A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Hope you continue to enjoy the fic.
The Human Village was in complete pandemonium.
People were screaming and running for their lives from the prehistoric beasts which had mysteriously appeared in Gensokyo overnight. Everywhere you looked, dinosaurs were rampaging through the streets and attacking everything in their path. A brontosaurus was trampling entire houses underfoot, blissfully unaware of the chaos going on as they reached up with their long neck to feed on the higher foliage; packs of hungry raptors were gleefully chasing farmers and peasants round every corner, claws already bloodied and eager to feast again; pterodactyls descended upon the crop fields from the sky and left the harvest in total ruin. Within an hour, the whole place had been virtually overrun.
Nobody knew where the dinosaurs had come from, or why they were here. Great tremors shook the earth frequently and more of the creatures emerged, devouring livestock and hunting the villagers down in broad daylight. A bale of hay had caught fire, quickly spreading to several thatched houses and burning them to the ground…
As panic rose, the villagers retreated into their homes and fearfully locked their doors to hide from the dinosaurs. It wasn't long before the roaming brontosaurus crushed another straw hut beneath is feet, and then another, forcing the residents back out into the raptor-infested streets. Desperately, the people tried to defend themselves with flimsy pitchforks and other primitive weapons on hand. Their attacks had little effect on the beasts, and only a few raptors were slain.
With hundreds of dinosaurs now roaming free all over Gensokyo, their roars echoing out across the surrounding forest every hour, the situation seemed completely hopeless. No matter how many of the creatures were driven back, more and more of them would appear until the Human Village was overwhelmed completely…
Keine Kamisharasawa stepped out into the centre of the town square, surveying the scenes of chaos around her through cool brown eyes.
Dinosaurs? she thought. What nonsense is this? This isn't how I left the Human Village last night.
A utahraptor ran towards her, jaws snapping at her head. The were-hakutaku blasted it off its feet, only to see three more take its place just seconds later. It was alarming how many of the beasts had infiltrated the Human Village already. How could she deal with such numbers? A powerful spellcard would drive back some of the dinosaurs, but would probably flatten the entire village in the process.
She was going to have to take drastic action. Turning her attention to the town hall, one of the few buildings that was still standing, Keine began to concentrate on a particular spell. Slowly, a faint blue light began to emanate from her body.
"All right, everyone, please follow me!" she called out, clapping her hands loudly to gather the villagers' attention. "Everybody into the town hall! Form a nice, orderly queue in front of the doors and don't push. I have created a magical barrier around it to protect you from the dinosaurs." Quickly, she started to usher the frightened people into the building, trying to keep order. "You are not safe in your homes or anywhere else in the village. Please stay inside the town hall until the danger has passed. As long as you do not leave the building, the dinosaurs will not be able to harm you. Food, drink and medicine will be brought to you at set times of the day whilst we investigate the incident. Don't push!"
She stepped aside to let a group of children rush through the open doors: doors which were now glowing under the pressure of her magic. The were-hakutaku pushed the doors shut and completed her spell, sealing the place away completely before the dinosaurs could damage the building.
There!
Satisfied, Keine watched as allosaurs, raptors and all manner of prehistoric beasts rushed through the abandoned remains of the Human Village and laid waste to what was left. None of the dinosaurs were able to see the town hall at all. As far as Keine was concerned, the building had now been erased from history itself and would remain like that for as long as she wished it. She was the guardian of the Human Village, and it was her duty to protect its residents from harm.
Dinosaurs, the were-hakutaku thought to herself, watching a passing pterodactyl with a mixture of confusion and scepticism. No. Not dinosaurs. I know enough of the history of the world to know that there should be no dinosaurs around anymore. I can't possibly call these dinosaurs when they shouldn't even exist. Except that I can see a utahraptor right there with my own eyes, and a stegosaurus eating the crops, and a triceratops…and…No! Stop ruining the history books!
At least the villagers were all safe for now. The last of them had made it into the town hall just before her spell had finished. Now all she had to do was -
"Hyaaa!"
The high-pitched cry came from behind her. Startled, Keine turned around to see a large group of hostile pterodactyls heading in her direction. Why were they attacking her for? From her knowledge, pterodactyls fed on mainly fish and small animals. Did they think she was a fish?
Determinedly, the were-hakutaku flew upwards and steeled herself to fire an attack spell. As the bird-like creatures drew closer and closer, she realised that they were not alone. There was someone with them. Somebody was flying alongside the pterodactlys…and they were not a dinosaur.
"Hyaaa!" Cirno yelled, riding proudly on top of the lead bird with fiery excitement in her blue eyes. "Dinosaur rider Cirno is on your tail! Take this!"
