Advent of the Strongest

by Kyle Castorena

Cirno is suddenly big! Okay, maybe not suddenly, but in her eyes nothing at all has changed from the past month. Unaware of the events that took place in the previous incident, Cirno is thrown into a world that's turned against her. Worse yet is that Gensokyo is suffering it's own crises as forces work towards it's conquer. Will Gensokyo be saved with the rise of an unlikely hero?

4. New Beginnings

Odd Circumstances

It's near nightfall by the time the pair finally reach their destination. After losing their way because of the encounter with the werewolf, Cirno and Ulrika start their search again nearly from scratch. Needless to say they travel in circles, take wrong direction, and general make random turns. Eventually they found the shore and can see the mansion. Not taking second chances, they follow the beach until finally reaching the small island that houses the mansion.

"Wow, I didn't notice the last time I was here," Cirno tells her charge, "but it looks like someone went overboard playing around."

Certainly was it a mess. Portions of the brick wall surrounding the estate have collapsed, the rod iron gate is bent and off it's hinges, and a tarp covers where the front door used to be. It looks like a war was raged here most recently.

"Huh?" Cirno suddenly notices. "Where did China go?"

By "China" she meant Hong Meiling, the Chinese Youkai that's been hired as a guard to the mansion. She doesn't have a stellar professional reputation, but to leave the gate altogether was a serious dereliction of duty. Maybe she was needed elsewhere.

Cautiously the pair walk past the gate and onto the property, not spotting a single soul.

"Are you sure we should just be waltzing in?" Ulrika nervously asks, perhaps having second thoughts.

"Don't worry, they know me here. And beside, this place is so huge we could hide in here for days."

As if that was supposed to make it any better, the human follows her guide regardless. Peeking around, she sees damage and debris here and there from what looks like a rocket fight. It appears that some has been trying to tidy the place up a bit, but there's still a long way to go. In a corner of the courtyard she spots what appears to be a headstone. Her sight lingers there for a moment, but she returns her sights forward and quickly catches up with Cirno.

Passing underneath the tarp to allow themselves in, Cirno calls out and announces their presence, "Hello!"

No one is immediately apparent, but there are signs of life everywhere. Candles have been lit, noises and voices can be heard from somewhere, and they can generally feel the presence of others. Apparently their plea for aid was well-deserved.

"Cirno!" a fairy emerges from a staircase on the second floor. It's a nameless fairy with curly light brown hair and glittery wings. She's about the height Cirno used to be. In her stubby little arms are a bundle of linen blankets. "What are you doing here?"

"Rika here is looking to be a maid," she pats the human on the shoulder.

Ulrika nods.

Looking upon the pair dubiously, the fairy bends over and places the linen near the top of the stairs, "Follow me, I'll take you to the mistress.

After being led through a couple of hallways, the fairy takes them to a large banquet hall-type room. Inside is a large table with a few sitting at it. What's immediately noticeable is the smell from the nearby kitchen. Apparently they arrived just at dinner time.

"Cirno!" an unforgettable voice calls to her.

It doesn't come from one sitting at the table, but someone standing to the side of the one at the head. It's a tall fairy of green hair and golden wings. She's dressed in the same garb of the other fairy maids, but her figure much closer resembles a developed woman.

"Dai-chan!" Cirno discovers her best friend. "What are you doing here?"

"Ahem!" calls the one sitting at the head of the table, immediately silencing everyone with her booming authority. "As you have interrupted my meal, may I ask to the nature of this disturbance?"

It's a young appearing girl a child in size. Skin devoid of color and hair a lifeless light blue, with the bat wings and ruby eyes, it's impossible to mistake this one for anyone other then the Scarlet Devil, Remilia Scarlet.

"Remi!" Cirno calls to her with an unwarranted familiarity, "Rika here wants to be hired as a maid."

"Oh," the little vampire curls her lips in amusement, "does she now? I'm certainly glad our advertising campaign has shown some success. Come here woman, let us conduct your interview right away."

Agreeing, Ulrika comes at her summons while Cirno rushes to be at the side of her best friend.

"Are you working here as a maid?" Cirno asks her friend.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It's a long story."

"Hey! Did you notice? I got big!"

Their inane conversation continues as Ulrika introduces herself to the lady of the house.

"My name is Ulrika Archibald, and I am answering the calls for employment as mentioned in this flier I picked up." She presents the advertisement.

Waving the piece of paper away, Remilia is well aware of the ads she had her fairies hand out.

"Tell me, Miss Archibald, you certainly must have heard about this mansion and myself. Why have you come seeking employment from a vampire?"

