Chapter 4
What Should Not Be

They were about halfway back to Seafront when Levia came to a stop and landed. Nue did the same, with the others quickly following suit. "What is it?" Nue asked.

"Something is near," Levia said. "Something… wrong. How did they get so close without me sensing them?"

"Shades, I would assume," Byakuren said. "If so, I'm surprised you can sense them at all. Nobody else can."

"They… these… what is…"

"Levia?"

"They cry out in twisted agony. For everything, for nothing, for things that are and things that aren't."

"I see them," Nue said, pointing. "Looks like a small group."

"Twisted thoughts, twisted lives. Thought without mind, thought without thought. Form without form. Mind without mind. Physical and mental in a state of absent presence. The mindless mind. Within, without. Mind with no mind, sense with no sense, form with no form, thought with no thought. Everything that is not. Nothing that is."

"I think their presence is bothering her," Kaguya noted.

"No shit," Mokou said. "Let's take them out before she gets any-"

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Levia charged forward, directly into the group of Shades. She tackled one, picked it up, and slammed it into the ground. She grabbed one, flew into the air, and drove it into the ground. Another swung at her with its weapon, but she ducked under its blade, punched it a few times, then tore its head off. She threw one to the ground, then wrapped her whip around another and slammed it down on the first one over and over. Then she grabbed the last one and thrust her hand into its middle. A few seconds later, it exploded in a burst of water.

"-or that," Mokou said. "That works too."


The group made it to Seafront with no further incident, and Miko was there to greet them. "Well, well, well. There seem to be a few more of you."

"Yes," Byakuren said. "It was… eventful." She turned to face the others. "For those of you who haven't met her, allow me to introduce Toyosatomimi no Miko. Miko, this is Kaguya Houraisan and Fujiwara no Mokou."

"Nice to meet you, Mokou. Kaguya, I believe we have met, although it was a long time ago."

"Yes," Kaguya said. "I remember that. Wasn't long after you awoke. I remembered hearing about you in the outside world, and got curious as to what you were really like."

"Indeed. And who is this?"

"My name," Levia said, "is Levia."

"She's the one you told us about," Nue said.

"She seems to be an… unusual individual," Miko said.

"That's for sure."

"Miko," Byakuren said, "all of us were recently involved in battle, and I'm afraid we are all worn. Could you accommodate us?"

"Certainly. Nue, you know where to go. You take everyone there, and if anyone asks, tell them I okayed it. Futo's probably done with the tablet, too."

"I think I remember her," Kaguya said. "Isn't she the one who talks funny?"

Miko chuckled. "She used to. She's modernized her speech. Anyways, Byakuren, could you stay here for a minute? I'd like to speak to you alone."

"You intend to talk about me," Levia said. "You may speak freely, Miko. It does not bother me."

Miko was caught off-guard for a second, but quickly regained her composure. "Be that as it may, I'd rather speak with her alone."

"Very well. Nue, you are the one who knows where we are going. Please lead us there."


"Levia seems… unusually perceptive," Miko said once she and Byakuren were alone.

Byakuren nodded. "Nue and I had a similar impression."

"What's her story?"

"It is unusual," Byakuren said. "She claims to have been born from the mythology of an outside world religion centered around a figure named 'Jesus Christ'."

"Yes," Miko said, "I remember that religion. 'Christianity', they called it. It was centered in a land called Rome, if I remember correctly. I recall hearing about it from foreign visitors, although it never really came to Japan, at least not during my time. I don't really know all that much of it."

"Well, Levia says her origin is in Christianity's myth of the end. According to her, the righteous are taken by 'Yahweh', and those who remain must suffer through the world's end. She says that her role was that of a destroyer, released during the end to lay waste."

"Should I assume people no longer believe that this will happen?"

Byakuren nodded. "She said that as more and more predicted dates for the end came and went, more and more people stopped believing in that particular myth. The religion itself remains, but Levia was relegated to the realm of legend."

"So she ended up in Gensokyo."

"Not quite. The way she says it, she never existed in the outside world at all. She says the entire religion is based on false beliefs. She did not exist before she was in Gensokyo, and as she tells it, she knew all of this. She also says that no matter what people in the outside world believe, Yahweh will not come into existence here, because even in Gensokyo, the existence of such a being simply cannot happen. Which, of course, means there's no possibility of the 'day of judgment' occurring. Since the end for which she was to awaken would, then, never come, she expected to sleep eternally."

"But she's awake now."

"She is, and this seems to be because of the Radiance. She says that even the death and destruction of the initial event could not have awoken her, but it's been responsible for a lot since then, and she says that because it's from the same cause, it added to the strength of that call until it did wake her."

"Does she…"

"No," Byakuren said. "She knows this is not a world in the state she exists to end. When we found her, she was… confused. She said that the righteous should be gone from the world, but that this wasn't the case. She lashed out at us in confusion."

"Is that why she attacked people seemingly at random?"

"Not all of it, I think. Some of those she attacked were probably ones that, at least to her, qualify as 'wicked'."

"How could she identify them as such so quickly? When I sent Seiga to talk to her, she was attacked on sight. Actually, she seemed to know that it was her I wanted to talk to you about. Do you think that might stem from the same ability?"

"Yes, that is likely. She demonstrated such capability multiple times. She seems to have some level of empathic ability."

"Something similar to my own ability, you think?"

"Not quite," Byakuren said. "You can sense people's desires. I haven't seen enough of Levia's ability to be certain, but it seems to be more about general emotions. Anger and jealousy were both mentioned. She seems to have a tendency to speak of them as though they were scents."