A storm of icicles rained down from above. Keine started to dodge, then watched in amazement as the attack went completely off-target and hit one of the other pterodactyls instead. The bird shrieked and tumbled out of the sky, separating from the group.
"Cirno?" Keine said in confusion. "What exactly are you doing?"
The ice fairy punched the air triumphantly with such gusto that she almost hit another pterodactyl. Hastily, she lowered her arm again.
"I'm the strongest fairy!" she declared. "And now I'm going to be the strongest fairy on a pterodactyl!"
"Um, I don't think you - "
"I'm going to rule the world with dinosaurs!" She pointed a finger at Keine dramatically. "Starting with you! I'm gonna take you down!"
With that, Cirno charged towards her at full speed, another spell prepared in her hands. Before she could do anything, the pterodactyl she was riding collided with another pterodactyl, causing her to lose control of her mount. The ice fairy spiraled down to earth with a cry and crashed into a shed.
Keine just stood there scratching her head for a moment, uncertain about what to do. Was she all right?
Seconds later, Cirno suddenly re-appeared and flew up into the air on a very battered-looking pterodactyl. She threw another mass of icy projectiles at Keine which, again, missed completely and knocked over an allosaurus. Fuming, the ice fairy yelled at her unintelligibly and then flew off into the distance, surrounded by the rest of her pterodactyl flock. Yes, a flock…that was the only word for it. It almost seemed as if the birds were following her willingly.
Mystified, Keine stared after the disappearing fairy, speechless with astonishment. She didn't understand any of this at all.
"What's going on today?" she said out loud.
A peal of laughter came from the shadows of one of the remaining village huts. Keine turned around, fearing that one of the human children had not made it into the town hall in time. Then she saw the figure of a little girl step into the light, with two hons protruding from her head and a gourd of sake at her side. An oni.
"You want to know what's going on?" Suika Ibuki said, a wry smile on her face. Something about her tone of voice suggested that she had been drinking recently. "Dinosaurs are ancient history, Keine…aren't you supposed to be the history buff here?"
She giggled and took another swig of sake, barely reacting as a raptor approached her and raised its deadly claws to impale her. Without much effort, the oni grabbed the great carnivore by one leg and lifted their entire body over her head. She swung the dinosaur around and round as they roared in pain, then finally hurled the creature into the trees with a great crash.
"What's so funny?" the were-hakutaku asked her. "Suika, do you know anything about this?"
"Me? How could I?" Suika grinned from ear to ear, her shoulders shaking. "It just makes me laugh. Dinosaurs invading Gensokyo, you know?"
Keine put a hand on her hip and frowned. "What's so amusing about that?"
"Because Reimu's got to deal with it." Suika spun around on the spot, swaying a little. "And you know what she'll do, don't you? Oh, boy. She's really got her work cut out for her thistime…"
Remilia Scarlet descended the velvet stairs leading into the main hall of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and rubbed her eyes sleepily. The air was thick with silence, a pervasive and dead silence which cut deeply into her thoughts and pushed ever so gently at the edge of her senses. The only footsteps upon the red carpet were her own; the only signs of life exhibited little more than a faint drip from the ceiling. For an instant, she almost felt as if she were back in the tomb.
What a strange day to be roused from her slumber.
There was nobody here. No maids. No Sakuya. No Koakuma or Patchouli: the vampire mistress had paid a visit to the library earlier, only to find the doors magically locked from the inside. She could only assume that Meiling was on guard duty at the front gates. Right now, the only person who she could be completely sure about their whereabouts was her own sister!
Or at least, she hoped Flandre hadn't gone missing as well. That could be bad.
Remilia listened to the silence for long moments, testing the waters for the slightest ripple or echo, but heard only muffled noises from the outside world. Part of her was angry at being woken up early, at such an hour when the sun still blazed its hateful rays of burning light upon her kind. When she found Sakuya, there had better be a good reason for it.
Even so, the vampire mistress felt that there was something different in the air today, something which caught her attention and drove her to distraction. She could sense it as surely as the cold dead flesh which hung off her bones, as simply as the lack of breath from her mouth. Sometimes she went for weeks without breathing at all.
A distinctive smell in the air, she thought. So familiar to vampires, as repulsive as it is to a human. Even a youngling who has yet to grow out her fangs could recognise this scent. It smells like the touch of beauty.
Her gaze fell upon the dark red patches staining the rich carpet, almost camouflaged into the material completely.
Smells like…blood.
Idly, Remilia wondered who on earth would be careless enough to bleed all over the carpet. It was her carpet, after all. Some things you could never fully wash out.
