Author's Note: I forgot an Author's note for the Author's Note in the Earlier Chapter. My apologizes for not replying reviews as it is... hard for me to reply to encouragement. Hence I am thanking all of you here.

I'll answer any... deeper questions than that personally ^^


Chapter 9: Of the End of the Scarlet Mists



[Mistress seemed more and more irrational as the days, weeks and months pass.

When it finally turned to the worst, she forbid the young mistress to leave the mansion and when she tried to challenge her will, Mistress crushed her powers with nary a thought, something that horrified us.

Her powers seemed to multiply when she is not rational, the same way Flandre is and we cowered in fear at her feet… it was horrible… Reimu… the mistress that I knew had disappeared and we could not do anything about it, helpless as we are…]

Shaking her head, Sakuya continued after helping me with another sip of tea.

[When you came… we thought that you… perhaps… if it was you, you could talk some sense into Mistress Remilia… that was why…. We withheld her condition from you, in fear of spooking you…]

[Can… you ever forgive us?]

...

..

..

Lowering her head, Sakuya seemed to have reached the end of her story and she looked up, eyes swelling from all her crying and her lips dry from explaining.

She was a wreck but her own mind and soul must be a wreck too.

Guilt is forever the greatest corrosive to the person's soul; one which consumes oneself the easiest and the one which is hardest to remove.

But, from her cries, I could hear her love for her mistress and her love for all the members in the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Love too, is the greatest strength of people; the one that can force people to do crazy and amazing things. The motivation might not be good, depending on how you judge it, but it is the best motivator of all time.

..

..

For a Shrine Maiden, a person looks and ability does not matter.

What matters is the soul as the soul will reflect a person's true intentions.

Whether she is kind, cruel, happy or sad, a soul will reflect that…

Guilt corrodes away a person's soul, making him or her more susceptible to corruption by other people, influences from other people and to events that happen to other people.

Love increases faith and the better traits of people…

But, is that always true?

..

..

..

[… Sakuya… of course I will forgive you…]

Looking at Sakuya, who was still begging me, I did not want to know the answer to that anymore… she loved her mistress that much that she had disregarded me.

[…]

For a moment, a feeling like hatred appeared in my soul but I just as quickly feel it disappear.

[… Because… you did that as you loved your mistress… right?]

Smiling, I hugged Sakuya, ignoring the pain that ripped through me as I did so.

Jealousy is not needed in me, nor is hatred or pride…

Being… the shrine Maiden…?

Lost in my own thoughts, I did not even realize when Sakuya had stopped crying till the first drop of tears dropped on her shoulder, my tears were falling down my cheeks.

..

..

[R-Reimu?]

[…-sob-]

Biting my lip, I tried to remain calm even as the tide of emotions threatened to overwhelm me in a moment.

[Reimu?]

Even Sakuya's hands hugging me, which had felt so comforting a day ago, did close to nothing to calm me down.

It just made me feel even sadder.


..

..

Sadder at myself, for thinking this way…

..

..

I am the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, I live the Life of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden…

I am expected to be the Shrine Maiden…

I serve the people, only the people and the spirits…

I should not feel hatred, jealousy towards others.

I should not be proud of my own abilities, my own talents, my own status and forever be humble.

Love the people at all times.

Serve the Spirits at all time…

The teachings of the Shrine Maiden, to be exact the Hakurei Shrine Maiden echoes in my mind.

But… but, I do not want to know all of this…

Being with Sakuya… being with Patchoui and being with Cirno…

Being with Meiling and being with Suika…

All of them, are contradicting and making me doubt my belief as a Shrine Maiden.

Am I living, just solely for the people?

I am serving the people; that is no doubt that I am serving the people…

But, is that my purpose in the world? To serve the people?

To be the Hakurei Shrine Maiden? Is that my sole purpose in life?

..

..

Seeing Suika, loving me and loving being the Shrine Maiden made me happy for her and… maybe a bit exasperated of her existence, a youkai serving the people that do not believe in her…

But I had suppressed it, it is not befitting of me to be such a critic to a person of such faith.

Seeing Cirno, with his ever childish innocence that left me speechless and the confidence that sparkled throughout his whole being and soul, it made me feel so insignificant.

