A note before we begin: this story will be heavily based on that of the video game NieR. Knowledge of that game is in no way needed, however, as I'm only drawing from it; this isn't a crossover or anything. And for those who are familiar with NieR, well, don't think you know what all the twists are, because although this is to a significant extent based on NieR, there'll be a lot that has nothing to do with NieR (including, as you'll soon see, the very first scene). Anyways, here we go:

Chapter 1
Broken Lives

She stood at the gates of hell.

Not the true hell, of course; even back when it was a place you could travel to, Higan had no gates, only the river that served the purpose more effectively than any gate could. And not the former hell, either; that, she was already in. No, this was a personal hell, created specifically for the person stuck inside.

She raised her hand to the 'keypad' and punched in the code. A simple code, one she'd only seen once before, a long time ago, but very easy to remember. After all, there was little harm anyone could do inside; it was there for the safety of those still outside.

The specially made 'door' slid open, the flames within illuminating the deserted corridor. But light was all that escaped; the flames, and the heat, and everything else was safely contained within. Even when the door was open, a magic field kept it contained.

She held her hand up and reached through the field, quickly pulling it back. Burnt. As expected. This is not going to be pleasant. Flame was usually harmless to her, but the solar fires contained within here were different, outside of her control. And the other effects, of course, she also could do nothing about. Not that she needed to; very shortly after emerging, her body would be as though nothing had happened.

She stepped up to the opening and paused. Okay, last chance to walk away. If I do this, there's no turning back. Do I really want to do this for her? She shook her head. No, don't think that way. What I've done to her is far worse than what she did to me.

She focused. The solar flames may have been outside her ability to influence, but she could still sense them, and as such, could tell where something was within it. And there was only one thing in there.

She paused again, readying herself, and then moved. The cloak she'd been wearing was incinerated as she passed through the field, and Fujiwara no Mokou leapt into the flames.

It was a straight shot, and Mokou finished quickly. She went in, grabbed what she was after, and came out, placing the body she'd retrieved on the floor. She examined her anti-fire charms. Hers were far more effective than any others could be, as she was able to infuse them with the essence of fire upon making them. But even hers had been overcome by the solar furnace. They did their job, though; my clothes are still intact. And she had other charms to replace them. Her body had been very badly burned, but it wouldn't be a problem; she was already healing. The body she'd retrieves was much worse, but that one, too was healing.

Mokou picked up the basic outfit she'd placed by the door. She dressed the naked body as soon as its full shape had regenerated. No way I'd carry her naked. Not happening. She then grabbed one of the two swords she'd placed there, both in their sheaths. This one belonged to the unconscious woman before her, and Mokou strapped it on her. The other was Mokou's, and she put that on herself. Right, time to go.

Mokou pressed the button to close the door, then took off, the body of Kaguya Houraisan slung over her shoulder.

Mokou flew through the halls, taking a route she knew well. As she neared the end, she saw two youkai coming towards her. They were hell crows, and these ones were able to take humanoid forms, which they were currently in.

One of them pointed at Mokou. "Hey, isn't that-"

"She's got the captive," the other cried out. "Mokou, stop now!"

"No." Mokou drew her sword, swinging it in a wide arc as she flew by the pair. She caught the first across the chest, but the other dodged and grabbed Mokou by the leg. Mokou took hold of the crow's arm, pulled herself in, and impaled her through the chest. She withdrew her blade and impaled the other, then quickly wiped the blade off on the crow's clothes before returning the blade to its sheath. And she did it all without dropping Kaguya.

There was no more opposition as Mokou proceeded on, and before long, she was out. She moved into the passage, leaving the Palace of the Earth Spirits behind her. Below was the entrance to the reactor, which was not her destination. She flew the other way, up towards the surface. The passage, which opened by the Youkai Mountain, had been made by the god Suwako at Kanako's behest, in order to allow the kappa easy access. These days, the passage was rarely used, and Mokou encountered no others as she flew up through it.

The world is dying. Once thriving populations now lie decimated by plague and disease. And as if that wasn't enough, monsters now roam the land, threatening our very lives. The end has never felt so close.