She listened harder now, concentrating with her natural vampire abilities – Sakuya always kept all the doors muffled during daylight hours so as not to wake her up. This time, the vampire mistress managed to make out something else.
It sounded like an animal's roar.
An attack upon the mansion? Surely not. Who would dare assault the home of the Scarlets? It would explain why everybody was missing, however…
"Sakuya!" she called out from the balcony. "Where are you, Sakuya?"
It was not like the head maid to keep her waiting like this. Five in the morning, four in the afternoon, eleven at night - it didn't matter what time it was, Sakuya would always be there for her. She would make time if she had to. After all, time was one of Sakuya's unique talents.
Muttering to herself, Remilia looked up at the dark clock face above her head. Two o'clock. Next to it was another clock, and another, both of which showed completely different times. One of them had a thirteenth hour installed for some reason. The vampire mistress had never really stopped to look at them, not when Sakuya kept such perfect time for her already. Now she was beginning to wonder at their purpose.
Muttering to herself, she turned her face to the window on her right – and saw Hong Meiling standing at the front gates of the mansion, punching a dinosaur in the face.
Remilia blinked and rubbed her eyes. What a strange vision. Stranger still was the fact that vision had not actually gone away, because Meiling was still hitting the dinosaur like a punching bag. Well, at least she was doing her job.
"Sakuya!" she called out again, her tone hardening with impatience as she flew down to the lower level of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. "I am waiting!"
Almost immediately, there was the sound of rushed footsteps and the double doors were thrown open. The tall figure of the silver-haired maid appeared, her face flushed as if she had just been running, holding a reddened knife in each hand.
Disturbingly, her uniform was stained heavily with blood.
"My apologies, my lady," Sakuya said, bowing her head. She slid her knives back into her belt, her manner as calm and refined as if this were just another ordinary day at the mansion. "I did not mean to wake you up at this hour. It has been a little hectic today with the dinosaurs around, so I'm afraid I am still preparing your evening meal. If you can wait a few minutes, I will be able to serve you breakfast shortly."
The vampire mistress opened her mouth to speak and then stopped. There were several things wrong with what Sakuya had just said, so that she wasn't sure which one to pick first.
That wasn't all, either. As soon as the maid had walked in, the smell of blood had become incredibly overpowering, until Remilia had to forcibly restrain herself from feeding on Sakuya right there and then. No, that would not do. Self-control. There was always enough blood to go around.
"Evening meal, Sakuya?" she asked instead, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, my lady," the head maid said dutifully. "Your evening meal for tomorrow. I am busily rescheduling all of my duties to take place twenty four hours in the future." She smiled warmly. "My ability to stop time has its uses."
Remilia frowned. There was definitely something a little off here.
"Sakuya," she said, "I am glad that you are fully devoted to your duties, but there is no need for you to make extra work for yourself. The other maids are there for a reason."
"No, my lady." Sakuya drew herself up. "I am the only maid here today. All of the others have run away or have been eaten by dinosaurs."
There was a long silence, during which the vampire gave her a long, stern look; the maid returned her gaze in an innocent fashion. Something about the flushness in Sakuya's cheeks and the red of the knives in her hand was making a connection. In the distance, another animal roar could be heard.
"Sakuya, I'm going to ask you a question," Remilia said at last. "In fact, I'm going to ask you several."
"I will answer anything you ask me, my lady."
She walked right up to the maid, feeling a little dizzy from the stench of blood on Sakuya's clothes, and resisted the rising urge to go into a feeding frenzy. Try as she might, her gaze kept drifting back to the maid's throat. If she ordered it, Sakuya would probably let her bite her without a second thought, but that wasn't the point.
"Where is everybody gone?" Remilia asked in a hard tone of voice. "Why was I woken up early? Why can I see Meiling punching a dinosaur outside? Why are you covered in blood?" She wasn't worried that the maid was wounded or hurt, since she could tell that none of that blood was her own. Yes, Remilia already knew what Sakuya's blood smelled like. "Why are there dinosaurs attacking the mansion?"
The head maid looked at her with silver eyes and smiled. "Is that all, my lady?"
She glared at her, not in the mood for waiting around. Thirsty. Too thirsty.
"Answer me, Sakuya," she ordered.
"Of course, my lady." The silver-haired maid bowed her head again. "I think…it might be better to show you. Would you like to accompany me outside?"
"Outside?" Remilia repeated in a low growl. "Sakuya, the sunlight at this hour will not – "
She stopped short as Sakuya wordlessly offered her the parasol. The vampire stared at it for a moment, wondering why it was miraculously clean of blood, then grudgingly accepted. After a moment's pause, she followed the maid through the double doors and into the outside world.
