Upon entering, she again looked for Sakuya, now finding her cleaning up the dining room. As Patchouli approached, Sakuya looked to her with concern.

"Madam Patchouli... are you alright?"

"Sakuya. I need to talk to you," Patchouli said, leery of Remilia as she looked around. "...Can we go outside for a moment?"

"Of course," Sakuya replied, the two heading out as they stepped into the sunny front yard. Patchouli then took a deep breath, slowly looking to Sakuya as the two stood before the manor's rose garden.

"...What we say here stays between us, right?" Patchouli asked.

"Of course, madam," Sakuya replied. Patchouli sighed.

"Drop the 'madam' stuff, will you? It's just us here," she said. Sakuya smiled.

"I'm sorry, Patchouli. Force of habit, I suppose."

"Sakuya... the rumors you've heard about me and Marisa... they're true. I've been seeing her for the past week or two, and the two of us have become a bit more than friends."

"I see. I suspected as much."

"Please, Sakuya. You mustn't tell Remilia I told you this. Promise me!"

"Alright, Patchouli. I promise."

"...The truth is...," Patchouli said, briefly hesitating as she gave a small blush."...I... I think I love Marisa. I think about her day and night, and each time I leave her, all I care about is seeing her again. I've never felt this way before, but... it scares me. I know how Remilia feels, and worry for Marisa's safety."

"...I worry for yours," Sakuya said with concern. Patchouli paused.

"Sakuya...," she said softly. "...I hate to ask this of you, but... will you help cover for me? You have the mistress' ear. She listens to you more than anyone else in the manor. Tell her the two of us are just friends. Tell her we're simply conducting magic rituals, and that's all there is to it. She'll listen to you."

"Patchouli..."

"Please, Sakuya!" Patchouli said, on the verge of tears. "I... I know it's a selfish request, but... the truth is... I feel I may die if I don't keep seeing Marisa. For the first time in my life, I finally feel alive. It's like my heart has been locked away in a cage these past hundred years, and after all this time, it's finally been set free," Patchouli explained gently. Sakuya frowned, noticing the delicate look on her face as a cool autumn breeze blew through the trees.

"...Alright, Patchouli. I'll do my best. I can't guarantee anything, however. The mistress is a shrewd woman, and not easily fooled. But if you insist, I'll do my best to convince her your relationship with Miss Kirisame is innocent," Sakuya concluded. Patchouli gently smiled.

"Sakuya... thank you," she said softly. "Also...," she said, briefly hesitating as her face filled with guilt. "...there's something I've been meaning to tell you..."

"...You mean about the book?" Sakuya asked without missing a beat. Patchouli froze in surprise.

"...You... knew about it?"

"Of course. How could I not notice it was gone? I knew you took it from day one," Sakuya said casually.

"And... you're not mad...?"

"Of course not. I mean, I'd rather you not break into my room and go through my personal belongings, but if you were really that determined to find it and learn the books magic, I don't mind. Just make sure you take care of it, and return it to me when you're done. I keep that book as a memento of Lester...," Sakuya said, suddenly falling silent as Patchouli quietly looked to her.

"Oh yeah... the vampire hunter you received the book from, right?"

"Yes... it's the only thing I have to remember him by," she replied somberly. Patchouli paused.

"...Sakuya...," she said cautiously. "...did you and Lester...?" she asked softly. Sakuya remained silent, slowly closing her eyes with a slight smile.

"...Who knows?" she replied quietly, looking to the horizon as a cool breeze blew through her hair.

Patchouli paused in silence. Deep down, she sensed Sakuya did indeed care for the vampire hunter, but Patchouli knew how prideful Sakuya was, and knew she'd never admit to such a thing.

"...Well don't worry. I promise to take care of the book. Since you know I've borrowed it, though... would you mind helping me learn what's inside? To be honest, the text is harder than I thought it would be, and I've been stuck on the same section for weeks, now," Patchouli said.

Suddenly, Sakuya raised an eyebrow.

"Patchouli," she said, arms folded as she turned to the witch. "What exactly do you wish to learn from that book?"

"...Time magic."

"And why do you wish to learn it?" Sakuya asked. Patchouli hesitated.

