~Hakurei Shrine~ > Kosuzu's Grand Bookstore

Thought's End & Embodiement of Dreams (2nd Ignition)

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Valesta: With a little help from Yukari and her transportation-be-damned boundary manipulation, we all met up on top of a skyscraper. The architecture of the busy city below, filled with cars and people on foot, indicates that we are still in Japan, but whether this is the same city we were in or not, I don?t know, nor is it relevant. Next to our building, there is a slightly taller skyscraper blocking the sun. By ?we all,? I?m referring to Alice, Reimu, who is standing by my side, Sakuya, Youmu, Yukari, Reisen, Eirin, Cirno, and yours truly. ?Well, we?re all here,? I say, ?So what?s next, Yukari? You said you needed both me and Reimu here to open that boundary where Kaguya and Mokou are?? ?Yes,? answers Yukari, ?I do require the presence of both of you?? Reisen walks around, circling around to the backs of Reimu and me ?? however, one more condition is needed.? ?What is it?? asks Reimu. ?For this to work, both of you need to be more in tune with the dream world. In other words, I need both of you to be asleep.? ?Then why the hell are we here?? I ask, ?It?s hot and humid out, and the surface is rough and hard. You can?t expect us to fall asleep with these conditions!? ?There are certain other ways of inducing sleep in individuals,? informs Eirin. ?Like a tranquilizer gun?? asks Cirno. ?There is that,? answers Eirin, ?but there is also? ? DO IT, REISEN!? ?Okay!? ?Ack!? Suddenly, something connects with Reimu?s neck. She staggers for a few seconds, and then collapses. Just as I try to comprehend what just happened, I feel an impact against the side of my neck as well, ?Ugh?? I don?t know what the hell just happened, but soon after, I begin to black o_ == Reimu and Marisa fall to the ground, unconscious. Eirin asks, ?Is that satisfactory, Yukari?? Yukari nods in agreement, ?Very.? ?What did you just do?? yells Youmu. Reisen answers, ?Some martial arts technique I learned at the Imperial Lunarian Military Academy. Probably one of the few things I had paid attention to?? ??? Youmu stares at Reisen. During the moon incident, Youmu had caught wind that Reisen knew something about Youmu?s long-lost father. However, Reisen had since evaded telling Youmu the truth and she had been waiting for the right moment to force the truth out of her. Cirno looks at the unconscious Reimu and Marisa, ?Will they be okay?? ?Yes, will they?? asks Sakuya. Reisen shrugs, ?They should.? ??? Yukari claps her hands together, ?Well, now that that has been taken care of, it?s time to open the boundary.? Yukari extends her arm in the direction where Reimu and Marisa are laying, and between them, a blue portal opens, ?There. That should lead to a place where Reimu and Marisa?s consciousnesses are merged. Kaguya and Mokou should be just beyond that gap.? ?All we have to do is get them out?? asks Cirno. ?Yes. That is all. No special tricks here. Just find them beyond that gap, then bring them back with you.? ?In that case,? says Eirin, ?Shall just Reisen and I go? Kaguya is our princess after all, so I feel it is only proper for her servants to save her.? Reisen adds, ?And Mokou? well, our relationship isn?t what I?d call? you know, friendly, but she is close to us too.? ?Go ahead,? says Alice, giving a ?shoo, shoo? gesture, ?I, for one, have no objections. You just have to get them out, after all.? Everyone else decides to honor Eirin?s request. ?Thank you,? says Eirin, ?Let us go, Reisen.? ?Okay,? responds Reisen. Eirin and Reisen walk into the portal. On the other end, they find themselves in a room, the size of a gymnasium, dimly lit by a light blue source of light above. Reisen looks up to see a sphere emitting the light. Inside it, there is a moon rabbit, like Reisen, with short red hair, wearing a black business suit, spectacles, and is almost six feet in height. Her eyes are closed and she appears to be in a state of suspended animation, ?A moon rabbit like me, short red hair? Eirin-sama! Could she be this ?Yumei? we?ve been hearing about?? Eirin also observes Yumei, ?She really is a moon rabbit, but why would a Lunarian?? Never mind. We?ll have our answers soon enough.? ?Do you think she?s trustworthy?? asks Reisen. ?I don?t know, but we were informed that she?s a prisoner while the princess and Mokou are here. Regardless of whether we can trust her or not, we still must rescue Kaguya. Whether she?s friend or foe is irrelevant.? ?Got it.? Reisen looks ahead. On the other end of the room, there are two figures barely illuminated by the light from Yumei?s sphere. Eirin and Reisen immediately recognize them. ?Princess Kaguya!? ?Mokou!? ??? Kaguya says something, however, something is strange. Her lips are moving, but there is nothing but dead silence. ??? Mokou tries to say something also, but she too doesn?t produce a voice. ?I?m sorry, Princess Kaguya, but I can?t hear you,? says Eirin. ??? Kaguya continues to speak with a serious expression on her face, but Eirin and Reisen still can?t hear anything. ?Weird,? says Reisen, ?I can?t hear anything either.? ?I wonder if they can hear us,? wonders Eirin. ?I?ll check?? Reisen looks at Mokou, ?Um? Hey, Mokou! You suck, you bitch!? ??? Mokou says something with an irritated expression and flips Reisen the bird. ?? I think she heard me.? ?Interesting method,? says Eirin, ?but it seems our question is answered. For some reason, they can hear us, but we can?t hear them.? ?I don?t get why this is happening,? says Reisen, ?but we can at least communicate with them one-way.? ?That should be good enough,? Eirin turns her attention to Kaguya, ?Princess, we?ve come to get you and Mokou out of Reimu?s subconscious. Please come with us.? ??? Kaguya shakes her head, and then speaks to no avail, ??? ??? Mokou adds some mute words, with an unusually melancholy expression. ?What? They don?t want to escape with us?? Eirin tries to read Kaguya?s lips to the best of her ability, ??I?m? sorry? Ei? rin? We? must? re? main? here??? ?They want to stay,? says Reisen, ?What will we do, Eirin-sama?? Eirin pauses for several seconds, and then says, ?Regardless of Princess Kaguya?s will, I am NOT going to let her remain in Reimu?s mind for eternity!? Eirin walks over to Kaguya and forcibly grabs her arm, ?Forgive me, Princess, but I can not let you stay here, even if it is on your orders! I care too much about you to_? A blade of rainbow energy extends from around Kaguya?s hand, which she swings at Eirin, who lets go of Kaguya and jumps away, receiving a moderately deep wound on her flank, ?Ugh!? ?Eirin-sama!? Reisen looks at Kaguya, then Mokou, ?Damn it! They REALLY want to stay!? A bow materializes in Eirin?s right hand, ?This changes nothing! I absolutely will NOT let Kaguya spend an eternity in this place! I will drag her out, even as a corpse! Get ready for battle, Reisen!? ?I see?? Reisen pulls her handgun from its holster, ?I?m sorry, Princess? Mokou?? She turns her weapon?s safety off. Eirin pulls back the cord of her bow, and an arrow materializes, ready to be fired, ?Reisen, I will handle the Princess. Can you take care of Mokou?? Reisen looks at Mokou?s whose body ignites, ?I? I?ll try?? ?You don?t try. You just do it.? ??? Kaguya, with a sad expression, points her sword at Eirin. Eirin says, ?I don?t know what drives you to battle your own friend, but with all due respect, Princess, you don?t stand a chance of defeating me. Still, if you are so determined, you are perfectly welcome to try.? ??? Kaguya extends her other arm at Eirin and fires a dazzling beam of light. ?En garde, then!? Eirin jumps over the beam and, as the boundary has the magic that allows flight, hovers in midair and fires an arrow down at Kaguya, who steps back to avoid the attack, then jumps up after Eirin, attacking with her sword. The Lunarian doctor blocks with her bow, then quickly counterattacks, smacking the princess across the face, stunning her. ?Forgive me,? Eirin then kicks Kaguya to the floor and declares a spellcard, ?Esoterica!? Around Kaguya, who is hunched over on the ground, several magic circles surround her in a dome-like formation. Eirin pulls back the cord on her bow, but an arrow doesn?t appear, ?I have no desire to prolong this fight with you, Princess, so I will put