Chapter one: Voile the Magic Library

Patchouli Knowledge stood on the top rung of the ladder, reaching with all her might for a book that was just barely out of her grasp.

"Master, please be careful!" Called her familiar, Koakuma, from the ground.

Ignoring the little devil, Patchouli raised herself up on the tips of her toes, wobbling slightly. The book was still out of grasp.

"Damn!" She swore under her breath. She did not want to have to resort to magic. Lately, whenever she would cast a spell, it would cause her to have an asthma attack. She suspected that she had been working herself too hard. Her health had always been frail, and the experiments she conducted with magic use only worsened her condition.

The ladder gave a small shudder beneath her, and she lowered herself back down to the flat of her feet, sighing. The only way to reach the book would be to use magic.

"Ah well. It can't be helped…" Patchouli murmured.

She raised her hand, prepared to fire a small number of danmaku bullets that would knock the book off the shelf, when she felt a slight tickle in her throat. She began to cough, swaying slightly atop the ladder. Her asthma had kicked in even before she had cast a spell. This was unheard of, even with her weak health.

"Master!" Koakuma cried out in concern as her master became more and more unsteady atop the ladder.

Patchouli took a step backwards, attempting to steady herself and the tip of her foot found nothing but air. The magician fell backwards off the top of the ladder unable to cast any sort of spell that would slow her descent, for she was still in the throes of a coughing fit. Yet as she fell, she could feel herself becoming slower and slower until at last a pair of arms gently grasped her body, one arm supporting her back, the other under the crook of her knees.

"I've got you, Master. Don't be frightened." Koakuma said softly as she lowered the magician to the ground.

"Th-thank you…Koakuma…" Patchouli gasped, still coughing slightly.

"What happened?" The little devil inquired, gazing at her with concern.

"I-I have no idea. I was preparing to cast a spell, and I began to cough. This has never happened before, at least not before I have casted the spell. I am so glad you were with me. I might have sustained serious injury if I had hit the ground. Thank you so much."

Koakuma blushed slightly, and lowered her gaze. "Master, it is my job to serve you. You need not praise me for doing my job…"

Patchouli smiled kindly. "How many times must I say this, Koakuma? Please call me by my name. You are far too formal."

The little devil turned an even deeper shade of red, though she managed to hold her master's gaze this time.

"Y-yes, Miss Patchouli." She stammered.

"You are special to me, you know…" The magician murmured.

It suddenly occurred to Patchouli that Koakuma's face was very close to hers. So close that if she leaned forward just a few inches, their lips would be touching. If she wanted to, she could kiss the little devil.

"Miss Patchouli? Is something wrong?" Koakuma asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Do you love me, Koakuma?" Patchouli asked.

"Wh-what do you mean?"

"I…think I may be in love with you."

The little devil stared silently at her master for a few moments before looking away with a hurt look in her eyes.

"Master, please do not tease me." She muttered.

Patchouli shook her head. "I'm not teasing you. I honestly do have feelings for you."

Koakuma glanced suspiciously at the magician, but upon seeing the serious expression on Patchouli's face, she decided that her master was being truthful. She opened her mouth to speak, but suddenly closed it as a foreboding feeling fell upon her, raising the hairs on the back of her neck. Someone was watching them. Glancing to the side, she immediately recognized Remilia Scarlet's younger sister, Flandre. Patchouli turned her attention to the vampire as well.

"What are you doing here, Miss Flandre?" The magician asked.

Something was wrong here. Flandre was usually kept in the basement, due to her unstable mind and incredibly destructive power. On the rare occasions that she was allowed to come out of the basement, she was always accompanied by either Meiling or Sakuya, but neither the maid nor the guard were anywhere in sight. The Mistress' little sister was grinning, but the smile did not reach her eyes. They were empty, devoid of any sort of emotion. In one hand, she held a doll, or rather, the head of a doll. In the other hand, she held her signature weapon, the Laevateinn.

"Who are you to question me? If I want to roam the mansion, I have every right to do so." The blonde haired vampire answered.

This was wrong as well. Flandre usually referred to herself in the third person, and she never spoke with such a mature tone.

"Koakuma, find Remilia, now." Patchouli said softly, still keeping her gaze locked on the vampire.

"Yes, Master." Koakuma replied.

