~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library

In the Brilliant Light of Day [Complete] - DDC Novel Length Fanfic (+pics!)

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hungrybookworm: Chapter 19 (AO3 Mirror) Kosuzu poured another cup of iced tea. ?Here.? Akyuu smiled, and accepted the cup with both hands. It was another peaceful afternoon in Suzunaan, and the shop was belting hot. ?Phew, I can?t wait for it to get cooler.? Kosuzu wiped the sweat off her forehead. ?I?m starting to worry about the books.? ?Like this one?? Akyuu pointed at the scroll sitting on the table. ?Not another youma book, I hope.? ?Well, I suppose it might be.? Kosuzu picked it up, and gently unravelled it. She?d brought it out to show Akyuu. ?It was written by an inchling several centuries ago, about their history.? ?Inchlings?? Akyuu raised her eyebrows. ?They exist in Gensokyo?? ?I think so.? Kosuzu glanced over the text. Nearly a year had passed since someone came into Suzunaan asking for a translation. A strange woman with a big straw hat. Kosuzu had almost forgotten about the scroll until a week ago, when another woman with red hair came rushing into the shop, asking for something about inchlings. Kosuzu had shown her the scroll, expecting her to borrow it, or ask for a translation. But the woman just held it in her hands, and had a one-way conversation with it. She talked to the scroll! Kosuzu had never seen anything like it. ?Hm, I need to know about it, if they exist in Gensokyo.? Akyuu sipped her drink. ?There?s nothing about inchlings in the chronicle.? ?Look. The text is so tiny I had to use a magnifying glass to decipher it.? Kosuzu pointed at a line. ?See, those look like a string of ten kanji characters, don?t they? But actually those are kanji radicals. The whole sentence is a word.? The bell rang, and Kosuzu leapt to her feet. They had a customer. ?Hello, welcome to- oh!? A familiar face. ?Reimu-san. Is everything all right?? Reimu had skidded into Suzunaan, and grabbed one of the bookshelves to keep herself upright. Her body lurched with each breath. She looked terrible. One of her sleeves were missing; revealing two dirty bandages and long lines of dried blood running down her arm. Her face was bone white, and covered in sweat. There were big bags under her eyes. ?Kosuzu-chan...? Speaking took visible effort. ?Have you seen Marisa anywhere? Has she been in here?? ?Marisa?? Kosuzu looked at Akyuu, nervous. ?Um, no I haven?t. Is everything okay? You look exhausted.? ?If you see her, grab her and don?t let her get away!? And Reimu was gone again. She?d sprinted out of the door, and back into the street. ?What?s going on?? asked Akyuu, equally horrified. ?Is it an incident?? ?Maybe.? Kosuzu thought about that youkai riot in the village the other day. Suzunaan was unharmed, but she knew a lot of shops that weren?t so lucky. ?She looked awful.? ?Well, she?s the Hakurei shrine maiden. I?m sure she?ll be fine.? Akyuu tried to smile. ?Now tell me more about this scroll. That?s why I?m here, after all.? ***** It was approaching early evening by the time Shinmyoumaru decided to head home. She retraced her steps back to the village, followed the dirt path through the forest, and switched to flying. Seija was going to be furious with her, but Shinmyoumaru could handle that. She?d spent an hour or two by herself after speaking to Wakasagihime, thinking through all the new information she?d learnt, and merging it with everything she already knew. Or at least, thought she already knew. It felt like forever ago since she ventured out of her aunt?s home, and met Seija. So much had happened, and she?d learnt so many new things: how to fly, how to make and use spell cards, how to mould snow, and how to create miracles. Things her aunt could never have known, let alone teach her. Shinmyoumaru wished she was still alive. She wished she could go back down to the World of Oni for a brief visit, and show her. But her aunt was dead, and their servants gone, and Shinmyoumaru had fled the mansion. Her old life no longer existed. Shinmyoumaru touched the mallet hanging from her obi. She wanted to create a better world for the inchling race. She wanted them to grow their own food and keep their own livestock, and live a life without constant fear. Since when did her mission include vengeance against Gensokyo?s youkai, and liberation for the weak youkai of Gensokyo? Because of the story Seija told her, that might not even be true? No, it wasn?t just that. It was because of the injuries Seija came home with. It was because of the tsukumogami, and people like Wakasagihime and the old lady in the village, who reminded her of the inchlings in Mamesuke Square. So many people suffered in Gensokyo, similar to how the inchlings suffered in the World of Oni. And Shinmyoumaru could make a difference. She held the power of miracles! She was in charge of a revolution, with its own castle and army, and both human and youkai allies. She?d be mad not to take advantage of that. Shinmyoumaru decided. Once she got back to the castle, she?d go up to the dungeon and talk to the Hakurei shrine maiden. She wasn?t sure what they?d talk about yet, but Shinmyoumaru hoped it?d give her clarity on how things were in Gensokyo. The shrine maiden was all chained up, and wouldn?t pose a threat. Shinmyoumaru had nothing to fear. And after that, she?d take a more active role, and lead their revolution to victory. A bright orange light hovered near the horizon. Shinmyoumaru wondered if she?d left it too late, and the sun was starting to set. But it was probably just her castle catching the sunlight. It was lit up like a beacon, calling her home. Except, the light seemed to be growing brighter. The sky behind it was dark, and made her think of thunderclouds. Shinmyoumaru sped up, curious what was going on. Was the weather turning bad? Was Marisa trying out a new spell? Seija had talked about camouflage and self-defence mechanisms before, so it wasn?t impossible. But then she smelt it. The overpowering stench of burning wood. Her castle was on fire. Shinmyoumaru froze. It didn?t register in her head. She hovered in mid-air, and stared at the ball of orange flame until her eyes hurt. She didn?t panic. She didn?t even feel afraid. It didn?t feel real. ?Over here! Your Royal Highness, over here!? Someone was calling out to her. Shinmyoumaru glanced to the right, and saw three figures approach her in tandem. One of them was waving. She recognised Yatsuhashi Tsukumo, and the umbrella tsukumogami Kogasa Tatara. Marisa Kirisame was in the middle, missing her broom and hat, and staring at the ground below. And like that, reality set in. Fear hit her. Shinmyoumaru covered her mouth. She nearly lost her balance, and fell out of her sky. ?What happened to the castle!?? She yelled. ?Where?s Seija? Is Seija all right?? ?I?m glad we found you, Your Royal Highness.? Yatsuhashi looked deeply relieved. ?We?ve been looking everywhere.? ?The castle?s on fire!? Kogasa answered her question. ?We need to head to the brigade base and rendezvous there. I haven?t seen Kijin-sama anywhere.? ?Is she still in the castle?? Seija could be trapped in there. Shinmyoumaru thought she would suffocate with terror. ?I?ll get her!? ?Wait, please!? Yatsuhashi let go of Marisa, and grabbed Shinmyoumaru?s arm with both hands. Kogasa was left to support Marisa by herself. ?Calm down. She?s probably waiting for us as the base. We need to hurry over there.? ?That?s my castle! My castle?s on fire!? Shinmyoumaru struggled. Maybe if she got close enough, she could use the mallet to put the fire out. ?Let me go, I order you!? Marisa snorted. Kogasa tightened her grip, afraid she might try something. But all Marisa did was laugh. She laughed and laughed, until she was shaking. Shinmyoumaru was shocked. ?It isn?t funny, Marisa! Stop laughing!? ?I set it on fire!? Marisa declared. She looked up, and Shinmyoumaru knew immediately that there was something wrong with her. Her eyes were empty. Her smile was bright and innocent. ?I did it. I?m burning it down, and you can?t do anything about it.? She lifted her free hand. The mini-Hakkero?s flame flickered. ?I?m going to burn you next. I?m going to burn everything!? Shinmyoumaru screamed. ?Get out of the way!? Yatsuhashi threw herself in front of Shinmyoumaru. Kogasa grappled with Marisa, trying to snatch the furnace away from her. Marisa kept laughing, undaunted. ?You can?t stop me!? she yelled. ?I?m going to burn all of Gensokyo, starting with you!? ?Commander, help me!? shouted Kogasa. ?Declare a spell card if you want to fight me!? Shinmyoumaru yanked the mallet off her obi. This wasn?t a danmaku fight. If the mini-Hakkero?s flame hit her, Shinmyoumaru would be seriously injured, possibly knocked out of the sky. ?Come on, Marisa! You know better than this!? Marisa finally shoved Kogasa aside, and grasped the mini-Hakkero with both hands. Fire jetted out of the furnace. Shinmyoumaru shrieked, and rushed upwards. The flames licked the soles of her feet. She heard Yatsuhashi shout after her. Marisa was out of control. Shinmyoumaru didn?t know what?d happened to her, but she didn?t have time to deal with it. Marisa couldn?t move quickly when the mini-Hakkero was vomiting fire. Shinmyoumaru flew down at an angle, aiming for Marisa?s right shoulder. ?Ah.? Marisa spotted the mallet. ?I?m not supposed to burn that, am I?? ?You?re not supposed to burn anything!? Shinmyoumaru raised it. ?Mallet, put Marisa Kirisame to sleep!? ?Wait, I?m meant to-? But Marisa couldn?t finish her sentence. Shinmyoumaru tapped the mallet against her shoulder, and watched as Marisa went limp. The furnace slipped from her hands, and she tipped sideways. Kogasa caught her, and Yatsuhashi grabbed Marisa?s legs. Shinmyoumaru caught the mini-Hakkero, and almost dropped it. It was red hot, and painful to hold. It wanted to be returned to Marisa. ?Okay, okay.? Shinmyoumaru flew back up, and quickly tucked the furnace into Marisa?s pocket. And then the dizziness hit her. The air stank of smoke. Her eyes felt itchy. There was an odd, hollow ache in her stomach, similar to hunger pangs. Shinmyoumaru coughed, and covered her mouth with her sleeve. ?Where?s the base?? she asked. She needed to get out of the air, before she fainted. ?We?ll lead the way!? Yatsuhashi tugged Marisa?s legs, and Kogasa moved with her. ?It?s not far away, Your Royal Highness, rest assured.? ?What happened to Marisa?? ?I don?t know.? They moved as fast as they could. ?There was an intruder in the castle, and none of us could find you. So Commander Benben went to take them on, while I went to find Kijin-sama and? um?? ?And what?? Shinmyoumaru couldn?t believe what she was hearing. All this, while she was out of the castle? What an idiot she?d been. Shinmyoumaru wanted to cry. She?d failed everyone again. ?What happened after you went to find Seija?? ?Uh?? Yatsuhashi looked away, suddenly embarrassed. ?Kirisame-sama was talking to Kijin-sama about something? so, I think Kijin-sama will know what happened to Kirisame-sama.? ?And where?s Seija now?? ?At the evacuation point, along with everyone else.? Kogasa tried to cheer her up. ?Please don?t worry. Everything?s going to be all right.? Shinmyoumaru had never been to the base before, so it surprised her how close it was to the castle. It was a cave in the side of a mountain, hidden behind several large trees. ?There?s a small corridor, then it leads to two big caverns, one behind the other,? explained Kogasa. Shinmyoumaru stepped inside first, and immediately noticed the stench of blood. The cavern was filled with corpses. ?It?s okay, it?s okay!? Yatsuhashi yelled behind her. ?They?re not dead! They?ve just been knocked out.? Shinmyoumaru sank to her knees. ?Please don?t worry about it, Your Royal Highness.? ?It?s my fault.? Tears fell down her cheeks. ?It?s because I?ve been so useless.? Yatsuhashi nodded at Kogasa, and they slowly placed Marisa down on the floor. ?That?s not true!? said Kogasa. ?You?ve been great.? Shinmyoumaru didn?t believe them. She looked at the carpet of bloodstained tsukumogami before her. She could still picture them all a few days ago, smiling and waving their rifles around in mock sword fights. She?d let them all down. She should?ve explored Gensokyo earlier. She should?ve led everyone from the very beginning, instead of sitting in her room sewing and watching the weather change. How could she put herself forward as Gensokyo?s liberator when she couldn?t protect her own soldiers? She gripped the Miracle Mallet. Enough of that. Enough sitting around letting everyone else do the hard work. Shinmyoumaru slowly got to her feet, and wiped her face with her sleeve. She was going to be a proper leader. She was going to be the leader the inchling people needed to live in Gensokyo. ?Listen,? she said. ?I?m going to wake everyone up. Seija isn?t here, so I need one of you to go outside and wait for her.? Was the Hakurei shrine maiden still in the castle? Had she escaped? Shinmyoumaru