a swift conclusion to this bout. Astronomical Entombing!? She releases the cord, and arrows emerge from the circles, poised to bombard Kaguya from all directions. Just as they hit, though, they all bounce off of the area around Kaguya, revealing a shining shield around her. Magic circles form on the barrier and fire off volleys of lasers, which Eirin attempts to dodge, but they become so constant, one finally hits and she is knocked to the ground. Eirin observes to herself, ?A spellcard? I couldn?t hear her declare it? If I can?t tell what spell is coming, I can?t tell the nature of her technique? That is an unexpectedly effective handicap for her?? At the same time, elsewhere in the room, Reisen battles Mokou. Reisen dashes toward Mokou, her gun extended toward the immortal, and fires two shots, which Mokou dodges by rolling to the side, followed by slamming her open palm against the ground, sending a running blaze of fire raging across the floor in the moon rabbit?s direction. Reisen jumps over the attack and takes to the air, firing her gun again, which Mokou barely dodges by jumping up after her, the bullet grazing her pant leg, but not hitting any flesh. Reisen fires again, but Mokou swings her ignited left hand in front of her, deflecting the bullet, which ricochets off one of the chamber?s walls, and then delivers a flaming punch with her right arm, which sends Reisen flying back against the wall. ?Damn?? Reisen recovers, points her weapon at Mokou again, and unloads the entire ammo clip. Mokou spreads her arms and a pillar of fire rises around her, emitting heat so intense, the bullets completely melt and vaporize before hitting the immortal. Mokou then dashes toward Reisen with intense speed, leaving a trail of fire in her wake, and wearing a grin, which says, just as well as words, ?Who sucks now, bitch?? With Mokou approaching too fast for Reisen to reload, she draws a spellcard instead, declaring, ?Force Sign: Menacing Threshold!? Several small missiles, made up of psycho energy, form around Reisen and home in on Mokou, who stops dashing as the missiles appear, but the inertia to too much for her to dodge in time. ??!? The missiles slam into Mokou and burst, sending the immortal sailing through the air, but partway, she recovers and tosses a small fireball at Reisen, as she is about to reload. ?Tch!? Reisen dodges it, but Mokou presses her assault and sends more fireballs in Reisen?s direction. Reisen ejects her empty ammo clip, then returns the gun to its holster, ?It takes more energy, but I?ll have to do this the other way!? Reisen positions the fingers on both of her hands in the shape of guns, then fires several psycho-bullets to intercept the fireballs. They tear through Mokou?s attack, leaving clouds of smoke left over, which clears quickly enough for the moon rabbit to see Mokou declaring a spellcard with her mute voice, ?...? A bird-like aura of fire surrounds Mokou as she moves on to the actual casting of her spell, ??? Mokou stretches her arm out toward Reisen and blue flames gather into her palm. Reisen had seen this technique several times when watching Mokou duel Kaguya, remembering its name as ?Honest Man?s Death.? Mokou fires a blue laser of concentrated fire at Reisen, who moves into a continuous sidestep, as the laser follows her. Reisen, attempting a countermeasure, looks straight at Mokou and their eyes momentarily meet, at which point, Reisen?s eyes glow red and, in Mokou?s vision, several Reisens appear. Reisen backflips over the laser and takes to the air, attempting to blend in with the illusory Reisens. Her plan works as Mokou becomes confused and moves her laser haphazardly through the false Reisens, failing to hit the real one before she loses the energy to continue her spell. At that point, Reisen draws a spellcard. However, as she is the only one out of her copies doing that, Mokou immediately realizes she?s the real one, but it?s of no consequence on the moon rabbit?s part, ?Phantasmal Rabbit!? Reisen?s copies all glow with red psycho energy, extend their arms and fingers toward Mokou, and fire off salvos of psycho-bullets, which Mokou tries to dodge, but it is not long before she get bombarded. Even though they are copies, the spell allows them to use very real attacks. ??? Mokou uses her flame pillar defense again, though in this case, they minimize the effect of Reisen?s technique instead of completely defending against it. Although Reisen?s handgun is a deadlier weapon, her psycho energy is more effective at breaking through magical defenses. After a few seconds, Reisen?s attack ends, though the copies are still present, and Mokou?s pillar disappears, both the moon rabbit and immortal breathing faster than before from loss of stamina. However, Mokou is the first one to assert herself enough to use a spellcard, ??? Her phoenix aura appears again, which then flaps it wings, releasing a swarm of flames. ?Damn?? mutters Reisen, ?I can?t dodge that!? The flames engulf all the Reisens, including the real one, who loses focus over her technique, causing the images to vanish. Meanwhile, Eirin and Kaguya?s battle continues. Though the princess managed to put up a better fight than Eirin predicted, the doctor still gained the upper hand. Eirin looks out of the corner of her eye at Reisen?s predicament, I hope Reisen can handle this. Maybe I let my personal feelings interfere with my better judgment. Still? I may have to intervene if it gets to that point? As Reisen is knocked to the ground, brushing off embers, Mokou?s hands ignite and she advances on Reisen. Reisen looks into Mokou?s eyes, intending to use her copying technique again, but, wising up, Mokou covers her eyes with her left arm and extends her right toward Reisen?s face, releasing a blast of smoke, which stings the moon rabbit?s eyes, causing her to squeeze her eyelids shut in reflex. After a second, she squints her eyes open and sees Mokou releasing flames in her hand, which form into the shape of a sword. Mokou charges at Reisen who manages to get to her feet in time and dodge Mokou?s first slash, which leaves a trail of fire in its wake, and barely avoid all subsequent attacks, not given enough time to deliver a counterattack. Between dodging attacks, Reisen yells out to Eirin, ?Um? Eirin-sama? I know you?re? having fun on your end? but the only mortal here? IS IN TROUBLE! Help!? As Reisen calls out, Eirin, who has an arrow ready and aimed at Kaguya, turns and fires it at Mokou instead. However, the immortal is prepared to defend against Eirin?s attack. However, with Mokou distracted, Reisen release a small burst of psycho energy, which stuns Mokou long enough for the arrow to pierce her through the gut and knocking her to the ground. However, as Eirin was distracted, Kaguya charged in and ran Eirin through with her sword, ?Ugh!? ?Eirin-sama!? ?I?m? not through, Princess?? Eirin wraps her right arm around Kaguya, so she won?t get away, and she drops her bow so an arrow materializes in her left hand, which she rams through Kaguya?s throat. ??? Kaguya?s eyes widen in pain as she dies. ?The rest? is up to you, Reisen?? With that, Eirin falls dead as well. As Mokou is on the ground, writhing in pain, Reisen takes her handgun out of her holster again and a new ammo clip materializes in her hand, which she inserts into her weapon. ??? Mokou tries to get up, but Reisen forces her down with her foot. ?It?s over! Time to get out of here, Mokou!? With those words, Reisen fires a few shots down into Mokou?s head. A soothing noise fills the room after the gunshots. Reisen looks up and sees Yumei disappear from inside the sphere, ?Yumei? Whatever. First I should worry about everyone else?? She looks at Kaguya?s body, and then Mokou?s, ?It?s time?? She kneels down, pulls Mokou?s body onto her back, draging her toward where Kaguya and Eirin?s bodies are, blood dripping from Mokou?s head into Reisen?s hair. The moon rabbit rolls her eyes, ?How bloody annoying,? rolling her eyes again at her bad attempt at humor. Having seen all three of them die and resurrect enough times, she know they will be okay. She grabs Eirin and Kaguya around their waists, and drags all three of them toward the portal, straining from everyone?s combined weight. Finally, she makes it out of the combined boundary of Reimu and Marisa?s subconscious.

