~Hakurei Shrine~ > Patchouli's Scarlet Library
A Touhou Fiction Novel ~ Beyond Border Gensokyo
Kitaen Silva:
She nodded hesitantly, and slowly flew in that direction as though she were unsure of herself. Just as she rounded the corner, a blinding flash of light exploded from all around the back of the shrine, followed by a ground-shaking noise that sounded like a mix between a camera flash and an explosion.
?Hourai!?? Alice yelled out, and made a dash for the corner.
?I don?t want to know what just happened to that poor doll?? Marisa said as she sat on the ground heavily. Surprisingly, Hourai came flying out from behind the shrine in a gust of wind from whatever happened, and she disappeared into Alice?s dress, just before Alice herself got bowled over. Luckily, she remembered to hold her dress down this time, for it surely would have flown over her head otherwise. Suika uprooted herself and looked about with an extremely muddy face. She was saying something, but it wasn?t anything coherent. Hourai removed herself from Alice?s dress with a look of fright, and made straight for Marisa.
?Oof! It?s alright, Hourai! What happened?? Marisa asked the little puppet just as it hit her back down to the ground. What happened next scared the life clear out of the witch, and caused Alice to fly up and rush at Marisa. The puppet screeched loudly and very eerily, and tried to become one with Marisa by curling up as small as she could and clawing at Marisa?s dress. Reimu was plugging her ears and running over to Marisa as well.
?Hourai!! Hourai, It?s me! Alice! Calm down!? The little doll calmed down only slightly, but did something else that made the three standing around her fall down and stare at the puppet, or in Marisa?s case, freak out even further.
?Houraiiii!! Hourai scaaared!! Scared!! Scared scared scared!!! Mommyyy!!? she wailed, and reached for Alice. All three of them were too stunned to speak. The puppet had never spoken before. Marisa?s jaw dropped, and nearly smashed into Hourai?s head, though the doll was in too much of a panic to notice, writhing about like a frightened ferret and wailing with an incredible voice. All Reimu could do was stare stupidly.
?M-mommy? Did you just call me ?mommy???
?Mommy!! Help Houraiii!! Scared! Light!! Scared!! Marisa!! Help Hourai!! Help Hourai!!?
?What?s wrong, Hourai!? Tell mommy!? Alice crawled over and took the puppet from off of Marisa, cradling it as though it really were her child.
?Tell Marisa, too!? the witch said, regaining her composure and trying to help Alice with Hourai all at once.
?Border! Border!? the frightened doll shouted. ?Phoebe! Border! Book magic! Book magic!?
?Something about Phoebe crossing the border?? The puppet nodded crazily, and a tear flew from Hourai?s face and landed on Alice?s.
?Phoebe stuck! Accident!?
?Phoebe is here?? Hourai nodded again, and Reimu got up and ran around to the back of the shrine.
?Alice! Marisa!! Come help me get this girl into the shrine! She?s hurt!?
?What!??
?Mommy!?
?I thought that this was just a nightmare that Hourai had!?
?Not bad dream! Real! Real! Marisa! Real! Help Phoebe! Mommy help!? the doll was so scared that she couldn?t fly straight, but she still went to help Reimu. Alice couldn?t go anywhere, she was still completely stunned by Hourai.
?She called me ?mommy???
?She sure did, Alice. Guess that makes me the father??
?What??? Alice snapped back to reality and glared at her friend.
?I thought that would bring you around. Come on!?
?Oh! Right!? Alice got up quickly with Marisa?s help, and they both went around to the back of the shrine to find Reimu coming out of the storage building with a ladder.
?What?s that for??
?Phoebe stuck! Accident!? Hourai explained, and pointed at a mass of torn fabric and flesh hanging upside-down from the shrine?s roof by a belt and a shoe. Phoebe?s long laser yellow hair had crimson streaks in it from the blood running down her.
?Holy mushrooms!?
?What happened!??
?Book magic! Human world! Gensokyo! Jump! Book magic!? Hourai tried to explain, using her hands to show that Phoebe came from the ?human world? to Gensokyo. ?Jump wrong??
?Phoebe must have crossed the border and landed like this. But that doesn?t matter right now. Let?s just get her down.?
?I?ll stand down here to keep her from hitting the ground. Alice, you fly up and help Reimu get her un-stuck.?
?Got it.? Alice flew up like suggested, and lifted the bloodied girl?s body up while Reimu loosened the belt from around her ankle. ?Ooh? She?s heavy.?
?Okay, she?s free.? Reimu said, and started climbing down the ladder, leaving the belt attached to one of the roof timbers.
?Help me out a bit, Marisa. This girl?s heavy.?
?Dead weight generally is heavy.?
?Don?t talk like that, Marisa!?
?I?m just saying??
?I know what you meant. Just watch the way you say things like that.?
?Phoebe hurt bad. Border jump wrong. Hourai help??
?Yes, Hourai, you can help. Do what Reimu needs you to inside.?
?Come on, Hourai. Let?s go set up a pad and some water for Phoebe.?
?Hourai help Reimu help Phoebe! Come come! Hourai scared!? She said as she went into the shrine through an open window.
?Such an interesting little child we?ve made, hmm Alice??
?What???
?Nothing. I?m just rambling.?
?Yeah right. Stop slacking and let?s get this girl inside.?
?Yes, mommy.? Marisa adjusted her grip on Phoebe, and started climbing the front steps slowly.
?Knock it off. Only Hourai can call me mommy.? Alice followed up the stairs, raising the girl up to keep her somewhat level.
?Who?s Hourai?s daddy, then? She?ll want to know that someday.?
?Err? I never thought about that??
?My ?father? ability seems to have just become available for thirty skill points. You have eighty-one available to spend. Interested??
?Huh?? What are you getting at??
?I?m trying to say that I wanna be Hourai?s daddy. She already calls you mommy, so that?s all that?s left!?
?Oh. Umm? okay, I suppose??
?Yes!? she said excitedly, ?Then it?s settled. We?re moving in together.?
?Wait, what!? Slow down a bit!?
?Yeah, you?re right? We should take it slow at first??
?No, I mean slow down! You?re going to make me fall.?
?Oh! Sorry! I just got a bit excited.?
?I?ll say. It doesn?t take much to get you excited.?
?Stop dawdling, you two! Hurry up and get her in here!? Reimu poked her head out and shouted at them. Hourai had to add her two cents.