Can I boast of that innocence and the pureness in Cirno?

But I had stopped myself, not wanting to feel jealous of her and to hate her.

Then, hearing Sakuya confide in me, I fell apart to jealousy. She could… forget about anyone else and give up everything she has just for her mistress.

I am sure, she would do it for everyone in the mansion, even if it was for Meiling, she would go all out.

She loves them that much…

.

..

I… I am jealous of her… she has the right to be herself along with her destiny, her fate… her purpose…

Sakuya is a maid and will forever be a maid. But that maid, Izayoi Sakuya has the right to love, the right to put everything aside and for a fleeing moment, be herself…

Unlike me… Hakurei Reimu, who has no other purpose in life, other then be the Hakurei Shrine Maiden.

Whatever I do, whenever I do it and whether conscious of the fact.

My actions will be linked to the Hakurei Shrine Maiden…

That… is my fate…

..

..


..

..

[Reimu?]

..

..

Feeling weird that Reimu did not reply me after a short moment, I looked down to see that Reimu had fallen asleep, tears visible in her eyes and I stopped, unsure what I should do for now.

I had assumed that the tears that had fallen were mostly mine but now I could see that Reimu shed little less than me.

Kept in the dark as of why she did that, I was puzzled at why she would cry as I tucked her to bed. Placing a hand on her head, I was relieved when I found that she was not feverish and then, I slowly ran a hand through that silky hair of hers.

Reimu sure has grown through the years and as I stared at her face, flushed pink, I could not help but feel just a bit jealous at the young lady in front of me.

..

..

Yes, Reimu was not a girl now and not the temperamental and selfish Miko she was in the past.

She had shot up in height, became more womanly and more importantly, more wise and matured.

How she carried herself is different from how she behaved in the past.

Always in the centre of the world, was our Reimu but now, she is like the servant of the world; always thinking of the people and displaying acts of kindness that would not be expected out of her, of all people.

Pausing for a moment, I placed both my hands on my lap as I just looked at her, wallowing in my own guilt as I did so.

All her injuries, from the small cut on her otherwise flawless face to her dislocated legs, were a direct consequence of my actions.

..

..

[… I'm sorry…]

For all I know, she might never forgive me, never forgive me for sending her into harm's way when I did know of the current situation.

I… I truly am selfish… what right do I have in calling her selfish in the past?

After all, everyone is concerned only about themselves…


..

..

[… uh…]

[Good Evening, Sleepy head!]

Waking up to the grinning demon, Remilia Scarlet, I tried to move away from her but my injuries prevented me from doing that. My hand joints, which were functioning just swell a few hours ago were numb, probably stiffening up after I laid down to rest and I was unable to clutch on to my gohei.

[… Remilia…]

Weakly calling her name, I managed a small smile as what I was thinking earlier still revolved around my mind like a dark cloud hovering over my brain, dampening my spirits.

[I'm going to rest now, Reimu… I'm sleepy…]

Yawning, Remilia gave me a very light hug before she hollered for another person.

[PATCHEY, IT'S YOUR TURN!]

Screaming her lungs out, Remilia looked a bit upset as she saw me looking at her, my cover still drawn protectively between me and her, sort of like a barrier of sorts.

..

..

[Reimu, are you still upset at me? For stealing your kiss?]

It must be a sort of optical illusions that Devils use to gain sympathy as when she crawled into my blankets, snuggled beside me and stared at me with those puppy-like eyes, I could not say no.

[… no…]

[You're so cold, Reimu!!]

Rubbing her head beside me like a kitten, a vampire and VERY ancient kitten, Remilia left me alone in my room, sailing out the door casually.

[… do I dislike her?]

Reflecting on my thoughts as she left, I asked myself the question: [Do I dislike Remilia?] and I came up with no definite answer.

[… I should never dislike anyone… i… I should forgive everyone…]

Still, that is beside the point as even if I am expected to forgive people and to love the people, disliking would be a personal belief, is that not?

[… I'm veering from my beliefs…]

Clapping my hands together, I prayed as well as any good miko would and instantly I felt my heart become a bit lighter, as if a light load was removed after admitting that I might be close to disliking Remilia.

