[Author's Note: Several hours before the previous chapter, Zelretch had used a spell to escape from a Combine Advisor. Only side effect was Sakura Matou was displaced in a different reality. To see Sakura's tale before Zel was reunited, we must go back some time, to when Sakura was warped into the Land of Illusion.]

Sakura found herself in what looked like the countryside. Many fireflies, or what looked like fireflies, could be seen in the night sky. She got up and looked around, "Professor? Professor Zel?" She didn't want to attract too much attention so she didn't shout.

Sakura examined her surroundings. She was on a dirt road that appeared to lead into a forest. The trees that made up the forest were not overly tall, but the forest itself was vast in scope. She felt daunted from looking into the forest, with its many dancing lights going to and fro from the treetops. She then heard a voice singing. It wasn't a song of words, it was simply a young woman singing, "La la la-la-laaaaaa~"

Sakura found the voice captivating. Walking to where it was coming from, she called out, "Hello? Is anyone there? I got lost."

She then saw something that looked out of place; an old-fashioned yakitori stand. By now, she realized she was in a different reality. The bright lights of the stand were a relief. She seated herself at the stand when a woman appeared, "Good evening! What can I get for you?"

I'm definitely in a different world. This woman manning the stand sported hot pink hair, strange ears, and most apparent of all, bird-like wings coming from her back. She wore a simple brown-and-white dress, one that looked like it was made in the past. Sakura sat on a seat facing the woman and asked, "Excuse me, I don't know where I am. Could you tell me?"

The woman said, as if she were reading off an advertisement, "You are at the stand of Mystia Lorelei, famed chef on the border that separates the Human Village from the Forest of Magic!"

Sakura looked dumbfounded, "I'm sorry, where?"

Mystia looked at her, "Wait, you're not from the village, are you?"

"Village? I'm from Fuyuki City, if you're curious."

Mystia looked dejected, "Oh. You're from the outside world, aren't you?"

Sakura was still confused, "I guess. I suppose I'll tell you. I was traveling with a man, a man who can move through time and space, but we . . . we ran into trouble. He teleported me out of danger, and I ended up here. Eh heh! You must think I'm crazy!"

Mystia assured, "Not in the slightest. Happens a lot. Say, were you accompanied by a woman, somewhat tall, blonde hair, wears beautiful dresses?"

Sakura shook her head, "No, it was just me and the Professor. Well, that's what my family calls him. He's pretty tough, I'm sure he'll come by soon enough."

Mystia said, "Wait a moment, someone teleported you past the Boundary, into Gensokyo, not a woman, but a man?"

Before Sakura could say anything, a young, brash voice called out, "You scammin' again, Mystia?"

Sakura turned around and saw a girl . . . a girl with two horns coming from her head. She had long orange hair in a ponytail and wore a purple-and-white dress with manacles around her wrists and ankles. Mystia looked at the short girl, "No! Not at all! I told everyone-I even told the Yama I wasn't gonna do that anymore!"

The girl sat next to Sakura. She pulled out a purple gourd and took a sip. She told Mystia, "In that case, get me my favorite!"

"Coming right up!"

The horned child, only now opening her eyes, looked at the purple-haired girl, "What are you?" She sniffed, "Human?"

Sakura noticed this girl smelled of sake, "Uh, yes! How'd you know?"

"I can sense these things. Come to eat?"

Sakura nervously said, "Uh, since you said so, then yes!" She looked at Mystia, "What's on your menu?"

Mystia sounded off, "We've got chicken! We've got pork! We even have bell peppers for those not into eating the flesh of dead animals!"

Suika pointed out, "We? I thought you were a one-girl business."

Sakura said, "I'll have some bell peppers, please. Sliced, if possible."

Mystia replied, "Excellent choice! Pay upfront, and I'll get started!"

"Eh? My money, It's all back . . . ugh."

The sound of yen coins landing on the stand hit Sakura's ears, "It's on me." Suika told her.

Sakura was elated, "Oh! Thank you so much!"

"Think nothing of it!" She then said under her breath, "Or my roommate will get on my ass about not helping humans again."

Sakura's face looked quizzical, but decided to say nothing of it. Mystia served a plate, "Your bell peppers are ready! A healthy option if I do say so myself!"

"Thank you." Sakura began dining on the bell pepper slices.

The horned girl then said, "Since I'm waiting, I might as well tell you, I'm Suika Ibuki."

"Sakura Tohsaka. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ibuki-san."

Suika raised an eyebrow, "Ibuki . . . san? You're definitely from the outside world. Don't worry about proper addresses in Gensokyo. Just call me Suika, okay, {cherry blossom}?"