?Hurry hurry, mommy!?
?We?re coming! Hold the door open for us, Hourai, please.?
?Yes mommy!?
?Awww! So obedient!?
?Unlike someone I know.?
?What? Who??
?A certain witch in black.? They went through the door, then Hourai shut it and went to help them lay Phoebe down on the pad.
?Hourai know! Marisa! Marisa! Witch black! Heehee! Not listen mommy!?
?Oh. Hey! That?s not funny.?
?Sorry. Hourai, do try to be nice to Marisa, okay? Mommy needs to be nicer too.?
?Yes mommy.? Alice giggles, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.
Kitaen Silva:
Reimu runs back into the room and starts wiping the girl?s face off gently. There weren?t any injuries on her face. In fact, they couldn?t see any wounds at all.
?That?s weird. There?s an awful lot of blood, but I don?t see any wounds. I could have sworn that she had at least a dozen deep wounds??
?What if? it?s not hers? What if the wounds were just an illusion??
?Who?s would it possibly be? And to what purpose would fake wounds be??
?She might have killed someone on her side of the border before jumping!?
?Scared! Scared! Phoebe hurt human? Scared!?
?I don?t want to house a murderer, but she isn?t conscious, so we have to assume that she really is hurt.?
?Hourai jump, tired, sleep. Hourai not want sleep. Phoebe jump, tired, sleep? Not want??
?That could be, I suppose? If the jump makes you fall asleep, maybe Phoebe is just sleeping.?
Marisa makes to slap the girl?s cheeks and wake her up, but Alice stops her.
?What if there?s a reason you fall asleep when you jump? I say we let her wake up when she?s supposed to, but keep an eye on her. And as much as I hate to say this, we should probably get Aya down here. Do you mind if we turn this room into a temporary holding cell, Reimu??
?I don?t care. I?m quite curious myself. And my shrine does seem to be the only option at the moment. But who will go for Aya??
?Someone calling for me?? The raven-haired reporter poked her head in through the open window. ?I stopped by to let you know that I can?t find anyone on the mountain. Minoriko, Nitori, and Suwako are all gone. Same with Sanae and Kanako? Not only that, but I have no idea where Yukari and her bunch lives. I brought their things back here, thinking that I would just spread the word that it was all here, and they could come and pick them up at their convenience. Hey, what?s this?? Aya slipped in through the window and landed quietly next to Phoebe.
?Well, I guess we don?t have to go looking for you now.?
?Nope. I?m here. Got a story for me, I bet. This girl here is screaming ?big scoop?!? She said, and indicated Phoebe. Alice had an idea.
?Yes, we have a story for you. But you have to do us a favor, first.?
?A favor, you say??
?Yes.?
?What is it??
?Really? what is it, Alice??
?Aya, can we ask you to fetch Eirin, and also ask Remilia if we can borrow Meiling and Sakuya? Tell Eirin that we require her medicinal expertise. She can bring Reisen and Tewi if she likes.?
?Oh! And tell Remi that we have several things that Suika took from them and we would like to return them. Reisen and Tewi, as well.?
?Sure thing! Though I want photographs!?
?Fine. Just please hurry!?
?Alright then! I?ll be back in just a moment!? and with that, Aya flew back out the window in a flash. Alice glared at Reimu.
?She better not have any idea. I?ll make your life miserable if she finds out.?
?She doesn?t know. But keep your mouth shut. When she says ?just a moment?, that?s what she means.?
?Huh??
?I?m baack!? Aya flew back into the window and landed just behind Alice.
?Wahaah! Scared me out of three years of my life! You didn?t tell anyone to come, did you??
?Yes I did. You promised a story in exchange for a message delivery. That?s a pretty good deal to me.?
?What did they say, Aya??
?Eirin?s on her way, but Reisen and Tewi are out gathering materials for her, so they aren?t coming. She should be here in about four minutes, she says. She?s got to get her equipment ready. Remilia said she?s coming herself. So you have the whole Scarlet group coming. Including Patches, surprisingly. Patchouli seemed rather upset about her missing spectacles. I didn?t know she had eyesight problems??
?How do we know you?re telling the truth??
?Um? Wait five minutes? Eirin should be here by then.?
?Fine. We?ll start telling you details after five minutes, and only if Eirin shows up.?
?Alright, then. Hey Reimu. Can I get a bit of tea??
?Sure. You know where it?s at. Can you make some for me, too??
?Yeah. What do you want? Peppermint with Chamomile and two cubes of sugar??
?Yes, please.? Not even half a moment passed after Aya rounded the corner, and Marisa started to talk like she had been waiting for the reporter to leave.
?Hey Reimu. You get along with Aya pretty well.?
?There?s nothing wrong with Aya. We?re actually good friends.?
?She?s nosy!?
?She tells bad stories about people!?
?Yeah! And you never know when she?s watching you!?
?I?m sure you must be exaggerating.?
?She took photos of Reisen in the bath and sold the pictures to a magazine!?
?That can?t be true.?
?She writes stories about you all the time! Though they?re pretty boring? mostly about your daily routine. You?re one of the lucky ones.?
?We?re friends. I guess I?m happy that she writes about me a lot.?
?You? don?t read the Bunbunmaru newsprints, do you??
?Nope. Not a single page.?
?And you call yourself Aya?s friend? You won?t even read her columns that she works soo hard to write??
?Well when you put it that way? Where can I find a newsprint??
?That?s what I thought. And you have to subscribe. Aya herself will deliver them to you.?
?That?s nice of her. You two should really be more considerate of Aya. She goes through so much trouble to gather and deliver news for everyone.?
?Yeah, news that YOU don?t even read.?
?I?ll ask Aya about a subscription when she comes back.?
?Be sure to read her columns. If you and her are such good friends like you think, perhaps you are Gensokyo?s only hope in getting her to write the truth.?
?And to write accurately, on those occasions where she is close to the truth.?
?And maybe write on things that are somewhat important.?
?Alright, alright! I get the idea. When I get a few newsprints, I?ll talk to her about the matter. I?ve heard a few complaints before, but I didn?t think anything about them.?
?Thank you, Reimu! You really are a godsend. Just make sure you don?t say anything about me and Alice.?
?What?s going on about you and Alice?? Both Alice and Marisa turned stiff as planks as Aya came back in the room with hers and Reimu?s tea.