[She is cute… and she really does not mean… harm… I suppose…]

Biting my lip, I ran back to reality quickly when I saw the door swing open to reveal Miss Knowledge, a book still in her hand slowly drifting in to sit beside me.

Breathing normally, Miss Knowledge looked to be in the pink of health, the direct opposite of me as she settled down to sit beside me, dusting the chair off as she did so.

The faint smile on her face only brightened when she took my hand into hers to check my pulse. The way her eyes smiled back startled and caught my attention and I just stared at her, unsure of what to do.

..

..

[… You're doing better, Reimu… much better…]

Lowering her other hand, which was raised above me to cause a soft glow to envelope me, Miss Knowledge started scribbling something on her book as she mused silently to herself, occasionally nodding and murmuring to herself.

[Reimu, you'll fully recover in a week, so you'll be our guest here for the whole week.]

Smiling happily as she slammed the book shut, Miss Knowledge reached for a pair of glasses in her pocket and wore them, much to my chagrin as she started to lecture me.

..

..

[As you might already know, we spent hours patching your up, you suffered injuries that SHOULD have killed you, if I had not anticipated the fight ahead. I… I am deeply apologetic… for not letting you into this plan…]

Lowering her head briefly as she apologized to me like how Sakuya did, I felt my heartstrings being tugged for a moment and I looked away, very awkward.

[… It does not matter whether you truly accept my apology or Sakuya, for that matter. I do not want to fake surprise that the possibility of you bearing a grudge against us is very high, substantial in fact.

But, I do hope to seek your forgiveness and by doing so, hope to seek reparation from you.

I admit, that might be a selfish wish, to quell the growing ocean of guilt in my heart, but that is not my true intention at all… I hope… that you would understand and relate to me…]

..

..

Her voice trailing off, Miss Knowledge was more flustered than ever and even the tips of her ears started to blush red and I, being the shrine Maiden that I was, smiled and nodded at her.

It was not that I did not want to forgive her, I really do intend to forgive her. But the shadow of myself, the Hakurei Maiden of Myself, would always be credited to forgiving her.

[… yes…]

Smiling as those dark thoughts floated through my mind, my eyes went wide when Miss Knowledge suddenly grabbed my hands.

[Regardless of your Shrine Maiden Beliefs, Hakurei Reimu. I am asking you, Reimu as a person to another person, not as an associate to a stranger. I, Patchouli Knowledge, is humbly asking for forgiveness.]

It must have taken courage and wisdom to pop that question to me.

Miss Knowledge, from my hazy memories of her, is not a very talkative or a very emotional person. For her to speak with such emotion and seriousness, not to mention the sheer amount of words that she is using, made it clear that she was very serious.

The many words were just to confuse us into misreading her true intentions but I could read her like a book.

..

..

[… Reimu, forgive me.]

Getting up suddenly, Miss Knowledge went to her knees and bowed fully to me, her head touching the ground just like Sakuya and I, I…

[Miss Knowledge!!]

Giving a cry of surprise, I tried to get her to stand and promptly fell out of bed and onto her, landing with a great crash and pain ruptured through my brain.

[!!!!]

Once again, the cry just died in my throat as I writhe in agony, clutching my body as I did so. My whole body was throbbing with pain and it felt that my bones were all broken again till Miss Knowledge muttered something under her breath.

[…!]

As another soft glow enveloped me, I felt the pain leave me and I slowly levitated up to my bed and I dropped into it with a soft 'plop'.

Panting due to the effort and being used as a cushion, Miss Knowledge managed a strained smile as she just collapse in her chair.

Before she could speak however, I beat her to it.

[Thank you… Miss Knowledge… for clearing my head…]

[??]

[I… had doubts about… myself… who I am… and who am I supposed to be.]

[You are being silly, you are Hakurei Reimu.]

[… yes…]

..

..

It is actually very simple, although I am the Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine.

I am still Reimu and no one else is Reimu…

If, I Reimu is confused about my ownself… then I am not Reimu, not Hakurei Reimu but a nameless soul that is lost.

I am who I am, regardless of my name.

But my name, is Hakurei Reimu and so…

I act, I forgive, I smile, I repent, I pray and I… live.

