Louise opened her eyes. She expected a futon beneath her, a blanket over her, and Kusae beside her. But none of that was true. Instead she found herself looking up at the clear night sky, lying on a bed of grass against an old tree, Kusae nowhere to be found.

Getting up , Louise looked at her surroundings. The grass was long and irregular in length, the trees were large and old, covered in old bark and claw marks. The canopy was dense, but patches of it were torn, allowing light from the moon to pass through and strike the dew spotted grass. The thing that made her the most worried though, was the feeling. She could tell the forest she was in was unfamiliar and old, but the thing that terrified her, was how it felt. The forest was dangerous; an aura of destruction and horror filled it. A mist of fear and pain blanketed it. And the roots of ferality embraced it. Before, Louise would never had known any of this, but now she could feel it easily; that This forest was dangerous.

Looking around, Louise picked the direction that felt the least ominous, and began walking. The forest was large, and as Louise walked through it, she could feel something watching her from all directions at once.

"This doesn't make sense. How did I get here?" Louise asked herself out loud as she walked. Step by step by never changing step the forest remained the same as Louise walked, until she came to a tree, with pressed down grass. Louise looked at it for a moment before the realization hit her. She had gone in a circle. "How, I was walking straight line the entire time. Wasn't I?"

"Silly human!" came a strange feral voice from all around. "You know nothing of this forest, so you will never leave it alive!"

"Who are you? Where are you?" Louise called as she began looking about the forest around her.

"Wouldn't you like to know? Foolish humans like you always think it will be so easy, just to skirt along the forest's edge. You think that the black witch or the Miko's can always protect you, you think that all of us are oh so nice and understanding!" the unknown voice screamed in a rage that reverberated across the trees and grasses.

"What, what are you taking about?!"

"Oh, you don't know? Are you perhaps from outside? If so, that would explain your lack of information. But I dislike explanations, so I shall just kill you now, and if you're lucky you'll understand while I digest you!" the voice screamed.

Hearing it scream Louise was able to discern its direction, and turned to the canopy above her. Leaping out of the trees was a great black monster. Built like a giant cat, its fur black as the night forest and its nine eyes as bright as hot charcoal. Its five tails were alight with green flame, and its lip-less mouth bared three rows of serrated canines. Knowing where it came from Louise was able to jump away from it, but just barely. The creature stood on its six muscular legs where Louise been and growled at her. "Heh, prey should not be so . . . . . . . . . . . . disregarding. I've already caught you, and yet you make me exert extra energy just to kill you. Such bad manners!" The creature said, green saliva dripping from between its teeth and dripping to the ground with a hiss.

Louise looked at the creature and raised a brow. "What are you?"

The creature let out a snarl and clawed the ground, its long golden claws reflecting the light of the moon. "You are from outside, aren't you? Very well, I suppose I'll tell you. I am a youkai! A creature of fantasy that will now consume you!" the youkai screamed as he leapt toward Louise with claws out and fangs bared.

Louise leapt to the side, and screamed in pain as its claws dug into her back. Falling to the ground Louise caught herself and looked to the side, seeing the youkai licking her blood off of its claws.

"Not bad. I bet your warm flesh will be even tastier!"

Louise cringed. She had no weapon, and no foci to cast magic through, how was she supposed to defend herself!

"What's wrong, prey? Trying to find a way to survive? The tears of fear leaking from your eyes would taste brilliant I'm sure!"

Hearing this Louise brushed her face and found water on her hand. Was she tearing up? Was she that afraid? Louise shook her head, the answer was obvious. Of course she was scared. She had no weapon, and no means to focus her oblivion magic. Every fight she had ever been in for her life had either been training, or a time where someone saved her. Her training with Youmu had brought out skills she never knew she had, but that was with a sword. She had her footwork skills now, and she had all the skills that she had learned while researching magic, but her knowledge of youkai was incomplete and partial. She had to survive though, even without complete information, she had too!

