The White Rose of Chireiden

[Alfred F. Jones]

?Wh-- what?!? she protested. ?What would you need me for??

?I'm quite serious. Of all the people here in the upper tier when it comes to raw power, you are the only one who is human,? Meimu replied, cool and calm. ?Therefore, you have to be the one to raise the Hakurei daughter to be a powerful human.?

?I'll help,? Hirano added, ?But I do have my duties as a shrine maiden to do.?

?Bu--? Yumemi looked pained. ?I am not going to be able to do what you want! I'm just an ordinary human!?

?You are far from ordinary,? Remilia stated plainly. ?You are the strongest human I've ever met-- even stronger than Sakuya, sad to say,? she said, motioning behind her to the silver-haired maid who stood there. ?I bet your assistant there is around her level, though.?

?And we don't need you to do more than what you're capable of,? Yuyuko smiled up at Yumemi, looking up at her with her head resting on her palms. ?Your, your... ship, vessel. It's in Makai, right??

?Right on the plains of west Hokkai Province,? Yumemi agreed.

?That makes it perfect!? Meimu said. ?From there, we shall infiltrate Hokkai Prison from belowground, escape with the Hakurei girl, and send her off with you as far into the west as you can, as fast as you can. And there my master shall meet with you.?

?But what do we get out of this, ze?? Chiyuri interrupted, folding her arms. ?It won't be much good to improve our reputations like everyone else does; we just want to get out of this place with some good solid evidence, so you'd better be willing to agree to what Boss wants.?

Yumemi nearly banged her head on the table. Chiyuri was demanding more?! And she was just a human girl standing up to a meeting of the most powerful people in all of Makai and Gensokyo?! Chiyuri was insane!

But when Chiyuri put her hand on Yumemi's shoulder and squeezed it, she blinked--

?Chiyuri, what are you doing?!? she hissed.

?Yumemi, remember how you got laughed out of university because you believed in magic?? she asked quietly.

?All too well,? Yumemi replied, her eyes flickering with sadness and anger for a moment.

?Just trust me, ze?? Chiyuri winked. ?I won't let you go back without proof.? She gave Yumemi's shoulder another squeeze-- Yumemi blushed, realizing that everything Chiyuri was doing, she was doing for her sake.

?All right then,? she nodded.

?So? What have you two decided you want?? Meimu asked, seeing that the two had stopped whispering to one another.

?We--? Yumemi began before she was interrupted by Chiyuri-- ?We're going to hold off tellin' you 'bout it 'till the time is right. Hope that's all right with you. We need to prepare and all, ze.?

Meimu raised an eyebrow.

?How long does the job last?? Yumemi asked hurriedly, wanting to draw attention away from Chiyuri.

?Two years, give or take,? the youkai responded, turning her gaze from the blonde sailor girl. ?Until she's old enough to fight on her own.?

?And you REALLY think that's eight or nine years old??

?Hey, I'm not the human. I'm no master of human development.? Meimu shrugged helplessly, but she was grinning again. ?That's all up to you.?

?What do you think?? Yumemi asked her assistant.

Chiyuri nodded. ?I say go for it, ze.?

?... Then I accept,? Yumemi said, bowing her head. ?Count me in.?

?Wonderful!? Meimu smiled. ?And as for you?? She motioned to the remainder of the bystanders. But Yumemi wasn't paying attention by this point; she was only wondering just what it was she had signed up for. She felt as if events were out of her control, and she couldn't help but notice how easily Meimu had managed to convince everybody to join her master.

Yuyuko looked over her fan at her and smiled. Yumemi figured it might be a good idea to ask her.

?Saigyouji-hime,? Yumemi began, using as respectful a tone as she could.

But the princess shook her head. ?Just 'Yuyuko' will do, Yumemi.?

?Okay,? Yumemi nodded. ?Yuyuko... how is everyone agreeing to a revolution so easily??

?Oh, that,? she said, moving her fan to her side so that no one else at the table but Yumemi herself could see her mouth moving. ?Ah, do not fret. Despite how they may have reacted, I know for a fact that a lot of them have been planning small-scale rebellions of their own. The Lunar princess' aide, for one, has been itching to assert her authority for a while now,? she said, motioning to Eirin, who stood by Kaguya's side. ?And so has Remilia, the vampire, and quite a few other people here... Believe me, this is just the excuse they needed to rebel.?

?Eh...? Yumemi frowned. ?I was kind of expecting a nobler goal.?

?You would have gotten it, if the shinigami of Higan were here,? Yuyuko replied. ?Or if Komeiji Miyani had come. Speaking of... how did that girl know Miyani had died, anyway?? The ghostly princess cast a sidelong glance at the miko, Hirano, who stood behind Meimu.

Yumemi began to wonder that as well.

?In any case, do not think the youkai here are being overly selfish,? Yuyuko continued, turning back to her. ?To be fair, there is no question that the humans of Gensokyo would be much better off if Shinki were to be driven out. And as for the youkai... it is just what they do.? She smiled at Yumemi, and Yumemi suddenly felt a sort of kinship with Yuyuko.

?Uh, pardon me,? she asked. ?But you are a ghost, right??

?Correct.?

?Well... does that mean you were once human??

?I... would assume it does,? Yuyuko said, and the professor detected genuine uncertainty in her face. ?Huh... somehow, I never thought of it like that... I don't remember anything from when I was alive.... how odd.?

?So... it is possible for humans to be powerful,? Yumemi whispered.

?Why, of course it is, dearest,? Yuyuko said, leaning over to Yumemi. She opened her fan and brought her face no further than four inches from her own. ?You are the walking example of that.?

Yumemi blushed and smelled the scent of sakura petals coming off of Yuyuko-- but also the weak, faint scent of decay.

?Yuyuko-sama!? her servant blushed on Yuyuko's behalf as Yuyuko sat there, grinning like a cat with a bird in its mouth, obviously very pleased with herself.

?Ahem,? Meimu coughed, getting everyone's attention back up to the front, to her. Dozens of eyes turned to her.

?Now, we have finished settling this. There is but one last order of business left; preparation for our next meeting, which will probably take place here in two weeks, no?? She looked to Gengetsu, who nodded. ?Gengetsu and Mugetsu have generously placed their mansion at our disposal.

?But we must be cautious,? she warned, putting both of her hands on the table and eying everyone at the table one by one. ?My master knows you will not betray this cause,? she said, moving her eyes slowly. ?Not one of you. But you will be tracked. Followed by Shinki's agents. She is nothing if not paranoid. The very fact that we are technically in her domain at this moment makes us vulnerable. But despite this, we can win this battle,? she continued. ?But we need to be careful. And as such, my master has taken the liberty of... well, you shall see. Ran.?

She raised her hand and Ran, the fox-woman, came up behind Meimu, holding a large chest. She lay it on the table before Meimu and flipped the lid open.

?Allow me,? Ran said, taking out a smaller box from within the chest. Meimu took another small box and with it in her hands, went around the table. But instead of giving them some device that would allow them to communicate, or money or paper, she gave them--

[Alfred F. Jones]

?Flowers?? Kaguya asked cynically, holding what Yumemi recognized as a bamboo flower in her hand. ?You're giving us flowers??

?Are you... insulting flowers??

Yuka turned to Kaguya very, very slowly, twirling a sunflower in her hand.

?... actually, never mind,? Kaguya said, suddenly displaying a great interest in her flower.

The green-haired youkai smiled and nodded. Yumemi shivered.

?Konpaku-san, this is yours,? Ran said, handing a silvery flower to Yuyuko's short, sword-wielding servant. ?Miss Willmott's Ghost, is what I recall as its name.?

?Eryngium amethystinum,? Youmu recited as she inspected the flower. She looked up at Ran, who was staring at her slack-jawed, and blushed. ?I'm a gardener, I'm supposed to know these things...?

?Oh. Then well done,? Ran said, smiling.

?We will probably come by Hakugyokurou later and give Youki a flower personally,? she continued, turning to Yuyuko. ?Is that all right??

?Of course!? Yuyuko replied with a smile.

?In the meantime, this is yours,? the fox-woman said, handing Yuyuko a chain of cherry blossoms.

?Oshima cherry,? Yuyuko identified. ?You didn't get these from Hakugyokurou, did you??

?I don't know,? Ran said. ?Yukari-sama has been keeping these to herself.?

She looked up at Yumemi. ?Ah, Okazaki-san. It is good to meet you in person.?

Yumemi bowed slightly. ?Likewise.? Though she couldn't help but wonder how this Ran woman had heard about her.

?This is yours,? Ran said, handing her a large yellow flower.

Yumemi blinked and took it. ?Hey, Chiyuri,? she said. ?What flower is this??

Chiyuri looked at it in horror and took it in her hands. She began to mumble quickly, as was her usual when she was surprised. Yumemi listened to Chiyuri's mutterings, but the only things she could make out were ?Someone's been messin' with the chemistry set?, ?genetic engineering?, and ?sin against God?.

?Hey, Chiyuri,? Yumemi said, snapping her fingers. ?What is it??

?You should know,? Chiyuri said, handing it back to her boss. ?It's a strawberry blossom.?

?... eh?? The professor looked at the flower-- and then it clicked. She gasped. ?Wha-- strawberry blossoms are incredibly tiny! They'd never grow to this size under normal circumstances!?

?That's what happens when Yukari-sama gets involved,? Ran said, shaking her head. ?Strange, strange things begin to happen...?

She rummaged around in the box, and pulled out another flower. ?Kitashirakawa-san, this is-- wait. This isn't yours. Let me find yours.?

?Oh, that one is lovely. May I see it?? Yumemi asked.

?Sure,? Ran said, handing over the flower that had confused her for a moment.

Yumemi ran her fingers over the smooth curves of the white lotus, wondering who had done something so wonderful to get this flower.

?Here's yours,? Ran said, handing an oleander to Chiyuri. Yumemi returned the white lotus to Ran, who moved on to Tenshi.

?Byakuren,? Yuyuko muttered.

?Hmm?? Yumemi asked, turning to her.

?That's a name for a white lotus,? the ghost princess said, laughing. ?Byakuren.?

?Oh? I didn't know that...?

At the front of the table, Meimu set out a handful of flowers, apparently without owners. One of them was the white lotus. It was soon joined by a handful of other flowers-- the only four out of the whole pile Yumemi could identify (botany was not her strong suit) were the blood iris, the poinsettia, the fire lily, and the white rose.

Meimu then set out a white camellia, apart from the rest.

?Meimu-san,? Remilia asked, twirling a scarlet carnation in her hands. ?What, exactly, is the point of these flowers??

?To make it so that we can communicate without fear of being identified by Shinki's agents.? Meimu smiled. ?Allow me to explain. Shinki is a very good empress in that she is as paranoid as the best of them. Any letters you send through the imperial post can and will be intercepted.?

?Who sends mail by the imperial post?? Kaguya scoffed. ?That's why we have servants.?

