The duties of a Hakurei shrine maiden may not be many, but the significance they hold carry a great weight on all who reside in the wonderland that is Gensokyo. The first duty, above all else, is to keep watch over the Great Barrier, the very force that separates Gensokyo from the human world. Every five years, the barrier is reinforced via the strongest of chants, and is usually a sign that the shrine maiden has fully matured into her role as the barrier's guardian.
The second duty is to maintain the balance between humans and youkai living together in Gensokyo. In particular, the unruly youkai who feel up for terrorizing those residing in the Human Village, the major hub of transit for those who are not youkai. A great rule to keep in mind for all youkai is that humans from this village are off-limits; they are not to be eaten if they are recognized denizens. Some youkai don't adhere to these rules, and the shrine maiden has to deal with them accordingly.
The third duty is to take any manner of threat against the stability and safety of Gensokyo, and exterminate it; or at the very least keep it from ever occurring again. The methods tend to vary; either the troubles caused are resolved in a timely fashion, or the perpetrator is dealt with in a harsh fashion; usually extermination. If their power exceeds that of the shrine maiden, alternate methods might be taken into account, such as sealing the perpetrator away. The number of beings who have found themselves sealed away, however, are few in number.
The most recent one to face such a judgment was a vengeful spirit, a specter of the most vile power one might comprehend, who was sealed away not too far from the very shrine of Hakurei many centuries ago. Ever since the introduction of the new Hell, the seal upon this specter was designed to be utterly impenetrable.
Digressions aside, these are but a few of the duties that a maiden of Hakurei faces. Some might say it seems paltry in comparison to the duties others have to endure, but as noted, they carry a weight unlike any other. With this prestigious position anointed to me, I shall do my very best to uphold them, come what may.
13th Shrine Maiden of Hakurei
Reimu Hakurei
The cold and unwelcome atmosphere of Hell reigned as it always had, ever since it was first established ever so long ago. Though the blackness of the realm extended as far as the eye might behold, the overall feel would change once one would dive beneath the void; there, one might bear witness to an ash-gray lake, and pools wherein the spirits could relax. Even if they were meant to spend the rest of their existence in this seemingly unwelcome locale, the shore at least made their stay pleasant.
However, up above the black void, the unwelcome atmosphere would simply appear as that; unwelcoming and oppressive. Only the most vicious spirits were sent to linger above the void, unless they had duties to guard the spirits rotting away, or patrol for unexpected intruders. The way one would go about to find these sealed spirits would be to search for trees; rotted, hollow trees withered with age, where spirits could be sealed within them for all eternity.
One such spirit found itself locked inside of a massive tree, this one having grown ever since Hell had been established, and even though it were the grandest of the dead trees within this realm, this spirit was the only being who resided within it. She had remained there for ages, with no way of escape visible to her, and it had torn at her very core. It was infuriating, particularly due to the injustice she felt she had been dealt in life. It had even robbed her of her visible form; she could barely behold even her own being, having rotted away along with the tree due to such neglect. Every day she had been cursing those who trapped her there, waiting for the day when the tree would finally open up, and allow her to escape, to fulfill her true calling...
...then, one day, something to that effect happened. A thundering rumble could be felt all across the tree, and the spirit barely had time to move before what seemed like a massive chunk of debris fell through the insides of the hollow tree, ripping off chunks of dead bark as it plummeted far below the blackness. Even the spirit, as jaded as her viewpoint had become, found this to be a bizarre occurrence.
However, what came as more of a pleasant surprise to her was what this debris had done to the tree; namely, it had ripped away enough bark to let her gaze out into the blackness before her. Her eyes widened, and faintly, her near-invisible hands grabbed at the bark, pulling her form slowly out of the wooden prison she had been confined in for so long. She could barely fathom it... she was free. But for how long? For all she knew, the bronze-colored spirit could rear its unyielding smile close and see the damage done... if she was found out like this, it would be all over for her.
"...so... this is Hell, huh? You'd think they could make it less imposing, since they expanded their operations and all..."
The voice that cut through the silent blackness of Hell, only a bare fifteen minutes later, did make the spirit perk up. Not only had she remained unseen from any patrol, but this new voice lingered just beneath her. She gazed down, and she gawked. Besides the turtle that looked cautiously around the blackness, there was a purple-haired girl clad in... those robes...
...the same robes that had imprisoned her many ages ago.
