Chapter 1

Gensokyo

It was around the time of sunrise, the time well known to be a symbol of beginnings. As it rose, the sun started pouring light across the land, much like an ocean wave moving across the sands of a beach. The light eventually reached Gensokyo, a mysterious and magical land where many incredible events took place, and where many powerful entities live, both human and beyond. Every time though, there was always one girl in the center of those events, one girl who made sure that Gensokyo got out of trouble unscathed. That girl was Reimu Hakurei. She along with some friends at times, ventured to incredible places from low to high and beyond, fighting overwhelming forces. Soon though, Reimu and all of Gensokyo will face a powerful threat that will pressure them like never before.

The sunlight eventually reached the Hakurei Shrine, where it slowly began to light up the room with the light of a new day. Reimu noticed the morning light shining through the fabric of the shades with the radiance of dawn, causing her to open her eyes. Reimu looked over at the bedroom to her right and then at the ceiling for a few minutes. Then she sat up and stretched, got out from under the covers of her bead, and walked over to her closet in front of her bed. There, she opened the closet, got out of her light blue pajamas and into her traditional red and white shrine maiden clothing. Then Reimu walked to the right of her closet and out of her room through the door.

Reimu thought to herself 'Ah, what a nice morning.'

Reimu was looking around the living room, pleased to see it so clean after that unexpected party Suika decided to throw, with Reimu being an unexpected host along with her. Reimu was slightly irritated but also slightly grateful to Suika and all who attended since it did relieve some stress with her job with all the recent inactivity. After recalling yesterday's events, she noticed Suika asleep sitting up at the living room table with her head face down on the table.

Reimu became slightly irritated and said "Good morning, Suika."

Suika softly moaned before lifting up her head, looked at Reimu with her tired eyes and said "Oh hey, Reimu. How'd you sleep last night?"

Reimu answered "I slept fine, and I see that you slept at the living room table."

"Yeah, after helping you clean up, I decided to have some more sake before going to sleep. I guess I ended up sleeping here though. A bit uncomfortable at first, but I got used to it." Suika mentioned. She took her drinking gourd she carried around all the time in front of her with her right hand, shook it and said "At least I didn't waste any."

Reimu asked "Did you shower last night?"

Suika thought for a moment about the question before lifting up her left arm to smell her armpit and then replied "No, I didn't."

Reimu said "Ok then, no breakfast for you until you take a shower."

"Fair enough" Suika responded, and she walked over to the bathroom in the back area of the house.

After seeing Suika shut the door, Reimu looked at the table and noticed a spot that was darker than the rest of the brown wood table. Reimu touched it with her finger and it felt oily. She made an annoyed expression on her face upon discovering Suika's body oils from her head, so Reimu went to the left of the bathroom where the kitchen was and came back with a wet, soapy kitchen washcloth. Reimu picked Suika's gourd off the table with her left and wiped the table clean with her right hand. Then she walked up to the bathroom door and asked "Suika, would you like me to wash your drinking gourd?"

"Sure, go ahead, thanks." Suika replied from within the bathroom with the water of the shower running.

Reimu then went into the kitchen where she washed Suika's gourd and prepared some fried eggs, fried rice, and bacon to eat for breakfast.

When Reimu was done cooking, Suika was dressed and out of the shower and the two friends sat down at the living room table to eat.

Half an hour later, Suika got up and said "Thanks for the meal, Reimu. I think I'm going to go walk around the human village a bit."

"Suit yourself." Reimu responded.

Suika then walked over to the front sliding door, opened it and went outside. Reimu remembered that there was some sweeping to do in front of the shrine so she walked over to the closet to the left of the front entrance, took out a broom after opening it and went outside.

Reimu looked over at the donation box in front of the shrine, wondering if maybe she got a bountiful amount of donations. As usual though, there was very little money inside and Reimu let out a sigh at the sight. She shrugged it off though and began to sweep.

After ten minutes had passed, Reimu looked up into the sky and started thinking about the earlier times back when she used to go out on adventures and solve incidents from her first quest to the time she was dealing with Byakuren Hijiri. Three years had passed since then and nothing that big ever happened during that time, which was causing Reimu to feel rather restless. Reimu then focused on the present again, and was about to continue sweeping until she saw a familiar figure flying through the air.