"I need a job to repay those from whom I've received kindness. Opportunities of employment are rare these days, so I've come at the first offer I've received."

"Do you not worry that I am a blood sucker who prowls in the night?"

Ulrika takes a moment to answer, "I do. But I've heard from Cirno that you are a nice person. I trust her judgment of character."

"'Her judgment of character,' is it?" She peers over to the woman in question. Cirno is reenacting her fight with the werewolf. "Maybe that's the only thing you can trust about her. Very well, I accept your reasons. However, I have no need of the unskilled. Tell me what you can do."

"I can cook and clean, I'm fairly handy with needlework, and," she pauses for a few moments, "I've come from the outside world. I'm quite handy with technology."

To this Remilia is greatly amused, "An outsider, huh? Well, unless our clocks malfunction that particular skill would better suit you with the kappa, but a decent cook is what we require. As you can tell only fairies are currently in my employ. My former head maid and chef are indefinitely indisposed This has me desperate for employees, but the response to my ads have been, thus far, lackluster. However, if you prove yourself useful my search may be put to a close. Come a little closer, let me give you a closer examination."

Nervousness is still apparent within the human, but she does as she's told. The short vampire stands on her chair and the two are nearly at eye-level. Ulrika's golden eyes don't deter from Remilia's crimson.

Faster than a blink the vampire's finger reaches for the woman's blouse, undoes a couple of buttons, and dives into her cleavage.

"What are you-" Ulrika panics in a huff of embarrassment.

The other freeze and stare at the spectacle in a blush.

It takes a bit of digging, but the vampire finds her target. Around to her neck, tied by a string, it's a talisman used for protection.

"What's this?" Remilia asks as she closely inspects it. "A ward against vampires? Where did you get this, Miss Gensokyo Outsider?"

"It was the Moriya Temple!" Ulrika is in a panic, leaning in especially close so the string doesn't snap from being pulled by the vampire. "I was staying with them when I found the flier! They gave it to me for protection!"

Remilia studies it for a moment. It's definitely a ward against vampires, but it isn't particularly effective. She feels no discomfort from even holding it in her grasp. Instead, the vampire must admit she can't smell the scent of the human's blood, of even generally feel her presence. If Remilia were to close her eyes she might forget that the human was standing right before her. The charm isn't meant to shield it's owner from a vampire's might, but to keep them from being detected by their keen senses. This might even work on a person who's received a Vampire's Kiss.

Releasing the charm, "I hope you didn't pay for that. It's not going to protect you if I decided to dine on your blood."

Nervously Ulrika smiles, "I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Well, I have a high set of standards. I will have you work for me, and I expect utmost devotion from you two."

"Thank you for the," Ulrika has to stop and think for a moment, "'two?'"

"Exactly!" Remilia puffs out her petite chest as if she's proud of herself. "Both you and Cirno are going to work for me!"

Everyone who caught that are surprised, though Cirno herself seemed to have missed it.

"Hm, did someone say something?"

Behind Closed Doors

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Addressing Remilia, who's sitting in a chair at a certain person's bedside while reading a book, is the Chinese Youkai who's normal duty is to guard the front gate. Very human in appearance she's a woman of tall stature. Sturdily built she's of bold yet still feminine proportions. Long fiery hair flows down her back like a mane of a lion, and her attitude is much the same. With the current tension in the air she could be the very personification of a rampaging wildfire.

"Shouldn't you be using your crutches?" the vampire politely asks.

"I don't need them!" she nearly roars. Realizing she's raising her voice, she withdraws and tries to calm herself. "I want to know why you are bringing Cirno into this mansion."

Remilia turns the page in her book, "I haven't seen you this upset since the first time I ran across you. Do I have to worry about all the havoc you might cause again?"

"Just answer the question!" Realizing she's doing it again, she bites her lower lip. It's as if she's filled with anger and can't find an outlet. She paces back and forth in an attempt to quell her fury. "What are you thinking? After everything she's done to us, you want to bring her back into the mansion? Look at what she did to Sakuya!"

Sleeping in the bed at where Remilia is currently keeping company, is the young silver-haired human maid that's the vampire's person caretaker, and a close friend of the youkai. Running underneath the blankets is a plastic tube attached to a clear bag hanging from metal stand. It's an intravenous drip that's supplying a saline solution directly into Sakuya's body. These are used for patients who can't handle ingesting water and nourishment on their own. In this particular case, it's to keep the comatose maid alive.