Chiyuri's grip on Yumemi's shoulder suddenly tightened. Yumemi reached up and held it.

?Well, yes,? Meimu said, frowning. ?But even then, have those servants been flawless? Haven't they been heckled by Shinki's people??

?Mistress, permission to speak,? the white-haired maid behind Remilia said.

?Go ahead, Sakuya.? Remilia gave her assent; with that, her maid stepped up beside her and addressed the table at large after giving a slight bow.

?Lady Patchouli once had me personally deliver a book to Keine at the human village,? she began. ?Simulacra and Simulations, was it??

Keine, still leaning against the far wall, nodded her assent.

?I had the misfortune to run into Yumeko herself,? Sakuya said, a frown twitching on her face. ?She demanded to see what I was carrying; apparently the book was on Shinki's blacklist, and... there was a small tussle, as you can imagine.? The maid did an excellent job of keeping her voice level and even. ?The end result was that I was thrown into a detention cell for a week, and Remilia-ojousama could not find me in that entire time.?

?I then took steps to correct that,? Remilia added with a fanged smile as Sakuya bowed and retreated behind her mistress. ?But even though it did eventually turn out well, I will not have any servant of the house of Scarlet to be demeaned in this way.?

?Hmm... Kaguya-hime,? Eirin said, ?Reisen gets the same treatment when she goes to deliver my medicines to clients.?

?And Youmu has been treated this way before as well,? Yuyuko put in. ?She was bringing mail to the Yama, and she was denied access to the Makai-Jigoku highway.?

?And? Chen and I have been accosted by Shinki?s soldiers as well.? The fox-woman spoke quietly, but Yumemi could hear a quiet intensity in her words that? well, it didn?t outright worry her, but she couldn?t help but wonder how powerful Ran was, and by extension, the master.

Come to think of it, Yuyuko gave off that same vibe. And so did Tenshi, and everyone else at the table. Well, everyone except for her. Yumemi tried to suppress the idea that she was just that much weaker than everyone else, on sheer virtue of being human, but found that she could not.

Meimu tapped the table, calling attention to the front once more.

?The fact is that Shinki has getting a little power-hungry lately.? She fixed all of them with an even stare. ?Even to the point of harassing our servants. But as irritating as it is, that is not the issue here. The point is that Shinki has gained enough nerve to start disrespecting us directly. She can and will intercept any messages we send to each other, without us even noticing.?

Meimu twirled a wisteria in her hand and looked up at them.

?But if we use these, we will be caught much less easily.? She smiled. ?Some of us will be caught. At least this way, Shinki will have to work for it.? She pulled a single petal from the wisteria and held it up. ?Take the flowers home and grow them someplace safe. Hide a petal of your flower within the true messages you send, and hide those within other, less important messages. That will identify you. And to make sure that the other person isn't identified, address them to that flower.?

?So, if I were to write a letter to Yagokoro-san,? Keine said, playing with the flower in her hands, ?I would take a petal from this begonia and place it inside the letter.?

?Yes.?

?And I wouldn't address it to 'Eirin Yagokoro'. I would address it to 'white campion'.?

?Also yes.?

Keine nodded. ?A bit awkward, but under the circumstances it's a good idea. It'll confuse Shinki, that's for sure.?

?It's like a key, isn't it?? Tenshi asked. ?Only the right combination will get you in.?

?Exactly so. Without the flowers to confirm, there's no way to know that it's a genuine letter.? Meimu nodded. ?So take a look around. This is the only time you will see your comrades with their flowers. I trust you will keep them safe. We have to be cautious about communicating behind Shinki's back. We can confuse her, confound her, make her wonder how we're coordinating. Patience is our weapon.

?As to the length of the meeting, this has gone on long enough. The next meeting will be in two weeks' time in Mugenkan.? She glanced at Yuka, who nodded. ?Be there, or send a trusted servant. Memorize each other's flower names tonight, because this is your only chance. Shinki's agents will probably be watching us from here on out, so you'll be spending the night here to make sure Shinki's suspicions aren't aroused by all of us leaving at once. This meeting is dismissed.?

With that declarative sentence, Meimu Yakumo left the head of the table and disappeared into the dark. Yumemi squinted to see, and then nearly went blind when Gengetsu lit the immense chandelier dangling from the ceiling with a torch. Mugetsu threw open one of the curtains, letting the light of the cold moon shine in. She closed it against the nighttime chill.

The meeting dissolved into the households of Gensokyo talking amongst themselves. Gengetsu and Mugetsu looked at each other, the lilacs in their hands similar but not mirror opposites. Remilia Scarlet gathered her house to her and they took their seats around a coffee table, discussing matters amongst themselves. Yuyuko drifted back to the buffet, with Youmu trailing after her. Tenshi and Iku stood and talked quietly near the fireplace that Mokou had done a favour and lit.

Yumemi and a few others remained around the main table, mostly talking amongst themselves. Chiyuri took the seat vacated by Yuyuko next to her boss, and squeezed her hand.

?What did we just get into?? Yumemi asked, laughing slightly.

?Nothin' bad,? a voice said. Yumemi and Chiyuri jumped.

?Suika?? Chiyuri asked as a purple mist on the table next to them swirled and coalesced into the form of the grinning oni.

?You were listenin'!? Suika laughed and sat cross-legged on top of the table. ?Good, good. I knew gatherin' you two wasn't a mistake!?

?So, you're the one who brought us here?? Yumemi asked.

?Sure thing!? Suika pulled a large purple jug of what was probably sake from behind her back and took a long swig. ?Thought ya'd be a good guardian for the lil' Hakurei girl.?

?Wasn't gathering all these people hard?? Chiyuri said.

?Ah, nah,? the oni replied, waving it away. ?Eh, I was busy doin' stuff underground earlier today, but that was really just to make sure everythin' went like Hirano said it was gonna.?

?Hirano?? Yumemi raised an eyebrow and looked over at the imposing miko, who was speaking with Ran, her hands clasped in front of her. ?Who is she, anyway??

?Hirano's a Hakurei cousin,? Suika explained. ?She's from Sakurasaki Shrine in the far west and she's gonna take care of Sayuri's kid.?

?Hmm. Is she human??

?You bet! But she has a powers, too. Miko powers, yanno.?

Yumemi raised an eyebrow. ?'Miko' powers??

?Yeah, yanno, shrine maiden powers an' whatnot. Power to banish evil, see the future. I 'unno, you'll have to ask her!? Suika laughed and drank some more.

Yumemi glanced at Chiyuri, who was yawning.

?Let's go ask her... then,? the sailor girl said while yawning.

Yumemi shook her head. ?Let's go to bed, Chiyuri.?

?What?? Chiyuri asked. ?Why? We've still got some time left, and everyone's staying up to chat--?

?Bedtime early is best,? Yumemi said, reaching out and tapping Chiyuri's nose lightly. ?And besides, it would be bad for me to ignore the needs of my subordinate.?

?When have you ever cared?? Chiyuri joked, grinning. But Yumemi gave her a genuine smile and instead of joking back, she took hold of Chiyuri's hand and squeezed.

?Ever since we were in this together.?

The sailor girl blushed.

?Well, okay then,? she said, scratching her head. ?The bedrooms must be upstairs. Maybe Kogasa can guide us??

Yumemi nodded, ruffling Chiyuri's hair as they left the hall.

Hirano's eyes followed them out, but they didn't have any way of knowing that.


Whee! Flower motifs! Tune in to Satori Eye Z for more intrigue, flowers, and legs, all coming up next week!

[Gpop]

Wow...

...you even brought a Seihou character in.

Fuck Ruro this is beyond awesome.

[Drake]

>aya hirano

[Alfred F. Jones]

>aya hirano

Impossible Request: Aya and Hirano

interacting as expected

BGM: Hirano Shoots a Strange Bird ~ Till When?

[Zengar Zombolt]

hahaha yes
Also expecting the incoming Ruukoto I KNOW you will introduce. Right?
...
Right?

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

I believe I speak for all present when I say: pfahahahahahahaha.

[Alfred F. Jones]

White Rose Wednesday continues! And then it'll end!


Yumemi had just had her birthday, so she was seventeen years old. Yet she was a professor. The only real explanation for this was that she was a... genius, she supposed. As Chiyuri put it, she was a strange mix of the intellectual and insane. She possessed the high IQ of a trained scientist, as well as the crazy non-linear thinking that could only come from the mind of a hyper-intelligent child with an overactive imagination. She was young enough to still believe in magic, and she was old enough to follow through on it.

That had been why she had gotten chased out of her college, of course. Her belief in the existence of magic was dismissed by her far older colleagues as childishness unfitting the genius physics professor she was. To her, the idea that magic existed was the result of simple observation; the Grand Unified Theory simply could not explain all the forms of energy in the world. But if she added magic to the mix, then everything suddenly became explainable... Yet no one else would recognize that, and worse still, they derided her as a crazy liar...

Determined to prove that she wasn't lying, she had decided to go find a dimension where magic was real when she was still sixteen, and Chiyuri fourteen-- unbelievably young for what they were doing, both of them, but Chiyuri was a genius in her own right-- with the power of the Infinite Probability Drive, which she had modelled after the engine of a spaceship from some radio show she had used to listen to for English class. It was just an engine, so they installed it into a DeLorean, which Chiyuri had herself salvaged from a junkyard, and called it the ostentatious name of the Probability Hyperspace Vessel. She was as much of a sci-fi nerd as Yumemi was.

The two of them wandered the outskirts of Tokyo looking for any supernatural activity, and had found it in a place called Haku Graveyard. Wasting no time, they charged in, screaming through the Hakugyokurou sky and careening into the western barrier, breaking into Makai from there. However, she didn't know any of this until after she had woken up after their wrecked DeLorean had crashed into the side of Mount Hokkai in the south of Makai; in fact, she thought she had ended up in Shangri-la, until Shinki had corrected her.

Amazed that she had in fact made it unharmed into a magical world, she rejoiced. But Chiyuri hadn't been so lucky; she was injured, and Yumemi had to get help, and fast. Thankfully, Shinki herself had been visiting a prisoner in Hokkai, and had personally come out to see what was going on. Intrigued by the two visitors, she healed Chiyuri and invited them to stay with her at Pandemonium Palace, the capital of Makai.

In Makai, Yumemi had gotten on so well with Shinki that the goddess, who was otherwise opposed to scientific research of all kinds-- unsurprising in retrospect, since Yumemi had later discovered that as a believer in science, she was a ?heretic?-- that she wound up as the head scientist at Makai's sole scientific research facility, on the plains of west Hokkai Province.

The only other researcher there was a young woman, Rika Asakura, who was more interested in robotics than anything else (though she was experimenting with chemics, too). Together with Chiyuri, the three of them were able to build a proper ship to contain the Infinite Probability Drive: the Probability Hyperspace Vessel. Chiyuri and Yumemi were no engineers, but in return, they helped Rika build her ?Evil Eye? series of experimental combat tanks, the latest of which was Evil Eye Omicron.

