Now that my plan failed, there's no need for the palace to be way out here anymore. We're bringing it back to the mainland. It would be much easier for you if you would stay until we make landfall."

   Reimu's skepticism quickly gave way to weariness, and she smiled. "That...would be great. Thanks."

   Jozero returned the smile, even if it was a bit weak. She probably hasn't exercised those muscles in a long time... "Wonderful." She snapped her fingers, and the orange and purple Dark Matters shifted into human-like forms again. "Illusion, you lead Reimu to the dining hall, and have her seated for tea. Transmutation, alert Izumi and Tearfang that we're heading back to land."

   "Yes, madam!" they chorused, the spirit-like one departing literally through the door, and the one with the image of Orange walking towards Reimu.

   "Illusion and Transmutation?"

   "Of course. What easier way to name them than by what they do?"

   "Hmm...but what about the teal one there?"

   "Oh, this one is Possession. It is unable to take full physical form like the other two, but it makes up for it by having more powerful danmaku in its natural state. It's able to completely dominate nearly anything's free will, but it won't do permanent damage. The summer youkai will be fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will be putting the tea on. I will join you in the dining hall shortly. Illusion, make Reimu feel welcome, and don't be afraid to make conversation."

   "Of course, my lady," the lips Reimu knew were hollow responded. The form of Orange turned back to Reimu before clasping her hand. Despite being just an illusion, her grip was surprisingly solid...and soft. "Right this way, Red-Whi-...er, Reimu Hakurei."

   "Uh-huh..." she replied. As she was being gently led, she watched Jozero turn to a different door, the entire company of Dark Matter following her like a cloud...no, more like ducklings following their mother, just not in a straight line.

   They went through what Reimu remembered as the third door on their left from the main hall, and entered a smaller corridor. In comparison, this hall felt cramped. Luckily, only two doors down was the large, opulent dining hall. One large buffet table dominated the center of the room, with many, many smaller tables scattered about. All were very fancily decorated, no expense spared. Illusion continued to lead Reimu down past the buffet table to a smaller, round table near another door. She pulled a chair out for Reimu, who accepted it kindly, even if it wasn't how she was used to sitting for tea. Illusion took a seat across the table, slightly to the right. She stared at Reimu blankly, her orders fulfilled until Reimu makes some sort of move or question.

   She had to admit, even the smaller tables were very fancy. Well-crafted crystalware glasses and utensils lined each eating area, a small candelabra illuminating the table in the center. The white tablecloths looked spotless, even the napkins folded into what looked like a lotus, on each plate. She looked around, noting that some tables, especially near the center, had flowers that apparently had no fragrance. Whether it was a bouquet or candles, each table looked like it was ready for either a very posh gala or a hundred romantic dates. Over the banquet table was a large, golden chandelier, smaller than the one that almost flattened her in the main hall. She hoped this one was locked in place, unlike the last one.

   Reimu turned back to find Illusion still staring at her. Before she had a chance to speak, Illusion quickly broke the silence. "Does the dining hall meet your specifications?"

   "Well, yeah...it's very nice in here. It's very...formal."

   "Very good. Her Highness put great care into designing the room."

   "Well, it's nice that Jozero can express herself somehow...never would have guessed it was interior decorating, though..."

   Illusion's fake head tilted to the side in confusion. "What do you mean? Lady Jozero is..."

   She was cut off as a noise punctured the otherwise complete stillness: the sound of Reimu's stomach growling. "Oh...right, I haven't eaten anything since this morning."

   "Would you like for me to order us some snacks?" Illusion offered.

   The sudden feeling of hunger intensified at the mention of snacks. "Yes, please! The faster, the better!"

   "Alright, one moment." She lifted a small bell off of the table, and rang it twice. Within seconds, a pair of fairy maids flew out of the door closest to them, floating right next to the table. "Bring our guest a sample platter. Hurry, before Lady Jozero returns." The two fairies bowed and flew into a door on the opposite wall. "They will be but a moment."

   "So...sample platter?" Although she had a hunch, she just wanted to clarify.

   "You've never had one? It's a tray of small portions of many different types of snacks, and you can try them to see which you like. I'm surprised you never have had one before..."

   "Well, I don't go out to eat much," Reimu admitted as the closest door opened again. Out came the two fairies from earlier, carrying a platter of many types of sweets. Some were still steaming, others looked chilled. A third fairy maid flew out and shuffled some plates around to make room for the tray. It had to be a quarter of the size of the table. Reimu stared at the plate, practically drooling over it. She couldn't recognize a single item before her, but they all looked so good...

   Illusion giggled. "Help yourself." Reimu looked back up with a "Whuh", not having heard her the first time. "I said go ahead, dig in. Let me know which you like so we know what to prepare if you should visit again in the future."

   Her eyes lit up as her abdomen pained her, as if asking what she was waiting for. Without another moment to spare, she grabbed a small, dark brown square, and bit into it. The flavor, the rich texture, the sheer sweetness that didn't overpower...if her eyes could glow, they would be lighting up the room right now. And this was only the beginning, there were so many different types of food she couldn't even identify. Even Youmu's sword would have a hard time cutting through her near nonexistent hesitation to keep going at them.

   "I trust the snacks are to your liking?" Reimu stopped eating, her face stuffed, and looked at her in silence. She went back to eating immediately. "I...suppose I will take that as a yes. Or you are hungrier than I thought."

   What felt like only moments later, all that was left on the tray were wax-paper cups and crumbs. Reimu wiped her mouth with her napkin. "Sorry about that. You...didn't want any, did you?" she said with a pang of guilt.

   Luckily, she shook her head. "I don't need to eat. It doesn't mean I can't, but I only do on special occasions. The tray was all for you anyway."

   "Heh...thanks." Not a moment later, a door further down the wall opened, and Jozero stepped out, followed by Possession balancing a tray with a teapot and several cups resting on it. The Dark Matter phased through the table, leaving the tray sitting perfectly on the other tray, and Jozero took the seat directly across from Reimu.

   She looked at the empty platter under the tea. "So, I trust that the snacks Illusion must have gotten you were to your liking?"

   Reimu nodded. "Some of the best desserts I've never had."

   Jozero hmmed as she poured the tea into the cups. The tea was still steaming as she handed one to Reimu with a small plate. "I know this isn't your traditional method of drinking and serving tea, and I do apologize for not meeting your custom. I've simply grown so used to this that it didn't even occur to me until I was already halfway done making it."

   Reimu gave the tea a sniff, then looked back up at Jozero. "It's no big deal. This is your house, after all, so I should be expected to follow your customs...even if they are a bit strange. So anyway, what kind of tea is this?"

   Jozero lowered her cup from taking a sip. "Oh, it's just a lemon and ginger tea. Caffeine-free."

   "Huh...not sure if I've ever had it before..." Reimu took a small sip. "Mm, it's good."

   "That's good. I thought about making one of the more strange teas we have, but I decided a simple one would do."

   "Jeez, this place must be stuffed to the gills with food, then..."

   "That's right," Illusion chimed in. "Her Highness takes great care to keep all pantries, refridgerators, and cupboards stocked with all sorts of-"

   "Oh hush, you," Jozero interrupted.

   Before their conversation could continue, the furthest door on the far wall opened. Reimu could hardly tell who it was, even by squinting, due to the low light in the hall. As the shape in approached, Reimu recognized it as the swordsgirl, whatever Jozero had called her. Or it... "Say Jozero, do those Dark Matters with colors have genders?"

   Jozero raised an eyebrow before turning to see her approaching. "Ah, I understand. Well, in a sense, no. If they were to die and dissipate, nothing would be left. They are literally made of dark matter. I just have the ability to bring them to life. However, because the forms they take or borrow are almost always female, I usually refer to one of them as a 'she', or by name."

   "So if one possesses, and the other creates illusions, what does the third one do?"

   "The third one, Transmutation, can change her form at will to look like anyone, but with the right eye being yellow. She can also take forms she's never seen before." She brought one hand to her chin, and seemed to look past Reimu. "The strangest thing is that the form she usually takes, the one of the sword-wielder, I never thought for her. That can only mean they have their own imaginations and thought patterns..." She snapped back to Reimu. "Oh, sorry. I began rambling. It's not too often I feel in the mood to talk to...well...anyone. And, unfortunately, I won't be like this forever."

   Reimu groaned. "Don't tell me you're going to try this whole incident again after we get back just because you'll feel like it then."

   Jozero shook her head. "No, don't worry. I have learned my lesson. I will leave Gensokyo at peace, as long as they leave me be as well. Friendly relations will only help." A disembodied hand tapped Jozero on the shoulder. "Ah! Transmutation, what was...oh, yes. I forgot you were there."

   "No worries, my queen," she said in her usual quiet voice. Her saying 'my queen' seemed to fit her swordsgirl form. "The task you requested is finished. Tearfang will return shortly, and Izumi is trying to get her bearings on where we need to go."

   "Very good. Come, sit with us." She motioned, and a smaller Dark Matter flew from behind her and pulled the chair out.

   "Yes, my lady." She sat in the chair, her ghostlike tail curling beneath it. The chair seemed slightly too tall for her.

   "So Jozero, how did you get like this, anyway?"

   Jozero lowered her cup, and her elite Dark Matters all turned to Reimu. "I'm sorry?"

   "You know, the whole darkness and depression and despair and the whole...how did you word it earlier...'If everyone suffers with me, then I won't be the only one' nonsense?"

   Jozero stared off for a while before chuckling. "That's not a story for right now, or for just one person to listen to. Remind me, and I will tell it another day. For now, I just want to relax and forget..."

   "Oh...alright." Reimu was at a loss for words, since there's hardly anyone in Gensokyo who wouldn't share their story outright, or someone else to share the story. She took another sip of tea and immediately had an idea. "Say, could you bring me some of those dark brown square things that are so delicious?"

   "You mean brownies?"

   "Uh...sure. Let's go with that."

   "Of course. You two," she said addressing her currently morphed servants. "Bring our guest another platter of brownies."

   "Yes, madam!" they responded, and both flew towards another random door.

   "Does each door just lead to a random place in this castle?" Reimu inquired, since no one has entered or exited from the same door more than once as far as she could remember.

   "Well, no. You see, the interior of the castle is-"

   She was cut off as the door closest to them burst open, and a girl with silver hair walked towards them. "Lady Jozero, I arrived as soon as...oh." She stopped when she saw Reimu sitting at the table with Jozero. "Greetings, red-white." Reimu could tell she was trying to be polite, but there were definite tones of distaste mixed in.

   "Tearfang. How did the patrolling the Ingress thing work out?"

   "You were the sole intruder. It was uneventful, except for a few upstart fairies who tried to escape using force when they saw the rift." Although it was hard to tell, her tone sounded sarcastic.

   "Now, Tearfang, no need to be rude to our guest," Jozero chimed. "She won fair and square, and like I just said, she is our guest."

   Tearfang turned towards the angel. "But, my lady, you can't be serious that-"

   "Enough, Tearfang."

   Reimu smiled wryly at Tearfang getting scolded, watching her pallid cheeks turn a slight shade of pink. Now that she was closer, she noticed that Tearfang's clothes looked like they still had the damage from when they fought earlier, except all physical wounds were healed.

   "But...but to allow her to be here for an extended length of time? You don't think she-"

   "I said enough, Tearfang." Jozero was clearly getting annoyed, especially in comparison to how Tearfang's expression and tone only changed in small amounts. "Now go and clean yourself up. I don't know why you're still in tatters when you even returned to the palace..."

   "I returned on an errand. I did not have time to change. And I still think that the shrine maiden would be better off-

   "Tearfang, I'm not going to turn this into a debacle. Just leave. Please."

   The sword girl opened her mouth to continue before shutting it again into a displeased frown. She turned and stalked down the hall through the door she just entered from in a huff. Reimu watched her go, and got to see her pull an illusionary sword out of nowhere and slice a random passerby fairy maid out of frustration. "Is she normally like that?"

   "No, not normally," Jozero sighed. "Usually only when she gets conflicting orders or flustered...or in this case both." Both girls laughed at this. "Nonetheless, I apologize for her disturbance." She reached for a brownie. "You don't mind, do you?"

   Reimu grabbed the teapot to pour herself another cup and shook her head. They continued in silence for another few minutes until yet another door opened. Jeez, each door is just a random hallway, isn't it... "Miss Jozero! Is it true that we're goin' back to...Reimu?" she called as she approached. "Bloody hell, you are alive! Not that I doubted ya, but she's not the type to lose easily."

   Reimu looked down at her slightly battle-damaged clothes. "Yeah, well, neither am I. And look who looks the worse for wear because of it."

   "Haha, yeah. Anyway, 's it true you want to head back to the mainland?"

   "Yes, Izumi. Why else would Transmutation tell you that?"

   "Well, I just wanted to make sure, since we're almost back to shore."

   Reimu nearly spit out her tea, but instead choked it down. "Ruh-really?" she responded, sputtering a bit. She regained her breath a bit before continuing. "That was fa-hast."

   "Don't strain yourself too hard, mate. Wouldn't want you to finally get back to land only to drown by tea above the ocean."

   "You certa-hainly have a strange sense of humor, don't...don't..." she punctuated her statement with another sneeze, a loud one that echoed through the room. "Ugh...don't you?"

   "Yeah...you might want to just go straight home and rest after this, mate. You've had a long day."

   "Yeah...rest sounds nice."

   "Izumi..." Jozero interrupted. "About when will we make landfall?"

