Well, I said I would do it, so here it is. For those who don't know, this story is from the same world as The Chords of Paradise, and what Alice has told of her past. However, this one shot can be read as a stand alone, so it isn't a must to read the main story. It would help though. :)
Now I must warn you, even though things don't get graphic or gory in the least, things aren't all hunky dory... Then again, you could probably tell from just the title. The fact is, not everything turns out just fine for everyone.
I guess the best way to understand it is to just read it. You'll see what I mean.
Touhou belongs to ZUN.
Ruination of Alice's Wonderland
A deafening explosion rang out through the deep red terrain of Makai, shaking its many residents to their core from the sheer force of the sound. All eyes darted to the source of the commotion, but no one was prepared for what they saw, nor the events that were to come.
Pandemonium, the colossal, crystalline fortress that can be seen from anywhere in the demon world, and home to the beautiful goddess Shinki, had just been obliterated. Pieces of their creator's home launched out indiscriminately through the realm, sending the populace scrambling in order to avoid the falling debris. In the center of all the commotion rose the mighty goddess herself, her six white wings spread fully to unleash all of her power on some unfortunate fool.
Flying after her from the ruins of her fortress, shooting many forms of magical projectiles at the goddess as they do, were four unique strangers. Some of the residents of Makai recognized some of these four as foreigners from Gensokyo, who have been rampaging around their home and attacking the various demons that come across their path. They were absolutely ruthless, giving no quarter to anyone in their way. And now they were attacking their goddess.
As the group from Gensokyo proceeded to combat everyone's beloved ruler high above the demon world, one lone, human girl watched from below in the large city of Makai with wide, golden eyes. The little girl had short, blonde hair and wore a light pink dress with a blue apron, and similarly blue hairband and ribbon on the side of her hair. Her clothing, while once probably looked quite cute, are now dirty, torn, and even slightly burnt in a few places, and will have to be replaced later.
The girl had stayed in the middle of the city streets to recover her strength after losing to the strangers, and had planned to venture back to her home in Pandemonium to warn her adoptive mother of the threat. That was before witnessing it's destruction in the distance, which is now in pieces spread throughout the city and the surrounding area. She had barely dodged the raining rubble herself.
Now, all the little, blonde girl could do is watch as the creator of Makai started lobbing her magic at the invaders high above the ruins of the palace, her attacks gradually increasing in destructive force. She had to marvel how well the outsiders are evading her adoptive mother's barrage, it was no wonder she herself lost to them earlier. But it doesn't matter now...
"Alice-sama!" The girl heard a voice call for her from nearby. Turning her gaze from above to the side, she spotted a wavy haired, blonde woman in a red and white maid outfit running towards her. The woman's clothing was torn and burnt in many places, just like hers, showing that she had been through quite the ordeal herself. "Thank goodness you are safe! I had feared you were home when the palace was destroyed."
Considering everything that had been happening that day, the girl couldn't help but to cry out to the familiar maid in a mixture of relief and worry. "Yumeko! What is happening?!"
"Intruders from Gensokyo have come." The maid named Yumeko explained hurriedly. "Apparently, they all have had complaints for Shinki-sama about something or other. Understandably, she wasn't very pleased with them..." The blonde maid paused in her explanation when she notices the condition of the girl, sporting some torn clothing of her own. "Oh my, are you alright!?"
"I...I had a run in with those intruders you spoke about." Alice explained in a defeated tone. "I tried to stop them myself, but they were too strong... And now they blew up our home!" The little girl wailed in frustration and grief.
Yumeko looked up at the battle with her piercing yellow eyes, worry clearly apparent in her gaze. "...No. That was Shinki-sama's own doing, I'm afraid."
"Wha...what? Why would she do that?"
"It doesn't really matter, Shinki-sama can reconstruct the palace simply enough. It's just..." The faithful maid paused in her explanation, before shaking her head. "There's no time for this. We need to escape as quick as we can, it is not safe here."
