Welcome to the next chapter of Fairy Blade! I thank you for all the positive feedback I've gotten (A whole FIVE reviews!).
I don't have much else to say except…
Let's do this!
All was calm at the Misty Lake as cool winds caused the perpetual light mist to dance. The lake itself was one of if not the biggest body of water in all Gensokyo and was located right on the edge of the Forest of Magic. In the middle of the lake was an island. On this island stood the Scarlet Devil Mansion, home to the only known vampire in Gensokyo and Youmu's next destination.
Youmu stared at the island with a bit of dread. She wasn't so foolish as to think she would receive a warm welcome, especially after her last time there. Well unless getting set on fire by the purple clad witch counted as a warm welcome. The swordswoman shook her head at the bad joke and began to look for a way to cross. As she recalled the only way to reach the island without taking a dip in the cold water was jumping on rocks or anything else that was on the surface. The half ghost supposed one could simply fly there if they had the ability to do so.
"Watch out!" a voice called out from behind Youmu.
Something suddenly collided with Youmu's back sending her hurtling forward. Luckily for the swordswoman her ghost half was able to catch her before she hit the ground.
"Who dares stand in the way of the strongest!" the voice called out again.
Youmu got up and turned to face the speaker. She saw a young fairy girl, with blue hair wearing a blue dress and had wings made of ice.
"What are you doing here?" Youmu asked.
"You come to my home and then ask why I'm here. That's pretty rude, don't ya think?" Cirno answered as she placed her hands on her hips.
"I wasn't aware anyone lived here." Youmu said. "I was simply looking for a way to cross the lake."
"Well no one is allowed to cross the lake without my permission. Looks like I'm going to have to punish you!" Cirno exclaimed as she rose into the air.
Youmu let out a sigh. This was going to be a pointless fight. A fairy, even one as powerful as Cirno, would never be able to beat her on their own. On the other hand maybe the ice fairy could help her cross the lake afterward.
"Come on, Cirno! Where are yo-eeek!" another voice cut in before turning into a shriek of terror.
On the edge of forest with her back to a tree and trembling in fear was a girl with pink hair and light pink bird wings wearing a pinkish brown dress with a matching hat, with both decorated with numerous bird-like charms.
"Mystia! What's wrong?" Cirno asked as she flew down to the girl.
"S-Sh-She was he-helping that girl who a-a-ate me!" Mystia squeaked out.
"She did what!" Cirno shouted before turning to face Youmu. The ice fairy's eyes were aglow with a frozen fury. "How dare you hurt one of my friends! Prepare to face the wrath of the strongest!"
"Ice Cube: Great Crusher!"
A gigantic block of ice several times the ice fairy's size formed above her head. Cirno threw the massive chunk of ice at Youmu. The swordswoman dove to the side, the iceberg just barely missing her. The half ghost got back up and went to draw her blades only to pause as she heard a loud splash. Turning to the lake, she saw a massive wave coming out of the water. The wave came crashing down and Youmu was swept away and slammed into a tree.
"I'll admit I wasn't expecting that." Youmu said with a wince as she stood up. Looking up she saw Cirno and Mystia, who had managed to fly above the wave.
"Ice Sign: Icicle Machine Gun!"
Icicles shoot forth from Cirno's hands in rapid succession. Youmu ran behind a tree for cover only to dive to the ground as an icicle pierced the tree and almost impaled her head. The half ghost took several breaths to try and slow her rapidly beating heart.
"Stay still!" Cirno shouted as she dove toward Youmu. Two blades made of ice formed in her hands.
"You think I would lose in a clash of blades?" Youmu snapped as she drew her swords as she easily blocked Cirno's clumsy, yet rage powered attack.
"Soul Cutting: Ascension to Nirvana!"
The energy blast slammed into the ice fairy and sent her flying, flipping head over heels. Unfortunately, Cirno was able orient herself and stop falling just before she hit the ground.
"Cold Body: Supe-"
"Human Sign: Slash of Present!"
Whatever the ice fairy was going to do, Youmu didn't want to wait and find out. Beating Cirno on the draw, the swordswoman dashed forward and cleaved the fairy in two. Youmu then turned her attention to the cowering Mystia, as Cirno's two halves fell to the ground.
"My apologi-" Youmu began to say…
"Boot Sign: Wriggle Kick!"