The girl landed feet first on the ground and said "Hey Reimu."

"Hello Aya. What are you up to?" Reimu wondered.

Aya answered "Oh you know me, just trying to get scoops for articles. So, has anything interesting happened lately?"

"No, nothing as usual. You must be bored if you're trying to get a scoop here." Reimu said.

Aya replied "Ah ha ha, kind of. Hey Reimu, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Depends, what is it?" Reimu wondered.

"Can I take your picture? The more pictures of people and places I take, the better my chances of thinking up some articles." Aya mentioned.

"I don't know, I'm not in the mood to smile." Reimu said.

Aya said "I'll throw in a donation."

Reimu replied "Ok, you win."

Aya tossed a silver coin into the donation box and then took a picture of Reimu smiling.

"Thanks Reimu," Aya said "I gotta split now so I can take more pictures and whip up some articles. Catch ya later."

"Bye Aya." Reimu replied.

Aya waved her hand and then flew off in the direction of the village. As for Reimu, she just went back to sweeping.

Another ten minutes later, Reimu sensed someone flying towards the shrine while she was looking at the broom sweeping across the ground. Reimu looked up into the sky and saw a very well-known friend flying on her own broom. The girl landed right in front of Reimu and said "Hi Reimu."

Reimu said "Hi Marisa, how are you?"

"I'm ok; I'm just looking for things to do today after getting bored of studying magic earlier this morning. Once again, that was a nice party you held last night Reimu, and on such short notice."

Reimu added "Yeah I know, it was so quick I didn't know I was going to hold it."

Marisa laughed "Ah ha ha ha ha ha! Well look on the bright side, Reimu. At least you now have experience at quickly getting ready for parties."

Reimu said "I suppose, but that's easy for you to say."

"I know it, ze." Marisa replied with a grin.

Reimu made an annoyed glare at Marisa, but then both girls let out some good laughs.

Then Reimu asked "So what do you think your plans will be for the day?"

Marisa responded "Eh, I don't know. Maybe I'll go shopping at the village, borrow some books from Patchouli, visit Alice and then study more magic for the rest of the day."

Reimu said "You know, Marisa? One day I think Patchouli's really going to get back at you for taking her books."

"I guess I'll have to make precautions then." Marisa spoke. "So how about you, what are you going to do today?"

Reimu thought and answered "I don't know… Oh! I just remembered, I need to get some groceries after I'm done sweeping."

"I see, well I think I'm going to take off then." Marisa said, but just before she left, she noticed Reimu looking up into the sky. This caused her to ask "What's up, Reimu?"

Reimu looked back at Marisa and replied "Oh, I'm just thinking about how we used to go out on adventures. Now it seems like there isn't much for me to do anymore except for taking care of the shrine as usual. Don't get me wrong though, I'm fond of the peace we've had around Gensokyo, I just thought that I would have achieved something meaningful or at least be better off financially."

"Ah, well you did manage to make a lot more friends though, Reimu." Marisa mentioned.

Reimu responded "That's true, that was something nice to add to my life."

"Yeah, and just try to live in the moment and do your best, that's what keeps my spirits up." Marisa added.

Reimu said "I guess you have a point Marisa, thanks."

"No problem, ze." Marisa replied "Well I'm leaving now, have a nice day."

Reimu said "Thanks, you too."

Marisa got back on her broom and took off onto the sky. As for Reimu, she just went back to sweeping for the next thirty minutes.

After the half hour had passed, Reimu went back in her house, put the broom away, and flew off towards the village.

When Reimu arrived in front of the Human Village, she landed on the ground and decided to walk the rest of the way since she didn't want to make a scene. After ten minutes of walking, Reimu entered the village and began her errands. She walked through the streets and marketplaces, collecting the many items she needed to put in the kitchen back home. As Reimu walked, she looked at all of the villagers roaming around, seeing that the young and old were happy and prosperous. After seeing some children run past her, Reimu smiled at how peaceful the village had become, especially after seeing some youkai moving around, which the villagers had become more tolerant of. This caused Reimu to wonder if the residents would soon change the name of the village.