The smell of rotting meat hit her first, washing over her in waves. Wincing slightly, Remilia took a moment to catch her breath – not that she actually needed to breathe at all – before stepping outside. Then she stopped in her tracks and simply stared in speechless astonishment at the sight that greeted her.
Over a hundred bodies littered the grounds surrounding the Scarlet Devil Mansion far and wide, great beasts which lay dead and freshly slaughtered. Many of them were stacked upon each other in a gruesome mound, whilst others were still moving and twitching. What had happened here? In less than a day, the area had practically been turned into some kind of killing ground.
At first glance, Remilia thought that these were just wild animals of Gensokyo, though it was unthinkable that so many would attack the mansion at once. When she looked closer, however, she saw the distinctly recognisable shape and size of the corpses, along with a unique body structure and a mass of teeth and claws…The realisation came to her at once. These were no ordinary creatures, nor any that should still walk the earth...
"I don't understand," the vampire mistress said quietly.
Before them, Meiling was locked in combat with two dilophosauruses whilst an allosaurus attacked her from the side. The red-haired gatekeeper was trading punches and kicks with the dinosaurs at high speed and beating them to a pulp, though she had sustained several bruises and minor bleeding across her body. More of the creatures were converging upon the mansion as if they were being drawn to the place.
"The dinosaurs appeared early this morning, my lady," Sakuya explained, as Meiling whirled round and kicked the allosaurus in the stomach with a yell. "There were only a few of them at first. Meiling was able to drive any that came too close to the gates, so they didn't really bother us. But then more of the predators started appearing in packs, and they tried to cross the border and attack the mansion. I've been fighting them off with Meiling for many hours now." She sighed and patted down her reddened uniform worryingly. "Dinosaurs hold more blood than I would have thought."
Grimacing, Remilia turned her face away from the mass of bodies at the gates. It was like looking over a small battlefield. The sight didn't repulse her – quite the opposite, really – but the scent of blood was now maddeningly strong. It would be best for her to stay as far away from the scene as possible.
Why are they attacking us for?
The way Sakuya had described it, the dinosaurs had been attacking the Scarlet Devil Mansion purposefully in large groups. Why? What was so special about this place? Was there something here that the beasts wanted? It sounded ridiculous.
"What about Patchouli?" she asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the hostile dinosaurs in front of the mansion. "Her magic spells can deal with any number of enemies. Where is she?"
The silver-haired maid hesitated. "We don't know."
"What?"
"Patchouli did not return to her quarters last night, my lady." Sakuya's tone sounded mildly apologetic. "Her bed was untouched and her room undisturbed. I thought perhaps that she had pulled an all-nighter and stayed inside the library, as she sometimes does, but the doors were magically sealed against entry. I was able to see inside and found that the library was completely empty."
Remilia's face grew tense. "She's disappeared?"
"Yes. I have been doing my best to find her, but so far have been unsuccessful. I am certain that she is the one who sealed the library before she vanished." The maid cleared her throat, her voice calm and gentle. "My lady, please don't worry about this right now. Patchouli would not have left the mansion so suddenly. I am still searching the other rooms so we should be able to find her. The situation is in hand."
The vampire mistress was troubled by this news. Patchouli was not the kind of person known to break her routine. She would often stay in the library for hours at a time, reading and researching extensively, leaving only to eat and sleep when she needed to…Occasionally she would visit Remilia to consult her about something, but that was all. The librarian of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was content to live in such a way as long as the world left her alone.
Still, Remilia was inclined to go along with Sakuya and put aside her concerns. This was probably something very minor, such as Patchouli falling asleep on her desk halfway during an invisibility spell. Perhaps the librarian was still in the mansion and they just hadn't found her yet.
"Very well, Sakuya," Remilia said shortly. "I will leave this to you. Tell me as soon as you discover the whereabouts of our missing librarian. As for the other matters…" She deliberately avoided looking towards the horde of prehistoric beasts nestled outside the gate. "This goes without saying, but we cannot allow these…dinosaurs to infiltrate the mansion. Repel these creatures with all of your skill, Sakuya."
The silver-haired maid nodded. "It will be done, my lady. I will continue to work together with Meiling to remove these invaders." She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to displease her mistress. "If the dinosaurs surround us on all sides, then some of them may get past us and enter the mansion. I will do my best, but there are only two of us to defend the entire grounds…"
"Do not let them in." Remilia's tone brooked no argument. "You are absolved of your other duties for today, Sakuya. Forget about the cleaning or washing. We must defend our borders, and that is what I want you to focus on."