"Time to die!" The youkai screamed as it leapt toward Louise. Louise glared at it and prepared to leap away at the last minute to give her some more time to run, but she didn't have to. As the youkai flew through the air toward her, a massive blast of blue and white light soared through the forest, and blotted out the youkai. Louise could only look on in surprise as the light seared away its silhouette, and then died out, leaving the forest completely untouched.

"You alright?" came a soft voice.

Looking over to the source of the voice Louise found its owner, and was not sure what to think. The woman standing before her was dressed almost like a maid of Halkeginia. Her black and white blouse and dress fit her perfectly, though her strange black and white pointed hat was not familiar. Braided blonde hair fell out from under her hat, and her face was warm and friendly. In one hand she held a long broom, and in the other, a strange wooden block with a smoking center that looked to be made of metal or a type of silver gemstone. The blonde lowered the wooden block, placing it into a pocket, and walked over to Louise as she tried to answer. " I- err, who-?"

"Ah, a little shell shocked, sorry about that." The blonde said as she reached out a hand to Louise. "It's not safe here in the forest during a full moon, you can stay at my place for the night."

Louise looked at the blonde woman and could feel a strange warmth from her, and took her hand with a nod. "O-okay."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Yukari-sama, may I speak freely?" Ran asked as she sat beside Yukari on the walkway of their home, the garden outstretched before them.

Yukari smiled and pointed to the garden where Youmu was going through dual blade styles with Kusae; two blades sticking out of the sleeves of her kimono and reflecting moonlight. "About this?"

Ran shook her head. "No, I know why this is done. I don't agree with what you did to Louise though."

"I don't need you to agree with me Ran. Just like Kusae needed some alone training, Louise needs some as well."

"But just dropping her into Gensokyo's wilderness is too dangerous!"

"It is not dangerous, she'll be fine as long as-,"

"You forgot it's a full moon Yukari-sama!"

Yukari was quiet for many moments before turning to Ran. "It- oh."

Ran sighed heavily as she got up off of the walkway. "I knew it. I shall go."

"No. this could still work well actually." Yukari said with a grin.

"But it's a full moon tonight and-,"

"It will work. I had intended to make her just feel some fear so she knew helplessness, but this can work even better. If I'm right, she may finally understand herself. And what she needs more than to understand strength or fear is to understand herself.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Louise looked about the home of the girl that had found her, and was surprised. The girl seemed so together and calm as they had walked through the forest, making her think that she must be someone of great skill and poise, but her home was an absolute mess, with books clothing and even vials of liquid lying about. It painted a picture that was different from the girl itself, and while Louise knew not to make assumptions so quickly, it was hard not to.

"Would you like tea?" The blonde suddenly asked as she stood in her homes kitchen.

"Err, um yes, please."

The blonde smiled and a moment later sat down across from Louise, placing two green teacups on the table along with a large pot of boiling water. Taking a quick drink of tea the blonde replaced her cup and smiled to Louise. "I didn't have chance before so I'll do so now. My name's Marisa Kirisame, an ordinary magician of the forest of magic."

"Ah, I see. Oh! Sorry. "Louise suddenly said as she bowed in her seat. " I'm Louise Vallière, a-apprentice to Yukari Yakumo. Th-thank you for saving me."

"It's no problem, but did you just say you were Yukari's apprentice?" Marisa asked as she topped up her teacup.

Louise nodded.

"I see. I guess I'll just trust ya then." Marisa said with a laugh. "But why were you in the forest?"

"I – I don't know. What was that forest anyway?"

"This forest actually, my home is inside it. This is the forest of magic, Gensokyo's largest natural source of raw mana."

"Largest-?"

Marisa nodded. "Yep. It's not as dense as Yukari's place, or some others, but the mana here is raw and constantly replenishing itself, it's part of the forest itself so it is a great place for a magician like me to do research and gather materials."

"I- I see. Wait, does that mean, you can use magic?"

"Well I am a magician, so yeah. Why? Is it strange?"