Reimu's walk eventually led to the heart of the village where surprisingly not many people were around. Then she saw Sakuya walking around, holding some grocery bags of her own.

Reimu greeted "Hi Sakuya."

Sakuya looked to her left, saw Reimu and replied "Oh, hello Reimu. How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, I've been going grocery shopping and I'm almost done. How are you?" Reimu replied back.

"I'm doing well, I would have to say I'm doing the same thing, and almost done as well." Sakuya answered.

Reimu said "Oh? I thought the mansion had its own ability to make food and was well stocked up."

Sakuya explained "We do, I'm just getting some special food that can only be found in the village, as well as some blood packs for the master and her sister."

Reimu responded "Wait, where do you get your blood?"

Sakuya answered "At the clinic. They're well paid. Master Remilia thinks it's best that she gets her blood in less disturbing ways for the sake of the peace with humans."

"Oh, that's nice." Reimu responded.

The two girls then heard someone approaching from the left side of town, so they looked in that direction and they saw Youmu carrying a huge, heavy bag on her back.

Youmu set the heavy bag down on the ground, let out a sigh of relief and said "Hi Reimu, Hi Sakuya, how are you?"

"I am well." Sakuya replied.

"I am too." Reimu added "So, shopping for Yuyuko I assume?"

Youmu responded "Yeah, quite the chore, and this is only half of it."

"Oh my! I had no idea Yuyuko was such an eater. And you still need more?" Sakuya said.

Youmu replied "Thankfully, no. I have some help today, and what I have on my back now is enough for a week so I thought I should buy twice as much food so that I wouldn't have to come here next week."

Reimu wondered "So who is helping you?"

Youmu looked behind her, as did Reimu and Sakuya and they Komachi coming towards them from out of a crowd of people, carrying a bag of groceries that was much like Youmu's. After she put the big, heavy bag down on the ground, Komachi said "Phew, hey Youmu, why did we stop? Oh, hi Reimu, Hi Sakuya."

"Hello Komachi." Sakuya replied.

"Hi." Reimu added. Then she turned to Youmu and asked "How did you get Komachi to help you?"

Youmu explained "A few days ago, Komachi was trying to avoid work and she ended up sneaking into Hakugyukurou Manor. After doing some things under our noses, Shikieiki came over to the manor when she figured out that's where Komachi was and flushed her out of hiding. Shikieiki gave a lecture to Komachi and then decided as punishment, Komachi would do chores at the manor for three days, after Shikieiki got permission from Yuyuko."

Sakuya wondered "But what about Komachi's job of guiding the souls of the dead?"

Youmu answered "Shikieiki said that she would take care of it."

Komachi said "I miss my old job; there was so much to do back at the manor."

Sakuya said "Neglecting work only makes it grow, and besides Komachi, work can be quite nice if you look at it the right way."

"I've been doing work longer than you and I don't know what you're talking about." Komachi responded.

Sakuya assured "If you think about it enough, you'll figure it out."

Reimu added "Yeah, just look on the bright side, Komachi."

"The only thing I can think about my work right now is how surprisingly heavy it is." Komachi mentioned.

Reimu said "Yuyuko eats a lot, doesn't she?"

"That's almost an understatement." Youmu replied "Well I think we should be going back home."

"Great, let's get this over with." Komachi mentioned.

Reimu said "Bye Youmu, bye Komachi, have a nice day."

Komachi smiled and replied "I'll try thanks."

Youmu added "Yeah we will, goodbye."

After putting the bags back on their backs, Youmu and Komachi walked away to head back home.

Sakuya said "I think I will be heading off as well."

Reimu replied "Oh, ok."

Sakuya said "Goodbye Reimu."

Reimu spoke back "Bye Sakuya."

Sakuya then walked away from Reimu and went in the direction of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. As for Reimu, she continued to walk around the village to finish getting the last items on her grocery trip.

