Yukari had just finished having tea at Hakugyokurou when she decided to go on a walk with her best friend, Yuyuko Saigyouji. Both of them were enjoying the cherry blossoms when they felt someone watching them. Yukari takes a discrete glance around her but doesn't spot anything. She reaches in a gap and takes out a spyglass. She looks up at the sky and sees a faint haze. Beyond that haze, she can barely make out something moving. She stares at it and recognizes it. She wore a sad smile on her face as she put away the instrument. Yuyuko sees this and sighs, "So, it's happening faster than you thought. Have you finished your preparations?"

Yukari nodded. "I did what I could. But I still need to talk to Reimu and Marisa. The tengu and the kappa didn't see it at first but came around. The Moriya shrine figured it out before I finished explaining it to them. The Lunarians in the Bamboo Forest are ready to contribute what they can. Everyone else still needs more time, but should be ready before all of this falls. It's too bad that the barrier is failing faster than I expected. "

"You do know that the Yama is not going to be happy about this. She's probably going to lecture both of us when she founds out."

"Those lectures are for your own good. And I wish one of you would have told me before it was already underway."

"Speak of the devil, and she shall appear." Yukari bowed slightly. "I was going to tell you but there was tea and cookies and I lost track of time."

Eiki Shiki, the highest judge of paradise, shook her head. "I swear, Yukari, you lie almost as much as Marisa does. But I'm not here to lecture either of you tonight. I know that the barrier will be gone soon. And I know that the outside world will probably attack Gensokyo. The other yamas have already spoken to me about this. They want us to disperse before this happens."

"What about you, Lady Shiki?" Yuyuko had to address Eiki formally because she was technically her superior.

"I'll say this: Gensokyo has existed as a paradise for more than 150 years. Even in that short of time, both humans and youkai have learned how to coexist and love this land. While the other yamas want to avoid bloodshed, they want us to avoid it like cowards. I cannot do that. I have come to love this land as well. I know that the consequences of this are going to be tough. But as a yama, I must do what is right. So, you can count me and the rest of Higan in for the long run."

Yukari bowed her head again. "While I am grateful for your help, won't this put you at odds with the other yamas?"

"I'm not worried about that now. If there's no Gensokyo, then who am I supposed to judge? Am I supposed to turn back into a statue? If I have to, at the end of this conflict, I'll turn in my letter of resignation from the office of the yamaxanadu. But, that will be after I can be sure that Gensokyo is safe."

This was the one thing that Yukari least expected. It was common knowledge that her job was the only thing Eiki loved. She could do without the hat, the Rod of Remorse, but not being able to do what she loved was another matter entirely. Her job was not just about lecturing sinners, it was about helping them avoid the fires of hell and making a difference. It was what made her who she was. Even on her breaks and vacations, she still did her best to lead misguided souls to enlightenment. To be willing to put even that on the line meant that she understood how serious this incident was. Yukari couldn't help but step forward and embrace her.

"Thank you. I know this is a lot for you. But, I only want this on one condition."

It was Eiki's turn to be surprised.

"I want your word that, after this is over, you keep your office. I may not have met any other yamas, but I think everyone would prefer to have one that they know, rather then one that might not care as much as you do. I will admit that we don't like being lectured but, deep down we know that you're right. And I will give you my word that I would do whatever it takes to help you if the other yamas take exception to this."

Langley, Virginia, United States

Meetings weren't usually the worst part of the day. Even for the Chief of Staff of the Central Intelligence Agency, waking up and dragging himself out of bed every morning was the worst part. Even with coffee, it never got any better. But, today was different. The Director and deputy director were both late for their early morning meeting. Normally, he would have complained, but a box of powdered donuts kept him quiet. He was almost through the 12 pack when the missing links appeared. The Associate Deputy Director was playing on his cell phone and was visibly annoyed to having to stop. The Director cleared his throat, "Gentlemen and Gentlewomen, I received a very unusual report on my desk this morning."

The rest of the room paid polite attention but were more focused on the snacks on the table. The Director pulled a flash drive out of his pocket and inserted it into his computer. He brought up a file on the projector. "About one week ago, two technicians on the night shift reported high amounts of energy coming from a area in the northern region of Japan. Upon further investigation, they saw what they could only describe as a witch."

The room was silent. Everyone was expecting some sort of punchline but none came. "All of you heard right. A witch. The ones that wear big hats and fly around on brooms and cast magic and all of that great stuff. I would have told those two to take a few days off if is wasn't for this data."

He brought up a recording of a satellite image.

"As you can see, these dots are human sized and are not hampered at all by the thick vegetation of the area. In just a few seconds you will see a high amount of energy being released from one of the dots." He paused so they could pay attention when it happened. "After I reviewed this, I took the liberty of asking the Air Force to fly a drone over the area to make sure it wasn't just some college prank. It found what looked to be a haze over the area and something else." Images from the reconnaissance appeared on the computer. One stood out the most, this one was of what appeared to be two women looking up at the camera. One had a what looked like an antique telescope and was wearing a white ruffled dress. The other had a blue dress and what appeared to be lights around her.

"To be able to spot a drone at night that high up is almost impossible. We would have been able to get more pictures but there was something interfering with the drone. The Air Force has assured me that there was nothing wrong with the drone. That leaves only one explanation: there is someone that doesn't want to be seen in that area. We have asked the Japanese government about that area but they say that it is just wilderness. They cite legends of monsters as the reason that area is deserted. Then we have this next image."

This one showed what appeared to be two large snakes. There was something that looked like a person with a ring of rope behind them in between them. Facing then was another person with could only describe a high energy sword.

"I can't really explain this. Our detection of other high energy and radiation indicates that there is a credible threat. Our next step is to brief the president on this and see if we can get boots on the ground. He'll probably want to go the diplomatic path. I still want operatives in the middle of this. However, we're going to be on a tight schedule. If we could see this, everyone else can too. The last thing we need are the North Koreans or the Russians taking advantage of this. This amount of radiation can only come from a power source. So here's the underlying point. There could be another unchecked nuclear power on the planet. One that we may have to deal with. May God help us if it's another whack job dictator like North Korea's."