Sakura just noticed Suika said, "Cherry Blossom" in accented English. "Okay. So, Suika, if you don't mind my asking, what are you? You look human, but you have horns."

Suika exclaimed, "Ah! Guess you've never seen one of my kind, huh?" Sakura shook her head, "I'm an Oni!"

Sakura's face looked puzzled, "An Oni? But, you look nothing like an Oni, er, not the kind I've seen . . . seen in artwork, that is."

Suika boasted, "Gensokyan Oni resemble humans more closely than any other race of oni, must be what threw you off. Of course, I'm unique; most oni aren't as small as me. I have the oni equivalent of dwarfism. Most of my kind usually average nearly two meters in height, and that's the females!"

In-between chewing her food, Sakura remarked, "Wow, really? So there are little oni people too? That's so . . . wow!"

Suika smiled, "Interesting, yeah. Don't pity me, though, I don't mind my body. I'm harder to hit, after all. Only real advantage 'normal' oni have over me is they got much longer reach. Oh yeah, speaking of which, there's this old friend of mine, Yugi, you see her legs? They are freaky-ass long! Of course, guys won't shut up about her body. She's, eh, built, even by oni standards," she then looked at Sakura, "But despite your human puniness, you seem to have a healthy body."

Sakura looked down, and noticed that Suika was describing her breasts, "Oh, that. An old friend of the family liked to remind me of that, heh! Just so you know, I am wearing proper support, so no need to worry about my back, eh heh!" It had been a long time since she saw that friend of hers, the Tiger of Fuyuki.

Mystia had Suika's order ready, "There you are!"

"Food!" She wolfed down her portions in short order. When she was finished, she let out, "Ahhhh! That was money well spent! You have redeemed yourself in my eyes! I'll pass the word on to Reimu!"

Mystia smiled, "Yes! Please do!" She looked at Sakura, "And have you finished your meal?"

Sakura answered, "Yes, thank you. These were very good."

Mystia gathered the plates, "Glad to have been of help! Hope you find your partner!"

Suika looked up, "Partner?"

Sakura said, "Yes. I got separated from my instructor. I'm studying to become a magus, but during an exam, something happened, and I ended up in this land."

Suika nodded, "Ah! I see! Those who don't fit into the outside world often find themselves in Gensokyo!" She pulled out her purple gourd, uncapped it, and took a swig. She offered it, "You want some?"

"What is that?"

"Sake that never runs out."

Sakura looked confused, "Really? Eh, no thanks. I shouldn't be drinking in an emergency."

Suika shrugged her shoulders, "Eh, fair enough. Humans can't process alcohol like my people, after all." Her eyes lit up, "Hey, I just thought of something. I can't help out with your plight, but I know someone who can."

Sakura's eyes lit up, "Really? Who? I need all the help I can get!"

"My roommate. She's kind of in charge of maintaining order throughout Gensokyo. She might be able to help you out. She helped out Mystia here a couple of times, am I right?" She said while winking.

"Don't remind me." The bird mouthed.

"A ha ha ha ha ha! Yeah, that's it! I'll take you to the sworn protector of humans around here! She'll think of something!" She glanced at the youkai, "Bye Mystia!"

Sakura bowed, "Thank you for your help."

Mystia blushed, "Awww! I'm happy to have helped a newcomer!"

Suika turned around, "Alright!" She the appeared to be levitating off the ground. Not only that, she was flying rather quickly.

Sakura yelled, "Wait up!"

Suika flew back, "What's wrong?"

"I . . . can't move like that."

Suika screwed her face, "Huh? You can't fly?" Sakura shook her head. Suika scratched, "You're telling me you ended up in Gensokyo, and you can't even lift off the ground without falling?"

Sakura's voice was inquisitive, "Why? Do we have to fly to get there?"

Suika gestured, "Technically no, but traveling in Gensokyo on foot is quite dangerous. If something were to pick a fight, you'd be at a serious disadvantage."

"Oh."

Suika came close to Sakura, "But I'll stick by and make sure no one does anything. My reputation alone should scare off any would-be duelists."

In the distance, lights of varying colors could be seen flying back and forth. Sakura was mesmerized by what she saw, "Those fireflies are really pretty!"

Suika questioned, "Fireflies? Those are most likely fairies you're seeing."

"Fairies? Like, fairytale fairies?"

"Yeah, the most common race in Gensokyo! Also the most annoying."

Some floating lights came at the two travelers. Suika held out her hand and fired magic missiles at the fairies, causing them to dissolve into nothingness. "Oh, since you're an outsider, allow me to say that fairies come back to life when you kill them, so don't feel guilty about killing any of them, okay?"