"She did seem to have some ability to sense desires, since she knew it was her I wanted to talk to you about."

"True. The fact is that I know very little about her abilities. Given time, I should be able to form a more accurate assessment of them."

"True enough. I take it your intent is to keep her with you, then?"

"She has no direction to her life, no purpose. She is lost. I offered to help her find her way, and she accepted."

"That's a yes, then."

"It is." Byakuren paused for a moment. "Miko, I seek a greater understanding of her. What can you tell me of her desires?"

"She wants a return to the world she expected," Miko said, "so that she may fulfill her original purpose."

"Not surprising, although I think she realizes that this is not really a possibility."

"You're right, I think, as she also wants to find some meaning in her existence, a new purpose. And…"

"What is it?"

"She has a desire to eliminate… something."

"That would fit with the role of destroyer."

"No," Miko said, "that's not it. This is much more… focused. It's something specific that she desires to eliminate, to wipe out, to completely eradicate. It is an incredibly strong desire, strong enough that it's obscuring what she wants to eliminate."

"I know what she wants to eliminate," Byakuren said, realizing what Miko was talking about. "And she is not the only one who wishes those creatures destroyed."

That was enough for Miko to figure it out. "Shades."

Byakuren nodded. "We ran into some on our way back, a small group. Levia reacted… strongly. She said… things. It was hard to understand, and seemed a little like she was simply rambling, but I can't shake the feeling that it was more than that. I think it was her empathic abilities. She sensed… something, and… well, after her apparent rambling, she screamed, charged them, and tore them apart."

"Obviously, then, it was something she didn't like."

"More than that, it looked like. Any other desires?"

"Only basic things. Sustenance and the like. Speaking of which, you could probably use some yourself. Shall we join the others?"

"Yes," Byakuren said, "let's."


Mokou and Kaguya were silent as they followed behind Nue. Which didn't bother Nue; Levia was the one she wanted to talk to, anyways. "Levia."

"Yes?"

"What happened back there? You know, with the Shades?"

"I suppose that was maybe a bit… surprising," Levia said. "I did not expect it, either."

"Something about them set you off. Any idea what?"

"I'm not really sure. It was something I sensed, I know that much."

Yes, she did demonstrate empathic capabilities. "What, though?"

"I am not sure. Something about them is just… wrong. They shouldn't exist, I know that much. They are aberrations, things that should not be."

"They're unusual, that's for sure. But… well, let's be open here. You clearly have some form of empathic ability."

"That is correct," Levia said. "And yes, it's what I sensed through that ability that… disturbed me. I do not think that I can describe it, however. Not to one without a similar sense, and maybe not even then. I'm not quite sure what it was myself."

"Whatever it was, you didn't seem to like it."

"They are aberrations, creatures that should not exist. They… ordinarily, I can tell what things do and do not have minds, but with the Shades, I cannot. There aren't ordinary minds, aren't emotions, but neither is there the absence of those things. There's something in there, but as to what it is, I cannot say. I have felt nothing like it. All I know is that it's wrong. Everything about them is wrong. They are a non-existence that must be ended."

Kaguya finally spoke. "Maybe you should talk about something else. I think this topic is upsetting Levia."

"I am in control," Levia said.

"Still," Nue said, "Kaguya may be right. I do have one more question, though: do you think you'll fly into a rage again the next time you encounter Shades?"

"Unlikely. I now know what to expect. It will not surprise me, and I should be able to retain control of myself. And any difficulties I do have next time can be corrected for so that they do not occur again."

"Works for me," Nue said.


"You really found this in the mausoleum?" Futo asked.

"Yes," Nue said, "and there were a lot of fairy-type Shades in the room, too. And a pair of animated statues. And there were block puzzles in other rooms."

"Someone's been in there, then, because we certainly didn't set any of that up. Or put the tablet in there."

"Could you read the tablet?"

Futo nodded. "Yes, both inscriptions. I'm kind of surprised Byakuren couldn't read the second one; the script it's written in is one that was favored by Buddhist temples. It is similar to the one my family preferred, though, enough that learning it was fairly simple."

"We know the first one already. What does the second one say?"

"The inscription reads, 'The eight pieces are held by the bodyless forms, those of the black disease.'"

There was a brief silence. "Repeat that," Nue said, and Futo did so.

"Does that mean something to you?" Kaguya asked.

"It does," Nue said. "The first inscription reads, 'The eight pieces face the shade's black mark. Seek with them the agent of change.' And the second one says 'black disease'. There's only one thing that could refer to."

"It certainly could refer to the Black Scrawl," Futo said.

"Of course it does. And it says where to look for the pieces, too."

"'Bodyless forms'?"

"There's only one thing that could mean."

"I don't agree," Futo said. "It could be referring to spirits, or souls, or-"

"No," Levia said. "Nue is right; it is referring to Shades."

"How can you be sure?"

"It couldn't mean anything else," Nue said. "The Shades and the Black Scrawl are connected. All I have to do is kill every Shade I come across until I find the ones with the remaining seven pieces."

Futo sighed. "You're grasping at straws, Nue."

"No, she is correct," Levia said. "It means Shades."

"How can you be sure?"

"Their taint is upon it. I can sense it. It is weak, but it is there."

"Are you sure? I don't sense anything odd. And what do you mean by the Shade's 'taint'?"

"She can sense them," Nue said. "Only when they're already fairly close, but still better than anyone else can do."

