Subterranean Animism ~ Candid Friend

Summary: An interpretation of Touhou 11 which is just an excuse for a little MarisaxNitori. If you can't tell, I'm not in a summary writing mood, but that sums it up right there. This part contains the events pre-game, leading up to stage 1.

Chapter Rating: E

"Alright!" Pounding her fist on the table, a blonde-haired witch looks at the other occupants of the dusty room. "So, what is this big fuss that you two are making about these hot springs? You two have just hemmed and hawed about how it is bad, but I want specifics!"

Sighing to herself, the magician across from her adjusts her glasses before looking up at the witch. "You really shouldn't be so impertinent, Marisa. Being so antagonistic will not help your desires." Glancing at their third companion in blue, she nods. "However, we have determined that something evil is coming out of those geysers. Spirits have become quite more prevalent."

"Not to mention that my dolls dislike the geyser itself." The third member looks at the blonde, a small doll fluttering beside her silently as she does. "They dislike even being near it. So as pleasant as a new geyser could be, I agree with Patchouli here. There is something dangerous that is emerging from within."

The witch glanced back and forth between the two for a second. "I get that, Alice. I don't see nothing wrong with the geyser myself… I can't wait to see what the hot spring will be like once it cools down." After a few seconds, though, she slumps back in here chair. "But Reimu has been moaning about some sort of spirits that have been showing up. She might go and do something about it herself."

Glancing at her fellow magician once again, a flicker of a smile shows on Patchouli's face. "Then you'll just have to go first and solve the problem for her, won't you?"

That triggered some kind of amusement within the girl, as she cackles softly under her breath. "I suppose I might have to. It wouldn't be good of me to let her get all of the glory for once, would it?" Even as she laughs, her eyes turn towards the other to as her mind kicks into high gear. "However, there is something you're not telling me. Why aren't you going yourself to solve it? I am not a dog for you to send after your foes."

A snort echoes from the room as Patchouli returns to her book. "More like a cat than anything else. It's within the margin of error." Her eyes flicker to Alice, inviting her to do the explaining.

The puppeteer herself sighs before looking at Marisa. "That is the problem. The source of the danger is issuing forth from the underground. It is an area that we cannot access, so we must send a human in our stead."

"An area… That you can't access?" Rolling her eyes, Marisa just looks back at Alice incredulously. "Unless Yukari herself has altered the border to the entrance, I don't believe that for one second. Is it a problem that you can't, or a problem that you won't?"

Not even looking up from her book, Patchouli responds. "It is the latter. However, the underground youkai are certainly more viscous and deadly than those that are on the surface. It is apparently taboo for us to interact with them, even on the most basic level."

"But it isn't for a human." Alice smirked quite noticeably at the witch. "So, we can send you down in our stead."

Marisa just took off her hat and began to wring it in response. "Alright, let me get this straight. You want to send me down there into an area of Gensokyo that I didn't even know existed. You're doing that with the most minimal amount of information you can give me." Pausing for a second, she glances at the others. "I am right in thinking that there is very little information you can give me, correct?"

"Correct." Both of the magicians chime in at the same time. Patchouli continues speaking, still not looking up from her book. "There is not much we could tell about the topography of the underground, or where the various cave systems might lead. There is a good chance that you would get lost, especially if you are not careful."

"So, I'm flying blind into this situation, against something that could be releasing evil spirits into Gensokyo. Which means that they are powerful, and have some semblance of control over the dead." Marisa was quiet for a few more seconds as she stared down at the two.

Before they could speak, the witch suddenly leans forward, slamming her fists on the table. A wide grin on her face, she glances at the other two. "That sounds like my kind of crazy. Let's talk."

"I'm glad that you agreed with use, Marisa." Smiling slightly at her reaction, Alice glances at Patchouli. "However, we are not so ignorant as to go into this blind. We called in one youkai whom is old enough and has the knowledge of some of the residents underground."

"You have?" Smiling at her, Marisa shot the girl a wink. "I should have known that you two had more up your sleeve!" Looking back and forth between the two, she tilts her head to the side. "So, tell me, who is it that is helping us?"

To their left, a small voice chimes in. "T-that would be m-me…" As all three turned to look at where the voice issued forth, a green hat shimmers into existence, barely peeking over the table. Underneath it were strands of blue hair that were rather familiar to the blonde witch.

Still, it took her a moment to realize who it was. "Nitori Kawashiro? The kappa?" At her words, the youkai began to rise up, her eyes finally peeking over the table. "It is! So, what are you doing here? Gonna try and stop me for my own safety?"

"No…" The tiny girl shakes her head, before standing up to her full height. Even doing so, she is barely taller than Patchouli and Alice as they sat. "I'm here because I want to be. I want to help you. After all, kappa and humans are ancient allies."