   "Oh, right! Real soon, actually. The palace'll be on the ground in no time. I need to hurry back so we can land right. If you two take your time, we should be back before you make it back to the main hall. Well, I'll see ya in a bit." With that, she turned and walked right back from where she entered.

   "I wouldn't think such a huge structure would be able to fly this smoothly such a long distance. I didn't even notice when we started moving," Reimu commented.

   "That's true. It is a very stabilized fly. Well, if you're done, we should probably head back to the foyer."

   Reimu drank the last from her teacup and set it back on its little dish, nodding to Jozero. They both stood and walked towards the door they first entered from, the door unused by everyone else entering the room. The three colored Dark Matters drifted silently behind them. "Hey, what happened to that huge crowd of Dark Matter that followed you into the kitchen when you went to make the tea?"

   "Those? I willed them out of existence. They served no further purpose. These three and Miracle Matter are the only ones who aren't weak fighters, an obstacle, or used to infest people. So, I have no qualm with getting rid of them, since I can spawn new ones instantaneously."

   Reimu dwelled on that last statement for a bit before shrugging it off. "So, what is Miracle Matter anyway? It looks a lot like you, but...it's a shape, not a person."

   "Again, that is a story for another time. It...it's very dear to me, let's put it that way." Reimu decided to leave it at that, partially because she could see the open door at the end of the hall.

   They stepped back out into the sunlit main hall, watching small clouds drift by as the palace soared back to its original territory. As they watched, the clouds' movements slowed down, and then they began rising. Jozero turned to the shrine maiden and said "You might want to get off of the ground." They both began floating, and they could see the floor begin to rumble beneath them as the palace landed. The windows and the door rattling made Reimu begin to shake, until it finally stopped. Izumi opened the front doors from the outside, where Reimu saw grass, a river, hills, and trees further in the distance.

   She took a few weary steps towards the door. "Finally home..."

   "You sure you'll be fine on your way home?"

   "Yeah, I'll be fine...I'm just glad to be on solid ground again."

   "Alright, then. Take care, Reimu."

   She turned to see Jozero and her core Dark Matters in humanoid form, Izumi, and even a now-cleaned-up Tearfang watching her leave. She smiled and waved back at them. As she turned, she saw the beginnings of a red streak go down Jozero's face. Now's not the time to worry about that. Now's the time to go home. With that thought empowering her, she took a step out into the shining sunlight, the first step back towards her shrine.


   Not a single youkai challenged her on her way home. She thought she saw both mushroom youkai as she trekked from the hills to the forest, but they quickly dodged out of sight before she could truly tell. She saw a small group of fairies happily playing above the trees, and smiled. This was the Gensokyo she remembered, where fairies happily shot each other down with danmaku, not a despair-ridden land.

   She eventually reached the stairs leading to the familiar sight of the torii of her shrine. The light was gradually dimming as the sun set, and she rubbed her bare arm to try to keep it warm. She slowly began the climb, but stopped as she saw someone walk up and lean against the gate. They looked like they were tossing something up and down in one hand, waiting for something, causing Reimu to grimace. What now...I'm just getting back from an incident... With no other options, she continued up the stairs. Her suspicions quickly quieted when she noticed the figure was wearing an iconic pointy hat.

   "Evenin', Reimu. How was your little trip?" she asked, not even looking in her direction, her hat obscuring her eyes.

   "Marisa...thank god, I thought it was someone here to cause trouble."

   "Nah, the troublemaker just showed up, ze" she replied, obviously trying to be cryptic and cool. She was tossing her Hakkero up and down repeatedly, as if anxious about something.

   Reimu grew skeptical of her friend. "What's that supposed to mean? I've been gone all day solving this incident. And no one followed me here."

   "Riiiiight, 'incident-solving'. Tell me, Reimu..." She got up from leaning against the torii, now clutching the hakkero and looking the maiden straight in the eye. "Since when do you go through other peoples' houses when you solve incidents? They're usually outdoors or in huge, lofty buildings."

   Reimu racked her brain, trying to figure out what the witch was talking about. She was in that palace, in a typhoon, in that weird dimension thing, over the ocean, flying over a river, through the forest following...who? Wait, the forest... Her eyes went wide as the connection was made. "Oh, right. That."

   "Yeah, what's the deal with you just barging in on Alice right after she gets done bathing? Huh?"

   "What? How'd you hear about that? And it wasn't right after she was done, she had a towel on and was clipping her toenails..."

   "Sure, that's what you'd want your friend to think. I heard the whole story about how you snuck into Alice's house and walked in on her like that!" Her face was starting to turn red. "How could you do that, Reimu? It's just uncalled for."

   "Look, can we talk about this some other time? I'm really tired, and I don't feel like putting up with this right now." She turned to walk into her shrine, but was cut off by a short laser impacting the ground right in front of her. She whipped back around at Marisa, drawing her gohei. "What the hell?!"

   A small amount of smoke was clearing off of the hakkero, and Marisa looked sinister. "Wrong choice of words, 'buddy'."

   "How the hell was I supposed to know you had such a thing for Alice?! Don't get me wrong, I could still tell, but I didn't know you were this obsessive!"

   "I-it's not so much of a 'thing' as it is...look, I'm just gonna beat you up and go home about it, alright?" She hopped on her broom, and four magic familiars began rotating around her. "No hard feelings, k?"

   Reimu's weariness really set in. Just when she thought she was home free, now Marisa of all people wanted to fight her for a really silly reason. "Who even told you about that anyway?"

   Marisa began to reply, then looked around, puzzled. "I...don't remember. But whether or not it's true, I still have to take you down for i-"

   "MARISAAA!" yelled a voice from down the stairs. Floating up them was none other than Alice herself, gingerly holding her grimoire and her doll Shanghai following close behind her. "I had a feeling you'd be here...what're you doing?" She turned to Reimu. "And why are you so torn up?"

   "Incident."

   "Ah. I wasn't even aware one was going on...so that's why you went through my house...I guess..."

   "Ah-HA! I knew it! The only other witness has given me all the evidence I need!" She began charging her Hakkero with energy, causing it to glow. "Say your prayers Reimu! ...Y'know, unironically."

   "WAIT!" Alice shouted. "I'm sure she has good reason! It's not like she saw anything, it was just awkward!"

   "Y-Yeah!" Reimu stuttered, grateful Alice was on her side.

   "Oh great, now you're taking HER side over MINE now? Oh, this Master Spark is gonna feel soooo great...for me, that is."

   Well, crap.

   Reimu floated into the air, ready to fly for her life before she gets annihilated by Marisa's spark. Alice rose too, trying to soothe Marisa, who wasn't paying attention to her. All three of them stopped when they heard a stone bounce along the ground. They turned, and saw a youkai in a black hat walking towards them, probably just going to walk right past them without even a hello. All three slowly dropped to the ground as she approached.

   "Koishi?" Reimu was the first to speak.

   "Hey...that's right, it was Koishi who told me about you and Alice, ze..." Marisa said, turning to Reimu.

   "And now that I look at her, I remember that she's been sneaking around my house for the past few weeks now for some reason...I always find muddy footprints because of her...and here I thought it was Reimu, now..." Alice also commented, also turning to Reimu.

   "Yeah, she's the one who helped me with this incident by leading me to the beach...and through Alice's house."

   All three turned to Koishi and glared at her. "KOISHI!!!" they all yelled in unison.

   The absent-minded satori spun on her heel without breaking stride, and started running in the opposite direction. She looked over her shoulder to see Alice on one side, and Reimu on the other, and kept running. She was swiftly cut off by Marisa swooping in on her broom. Koishi skidded to a stop, and tried to run to her right, being cut off by Reimu. Alice completed the triangle, and the three circled around the girl menacingly. "Hee hee, you caught me~! Now you all run, and I get to corner you!"

   "Not this time, Koishi," Reimu replied.

   "You made a mistake involving Alice, let alone just sneaking around in general. Just 'cause no one can perceive you doesn't mean you can just throw away your conscience...or think you will get away with everything," Marisa continued.

   "And now you'll pay for getting mud on my carpet every week. As well as what you've done today."

   "Heh...uh, guys? This isn't funny...can't you just let me go with a warning or something~?"

   The three stopped circling and smirked at Koishi, all drawing spellcards. They all lifted them over their heads. The situation finally sinking in, all she could think of saying at this point is just "Aw, poop."

   "Divine Spirit 'Fantasy Seal -Blink-'!"

   "Magicannon 'Final Spark'!"

   "'Phantom of the Grand Guignol'!"

   "KYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!" From near the shrine, a bright light shone forth, and a loud, pitiable shriek could be heard...


   The sun shone through the slot on the window, on Reimu's sleeping face. The light and warmth disrupting her sleeping conditions, she sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. As the world once again came into focus, she could hear the sounds of birds and cicadas outside, a warm draft blowing in. Reimu smiled and stood up, stretching the inactivity from her joints. "What a great morning. I feel so much better, too," she said to no one in particular. Slowly, she picked up a warm, delicious scent wafting from somewhere outside. "Must be breakfast time." As quickly as she could, she changed into a fresh, clean shrine maiden outfit, glad to finally have two sleeves again. She'll have to make a stop at the Human Village to get a replacement...hopefully an inexpensive one.

   She stepped onto the porch, remembering how she had just been pacing around, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Now, nothing could be less right. The spot Suika had a little tantrum on was slightly depressed, but there wasn't much she could do about it. At least she fixed the stone outside. Wait...who's that? She just became aware of someone sitting on the torii gate, and oddly enough it wasn't Suika. Come to think of it, that's where that smell is coming from...

   She flew to the gate, coming up behind none other than the ghost princess, who turned and smiled at her in greeting. "Hello there, Reimu. Wonderful morning, isn't it?"

   "Uh...yeah..."

   "Maybe a bit warm for my tastes, but much better than the cold."

   "Right. So...why're you here?"

   Yuyuko turned to look back over the landscape. "Am I not allowed to get a good view of the living world while enjoying breakfast?" She punctuated her question by taking a dumpling out of a basket on her lap and popping it in her mouth. "Yum." She looked up to catch Reimu staring at the food. "Want some?"

   "Huh? Oh, no, no thanks. I'm sure I have something in the shrine to eat for breakfast." Besides, I know how you are when it comes to food... she added silently.

   "Oh, nonsense. Here, I brought a second pair of chopsticks. Dig in~."

   At first Reimu didn't know how to respond. Generosity with food wasn't exactly Yuyuko's strong suit. But on the other hand, those dumplings did look rather good..."Alright, since you offered."

   The two ate and stared out at the landscape, seeing the occasional youkai or fairy pop above the treetops, and small flashes of danmaku peppering the forest. It looked like there was a larger scuffle happening on what looked like the path to the forest...but the combatants looked equally skilled in danmaku, it seemed. "Oh, what happened to Youmu, by the way?" Reimu asked while taking a bite of another dumpling.

   "Feel free to help yourself to as many dumplings as you wish~."

   Reimu looked sidelong at her guest. "Uh...you're avoiding the question."

   "Hmm? You asked a question?"

   "Yes, I did. I asked how Youmu is doing. I'm assuming you got her to Eientei just fine?"

   Yuyuko's expression turned distant and wistful, putting a slight chill into the atmosphere. "Y-yes, I got her to Eientei."

   Reimu was getting worried and impatient with Yuyuko not answering her question. "Alright, but how is she doing? Just tell me."

   "Whom are we talking about again?"

   "Youmu!" she nearly yelled, grabbing another dumpling.

   "Oh...yes. Youmu." She closed her eyes, finally giving in to Reimu's prodding. A chilled breeze blew past them as she took a deep breath. "She...passed on. Her face was so...so peaceful when I went to see her, and the doctor at Eientei was so...dignified, when she told me, as if she practiced this sort of thing. I guess you sort of have to be, when it comes to this sort of thing. I remember her leading me into the room she was in...and..." Yuyuko sniffled, a tear running down her cheek.

   Reimu spat out the half-chewed dumpling. "Wh-wha-WHAT?! Youmu's...gone?! As in one-hundred percent, not the fifty she was before?" She turned to Yuyuko, only to see her barely able to hold back a smile. "You...That wasn't funny. You, of all people, joking about death...it's just twisted."

   "Yes, Youmu was in a state very close to death. She had no control over even her vitals. As soon as I felt something strange far to the east, the darkness that plagued her left, and her breaths became stable and normal, her heart rate and so on. She's still resting, as half-alive as ever. I was on my way to bring her home when I decided to stop here for breakfast. That strange feeling...it felt like what happens when a ghost is about to enter Nirvana, but someone interrupts it, except it felt...much more painful. Like a prison was temporarily broken." She turned to Reimu. "You wouldn't happen to know about that, would you?"

   Reimu thought for a bit, but all she could think of was Jozero after she beat her. "As a matter of fact...yes. It was me sending that angel to hell, like you asked me to do."

   Yuyuko looked aghast. "What?! Why on earth would you send an angel to hell? Whenever they do something, they have to have a reason for it."

   "Yeah, well, her reason sucked. So I beat her up for it. She vanished in a white light, and all her little...things, servants or whatever, banded together to try and kill me because of it. Then she came back before I was pummeled."

   "You know, you shouldn't joke about the afterlife. Angels, hell, ghosts and the like are very serious business, unlike life."

   "Life and death are pretty serious, too, you know, and you joked about them."

   "Yes, but talking of affecting the afterlife like that makes you sound like you think you're a Yama, which'll get you in trouble with a real one."