"Really?"

"Saw the evidence myself."

Futo looked back to Levia. "And you get that same sense from this tablet?"

"I do," Levia said. "It is faint, but it is there. The object is related in some manner to the Shades; that much is certain."

"Huh. Well, here you go, then." Futo handed the tablet to Nue.

"Thanks," Nue said. "I mean it. This is the first real lead I've had in a while."

"Seems like a long shot, though."

"I don't care. I'm following this lead."

"I thought as much. And I do most certainly hope it bears fruit; the Black Scrawl is one of many things the world could do without."

"Yeah," Nue said, "no kidding."

"On our end, I'm sure we'll be looking into whatever's going on at the mausoleum. If we find anything, I'm sure we can let you know."

"Thanks."


Tenshi impaled a Shade through the chest, using it as a club against another. "Two!" She kicked one to the ground, jumped on top of it, and plunged her sword through its head. "Three!" She performed a spinning backwards leap, landing in the middle of four Shades and taking them out with a spinning slice. "Four in one!"

A Shade came at her from the side. She grabbed its sword. "Yeah, no." She flipped the Shade over her and into the ground. One charged her from the front, and another from behind. Tenshi leapt to the side, grabbed their weapons, and impaled the two Shades on each other's' blades. "Well, that's not very nice. You should kiss and make up." She slammed their heads together.

Another Shade attacked. Tenshi ducked around it and grabbed it from behind. "Let's not be interrupting, now." She leapt into the air and threw it into the ground. She rose higher into the air, then came crashing down on a keystone, crushing a trio of shades. "You should really learn to look up." Three more approached, and she sent a keystone through each one's head.

Only four Shades were left, and they approached Tenshi as a group. Tenshi plunged her sword into the ground, and the ground split open beneath them. The four Shades plummeted into the crack, and were then crushed as Tenshi closed it. "Watch your step, too," she said, pulling her sword out of the ground.

Tenshi looked around, then sheathed her sword. "And that takes care of that."

Mamizou landed next to Tenshi. "Ah, you're finished."

"Yeah," Tenshi said. "How's Keine doing?"

"She and I got everyone together in the school and surrounding buildings quickly, as per the plan."

"That's good. And Yuugi?"

"I'd assume she's done by now. She only had two left when I saw her. And I probably don't have to tell you how much she was enjoying it."

"Good thing she was here. Otherwise, you'd've had to get your hands dirty."

"I don't think so," Mamizou said. "Keine would have left the humans to me and taken care of the Shades herself. I wouldn't be able to do as well against them."

"I've fought you before," Tenshi said, "remember? Don't tell me you couldn't handle Shades."

"My ability with danmaku does not mean I can do that well in a real battle, at least not against Shades. My specialty is illusions, remember? Deception, misdirection, that manner of thing. Even an army of humans or youkai I could wipe out single-handedly, and without even having to personally kill so much as a single one, but Shades, unfortunately, don't exactly seem to have minds to fool."

"True. I think you could probably take a small group of Shades, though. They're not really all that tough."

"Oh, I've fought Shades before. And you're right; I can perform decently against them. Don't know if I could've handled a group the size of the ones you and Yuugi just fought off, though. And even if I could, Keine could still do a better job of it. Especially since you started giving her lessons."

"She never did like fighting," Tenshi said. "She only did it when she truly needed to. Of course, when the Shades appeared, that need started showing up a lot more often. It's only natural she'd want to improve her own abilities to compensate, isn't it?"

"True enough."

"Yeah," Tenshi said. "Anyways, if both groups have been taken care of, let's go give everyone the all-clear."

Mamizou nodded. "After you."


It was later in the afternoon when the group was ready to depart from Seafront. "Right," Nue said. "Mokou, Kaguya, where are you two going now?"

"I have business to take care of," Mokou said, "and I feel certain Kaguya's going to insist on coming along."

"As I told you," Kaguya said, "it's my fight, too."

"You're going to pursue Utsuho, I take it," Byakuren said.

Mokou nodded. "Yes. Well, I don't know about actually pursuing her immediately. I don't know where she is right now; she's been sighted all over Gensokyo during the past month, so I have no idea where to find her."

"Also, we lost rather badly," Kaguya said. "We shouldn't just charge in again without a plan."

"Oh? And just what would you suggest we do, then?"

"Head for the mountain," Nue said. "Kanako's still there, and she's the one who gave Utsuho her power. She might be able to help."

"It's getting a bit late in the day, though," Mokou said. "I think I'll stay here for the night. Kaguya, you can do whatever the hell you want."

"You have the right idea," Kaguya said. "I'll be imposing on Miko for the night as well, I think."

"You could come to the human village with us," Byakuren said. "It's close enough that we'll get there by nightfall, and we could certainly accommodate the two of you for a night."

"I'll pass," Mokou said. "It's been a while since I've seen the ocean."

"Same here," Kaguya said.

"Very well," Byakuren said. "Levia, Nue, let us go."


"Two groups attacking simultaneously," Keine said. "That's something new."

"Hey," Yuugi said, "we beat 'em, right? The more, the better, as far as I'm concerned."

"I have to agree with Keine," Tenshi said. "Yeah, we kicked the hell out of 'em, but this attack implies a level of coordination we didn't think they were capable of. And it's also the first actual, true attack on the village in a long time. It's a change in behavior, and that's worrying. It's rarely good when the enemy acts in a new way. Tends to mean something's up."

