A/N: All hail UnendingEmpire for beta reading this.


Highly Responsive to Prayers – Nine of Swords


In the depths of Makai, in a secluded corner far beyond the point of no return, stood a shrine-less shrine maiden.

A day earlier, the only home she had ever known, the Hakurei Shrine, had met with destruction, and the culprit behind the disaster was still at large. The lack of clues had done noting to dissuade the shrine maiden. She had followed her instincts relentlessly, with only one goal in mind: revenge. Even if it took her to the pits of Hell and beyond, she had sworn she would find the culprit and feed them their own spleen.

And what then? She didn't know. She had dismissed the question for now, just like she had ignored the distress calls her body kept sending her. There was no time to be tired or hungry. Anything but revenge could wait until her quest was over.

And where had her quest led her, exactly? What was this strange place that had awaited her at the finish line of her rampage? She stared at the building in front of her. Who had expected there to be a temple in the abyss of Makai? And not just any temple, oh no; it was a shrine, an exact replica of what her shrine had looked like, only blindingly white from the outside and adorned with a huge white cross.

Reimu, the last member of the Hakurei clan, took a deep breath and contemplated her situation. This had to be it, no question about it; there was a strange presence lurking somewhere inside the shrine, she could sense it even from out here. It was a powerful presence, too, more powerful than any of the creatures she had encountered on her journey so far.

She raised her chin. No point in hesitating now, not after having come this far. She walked up to the porch, clenching her gohei tightly, and slid the door open.

The first she noticed were impenetrable clouds of dust. Dust was everywhere in the room, in fact; and as soon as entered it, dust was also in her eyes and mouth. Quickly, she slammed her eyes shut and escaped back into the relatively clean air of Makai, coughing her lungs out.

Her second attempt to enter the shrine went a lot better, even if her eyes were still watering from the previous try. It was difficult to see much, but even a cursory glance revealed something strange: as identical as this shrine had been to hers from the outside, from the inside it was nothing like it. The first room alone was impossibly huge: either Reimu was seeing things, or it was bigger than the entire shrine from the outside. Clearly, magic was afoot. She forced her way into the room, ignoring the mountains of dust.

She proceeded carefully, eyeing her surroundings with the expectation that at any moment a ferocious monster might rise from the floor to attack her. As carefully as she moved, she kept kicking up dust. She covered her mouth with her free hand and soldiered on.

The next room wasn't much better as far as dust went, but that wasn't the first thing that caught Reimu's eye. No, her eyes were immediately riveted on a giant, pale blue cross affixed on the opposite wall, identical to the one outside except for colour. It was the only thing she had seen in the temple so far that looked even remotely new.

Reimu approached it, but dared not touch it for the risk of getting more dust in her lungs. Instead, she walked through the door to the left and entered into a long hallway.

The mountains of dust were now left behind, and as stuffy as the air was in the hallway, at least it was breathable. Reimu was more than happy to slow down for a moment and let her eyes rest on the numerous tapestries hanging on the walls. They were mostly woven in red and blue, with some threads of gold and silver intertwined into the patterns. Some were abstract, others portrayed people in various poses and holding items both familiar and unfamiliar to her. She kept walking down the hallway until she came face to face with herself.

Or rather, a tapestry with a picture of herself, she realised just before lobbing the Hakurei Yin Yang orb right at the impostor. The intricately crafted picture was undoubtedly of her, right down to the clothes she had decided to wear that day. The imitation Reimu held her gohei close to her chest and gazed back at Reimu with silent determination.

Irritated, Reimu shoved the tapestry aside, only to discover another, hidden door where it had been. Her instincts were practically screaming at her at this point, so she braced herself before turning the doorknob and stepping inside.

She found herself in a huge room, with dark blue walls and a pristine white floor, completely unfurnished despite its size. The only things of note in the room at all apart from how empty it was were the wall decorations: wands and batons, separated from each others by large coins, circled the entire room.

And then there was the creature.

