When I came to, I was in a room. Not on a bed, I was laying in a futon instead. The wooden floor gave off a comforting feeling, and the traditional walls reminded me of my home country. There was a single door, though where it led, I did not know. After fighting the urge to go back to sleep, I left the futon and opened the door. Turns out the door led out to a main room of sorts. It was a Shinto Shrine, the incense was still burning warmly. There was a number of doors that I assume led to other rooms. The main sliding door that led outside was open, letting the sunlight flood in. The time seemed to be morning to early-noon. Seeing no reason to stick around, I went outside.

The sunlight was shining into my eyes, blinding me for a moment. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I took in the scenery. The shrine was surrounded by trees, concealing it. The shrine wasn't the only building here, however. Next to the shrine, there was a smaller building which I assumed to be a shed of some kind. Leading up to the shrine, was a stone pathway, going under a red Shinto gate. Currently sweeping the leaves off of the pathway, was Reimu. I approached her.

"Reimu-san." Her body tensed on a moment's notice. But it soon relaxed, once she realized it was just me.

"Oh, so you're awake huh?"

"How long was I out?"

"About a day. We had to drag you out of the water you know." Wasn't the first time someone had to do that.

"Yeah, thanks for that. And for taking care of me." That wasn't something people would usually do for a stranger.

"Hmm, don't mention it. I didn't do it out of kindness though." That got me curious. "It was mainly to keep an eye on you. And for me to ask you questions once you woke up."

"Questions?"

"Yes. The first one, what are you?" She stopped sweeping with her broom. Her attention now completely focused on me.

"A human, obvio-"

"Don't lie." A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes. "Others may think you're just an outsider, but I know better." She closed her eyes, as if to think. "As a Hakurei Miko, my senses are far more superior to other people."

"What... what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying, you're not a human." What?

"Yes, the feeling that I get from you is far more similar to..." She then opened her eyes and glared at me. "A youkai!"

"You're talking nonsense."

"What purpose do you have, to hide your true self?"

"I'm not hiding what I am in the first place!" Anger was starting to slip into my voice now.

"Keep this up, and I'll exterminate you on the spot."

"I'd like to see you tr-"

"Now, now. Both of you calm down." A mature and elegant voice, suddenly interrupted our debate. I turned my head at the direction of the voice.

It was a woman. She looked to be in her adulthood. She had long blonde hair that reached down to her waist, along with side-tails that went down to her ample breast. She was holding a pale pink parasol, presumably to block out the sunlight. on her head, is a mob cap of the same color. The purple dress she wore, was quite elegant and alluring as well.

"Yukari..." It seemed Reimu was familiar with this woman. Though it seems she isn't too fond of her, if the tone of her voice is anything to go by.

"Come now, Reimu. Is that any way to greet little old me?" The now named Yukari, replied.

"What do you want?"

"Hmph, how rude." A small pout appeared on Yukari's face. "And here I was, about to settle the dispute between the both of you."

"Wait, don't tell me..." Reimu looked between me and Yukari. "Did you have something to do with him?"

"My, my. Jumping to conclusions aren't we?" Yukari then looked at me. "I simply had something to show him, that's all."

"Do I know you, lady?" Something to show me, what did she mean by that?

"My, how rude of me." She then made a small curtsy. "Yukari Yakumo, pleasure to meet you."

"Ren Amamiya." She chuckled.

"Yes, I know." She was suddenly holding a fan that covered the lower part of her face. Where did she even get that? "I know quite a bit about you, actually. Mr. Phantom Thief." That statement made me alert.

"Who are you?!"

"I already told you, didn't I?" She was toying with me. That much I could tell.

"Geez. Can one of you just explain to me what's going on?" Reimu interrupted our back-and-forth with a question of her own.

Yukari shifted her attention towards Reimu, with a playful smirk on her face.

"Don't worry. I'll do just that." That's surprising. "After, I take care of Ren-chan over here." Excuse me?

Before I had time to question her intentions, the ground below me disappeared. What replaced it, was some sort of tear in the fabric space. The tear was something straight out of a Lovecraftian book. Inside the tear, you could see darkness, and the most disturbing thing... eyes. these eyes were countless in numbers, each one staring at you. As if gazing into deepest and darkest parts of your soul. Simply put, it was terrifying. Before I had the chance to panic, I had already fallen inside it.

The trip through the tear was short, but it was no less disturbing. By the time I could see the sunlight, my body had already hit the ground.

"Ouch, my back..." I was tempted to just lay on the ground, and go back to sleep. But my common sense dictated otherwise. I got up, and looked at the surroundings. "Is this... a city?" Sky-high buildings was everywhere, along with neon and digital signs. "Reminds me of... Tokyo."

"That's because it is." Gah!

The voice startled me. It was Yukari. She had a tendency to appear out of nowhere it seems.

"Don't scare me like that."

"Ufufu. I'll try my best."

"What was that?"

"Are you referring to my 'gaps'? It's simply one the things that my powers allow me to do. Don't worry too much about it."