   Reimu started to respond, but stopped. Yuyuko's strange logic made sense for once, and the argument was distracting her from the scenery. So, she shrugged and took another dumpling from the basket. As she brought it up, she felt resistance. She looked, and Yuyuko's chopsticks were also around it. "Uh...Yuyuko?"

   "Now I know you aren't trying to take the last dumpling out of your guest's chopsticks, are you?"

   "Um...but I had it first?" It sounded more like a question than a complaint. Yuyuko just stared at her, shifting her gaze to the dumpling and back, her face rigid. "Oh, fine." Yuyuko began smiling once again as she brought the liberated dumpling to her mouth.

   "Just to let you know, Reimu...the angel didn't seem too bad. I think she was just misguided. Hopefully her defeat will make her realize she could do so much more. Although, it will be impossible for her to reconcile at the moment. She will get her opportunity...but someone needs to show her a path to the light first, instead of the embrace of darkness." The shrine maiden just looked at her for a moment, not sure what she meant. "Oh, poo." she said, looking down at the basket. "I was going to save some of these for Youmu...oh well. I'm sure she's already fed and ready to come home. And if not...well, I'm sure the hospital has a food court we can stop at~." She got up, hanging the basket on her forearm. "We might have to stop there anyway~." Without another word, she lifted off of the gate and flew towards the Bamboo Forest.

   Reimu stood up as well, and turned to go back inside, when she saw Suika running for the door, her path wobbling slightly. Reimu was about to call out to her when, in her drunken stupor, she forgot to watch her horns and got stuck on the doorway, falling flat on her back. Reimu chuckled as she got back up and carefully sidled out of the door to make sure she didn't repeat that mistake. "Reimu! Reimu!"

   "Yes, what is it, Suika?" She was still laughing at her display. It had been a long time since she ran full speed into the door. "And make sure you watch those horns. They like to get caught in doors, I hear."

   "Ha, ha, so funny. Anyway. when's the partyyyy~? Sake ain't gonna drink itself!"

   "And thank the gods your gourd is infinite, or the planet would probably be dry by now."

   "Oh, stop being silly. So when is it? Huh?"

   "It's tonight. You did drop the sparse invites in the Underground to the right people, right?"

   "Of course! Who do you think I am?"

   "Suika the Forgetful Drunkard," Reimu joked.

   "Watch it, even drunk I can still throw a mean left hook!" She began shadow boxing to prove her point, almost losing her balance on the second swing.

   "Yeah, yeah, just save your energy. You'll probably need it. We don't need you passing out on us in the middle of a party. Especially after the last time, when you were three times your size and passed out, blocking the entire middle of the room. We had to use you as a table, since you fell on - and broke - the actual table."

   "Hey, that was a stressful day. I told you I had to fight a bean fairy that day!"

   "Keep telling yourself that, and maybe eventually I'll believe it."

   "Heh, you and your sarcasm. One of these days, I tell ya..." she rambled as she meandered to the gate. She gave an uppercut to the air. "Pow! Right in the face! No, wait...I messed that up...uh..." She stopped and thought about it, before ending it with a resounding "Meh." followed by a flying leap to the gate. A sake gourd could barely be seen above the red beams.

   The party...after-Incident parties became more popular after the Moriya incident. Although, they usually take place at the culprit's home, not the solver's. Then again, that palace was way too drab and unhappy for a party. It would have to be painted or decorated first. That reminds me, there's still a lot to prepare for...

   An "OIIII! REIMU!" startled her out of her planning as the easily-recognizable witch sped up and landed right next to her, Alice in tow. "Big night tonight! Alice, show her what we brought."

   Alice smiled and pulled out a large bag. "We got it from Kourindou. I had to pay, since a certain someone tried to hide it under her hat."

   "Hey, it woulda worked if you didn't give it away."

   "Your hat doesn't stand straight up, stupid! It bends about halfway!"

   "...Hold on a sec." Marisa jumped off her broom, and ran to the pond nearby the shrine, an old-looking turtle looking up at her before going back to sleep. "AW, CRAP!" could be heard from the witch.

   The pair chuckled at Marisa's antics before focusing back on Alice's bag. "Anyway, Kourin showed us a short moving picture from the Outside World of a party, and they had these strange bottles..." she said as she drew one from the bag. There appeared to be multiple. "Basically, when one wants to start the party, they shake the bottle and jam their thumb under the cork at the mouth of the bottle, prying it open. With any luck, the cork will fly off, and it's supposed to be good luck or something to be hit by the cork after it goes flying. It's apparently alcoholic, even though I haven't tried any. He called it "Champion", for some reason. I guess because they use it at victory parties."

   "All right, neat. Well, you should probably take it with you, last thing we need is Suika drinking it all before the party even starts." Marisa had rejoined them, muttering about her hat being dysfunctional and Alice being right. "Why does it need to be at my shrine anyway? Couldn't it be at Alice's house? Or even the Moriya shrine? They're both bigger than my shrine." And cleaning up after everyone is such a drag...

   "You know how difficult it is to get up the Youkai Mountain, even with Tengu permission, ze."

   "And my house is off-limits to many people. Not that it apparently matters much anymore," she added quietly.

   "Yeah...well, you guys should get going. I've got preparations to make for tonight."

   "Alright, Reirei. Don't work too hard, you hear? But I don't want this to be a half-assed party, either."

   "Yeah, shut up, Marisa. Since when have I disappointed you? Tanabata is always a fun time here, for example."

   "Festivals may be parties, but not every party is a festival. Anyway, see ya! Come on, Alice."

   "Take care, Reimu. See you tonight!" Alice called as the two whisked away on Marisa's broom.

   "Stay safe, you two!" she called after them. She turned back to her shrine and took a deep breath. Once they were gone, Reimu went over a mental checklist of what she needed. She was set on food, no decorations were needed, and everyone who she wanted to be there was given an invitation. Drinks...usually Suika handled that. Yet, perhaps it was her sudden taste for foreign food from the palace the other day, but she wanted something a little more...unique, for this one. Specialty drinks...

   Her eyes lit up as realization hit her. "That shark at the river! She ran a drink stand! Oh, wait..." Her excitement was rapidly being quelled by reason. "That stand didn't exactly look mobile...and it's too short of notice for her to pack up and haul everything here...hmm..." She turned to the gate, barely able to see the oni perched on top of it. "Suika can carry large things...maybe she could do something..."

   Her mind made up, she flew to the top of the gate. The young oni opened one eye upside down, her face showing only the slightest signs of intoxication. "'Sup, Reimu?"

   "Hey Suika, mind coming with me to help with something?"

   She rolled onto her stomach, still only keeping one eye open. "Ehh...but the sun's so nice today...

   "It's about alcohol."

    "In that case, whaddya need help with?"

   Reimu beckoned, and headed towards the forest. "I'll explain on the way there."


   Reimu shielded her eyes with her hand, barely able to see the stand from atop the hill she stood on. Suika was busy gaping at the giant, dark palace that was inexplicably there. "There it is, Suika. That's the stand down there, by the river."

   Suika peered over the hill, looking like a mole was coming out of it. "That little thing? Ah, that'll be easy."

   "Just remember what I told you."

   "Yeah yeah, I got it. How long's that castle been there?"

   Reimu tried to respond, when she realized she didn't know for sure. "I dunno. At least a year or two, I think. Anyway, I'm off."

   "Kay," Suika responded, still gazing at the structure. "I wonder how long it took to build it..."

   Without a word, Reimu approached the wooden bar-like stand, and saw the owner reading the newest issue of the Bunbunmaru and drinking an unnervingly red smoothie. Boy, she must get hardly any business at all...I just wonder if anyone even knows she's over here...well, this'll help both of our problems. She stepped up to the seat farthest on the left and waited.

   Although it took a minute, Kuhai finally glanced over and noticed she had a customer. "Oh, hey. Sorry 'bout that. Celebrity gossip's interesting, ya know?"

   "Actually, I wouldn't. I don't get that piece of garbage newspaper."

   The river shark chuckled before setting down her glass and the paper. "Yeah, well, it helps pass the time. Gotta say, you're the first recurring customer I've had in a while. Even though you didn't really buy anything last time. So, what can I get ya?"

   Reimu smirked. "I require your services."

   Kuhai's business-friendly smile dropped. "Um...excuse me?"

   "And your stand."

   "Okay, what are you talking about, since it's obviously not what I thought you meant?"

   The shrine maiden leaned on the counter. "I'll make it brief. After an incident, usually there's a small party to celebrate yet another incident solved. And, well, this one will be a bit lacking in refreshments. So, I require your services and stand to provide these. Am I going too fast for you?"

   "Not at all, I completely understand the language of business opportunity." She smiled as she turned and began packing a cooler with different glasses and loose ingredients. "So, when's this party, anyway?" she asked as she grabbed a basket of limes.

   "Tonight."

   Kuhai stumbled, losing a couple of fruit. "Tuh-tuh-tonight?! There's no way I can pack up in time!" she stuttered as she frantically began picking the limes back up.

   Reimu stood back up, stretching her arms. "Ah, that's not a problem."

   "What're you gonna do, carry the stand all by yourself?" Kuhai retorted sarcastically.

   "No, I have someone to do that for me." She turned and cupped her hands to her mouth. "HEY, SUIKA!!"

   "...Suika?" she repeated. "What's a suika?" Suddenly she started hearing the hanging glasses rattling. She stepped toward the counter to peer under the roof, and she dropped the basket of fruit. "Is that...is that a GIANT?!"

   The massive form of the normally small oni trudged forth, hardly leaving a footprint in the earth. She probably rivalled the castle in height right now.

   "No, that's Suika. She's an oni who manipulates density."

   "Oh, don't tell me...she's gonna carry the whole stand, isn't she?"

   "That's the plan. Oh, you might want to get all of your loose items together or secure them. No guarantees all of your stuff will make it otherwise."

   "Yeah, I get your point," she replied, and began packing as many things that she couldn't secure into the multiple coolers scattered around, securing them under the front of the counter. She'll have to carry about four glasses, since she ran out of room. She hopped over the counter and began securing the bar stools to the counter. Once the last one was locked, she grabbed the glasses and sat on the middle stool. "Uh...all set...I think..."

   Reimu nodded, and flew up to the oni awaiting directions. "Alright Suika, I want the stand to get back home in one piece. Last thing I need is to pay for repairs to her little business. Plus, if you don't break it, I'll spend one of the free drinks she owes me to get you a specialty of your choice."

   Suika saluted, and bent down, gingerly plucking the stand from the ground and placing it on her other palm. Reimu flew up to the stand to join Kuhai, who was looking around bewildered. "What, you never flown this high before?"

   "This high?! I can barely get above the treetops, normally! This is incredible!" She then made the mistake of looking down, past her dangling feet, and her hands visibly tensed on the glasses she was holding. "Ooh, and now I'm scared. And a bit woozy."

   "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Took me a while to get over anything that had to do with heights. And I kinda needed to for the Cherry Blossom incident. Even for this incident. It's just something you get used to."

   Kuhai laughed nervously. "I'm not sure I want to get used to this. I like land...and water."

   After a few minutes of Suika stomping across the Forest of Magic, they were in sight of the shrine. "We're almost there. Any place you would rather be set up at?"

   "If you have any bodies of water, it would be great for my stand to be there. I'm not a fan of being away from water for so long. If there's fish, I promise I won't eat 'em. Unless you say I can," she added with a sharp, toothy grin.

   Reimu rolled her eyes before instructing Suika to set her down in front of the pond. The giant little oni nodded, and carefully set down the stand, letting it drop into place so the open back was to the pond. Kuhai jumped down and began rearranging everything to her liking, her arms stretching from the coolers so she didn't have to run back and forth. Suika finally shrank to a manageable size.

   "Everything all good, Kuhai?"

   "Yes ma'am, everything survived. Thanks for the li-" She turned to see a turtle staring inquisitively at her. "Well hi there..." She turned back to Reimu. "Uh, who's that?"

   "Hm? Oh, that's Genjii. He used to help me out before I could fly on my own. Yo, Gramps!" she yelled, waving at him.

   Kuhai kept hauling things around, eventually picking up the same basket of limes from before."Genjii? Hmm. Not the name I would have given a pet turtle, but to each their own, I suppose..."

   "Now who're you calling a pet turtle?"

   "GACK!" Kuhai yelped, dropping the limes yet again. "Okay...didn't expect it to talk."

   "Genjii, this is Kuhai. I met her on my way to solving the incident that just happened. She's going to be providing drinks for the guests for tonight."

   "Ah, another incident solved, just as a Hakurei maiden is ought to do. Good work. What'd you fight this time?"

   "I'll tell ya later, I've got some more setting up to do. Oh, Kuhai, don't eat the fish or the turtle either. I wouldn't advise the frogs, either."

   "Yeah, gotcha," she halfheartedly replied as she reached into the cooler to shift things around. "Ah crap, a glass broke...I'll have to stop at Kourindou at some point and see if he has another one..."

   "Alright, I'll leave you to it. C'mon, Suika. We should check to see what food there'll be tonight." The oni nodded and silently followed, only grunting once when she forgot to turn to not hit the door.

   "So, your name is Kuhai, eh?"

   "Yep. Kuhai Hoshokusha. I used to be a god, until my faith dropped to almost nothing. The only thing keeping me still kicking is the business. It's a good enough alternative to faith."

   "A shark god...not very many of those."

   "How 'bout you? I've never heard of a turtle god. Or are you the avatar of the god of this shrine or something?"