Ignoring the satisfied look on Patchouli's face, Marisa just strokes her chin. "Interesting. I had thought that you were spouting a load of bull. I have never heard of such an alliance before." A dark look shines in her eye before it vanishes. "Trust me, I would know."

The small kappa takes her own hat off and holds it in front of her while she stares at Marisa. "It's not something the kappa have made a big fuss out of. We just keep our heads down and help humans when we can, but we don't go out of our way to draw attention to ourselves." Glancing away from the witch, the kappa bites her lip. "We like a nice quiet life. We don't want to get caught up in the bigger happenings."

"Yet, you're coming to help me." Marisa crosses her arms, staring at her. "Still, I wish you kappa would make some kind of deal out of it. There aren't many youkai attacks left after Reimu and I got into business, but there are enough. Just the thought that other youkai, especially the shirikodama-extractors, were against the attacks."

Blushing heavily, Nitori looks away pointedly, her voice even smaller than before. "…We don't do that any more. We've gotten better…"

Shrugging it off, Marisa just reaches over and ruffles the girl's hair a bit. "Don't worry about it. Past is past. Just don't be extracting anything from me, and I won't have to spark ya. That sound like a good deal?"

Nervously, the kappa looks back up at Marisa, giving her a small grin. "I suppose so. I've heard real bad things about that spark. I'm just glad you never used it on me."

At that, both magicians shot glares at the kappa before Alice breaks back into the conversation. "You find yourself very fortunate for never having that happen to you. Marisa always had quite the itchy trigger finger. So many times she's shot myself with that hakkero…"

"I always had a good reason to, though!" Grinning widely, Marisa poked the floating doll in the side. "Who attacks me with dolls that use cleavers and lances all the time, hrm?"

"Oh shut up." Shaking her head, Patchouli finally raises her eyes from the book. "That is enough of that debate for now. We need to hurry and have Marisa heading out before something happens. And to do that, we must make sure she knows how we are assisting her."

Reaching down below the table, Patchouli removes a rather familiar crystal and sets it on the wooden surface. The moment the crystal touches the table, it begins to float above it, its colors slowly shifting. Marisa's eyes began to shine as she stares at the crystal, but Patchouli bats away her greedy hand. "This is not one of my Philosopher's Stones, Marisa. Do not get any funny ideas."

Sighing, she waved at the floating crystal, making it fly over towards Marisa. "This is a copy, which instead contains the power of five of the elements. It is enchanted so that it will assist you in any magic you do fire."

"Well, that's great!" Staring at the crystal as it floats about her head, the witch grins back at the magician. "Still, I'm not too sure how much help it will be. My lasers are enough to cook anyone that gets in my way."

"That's the problem, Marisa." Resting her head on her chin, Alice watches her human friend for a moment. "You're good at taking out what is in front of you, but what if you have anything that refuses to stay in front of your hakkero? You'd barely get a shot on them unless they do something stupid or unless you're lucky."

Sighing, Marisa removes the hakkero, placing it on the table as she does. "That's what a Master Spark is for, after all! No better way to clear a room."

"But you only have so many of those, Marisa. And you can't use them for every situation." Thumbing the pages in her book, Patchouli slowly shakes her head at the younger thief. "This way, though, you will be able to attack those who are not your primary focus. Also, you can give orders to the crystal, making it shift its attack pattern however you may desire."

"That'll work well, I suppose. Still, I think my lasers are better." Retrieving her hakkero from the table, Marisa places it back in her pocket. "At least I don't use any homing attacks like some people. I could never live with myself if I did."

"About that…" Turning to her companion, Patchouli waves her forward to speak. "Alice was going to send something with you."

"Indeed." Looking towards the doll at her side, Alice puts her hand on the back of its neck. After a few seconds, the doll twitches, before raising its head and opens its eyes. "I'm sending one of my dolls with you. She's semi-autonomous, and will fire back at anything that fires at you."

Marisa stares at the doll for a few seconds before looking back at Alice. "Isn't that Shanghai? Why are you sending her with me? And when did you make an autonomous doll? You've been trying for as long as I know…"

Shaking her head back at the girl, a small sigh leaves Alice's mouth. "She isn't autonomous. The spell is not dissimilar to the one cast upon Patchouli's crystal. She is very limited on what she can do." A frown came over her face as the doll also floats forward towards Marisa. "And this is not Shanghai. It is but a copy that I've made explicitly for this purpose. I am hoping that one so new will not dislike the evil magic as much as the older ones."

"However…" Alice leveled a steady glance on Marisa as she did. "I intend to study the doll once she is back. So make sure that she returns in one piece. Agreed?"