Valesta: == I saw everything. As if I were a spirit or a deity, I watched the battle between Eirin and Reisen and Kaguya and Mokou. After Reisen dragged everyone into the portal, though, everything became black again. I really should be pissed off at Yukari, Eirin, and Reisen for pulling that cheap-ass stunt on Reimu and me, but they got everyone out of our heads, so I can?t complain. Besides, I have that embarrassing ?bloody annoying? line under my belt to use against Reisen, as I?m sure she thought she was alone when she said it. I guess all that?s left is to wake up. No sooner do I think that, though, when Yumei appears before me again, ?Hello Marisa! Did you enjoy the show? I know I did!? ?The only one that needed to survive survived, so I guess I can?t whine much. But more importantly, why are you still here, Yumei? Kaguya and Mokou are out now.? Yumei says sarcastically, ?What? You mean you don?t want to have one last private conversation with your good buddy, Yumei? Besides, I can leave whenever I want.? ??Buddy.? Riiiiight. You know, Yumei, before I was reunited with Reimu, I thought you were annoying, but okay, but now that I remember, I think you?re pretty damn shady. Can we trust you with reviving Gensokyo?? Yumei laughs, ?Hahahaha! I?m sure I?m shady and mysterious to a lot of you, and I know that Sakuya doesn?t like me, at least. You can think of me however you want, but I certainly will help with reviving Gensokyo when you and Reimu are awake. On that, you have my word.? ?Talk is cheap, you know.? ?Fine, how about we pinky swear on it? If I?m lying, I will eat a thousand needles, okay?? Yumei extends her pinky finger toward me. I roll my eyes and walk toward Yumei, ?If you are willing to go this far to prove that you are not lying, Yumei, I guess I?ll try to believe you. It?s not like we have another hope anyway.? Our pinkies interlock. Yumei begins to vanish, ?I will keep my promise, okay? Well then, I will see you on the other side. Sleep well until then, Marisa.? ??? == Elsewhere, 238,403 miles away from Earth and across boundaries, there exists an advanced civilization that covers the entire surface of the moon. This civilization is known, and feared, by many of Earth?s different boundaries, as the Lunarian Empire, a superpower at constant war with one of Earth?s particular realms, and conquering other realms to increase its power, as on each full moon, Lunarian facilities can shift over boundaries. Gensokyo had been one of the Lunarians? targets, though they couldn?t get an invasion underway before Reimu and Marisa?s awakening. Tsuki no Miyako, capital of the Lunarian Empire? While the moon is covered with various high-tech facilities, in the capital, one building stands out. It is bigger and taller than any other structure on the moon, but its design is even more unique, as it is ancient by comparison. It is made of wood, and there are no mechanical devices within it. It is an ancient Japanese-style castle, the home of Empress Lunariya Houraisan, the Lunarian Empire?s absolute ruler, and Kaguya?s mother. Inside the castle, in one of the rooms, where the walls are covered with wallscrolls displaying martial arts fundamentals, two figures kneel on cushions in meditation. One of the figures is a man, appearing to be in his early forties, though he is really much older. He has long silver hair braided at the end and a two-month-old moustache, wearing a green cloak over a white robe, and has two long swords sheathed at both of his hips. Nearby, a ghostly wisp floats near him. The other figure is a girl, 20 years old in appearance, though once again, looks deceive, with long purple hair tied into a ponytail extending down to the backs of her knees. She wears a white shirt under a red vest, and baggy white pants with red flame-like designs at the edges of the legs, and has a katana sheathed at her right hip. A door to the room slides open. The man opens his blue eyes slightly, and then says calmly, ?Defend yourself, Meira.? A figure enters the room and tosses a knife-like envelope opener at the girl, Meira, whose dark eyes burst open as she draws her sword and blocks the projectile with her weapon, then returns it to her sheathe. The man stands up, ?Wonderful work, Meira! I?ve taught you well!? Meira also rises to her feet, saying, ?Thank you, Master.? The figure that tossed the knife comes into view, a girl with yellow eyes and short blonde hair, wearing a pink and blue maid outfit, ?Um? Did I do okay, Master?? ?You did perfectly, Mugetu!? says the man with a cheery smile, ?Do that every time you come to clean this room and we are present!? ?I? I?ll try?? ?Well, that concludes today?s training,? announces the man to Meira, ?Do you want to come with me for a student and master drink?? ?I don?t drink,? states Meira flatly. The man smiles awkwardly, ?Oh, yes of course. I must be getting on in my years, even with all those mass-produced hourai elixirs.? He turns to the maid, ?How about you, Mugetu? If you want, later I can buy dinner for just the two_? ?Stop flirting, Master. It?s embarrassing,? states Meira again. The man shrugs, ?Can?t blame a man for trying?? ??? Mugetu stands in place, blushing and speechless. The man says to the maid, ?You can skip this room if you want. It?s not like Meira and I make a big mess of things, so you don?t have to clean it everyday.? ?Um? I understand. Thank you, Master.? With a bow, Mugetu leaves the room. Despite the man?s unusual and carefree attitude, he is rumored by some in the empire to be even more powerful than the empress, though no one openly states it. Meira respects him greatly, though she occasionally gets humiliated by his tendencies. The man says, ?You?re a good student, Meira.? ?I am honored, Master? responds Meira with a bow. The man explains, ?I?ve only had two students. You are truly skilled and talented, though you have not yet surpassed my previous student.? Meira?s face momentarily turns to that of dismay, but she quickly regains her composure, ?How exactly am I inferior, Master?? The man asks, ?Meira, who do you dedicate your skills to?? Meira unsheathes her sword and holds it in front of her, declaring, ?Master! I swear by my sword that on my honor, I will serve Empress Lunariya, the immortal empress, and her great Lunarian Empire with the skills you have entrusted to me. I shall fight on their behalf to my final breath, risking great loss and torment. Of this, I vow.? The man smiles, ?Well spoken, Meira. That is the vow of a true warrior. You should be proud of such a quality.? ?I am honored, Master.? The man turns to leave the room, ?However, it is for that very reason that you will not surpass my former student.? With that, he leaves the room. ??? Meira stands, frozen and dumbfounded. Later, in a residential complex, not far from the castle, a girl with brown eyes and brown hair, tied into two braids, wearing a white dress, sits at a computer, rapidly typing in some notes for an assignment. There is a sudden knock on the door. ?Come in!? yells the girl. Meira enters the room, ?Hello, Rika.? Rika