?Nothing! Nothing at all!?
?Just a rare mushroom!?
?That I found in the woods! She wants it!?
?A rare mushroom? Sounds interesting. Is it a new kind, or an old one that?s just hard to find??
?New!?
?Old!?
?I mean, It?s a new mushroom of an old kind that?s hard to find!?
?Yeah! That?s it!?
?Can I get a photograph??
?No! It?s err...?
?It?s highly photosensitive!?
?Oh! Well I have special lenses that make that no problem at all. And I can turn off my flash.?
?It doesn?t like having it?s picture taken!?
?Right! It shrivels up and dies if someone catches it on film!?
?Hmm? Can I just get a sketch, then??
?We don?t want to risk anything! That might bee too similar to catching it on film!? Marisa leans in close to Alice.
?Nice call. I was drawing a blank for that.?
?Marisa says that the mushroom needs to be kept secret, because there are people out there that would kill her to take it and use it for evil!?
?Okay? Now you?re going a bit far.?
?So she doesn?t want to see one word about a secret rare mushroom in your paper!?
?Um? Okay? I?ll forget I even heard about it. My lips are sealed.? Aya couldn?t help but think ?weirdoes? as she handed Reimu her hot tea.
?Sorry, Aya. They don?t normally act like that.? Reimu said as Hourai floated over and got comfortable in the priestess? lap.
?It?s fine? They always act like that around me. I must be scary or something.?
?Aya scared mommy? Aya scared Marisa??
?Phaw! As IF!? Marisa snorted.
?Yeah right!? Alice snapped.
?Whatever. In any case, Eirin should be here any minute.?
?You better hope it?s less than that, because you won?t get a story, otherwise.?
Kitaen Silva:
?Hello? Reimu? Aya said there was a possible emergency here at the Shrine!?
?Eirin! In here, if you would!?
?Right!? The tall medicine opened the door and strode into the room. ?What do we have??
?This girl ?Phoebe? crossed the Gensokyo border from the human world covered in blood, but we don?t know if it?s hers, or even if she?s hurt. She appeared at the back of the shrine, hanging upside-down from the roof by her ankle, caught by her belt and shoe.? Aya had procured her notebook again, and was scribbling madly away.
?Hanging by belt and shoe from Hakurei Shrine roof.?
?There are severe abrasions around the ankle, as well as both knees and her left elbow. She also appears to have a head injury?? Eirin holds open Phoebe?s eye and takes a wide black stick, and places it just over the eye for a second, then removes it and looks at her eye. ?? It looks likely that she has a minor concussion. Nothing too terribly serious that I can see just yet. Excuse me for a moment, Reimu. I?m going to have a more thorough look.? Eirin checks the girl?s extremities for broken bones, and then looks at her torso for a wound that may have been the source for all the blood. ?No injuries beyond the abrasions and concussion, as far as I can tell. If I may stay here for a while longer to keep a steady check on the girl??
?That?s fine, Eirin. Thank you. You can stay as long as you need. We have a minor suspicion of her, though, so at some point we may have to move you out of the room.?
?Alright, miss Hakurei. I?m going to draw a bit of blood, and run a test to see if this is her blood or not.?
?Okay. I think someone is here, so I?ll be right back.?
?Reimu! Are you here? Lady Remilia has come to visit. Aya claims that you need mine and Meiling?s services.?
?Coming, Sakuya!? Reimu called as she opened the door and left to greet her guests.
?Ahh, it?s been a while since I?ve been out during the day. Stow my parasol, Sakuya. Thank you. How have you been, Reimu??
?I?ve been alright, I suppose. Suika took these from you.? Reimu apologized as she returned Remilia?s spellcards to her. ?And these, from you, Sakuya.? She handed the knives to the maid, who took them with a light smile. ?Sorry for any inconvenience she?s caused.?
?Oh, it?s fine. In fact, I didn?t even know they were missing until Aya said that Suika had taken them!? The devil laughed cheerily. Flandre walked up the front steps of the shrine, looking like she was in a rather foul mood, with Meiling holding a bloodred parasol to keep the sun from shining on the vampire.
?Stupid oni, taking a vital part to my torture rack! I have half a mind to put HER on the rack.?
?Now now, Flandre, she didn?t know what she was doing. Alice is here, though, if you want to go see her.?
?Alice?! Meiling, hold onto my parasol, please.?
?Yes, mistress.? Meiling collapsed the umbrella, and stood there.
?Alice!! Where are you!??
?Flandre?! I?m in here!?
?Yaay!? The little vampire squealed and ran toward Alice just as she came out of the room. Marisa came out and ruffled Flandre?s hat and hair from over Alice?s shoulder. ?And Marisa, too! I missed you!?
?We missed you too, Flandre! How come you never come to visit us??
?Patchouli has me holed up in that dumb library of hers, trying to learn me things that I?ll never need, like arithmetic and reading. I liked her better when she didn?t know that I liked her.?
?I heard that, you little demon. I?m giving you extra courses in arithmetic and reading, just for that comment.? The Voile librarian huffed her way up the Hakurei shrine?s steps long after everyone else, apparently having been spent on the trip. ?Why I bothered to come along is beyond me? I could have just asked Sakuya to bring my spectacles and books to me.?
?See what I mean! I swear I?ll never torture anyone ever again, if you?ll make her leave my poor brain alone!?
?Reimu, What did you need Meiling and Sakuya for??
?Actually?? Reimu started, and Aya appeared next to her, ready to write some more. ?I was wondering if they could watch over a newcomer to Gensokyo with us. She appeared hanging from the roof of my shrine here. Hourai was telling Alice, Marisa and myself about how she had accidentally crossed the border and met three humans on the other side named Desiderius, Kaeli? and Phoebe. This girl in the room here?? Reimu said as they came to the room that Phoebe was in, Remilia receiving the story, Aya writing it, with Meiling and Sakuya listening attentively since it pertained to them somehow. ?Her name is Phoebe. When she appeared, it sounded like a very loud version of Aya?s camera flash, and white light exploded out from all around the back of my shrine. It scared poor Hourai so bad that-?
?Remilia! Pretty! Hourai want dress too!?
?? She actually started speaking.? Reimu smiled as the puppet whizzed by her and hovered in front of the devil of Gensokyo. Remilia raised her hands up as though she wanted to touch Hourai, but didn?t actually make contact.