"No it's just, I hadn't met anyone else here who actually uses magic yet, I guess."

"You're Yukari's apprentice, but you use magic? Interesting. As a magician to another, do you want to talk about magic then?"

Louise's face lit up like a light. The sudden idea of just casually talking about magic, just talking about was like a dream. During school she never had a chance; she always had to study constantly if she could get it and so she could keep up, but now. Louise smiled, "That sounds nice actually. What magic do you use? I read most people in this world specialize in a certain type and then branch out, right?"

Marisa nodded with a smile. "I specialize in light magic and alchemic potions. You?"

"Um, I'm still learning what I have a natural talent for. But oblivion magic is hard, and I can't use it without a sturdy foci."

"Ah" Marisa said in sudden understanding. "I can understand that. Conceptual magic is the hardest kind to learn, and I can imagine how hard it would be to learn as your primary."

"Well, I know tiny bits of the basics of a few others, but not anything I can really do anything with it."

Marisa sat silent for a minute before standing up and rummaging through a pile of junk behind her chair, "Here!" Marisa called as she tossed something to Louise.

Louise caught the item and looked it over, it looking like a long pink colored wand. "This is, a wand?"

"It's the one my mother first gave me to practice magic with, I can attest to its durability. I'm sure it will be able to focus even conceptual magic."

". . . You – you're giving this to me?"

Marisa let out a short laugh. "No I'm letting you borrow it, to practice with."

"P-practice what?"

"Your magic. The best way to learn to control your magic, though I hate to admit it, is through repetition. No youkai gets near my place, so if you'd like you can practice your magic you can. I can maybe give pointers too, though conceptual magic is not my forte."

Louise looked to Marisa and then to the wand she was handed before looking back to Marisa, and nodding. "If I won't be in the way, then please."

Marisa smiled and stood up from her chair, "Then let's head outside and begin!

Walking outside of Marisa's home Louise was able to get a good look at both its outside and the area around it. Around the house were few trees, and the only thing that seemed strange was the large metal barrel by the side of the house. Following Marisa, they both took a position beside a large stump that appeared to have numerous holes and slash marks upon it. Across the area around the home, and across from the stump, where three large square wooden targets. Taking the wand she had been given Louise took a deep breath and pointed it to the targets, until Marisa's hand lay across hers and lowered her arms.

"How often have you cast oblivion magic?"

Louise turned to Marisa and moved her gaze away from her eyes. "Um, once."

"I'm guessing you focused on a target to cast it right?"

"Yeah, how did you-?"

"All magic follows certain principles. Oblivion magic is a kind that is hard to control but extremely powerful, so having a target in mind helps its casting. Is it all you've cast?"

"Other than some minor experimenting with some of the elemental magic's, yes."

Marisa smiled. "Were any of them effective?"

"To a point, but only wind magic was any good."

"I see. Can you try something then?"

"What?"

"I'd like you to try using your wind magic to project your oblivion magic at a target without thinking of the target as a focus."

Louise looked at Marisa for a moment and nodded. "I can try, but . . . why?"

"I want to see if you can basically. Can you?"

Louise nodded and held the wand to her side, concentrating on doing what Marisa had asked. Closing her eyes she concentrated, and could feel what she did when she first cast her oblivion magic. She could feel the winds flowing through the forest and sky, she could feel the air around her tense and harden, and beyond that she could feel all of oblivion. Like a great black knife that warped and bubbled around everything and nothing it felt both like a demon and an angel, like black and white, like right and wrong. Yukari had told her that oblivion was a concept, but that all concepts had a force they exerted on the world. Oblivion was an end to all things, but also a beginning. With that in mind Louise opened her eyes and swung the wand in a broad arc, releasing a small black orb that both wind and air seemed to avoid, allowing it to careen perfectly into a target. The black ball exploded as it struck the target, disappearing as if it never existed, and taking a small portion of the target out of existence with it.