But that's of no consequence to me. The woman I love is sick, and all I want to do is help her.

My name is Nue Houjuu. A long time ago, I was a terror throughout the land. But then Gensokyo was separated from the rest of the world, and the human populations had powerful defenders. Not that this stopped me. And I went after youkai, too, which there was no shortage of. But that ended fifteen hundred years ago.

I had targeted a Buddhist monk and her companions, intending to have some fun with them. My timing, however, was bad. It turns out that this particular monk was also a youkai exterminator. Except that she never killed youkai. She instead relocated them. See, she's only a former human; she had secretly become a youkai, and had secretly been aiding other youkai. And the humans, when they found out, were not amused. But the reason the monk, Byakuren Hijiri, had become a youkai was in search of a way to avoid death, and the means of immortality she found made her into a youkai. She couldn't be killed, but the humans wanted to be rid of her. So they sealed her away within the realm of Makai. They promised not to harm her companions if she cooperated, which she did, but the humans were tricking her. Byakuren was sealed in Makai, and her companions, as well as their flying ship, were sealed separately. They were locked underground. And I, simply because I'd been there, was sent underground as well.

I am no longer the terror I was back then; a thousand years of being sealed away can change you. I still like having my fun, though, so when we were eventually unsealed, I decided to do just that. They were broken out of the underground unintentionally, as we would later discover, by a youkai who had suddenly gained significant power. Locked away with us had been objects needed to free Byakuren, and in the geyser that freed the ship, they were scattered. I attached Seeds of Non-Identification to these objects, changing how people saw them. This attracted all sorts of company, but in the end, they were able to release Byakuren.

Byakuren, upon returning to Gensokyo, converted the ship into a temple. She aided anyone who needed her aid, human or youkai. And relationships between humans and youkai were not nearly as strained as they had been a thousand years ago, so she could aid both openly. They even aided me. A couple of the ones who'd been drawn in by my trick managed to track me down, and they decided to beat the shit out of me. One of Byakuren's companions found me afterwards, and the temple took me in. They even knew that I was the one who had caused them trouble, yet they still took me in.

I stayed at the temple for a while after that. It was the first time I'd ever felt guilty for something I'd done, and I felt it because they'd aided me despite knowing that I had interfered with them. So I stuck around. I was never as devoted as them, but I did my part.

This arrangement lasted for a few years. It lasted until the event that changed everything.

Until the Radiance.

"I need some medicinal herbs," Heida no Ari said. "Could you go get them for me? Three, please."

"Sure," Nue said.

"Thank you. Here."

Nue took the money Ari held out. "Um, I think this is more that the herbs cost."

"The rest is your payment."

"Woah," Nue said, "I'm just running an errand for you. There's no way that's worth this much."

"Just take it. It's the least I can do for you."

"…Fine," Nue said. "Byakuren won't like the thought of you giving us this much, though."

"I'd just give you the money freely if she wouldn't start going on about how I shouldn't trouble myself so much for your sake. I'm being accommodating enough by giving you these dumb errands. Take the money."

"All right, if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

"Okay then." Nue opened the door. "Thanks, Ari," she said as she exited Ari's home.

The Radiance happened five hundred years ago. And nobody knows what it actually was; the name comes from the bright light that accompanied it. The actual event was, as far as anyone could determine, brief, but the effects were lasting.

When the Radiance happened, these… things appeared. Creatures with generally humanoid forms, but… weird. Shadowy. And fluxuating, almost as though they only half-exist. But that is only appearance; these creatures are, in fact, completely solid.

The creatures were violent. When they appeared, attacks began immediately. The death toll was significant. And that's in addition to the many deaths that remain unexplained. People who seemingly just… died. Those numbers, though, are minor compared to the damage done by the creatures.

Nobody knows where the creatures came from. They just appeared, and in significant numbers. And they were indiscriminately violent. A lot was destroyed in that initial event, the Temple of Myouren included.