"Yeah, yeah, I gotcha Alice. Don't worry. Your doll isn't gonna have a scratch on her!" Chuckling, Marisa looks back at Patchouli. "And what about the crystal?"

The youkai that was currently reading a book did not look up. "I have no need for it to be returned, as I can create many others. The magic will exhaust itself in a week." Pausing for a moment, she looks back up at Marisa. "Consider it your payment. I will be… impressed, should you manage to replicate it before it vanishes."

Those two statements bring a wide smile to Marisa's face. "Good! That sounds like an excellent bargain. I've been trying to get my hand on one of those crystals for years…" Ignoring the grin that was starting to grow on Patchouli's face, Marisa suddenly turns to the kappa. "So, what are you doing here?"

Nearly jumping in the air at being suddenly addressed, the kappa gives everyone a nervous grin. "Well, part of the reason was so I could assist in keeping in contact with you." Nervously, she pulls a large metallic object out of her backpack, before pulling something much smaller along with it. "I've a microphone and a headset that should allow you to keep in contact with the rest of us, Marisa."

Picking up the larger metal object, Marisa gapes at how heavy it is. "I don't know how you expect me to keep this with me on the way down there, Nitori. I can barely pick it up now."

The kappa giggles nervously before picking up the smaller object. "That one stays here, Marisa. That microphone is what we'll be using. You need to wear this, instead. It will allow us to keep in contact, and assist you in case you need it." Seeing that the girl is having trouble understanding what she meant, Nitori helps her pull the headset over her ear. "See? Now you can talk to us, and we can hear you."

"You can?" "You can?" Marisa's eyes widen as her voice echoes out of the speaker on the base of the microphone. "Well, that's nifty. Is this some sort of technological variation on Reimu's balls?"

Alice raises a hand to cover a giggle while Nitori responds. "Similar. But they're not completely technological. Since you're going underground, I had to use a bit of magic to amplify the signal, so that it can penetrate the rock." Her face falls as she speaks, looking ashamed all of a sudden. "I may be a good engineer, but I'm not that good…"

"Eh, you're competing with ancient magical artifacts. I think you're doing good enough!" Laughing to herself, Marisa eyes the backpack for a moment. "Any other goodies that you've got in there? Just in case they could help me out even a wee bit. I'm not too proud to not accept help where I can take it."

Grinning a bit, the kappa pulls another odd device out of her backpack. "Just something I threw together in the last bit…" Looking about, Nitori eventually finds the broom that Marisa rode in on. "May I see that for a moment?"

"Sure, I suppose." Tilting her head to the side, Marisa watches the kappa take the broom and affix her strange device to the top of the bristles. "What is it that you're doing to it?"

"To put it simply?" The kappa glances up at the human for a second, before turning back down to her work. "I'm installing a missile minifacturing unit to the base of your broom. It will expel missile out sideways, which will then fire straight forward and at the target your broom is pointed at."

Not quite understanding what the kappa meant, Marisa began to frown. "I don't know how useful that will be. I don't do all of my fighting with my broom pointed straight at the enemy."

"Well, there is something else." Tapping the edge of the case, Nitori glances back up at Marisa. "The missiles aren't homing, as they are dumb fired. I have not been able to create a minifacturing device that can create homing missiles quickly or efficiently enough to be feasible. However, the unit itself has a sensor that detects the brightest light source, and will fire directly at that as long as the features is active."

"Interesting…" Tapping her chin, Marisa examines the device with renewed intrigue. "So, anything my lasers hit will be what it shoots at? But you are sure that it isn't homing?"

Nitori nods, looking quite sad at the thought. "They aren't. I wanted to make the warheads thermobaric, but those would have been too strong. And you might have gotten hurt." A mischievous grin comes over the girl's face as she muses over her past plans. "They wouldn't let me use one thermobaric to clear out the top of the underground, though."

"A what now? What is that supposed to be…"

Slamming her book shut, Patchouli shoots Marisa a hard look. "A bomb designed to clear out cave systems. I do not believe that we would make any friends by using such a device. After all, the culprits are likely deep underground, and might not even be affected by the blast."

At her second word, Marisa looks at Nitori with shining eyes. "A big bomb? Like that? Can I have one?"

"No, Marisa." Alice breaks into the conversation before Nitori can answer. "You already have one sentient ballistic missile. I'd shiver at the thought of you having something else that is nearly as powerful."

"Wait wait wait." Nitori began to return Marisa's gaze, a grin spreading on her face. "A sentient missile? You have one of those?" At Marisa's nod, she suddenly looks away, her voice becoming tiny. "Can I… take a look at it?"

"Course you can!" Grinning, Marisa slaps the kappa on the back. "Once we're done, I'll let you take a look. She's probably a bit ornery from not being used, though. Fair warning and all that."