The three of them were in the schoolhouse. The attack was over, and the people had returned to their everyday business. But the attack had indeed been unusual, so they were discussing it.

"I'm not sure we can call them 'enemies'," Keine said. "I don't think the term really applies to beings that don't think."

Tenshi sighed. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We know, Keine. Can we leave the issue of semantics aside, please?"

"Sorry." She looked over to Yuugi. "Correcting people is something of a habit for me. It comes with being a teacher."

"Whatever," Yuugi said. "I don't care 'bout that stuff, anyways."

"Continuing," Tenshi said, "I'm not sure we can say that Shades don't think, not after they displayed even basic strategy."

"Could just be a coincidence," Yuugi said.

"Possible," Tenshi said. "I doubt it, though."

"Yeah, gotta agree with you there."

"What I want to know," Keine said, "is why we're seeing this sudden change. If they could think all this time, why are we only seeing it now? And if they couldn't, why can they do so now?"

"Sorry to interrupt, but this is important."

All three of them turned to face the newcomer. "Mira," Keine said. "I didn't realize you were here."

Mira Hakurei took a seat. "I didn't know I'd be coming, but like I said, this is important."

"Let me guess," Tenshi said. "Shades attacked the shrine, too."

"No," Mira said. "This is about the border."

The room was silent. Eventually, Keine spoke. "What is it, Mira?"

"Something's happening to the border," the Hakurei maiden explained. "At first, it was so minor that I thought I was imagining it, but I no longer doubt that the change is actually happening. I'm not completely sure what the nature of the change is, but what I think is that the border is weakening."

Another silence, once again broken by Keine. "Is it in danger of collapse?"

"No," Mira said. "The change is happening very slowly, which is part of the reason it took me so long to confirm that it's happening. And even if it was going faster, I don't think the border's weakening to the point of collapse. It would help if I knew how the border had felt before, but I think it's beginning to revert to its state before the Shades appeared."

"Are you sure?"

"No. As I said, I don't know how it felt back then. Kind of before my time. That's just my guess."

"Ran Yakumo would probably know."

"Yeah," Tenshi said. "Too bad nobody's seen her since shortly after Yukari's death. Stuck around long enough to explain what'd happened, but then she-and her shikigami-vanished. Nobody has any idea where the two of them went off to."

"It has to be somewhere in Gensokyo," Keine said. "They vanished after the border was strengthened and Gensokyo was isolated."

"Still a big area to search," Mira said, "and I can't leave the shrine for that long."

"Let's put Nazrin on it," Tenshi said. "I don't know if her ability works on people, but she's good at finding stuff even without it, isn't she?"

"That works. Where is she?"

"No clue."

"Byakuren should know," Keine said. "We can ask her when she returns."

"And when's that?" Mira asked.

"To be honest, I'm surprised she's not back yet. She and Nue must have gotten mixed up in something."

"So no clue, then. Great." Mira stood, walking over to the door. "I'll be in the market. Might as well get my shopping done while I'm here. If she gets back, let me know." She opened the door and walked straight into Byakuren. "Gah!"

"Mira," Byakuren said. "I didn't realize you'd be here. And the reverse is also true, apparently."

Mira ignored the collision completely. "Byakuren, excellent timing. I need to find Ran Yakumo. Keine recommended having Nazrin search, but none of them know where she is."

Nue stepped up beside Byakuren. "We ran into her on our way in," she said. "We asked her to set up accommodations for a guest while we came here, so she should be at our place. Give us a minute, and we'll take you-"

Mira brushed past the two of them. "Not waiting. I know where you live; I can get there on my own." And with that, she headed off through the village, not even sparing a glance for the woman standing next to them.


Mira Hakurei is an… interesting individual.

The current Hakurei maiden, Mira is actually not the first of her line to have that name. The first Mira had the role of Hakurei maiden fifteen hundred years ago; in fact, it was her who sealed Byakuren in Makai.

I only met the first Mira once, when she performed the sealing. And even though she never spoke to me, I remember her just as clearly as I remember the rest of that particular event.

Shou was not present that day-something she never forgave herself for-and Kyouko joined the temple after Byakuren's unsealing, so it was just Byakuren, Ichirin, Nazrin, and Murasa who were there when the humans came. And myself, of course, but that was merely bad timing on my part. The others were ready to fight, as was I (but just for my own protection, whereas the others would have been fighting for Byakuren), but Byakuren ordered her followers to stand down. They did so, and I followed suit, still ready to fight but willing to wait and see what Byakuren was doing.

Two of the humans stepped forward from the mob. The man was just another villager-the mob's leader, I assumed-but the other was a woman who, despite never having seen her before, I recognized on sight. Her clothing made her identity obvious-she was Mira Hakurei, the Hakurei maiden. And even from that first sight of her, it was quite clear that she did not want to be there.

The man spoke first. "I imagine you know why we're here."

"I do," Byakuren said. "Do you?"

"Let me guess: you're looking to launch into some speech about how we're doing this for all the wrong reasons. But we're not. You have been protecting the youkai you claimed to kill."

"Let me ask you this: when have I ever claimed that I kill youkai?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? You're a youkai hunter; of course you kill-" He stopped mid-sentence.

"That's right," Byakuren said. "I have never once claimed to be a youkai killer." She faced the mob. "I have taken jobs from many of you. Have I ever agreed to kill a youkai?" She paused briefly. "That's right. I have not. In fact, am I not quick to decry requests to kill? Have I not corrected every use of the word? 'I remove youkai; I do not kill them.' How many of you have heard me say that?"