It (He? She? Reimu settled for she) sat quietly in place on the other side of the room, eyes shut, and either ignorant or uncaring of Reimu's presence. Her white hair was so long it draped the floor around her like a silken veil, and her skin was so pale it was tinged with blue. Her most striking feature, however, were six massive wings growing from her back, each feather shimmering with unearthly light. She was smiling faintly at a simple silver chalice and a likewise silver wand in front of her on the floor.

Reimu's heart skipped a beat. No doubt about it; she was the person she had been looking for. It was as if she was a being created entirely out of starlight: bright, but at the same time cold and eerie.

Before Reimu could approach her, she raised her eyeless gaze from the chalice and seemed to look straight through Reimu. Reimu shivered. The creature gentle smile remained as she stood up and quietly floated across the room, stopping mere feet from Reimu.

"Hail to thee, child. Are you lost?" Her voice was melodious, but distant: like it was coming from somewhere far away.

Reimu blinked. What was she supposed to say? "Who are you?"

"I do beg your pardon for not introducing myself sooner. I am Sariel. It is my responsibility to look after this temple."

"Uh huh." Reimu summoned up her courage. "And is a part of that job going around destroying other people's places of worship?"

Sariel quirked an eyebrow. "I do not understand, child."

"Someone destroyed my shrine, and my instinct led me here." It had to be Sariel, after all. Why else would she have had that tapestry of Reimu? Why else would Reimu's instinct be telling her this was the place to be?

"Your shrine has been destroyed? That is a pity, child. However, you seek revenge from the wrong place. I have played no part in the destruction of your shrine. In fact, I have lingered here for the past eight centuries without so much as a step outside." Before Reimu could protest, she raised her head and said: "However, perhaps I may be able to assist you regardless."

Reimu narrowed her eyes. Not only did she not believe Sariel could help her, she didn't believe in her supposed innocence in the first place. "Eight hundred years? What about that tapestry?"

"The Tapestry of Mirrors?" For a brief moment, Sariel sounded amused. "The tapestry simply creates in image of the person approaching it, nothing more."

"Right." Reimu wasn't buying it, but neither did she feel like dwelling on the subject. "Anyway, even if you want to help, how can you help anyone with anything after being stuck here for ages? Do you have any idea what kind of a place I'm coming from?" She paused. "Also, why does your shrine look just like mine did?"

"It does?" Sariel sounded genuinely surprised. "A strange coincidence, that. As for your other queries..." she raised her free hand to her chest. "I am not familiar with your world, no, but I do have a way to find out what I need to assist you." She paused. "May I read your fortune?"

"Huh?" This wasn't how it was supposed to go, Reimu knew that much: by now, the villain of the piece was supposed to have declared a battle, not proposed to read the hero's hand or whatever Sariel had in mind.

Sariel kept on smiling her ineffable smile. Then, out of thin air, a thick deck of long, ivory-backed cards appeared in front of her, floating gently in place. "I have a certain knack for fortune-telling. I may not see the world beyond my adobe with my eyes, but with my mind's eye, I am capable of travelling beyond the bounds of space and time. All I need is someone whose life's story I can read." She nodded her head. "Should you acquiesce, I shall reveal to you your past, present, and future, and provide whatever advice and assistance I am capable of lending to you."

Reimu blinked again. "...Huh?"

Sariel said nothing, only smiled.

Finally, Reimu folded her arms. "Okay, assuming you can do that...what's the catch? Why would you want to help me?"

Sariel's countenance developed a mask-like quality to it. "Time grows stagnant when spent all in one's lonesome. A moment's companionship is all I wish for in return. You are an earnest and determined child, truly admirable. That, and it is very clear a great responsibility has been set upon your shoulders. To assist you in any way would be an honour all by itself."

Reimu hesitated. She still wasn't buying it, not really; Sariel's words were too smooth and convenient. And yet...her instincts had nothing to say about the matter. Was there really any harm in waiting for a few minutes before the inevitable fight? If she was perfectly honest with herself, she really needed to sit down before another melee.

"You know what? Fine." She sat down cross-legged across Sariel. "Feel free to do your thing. I'm warning you though," she raised her finger. "one wrong move, and I won't be responsible for my actions."