   Genjii laughed. "Oh, no, I'm just an old man who helps the Hakurei line. When the next one comes around, I'll spring back into action to teach them. As for Reimu, she's fine on her own now, so I'm taking a well-deserved rest," he said, smiling.

   Kuhai couldn't help but return the smile as she took count of her supplies. She had more than enough, which meant the stand was all set up and ready for tonight. "Well, I'm sure you must have a ton of stories, and since the stand's all set up, I've got nothing but time." She hopped into the pond, surprised at how deep it actually was, and found a rock to sit on. "So, go ahead. You must be dying to talk to someone."

   The old turtle shifted into a more comfortable position. "Well, as a matter of fact, I do have a few tales to tell...I might as well start at the beginning. I call this one 'The Story of the Eastern Wonderland'...

   Reimu closed the window, having heard enough. She knew the tale all too well, so she didn't need to hear it again. It was the most talkative she's seen Genjii in a long time. "Well, an old man and a god could probably rival each other in stories. Luckily, the party isn't about past stories, but rather the creation of a new one." She surveyed the grounds, noting Kuhai's stand, the plates of food she and Suika already assembled and the rest that could be thrown together at a moment's noticed, and chuckled. "Looks like tonight's gonna be a long night." She hadn't said those words in a long time, and she grinned as nostalgia flooded her.

an unmatched sock:

   POP!

   "Did I do that right?"

   "Look, the bottle's foaming!"

   "Is the bottle supposed to foam? Wouldn't that decrease the amount of the drink in it?"

   "What a waste..."

   "No, it's supposed to do that, I think."

   "Oh god, my eye! The cork's in my eye!"

   Reimu stood up and waved down her guests' conversation. "Hello, everyone. Thank you all for coming to another after-Incident party." She waited for the applause to die down. "Now, this one was a bit strange, since the incident was very subtle to begin with, and hardly anyone knows who the offending party is..."

   "I do!" yelled Cirno from the back. "Some weird lady attacked Sunny, Luna, Star, and me! Dai came back in the nick of time before I would have sunk into the lake and drowned!" she practically screamed as Daiyousei tried to calm her down.

   "...The point is that it's all over now, and Gensokyo is safe from despair."

   "So? Despair is natural, and it's not a permanent thing," an unidentifiable voice called from somewhere.

   "Well, yes, but this kind of despair would have left us all depressed forever. Speaking of the incident, I don't see them here...I thought for sure they'd come..." The members of the crowd began looking at their neighbors for unfamiliar faces with no luck. "Well, the party will just have to begin without them. Now, since the Champion bottle has been shot, let the feasting and good times...begin!"

   A cheer rose from the crowd, and the chatter level rose back up, higher than before. Reimu went to join the table set up with her friends, and there was a line at Kuhai's stand, waiting for different types of drinks. The poor shark was in a rush, taking repeated sips of her refilled deep-red smoothie to keep her energy up. The Prismrivers showed up unexpectedly, providing a nice musical atmosphere to keep the party going.

   "So let me get this straight," Alice said, holding up her arms in a 'hold it' position, pausing Reimu's retelling of the incident. "Gensokyo goes from being landlocked to suddenly having a beautiful beach and an ocean all in the course of one day?"

   "Yep. Marisa can vouch for that too. Right, Mari?" Reimu said, turning to the magician.

   "Uhhh? Eh, yeh...or somethin'...I dunno..."

   "Um...Marisa? You all right?"

   "Yeh, I'm *urp* fine. I just orde-...ordar...uh, got a drink from the shark lady over there...called it a Tengu Buster or somfin'..." she drunkily moaned.

   "Tengu Buster?! Marisa, that thing's probably got enough alcohol to kill someone if they were to finish it! No wonder you're already drunk off your ass!" Alice accused.

   "Oh, thanks for remindin' me, I'm only...like...halfway done." She reached for the glass on the table with a very beige-looking liquid in it, different than the plain sake Reimu was drinking at the moment. After four failed attempts to grab the glass, she just waved her hand at it. "Ahhhh, forget it, I'll get it later...hey Reimu, anyone ever tell you you look nice?"

    "I...um...thanks?"

   "Oh Marisa...what am I going to do with you..." Alice sighed, before suddenly feeling a weight pressing down on her head. Unnerved, she looked up to see another girl with teal hair leaning on her. "Um...hello..."

   "Oh, this is Yoake Ensosha. She lives somewhere near the beach. She's...a summer person, let's say."

   "No, I'm a summer youkai," she countered.

   "Yeah. She got possessed and I had to fight her."

   Yoake's smile faded immediately. "That's what happened to me? I got possessed? No wonder why I woke up all beat up...and here I thought you just knocked me out for fun while I wasn't paying attention. But," she added, the sunny smile returning. "That's all in the past. And I couldn't bear to miss a summer night party!" She rose from Alice's head, meandering around to the side of the table, when she saw Marisa. "Uh, is she alright?"

   "She drank a bit much." THUD. "Okay, she drank a lot."

   "Hey...where'd the table go..." groaned a voice from below.

   "Ah...that explains it. She really should know her limits. Ooh!" she exclaimed as the Prismrivers began playing a different song. "I love this one! Merlin has a trumpet solo later on, it's the perfect place for impromptu!"

   "Impromptu? As in...?" Alice asked.

   "Yoake loves dancing," Reimu replied, prompting an 'Ah' from Alice.

   "That I do. I prefer it in the morning, but I can't resist good music. As for you," she said, directed to Alice. "You look like you need a bit of pep in your step." Alice looked around, then pointed a finger at herself. "Yes, you. I bet you haven't danced in a long time." Yoake jumped to her feet, her orange dress fluttering beneath her, before grabbing Alice by the arms.

   "Uh...I-I'm not sure...I never was really good at dancing..."

   "Well, I'll lead, you follow, so it's easier on you. Dancing's easy!"

   "Well...I'm j-just not sure if I..."

   "Oh c'mon, it'll be fun!" Yoake said, before pulling Alice towards the crowd of dancing people.

   "I still don't know if I- ACK! Reimu! Help me! I'm being abducted by a dancer!"

   Reimu chuckled at the sight of the youkai being dragged away against her will and turned as she heard Marisa's hand slam on the table. "I'm good, I'm good...where'd Ali go?"

   "She was forcibly dragged against her will to dance with a youkai she's never met before."

   "...I bet she'll have fun. Dunno why she didn't ask me, though; I'm a great dancer. Watch this..." She let go of the table and started trying to move her arms and legs. It failed, and Marisa landed on her backside again. "Huh...how'd I get down here?"

   "Marisa, you might just want to stay down there. You'll be less likely to be hurt."

   "Hey, I don't need any of your advice, Patchyyyy...and if you don't shut up, I won't return those...pots n' pans...in the morning..." She landed on her back, breathing softly.

   Reimu shook her head and stood up to go find other company. She could see Satori and Koishi at one table, Suika, Yuugi, and an uncomfortable-looking Parsee sitting at Kuhai's bar, Yuyuko and Youmu seated with Tenshi and another Celestial at another table, the Myouren Temple group at another...she just couldn't decide. As she was scanning the crowd, she saw a glow from the rear of the crowd, moving in her direction. Slowly, it thinned out, and she could see none other than Jozero, Illusion, Transmutation, Izumi, and oddly enough the mushroom girl, Rima, with them. As they got closer, she could see the mushroom's eyes were a sickly yellow, so she assumed it was Possession in control of her. They all seemed to be hovering around Jozero, who looked about meekly. She was obviously uncomfortable around crowds, even though no one took notice to the newcomers.

   Reimu got up and moved to the new group. Well, she would have, if Marisa hadn't clamped onto her leg. "Nice broomstick...can't wait tah...tah take it out fer a spin..." she said drunkily.

   The small group had already approached her by the time she vigorously shook Marisa off of her. Jozero bowed as she approached, the Dark Matters and Rima following suit. Izumi waved, smiling. Reimu returned each greeting in kind. "So, where's the sixth?"

   "Sixth?" Jozero looked confused.

   "Yeah, the sword girl."

   "Ah, yes. She had an errand to run, she'll join us as soon as she-"

   "-arrives?" Tearfang floated up from behind them, the same expressionless face as before. "Greetings, Lady Jozero, Izumi. My apologies for my tardiness." She turned to look sidelong at Reimu. "Red-white."

   "Tearfang, show her some respect. She's allowed us to visit her shrine out of her own good will. She could very well have hosted this gathering without us."

   Tearfang began to speak, but instead chose to keep silent. After a moment, she turned to face the angel. "Your logic is sound," was the only recognition Jozero got.

   "Good. Now do me a favor and don't harass people while we're here."

   Tearfang hmphed and walked over to the bar. Jozero sighed. "What am I going to do with that girl..."

   "She seems like quite a handful sometimes," Reimu chimed.

   "You don't know the half of it."

   "Well, anyway, feel free to look around. There's food, music, drinks, probably games somewhere..."

   "Thank you. Dark Matters, enjoy yourselves. You are not tethered to me tonight."

   "Yes, my queen," they all responded simultaneously before looking at each other and then walking off into the crowd. Jozero watched them go, smiled at Reimu, then walked into the crowd herself, towards the food.

   "Uh, Reimu?" She turned to see the weather spirit standing before her. "Ahh, do you happen to know if one Keine Kamashirasawa is here tonight?"

   "Keine? Uh...let's see..." Reimu scanned the crowd until she saw white hair with a white and red bow, and next to it a strange blue hat. "I think she's over there," she said, pointing.

   "Great! Thanks, mate. I'll be sure to enjoy the festivities!" she called as she darted in that direction.

   She was about to depart into the crowd when she heard a faint moan from back at the table. She turned to see a groggy Marisa leaning heavily on it. "Reimuuuu~...where's my Hakkeroooo~? I need to fry a fish, and the monkeys ran off with the door agaaaain...Oh, here it is...now how did it go again? Oh right...Maaasteeer Spaa - *hic* - aark! ...where's the light?" Reimu sighed and sagged her shoulders. She didn't expect her night to be babysitting Marisa so she doesn't drunkenly Spark her shrine...again. She walked over and plucked the Hakkero from her friend's hand. About a minute later, she could hear "Heyyyy...the gnomes finally got me...where'd my Hakkero go now?" Reimu sat next to her as she futilely pawed at the ground to try and find it. She knew one thing; when Marisa was over this, she was going to have one hell of a hangover. She just had to make sure she didn't hurt herself or others until it wore off.


   "Mm...I might have to find some of this for home. Yakitori is pretty good..." The angel had grabbed one of almost everything on a plate, trying everything at once to find out what she liked. She quickly finished the rest of the yakitori she had, and looked around her plate. "What to have next...Let's try...one of these dumplings," she narrated to no one in particular.

   As she brought it to her mouth, a small red shard of crystal-like danmaku shot it right out of her fingers. She looked over where it came from, only to see the Scarlet Devil pointing at her with two fingers and her maid further down the table. With all the charm, elegance, and sassiness of a spoiled princess, the vampire sauntered over to the angel, who had set down her plate and kept a wary eye on her. "It's been a while, Heaven-spawn."

   "I...suppose it has. I can't say I'm terribly surprised to see you here, especially since it's night..."

   "I believe we have some unfinished business," she said, cracking her knuckles. The maid checked her pocket watch idly, as if keeping to some sort of schedule. "Sakuya, if you please."

   "Yes, mistress," was all Jozero heard before she and Remilia were suddenly out behind the shrine, where there were less people. A few younger youkai were playing back there, and they scattered at the sudden intrusion.

   Jozero took a moment to get her bearings and try to figure out what happened. Remilia chuckled. "I see you don't know how you got there. Well, Sakuya can stop time. She did so, and moved both of us back here." The maid nodded and drew three knives from seemingly nowhere, but Remilia raised her hand in a halting motion. "Sakuya, go enjoy the party. This is personal, and I will take care of it. Besides, the odds don't need to be stacked more in my favor," she said, sneering.

   Sakuya glanced at the vampire, then withdrew her knives, bowed, and vanished once more, leaving the two alone in the dark behind the shrine. Remilia stepped forward, cracking her neck and stretching her wings. "I'm surprised you're not hiding your face anymore. Not that it mattered back at my manor," she said, glaring.

   Jozero, at first bewildered, returned the glare. "Why hide my face when the world will find me anyway? Darkness used to be what mattered, but now I'm beginning to see where I was wrong. I know it won't mean anything right now, but I do apologize for the trouble I caused you."

   "Yeah, yeah," she said, the beginnings of a fanged smile forming. "Now, enough talk. Fight me!" she yelled, charging forward, a red orb charging in her hand.

   Shrugging, Jozero replied "If you so desire." She then charged as well, enveloping her hand in red-tinged holy energy.

   Remilia's smile couldn't help but widen at her challenge being met with due force "Looks like tonight's going to be a fun night," she muttered as the two simultaneously brought their fists forward...


   "Pardon me, but would you happen to be Keine Kamashirasawa?"

   The half-beast set down her beverage, turning to face the voice that just addressed her. Behind her was a girl in a long coat with face-like designs near the bottom of it, with grey hair and sky-blue eyes, and a tornado-shaped hat. She raised an eyebrow skeptically, and replied "I am. And you are...?"

   "A-Ah, yes, pardon me. My name is Izumi Wondjina. I'm...new 'round 'ere."

   "Oh, are you an enrolling student? You don't...exactly look like you're schooling age..."

   "Ehh, that's because I'm not a student. However, my question is related to that." Keine raised an eyebrow, which Izumi took as a sign to keep going. "You see...you see, I really want to teach people. Music, weather, and the like, my specialties."