In exchange for this, Shinki required Yumemi to work on whatever project she wanted, no strings attached. Yumemi would work on whatever she was told, be it weapons or plague. Yumemi agreed, and was given the laboratory. Thankfully, Shinki had never collected on this, preferring to use her powers to accomplish things on her own. She had no desire to be publicly seen as being connected to these scientific heretics, so Shinki largely left the three scientists to their own devices, giving them an unprecedented amount of freedom.

As a result, Yumemi was able to dedicate herself entirely to the study of physics, biology and chemistry. Her knowledge and skills (as well as her disregard for the conventions of modern scientific institutions, such as ethical constraint) increased to unheard-of levels, and she began working with technology and techniques that were banned in her own world, sometimes using her knowledge of the occult to summon and create minor magical abominations in the laboratory, just so she could observe and record the results.

Chiyuri didn't approve at all, and told her so, saying that what she did was immoral; Yumemi ignored her, feeling that such limitations were shackles placed on the spirit of scientific innovation by those of lesser vision-- like those people who had driven her out of her university. She plowed ahead in her research, the laws of god and man be damned.

This had changed when, during one of her more daring (and more amoral) biology experiments, Chiyuri had been attacked and severely injured by an atavistic youkai Yumemi had trained and tortured herself. Wracked by guilt over hurting the one she loved, Yumemi swore off her more extremist activities, changed what she had once considered to be acceptable compromises, and turned around the entire focus of her pragmatic scientific research.

Deciding it was better to lose a few battles than to lose herself, her research took a different tack, and she began performing recombinant DNA experiments on youkai using human material, hoping to create magical treatments that could be used to cure human disease. She was still bending the rules, but she now had limits-- she would only do things she saw as being of benefit to humanity. Yumemi would no longer work on weapons or techniques that could harm or kill, and she was ready to lose her laboratory as a result.

Thankfully, she never had to, because shortly after that happened, Shinki marched to war to expand her empire once more. Yumemi and Chiyuri had continued to work, and now they had moved into the second phase of research; harnessing magic to apply it directly to humans. Not to create vaccines, but to outright heal genetic diseases and other such plagues upon humanity, to possibly even cure cancer, HIV, or anything else. She was just that much closer to clearing her name back in her home world; she wanted to establish herself as the foremost scientific mind in the world just as much as she wanted to save it.

Slowly but surely Yumemi and Chiyuri came closer and closer to their goal. However, they needed something else.

She wanted to prove the existence of magic. She didn't necessarily need to bring a magic-user back with her-- she just needed to provide reasonable proof of its existence. A video record would be called a hoax, of course-- live video might have fared a little better if it involved things that were completely unreasonable to explain via the modern science of the outer world. Probably the most undeniable proof, though, would be to have either her or Chiyuri learn magic themselves and come back with it to display-- more difficult and longer than kidnapping, but more civil and plausible to get away with.

But through many failed experiments, Yumemi had determined that neither she nor Chiyuri could not use magic on their own, and it was likely that they would not be able to contain it and bring it back to their world. So they needed a subject, preferably willing, to come back to their world with them. A magical subject, someone who could use their power outside of Makai or Gensokyo. After that more visible display of power, it would be easy to get funding for further magical research in their world, and from there Yumemi would lead a second great scientific revolution that would eventually save the world.

Of course it was a dream. As she justified it, she needed to be able to dream big, or else she would never have been able to do half the things she had done in her lifetime.

It helped that she was a lucid dreamer. Since she had been a child, her overactive imagination had been her own plaything. Many times in the past she had confronted a problem in her dreams, solved it, then woken up and solved it in real life. In her dreams, her childish side ran wild, finding utterly crazy but perfectly rational solutions to every problem she had.

Tonight was no different. In this dream, she was working on Evil Eye Omicron with Rika and Chiyuri. She was playing around on the machine and had so far found all kinds of little bugs and quirks in the programming. Soon, they might be able to advance to the next version of Evil Eye, Evil Eye Pi. Rika would probably want, as she put it, ?More cannons than GOD!? so that would guarantee the eventual construction of Evil Eye Rho, but even Yumemi doubted they would ever get to, say, Sigma. Still, it was her job to make Omicron more and more efficient, so she was working on a more efficient fuel for the engine.

Dressed only in a long white shirt, she smiled and nodded in her sleep, muttering random phrases and the names of various chemical compounds. She turned over onto her side, pulling the covers of her bed along with her, and settled down again.

In the dark, a pair of eyes watched her.

Yumemi breathed in and out, and turned again over to her other side, restless. ?Rika, stop trying to make weird makeup and hair dye, stop that...? she muttered and settled down once more.

The intruder approached the side of her bed, and from behind her back she pulled out a long object.

The scientist sighed again and turned onto her back this time, trying to get some rest.

Raising the object above her, the intruder grinned.

The sound of metal grinding against metal--

[Alfred F. Jones]

?URAMESHI--YAAAAAAH!? Kogasa screamed as a laser shot past her face, grazing her nose.

Yumemi?s eyes flew open; she had always been a light sleeper. She woke up to see Kogasa standing above her, her eggplant umbrella?s tongue dangling right in her face.

?AAAAAAH!? she screamed, shocked by the sight of its grin in the dark. She crawled backwards on her bed, trying to get away from it.

For her part, Kogasa also freaked out. She was right to. Chiyuri?s gun was right in her face.

?What are you doing here?!? Chiyuri demanded, her eyes glittering in the dim light of the moon shining through the bedroom window.

?I-- I was ordered t-- to--?

?Ordered to do what?? Chiyuri growled at Kogasa, not moving her gun from between Kogasa?s eyes. At some point, Kogasa had changed out of her maid uniform, and into what were presumably her normal clothes. ?And by whom?!?

?I wa-- I was told to deliver this!? Kogasa said, reaching behind her back--

?Don?t you dare!? the sailor girl snapped, lunging at Kogasa and knocking her back onto Yumemi?s bed. Yumemi gave a surprised yelp and got up as Chiyuri forced Kogasa?s arms and legs against the bed.

The letter Kogasa was going to pull out fell to the floor.

Yumemi wouldn?t have noticed it, but the light of the moon reflected off the paper so that it was the brightest thing in the room apart from the bedsheets. She picked it up as Chiyuri, dressed in a plain white t-shirt and short white shorts, wrestled Kogasa into submission.

Her eyes scanned the paper.

?Chiyuri!? she said.

?Yeah, boss?? Chiyuri grunted as she pinned Kogasa down.

?Let her go,? Yumemi said as she walked over to the window.

?What?!? her subordinate demanded, turning around to see what Yumemi was up to.

Her boss waved the letter. ?She wasn?t going to hurt us. Weren?t you, Kogasa-san??

The trembling karakasa shook her head. ?I was just ordered to deliver that letter to you! Honest!?

?Who ordered you?? Chiyuri demanded.

?By the looks of it, Yukari,? Yumemi said, turning her back to the window so she could read the letter by the moonlight.

?Yes!? Kogasa agreed, hastily nodding her head and whimpering when Chiyuri turned her gaze back to her.

?So,? Chiyuri said as she slowly got off of Kogasa, ?All you had to do was deliver a letter, and then you decided to scare the boss like that, even though you didn't need to??

Kogasa nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

?... You are an IDIOT.?

?But I need to surprise people!? Kogasa begged, sitting up on Yumemi?s bed. ?A youkai who doesn't use their power is nothing at all! If I don?t surprise people, I?ll fade away!?

?You sure surprised me,? Yumemi laughed.

Kogasa blinked through her tears and looked at the professor.

?Really?? she asked, a hopeful tone in her voice.

Yumemi nodded. ?I haven?t been that scared waking up in a long while.?

The karakasa's eyes widened and a huge grin spread across her face. She leapt up and ran over to Yumemi, hugging her around the middle. ?Thank you, thank you, thank you!!? she repeated.

Yumemi smiled and ruffled her hair, winking over at Chiyuri, who only grunted, crossed her arms, and frowned.

?Hmm,? the professor muttered as she read the letter. ?Chiyuri, come over here and read this with me.?

?What is it, boss?? her assistant asked, her loose white shirt reflecting the moonlight as she approached.

?That's the thing,? Yumemi said, handing over the letter for Chiyuri to read. ?It seems... that that meeting was not all it appeared to be.?

Chiyuri said nothing as her eyes scanned the letter, reading it quickly. Once she was done, she looked up at Yumemi in shock.

?... they want us to... what?? Chiyuri asked, handing back the letter.

Yumemi nodded. ?Pack our things and get dressed. I get the feeling we're going to need to get moving as fast as possible.?

Her subordinate smirked. ?Whatever you say, boss,? she said, reaching out and pulling Kogasa back from her. ?Come on, you crazy youkai, help me out here.?

?What? But I was hugging onee-sama!?

?Call her onee-sama one more time and I'll throw your umbrella out the window.?

?Aww...?

Yumemi felt a smile tugging at her lips as she watched them, but she couldn't smile. Not right now. Things had suddenly turned too serious for her to waste any time smiling.

She looked down at the short letter and read it again.

To the strawberry blossom and oleander:

Tonight, you have agreed to help us in revolution and overthrow the shackles of Shinki's oppression. Tonight, I call you on it. Pack your things. You won't be staying at Tsukuyomi Castle for more than an hour after receiving this message.

You will travel with some companions to a secret destination that I shall tell you when you come down here. This journey must be kept quiet, even from the other people involved, apart from your small group. There are already spies amongst us, spies who can and will pass information along to Shinki if they know what the group at large is planning. But you are no spy.

Come downstairs as fast as you can. Tonight, you will set in motion a series of events that has its logical end in a conflagration that will consume Makai and free our country. I need your help. Please, do it for Gensokyo.

 - Wisteria

PS: Burn this, or get rid of it in some way after you're done with it.

Yumemi pondered.

Then she put it into her shirt pocket and went to pack her bags.

-----

[Alfred F. Jones]

Chiyuri grunted as Yumemi hoisted their second suitcase onto her back. ?Ugh, that's it, right??

?Should be,? Yumemi said. ?Everything else is at the lab.? She picked up her suitcase and nodded. ?All right, let's go.?

?Can I come with you?? Kogasa asked, opening the door for Chiyuri.

?I don't think so, Kogasa,? Yumemi said as she walked down the hall to the staircase at the end. ?Yuka would have to say you could come with us. You'd have to get permission.?

?Oh...? the karakasa shivered. ?I see...?

Yumemi smiled and ruffled her hair. ?Thanks for offering, though.?

They followed Chiyuri back downstairs, but before they could get to the main hall--

?Okazaki-san? Over here.?

The three girls turned in the direction of the call. Near the door, a small group was standing. Meimu was there, of course, and so was Ran. Hirano stood quietly by the blonde youkai's side. Yuka was there, leaning on her umbrella, with her two quiet blonde servants, Kurumi and Elly, behind her.