Turning back to the other two, Marisa finally returns her hat to her head while retrieving her broom from the now ecstatic kappa. "Now, anything else that I need from you three? Or shall I just go ahead and solve your problem for you?"

The two magicians sigh in unison before they both shake their heads. "Nothing at all, Marisa. Just take good care of my doll. Even if she isn't Shanghai…"

"Oh, don't you worry about that, Alice. She's in good hands." Chuckling, Marisa straddled the broom before floating into the air. "Bit odd of a balance, but it shouldn't take long to adjust."

"Do take care, Marisa." Not even looking up at her, Patchouli had returned to a book, this one different than the one from earlier. "I would be… annoyed if the one who took out a certain rat was not one of the cats in this house."

Smiling at the magician of the library, Marisa shakes her head. "Thanks, you old girl. I'll be certain to make sure that I am not taken out." Finally, she turns to the last of the three. "Now, they said that you were here mainly because of what you knew of those underground?"

"Yes." Nitori nods her head, having returned her cap to rest upon her hair sometime when Marisa was not looking. "I do not know exactly what the underground is like, but I have a good knowledge of who is ther—" Cutting her off before she can go any farther, Marisa swings the kappa to sit behind her on her broom.

"Well, if that's the case, best to take you with me, aye?" Laughing to herself, she began to rise higher into the air. "I'll see you two later! Make sure that Sakuya has my favorite tea when I do, Patchy!"

Alarmed at her actions, Alice leaps to her feet while the other magician merely shakes her head in disgust. "Marisa! You know you can't take another youkai into the underground!"

"You forgot who you're talking to, Alice." Grinning proudly, Marisa began to swoop over the room, heading to the door as Nitori clings to her. "I'm Marisa Kirisame! I make my own rules, and blast aside those I don't like. Catch ya later!" With that, the magician flies out of the doors to the old, musty library, heading straight for the entrance to the old mansion.

Once outside, Nitori finally regains her breath and conquers her nervousness enough to ask, "Why did you do that, Marisa? You know that I can't come with you."

The magician just grins over her shoulder as she speeds across the landscape. "Who says you can't? Others who cannot be named?" Chuckling to herself, she turns back around, watching where she was flying. "If someone makes a fuss, just blame it on the stupid human that didn't know any better."

"I can't do that. They'll know it's not the truth." Frowning, Nitori just shook her head. "Besides, there are things down there that I'd have no chance against. They were exiled down there for a reason."

"Now, why did no one tell me that they were exiled?" Her jovial voice bouncing along the wind to the girl's ears, Marisa's grin widens further. "Oh well. If it gets too bad, let me handle it, alright? That's what I do for a living, after all." Her laughter eventually faded, her expression darkening as she kept looking away. "Now, I do have my own reasons though, so don't think I'm doing this on a lark."

Nitori stares at the back of the witch's head, leaning around the blonde hair that whips at her face. "Here I thought that you…" Biting her lip, she glances down at the forest that is speeding below them before looking back at Marisa. "Why are you doing this?"

Gruffly, the magician shrugs her shoulders. "I gotta see how good of an ally that kappa and humans are, don't I? What better way to test it than under fire?"

Freezing in place, the kappa begins to shake. "Marisa, what if something happens down there? I'm not a brave person…" Under her breath, she continues in that tiny voice of hers, unheard in the wind surrounding them. "I'm a coward…"

"No, you're not." Nitori's head snaps up to look at the eyes of the human as Marisa smiles at her. "You're still here. How easy would it be for you to turn on your optical camouflage and slip away unseen? I couldn't find you in that case." Suddenly reminded of that option, one of Nitori's hands begins to approach her belt, where it lay waiting to be activated. "But you would have done that if you wanted out, so you're not a coward. Maybe scared and frightened, but not a coward."

After a few moments, the hand drops away, instead returning to grip on Marisa's waist. "If you say so… But I still think that I am."

"Then it's up to me to prove you wrong, eh?" Still smiling, Marisa turns back around to watch where she was flying. "But most of all, I need you to tell me where the entrance to the underground is. Patchy and Alice did forget to mention that one important fact…"

A/N Yeah, I know, it's been a while since I posted anything here. However, I have been a bit busier than usual, plus I have another project going on. (one that I've been planning off and on since May) That, and I've been doing something in my free time that isn't Touhou related, and I can only do too many things at once.

However, I did want to write this, as it is one of the few things that I can call one of my favorite ships. Mostly because I wanted a little Nitori and Marisa. Yes, I may be missing a few things from canon, especially Post-Mysticism, but I am trying to stay back with the info from MoF and SA. Overall, though, this is just a pure Marisa and Nitori start, and if you don't like… Oh well.

Anywho, that's all for now. Until next time!