responds, her eyes focused on her monitor, ?Hi, Meira.? ?How are you doing?? ?We-well, I?m just about to finish my notes about Evil Eye Sigma?s specs. I-I haven?t been given any new scientific breakthrough notifications from Professor Yumemi, though, so once this is done, I?m? I?m looking at boredom?? ?Then perhaps I can provide you with something you may find? entertaining.? ?Wh-what would that be, Meira?? ?I understand that you are an accomplished hacker.? ?Wh-why yes, but why are you interested in that?? ?Everyone who joins the empire without being born into it is given a thorough background check. Rika, I want you to hack into the Lunarian Empire Database and get me whatever background information you can on Master.? ?You? you mean Master Konpaku?? ?Yes.? ?Wh-wh-why do y-you want me to do th-that, Meira?? ?Calm down. You stutter too much.? Rika takes a deep breath, ?You?ve always obeyed the law down to the letter. This isn?t like you at all.? ?There is something I must know.? ?Even so, Meira, I could get caught! The punishment for unlawful entry into private information is death for mortals and 500 years of imprisonment for immortals!? Meira sighs, ?If you are afraid of getting caught, then use my access code. It?s JI0I7D3R44UVCR. Good luck.? ?But what if I get caught?? ?Then don?t. If you do, I?ll save you a place in Hell, where we can have a long talk about your hacking abilities.? ?Meira?? ?I have absolute confidence in your skills. My life is in your hands.? ?O-okay?? Meira walks out of the room, thinking, This is out of line for me, but I must prove myself to Master. On my honor, I will prove that I am superior to his old student by defeating him in combat!

Valesta: I don?t know how long I had been out since my last internal chat with Yumei, but whatever. I finally do wake up, ?Ugh?? I feel the pain in my neck, though it?s not that bad. I finally sit up to look at everyone, ?Hey?? ?Ah, you?re up,? says Sakuya. ?Are you okay?? asks Alice. ?I?ll be fine,? I glare at Reisen, whose clothes and hair are still bloodstained, ?Thank you for that, Reisen.? Reisen says, ?I? I only had to get you asleep somehow, and that was the fastest way! Anyway, I succeeded.? She points at the bodies of Kaguya, Mokou, and Eirin, laying side by side, ?We ran into some? complications, but we did it!? I wanted to tell Reisen, that I saw everything, but I ultimately decide to keep it private. I cut to the more important issue, ?Yumei visited me again while I was out. She said she?ll come out when everyone is up.? Yukari points toward the ground next to me, ?In that case, we still have to wait a little while.? I look where Yukari is pointing. ?Zzzzzzz?? Next to me, Reimu is still asleep. ?Sigh? Same old Reimu?? We wait about a half-hour. Eirin, Kaguya, and Mokou still hadn?t regenerated yet. I look out at the city below; illuminated by the golden glow of the sunset, thinking about that talk I had with Reimu. Gensokyo was a good life, and in terms of the things I wished for on this side, Gensokyo seems like the more appealing choice, but? can I really leave all this behind? I stare out for several minutes. Alice, Sakuya, and Youmu walk over to me. Alice asks, ?Marisa? Are you okay? You?ve been standing there for a while.? I explain, ?Yumei? she promised that she would help revive Gensokyo, but? Between here and there, I don?t know what to choose?? ?Right,? says Youmu, ?You may have your memories as Marisa Kirisame, but you are also Marisa Starr?? Sakuya adds, ?To choose which home? What to gain and what to lose. It certainly is not a light decision?? I ask them, already knowing what some of their answers will be, ?You have a choice too. Do you want to go back to your old lives or continue living here?? Youmu says, ?Marisa, you know I can?t just abandon my duties to Yuyuko-sama. After all this is over, I?m returning to Hakugyokurou.? ?I thought so? What about you, Sakuya? Are you going to go back to Remilia?? Sakuya answers, ?Of course. Maybe you?re right that I have a choice, but I owe the mistress for giving me my new life? the ability to make those decisions. I?m sorry, Marisa, but I absolutely cannot live here forever.? I feel bad. I don?t want to lose my friends, but I don?t want to abandon my life here, either, ?I know. And you, Alice? You don?t have a mistress to return to. You can keep living here, right? We can continue going to school together and everything! Even if I hate all the students there, it was great to just go there with you! How about it?? Understandably, Alice seems to be just as conflicted as me, ?I? don?t know, Marisa. You?re right, it was fun, I will admit, but I don?t know if I can leave Gensokyo behind for that?? ?I see?? Alice?s response is just as straightforward as Reimu?s. Go figure. I look back at everyone, wondering what they would choose. Sure, they aren?t within my close circle of friends, but with all we?ve been through, I do care about them. Cirno? well, I dunno. She might want to stay here, but she has her youkai attributes that she has to hide, and I wonder how long she can stand to keep that up. Yukari, while she can go anywhere, she?d live in Gensokyo, no question. She?s lived there too long to want to change. Kaguya and Mokou used to live in this realm, but with things as I know them, even I would recommend they return to Gensokyo. Eirin and Reisen would likely go along with Kaguya?s choice. Part of me longs for Gensokyo, and the other part doesn?t want things to change. Everyone needs Gensokyo back, and I agree, but I regret that it had to come to this. If my curiosity never got the better of me, I would still be going to school with Alice and Cirno, not worrying about any of this. I?m not looking forward to Yumei?s arrival? ?Ugh?? Finally, Reimu starts to wake up. Everyone turns to her. ?Did you have a good sleep?? asks Yukari. ?Yeah,? answers Reimu, ?I had a dream?? She looks over at Eirin, Kaguya, and Mokou ?? or maybe it wasn?t a dream?? Heh. Reisen?s eyes widen slightly, ?You saw that?? ?Yeah,? answers Reimu, ?I saw Kaguya and Mokou?s refusal to go with you, don?t worry, I didn?t hear them either, I saw you asking Eirin for help, and I remember that embarrassing attempt at a one-liner you tried to make after the battle.? Reisen tilts her head back as she yells, ?NOOOO! You heard that?? Looks like Reimu decided to bring it out after all? Cirno asks Reisen, ?What did you say?? ??? Reisen just stands there blushing. Luckily for our bunny-girl friend, however, Yukari changes the subject, ?I don?t know why they wouldn?t want to come back, but I?m hopeful that when they wake up, we will be able to communicate with them.? ?Why?? asks Reisen. ?Within that boundary, you were connected with the waking world and they were connected with the dream world. When you removed them, they became one with the waking world again. But?? Reisen raises an eyebrow, ?But??? ?But? something must have interfered. You should have still been able to TALK at the very least?? ??? I have my suspicions, but no solid ground to base them upon, so I decide to not share what