Now, there are a decent number of sad fics about Reimu's (or Marisa's) death. They generally consist of other people's reactions to said death. Well, this is my attempt at writing such a story. Instead of Reimu or Marisa, however, I decided to have Yukari as the soon-to-be-deceased.

Hopefully I didn't completely screw up.

-InstaGimp

"Mistress Yukari, here's your tea—" Ran stopped in front of her mistress's bedroom as she heard weak groans and coughs come from inside. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," a muffled voice answered back. "Don't come in."

Sighing, Ran pushed open the door. Sure enough, Yukari lay curled up in her bed, tangled in thick blankets, a tossing, turning mess. "I—" Coughing, she sat up and took the teacup. Taking a sip, she placed it onto the bedside table. "I told you not to come in."

"You know as well as I do that this is not normal. You've been sick for over a month, yet you refuse to visit Eientei. The Lunarian doctor can help you."

"I don't need help," Yukari muttered. Ran quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

Yukari stopped squirming for a moment to stare into Ran's eyes. The kitsune stared back.

"This is unusual," she admitted. "I thought it was normal at first...coughing fits are not uncommon for me, as—" Another cough. "As you know. But...lately, it's been worse."

"How?"

"I feel...weak." Yukari replied in a quiet tone. "It feels like I must use all of my willpower simply to walk. I don't dare try creating a portal in this state."

"I think you need Eirin to have a look. Let's go."

Yukari shook her head. "No...that won't be necessary. If you want you can ask her to come here." She then slumped back into the pillows and pulled the blankets back over herself. "I think I know what my illness is anyway...though I'll need her to confirm it."

"You know?"

"A suspicion." Yukari waved her hand impatiently. "Now, shoo. Find Eirin."

Ran nodded. "I will be back soon." She walked out, closing the door behind her.

"Oh, hello, Ran!" Marisa greeted as she noticed the familiar shikigami. "Where are you going?" Reimu, sitting next to her on the Hakurei Shrine's front steps, waved.

"To Eientei," Ran answered, piquing the miko's curiosity.

"Why?"

Ran paused. Should she tell them? She supposed there was no harm in doing so. However, her mistress would probably dislike news about her condition spreading around Gensokyo. "...I am buying Chen some medicine. It seems that she has a fever, yet I have no medication on hand that will reduce it."

"I see," Reimu nodded. "Hopefully she gets well soon!"

Ran smiled. "I am sure she will be happy to hear your well wishes."

"And tell Yukari not to bother me, alright?"

The sunny expression on Ran's face quickly faded. "I do not believe she will. I will remind her not to, however."

"Thanks!"

Troubled, Ran walked the rest of the way to the human village in contemplative silence.

Eirin set down the last of her many Lunarian medical instruments, a grave expression on her face.

Yukari maintained as impassive of a demeanor as possible. Only Ran looked back and forth between the two, quivering.

"Will...will she be alright? What's wrong with her?"

Eirin nodded. "It's a somewhat lengthy explanation, but I'll try to condense it. We all know that your mistress here created the Great Hakurei Barrier over a century ago."

"Yes," Yukari answered. "129 years ago, to be exact."

"Its creation—which was very impressive, even by Lunarian standards—did not come without problems. First, an anchor, or object to which the border is tied, had to be found. Generally small-scale shields and the like can make do with almost anything with some degree of magical potency, but a border this large and powerful needed a suitable anchor. Eventually, the Hakurei bloodline fulfilled this role. But there was one extra requirement that has not been accounted for."

Yukari closed her eyes. "I knew it." Coughing, she added, "The energy..."

"Indeed. It's so obvious, yet it completely flew over the heads of everyone who participated in the project. The Great Hakurei Barrier requires a tremendous amount of fuel. The Ordinary Magician uses as much raw energy in a year as the barrier does in roughly a second or so. It has to draw this energy from somewhere..." Eirin's gaze shifted from Ran to the figure on the bed.

It was only then that Ran gasped, realizing the truth. "So you're saying..."

"For several decades after its formation, the Great Hakurei Barrier haphazardly absorbed the life force of youkai in Gensokyo. It eventually found an energy source that could power it for a prolonged period of time without dying...and over time, it leeched more and more energy from her. Do you realize how powerful your mistress is, Ran?" Ran shook her head. "As much as I hate to admit it, if the border ever stopped sapping her life force, she could probably easily wipe a good portion of the Lunar Capital out. When Princess Toyohime confronted her she was already consistently losing around four-fifths of her energy to the Great Hakurei Barrier. And now..." Eirin directly addressed Yukari for the first time. "I'm afraid you have roughly one week to live, Yukari Yakumo."