"What the hell did you expect us to think?" the man asked. "You knew damn well we'd assume you were using 'remove' as a euphemism."

"I said what I meant. I even corrected people I thought believed that I was using 'remove' euphemistically."

"Cut the crap. You show up and act like a youkai hunter, and now you're trying to tell us you never hid your true intentions?"

It was Mira who replied. "She never lied. You all simply drew your own conclusions, despite her words. That's not her fault."

"Like hell it's not! She knew we'd assume 'remove' was a euphemism! She knew what we'd think! She's been tricking us this whole time!"

"And why," Byakuren asked, "would I want to do that?"

"To get us to trust you. We know you're one of them. We know you're a youkai."

I, not yet knowing that Byakuren had once been human, thought at first that she'd merely been passing herself off as one. The others, of course, knew exactly what was meant.

"Please explain," Byakuren said. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Oh, shut up. You're a youkai. That's all that needs to be said. Or are you going to try and tell us that youkai aren't enemies of humans?"

"I'm not going to try to tell you that. I'm going to tell you that. Youkai are not the enemies of humans."

"Yeah, real convincing. The whole attacking-people thing kind of ruins that argument."

"There are humans who kill youkai," Byakuren said. "You even thought me to be one of them. But youkai do not believe that all humans want to kill them."

"Of course not. They know it's self-defense."

"Well, then, what about the humans who kill other humans? Humans are not murderers; certain individual humans are. You do not assume everyone is a murderer just because someone is, do you?"

"Of course not."

"Then why do you make that assumption of youkai?"

"We're not making assumptions. I, for one, have never seen a youkai unless it's attacking someone."

"You've seen me."

"You're trying a strategy. You're trying to make us feel safe around you, make us think you're on our side, so that we don't suspect you. But you're not fooling us any longer."

"If that were true, I'd have struck long before now. But I have no desire or intent to do so."

"You can't be trusted. We know that, and you can't fool us any longer."

"So you're here to… 'deal with me'?"

"Yeah, no shit."

"Then do it," Byakuren said. "Kill me."

"Don't think we're here unprepared," the man said. "We know your secret. We know you took power from Makai. We know you can't be killed."

That was the first I'd heard of that, but Byakuren's followers seemed to know exactly what the man was talking about. As, of course, did Byakuren. "And yet you're here. If you know that you cannot kill me, then what do you intend to do?"

"We can't kill you," the man said, "but we can ensure you do no harm. Your minions will be killed, of course, but you we will simply seal away."

I prepared to fight, but the others were still watching Byakuren. "I cannot accept their deaths," she said. "They have not even done the wrong you say I have. And even were that not the case, I do not want anyone here to come to any harm. And I include all of you in that statement, as well. So I say this: if you promise to do nothing beyond sealing me, I will not resist."

The man was silent for a moment. "Very well," he said, and there was a general murmur of agreement. "We will not-"

What happeden next was, to put it mildly, unexpected: Mira Hakurei punched the man in the face. "You shut the fuck up, Rio." She spun to face the mob. "All of you just shut the fuck up!"

It'd been clear that Mira didn't really like what was happening, but even knowing that, the… intensity of her reaction was quite a surprise. "I have had it with this!" she exclaimed to the crowd. "You know damn well you intend to kill every youkai here! And you have the nerve to call her a liar! You're just a bunch of fucking hypocrites!"

"Damn it, woman," the man named Rio said as he got to his feet, "you know we're right. You're a youkai exterminator yourself. You know they're evil."

Mira spun to face Rio. "You only got one thing right, and that's that I'm a youkai exterminator. And because I am, I know very well that Byakuren's in the right here. And so would you, if you actually gave a shit about that."

"What the hell are you talking about? You know she's full of shit!"

"Oh, fuck you. Do you know just how many innocent youkai I've hunted? How many innocent youkai I've killed?"

"No such thing."

"Not every youkai has caused problems. Not every youkai has killed."

"Not every youkai has caused problems or killed yet. They will eventually."

"Wrong. Most youkai are innocent of such things, and I've killed many of them. Far too many. I couldn't keep doing it. That, Rio, is why I no longer claim to kill youkai. I will kill the ones that truly are guilty, but for the ones that aren't, I do the same thing as Byakuren. I relocate them. Like her, I have constantly decried jobs telling me to kill youkai. I have made no secret of the fact that most of the time I simply remove them. In fact, I've used the same words she has: 'I do not kill youkai; I remove them'. But you're not taking up arms against me, now, are you? And do you know why you aren't?" She faced the mob again. "Do any of you know?"

There was no response. "Of course you know," Mira said. "You just don't want to say it. So I'll say it for you: the reason you're attacking Byakuren but not me is because I am a human, whereas she is a youkai."

"Well, obviously," Rio said. "You say that like it doesn't mean anything."

Mira punched him in the gut and shoved him to the ground. "Because it fucking doesn't!" She faced the mob again. "What the fuck is wrong with you people? Do you really think that she's evil just because she's not human? Just because she's a youkai?" Silence. "Well, what about the fact that she used to be human? Are you saying that becoming a youkai made her evil?"

Another piece of information I hadn't known. I was quickly learning that Byakuren was a most unusual individual.