could be untrue. Reisen raises her ears, ?Strange?? Before this gets any weirder, I change the subject again, ?Well, Yumei said she?d be here when everyone is up, so I guess we just have to wait for the immortals to wake up now?? ?Oh, there is no need for that, Marisa. This should be fine!? In the middle of the rooftop, Yumei appears, ?Hello there, every one!? ?Why hello!? Yukari greets, ?So are you that Yumei everyone has been talking about?? ?The very same. It?s nice to meet you face to face at last, Yukari Yakumo!? Alice says to Yumei rather coldly, not that I blame her, ?According to Marisa, you can bring back Gensokyo! What proof do you have that you can actually do something that sounds so ludicrous as bringing back an entire dimension?? Yumei says to Alice condescendingly, ?Are you still mad about that little skirmish we had. Get over it!? ??? Sakuya and Cirno stare at Yumei, not seeming to display a lot of open trust. Reisen says to Yumei, ?I saw you in that place where we saved Kaguya and Mokou! You?re a moon rabbit, just like me. Why are you here? Just what do you have to do with Gensokyo?? ?More than you think,? answers Yumei, ?I will answer your questions in due time.? Youmu cuts straight to the chase, ?So what needs to be done to get Gensokyo back?? ?First, I will tell you everything that needs to be known about that realm you know as Gensokyo?? We all stand and listen as Yumei explains. ?As you are aware, Gensokyo is a product of the dream of?? She gestures toward me, ?Marisa Starr, and?? She gestures toward Reimu, ?Reimu Kiribayashi. They fell into a deep sleep together and their minds crossed over? but how, you ask? It was because of me.? ?What?? says Reimu, ?How the hell could YOU be behind that?? ?Oh, it gets better,? says Yumei with a smirk, ?I am also the reason Gensokyo became more than a dream. An entire alternate universe governed by the slumber of two teenage girls.? ?What?? yell a lot of us in unison. Yumei continues, ?It was a? very interesting bit of human imagination. It was the home of many beings with interesting powers, not the least of which was you, Yukari Yakumo.? ?How?? asks Yukari. ?The dream had a history that dated back through the ages of so many other realms, and you were alive throughout a lot of it. You could freely enter other dimensions and interact with them. As a result, you, Yukari, and the dream that created you, affected history itself! That is how frickin? powerful a dream it was! In fact, it was the reason Kaguya found a happy ending to the ordeal that was her exile to this place.? ?What do you mean?? asks Reisen. ?At the end of the story of Kaguya, which lives on in this realm today as folklore, she was supposed to be taken back to the moon by Lunarian emissaries. She tried to escape with Eirin, but they were caught and Kaguya?s compassion and memories of human were erased. Now, thanks to Gensokyo?s existence, Yukari showed up and spirited them out of harm?s way, where they lived happily ever after in Gensokyo. That is one such example of how Gensokyo affected history. Pretty weird, no? I told you this before, Marisa, and now all of you know it. Most of you aren?t even native to Gensokyo! Think of how it affected your lives, for better or worse, and wonder what could have happened without it.? Yumei brought up a powerful point. Sure, maybe the accident was an inevitable mishap throughout the course of my life, but afterward, I was reunited with the friends I had in that dream. If not for that, I would still be living without anyone to call a friend.? ?That most certainly is an interesting point,? says Sakuya, ?but you still haven?t answered any questions about how you are responsible for how it broke out of being a mere dream.? Yumei explains, ?I?m sure most of you don?t have a lot of knowledge of this. You, Sakuya, experienced it, not that you remember, Reisen, I?m sure is aware of it?? She looks at Eirin?s body, ?And the doctor here most likely knows of it intimately?? ?What are you talking about?? asks Cirno. Yumei turns to Reisen, ?Reisen Udongein Inaba? you pointed me out as a Lunarian? Well, I most certainly am!? ?Of course?? says Reisen. ?Out of the Lunarians that have resided in Gensokyo, you have the most recent knowledge of the Lunarians? activities. Tell me what you know about the experiments performed on moon beings with exception powers.? Reisen says, ?Well, a lot of Lunarians are born with some sort of special ability. I don?t know who runs it now, but if nothing had changed, it?s Professor Yumemi that ran the Lunarians? science division and ran experiments on beings she considered to be exceptional.? ?That?s right.? ?But? what does that have to do with Gensokyo?? ?EVERYTHING!? Yumei roars. ?Ah!? We flinch at her outburst. ?I was born with such an ?exceptional? power: Embodiment of Dreams. It allowed me to take a physical form of dreams other people have, if I so will it. Just by looking at people, I could tell their most influential dreams and exploit them?? ??? ?Well, good ol? Professor Yumemi decided to take it to the next level. She wanted to know what would happen if my spirit was separated from my body, infused with an obscene amount of energy, and sent to Earth to merge with someone? anyone?s dream.? ?You?re talking about astral projection?? asks Alice, ?I?ve only read about such an idea?? ?Well, the Lunarians can do it,? says Yumei, ?It?s a civilization with a perfect mix of science, magic, and technology, all of which are utilized in more ways than you can imagine. Anyway, under those conditions, I was sent to Earth. Unfortunately, astral projection is not without its flaws. A living spirit can only roam around for a total of three earth days before becoming a dead spirit, unable to return to the body, thus killing the subject. Well, the Lunarians didn?t exactly give two shits where they shot me down into in this realm, so I ended up in the ocean and I had to keep going until I made it to land. I found a lot of animals, but trust me; I have more pride than to merge with THOSE dreams. Finally, I entered a human city. At this point, I was at my two day and twenty-two hour mark and was fading fast. Unfortunately, no one was asleep yet. I was in deep shit. However, luck found me. I saw a teenage Japanese girl get knocked out by an out-of-control truck. At that moment, she slipped into dreamland? and I felt such immense energy from her. I knew I found what I was looking for, so I merged with that dream. As that was going on, I was within the boundary between consciousness and unconsciousness, where all beings? dreams gather. I found another dream in there, which was also quite interesting, so I merged that with me and the girl?s dream, then released the excess energy I was given, creating a whole new realm. The experiment was a success. Perhaps more successful than the prof thought it would be. That was the beginning of Gensokyo.? ?That girl was me!? yells Reimu. ?The other dream was mine?? I ask. Alice gasps at a realization, ?Impossible? you can?t mean?? ?Oh, I mean it,? says Yumei, ?I AM GENSOKYO!?