glanced at Marisa. If the shrine maiden escaped, she?d almost certainly come back for revenge, possibly with backup. Shinmyoumaru needed to keep everyone safe. ?Kogasa, can you do that?? ?Of course.? Kogasa saluted. ?Yatsuhashi, help me heal everyone.? She needed her army back in action. ?Hopefully Seija will be here once we?re done. Then we can find out what happened to Marisa, and discuss what to do next.? ?Understood!? Shinmyoumaru turned to the first body. A knife tsukumogami, with a gruesome cut wound across her chest. ?Mallet, please heal her.? And she struck her. The dizziness again. The strange hunger pangs. But Shinmyoumaru ignored it. She gritted her teeth, and moved through the tsukumogami. She could endure anything if it was for other people. ***** Marisa wasn?t in the village. Marisa wasn?t in the bamboo forest. Marisa wasn?t in her house, or anywhere near Kourindou. By the time Reimu arrived at the Misty Lake, she was approaching her limit. She hadn?t checked her shrine yet, so she hadn?t restocked or washed, and was still out of weaponry. Going up Youkai Mountain was out of the question. She would collapse from exhaustion. The clock was ticking. Reimu had no time to waste. She swooped to land on the lake shore, but missed, and rolled face first into sand. Reimu groaned, and tried to push herself upright. Her arms trembled, too weak to carry her weight. She flopped back down, tasting sand on her lips. But she couldn?t afford to lie down and rest! Reimu had to get up and find Marisa. With a loud grunt, Reimu pushed herself up, and managed to get into a sitting position. She turned, and saw a pair of eyes watching her near the lake?s edge. ?Oh, very funny I bet!? she snapped at the figure. ?Laugh all you want!? She tried to wipe the sand off her face. It scratched her skin, and made her feel sick and dizzy. Her head hurt. Her injuries hurt. Everything hurt. ?I don?t want to laugh!? The figure?s voice sounded vaguely familiar. ?Are you all right? You look terrible.? ?I?m fine.? Reimu slowly got to her feet. She saw the figure clearly, and realised it was the mermaid she?d exterminated earlier. ?Oh, you. Are you behaving now?? ?Yes! Yes, I am.? The mermaid looked alarmed. ?Um, are you here to exterminate me again?? ?No, I?m...? Reimu covered her mouth, and waited for the wave of pain and nausea to pass. ?I?m looking for Marisa Kirisame. Have you seen her anywhere?? ?I?ve seen her,? said a voice behind Reimu. She turned, and saw Cirno the ice fairy standing on the shore, holding hands with a timid Daiyousei. ?It was pretty far from here. We were following that short girl with the bowl on her head to see who she was, weren?t we, Dai?? ?Yeah, she said something about giving weak youkai power, and she had a mallet that could do it, or something,? said Daiyousei. ?And as Gensokyo?s strongest, that?s pretty bad for us! So we followed her!? Reimu didn?t have time for chit-chat. ?Tell me where Marisa is!? ?It was in the middle of a forest, near some big upside down castle,? continued Cirno. ?It was on fire, and that short girl and Marisa were with an umbrella tsukumogami and someone I didn?t recognise? It was pretty weird!? Near the castle! Reimu wanted to stamp her foot and scream. She?d been sent on a wild goose chase. ?Did anything happen? Did you see the short girl strike Marisa with her mallet or anything?? ?They were having some kind of fight, so it was hard to tell,? said Daiyousei. ?But afterwards Marisa fainted, and they all carried her away.? Reimu froze up. ?She fainted?? ?Yeah, I couldn?t make much out either,? said Cirno. ?Then the wind direction changed and all this smoke blew in our faces, so we decided to turn back and, hey wait! Where are you going?? Reimu was already in the air. She tried not to cry. She tried as hard as she could, but tears still flooded her cheeks. Marisa had met up with the princess, and something had happened to make her faint. It didn?t take a genius to work out what. Reimu had to prepare herself for the worst. She had to steady herself, and get ready to face Marisa as something other than human. But all she really wanted to do was let herself fall out of the sky. Down and down, until she smacked headfirst into the ground and couldn?t feel pain anymore. Her left hand felt empty without her rod, and her right arm cold without its sleeve. She couldn?t afford to change direction and restock at the shrine. It was madness, but she?d have to face Marisa with just her spell cards and basic danmaku. Her balance was wobbly, and she knew she?d collapse if she let herself rest again. Her head hurt. Her eyes hurt. Her chest hurt. But Reimu kept going. She was going to find Marisa, just like she set out to do in the first place, and deal with her no matter what state she was in. She saw the castle up ahead, ablaze like a hilltop beacon. She saw the black smoke tumbling into the upper atmosphere. She could almost taste the ash on her tongue. Had Sakuya escaped from the castle in time? Or did Seija overpower her in the end? She didn?t have time to check. Reimu glimpsed a flash of purple to the distant left, and recognised it as Kogasa?s umbrella. She was floating, rifle in both hands and umbrella tucked under her arm, looking all around her. When she saw Reimu, she waved the rifle, and flew over to her. ?Reimu-san, Reimu-san!? Reimu was cautious of the rifle, but was confident she could dodge its bullets in such a wide open space. ?Kogasa! Where?s Marisa? Where?ve you taken her?? ?She?s in the brigade base with Her Royal Highness.? Kogasa gripped the rifle. ?And Her Royal Highness wants to see you. Can you follow me?? She wants to see her? Well, good. Reimu wanted to see her too. ?You?ll take me to the base?? ?Of course.? Kogasa turned. ?This way!? Kogasa lead her to the right. They swooped into the forest, then floated up the side of a mountain. Near the base of a large cliff was a hole big enough for several people to fit through. Reimu felt uneasy about going inside. It would make it easier for Kogasa to shoot her, and she had no idea what to expect from this ?Royal Highness? person. But most of all, she felt afraid of what lay ahead. She was afraid of facing Marisa. Kogasa hovered near the entrance, just as uncertain as she was. ?I?m sorry, Reimu-san,? she said. ?I didn?t think we?d be doing things like this. I wouldn?t have joined if I?d known.? They stepped inside. Reimu reached into her remaining sleeve, and touched the splinters of her rod. But it was nothing but cold wood now, and she gained no comfort from it. All it did was send another stab of grief through her. The cave tunnel was bigger than Reimu expected, and stank of blood. The daylight faded, and soon they were walking through darkness. It was a good thing Kogasa was in front of her. Reimu began to fear she was being led into a trap. She had to be strong. No matter how scary it got, and how much pain she was in, Reimu would keep moving ahead, towards Marisa, and the revolution?s ringleader. Soon the cave lit up again. The scent of blood grew stronger, and Reimu resisted the urge to retch. They entered a large cavern, with a high ceiling and a smooth floor. Splintered furniture was pushed against the walls, and about forty people were crowded inside, waiting. A few of them held torches. Kogasa raised her voice as they entered. ?She?s here.? The crowd turned to look at them, and Reimu jumped back. They all wore the same uniform as Kogasa, and were all armed. Only the tsukumogami holding torches weren?t holding their guns. Their uniforms, arms, legs, faces and hair were smeared with blood. Upon seeing Reimu, they all lifted their rifles, and aimed straight at her. It was something straight out of a nightmare. Reimu had no ofuda, no needles, no purification rod to defend herself with. She stumbled back, and got ready to run. ?They won?t fire.? But Kogasa was blocking her path, aiming her own rifle at Reimu?s chest. ?Calm down. We?re acting under orders.? There were tears in her eyes. ?Reimu-san, move into the centre of the room. Please.? It was a trap after all. Reimu turned, and saw the crowd part. She glimpsed a short woman sitting in the centre of the room. Marisa was lying before her, her head resting in the woman?s lap. She seemed to be asleep. The woman held a mallet in her right hand, and her left hand was placed on Marisa?s head. She was staring straight at Reimu, imposing, angry, the only hint of fear coming from the way her shoulders twitched. So this was the inchling princess. This was the woman in charge of the revolution. Reimu had expected someone with presence. She couldn?t imagine an amanojaku listening to a girl barely out of her teens. But Marisa was right there, almost in reaching distance. All the weaponry in the room was trained on Reimu. If she made one step in the wrong direction, she would be shot. The barrels glinted in the dark. The princess looked up at her. ?My name is Shinmyoumaru Sukuna,? she said. Her voice was level, ?and I am a member of the inchling royal family.? She gestured in front of her. ?Sit down. Please.? Reimu glanced around her, then slowly stepped forward, and knelt. She had to stay calm. She had to stay in control. ?What have you done to Marisa?? she asked. ?She?s just sleeping, don?t worry.? ?So you haven?t turned her into a youkai?? ?It?s true that she?ll stop being human if I grant her power with my mallet.? Shinmyoumaru?s voice trembled, and she had to stop for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, and continued. ?I want you to listen to what I have to say, as a representative of the inching race, and of all weak youkai in Gensokyo. Otherwise?? She gripped Marisa?s hair with a quivering hand. ?I?ll give her that power.? ?So you?re threatening me.? Reimu glanced up at the tsukumogami, at the rifles aimed at her. ?What if I don?t like what you have to say?? ?Listen to it first, and then make up your mind.? Shinmyoumaru wasn?t going to take no for an answer. ?I know I look big for an inchling, but you mustn?t underestimate me. Just because we can stand in the palm of your hand doesn?t give you the right to ignore us.? She swallowed hard. ?I know you?re human too, so you probably don?t think this applies to you. But you?re strong. You help rule over Gensokyo. So I want you to listen to me.? ?All right.? Reimu recalled Raiko?s story. Their trump card. If they tell the princess that the amanojaku?s using her, they can get her on their side. But she had to choose her timing carefully. No one would betray their partner that easily. ?I?ll listen to you, but in return, I want you to listen to everything I have to say afterwards, with no interruptions. Understand?? ?Okay.?Shinmyoumaru took another long, shuddering breath. ?Listen carefully.? And she began to tell her story. ***** A messenger had stumbled into the cave earlier. It was a tsukumogami who?d been guarding the castle, and she explained the situation the best she could. The castle was on fire, and couldn?t be saved. The tsukumogami still standing were getting their fallen comrades out of the building before it burned down. The Hakurei shrine maiden had escaped from the dungeon, and would probably return with back up. Seija was dealing with the intruder. Shinmyoumaru took charge. Kogasa was brought back in, and the tsukumogami moved the broken furniture against the cave wall, out of the way. Everyone shared whatever information they knew about the Hakurei shrine maiden, with Kogasa being the most helpful. ?She?s got amazing intuition,? Kogasa explained. ?She knows exactly where to go to find the culprit, and what cards to use against them. When I fought her it was like, she knew where my bullets were going to go in advance, even though I was sure she?d never seen them before.? Shinmyoumaru had two options: hide, hope Seija found them before Reimu did, and run away as a group. Or face Reimu Hakurei head on, and fight her. The second option made her sick with fear, but she couldn?t pick the first one. She was done hiding. She wasn?t going to let other people fight her battles anymore. It was time to play dirty. Kogasa was sent out to wait for Reimu. Yatsuhashi found the spare ammo hidden at the back of the cave, and everyone loaded their rifles. Then Shinmyoumaru sat down in the centre, and moved Marisa closer. In the end, she placed Marisa?s head on her knee. Marisa was sound asleep, and Shinmyoumaru could feel her breath when she placed a hand near her mouth. ?I?m sorry, Marisa,? she whispered. ?Forgive me.? The tsukumogami surrounded her. And they waited for Reimu. When she came, Shinmyoumaru couldn?t believe it. The shrine maiden she?d expected to see had been scary, powerful, merciless, and surrounded by allies. The one standing before her was battered, bloodied, barely able to stand upright, and missing a sleeve. Her trademark purification rod and yin-yang orbs were nowhere in sight. And when she saw the rifles, and Marisa lying so close to the Miracle Mallet, the fear was obvious on her face. Shinmyoumaru felt sorry for