Upon the top of a magnificent clock tower, high above the rest of the infamous Scarlet Devil Mansion, sat your match. A girl with eyes the colour of the purest rose and hair like a cloudless summer sky. She sat with a devilish smile on her face, staring down at you as you thought of your next move.
"Dream Sign!" You raise your hand to the sky, "Nightmare Wish!"
A burst of danmaku goes flying towards the tower. Black orbs of power criss-cross, creating an intricate pattern in the sky. The bat takes flight, skilfully dodging the attack, her wicked smirk still on her face. The sky was growing dark around her as she prepared her attack.
"Dark Sign Scarlet Netherworld." She said calmly and a barrage of red bullets made their way towards you at an alarming speed. You saw no way to get through as what seemed like every drop of that scarlet rain came crashing down on you. You quickly dashed to the first available opening, and then the next, before realising your fate. Here, you were going to die.
"Oneesama? That seems to be a harsh way to play with our friend," pouted Flandre as she stepped out of the mansion doors. The shower of danmaku immediately disappeared as Remilia lost her focus. She looked over at her younger sister and hissed, "Who let you out?" She then launched herself at Flan after she followed up her sister's question with a silly face. Of course, Flandre was then forced to run as fast as her little legs could carry her into the mansion, screaming for the head maid at the top of her lungs. You, of course, followed them to see the destruction.
"SAAAAAAKKYYYYYY! HELP MEEEEE!" You heard her cry in between fits of giggles. To her, it was a hilarious game, but Remilia took it in a different light. Interrupting a danmaku battle, whatever the importance, was something that Remilia was not going to forgive. She continued to charge after her sister until Sakuya, the head maid, appeared out of nowhere. Flandre, who was too busy making faces at Remilia, didn't see the silver-haired maid appear and ran straight into her.
"Oww! Sakky, you shouldn't do that!" Flandre whined. Sakuya stepped in front of the little devil and held out her arms to catch the bat that was racing down the hallway. Unable to slow down at the sight of her loyal maid, Remilia and Sakuya were both sent flying into a wall at the end of the hall upon impact. As soon as she composed herself, the maid picked up both small girls by the collars of their dresses.
"Dear mistresses, must you cause so much trouble?" She said to the miserable children. The two girls dangled and pulled faces at each other. If you didn't know, you'd think they were both 10 year olds, where in actual fact; they've both lived far longer than you ever will. You approached them, clapping your hands enthusiastically.
"My, my! What a show! You girls are quite the entertainers." You said. Sakuya let the two girls go and the younger sister ran to hang from your legs. You reached to pat her head but were met by Flandre's fangs. You winced in pain and she just giggled at you.
"Flan-chan, that wasn't very nice..."
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
"Look, you made me bleed!"
The older sister then came over and took your hand.
"It's not too bad, just a minor wound." She said in her elegant voice. She began to lick your skin, savouring the taste of your blood on her tongue. You felt your face turn red at the slightly arousing sensation. With that, you pulled your hand away and pressed it against your shirt.
"Uhh, no need for that, Remilia. I'll just get Sakuya to dress it for me! As you said, it's not that bad..." You made your way over to the maid, who had bandages in her hand that she'd pulled from her apron. As you reached out to her, you couldn't help but wonder how all of the items she pulls from her apron get there in the first place. You've seen her pull things from it before... knives, ropes, glasses, even books. You look down to see the wound had been dressed in a blink of an eye. Well, that's Sakuya for you. She's a very mysterious character and rarely speaks to anyone other than the Scarlet sisters. Somehow, she manages to do day-long tasks in no time at all, and you've always been too nervous to ask how. The magic of this land has always confused you and you had only just learned how to use it. Though, at the time, you could only use simple danmaku and spell cards. You had no real magic of your own like everyone else seemed to have.
You saw a hand wave in front of your face.
"Ah! Sorry, I must have gotten lost in my thoughts." You said as you looked at the girls in front of you. Flandre was laughing at you, saying, "You had on a stupid face!" while Remilia was stood with her face in her hand, as if to silently say that her little sister was an embarrassment.
"Hehe, all this playing has made me a little peckish. Sakuya, prepare us a picnic to eat out on the mansion grounds." Remilia said, after Flandre had calmed down. With that, she simply walked away, presumably to get changed. Flandre sat up and her eyes sparkled.
"A picnic? Can I come, Oneesama?" She asked. Her older sister waved her hand.
"Do as you wish. You're out of your room anyway and it'll just be a hassle to get you back in there." You'd never seen Flandre jump so high before. She ran and gave her sister a great big hug, one so big that Remilia was knocked to the ground.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, Oneesama!" She cried. You could tell that things such as this didn't happen often, so Flandre was right to be very excited. She quickly ran off with her sister, to change into some clothes she'd be allowed to play in. You were left alone, with no choice but to make your way out to the grounds to join the family for the picnic. However, just as you set off to join them, a small blue figure crashed through the window beside you. The figure landed in front of you, face first on the floor. It took you a moment to figure out what it was, but then it hit you. A girl! A small girl!