Valesta: ??? There is nothing but silence between us. It?s hard to believe, but equally difficult to dismiss as a lie. Gensokyo was the result of a Lunarian experiment? I never would have thought, and neither could anyone else for that matter. Even Yukari looks surprised. Yumei continues, ?In a way, you could call me a third dreamer. Sure, Gensokyo itself and its denizens were products of your imaginations, Reimu and Marisa, but the magic? accelerated healing? flight? spellcards? All those things were of the Lunarians? from my memories. In a way, Gensokyo was like the moon?s civilization in its infancy.? ?I had a feeling there was some kind of distant relation between the moon and Gensokyo,? says Reisen, ?It was for those very reasons you described, Yumei. They were too similar to be a mere coincidence? But I never would have imagined that Gensokyo was the result of one of Professor Yumemi?s experiments. Gensokyo isn?t even acknowledged as such! When moon rabbits were dispatched to search the realms for Eirin-sama, they talked like it was just another realm!? Yumei snickers, ?Hehehe! All that power and advancements, and yet, even the Lunarians are powerless against the influence of history. How ironic...? ?Regardless of how Gensokyo came into being,? says Yukari, ?it doesn?t matter. It?s my home? our home? no matter what the facts are.? ?Yukari is most certainly right,? says Sakuya, ?and that brings us back to the main topic at hand: what can we go about bringing back Gensokyo?? Yumei explains, ?Well, Gensokyo lives on within me?? she transforms into Suika Ibuki ?? that is the reason I can do this.? Okay, along with the transformation, her voice changed to Suika?s which I had only once heard in a sober tone? That?s just wrong. To prove her point further, she transforms into Yuka, then Suwako, Meiling, Chen, Hina, Sanae, and finally reverts to Yumei. ?The way Gensokyo came into being before was a result of an excess of energy my spirit was artificially infused with. Believe it or not, I still have some to spare.? Alice asks, ?That excess energy? was that the reason you could use those spells without a spellcard? Theoretically, it is possible, but no one, not even a powerful youkai like Yukari, has enough energy to do it in rapid succession. That must be quite a bit of energy!? ??? Yukari looks like she wants to raise an objection, but she knows Alice is right about even her. ?It is, oh it is,? says Yumei, ?Perhaps I used a little too much, though. If I tried to create Gensokyo as a realm again, it would also require my life energy, and just like in the case of a Last Word spell, it would kill me.? Cirno looks at Yumei dreamily, ?You would die to return Gensokyo to us? I will never forget you, Yumei!? ?Do you really think I?d be released, just to die?? asks Yumei, ?No, there are things I wish to live for. However, there is a method that won?t take my life?? She walks in Yukari?s direction. ?What would that be?? asks Reimu. ?You?ll see, but there are a couple things I need to? obtain first?? ?What do you need to obtain?? I ask. ?Nothing I need your help with,? says Yumei, ?Only THIS!? It took me a few seconds to comprehend what happened next. When reality catches up with me, I look at Yukari impaled by Yumei?s spear! Yumei?s spear had materialized in her hand and she attacked the boundary youkai before she had a chance to react! Yukari?s eyes are agape in pain and shock, ?Ugh!? Both Yumei and Yukari start to glow with golden light. Finally, the light disappears and Yumei yanks her weapon out of Yukari?s middle torso, ?I?m so sorry it had to come to this. This could have been avoided Yukari, if you had just gone down with Gensokyo and became a part of me. Instead, I had to use my spear, the Dream Eater, to absorb your powers. You see, I need boundary manipulation to make this work.? Everyone is surprised. Yumei turned so suddenly, no one could have expected it! With the knack for theatrics I?ve seen her use in my dreams, she had planned this since before she got out! Despite my hesitation, I?m the first to snap back and yell, ?What the hell, Yumei?? My heartbeat is increasing, my body is hot all over, and I feel my tears coming. Yumei shakes her head in a calm manner, ?What are you so upset about? You wanted Gensokyo back, right? This is a necessary step!? ?I don?t give two bits of a shit about Gensokyo! I could have been happy still going to school with my friends! Even so, why did you have to do that to Yukari?? ?You look like you care about Gensokyo, now you say you don?t? Well no matter how you feel about this, Marisa, I need Gensokyo. I don?t care who needs to be sacrificed. Besides, since when did you consider Yukari a friend?? At this point, my tears are flowing, though my rage is still dominant, ?That doesn?t matter, you bitch! After all Yukari and I have been through, I care!? Yumei raises an eyebrow, ??Bitch?? Is that what you have to say to your good buddy, Yumei?? ?Go to hell!? I run toward Yumei, my anger making me forget that he has a spear. She swings her weapon and the shaft connects with my head, knocking me down. Shit! Even though I?ve had a ton of battles as Kirisame, now having a body not so accustomed to pain makes my head ring. ?Damn you, Yumei!? Reisen draws her gun and fires several shots at the other moon rabbit, who deflects a couple bullets with her spear as she squats down and leaps up several feet, over 40 feet, actually, landing on the roof of an adjacent taller skyscraper. ?Yumei!? Youmu proceeds to chase Yumei, but lacking her long and athletic legs, the gardener can?t match the rabbit?s jumping ability, so instead she leaps over the edge of our building, and dashes up the side of Yumei?s, drawing her wooden practice sword along the way. She reaches Yumei?s roof and their weapons clash, ?That was a cheap trick! Where?s your honor, Yumei?? ?Honor?? yells Yumei, in an outright pissed off tone I have never seen her use. Their weapons clash again. Unsurprisingly, Youmu?s weapon doesn?t hold together and breaks from the impact. She thrusts one of her long legs forward, kicking Youmu in the gut, stunning her. ?Ack!? ?Shut up about ?honor!? I really hate that word! It?s nothing but self-righteous posing that serves no productive purpose, other than to give yourself a nice big pat on the back!? She runs Youmu through the shoulder with her spear, lifts her, and slings her down to our roof. The gardener lands next to me, her blood splattering on impact. ?Ugh? dammit! If only I had my swords?? However, just as Yumei was done with Youmu, she gets caught off-guard by several knives that appear right in front of her. She guards her vitals as they sink in, ?Ugh!" ?I most certainly won?t let you get away with this!? yells Sakuya up to Yumei. Both Youmu and Yukari are down and Reimu and I are helpless as we are now. Even if I recalled my memories as Marisa Kirisame, my body is still that of Marisa Starr, and Reimu?s is still Reimu Kiribayashi. Two ordinary human beings who are incapable of fighting this kind of battle. Reimu is checking on Yukari to see if she?s all right, so I kneel next to Youmu. Meanwhile, Alice, Sakuya, Reisen, and Cirno are busy fighting Yumei. ?Hey! Youmu! Stupid question, but? are you feeling okay?? Youmu responds, ?I?ll be fine, actually. She missed my vitals. Worry about Yukari?? ?Okay?? I kneel next to Reimu, ?Yukari?? Yukari says, ?That was unexpected? I only wish I was the judge of character Yuyuko is?? She gets up, despite her horrible