?How nice of you to join us,? Yuka grinned as Yumemi and her companions joined the group. ?So, Meimu, are you finally going to tell us what the hell it is Sukima wants??

Meimu opened her eyes. ?No time for that, but here.? Ran handed her a folded piece of paper, and Meimu passed it to Yuka's hands. ?She wrote it all down, but for now, you're just going to have to do as she asks. There is literally no time at all to waste.?

Yuka scowled in distaste, then snatched the paper out of Meimu's hands. ?Fine, fine, I'll play along. So what do we need to do??

?Come on,? Meimu said as Ran went to open the massive black metal doors of Tsukuyomi Castle. ?Outside, we have a carriage waiting for you. Oh,? she said, pointing at Yumemi's luggage. ?You won't need that on this trip. You have to move quickly under cover of darkness, and that will only weigh you down.?

?Hey, we can't just dump it!? Chiyuri protested. ?This is all we have!?

Yumemi's face burned as she realized that Chiyuri was talking back to the powerful youkai. But it was Yuka, of all people, who stepped in to defuse the situation.

?Kurumi and Elly are going back to Mugenkan tonight anyway,? she said, waving to her servants, who bowed slightly. ?We can send their luggage there along with them.?

?It would be better to send it to the Sakurasaki Shrine,? Hirano added quietly, but only Yumemi was standing close enough to her to hear.

?All right,? Meimu nodded, and it was then that the professor noticed how pale she was. Her hair had lost the ethereal glow she had had in the candlelight; now it just hung over her shoulders like purple strings coming out from under her bow. Yumemi wondered what could be making the youkai look so thoroughly unhealthy.

?Come outside,? she said, leading the small group out through the doors. Yumemi and Chiyuri trailed behind Kurumi and Elly, with Kogasa after them, her wooden sandals clacking on the stone floor.

Outside, Yumemi looked up at the night sky. The storms of earlier that afternoon were gone, and it was a clear, crisp night dotted with stars. Just them, she remembered one similar night, one night that she had met a young girl who had come to her university once to check out the physics department, who had left the building late, so that Yumemi had had to escort her to the train station, but she had been able to find her way home using only the stars as her guide.

The incident mystified Yumemi, even now. How had she been able to do that? To just look up at the stars and know where she was going...?

?So, we're going to be riding in THAT thing?? Yuka interrupted Yumemi's thoughts with a sneer. She was pointing at a horse-drawn carriage, but in place of a horse, a large fox was harnessed to it.

Yumemi glanced at Ran for a brief moment, but the kitsune showed no emotion.

The carriage itself had enough room for a few people to ride in it. Yuka looked at it distastefully. ?What the hell, Meimu? We can fly, you know. We don't have to ride in a cart like pathetic non-flying humans.?

?I see your long years have not given you an appreciation for the fine art of subtlety,? Meimu replied with a frown. ?Understand; you have to lay low. Shinki will notice if you start flying from here to Hokkai. Especially if it's you that's doing the flying. And the killing. Genociding. Whatever.?

Yuka grunted.

?Besides,? she said, ?We can't afford to have the humans sighted.? She glanced over at Chiyuri, Yumemi, and Hirano. ?You're here on this team to protect them, so don't forget that.?

Yumemi blinked, surprised. The green-haired youkai scowled.

?Fine, fine,? she muttered, getting into the carriage. ?Let's see how far this glorified cat can carry us.?

Yumemi looked around, her suitcase in her hands. Then there was a tap on her shoulder.

She turned to see a smiling girl with vampire wings and long blonde hair-- Kurumi, was it? She opened her hands wide and grinned. ?I'll take that, if you like.?

?You're Kurumi, right?? Yumemi asked as she handed over her luggage.

?A-yep,? Kurumi confirmed as she handed the suitcase to Elly and extended her hands to Chiyuri. ?Me and Elly are going back to Mugenkan tonight, so your stuff will be safe there.?

?Thanks.? Yumemi bowed slightly as Kurumi passed Chiyuri's luggage to Elly as well. ?Take care of yourselves, okay??

?Oh, we're going to be fine, I think,? Elly put in, leaning on Kurumi's shoulder. ?Yuka's going with you guys, after all.?

?I HEARD THAT!? Yuka snapped from inside the carriage. Elly snickered. Yumemi turned a new shade of pale and had to be forced into the carriage by Chiyuri.

Next to Chiyuri, Yumemi took her seat by the window, looking out to see Hirano bidding Meimu and Ran goodbye.

She glanced down at the karakasa, who was holding her umbrella tightly and looking up at her, tears welling up in her eyes.

?Onee-sama,? Kogasa begged as she lifted her hand up, ?Don't go.?

?Sorry, Kogasa,? Yumemi smiled. ?But we have to go alone.?

?... you know what,? Yuka said, reaching over Yumemi's lap and taking hold of Kogasa's hand.

?Ah?!? Kogasa yelped as Yuka forcibly pulled her in through the window.

?I'm not going to do everything Sukima tells me to do,? Yuka said, sticking her tongue out at Meimu. ?I'm not her shikigami, and she better damn well respect that.?

Meimu smirked as Hirano took her seat inside the carriage.

?Well, read that letter. And remember, time is of the essence. You need to get there in three days; any longer is pushing it.?

Yumemi glanced at the letter sitting in Yuka's lap.

?Good luck. And, please, Yuka,? Meimu said, ?Don't make a huge mess and destroy everything.?

Yuka winked. ?Destroy things? Who, me?? She chuckled.

Meimu grinned and snapped her fingers. Immediately, the kitsune took off, carrying its passengers into the south of Makai.

The youkai shaman followed them with her eyes over the horizon until they dropped entirely out of sight. She sighed deeply, her stringy purple hair shimmering yellow in the dark.

?Yu~ka~rin~♪?

Meimu didn't turn around as the ghost princess' arms snaked around her and embraced her.

?My, my, I didn't think you'd go all-out like that~? Yuyuko said in sing-song.

The youkai smiled as in a shimmer of purple sparks, she shed the disguise she had been wearing all day.

?Hirano figured it out. Yuka probably did, too... I thought you would see right through my illusion as well.?

Yuyuko grinned as she played with her best friend's long blonde hair. ?You looked so cute as Meimu, though!?

?Meimu didn't think so.? Yukari Yakumo shrugged. ?I only did it so that they wouldn't get confused.?

?Oh? Why would they get confused??

?Because,? Yukari said, pulling a fan out of her long dress. ?They're so used to me being enigmatic, mysterious. They wouldn't believe me if I showed up zealously talking about revolution, would they??

Yuyuko nodded. ?Fair point.?

?Besides,? Yukari said, winking and entwining her arm with Yuyuko's. ?Why would I want them to think otherwise??

?You sly girl~?

?Of course,? the gap youkai chuckled. ?Why would I want to present myself otherwise, when toying with them and still getting what I want is just so much more entertaining??

Then they went back inside, followed by Ran, as the carriage drove off into the distance.

-----

[Alfred F. Jones]

?Oh man, I think we're lost...?

?Don't worry, the station is right around the corner. See, right here--?

?... how did you know that??

?Magic!?

?Oh, Renko, I know you're just a bit younger than I am, but I'm a trained scientist, and I can tell you that there's no such thing as magic. You've done an excellent job of learning the location of the stars, but--?

?No, Yumemi, I've been able to do it as long as I can remember. I never stared at the sky when I was young, but whenever I look up I know where I am and what time it is, and I don't know how.?

?Hey, Yumemi, wake up...?

?... you... you're sure??

?Yes...?

?Onee-sama~?

?Yumemi, wake up!?

?Eh??

Yumemi blinked sleep away and opened her eyes to see a pair of red and blue eyes staring right into her own.

?URAMESHIYA!?

?AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!? Yumemi screeched, more startled at the closeness of those eyes than anything else. She backed up as far as she could, falling over her own covers as she did so.

Yuka and Chiyuri, on the other hand, were laughing aloud. ?You're one twitchy human!? Yuka laughed, in a surprisingly good mood. Chiyuri was laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face.

Kogasa, for her part, looked like she was going to explode with joy. ?Onee-sama, I love you so much!? she cried, leaping onto the shell-shocked Yumemi and hugging her around the waist.

Yumemi put her hand on her fast-beating heart, trying to calm her nerves. Her hand gripped the window of the carriage tightly; she looked out to see broad daylight and rolling green fields. They were heading to south Makai from the east; she recalled that the Goetia Plains covered most of the land here.

?You're all horrible people!? Yumemi exclaimed, causing even Yuka to laugh even harder.

?Aww...? Kogasa whined.

Yumemi sighed. ?I can't stay mad at you, though,? she admitted, ruffling Kogasa's hair. The karakasa smiled and nuzzled Yumemi's stomach.

?So,? Yumemi said, raising an eyebrow. ?Are you done laughing at me, Chiyuri?? She felt a twinge of annoyance, and not just at being scared awake; she had been dreaming of the time she had met the girl who had first inspired her interest in magic, a much younger student, Renko... Usa... something about rabbits... Usamimi? Whatever.

She hadn't thought of that in a long while. The memory made her smile a bit.

Chiyuri coughed and calmed down. ?Ahahahahaha, boss, you're so easily scared... ahahaha.?

?Hmph.? Yumemi cleared her throat. ?Where are we now? We're not on the Makai-Jigoku Highway, are we??

The Makai-Jigoku Highway was to Makai what the Trans-Siberian Railroad was to Russia, what the Silk Road was to Han Dynasty China. It was called a highway, but it was a single continuous paved road that stretched over the entirety of Makai, all the way from its largest province of Jigoku in the west, winding through the great cities of Makai and ending in Hokkai to the south, where a road to the west connected it to its source. It was a single, massive loop that connected all the great cities of Shinki's empire together, allowing for easy transport and trade.

It was Makai's lifeblood, and Shinki knew it. At intervals, the Makai-Jigoku Highway was guarded by fairly formidable opponents, all of whom had been defeated by Shinki once upon a time. Not once in history had Makai ever been successfully invaded, and in large part, that was due to the guardians of the Highway.

While Yumemi didn't doubt for a second that Yuka could tear them all apart with her bare hands, she also didn't want to draw attention to them. So she was relived when Yuka shook her head.

?We're still a few days off, actually,? Yuka clarified, drumming her fingers impatiently on the windowsill. ?Geez, I could run faster than that worthless overgrown rat we have pulling this thing.?

It was then that Yumemi realized that Hirano wasn't there. ?Hey, Chiyuri, where did the miko go??

Fast as lightning, Hirano's head dropped down to see Yumemi in the window, hanging upside-down. ?Hello.?

?KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!? Yumemi shrieked again and backed away as fast as she could, crawling backwards into Yuka's arms. Chiyuri was laughing again, and Yuka was also grinning. Kogasa, sitting next to Chiyuri, was staring at Hirano with a look of pure admiration.