her. She?d intended to dive straight into strict negotiations, but her heart wasn?t hard enough. Maybe, just maybe, she could talk Reimu into seeing things her way. Into understanding why they?d locked her up in the dungeon, and fought so hard to make their revolution happen. It was a shot in the dark, but Seija had always told her to try recruiting powerful enemies before fighting them. And it seemed Reimu had something to tell her too, so she was in the mood to sit down and listen. So Shinmyoumaru told her about the World of Oni, and the inchling race. About her aunt being crushed to death, and the scavengers risking their lives for food. She explained that the youkai of Gensokyo drove them there, and that the inchling people wanted nothing more than to live outside again, in Gensokyo. ?But, that?s not possible, is it?? Shinmyoumaru was aware of the silence in the cave. Everyone was hanging on her every word. ?I went down into Gensokyo this morning, and talked to a few of the youkai who lived there. What I heard was horrific. Strong youkai eating weak youkai. Doing whatever they wanted without care for others. How can my people live in a place like that? They?d just be driven underground again.? She felt her resolve strengthen with each word. ?And it?s not just unfair on us inchlings, it?s unfair on all the weak youkai of Gensokyo. On the youkai that don?t even have voices.? A few of the tsukumogami murmured with agreement. ?But, we have the power of miracles on our side.? Shinmyoumaru smiled. ?I can do anything with my mallet. Absolutely anything! I can make any dream come true. Even the dream of living in Gensokyo, happy and safe. So won?t you join us? Won?t you help us create a better Gensokyo for everyone? Even humans will benefit. That?s why your friend Marisa joined.? Reimu looked heartbroken. Shinmyoumaru wondered if her words were getting through to her. ?I?m sorry about locking you up in our dungeon, and I?m sorry I have to threaten you like this, but I don?t want us to be enemies. I?m sure with someone as amazing as you on our side, we can change Gensokyo peacefully. No one would have to get hurt. It?ll be-? Reimu held her hand up. ?I?ve heard enough.? Her voice cracked. She closed her eyes for a moment to steady herself. ??I get it.? Shinmyoumaru fell silent. All eyes were back on Reimu. ?Let me talk now,? said Reimu. ?No interruptions. Understand?? ?I understand,? said Shinmyoumaru. ?Okay? Three things. Firstly, if you think I?d join you after your subordinate shackled me to a pillar, denied me basic human rights, and had her subordinate hurt me with a knife, then you are stupid.? Reimu?s sadness gave way to anger. ?I?ve never heard anything so stupid in all my life! You?ve got rifles trained on me and you expect me to sympathise with you? You?re planning to change Gensokyo for your own benefit, and rule over it, and on top of all that?!? She pointed at Marisa. ?You?re holding a human hostage and threatening to turn them into a youkai right before my eyes. You?re threatening to break one of Gensokyo?s fundamental rules.? Shinmyoumaru said nothing. She was lost for words. ?Gensokyo isn?t perfect. I know that. We all know that! That doesn?t mean you can waltz in and change it however you like. Now secondly, enough with the guns. They?re loaded with real bullets, aren?t they? We use danmaku here, so load them with danmaku. Hand Marisa over to me now, and fight me using spell card rules. That?s how we resolve problems here in Gensokyo! We throw things at each other and no one gets killed!? Shinmyoumaru didn?t move. ?And thirdly.? For the first time since she started talking, Reimu hesitated. She looked afraid. Maybe she knew she wasn?t getting through to Shinmyoumaru. ?Thirdly? listen, you aren?t going to like this, but you need to hear it. You?re being used.? Shinmyoumaru frowned. ?Excuse me?? ?You are?? Reimu?s voice lost strength. She swallowed. ?You?re? you?re being used. By that amanojaku.? Shinmyoumaru nearly laughed. ?Are you trying to lie to me?? ?I?m telling the truth. You need to listen.? ?All right, I?ll listen. I promised I?d listen, after all.? ?That amanojaku?s been lying to you from the very beginning. Most of what you just told me - about inchlings being driven out of Gensokyo by youkai - is something she made up to get you on her side. She?s using you for the mallet. She doesn?t care about you, she just wants you to cause havoc in Gensokyo. And you?ve fallen for it! She picked you because of your genetics. You?re an illegitimate princess, so no one would go looking for you, and-? ?I?m an illegitimate princess?? Finally, something she knew wasn?t true. Shinmyoumaru scoffed. ?That?s ridiculous.? ?You are. You said in your story that you got sent out of the palace to stay with your aunt, and never saw your parents again.? ?I did say that, but that doesn?t make me illegitimate.? Shinmyoumaru felt angry. What a horrible thing to say. ?Who told you all this?? ?Actually, um...? Yatsuhashi spoke up. ?What she?s saying matches something a tsukumogami told us recently. We arrested them and put them in the dungeon, so she might have heard it from them.? ?Her again!? shouted a voice from the crowd. ?Don?t listen to her, Your Royal Highness, she was full of lies,? said one of the torch-bearing tsukumogami. ?She said the mallet was going to run out of power, and kill us all.? The mallet was going to run out of power? This is the tale of how the descendants of Issun Boushi used his Miracle Mallet to satisfy their own greed, and how it plunged our entire race into the World of Oni, and took us away from the sun?s warmth forever. She hadn?t expected any of this. Shinmyoumaru wished Seija was here. She wished she didn?t have to deal with this by herself. ?And where did she learn that?? Silence. The tsukumogami looked at each other. ?She heard it in the World of Oni, where you used to live,? said Reimu. ?She got the information from talking to various people.? The World of Oni? One of her tsukumogami had been down there? This was getting more and more preposterous. Shinmyoumaru had to do something to regain control of the conversation, but what? Seija would know what to do, of course, but Seija wasn?t here. ?So hand Marisa to me, and let?s go outside,? Reimu continued. ?You can talk to the tsukumogami who told me all this later, and your amanojaku friend too. Just give me Marisa.? Shinmyoumaru gripped Marisa?s hair. Reimu wanted Marisa. That was all. She?d spew any old lies to make it happen. Shinmyoumaru had to resist them. ?Seija isn?t a bad person,? she said. ?She is!? Reimu looked offended. ?She?s an amanojaku, of course she?s a bad person! She?s tricking you.? ?She isn?t a bad person.? Shinmyoumaru raised her voice. ?She?s forced to do bad things because of what she is. She?s never done anything to hurt me.? ?She?s definitely a bad person!? ?No she?s not, really!? Hearing someone badmouth Seija upset her. ?I?m sorry if she hurt you in the dungeon, but she gets carried away sometimes. She?s really sensitive to emotions, and-? ?And as soon as I beat you she?s going to run off with your mallet and leave you to suffer the consequences. That?s what amanojaku do! They set people up and ruin lives, and feed off it.? ?Seija would never set me up for anything!? Shinmyoumaru couldn?t understand why Reimu had to be like this. Marisa was a nice person. Marisa wouldn?t lie to her. ?We?re a team! She needs me and I need her. We?re in love.? It slipped out unexpectedly. But there, it was out in the open now. ?We?re in love with each other. We kiss and sleep together and everything. She wouldn?t do anything to hurt me, not willingly.? Reimu groaned. ?You can?t be serious.? ?I?m completely serious! I love her! And she loves me!? ?I can?t believe I?m going to have to say this? look, you?re definitely being taken for a ride. Listen.? Reimu pointed at Marisa. ?She had sex with Marisa this morning. I heard her say it right in front of me. She told me all the explicit acts they did, and how it turned her into a walking vessel for her mini-Hakkero. She?s a pyromaniac now. That?s probably what happened to your castle.? Horror sank through her. No, it couldn?t be true! More lies, surely. Seija had promised she?d never lay a finger on Marisa. And Shinmyoumaru believed her. Seija had her faults, but she?d never betray her. Anger surged through her. How dare Reimu Hakurei tell her all these lies, all to rile her up. It was disgusting, despicable. Shinmyoumaru wouldn?t stand for it. Reimu had crossed a line. ??I?m sorry, Your Royal Highness.? And suddenly, Yatsuhashi was crying. ?I walked in on Kijin-sama and Kirisame-sama earlier. The shrine maiden?s telling the truth. Forgive me for not telling you earlier.? It was a slap in the face. ?What?? Shinmyoumaru looked around the room, hoping someone would claim it wasn?t true. But no one spoke up. ?No? no there?s been some mistake.? And it was all coming back now. All the things Seija said to her. Seija kissing Marisa when she thought Shinmyoumaru wasn?t around. Seija licking the mallet. Seija wincing as they made love. And not just that. She was remembering things from a long, long time ago, that she thought she?d forgotten. Her siblings used to tease her for looking a bit different. Her face was rounder than her other brothers? and sisters?, and she was shorter and stockier. And she could remember now too, the urgency in the older guard?s voice back in Mamesuke Square. Don?t tell anyone you?re Shinmyoumaru Sukuna. And if she was illegitimate, it would explain why her aunt kept her hidden from the public, and why no one came to visit her, and? The ground was crumbling beneath her. Had Aunt Kikyou really been her aunt, or a complete stranger? Had her mother hated her? Had her father hated her? Who were her real parents? What else wasn?t true? What else was fake about her life? She turned to Reimu. ?What are you suggesting I do, then? If everything you?re saying is true, what do you want me to do?? Reimu looked relieved. ?Hand Marisa to me, and surrender. If you don?t want to surrender, we can handle things the usual way, with spell cards. If I win, you will shut down your revolution and behave. If you win, I will retreat.? The tsukumogami looked at Shinmyoumaru, waiting for instructions. Marisa?s head felt heavy on her knee. She glanced at the mallet, unsure what to do. The strange, empty ache in her stomach was still there. The ache wasn?t because of the mallet, was it? Was the mallet running out of power? ?What are you doing!?? ?Seija!? Shinmyoumaru nearly stood up. Seija?s voice. Seija was here! ?Seija, I?m here!? The crowd parted, and Seija stumbled into the circle. Her clothes were blackened with soot, and there was a huge bloodstain around her stomach. Her gloves were gone, and she was clutching her abdomen with a blood-streaked hand. She smiled with relief when she saw Shinmyoumaru. ?Good. I?ve been looking for you.? ?What happened to you?? Shinmyoumaru wanted to hug her. Everything would be all right, now that Seija was here. She didn?t have to fight Reimu alone anymore. ?Is your stomach okay?? ?I?ll explain later. Right now you all need to get out of the cave.? She pointed behind her, at the entrance. ?The castle?s collapsing, and the forest below is on fire. It?s only a matter of time before the fire gets here, along with Gensokyo?s youkai.? She turned to Shinmyoumaru. ?Have you hit Marisa with the mallet yet?? ?Huh, no?? Shinmyoumaru looked confused. How did Seija know about her threat? ?Am I meant to?? Seija groaned. ?I can?t believe this? Marisa was meant to ask you for a power up. She promised me she?d get one.? She glared down at Marisa. ?Well, just hit her now anyway, and let?s get going. We can take the shrine maiden with us. Well done for catching her again, by the way.? Shinmyoumaru?s expression stiffened. Reimu glared at Seija?s back. No one moved in the room. ?Don?t just sit there!? yelled Seija, frustrated. ?Get going!? ?Stay put, everyone.? Shinmyoumaru needed to ask her, before she lost the courage. ?Seija, I?ve been talking to the Hakurei shrine maiden, and she said you slept with Marisa.? Seija didn?t even blink. ?Did she now? That?s creative.? ?She said you stood in front of her and listed all the things you did to her.? ?Obviously she?d say that. She knows it?d upset you.? ?She said I?m an illegitimate princess.? Shinmyoumaru wanted to cry. ?She said you?ve been using me for the Miracle Mallet!? Seija laughed. ?Come on, that?s ridiculous. I don?t have the patience to keep up a charade like that. She wants to tear us apart, so we can?t do our revolution anymore. Don?t believe her.? ?Stop lying and tell her the truth,? snapped Reimu. ?I am telling the truth.? Seija sneered. ?You just want to save your beloved Marisa and get revenge. Well sorry, but Marisa said she wanted the mallet?s power with her own mouth. Trying to turn my princess against me won?t stop us granting her wish.? ?You?re using that inchling for your own means!? Reimu stood up, and pointed a finger at Seija. ?You?re