Therefore I am, Hakurei Reimu.

..

..

[… I am Reimu, not Hakurei Reimu…]

[You are Hakurei Reimu, that is a fact.]

[yes, I am Hakurei Reimu and I am the Hakurei Shrine Maiden… but for now… let me be Reimu, just plain old me, without the Hakurei Shrine…]

Begging her and thanking her for letting my mind clear for a moment, I clutched Miss Knowledge's hand and she, with a confused expression on her face, nodded at me.

[I forgive you… Miss Knowledge… I knew you did that out of desperation… but, next time…]

[Ask, alright? Just ask…]

Weakly, I made a request that must have sounded really indecorous to her as she stared at me for a moment.

..

..

[If that was so easily accomplished, I would have taken that blunt but effective approach from the start and not bothered with scheming with Sakuya about how to hide that from you.]

Face-palming, Miss Knowledge nonetheless still stuck with me as she gave another detailed Medical Report.


..

..

[Your bones are all set, if I had not mentioned it before. It will take approximately 3-4 days for it to fully heal, thanks to the Lunarian's medicine and of course, Sakuya's time manipulation abilities of allowing your wounds to heal that much quicker.]

[Why didn't you just let it all heal quicker?]

[You are being very foolish, Reimu.]

Face-palming again as I made a remark that was certainly foolish in her eyes and she explained to me while rolling her eyes.

..

..

[If we did that, it would come to no surprise to us that you would die of malnutrition before that happened. Sakuya's abilities can cause any part of your regenerative ability to increase in it's effectiveness.

However it does not take into account the amount of nourishment currently in your body as the body would naturally assume that it is consuming the same amount of nourishment in normal terms, thus endangering your physical well being.

If you were well and healthy when we attempted it, that is a non-issue. But, seeing that you are hovering over the border and life-and-death, it would be like feeding you poison in the pretext of food.

You would die even before you would be nourished.]

..

As most of her words flew over my confused mind, I took comfort that Miss Knowledge knew what she was doing and that I was alive due to that as I sighed in relief.

[Another boost in your regeneration abilities, pardon me if I placed it VERY bluntly to you, is the transfusion of blood that you received.]

Narrowing her purple eyes, she seemed a bit reluctant to tell me the details but as she herself had started the topic, she had nary a choice in saying no and she continued.

[You had lost a tremendous amount of blood….]

[…]

Remembering the night, I winced and clapped my hands together to pray the spirits that I was alive and sitting here now once more.

..

..

[The entire mansion, what was left with it had traces of blood everywhere. It… was like a blood bath… I calculated and measured that you, in all likeness, had lost 75% of your total blood. It would be fatal and it should be fatal, have not been for Remi.]

[Remilia?]

[It is Mistress Remilia to you, the one who gave your fate to her in a silver platter, Reimu.]

[… Remilia?]

Ignoring the sly grin on her face, I pressed for an answer and hoped that it was not the answer I was dreading.

[She gave some of her blood to you.]

I shall remember that moment for the rest of my life, mainly due to fact that my blood froze, Goosebumps started to appear on my skin and I felt my lunch up my throat, making me want to throw up.

All that, in a single moment, due to a simple sentence by Miss Knowledge.

..

..

[… That response was calibrated but I am surprised you kept your dignity.]

[… Dignity is perhaps not my strong point, but I shall strive to maintain it.]

Dryly, I retorted her as I complemented on her words.

[… Miss Knowledge… Remilia really did transfer some of her blood to me?]

[You are edgy and frustrated, that I can gather from your actions and tone since you woke up.]

..

..

[I… I apologize for my attitude, it is really rude of me…]

Lowering my head, I felt Miss Knowledge's hands on my head and I felt comforted, if only just a little at that little simple act.

[No, It is understandable. To have a vampire's Blood flowing through you; that would be very unpleasant.

But in doing so, she saved your life and in the process sped your recovery.

A Vampire's Blood is powerfully magical and although it does not mean that you are a vampire in reality, you are a vampire in technically. Reimu, you do have vampire blood in your veins.]

[… -gulp-]

[That is not all, inside you is the blood of Sakuya, China, mine and even Houraisen Kaguya.]

[K-Kaguya?]