"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" You exclaimed and ran to the girl's side. You noticed the small see-through icicles sticking out of her back. No... They're wings. Icicle-shaped wings.
"Uhhh..." The small fairy said. She shifted her head so she could look at you.
"Who...Who are you?" She said, puzzled. You shook your head.
"That's not important. You've been badly hurt! We need to get you to a doctor or something!" To this, the fairy grinned and jumped up into the air.
"I don't need a doctor! I'm the strongest one around here!" She shouted. You could see now that she was smaller than the Scarlets, maybe the size of an 8 year old girl. Her sparkling diamond wings fluttered quickly behind her as she hovered above you.
"The...strongest? I highly doubt that." You replied. As far as you could tell, Flandre was most definitely the strongest around here. If she was stronger than Flandre... surely such a state of power isn't even possible.
"Yep yep! I'm the strongest, most toughest fairy around! I bet you're really scared right now!" She whizzed around your head, causing you to lose your balance and fall to the floor. The fairy then came up to your face and started laughing.
"Ha-ha! See? I beat you in one shot! You're no match for the great Cirno!" She giggled. Cirno... You feel like you've heard that name before. But where? Before you could figure it out, she raced out the broken window, aiming an attack at whatever it was that sent her through it in the first place. You shook your head and continued to walk to the gardens, where Remilia, Flandre and Sakuya were already sat underneath a parasol.
"What took you so long?" Flandre questioned as you sat down on the plush grass. You pointed to the now broken window on the first floor of the mansion.
"A fairy came crashing through the window and I wanted to make sure she was okay."
"...A fairy? Did she say her name?" Remilia looked up from her pudding and asked. She seemed a little angry.
"Yea, it was... Chiro? No... Cherino?"
"Cirno." A voice from behind said, "And don't you forget it again!"
You looked behind to see the fairy there above you, once again. Remilia quickly got to her feet.
"You again? How many times do I have to tell you to stay off of my property? Now you've gone and broken a window as well!" She yelled. Cirno stared at her, looking rather upset.
"Awww, come on Remi! I'm only playing! Besides, it's Rumia's fault I got shot through that window anyway." She argued. You could see Remilia's blood boiling at the sound of being called a nickname.
"Why don't you go play on the lake? I mean, you do live there!" She shot back. Cirno shrugged.
"It's not as fun." She simply said and floated down to sit beside you.
"Hey, hey, who invited you to sit with us?" Remilia huffed. Again, Cirno just shrugged and grabbed one of the cookies from one of the plates. You reached over and patted her head.
"It's okay, Cirno, you can sit with us. Remilia-sama just needs to learn to lighten up a bit." You said and shot a look at Remilia. She looked back at you, pleading to change your mind but you didn't back down. Remilia just sighed and allowed the small fairy have a bite to eat.
"Wow, these cookies are yummy!" Cirno exclaimed. Sakuya smiled a silent thank you then reached up to adjust the parasol. Flandre looked up at Cirno.
"So, who's Rumia?" She asked through a mouthful of sweets. Cirno pointed towards the edge of the mansion grounds, to a large wall which had a forest on the other side.
"She's a youkai, spends a lot of her time near the lake with me. I said something mean to her, which is why she got angry and blasted me through the window. But its okay, I can handle it because I'm the strongest!" She stood up, letting the cookies on her lap fall onto the grass. She then placed her hands on her hips and gave a big smile. Suddenly, the Scarlet sisters burst out into hysterical laughter. Cirno, not knowing what the joke was, also began to giggle.
"YOU? The STRONGEST? Ha! Don't make me laugh, little one, you could never defeat me." Remilia cackled. You shot Remilia a look of warning and she just waved her hand at you.
"No, this little pest needs to learn who is the strongest around here." She said and turned to the fairy in question, "I challenge you to a duel. 2 spell cards." Cirno stared at the vampire and then looked over at you. You could see a flicker of fear in her eyes.
"C-can't I duel Flan-chan instead? She looks like a much easier opponent. You know, to w-w-warm up!" She said. You immediately jumped in.
"No. Fight me." You said. Remilia sighed.
"I don't see why the child can't fight Flandre." She giggled devilishly. Again, you looked at her with warning in your eyes.
"You know EXACTLY why she can't play with me, Oneesama. I might get too rough and... and..." Flandre winced at a memory that flashed across her eyes.
"At least it would get her out of my hair." Remilia shot back. Her hatred for Cirno glowed in her red eyes, "But fine, fight who you like." Cirno turned to you and looked you up and down, assessing how easy of an opponent you would be.
"Okay! I'll fight you and show you that I'm the strongest!" She exclaimed and pointed a tiny finger at you. Remilia huffed once again and mumbled something inaudible. Cirno flew back to a distant part of the mansion grounds, marking out a battlefield.
"2 spell cards, yea, stupid?" She shouted and giggled.