But more importantly, the two figures had approached from a gate. Her eyes were wide. The gate remained open. She could barely see that the maiden was turning towards the gate... she intended to seal it.
Her eyes widened, and with all the speed she could muster, she shot down from the tree, flying towards the gate. She knew, above all else, that she could have another shot at her vengeance, if she could move faster. The maiden couldn't even see her. This invisibility actually came in handy.
And as the maiden swung her rod down, the spirit, in the swiftest of motions, shot through the sealing gate. At long last, she was free.
Thirty days had passed since the Hakurei invasion of Hell had finalized, and since then, everything had settled down to a certain point. The bat-winged demon Elis had been left stranded out of Makai for however long it would take her to fix up the shrine from the damages she had caused, and in the meantime, the maiden herself had been taken to the mountains residing not too far from the shrine itself, in order to train.
"Man, I'm bored...!" Of course, training is subjective in this case. Over the course of the days that she had spent there, Reimu Hakurei hadn't actually gotten that much training in. The most she had managed to accomplish, amazingly enough, was finally to have the Yin-Yang Orb cease acting up around her. However, this also meant that the orb had taken a more passive stance, and thus, it couldn't be used as the ferocious bludgeoning weapon that had won Reimu her battles prior.
"If you're bored, Miss Reimu, perhaps you should consider honing your skills a bit more?" With a tired yawn, Genji, her aged turtle companion, glanced towards the maiden dozing by the edge of the spring that he rested in. It bears mentioning that the first thing the two discovered on the mountain were a series of hot springs, which Reimu had gone to great lengths to ensure that she could enjoy to the fullest.
"Oh, it's fine, Gramps." Reimu remarked with a faint wave in the turtle's direction, yawning ever so faintly. "I figured out the Yin-Yang Orb last week, there's no need to rush anything."
"Mastering the Yin-Yang Orb alone isn't enough, Miss Reimu." Genji sighed, as he closed his eyes, taking in the pleasant warmth of the hot spring. "It's gone dormant ever since you mastered it. What if you faced another incident? You wouldn't be able to rely on it the same way as last time."
"To be fair, last time was sort of a fluke." Reimu mused as she slowly sat up, drumming her fingers against the rocky surface. "I don't think I could've beaten Konngara or Sariel without the orb shooting around like that."
"Which is why training is imperative, Miss Reimu." Genji stressed once more. "I know the thought of experiencing autumn in this manner is very tempting, but you have your duties as the shrine maiden of Hakurei Shrine."
"I know, Gramps..." With a sigh, Reimu rubbed her temples lightly, leaning back down against the rocky surface. "...the problem is that there isn't a lot to practice on here. There's rocks, there's hot springs, there's you-"
"Don't consider practicing on me all of a sudden, Miss Reimu!" Genji protested suddenly, shaking his head. "Hrm... perhaps we should find something you could hone your efforts with?"
"...actually..." At that point, Reimu slowly stood up, stretching her arms out lightly. "...I think we should start heading back home. It's been a whole month with training up here, and I miss my futon."
"...hrmm." With a faint groan, Genji watched as Reimu approached a small gathering of items, including the Yin-Yang Orb, her purification rod, a collection of amulets and needles, and scrolls of paper, some with certain passages written down upon them. "...well, I suppose it's best that we return... a month with no maiden to uphold the shrine might be somewhat extreme."
"Well, I did put up that sign that said 'No visitors wanted'. That should've kept people from approaching the shrine." As she gathered her effects, Reimu shrugged ever so faintly before she motioned for Genji to step out of the hot spring waters. "So as long as that bat-demon didn't cause any more trouble, I think things should be fine by the shrine."
"I certainly do hope that would be the case." As Genji climbed out from the waters, he shook his head briefly to get some water out of his beard, before he watched Reimu climb onto his shell. "Should we move to get the sign out of the way before we land back at the shrine?"
"Sure, Gramps." Reimu spoke with yet another shrug, before the turtle slowly floated off the ground that they stood on. "It wouldn't look good if a sign telling people to keep away was still there, when we want people to visit the shrine." She looked over at him. "How fast do you think we can get to the shrine?"
"By my estimate..." Genji remarked, as he began to soar away from the mountain, eyes closing. "...about ten minutes."
"Ten minutes..." With a small breath, Reimu looked back at the mountain that the two were slowly leaving behind, before she smiled a bit. "...I did like the training up there, but... it'll be good to start upholding my duties properly."