"Wow, not bad at all, can you do it again?"

Louise nodded "I can try." Louise said as she held the wand to her side once more. "I have a request though, could I see your magic?"

Marisa smiled. "Regular magic or my powerful stuff?"

"Um, your most powerful I guess?"

"So you want to see how strong I am, that it?"

"Um, I guess so." Louise said as she swung her wand and sent out another black ball towards a target. This time however it careened to the side and missed the target, taking away a patch of dirt.

Marisa let out a small giggle. "I get it. Okay. Here I go then." Marisa said as she pulled out the strange wooden block that Louise had seen before. As Louise watched she could feel energy gathering in the wooden block, a massive amount of energy that put mages in Halkeginia to shame. As the energy reached its apex Marisa smiled and let out a roar, releasing all of the energy a she spoke "Love sign, Master Spark!"

By the time the words reached Louise's ears the light had already blinded her and subsided, leaving the three targets completely obliterated, but the tree's unaffected. "Th-that's, wow. How'd you cast something so powerful so fast?"

Marisa smiled. "A combination of experience, raw power and it being my most signature spell, that's how!" Marisa explained, leaving out the fact of it being a Spellcard completely. "Though I can tell I have something you lack."

"S-something, that I, lack? What do you mean?"

Marisa's smile disappeared as she sat down on the stump and looked to Louise." I'm one of a handful of people that go into action when Gensokyo becomes endangered. I've fought many battles against being far greater than I, and have come out on top; all because I have something I love and protect."

Louise looked to Marisa and raised a brow. "I don't quite get what you're meaning."

Marisa's face became sad as she continued to speak. "When I was young, my mother died. She was a skilled magician who wanted to help people with her magic, and was willing to endanger herself to do it. While saving a kid from an angry youkai she healed his wounds, but her magic was weak from the fight and she exhausted herself. She died but he lived, and that's what she wanted."

"I, I'm sorry."

"My father blamed my mother's death on her magic, and decided to keep me away from learning it. I learnt anyway from my mother's old books. When my father found out, he tried to dissuade me by disowning me."

Louise looked to Marisa as her face darkened at what she was told. Disowned, just like her father had done to her. "I guess you hate him then, huh?"

Marisa shook his head. "No. I don't hate him. He did it because he cares about me, I just didn't agree with him is all. "

"So, you don't hate him, even though he disowned you? That doesn't make sense!" Louise nearly screamed, a dozen different emotions seeping into her voice at once.

"How so, it makes perfect sense for-."

"No it doesn't!" Louise screamed in agonizing sadness. "He disowned you! People only do that when they despise you. When they hate you! When they don't care for you and wish you never existed!"

"It's possible that I may have been spending too much time with Patchouli lately!" Marisa stated as her lips curled and her eyes narrowed. "But that pisses me off. I don't know what you've been through Louise, but I was going to explain to you my reasoning for how I think. Now I think I'll blast it into you instead!"

Louise looked up to Marisa, tears sliding down her face, and then leapt to the side, barely dodging a bright white and yellow beam that blasted past where she had been. Looking over she now saw Marisa standing beside the stump she had been sitting upon, with both her broom and wooden block in her two hands. "W-what was that-?"

"What was that for? It's simple. You're pissing me off! If you won't let me tell you why it makes sense then I'll beat it into you! If you won't tell me why you think that way I'll beat it out of you!" Marisa said as she pointed the end of her broom towards Louise. "I probably have been sending too much time around Patchouli to let such a little thing piss me off, but I'll deal with it later. Either fight or be blown away, Louise!"

Suddenly feeling a terrible bloodlust Louise leapt to the side, barely dodging another laser, and began running around the clearing as Marisa stood her ground and fired relentlessly.

"What's wrong, Louise? Marisa yelled as blast after blast after bright blast rocketed out of the tip of her broom like cannon fire. "Don't have the guts to fight someone! Don't you have people that care about you and want to see you? Don't you have things you need to be alive to protect!?"