Heeding her advice, I looked back towards the cityscape.

"This is Tokyo?" It didn't feel like Tokyo however. The city felt... more futuristic. It looked cleaner, the high-rises more in number. There was however, an oppressive feeling about it all.

"A bit different than what you're used to I take it?" My attention shifted back to Yukari. "I suppose that's a given. Seeing as how it's been over a couple of decades since you last saw it."

"Decades?! What do you mean?"

Instead of answering my question, she opted to ask me another question.

"You remember what Reimu said, correct?"

"About me being a youkai?" That was complete nonsense though.

"Yes. It's an important piece to explain what has happened."

"But that can't be true. Reimu probably misunderstood something!"

Again, she ignored me. She instead walked away.

"Follow me." I did what she asked.

The walk was short, but it was still quite suspenseful. We stopped in front of a gate. Yukari opened one of her 'gaps' on the gate. Allowing us to pass through it.

"A cemetary..." The graves were lined up in quite the orderly fashion. They were countless in numbers. Yukari continued to walk pass the graves, I followed her. She stopped near a single grave. Curious, I read the words that was written on the tombstone.

"What...?" Was the only word that came out of my mouth.

IN MEMORY OF,

REN AMAMIYA.

20XX-20XX

A True Leader. One That Will Always Be Inside of Our Hearts.

It was some sick twisted joke, it had to be.

"Do you understand now?" I looked at Yukari. "You... or should I say, Ren Amamiya, has passed away."

My mind was in a haze. I didn't understand what she was saying, nor what I was seeing.

"B-but... I'm still here aren't I? Isn't that prove I'm still alive?" Yukari shook her head.

"No. You are simply a product of the perception people had towards the Phantom Thieves." Perception? Product?

"I...I don't understand. I don't get what you're saying at all!" Confusion, anger and sadness was all mixed inside my voice.

"Youkai are born from the people's fear. Whether it be fear of the dark, monsters. Or in this case, fear towards your group. The power to change hearts is a terrifying one after all. At least, towards the masses."

"So what? I-I'm just some sort of spirit that came from the people's fear?"

"Yes, basically."

"No... that can't be true. I'm not a youkai. I'm a... I'm..."

Before I realized it, my vision became blurry. It was tears. I was crying. I fell on my knees. The tears were rolling down my cheeks and falling to the ground. I was sobbing loudly, and there was not much I could do about it.

Some time passed until I calmed down.

"Are you alright now?" Yukari's tone was kind, as if speaking to a child.

I nodded at her question. "Sorry, I... I couldn't control my feelings."

"Don't be. It's only natural after all."

With my feelings under control, I was able to grasp my situation more clearly. "So... I'm a youkai?"

"Yes, a young one at that." A soft smile appeared on Yukari's face.

A moment passed while I swallowed that fact. After accepting it, another important question popped into my mind.

"Can you tell me what happened? About the Phantom Thieves, I mean." She nodded, and proceeded to tell me about them.

After I... I mean Ren. After Ren died, a new Wildcard was chosen by the Velvet Room. Yukari did not tell me who this Wildcard was in particular. The new Wildcard became the leader, and led the Phantom Thieves to victory. With their purpose served, the group disbanded, and went their separate ways. But not before mourning the loss of their previous leader.

"I see... And the reason for my existence, is because of the public's lingering fear of the Phantom Thieves. Along with the grief and mourning of the group itself?"

"Yes. You seemed to have understood your situation quite well." Not crying or sobbing anymore helped quite a bit.

I lowered my head for a moment, before looking at Yukari.

"Yukari-san, thank you. I... I don't know how I would've known about all of this if you weren't here." She seemed quite pleased because of my statement.

"Why, you're welcome." Her eyes softened once more as she looked at me. "There is one more thing however..."

"What is it?"

"Your name. As we've discussed, 'Ren Amamiya' is, as of this moment, gone."

I understood what she was trying to say.

"I'll have to choose a new name, huh?" She nodded. I took a moment to think about it. A new name... then how about, "Akira... Akira Kurusu."

"Akira Kurusu... Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The sound of chains reverberated inside my head.

Yukari Yakumo, The Empress : Rank 1

The Empress Arcana... Suits her quite well, I think. The persona that I received from her was, Lamia. The half-woman half-snake monster, from Greek mythology.

"My, my. So it's true." Yukari suddenly spoke. "It seems you can gain powers, simply by making 'bonds' with other people."

"You can tell?" The same happened with Marisa and Flandre before, in the mansion.

"Yes, the feeling I got from you has changed. It's gotten more... Youkai-ish." That was an odd way to describe it.

"Huh, I see."

"Well, I suppose it's about time we get back, Akira-chan."

"Can you stop adding the 'chan', please?"

Ignoring my complaint, she opened up one of her gaps. This one I assume, leads back to Gensokyo.

Just before we stepped through it however, she turned around to face me.

"Oh yes. I almost forgot." A welcoming smile appeared on her face. "Welcome to Gensokyo."