Hirano chuckled and smiled, her long black hair dangling in the window. ?Terribly sorry for startling you.?

?No... it's fine,? the professor breathed in and out as she scrambled out of Yuka's reach again. ?You just startled me is all...?

?Man,? Kogasa muttered. ?Dropping down onto someone upside-down... that sounds like a whole lot of fun!?

?No, it wouldn't!? Yumemi hissed. ?It sounds scary!?

?Exactly!? The karakasa gave her a wide grin.

?In any case,? Hirano laughed as she watched them. ?I'm just sitting up here on top of the carriage. I'll shoot down anything that comes near us if it's threatening, so please don't worry about it at all.?

?How... comforting,? Yumemi muttered as Hirano nodded and pulled herself up onto the carriage roof again.

Yuka nodded. ?Not that Hirano wouldn't be able to see them coming literally miles away, with how slowly we?re moving,? she said, her voice regaining some of its usual annoyance. ?We may as well WALK there with how long this trip is taking.?

An alarm went off in Yumemi's head. ?Wait, trip?? She remembered the envelope Meimu had handed her last night. ?Did you read the letter Meimu gave you last night, Kazami-san??

Yuka nodded, reaching into her vest and pulling it out. ?I waited 'till you woke up, actually. I guess I can read it aloud, if only to stave off the boredom.? She sighed and opened the envelope, straightened the letter, and began to read.

[Alfred F. Jones]

?Yumemi, Yuka, Chiyuri, Hirano:

Kogasa pouted.

?You should recall what we discussed at last night?s meeting. The shrine maiden of Hakurei, Hakurei Sayuri, is imprisoned in Hokkai Prison in the south of Makai. We need to have the Hakurei Miko here in Gensokyo, because if she is absent for a prolonged period of time, the Hakurei Border separating Gensokyo from the outside will collapse.

?Sayuri has been imprisoned for a week now, and previous attempts to rescue her (Meimu can testify to it) have failed. Already there have been weakenings in the border; the Okazaki girl got here through one such crack in the boundary.?

Yumemi winced. Yuka continued reading.

?To be fair, it has also been weakening with the loss of Sayuri's general health. And now, the barrier is waning in power as Sayuri nears the end of her life. Hirano and Remilia are in agreement that Sayuri's lifespan will come to its fated end at some time in the next five days.

?The biggest problem we have is getting a living Hakurei maiden out of Hokkai Prison. It is the result of Shinki taking advantage of a mystical seal placed on Mount Hokkai centuries ago. Yes, it is a mountain, but the Hokkai Prison is a hermetically sealed vault within the mountain where literally no wind has blown into for the past few centuries. It is very well concealed, well-protected, and well-guarded.

?Your mission is to retrieve Sayuri?s daughter Reimu, and Sayuri herself if possible, from Hokkai Prison. They do not necessarily have to be returned to Gensokyo; they just have to get out of Hokkai Prison. The mystical seal placed on it makes it so that no energy from within the prison can get out. All the Hakurei barrier needs to stay up is a living Hakurei maiden, but if Sayuri is within Hokkai Prison for much longer, even if she is alive, the boundary will collapse and Gensokyo will be opened to the outside world, either resulting in the merging of Gensokyo to Makai, in the best-case scenario, or, in the worst-case scenario, complete... destruction.?

Even Yuka paused at those words. Kogasa tightened her grip on Yumemi?s hand. Yumemi thought she heard a sharp intake of breath from on top of the carriage.

?This cannot be allowed to happen. You must rescue Reimu Hakurei and get her out of Makai. Hirano will guide you to safety after that; she knows what to do.

?Right now, as you read this letter, Sayuri has at most six days of life left, and that?s pushing it. If Sayuri is dead and Reimu cannot be rescued from Hokkai Prison within the month, do not worry about returning to Gensokyo, because in all likelihood it will no longer... exist.?

Yuka paused again. Yumemi was surprised at how much this letter seemed to be affecting her. The green-haired youkai brushed her hair to the side and continued reading.

?There is one more crucial deadline coming up. Right now, Shinki is underground, leading a campaign against the independent kingdom of Chireiden, which she has lost. The Shinigami of the Sanzu River, Eiki Shiki, is forcing her to sign terms of surrender as of this moment. However, this means that Shinki will soon depart for the surface with her hordes. The tunnels to the surface emerge to the lands around Tsukuyomi Castle, where you were last night. It will take her two days to emerge, maybe less depending on the terms of agreement.

?I have it on good authority that Shinki will be returning with a captive, who will be imprisoned in Hokkai Prison. In other words, within three days the mountain will be swarming with the massive armies of Makai, and it will not only be even harder to get in, it will be almost impossible to get out, as security will be exceptionally strong over the next month. Shinki herself might be around; if you encounter her, do not fight her, just RUN. Yes, this applies to even you, Yuka.?

Yuka snickered. Yumemi suddenly decided that she would do everything she could to keep Yuka from meeting Shinki, as she did not want to see the outcome of that fight.

?If you give Shinki that chance, she will take it. You must get in and out of Hokkai Prison with Reimu within the next three days; if you delay any longer, the Hakurei Barrier will end up collapsing entirely. Time is of the essence. You absolutely must rescue Hakurei Reimu from Hokkai Prison within three days, or risk the complete destruction of Gensokyo.?

Yuka put the letter down on her lap and they rode in silence-- for a few seconds, until she yelled at the kitsune to run faster.

The sweat that had broken out on Yumemi's forehead was hot and annoying. She pulled at her collar to make herself more comfortable, then she turned her face to the window to feel the cool wind on her face. She noticed it felt colder than it had earlier, and looked up to see the sun retreating behind dark, stormy clouds.

?Three days,? she muttered as the sky began to drizzle. She was grateful the Makai-Jigoku Highway was a paved road and not a glorified dirt path, so rain was manageable, but...

... she found herself hoping to whatever deity would listen that it wouldn't snow.


And with that, I'm takin' a break for the next week. I have college classes to worry about and research to do. Hope this tides you folks over 'till then!

[Gpop]

Haha interesting as usual.

I feel motivated to continue my fic, yet demotivated by how awesome the fic is compared to mine ;_;

[Zengar Zombolt]

Oh, wow.
It keeps getting better and better.

[Alfred F. Jones]

I feel motivated to continue my fic, yet demotivated by how awesome the fic is compared to mine ;_;

If my fic somehow made other people not want to write, I would end White Rose here and now. I'm serious.

[Sana]

RENKORENKORENKORE-
Sorry, what were you saying?

[Gpop]

If my fic somehow made other people not want to write, I would end White Rose here and now. I'm serious.

Nononononono.

I'm motivated again. Don't worry!

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

Heh, yeah ... as interesting as ever.

[Kasu]

Buh~

The suspense is gonna kill me. XD

[Alfred F. Jones]

NOW WITH SHINY NEW WEDNESDAY UPDATES!

Man, I love my work ethic.

Anyway, we now return you to your irregularly updated chireiden.doc via a dying laptop battery. If it randomly cuts off, you know this computer died.


?Venire. Come on, Koishi, venire!?

Satori was smiling and reaching out to her sister, who was looking up at her, uncertainty showing in her eyes. The older sister tilted her head. ?What's wrong??

?Mi fanno male i piedi,? Koishi sighed. ?Sono stanca morta.?

?E piangere?? Satori laughed. ?We're here. Venire, Koishi.?

?Meno male, she's right.? A deep, rumbling laugh. Tetsuji Komeiji. Daddy. He peered into the tunnel Koishi was looking up at them from. ?Venire, Koishi-chan,? he said, extending his own hand. ?Viene su.?

Koishi hesitated.

?Sorella, venire, non pericoloso!? Satori invited her. ?Venire, per favore!?

The younger satori didn't look too happy about it, but she put her hand up. Tetsuji pulled her up and out of the tunnel, then dusted her off as she looked around.

?Vedere?? Tetsuji asked. ?We're here!?

Koishi was looking out over the city of Chireiden from far above, on one of the many ledges in the rock west of the city. This was the domain of the hell ravens, one of the various sentient youkai species native to the Underground. They were here today with many of the other noble Satori families to adopt a yatagarasu into their household as a servant. Though it sounded like it was outright exploitation, in reality, both sides benefited from the partnership; the Satori family got a servant, and the yatagarasu families were able to use their insider to influence the ruling Satori class.

It occurred to Koishi that Satori politics were strange, strange things; living with multiple sentient species was difficult, and though they were satori who could see into the hearts of all those around them, negotiating was a crucial skill whenever it came to decrees that would affect the entire underground. She was glad it was their older cousin Miyani who had become Queen, not her or her sister, or her parents. She would not want to put up with the falseness of the courtiers; it disgusted her, to be honest. Being a small child at court that no one really cared about had its advantages; she was able to see lots of things going on behind the scenes.

Not that Miyani couldn't hear them, either; that was how the satori had managed to take the throne all that time ago. Being able to read the minds and motives of those around her had its advantages when it came to politics.

Though... one didn't need a satori eye to read the minds of the yatagarasu. Known for having the sublety of a rusty spoon, they were very straightforward youkai. So much so that they would not hesitate even for a moment to shamelessly promote themselves or their children to the satori nobles just for the sake of being able to influence them. The second the Komeiji family had made their way up onto the ledge, they had been mobbed by ambitious yatagarasu who wanted them to take their children home.

In one important physical characteristic, the yatagarasu were an oddity amongst the sentient youkai races, though not unique. The kasha of the underground shared this characteristic: they could switch forms. At any given moment, a yatagarasu would be a simple black crow, but then they'd put on a more humanoid form, where they looked just like winged humans with huge black wings. It took some time and skill to pull this off well, though. Therefore the kids who had been groomed to work in the Palace of the Earth Spirits were now strutting around in their humanoid forms, showing off their power, how they would be good servants for their satori masters.

Sometimes, Koishi mused as she walked through the crowd without too many yatagarasu mobbing her, it was a good thing to be so young. And to add to it, she was the younger daughter. If someone wanted to give their egg to her family for future indentured servitude, they would bother Satori about it, not her.

She snuck away from her family and made her way out around the rest of the ledge. Well, it was technically called a ledge, but that word had the implication of being small. It was less a ledge than a plateau above a huge rock bordering the Hell of Blazing Fires. Looking out over the other rocks, she could see where the yatagarasu had lain their eggs in their nests. But she had no way to get over there, except maybe by crossing perilous rope bridges that didn't look all that reliable. She contented herself with wandering around a bit.

Once she was away from the flock of chattering ambitious hell ravens, she frowned upon seeing the rest of the yatagarasu families, uninterested in indenturing their children to satori families. It annoyed her because she saw these families as being less conceited as their brethren, but because they weren't as ambitious as the others, they would get passed over.