Sariel smiled. Then again, she had been smiling the entire time, so the effect was minimal at best. Still, for a second her expression looked slightly more genuine.

"I am very glad to hear that," she said in a lilting voice.

The deck of cards she had been holding sprung into action, seemingly with no contribution from her. It hovered above ground level, slowly moving from left to right, shedding cards onto the floor.

Once done, the deck returned to its place by Sariel's side. In the end, there were only five cards on the floor: three in a neat row, then a final pair slightly removed from the rest.

Sariel crouched down to her knees and relaxed her wings. "This is my special five-card spread. It is slightly different from most common variations. I hope you do not mind that."

Reimu shrugged. She didn't know anything about these cards. "It's fine."

"Very well then. We will start with the card of your past in general." She hovered her finger above the card furthest to the left. Slowly, it rose from the ground and flipped around, revealing the image of a man lying still with four swords looming above him on the wall."

"The Four of Swords. Upright." Sariel fell silent for a moment, focusing. "You have lead a lonely life. From childhood, you have had to fend for yourself, as there has been no-one else to do it for you. You have grown like a wild plant, surviving despite the lack of care and harsh elements. You have grown strong and determined, unwilling to give up even under the most severe circumstances. So strong, in fact, that you have managed to reach this shrine despite all the hardships that stood in your way."

Reimu nodded absent-mindedly. Sariel's assessment of her didn't sound completely false, anyway.

"Perhaps, however, you are not as strong as you could be if you had been allowed to lead a normal life. Alas, such is fate." She held her hand above the second card. "Next is the card of the immediate past." Reimu leaned in to peer at the card as soon as it was flipped. It pictured a grumpy-looking man wielding a baton and flailing around on a large rock surrounded by other batons.

"The Seven of Wands," said Sariel. "Upright. There has been strife, and you are ready to engage it, unflinching and courageous." She raised her eyeless gaze towards Reimu. "The destruction of your shrine, your one true home. A heavy loss, one that calls for retribution. And that is why you are here today. Your search has brought you to the wrong place...or has it?" just as Reimu was about to stand up and attack, she continued: "perhaps Fate brought you here on purpose, child. Perhaps we were destined to meet before you found the true culprit. Perhaps..."

Reimu settled back down for now and shrugged. "I suppose."

Sariel extended her hand again. "The next card is indicative of your present situation." A flip.

Reimu glared at the unveiled picture of a scythe-wielding shinigami with a skull for a head.

"Death. Upright." Sariel's smile widened. "However, there is nothing to fear. The card of Death does not in fact represent actual death. It simply represents change."

Reimu eyed Sariel suspiciously. "And isn't going from living to dead a change?"

"Why, indeed, it is."

Reimu sighed and started to get up. After the last false start, she really didn't feel like playing mind games any longer. "I think I've heard enough."

For a second, Sariel's smile vanished, replaced with a look of surprise. "You do not wish to hear about your future?"

Reimu summoned the Hakurei Yin Yang Orb to her side. "Not if it doesn't prepare me for whatever you have in mind for me next."

Sariel laughed. It was a strange sound: like a pigeon trying to chuckle. "My child, I can assure you there are far more dangerous things awaiting you in your future than anything I could have in store for you. All I wish is to finish reading your fortune, and then see you find a safe way back to your home." Her expression grew serious. "Or perhaps there is nothing. After all, it is possible, although improbable, that your future life will be entirely conflict-free." She waved her hand over the half-finished spread. "The answer lies ahead, should you wish to discover it."

Reimu gave Sariel a harsh glare, trying to read her intentions right off her skull. When Sariel didn't as much as budge under her gaze, she sighed again and sat back down, still wary. "Okay, fine. Tell me the rest."

Sariel smiled again. "Thank you. It is not often that I have the opportunity to finish a spread. Not in centuries, in fact." She held her hand above the higher card to the far right. "Now, then; the card of past futures."

Reimu's eyes narrowed. "The card of what now?"

Sariel ignored her and flipped the card. Her eyebrow rose barely perceptively.

"Oh, dear me," she said quietly.