   "You seem awfully nervous. And is a party really the best time for a job interview?"

   "Well, I figured that, since we both were here, it would be convenient for us. I at least wanted to meet you and ask."

   Keine hmmed and tapped her chin thoughtfully, sizing up this potential employee. She wasn't terribly fond of being the sole teacher, but it did keep her busy, if stretched a bit. On the other hand, she shouldn't just entrust children under the care of someone she doesn't know. On the other hand, she didn't know too much about playing music, or about the weather...and if her twister hat had any indication, she would probably be a good candidate.

   Izumi shuffled a bit, nervous and a bit impatient at Keine's silence. "Ehm, if it helps, I have credentials."

   "You do? Well, let's see them." Keine said, holding a hand out.

   Izumi looked down at her hand, then back up at her, before finally realizing what was going on. She reached into her jacket, and pulled out a small stack of papers, slightly ruffled. Keine took them and began scanning over them. After about a minute, she couldn't handle waiting anymore. "Well?"

   "Hmm...this certainly looks great...fantastic, even...but..."

   Izumi could feel herself start to sweat, and she tried to force herself to calm down. Being recruited for the incident was less troublesome than this...

   Keine turned the pages around to show them to Izumi. "I'm not very good at reading music."

   "Oh, you- Wait what?!" she yelled, snatching the papers out of her hand. It was an unfinished piece that she carries around when she leaves the palace, just in case she gets hit by inspiration. She had grabbed this instead of her information, and she began frantically searching her jacket. "Oh, bugger, where is it..."

   Keine shook her head and got up to walk away without another word. Izumi pulled out another stack of papers, checking to make sure they were the correct ones, before trying to hand them to empty air. She could see the blue woman walking off into the crowd, and began following her, maneuvering through people to keep going. "Miss Keine, wait, please!"

   At first ignoring her, she turned to see the poor girl run into someone and lose her grip on her papers, which began scattering. She rolled her eyes and turned to fully face her. "And this is why I walked away. You're obviously unprepared. Or at the very least clumsy. I just don't think teaching is right for you."

   "What? B-but...I...I'm a victim of circumstance! Just give me a chance, please!"

   "I'm sorry." She turned to walk away as Izumi finally gathered her papers again and stood up.

   She started after her, then stopped herself. She decided it was time to swallow her pride and just go. "Keine! Stop!" Silence. She didn't lose sight of her, but it was more difficult to keep up with her, and she was getting annoyed. "Keine!!"

   The were-hakutaku kept walking, ignoring her pleas. After she heard her name be yelled twice more, she went silent. Finally given up, I see... As the thought crossed her mind, she felt something strange in the air, and stopped her movement. As she did, the sensation stopped as well. She kept walking, and soon enough she felt oddly tingly. She looked up to see a single cloud over her, and the realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. Luckily for her, she dodged out of the way of the real bolt, back towards Izumi.

   She turned to see her clutching her papers in one hand, and in the other is a lightning-shaped baton. "Now that I've gotten your attention, let me just tell ya something, mate."  she said, closing the distance, still keeping her baton aloft. "I'm fine if you simply don't like me. At least give me a chance to show you that I mean well enough." She thrust her papers into Keine's torso, making sure she had a hold of them before letting go. All of her former nervousness and niceness had given way to annoyance. "I feel that teaching could be a passion for me, and I would love to educate Gensokyo in the art of music. I don't care if I have to teach some other courses on the side and abide by strict teaching curriculum, I'll do it."

   "I already said no. Besides the fact that you're dangerous, such as you trying to fry me just now-"

   "Oh come on! That would have hardly hurt you at all if it actually hit. Real lightning wouldn't have missed, and it would have been much larger."

   "Regardless. I distrust youkai as a rule, and you are without a doubt a youkai. I can't risk having an unknown youkai freely enter the village and have direct contact with children. I'd never forgive myself if I'd let that happen."

   "...Oh. Oh, that is rich. The half-beast says she distrusts youkai and doesn't want them in the village. Guess what? You're part youkai. You tend to go a bit crazy during the full moon. I'd sooner trust myself to look after kids than risk someone like you around! Oh, and by the way, I have tasted human before, and I find it disgusting. And yes, I know I'm unknown, but that's why I wanted to see you today rather than try to find a village you can just hide like it was nothing to begin with! That way, I wouldn't be unknown anymore. So if you're going to be biased, go right ahead, but I still want to teach. Even if I have to open my own school." She felt like she could just explode with anger and break down crying, but she held herself together throughout her tirade.

   Keine closed the stack of papers she had been reading through while Izumi lectured her, and smiled wrily. "Izumi Wondjina, congratulations. I never thought I'd meet someone else who had such a devotion to education. You also had the guts to stand up to me, even after I had declined you twice. Your arguments are forceful and your methods of grabbing attention creative. Your dislike of the taste of human is only a boon in your favor, although it does leave me to wonder what you actually eat..."

   Izumi looked dumbfounded, unsure how to react. She blinked and cleared her throat before trying to speak. "So..."

   "So, it means I'll give you a shot to prove yourself. I'll see you on Monday," she said, smiling and bowing slightly. "...Miss Wondjina."

   Izumi's agape mouth slowly turned into a large smile, and she grabbed Keine's hand with both of hers and firmly shook it. It's all she could do from simply tackle-hugging her. "Oh, thank you, Miss Keine! I swear, I won't let you or any of the tykes down!"

   "Yeah, alright, I believe you. Uh..." She tried to break free, but Izumi was too locked onto her hand. "You can let go now, please."

   "Oh, right, um...sorry," she said, dropping her arm. "So, ah...Monday, then?"

   "Yes, preferably before the sun is up so I can show you around the school. Now, loosen up and enjoy the party."

  "Yes, ma'am!" Izumi said, watching Keine walk back towards her table. Someone had taken her spot, a fairy by the looks of it. The two started arguing, and as she watched, Keine grabbed the fairy's head before bringing her own down on it. The fairy dropped to the ground, and the teacher didn't even have a scratch. Izumi winced at the thought of making her unhappy. "Monday, first thing in the morning." She smiled and walked back into the crowd, neatly tucking her papers back into her jacket. As she walked, her face became more and more puzzled. "Monday...hmm...isn't something going on around then that I'm part of?" She shrugged, still elated at her new job position.

   As she moved, she could feel the air pressure changing, and she looked to the northwest. A wall of clouds was steadily approaching, hardly visible with the waning crescent moonlight. "A storm? Huh...no doubt people'll accuse me of that. Well, better enjoy the party while it's still outdoors," she said, resuming her journey to the food table.


   "...Shaken. On the rocks," Tearfang called out, as if she rehearsed exactly what she wanted.

   "Alright, just gimme a sec..." called the exhausted Kuhai. She was busy washing another glass, one that had just been returned. The two oni and their friend were still there, and constantly barking out drink orders.

   Tearfang sighed and took a seat, glancing at the odd trio across the bar from her. The two with horns were drinking like there was no tomorrow, but the third one with the pointed ears looked ready to hurl, pass out, or both. No doubt she didn't want to be there at all, but rather was dragged along. She could feel her green eyes drilling into her whenever she looked at her, as if trying to curse her simply with a glare. Not that it would do much if she did curse me anyway.

   "Here's your drink, sorry for the wait." The one oni yelled something, and Kuhai sighed in exhaustion. "Yeah, yeah, another round of Tengu Busters, comin' up. Just gimme a second."

   Tearfang nodded and passed her some money for the drink. Low alcohol content, of course. She needed to keep her wits as sharp as her sleeves. After quietly sitting and sipping her drink for a while, eventually she could feel the odd sensation of being watched get closer. She slowly turned to see the green-eyed one sitting uncomfortably close to her. "Y' got nice, flowing hair...don'tcha..." she drunkenly mumbled.

   Tearfang didn't stop her rhythm of drinking, but she didn't respond.

   "Makes me...jealous. How come I dun got any nice hair? 'S not fair..."

   "I appreciate your compliment, but I must ask you to please move. You're invading my personal space," Tearfang said flatly.

   "Oh, sorrrry, your majesty," she taunted. "I din't realize we had *hic* had royalty among us. Meanwhile I'm sstuck over there with those drunk idiots...I mean, lookat 'em." She gestured behind her, almost falling out of her seat. Tearfang noted that the other two didn't look nearly as bad as this girl did.

   "Miss, I believe you are too heavily inebriated. I advise finding somewhere to lie down and rest."

   "Well, you know what I think 'bout your advice?" she rambled before swatting Tearfang's drink out of her hand and behind the counter. Kuhai dove after the glass, carefully inspecting it for cracks or chips. The two oni stopped their conversation and looked on in concern. "Y'know what else I'm jealous of? Th' sky, trees, those two, and especially you right now. Ya look so fancy in your pretty little get-up, I bet you attract allllll the attention to ya and yer proper walkin' and nice hair and tight ass..."

   Tearfang turned her full attention to the girl, now annoyed and slightly embarrassed. "Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to please step away from me. I have no issues with using force. It would be better if you departed calmly."

   "Better, huh? Better for you, maybe! But guess what? I'll still be whoopdy-freakin' jealous of ya!" Her gestures as she talked were highly exaggerated. Her one eyelid was drooped noticably lower than the other. She stood up, her gait bent as she had to find her balance. "Well? Ya gonna force me or - *hic* what?"

   Tearfang could feel her fists clenching, and calmed herself until she could focus on just tapping one finger. "I will give you one final warning. Cease your threats, or I-" She was cut off as the girl reared back and cleaned Tearfang's clock, sending her sprawling on the ground.

   The girl laughed, hardly able to stand. "I knew it! I knew you were just a pretty face! An' I'm jealous of pretty faces!" She tried to run forward to land another hit, but Tearfang had already rolled to the side and sprang to her feet, readying for her. The girl redirected herself, rearing another fist back. With one swift motion, Tearfang blocked her punch, upset her already unstable balance, and threw her flat on her back.

   The girl shakily stood back up as Tearfang readied herself again. A small crowd had gathered to watch, and Kuhai took a rest as the oni were too engrossed in the fight to bother ordering more alcohol. She charged again, running in a zig-zagging motion. Tearfang noted with a hint of sorrow that this probably wasn't intentional. This time, Tearfang knocked the blow to the side and followed with a few short jabs to her ribs and a push with her palm that sent the girl teetering back.

   As she steadied herself, she reached into her pocket, and pulled out a sickly green spellcard. "Malice Sign 'Midnight Anathema Ritual'!" The world around them began turning various shades of green, and Tearfang braced herself. However, it was unnecessary. The danmaku was erratic, and not a single shot even came close to hitting her. After one barrage, the card collapsed.

   Tearfang looked around, and saw nothing, even though the girl looked like she was still trying to concentrate on the spell, two fingers from each hand on her forehead above her closed eyes. Tearfang took this opportunity and darted forward. A swift kick to the abdomen, followed by an uppercut, and a roundhouse kick to drop her. The crowd made noises of pity, and the girl fell like a stone. Tearfang picked her up by her collar, extending one of her blades to her neck. As she did, she almost swore she felt a slight breeze brush past her. Tea...fa... Wait, what was that?

   The girl regained what could be described as consciousness, and looked into the sword girl's silver eyes. For a while, neither said anything. The breeze was picking up around both of them, from the northwest. Retur...me...Tear... Tearfang's gaze slowly began to look through the girl she was holding, even as she heard murmurs from the crowd about a storm. And was that a voice she was hear- Return to me...Tearfang...

   Tearfang snapped out of her trance, glaring at the girl. However, her mind was toward the command she just received. Now? Of all times...and I just finished running an errand for her...this is a different matter that can be dealt with after I eliminate this girl and actually enjoy myself he-

It's time.

   Her eyes widened, not expecting this sudden addition. Regaining her composure, she unceremoniously dropped the girl, muttering "Never again," to her as she turned and stalked off. She looked back to see the tall blonde and short ginger-haired horned girls rush over to her as she lay there. Once Tearfang reached the bottom of the shrine stairs, she broke into a run. She hardly entered the forest when a peal of thunder echoed around her. "I only hope I can get there before the storm arrives..." she mumbled, looking up at the sky only to confirm she wouldn't make it before the storm hit. She felt a small drop hit her forehead, and quickened her pace. Never before had she felt so urgent to run. Yet, if this was truly what she calculated the message meant...

   She grit her teeth and pushed herself to run as fast as she physically could.


   The three Dark Matters huddled close to each other, looking around the crowd nervously. The one with the guise of Orange spoke first. "W-what do we do now? Transmutation, you're always good with plans! Think of something!"

   The swordsgirl looked the most nervous out of all of them. "I...I don't know. There's so many people...being around so many of our kind, I thought we'd be fine when Lady Jozero let us go."

   "Well, do something, Transmutation!" yelled the possessed mushroom girl.

   "Shut up, Possession! I'm thinking! And besides, you're controlling the mind of a youkai. You figure out what they normally do!"

   "I tried! This girl's a loner, and many of her memories are locked away!"

   "Oh great, the situation's hopeless."

   "Illusion, don't be such a downer. We'll figure something out...uh...anyone hungry?" offered Transmutation. The other two shook their heads. "Okay...uh...dancing?" Another negative response. "Well we must figure something out...I don't plan on standing around here all night."

   "Lady Jozero, where are you..."

   "Hello, there."