?Incredible. I never once in my wildest dreams thought that Alice?s creations would actually be capable of speech!?
?Mommy good! Hourai special!?
?Mommy??
?Yes! Marisa papa!?
?Marisa??? Meiling started sniggering, and Sakuya cuffed her on the ear. ?Ouch! What was that for??
?Remilia brother? Flandre sister? Sakuya cousin? China cousin??
?Oh!? Remilia looked at Reimu for input. Reimu just nodded, telling Remilia and the other three that they should simply say yes. ?Of course! We?ll be your siblings! How cute, Reimu.?
?Reimu uncle! Aya aunt??
?Now wait just a moment??
?I think that?d be cool, Hourai! And that kinda makes all of us related, in a way! Now that?s a story for the Bunbunmaru! ?Puppet Makes Unique Family?!? She makes a quick little note about it on the side of her notebook.
?But having me as the uncle??
?Why not??
?Well? because? it makes me sound old.?
?As though you aren?t??
?Eh? true. But I like to think that I?m young. It matches my appearance.?
?Priestess Hakurei! The girl is coming to!?
Kitaen Silva:
Everyone in the shrine at that instant went storming toward Eirin?s voice, just as a new and very strange voice was heard.
[Note: Phoebe is using an unrecognized font to speak at this point, and can't change it to one that shows what it says. I can't remember exactly what it says, so I'll edit it when I get the chance.]
?? ??
Everyone stared at Phoebe with a tilted head, each thinking they heard a bunch of gibberish. Hourai flew over to her and hovered nearby.
?Phoebe in Gensokyo!?
?Ge-n-so-ki-yo??
?Right!?
? Gensokyo? Mercatia Border Enchuridion? .?
?What a strange language??
?I can?t understand any of it.?
?Me either? Patchy??
?It?s nothing I?ve ever heard of. But I might have something she can understand in Voile. Shall we go and see, once we?re certain she is well??
?I?m OK with that idea.?
??? ?.?
?Hourai? Think you could explain to her with pictures??
<Maybe. . . they can?t understand me? What am I to do. . .? Am I alone?>
?Hourai try pictures??
?Explain that we?re taking her to Patchy?s library to see if we can find anything she can understand. We?re going to see if we can learn a way to understand each other. Maybe we can find out why she?s here.?
?Hourai try pictures.? The little puppet took the paper she was doodling with a moment ago, and turned it over, immediately starting some more doodles.
?Hourai, you?ll have to try and do it without words this time.?
?Yes, mommy. No words.?
Phoebe was distracted with watching Eirin test the blood that was on her. Hourai was drawing up several pictures telling a small story of what?s taking place. Alice, Flandre, and Marisa were entertaining each other and telling stories, though Alice was trying to concentrate on what her puppet was drawing. Sakuya had started to chase Meiling around the shrine, threatening bodily harm with the knives that Reimu had just returned. Remilia was enthralled by Hourai, watching her every little life-filled move with wonder and awe, even finding the way she held the pencil with both hands to be completely adorable. Suika stumbled in and was leaning on Reimu with her mud-caked head, starting to drift into a drunken slumber. Patchouli had retrieved her spectacles from Reimu just as Hourai got up with her paper and floated over to Phoebe and started trying to narrate her pictures with names, gestures, and charades. Everyone went silent and watched Hourai attempt to communicate with the strange girl. Hourai then went around the room and introduced everyone. Phoebe imitated the names to make sure she had them right.
?Remilia? Sa? Sa-ku-ya? Mei-ling? Flan-dre??
Hourai moved to the next four.
?Patch-ou-li? A-ya? Ma-ri-sa? Alice??
Hourai continued to the last few, and said their names.
?Rei-mu? Su-i-ka? E-i-rin? Hou-rai?? Gensokyo.?
Everyone acknowledged their name was correct, and Hourai had an idea.
?Mommy? Hourai use words? Teach Phoebe? Like mommy teach Hourai??
?Great idea!?
?I don?t know if this is anything? noteworthy, but I noticed that she could say Lady Remilia?s name and Alice?s name much easier than everyone else?s names. And we know that Alice and Remilia are names from a different language? Does that help any??
?Not at all, you dolt!? Sakuya said, and reprimanded the green-clothed guard harshly.
?Actually, it helped more on a psychological level. With the fact that ?Alice? is indeed a name in a different language, as well as ?Remilia?, and even my own name, ?Patchouli?, we are now sure that knowledge exists of her language.? Patchouli looked over at Hourai, who had already started teaching Phoebe all of her vocabulary. Surprisingly, Phoebe was catching on to the language of Gensokyo very quickly. Reimu had vacated the room to fetch a new basin of water and a clean wash towel.
?Yes, name Phoebe.?
?Yaay! Phoebe good!?
?Patchouli??
?Yes, my name is Patchouli.?
?No. Phoebe? have? Phoebe have question.?
?Oh. Ask me what you can.? Phoebe clearly didn?t understand what she had said, but knew what she meant.
?Help Phoebe learn Gensokyo? Help Phoebe leave. Want home. Mommy.?
?Yes, Patchouli, Remilia, Sakuya, Reimu? Help Phoebe learn Gensokyo.?
?Alice, Flandre, Marisa? Meiling, Eirin, Aya? Suika? Hourai??
?Yes.? Patchouli was not fond of teaching, nor people with a miniscule vocabulary, but she took a liking to this Phoebe girl, because she seemed highly intelligent. And she was a quick learner, which meant that if she was taught something, it was likely that it didn't have to be repeated. Not only that, but there was much to be learned from this strange girl. Phoebe still seemed slightly distressed, however.
?Phoebe want home? Patchouli help??
?Err??
?What ?err???
?Well, not that you can understand me, but I don?t really know if we can get you home. We don?t know where you?re from. And personally, I was hoping to learn a bit about where you came from before you left.?
?Hourai try pictures. Hourai think Phoebe understand pictures.?
?Good. Eirin, how much longer do you need before we can be on our way to the Scarlet Devil Mansion??
?Hard to say. I don?t usually do tests on human blood.?
?Hey Eirin??
?No, Flandre. You cannot have this blood. The things I?m testing it with might make you sick or even kill you.?
?Awww? What about the leftovers??
?Fine. If there?s any left over, you can have it.?