Genji couldn't help but smile a little at that. As unruly as Reimu might appear, he did appreciate that she was honest in wanting to care for the shrine. And really, the aged turtle could ask no more than that from her. Though the two were silent for the duration of their flight, there was a feeling of content between the two of them.
As they eventually approached the bottom of the stairwell leading up to the Hakurei Shrine, Reimu glanced down towards the age-old forest and the landscape stretching out to the lands lingering in Gensokyo. A fantastic wonderland for anyone residing in this eastern region... however, as she gazed down, she couldn't help but notice something quite peculiar. "...hey, Genji? What're those?"
Genji blinked when he heard that, and as he gazed down, he couldn't help but see something that seemed to have imprinted itself along the ground leading towards the stairs. Further inspection revealed something quite surprising; the very sign that had been put up to ward people away, had been crushed beneath these imprinted tracks. "...strange... I don't think I've ever seen anything of the sort."
"...did more vandals from Makai mess my shrine up?" Reimu hissed as she glanced up towards the stairs. "If they did, I'm going to lay into them something fierce..." At that point, as she kept her hands clenched, she couldn't help but notice something starting to peer down towards them from the top of the stairs. "...huh?"
Just then, something erupted just behind the two of them; a powerful explosion of sorts, which actually knocked Reimu off Genji's shell with a sudden yelp. Thankfully the two were close enough to the ground that she didn't sustain any damage, but the sudden shock of the explosion threw her off. "Uh?!" Her gaze quickly shot up towards the stairs, just to behold what lingered up there in waiting.
What she witnessed was something she herself had never seen before; a mechanical monstrosity, possessing large treads for use of transportation, an armored hull to defend against assaults, and a fiendishly long barrel that aimed down at the bottom of the stairs. Worst of all was the fact that plenty of diverse beings, like wayward spirits, childlike youkai and mischievous fairies were all standing atop this being, and they were all watching the barrel, which had someone literally tied to it.
"HELP ME OFF THIS THING!" Squirming as she was strapped to this barrel was a sight Reimu quickly recognized; a blonde-haired girl with a bow in her hair, her red eyes wavering in panic, and her bat-like wings tied tightly around the barrel of this vehicle. It was Elis, the bat-demon that had been the catalyst for the Hakurei invasion of Hell, and subsequently, the same demon left responsible to repair the shrine in Reimu's absence.
So seeing her tied to this thing was a surprising sight indeed. "Elis? What do you think you're doing, tied up to that thing like that?" Reimu uttered as she slowly got on her feet, pulling out her purification rod as she watched the tank with narrowed eyes.
"What I think I'm-! Is that any way of talking to a kidnapping victim?!" Elis screamed in protest, her wings shaking about rapidly. "Now get me off this thing, shrine maiden! Before that human comes back around and tightens these ropes!"
Genji, having just recovered from the sudden explosion that happened, quickly got Reimu back on his shell, as he looked curiously at Elis and the vehicle she was strapped to. "...human? So that contraption is human-made?"
"Well, whatever it is, I'm not letting that thing stick around on my watch!" With a quick nod, Reimu patted Genji's shell, to make him shoot up into the air. The moment she did that, the spirits, youkai and fairies atop the tank all shot towards them, laughing as they began to fire a rapid barrage of energy bullets.
Genji, experienced with these sorts of patterns, kept his guard up as he weaved past the differing patterns, letting out a quick breath the closer the two forces flew towards each other. "Miss Reimu!"
"I know!" With a nod, Reimu slipped amulets into her grasp, and with a quick yell, began to hurl them upwards towards the incoming forces. Even as the enemies tried to spread away, however, the amulets themselves spread out to track them down, attaching to a couple of the encroachers, before erupting in a sudden bright glow; knocking the creatures out and sending them plummeting towards the woods.
"Oooh... so you know how to wield the homing amulets?" Genji glanced up at Reimu with a bit of admiration in his tone. "Surprising... I didn't think you trained that much."
"I didn't." Reimu noted, before she slipped needles into her other hand. "I just did what felt natural." With a quick nod, she then began to hurl the needles straight forward, seeing them rocket before the two of them in a straight line, jabbing into some ghosts and fairies that didn't quite figure out to move aside in time, which paralyzed them and sent them plummeting with their other fallen comrades.
