All characters, settings, and general events belong to Zun and blab, blab, blab.

This is a retelling off Highly Responsive to Prayers (one that not many people have retold), off the events that unfolded, and the stories that were sadly not told. This is the first fanfiction of the entire touhou series retold. It will be filled with my interpretations of the characters, new antagonists (because there are only 4 truly nefarious people in the entire series), and some OCs (only in cases where there is no other character that can fit, and only one (maybe two) that is truly relevant the plot, none in this story though).

In a land of tales of eastern fantasy, far away from here, is a place where that eastern fantasy is real. Among the forests, the lake, and the mountain, youkai run free. The only person responsible for extermination against the youkai has been slain. While incidents are still kept in check by a powerful force, the very balance of this land is being threaten as youkai attack unopposed. The village of humans itself is becoming unsafe. Yet, on the eastern edge of this land, a shrine stands. The only shrine in this land, the Hakurei shrine, and in this shrine we find the very person who will soon deal with the incidents and the youkai, inspire many others to do so too, and bring a lasting peace between the youkai and the humans with one simple document. This shrine maiden is named Reimu Hakurei.

"Waa. Why, why, why did mom have to -sniff- leave me?" wined the young and helpless shrine maiden. Her clothes were in taters, here nose was red and runny, her hare was everywhere, messy, and dirty. She had tear stricken red eyes, and beneath her a slightly damp floor.

"I have told you a million times my lady, your mother did not leave you. She would have never left you if she had the choice. She just met a sudden and tragic end." Mumbled an old and wise turtle name Genjii. He is like any other turtle except he can talk, can fly, and has a beard. He is not a youkai.

"Why did she have to -sniff- die? I will never be as powerful as mom! I-I can't even use the -sniff- yin-yang orb." Cried Reimu. The yin-yang orb is in the corner, thrown there by Reimu.

"Nonsenses, all you have to do is train some more." Proclaim Genjii, trying to comfort the sad miko.

"It won't work, training -sniff- is not working. I'm no closer to summing the yin-yang orbs, even after three years. I will never be able to use its -sniff- power. -Sniff- -sniff- -sniff- Waa." With that, Reimu bolted to her room, leaving behind a river of tears.

"wait-"

"Looks like she's not ready. What a sham." Echoed a mysterious voice. Out of nowhere, a rip in the fabric of realty appears in front of the shrine. It was perpendicular to the ground, purple, filled with eyes blinking, and with red ribbons tying the ends. Out of it stepped a tall human like figure. She had golden hair, dark yellow eyes, wore a purple dress and a white mob cap, and was holding an umbrella like a walking stick.

"Oh, Miss Yakumo, I did not see you there. What is it that you need?" Genjii asked surprised by this person's arrival as he floats to her.

"To think that this is how the Hakurei line ends, by a weak and useless shrine maiden."

"Hey Reimu is only nine years of age. She still has a long time to live."

"She has been training for three years, and she still has not learn how to summon the yin-yang orbs. So when a youkai decides to attack her, there's no stopping them."

"Well maybe Reimu would be able to use the yin-yang orbs if you had raise her" Genjii protested with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Yakumo opens the parasol and puts it over her head. "If I did then Reimu would have no incentive to get better as a youkai exterminator. She would be a shrine maiden that does not exterminate youkai."

"How would you know, you never even tried."

"Anyway, A big threat is gaining her strength in hell, and I need someone how is affiliated with the shrine." Yakumo suddenly announced.

"Why do you need someone form the shrine, and why can't you just gap there"

"The Goddess of hell has set up something to keep me from Gapping in. So I need someone which the seal over the gate of hell would recognize as affiliated with the shrine to get through."

"Find, I will go get Reimu."

"No, she is too weak and can't fly, but you would work just as well"

"Well then I will just tell Reimu that I will be leaving."

"That would just be incentive for her to follow us to hell."

"At least let me tell the sprits of the yin-yang orbs to make sure that she doesn't leave" grumbled Genjii

"Alright them."

Genjii floats to the shrine entrance. "Hey Shingyoku, I'm going out with Miss Yakumo to hell, can you make sure Reimu does not come after us."