Phoebe seemed to have just noticed the wings on the Scarlet sisters, and the way Flandre was eyeing the phials of blood that Eirin had collected, and she was trying to back away without being seen.
?Gensokyo !??
Flandre looked at the human girl as she was backing away, and giggled.
?Phoebe?s acting funny!? Phoebe spotted one of Flandre?s fangs sticking out when she laughed, and tried to escape. Meiling intercepted her at the door, and held her still.
?No escaping now, little girl. Nothing?s going to happen to you.?
?Flandre, have you no shame? Stow that fang! That?s incredibly unladylike.?
?I don?t wanna act ladylike. That?s your job, sister.?
?Stow it, or I break it!?
?Now who?s being unladylike, sister?!?
?Calm down, you two. I don?t want a fight breaking out in my shrine.?
?I don?t wanna fight, either. I just like my fang poking out. It feels funny.? The eccentric little vampire opened her mouth, stuck a finger to the offending fang, and squeaked it back and forth along the pure white incisor.
?I often wonder how you could be my sister?? Aya happened to walk back into the room at this time. Nobody even noticed that she had left in the first place, so she startled Patchouli, Marisa, and Alice when she came back in.
?Hey? That sounds like another story! I could do a bit of research on the subject. What if? ?Scarlet Family Tree Shows Flandre Not Related!?? Wouldn?t that be interesting? I?d just have to find birth certificates and ancestry papers??
Aya had only been thinking aloud over her tea, but everyone went silent and glared at her. Even Phoebe, like she knew what had happened. Patchouli made note of that, and would bring it up later. Tears welled up in the little vampire?s eyes upon hearing what Aya had on her mind.
?What?s everyone looking at me like that for??
?N-not related? Remi isn?t my sister!? That can?t be true!?
?It?s not true, Flandre! Don?t listen to Aya?s ramblings!? Alice said, scooping her up into her arms just as the tears started to flow. Flandre gripped Alice in an emotional cling, hiding her face in Alice?s shoulder.
?Yeah, little Flan. Aya doesn?t know anything. She only wants a story for her stupid paper.? Marisa said to her, walking over and taking off the vampire?s cap to pet her head.
?Flandre sister Hourai!? the puppet stated simply, as she sat upon Flandre, patting a little tuft of flaxen hair away from Flandre?s eye so she could peer into it and try to comfort her.
?Ha ha? Look at you two. Making me out to be the bad guy.? Aya evidently didn?t understand that she had said something terrible in front of Flandre. She didn?t know that she had even said anything at all.
?You ARE the bad guy, Aya. You do a lot of villainous things! You write even more evil things in your paper! Your treachery is unbearable!? Aya looked more crestfallen with each sentence, as though daggers were being stuck into her.
?Treachery? Un? unbearable? I? just write the news?? she said sadly.
?Your ?news? is usually offensive! You can?t keep a secret, not even if your life depended on it! That?s why nobody wants you around!?
?Nobody? wants me around, you say? I kinda felt that were so? but always hoped it weren?t true??
?Aya?? Reimu said, not liking to see her friend getting hurt.
?In that case? Since I?m such a bother? I?ll just leave-? Aya said, turning to walk out the door as she was interrupted.
?Yeah, of course. Leaving doesn?t solve anything, it?s the coward?s way out. But hey, it solves our problems.?
?Well maybe I AM a coward! I?m scared of a lot of things! I?m scared of bugs! I?m scared of wrinkly old people! I?m scared of deadlines! I?m scared of the dark! I?m scared of the woods! I?m scared of weird houses! I?m scared, most of all, of being alone! But since nobody wants me around, I guess I better get used to being alone! I?m leaving now, to do just that!!?
?Aya, wait!? Reimu called, but Aya was ignoring her, and was walking furiously off the shrine grounds, straight toward the forest behind the shrine. ?Aya!!?
Everyone except for Eirin and Phoebe walked outside of the shrine into the setting sun and watched her leave, expecting her to take off in flight toward Youkai Mountain, where she usually frequented. After several moments, Remilia spoke.
?She?s? not flying.?
??Flying makes her happy.?
?She?s? walking the wrong way? the mountain is in the other direction??
?She?s going into the woods??
?She?s still not flying??
?Aya has always been scared of the woods?? nobody noticed that Reimu was actually starting to cry.
?She?ll be fine. She?ll manage to write her way out of it.? Alice said irritatedly, turning to leave with Flandre still in her arms. Marisa left with her.
?I didn?t like her very much either? she always took compromising pictures of me.?
?That?s because you?re always in a compromising situation, dummy. But I?m not sticking up for her either.?
?Aya is scared of the dark??
?Ha ha ha! Everyone should be scared of the dark. My kind rule the night.?
?Lady Remilia, that?s not helping matters at all.?
?The sun is setting? Aya is scared of the dark??
?-hic- Reimu-chan is fond of Aya. They?re -hic- ? um. They?re good friends. Gyuuu~?? Suika said solemnly, even though she wasn?t nearly sober. She then toppled over on the wooden walkway, out like a light.
?Dark? Woods? Alone? More than just bugs?? Reimu said with the last of her calm, before finally sitting on the grass to cry over her friend?s shattered feelings. ?How could Alice say such things???
?Because you don?t read the Bunbunmaru. I say that she had it coming.? Sakuya said with indifference, and turned to get back to the entire reason she was here to begin with.
?I do wish things had been better? She could be nice when she wasn?t writing or taking pictures of me? and she was always willing to help.? China followed Sakuya inside after her own comment.
Patchouli stood silently, quietly debating on whether to add her own two cents or try and comfort. Finally, she left without a word, not really caring to express her opinion of the tengu. She wasn?t the sentimental type, anyway. Suika just started snoring quietly. Remilia moved to stand by the priestess, who was hurt and broken by what everyone had said about her friend.