"And the persuasion needles!" Genji blinked at seeing this. "I didn't think you could aim them at pressure points so precisely!"
"Again, I'm not." Reimu shrugged, as she alternated between hurling needles and amulets at her enemies. "Just winging it."
"Just winging- Miss Reimu, this kind of battling is not just something you 'wing'!" Genji called out in protest, as he weaved away from more of the energetic patterns being fired at them, before Reimu hurled needles and amulets to knock down the enemies shooting towards them. "You need to know about the weapons you use, and how to properly-!"
"Up!" Quickly, Reimu grabbed onto Genji's head to veer the turtle up into the air, just as a powerful shot was fired from the mechanical vehicle towering over them. A thundering explosion could be seen at the bottom of the stairs, and the barrel of the vehicle slowly turned again to try and lock onto Reimu and Genji.
"Mrh... whoever constructed that must have a way with tools." Genji uttered, as he saw that the youkai, ghosts and fairies were starting to scatter back towards the shrine. "I've never seen something that's not a youkai, but possesses that much power."
"...well, we'll see if it can withstand this." With a small breath, Reimu quickly pulled the Yin-Yang Orb from her robes, whispering to it. "...I know you've stopped moving about ever since I mastered control over you... but I need you to shoot forward. Go as fast as you can, and don't stop for anything." As she gazed at the cannon, she saw that it had stopped, aiming directly at the turtle as it prepared to fire. "...now go!"
In that instant, Reimu thrust her hand forward, launching the orb straight ahead like a powerful projectile. Unlike other times where it had swung aside due to unruliness, this time, it shot directly within the cannon barrel, as Reimu had asked of it. It took only a moment before a sudden eruption from within the cannon resounded, and the barrel blew right off, sent flying off into the woods; Elis screaming all the while as she was still tied to it, even after the explosion. The blast even ruptured the main hull of the vehicle, as black smoke billowed from within it.
"...huh. That did a lot more than I thought it would." Reimu remarked with a baffled tone in her voice, slowly weaving her hand to make the orb float out from the remnants of the vehicle, before she and Genji approached the wreck. "Now, let's see who was in this thing..."
As they got close enough, they could clearly see who was inside of the vehicle, and even after that kind of explosion, she looked somewhat fine. It happened to be a fairy, but she was just a touch taller than the ones they had shot down on their way up the stairs. What stood out about her was her green hair, which carried a yellow ribbon in it, along with a white-trimmed blue dress, and her golden wings. Presently, she just gawked up at the shrine maiden with wide, shaken eyes. She hadn't expected that kind of assault, it would seem.
"...just a fairy, huh?" With a small huff, Reimu grabbed the fairy by her hair and yanked her out of the smoking wreck, tilting her head. "What were you doing, piloting something like that? Go on and fly back home, already."
As she let go of the fairy, she didn't hesitate in immediately flying off to leave the site of battle, which left the wreck resting atop the stairs leading to the shrine. With a sigh, Reimu then looked towards where the barrel had been sent flying. "You can come out now, it's fine."
"It's fine?!" At that point, a purple bat just shot out from the woods, fluttering over to the shrine maiden and her turtle with an infuriated tone. "When you save someone in need, you don't leave them tied to the tracks while blasting the train trying to squish her! You couldn't be a bit more considerate?!"
"Well, you were the one who wrecked my shrine to begin with." Reimu noted, as she shook her head lightly. "So consider us completely fair and square right-" Before she could properly finish her sentence, her gaze had fallen upon the shrine once more, and she couldn't help but gawk. "...now?!"
What she saw wasn't exactly a welcome sight. There, she could see hundreds of different ghosts floating about her shrine, all of them chattering and having a good time. Some fairies and lesser youkai were also floating around and making merry with them, though while they weren't doing any harm, it made the shrine seem desolate and abandoned, left in the care of these creatures rather than its anointed maiden.
"...yeah, uh..." Elis let out a brief sigh as she fluttered around Reimu and Genji, looking at the infested shrine with a solemn look. "...I got the shrine fixed about two weeks ago, but around then, this human showed up out of nowhere with these contraptions and ghosts and stuff. Then I got tied to that big thing, and they've just been hanging around here ever since..."
"...what sort of human could hope to command this many ghosts?" Genji remarked with a curious hum, floating somewhat closer to the shrine. The ghosts all seemed to just be enjoying themselves, so they took little heed to those approaching. "Something tells me that there's something else afoot..."