Yukari's response was instant. "What will happen to the border?"

"I don't know," the Brain of the Moon admitted. "Perhaps more youkai will die before another one like you can power it. I suppose we could try letting the barrier run on Princess Kaguya's energy or mine. Or that other immortal girl. As we are immortals, the Barrier can never fully drain us. A tiny fraction of the infinite is still infinite. The Hakurei miko and your shikigami could probably maintain the border together. The former has the ability, the latter has the experience."

Yukari nodded. "Good. That is all."

Eirin bowed. "May your last days be peaceful." She left.

Ran gaped. "That's it? You're just going to let your—your own creation kill you?"

Yukari looked curiously at Ran. "I doubt there is any way to stop it from doing so. The most that can be done is ensuring, as Miss Yagokoro said, that the one to take my place is one of those three immortals. Besides," Yukari commented to herself, "I'll still be able to see Yuyuko in the afterlife. Suika goes underground anyway, which is where our dear Eiki will probably be sending me." She chuckled. "And no one else would really care—"

Ran cut her off with a borderline bone-crushing hug.

"What is the meaning of—Ran, are you...crying?"

Ran sobbed quietly into Yukari's sleepwear, giving no answer.

Yukari sighed quietly. "I'll never understand you, Ran. I can't claim to be the nicest master in the world...in fact, quite the opposite. What have I ever given back to deserve such love from you?"

"An identity..." Ran looked up. "You gave me my name, didn't you? And my powers. Before I met you, I was not special; I had no unique qualities. In fact I didn't even have a purpose...until you came and took me as your shikigami. I won't deny that you are hard to please, but I still respect you..."

"Why?"

"Your dedication to this land. No matter what you may have done in the past, no one can claim that they love Gensokyo more than you. Your desire to protect everyone here when you could probably live just as easily on your own is..." Ran wiped a tear away. "It makes me proud to be your servant. And I know many others will think of you well. The Hakurei miko, for instance..."

"You are right, I suppose..." Yukari murmured. "Even so, they will forget about me in due time."

Ran emphatically shook her head. "No they won't! And even you're right, you owe them a goodbye. You owe Gensokyo a goodbye, and Gensokyo owes you one as well."

"No. I would prefer if no one saw me in this state. You would do well to—" Yukari stifled a loud cough. "—keep this a secret until I am long gone."

"But why? It is because of you that youkai can even exist in this land. You have impacted many lives, mistress."

Yukari was silent.

Ran sighed. "If you won't do it for Gensokyo, will you do it for me? Can I not be known as your shikigami for seven more days?"

"Fine." Yukari threw her blankets off and sat up. "With one condition."

"Yes?"

"I will only visit the Hakurei Shrine. And I will stay there, and pass away there."

Ran was about to protest, but Yukari held her hand up. "Either that, or nothing."

Ran slumped. Even with no powers, her mistress still held a great deal of sway over her. "Agreed. Let's depart."

It had been a while since they last walked to the shrine, Ran reflected. As Yukari strolled quietly, she would stop to admire the view. The mountainous path overlooked sprawling forests and meandering streams.

"Gensokyo is beautiful, isn't it, Ran?"

"Yes, it is."

There was a brief pause, and then Yukari continued, "That was why I chose to establish Gensokyo here. Remote, undisturbed, a perfect place for youkai to thrive."

"...Mistress?"

"Hm?"

"What will happen to me? Where do I go after you—uh..." Ran fidgeted.

"After I die?" Yukari finished for her. Ran nodded. "Hm. Perhaps you could settle down in the human village. I am sure that no one will mind. You'll be free to do as you wish."

"But...I won't have a purpose anymore...I don't know what to do..."

"Again you worry about that." Yukari sighed. "If you want a purpose, an identity, then you will work to establish a new one. You cannot forever be known as my shikigami. Your identity should not be dependent on others, but on your own actions. Besides, being known as merely the helpless servant of a powerful mistress is hardly good, is it?"

"But I take pride in being your servant."

"Then you can also take pride in being yourself." Yukari walked at a brisker pace. "Come now, I only have a week. Let's get there soon."

The rest of the journey, the last one master and shikigami would ever take together, passed in contemplative silence.

A/N: Probably a twoshot. Maybe three. It remains to be seen.

Enjoy this convoluted attempt at tragic philosophy. I give this a solid 10/10. Out of 100.