?Priestess?? Remilia said, putting a hand on the girl?s back. The Devil of Gensokyo chose her words carefully and wisely. ?I can?t really pretend to know how you?re feeling right now, but I must tell you this. She must not only get over some of her childish fears, but come to realize that the problems she has with making friends, doesn?t lie in the people she?s trying to be friends with, but in herself. She has to realize that she?s not treating her ?friends? with respect. She violates her ?friends? privacy, and indeed, cannot keep a secret. She cannot be confided in, cannot be trusted, and worst of all, cannot tell the truth in writing, and often the same in speech. I?m not her ?friend? either, but I tolerate her, and even what she writes about me, because I believe I know what the problem is. She?s constantly trying to impress everyone, so they?ll all be friends with her. She feels that she has nothing impressive about herself, so she uses her talent as a writer to tell stories about what?s going on around her. Everything that?s going on around her, pertains to her ?friends?. So she writes about them. What she writes at first probably seems very boring to her, so she ?spices it up? a little, because she?s out to impress her friends. This is where things get lost in translation and the truth can get quite distorted. I think she?d make a wonderful fiction novelist, but for the time being, she?s a terrible reporter. Either she works on and fixes the problems with her ?reporting?, or she quits the Bunbunmaru and tries to publish stories that aren?t meant to be true.?
Remilia turned away.
?I guess? I want to be friends with that silly tengu. But I want to make sure she knows how to be a good friend before I would do for her the things that I do for my friends. I can see her good side. She doesn?t need to work on that. She just needs to get rid of the bad habits she?s built up. However? I fear that she has no intentions of returning to her home, nor to see any of us again. And for that, I am filled with regret. I?m torn between chasing after her, and letting her be to learn her lesson. I know she needs to learn, but I want to believe? that there?s a better way.?
Reimu listened carefully through her constant flow of tears, but never moved, even after Remilia had turned and gone back inside to try and convince Phoebe that vampires weren?t evil, just hungry sometimes. And perhaps try to demonstrate on someone. Reimu remained still, even after the sun had set. Quite some time later, Remilia came back outside to check on Reimu.
?Priestess? Come inside. Sakuya and Marisa have made an interesting pork and mushroom stew.? She said merrily. She received no response.
Remilia stepped out further.
?Priestess Hakurei??
Suika let out a loud snore. Reimu was nowhere to be seen. Remilia quickly went back inside.
?Reimu has gone after Aya! Into the EASTERN forest!?
?But? That?s beyond the border!?
?Wait? Aya went into the eastern forest? Why in the world would she do that?!?
?I don?t know, but I?m going after them, to make sure they?re fine! You hard-hearted fools do what you like!? Remilia turned and vanished into the night sky.
?Sister???
?Aya?s the hard-hearted one. I say that whatever happens to Aya out there is well deserved.?
?That may be so, Alice? but Reimu is out there too. I don?t want to regret never leaving her a donation if she runs into trouble.?
?Hourai miss aunt Aya??
?Fine. We?ll go.?
?We?re taking my broom! It?s faster.?
?Ohhh dear. You know I don?t like flying with you.?
[Note: I am unable to post the remainder until later. Please bear with me, okay?]
Kitaen Silva:
Following the view of Marisa Kirisame and Alice Margatroid
Marisa and Alice were flying together just over the treetops while keeping watch for any sign of Reimu. Neither was looking for Aya. Alice was feeling extremely skittish, being so very close to the border, flying so close to treetops in the dark, and being on a broom.
?Are you sure she said she went into the eastern forest? She could have meant southern.?
?Yes, she said eastern. Now I wish you wouldn?t try to cleave me in two with your scissor grip around my waist. I need that lower half so you can have your way with me-oomph!? Alice apparently wasn?t in the mood for spicy chatter, for she released her grip momentarily, only to drive both hands forcefully into Marisa?s gut. ?Now what in the world was that for?!?
?I?m on a broom, flying inches over the tops of trees in the dark, while the Hakurei Border lies dangerously close to here! We could get sucked out of Gensokyo at any moment! That doesn?t
worry you??
?Nope. Not really. As long you take me with you to wherever we get sucked to, I don?t care. Not only that, but Reimu is out here somewhere, which means that we should be fine.?
?What if we passed over Reimu? We could have completely missed her, and then what? We could have even passed the border! If we pass the border, we?re screwed! We can?t get back through, and you know it!?
?Stop worrying, Alice. If we had passed over the border, we would have known it.?
?No, we might not have! Nobody?s crossed the border and come back to tell about it! So what if you don?t know when you?ve crossed the border??
?The border has wards. Keeps out what?s meant to be kept out, and keeps in what we want kept in. You?d have to really want to cross the border to actually do it. Since we don?t want to cross the border, we won?t be crossing the border. That simple.?
?How do you know that??
?Reimu maintains the wards. That?s the whole reason she?s here. Why we?re here.?
?What if the wards fail? Then what??
?Reimu has backup wards placed all over her shrine. If something happens to the wards on the border, we had better get to the Hakurei Shrine as fast as we can. At the border, there are four main wards placed each at North, East, South, and West. They are meant to seal out whatever is supposed to be sealed out. There are four more main wards placed each at the exact point in the center between two of the first four. Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest. These four keep in those who desire to remain safe within, diverting those who might stray too close by accident. Sixteen scrolls with spells written on them are placed in miniature shrines, and those shrines are located at the same place as the Eight Wards, as well as the places between each of them. There are smaller wards for various purposes spread out equally between all eight of those main wards. Most pertain to supporting the Eight Wards and Sixteen Scrolls, like at points where stress has occurred, or where someone has exited the border. That?s why when someone leaves Gensokyo, it must be prearranged with Reimu. She?ll determine when and where you would exit, prepare a ward, and guide you there. Once you leave, she erects the ward, and blesses your journey, praying for safe travels.?
?I?ve never heard any of this? How do YOU know?? Alice had forgotten most of her fears of flying on the broom, and was listening intently to what her closest friend was telling her, placing her chin gently on Marisa?s shoulder.
?I?ve been around Reimu enough to know things like that. She used to ask me to help her trek to each of the wards when they needed replacement. The rest I learned from books that I borrowed from Patchy.?
?So? why would someone want to leave Gensokyo??
?Who knows. I only know that they never come back. Humans aren?t supposed to pass through the border? They usually die or suffer severe illnesses right before they pass through. Youkai, however, make a tremendous sacrifice to pass through. They must take on a human form if they aren?t naturally humanlike, and they relenquish every ounce of their powers, leaving them unconscious. Reimu will prepare them to pass through by suppressing all of their memories of Gensokyo, placing several wards on their person, and carrying them to the border, where she performs a traditional passing over for them.?
?The way you say it makes it sound like she?s having their bodies disposed of after death.?
?In a way, they have died. They must give up everything to pass through the border.?
?What are the Scrolls for??
