A Time to Fight

The quiet halls of the Scarlet Devil Mansion echoed slightly. Sakuya looked up from the boiling kettle and thought, could it really be that time? Surely Lady Remilia would have warned me if there was a feast today. Shaking it off, Sakuya finished the pot of water and began to make tea for Patchouli, the bookworm who never seemed to leave the Library. Although she was a shut-in, she always treated Sakuya nicely, and that made her happy.

-Scarlet Mansion Library-

"Here's your tea Patchouli-san, just how you like it."

"Thank you very much Sakuya.", Patchouli seemed to be deep in thought.

"Umm… don't answer if you don't want to Patchy-san, but is something bothering you?"

Patchouli paused for a moment, then replied, "I don't… I don't know Sakuya, Lady Remilia has been quite quiet lately, and I've been noticing a strange energy coming from within the walls of the mansion, as if something is trying to break out."

"You don't think it could be Fl-"

"Don't be ridiculous Sakuya, you know the Lady has sealed her very well underneath the Mansion, preventing her from getting out… we aren't even supposed to talk about her, no matter the circumstance."

"Right. Well, enjoy your tea Patchy, I'll be going now." Things still didn't sit right with Sakuya, she knew something was going on.

-Hakurei Shrine—

"Hey Reimu, how's it going?" Marisa said, eager to visit her friend.

"Oh, Marisa, hey, It's going good, other than the damn donation box being empty again!" Reimu, guardian of the Hakurei Shrine cried with disgust.

"Hey, hey, don't worry! It's a slow month for everyone, with all the odd things going on."

"Yeah, things around the Scarlet Devil Mansion have seemed quite odd lately."

Just then Sukia, an Oni, popped out of the shrine, "Are you sure it's that odd? I don't really notice anything out of the ordinary."

"Gah! How long have you been in my house you damn little monster!"

Suika chuckled, "You haven't noticed me the three weeks I've been here? You really are bad at keeping track of me… and your sake for that matter."

"So you're the one who's been drinking my special sake! That was for the feasts!" Reimu was fuming now, only Marisa holding her back kept her from killing the Oni.

Sighing, Reimu spoke quietly to Marisa, "Maybe we should go to the Mansion, and see what's up, maybe Remilia has been hiding something as of late."

Marisa perked up, "Sure! It never hurts to check! And maybe I can uh.. 'borrow' a book or two from Patchy-san."

Reimu smiled, "You never really do change, Marisa."

-Misty Lake-

Marisa and Reimu showed up next to the lake, and looked around. Reimu looked through the mist and found the path leading to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. "Hey Marisa, why can't we just fly to the Mansion?" Reimu said in disdain at the notion of walking the whole way.

"I told you, my broom isn't with me, so I couldn't fly unless I suddenly sprouted wings."

"It's a good thing eye have my own wings, on top of being a very powerful fairy!" said a voice from the mist, all to familiar to the duo.

"Oh, it's you, hello Cirno."

The little Ice Fairy appeared in front of the two girls, "What do you mean 'oh, it's you'? Eye'm the most powerful fairy here! You should be bowing on your knees and begging for your lives!"

Marisa fumed a bit, "You little baka, we've beaten you too many times to count! You aren't that tough!"

Cirno blushed, "That doesn't matter, Eye've been getting better and better! You won't beat me this time."

As Cirno gave her rant, the two girls walked around her, and Cirno never even noticed. Poor little baka.

-Scarlet Devil Mansion, exterior—

Reimu and Marisa approached the front gate of the mansion, finding Hong Meiling asleep at the job again. In an attempt not to disturb her from her slumber, they left a note on her person reading: Hey China! Reimu and I came in while you were sleeping! ~Marisa.

-Scarlet Devil Mansion, interior-

Inside the mansion, Reimu and Marisa found themselves confronted with Patchouli, Remilia, and Sakuya, who were all talking while standing in the foyer.

"Hey you guys, we came to visit!" Marisa yelled from the door.

"Oh joy, uninvited guests, what the hell is Hong doing out there?" was the reply from Remilia.

"We've come to investigate the weird energy that's going on about your castle, Madame Scarlet." Reimu said with utmost politeness, for angering Remi was something she wished not to do.