"Stop right there." Flandre barked, and the little devil froze.

"There is no need to involve Remi- I mean-my sister in this."

As Flandre spoke, Patchouli noticed that the dull gaze in her eyes did not change.

"Ignore her. Go now, Koakuma." She ordered.

As the little devil turned to run, a horrible squelching noise was heard and Koakuma felt a horrible pain in her abdomen. Glancing down, she saw that the end of Flandre's Laevateinn was protruding from her stomach. She attempted to scream, but all that came out was a blood filled cough.

"KOAKUMA! NO!" Patchouli cried, grabbing the little devil as she fell to the floor

"I told you to stay put. Now look what you've made me do." Flandre snapped her fingers, and the squelching sound was heard again as the Laevateinn tore itself from Koakuma's body, and flew back into the vampire's hand.

Koakuma's blood gushed over Patchouli's arms, staining her dress and hands. Tears filled the magician's eyes as she held her dying familiar, unable to do anything but watch as the little devil convulsed, her life force flowing from the ghastly wound in her stomach.

"Koakuma, Koakuma, stay with me! I forbid you to die, do you hear me? I am your master, and I forbid you to die!" Despite Patchouli's desperate orders, Koakuma's body gave one last feeble twitch and lay still.

"Oh no…no, no, no, no, no…please, Koakuma…" The magician's voice trailed off as she realized that the little devil was beyond help.

She kissed Koakuma lightly on the forehead, and several tears fell from her dark violet eyes, splashing onto the dead familiar's face.

"How moving… She must have been very special to you for you to weep so, over her corpse." Flandre muttered in that dull, monotone voice.

"Why…?" Patchouli whispered, her voice trembling. "Why would you do this?"

The vampire shrugged. "She was in my way."

The magician glanced sharply up at her. "In your way?!"

"You are in my way as well, Miss Knowledge."

The vampire was glowing brightly, as if preparing to unleash a danmaku barrage.

"It's nothing personal, but you must understand my situation. If I leave you alive, I risk exposing my plan. It is imperative that my goal remains a secret until the time comes where it is too late to stop me. Think of it this way. After I kill you, you will be with your dear Koakuma once more."

"Who-" Patchouli began, but stopped as the space behind Flandre Scarlet began to ripple.

A pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared to be hovering on either side of the vampire.

"Goodbye Patchouli Knowledge."

The magician shut her eyes tightly, as Flandre glowed even brighter, and a searing heat filled the room.

"STOP!" A voice rang out, and the heat immediately dissipated.

Patchouli opened her eyes tentatively and was shocked to see Remilia Scarlet and Sakuya Izayoi approaching Flandre.

"Shit!" Flandre hissed.

Her eyes rolled backwards into her head, and she began to shake.

"Flandre!" Remilia cried, darting forward to grab her sister in case she fell.

This proved unnecessary, as Flandre's eyes rolled forward, and she was left with a confused expression on her face.

"B-big sister?" She stammered.

Both her gaze and her voice had returned to normal. She glanced around the room, and her eyes finally fell upon Koakuma's bloody corpse.

"Big sister…what happened to Patchy's assistant?" Flandre asked uncertainly.

"You killed her!" Patchouli shrieked, before Remilia could answer.

"Wh-what? Flandre did this? But…Flandre does not remember." The blonde haired vampire appeared to be horrified, backing away from the corpse.

"What have you done, Flandre?" Remilia whispered, aghast.

"Flandre does not remember!" She repeated, as Patchouli advanced towards her.

"DO NOT DENY IT! HOW DARE YOU STAND THERE AND TELL ME THAT YOU CAN'T REMEMBER MURDERING HER?!" Patchouli was livid, shaking with uncontrollable anger.

"Patchouli, calm down. We don't know the full story." Sakuya ordered.

"You sister is a dangerous monster!" The magician snarled at Remilia, ignoring the maid. "Someone should have put her down years ago! Now look at what she has done! Koakuma is dead! I will not stand for this!"

"Patchouli, what are you doing?" Remilia asked, concern in her eyes.

Patchouli held up a spell card. It was an untested spell card, containing her strongest magic. Using it would probably kill her, but at least Koakuma would be avenged. Flandre made no attempt to defend herself, instead continuing to gaze at the corpse of the little devil in shock.