Sakuya's eyes widened. "No cleaning?" she said doubtfully, seeming almost affronted by the notion.
"Is that a problem?"
The maid swallowed. "Forgive me for asking, my lady," she said. "What kind of maid would I be if I did not clean?"
"The kind of maid who knows where her priorities lie," the vampire answered. "You've got your hands full without preparing two days' worth of meals and cleaning eigth different rooms. When I return tonight, I do not want to see this place crawling with dinosaurs! Is that understood?"
"Return?" Sakuya's grey eyes filled with concern. "Lady Remilia, are you going somewhere?"
Her mistress frowned and looked at her haughtily.
"No, Sakuya," she said heavily. "I am going back to sleep. What kind of hour do you call this? If you recall, I was woken up during daylight hours."
The head maid breathed a sigh of relief, the tension draining out of her face in an instant. "Of course, my lady," she said. "I'm sorry, I must have misheard you."
Turning away from her, Remilia marched back inside the Scarlet Devil Mansion, anxious to put some distance between herself and the growing horde of dinosaurs outside. The presence of the sun would start to affect her negatively if she spent too much time out here. When she spoke again, her voice was filled with authority.
"I want everything to be back to normal when I wake up, Sakuya," she snapped. "Everything. I want our librarian found, I want these dinosaurs off my property right now, and I want you to get a change of clothes before the smell of blood drives me completely crazy. Is that clear?"
"I will do my best, my lady," the silver-haired maid said with a sigh, not mentioning that it was probably impossible.
"Crystal clear?"
"Yes, Lady Remilia, as clear as crystal."
The vampire mistress stopped in the middle of the hall. "Clear as blood?"
"That's a trick question, my lady. Blood obscures purpose."
Remilia smiled to herself, then rose up in the air as she flew towards her quarters. That would do, for now. If she could hire a thousand maids from all across the land, there would never be another that could match Sakuya Izayoi.
"Sakuya?" she called out behind her. "Just one more thing." The vampire cupped one hand against her cheek, inhaling the remnants of the old scent clinging to her skin. "Don't wake my sister up, please. She needs her beauty sleep."
Reimu made her way through the Forest of Magic as quickly as she could, flying low across the ground as she weaved in and out through the trees. Ankylosauruses and brontosauruses fed on the leaves and vegetation around her, and flocks of prehistoric birds nestled within the high-reaching branches. The dinosaurs were roaming the woods as if they had always been there. No allosauruses or other carnivores in this part of the forest, thankfully, but the shrine maiden didn't feel like pushing her luck. Sooner or later, she was going to run into trouble.
She felt the comforting presence of her spellcards tucked within her clothing, diligently collected from the Hakurei Shrine. The next time a dinosaur tried to bite her head off, she would be prepared. Would it be enough? The shrine maiden hoped so; taking down a large dinosaur was a little different from standard youkai extermination, so she would have to use her spellcards sparingly.
Mindful of this, she circled around the next fork of the forest path and headed deeper into the Forest of Magic. Reimu flew down to the end of the trail, over a stegosaurus' plated back, only to find four more paths leading in different directions. Annoyed, she took the first path and ended up at a very familiar clearing from ten minutes ago. She was going round in circles.
Marisa!
How could she be lost? She was sure this was the right way to the Kirisame Magic Shop, but the further she ventured into these woods, the more confusing the paths became. It was like a maze. She had passed the same diplodocus six times now and was getting a bit sick of seeing it. On a good day, Reimu was able to find the way to Marisa's shop by accident, but today was not a good day and the dinosaurs were not helping.
Where is this shop? Alice always finds her way there perfectly, but she's the only one who can ever find it. How does Marisa manage to get any customers if nobody knows where her shop is?
Part of her suspected that Marisa used magic to move the shop to another obscure part of the forest. To be honest, she didn't think Marisa actually knew how to do that, but it would offer some kind of explanation at least. She had been flying around for nearly twenty minutes now just trying to work out where to go.
What if this was deliberate? What if a sinister individual was misguiding her with illusions to keep her going in circles forever? What if someone didn't want her to find where Marisa was –
The shrine maiden reached the next corner and saw the Kirisame Magic Shop right in front of her, moderately concealed by the overgrown plants in the area. Oh, never mind. It was just really hard to find.
"Marisa!" Reimu called out. She stepped up to the wooden door with gohei in hand. "We have to talk!"
There was no answer or movement from within the shop. No sound at all.
Briefly, the shrine maiden entertained the possibility that the magician might not be home. After all that trouble, what if Marisa had just gone out somewhere and…No. That would be very infuriating.