"A bad one, then?" Reimu asked. The image on the card, of a lightning-struck tower with two people falling of it sure seemed ominous enough. However, she was still more curious for an explanation for the "past futures" comment.

Sariel nodded. "The Tower. Upright. Disaster. Destruction. Death." She paused for a moment. "I can see the fate awaiting you from this card. Your soul will be torn apart by magic beyond your grasp. You will become the experiment of a twisted scientist. You will perish, and remain stranded in the land of the ghosts. You will become the harbinger of doom for your entire world."

Reimu's stomach lurched. "Wait, are you serious? Are you saying that all of this is going to happen?"

"It will happen, as it has already happened. However," Sariel bowed her head and nodded at the remaining card. "None of these futures are the future of the you sitting in front of me on this day. Your future lies still ahead, engraved into the final card."

Reimu frowned. What was the point of showing her the other card, then? "Don't stop now. It can't possibly get worse than all that."

Sariel flipped the final card. They both stared at it in silence.

After a minute or so, Reimu looked up and said: "Are you kidding me? There are two of those damn things in the deck?"

Sariel picked up the second Tower card just revealed with her long fingers and examined it carefully. "This is quite unusual, I assure you. There is only one of each card in the deck."

Reimu pouted. Any jackass could see there were two Towers right in front of their eyes. So, either this was just due to one of the many magical peculiarities of Makai, or Sariel was pulling a fast one. "And how do you read that one?"

Sariel slowly turned the card around in her hand. "The Beast will be awoken."

Reimu blinked. "Huh?"

Sariel nodded, focusing. "The Beast will be freed from its captivity, and your world shall fall into ruin. Those who oppose the destruction shall be rend asunder. And you..." She fell silent again. When she spoke, her voice was strained. "You will walk with death and malice to save your world, and yet you cannot win, not even after paying the ultimate price..."

Reimu remained silent for quite a while. When she finally spoke, she said, lot more quietly than she usually spoke: "Well, yeah, it's pretty difficult to win once you're dead."

"I am not certain death is the ultimate price you are to pay," Sariel said carefully.

"Okay, whatever." Reimu shook her head. "More importantly, are you making this up? And if you're not, is there anything I can do to make all that not happen?"

"I am merely relaying the visions I am presented with back to you. It is what will happen, nothing more."

"There has to be more you can tell me! Give some hints, at least, if it's going to be real. What can I do to change the future?"

"Hmm..." Sariel placed her index finger on her chin. "Perhaps...the future is not immutable, and neither is fate. It is quite possible I will be able to help you. I shall have to consider our options."

"Options?"

Sariel smiled her curious non-smile. "I do not know whether you are aware of it or not, but my powers stretch relatively far. Now that I have been warned in advance of what will transpire, there may well be something I can do to prevent the calamity." She held her hand to her chest. "In fact, now I fully believe Fate played its part in our chance encounter."

Reimu frowned. "How so?"

"Had you not arrived here, I would not have been able to to read your future, and therefore would have never discovered what the future of your world will hold if I do not act. The situation would have spiralled out of control." Sariel extended her arms towards Reimu. "But we met, and all is well. Rest assured that everything will be taken care of. And I do in fact mean rest. You seem absolutely exhausted, my child."

Reimu wobbled a little as she stood up. "Can you blame me? Have you any idea how hard I had to fight to even get here?" A nagging part of her reminded the rest of her that she had yet to find the culprit behind her shrine's destruction. She sighed wearily. "And I still have to go to Hell to find the jerk who wrecked my home."

"To Hell? Surely not."

Reimu shrugged. "That was my second option. My instinct said this place was the most likely one." She pulled a face. "I suppose it's not always accurate." Although admittedly, even now she still wasn't entirely convinced Sariel wasn't in fact the culprit. She thought so unfairly, perhaps, but the feeling lingered on. Still, she couldn't bring herself to accuse Sariel. She was weird, sure, and more than a little unnerving, but at the same time, Reimu got the feeling she really was trying to help her. "Anyway, I have to get it all sorted out. I have nowhere to go until I find the culprit and have my shrine fixed."