Koishi tried to keep in mind that a life in the Palace of the Earth Spirits really was a good thing for the yatagarasu children; it guaranteed a decent job with good pay and influence, as well as relative security. Out here, yatagarasu had to fend for themselves, feeding on the bodies of dead people whom the overeager kasha had somehow managed to overlook. The Kasha and Yatagarasu youkai races did not like each other, not one bit. They competed for the same resource: dead bodies. And in the underground, there were so few of them that the struggle for self-maintenance was fierce.

But Koishi knew that the struggle was also in favor of the kasha. They had the ability to control the evil spirits of the underground and use them like an onmyōji would use a shikigami; with a mere thought, they could make minor spirits obey their every wish. The yatagarasu had no such advantage; their strength lay solely in numbers.

As a result, the social system of the yatagarasu youkai emphasized group strength, especially within the family. Families of yatagarasu were known to include dozens, even hundreds of members over several generations. The strength of a family was absolutely necessary for a single member of that family to succeed. It was said that for the yatagarasu youkai, to be dead would be preferable to being orphaned.

Sweat dripped down onto her shirt collar. She fanned herself. She was unused to being this close to the Hell of Blazing Fires. The Palace overlooked the lava pits, but an intricate cooling system kept the indoors at a reasonable temperature. Koishi peered over the edge and saw the roiling lava waves crashing into the cliffs, and wondered how hot they were.

She looked back over at her own family. Her father was being swarmed by one yatagarasu clan leader, her father's cousin by another, and the rest of the satori nobles were also being pelted with offers of service left and right. Even Satori was getting her fair share of heckling.

And yet, here I am, too. Even if no one seems to notice that I exist, chi sono qui...

[Alfred F. Jones]

Koishi closed her eyes and sighed.

?It's like I'm invisible...?

She sighed again, then realized that she hadn't spoken aloud. Confused, she looked around.

?Hello? Down here.?

Koishi looked down. There, near her feet, stood a short girl, a toddler at best, with floor-length (considering her height, it wasn't that long) messy black hair tied up in a clumsy green bow. Her clothing was ragged and dirty, and she didn't look like she had had a good meal in a while now, but her eyes were....

The satori girl's third eye whirled around as she heard the girl's thoughts.

?No, I'm not scared off by your appearance,? Koishi replied to a thought in the girl's mind, responding in the language the yatagarasu would be able to understand. Though she seemed a bit brash, even dumb in her thoughts... her eyes still shone with a fierce defiance that almost shocked the satori. There was no falsity in her; she wasn't faking anything like the other yatagarasu children were. Such strong, unwavering eyes... was this girl really as young as she looked?

?Va bene,? the girl said, not seeming to realize that Koishi was reading her mind and answering her questions without her saying it aloud.

Koishi gave a start when the yatagarasu answered in her own language.

?Come ti chiami?? Koishi asked cautiously.

?My name is Okuu.?

Koishi raised an eyebrow, realizing that she had understood what she said. ?That's your name? That sounds like a nickname to me. And how did you learn our language??

The little girl, no bigger than three feet tall, tilted her head. ?My parents taught me. But I don't speak it very well. And Mom used to call me Utsuho. But she doesn't do that anymore.?

?Utsuho sounds a bit better.? She frowned; the crow girl was obviously very young, but she could maintain a humanoid youkai form? Granted, she wasn't very good at it-- she still had visible wings-- but that was extremely impressive for someone so young. Not to mention that she apparently understood some of the language of the satori...

?Quanti anni hai, Utsuho?? Koishi asked, testing her.

Okuu held out her fingers and counted out her age. ?One, two, three, four... four years old.?

?Four years old?? The satori girl was taken aback. ?So young??

Okuu nodded, and Koishi had to think. From what little she knew of youkai, they matured very quickly... Yatagarasu, in particular, had their first major growth spurt at age seven. Then they matured-- sexually, physically, mentally-- to the equivalent of older teenagers to young adults, and would stay that way until they became quite old. Satori had an extremely slow maturation process; Okuu was visibly younger than her right now, but in three years' time, the nine-year-old Koishi would be the tiny one next to her.

Still, there was no way this girl should be able to maintain her form like this so young.

?Interessante...? she muttered. Then she realized. Okuu wasn't with her family group. She was confused. Okuu was wearing rags for clothing, and had a generally unhealthy, if defiant, appearance. Where was her family, and why were they neglecting her like this? Were they punishing her?

?Hai fratelli e sorelle?? Koishi asked.

Okuu shook her head. ?I don't have any brothers or sisters. I'm the only one.?

?An only child?? The satori girl matched this up with what she knew of yatagarasu, with their mass families and multiple children. This was odd. Was something wrong?

?... Hai padre e madre?? she asked on a gut feeling.

Again, Okuu shook her head. ?I told you I'm the only one.?

Koishi flinched, her worst suspicions confirmed. But even without parents, a yatagarasu could still have a huge extended family.

?Hai zio e zia??

The yatagarasu girl shook her head yet again. No aunt or uncles...?

?Hai nipote? Cugino o cugina? Hai nonno e nonna?!?

She shook her head to all of them. No nephews, no cousins, not even a grandfather or grandmother...?!

?Tue famiglia... you don't have any family AT ALL?!? Koishi asked in horror. The yatagarasu girl looked down, her rags hanging on her small frame. Her hair was matted and dirty, and her wings were dragging on the ground, streaked through with ash from the Hell of Blazing Fires...

?No one at all? Not even a distant relative??

Again, no. Koishi bit her lip and looked around at the yatagarasu clans. Then she had an idea.

?What's your last name?? She asked, wondering how she hadn't thought to ask before.

?R... Rei... something.? Okuu hesitated. ?I... don't know.?

Koishi's brow furrowed with worry. ?I wonder,? she said, looking around at the other families, all traveling in groups. ?Would any of them know what happened to you??

?Reiuzi!? Okuu cried out. ?Reiuzi!?

?What a relief, you remembered,? Koishi sighed. ?That should make things just a little bit easier.? She extended her hand to the little hellcrow. ?Come with me.?

?Okay.?

The shorter girl took her hand and Koishi led her on, traveling from group to group. Koishi would point to Okuu and introduce her as Utsuho Reiuzi, and ask what happened to the Reiuzi family. The yatagarasu parents were nice, but she could hear their thoughts; they didn't know and didn't really care about what had happened to Utsuho's family. Neither did the children.

But it wasn't long before she got her answer.

?Oh, it was a tragedy,? a yatagarasu mother told her, carrying one of her younger daughters on her lap and bouncing her up and down. She seemed entirely too happy to tell about the tragedy. ?The Reiuzi family was one of the few remaining clans from Old Hell, back in the time that the Yamas used to control Chireiden. But they were dying out. A few weeks ago, the Reiuzi were traveling up to one of the other underground realms when a freak wave of lava from the Hell of Blazing Fires swept up onto the shore behind their backs. No one survived.?

?This one did,? Koishi said, raising Utsuho's arm.

?They must have left her behind for the trip,? the mother replied. ?Not that she got lucky.?

Koishi twitched.

?Now she's all alone. She doesn't have a family to take care of her.?

?You mean to say that this little girl has been foraging for herself for the past few weeks, unhealthy and in rags, while the rest of you protect only your families?!? Koishi snapped, remembering what her older cousin the Princess Miyani had told her earlier. ?What good is it to protect your family if you don't try and help complete strangers?!?

The youkai woman huffed. ?Well, who's going to take care of her now? Without a family, she's doomed. She won't live for much longer.?

Koishi bit her lip, then yelled, ?In that case, the--

?--then OUR family will take care of her.?

Koishi jumped as a pair of hands settled on her shoulders from behind. A cursory glance to the person's thoughts revealed--

Satori smiled at Koishi and said through her thoughts: ?That mind of yours is pretty strong, you know. I heard it all the way over there.?

Koishi flushed red as her older sister ruffled her pink hair.

Satori looked down at the yatagarasu girl, then back up at Koishi. Her Third Eye spun in its socket as she relayed her thoughts to Koishi. ?Is this the girl you were asking about??

Her younger sister nodded, responding in like. ?She doesn't have a family, none at all. She's going to die If we don't help her.?

?Well, then maybe we should help her.? Satori looked up; Koishi read her thoughts, and through Satori's eyes, she met her father's glance, ten meters away. A few moments passed as Tetsuji read their minds, and he paused for a moment before sending his reply--

?Non c'? un problema.?

Satori smiled and bowed her head in her father's direction. Koishi did the same, thinking ?grazie, grazie!? at her father.

Okuu still held on to Koishi's hand. Satori smiled down at her, and Okuu smiled back. Koishi noticed the exchange, and couldn't help but feel the first pangs of jealousy.

Satori's Third Eye turned in its socket.

?If you like, you can take care of her yourself, Koishi,? she thought directly at Koishi.

Koishi heard the words echo through her mind, and looked up, surprised. She conveyed the feeling through her thoughts: ?Thanks, Satorin. I just...?

The younger sister looked down at Okuu, who looked up at her.

?Hey, Okuu, did you hear that? We're going to take you home to live with us,? she told her, squeezing her calloused hand.

In a few seconds, her face broke out in a wide grin, and Koishi smiled back.

?... I just wanted to bring her into a family.?

Satori smiled, and the two led Okuu away by the hands, through the crowd of annoyed families who didn't get their children selected, all the way to the top of the ladder they had climbed to get up to the yatagarasu dwellings, and took her down to live with them as their family.

Eight years later, Satori had told her sister that she should just go and die, and that was exactly what Koishi intended to do.

-----

[Alfred F. Jones]

It was hard, running in the dark. The light of the burning city was fading, finally extinguishing itself, and the Hell of Blazing Fires hadn't lit back up enough that she could see.

Still, she kept going.

There was nothing in this field of rocks to indicate that she was following any real path in the dark. She stumbled and fell, tearing off a shred of the dirty, charred yukata she had been wearing this entire time. She hadn't even noticed its state, or its existence, since the fires had begun.

Without a pause, she got back up and kept running, charging headlong through the crowd of refugees that were returning to Chireiden, frightened and nervous, scared and devastated. As she shoved her way through, she heard all around her the sounds of yatagarasu, kasha, other youkai accompanying her for a few moments before she outpaced them and the sounds were replaced by another group.

She could hear the sounds, not their thoughts. She could feel the worry in their minds, but not the thoughts themselves. They were muffled, as through she were trying to hear someone talk while her head was submerged in water.

In retrospect, she would realize that this had been the first indication that something inside her had shifted forever. Right now, she didn't care. She lunged through the crowd, heedless of who she was crashing into-- and a lot of people crashed into her. It was like they couldn't even see her. Just like old times. But to be fair, the faint lighting didn't help their cause.

While her mind insisted she wouldn't make it, her feet continued going forwards. The soles of her sandals, suitable only for the cooled halls of the Palace of the Earth Spirits, had long since torn apart at the seams; before long, she would be running barefoot over the rocks.