"Alice! Yumeko!" A loud, brash voice called out to the two blondes before they could leave, revealing the forms of two more girls flying in from just above them. One was yet another blonde haired girl in dark red, near black hat with a pink ribbon and similarly dark red dress with a pink blouse, and the other being a light blue haired girl with her dress, bow in her hair, and wings on her back all being colored in a light pink.
Both of these two girls, much like Yumeko, seemed to have been through much as both of their clothing is torn and burnt in similar fashion. None the less, they were a welcome sight to the young girl during this crisis, since the fire and ice witches were good friends to her. "Yuki! Mai! You're both alright!"
"Of course we are. What did you expect?" The blonde one cheered, indicating she was the one who called out to them. Her cheerful mood was cut short by a sudden wince across her features, apparently straining something in her excitement.
"Yuki, cut it out. You're still recovering from getting shot down by those strange people." The other girl scolded. "You even got beat before I did. You're such a weakling."
"Oh, like you did any better by yourself!" The girl named Yuki snapped back.
"So, even you two ran into those troublemakers." Yumeko stated solemnly. "Did everyone fall in the wake of their rampage?"
"Wait, even you lost to them Yumeko!?" Yuki asked in shock. "But...you're the strongest out of all of us!"
"...They are much stronger than they appear." The maid admitted. "I did all I could in my power to stop them, but now..."
"Don't worry Yumeko." Yuki chirped, despite her condition. "Shinki-sama is going to put them in their place! No matter how strong they are, they can't face a goddess like her!"
"That isn't what I'm worried about." Yumeko replied ominously, before staring up at the midair battle zone that her master was waring. Just as she did, the maid freezes in place in a mix of fright and panic. "Oh no... Everyone, we must leave now!"
"What?" Yuki questioned in confusion. That is, until the once faint noises of battle and magic became apparent that it isn't so faint anymore. "Wait a second... Are they coming...closer?"
"Yuki, watch out!" Mai yelled out, shoving the fire witch and herself out of the way as a large purple orb of pure magic speeds by them both. As the orb made contact with the ground, the resulting explosion expanded out into a flash of violet about twice as large as the orb was itself, before leaving behind a crater of bright orange flames in its wake.
Looking back at the crater with wide, yellow eyes, Yuki shakily follows the path of the orbs trajectory to notice that the battle between goddess and Gensokyo dwellers had left the ruins of Pandemonium, and now approached their location in the city. Shinki's wings, that were once a blinding white, now are a deep shade of purple, with several red marking decorating them and flashing erratically. "Wha...what is happening?"
"I was afraid of this..." Yumeko stammers in fear. "Shinki-sama is using too much power at once, she's losing control. At this rate, she is going to burn herself out."
"And level half of Makai while she is at it..." Mai mumbled pessimistically. "Yuki, we're getting out of here. There's still time."
"Right." Yuki nodded in agreement, following Mai's lead and taking off into the air.
"Come Alice-sama, we must leave here as well." Yumeko grabbed onto Alice's hand in haste, pulling the girl with her into the air to follow after the two witches.
As they flew through the miasma filled air of Makai, Alice can't help but look down onto the city of the demon world. What was once a peaceful and beautiful place for demons to live, was now a place of panic and confusion. Even now, the city beneath them was starting to catch fire from Shinki's stray shots, with maybe some of the residents getting caught in the blasts. Normally it wouldn't be so worrying, since the demons of Makai were strong and durable beings, but it was because of Shinki's power that they existed in the first place.
Now, that same power was being unleashed on the entirety of Makai.
Unfortunately, the group of four mistook how much time they had as the battle gained on their heels far too quickly. Not a moment later, they all found themselves at the edge of the crossfire, dodging and weaving through a storm of blood red, arrow like projectiles and the same purple orbs that nearly hit the witches earlier.
"Damn, this is getting to be too much." Yuki yelled out in panic. "How are those four surviving this!?"
"Less talking, more flying." Mai scolded out to her fellow witch.
"I know, I know!" The fire witch shot back, before glancing back at Yumeko and little Alice. "How're you two doing back there?"