()-()-()-()

We arrived back at the shrine. Reimu was sitting at the shrine's porch, waiting for us.

"You're back." She sat up, and looked at us.

"Yes. It was quite an eventful trip." Yukari replied.

"Now... do you mind explaining to me what's going on?" Yukari nodded, and proceeded to give Reimu a basic explanation of my situation.

After digesting the information, Reimu turned to me.

"A youkai that gets power, by building 'bonds' huh..." I nodded. Reimu sighed and turned away. "Well, as long as you don't start any trouble, then it'll be fine... I guess."

"I'm not planning to." Reimu nodded, and turned to Yukari.

"Anyway, It's rare to see... you..." Or at least, she would've, had Yukari not disappeared. "I hate it when she does that."

"She does it often, I take it?"

"Like you wouldn't believe..." She sighed. "So... You changed your name?"

"Yes, to Akira Kurusu. Yukari thought that it would be fitting to change my name. Since, I'm no longer my 'past' self." I didn't know why I chose that name. It just... popped inside my mind.

"Was it hard? Finding out that you're no longer human?"

Was I ever a human in the first place? The one that was human is 'Ren'. I... am 'Akira'. I needed to make that distinction, lest I further complicate my situation.

"It was... Difficult to swallow."

"I see..."

Reimu then offered me tea, something which I graciously accepted. We both sat on the shrine's porch while she prepared it. While I still prefered coffee over any other kind of beverage, it did not diminish the taste of the tea. It was quite roasty, with an alluring aroma.

"Not bitter..."

"Pretty good right?" Reimu puffed out her chest.

It was. She must make it quite often. Either for herself, or...

"Do you get visitors often?" Her shoulders slumped at my question.

She sighed, "If only... The villagers are either too scared of the youkai or just too lazy to pray here. They could at least donate some money, but that's rare too." Why did she sound more dejected by the latter? "Still though, one person does come here often."

"Who is it?" I had a feeling I already know who this person was though.

Reimu was about to answer me, when she noticed something in the distance. I looked at what she saw. It was a black-and-yellow blur.

"Yo! Sunny day, ain't it-ze?" Marisa hopped off her broom, and waved at us. "Ren finally woke up, eh?"

I smiled, "Good to see you too. Oh, and it's Akira now. Not Ren."

Marisa raised an eyebrow. "You changed your name?"

"Yeah... it's a long story." But that did not stop me from giving her a summary though. By the end of it, Marisa was quite slack-jawed.

"So you're a youkai?!" She said, while pointing at me. For some reason, Reimu grimaced, and replied to Marisa.

"Shhh! Not so loud. I don't need a rumor saying that some youkai's hanging out near my shrine!"

"Huh? It's fine! Nobody goes to your shrine anyway-ze." That comment caused Reimu to flush.

"Wha-?! Now you listen here..."

They both bickered back-and-forth for quite a while. But they did calm down, eventually. I got the feeling that they were quite close to one another, and I told them as much.

"Me and Reimu have known each other since way back when-ze!" Marisa said while smirking, and with Reimu just staring blankly at her.

"You're still as annoying as back then." Sensing that another argument was about to unfold, I quickly changed the topic.

"So, Marisa. What brings you here?"

"I usually just come here to relax-ze. But I did come today to check up on you though!"

"Me?" A bad feeling suddenly came over me.

"You still owe me a favor-ze!" And there it is.

"I thought I paid it back at the mansion?"

"Once. I saved you twice, remember?" The jail cell, and then the library, right. "Two minus one, equals one-ze!"

"Alright, I get it. What do you want from me then?"

"Well, how abou-"

"Jeez, lay off the guy will you? He just found out he's a youkai." Reimu interrupted. After a staring contest between them, Marisa relented.

"Fine. I'll wait a while 'fore calling that favor-ze." A smile appeared on Reimu. She then turned to me.

"What's your plan now?" Reimu questioned. I asked her to clarify. "You're gonna need a place to stay. Most youkai tends to live in the forest, maybe even the mountain. I know one youkai that lives in the village. What about you?"

"I... don't know. I don't know anything about the places in Gensokyo to be honest."

"Then why not let Reimu show you around-ze?" Marisa suggested. Reimu raised her eyebrows.

"Huh, me?"

"You're the Hakurei Miko, right? Think of this like preventing a youkai from becoming an incident-starter." Why would I cause an incident in the first place?

"That's kinda troublesome though... But fine. I guess I can show you around the village tomorrow. For tonight, you can just sleep in one of the shrine's guest rooms." That was kind of her.

"Thank you, Reimu."

"At least you're grateful."

The sound of chains echoed in my head, once more.

Reimu Hakurei, The Priestess : Rank 1

Apsaras was the persona I acquired. A magic based persona. Mainly dealing ice attacks.

"I see it's quite crowded here already." A feminine voice called out. The three of us looked at the voice's direction.

"You..." A expression of wariness appeared on Reimu's face.

It was the vampire, Remilia Scarlet.