"Of course that didn't turn her evil," Rio said, getting to his feet again. "Only an evil human would want to be a youkai in the first-"

Mira kicked him back down. "Shut the fuck up before I rip out your fucking tongue!" She faced the group again. "You are attempting to imprison an innocent woman and kill other innocent women. That is something I cannot condone. The only evil here is that perpetrated by you. And yet…"

Mira indicated Byakuren. "Byakuren has consented to the sealing," she said, "so I will perform it. But if any of you take any action-any action, even the most insignificant-against any other youkai here, then I'll be introducing you to a youkai who does deserve your hatred, and I will do absolutely nothing but watch as it fucking eats you alive! Any questions?" Silence. "Good." She pointed at a few people. "You, you, you, and you, you're the most magically skilled of the group. You four stay here. Everyone else will leave now." She picked Rio off the ground and shoved him at the mob. "That means you, too, Rio. All of you will leave, and you will not come back." A pause. "That means right fucking now!"

That was enough to drive the mob off. "I'm sorry," Mira said, turning to face Byakuren. "I do not want to do this, but…"

"I understand," Byakuren said. "Do it; I will not hold it against you." She looked over at her followers. "Please, do not interfere."

None of the others were happy about this, of course, but they all nodded anyways. Then Byakuren looked at me. "And you, I do not know you, but please, just let things be. Don't try to help me; you'll only make things worse."

I nodded, too, but unlike the others, Byakuren's situation didn't concern me; that day was the first time I'd ever even seen her. I did prefer not having to kill my way out of that situation, though. Oh, sure, I was still quite willing to kill at that point in time, but I've never exactly been fond of massacres, and a massacre is exactly what it would have been. So I was glad to see there wouldn't be a fight. In fact, I probably could have just left at that point, but I was curious to see what sort of seal Mira planned to form that required four others to assist. Had I known what was about to happen, I'd have chosen differently.

"Thank you," Byakuren said. "Mira, you may begin whenever you are ready."

"All right." She paused. "Damn it, why does it have to be like this?"

"It is not your fault. It's not something any one person can change. But it will change. It may be hundreds of years until it changes, but eventually, it will change."

"I hope so. And I will do all that I can to hurry it along. I don't want any of my descendants to have to do something like this. And I hope I never have to do it again."

"Yes, you do seem to… feel strongly about this.

Mira laughed, although it sounded forced. "Yeah, um, sorry about that."

"No apology is necessary. I may not be fond of the… forceful language you used, but it is not my place to condemn one for using such language. And it is the thoughts behind the words that truly matter, anyways. I do not approve of your threat, either, of course. Even if it was just a bluff."

"I don't bluff," Mira said.

"Well, I do not approve, but your actions are your choice, so I will say no more. Are you ready to perform my sealing?"

"I suppose so." Mira paused. "Damn, how can you be so calm about this?"

"I am quite upset, actually, but showing this would serve no purpose. One must-"

Behind Mira's back, two of the four selected villagers-a man and a woman-had been working on preparations for Byakuren's sealing, as had the other two. But this pair, it turned out, had been readying something else, as well, and they chose that moment to leap into action.

Murasa and I were the first targets. I reacted faster, and almost managed a successful evasion, but the man managed to, just barely, hit one of my wings with his charm. The next thing I knew, I was underground with Murasa, whose ship was also there with us. Ichirin and Nazrin appeared a moment later.

We did not witness the rest of that incident, of course, but Byakuren later filled us in. She saw us get sent underground, as did Mira. And apparently, Mira was not amused. "Ali! Kino! What the hell did you just do?"

"What had to be done," Kino said. "Don't worry; they haven't been harmed. They have simply been sent to the sealed underground-along with that ghost's ship, I would assume, since it and she are bound. No harm has come to them. We didn't violate the agreement."

"Do not try that bullshit with me," Mira said. "You have just made the worst mistake of your lives. Now get in position so we can perform the sealing before I get even more pissed off and just fucking kill you right here! Neke, Nara, you too." Then she faced Byakuren. "Um…"

"Continue," Byakuren said. "What the two of them did is on them, not you. And I'm assuming that you have a consequence in mind, but let me just say that it's better to be forgiving."

"Yeah, no."

"Well, it is your decision. Still, I would encourage mercy. Anyways, please, do what you are here to do."

The four and Mira took positions around Byakuren. The four channeled magical energy, but it was Mira who did all the actual work.

Mira stepped back when she was finished, when only the final touch remained. "Neke, Nara," she said, "you two can leave." They did, and Mira faced the other two. "You two, on the other hand, are staying with me." She magically restrained them. "You just wait right there. Once I finish this up, I'll be introducing you to somebody who will love having guests for dinner." Then she finished the seal, sending Byakuren to Makai and trapping her there.

I liked Mira. I may have only met her the one time, but she made something of an impression. I would have liked to get to know her, actually, but unfortunately, she died long before the underground was unsealed. The current Mira does remind me of her, though, although I don't think this one has fed anybody to youkai. But she is, like her namesake, completely unwilling to take any shit from anyone. And that's a trait I admire.


"So," Keine said as Byakuren, Nue, and Levia entered the schoolhouse, "you seem to have picked up a new companion."

Levia stepped forward. "I am Levia. Hmm… I was told that Keine would likely wonder if I might turn out to be a threat to the village. You are her, I assume."

"I… I am."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Nue said. "Levia here is… unusual."

"I like unusual," Tenshi said, getting to her feet. "I'm Tenshi. Keine you've already identified, and the oni is Yuugi."

Levia stared at Yuugi for a moment. "Interesting. It seems we share a certain desire."

"What?"

"You harbor hatred," Levia said. "You desire to kill as many Shades as you possibly can. I, too, know that they must be eliminated."