?I?m not entirely certain? but I think they keep Gensokyo hidden. From what, I don?t know. I?ve always wondered if there?s more to the world beyond border Gensokyo.?
?Why would we need to keep Gensokyo hidden? And seriously, how did you know all of this serious stuff? Why did you never tell me? Who else knows this??
?I don?t know why we need Gensokyo to remain hidden. I?ve heard fables of other worlds out there, and ours is kept secret from them. And nobody but myself and Reimu know this information.?
?Like other planets??
?I would suppose? But my guess is that it?s more like other dimensions. Reimu?s job is to protect Gensokyo from those other worlds. I just kinda, jumped on the bandwagon, and do the same.?
?I?ve never seen this side of you, before? You sound pretty heroic to me. I like it.?
?What?s this? Are you coming onto me? Without being drunk??
?Maybe. You just sounded so smart, and protective, when you were talking just now. It makes me feel safe around you."
?That?s exactly what I go for. I want to keep Gensokyo safe from whatever isn?t Gensokyo.?
?So what else do you know??
?Well? I?ve read somewhere that one of the two worlds is called Mercatia. It?s supposedly a place populated only by humans.?
?Only humans? But how do they survive??
?It said they were very resourceful, and self-sufficient. They farmed and harvested their own food. Built their own homes. There used to be youkai, and demons, and even a few angels, and a lot of extremely powerful gods.?
?Used to be??
?Yeah. It didn?t say how or why, but they all just vanished. The story said that the humans had become so many, that they spread across an entire planet, and even into the vacuum outside of the planet. It said that they were spreading like a virus, without youkai to keep their levels from increasing so rapidly. The story theorized that perhaps a single god and a group of angels that followed him had stayed behind, and a single youkai with a group of demons stood to oppose him and keep balance.?
?Wow. This all makes me wonder about things.?
?Like what??
?Well, why would this one god want to stay behind??
?The story mentioned a book called ?Holy Bible?, but I can?t find a copy of it anywhere. Supposedly, that book tells all about it. Something about how this god wanted to create a heaven for humans or something along those lines, but the youkai that stood to keep balance and oppose him had to stop that from being entirely successful. This race of humans is incredibly indecisive, constantly warring and killing each other. This is the negative end of ?balance? for Mercatia. But they also love easily, and are usually intelligent by nature. This is part of the positive end.?
?So there are still youkai and demons there. It?s not ONLY humans.?
?Ah, but that?s the weird part. It IS inhabited only by humans. Somehow, this god, this youkai, and all of the demons and angels supposedly are never seen. Ever. By anyone. They go about somehow, without actually being part of the world. Like they?re watching Mercatia in a fishbowl, from outside of it. They can influence Mercatia, without actually being there.?
?That?s scary! I?d hate to live in a world where I?m always being watched!?
?Me too. Wanna know something else? Mercatia can?t have real danmaku festivals. They fight wars with swords. Important and rich people order poor people to get together in huge groups, and then run at each other while screaming, until the groups crash together like waves, and humans are hacking other humans to bits over stupid little things. That?s how the ?big arguments? are settled. Whoever is stronger is right.?
?That?s all very disturbing, on so many levels! Why would any human want to kill another human!? That?s like me chopping you in half!? Alice actually shed a tear at the thought of having to chop Marisa in half. ?If we leave Gensokyo, then we probably wind up in Mercatia! And since we don?t have any money, we?d be poor! But since we?re poor, we?d have to be ordered around by these rich people! What if we have to fight each other, Marisa!? I don?t wanna chop you in half!? Alice gripped Marisa tightly, crying into the witch?s back. Marisa took Alice?s hand and held it close to her.
?If that happens, we won?t fight. We?ll hug each other, ok??
?But they must use some powerful magic to order all those humans to kill each other just to decide something! I know the humans here in Gensokyo would never kill one another! They would never!?
?I? never thought of that? That?s pretty scary, Alice? I don?t want to have to kill you, either! They might use my magic to make you explode!? Marisa held Alice?s hand tighter, and searched for her other hand.
?But Mari! We lose our powers when we cross the border! You couldn?t make me explode. They?d make you cut me into pieces!? Alice started crying again, and crossed her arms in front of Marisa. They flew on in silence for a few moments, cheek to cheek.
?Hey! Is that Remilia?? Alice pointed over Marisa?s other shoulder, at a pallid object flying away from them.
?Looks like it. Keep your eyes open for Reimu now. She could be anywhere.?
?Alright, I will.?
They had nearly caught up to Remilia after a moment. Alice called out to her.
?Hey! Lady Remilia!! We?re here to help you look for Reimu now!?
?What??
?We?re here to help!?
?Look for Reimu, correct??
?Right!
?I?m not looking for Reimu! I?m looking for Reimu and Aya!?
?Who cares about Aya!? We need Reimu! Aya?s just a twisted reporter!?
?Shut up, you! Aya is Reimu?s best friend! She?s the entire reason that Reimu is out here in the middle of the night! And the reason that Aya is out here, probably terrified clear out of her mind, is because you were being an insensitive jerk! What you displayed back at the shrine was worse than anything that poor tengu could write! If you?re not here to look for Aya too, then get out of here! Don?t go back to the shrine, go home! You?ll do not one bit of good out here!?
?What do you want me to do!??
?Apologize! You were completely in the wrong! Nobody else may have noticed, because they harbor similar feelings toward the girl, but have any of you stopped for even a moment, just once, to think about how she feels!? She cares about you people! She cares enough to want to write about you, and make you people out to be much more exciting than you really are!?
?So now she thinks we?re boring?!?
?Not at all! She wants other people to be impressed by you! She wants to make you important! People love reading about us! Whether it?s true or not doesn?t matter! What she wants, is important friends, so even if they don?t like her, she can feel like she?s wanted! None of you bothered to notice, not even I did until moments ago, but Aya always wrote the truth about Reimu! And Reimu was mentioned at least once in every paper! That?s because Reimu actually wanted her around. If all you did was take some time to appreciate her, she most likely wouldn?t be half as bothersome, and would probably write the truth about you! Think about it, if her goal is to make her friends important, what better way is there, than to be an important friend!? Reimu could do it for her, why can?t we?!?
?Alice? She?s right. None of us have ever treated her nicely, so why should she treat us any better? I know the first thing I?m going to do when I see Aya again??