"Oh, my poor child..." Sariel crossed her arms over her chest. "It pains me to see a soul in such pain."

"I'm fine, honestly." She couldn't help but notice Sariel was floating closer.

"It is alright, you do not have to lie for my sake. I can see it clearly." Sariel paused right in front of Reimu and opened her arms again. "Come, rest for a moment. I will shield you from the evil of this world."

Reimu hesitated. What was she going on about? But then, the smile on her face was so kind, and her arms looked so inviting...Reimu hadn't let the full extent of her exhaustion free yet, but now it crept on her like a lurking shadow.

"It's fine, really..." she muttered, looking away.

"Do no worry, there is no need to be embarrassed. No-one will know."

"You will."

Sariel laughed her bird-like laugh. "You are indeed a perceptive child. I shall obviously know, yes, but no-one else shall."

Reimu was just about to say she herself would know as well, but at the last moment decided otherwise. Did it really matter? And what the hell, anyway.

"Whatever." She inched herself non-committally into Sariel's arms. She was warmer than Reimu had expected. Gently, Sariel wrapped her wings around Reimu. The feathers tickled her cheek as they brushed by it.

"It's alright now, just rest." Sariel hesitated. "Tell me, how old are you, child?"

"Thirteen."

Sariel grimaced softly. "So young, and yet saddled with such responsibility...life can truly be unfair."

"I guess..." Reimu mumbled. She could hardly have believed it beforehand, but now she had allowed herself to relax, no matter how briefly, she almost felt like she could fall asleep in the embrace of this strange youkai. "I'm used to it, though, so it's okay."

"Even so, you should not be held responsible for the well-being of an entire world all by yourself."

"Mmm..." Yep, definitely falling sleep. She should've left already, she knew, but right then the thought of getting up, let alone returning home and searching through Hell for the true culprit was an absolute nightmare. She could afford a moment more of Sariel's hospitality.

A moment more...

...

Reimu didn't know when it was that she next opened her eyes, nor why she even did it. It couldn't have been more than ten minutes, and she really wasn't ready to go. She was warm and comfortable in Sariel's arms, and for once in her life she felt truly and honestly safe.

But she still opened her eyes.

At first, she wasn't sure whether she was just seeing things due to over-exhaustion or grogginess. She tried to rub her eyes to clear out her vision, but her hand didn't move. A brief flash of worry crossed across her mind.

It was probably nothing; she had to be seeing things. But still, it was an awfully life-like hallucination...it really looked like her hands and shoulders had merged into Sariel, vanishing where Sariel's body began, fusing her and Sariel together.

Reimu blinked sluggishly as her mind tried to grasp the possible reasons for what she saw. It didn't hurt, in fact it felt downright pleasant, but as relaxed as she was she couldn't stop the niggling feeling in the back of her head from telling her something was seriously wrong here.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Sariel responded with yet another gentle smile.

"I am shielding you from you future, my child. Your powers are necessary for the extended survival of your world, but should you persist to exist in your current form, they will lead to its ruin. I am doing the simplest thing I know to save both you and Gensokyo."

Reimu hesitated. Exhaustion kept pulling her back under the surface, but she couldn't let this line of questioning go. "And exactly what is it that you're doing?"

Sariel kept smiling like a statue. "I am absorbing you and your power into myself. You may rest in peace, existing in constant slumber without a care in the world. Your powers will remain within me, ensuring the safety of your world. Everyone benefits."

"I don't know, that sounds kinda fishy..." Reimu began, but her words vanished into mumbling just as more of her vanished into Sariel. Somewhere deep within her mind she knew that whatever was going on was bad and dangerous and not something she should agree to, but at that moment it didn't seem to matter. She was too tired to think, and the rest Sariel promised her sounded so alluring...

The tiny but persistent part of her mind kept screaming at her about how Sariel had her under some wicked spell and that she should fight it with every fibre of her being, but she closed her arms and embraced the warm safety of Sariel's arms at full force.

The last thing she remembered hearing before falling asleep for the last time was Sariel's voice, gentle as a summer breeze:

"There is no longer nothing to fear, my child. The nightmare is over."