a textbook amanojaku!? ?Yatsuhashi said she saw you sleep with Marisa too.? Shinmyoumaru needed to hear Seija?s answer. She needed a reason to assume they were lies. ?Yatsuhashi did?? Seija turned, and glared at her. ?That?s a shame. I expected a commander to be less susceptible to corruption and bribery.? ?I wasn?t bribed!? But Yatsuhashi didn?t seem eager to defend herself. She looked confused. All the tsukumogami looked confused. ?Hurry up and hit Marisa with the mallet, Princess,? said Seija, ignoring her. ?We need to get moving.? Shinmyoumaru didn?t move. Reimu saw the danger. ?Don?t you dare! Don?t do anything to Marisa! I?ll exterminate you!? A sob escaped Shinmyoumaru?s lips. She wanted to get up, fling her mallet away and run. Seija, have sex with Marisa? And brag about it afterwards? It was horrible. The worst lie of all. And yet it didn?t feel like a lie. She could still see Seija?s arms around Marisa, close enough to kiss her, their backs to Shinmyoumaru? Because even if Seija was lying to her about the inchling?s history, even if Seija was using her for the mallet, Shinmyoumaru wanted to believe that the love between them was real. That the big, bright smile she loved wasn?t fake. That Seija wanted her by her side, and saw her as a partner. That together they were unstoppable, and could make even the smallest wishes come true. ?Is something the matter?? Seija cocked her head, and at first Shinmyoumaru thought she was talking to her. But Seija was looking at Reimu again. ?We can wake Marisa up and ask her, if that makes you feel better.? ?Don?t do it! I?m serious, don?t do it!? Reimu marched forward, and was intervened by two tsukumogami. ?Let go of me! Marisa, wake up!? ?See, she?s desperate.? Seija turned to Shinmyoumaru, and smiled mischievously. ?Are you really gonna believe her over me? She?s friends with Gensokyo?s youkai, remember? You saw them drinking together in all those newspaper articles. She?s just trying to trick you.? ?Seija?? Shinmyoumaru wanted to believe her. But her resolve was falling away. ?Seija?? Her aunt was gone. Her home in the World of Oni was gone. And now her castle was gone too. At the very least, she wanted to keep her first love. The woman who?d shown her the sun. ?What should I do? I don?t know what to do. I?m scared?? Seija crouched down. ?Hit Marisa with the mallet, then come with me.? She touched Shinmyoumaru?s shoulders. ?It?s been me and you together all this time, hasn?t it? Us versus them, so why should that change now? Hit Marisa, and we?ll find somewhere else to live. Somewhere no one will find us.? ?I?m not trying to trick you!? Reimu struggled. ?You have to listen to me, please!? ?I love you, Shinmyoumaru.? Seija smiled. A pure, genuine smile. ?I?d never lie to you, come on. You know me.? ?She would! She?s lying right now!? Reimu was hysterical. More tsukumogami flocked around her, to keep her still. ?Let me go!? Shinmyoumaru wanted to cover her ears. The mallet felt heavy in her right hand. Seija reached out, and caressed Shinmyoumaru?s cheek. Her bare hand was cold, and flaked with dry blood. ?Do it, for me?? Reimu struggled as hard as she could. ?No! No, don?t! Please! Please!? Shinmyoumaru sobbed. Marisa slept peacefully in her lap, oblivious to the danger. ?Marisa!? Listen to Reimu and turn against Seija, or listen to Seija and continue with how things were? There?d be no turning back once she made this choice. The weight of it threatened to crush her. Shinmyoumaru took a deep breath, and let another round of tears run down her cheeks. She cleared her mind. She had to make a decision. She had to act not as Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, but as a representative of the inchling race, a mentor to the tsukumogami, and the future leader of Gensokyo. She had to pick what was best for the world, not for her. She knew what to do. ?Mallet,? she said. ?Please grant Marisa Kirisame the power she desires.? Reimu screamed. Seija yelped with delight. And with regret, Shinmyoumaru swung the mallet, and struck Marisa.

hungrybookworm: Let's finish this! Chapter 20 (AO3 Mirror) The castle burned. The books piled up on the second floor curled to ash. The dining table Shinmyoumaru, Seija and Marisa sat around at meal times clattered to the floor. The place Shinmyoumaru first saw the sun melted away. Fire tore through the rooms like a whirlwind, sparing nothing. Burning wood fell away from the building, plummeting down to the forest below. Smoke was already billowing from the trees. It hadn?t rained for over a week, and conditions were perfect for a forest fire. Sakuya lay in the dungeon, dimly aware of the flames flickering below her. The air was thick with smoke, and she couldn?t see anything further than a few centimetres in front of her. The heat was suffocating. She passed in and out of consciousness, waking up only to cough and splutter before she ran out of air again. She couldn?t feel pain. The stab wounds around her chest and stomach didn?t even hurt anymore. Seija had won. She?d made short work of Sakuya, and left her lying in a pool of her own blood. Sakuya knew she only had herself to blame; she hadn?t had the stamina to stop time again after freeing Reimu and Raiko, and the pain in her arm had slowed her down. Blood was pooling around her. She was dying. Either she would suffocate from the smoke and burn to death, or she?d pass out and die of blood loss. No one was going to save her in time. Stopping or slowing time to delay her death was futile. Her knife was still clenched in her right hand, and she could feel it panicking. It was going to die too ? melt into a little pool of metal ? and it wasn?t ready. Sakuya rested her cheek against the floorboards. The blood pouring out of her felt warm and comforting, like she was lying on a big warm bed, listening to the fire crackling in the stove. It didn?t feel scary at all, for some reason. It felt like going to sleep after a long day cleaning the mansion. But still, she only had herself to blame. None of this would?ve happened if she?d thrown that knife away as soon as she saw it. Now Remilia was going to have to find a new maid, and remember Sakuya as a disappointment. The mansion would run less efficiently without her. Everyone would attend her funeral, and grieve for a while, but eventually get on with their lives and forget about her. Maybe Meiling would remember to clean her tombstone for a few centuries, at least. Sakuya had never been interested in things like marriage or children, and had expected to die as she lived: serving Remilia Scarlet, but not like this. But there was nothing she could do about it. She heard footsteps. Someone had entered the dungeon, except? no, that was impossible. Sakuya was hallucinating. She was in her death throws, and her brain was inventing things to comfort her. ?I figured you?d lose,? said Raiko Horikawa. Her white suit was black with soot, and her face glittered with sweat. ?I saved you for last on purpose, you know, as payback. I?ll never forgive you for what you did to Benben.? She bent down, and lifted Sakuya up with both arms. Sakuya winced with pain. She felt annoyed. She didn?t want to see Raiko Horikawa in her last moments. Her brain should?ve picked someone more comforting. ?I?m not bitter enough to let you die, though. I know how precious life is.? Raiko began walking towards the trapdoor. ?Come on, I?ll get you to a doctor.? Sakuya tried to struggle. But her consciousness faded again, and her arm dangled free. Her fingers lost their grip, and the knife slipped out of her hand. Raiko didn?t notice it fall, and leapt down to the next floor without a second glance. Sakuya fell into a deep, deep sleep. ***** Everyone in the room was staring at Marisa. Shinmyoumaru?s arms trembled. Seija?s smile flickered. The tsukumogami held their breath. But nothing happened. There was no sudden transformation, or gentle glow, or any hint that Marisa was no longer human. She just slept. ?Marisa?!? Reimu wailed, and covered her face with both hands. The tsukumogami stepped away from her, and let her fall to the ground. ?Seija??? Shinmyoumaru looked up. ?Did something-?? Then at last, there was a loud, comical pop. Shinmyoumaru squealed, and disappeared. The Miracle Mallet clattered to the floor. And the room fell into chaos. The tsukumogami rushed forward. ?Your Royal Highness! Are you all right?? The cave was packed with blue and white fabric. Reimu couldn?t see anything. ?What happened?? ?Where is she?? ?Is she safe?? ?Stop!? Reimu scrambled to her feet, and tried to push her way forward. ?Get out of my way!? Marisa was nowhere to be seen either. Nor was Seija. ?Where?s that amanojaku? Someone catch her!? A tsukumogami near her shrieked. There was a bang, and a shot rang through the cave. ?Don?t fire your guns, that?s dan-? But Reimu screamed before she could finish her sentence. Something burning hot tore through her left shoulder. She dropped to the ground. The pain was blinding. She thought she would lose consciousness from the agony alone. She covered her head as explosions rocketed through the room. The tsukumogami were panicking, and shooting at everything that moved. Blood ran down her arm, and soaked into her remaining sleeve. She?d been shot. There were more shouts. More yells. Reimu couldn?t get up again. Her head swam. Her body was at its limit. But she didn?t have time to rest. She needed to find Marisa, and get home alive. Reimu tried to push herself up with her right arm, and felt something hot skim over her head. Another bullet. The cave was a death trap. She had to get out. Something caught her eye on the floor. A creature the size of a large rodent was dashing between the tsukumogami?s feet. Reimu swiped at it with her right arm, and heard a squeak. She?d caught it. It was the inchling princess, trembling from head-to-foot with terror. Reimu was shocked, but didn?t have time to freeze and work out what?d happened. ?Nobody move!? She yelled, and finally, she stood up. She held the inchling high in the air. ?I?ve got your princess, stay put!? Her vision swayed, and she closed her eyes. Another wave of pain ran through her. She resisted the urge to throw up. ?Unhand her!? screamed Yatsuhashi. ?Don?t attack!? Shinmyoumaru?s voice was tiny, but it echoed through the cave. ?Stand back!? Yatsuhashi cringed, and lowered her rifle. The others did the same. ?I?m not going to hurt her,? said Reimu, through gritted teeth. ?I?m? ahh?? She thought she was going to faint. ?I?m? arresting her?? ?Where?s Seija?? yelled Shinmyoumaru. ?I saw her take my Miracle Mallet!? Seija was gone. Marisa was gone. The Miracle Mallet was gone. Reimu did the maths. ?She?s taken them!? She had to go after them. ?You tsukumogami stay here! I?m taking the princess with me.? ?Everyone stay where you are,? ordered Shinmyoumaru. ?I?ll come back, promise!? ?Are you sure-? began Yatsuhashi, but Reimu was already staggering towards the exit. ?Hey!? But they let her leave. Reimu?s left arm was completely limp. Blood dripped down her fingers and onto the floor as she walked. Shinmyoumaru was trembling in her hand, and Reimu could hear her hyperventilating. Outside the air was thick with smoke, and Reimu?s deteriorating vision made it nigh-impossible to see anything. ?You?re hurting me! Stop squeezing me!? Reimu had unconsciously clenched her fist. She loosened her grip, and lifted her arm to face the inchling. ?Why did you give those idiots guns?? ?It was Seija?s idea.? ?Of course it was Seija?s idea!? Reimu coughed, and moaned. Pain exploded through her left shoulder, and down the rest of her body. Seija Kijin could be anywhere, and Reimu had nothing to point them in the right direction. Every second took Marisa further away from her. ?You?re under arrest,? said Reimu. ?I saw what you did. You struck Marisa with the mallet. I won?t forgive that.? ?I?m sorry!? ?Apologies won?t cut it!? Every second robbed her of blood too. She didn?t have time to sit around. ?Any idea where that amanojaku went?? ?I don?t know.? Shinmyoumaru sobbed. She?d started crying, and Reimu felt a pang of pity for her. ?I don?t know?? ?Fine, I?ll do it the usual way.? Reimu put faith in her intuition, faced left, and flew towards a wall of smoke. ?Hold your breath!? ***** One mistake. That?s all it took for Seija?s plan to fall apart, and here she was, fleeing through thick walls of smoke, trying to get as far away from that cave as possible. She had the mallet in her right hand, and Marisa tucked under her left arm. Both tools were accounted for. It was a shame about the princess. Because for thirty seconds back there, Seija had succeeded. Shinmyoumaru had believed her over the truth, and had hit Marisa with the Miracle Mallet. But the mallet had to run out of power. It had to run out of power in a room full of armed tsukumogami, and the Hakurei shrine maiden, and a tiny inchling who?d demand answers, as their castle burned and a huge forest fire blazed outside. Seija knew a death trap when she saw one. She needed time to