She knocked on the door loudly. Still no answer.
Reimu was about to try something else when she caught sight of the small sign hanging there, just above the handle. Scrawled there in barely illegible, very Marisa-like handwriting, were the words: DO NOT KNOCK.
The shrine maiden stared at the sign for a few seconds, puzzled. Do not knock? What else was she supposed to do aside from knock? There was no doorbell to ring, no letterbox to use – she would be amazed if Marisa ever received letters by post when nobody could find this place. What kind of sign was this?
Do I knock on the window instead? But it still says "do not knock". So that means I can't knock on the door or the window? She felt herself seething at how illogical this all was. Why? WHY am I not allowed to knock? Will the door fall down if people knock on it too much? Is there supposed to be a bell?
She was about to kick the door when her gaze fell upon a small metal object lying on the floor. It was a bell.
Oh.
Grudgingly, Reimu crouched down to pick up the ridiculously tiny bell. She saw, too, that this bell was next to a different sign.
This sign read: DO NOT RING.
She blinked and looked at each of the two signs very carefully. They were both clearly written by Marisa. The shrine maiden read them and then re-read them in the hope of finding some kind of sense in their words, but in vain. This made less sense than the dinosaurs did, and that was saying something.
Why can't I ring the bell either? Marisa, what is your problem?! If you don't want anyone to ring the bell, then don't put a bell on the ground! It's so small that I nearly stepped on it! How is anyone supposed to get through the front door if they can't knock or the door or ring the bell?
With rapidly declining enthusiasm and a small measure of spite, Reimu held up the bell and rang it as loud as she could. It was a strange sensation, really. She felt as if she was part of a full classical orchestra, except that everyone was doing nothing whilst she played the triangle.
Ting.
She waited patiently for something to happen. Surely something was going to happen. She hadn't come all this way getting lost and becoming increasingly more irritated at dinosaurs only to ring this tiny bell and see it do absolutely nothing.
Nothing did happen. She furiously threw the bell at a bird nearby and knocked it out of its tree with a squawk. This was just a waste of time. Giving up, Reimu turned around and prepared to make the long journey back –
There was an almighty crash as a diplodocus's heavy foot slammed down onto the roof of the Kirisame Magic Shop and smashing through it all the way to the floor.
Reimu spun around, her face pale as the entire shop was rapidly crushed into a grand pile of wooden splinters. The giant foot came down again and again as the dinosaur paced. Glass beakers were smashed, potion ingredients were ground into dust, and magic scrolls were ripped. Within seconds, the whole building had been reduced to rubble.
"Oh no," she whispered.
Had Marisa been inside? What if she had been sleeping and didn't know about the dinosaurs? With her heart in her mouth, the shrine maiden ran towards the sad remains of the Kirisame Magic Shop.
"MARISA!"
Tearfully, she started to dig through the rubble, not knowing where to start. Great, wooden beams, too heavy and dangerous to lift without using magic, but doing so might make it worse –
Reimu stopped in her tracks. She could hear voices from somewhere above her, human voices which sounded very familiar. Even from down here, she knew who they belonged to.
Slowly, the shrine maiden got to her feet and wiped the dust off her clothes.
She stared at the grazing diplodocus which had just flattened Marisa's shop. Her gaze travelled up the massive dinosaur, up and up, to where its head disappeared through the trees. The voices were coming from that direction.
Suspiciously, Reimu flew upwards as the voices grew louder.
She saw somebody riding on the dinosaur's back. A teenage girl with blonde hair flowing down her back and a broomstick held in her hands. The girl had a black hat with a white bow set on her head, which mischievous golden eyes that looked back at the world.
"Hey, Reimu," Marisa said with a smirk, looking down at her from atop the diplodocus. "What's up?"
The shrine maiden looked at her blankly, then back at the remains of the Kirisame Magic Shop far below, then back to her again.
"What are you doing, Marisa?" she asked tensely.
Marisa shrugged casually. "What's it look like? I'm riding a dinosaur." She grinned. "A dinosaur, Reimu! It's big, it's green, and it'll kick you all the way to the moon if you mess with me. In the flesh." She folded her arms smugly. "What? You got a problem with that? Don't go tryin' to steal my dinosaur, Reimu, 'cause this one's mine. Get your own! "
"I don't want it, Marisa," Reimu said patiently. "I didn't fly up here to claim ownership over your diplodocus. By the way, it's a herbivore. It's not going to be kicking anyone to the moon." She pointed down towards the forest floor. "And it just destroyed your shop!"