   The sudden fourth voice made all three Dark Matters cry out in surprise and slowly turn to the new intrusion. Behind them stood not one, but four other girls, around the same height as Transmutation and Rima's body. In the back was a blonde girl in black, spreading her arms out to her sides. In front of her, side by side, were a brown bird and a green-haired bug, and in the front was a fairy dressed in blue with a blue ribbon, her fists planted on her hips, trying to look tough. "You guys look like you're lost."

   "...Who is this?" whispered Transmutation, leaning in toward her companions.

   "I have no idea, but the blue one doesn't look too smart...neither does the blonde in the back..."

   "Is the bug a boy or a girl?" Illusion and Transmutation turned to look, and then back. Both of them shrugged.

   "Well? Ya gonna answer? I'm bored just waiting here," whined the blue one.

   "Y-yes, we know nearly no one attending this party."

   "Well, you're in luck! I, Cirno, welcome you to join us for fun and games!" She turned to the tallest of the three. "Eeeeexcept for you. You're too old. No adults allowed!"

   Illusion looked at her form confused, then simply shrugged. She then began shrinking, the image of her actually looking younger as she matched the ages of everyone else present. The bird looked on in wonder. "How did you do that?!"

   She looked around, her companions silently urging her to come up with something. "Uhh...uh...I can manipulate my age?"

   The group looked puzzled, and Transmutation had to restrain from slapping her forehead. "Seems logical to me," concluded Cirno. "Anyway, my friends here are Wriggle, the bug, Mystia, the bird, and Rumia, the...um..."

   "Crucified saint~!" she called out, before spinning around.

   "Hey, watch it!" cried the one known as Wriggle as the other almost backhanded her with her spin.

   Transmutation floated forward, one hand resting on her sword in her cloak, just in case. "Nice to meet you. We're, uh..." She looked around frantically, trying to swiftly translate the names their master called them into what sounded like names, even if it was only a loose synonym. "The one with, ah, age manipulation is Sakkaku, I am, uh..." She scanned the area around them again, thankful her visor helped obscure her eyes. "I'm...Kasei! That's it, Kasei...and this third one is-"

   "We're already acquainted with Rima," commented Mystia. "Glad to see she finally managed to stop hiding by herself and being a loner."

   "Er, yes. Rima." She looked at Possession, who turned back to her and shrugged.

   "Although," began Wriggle, rubbing her chin. "I don't remember her eyes being that color..."

   "You don't?! Uh, it's because...ah..." Possession was struggling to try and come up with an answer. "Uh...iiit's...it's nighttime! That's it. Due to differences between the moon and sunlight, the, ah...photoreceptors in my eyes change from my normal eye color to...ahem...yellow." She wiped her forehead, wiping her sweat on her dress.

   The group all exchanged a look, then returned to the smaller group standing nervously before them. "Alright, I'll buy that." Wriggle nodded. "But...why is it somehow the same color as the one eye of your friends...and how come it's only their right eyes that are yellow like both of yours?"

   "Ah, shut up, Wriggle." Cirno interjected. "The point is, now we know each other, and now we're friends! As such, you listen to me. Now, who wants to try this new game I figured out?"

   This elicited some groans from the group, and one cheer from the one in the back. The Dark Matters exchanged confused glances. "But Cirno, the last game we played sucked!" commented Mystia.

   "Yeah, you sent me to Eientei with a nasty case of frostburn! The doctor said I was lucky to keep my fingers, toes, and antennae! Your danmaku games always end with me being hurt!" Wriggle whined.

   "Hey! It's not my fault you can't dodge my Icicle Fall spell! And I was going easy on you, too!"

   Wriggle looked indignant. "It was not! You definitely used a more powerful spell than that!"

   Cirno waved the comment away, leaving Wriggle fuming. "Anyway, this isn't even a danmaku game. I made up a new game called Freeze Tag!"

   "Freeze Tag?" the entire company inquired at once, some more enthusiastic than others.

   "Let me explain. It starts out with a countdown, like hide-and-seek. Except when someone is found, they run, and 'it' has to tag them. When she does, the person tagged is frozen and cannot move. If someone else touches them, then they get unfrozen and have to run and find a new spot to hide." She tapped a finger to her lips, thinking for a bit. "Oh, and no trying to find Sunny, Luna, or Star to help you. That would be cheating. Alright?"

   Cirno's group muttered approvals, while the Dark Matters began discussing strategy. They turned and expressed their approval as well. "Great! Alright, so who wants to be 'it' first?"

   "I bet wriggle does~!" commented Rumia.

   "Eh? What's that supposed to mean?"

   "Gender ambiguity!" she yelled this time.

   "Whaa?! Why you- I'm a girl, you halfwit!"

   "Whaaaaa~? Really~?"

   "It doesn't matter!" interrupted Transmutation. "If it will help solve this conundrum, I volunteer to be...as you said...'it', for this activity."

   "Transmu...er, Kasei, you can't! We already formulated-"

   "Create a new plan while I count." She turned to Cirno. "Is this fair?"

   "Sure is! Now, you go over the-" As she spoke, suddenly an earth-shaking explosion erupted with a plume of smoke from behind the shrine, followed by a distant crack of thunder. The loud noises caused a lot of conversations to become silent and scattering several fairies from panic, Cirno among them.

   "Oh jeez, not again...why is she so scared of thunder?" said Wriggle.

   "I don't know, but this is just like when the Scarlet lady, her maid, and the one in white appeared behind the shrine while we were playing..."

   Illusion stepped forward. "One in white? Was she tall and had strange wings?"

   Mystia nodded. "Also had a gold circle over her head."

   "Lady Jozero! Guys, we need to go help her!"

   "I'm sure she is fine, even against them both." assured Possession.

   "I would rather see it with my own eyes. Let's go," Transmutation urged. With that, all three began flying around the shrine to help their master.

   "Hey, wait! Why is Rima going with you?"

   "It doesn't matter, Mystia. Let's just find Cirno and get her back to her house before she accidentally gets herself in trouble...again. You remember how lecture-y Daiyousei was when she found Cirno stuck in the middle of the lake, unable to move and barely floating on the surface. I know fairies are immortal, but no one wants to drown."

   "Yeah, you're right. Now, where would she hide here at the shrine..."


   Reimu sighed as she slapped Marisa's hand away from her drink for what must have been the fiftieth time. "But Reimuuuu...my head hurts and I need to make it go away..."

   "Then maybe next time you'll learn not to guzzle half of an unknown drink and be ignorant of the consequences."

   "But Reimuuuuuuuuuuu...Hangovers suuuuck..." Marisa moaned, her head resting on the table.

   Reimu couldn't remember a time when Marisa couldn't handle whatever she drank, let alone be in this bad of a condition. Frankly, she would have rathered that than babysit her. At least she was getting over it. "Then why not learn to drink in moderation instead?"

   "Because...I dunno...but I need to not be hung over so I can find the thief who stole my Hakkero!" she moaned. "And where'd Alice go, anyway?"

   "I told you, she left a while ago."

   "Yeah, but where?"

   "I don't know, some youkai grabbed her."

   "Could you go find her for me?"

   "No. I need to make sure you stay out of trouble." She slapped her hand away again. "And make sure you keep your hands both off of that drink and to yourself."

   "Please~?"

   Reimu rolled her eyes and set down her sake. As she did so, she grabbed Marisa's glass, dumping it onto the ground nearby. "Don't worry Marisa, that was just my drink," she lied. After seeing Marisa give a thumbs-up while still face-down on the table, she proceeded to where the Prismrivers were performing. As she approached, she could hear strange, foreign music playing, led by Merlin, who was blaring away at her trumpet. A small crowd had gathered in a circle, and Reimu pushed through. She rubbed her eyes, unsure if what she was seeing was real.

   In the center, with a spotlight shining down made of a very weak, widely fanned-out laser being emitted from a doll, were Alice and the summer youkai, Yoake. Yoake had the largest grin on her face and was laughing as she was spun and practically thrown about. Alice, on the other hand, had the other youkai's hibiscus in her teeth, and was leading their dance with supreme grace and dexterity, a romantic sort of aloofness in her eyes. It definitely wasn't a dance Reimu knew, and she wondered when Alice learned to do any of this; she looked like she was an expert. As the music grew louder, Reimu saw Alice hoist the smaller youkai above her head by her stomach, and Yoake laughed as she spread her arms out like a bird as she was held aloft. In one swift motion, Alice brought her backwards to land on her feet and spun, catching her hands and continuing where they left off. As the song ended, they finished with one last twirl and a dip, both panting as Alice supported Yoake, both staring into each others' eyes. As the clapping subsided and the crowd trailed off, Reimu approached the two as Alice was making sure her partner's balance was on, handing her the flower back.

   "Well well, I never knew you had it in you, Alice." After waiting for the puppeteer to jump and address her, she continued. "Since when could you dance like that? I've never seen you be that...fluid, even when you perform with your dolls.

   "W-well, it's nothing, really. I mean, it just comes naturally...I always loved dancing when I was a little girl, and, well...I put that grace into my art. With the dolls." She grabbed her arm, turning red from embarrassment. "I-I think I might be a bit rusty, though..."

   "Rusty?! You? Please!" cried Yoake, still panting. "It's really, really hard for me to find other people with half as much talent as you! I'm surprised you didn't put your magic into that! My advice? Give up the dolls and pick up dancing. You're a natural! I'm sorry I misjudged you at first. Anytime you want to go again, just come find me~!" the dancer said as she walked off towards the drink stand. There appeared to be something going on there. Reimu was sure the one was Parsee, but the other didn't look too familiar. Before she could figure out who it was, Parsee reared back and threw a haymaker at the girl, knocking her out of her seat. People began obscuring the view, so she turned her attention back to Alice.

   "So, how's Marisa holding out?" Alice asked, if anything to change the subject.

   "Hungover as hell. I dumped out her drink before I came here so she doesn't do anything stupid. I've never seen her so bad, honestly."

   "Hmm...she's not usually the type to get hung over. Then again, booze with the name of 'Tengu Buster' can't possibly be low alcohol content. Speaking of drinks, how long has that shark been running a drink business? I've never heard of it, and I figured it would be pretty well-known..."

   "Yeah, I can practically recite every bar in Gensokyo." The two shared a laugh. "Although, I have no idea. She makes it sound like she's been doing this for a while. Although, location is everything. She loves to be near water, and I guess she staked a claim at the river that runs through the hills."

   "Speaking of which, how did that happen? There never used to be a river that ran that way, directly into what is now an ocean."

   Reimu thought for a bit. "You know, I don't know. I never asked. I guess it just didn't occur to me. I still don't know how the ocean got there, either. My guess is Yukari. I actually fought her out over the sea, before I went into the Ingress. She went on about some sort of border malfunction, and I thought that meant either that rift I found or she was trying to fix the border around where the ocean appeared."

   "But wouldn't that somehow affect the Great Hakurei Barrier? I never thought it could stretch to accomodate even a chunk of ocean, let alone any new land at all."

   "Well, that's...huh. That might actually be a problem. I haven't sensed any shifts in the barrier at all, which is mainly why that ocean was a surprise to me, since I didn't feel any sort of movement in it. That might rule out Yukari, then. If she meddled with it, I don't doubt I would have been able to sense it, especially something of that scale. I'll investigate it...but probably tomorrow."

   "So probably in three days or so, since you won't feel like it after the party..." Alice muttered under her breath.

   "What was that?"

   "Er, nothing. Investigating that would probably...huh?" She looked around Reimu. "Marisa? What happened to you?"

   "Hey Alice, Reimu." She handed a brown object to Alice, which is when Reimu noticed that she was slightly burnt. "Reimu, remember when you told me not to do anything stupid?"

   "Uh...no...did you?"

   "Well, in my hungover state, I decided to see if I could read some of Alice's Grimoire to get rid of it." She turned back to Alice, looking directly at the book. "Damn thing electrocuted me when I tried to pry open the lock."

   Alice snatched the book from Marisa's hand. "Well, duh, Marisa! I keep it well-protected for a reason! Why would you even try to open my Grimoire?"

   "I just said to try and calm down this raging hangover. And can you please not talk so loud?"

   "Sorry. You should know that by now, though."

   The trio began walking back to their table, Alice supporting Marisa, who was constantly groaning and complaining. "Ugh, shut up! Reimu, I'm going to see if Eirin is here. Maybe she brought some of that anti-hangover medicine I'm pretty sure she has."

   Reimu nodded as the two walked off. Now she was back to her original conundrum; where should she sit, since she was now alone. Before she could contemplate it, she heard a massive explosion behind her, in the direction of the shrine. She whipped around, seeing the plume of smoke from behind it. As it erupted, she wheeled around again to hear a crack of thunder, and noticed a wall of storm clouds gathering. Cursing under her breath, she ran to catch up to Alice, seeing Tearfang wander down the stairs away from the party. She put it out of her mind. "Alice, once you deal with Marisa, go and let everyone know a storm's coming. Those who want to stay should head inside. Otherwise, head home before it starts raining. It doesn't look like a small storm."

   "Sure thing, Reimu. Eirin's right over here with Kaguya and Reisen, so I'll get on it soon."

   The shrine maiden nodded and turned back to the shrine to see three shapes speeding off behind the shrine. She recognized the black ghostly tail and spiky hair of the one, and figured out the other two from there. "Jozero!" she spat, before flying around to the backside of the shrine.


   "Destiny 'Miserable Fate'!"

   Jozero flew fluidly and calmly through the barrage of scarlet chains as they wrapped all around her, trying to fly through her. As the last chain vanished, Jozero smirked at the young vampire. "I have long since learned to deal with my own miserable fate. That card was worthless against me."