"Well," Yuugi said, "you've got that much right."

Keine stood. "Well, Levia, as long as you don't cause problems, you're welcome in the village. Are you staying with Byakuren?"

"She is providing a place, yes."

"That's Byakuren for you," Tenshi said. "So what happened? If Byakuren got involved, I'd assume you were in some sort of trouble. What was it? Illness? Home got destroyed? Needed help with a Shade attack?"

"I awoke without a world to bring to its end."

Silence.

"Well," Tenshi said. "Have to say, that's not the answer I was expecting."

"It's a long story," Nue said. "'Ren, why don't you fill them in? I'll take Levia back to the house."

"No objections," Byakuren said.

"Right. Come on, Levia. I'll show you around the village, and by the time we're done, it'll be evening. 'Ren, what say we meet up at Lorelei's?" Byakuren nodded. "Great. Come on, Levia."


Mokou sat on the dock, watching the sun set. Even in the month since leaving the underground, she hadn't seen one. She'd kept to the forest, but even had she not, she likely would have avoided such a thing. Avoided something that would so strongly remind her of Utsuho.

Mokou didn't even have to look to know Kaguya was coming up behind her. "What do you want?"

"Just to talk." Kaguya took a seat beside Mokou.

Mokou stood. "Not interested."

"Just avoiding it, then? You should know that's not going to help."

"…Fine." She sat back down. "You're wasting time, though. I already know what you're going to say."

"Oh?"

"You're just going to say that I'm not responsible because I'm not the one who threw you in."

"Or the one who made the sun. Or the one who came up with the idea. You didn't do it; you only allowed it. Still bad, but not on the same level."

"And then there's the part about me making up for it by getting you out."

"That does mean a fair amount. And there's also the fact that I am kind of responsible for getting your father killed."

"Doesn't change anything."

"Look, Mokou. Yes, you did something wrong. But I'm not completely innocent, either. But when you rather forcefully pointed out how many people my 'impossible requests' were killing, did I just sit around pitying myself?"

"You ended the challenge. And shut up. It may have been your fault, but most of those people were stupid."

"You mean they got themselves killed, even if they did it because of my challenge. And that's exactly right. They got killed doing stupid things. But the point is that issuing that challenge was a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes, does things they regret."

"Your 'victims' brought it on themselves. Even… my father."

"I don't think you've ever acknowledged that before."

"Well, it's true."

"Just as it's true that Utsuho, not you, trapped me within that sun."

"Gah, stop saying that! Stop saying it wasn't my fault!"

"…Fine." Kaguya stood up. "But, Mokou?"

Mokou sighed. "What?"

Kaguya kicked her off the dock and into the water. "Snap the hell out of it. If you feel so bad about what you did, then work to make up for it. But don't just sit around moping. That doesn't help anyone."

Mokou rose out of the water and landed on the dock. "What the hell would you know?"

"Well," Kaguya said as she walked away, "I did have my family and entire society tell me to leave and never come back. I haven't always had a happy life, you know. Maybe you should think about that."


'Lorelei's' was a popular establishment, as was evident as soon as Byakuren, Nue, and Levia entered. They were immediately greeted by one of the staff. "Welcome! Oh, Miss Byakuren! And Nue, too! And… someone new! Excellent! Byakuren, Nue, I already know for you." She turned towards Levia. "Herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore?"

"Carnivore," Levia said. "Meat only."

"Cooked or raw?"

"Raw. Living or just killed."

"Sure thing. This way, please."

In contrast to the rest of the restaurant, the section the three of them were led to was only about half-filled. It was smaller, too, and off to the side and out of sight of most of the other tables, although it did still have a good view of the raised platform in the center of the building. The trio was quickly seated, and the waitress handed them each a menu, Levia getting a different one than the other two.

Restaurants, as well as food stands or other such things, were a new concept for Levia, but Nue had explained how they worked. Still, Levia did have some questions, especially concerning this particular establishment, which was fairly unusual in that it accommodated almost every type of diet.

Levia looked around. "Everyone in this section appears to either share my variety of diet or is with someone who does," she noted.

"Some people, mainly among humans, are uncomfortable with witnessing the feeding habits of some youkai," Nue explained. "This place wants to accommodate everyone, though, so they just put anyone who prefers raw meat in here so nobody else has to see it."

"They may do as they please. It is no concern of mine. Now… you make a selection from the menu, correct?"

Nue nodded. "Pick what you want. They gave you the carnivore menu, so there's nothing but meat on it."

Levia looked her menu over. "This is not to my liking. I consume plain meat."

"Back of the menu," Nue said. The fact that a youkai who'd been asleep ever since her existence began somehow knew to read wasn't even worth noting.

Levia examined the menu. "Yes, this is preferable. Do they bring the animal alive?"

"No. That's about the one thing they don't do. Even in this section, people killing their own food would freak out far too many other customers. They will kill it and then immediately bring it out, though."

"That is sufficient."

The three made their choices, and a waitress soon came by and took their order. Levia's came quickly, as there was no cooking to be done, and she immediately tore into it, paying no attention to cleanliness or other manners of etiquette. Not that this was unusual among those with her manner of diet. And in addition, eating something that had just been killed was inherently messier. All of which had been taken into account when the establishment was built.