injury ?? This is a crippling wound, but I won?t let Yumei get away with such a tactic?? Meanwhile, despite the start of the battle, our side is winning, but Yumei is still holding her own. For some reason, she?s holding off on her transformations. At this point, the sun has completely set, so she has the green light to transform into a vampire, but she seems insistent on battling in her own form. ?War Sign: Dolls War!? ?Silver Sign: Perfect Maid!? ?Visionary Wave: Mind Blowing!? With Alice, Sakuya, and Reisen lacking the ability to jump up after Yumei, nor dash up the building, they use spellcards that fill the air with armed dolls, knives, and psycho-bullets, all of which aimed at Yumei?s perch. ?Vision Sign: Falling Dreams!? Yumei declares a spellcard in response, and above her, slanted down toward my friends, several magic circles appear, which fire out several bolts of pink light, which manage to intercept some of their projectiles, but not all of them. She gets showered by all kinds of pain, and while she?s staggering back, Cirno used the previous exchange of attacks as a chance to fly up to Yumei?s roof and deliver an ice-coated punch. ?Gah! Bitch!? Yumei staggers back, but as Cirno attempts to press her attack, Yumei fights back with a roundhouse kick, which knocks the ice fairy from her perch, followed by a bolt of energy, repelling her further. ?Ow! That hurt!? Back to Yukari, the boundary youkai gets back onto her feet, her left arm over her wound, ?I?m coming, Yumei?? ?That?s suicide!? protests Reimu, ?You can?t fight like that!? Yukari smirks, ?I can and I most certainly will, Reimu. Since when have I been the type to just be the helpless victim?? She had us on that one? Before I could add in my two cents, Yukari opens a portal below her, falls in, and emerges on Yumei?s roof, right behind the traitorous bitch. Figures that after all the trouble everyone else had to get where Yumei is, it?s child?s play to Yukari. ?Hello, Yumei!? ?The hell?? Yumei looks over her shoulder at Yukari who smacks her with her parasol. ?Fufufu~? ?Ugh!? Yumei attempts to counterattack with her spear, but Yukari steps out of her range, points her parasol at the rabbit, and around her, five balls of energy form, and slam into Yumei, delivering enough impact to knock her from her high perch, and 40 feet down to our roof. She slams into the ground, the blood from her wounds splattering on impact, and coughing up blood soon after, ?Sh? shit?? She slowly gets up to her feet, her wounds still gushing blood, using her spear as a support. Her once fine clothes are now ripped and battered, and one of her glasses? lenses is cracked. Wow? even with a wound like that, Yukari can still put up a pretty good fight! ?It?s over, Yumei!? Reisen aims her gun at Yumei?s head, and Sakuya draws a knife. ?Hold on!? calls out Yukari. She falls into a portal and emerges in front of Yumei, ?Before we relieve you of your pain by dropping you from this skyscraper rooftop, I want to know? what you were trying to? do?? Not good! Yukari lost a ton of blood, thus draining her strength away. ?I? ugh? I told you? didn?t I, Yukari? I needed your powers? to make the new Gensokyo. Of course? everyone wasn?t very happy about me stabbing you? not a big surprise?? ??? Yumei continues, ?Besides? do you really want to kill me? I?m your only chance of recovering Gensokyo? in any shape or form. I?m your only hope?? ?Still sounds tempting?? says Yukari, ?Too? bad I?m? not particularly fond of? people who go and? attack me with spears? out of nowhere?? ?Stop talking!? Reimu tells Yukari, ?You should save your strength.? ?Don?t worry,? says Yukari, ?I?m fine? Back to you, Yumei? perhaps we won?t kill you? but you will be our prisoner.? ?Sounds fair,? says Yumei. ?I certainly hope we?re not making a mistake by doing this,? says Sakuya, withdrawing her knife. Reisen puts away her handgun. Suddenly, though, Yumei smirks, and her eyes glow golden, ?On second thought, though, I say to hell with your mercy!? ?What?? yells Alice.

Valesta: Yumei?s spear vanishes and she transforms again. Who she transformed into? Huh? What? I?m seeing double! I?m looking at TWO Yukaris! Of course, I know by condition and location who our Yukari is and who Yumei is, but? how could she transform into someone who didn?t disappear with Gensokyo? ?Hahaha!? Yukari/Yumei disappears into a gap and emerges on the taller building again? She really loves that building? ?Just what the hell is going on?? I demand. Yukari/Yumei says, ?Why, thank you, Yukari! Thanks to that lucky break you gave me, I was still alive to gain this new power!? ?What are you talking about?? asks Reimu. Yukari/Yumei answers, ?My spear allows me to copy the form and power of any Gensokyo resident it pierces. Unfortunately, it take a little time for those effects to take place, and during that time, I can?t transform, and, as I?m sure a lot of you found out, as plain old little Yumei, I?m not very strong. Sure, I was given all that energy, but that only works for other forms and dream-related matters. You should have dumped me overboard when you had the chance, because now that I have acquired Yukari?s powers, my plan is complete! Nothing can stop me!? ?What are you trying to do?? I demand, ?Take over the world, or some shit?? Yukari/Yumei shakes her head, ?Not precisely. The world is only a stepping stone toward achieving my ultimate goal! BEHOLD!? Yumei transforms again into? something. She?s still Yukari, but? she?s something different also. She has Yukari?s face, body, and hairstyle, but Yumei?s attire and ears. Her hair is also a bright pink. Cirno?s eyes widen, ?You?re Yukari, but you?re also Yumei? Why did you turn into that, Yukarumei?? The Yukari/Yumei mutant raises an eyebrow, and then laughs. Her voice is a unison of both Yumei?s and Yukari?s, ?I like it! It?s perfect! ?Yukarumei? will do fine! Now then, on to my next phase?? A gap opens up below Eirin?s body, and then another below Kaguya?s. ?Eirin-sama! Princess Kaguya!? yells Reisen, ?What are you doing?? ?Yukarumei? says, ?I require Eirin for my goals, and Kaguya could come in handy too. Frankly, I suggest you worry about yourselves for my next trick! Now? I shall obliterate this realm?s boundary of dreams and reality!? Yukarumei spreads her arms dramatically, and there is a bright flash of light? Wait? I remember this! There are more flashes and I feel all the more nostalgic. From the city below, many people scream in unison. ?What?s going on?? asks Reimu. Youmu looks at me, then Reimu, ?You? should look at yourselves?? ?Huh?? I look at Reimu. She?s starting to fade into thin air. I then fearfully look at myself and the same thing is happening. I remember! The flashes! People fading away! This is what happened when Gensokyo started to disappear! Sure enough, everyone else not of this world, which is to say, everyone present here, except Reimu and me, are fine. ?Oh shit! This is what happened before, only? it?s happening to Reimu and me!? Yukarumei smiles, ?This world is now on its way to becoming my dominion. Well, I?ll leave you to enjoy the events to follow. I bid you adieu.? With that, Yukarumei disappears into a gap. ?Damn you, Yumei! Get back here!? I yell. Down below, and presumably all around the world, countless people are disappearing, just like Reimu and me. ?Dammit!? yells Reimu, ?It can?t end like this!? ?Yukari!? yells Alice, ?We have to save Marisa and Reimu! We?ve been in this situation! We know what to do!? I turn