?If you two are going to help, then help! If not, go home! I?ll make sure that I stay out here until I find both of them, and bring them back to the shrine! Even if I have to stay out here after the sun rises! Because Aya is my friend too!? Remilia took off like a shot further toward the east.
?Remilia??
?I?ve never seen her so angry and upset in my life! Not even when we raided her house over that scarlet mist incident!?
?I never thought I?d say something like this? but? Let?s go find Aya!?
?There we go! That?s the spirit we need! Let?s go and fix this!? Marisa poured magic into her broom to follow after Remilia.
?Woaah! That didn?t mean that I liked riding this broom any more than before!!? Alice howled, tightening her grip around Marisa. Marisa just laughed wildly. That is, until Alice abruptly stopped moving forward with Marisa and the broom. Alice still had a grip on Marisa when it happened, and it ripped Marisa clear away from her broom, which flew in an erratic spiral before plummeting into the trees. Marisa herself flew from Alice?s grasp from the momentum, and they both plummeted earthward. Alice remembered she could fly, just before she hit the ground, but not before she was nearly impaled on the tip of a dead tree stump. It tore a nasty gash into her dress and side, and blood sprayed high into the air as she spun wildly toward the ground, where she righted herself and came to a hover mere inches above the ground. Marisa didn?t have the luck of such an ability. Her mode of flight just vanished into the trees about a kilometer away, so she took a heavy tumble and crash through the trees, before she smashed sickeningly upon the ground just after Alice connected with the dead tree. Her pointy hat slowly spun down and landed neatly nearby, as if to mock Marisa?s landing in a disturbing way. Alice immediately rushed to aid her best friend, blinded with pain from the deep wound in her left side, but was blocked by some unseen force.
?Oh no!! Marisa!!! Marisa! Say something!!? Alice shouted to her, but to no avail. Marisa wasn?t moving. Alice began to weep, and continued to call out to Marisa. Something was in the sky, just beyond Marisa.
?Remilia! REMILIA!!!! HELP!!!? Alice started screaming, and then flew into the air against the invisible wall to wave her arms and try to get the Devil?s attention. After several minutes of wasting a lot of energy, Remilia turned around and saw Alice.
?Remilia!! Marisa is hurt, and I can?t reach her!! Help me!!? Remilia stopped and looked at Alice like she couldn?t understand. But she looked to where Alice was indicating, and saw Marisa. Remilia flew to Marisa without any problem, but Alice was still trapped behind the invisible wall.
?Remilia! I don?t know what happened! We were following you, and she was laughing, and suddenly I stopped moving, but she kept going! There?s some kind of bar-? OHMIGOD!? Alice quickly came to realize that Marisa had passed through the border of Gensokyo, while she had not been permitted to. ?The border! This is the border!! NO! Marisa!!? Alice tried to pound on the barrier, but Remilia wasn?t paying any attention to her. The vampire was trying to pick up Marisa, and was getting ready to take off when she finally spotted Alice making a fuss. Remilia said something to Alice, but the sound never reached her. Alice noticed this, and wrote in the sand where Remilia could see it: ?You and Marisa are on the other side of the Gensokyo Border! I can?t get through! Help me!?
Remilia looked astonished and put Marisa down gently. Then she tried to walk toward Alice with her arms stretched forward. The vampire?s hands met the invisible wall about a foot away from Alice?s hands. Remilia bent to write a response in the sand.
?This is bad. Aya must have wanted to leave Gensokyo! Reimu and I wanted to find Aya, so we probably were able to pass through the border! Marisa, too!? Alice took a moment to read Remilia?s scrawlings, before writing her own.
?Of course it?s bad! If Reimu is over there, everyone in Gensokyo is probably doomed! What do I do!??
?Go and warn everyone at Hakurei Shrine! If Reimu hasn?t passed over the border yet, it?s inevitable, because she?s bent on finding Aya! The four of us will probably never see Gensokyo again??
?NO! I have to get back my Maris-? Alice wiped it away, and started writing again. ?I want to apologize to Aya! And it?s my fault that Marisa is over there! This is all my fault!? Alice?s writing got more and more sloppy, as she collapsed into the sand and started to lament and weep over all that had transpired.
?Alice! Listen! You must take over Aya?s second duty! You have to alert everyone and get them to Hakurei Shrine! Even those who don?t want anything to do with it, you must convince them to go! This was Aya?s job, because she was the fastest in all of Gensokyo! But now you?re the only one that knows about this! Don?t ask me why, just do it!?
Alice didn?t need to ask why. She already knew why. Everyone had to get to Reimu?s shrine, because the backup wards were there. Which meant that the Scrolls and Wards were going to be broken at some point. Remilia erased what she had written, and started writing again.
?Once everyone is at the shrine, keep them there! Because I don?t know what will happen to the barrier once Reimu herself leaves it! If it shrinks, everyone inside of Gensokyo will be crushed into nothingness as it collapses! You will need Sakuya! Tell her to expand space inside of Hakurei Shrine. You will also need Meiling, to keep people from getting out of line! Patchouli knows the whereabouts of nearly everyone, as well as how many people are in Gensokyo.?
Remilia ran out of space. She waited a few moments until Alice nodded with a face full of tears before erasing and starting again.
?Yukari might be able to help sustain the border with her magic, even if it only slows it down, that?s more time that we can figure out a way to fix this. Keep this in mind: You have NO WAY of knowing if the border is shrinking! It?s invisible, and it only affects those with a will! Since it doesn?t affect things like trees and houses, you can?t afford to waste time, or let people linger in their houses! If someone is caught in their house when the border passes through it, it will kill them, unless they have a desire to leave Gensokyo! Those who are outside will be pushed inward by the border,?
She ran out of space again. Alice nodded grimly, and wrote some details down in her grimoire to help her remember what to say to people.
?until the border collapses in on itself like a giant compressor. Every living being caught in it will be forced and smashed together until they explode and die, where the border will then pass over the remains and disappear! DO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!?
Alice covered her mouth in horror, and scribbled back.
?I won?t! Please bring Marisa back to me!? And then she ran through the woods as fast as she could to do what she had to do. She was much too upset to fly. She cried all the way back to the shrine, where people were still partying and laughing. Alice was terrified. She was suddenly very claustrophobic. She hated having to actually be trapped in Gensokyo. What scared her most was the fact that she did NOT want to leave Gensokyo.
She wondered who to tell first, and how they would take it.