Finally pushing her way through the last of the crowd, she continued running. She didn't know where she was going, and she really didn't care, but there was a part of her that pointed out that the lighting was getting better, which could only mean she was getting closer to the Hell of Blazing Fires. It was steadily filling up, fed by the lava waterfall she had only just managed to escape not a half hour ago.

The idea of ?half an hour ago? actually gave her pause. She wondered how much time had passed since Yumeko's troops had blasted their way into Chireiden, sweeping through and setting fire to the city, as well as exterminating 99.98% of the satori population while they were at it. How much time had passed since her father had burned to death. How much time had passed since she had been in freefall, ready to die for the worthless sister who had only been concerned for herself, how long it had been since she had heard that same sister tell her to go off and die.

It couldn't have been more than two hours, at most.

Koishi kept running, ignoring the sensation of her Third Eye being on fire.

-----

[Alfred F. Jones]

On the shores of the Hell of Blazing Fires, Eiki Shiki stood with her two most trusted adjutants. They were gathering materials for the upcoming peace negotiations, with Komachi ordering her own lieutenants to and fro, somehow managing to conjure up a table and two chairs, while Sumire delved into her personal supplies and provided a scroll and ink bottles. She stood there, pretending to be deep in thought, but she was really just watching them instead.

She marveled at how much trust they placed in her, their general. She returned it as best she could, but they gave it to her in such confidence that she had been repeatedly bowled over by their sheer faith in her. It was worth noting that every person, every fairy in the Elysion Armies of Higan was no conscript; they were all volunteers, and thanks to Higan's relative freedom from the corruption of Heaven proper, they hadn't been coerced into joining. They had been told beforehand about everything that being a professional soldier would involve, and they had all given their informed consent, of their own free will.

In the end, it was only the knowledge that her men were fiercely loyal to her that had given Eiki the strength to save Chireiden.

When Yuyuko had sent her personal escort of elite ghost soldiers to Higan, Eiki hadn't believed the letter their commander Sakura had presented to her. She had no reason to disbelieve Yuyuko, to be sure, but she hadn't really thought until then that Shinki would be capable of having such arrogance that she would invade the former hell of the Yama.

And despite what Sakura had reported back to Yuyuko, Eiki hadn't started out on her mission immediately. She had delayed for two days, mulling over everything she would be doing. There was always Heaven to contend with, staffed as it was with the young spoiled Celestials, the corrupt sons and daughters of those noble warriors who had shed their blood and lost their lives in their efforts to serve. She absolutely had to keep Shinki's activities in Chireiden a secret from them; these stupid children who had never felt the pain of loss, who had never seen the horrors of war with their own eyes, who had never witnessed the gurgled last breaths of a friend with their throat slashed open-- for these spoiled brats, war was a glamorous, noble endeavor, and if Eiki didn't keep it quiet, before long Chireiden would become infested with these morons, looking for a glorious victory in war, who would just make the situation worse.

Many people assumed that the Yama were a race all to themselves, and so too were the shinigami. It was something outsiders had no business knowing, so the Yama did not actively discourage this idea. In fact, shinigami and Yama were once human themselves-- or fairy, youkai, a few magicians, some satori; race didn't actually matter, but humans were most common-- selected posthumously by the courts of Higan for their purity of self and passion for justice.

Instinctively, Eiki reached up, brushed her hair out of the way, and ran a finger over the line on her neck where that sword had cut it open, all those years ago.

... no, she wouldn't let anyone else step in. This was something she had to do herself.

Asking Hinanai Yamaxanadu was out of the question. The corruption of Heaven's bureaucracy had in the end managed to infect the judicial system of Higan; Hinanai had only been appointed because of her connection with Nai-no-Kami. Eiki might have been able to forgive this, had Hinanai actually been competent, but she was shamelessly corrupt, and stupid at that. While Hinanai lounged in the judge's chair of Gensokyo, it was Eiki who had had to take over even the most basic of management affairs, from her actual job of ferrying souls over the Sanzu to the menial labor of sweeping the halls of Higan's courts after work. She exercised her own judgment authority to send souls to their respective areas of Heaven or Hell; it was meant to be used only in emergencies, when a shinigami needed to step in for their Yama for whatever reason, but Higan's judgment system was so overcrowded that she considered a backlog of 20,000 souls enough of an emergency to use it.

If she couldn't trust Hinanai Yamaxanadu to do even the basics of her own job, how could she trust her to lead an army into the depths of former Hell?

That had been what preoccupied her the first twenty-four hours. The second twenty-four hours had not been spent worrying not about the legal ramifications of what she was doing-- she realized full well that she was losing any chance she had of ascending to the rank of Yama by flagrantly disobeying her like this-- but she had to decide if it was justified. Invading a foreign country like Chireiden, even if it was for humanitarian reasons, even if it was to protect innocent people from an awful occupation, even if it was to prevent genocide, it would be labeled an invasion, and justifiably so.

There was also the arrogance to consider. Higan was hardly a paragon of morality, much to Eiki's shame. The system of Higan was filled with people who had all grown up hearing of the power the Yama had over the souls of the dead, and while some like Eiki had taken the tales to heart as inspiration to virtue, others had seen them as an invitation to unchecked ambition. How could she lead the Elysion Armies down to Chireiden and act as a saint, when Higan itself was struggling with immorality? It would be hypocrisy of the highest order. Besides, Higan was really just a judiciary with an army to enforce its rulings, and there were thousands of souls waiting to be judged one way or the other; was Eiki really going to interrupt her assigned task to go on a crazy humanitarian mission to save complete strangers?

Therein lay yet another catch. This wasn't even a humanitarian mission. Higan concerned itself with human souls. Even the formidable authority of the Yamas over humans did not extend to youkai. And from the old census documents of former Hell, she had learned that there were no humans in Chireiden. In other words, not only would she be usurping a Yama's place and stealing the army away down to an abandoned Hell where many of them would probably die in the name of complete strangers, she would be usurping a Yama's place and stealing the army away down to an abandoned Hell where many of them would probably die in the name of complete strangers who weren't even part of a Yama's jurisdiction in the first place!

And yet...

She counted those two days as 48 hours because she hadn't gotten any sleep at all. During those 48 hours of endless thinking, she had paced the halls of Higan's court, walked up and down the banks of the Sanzu, trying to figure out the answer. She counted up the reasons she should not go; it was illegal, it was dangerous, it was reckless, it was arrogant, it was an invasion, it was putting her own men at risk, it was in the name of total strangers, it was to save people she had no business saving or getting involved with.

And it was also the right thing to do.

In fact, it was the only right thing she could so, she realized at the 45th hour when she had stumbled over her own feet and fallen into the Sanzu. That never happened. A shinigami could work on their respective river of the dead for millennia and never once touch the water. It was part of the job description that their ships would never tip or be shaky; when Heaven assigned one a task, one was given the right tools and skills for the job.

But somehow, Eiki had fallen. As soon as she poked her head above water, sputtering, she reached out for the docks where she had fallen in, and swam her way onto the shore. Shivering cold, wet, with her clothes sticking to her and her favorite ribbon pulled away in the current somewhere, she finally figured it out.

She had to go down there, put her men at risk, and save these people, because it was the right thing to do. She had seen the legalistic approach to justice in practice too often, even in the Yama themselves. The suffering of humanity, once a thing which caused any beginner Yama great distress, was in time abstracted away to a set of safe, boring statistical figures in the back of their mind. Oh, the Yama still judged human souls fairly, just doing their job, but it was all by the numbers. It wasn?t a struggle born of a passion for justice. It was a struggle based on the mere principle of the thing.

All they were doing in their jobs was passing sentence after sentence after sentence, all for an abstract principle of justice. She had seen these people who for the most part didn?t even care about the priceless human souls involved anymore, but they kept working at their jobs, because they were comfortable with the power and privilege of their positions.

As she decided, it was a sad and pathetic thing to continue the outward motions of the pursuit of justice and righteousness just out of force of habit.

She determined that it wouldn't happen to her. She would never let it happen to her. She would do what was just, with people who technically shouldn't have mattered to her, by committing actions that were legally wrong, in order to do that which was right.

And in those moments, a fire for justice, once flickering, burned with new strength inside her heart.

Of all the people who had found her, it had been her two most trusted commanders and the captain of the Hakugyokurou special forces, out there on the banks of the Sanzu hoping to try and convince Eiki to intervene. They found her shivering wet in the surf, her eyes closed as she sat knees bent and head bowed in a prayer. She opened her eyes as they approached, and before they could say anything, she stood and swept past them, saying:

?Sakura, wake your men. Sumire, rouse the troops. Komachi, to your room, get dressed for a full day of marching.?

?Eh?? the three women asked.

?You heard me.? Eiki smiled. ?We are going to save those innocent people just because it's the right thing to do so.?

They paused for a half-second, then saluted and went to perform their assigned tasks, and once more Eiki had been bodyslammed with the knowledge of how much faith her soldiers placed in her.

And she was determined not to let them down.

[Alfred F. Jones]

During the next two hours of that 48-hour nightmare, arrangements were made. The Elysion Armies were raised and armed under Sumire's excellent leadership; Sakura and her elite Hakugyokurou ghosts sent the news back to Yuyuko, and re-opened the Higan entrance to the old tunnels of Chireiden.

In the meanwhile, Eiki and Komachi prepared for war. Komachi was her direct subordinate; she was a terrible slacker and wasn't always the best general she could be, but she knew how to listen. Several times in the past, without asking, she had even helped the exhausted Eiki ferry ghosts back and forth across the Sanzu. She had been going at a snail's pace and chatting with the spirits the entire time, but hey, it was relieving to hear Komachi's voice. Komachi was, like her, a former human spirit; she had been a rough-spoken girl in her lifetime, and while her complete irreverence and tongue-in-cheek humour got on Eiki's nerves every now and again, she liked the honesty in them. Komachi was not polite, not formal, and she didn't give a damn about the sensibilities required of Higan's workers; she told ghosts, shinigami, and everyone else she met the plain, unsugarcoated truth.

And that was how Eiki liked it.

Eiki also liked that Komachi was a great listener, yet didn't demand details. She let people speak to her whatever they wanted, and didn't put any pressure on them; Eiki saw this firsthand when Komachi sat there yawning as she dried herself off with a towel in a bathroom. Later, as they got suited up in Higan's personal armory, reserved only for shinigami and Yama, Komachi helped Eiki into her combat uniform. It was far less ornamental than the uniform of a Yama and much simpler than the ferryman's garb Eiki wore every day, but there was something assuring about Komachi helping her into it, making sure nothing was out of place.

While Komachi polished the general's headpiece for her boss, Eiki spoke at length about her thought process over the previous 48 hours. She recounted how she had struggled with the ramifications of what she was doing; she would be invading, she would be breaking all sorts of laws, and she would supposedly be doing it in the name of justice...

?What do you think, Onozuka-kun?? Eiki asked.