The magician's face froze. "What?" She looked down through the trees and saw the tell-tale signs of the broken rubble, her expression despondent. "Oh, man. I knew the dinosaur stepped on something hard back there. Thought it was just a big rock." She sighed. "Ah,well. No real loss."
"I'm sorry – what?" Reimu wasn't sure she'd heard right. "That's your shop and your home down there, Marisa! How is that no real loss?"
Marisa shrugged, not seeming too worried. "I'll get the insurance back in a few months and they'll find me a new place eventually. Besides, it's not like I ever used it for living in."
The shrine maiden frowned. "You don't live in your own house?"
"Well, technically I do, but I spend more time hangin' out at Alice's place." Marisa smiled to herself. "Guess I'll just have to move in with her for a while. It was gonna happen anyway."
Reimu didn't allow herself to dwell on what that might mean. It did explain why her best friend kept turning up uninvited at the Hakurei Shrine and staying overnight so frequently. Wasn't the point of having a house for you to actually live there?
"I thought you were still inside the shop when it collapsed, Marisa," she said. "I was really worried about you! But I'm glad you're all right." The shrine maiden flew closer to her. "I'm just curious about something. Why did you put up a sign on there that said "Do Not Knock"?"
The magician looked at her incredulously. "What're you on about? It said what it said. You're not supposed to knock."
"I know that, but why?"
"Because if you don't knock," Marisa explained, "I'm not gonna answer the door. And I'm not gonna answer anyway 'cause I don't live there. Reverse psychology. It hardly matters now, does it?"
The shrine maiden shook her head in disbelief. It wasn't that important anyway. She had almost forgotten the real reason she had sought out her friend in the first place.
"Never mind," she said. "Marisa, I need you to come back to the Hakurei Shrine with me. We need to find out where these dinosaurs came from and put a stop to it at once. Now get off that diplodocus and let's get going."
Marisa gave her a hesitant look. "You want me to help you with this?" she asked warily. "Like…all of it? From start to finish?"
"Of course! We'll do it together!"
The blonde girl shook her head slowly. "Sorry, Reimu," she said. "I'm not getting involved in this one. Dinosaurs coming back sounds like history and time's all gone wrong. It's gonna get messy, really messy, and I don't wanna be there when it all blows up in your face." She turned away from her friend. "You're the one who deals with incidents. You can fix this. I've got all these dinosaurs to mess around with."
Reimu glared at her. "You can't just ignore this, Marisa! This is affecting all of Gensokyo!"
"Who said I'm ignoring it? I'm acknowledging it in every way, I'm just opting to do nothing." She gestured over her shoulder. "Besides, I'm busy having a dinosaur race with Sanae."
"A what?"
The shrine maiden's eyes widened as a second diplodocus loomed out from the forest, contentedly chewing on the leaves on the higher branches. Riding on its back was a young girl with long green hair, dressed in a blue and white dress. She held a gohei similar to Reimu's and her face was lit up with an expression of pure jubilation.
It's Sanae, Reimu thought, a wave of relief washing over her. Finally! Someone sensible enough to take the dinosaur threat seriously. Marisa might be unhelpful and reluctant to act, but I know Sanae has a strong sense of duty and –
"Hooray!" the wind priestess cheered, waving her weapon in the air. "Let the official dinosaur races begin! It's diplodocus vs diplodocus, one on one, until more diplodocuses arrive and bring their contestants. The start line is here, the finish line is at the ocean – which ocean, do you ask? Any ocean! So place your bets on which horse is – I mean, which dinosaur – is going to be the winner!" She turned and saw the dark-haired shrine maiden staring at her in outrage. "Oh, hi Reimu! Have you got a diplodocus too? Come and join the race!"
Bleakly, Reimu glanced at Marisa for some possible explanation. The magician shrugged, having nothing to offer.
"I don't believe this!" the shrine maiden cried. "Sanae, what are you doing? Dinosaur races? Seriously?" She threw her arms up hopelessly. "I expected this much from Marisa, but not from you!"
Sanae clasped her hands together. "Reimu, please understand. It's dinosaurs! Dinooooosaurs! I have to do this! I've always wanted to go on dinosaur races!"
Reimu slammed her weapon down on the diplodocus' back. How could this be happening? Wasn't there anyone reliable in Gensokyo who could see that something had to be done? Where was Yukari when you needed her?
"Look!" she said angrily. "There are dinosaurs roaming Gensokyo, destroying houses and eating people. There's chaos and pandemonium everywhere. And what are you two doing? Having a dinosaur race!" She eyed the diplodocuses suspiciously. "How is this even a race, anyway? Do you know how slowly these creatures move? You'll reach the Human Village by next week!"