hide, let her stomach heal, and rethink her plan. Because her plan wasn?t going to work without Shinmyoumaru. Marisa stirred. She was waking up. Of course, the mallet was recharging, so it was going to reclaim its magic. Seija tightened her grip, afraid the mini-Hakkero had lost its hold on Marisa. She didn?t want to lose her second tool, but if she had to abandon it to get away, then so be it. Marisa opened her eyes, and looked up at Seija. ?What?s going on?? ?Everything?s fallen to pieces,? said Seija. ?We?re switching to plan B. How are you feeling? Inhuman?? ?Mm, not really.? Marisa pulled the mini-Hakkero out of her pocket, and noticed the forest fire below. ?Woah, it?s burning! Did I do that?? Relief flooded through Seija. The mini-Hakkero was still in control. ?Yes, you did. Because you burnt down the castle, you idiot.? ?I did?? Marisa grinned. ?Whoops.? ?I?ll punish you later. Right now we need to get away.? What should she do, aim for a cave and lie low? How would she handle Marisa once she returned to normal? Seija had no idea. She wanted to yell and kick something. It was so unfair. All her hard word and effort came to nothing. Playing the long game had screwed her over. She hated Gensokyo. She hated all the people in it, hated the Hakurei shrine maiden, and the youkai sages, and the scumbags who hurt and hit and abused her. Her stomach wound hurt like crazy. Her face still stung from the purification rod?s onslaught. Seija wanted revenge. Seija wanted to make everyone suffer as much as she did. ?Marisa, do you want to burn more things?? she asked. ?Yes!? ?It looks amazing here, doesn?t it? Why don?t we travel around Gensokyo and set fire to stuff? Forests, grasslands, and houses too. Wouldn?t that be fun?? ?You?ll let me?? Marisa looked up at her. ?Really?? ?Of course.? Seija pulled her up, and kissed Marisa on the lips. ?But only when I say so. Be a good tool and behave.? Marisa looked thrilled. ?I can?t wait!? Seija smiled, and kissed her again. They were going to set Gensokyo alight. Maybe she could destroy Gensokyo?s beloved Human Village before Marisa came to her senses. Torch all the humans inside and hear them squeal. ?You can burn anything you want after this, I promise.? ***** ?There they are!? Shinmyoumaru spotted them first. ?They?re heading west!? Seija?s filthy white dress stood out against the black smoke. She was carrying Marisa, her back to Reimu. ?I can see them,? Reimu said, then shouted. ?Hey! Hey!? Seija paused, and turned to look at them. She held Marisa closer, and smiled. ?Why, the Hakurei shrine maiden? Fancy seeing you here. And oh, is that my princess you?re holding?? There was a speck of something strange in Seija?s expression. Fear? Anticipation? Reimu couldn?t pin it down. ?How kind of you to bring her along.? Reimu heard Shinmyoumaru steady her breath. ?Seija? give me my mallet back.? Seija giggled. ?You knew, didn?t you?? Shinmyoumaru shouted as loud as she could. ?You knew my mallet was going to run out of power! Why didn?t you warn me?? Seija tried to cover her face with the mallet, to hide her expression, but she was laughing too hard. Reimu assumed she was laughing victoriously at first, but quickly realised it was the opposite. Seija Kijin was on the verge of madness. ?Seija?!? Reimu didn?t have time for this. ?Hand Marisa over! Now!? ?And why would I do that? We?re going on a little adventure together.? She gently shook her. ?Marisa, are you awake?? Marisa opened her eyes. Reimu held her breath, unsure what to expect. But Marisa didn?t seem any different. ?I?m awake,? she murmured. ?Ready to burn things? We?re getting started early.? She pointed at Reimu. ?I want you to blast her to smithereens.? Marisa looked at Reimu, half awake. ?You want me to burn the shrine maiden?? ?Yes, blast her with your mini-Hakkero. Toast her good, so she won?t come back afterwards. Can you do that? Don?t worry about the princess. She?s a youkai, so she won?t die or anything.? ?What are you doing!?? Shinmyoumaru was horrified. ?You can?t do that, Seija! She?ll die!? She turned to Reimu. ?Run away now, please! I?ll get Marisa back for you, so save yourself.? But Reimu couldn?t run. She couldn?t move. Blood coated her left side. Her breath was fast and shallow. Adrenaline had kept her going, and that wasn?t enough anymore. It took everything she had to stay upright in midair. If she fled now, that?d be it. She?d never see Marisa again. ?I?m staying put.? Reimu loosened her grip, in case Shinmyoumaru needed to escape if things turned bad. ?That mini-Hakkero?s a youkai extermination weapon. You should get away from me.? Then she turned to Marisa, and spoke up. ?Marisa, can you hear me? I?m here. I?m right in front of you.? Marisa looked at Reimu, and frowned. Then, she lifted her mini-Hakkero. ?Can I really burn her?? she asked Seija. ?As much as I want?? ?As much as you want,? confirmed Seija. ?Don?t hold back.? ?Stop this!? Shinmyoumaru drew her needle sword. ?I order you to stop!? Seija laughed again. Reimu saw the mini-Hakkero glow. ?As much as I want?? murmured Marisa. ?As much as I want?? Reimu had to dodge. She had to protect herself. But she knew she couldn?t get away. If she moved too fast, she?d black out and fall to her death. She was going to die, no matter what. There was only one option left, and that was to talk Marisa back to rationality. But Reimu had no idea what to say, and no time to think of something clever. So instead, she spoke the truth. The unguarded, honest truth. ?I love you, Marisa,? said Reimu. The flame flickered. ?I?ve always loved you. I?ve loved you for years and years. I was just too stupid to notice it. You love me too, don?t you? I?m sorry.? Reimu couldn?t stop. Tears ran down her cheeks. ?I?m sorry I didn?t try and fix things. I?m sorry I let things get awkward between us. I?m sorry I never realised how hard you worked, and how much suffering you went through. I?m sorry! I?m so, so sorry!? Marisa stared at her, frozen. Reimu prepared for death. She shouted her feelings loud and clear, in case she never got a chance to speak again. ?I?ve felt so lonely without you these last few months. I missed you! I missed you but I told myself I didn?t, so I never looked for you! I?m an idiot!? She stared into Marisa?s eyes. ?So don?t do this, please! Come over here and come home with me, back to the shrine. We can start again. We can fix what went wrong. Okay? You don?t have to go this far. You don?t have to become a monster, or a murderer. Come back to me!? ?What?re you doing?? Seija snapped at Marisa. ?Hurry up and blast her.? Marisa looked at Reimu, at Seija, then at Reimu again, visibly confused. ?Kill her!? Seija was growing impatient. ?Hurry up, or I?ll do it for you!? ?I love you, Marisa!? Reimu tried one last time. ?I love you! I love you!? ?Oh, shut up.? Seija jabbed a finger at Reimu. ?You?re making me sick.? Marisa?s expression clouded over. She turned, and aimed the mini-Hakkero at Seija. Seija?s eyes widened. Shinmyoumaru shrieked, and jumped out of Reimu?s hand. Black light exploded around them. Something hard collided with Reimu, and she was knocked out of the sky. Reimu screamed. It was Marisa. The blast had shoved her into Reimu, and now they were falling together. Marisa. Marisa! Reimu forced both arms to move, and grabbed her. ?I?ve got you!? she screamed. ?I?ve got you, it?s okay!? She held Marisa tight, afraid of letting go. She felt warm and solid in her arms. ?It?s okay?? Tears fell away from Reimu?s eyes. She sobbed. ?It?s okay?!? They plunged head-first into the forest fire. They weren?t going to survive. Either the fall would kill them, or the fire would. Reimu clung, trying to shield Marisa?s body with her own. The least she could do was take the impact, and hope someone found Marisa before the flames did. And all of a sudden, three pairs of hands reached out to them. They grabbed Reimu and Marisa, and slowed their fall to a stop. ?That was close,? said Sekibanki. ?Are you all right?? asked Kagerou Imaizumi. ?Oh my god, you?re bleeding!? ?Everyone stay calm,? ordered Reisen Udongein Inaba. ?Get them away from the flames. Reimu, can you hear me? Marisa?? Reimu tried to respond, but nothing came out of her mouth. She was losing consciousness. ?I think she?s dying,? said Sekibanki. ?She?s losing blood. We need to get them to the tent.? Reisen pointed east. ?Take her to the clearing. They should be done treating the tsukumogami by now. Hurry!? Reimu tried to keep her eyes open, and her arms wrapped around Marisa. But exhaustion swept over her. Her eyes shut tight. Her head flopped against Marisa?s. Love swept through her, and she felt relieved. It didn?t matter what happened to her. She?d saved Marisa. She?d done her job. Reimu could rest now. ***** Seija fell backwards. She flipped over in mid-air, and landed with a sickening crack. She lay face-first in the dirt, thick smoke masking the fire around her. She was lying in a clearing devoid of vegetation. A tiny piece of the evening sky was visible overhead. Her dress hung off her in rags. Her face and upper body was covered in painful burns. But the physical pain was nothing compared to Seija?s wounded pride. The mini-Hakkero had failed her too. Now both her tools had turned on her, and there was nothing Seija could?ve done to stop them. Maybe a stronger youkai would?ve foreseen it. Maybe a stronger youkai would?ve found a way to prevent it. But Seija wasn?t strong, and never would be. She pressed the Miracle Mallet close to her chest, like a child hugging a soft toy. It was unharmed. She could use it again sometime in the future. Her only comfort. She lay in the dirt for around ten minutes, before she felt something land on her arm, and walk along her shoulder. She felt the cold prick of a needle on her neck. ?Don?t move,? snarled Shinmyoumaru, ?or I?ll stab your jugular.? Her emotions seeped into Seija. There was confusion, stronger than anything else, and patches of fear, anger, betrayal, even a little bit of concern. It nourished Seija. She wanted bask in it, until her wounds healed and her strength returned. ?Talk to me, Seija,? ordered Shinmyoumaru. ?Tell me the truth.? Seija thought about it. Was it worth trying to talk Shinmyoumaru back to her side again? She had no idea how long the mallet would take to recharge. She?d have the play the part of Shinmyoumaru?s lover all that time, and keep up the charade of lies. The thought sent a wave of despair through her. ?Seija!? And Shinmyoumaru?s misery ? the temptation that almost drove her to self-sabotage over and over in the castle ? was right in front of her. She could taste it on the tip of her tongue. Seija needed it. Her body needed it. Like a thirsty man searching for water, Seija sought hate, and she wasn?t strong enough to refuse it anymore. So for once, she did as Shinmyoumaru asked, and told the truth. ?It wasn?t all lies,? said Seija. ?Some of it was true. I wasn?t dedicated enough to fake my injuries from Gensokyo, and I was serious about making the revolution happen. But other than that, I made pretty much everything up.? She felt the horror slide through Shinmyoumaru. It encouraged her. ?You were perfect, you know that?? Seija wanted to laugh, but her face hurt too much. ?You never asked questions. You never tried to do anything by yourself. You did everything I said without a second thought. Keeping you like that wasn?t easy, but it was worth it. I had my very own, little miracle maker, and I could do anything I wanted with it.? ?Seija??? ?I was going to install you as Gensokyo?s Queen, and rule through you. You?d become the worst, most feared ruler in Gensokyo?s history, and once I got bored of you after a few decades, I?d start a counter revolution and bring you down. It was all going as I planned too, until today. You had to get cocky, and leave the castle at the worst possible moment.? ?No?? Shinmyoumaru was crying. Her shock was delicious. ?Seija, stop it. What?s wrong with you?? ?Nothing?s wrong with me, Princess. I?m an amanojaku; this is what we?re like. I told you, didn?t I? Back when you wanted me to be honest with you. I said if I was honest with you, you?d run away, and now you know why.? ?You said? you?? Shinmyoumaru was having trouble breathing. The tears were too thick. ?You said you loved me? we held hands, you kissed me?? ?And I hated every minute of it.? ?No! I don?t believe you!? ?All that love and affection oozing out of you made me sick. But I put up with it. I put up with it to keep you sweet. I hated holding your hand, and I hated kissing you. I hated being touched by you! Sex was horrific. But I couldn?t tell you, or you might?ve started noticing all my lies. That you didn?t really need to listen to me, and could do whatever you wanted with that mallet. So I endured it! I endured it every single day!? Shinmyoumaru?s heart was broken. Her grief overpowered everything, and Seija gorged on it. ?Is that why you slept with Marisa? Did you do it to get revenge?? ?No, I slept with her for the same reason I slept with you: to get her