"...To expand my repertoire of spells. That's all," she replied. Sakuya smiled.

"Come now, Patchouli. You're a terrible liar. What you really mean to say is you wish to learn time magic so you may one day have the power to be free of Mistress Remilia. Is that right?" Sakuya asked. Patchouli warily looked around.

"...Yes," she replied quietly.

"Well let me remind you of something. I owe my life to our good mistress. I know how strong you are, and know how you feel about Mistress Remilia, especially as of late. But make no mistake. I will not tolerate any violence against her. I doubt there are any strong enough to defeat the mistress, but if any were to try, I would defend her with my life. A fight against Remilia is a fight against me. You would do well to remember that, Patchouli," Sakuya said. Patchouli frowned.

"But why? Why are you so loyal to her!? So what if she spared your life centuries ago? She's done nothing but use you as her personal slave ever since! Don't you get tired of her cruelty? Don't you wish to break free of her grasp!?" Patchouli asked. Sakuya quietly smiled.

"You don't understand, Patchouli. Perhaps you're not old enough, yet. The bond the mistress and I share is something deeper than most can comprehend. We've been together for centuries. I know how cold Remilia acts, but deep down, she has a heart of gold."

"...No. She doesn't. You've just fallen under her spell. She wishes to tear me and Marisa apart! How could anyone with a pure heart want that!?"

"The mistress loves you, Patchouli. She's just protective of you. That's all," Sakuya replied. Patchouli suddenly froze.

"...She... loves me...?" she asked, faintly smiling soon after. "Ha! Don't make me laugh. I've seen the way she looks at me. I'm nothing but her plaything, same as you, Hong, and everyone else in the manor is! Remilia doesn't care about anyone but herself, nor has she ever," Patchouli replied. Sakuya shook her head and sighed.

"Patchouli... I wish you could understand our mistress the way I do. You have a kind heart as well, but I fear you misunderstand Remilia's intentions," Sakuya replied.

"I doubt that. Remilia is a cruel, evil person who seeks to keep Marisa and I apart. That's not going to happen! Marisa and I will be together, and not you, Remilia, or the rest of the world will stop us!" Patchouli declared, leaving the yard moments later.

As Sakuya quietly watched Patchouli leave, Marisa sat at a desk in a bedroom of her house, humming as she took out her diary. She picked up a pen, opening the book to a fresh page.

10/10/XX

Oh, what a beautiful morning! The sun is shining, the birds are chirping,

and later, Patchy is stopping by for another visit! I can hardly wait to see

her again! From the first moment I saw her I just knew the two of us would

hit it off! She's smart, mysterious, and ever so pretty. She plays it down,

but really, she's the prettiest girl around.

...

...Well. Aside from my darling Reimu, that is. Oh, Reimu... when will you ever

see how much I love you? How many times must I visit your shrine before you

realize my feelings for you? Perhaps you don't feel the same? Perhaps you do

and are playing hard to get? Either way, I will make you mine! Someday, you'll

realize my love for you! Your heart will be mine, Reimu Hakurei!

Marisa gently put her pen down, proofreading what she'd written as she gave a light blush, picturing Reimu in her mind. Since the first moment she'd laid eyes on the young shrine maiden, Marisa's heart belonged to her. The sole reason she'd even bothered venturing into Gensokyo to confront Remilia was to impress Reimu, and her failure at the hands of the vampire annoyed her to no end. That didn't deter her, however. Marisa was determined to prove her love to Reimu, and would stop at nothing until she was hers.

But how did Marisa feel about Patchouli? While she was sure she was head over heels about Reimu, she still wasn't sure how she felt about the librarian from Scarlet Devil Manor. She knew she liked her, and certainly enjoyed her company. But was it love? It was a question Marisa struggled to answer. As she pondered her feelings for Patchouli, she wandered out to the living room, taking a seat before staring out at the woods.

As Marisa sat lost in thought, Reimu stood outside the Hakurei Shrine, diligently sweeping up as the sun gently set on the horizon. As day slowly changed into night, Reimu put down her broom, wiping her brow before staring off at the distance.

"Such lovely weather this evening. Perhaps I should invite some guests over...," she thought quietly.