"Technically Sakuya did this to herself," Remilia doesn't even lift her eyes from her book. "And what's more, what happened was of no fault of this Cirno. If you must hate 'Cirno,' hate the other one. Though I think it's disrespectful to think ill of the dead."

"This Cirno, that Cirno, does it really make a difference?" Meiling's voice is rising again. "I don't think it's fair to punish Cirno for what the other has done, but she shouldn't be inside this mansion!"

Now irritated, Remilia closes her book. The stare she gives her gate guard is enough to put a chill down anyone's spine. Yet the youkai is still as defiant as before.

"So were is she to go? I heard she was chased out of the Human Village by that teacher. Tell me, is that 'fair?' This Cirno is completely different from the one that's given us so much hardship, yet people, yourself included, convict her of a crime for which she is completely innocent. If she isn't offered a helping hand we might find ourselves in the exact same predicament again."

"That may be, but why does it have to be us?"

"Because we are the ones who should hate her the most! The mansion, Sakuya, Patchy, you! Nobody has been hurt more by her than us, and if we can find it in our hearts to forgive her, then others will as well. It has to start with us."

"Even if what you are saying is correct, why should we go through the trouble to do it?"

Remilia rises from her chair, "Weren't you paying attention to the story she was telling?"

Meiling takes a step backwards. Her friend and employer inadvertently released a bit of her hostile aura. The gate guardian must remind herself that even if it's been a very long time since the two of them fought, the vampire demolished her in physical combat despite Meiling's years of training in martial arts. Remilia's body might be that of a child, but there's only a rare few who are stronger than her.

"I wasn't paying attention. I was listening to what you were telling that human."

Sighing and shaking her head, "You get distracted so easily. Cirno was telling Dai-chan that she fought a werewolf in the forest, in the middle of the day."

Meiling's eyes go wide in surprise, "Are you serious?"

"Yes, and she seemed to be as well. Let's put aside the fact that a werewolf wandering around during the day should be impossible, but Cirno said she managed to overpower it when it had her pinned to the ground. I don't know how it was effected by being out under the sun in the middle of the day, but a werewolf should be at a level of physical strength equal to yourself, should it not? And she threw it off of her."

"She could be lying," Meiling obnoxiously points out.

"Perhaps, but I don't think we'd risk going out on a limb believing her. Even if her story was somewhat exaggerated, this is the point we should really pay attention to: Cirno said her magic wasn't working."

"It wasn't working? Is that possible? Couldn't she have just forgot?"

"Considering that her body has changed so rapidly in a short amount of time, 'forgot' might not be far from correct. Or you could say that her old magic is incompatible with her new body. Yet during the fight she learned to use a similar, or maybe even a new type of magic."

"What?" This greatly surprise the youkai. "That's impossible! You can't just simply learn magic in a few short minutes, let alone in the middle of a fight! No matter what kind of abilities you have, it takes years of practice and exploration to even cast the most rudimentary of spells!"

"Exactly." Remilia returns to her place in the chair, but she doesn't retrieve the book. "A fact like that is hard to ignore. Maybe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. If this Cirno possesses the same potential, hell, a fraction of the same potential as the other Cirno, would it not be in our best interest to have her as our ally? Better yet a subordinate?"

Meiling backs away in a bit of fright, "What the devil are you planning?"

The vampire snickers, "'Devil' indeed. Think of it as a bit of insurance. Gensokyo is in a state of turmoil at the moment, and the temporary loss of the boundary might result in unforeseen consequences. I think it's important that we strengthen our forces as quickly as possible while you, Patchy, and Sakuya are recovering. I sense an even mightier storm brewing then what we have just weathered."

"Are you serious?"

The maliciousness of the vampire's continence suddenly vanishes, "Who knows? In any case, I want you to train her in your duties."

"Me?"

"Of course! Do you really think I want Cirno as a maid? She'll break every antique I own and burn down the kitchen. If anything I'll give her an easy and mindless job like yours."

"Gee, thanks."

Girl Talk

Daiyousei couldn't help but be elated with sharing a room with her best friend. They've know each other for years, been the closest of friends forever, but they each possessed their own houses. Cirno had her igloo and Daiyousei her tree. However, in the past they tried bunking in one home or the other, but neither really worked out. This time could be different. Now they were staying in a climate controlled room in a great big mansion. Perhaps this is the environment in which they could finally be together.

But her secret desires soon fizzled into nothingness once she found another woman in her friend's room. While Daiyousei might have been performing a 'secret rendezvous,' Cirno was assigned to be the roommate of the human she'd just guided. Daiyousei wasn't happy to meet Ulrika in the room that was supposed to be theirs.