…only to be cut off when something collided with the back of her head.
Unfortunately for Youmu, Myon did not catch her fall this time. This caused the swordswomen to get a mouthful of dirt with a rock coming dangerously close to impaling her eye. Pushing her self off the ground, she turned her body to she her new attacker. It was boy with green hair and bug-like antenna sticking out of his head. He wore a stylized white shirt, blue baggy pants that only came down to his knees and long cape.
"I don't know who you are, or what's going on here but I won't let anyone hurt Misty!" the insect boy shouted as Youmu got back up on her feet.
"Wriggle Sign: Nightbug Tornado!"
A buzzing noise filled the air. Winged insects of all kinds seemed to appear out of nowhere. The mass of bugs began circling Youmu, and soon that was all the swordswoman could see. Her vision was unable to see past the insect curtain. The only gap was directly above her, out of reach and growing smaller at an alarming rate as the insects began to close in on her.
"Six Realms Sword: Ageless Obsession-Lunatic-!"
The half ghost gardener swung her swords and for a moment nothing happened. Suddenly, all the insects that were swarming her, and the just revived Cirno, fell to the ground in little tiny pieces. Youmu could finally see past the rain of bug bits and saw a look of shock and horror on the boy's face. Her gaze turned to the night sparrow as the last of the insect and fairy parts fell to the ground. She walked over to the cowering girl as she sheathed her blades.
"N-No! S-st-stay ba-!" Mystia sputtered out.
"I'm sorry." Youmu said as she reached the night sparrow. "I'm sorry." The swordswoman knelt down and wrapped the terrified girl in what she hoped was a comforting embrace. "I…I had know idea Lady Yuyuko was going to do that at the time. I'm sorry. What she did to you is something I wouldn't wish on anybody."
All was quiet as Youmu comforted the crying girl.
After explaining what was going on, Cirno was happy to help "one almost as strong as her". The frost fairy froze a fraction of the lake, making a bridge of ice to the island of the Scarlet Devil. Youmu was actually impressed. The bridge was thick, sturdy, and took only a second to make. The swordswoman had clearly underestimated Cirno. Perhaps it was best that their battle was cut short.
"Good luck solving the incident." Mystia said. The girl was still a bit uncomfortable around Youmu, but the gardener of Hakugyokurou couldn't help but notice the night sparrow got a glint in her eye since the mention of Reimu's condition.
"She won't need luck!" Cirno exclaimed. "She's almost as strong as me! Not quite, but almost. So, she shouldn't have any problems."
"Clearly." Wriggle muttered with a shake of his head. "I kinda doubt that you'll find anything there, but I guess you don't have much of choice."
"I don't have any other leads" Youmu agreed with a nod. "You know Mystia, you're rather lucky to have a friend like Wriggle."
"I am?" Mystia asked with audible confusion in her voice.
"From what I've heard, good men are hard to come by in Gensokyo." Youmu explained.
Youmu chuckled as Mystia blushed, Wriggle began sputtering and Cirno just looked confused. With a wave of farewell to the trio, she began to skate towards her next destination. The half-ghost liked to think that she was rather good at ice-skating. She had certainly got enough practice during what the people of Gensokyo referred to as the "Snowfall in Spring" Incident, a rather odd name for it, since technically it wasn't spring when it happened.
She arrived at the island in short order. The Scarlet Devil Mansion took up most of the actual island. A large wall around the building was only a few yards away from the isle's shore. As Youmu began to look for the main gate, she realized how hard it was to see. The lake's perpetual mist was making it difficult for her to look more than a few feet in any direction. Was it this bad the last time she was here?
"Halt." A voice cut through the mist. Youmu stopped on a reflex, her hands went straight to the handles of her swords. "What's your business here?"
Youmu walked in the direction she thought the voice was coming. The swordswoman came to the startling realization that if she hadn't changed course she would have passed the gate without knowing. Standing in front of the gate was a woman. The woman had long scarlet hair with 2 braids. She was wearing an olive green and white dress with a black ribbon. On her head was a green hat with a golden star in the middle.
"Who are you?" Youmu asked.
"Isn't rude to come into someone's home and then demand who they are?" the woman asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry, but I don't think I met you the last time I was here." Youmu said as Myon flew over to the woman. "My name is Youmu Konpaku."