   Remilia folded her arms, waiting patiently for Jozero to retaliate, matching her smirk. "Well? I'm waiting...unless you're giving up already, that is, ufufu~."

   "I don't intend on accepting defeat this time. Although, had I used Dark Matter how I did before, I would have already won. But that's not fun. This is much more fun..." She drew one of her own cards. "Heaven sign 'Perfect Halo'!" The card in her hands turned into a small gold ring before breaking into three beams of light and vanishing. They reappeared around Remilia, reforming a large halo around her. She tried to move upwards, but the ring only followed her. From the three points where the beams connected, gold bullets began firing at her. Remilia wasn't used to having to make such miniscule movements to dodge, but it wasn't that difficult. As time went on, the beams changed color through the spectrum, as did the bullets flying at her. This was also marked by an increase in their density and speed. Soon the vampire found maneuvering around these bullets to be annoying, as the halo finally turned red and stopped changing colors. Then, the halo shattered, creating small shards of danmaku that scattered around.

   Before she could react, another halo appeared around her. She knew she would have to break the card, so she created some bat-like familiars to fire continuously at her adversary before dodging a thicker onslaught of bullets in the halo. Jozero tried to shoot down the familiars, but too many of their attacks got through, and she couldn't focus on defense and maintaining the card. It didn't take long for the halo to prematurely shut down as the card broke. "So, it looks like your attacks aren't much of a match for me, either~. Holy magic doesn't affect me, like crosses. Like this!" she taunted, throwing a series of red crosses that sped past Jozero and looped around to try and get her in the back.

   Having had enough, Jozero raised her arms forward, throwing a stream of Dark Matter at the vampire. She cut off the stream, and manipulated it to constantly be trying to ram into her, while she shot small red rings of danmaku. Remilia countered by creating smaller versions of her Gungnir and throwing them, as well as emitting small red bullets to try and cloud the air. Both expertly dodged each others' shots, thinking of a plan. Without warning, Remilia charged in, creating crystalline scarlet knives in her hand as she flew. Once she was point blank, she released her attack, but Jozero created a shield of Dark Matter to block the attack. As the first one hit, however, it struck the shield's eye, dissipating it immediately, and leaving the angel completely exposed to the barrage. She rode the impact, flying backwards a ways, prompting Remilia to try and close in again. As she was halfway, the stream of Dark Matter rushed her from the side, directly impacting and sending her flying into the shrine wall. Jozero flinched as the crash sounded, and Remilia slowly began peeling herself off of the wall.

   Jozero ignored her for the moment, keeping her ears out for any sign that they might have disturbed someone. The wall didn't look terribly damaged, if at all. It was somewhat hard to see in the darkness when there is no danmaku lighting the air, and the moon retreated behind clouds. "Midnight King 'Dracula Cradle'!" She turned back to see the vampire charging at her, bathed in scarlet energy. Instead of fleeing, however, she decided on a different course of action. She drew a spell of her own, nodding to herself when she confirmed it was the right one. "Shattered Wings 'Crimson Flight'!" she declared, not even bothering to charge her wings with the flashy laser wall; that was completely aesthetic and for danmaku purposes. She needed impact damage, so with her wings a glaring bright red, she too rocketed toward her enemy. Remilia's wide grin slowly shrank as the two neared each other, until they collided, the force of their impact instantly breaking both spells and creating a large amount of smoke.

   As the smoke cleared, Remilia slowly drifted lower, except in the form of a bat. She switched at the last second to nullify whatever damage the angel could have done, and it worked spectacularly, as far as she could tell. The smoke cleared enough so she could see a wispy, white, ghostly figure in front of her. The wings, halo, and lone eye were the same, but her entire body had become like human-shaped mist, shaped to have a body, head, arms, and a ghostly tail. Remilia shifted back into her normal vampire form, and Jozero condensed into her angelic form. The two glared at each other, but soon enough Remilia's mouth began twitching, and Jozero's followed suit. Immediately after, both were laughing. "How did you know I was going to change into a bat to avoid whatever damage you'd do?"

   "I didn't. I planned all along to try this, and simply shift into my intangible form directly before impact. I expected you to take the full force, not change yourself as well."

   "Looks like we both underestimated each other," admitted the vampire, extending a hand. Jozero looked at it and back to her face before smiling and accepting the handshake. "I guess we'll call this a draw?"

   "I suppose we ca-"

   "MY LADY!" shouted four voices simultaneously. The two turned to the side of the shrine to see Remilia's maid and three shorter girls all sprinting around.

   "Sakuya?"

   "You three?"

   The group ran to their respective masters, inquiring them about the fight and what the explosion was.

   "Mistress, are you hurt? Do you require my aid or perhaps tea? You shouldn't push yourself to fight, in case her holy magic actually works on you..."

   "Sakuya, relax. I told you I could handle it myself. And no, holy magic doesn't affect me, like I said."

   "Lady Jozero! We rushed over as soon as we saw the explosion! Do you need help? We can give you the advantage of numbers."

   "I appreciate the concern, but it was unnecessary. The fight's over now. And...um, Illusion? Why are you much shorter now? I thought you liked your tall form."

   The young-looking Orange impostor gazed down at her form before looking back up. "It was to befriend the group led by the ice fairy, since she said 'no adults allowed', and I looked oldest. Besides, I kinda like being a similar size to my sis-, er, these two."

   Jozero was about to dismiss them when she caught herself. "Did you almost just say...your sisters?" Illusion looked slightly ashamed before slowly nodding yes. "Illusion...you can think of them as your sisters. Of course, we'll need to find a more suitable body than the mushroom youkai for Possession, but that's not hard. Now, go back to enjoying yourselves."

   The three smiled and ran off, Transmutation turning as if to say something. She stopped, and simply waved back before rejoining the other two Dark Matters. "What are you, their mother or something?" quipped Remilia, looking interested in how Jozero would respond.

   Without turning to face her, Jozero replied "Yes...in a way, I am. I created them, and they listen to me...they were originally going to be servants...but the more I see them gain independence..." She wiped a red tear from her eye. "It's just so sad to know that, with just a thought, I can make it as if they never existed...they're not even remotely alive, yet they have sentience..."

   Remilia stalked around to Jozero's right side to witness another red streak fall down her face. "Is...is that blood?"

   "Hmm? Yes, I've been afflicted my entire life and afterlife with tears of blood. It's a curse, but I've grown to live with it." She turned to see a hungry look in the young demon lord's eye. "I assure you, my tears are not for eating."

   "I'll be the judge of that," she retorted, floating up and wiping the tear from the angel's face, and delicately licking the blood off of her finger. Her eyes widened. "I don't know if it's because it's angel blood or some other thing, but your tears are delicious." She turned back to face Jozero, her arms trembling. "I'll completely forgive our whole ordeal from my manor with you meeting with Flandre and everything if you just let me have more..."

   "You sound more desperate than bargaining right now, and I thought that was already water under the bridge...but very well. I suppose I could do so. But only a few times. Others at the palace wouldn't be happy if I moved out to sate a vampire's needs."

   "Deal. Come by in, say, three days' time. During the day."

   "I will be there."

   "What the hell is going on back here?!"

   The two turned to see a very angry shrine maiden stomping towards them, gohei in hand. "I turn my back for one goddamned second and youkai invade my backyard and start tearing it up! Just look at this mess!" She gestured to the surrounding field, even parts of the shrine, that were charred or otherwise somehow damaged by their fight, most likely on their final impact. The two exchanged glances before Reimu continued her tirade. "I spent all this time cleaning up everything, for this?! It's one thing when the younger youkai mess around back here, but you two should know better! I can sort of expect this from Remilia, but you, Jozero? What the hell?"

   "Uh...well, you see, I-"

   "Reimu, don't worry. I was simply getting a bit of vengeance for when she attacked my mansion," Remilia explained. "Right before you showed up, we agreed on terms that would end our little feud. Sakuya and her three little...whatevers showed up afterwards. Don't worry, I'll have Sakuya clean this up for you," she finished coyly, prompting a sigh from her maid.

   However, Reimu was still fuming, her eye twitching ever so slightly. "Um, Remilia? Why does she look so angry, and why do I sense fear?"

   The vampire turned and gave a halfhearted smile. "Well...I just hope you have a high pain tolerance. Let's leave it at that." She turned back to see her fate stomping towards them, her arm holding her gohei trembling. "So I guess that's a 'no' on having Sakuya clean this up, then?"

   Reimu held up a spellcard so both angel and devil could see it. "Divine Arts 'Omnidirectional Demon Binding Circle'!"

   "I guess not then."

   "Be merciful," muttered Jozero.

   Before the horrified gazes of Jozero's elite Dark Matter and the unflinching gaze of Sakuya Izayoi, the air lit up red once more, a much more blinding crimson than even when Jozero and Remilia were duelling. As the danmaku spread, fully engulfing them, the four outside had to retreat to the front of the shrine or else be caught in the attack as well. They hated leaving their respective mistresses alone to face Reimu, but there was nothing that could be done at this point. Once they reached the front of the shrine again, they noticed two crowds: one leaving, and one entering the shrine itself. The group decided they should be inside waiting for the two, and discovered why after hearing another crack of thunder and feeling tiny raindrops.

an unmatched sock:

   After a few minutes, the back door to the shrine opened. In walked Reimu, who looked annoyed and triumphant, and the two who were punished. Curiously, they didn't even look scratched. Both had deadpan expressions, but that seemed about it.

   The guests had severely thinned out; all that remained were Reimu, Marisa, Alice, Remilia and Sakuya, Jozero and her Dark Matter, Izumi, Yuyuko and Youmu, Kaguya and Eirin, Suika, Tenshi, Satori and Koishi, and Aya. Marisa and Alice were chatting, the former looking much better than before. Before long, Reimu heard the door close again, and Kuhai walked in, her skin and jacket glistening with rainwater. After shaking a bit off, she noticed Reimu and began to make her way over. "So, uh...I guess the party's over," she said, the storm making its appearance noted. "When are you gonna have the oni take my stand back to the river?"

   "Now's not exactly the time for that. The night is still young. C'mon, you hardly got any actual partying in so far. Although, I think we're just chatting right now." As they approached the living room, they could hear the tail end of a story from Kaguya.

   "...And just as she thought she was going to win, I trapped her with my cowrie shell. With nowhere to run, I drew the knife I had concealed, and easily secured victory by killing the damned bird."

   "Yeah, yeah, Kaguya. Got any stories about you fighting anyone other than Mokou?" Marisa quipped, leaning back on her chair. She definitely was back to her old self.

   "W-well, yes..." She hid her mouth as she looked away, embarrassed. "...but I've already told you all those stories..."

   "It's alright, Your Highness," assured Eirin. "Maybe the next battle will be noteworthy, or something different will happen."

   "Highness?" Jozero turned to the pair. "You're a queen?"

   "No, no. Just a princess," Eirin corrected.

   "Yes. Kaguya Houraisan, princess of the Lunar Capitol, in the flesh."

   "Impressive. Although, space is much more than this world, let alone its moon..."

   "What are you implying?"

   "Hmm? Nothing. Just that the moon is such a small territory."

   "Well, no, just the Capitol. The rest of the moon is uncolonized."

   "Have you never thought of expansion?"

   "Well, of course not. We of the Moon see no need to-"

   "Actually," Kaguya cut off her aide. "Yes, we did once think about expanding our borders. However, we decided against it for the sake of secrecy. Slowly the thoughts of expansion died out, though."

   "Seeing as how this Lunar Capitol values secrecy, I suppose they wouldn't allow tourism, then? I would like to see it for myself someday."

   "Sadly, no. They will try everything to keep people out. We're...well, they are very reclusive," she corrected.

   "A shame."

   "So, Jozero," Reimu intruded, "I see you've already met some people."

   "Only these two thus far. I haven't been able to introduce myself to the others yet."

   "Well, I might as well do that. Jozero, this is Marisa," she said, motioning to the witch, holding a dish of sake, which Reimu and Alice were relieved about.

   She motioned it in her direction. "Consider yourself lucky. I was just heading to your place myself, and I don't go easy on people like Reimu does."

   "If that means you go all out, then wouldn't that make Reimu the stronger one of you two?" replied Jozero, a slight smirk making its way onto her face.

   "Uh...er, no...I just deal out more punishment. I could beat Reimu with one hand tied behind my-"

   "Care to wager on that?" interrupted Reimu with a challenging grin.

   "Ehhh...whatever." She went back to her drink, dropping the conversation there.

   "Anyway, there is Alice," the blonde puppeteer nodded and smiled, Jozero returning the gesture. "That is Suika," The oni raised her gourd at the mention of her name. "You already know Sakuya and Young Miss Charisma Trumpet."

   "Scarlet, thank you."

   "Sure, Remi."

   "Hey! Don't use a pet name like that as an introduction!"

   Reimu turned to face the vampire. "And why not, Rem-rem?"

   "Because I- UGGGH!" Her face was starting to turn red. "You'll pay for this indignity, Hakurei!" She sat back down, muttering about public relations regarding properness of names and different methods of running someone through with a spear.

   "Moving on," Reimu said, chuckling. "These are-"

   "Yuyuko and Youmu. I know. They were the first to be hit when the incident started."

   "Oh~? Ah yes, it is you! I could hardly recognize you without your mask."

   "You gave us quite a scare when you suddenly attacked us, you know? Yuyuko thought I might become full ghost."

   "Oh, shush, Youmu. I never said such a thing."