"So, you weaklings noticed it too then? Well, I guess it's time I explained myself to the outsiders, Sakuya, fetch us some drinks."

"Right away ma'am."

"You see, I am not the only one who lives here with the name Scarlet. I have a sister named Flandre, who stays in the basement. She stays there because I consider her powerful mood swings and immeasurable powers too much to let loose in Gensokyo. I sealed her there to prevent there ever being a chance of her getting out, but once every year, for a week or so, I lose a majority of my powers, which weakens the seal around her room. Unfortunately, this year it happens on the same week my sister's powers grow in strength."

"So basically, she may be able to break out and-"

At this exact time, there was a resounding crash throughout the Mansion, and the five girls tried to hold their ground the best they could. Once the violence died down, you could hear a song being sung from an unknown source.

Remilia's face grew dire, "She got free, we've got to get out of here, Sakuya!"

"Right."

-Scarlet Devil Courtyard-

At that, the five girls were transported outside, where a fully awake Hong greeted them. "Uh, hello Lady Remilia! Is something going on?"

"Hong, get ready for a fight, my sister is free and she's going to go on a rampage."

Hong looked sickly, but she stood firm and ready, as did the other girls. Just then, a young girl, looking no older than ten or eleven, appeared before them.

"Hello everyone, will you please let me through, I want to go for a walk."

Reimu was the first to step up, "No way! I know what you really want to do, and I won't let it happen!"

A crooked smile grew on the little girl's face, "Very well then, it looks as though I'm going to have to fight my way through you, one at a time."

Reimu and Flandre proceeded to fight, and for a time, it almost appeared as if Reimu would win, and this would all be over. Just as things were swinging close to an end, Flandre's crooked smile got wider, and her eyes glowed a bright red. A fire started just under Reimu's feet, but it quickly engulfed her whole body, incinerating everything, including bones.

Marisa cried out, "Reimu, nooo!" Filled with rage, Marisa stepped up next, "You killed my best friend, it's your turn now, little beast of the night."

"Such brave words for one who just saw my power, your death will be even more painful."

"Oh really? How about you have a taste of my Master Spark!" A blast of powerful energy flew from Marisa, and it hit Flandre dead on, or so everyone thought.

"Is that really all you have girl? I thought you would be tougher." Flandre stabbed Marisa in the chest with her bare hand, and she died almost instantly.

Flandre then turned to her sister and her subordinates and drew the crooked smile again. "You are going to pay, sister, for locking me in that damn basement for five hundred years!"

Patchouli steps up, and unleashes some of her most powerful spells, Flandre laughs, and nearly incinerates her, had Sakuya not stepped in at the last second and teleported them away.

Just at this second, a little glistening blue light came into view, "Eye will stop you evil doer!" It was Cirno, trying once again to prove her worth to the girls.

"You pathetic little bug! I don't have time for you! " Flandre swatted Cirno into the ground, seemingly killing her.

"Now sister, you and your playmates will burn for my imprisonment!"

Cirno raised her head slightly, looking at the maniacal vampire standing before her, and thought to herself, Eye have to stop her, or all of Gensokyo will be burnt to a crisp. Then Cirno got a wonderful idea. She remembered the frogs she would freeze at the lake, and how they couldn't move even if the wanted to. Cirno summoned all of her strength, stood up, and blasted as much ice power as she could at Flandre, and slowly she became incased in an Ice block as tall as some of the biggest trees in the forest.

Cirno smiled and said, "See Reimu and Marisa, Eye am the strongest." At that, she collapsed from overexerting herself.

"Wow, that little Ice Fairy saved us all." Remilia commented with awe in her voice.

"Yes, it would appear as though she fainted from overuse of her power." Patchouli said, "I will help tend to her, but I will need help Sakuya."

Sakuya smiled, "After what she just did, of course."

Oddly enough, after Flandre was resealed, Sakuya was able to bend time and bring the two girls back from the grave, although they had no memory of Flandre being released, and nobody told them, except for Cirno, who bragged about beating an enemy they couldn't, but they didn't believe her.

For Cirno though, it didn't matter that the two she tried to impress didn't believe her. It was her time to fight and her time to remember, and she would never forget the battle that cost her so much.