"Flandre is sorry!" The younger vampire sobbed.

"Patchouli, stop it! Don't hurt my little sister!" Remilia cried, as the magician prepared to fire her danmaku.

As the magician prepared to fire her danmaku, Remilia leapt in front of Flandre, shoving her backwards, and stood in a defensive stance.

"PUT YOUR DANMAKU AWAY AT ONCE, PATCHOULI!"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY, REMILIA! THAT MONSTER MURDERED KOAKUMA!" Patchouli shrieked, all sense of reasoning buried by her rage.

"IF YOU WISH TO KILL FLANDRE, YOU WILL HAVE TO KILL ME FIRST!" The Mistress of the house roared, baring her fangs at the magician.

Patchouli hesitated. She did not want to harm Remilia, but she could not allow Flandre to get away with her crime. That second of hesitation was all it took, as one of Sakuya's knives flew past her, whisking the spell card from her hand and spearing it against a bookcase.

"Listen to Remilia, Patchouli!" Sakuya exclaimed, preparing to throw a second knife should the magician attempt to attack again.

Patchouli fell silent, her rage dissipating.

"Flandre may be unstable, but she is not evil. What reason would she have for murdering Koakuma?" Remilia asked sharply.

"She said that we were in her way. If her plans were to succeed, we would have to die." Patchouli replied.

"Flandre did not say that! Patchouli must believe Flandre! Flandre does not remember any of these bad things happening!" Flandre begged, gazing at the magician desperately.

Remilia looked troubled.

"Usually when Flandre breaks out of her room, the door is a pile of charred ashes. However, when Sakuya found my sister missing from her quarters, the door was in perfect shape. The only person with the keys to Flandre's room is Sakuya herself, but somehow, the door had opened without a key. Someone opened the door from the outside."

"That's impossible!" Cried Patchouli.

"Even if someone managed to duplicate Sakuya's key, that door is sealed with a very powerful magic! Only you and Sakuya know how to bypass it!"

"Is it possible that someone could have been controlling Flandre?" Sakuya asked quietly.

"It's very possible. But is there such a person in Gensokyo with the power of mind control?" The Mistress replied, looking even more disturbed.

"Flandre's hat friend can control people…" Flandre mumbled.

"Hat friend?" Sakuya glanced curiously at the younger vampire.

"I think she means Koishi Komeiji," Remilia explained, "But Koishi can only control the subconscious mind. Besides, what would she gain from doing this?"

"Shall I summon the Satori family to the mansion, Mistress?" Sakuya asked.

"Go ahead. It won't hurt to interrogate them a bit." Remilia answered.

Turning to Flandre, she said, "I want you to return to your room for now. If anyone other than Sakuya or I attempts to enter, you have my permission to destroy them."

Flandre nodded solemnly, clearly shaken by the events that had occurred here.

Finally, Remilia turned her gaze to Patchouli. "You would have killed me if Sakuya hadn't stopped you."

Patchouli refused to look at her friend. "How could you protect that monster?" She muttered.

Remilia seemed taken aback by the betrayed tone in the magician's voice.

"You still think Flandre did this? I thought you were smarter than that, Patchouli Knowledge."

"I don't care if your sister was brainwashed. She's too powerful to be allowed to live. Look at what she did to Koakuma! If she were anyone else, I could have stopped her from doing this to her!"

"So she deserves to die just for existing? How dare you!" Remilia's voice rose in anger. "It's bad enough that I have to lock her in the basement! She deserves better than that!"

"She deserves to die." Patchouli whispered, her voice filled with hatred.

"Are you even listening to yourself? Do you have any idea how ridiculous you sound? I know you're grieving, but don't blame my little sister just because you couldn't keep your assistant safe!"

Without waiting for a response Remilia Scarlet whirled around and marched from the room, leaving Patchouli to stare after her.

The magician made no attempt to follow her, instead returning her attention to Koakuma. The little devil lay perfectly still, her eyes still wide in horror. Shuddering, Patchouli passed a hand over the familiar's eyes, closing them for the last time. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks but she paid them no heed, instead bowing her head, clasping the little devil's cold, stiff hand.

"Oh Koakuma…I'm so sorry…" She whispered.