"We are fine, but we have to hurry!" Yumeko pressed firmly. "We need to reach the gateway to Gensokyo quickly, it's the only safe haven I can think of."
"Gensokyo!?" Yuki exclaimed in shock. "You mean where those trespassers came from? Why would we ever want to go there?"
"I know what you are thinking Yuki, but it's our only choice right now. Please, we must hurry!"
The blonde witch showed signs of reluctance, but still nods in acceptance to the plan. Just as she was about to turn around to focus back on flying, her eyes widened like saucers as she spots something from behind the maid and little human. "Alice, watch out!" Just as she gives the warning, she immediately reverses her flight path, flying directly into the girl she called out to and shoving her backwards in the air.
As the action was done, a blindingly red laser hits Yuki directly, coming from right above Alice's head. The light completely engulfs the unfortunate witch from everyone's sight, leaving no traces of her except for her iconic hat being seen falling downwards towards the burning city below.
"YUKI!" Mai screams out in shock and despair as she watches her partner get hit out of the air, maybe even vaporized for all they knew, and to those who really know the ice witch it was probably the loudest anyone has ever heard her speak in her entire life. She would never admit it, but to her Yuki was her very best friend, and they always stuck with each other no matter where they went. To suddenly lose her, especially during such a crisis, was too much for the ice witch to bear.
The moment of distraction, however, was enough for the witch to loose her focus, as not a second later a similar laser rushes by Yumeko's side, engulfing Mai just as it did Yuki.
Alice, as well as Yumeko, was left speechless at the sudden disappearance of the two witches, both with an unbelieving and horrified expression on their faces. So much was happening so horribly fast, one would have to wonder if all of this was just one horrible nightmare.
As if to snap her out of her daze, a red bolt of magic rushed past the maid's face, who had to regain her senses and steel herself for what is to come. As much as she wished she didn't have to, they had to escape the storm of magic they were in if Alice and herself were to avoid a similar fate. "Alice-sama, we need to keep moving. It still isn't safe here."
"B-But what about Yuki and Mai? They probably only got shot down to the city. We need to search for them!" The blonde girl exclaimed in panic, her young eyes quivering with emotions.
"We can't do anything right now, not without endangering ourselves. We have to escape." The maid tried to explain patiently, but the young human was panicking.
"No! We can't leave them!" Alice tearfully yells, before shooting down into a nosedive toward the burning city.
The servant of Shinki curses loudly at the young girl's reckless action, before speeding down after her. "Alice-sama! It's too dangerous, we can't..." Yumeko's eyes caught something in their peripheral vision as she chases after her ward, her entire being filling with panic when she spotted another purple orb heading straight into Alice's flight path. Getting an extra burst of energy within her, the loyal maid multiplies her speed to reach the young girl, hoping beyond hope that she will be there in time.
Time slowed down, the orb inching slowly to meet Alice in the air in front of the maid's golden eyes, just itching to reach its target. Yumeko herself was gaining ground quickly, but at this rate she won't get there in time to get them both out of the way. The orb was going to hit something, one way or the other, and she knew it.
So be it. She was ordered by her master to keep the human safe at all costs, and that was exactly what she was going to do.
For Alice, everything happened in a rush. As she was streaking down to the rooftops below to search for her friends, in just a second, she felt something wrap around her from behind just as an overwhelming force pressed against her from the side, sending both her and whatever is with her to the ground like a shot. The ground meets her swiftly after, but whatever is covering her yanks her around in a forceful manner, guarding her from the brunt of the impact.
Seconds pass into minutes for the poor girl, being unable to move because of the combination of the rough impact and the restrictive presence surrounding her. Within that time she heard the explosions that was bombarding the city nearby, making her increasingly worried about getting hit herself in her stationary position.
Not long after, Alice gathered the strength to push the restraints away from her, which she now noticed were a pair of slender arms, and pushed herself up. Once she regains her bearings, she noticed with horror that everything surrounding her was now up in flames, and not a soul can be seen anywhere near her. The once great city was in shambles...and it was all because of the goddess who created it.