Louise dodged shot after shot as she ran and rolled around the clearing outside of Marisa's home. She had no chance of getting near Marisa with the amount of fire that was being released toward her, and the closer a laser got to her the more it contrasted the night that surrounded them, playing havoc with her sight. She had to strike her at range to have any chance, and she had only moments before discovered how. Louise dodged blast after blast, and as soon as a break came between their fire, she willed her magic and prepared to strike back at Marisa. Only nothing happened. As she swung the wand not a thing happened, no oblivion magic, no wind magic, not even a flicker of power.

"Pay attention!" Marisa screamed, causing Louise to look up just in time to be struck by a large laser, sending her backwards into a tree at the forest's edge with a heavy crack. Seeing her attack hit its mark Marisa stopped firing and walked over toward Louise, stopping almost a dozen feet away. "Magic is a finicky thing, Louise. It's controlled by your will and your body, but the thing that controls both of those has just as much effect over magic as they do. If your emotions and mind are clouded or in chaos, magic has trouble working and can act unpredictably. It's the same reason why my attacks had so much trouble hitting you. Now tell me. Why would you say such a thing against my father when you have never met him! Tell me, Louise!"

Louise lifted her aching body off the grass and looked up to Marisa, seeing both tears and hate in her eyes. "You said he disowned you, how could he not hate and despise you then!"

"Because he loved me! Why do you think something like that means he would despise me, Louise? Why!?"

"Because that's the only possibility!" Louise screamed. "If someone is disowned it's because people don't need or want them!"

"And how would you know!"

"Because my father disowned me!" Louise yelled. "I was disowned because I couldn't use magic or summon a familiar and my family didn't even care enough to see me. They didn't care to stop me from being disowned! He disowned me so why would being disowned mean anything else!"

"Because unless they specifically said they despised you, how would you know!" Marisa countered. "You said your family was not there, right? Well, where were they then?"

"I- I don't know but-"

"Then you can't know if they approved of your father disowning you or not! You can't know if they do or don't love you!"

"But if they cared they wouldn't have allowed it! They would have-"

"They would have what? Did you not think that they couldn't know! That they couldn't arrive in time! Did you even see them or ask them before deciding to hate them so much! . . . . . . Get up!" Marisa said coldly, her eyes seeming somehow deeper than the night sky, as fresh tears circled them

"Why?" Louise asked in between sniffles as she slowly got up regardless.

"Because . . . . . . . . . . . We're not done yet!" Marisa said with a roar s numerous glowing balls of light appeared behind her and began firing off small pulses of light toward Louise.

Seeing them careen toward her, Louise leapt out of the way, wand in hand. Trying to put as much distance as possible between her and Marisa she ran directly away from her, and noticed a glass vial land beside her as she ran. The next thing Louise knew she was on her side on the cold grass, her body aching as she visibly smoked. As she pushed herself up off the ground and looked to the side, her vision was blotted out by the sight of a broom handle slamming into her face and knocking her back to the ground.

Picking herself up again Louise could not tell what had happened, until her face stung madly. She had been hit in the face by Marisa's broom. Louise groaned, and then heard the telltale sound of Marisa's lasers heading toward her. Focusing her mind Louise swung the wand to block Marisa's laser with her oblivion magic, but again nothing happened, and she found herself struck heavily in the side by a large laser.

Marisa watched as her laser smashed into Louise and knocked her far down the grass and into the wall of her home. "Do you think you can do anything like that, Louise!? Magic is about your mind, it's not like fighting with sticks and stones! A magician's greatest weapon is their mind, but if it's clouded with doubt then you can't do a thing. Do you seriously believe what you say? Do you really believe your family hates you if you haven't confirmed a thing? Do you really think you can do a thing the way you are right now!?"

Louise placed her hands on the cold grass and tried to stand, but found she could not push herself off of her hands and knees. Trying again Louise strained her limbs, noticing as she did that tears were falling from her face onto the dirt before her. She was crying, why was she crying? All she had done was tell Marisa what had happened to her, did it really upset her that much?