The creatures attacked in force, and it was all we could do to get as many people out as we did. And we didn't all make it. Ichirin Kumoi was found dead the next day. Shou's gone, too; there was no sign of her at all. We never found Kyouko's body, either. Murasa is gone, as well; the temple was also her ship, her anchor in this world. With it gone, she passed on to the netherworld. Before, she could have simply returned to us from there, but that's not possible now. Only Byakuren, Nazrin, and I made it through alive. Mamizou, too, though she was more my guest than actually one of us.

The temple was completely destroyed; only ruins remain. Many homes and other places were also destroyed. Fields were ravaged, crops lost. And the crops continue to die; every year, more land ceases to be fertile. It's bad enough now; in another generation or two, there may not be much left. Not even the sky escaped unscarred.

All these problems are bad enough; with the creatures, it's even worse. They're still violent, still numerous, and still shadowy-looking. Nobody knows what they are, but we do have a name for them.

We call them Shades.

There was a commotion in the market. Nue spotted a familiar face near the edge of the crowd and went over to her. "Mamizou, what's going on?"

The tanuki, Mamizou, turned to face Nue. "Ah, Nue. Good timing. I was about to go look for you."

"What is it?"

"Shades," Mamizou said. "A small group has been spotted near the village."

"What?"

"It's true!" one of the villagers said. "I saw them myself! They're just outside the north entrance!"

"I'd handle them if I could," Mamizou said, "but, well, you know."

Nue did indeed know. Mamizou was extremely skilled when it came to danmaku, but Shades didn't play by the spellcard rules, and danmaku wasn't very helpful in a real fight. Mamizou was quite powerful, yes, but she was much more specialized than Nue. When it came to deceptions and illusions, she was unmatched, but she was lacking in actualy combat ability, both physical and magical, though she was still above the average youkai in both. "I can handle it," Nue said. "Just let me buy some herbs first; Ari asked me to get some for her. Can I ask you to deliver them?"

"No problem," Mamizou said.

Mokou flew through the bamboo forest in which she'd once made her home. She'd been gone for quite some time, but circumstances had led to her returning about a month ago. She landed in the small clearing she'd been using, and gently placed Kaguya on the ground, taking a seat beside her.

Mokou sighed. I just jumped into a damn star made by the woman I loved to rescue the one responsible for the deaths of not only people important to me, but also people important to her. The world has most certainly gone crazy.

After a rest, Mokou got to her feet. Right. I should probably go find some food. We may not need it, but after five hundred years, she'll most certainly want it. And I want some, too. I guess crazy rescues can really help you work up an appetite.

"Greetings, Nue," Byakuren said as Nue entered. After the temple's destruction, the two of them and Nazrin had relocated to a house in the human village; the family that had previously lived there had all been killed in the initial Shade attack. It was more than large enough for the three of them, and when Nazrin had relocated to a nearby house whose residents had suffered the same fate, Nue and Byakuren had been left with even more extra space. They made use of it, though, taking in and caring for people much as they had in the temple, although it of course couldn't hold nearly as many.

"Hey," Nue said. "How're you feeling?"

"Normal. You worry too much, Nue. I'm fine. There's nothing stopping me from lending my aid where it is needed. What of yourself? It sounded like there was a bit of a commotion down by the market."

"Some Shades were spotted near the village," Nue said. "I heard about it while running an errand for Ari. Just a trio, a small group that looked like it had wandered close, but you know how nervous those things make people. So I took care of them."

"It is unusual for them to come near the village, though."

After putting her things away, Nue took a seat next to Byakuren. "True, but I really think it was just coincidence that they ended up close to here."

"Maybe," Byakuren said. "I heard about some unusual Shade activity myself, though."

"Oh?"

"Apparently, Shades were seen heading in the direction of the temple ruins."

"Really? Why would they do that? There's nothing there."

"We have looked the site over quite thoroughly," Byakuren agreed. "The mausoleum below it, however, is a different story."

"Miko's bunch went through it," Nue said. "They didn't find anything."

"True, but then, that structure is more intact than the temple, and there was more within it to begin with. And it was more complex, too. I would think it's much more likely for them to have missed something than it is for us. Or maybe whatever the Shades are there for is something that would seem to have no interest to them or us."