to Yukari, ?Open a gap and send us to another realm where we will be unaffected by this!? Yukari says, now slumped down to one knee, due to her weakened body, ?I can do something else, actually. Hold out your hands.? I don?t know what Yukari is talking about, but in about thirty or so seconds, Reimu and I won?t exist anymore, so we do what we are told. Yukari brings her hand close to ours?, closes her eyes, and I suddenly feel different, like I have been reborn! I feel powerful! I feel a rush of energy that I had forgotten, even after regaining my memories! Not only that, but our clothes are transforming too! Around my waist, an apron appears, and below that, a black skirt. My shirt turns black as well, with a white shirt underneath. A large black pointed hat appears on my head, and finally, a broom materializes in my hand! At the same time, Reimu transforms too! A red skirt appears around her waist, a sleeveless red shirt appears, two white detached sleeves appear around her arms, a red bow and a couple braids form in her hair, and finally, a long gohei appears in her hand. I look at myself, ?I?m?? Reimu is also surprised, ?How did you??? Yukari explains, ?The border between dreams and reality doesn?t only exist for boundaries, but also individuals? I reversed yours and brought out your ?other selves.? I?m sure you?ve noticed something else too.? Well, I did. Reimu and I aren?t disappearing anymore. Alice smiles, ?You?re back? Kirisame.? ?Yeah?? There are still more flashes and the screams of people below are becoming less and less frequent. It sucks we couldn?t do anything for them, but what could we have done? DAMMIT! Yumei! She?s gonna pay for this! All of a sudden, however, another reminder of the thought?s end comes along! The ground shakes violently! ?Ah-ah-ah-ah?? We all struggle to maintain our balance. No sooner than that, however, the taller adjacent skyscraper that Yumei loves so much starts to fall over in our direction! Luckily, our building is a lot sturdier and not falling, but we?re about to be crushed by the other! It hits the edge of our building and the top portion falls off, about to crush all of us like mom?s pancakes! Sakuya quickly declares a spellcard, ?Time Sign!? She thrusts her hand up at the falling tower, ?Sakuya?s Special Stopwatch!? A field appears around the tower, and then suddenly, the whole thing turns to monochrome colors and freezes in midair, stopped in time while time everyplace else moves onward. ?If we?re going to do something, hurry!? says Sakuya with a strained voice, ?I can?t hold this for too long!? I pull a spellcard from my pocket. I have as many as I did when I woke up, ?Leave this to me!? Well, it looks like my renewed powers will be put to the test, ?Magicannon!? I direct both of my arms toward the tower, ?FINAL MASTER SPARK!? I fire my massive laser up at the threatening object. My beam connects and it gets blasted into pieces, which disperse all over the place. I wobble a bit, fatigued by the immense amount of energy I just released. ?Looks like you haven?t gotten rusty,? says Reimu. ?I doubt you have.? All around us, the city is falling apart. Buildings are collapsing and toppling over, streets are getting cracked and broken, cars are getting tossed all over the place like toys. It?s like watching a disaster movie. Even distant mountains are starting to fall apart! ?I see what Yumei was trying to accomplish?? says Yukari. ?What is it?? asks Cirno. ?She wanted my powers to break the border between dreams and reality, and establish Gensokyo, which she embodies?? Alice flinches, ?Wait! Does that mean??? ?Yes,? answers Yukari, ?Yumei is turning THIS world INTO Gensokyo!? I step back in reaction, ?No way! NO WAY! THIS is what she meant when she said she would ?revive? Gensokyo?? ?Apparently.? ?Damn it!? The ground continues to shake. Actually, I?m beginning to hear some of the foundations of our building begin to give way. Ocean water begins to rush in and flood the streets. Yukari says, ?These are not earthquakes. This is a result of the shift. The land is reforming itself to match Gensokyo?s geography. I?m also beginning to feel the magic of Gensokyo flow in.? Cirno sums it up, ?This is going to become Yumei?s Gensokyo?? ?Yes.? Reimu looks out at the ruining world, ?Damn! We have to find Yumei and stop her!? ?We also have to save Eirin-sama and the princess!? adds Reisen. ?What do you think she would possibly want with them?? asks Sakuya. Reisen says, ?Princess Kaguya, I?m not so sure, but Eirin-sama? the Hourai Elixir! That HAS to be it!? ?Dammit!? I yell, ?We have to get a move on!? ?Hold it!? yells Yukari, ?This world is becoming too dangerous! If we stay here any longer, we will be killed! We should escape for now. We can come back and deal with Yumei another day!? ?But?? I can?t say anymore. I want to go out there, find Yumei, and kick her ass, but my rational side agrees with Yukari. With all the destruction, there?s no way we?ll survive before things settle down. ?Okay?? We all nod in agreement. Yukari opens a gap, ?This will take us to Hakugyokurou! Get in!? ?Okay!? Sakuya picks up Youmu and enters the portal; Cirno drags Mokou?s body in; Reisen and Alice also rush ahead. Reimu and I are about to enter, but we notice that Yukari isn?t following us. ?C?mon, Yukari!? I yell, ?Move your ass!? Yukari is still on one knee, but she begins to wobble a little, ?I?m sorry. I?m afraid I?ve used too much energy. I can no longer move.? ?You idiot!? Reimu snaps, ?You weren?t alright at all! You were just putting on an act so we wouldn?t worry about you!? She sticks out her hand to Yukari, ?Hold my hand! We?ll get outta here together!? ?No we won?t,? says Yukari, ?There?s no time?? I look at the portal. Slowly, but surely, it?s shrinking. In only a matter of seconds, we won?t fit! ?Dammit! She?s right! We don?t have much time!? ?How can we get back?? explodes Reimu. Yukari holds out her hand to Reimu, and a green ball appears. It looks like the one I got before, which took us to Makai, ?Take this. If you throw it against something, a gap will open, that will lead back here.? Reimu takes the ball, but still insists on finding a way to save Yukari, ?If we hurry, we can?? More shaking. Now this building?s supports are snapping wildly. The place will break at any moment. ?Reimu, I don?t like it either, but we have no choice!? The portal is shrinking more and more. Yukari imparts one last thing, ?Reimu and Marisa? Remember, even though Yumei has taken control of Gensokyo? it was still your dream. Never forget that?? Reimu observes the situation, and the harsh reality downs on her, ?Damn it? DAMN IT! I?m sorry, Yukari!? She runs ahead and dives into the portal. ?Yukari?? I dive in after Reimu. Our tears strained the ground behind us. It?s just like that time I thought I lost Sakuya, someone close to me putting herself in a hopeless situation, and me powerless to do anything? only? it?s actually happening? I will lose this person? Damn Yumei! Not only have we lost our world and everything we hold dear upon it, but we also lost Yukari. I don?t know what Yumei?s big plan is, but she won?t live long enough to achieve it if I have anything to say about it! Goodbye, Yukari? == The gap closes and Yukari finally drops from her knee and to the ground, ?Reimu? Marisa? Don?t die?? With that, Yukari falls lifelessly limp, and at the same time, the building collapses into the raging flood below.

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