"Mother... How could you do this?" Alice asked with tearful eyes, not believing everything she is seeing.
"Do...Do not blame her for this Alice-sama." Someone tells her from behind. Alice quickly spins around at the utterance, startled that someone else was here besides her, only to meet the beaten gaze of Yumeko. At first glance, it looked like the maid was just fine, just laying in the rubble that they landed in, but upon a closer look you could see that her entire back had been incinerated, and that, despite her being a demon, it was a miracle she was even conscious at the moment, the pain being so horrible.
"Yumeko!" Alice exclaimed, immediately kneeling down at the maid's side. "You...you protected me?"
"I had to..." Yumeko smiled, despite her own condition and their situation. "I was ordered by Shinki-sama to protect you, no matter what. I'm glad you are safe."
"Why..." Alice started lowly, before increasing in volume as she continued. "Why would mother do this? How could she do this!?"
"Don't think badly of her. You know as well as I do that she cares deeply for everyone in Makai, including you." Yumeko explained through gritted teeth. "Unfortunately, that very love is what caused this. She was so distraught and angry because of her children getting attacked that she lost control of herself. I knew this as soon as she destroyed Pandemonium..."
Alice sat there digesting what the maid told her, fists trembling with emotion. "Even so, this has gone on too far..." She shook her head to rid herself of her thoughts for now, latching onto Yumeko's arm. "Anyway, we need to get you out of here! You're hurt!"
"I'm sorry Alice-sama, but I cannot move." Yumeko smiles sadly at the young human. "You will have to go without me. Make for the gate to Gensokyo. Leave this place. Live out your life in peace. Don't come back."
"No!" The human girl shakes her head in denial, not even considering the idea. "I'm not leaving you! You'll get killed if you stay here!"
"As long as you survive, that doesn't matter." The maid firmly states, looking the girl dead in the eyes. "You are a strong girl, I am sure you can make it on your own. You have nothing left for you here, except pain. Please, for your own sake you must leave here."
"But Yumeko..."
"Now, young lady!" Yumeko snapped at the girl, reminding Alice of how she used to scold her when she did something wrong. Somehow she always managed to get Alice to do what she told her to do.
"I..." Alice started, only to look down with defeat in her eyes. "I understand."
"Good girl." Yumeko chuckles hollowly, before her face lights up in realization. "Ah, that is right. I have a gift for you."
"For me?" Alice turned her head back up to look at the maid, curiosity overriding her grief briefly.
"Yes. It was supposed to be a present for you once you got a bit older, but now is as good a time as any." Holding out her right hand in front of her, palm facing upwards, the maid focused some magic into her hands, a sparkling light rising from her hand. Soon that light began to morph, shaping itself into a rectangle about the size of the maid's head before the light shines so brightly Alice had to shift her gaze away. When she turns her head back, her eyes widened when she spots what is flouting above Yumeko's hand.
At first, it looked like any old, hardback book, but considering the rainbow colored aura that coated it with a dazzling light and the gold writing on its cover, it took Alice only a moment to realize what it was. "A...A grimoire?"
"Your grimoire, Alice." Yumeko corrects. "As you already know, you are incredibly gifted in the art of magic, but there is only so much a human can do by herself. Shinki-sama made this with her own power, and inside you will find the strongest form of magic. In theory, you could probably become as strong as Shinki-sama herself using what you read in here." Alice's eyes widen exponentially at that, but Yumeko keeps going. "However, such power will come at a price. Once you open this grimoire, you will never be human again."
"W-What?" Alice asked with a startled expression.
"A human doesn't have the body or mind for such powerful magic. If you are to use it, you will have to turn yourself into a youkai magician. Please think it over before you open it." Yumeko finished with a grimace, handing the book over to the young human.
Alice stayed there with confusion and contemplation written all over her face, holding the large book to her chest with both arms. The injured maid was about to ask what the girl is thinking about, before she hears the soft tone of her voice. "Why would she make me something like this? Aren't I just a human?"