to do what I wanted. It?s a good form of manipulation, isn?t it? It felt great though. Way better than when I did it with you!?And before Shinmyoumaru could react, Seija swiped at her. Shinmyoumaru squeaked, and dropped her needle sword in surprise. Seija grabbed her in one hand, and slowly got to her feet. She enjoyed Shinmyoumaru?s expression change as she took in Seija?s injuries. Her eyes darted between the burns, and the blood and dirt all over her front. Seija could feel her burns healing. There was something wet on her cheeks. Seija was crying. Tear drops fell down her face, and onto her ruined dress. ?I wanted to see the look on your face,? said Seija. ?I wanted you to look at me with absolute disgust. The thought kept me going every day. One day, once everything was ready, I?d tell you the truth, and see you break. I couldn?t wait.? And there it was, at long last. Pitch black emotions surged through Shinmyoumaru, darker than any Seija had sampled before. Anger, hatred, despair, grief, resentment. Shinmyoumaru dug her fingernails into Seija?s hand, to hurt her. ?I hate you,? she hissed. ?I hate you!? It was like ascending heaven. The kick was incredible. Seija?s pain faded away. Her muscles relaxed. ?Thank you.? And she smiled. A peaceful, gentle smile. Seija was happy. She was truly, truly happy. ?I wanted you to hate me. More than anything? I?? She let the tears run down her face. Over her burns, and between her cuts. ?I wanted you to abhor me. It?s strange. I?ve never felt this way about anyone before. I?ve never wanted anyone to hate me so much.? ?I loved you! I thought you cared about me more than anything! I thought you were a good person! How could you. How dare you!? ?Good, good?? ?I never want to see you again!? ?I?m so glad.? Seija sobbed. So this is how she?d really felt, all this time. She hadn?t expected this clarity. It felt wonderful. ?I hate you too, Shinmyoumaru. I want to see you suffer. I want to see you crying in pain, with no one around to help you.? Seija wanted to kiss her. She wanted to wrap her arms around Shinmyoumaru, and express her feelings another way. ?I?m glad I met you. I?m glad I got a chance to tell you all this.? ?Give me the mallet and get out of my sight! Never come near my people again, you vile amanojaku!? ?Your people? You?re illegitimate, remember? It was your mum who cheated, by the way. They caught her screwing your real dad and threw her in prison. She died a few years later. Sad story, eh?? ?Shut up!? Shinmyoumaru struggled. ?Shut up shut up shut up!? ?Your real dad?s dead too. He got executed. Oh, and you?re supposed to be dead as well. That?s why your aunt didn?t want anyone seeing you. They?d realise you hadn?t died of fever like you were meant to and come kill you. What a tragedy.? Seija lifted the mallet. ?I?ll be keeping this. Don?t worry, I won?t kill you. I don?t want to, after all the hatred you?ve given me.? Shinmyoumaru snarled. ?Give it back!? ?Come and get it then.? And suddenly, Seija tossed Shinmyoumaru up in the air. Shinmyoumaru screamed, and curled into a ball. She didn?t have time to regain her balance, and fell to the ground. ?Not that you?ll be able to find me.? ?Seija! Wait!? But Seija had already turned away. She knew exactly what she was doing, and even felt a little sad about it. But this was how things should be. She wanted Shinmyoumaru to remember her as disgusting. ?What?? She glanced over her shoulder. ?Got something else to say?? Shinmyoumaru glared at her. Seija gazed back, still smiling. ?I?ll find you again, Seija.? Shinmyoumaru yelled. ?I?ll find you, and I?ll kill you.? Seija giggled. ?I wouldn?t bother, Princess. You won?t find me in your lifetime.? ?Then one of my descendants will. One of my daughters will find you, or one of their daughters will. One of us will hunt you down and kill you, so you?ll never lay a finger on the inchling race again!? Seija couldn?t wait. ?I?m looking forward to it.? She waved. ?Goodbye, Shinmyoumaru Sukuna. Think of me when you can?t sleep at night, and remember what I did to you.? And then she turned, and walked into the wall of grey smoke.

hungrybookworm: Chapter 21 (AO3 Mirror) ?Here it is.? Kosuzu reappeared from the storeroom, and placed the scroll on the table. ?Careful, it?s really heavy.? ?It?s huge!? Shinmyoumaru leapt off Reimu?s shoulder, and ran across the table. ?Open it up, let?s look inside!? She grabbed the scroll?s clasp, and tugged. ?Don?t do that.? Reimu scooped her up with both hands, and lifted her out of harm?s way. ?It might fly open and squash you.? ?I want to read it!? Kosuzu giggled. ?I?ll open it, don?t worry.? She unfastened the clasp, and let the scroll roll across the table. The paper was crammed with tiny characters Reimu couldn?t read, and had clearly been kept in good condition. ?Can you read it, Shinmyoumaru-san?? Shinmyoumaru wiggled in Reimu?s hands, keen to get a better look. Reimu placed her back on the table, and watched her run along the edge of the scroll. ?Wow! Wow, this is amazing! The characters are huge, it must?ve been written for big people. Oh!? Shinmyoumaru pointed. ?Look, footprints.? ?Those are footprints?? Kosuzu was amazed. ?You?re right? they?re the same size as your foot. And now that you mention it, the characters do look a bit big for you.? ?Yeah, I can?t read it though?? Shinmyoumaru frowned. ?But I?ve seen writing that looks a bit like this, in the palace heirloom room. No one could read that either.? ?Fascinating,? said Akyuu, from her seat on the other side of the room. She was taking rapid notes. ?So it?s written in a dead language? What do the inchlings use at the moment?? ?I can read the signs in the Human Village,? said Shinmyoumaru. ?So? I suppose the same language as everyone else?? ?Anyway, don?t worry if you can?t read it,? said Kosuzu, ?because I can! It?ll take me a while, but I can translate the whole book for you, if you want.? Shinmyoumaru?s eyes lit up. ?Please! That would be wonderful!? Reimu smiled to herself. She was relieved to see Shinmyoumaru getting along with Kosuzu. So far Reimu?s attempts at introducing Shinmyoumaru to Gensokyo?s residents had been a success. They?d visited a new location every day for the last week, and had Shinmyoumaru talk to the locals. The tengu newspapers were already having a bid war over who got to publish the first interview with her, and the kappa put her in a strange remote control boat and drove her around their ravine. Things did get a bit hairy with Suika, however, with Shinmyoumaru running around the shrine with her needle sword drawn, and for some reason Kasen became really nervous around her, but otherwise everyone was keen to meet Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, and hear about the inchling race. ?How?s your shoulder, Reimu-san?? asked Kosuzu. ?Oh, fine.? Reimu touched the bandage wrapped around her left shoulder. ?I might be able to take the bandage off soon.? And she was coming off her anti-werewolf medication tomorrow. For a week after the incident, Reimu had lain in bed with five or six tubes going in and out of her, sleeping for most of the day. ?Your shop wasn?t damaged in the riots last month, was it?? ?We sheltered a few people, and Dad got his sword out and sat near the door, but nothing happened in the end. I?m glad you sorted it out.? ?I?ll need to make inchling-sized copies of this,? said Shinmyoumaru, still looking at the scroll, ?and pass them around. And I?ll need to find some storytellers, so the people who can?t read can learn our history too, and...? ?Not anytime soon,? said Reimu with a sigh. ?You?re still under arrest.? Shinmyoumaru pouted, but didn?t argue. She wasn?t allowed anywhere without Reimu until the end of the year. ?It?ll probably take me a few months to finish the translation anyway,? said Kosuzu. ?Lots of time to plan what to do with it afterwards.? They chatted for about an hour. Kosuzu read important parts of the scroll aloud, and Akyuu had to open a second ink bottle to keep up with all the new information. Eventually Reimu stood up, and stretched. ?Shinmyoumaru,? she said. ?We?re leaving.? ?Already?? Shinmyoumaru looked disappointed. ?We can come back another time. Come on, I need to start making dinner.? Reimu picked her up, and placed her back on her shoulder. ?Thanks for letting me observe.? Akyuu?s eyes shone. ?This is exciting!? ?Yes, bring her again sometime, Reimu-san,? said Kosuzu. ?I don?t get many opportunities to talk to real youkai!? ?There?s a reason for that,? said Reimu. Shinmyoumaru waved, and the two of them left Suzunaan. It was a lukewarm autumn day, and the leaves were beginning to turn. Reimu felt Shinmyoumaru twitch, and hide beneath her hair. Previously Reimu had wanted Shinmyoumaru to hide in a bag as they walked around the village, but Shinmyoumaru hated that, so they compromised like this instead. Few humans would be happy if they saw a youkai sitting on the Hakurei shrine maiden?s shoulder. But when they turned the corner, Reimu found herself face-to-face with a large crowd of youkai. ?How?s Her Royal Highness doing?? ?Is everything okay?? ?How?s your shoulder?? It was the tsukumogami. Reimu hadn?t recognised them without their uniform. There were rabbits with them too, nibbling on the grass next to the river. ?What are you all doing here?? snapped Reimu. ?This is the Human Village. Shoo!? ?We wanted to see how she was,? said Yatsuhashi Tsukumo. ?It?s been a while since we saw her,? said Benben Tsukumo, next to her. Raiko Horikawa met Reimu?s gaze, and rolled her eyes. ?They wouldn?t shut up about it, so we brought them over,? said one of the rabbits. The tsukumogami brigade had been disbanded, of course, and their weapons confiscated. But most of the tsukumogami had nowhere to go, so they stuck around Eientei and made friends with the rabbits. Reimu had seen their huge tent from her hospital bed. Apparently they were going to stick around until they finished ridding themselves of the mallet?s magic, and replacing it with Raiko?s more permanent source from the outside world. Reimu didn?t really get it, but they didn?t seem to be doing anything dangerous, so she let it be.   ?I thought we could surprise you,? said Kogasa, with a grin. She was still hanging out with them, and helping them adapt to Gensokyo?s society. ?I?m okay.? Shinmyoumaru poked her head through Reimu?s hair, and waved. ?Don?t worry!? The crowd cheered. Some of the tsukumogami tried to move forward, and get a closer look. ?Oh no you don?t.? Reimu still didn?t trust them. ?Stay where you are. As you can see, she?s perfectly fine.? She reached into her sleeve, and pulled out her new purification rod. ?Now go away before I decide to exterminate you.? ?You all need to do what Reimu says, understand?? said Shinmyoumaru. ?You?ll scare the humans if you come in the village.? Reimu pointed at a rabbit. ?You need to teach them the rules!? ?We did,? said the rabbit, ?but they wanted to come anyway.? ?You brought them here! Look, if you want to see her that badly, then you can come visit her at the shrine every now and then. But not every day, and definitely not during worshipping hours. Understand?? The crowd cheered. ?Thanks, Reimu-san!? said Kogasa. ?Now leave the village and don?t come back.? Reimu waved her purification rod for emphasis, and the crowd quickly dispersed. The rabbits hopped away. But Benben and Raiko didn?t move. ?Um? Your Royal Highness.? Benben blushed. ?We just want you to know that, um?? Raiko hooked her arm around Benben?s, and grinned. ?We?re getting married.? ?You?re getting married?? Shinmyoumaru jumped up and down. ?That?s wonderful! Congratulations!? ?We?d love it if you could come to the wedding,? said Raiko. ?And you can come too if you want, Reimu.? ?I?ll have to, if you?re inviting her,? grumbled Reimu. But she was pleased for them. ?Your magician friend?s welcome as well, as long as she doesn?t set fire to the venue.? ?She won?t be doing that anymore,? said Reimu confidently. ?Don?t worry.? ***** They walked along the path to the shrine, the breeze making the long grass sway. The higher the path went, the brighter the autumn leaves became. Reimu expected to hear Shinmyoumaru?s breath catch at the sight, like it always did when they travelled to and from the shrine. But she didn?t hear anything. Shinmyoumaru?s attention was elsewhere. ?Are you thinking about that amanojaku again?? asked Reimu. ?No,? said Shinmyoumaru, a bit too quickly. ?She?s not worth thinking about. Don?t waste your energy.? Reimu still couldn?t trust Shinmyoumaru. She made a point of locking Shinmyoumaru?s insect-cage-cum-prison-cell at night, to prevent her rushing off to find that horrible amanojaku again. She doubted she could ever forgive her for striking Marisa with the mallet, even though Eirin had given Marisa the all clear when they were treated. Thankfully Shinmyoumaru seemed more interested in getting other inchlings living in Gensokyo now, rather than vengeance and social upheaval, and spending time with her was thawing Reimu?s heart. It