"...I swear, if someone's trying to make a mockery out of Hakurei..." Reimu murmured as she looked around the area in a huff. "...I'm gonna make them regret it!"
"Oh, will you now?!" Suddenly, the powerful roar of wind could be heard above them, as a massive object seemed to shoot out from the woods surrounding the shrine. Seeing this object, the ghosts quickly dispersed to make room for it for it to land in front of Reimu, Genji and Elis. The object appeared to look similar to the vehicle they had just decimated, but rather than just a standard design, it seemed to have a distinct flower motif in its construction, and atop its main hull, a yin-yang symbol was clearly visible.
However, what was interesting was that someone was standing atop it, her arms folded as she let out a boisterous laugh, obviously trying to make herself look more intimidating than she appeared. Gazing back at Reimu with a fierce stare, she shook her head briefly to make her brown braids flutter behind the back of her head. "Try saying that again, when you're up against my unstoppable Flower Tank!"
"...Flower Tank, huh?" Reimu's eyes remained narrowed as she held her purification rod tightly in her grasp, pointing it towards the brunette as she tilted her head. "So you're the one who made these contraptions, then. If you've got that kinda finesse, why go for my shrine, huh?"
"Why not, is the better question!" the brunette laughed, before she suddenly jumped straight into the Flower Tank, closing a hatch as the vehicle let out a brief engine roar. "I'm not gonna let you know who put me up to this, but know that against my ghosts and tank, you've got nothing on me!"
"...but the ghosts don't look too hostile." Genji noted somewhat dryly; and indeed, even as the ghosts looked back at this impending battle, none of them seemed eager to jump into the fray, still content with just watching.
"It doesn't matter if they're not hostile; we still outnumber you, shrine maiden!" As the brunette laughed, the tank slowly turned to aim its barrel upon the three. "Now, have a taste of my power!" And it suddenly let loose a volley, which Genji and Elis quickly split away from before it could hit anyone. The explosion that ensued when it did strike down was quite a bit more powerful than the one the former tank had caused.
"Yikes!" Quickly, Elis then latched onto Reimu's leg, wrapping her bat wings around her and clutching tightly to her. "Don't let me near that thing again! You take one salvo, and you're done for!"
"Is that right?" With a small nod, Reimu looked around her surroundings once more, before giving Genji a nod. "...let me off. I wanna try something."
"Miss Reimu...?" Genji looked back at Reimu with a baffled look in his eyes, before he eventually nodded, slowly moving down to the ground to let Reimu disembark. "...alright... just be careful. It's still far too early to look for a new Hakurei maiden."
"I know. But I'm not gonna end up dead just yet." With a small nod to Genji, Reimu slowly looked back at the tank, before she pulled out a few amulets on her person, slowly starting to whisper to herself as her eyes closed. It was inaudible, even to Elis, who presently had bat-like hearing and was latching onto Reimu's leg for safety.
"Hah! What do you plan on doing now, maiden?!" the brunette called, as the tank's barrel aimed down towards Reimu, its engine letting out another fierce roar as she prepared to fire. "You're up against my most powerful contraption! You couldn't possibly hope to take it down on your own!"
Reimu didn't respond to this threat. Instead, she kept whispering, though her voice was slowly starting to grow in volume, allowing others to hear her. "...dreams persist, come what may. Evil exists, as some might say. But it will not reign in any way, and dreams repel them every day."
And her eyes suddenly opened; narrowed as some energy began to fuel through her amulets. "Dream Sign: Evil-Sealing Circle!" With that, she suddenly spun around her own axis, hurling the amulets in a perfect circle around her, as the energy sparked from the amulets.
This, however, only evoked laughter from the brunette. "Is that it?! A childish chant and then some sparks?! You're a fool, shrine maiden! Now, feel the wrath of my Flower Tank!" In that instant, the tank fired off another shot, this one rocketing towards Reimu, who made no effort to move from where she stood, in spite of the incoming projectile.
The moment the cannonball appeared to be in range, however, the amulets shattered, and right in front of Reimu appeared several towering, transparent barriers; all of them looking as if they were enlarged variants of her amulets, and all of them emitting tremendous amounts of energy, especially as the cannonball struck against one of them; sparks flying every which direction as it kept rotating against them.