[If it seems familiar, you do know her. But that is beside the point.

Inside you, in your veins is circulating the blood of a human (Sakuya), a vampire (Remi), a magician (me), an incredible tough youkai (China) and an immortal (Kaguya). I do not know what implications that might have, but at that critical moment, we do not have much of an option…]

..

..

[I understand that… it is… just uncomfortable…]

[That the Hakurei Bloodline is stained with all of the unspeakable spirits that you vow to exterminate from the world?]

[… No, is that… all of them… would willingly give me a portion of their life-blood…and I never thought of it that way… the Hakurei Bloodline is not my concern, what is of concern is how I, Reimu's view of spirits…]

Looking up at her, I saw Miss Knowledge look away, a blush evident on her face and I tilted my head in confusion.

..

..

[… Kindness to spirits… you are amazing, Reimu… it made the effort that I placed into… you… worth well…]

[I would not have expected that from you…]

[… It is due to everyone that I am alive right now, all of you deserve my thanks.]

[Save it. You did save us as well…]

[… Ha ha~]


..

..

[I assume you do have something to ask us, pray tell.]

Reminding me of my mission a few minutes later, Miss Knowledge had finished her analysis and was attentively looking at me.

[… that's right…]

The incident had wiped my mind off the whole thing and I struggled to remember what my intent was, coming over here.

[Marisa is GONE?!]

Giving a small shriek of surprise when I told her, I cocked my head in confusion at the sudden and intense response from Miss Knowledge.

She must have noticed my look of confusion as she paused, coughed and continued speaking with her usual demeanor.

[… Do you mean, the 'rat' has gone missing?]

..

..

Her face, suddenly flushed pink, made me raise an eyebrow in surprise but I continued with my story.

[Suika… said that there were irregularities with the youkai's behavior… and M-Marisa had gone missing…]

Tilting my head, I bit my lip as I said another prayer for the people that were harmed by the youkai.

[May the spirits be kind to them…]

[… So, Marisa has gone missing… I suggest that we keep this within ourselves and never mention it in front of Flandre, if Flandre ever gets wind of this, it will be likely that she will burn the Mansion and everything around it to the ground.]

Rubbing her chin, Miss Knowledge seemed to want to think about the matter for a moment and I allowed her that time as I just sat in my bed, thinking about my next move.

When I thought about it, it was pretty much a risky gamble that I had made in coming here in the first place.

..

..

Back then, two days ago…although it seemed like a lifetime ago, I was completely clueless to what is Gensokyo, what is danmaku…

I could not fly, even… but now, I remembered what it was like, even if it was a few flashbacks and distant memories, I knew I had lived in Gensokyo… I could danmaku with ease and I can even fly…

For me, Hakurei Reimu, it was not possible two days ago… but I definitely had done that before, when I was younger and I was reliving the experience and journey that I had.

When I had set my sights on the brilliant red mansion and the lonely blue lake, something in me urged me to go there and I did.

Perhaps, I was reliving my previous life as I fought, swam and kicked my way here… winning Cirno, Miss Meiling and Remilia one by one, just like I did before.

Perhaps it was my Shrine Maiden Intuition once again?

..

..

[… may the spirits bless me…]

Clapping my hands together, I prayed once more before I looked at Miss Knowledge.

In my memory, Miss Knowledge should not be so fond of Marisa, whoever she is but she was showing very deep concern for her, if I am not mistaken as I judged her with a smile on my face.

..

..

[Ah… w-what are you smiling at, Reimu?]

Dropping her intellectual look for a second, Miss Knowledge blushed once again as I shook my head and explained.

[It is nothing, I just saw how concerned you were about Marisa that I could not help but wonder who is she to you…]

[S-She's just a rat! That's all!!]

Forcing herself deeper and deeper into a corner, I smiled even more as I covered my mouth with a hand and laughed with a 'fufufu~' sound.

[Miss Knowledge, unfortunately, no matter how much you fancy yourself to be, you are a very bad liar. Marisa must be very important to you.]

..

..

With my years of knowledge counseling the hapless, love-struck teenagers at the Shrine, reading her was like a walk in the park for me but my body has it's limits and as I waved a finger at her, I promised to get to the bottom of it at a later date.