Yumeko actually laughed at the question the confused girl asked, wounds be damned. "For the same reason she took you in and raised you as one of her own; she loves you Alice. Perhaps more than anything she ever created. You are a very special girl, with so much potential. She made that grimoire when it became apparent; she wanted to give you the choice to achieve that potential."
"I see..." Alice mumbles to herself, before standing up straight. "Thank you Yumeko, for everything you've done for me. I know it must have been hard for you."
"Not at all, it was my pleasure...Alice." Yumeko gives a warm smile to the girl, before switching to a stern look. "Now go."
Alice nods with a determined look, though her eyes show the amount of grief it is causing the girl to do as she is told, tears falling to the ground as she began to float into the air. "Goodbye." She took off to the air the moment the words left her mouth, trying to get as much distance as she can before she changes her mind.
The view of the city wasn't any better from above than it was at ground level. If anything, it was worse. The place is practically in ruins; a big black mess with some fires spread throughout the whole area. And as if things weren't bad enough, the rain of magic from above is still coming. The residents of Makai, at least the once who are left, still can't rest from the relentless onslaught, even though it is far less intense than it was before.
Alice looked over to the source of the magic as she keeps flying through the air, and it doesn't take long to spot the goddess herself still firing off magic at the invaders. Like Yumeko said would happen, Shinki exhausted herself greatly from the overuse of her power. The majestic wings she once displayed were gone, and she was firing off her magic in sweeping shots in a desperate chance to hit anything. The invaders, surprisingly, didn't look like they were hit once, and were just dodging through the storm like it were nothing.
The young girl tore her gaze away from the fight, deciding she didn't want to see what happens anymore. It's too hard to think of her as her mother when she caused all of this destruction, taking away everyone she knew.
After about an hour of flying, which felt like an eternity to her as she flew further away from her home, Alice finds herself in front of the massive gateway to Gensokyo, and away from Makai. The girl flouts in front of it for a while, contemplating if she could go through with passing through the portal or not. Most likely, she wouldn't be able to return once she did. As if she could hear Yumeko demanding her to go, much like she did in the city, she wills herself through to gateway.
The pathway to Gensokyo was awe inspiring, to say the least. It was like surfing through a sea of bright, blue hued stars in the infinite confines of space. Even though Alice knew this wasn't the case, and you can only really go one way or the other through the tunnel, it still makes a girl dream.
Once deciding she had gone far enough, Alice halts in her flight, flouting in the middle of the vast reaches of the fake stars. One would question why she would stop now of all times, when she is just about to reach Gensokyo, but the girl knew what she was doing. She had been thinking the whole time while she was heading to the land of fantasy. Unlike in Makai, where Shinki given her immunity and protection from the demon residents, she had no such protection from the youkai of Gensokyo. Sure, she could handle herself with her magic, but if the youkai there were anything like the ones who came to Makai, she would be in trouble.
She would need to be stronger.
Not giving the matter another thought, Alice holds out her grimoire in front of her, and slowly opens the pages. At first nothing was happening, just her holding an open book in front of her like some kind of fool, but right when she was beginning to relax, she gets blinded by a multicolored light the flooded from the pages. The light itself, instead of spreading out throughout the reaches of the false space, begins to cover the young human like an extra layer of skin.
It felt warm and comforting as it lingered, and Alice began to wonder if this was all that was going to happen to turn her into a youkai. All thoughts of that were trashed once the warm feeling became scolding, even burning. She screamed out in pain that the grimoire is causing her, she screamed out so hard that it felt like her young voice was going to be stripped out from her throat permanently. Soon after, the burning feeling reached even deeper into her being; down to her core, to her bones, to her mind. She nearly passed out from the pain itself, but somehow she pulled through the urge to black out.
The rainbow light lingered for several minutes, though it might as well had been hours in Alice's opinion. Finally, the light began to leave from her being, absorbing itself back into the grimoire that remained flouting in the air. Once the last speck of light vanished, the grimoire closed itself with a quick snap, floating into the waiting arms of its owner. With her grimoire back in hand, Alice slowly opened her eyes, revealing a quick flash of the rainbow light that once surrounded her before it fades back into her normal gold ones.