Louise watched as more tears dropped from her face onto the dirt, and the answer was immediately obvious to her. She hadn't wanted to admit it all this time, but the truth was that she only hated her father for the way he treated her; and for disowning her. She didn't feel anything against her mother or sisters; she had just been using that excuse to keep herself focused on learning, and not on wanting to see them even just one last time.

Louise watched more tears drop from her face onto the cold night dirt, and realized what this was about. Marisa wasn't fighting her because she was testing her magic or upset with her ideal, she was fighting her because she knew she wasn't being true to herself. Understanding this Louise clenched her fist in the cold hard dirt, and forced her now aching body to move. Inch by inch, foot by foot, Louise lifted her body up until she stood beside Marisa's home, facing her with wand in hand.

"What, do you suddenly think you can win? You can't win! You can't do anything with your attitude the way it is!" Marisa screamed.

"I can." Louise replied hollowly before looking directly at, and locking eyes with Marisa. "I can do anything . . . I put my mind to!"

"Then prove it to me!" Marisa growled as she pointed her wooden block to Louise. In less than a second Louise could feel magic gathering around Marisa, only it was terrifyingly far more than she had ever felt, and when Marisa began reciting its incantation, the magic continued to amplify. "Perversion, perverse love that seeps from the bowels of the heart, the honest love of the mind, the pure love of the soul, caring love of the family, and time honored love of those around you. Answer my demands, carve my love, protect those I love, and destroy my foes. Perversion, Sure-fire Master Spark!"

Louise's eyes went wide as Marisa's words left her lips, and her spell left the wooden block. A blast of light magic so powerful that it warped reality all around it just from raw power alone. As the beam flew toward her, far too large to dodge, time seemed to slow to a crawl as memories, ideals, concepts and emotions flooded Louise's mind.

Her father had always been hard on her; was constantly forcing her to try to work past her limits. But he did this not for her own good, but for his, for if she was weak then it would seem that he was. All he ever seemed to care about was the family name, and Louise had never once seen him act with anything beyond neutrality to her mother.

Her mother had been hard as well, but it was a different kind. Hard but fair; always asking her if she believed she could do better and helping her believe she could. Her sisters helped in that as well, constantly helping her in any way they could.

When her father disowned her at the academy, her mother was not with him when she should have been; she never let such serious decisions be left to just him after all. But she hadn't thought of it, she was so terrified by the prospect her mind had chosen the worst possible options, like her mother not caring.

Clink.

Louise's gaze shifted down slightly to see the outline of her sisters cloak brooch that she had been given when she first went to the academy lying in the ground. The only thing of her families she took with her when she left the academy with Yukari-sama. The brooch had been her sister's, but had also apparently been her mother's as well as her grandmothers, a family heirloom in a sense. It had always brought her strength of mind and heart when she had needed it at the academy; and she had completely forgotten about it since leaving, having stuffed it into her kimono's pocket. The simple fact that she had forgotten about something she cared about so dearly sickened her, but then a worse thought crossed her mind.

The laser.

The attack of Marisa's that was flowing toward her was so powerful it would destroy the brooch, and Louise didn't have the time to pick it up or cover it effectively. Marisa's lasers seemed to only harm non-natural objects, leaving the forest completely unscathed whenever she hit them, and her brooch was not natural, it would be destroyed. Louise suddenly whipped the arm holding the wand to the side as words she did not fully understand left her lips. "Darkness of the unseen moon, holder of binding and unseen light. Void that covers all, void that covers nothing, blend and break that which clashes. Void Glass!"

Louise's words left her lips as the beam was a mere foot away from her, and then struck a surface like glass that had not been there, and had no intention of being there. The beam spread across it, showering the surrounding area in sparks and fragments of power that could sunder a city, and as quickly as it had been fired, the beam and wall of unseen glass both disappeared, and ended.