[We shall discuss, about… you infatuation at a later date.]

[REIMU, DON'T YOU DARE!]

..

Standing up in a hurry, Miss Knowledge raised her book and looked as if she was about to slam the book on me when she noticed me giggling at her.

[Well, it seems that you have just laid to rest all your claims.]

Making the same 'fufufu~' laughter

[Ah.. I.. No, No, it's not that way.. I…]

Devoid of a snappy comeback, I grinned and just smiled in victory with Miss Knowledge, clutching her book so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

I should be weary about her wanting to kill me to rid the world of evidence but surprisingly, I am quite calm as I watched her wince and blush when my eyes locked on with hers.

[… Besides that, Miss Knowledge… Suika did mention that the youkai are getting restless… do you, feel anything unusual?]

Remembering what Suika had said, I continued to probe information from Miss Knowledge, about halfway into our discussion, she had Remilia brought in, or rather carried in with her coffin for us to question her.


..

..

[Hmm mm~~]

[Mm mm~~]

[Well, let's not tell Flan. She will go nuts.]

[Like you.]

[…]

[… Now, Now… don't fight…]

[Patchey, do you have an issue with me?!]

[No, none at all…]

[Stop lying!! You Book that can be read by the cover!]

[What is that supposed to be mean?! It should be, you should never just read a book by it's cover!]

[Oh shut up, You book!]

[It should be book worm, Remi!]

[Good that you admitted it!]

..

..

[…]

[…]

[Now, don't fight…]

[…]

[…]

[FIRE SIGN: AGNIS SHINE!]

[SCARLET SIGN: SCARLET SHOT!]

[Ahhh~~]


..

..

After destroying yet another portion of the house and being carried away by Sakuya, it was finally decided that Miss Knowledge, Remilia and the rest of the Scarlet Devil Mansion staff that I would stay over for the remainder of the week to recuperate while the others went out to gather more information on what is exactly wrong with Gensokyo while I rested.

[Is… this really fine?]

Looking up at Remilia, who was standing on a chair, pointing a finger to the window, I nervously asked as all around the bed, all of the Mansion's Staff gathered around in a circle.

[yes, of course it is, it is my fault that I hurt you…]

Looking away suddenly, Remilia coughed to regain some dignity while all the spirits around her just chattered and giggled.

[So, it will be the Scarlet Devil Mansion's job to take care of you, Fairies, I expect nothing better. Sakuya and Meiling and Patchey will be going out to observe the situation, needless to say, I am going too. Flandre and Koakuma will be in charge. Naturally, Reimu will be our guest till we return.]

[… I'm really fine, couldn't I come with all of you?]

..

..

Pleading as I tried to get out of bed only to be stopped by a fairy, I was silenced by Miss Knowledge.

[Reimu, you are an adult now. You should know your limits and your capabilities.

Hardly are you in your best and here you are, wishing to join us. We have lived longer, far longer than you and we have the right as an adult to make decisions like you do. So, Reimu, act your age.]

The harsh words from Miss Knowledge failed me and I nodded slowly.

[…A-Alright… I might have… gotten a bit……]

[Although it is your duty to protect the people, help the people and to educate people in terms of what is youkai. You too, are a youkai exterminator; it is unlikely that you would in reality need to be worried about us, not even mentioning the gap in powers we have over you.]

[Ugh…]

Hitting the hammer on the head, I was unable to come up with a better comeback and I just nodded my head, powerless in the face of the reasoning put forward by Miss Knowledge.

..

..

[After all, Reimu!]

It was Miss Meiling who spoke this time as she showed a thumbs-up sign to me, a very human-like sign as she grinned and patted her bosom proudly.

[It's not that fair that you get to save the world everytime! It's our turn to do our part to save the world.]

[… Hmph, so it seems intelligence has seeped into that thick skull of yours.]

Laughing coldly at Miss Meiling, Sakuya smiled warmly to me as she held my hand in hers.

[Trust us, Reimu, we'll find out what's wrong with Gensokyo… if there is anything wrong, then it's your turn to save the world again.]

[So that's that. Be a dear and listen to Koakuma, got that?]