was hard to stay angry at someone so small and defenceless. ?I?m thinking about my mallet,? said Shinmyoumaru. ?That?s all. I don?t care about Seija anymore.? Three figures came into view, walking towards them. One of them seemed to be pushing a large cart. Reimu slowed down, wondering what they were doing. Shinmyoumaru recognised them, and hid behind Reimu?s hair again. Sekibanki and Kagerou Imaizumi were in deep conversation. Wakasagihime the mermaid was sitting in the cart, in a tub full of lake water. Kagerou was pushing it, and occasionally glanced down at the tub, to make sure the water wasn?t spilling over. All three of them looked happy and cheerful. ?Oh, hey!? Kagerou stopped to talk to them. ?We?re on our way back from the latest grassroots youkai meeting!? ?Good for you,? said Reimu. She didn?t want to antagonise them too much, after they saved her and Marisa, but it was part of her job. ?You aren?t plotting anything, are you?? ?We?re creating a book,? explained Sekibanki, ?and we?re going to send copies to the youkai sages.? The riots inspired a lot of weak youkai to think seriously about their position in society, and now they were organising meetings and lectures to promote solidarity. Reimu knew some of the stronger youkai were keeping an eye on them, but so far nothing dangerous had happened. The weak youkai simply wanted their voices heard. They wanted peace. ?Well, okay,? said Reimu, pretending not to care. She had an image to uphold, after all. ?We can send you a copy, if you want,? offered Wakasagihime. ?I can?t keep a book written by youkai around the shrine. But I suppose I ought to read it, just to be safe.? Reimu turned to Kagerou. ?What happened at the hearing?? Kagerou looked away, embarrassed. Sekibanki?s cloak twitched. ?They said I was acting under the influence of the Miracle Mallet, and wasn?t of sound mind when I bit you,? said Kagerou, ?so I have to do community service for the next ten years.? ?You got lucky,? grumbled Sekibanki. ?They nearly kicked me out of the village.? Wakasagihime looked relieved. ?I?m glad neither of you were sent to prison!? ?It would?ve been worse than that,? said Kagerou, with a sigh. ?A proper extermination. Anyway, we?d better get going. We can?t have our mermaid princess dehydrate.? ?Oh, I?m not really a princess,? insisted Wakasagihime, and all three of them laughed. ?Are they gone?? asked Shinmyoumaru, once they were out of sight. ?You didn?t need to hide,? said Reimu. ?Yes I do! I?m embarrassed.? She gripped Reimu?s collar. ?It?s my fault they got in trouble.? ?I?ve sorted them out already, they won?t hurt you.? Reimu began walking again. The steps to the shrine were in sight. ??I?m not a real princess either,? whispered Shinmyoumaru. ***** That bothered her most of all. Shinmyoumaru Sukuna was an illegitimate child, had been removed from the palace for her own safety, and swiftly killed off to stop anyone looking for her. Her real parents were both dead, killed by the man she thought was her father, and all her brothers and sisters either hated her, or mourned her every year around the Obon festival. Was there a gravestone somewhere in the World of Oni with her name on it? She didn?t want to think about it. After Seija walked away with her mallet, Shinmyoumaru spent a week looking for her. But she was too tiny, and Gensokyo too vast, so she was forced to give up. It took her three days to reach the Hakurei Shrine. Three days of wading through grass higher than her head, and fighting off small animals and insects. Surrendering was easy. Shinmyoumaru had nothing to protect anymore. Reimu found an insect cage, and used it as a prison cell. Marisa was apparently living in the shrine too, under house arrest, but Reimu didn?t want them meeting, so she kept Shinmyoumaru?s cage on the porch, and locked it at night. Shinmyoumaru didn?t mind. She didn?t want to escape, and she didn?t want to see Marisa either. She wanted to lie in bed, and sleep, and dream about being big again. She dreamt about Seija all the time: Seija smiling, Seija holding her hand, Seija throwing snow at her, Seija smoking on the roof, Seija cooking her food, Seija kissing her, Seija touching her. She?d wake up from those dreams distraught, and couldn?t calm down for hours afterwards. But once the sun rose, and Reimu brought her breakfast, Shinmyoumaru found it easier to focus on the present. And once Reimu started taking her outside, and introducing her to people, Shinmyoumaru felt her strength return. Getting the inchling race into Gensokyo wasn?t going to be easy. Shinmyoumaru had always assumed she would stroll into the World of Oni with her mallet, and use her status as royalty to rally her people together and get them marching outside. But now she was just an ordinary inchling, who had enemies high up, and no Miracle Mallet to back up her story. Seija had robbed her of the opportunity. Seija had lifted her into the sky and made her focus on a revolution instead. Shinmyoumaru despised her for it. It made her sick to the stomach. ?I told you to stop thinking about that amanojaku,? said Reimu, breaking Shinmyoumaru?s train of thought. ?Sorry?? Shinmyoumaru hung her head. Reimu always seemed to know when she was thinking about Seija. ?It?s just? I need to kill her, or she might trick another inchling someday and start her revolution again. I need to get our mallet back.? They reached the steps, and Reimu began climbing. Shinmyoumaru gripped her collar, and felt frustrated. She was so tiny. Could she really find Seija in her lifetime, and get her mallet back? Maybe Seija was right. Maybe it would be impossible. They arrived at the shrine. Shinmyoumaru?s cage sat on the porch, just as they left it. ?Well, if I see that amanojaku, I?m exterminating her on the spot.? Reimu opened the cage, and offered her palm to Shinmyoumaru. Shinmyoumaru gripped Reimu?s thumb, climbed on, and let herself be carried down. ?I?ll let you out again once dinner?s ready,? said Reimu, as Shinmyoumaru got inside the cage. ?Tempura tonight.? ?Thank you,? said Shinmyoumaru. Reimu had been so kind to her, despite everything that?d happened. ?I?m sorry? I?m really sorry I hit Marisa with the mallet, really.? Reimu didn?t respond. This wasn?t the first time Shinmyoumaru had apologised, and it wouldn?t be the last. Shinmyoumaru didn?t expect forgiveness, but wanted to keep trying anyway. It was the least she could do. ?I?ll make it up to you somehow,? vowed Shinmyoumaru. ?I promise.? ?I?ll see you later,? muttered Reimu. She took her shoes off, and stepped inside the shrine. Shinmyoumaru was by herself. ?Sorry,? she whispered, to no one in particular. She was sorry for so many things now, but she knew in time, she would make up for them. She would do her best to make things right again, and create a better world for everyone. The revolution had made her a stronger person. She was no longer the girl hiding in her room after her aunt?s death, ignorant of the world and unable to take care of anyone. Shinmyoumaru was going to change things. She was going to dedicate her life to bringing the inchling race out into the sunlight. It wouldn?t be easy, but she had decades of time ahead of her. She wanted children too, if possible, to create a happy family of her own. And once they were grown up, and the inchlings were outside growing their own food, Shinmyoumaru would set out to look for Seija, and retrieve the mallet. Inside the cage, next to her bed, was the smooth pebble Wakasagihime had given her. It?d shrunk alongside Shinmyoumaru?s clothes when the mallet backfired. Shinmyoumaru picked it up, and held it in her palm. It was cool to the touch. Gensokyo?s youkai weren?t perfect, but they weren?t her enemies either. The inchlings could stand alongside them as allies. It really was the same colour as Seija?s dress. Shinmyoumaru held it to her chest, and closed her eyes. And promised to never forget. ***** ?Is it time for my afternoon snack yet, Sakuya?? ?It will be once my biscuits finish cooking in the oven.? Sakuya glanced at her watch. ?In around ten minutes. I tried a new recipe, so I?m looking forward to hearing your opinion.? ?Excellent.? Remilia leant back, and closed her eyes. She was sitting under a large parasol, viewing the autumn leaves in the mansion garden. The birds sung, and the lake water gently hissed in the distance. ?Give some to Flandre once you?re done.? ?Of course.? They sat in silence. Sakuya shifted uncomfortably in her seat, feeling an unpleasant, low ache in her torso. Her stab wounds weren?t even a month old, and the pain still made her feel sick. She?d been discharged from Eientei around the same time as Reimu and Marisa, and returned to find the mansion in chaos. Patchouli had been forced to take over cooking duties, and the kitchen was full of boiling vats of purple sludge. The fairy maids had built a den in one of the spare rooms, and were fighting over who got access to the sugar cupboard. Flandre wasn?t in her room, and had been found hiding in a tree in the grounds, having decided to start a new life as a monkey. ?I?m glad you decided to come back, Sakuya,? Remilia had said at the time. ?I was getting bored with dragon wings every meal.? Going back to her daily life had proved difficult for Sakuya. She craved her knife like a smoker craved cigarettes. She fantasised about flying back to the forest and looking for it. There was no way it?d survived that fire. If she did find it, it?d be a puddle of lifeless metal, and nothing more. But that didn?t stop her. Her normal silver knifes weren?t enough. She needed something sharper. But she knew the urge would fade with time. Her red scars would turn white, the pain would fade, and her withdrawals would ease with it. Because Sakuya had plenty of time. All the time in the world. ?When are you going to tell me what happened in that castle?? asked Remilia. ?When Reimu releases her report,? said Sakuya. She?d filled Remilia in on the basics, but hadn?t gone in detail. She couldn?t. She could barely remember what?d happened; just the deep satisfaction of cutting things. ?She?ll tell the story far better than I.? ?I?d rather hear your version of events,? said Remilia. ?Well? in due course. I think it?s time we enjoyed some tea and biscuits.? Sakuya stood up. ?They should be ready by now.? ?Oh yes, bring them out.? Remilia waved her hand. ?I?d like some cucumber sandwiches too. A proper afternoon tea.? ?As you wish, Milady.? And Sakuya smiled. Remilia was her mistress, not the knife. As long as she served Remilia Scarlet, she had nothing to long for. Right? ***** Marisa had constant nightmares. She?d wake up every few hours, drenched in sweat and shaking violently. Her dreams were full of fire; of everything burning, and the supreme joy it gave her; of Seija?s cold lips on her skin, sending her deeper into warm oblivion. She would dream of Reimu floating in front of her, bruised, battered and bleeding, screaming her love for Marisa. Marisa didn?t turn on Seija in those dreams. In those dreams, she blasted Reimu out of the sky, and laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. Twice a week, like clockwork, the dreams changed. She would be kneeling opposite Yukari Yakumo, in a large tatami room that stank of blood. Yukari would raise her parasol, and beat Marisa with it. One swing every ten seconds. Marisa was forced to count them, and the number always added up to one-hundred-and-eight. Yukari never stopped, even if Marisa begged her. The pain was unbelievable. She was usually sobbing before she counted to fifty. ?Never do that again,? Yukari would say at the end, and Marisa would wake up unharmed. She didn?t mention the dreams to Reimu. Marisa heard Reimu move around outside. She was talking to Shinmyoumaru, probably putting her back in the insect cage. Marisa had glimpsed Shinmyoumaru a few times, but hadn?t gathered the courage to talk to her yet. She doubted Shinmyoumaru would want to speak to her anyway, after everything that happened. The shouji screen rolled open, and Reimu stepped inside. She closed it behind her, sighed, and adjusted her ribbon. Marisa caught a glimpse of a red scar on Reimu?s arm, just above her sleeve. It was the cut Marisa gave her. No matter how much time passed, the sight of it made Marisa want to cover her face and apologise. But now wasn?t the time for apologies. ?You took your time,? grumbled Marisa. ?My ear?s been itching for the last three hours. It?s driving me nuts.? She was sitting on the tatami, her arms tied behind her back. A second rope stretched between her and the big chest of drawers behind her, to ensure she couldn?t get up and walk around. ?Being tied up isn?t nice, is it?? said Reimu, with a hint of smugness. ?Yeah it?s crap, I shouldn?t have left you in the dungeon, I get it already.? Marisa was under house arrest at the shrine, and wasn?t allowed to go anywhere by herself. A table sat in front of her, containing a jug of water and a long straw. Most of the water was already gone. ?Can?t you loosen the ropes a