   The half-ghost turned to her mistress. "W-what?! But you told me that you said-"

   "Nevermind what I said before. I had utmost confidence you'd return to your normal self~." Youmu tried to retaliate, until she remembered it was useless. She just sighed and took another sip of her drink.

   As she set her drink down, she got the angel's attention again. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you wear that mask?"

   Jozero paused, and Reimu thought she was about to shed tears, which could stain her floors. Luckily, no blood flowed. "People fear me for what I am. If I wear a smile, then will people appreciate me? And not fear me?" Another pause. "At least, that used to be my philosophy. I see the folly of it now, I should not try to mask who I am. Does that satisfy your question?"

   Youmu nodded in response. A few brows of the guests were furrowed as they contemplated her words, especially the vampire and her maid.

   "So anyway," Reimu continued, interrupting everyone's train of thought. "You've already met Eirin and Kaguya...I'm kinda surprised Sanae and her gods aren't here...so next is Tenshi, the one with peaches on her hat." The Celestial waved behind her. "Huh...you know, you both come from Heaven, yet Tenshi is no angel, yet you're no Celestial..."

   "Multiple types of Heaven, Reimu," Tenshi called over her shoulder. "She's from a different part where everyone's specifically an angel. Essentially the same, but with several differences. It's like a dialect, except a lot more noticeable."

   "Right...up next is Aya-"

   "Pure and Honest Shameimaru, Tengu reporter for the Bunbunmaru~! Now, miss...Jozero, was it? I do have a few questions regarding your little incident you caused..." She whipped out a pen and notepad, and began writing. "Is it true that this strange substance you control is actually a leaderless alien life-form that looks to you for guidance, but you only use them for your own personal gain, even sending them to their deaths for your own glory?"

   Jozero's head was spinning from how fast she spat out that question. "Uh...um...could you repeat that?"

   "Playing coy, eh? This report's going to be gold~!" she said, frantically writing notes.

   "Aya, please conduct this interview after the party. And I won't be asking again."

   "Alright, just one more question. Is that halo actually holy energy, or is it precious metals you stole, smelted together, and then implemented alien technology to have it float?"

   "I beg your pardon?!"

   "Aya!"

   "Okay, okay..." The tengu shrank back to her seat, still writing notes.

   Reimu leaned in to the angel. "Just watch yourself around her...and make sure your windows and doors are closed and locked while you're changing." Jozero glanced at the camera sitting on the table beside the reporter, and looked up at Reimu with a disbelieving expression. Reimu just nodded. "So anyway, these two are Satori and Koishi, from the Palace of the Earth Spirits in Old Hell."

   "Hmm...good to finally meet you. Your little...pets...caused quite a ruckus for me. I was really close to coming up to the surface to deal with you myself." said the pink one, looking very dignified, while still looking like she was straining to do something. Jozero looked down and met the gaze of the little button with cords on it, realizing it was an eye. Satori checked to see what the angel was looking at, then looked back up. "Yes, this is a third eye. As my name suggests, I am a satori. My third eye reads your heart. My sister, Koishi, sealed hers away, so she can no longer read minds. But now, she can manipulate the subconscious."

   "Your sister sealed hers? Forgive me, but that sounds ungrateful. She already had two, a third would be a blessing, yet she only threw it away. And yet my other eye was taken from me, so I am left with only one. Once again, pardon my jealousy, but that seems like a very selfish thing from my perspective." As she spoke, Reimu wondered how Satori wasn't finishing her sentences for her.

   "Mmm...when you say it like that, it would seem that way..." With that, she beckoned Reimu over, leaning closer to her. "Something's wrong, Reimu...I can't read her mind. It's like a steel trap wrapped in darkness. I could pry away at it, but I fear to do so and have her figure it out...I've never seen someone able to block my ability before."

   "Well, her powers involve mind control," the shrine maiden began, "so it would make sense that-"

   "-she'd be immune to it? I suppose it would make sense...but I can definitely see something else there, that isn't just her..."

   Reimu simply shrugged and went back to Jozero. Well, that's everybody. Everyone, these are Jozero Kubomitenshi," she gestured to the angel, who sheepishly waved, "Izumi Wondjina," The storm spirit nodded, giving a pleasant smile that made the weather outside seem not as noticeable. "And these three are Transmutation, Illusion, and Possession, but Possession is currently using the body of a mushroom youkai for some reason."

   "Convenience," Jozero answered.

   "Right...so with that, let the sake flow!" At this, cheers went up from those attending, the largest from the oni. Multiple separate conversations rose up, and the room quickly lost all sentiments of quiet.

   "Whoa whoa, what about me?" called another voice from the doorway, drying her hair. "Oh, Reimu, I hope you don't mind, but I used one of your towels to dry my jacket and, obviously, my hair."

   "Just as long as it doesn't have that fishy stench later." She turned back to the assembled crowd. "This is Kuhai Hoshokusha, the one you saw tending the bar outside. She's a former shark god."

   "Thank you. I brought in some drinks from my stand, too, so just ask me when you want one. They're on the house."

   "Hell yeah!" shouted the oni, raising her gourd.

   "Okay, slight fix then. Let the drinks flow!" she said, resulting in yet another round of cheers.

   "Oh, Reimu, before everyone gets drunk..." Jozero procured a white envelope from her sleeves, sealed with a large wax seal, with the shape of an eye stamped in it. "Here. An invitation."

   "Invitation?" She accepted the envelope and opened it. The seal easily gave way, and she pulled out the paper, unfolding it, flipping it to the front so she could read it. "'Dear Reimu Hakurei, I would like to take this opportunity to say I truly apologize for my atrocious behavior in causing this incident. As such, I cordially invite you to...' What's this crossed out section?" It looked like a name of something, the top of a capital C and A most visible.

   "Unimportant. I made a slight error. Just keep reading."

   "...Alright. 'I cordially invite you to,' crossed out section, 'return to the palace in four nights from this night, the night of the party. I would advise arriving at sunset. See you then, Jozero Kubomitenshi'." She folded the letter again, thinking of what she may have to do then. Nothing came to mind. "Yeah, sure. I'll come. A bit strange that it's the night of the new moon, but whatever."

   "It's the nearest night I have available. And wonderful," she added, smiling. "I shall see you then." With that, she strolled over to her Dark Matters, who were at the table listening to a better story being told by Suika. Reimu retreated to her room, placing the letter on the nightstand so she wouldn't forget.



   Footsteps, water droplets, and annoyed grumbles were the only sounds echoing through the deserted, torchlight halls. No other living things were in sight but one, who sprinted down the hall as if her life depended on it. She approached the end of it, sufficiently illuminated by the torches, where light from the windows would not reach. A lone handprint could be seen in its center, at eye level. The girl placed her hand on it, and shot one silver bullet of danmaku from it. Silver veins glowed on the ebony stone, looking like a mix of runes and circuits. After each individual vein glowed, they all gradually gained the silver shine again, before turning bright green, and going out. Slowly, the door unlatched, and with a great lurch, swung inward, revealing an even larger hall, a point of green light visible at the end.

   She tensed; the unnatural aura that permeated the door was gone, and now an unrestrained feeling of power was pulsing through the hall. It feels especially strong today, she noted mentally. Without another thought, she dashed forward, deeper into the castle. Her earlier fears were for nothing; no one had discovered this room before everything was ready. And now it finally was...

   The green light at the end of the hall came into focus, a bright green gem that hovered, twirling in place. Behind it was a large, intricate sculpture that melded into the wall. It depicted battles, often of small, fearful creatures against massive, merciless beasts. At its center was the crystal, and below it was an obsidian-colored throne. At first glance, it seemed empty, but as she neared, a silhouette slowly became visible apart from the throne under it. She stopped at the first step of seven before the throne, and kneeled deeply. "M-my apologies for my tardiness, Your Highness..."

   At first, there was nothing but cold silence. Then, the entire miasma of the room seemed to shift as two bright green, detailless spots appeared on the silhouette: the eyes. "Think nothing of it, Tearfang. I understand you wanting to enjoy yourself at a party. But now...something far greater, that has been in motion since we first arrived, is finally about to take place..."

   "Of course, Mistress. Our ultimate goal."

   Another silence. "My ultimate goal, you mean. I've been plotting this for far longer than you've had true sentience. Back when you mindlessly obeyed my every command."

   Tearfang flinched. "Y-yes, my apologies for speaking out of turn, M-Mistress..."

   The shadowy figure lifted one hand, causing Tearfang to recede even further. She opened her eyes to see that it was a reassuring gesture, not a violent one. "Honestly, Tearfang. Why do you treat me as if I am violent?"

   "W-well, this is a stressful time...and analysis shows that an increase in stress results in an increase in negative tendencies, such as violence...so I am making attempts to not increase stress levels..."

   "It may be a stressful time, indeed. But it will also be a glorious time. And this is the easy part...although, I am offering one chance...if they accept, it will be even easier."

   "A-Are you sure that's wise, Mistress? You saw how easily Jozero was defeated, and-"

   "Jozero was supposed to be defeated, and the palace returned to land so I don't have to split my efforts across too large of an area. If Jozero had succeeded anyway, then I would have been surprised."

   "Speaking of surprise, isn't that our main attack method? Now that the palace is back, how will we still have an advantage?"

   "Simple. As far as any of them know, Jozero owns this palace, and her incident was already resolved. I do not need much more time. I shall own this world...or I shall destroy it trying." Tearfang gulped nervously as darkness seemed to cling to the throne around the silhouette. "Failure is not an option. You know this."

   The sword girl bit her lip, trying to decide whether or not to speak. "W-well...what are your orders?"

   "Stay here at the palace. If anyone begins fighting their way up to here, alert me. Immediately. Do you understand?"

   Tearfang gave a distracted nod as she continued to contemplate. "My lady...?" The silhouette raised an eyebrow, a hardly visible motion in the dim light, only signified by her one eye opening slightly more. "Deepest apologies for questioning your decrees, but...what if...what if I...I mean, we...don't want...to attack Gensokyo?" she finally managed to say. As much as they might have managed to start on the wrong foot, Tearfang still liked Gensokyo for what it was.

   The silhouette's eyes narrowed significantly. "If I were a more cruel ruler, I would consider that notion treason." This caused the sword girl to cringe, but the shadow only laughed. "Similarly, if I were a more cruel ruler, I would threaten you more often. Yet seeing you fear me for no true reason...it's funny. Plus, if I threaten you more often, you would get used to it. I've explained this before...usually you don't forget things that easily."

   Tearfang began to calm down enough to consider a response. "Yes...I believe it to be stre-" She was startled as another peal of thunder sounded, cutting her off. The rain could be heard constantly tapping on the windows, constantly picking up. If the walls weren't thick, the sound would be deafening. "...Stress," she finished.

   "Tearfang, you need to relax. You should return to your quarters and rest tonight. No getting up for anything, unless I declare otherwise. But before that..." The silhouette slumped down in its throne slightly, as if exhausted. "All of my efforts have left me famished. Be a dear and get me a snack, would you?"

   The silver-haired girl stood to her feet abruptly, concern vanishing from her features as she stood at attention. "Of course. What sort?"

   The silhouette raised a hand to where its chin would be, pondering. "Something with the older leftover youkai. It needs to be used before it expires."

   "Mistress, I'm afraid we are out of usable meat. You ate a majority of it to keep your strength up for these times, remember? And slowly we ran out. Turns out a few fairy maids actually like it. After researching, I discovered they also do not know what it is. The only similar edible food left over is simply youkai jerky."

   The shadow made a sound of disgust before sinking further into her seat. "It'll do. Surprise me with a beverage, as long as it isn't alcoholic. Tomorrow, go hunt down and bring a youkai or two in so we can resupply, and make sure they're not the types to be seen frequently. I may be stuck here, but I am slowly regaining strength with every passing night. I'll have you do the execution honors."

   "Possible hunting targets have been previously confirmed, I shall choose two from the list created to keep track of them. I will return momentarily, my lady." She turned and marched into the immediate door on her left, making sure to close it behind her.

   As the door clicked shut, the figure upon the throne templed her slender, pointed fingers, tapping them together. "Mm, no still can't get up yet. It'll take a day or two for that," she mused. "Soon enough, Gensokyo will be in my grasp...I only hope that they can see reason without resorting to battle. I wonder why I am allowing the choice...last time I gave a choice, things didn't go too well...no, I must think of the future. The past serves to give lessons, the future is for application. If this place cannot see things my way, I have no problem with alternative methods of acquisition. After all..." She leaned as far back as she could in her chair, laughing quietly, as another lightning flash illuminated the room, followed by foreboding thunder. "...I am invincible."

   And she laughed, only pausing when Tearfang returned with a tray of youkai jerky and a glass of juice. And she continued to laugh, the darkness pulsating as she did.

   And she laughed.

   And laughed.

   ...but who could do without a little extra in their lives?

Stay tuned! (Even if it may take a while...)

Also, I had to break this chapter up since it apparently is too large for the word limit, clocking at over 22000 words! Definitely the most I've ever written for anything.

And I'm not done yet, either~!

LaserTurtle:

So I've been lurking the forums again, but enough about me.

Caught up with this story and I'd have to say I enjoyed it a lot! Especially the party scene, that was entertaining. Props to you, Sock, for writing it!

Spoiler: ooh boy! Extra boss time![/sub]

Stifled Voices:

I'm wondering, is Jozero a foreigner to both Gensokyo and Japan?


P.S. Yes, MoTK, I'm sure I will reply to a thread abandoned for 14 days!

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