"Who are you calling stupid?" You shouted back at her. An icicle-shaped danmaku whizzed past your head. You look up, to the little fairy, which has her hands behind her back and an innocent look on her face. She catches you staring and smiles a wickedly cute little smile. You reached out your hand and shot a barrage of black orbs from it. Cirno mockingly danced around them until one smacked her in the chest and she fell to the ground. A laugh sounded from the sidelines, from the mouth of the mistress. Out of nowhere, a cluster of diamond icicles flew towards you. You dodged them all by centimetres, with some grazing against your clothes and skin. You still stood a strong chance against her, with one of her 3 hits gone, but you still felt a shiver go down your spine at the sight of her sharp danmaku. You shot back at her, an array of bright green drops in all directions. The fairy concentrated and weaved around the shots skilfully. You sent another, and another, more and more until you started to feel slightly worn out.
"I knew it! You're no match for me, stupid!" Cirno shouted as she jumped clear of the bullets and continued to release her own. Her concentration broke and you saw a chance. You quickly released your first spell card.
"Earth Sign Spirit of the Forest!" A green glow bursts from your person, scattering huge rings across the field. One hit... is all you need. The fairy flees from the rings, turning every way possible to avoid them, until she begins to feel dizzy. She counters the attack with one of her own.
"Freeze Sign... PERFECT FREEZE!" She shouts at the top of her lungs. Cirno shoots the multicoloured balls blindly. Just as they approached you and you began to move, they froze completely and she sends a shower of blue danmaku towards you. You dodge, trying to miss the frozen orbs as they seem to thaw out and float towards you. You graze one but then are hit by another and thrown to the ground. You still have two hits left, however, so you pick yourself up as fast as you were thrown down.
"Kufufu," Remilia laughed, "You're going to lose this fight, little pest, and when you do I'm banning you from these grounds!" You look at Remilia and pray she's not serious. Cirno may be a nuisance but she seems to be good company. Plus, she looks quite lonely.
"Oneesama, that seems a little harsh, don't you think? I think the fairy only wants someone to play with..." Flandre spoke up. You stopped and stared at the girl. She was sticking up for Cirno? It seemed odd to you that Flandre would do something so innocent... so kind. The tiny fairy took this chance, however, to play a cruel trick and slam an icicle into your leg. As kind as she seemed, Cirno was a trickster and a damn good one too. With one shot left each, it was all or nothing for the both of you. Cirno looked at you with a wicked gleam in her eye and you are sure you stared at her the same.
"Let's end this..." You whispered and raised your hand to the sky, just as you did with Remilia, calling out, "Dream Sign! Nightmare Wish!" Cirno's face fell and she quick launched her last spell card.
"S-Snow Sign... D-D-Diamond Blizzard!" She stuttered in fear. Her sense of strategy had completely gone and she unleashed a random icy fury. The snow swirled around you but never actually made contact. She was shooting blind. The attack collided with your own, but yours proved more powerful and rushed towards the little girl. She stopped, frozen with fear and took her last hit. With that, she fell to the ground and the battle was over.
A cheer sounded from the side and an excited Flan jumped up and down in celebration of your victory.
"Hey, stupid, that really hurt!" Cirno shouted and pulled herself up from the ground. She raced towards you as fast as her tiny wings could carry her. The fairy stopped inches from your face.
"Next time," She said and gave a little smile, "I won't go easy on you." She winked and chuckled. Before flying off into the forest beyond the walls, she swooped down near the Scarlet family and picked up a handful of sweets.
"See ya later, stupid!" The fairy yelled back at you. Remilia sighed and put her hand on her forehead, as if she had a headache.
"Such a nuisance..." She whispered and sipped her tea. Flandre ran over to you and wrapped herself around your leg once again.
"That was so amazing! The way you were like, 'Pew!' and she was like, 'Woah! ZOOM!' then she fell to the ground! You're really good at danmaku battles!" She said, excitedly. You could tell from her enthusiasm that she hadn't seen many danmaku battles before. You attempted to walk with the little girl strapped to your leg, but found it near impossible. As you got close to the picnic once again, Flandre tore away from your legs and went to sit in her place by her sister's side. She began copying Remilia for a while, eating and drinking as elegantly as she, but soon got fed up and stuffed her face with miscellaneous goodies. Sakuya looked up from her tea and straight at you.
"Patchouli taught you, didn't she?" She asked in her quiet tone. You nodded.
"I thought so. You share her focus on elemental magic. It's a good power to have, and very tricky to master." You stared for a moment, because the quiet maid seemed to be giving you a compliment.
"Um, thank you, Sakuya-san." You said with your head low, hiding your surprise and embarrassment. The maid nodded in response and drank from her tea cup again. A breeze began to blow across the grounds as the afternoon sun hid behind some clouds. The smaller girls began to shiver.
"Perhaps we should go inside? It's beginning to get chilly out here. It'd be bad if you girls caught colds." You suggested. Sakuya was way ahead of you, already beginning to pack up items into a small bag. Remilia stood up and grabbed the pink parasol. She began to walk to the mansion, but then stopped to allow her sister to catch up and stay hidden from the sun under the canopy. You, on the other hand, cross the gardens and head to the back entrance of the library.