A large orb in the shape of the yin-yang symbol appears before Genjii. It suddenly spilt apart to reveal a man wearing a shrine priest's outfit and a woman wearing a priestess outfit.

"Okay" said the man.

"Then" said the woman.

Genjii walks back out front "Are you prepared, Miss Yakumo?"

"We need to swing by my house to get prepared."

Just then, a gap open below them and they fell through, and the gap closed as suddenly as it appeared.


A While later

The door to Reimu's room opened, reveling a cleaned up shrine maiden. She had chest length purple dyed hair (she is a natural light brown), brown eyes, and wore the traditional shrine maiden.

"Genjii, where are you? I want to apologize about outburst"

Reimu walked down the hallway to the main room. She could see nobody in the lifeless room.

"Where did Genjii go?" Reimu said talking to herself.

An echoing cry rang out from all around the shrine "He is not here".

"Who are you?" Reimu yelled

Shingyoku materialized themselves in front of Reimu. "Our name is Shingyoku, and we are the sprites of the orbs"

"Are you here to teach me how to use them?"

"We have no idea how to use them."

"Anyway, where did Genjii go exactly?"

"He went to Makai to stop a threat."

Reimu jumped back in surprise. "Whaaaat. He cannot deal with Makai all on his own. I need to go after him"

"We will not let you go to Makai, no matter what" with that, Shingyoku began to charge at Reimu.

Reimu jumped out of the way just in time, as Shingyoku smashed the floor where she was standing. Reimu fell on her face when she hit the floor again.

"You can't even use the yin-yang orbs, let allow fly. How would you handle h-, Makai?" Shingyoku warned menacingly.

Reimu turned over. Her legs were shaking, there was sweat coming down her face, she started breathing faster, and her heart was racing. As Shingyoku stared charging at her again, she franticly looked around the room for something to fight of Shingyoku.

She spotted the yin-yang orb. Sitting in a corner.

Wait a second Reimu thought

She got up and ran to the orb, just barely dodging the charge.

She reaches the orb and lifts it up. Shingyoku was charging for a third time at her. She threw the orb with all her might. It hit Shingyoku, knocking them both back. Reimu manage to catch the orb, but it made her stomach ace from the impact.

"So, you chose to fight me do you Reimu? Fine, in that case if you manage to beat us, than you are skilled enough to go and take on Makai. But know this much Reimu, you will not beat us when we use all of our power. Prepare for your first danmaku match." Shingyoku starts to move back and forth, making it harder to line up a shoot for. It also starts to shoot bullets in an arch fashion, with a slight pause between each bullet fired.

Reimu jumps back, moves the orb to her left, and brings out her gohei. "I might not know how to summon the yin yang orbs, but I know how to use the other item of the Hakurei shrine, the purification rod."

Reimu starts dodging the danmaku bullets, and whenever one almost is about to her, she swings gohei to disperse the bullet. When there are no bullets coming directly at her, she grabs her orb with both hands and throws it where Shingyoku will be.

It stopped just short of where Reimu had predicted causing the orb to miss its target. The orb bounced off the back wall, bounced off the side wall, and stared heading right for the young miko's head. In a panic, Reimu began to swing her gohei around wildly. One of the swings hit the yin yang orb, causing it to bounce off the gohei and hit Shingyoku, disrupting its attacks, and causing the orb to hit the back wall.

"Wait a second" Reimu exclaimed out of nowhere. She rushed to orb and threw it again. Shingyoku barley dodged out of the way of the orb, however when it came back to Reimu she used her gohei to bounce back to Shingyoku and hit it. Before Shingyoku could react, Reimu sent it right back to Shingyoku, hitting it again. And again. And again. And again. And again.

Shingyoku moved back before the orb could hit her again. "Enough!" it yelled.

"You have bested us. We cannot stop you from going to Makai. You can probably handle it. But be careful Reimu, as there are much more powerful beings in Makai. Without the ability to fly, you are nothing compare to them."

"Al-all right then. Don't worry Genjii, I'm coming." Reimu hushed out the door while mustering that sentence. Trying to catch up to Genjii.

"We are sorry for lying to you Reimu, but we can't let you go to hell. Hopefully Shinki will protect you." Whispered Shingyoku after Reimu disappeared down the steps that lead down the hill.