"Shades can show up in unusual areas. And they generally don't like the light very much, either. I'm surprised they haven't been going there before now."

"That is another factor," Byakuren said. "Why haven't they been?"

"Maybe we just haven't noticed."

"Unlikely."

"Agreed," Nue said. "I still don't think they're necessarily up to something, though. I don't know that they have enough of a mind to be 'up to' anything. Still, I guess it's worth taking a look. I'll head over there tomorrow."

"Alone?"

"I can handle myself, Byakuren. You know that."

"I suppose I do. And the Shades you found today gave you no problems, I'm sure."

"As I said, it was just a random trio. Nothing to worry about. Certainly didn't stop me from getting work done."

"You found some work today, then."

"Yeah. Nothing big, though. Just minor random things, such as Ari having me run an errand for her, get her some herbs from the market."

"I hope you didn't ask for payment for something so minor."

Nue chuckled. "Ari paid me. I tried to tell her otherwise, but she was insistent."

"She could easily have gone shopping on her own. Why did she have you do it?"

"Actually, it's your fault." Nue laughed again. "Ari said she'd just give to us if you'd let her."

Byakuren sighed. "We've been over this, Nue. The people have it hard enough already. They shouldn't have to add to their hardships for our sake."

The discussion was indeed familiar ground. "Yeah, I know, but we need some things. We got by fine on charity, but if you're turning even that down, where's that leave us? We do need at least some money. Since you won't accept any, I have to."

"And when you do things people would pay for anyways, it's different. I can accept that, though I don't like it. But I'm never going to ask for payment for my services. People shouldn't be left to suffer just because they don't have enough money."

"I know. And I don't charge for everything. You know that. I'm only charging at all because it's necessary."

"Yeah," Byakuren said, "I know."

Over the time since being freed, my relationship with Byakuren changed. The more time we spent together, the more I became aware of my feelings for her.

It took me a long time to get up the courage to tell her that I loved her. It wasn't until many years after the Radiance that I made that confession. I'd never been so worried in my life. I thought for sure she wouldn't return my feelings, not when I was a troublemaker. Even if I had been making less trouble as time went on. But I guess I'd changed even more than I realized. Byakuren and I have become very close since then, which makes the current situation very hard on me.

There is a disease. The first case of it was several years ago. It's fairly rare, which is good, as all known cases have been fatal. Because of the writing-like black marks it leaves on the skin, it has become known as the Black Scrawl.

And Byakuren has it.

Nobody knows how much time she has left. She's already lived with it for much longer than anyone else, and without much of the physical deterioration that it causes. Without much of the pain, too. I think it's because of her nature, because of the change she underwent to avoid death. But it's affecting her despite the immortality she attained, and I fear it's only a matter of time before it claims even her.

I'm doing everything I can to find a cure, to find some way to save her. If the very, very slow rate of progression is any indication, there's still time, maybe a few years instead of the few months is usually takes. But even that feels like far too little time. She's going to die if I can't find anything, and I don't want to lose her.

When Kaguya awoke, it was night.

Kaguya slowly rose to a seated position and looked around. She was in a small clearing within a forest. The bamboo forest? No, I know it too well, and I don't recognize… well, I suppose change is to be expected. Something's strange, though.

Kaguya looked around. Sure enough, there was an odd look to her surroundings. She looked up to the star-filled night sky. The stars look off, too, but I can't tell how. Maybe… She quickly located the moon. What the- is the moon… orange? No, not just the moon. The stars, too. Come to think of it, that's what looks odd all around, isn't it? There's an orange tint. But why? What could cause something like that?

Kaguya spotted someone entering the clearing, someone she knew well. "Mokou."

"Naturally," Mokou said with a chuckle. "Of course you woke up while I was gone."

"Wait… are you the one who-"

"Got you out of there? Yes. I did. The reason is complicated, so don't ask."

"There are more important concerns, anyways," Kaguya said. "For instance: what's with the orange tint?"