After getting all the food she needed, Reimu decided to go back home. As she walked down the road she was on, Reimu noticed a tan colored stone wall she never noticed before to her left. Reimu continued walking down the road until she was in front of an archway made of marble. Past through it though was a huge temple made of marble, bronze, silver and gold, with golden spires on the four towers that surrounded the main part of the temple that was a dome with a gold roof. There was also some marble sidewalks extending along the healthy green grassed lawns and a golden rectangular sign on the top part of the archway that had the words "Temple of Atelon."

Reimu thought to herself 'Oh come on! How am I supposed to compete with that!? And just who or what is Atelon? I've never heard of a word like that. Hmmm, I wonder what kind of religion this is…'

Reimu pondered about what kind of temple she was looking at, but then she shrugged it off and continued walking.

Just before Reimu left the village, she saw that she was close to Myouren Temple and that Byakuren Hijiri was talking to some human and youkai children right in front her. The kids ran off after Byakuren was done talking, passing by Reimu and that was when Byakuren saw her.

"Oh, why hello Reimu, how are you?" Byakuren greeted.

Reimu replied "Hi Byakuren, I'm doing fine, how about you?"

Byakuren replied "I am well. The temple and village have just been prosperous, and the weather has been just wonderful."

"Yes it has," Reimu said "and you sure have made a good deal of progress teaching humans and youkai to get along."

Byakuren responded "Thank you, the reward of seeing the fruits of such labors has been a blessing."

Reimu asked "So how is everyone else at the temple doing?"

"They are well." Byakuren answered "They have been a bit busier than usual, but they are well."

Reimu then mentioned "Hey I just came across a place I have never seen or heard of in the village. It was called the Temple of Atelon; do you know what it's like?"

Byakuren replied "Ah that place. I do not know much about it other that they're new and have started to become quite popular with the local villagers. Perhaps I should visit to extend a friendly greeting and find out what they're like."

"I see, so you don't know much." Reimu said.

"Yes, I have been rather busy myself." Byakuren mentioned.

Reimu said "Ok, well I think I'll be heading back home now, I still need to put away the groceries I bought."

Byakuren replied "Of course, it was nice talking to you, Reimu."

Reimu spoke back "You too, bye."

The two girls waved goodbye and then Reimu walked past Byakuren in the direction of her home. When she got out of the village, Reimu flew all the rest of the way back home.

Once Reimu got back to the Hakurei Shrine, she went inside, put away the groceries and fixed herself some sashimi and rice balls for lunch. After her meal, she did some cleaning around the house for most of the afternoon. When Reimu was done cleaning, she went outside behind the shrine where she set up a hammock a few weeks back. She got onto it, lay down, enjoyed the shade and the gentle breeze blowing by, and then just took a nap. After an hour passed, Reimu heard some footsteps coming towards her so she opened her eyes and saw Suika looking down on her.

"Hey Reimu, it's dinnertime. Can you make something please?" Suika mentioned.

Reimu responded "Alright, sure."

So Reimu got out of the hammock and went back inside the house with Suika. Reimu then made some curry and bread rolls for Suika and herself to eat and the two girls sat down and at the living room table.

Before taking a bite out of her first bread roll, Reimu said "One of these days I'm going to teach you how to cook."

"Ok, if you want me to set your house on fire again." Suika mentioned.

Reimu replied "I've made precautions for that."

Suika responded "Oh c'mon Reimu, I'm not as a good a cook as you."

Reimu said "Exactly my point, it will help you and it will help me."

Suika surrendered "Oh alright."

A few minutes later, Suika noticed that Reimu had a daydream expression on her face so Suika asked "So what are you thinking about?"

Reimu looked at Suika and answered "I was just wondering if we will ever experience exciting events and incidents like we used to in the past."

Suika replied "Hmmm, who knows. All I know is that things have been peaceful, so that means more time to relax."

Reimu said "I wish I could be as carefree as you."

Suika asked "Would you like me to teach you?"

"I'll pass." Reimu answered.

Suika replied "Ok, but if you change your mind, let me know."

Nothing else was said at the table after that, so when they were both done eating, the girls just each did their own thing, with Suika drinking lots of sake and Reimu just reading a book about drama. After doing this for a few hours, both girls got ready for bed and went to sleep. One thing that they didn't know though was that later that night, they were going to get a very unexpected awakening.