Flying over, Remilia pulled another fairy, this time a fairy with horns and dressed in a black silken dress In front of me.

[R-Reimu, Miss Hakurei… I-I'm Koakuma…]

Bowing her little head, the little fairy smiled nervously as she placed a hand on her chest and smiled.

..

..

[I am Miss Patchouli's Assistant, but for the next few days I will be monitoring your condition in her stead…]

She never quite got to finish her sentence as I had hugged her excitedly.

[You're so cute! I… I mean…]

The adorable Koakuma got over my rationality and I hugged her quite by impulse. It would be hard to describe the facial expression on Koakuma or the other's in words so I shall save it.

It is however, a much easier task to explain why I did what I did.

It has been a while since I had seen a little girl as adorable as her and very simply, the urge to hug her and rub my face against her is quite understandable, at least to me.

But, judging from the weird expressions the others were giving me, it must not be that natural as I had imaged it to be.

[W-What?]

[… You wouldn't do that if you heard what Koakuma is.]

Face-palming, Sakuya just shrugged as she casually told me Koakuma's identity.

[Koakuma is actually a succubus.]

[Who cares, it is the interior that matters!]

[Uh… Reimu, that is her interior, Reimu? REIMU?]

Tugging desperately at my sleeve, Sakuya tried to convince me that Koakuma might actually be a devil in disguise? What a joke!

[Seems like she is totally smitten by Koakuma…]

[… Perhaps she can be an incubus now…]

..

..

No matter who said that, I am not paying heed as I was still hugging the strangely silent Koakuma with my hands.

She felt very soft and cuddly and she looked so adorable that, that I just can't help myself!!

Spirits, I hope you do not feel offended or scandalized by my behavior!

[NO, REIMU! DON'T YOU THINK I'M CUTE ANYMORE?!]

Giving a full blown shriek, a speeding Vampire collided with my chest and grabbed Koakuma from my clutches as I just winced and writhe in pain.

..

[You!! Get away from Reimu! You seductress!! Don't you dare two-time me, Reimu!!!]

Turning to me suddenly, Remilia slapped me repeatedly to try and get me back to my senses.

[She is an incubus, Reimu! She's not pure! Besides, you're mine! MINE!

Koakuma, I hereby forbid you to ever touch Reimu again! If I see you doing that, I will burn your little corpse when I am done with you, IF you have a corpse.]

I would have expected Koakuma to shudder in horror at that thought and certainly the other members of the Scarlet Devil Mansion certainly thought so as they all took a nervous step back.

However, contrary to their expectations, Koakuma never wavered; instead a malicious grin appeared on her face as she just casually stroked her own face, her flawless face….

Spirits, forgive me!!

..

..

[No~ It's been a while since anyone liked me~~

So it's fine whether I'm an incubus or succubus…

Reimu shall be mine…~~

She will come to me… What are you going to do about it, hmm?]

..

..

Mockingly, Koakuma showed off her figure as she danced casually around Remilia.

If one would take note, Koakuma did indeed have a figure to die for and it is driving impure thoughts in my mind as I just followed her movements.

Odd, that such a little fairy/demon is able to get the better of Remilia Scarlet as the both of them shot daggers at each other.

Before Remilia could say anything however, Koakuma had planted a kiss on my cheeks that made me blush crimson.

...

...

[~~~~~~~~~~~!!]

A stunned silence then befalls the room and I, touching my cheek, knew that Koakuma had just thrown oil on the fire that was Remilia Scarlet.

[WHY YOU!!!]

[Tsk~ If you're going to show off your powers… that meant you really have lost to me, Mistress…]

Before Remilia could blow Koakuma off to kingdom come, the land down under and to the far reaches of earth, Koakuma remarked casually as she flew right in front of Remilia, winking at her.

[You know, how about we let Reimu choose. That'll be fun, wouldn't it?]

..


..

..

It was, one of the worst possible scenario that should never have happened.

Never would I have expected such a catastrophe and even if one had told me that the Sun will soon crash to the earth and the end is near, I would have believe it instead of the impossible that had just happened in front of me.

Koakuma was my librarian and she has done a pretty good job thus far. She was skillful, patient and understanding to all the other fairies, even going out of the way for their sake.

..