"That's just the way things are now. Don't ask me why. I'm a little behind on surface events."

"Yes, that's right, you moved in with that hell crow." A conversation with the woman who's declared me her immortal enemy. Somewhat awkward. "Um, how are… uh…"

"Don't try to force small talk," Mokou said. "There are important things to go over anyways. Starting with the date. Kaguya, it's been five hundred years."

"Four hundred seventy-nine years, eighty-six days, eleven hours, six minutes, and… twenty-five seconds."

"Um…"

"I am the Maiden of Eternity," Kaguya said. "Of course I know how long it's been."

"Right." Mokou sighed. "Kaguya, um…"

"Don't worry about it. I got your father killed, and then before she threw me in there, I… well, let me put it this way: I'm willing to call us even."

Mokou was silent. Guess I surprised her with that one.

"Really, Mokou," Kaguya said after a few minutes of silence, "it's okay to speak."

"I prefer to remain silent when I don't know what to say."

Yes, she certainly was not expecting that. "At a loss for words, are you?"

"I just… okay, um, Kaguya? How the hell can you just dismiss something like that?"

"Several reasons," Kaguya said. "First, the more philosophical one: I've learned to be forgiving. Having someone who won't forgive me at all has taught me that lesson quite nicely. People do things they shouldn't have. That was true of me when I issued my challenge, and as soon as I realized what was happening, I withdrew it. It's true here, too. And you clearly have decided that what happened was wrong, as you are the one who rescued me."

"Right," Mokou said, "whatever."

"The second reason-and by far the most important one-is that you aren't the one who threw me in there. All you did was stand by while it happened. A wrong, yes, but not nearly as major a wrong." Mokou said nothing, but Kaguya could tell she didn't agree. "And the third reason is that the situation wasn't nearly as bad as you think it was."

"Um…"

"Oh, it's nothing complicated. It's just a matter of awareness. I was in there for almost five hundred years, but I was only aware for about a month."

It took a few seconds for Mokou to reply. "Uh, what?"

Kaguya laughed. "I was only aware for about a month. Twenty-nine days, one hour, fifty-four minutes, and three seconds, to be precise."

"Um… how exactly does that work?"

"It's simple," Kaguya said. "I merely locked my mind in eternity. In that way, the time passed without me needing to consciously experience it."

"Oh," Mokou said. "Um, clever. That never occurred to u-um, why did it take a month? Why didn't you do that right away?"

"I had to think of it first, and being in a sun kind of makes that hard, even when you're as used to pain as I am. Then I had to figure out a way to have the effect wear off, or else I'd remain in such a state for eternity. You have no idea how tricky it is to make a non-eternal eternity."

"Um, right."

"I did, of course, figure it out. I used the chamber I was in as the anchor for the effect. This didn't put the entire chamber in the effect-I made it so that it happened only to me-but it did ensure that the effect would end as soon as I was no longer within the chamber. It ended when you pulled me out. After that, it was just ordinary unconsciousness. Until now, of course."

Right," Mokou said. "Um-"

A noise cut Mokou of, and she immediately took a ready position, sword in hand. Kaguya got to her feet. "What? What is it?"

"Shades."

And there we go. A few notes:

1: This story does not share continuity with Orphan or any of my other stories. There will likely be familiar elements, which may include certain character backstories, some character pairings, the ways Gensokyo works, the age of Gensokyo and the spellcard system (I've always thought they should be less recently established), that sort of thing. But that's all; there's no continuity.

2: Some characters may seem out-of-character when they first appear, but remember that it's been five hundred years. People change over that much time. And yes, I do plan to go into some of what happened in those five hundred years to cause such changes.

3: To those who've played NieR: No spoilers, please.

4: I'd really like more feedback than I got with Orphan, so please don't hesitate to say whatever you think. Hell, even a 'that was good' is better than nothing. And if you've played NieR, let me know what you think about how I'm integrating those elements into Gensokyo.

5: I know this chapter's fairly short, but future chapters should be longer.

6: As with Orphan, updates may be infrequent, but they will come.

Right, that's all I can think of right now. Enjoy the story.