"Well, it's more of an endurance test," Sanae said cheerfully. "Long-distance running!"
"Plodding," Marisa added helpfully.
"Absolutely. Long-distance plodding. It goes like this: plod, plod, plod-plod-plod, plod, plod, plod-plod-plod – "
"Yes, I get it!" Reimu snapped. "Now just listen. What are you going to do when the dinosaurs keep attacking people, eating up all the food, and disrupting your lifestyle? Where will you live? Where are you going to go shopping? My shrine was swamped with them this morning!" She gave them a stern look, seeing that the other two girls had finaly gone silent and were paying attention to her words. "We can't just keep beating up dinosaurs forever. We have to find the source and put everything back to normal. And I hate to say this, but I can't do this alone. There are just too many of them. I need you to help me."
Marisa and Sanae shared a reluctant, uneasy look with each other. Then they looked away into the distance where the sounds of animals stampedes and roaring could be heard. Reimu was right: there was no running away from this problem.
"What do you want to do?" the shrine maiden said quietly. "Are you going to spend the next month stuck in the longest diplodocus race ever? Or are you going to get up and help me to get to the bottom of this and save Gensokyo?"
Sanae punched the air. "DINOSAUR RACES!" she yelled. Then she faltered, seeing the look on Reimu's face. "Oh, um…I mean…maybe."
Marisa rolled her eyes. "What're we supposed to do, Reimu? You can't solve a problem like this." She glanced down at her ruined shop on the ground and then seemed to give in. "Whatever. My home's been demolished anyway. Guess I might as well help you for now and see if we get anywhere. But don't expect any miracles from me, you got that?"
Reimu breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Marisa," she said. "And…Sanae?"
The wind priestess avoided her gaze.
"I shouldn't be helping you, Reimu," she said briskly. "If I obstruct you, your shrine will suffer. That will mean I can collect more faith for Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako!" Her eyes lit up. "Yes! That makes much more sense, don't you think? In fact, the best way I can do that is by fighting you!"
"No, Sanae, I don't think this is what I – "
"That means DINOSAUR COMBAT!" Sanae punched the air with both hands and almost dropped her gohei. "Diplodocus vs diplodocus! First one to eat all the leaves is the winner!"
Reimu hit herself in the forehead with her hand. At times like this, she really questioned her choice of company.
"Sanae," she said clearly, "obstructing me will not get you more faith. It will mean that the dinosaurs will just eat more of your worshippers." She paused as understanding dawned on the wind priestess' face. "I know you have the power to create miracles. And right now, I'd like you to create the miracle of actually listening to me! Are you with me or not?"
Reluctantly, the green-haired girl nodded. "I guess I've got nothing better to do until Saturday..." She looked up at Reimu, puzzled. "But where do we start?"
The shrine maiden floated in the air between the two dinosaurs, addressing both of them. "Firstly," she said, "I think we should go to the Hakurei Shrine and discuss this in more detail. We need to look at our options, possible causes and summon magic which might be responsible."
"I'm not responsible," Marisa said at once.
"I didn't say you were, Marisa."
"Excuse me," Sanae interrupted, still looking baffled. "Why do we have to go to your shrine? And why do we have to fly there?"
Reimu gritted her teeth, aware that nobody had actually moved. This was really getting on her nerves.
"Well, how else are you going to get there?" she said irritably. "Ride your dinosaurs there at a deathly slow pace, plod-plodding all the way to the Harukei Shrine?"
She realised the words were a mistake the instant they left her mouth. Sanae's face glowed with happiness.
"Oh no," the shrine maiden said.
"Oh yes," Sanae said excitedly. "Dinosaur ride to the Hakurei Shrine."
"We can't do that, Sanae! It will take us hours!"
The wind priestess folded her arms stubbornly. "I'm not budging on this, Reimu! Take it or leave it. Dinosaur is our mode of transport, and dinosaur it shall be!"
The shrine maiden flung another helpless glance towards Marisa. The blonde magician was smirking again. Well, it wasn't as if she expected any help in that department anyway.
"We are not riding the dinosaur," Reimu stated.
"Yes we are," Sanae said. "It's dinosaur or nothing."
"If you have to ride a dinosaur, at least choose a faster one!"
"No! This is my dino." The wind priestess patted her diplodocus affectionately. "I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squi – "
"There is nothing squishy about him!" Reimu swung her gohei through the air, starting to lose her temper. "You know what? Keep the dinosaur. We've wasted enough time going on about this, so I'm just going ahead to wait for you two at the shrine." She looked up at the sun shining in the sky above their heads, wondering how long she would have to wait. "And no races!"