She was willing to learn, obedient and most importantly, soft-spoken and the word malicious could never be used to describe her.

She is like a flower of the whole Scarlet Devil Mansion, even Sakuya admitted that she was very likeable, if albeit a little clumsy at first.

Now, the little devil girl, the succubus that I had trusted, had did a 360 degree transformation into the Devil.

Pardoning the pun, which I believe is none or seriously underrated, Koakuma was challenging the Mistress over dominance over Reimu.

That scenario, I would never imagine possible.

..

..

As I floated a safe distance away, I could see the rage build up in Remi and the concern on Reimu as Koakuma just flew this and that way, annoying Remi more and more.

It could not be Reimu's fault… perhaps it could be her fault but…then surely it could not be Remi's fault…

On second thoughts, it could be Remi's fault as well.

Before I think myself into a corner, I have to say that whose fault it is, it does not matter as the situation looked critical at any given time.

Koakuma was surely playing with not just a fire, but perhaps the entire forest fire that threatened to engulf her.

What could have caused such change in the attendant that I swore I knew?

..

..

Perhaps, it is the lack of attention that was given to her?

Although popular and likeable, she was kept mostly in the library with me and that might have made her miserable without me knowing it.

She is, as we all know now, a succubus and thus was gifted with the physical blessings of her role, to make her irresistible to others.

Whether it is the fact that there was a lack of males or the forbidden law of being a male in the mansion, Koakuma must have lots pent up inside her small frame.

Being Youkai, we do not have the urge to reproduce or feel extremely attracted to otherwise, irresistible body curves and all the nonsense.

I believe people call them lust?

Perhaps, Reimu unwittingly awakened the succubus/incubus side of Koakuma by showing such affection towards her.

..

..

In the human world, the other world that exists beyond Gensokyo, it is said that Devils, especially Succubus and Incubus is very numerous in number and were extremely powerful.

In Gensokyo, with the number of youkai overwhelming the population of humans, it is likely that the Koakuma's race did not survive or thrive due to the simple fact that: Youkai do not feel attracted to other Youkai.

Only powerful youkai, like me, Remilia and the others feel that way and sometimes, I believe that is due to us being too close to humans and developing such weird emotions.

So, Koakuma's succubus/incubus side has awakened and is now sparring with Remi…

As I had said earlier, it is the worst and impossible situation to hit me yet…

..


..

..

In the end, after the intense staring competition between Remilia and the little sweetie that was Koakuma, it was decided that the fairies will help Miss Meiling, Sakuya and Miss Knowledge while Koakuma and Remilia would stay behind to take care of me.

How the situation developed into: 'Who Makes Reimu feels better shall be the winner' Competition was unknown to me.

..

..

But, the smile that Koakuma had on her face was definitely very frightening, how could such an innocent and sweet child be so malicious?

It must be the fever that is playing tricks on my eyes..

Oh spirits, bless the little girl.

My Shrine Maiden teachings taught me never to view people from their exterior and only their interior, what matters was that Little Koakuma is a likeable, if lonely and misunderstood girl.

[T-take care, everyone…]

Weakly, I waved to them as all of them took off, leaving me with the two devils, still glaring at one another.

..

..

[Hmph, to think that I would allow for this sort of ridiculous competition, Koa.]

[Mistress, if you are worried about losing, you can forfeit, I do not mind at all.]

[Silence!! Koa, you have the nerve to say that! Remilia Scarlet NEVER Loses! Well, let us begin! Reimu, I'm going to prepare lunch!]

[Me too, Miss Hakurei!]

Smiling sweetly at me, Koakuma tugged at my sleeves till they covered my body and up to my neck before she bowed and left.

[Miss Hakurei, please take care of your health and rest!]

Closing the door behind her, I could have sworn I heard some banging noises as I closed my eyes, wondering at what fate was going to befall me.

..

..


[Y-YOU! I WANTED TO SAY THAT!]

[Mistress, if you're going to keep saying that, it's not fun to win you anymore~]

[WHY YOU! I'LL MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE POWER OF THE SCARLET DEVIL!]


..

Author's Note: Yes, it is a silly end to the chapter. I apologize. and i feel my sense of humor being a little twisted and odd.