The tables in the raw-meat section all sat on easily-washed mats. After a meal, the staff would replace the mats with clean ones, bringing the used ones back for washing. The tables themselves were of a unique design, made with the consumption of fresh kills in mind. Where one would normally expect to see placemats and plates, there were instead trough-like bowls. The order was set in the bowl for eating with whatever implements or lack thereof the diner preferred. Each bowl had a drain for blood, carrying it into the back where it was gathered for disposal. And to accommodate mixed parties, those in which not everyone needed raw meat, a wooden flap could be slid out over each bowl, allowing for the placement of more standard dishes.

The staff at Lorelei's always greeted customers by name whenever they knew the names, there was no dress code other than 'be wearing clothes', and nobody spoke formally. The staff was very friendly to patrons, and it was common to see workers stop and chat with people. And then, of course, there were the constant calls in the background.

"Fry a turd in the garden!"

"Drown the kids and a cup of mud!"

"Hemorrhage a charcoal!"

"Crying mother walking!"

"Mother-child reunion, and cremate it!"

"They seem to be speaking nonsense," Levia observed.

"It's part of the atmosphere," Nue said. "They took the idea from the outside world, where slang terms were common in certain establishments. Don't know if that's still done on the outside, since nothing's come through the border from anywhere for five centuries, but Mystia decided to use it."

"…I see."

All of a sudden, the background noise faded to nothing. "Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Byakuren said.

"What is happening?" Levia asked.

Nue indicated the raised platform. "Mystia's about to put on a performance. See those three on the stage, there?"

"I see them. They do not live, do they? They feel similar to the dead. I believe they are ghosts of some variety."

"Poltergeists," Nue said. "Those are the Prismrivers. They play music. And the bird youkai stepping up onto the stage is Mystia Lorelei."

"Lorelei. This place bears that name. Is it hers?"

"It is. She originally had a food stand in the forest nearby, where she specialized in lamprey eel. It was only recently-about four years ago-that she opened this place. She decided that she wanted a place where everyone could come for a meal, regardless of what they are or what they eat. She still has the stand, and most of the time, she still runs it herself, but sometimes she makes appearances here. She does some of the cooking-that's always been one of her passions-but she also puts on performances, singing being her other passion. By the way, if you have to speak during the show, whisper."

The Prismrivers had no need for 'amplifiers' or other equipment that had apparently been common in the outside world. Somehow, their music just sounded the way they wanted it to, even if that should require more or different instruments than they had, and it could be heard clearly by the entire audience. Similarly, Mystia had no use for a microphone; her voice was strong enough and carried well enough that she simply didn't need one. How she could sing multiple vocal parts simultaneously, nobody knew, but in Gensokyo, one learned quickly that it was pointless to ask 'how'.

There was no preamble; as soon as the performers were ready, the show began. The Prismrivers played, and Mystia sang:

I can't feel my senses
I just feel the cold
All colors
Seem to fade away
I can't reach my soul

I would stop running
If I knew there was a chance
It tears me apart
To sacrifice it all
But I'm forced to let go

Tell me I'm frozen
But what can I do?
Can't tell the reasons
I did it for you
When lies turn into truth
I sacrificed for you
You say that I'm frozen
But what can I do?

"Interesting," Levia said, keeping her voice down to a whisper. "Many such people would smell of pride, but there is no such scent among any of those four."

"The Prismrivers are poltergeist musicians," Nue said, also in a whisper. Playing their music is their purpose. And since these are poltergeists, that's meant literally. As for Mystia, she just loves to sing. Always has, as far as I know."

"That was my conclusion, as well."

"There's no need to think about anything like that," Byakuren said, keeping her voice down as well. "Just enjoy the performance."


"I will confess that the entire concept of a 'restaurant' makes little sense to me," Levia said as the three of them exited the building. "I understand getting food from someone, or even having a meal specially prepared by another, but turning it into some form of… entertainment, or what else you would call it? That, I cannot understand."

"Sometimes," Byakuren said, "people just want to spend time together. Places like Lorelei's are quite good for such things. The atmosphere helps, too, I would have to say."

"As do the performances," Nue said.

"True. They are quite skilled performers. But I think that truly appeals to people is that Lorelei's is a place where they can come to relax, to briefly forget their worries. And in today's world, such a thing is more important than ever."


Well, it looks like Levia is none too fond of Shades.

Some of you may question my portrayal of Tenshi, but remember, five hundred years have passed. In that time, she's gained an increased respect for proper strategic and tactical thinking, although she does still enjoy the fighting part just as much.

We also had our introduction to Mira Hakurei, both the current Hakurei maiden and the ancestor for whom she was named. Anyone who read Orphan probably recognized the scene where the original Mira sealed Byakuren. I tried writing a different version, but nothing I came up with was as good, so I just reused the one from Orphan, although I did rewrite it to be from Nue's perspective instead of Byakuren's, and also made some minor phrasing changes and the like.

The restaurant scene came about as a result of me wondering what such an establishment might be like in Gensokyo. Not one that catered just to humans, but one that was open to all. The variety of youkai in Gensokyo would necessitate a very wide variety of dishes. And then I wondered what people might think of eating next to someone who was devouring a just-killed animal, and it went from there. The slang terms (many of which are real-life slang terms) were just for fun. I had it be Mystia's place simply because I wanted to have her sing. And no, I don't know how she can perform multiple parts or the Prismrivers can play more instruments than they have or play ones they don't have. It's Gensokyo; just go with it. By the way, the song Mystia sang is called Frozen, by Within Temptation. The reason I chose Within Temptation is because I think their lead vocalist has a good voice for Mystia.

Anyways, that's all for now. As always, reviews are encouraged and appreciated.