However, it didn't end there; after the faintest of moments, the cannonball suddenly bounced straight off the barrier, shooting directly back towards the Flower Tank. However, unlike the Yin-Yang Orb's smooth entry within the other tank's barrel, the cannonball just slammed straight into the hull of the Flower Tank, and in a massive eruption, the tank was caught in the attack intended for the shrine maiden.
Genji, having watched all this in stunned silence, looked between Reimu simply standing her ground, and the smoldering wreck that was the Flower Tank. He shook his head as he floated over to Reimu, gawking lightly at her. "I... Miss Reimu... I had no idea you possessed such knowledge of a Hakurei maiden's power over barriers."
"...Hakurei maidens can do this stuff on a whim?" Reimu blinked lightly as she looked over at Genji with a tilted head. "I just thought maybe it would do the trick."
"Wait, wait...!" Elis suddenly protested, latching off Reimu as she fluttered up to glare straight at her face. "So you're telling me that you did something that dangerous without even knowing if it would've worked?! You could've made sure that I would've fried!"
"Well, we didn't fry, so it's fine." Reimu noted, as she then looked back towards the tank with a tilted head. "So how long are you planning on waiting in there? It has to be hot for you in there."
The sudden coughs from the brunette could be heard as a hatch was heard opening from within the smoke, before it clattered to the ground; detached from the vehicle it had been attached to previously. As the smoke cleared, the brunette, her hair looking a touch frazzled from the powerful explosion, was stumbling out of the flower tank with a weak grin. "Ah... congratulation, shrine maiden...! You beat my unbeatable Flower Tank..."
Before Reimu could inquire into her business, the brunette suddenly broke into a wild dash, speeding past them as she let out a laugh. "Hahah! But if you want answers, you'll have to catch me, shrine maiden!"
Watching her run off, Reimu then let out a small sigh. "Geez... all that, and I didn't even get her to tell me who put her up to this."
Genji couldn't help but blink as he heard Reimu say that. "...we could always catch up to her, you know." he noted, looking at Reimu with a puzzled look. "Why not give chase, Miss Reimu?"
"Really? Come on, Gramps, it has to be a trap." Reimu noted with a dry look on her face. "Why else would she suddenly get all confident after we wrecked her tank?"
"Heeeeeey!" they could suddenly hear the brunette call out, though it was somewhat faint, given how far she had gone at this point. "Aren't you gonna chase me?!"
Reimu sighed once more as she gave Genji a nod. "See? Definitely a trap." The blunt tone of her voice gave even the aged turtle pause; to be honest, she had a good point in her suspicions.
"...still..." Genji murmured, as he glanced around. "...without her, it would be difficult to find out just who's responsible for these ghosts."
Reimu rubbed her chin a little out of thought, before she then thought of something. Her gaze slowly turned towards the purple bat, who reeled back just a touch from that stare. "...wh-what're you looking at me for?"
"...you said those guys just showed up when you finished fixing the shrine, right?" Reimu remarked, as she tilted her head. "Did you see where they came from?"
Elis couldn't help but blink lightly at hearing this, before she glanced to the side. "...well, uh... I think they came from... the north-west, I think? They looked like they were coming from the mountains edging by that misty lake..."
"...over there, huh?" With a small nod, Reimu approached Elis with another nod. "Alright... me and Gramps are gonna go and check it out. In the meantime, I want you to clean this mess up again. You do that, and I'll get Sariel to take you back to Makai once we come back."
Elis was about to yell in protest, but the promise of finally being allowed to return to her home made her quickly shut up. "...I'll... work as fast as I can!" she spoke, before she swiftly turned into her ordinary form, and ran towards the wrecked Flower Tank.
"...surprisingly compassionate of you, Miss Reimu." Genji noted, as he settled down to allow Reimu to rest upon his shell once more. "I thought you'd have her keep cleaning the shrine a while longer."
"Honestly, as tempting as that is, I don't think it'd be smart." Reimu sighed, as she felt Genji slowly float off the ground once more. "The worshippers coming to visit the shrine wouldn't like seeing a demon walking around cleaning the place up. It's just not done."
Genji let out a small sigh, as he began to float off towards the north-west. "...well, whatever comes next, I hope all your training will carry you through it."
"...I have no idea if you're being backhanded or sincere, and I don't know how to feel about that." Reimu mused with lightly dry tone, as she simply watched the morning sun settle overhead as they flew towards the misty lake.