"Oh, Dai-chan!" Cirno is excited nonetheless. "Welcome! I guess we'll be working together!"

It's hard to be disappointed when you're face with such a brilliant smile.

"H-hello," the human appears somewhat bashful. "You might not remember, but I'm Ulrika. It's a pleasure to be working with you."

"No need to be so shy!" Cirno slaps her (kind of hard) on the back. The blue-clad figure rushes next to her friend places her hand on her shoulder. "This here is my best friend in the whole world Daiyousei (the fairy in question perks her ears at the mention of her full name), but everyone calls her Dai-chan. You two will get along real well together."

Daiyousei cries on the inside as she hears this.

"Um, Dai-chan," she's approached by the human, "do you mind if I call you that?"

The fairy didn't particularly care, "Yeah." Her question was answered yet she still can't take her eyes of the fairy, "Um, what is it?"

"Do you mind if I," her face is getting redder by the moment, "touch your wings?"

What a very human-like thing to say. Daiyousei almost wanted to call her a 'tourist.' Trying not to sound sarcastic, "Sure. Go ahead."

The human approaches with caution. Circling around her back, Ulrika edges closer and closer to the fairy's golden wings. Amongst the other fairies, Daiyousei guessed she had the prettiest of wings, but she wasn't vain enough to pay that much attention to them. As the human places a finger on them, Dai-chan felt a tickle run through her body and her wings flap in reflex.

"Ah!" Ulrika nearly falls on her butt when surprised.

"Sorry about that," Daiyousei honestly apologizes. "I'm just not used to having them touched."

"No, it's my fault. I think I went a little too far."

The pair share a friendly laugh. Noticing that Cirno has been absent for awhile, Daiyousei scans the room to find her. Her blue-haired friend is sitting on her bed, a pillow covering her face, blushing ear to ear, and peeking as if that pillow somehow made her hidden.

"Wow, you two are so intimate," she tells them.

"We are not!" Daiyousei yells at her.

Several minutes later, after she's calmed down, the three can finally have a conversation.

"I'm sorry for getting carried away Dai-chan," Ulrika apologizes. "It's just that my Grandfather always told me fairytales, so when I finally met one I couldn't control myself."

She heard about it, but only now did she really believe this human was from the outside world. "It's alright, really. I don't mind. But if I may ask, where exactly did you come from?"

Daiyousei knew a little about the outside world. Although she knew the Moriya Shrine all came from the outside world, she'd never had the opportunity to talk with them. If anything it was just a passing fancy.

"I came from a small industrial town called Schüttorf, in Germany." None of what she said seemed to mean anything to the fairy. "We made textiles, fabrics. I was raised by my grandfather and he worked in the factory for many years. It's a really small town with only about 10,000 people living there. There's the theatre and swimming pools, and the Open Air Festival. It might have been a small town, but it wasn't exactly boring. It wasn't that bad of a place."

The fairy didn't particularly find that interesting. At least that killed about 30 seconds.

"Cirno, where did you come from? You spoke German before so I thought you might have come from Europe as well."

Daiyousei's attention is suddenly grasped again. What the hell was she talking about? As far as Cirno remembers she's always been in Gensokyo.

"I don't really remember," Cirno ponders aloud. "I had a nice place set up in a forest. A believe the nearby town was called, ah, Somerset! Yeah, that's right! I had to leave because of the Great World War! Things were really scary so I wandered around for a while, and before I knew it I was in Gensokyo."

Her best friend had never heard any of this before, and it wasn't like Daiyousei never asked. Cirno's memory has definitely improved. Could this be an effect of her sudden growth?

"Wow, you really are old."

Daiyousei didn't like how these dialogues were progressing. The pair talked about things they both knew about the outside world, past experiences, and history of the countries shared by the two. None of which could be understood by the Gensokyo native. At first it seemed Cirno wouldn't know much about the outside world, but as their talks continued she remembered more and more. It was amazing to see that Cirno suddenly possessed knowledge she didn't before, but Daiyousei couldn't help but feel left out.

Two beds have been provided for this room. They pushed them together so as to accommodate three. This wasn't to where Daiyousei was assigned, but she was welcomed to sleep over regardless. They have an early day tomorrow, as the senior employed fairy knew, so they best go to sleep early.

Of course, Cirno was the first to fall asleep.

"Are you awake Dai-chan?" asked the human.

Lights out had been for a while, so the fairy could have simply stayed quiet and not have to deal with this interloper, but same as Ulrika, Daiyousei has a few things she wants to say.

"Yeah."