She quickly looked herself over once she felt like the burning sensation is gone for good, a faint smile on her lips as she did. She may not look any different now, but she can feel the new strength inside her that she never had before. It's the strength of a youkai.
Alice's smile turned into a determined frown as she flips open her grimoire again, deciding to test her new power in this seemingly limitless space. She peered into the text inside the pages, and as if she knew how to do it by instinct, she flicked her arm outward with a flush of magic. Suddenly her surrounding seemed to warp around her, the many stars in the space changing hue from the calming blue to an unsettling red, like each of the stars in the space decided to start burning out.
Marveling at how easy it felt to change the space, Alice gazes back at the general direction she came from when traveling from Makai, a sly smirk playing at her mouth. "Now, to test out how strong I am. They should be coming back anytime now..."
Right on cue, she spotted the four natives of Gensokyo approaching from the distance, no doubt trying to return home after beating her mother. Holding out her grimoire right in front of her when they get closer, Alice prepared herself for her rematch.
"You finally got here."
A loud bang rang out through the empty space between Gensokyo and Makai, indicating the end of a long battle. At the center of this bang flouted the form of Alice, barely managing to stay floating while holding onto her grimoire, which is now closed. Opposite to her was the four intruders, who each have a satisfied, yet weary grin on their faces.
"Like I said, you can't beat me!" A girl dressed like a shrine maiden with purple hair spoke out from the four, giving a cocky smile.
"Err, Reimu? We all beat her." A blonde haired human in black clothing remarked, gaining the ire of the shrine maiden.
"Shut it Marisa, I did all the work." Reimu boasts, puffing out her chest.
"Whatever you say Reimu." Marisa shrugged, before flying past her on her broom. "Anyway, I'm going to head home now. I'm tired after all this fighting... See you later Reimu."
The other two, green haired companions each give a similar excuse, each of them following after the witch to go home. Soon, it was just her and the little girl they just beat a second time, who turned out to put up a much tougher fight this time around. "Hey, you still alive over there?"
"Why..." Alice mumbled lowly, before suddenly yelling out. "Why can't I beat you!? I was supposed to win! I even used the strongest form of magic!"
"Well, besides the fact I was still stronger?" Reimu asked, mainly to herself more than Alice. "I guess you lacked a good reason to win."
"A good reason?" The once human asked, her features turning to anger quickly with tears pouring down her eyes. "You destroyed my home! Everyone I know is probably dead! And you say I don't have a reason!?"
"In my defense, that was that goddess's fault." The shrine maiden tries to defend herself, hands held up in a calming manner. "We just came here because too many demons from Makai were entering Gensokyo. Everyone I came across, despite my better judgment, I let live. If anyone died, it was because she went all ballistic on us. She was using way too much power, and we had to take her down before she could kill us."
"T-Take her down?" Alice asked in shock and a little bit of fear. "Does that mean...?"
"I'm honestly not sure." Reimu responds glumly. "Yuuka finished her off with her Master Spark, and she was gone once everything cleared, so..." When the Hakurei Shrine maiden noticed the lost expression on the lone girl's face, she rapidly fell silent with a bit of guilt filling her. "...Sorry. It wasn't supposed to be this way."
Alice just shook her head at the apology, whether not to accept it or to tell her 'don't bother' Reimu couldn't say. "Now I really can't go back... What should I do now?"
"Well, I don't know about anything long term, but..." Reimu started, getting the young magician's attention. "You could start by coming to Gensokyo. I plan on sealing this gateway off anyway, so you might as well."
The new youkai magician stared up at the human, unsure how to respond to the advice. In the end, she just nodded in acceptance. "...Okay."
The two began to traverse the rest of the length to Gensokyo, both of them falling silent to the turn of events. Eventually, Reimu decided to comment on something she noticed, trying to fill the silence. "Y'know, I could have sworn the stars around here were blue, not red. I wonder how this happened?"