bit? They hurt.? Marisa had been trusted to stay in the main room without restraints for the first few days, but one evening Reimu returned to find the shrine empty, and the shouji screens wide open. Marisa had bolted to the forest, to try and find her mini-Hakkero amongst the ash. It?d fallen out of her hand when she blasted Seija. Needless to say, she failed to find it, and Reimu had shown her no mercy in the following spell card duel. Now Reimu made a point of tying Marisa up before leaving, and even slapped a few ofuda on the ropes for extra security. ?I?ll loosen the ropes when I can trust you not to run away.? Reimu caught sight of something on the floor. ?Is that my report?? Several pages of hand-written manuscript were spread across the tatami. ?Yeah, I?ve been reading it with my feet,? said Marisa. ?I was bored.? ?Don?t put your feet near it. God?? Reimu gathered the pages up. ?What if you knocked the jug over and spilt water all over it?? ?Then you?d have to rewrite it.? ?And it?s not ready yet. You?re not supposed to be reading it.? ?You haven?t written about me yet. It?s all amanojaku this and amanojaku that.? Reimu had been commissioned to write a report on the incident. Normally Reimu and Marisa had to write accounts of all the incidents they resolved anyway, to receive compensation for their work, but this one had to be more detailed and in-depth than usual. Yukari, it seemed, wanted to know everything. Marisa often watched Reimu as she wrote it in the evenings. ?You?ll come up eventually.? Reimu began to untie the knots. ?Hold still.? Marisa pulled her arms free as soon as the rope slackened, and made a show of scratching her ear. ?Ahh, there we go.? Then she inspected her wrists. ?See? They?re too tight. I?ve got burns.? ?And my shoulders are still sore after my arms were forced up in the air for forty-eight hours.? ?Yeah, and I had bruises the size of my hand after your purification rod flew at me in the dungeon.? Reimu put the report back in its drawer. ?It wanted to beat the corruption out of you.? The report was accurate, for the most part. Marisa knew Reimu was omitting certain things, to avoid overcomplicating an already delicate situation. Like the part where Shinmyoumaru chose to strike Marisa with the mallet. If Reimu included that in the report, Marisa doubted the inchling race would be permitted in Gensokyo. Reimu would be forced to get rid of Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, or hand her over to someone higher up. But other than that, the report told the truth. Reimu had interviewed Shinmyoumaru and Marisa extensively, and found various eye witnesses. Seija Kijin the amanojaku had gone underground to find Shinmyoumaru Sukuna, and make her unseal the mallet. They used it to make Shinmyoumaru bigger, and to get their upside down castle up in the air and habitable. The mallet operated on a price system, which the amanojaku knew, but Shinmyoumaru didn?t. Thus every time they repaired something in the castle, they were actually swapping the old, broken parts with newer ones from elsewhere in Gensokyo, hence all the decaying shouji screens and rotten floorboards in the village. Every time they used the mallet, it also expelled a little bit of its own magic, which fell down into Gensokyo. The amanojaku knew about this, and collected items affected by its magic to be struck by the inchling, giving them further power, and eventually creating a private army out of any resulting tsukumogami. Other items around Gensokyo were also affected, and over time those used frequently gained a life of their own. Those items held a lot of influence over their owners, preventing many from seeing the danger of their favourite tools bouncing around, and even enjoying their company. The tools weren?t strong enough to become tsukumogami by themselves, and sought further power through their owners. As far as the report was concerned, all the rioters in Gensokyo had been influenced by the mallet in a similar fashion, and weren?t capable of rational thought at the time. Thus they shouldn?t receive any serious punishment beyond what Reimu had already done. The same applied to Shinmyoumaru and Marisa, who Reimu explained were being manipulated by the amanojaku. Everyone was a puppet in Seija Kijin?s farce of a revolution. Seija Kijin needed to be hunted down, and the Miracle Mallet retrieved. Then peace could return to Gensokyo. ?Are you still thinking about that furnace?? asked Reimu. ?Sometimes?? Marisa missed it a lot. She found it embarrassing. ?But I?m not gonna run off and look for it again. I was relying on it too much anyway, for my research.? She?d been trying to avoid thinking about her plans from now on. ?I might ask Kourin for a new one, so I can do Master Sparks again.? ?As long as you don?t try anything villainous with it.? ?Nah, I?m done being a bad guy.? Marisa looked away. ?I?m an idiot. I know. Tell me something new already.? They sat in awkward silence for a moment. ?We were both idiots,? said Reimu, quietly. ?Yeah but, I was the bigger idiot. I let an amanojaku talk me into joining some wacky revolution, did all this stuff to make my mini-Hakkero really dangerous, then got seduced into giving it my body.? ?I suppose that?s hard to beat,? said Reimu, begrudgingly. Then she shuffled closer, and leant against Marisa. ?At least you didn?t actually set fire to Gensokyo.? ?I wasn?t far off.? Marisa put an arm around her. ?Alice said it took them several days to extinguish the forest fire.? She pulled Reimu close, and held her. ?You saved me,? she admitted. ?And you blasted that amanojaku in the face, and saved Gensokyo.? Reimu hugged her back. ?You?re a rubbish bad guy.? ?Says Reimu Hakurei, who cried over a stick. Some heroine you are.? Marisa cupped the back of Reimu?s head, and kissed her. They didn?t need anyone else. ***** Time passed. The leaves fell, and the cherry blossom opened. The bare patches of the forest began to sprout. The trees climbed higher and higher, stretching their branches up to the sun. There was a story that the inchlings of Gensokyo loved, more than any other: the tale of the inchling princess and the amanojaku. In the story, a horrid amanojaku fooled a pure-hearted princess into using the Miracle Mallet for her. In some versions they lived in a magnificent castle that floated in the sky. In others they lurked in the shadows and performed their wicked deeds in secret. All versions ended the same way, with the princess discovering the betrayal, and the amanojaku escaping with the mallet. Rumour had it that the amanojaku was still alive, still holding onto their mallet and looking for a new victim. Seija Kijin was still alive, and she still had the Miracle Mallet. She slept with it close to her chest every night, and never let it out of her sight. For several hundred years now, she?d alternated between going above ground to torment people, and heading back down to rest. She spent a lot of time in her cave, sleeping, and waiting for her old stomach wound to calm down again. She never gave up on her quest for vengeance. Every few hundred years, she would make an effort to find an inchling with the right genetics to use the mallet for her. But none of them agreed, and most attacked her, hoping to get their mallet back. It was fun seeing them so infuriated, and even more fun watching them cry when they couldn?t find Seija again. She would play hide and seek with the inchlings until her stomach hurt. Then she would retreat to her cave, and hope the next generation would be stupider. Until today. Seija heard something enter her cave. Tiny footsteps, barely audible. Seija opened one eye, and slowly sat up. She hoped it was an animal, lost in the cave system. Food was a non-issue, with an entire race of youkai hating her, but she sometimes craved the taste of undercooked meat. But it wasn?t an animal. It was a tiny inchling, standing at the cave?s entrance. Seija shot to her feet. It couldn?t be Shinmyoumaru. Shinmyoumaru should have died several hundred years ago, of old age or worse. But the inchling looked just like her. From her clothes to her hairstyle, to the way she held her needle sword. And the look of disgust on her face felt incredibly nostalgic. Just as Seija had promised, Shinmyoumaru hadn?t found her in her life time. And just as Shinmyoumaru had promised, one of her descendants had come to kill her instead. ?I?ve found you, foul amanojaku!? The inchling even sounded like Shinmyoumaru. ?I?m here to kill you, and reclaim the Miracle Mallet!? Seija laughed. She realised, all of a sudden, that she?d been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. ?You want your mallet back, do you? Well tough, I?ve taken a liking to it. I?ll let you have it if you agree to join me, and bring ruin to the world outside.? ?Never!? The inchling didn?t hesitate. ?I?ll never fall for your tricks!? And she raised her sword. ?Prepare yourself!? The tale of the amanojaku and the inchling princess was incomplete. It needed a heroine. And Seija needed to die. Seija didn?t want to die, of course. It didn?t look much fun. But deep down she knew her time had come. It wouldn?t all be bad. Maybe she?d see Shinmyoumaru again, on the other side of the Sanzu River. Maybe the story about them would spread across Gensokyo and the outside world, and resurrect them in the future. Then they could act out their story for all eternity. ?I hope you?re ready for this.? Seija sneered. ?I?ll drag you to hell with me, Sukuna.? The inchling flinched. ?How did you know my name?? She giggled. ?How could I ever forget it?? It was the name of her first love, after all. The End Thank you so much for reading until the end. This is hungrybookworm. I started planning this fic around Christmas 2014, began writing it in May 2015, not long after finishing Astraphobia, and now here we are at Christmas 2016, with the final word count clocking in at over 100,000 words. I?ve never written something so long in all my life. I?m amazed at myself. A lot of things happened while I was writing. I nearly died, to start with. Luckily I didn?t! Hurray! Bookworm lives to sin again. I probably could?ve written this fic a lot faster if my health hadn?t been so bad the entire time I was working on it, but oh well. I had my operation and I?m all right now. Being alive is great. There?s so many people I want to thank that I don?t know where to begin. Firstly, I want to thank everyone who read this fanfic: the people who read it as I posted it, and put up with the numerous hiatuses; the people who patiently waited for all the chapters to be posted before reading it; the people who left comments; the people who left kudos; and the people who reblogged and retweeted the chapters on twitter and tumblr. Thank you. Thank you so much. Secondly, I want to thank bear, for drawing twenty-eight full colour pictures for this fanfic, and putting up with my weird demands and suggestions, which ranged from ?Can you change that one line next to her arm?? to ?You?re gonna have to redraw the whole thing. Seija looks like she?s about to slam down some serious yu-gi-oh cards.? She also let me shamelessly steal her seishin headcanons, cheered me on when things got tough, and has been an amazing, fantastic, supportive person in general. This fic literally wouldn?t exist without her. Thirdly, I want to thank RabbitEclair/UnmovingGreatLibrary, who managed to plan, write, rewrite and post her fanfic Eyes in the Dark while I was working on this story. She?s always a great person to complain to, sympathetic, and puts up with me rambling about all kinds of weird rubbish at 2am at night. Go check out her fanfic if you haven?t already. Lastly, I want to thank all the people I went to on about this fanfic before I posted it: Squishy, Brook, N-Forza, Vento, and the other foreigners I met at Reitaisai (sorry guys lol). All my friends on the Japanese side of the fandom for cheering me on, especially Hatsuhi, Tsukushi, Hitomaru, Ariya, and Hitohira. Special thanks goes to RD-Sounds, for his kindness and support while I was in the hospital. Being around Japanese touhou fans really pushed me to keep going, even when I was in pain and feeling sick, and generally not in the mood to write. Well, this is long enough already. Time to wrap it up. See you next time! (Thank you for reading! Feel free to leave any comments or questions!)

Evil_Nazgul0616: Ah, that was a good read. I'm pleased to see this story went to completion. (Most fics here that I actually get hooked on tend to get abandoned partway through. Lol)

hungrybookworm: --- Quote from: Evil_Nazgul0616 on April 01, 2017, 07:07:24 PM ---Ah, that was a good read. I'm pleased to see this story went to completion. (Most fics here that I actually get hooked on tend to get abandoned partway through. Lol) --- End quote --- Thank you! I try to write the whole thing out before I start posting chapters online, to prevent that happening. Stories are easy to start, but hard to finish!

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