"I don't quite know how to ask this, but did something happen to Cirno recently? It's hard to explain, but it's almost like she doesn't know who she is. She has memories that date back hundreds of years, events I know to be true because I've studied history, but she's emotionally immature and still behaves like a child. I heard that she used to be a fairy, but it's not that she's simply grown but become something else. Do you know what's happened to her?"

Daiyousei turns in her sleeping position, "It's hard to explain. She's changed, but she's still the friend I know. Not more than a week ago she was a few centimeters shorter than me, and now she's all big. Just like before, she falls asleep the moment she lays down, but she used to loudly snore and now she doesn't. You won't believe me if I tell you everything that's happened, but to summarize, she died."

"Died?"

"Yes. She died six days ago, and yesterday we had her funeral. Then she came waltzing in in a new body like nothing ever happened. It appears that she's lost her memory of the past month of her life. I'm happy that she's alive, and I know that it's her, but she feels, different."

"Is that so."

Rolling to her back, "You haven't been in Gensokyo very long, so you don't really know how things work around here. Sometimes things happen because of one individual that will disrupt the whole land, and sometimes things happen that defy all possible explanations. Your being here is one of them. You said you were mysteriously transported here, but do you really expect anyone will believe that? Of the two types of incidents you are definitely the explainable kind. Seeing as how we're now stuck together, I would like to know what you're really doing here."

Ulrika can be heard nervously laughing, "You don't trust people easily, do you?"

"I'm Cirno best friend. She can be very careless, so I need to look out for her. After everything that's happened to her, I should be more vigilant than ever. So you're right, I don't trust you."

"Well, to answer your question, I think I belong in a place like this. If you really want me to show you, I'll go ahead, but I was born with wings."

Words are cheap, "Show me."

Though it's dim, it's not completely black. Faint light from the hallways peeks underneath the doorway and Daiyousei can see the human sitting up in bed. Like the vampire had done before, the woman unbuttons her blouse and exposes herself. Allowing her nightgown to fall to her waist, she bares her back to the fairy.

Daiyousei can barely hold back the tears. Ulrika said she was "born with wings," but that didn't mean she still had them. Where should have been appendages on her lower shoulder blades were instead mutilated stumps. The fairy could imagine this human with beautiful and glorious feathered wings, but instead were only grotesque traces of what was there.

"My wings were cut off six months ago."

Though she said that, the injuries look fresher than that.

"My grandfather told me that somewhere down our family line our ancestor had a child with a Valkyrie. They were nothing but tales until my mother gave birth to me, and I had wings. Maybe if my wings were pure white my story would be different, but mine were raven black."

Calmly she hikes her gown back over her shoulders and dresses, "My grandfather protected me most of my life, but I've had to hide myself from the rest of the people from my town. I grew up kind of sheltered, but it hasn't been a terrible life. I used to love taking care of, and grooming my beautiful black feathers, but my grandfather warned me that others might think their dark color as a bad omen. I did as I was told and stayed out of sight, but the rumors about me couldn't be hidden forever. Still, even despite all that he protected me. Then six months ago he passed away. Fearing what retribution might befall me, my birth parents thought it was best to remove the source of my problems and cut off my wings with a saw. After that I ran away from home."

Daiyousei can't stop the tears streaming down her cheeks, but the fairy can't help but notice that the human had none. In it's place is a pained smile that doesn't appear to know how to cry.

"I wandered around for a bit, until I made my way to Japan. I came to meet a person I've spoken with on a paranormal website. Her name is Maribel Han, and she's told me that she can see this world through her dreams. After a bit of researching on my own, I found a general location to where Gensokyo should exist in the real world. However, I never really found anything. It was at about the time I was going to give up, but I was suddenly transported to Gensokyo. I don't know how it happened, but I think it happened because I was looking for it, like I somehow belonged here and it welcomed me. Maribel would be jealous."

Continue to cry for a little bit, Dai-chan wiped away her tears and told her, "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's alright," showing infinite strength, Ulrika seems to be in good humor. "You know, it's the first time I told my story to someone else, I didn't even tell Maribel. I thought it would have been a lot harder to say all those things, but I feel kind of good now." She takes a deep breath then exhales. "I somehow feel that we might have gotten off on the wrong foot, but I would really like it if we can be friends Dai-chan. Is that okay?"

"Yes," Daiyousei tells her, "it's okay. Actually, I would really like that, seeing as we'll be working together."

"Thank you," and here the emotion is clear in her voice. "We should really go to sleep. I have a feeling that Remilia is going to be working us hard tomorrow."