"I did that." Alice admitted, catching the shrine maiden's attention. "It was to test out my new magic. Though now I suppose it doesn't matter..."
"You can change the color of things?" Reimu asked curiously, getting a nod from the once human. "That's neat. Wait, could you change something like your eye color doing that?"
Alice looked at the miko oddly, but nods anyways. "I guess... Why?"
"I was thinking, maybe you should change your eye color to something else. Gold eyes don't seem to fit you very well." Reimu explained, getting a shocked look from the younger girl. "Oh! How about changing them to green? I always wanted to see someone with green eyes."
"I don't know..." The blonde contemplated, feeling uneasy about the request.
"Oh come on, please~?" The older girl pleaded childishly, acting a bit differently than before.
After a moment of thinking it over, the new youkai noded in acceptance, before letting a tiny smirk play across her face. "Okay, but you have to let me change your hair color if I do."
"Ehh~? Why do you say that?" Reimu pouts, tugging at a lock of her hair.
"Purple doesn't suit you. I think you would do better with something darker, like black maybe." Alice explained, already beginning to form magic in her hands. "Those are my terms. Deal?"
The Hakurei Shrine maiden sulked at the young youkai's reasoning, before just giving a weary shrug. "Fine, have it your way. I want it changed back if I don't like it though."
As soon as she got the go ahead, Alice released the magic she built up, letting it envelop the two girls in a swirl of light. In less than five seconds the light disappears, leaving behind a now black haired shrine maiden, and a green eyed Alice. Once it is done, Reimu tugged a lock of her hair, inspecting it for every detail, before releasing it with an easygoing grin. "Okay, I'll admit. I kind of like it." She looked down at the blonde at that, letting her grin morph into a smirk. "And I was right about your eyes. Green is a good look for them."
"Thanks." Alice nodded in thanks, before slipping back to a sad frown. "I wonder if mother and Yumeko would have liked them like this..."
Reimu's smirk fell at the comment, not knowing how to comfort the girl. In the end, they continued to traverse the infinite space, letting silence fall between them again. It wasn't long though until Reimu spoke up again. "I'm thinking about changing how I do things when I get home."
"Huh?" Alice asked simply, not knowing how to interpret the odd statement.
"After this incident, I've realized that too many people, both human and youkai, could get hurt by how I normally handle them." Reimu began, a determined look forming on her face. "I need to make some kind of guideline for everyone to follow, so that something like this never happens again. How I'll do it, I don't know, but it is worth looking into."
Alice looked up at the shrine maiden after her explanation, before letting a small smile cross her face. "You're actually a nice person underneath, aren't you?"
"Hey, don't go spreading that around. I might loose some creditability." Reimu joked.
The once human girl smiled at her antics, before another solemn look falls on her face. "I already miss them... They've been my family for as long as I can remember, and now..."
"Again, I'm sorry about that." Reimu repeated her apology. "But you're going to have to move on. I'm sure you can make a new life in Gensokyo."
"Yeah..." Alice mumbled, looking down on her grimoire. "Maybe I can. I have to try at least, for them."
"There you go." The now dark haired girl stated, before speeding up. "Now lets go. I really want to get home."
As they flew the rest of the way to Gensokyo, the young magician couldn't help but to think on everything that had happened in the short amount of time today. She had lost so much; her family, her friends, her home... There is so much that she had to carry with her now, so much pain and guilt. In the end, however, she would have to just try to move on and live out her new life the best she can, with the strength her family left her in her grimoire.
It's what everyone would want for her, after all.
Yeesh, that was a lot harder for me to write than I thought. Poor Alice...
Well, this is my version of what happened that awful day in Makai. I'm pretty awful at writing dark things, so I hope I did alright with this. Please drop a review if you could, and tell me what you think of Alice's past. I would appreciate it.
For those waiting for the next chapter in the Chords of Paradise, it's in the works. I'll be getting that out when I can, I just wanted to get this one out there so I can focus completely on my main story.
Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go read something heartwarming and fluffy to get my spirits up. This was so sad to write...