Louise stood there for a moment before dropping to her knees and picking up her brooch with her free hand, looking to Marisa as she did with a small smile. "I- I told you I could. I can protect . . . whatever, I, need . . . . . too."

And with that, Louise fell face first onto the ground, holding the brooch to her chest.

Marisa looked at Louise for a moment, but when she did not see her move from the spot she lay on the ground, took a step forward, and found an arm in front of her barring her way. Looking over Marisa found Yukari Yakumo standing beside her, fan in front of her face, but angled in such a way that she could see a soft smile from her lips.

"Thank you Marisa, I hope she wasn't too hard to deal with." Yukari said as she closed her fan and put it away. "Ran, please make sure Louise is alright."

Without making a sound, Ran appeared above Louise and began looking her over as Marisa turned to face Yukari, an angry look covering her face along with the remains of her tears. "You, you knew about this? You dropped her in the forest?"

Yukari nodded. "I hoped to make her understand true fear, but this proved to be much more important for her, though when I realized you were helping her, I was surprised to see you doing it so seriously."

"She could have died if I hadn't found her!"

"And she could have died if she hadn't just now cast oblivion magic to protect herself. I haven't heard of you being so aggressive in quite a few years. What happened?"

Marisa looked away from Yukari as she wiped her face and nose on the shoulder of her sleeve. "Maybe I've spent too much time around Patchouli. I let my emotions get ahead of me."

"I don't think Miss Knowledge has anything to do with it."

Maris turned to look and Yukari and nodded. "She . . . . . reminded me of myself . . . . When I first came to the forest of magic after. . . . . . After, my father disowned me. So hateful and emotional, letting the simplest things turn into the most tragic and terrible."

"So you helped her because you didn't want the same thing to happen to her, huh? Did you tell her?" Yukari asked quietly and solemnly.

Marisa shook her head. "No. Not that my father has been long dead, nor that I never got to apologize for all my brashness and stupidity, or the things I said."

"You're father loved you very much you know."

"I know. I've been told that by many people, Keine and Kourin in particular. I had to make her realize. I had to." Marisa said, small tears forming around her eyes.

Yukari carefully placed an arm on Marisa's shoulder as she handed her a handkerchief, but Marisa pushed it away as Yukari spoke. "I'm surprised you gave her time though, casting without using a Spellcard like you did."

"I knew she was a human, even if she didn't realize that I wasn't. If I had used Spellcards on her she would have not had time to react; and I guess I wanted to remember how to cast without Spellcards."

"A good plan. Thank you again for watching over her, and helping her." Yukari said as she took a step toward Louise, but was then stopped by Marisa's broom being in the way.

"How exactly are you teaching her?"

" . . . . Youmu is teaching her skills with a blade, while she learns the basics of magic herself. I will only be able to teach her myself when she's ready to learn the most powerful of oblivion magic's."

Marisa stood there for many moments before sniffing heavily and lowering her broom, turning to Yukari. "Then let me!"

"Marisa?"

"If you can't teach her the basics and important things, then I can!"

"You're hardly a teacher Marisa, and besides-"

"Mima was hardly a teacher and I learned fine from her. If she could teach me then I can, at the very least, teach Louise what books cannot!"

Yukari looked at Marisa for a few moments and almost gasped to herself. In Marisa's eyes she could see that she meant what she said, and saw a determination that was rarely seen. Yukari nodded. "Very well, but you know that she is from a different world, right?"

Marisa nodded. "She did say something like that. Why?"

"Things in her world are becoming very serious, and I'm sure that she will want to have a hand in stopping things from going out of hand, even more so now."

". . . How long then?"

" . . . . . . I'll give you three days to teach her as much as you can. I'll leave it to you. Ran we're leaving!"

Marisa turned and watched as Yukari and Ran walked away and disappeared into the forest, and a small soft smile crossed her face. "I don't know why I'm doing this honestly, but thank you, I'll teach her well."