"Hong Meiling. Please, call me Meiling." The redheaded woman introduced herself. "So what brings you all the way out here?"
"I'm actually here about an Incident." Youmu explained. "I was told to start my investigations here."
"Honestly, you start one Incident and then you're marked for life." Meiling said with a melodramatic sigh and Youmu flinched at the comment. "Come on, I'll take you to see Remi."
Meiling entered the main gate, and Youmu quickly followed. As soon as she was through the half ghost noticed that her visibility vastly improved. There wasn't any mist on this side of the gate but that observation was in the back of her mind.
"What a beautiful garden." Youmu said in awe. Being a gardener, she was someone who could truly appreciate the scene before her. All from the outer wall and onto the mansion itself was a wide variety of flowers, which Youmu noticed were all a shade of red. How did she not notice this the last time she was here?
"Thank you." Meiling chuckled. "I've tended to these plants for years. Sure it's not as fancy the Garden of the Sun, but I enjoy it all the same."
"What kind of flower is that?" Youmu asked as they approached the mansion. Her question was about one of the flowers growing on the mansion.
"Scarlet Clematis." Meiling answered. "There aren't native to these parts. They also need a lot of sunlight, so it'd be impossible for them to grow here without Patchu's spell keeping the mist out."
"So how's Youki doing?" Meiling asked suddenly as they entered the mansion itself.
"Um, what?" Youmu replied completely caught off guard.
"You said your name was Konpaku, right?" Meiling pointed out, her sentence more of a statement then a question.
"Well, yes, but how do you know him?" Youmu asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"We went way back." Meiling answered with an almost wistful tone. "But we got…out of touch a few years ago." Her tone suddenly became tense.
"Um, I see." Youmu lied. She didn't understand the sudden changes in mood at all.
"Come on don't keep me in the dark. How's he doing?" Meiling asked as they turned down another corridor.
"Um, I don't know." Youmu answered solemnly. Seeing her guide turn to her with a questioning look, she decided to explain. "He disappeared a while ago. I haven't seen him in years."
"I see." Meiling replied as she put a comforting hand on Myon. Which due to her nature, Youmu felt as if the hand was on her shoulder.
Youmu sighed in content as they rounded another corner. Was it her imagination or did they just make their fourth right turn in a row? Sure she wasn't really paying attention to where they were going but, her guide wouldn't do something like that, right? Right?
"At least he was able to teach you some of his tricks." Meiling quipped, which pulled Youmu out of her thoughts.
"Huh?" was Youmu's elegant response.
"It may have been in Spell Card format, but I'd recognize Ageless Obsession anywhere." Meiling told her.
"He did teach me some things, but he disappeared before I finished my training." Youmu said as Myon flew over to her.
"Heh, so Ageless Obsession was as far as he got huh?" Meiling pondered aloud. "At least you learned some of his intermediate level techniques."
"Intermediate?" Youmu asked. Ageless Obsession was her one of, if not her most powerful attack. For it to be only an intermediate level, she was nowhere near as closer to her master's level as she thought she was. Just how good was he?
"He was very good at what he did." Meiling answered, making Youmu realize that she said the last bit out loud. "Oni would tell stories about him. They told their kids that if any of them misbehaved he would hunt them down and slice off their horns." Meiling suddenly put her hand to her chin in thought. "Come to think of it, didn't he say he wanted to try to make a sword out of all those Oni horns? I wonder if he ever got around to that." And that explained why she found a pile of horns when she was cleaning his closet.
"Looks like we're here." Meiling said as they approached a massive set of double doors at the end of the hall. "You ready?"
"Yes." Youmu said with a determined nod.
The giant door led to a dining room of sorts. A table in the middle of the room stretched almost all the way across its length. At the far end of the table, sipping a cup of tea, sat a young girl. She had red eyes, short light-blue hair, and a pair of black bat-like wings on back. She was wearing a pink mob cap and dress, with bright red trimming.
This girl was the Scarlet Devil herself, Remilia Scarlet.
I think I'll stop it there. I wanted to add another scene but it was getting a bit longer then I'm comfortable writing at this time.
I know Wriggle is a girl and Remilia is not the only vampire in Gensokyo. Youmu on the other hand, does not.
There is more I want to say but I can't think of what it is.