?Hmm.? Komachi thought for a while, closing her eyes. That was one thing Eiki did like about her; she was lazy, but it also meant that she never rushed to make a hasty decision.

After a few moments of brushing Eiki's hair in silence, Komachi spoke.

?If you think that it's the right thing to do, then you damn well do it or your conscience is goin' to get you for it.? Komachi laid down her brush and fit the polished helm of the high general of the Elysion Armies snugly onto Eiki's head. ?Better to break the law in the name of justice than to sit there knowing that you did something wrong when you could have done the right thing.?

?So... are you saying that the law may not be just?? Eiki asked, even though she knew the answer already.

She stood as Komachi adjusted the holds of Eiki's cape on her shoulders, pondering all the while what Komachi's reply would be.

?Well, of course it ain't,? Komachi replied, brushing aside any fears Eiki might have had about her intentions. ?The law is made by a bunch of dimwits hopin' to save their sorry asses and get lots of cash out of the deal. And they don't have the best interests of the people in mind, they just want to get a nice nest egg for themselves.?

?I want to be the one making the laws,? Eiki admitted as she adjusted her cape. ?Not because I want to have power for its own sake, but because I know that I would at least TRY to be just, not malicious or selfish.? She sighed. ?But doesn't that just indicate that I'm not suited for the job? Ambition is a strange thing. Am I just being self-blind, Onozuka-kun??

?I don't think you're bein' ambitious,? Komachi said, straightening out the cape. ?You better watch out and keep your motives pure, though, or else that could all go straight to hell.?

Eiki chuckled, looking at herself in the mirror. She hefted her scythe and smiled at Komachi, who was standing behind her.

?Well, I don't have to worry about that anymore, 'cause I'm not going to be employed here for much longer.? She turned and winked at Komachi. ?But somehow I don't mind.?

Komachi nodded, picking up her own spear. ?Let's go.?

They marched out and rode Eiki's ship down the banks of the Sanzu to the Elysion training fields, where the ten captains of Higan, minus Komachi, stood at attention with their legions formed in neat ranks behind them.

Upon seeing her, Captain Sumire threw Eiki a salute, and was followed shortly by Captain Tsubaki, Captain Yuri, and the rest of the captains. Even the captain of Hakugyokurou bowed. Eiki returned the salutes, but she was troubled.

?Onozuka-kun,? Eiki said. ?Sumire-kun.?

The two captains stood before her.

?Onozuka-kun, you understand how hard it was for me to come to this conclusion, to go to war,? Eiki said. ?Don't the soldiers deserve as much time to consider it as I did??

?They are your loyal soldiers. They trust you, Eiki-sama.?

?I know they trust me,? Eiki said, ?But I must know. I want to make sure they understand all the risks involve--?

?They're not drafted, Eiki-sama,? Sumire replied, a frown on her face. ?It's not like they're going into this unwillingly. They know full well the risks.?

?We should still ask them,? the shinigami hesitated.

?That's easy. All you have to do is stand on a platform and ask them if any of them will turn back or doesn't want to go.?

?No,? Eiki protested. ?That brings in peer pressure. I want each of them to make their individual choice, without fear of embarrassment. We have to ask them one by one...?

?Eiki Shiki-sama,? Sumire said, moving to stand right in front of Eiki. ?I may be overstepping my boundaries here a bit, but please listen.?

To Eiki's surprise, Sumire took hold of her commander's hands and stared up at her, violet eyes begging for her to understand.

?Eiki-sama, each one of those fairies has signed up willingly to serve you. Not Higan. You.?

She interrupted herself to chuckle slightly.

?You weren't here when I issued the command to get ready.? She let go of one of Eiki's hands and waved it out over the army. ?Seven thousand and five hundred fairies, all suited up and ready to march within the hour, at the request of their beloved general.

?You can't buy this sort of loyalty, Eiki-sama. For you, they will march to Hell and back. Or, as the case may be, to former Hell and back.? Sumire winked.

?Asking them individually if they trusted you would be... it would be as if you were insulting their loyalty,? Komachi said.

?I... I didn't...? Eiki began.

Sumire raised an eyebrow. ?More proof? All right then!? Bending her knees, she took off skyward, her fairy wings fluttering, and raised her naginata into the air.

?SOLDIERS OF HIGAN!? Sumire yelled to be heard to the far reaches of the training field. ?DO YOU KNOW FULL WELL THAT WHAT YOU DO NOW IS AGAINST THE LAWS OF HIGAN, FOR COMPLETE STRANGERS, AND WILL PUT YOUR LIVES AT RISK??

The Elysion Armies shouted back up at her. Eiki breathed in and out, trying to wrap her head around her soldiers' loyalty. They knew all this, and they hadn't deserted? Not a one of them?

?AND ARE YOU WILLING TO DO IT ANYWAY, FOR EIKI-SAMA'S SAKE??

The roars of approval they gave would stay with Eiki until she died.

?Well then,? Komachi said, grinning at her commander as she wiped at her face with the back of her sleeve. ?Does that serve as your answer??

Eiki finished wiping her tears and nodded, a joyous smile on her face.

?Captain Komachi, give the marching orders. Captain Sumire, point the way.? Eiki reached up and adjusted her helm so that it held firmly onto her head. Straightening her boots and cape, she turned to her subordinates and gave them a wide smile.

?The path is set, destiny assured. Now let's go save Chireiden.?

-----

[Alfred F. Jones]

In the present, Eiki smiled, remembering the echoes of thousands of loyal fairies cheering for her.

Her smile faltered as she watched two fairies carrying a cloth-covered body past her on a stretcher.

She knew full well that fairies respawned in no time at all, especially Higan-types, which made up most of her army-- but that didn't stop her from feeling awful that she had, even indirectly, caused the deaths of loyal fairies who had trusted her.

?Eiki, that look on your face never looks good.?

?Eh?? Eiki's head lifted to meet Komachi's gaze. Her subordinate stared right back at her. ?Onozuka-kun, what do yo--?

?Don't give me that crap. Are you beating yourself up again??

?... am I that obvious??

Komachi smirked. ?Why would you bother? It's over and done. Not like you can take it back now, Eiki.?

The preparations had been made, all without Eiki's noticing. There, on the edge of the Hell of Blazing Fires, they had managed to put up a simple tent covering a table and two benches with flags of peace on poles outside. She noted that there was no breeze down here, so they simply hung there, looking useless.

Eiki glanced over at the Makai peacemaker team. Though they had gotten out before Eiki and the Chireiden natives had, they were just standing there, watching as Higan's fairies put up the tent.

?I... I still feel bad.?

Her subordinate looked confused. ?Why??

?Because my soldiers trusted me, and I let them die...?

Komachi snorted. ?This is war. People die.?

?Yes, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it. And even then, breaking every rule and violating every law, we still didn't manage to save the city.? She waved her hand over to the smoldering remains of the former Hell's great capital. ?And many people died.?

Komachi pointed behind Eiki, and she turned to look, to see Yamame swinging Kisume by the hanger of her bucket, to see Parsee running her hands through Yuugi's hair, to see Orin and Satori conversing quietly, to see Utsuho catch her glance and return it with a smile--

?They would have all died, every last one of them, if you hadn't made it in time. You did the right thing.?

?I... I did. I did what I thought was right...?

Eiki's eyes flashed black and white for a moment.

?If only that young satori girl had realized what she was doing, what great evil she was committing...? Eiki sighed. ?Because of her, all hope of a peaceful resolution is lost.?

?Why??

?Yumeko has been reduced to a mental cripple.? Eiki shook her head. ?I cannot and will not try to get Shinki to be reasonable when it comes to Yumeko. Shinki loves her.

?So basically, everything I've done is in vain,? the shinigami laughed bitterly. ?I tried to do the right thing, and it all fell apart, didn't it, Komachi??

?... I think you mean 'Onozuka-kun',? Komachi said in a low voice.

?It doesn't matter. I tried to do the right thing, and it failed, because no one else cares. There's no point....? Eiki sighed and shook her head. ?Oh well.?

?Eiki,? Komachi began in a worried tone, but she was interrupted by Sumire walking up to the two.

?Eiki-sama, we are now merely waiting for Makai's presence.?

?Right,? the general said, standing up straighter. She smoothed out her jacket and composed herself. ?Sumire, you can wave the flag for them to come. The sooner we finish this, the better.?

Sumire nodded and went outside of the sideless small tent with a red-white patterned flag. Eiki turned around again to see the group of Chireiden residents standing a few meters off. She motioned them closer, and put both of her hands behind her back as she addressed them.

?Shinki is ready to sign the peace treaty. I would like you all to stand behind myself and Komachi as we debate terms, and feel free to raise questions and concerns as we go through the document.?

Eiki paused. Satori looked up.

?Please take your spots, then,? Eiki said, and the group moved into the tent-- except for Satori.

?... what do you mean, 'especially you, Satori'?? she asked, a confused look on her face.

?... I was getting to that,? Eiki replied, stifling a chuckle. ?I need you to stand to my right, behind me between Komachi and myself, where Komachi can obscure your left hand.?

?... you want me to tug on your cape whenever I hear deception in Shinki's mind.? Satori nodded. ?I can do that.?

The general smiled. ?The sleeves of your clothes are wide enough that no one can even see them.?

Satori looked down at the singed, dirty, torn yukata she had been wearing. ?It's standard clothing in the Palazzo... or was, anyway.? She sighed. ?I was going to say that I wanted to get changed, but I forgot...?

?You don't have anything anymore,? Eiki said. ?If you want, Sumire's in charge of the spare uniforms. We could find something nice for you to wear real quick.?

Satori waved it off. ?Thank you, but maybe later. Right now I just want to get Shinki out of here as quickly as possible.?

Eiki nodded. ?Me too.?

?Lady Eiki, Shinki is here!? Sumire called out. Satori and Eiki turned to look, and sure enough, Shinki had arrived at the negotiating table, accompanied by a flag-bearing Yuki and a horn-bearing Sara.

?Remember, right behind me,? Eiki repeated, and Satori nodded. ?Now come on. Let's settle this as quick as possible.?

Eiki turned and went to take her seat. Satori opened her mouth, about to say something, but seemed to decide against it and just followed her to the negotiating table.


Oh hell this laptop battery is about to die aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

[Zengar Zombolt]

Oh hell this laptop battery is about to die aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

FFFFFFFFFUUUUUU-
Awesome as usual, Ruro.

[Gpop]

Love you Ruro <3 Love you so hard.

Now comment on Chapter 2 so I can release it sooner ;_;

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

Splended as usual~

You ought to spend more time on your non-comedy stories so you can release 'em more often~

[Nine West]

Nice job Ru-

Splended as usual~

This is why I don't read Ruro's fics. :V

* Head ASPLODES

[Dizzy H. "Muffin" Muffin]

I meant her comedy fics. Y'know, where half the cast only shows up to be made fun of. :V