"Okay."

More fairies appeared, firing magical shots of their own, while Suika disposed of them with more of her own shots, "And don't worry about getting hurt! These are danmaku patterns, designed to stun, not kill!"

"Okay!"

A larger fairy flew directly at Sakura. Before the fairy could hit her, it was vaporized. In its place was what looked like a black tentacle coming from the ground. "Whoa! Nice moves!" Suika called out.

Sakura looked different. Her clothes were gone. She appeared to be wearing a dress made from long black ribbons with red trim. Her long purple hair had become milky white, her eyes blood red, and red markings dotted her legs, hands, and the sides of her face. Sakura looked distraught, "Please, don't look at me."

Suika grinned, "Why not? This has gotta be a part of your training! No human that belongs in the outside world could pull off something like that!"

Sakura retrieved her tentacle, "I should thank you for not freaking out, but what you see," she hugged herself, "This wasn't something I learned in the Association."

Suika raised an eyebrow, "Ooookay. Far be it from me to pry into personal matters then, though I doubt anyone's gonna be judgmental about this other form of yours."

Sakura recomposed herself, "You had better not be lying."

Suika held her index finger up, "Oni never tell lies. You won't be viewed as bizarre in Gensokyo. In fact, you might wanna stay in that form, since it seems like you can't fight when you were sporting clothes."

Sakura sighed, "If you say so." More fairies charged at the two. Suika shot some more of them, while Sakura deflected any that got near her away.

The fairies had vanished. Suika observed, "I guessed they finally realized who they were messing with! Also, you do good for someone not gifted in danmaku."

"Thanks." Sakura looked up, "How much longer?"

"Not too long. We should be there soon enough." In time, the duo found themselves standing in front of a Shinto shrine gate. "Oh crap, I forgot!"

"What?"

Suika exhaled, "Humans have different sleep patterns than oni. This girl sleeps at this time of night-" Sakura snickered, "-and I once woke her up on a night like this; it wasn't a pretty ending."

Sakura continued laughing, "Well of course! Humans sleep during the night! At least part of the night!"

Suika sighed, "Yeah." She then snapped her finger, "Ah! That's it! There are some fairies nearby that can give us shelter. They're a little smarter than the other fairies around here, but they still are quite childish. Still, with my fame, and your powers, I think we can talk them into letting us stay."

Sakura asked, "But, is it okay to just barge in their home? Aren't they sleeping, too?"

Suika waved her hand, "Nah! Most fairies are nocturnal, including these ones, well, minus the 'leader', but even then, they'll help." She looked up, "Of course, since you can't fly, I'll give you a lift." She wrapped her arms around Sakura's waist and flew up.

"Whoa!"

"Wow! You're really light! Whatever you're doing is keeping off weight!"

"It's a family trait!"

Suika flew around in the nearby forest, hovering just over the treetops, with Sakura in hand. She spotted what looked like a treehouse, and let Sakura down on the porch of it. "Let me do the talking, unless they ask you something." She then stomped with her feet, causing the tree to speak, "ROLL CALL!"

Squeaky voices screamed in terror inside the house, followed up with, "Earthquake!" "Invasion!" "It must be the Celestial again!"

More screaming followed when three fairies, one in a red dress, one in a white dress, and one in a blue dress flew out. "Hey wait, it's just Suika again! And some girl I don't recognize!"

"You brought an accomplice this time, oni?" She, the one in white, looked at Sakura, "Is she an octopus youkai?"

Sakura said, "Uh, no. Eh, you see, this is a special form I take for combat. This is what I really look like." In an instant, her hair and eyes changed back to purple, her clothes had returned, and there were no red markings on her skin, "It's a bit of magic I picked up."

The fairy in red looked amused, "Ah! Neat!"

Suika said, "This is a stranger from the outside world."

"Oh!" The fairy in blue shouted, "Like the other shrine maiden!"

Sakura smiled nervously, not knowing what to say. Suika laughed and responded, "Yeah, like her!" She gestured her hand at the fairies while facing Sakura, "This is Sunny, Luna, and Star." She then gestured at Sakura, "And this is Sakura . . . can't remember your family name. We'll be staying here until the original shrine maiden wakes up."

Luna looked scared, "Eh, Suika's demanding something! If she does, we can't refuse!"

Star sighed, "It's times like this I wish Cirno were here."

Sakura bowed and stated, "I hope I'm not demanding too much from you. I shouldn't be here long."

Sunny responded, "Not at all, although with an oni on your side, we can't really do anything on our end."

Suika flashed a smile, "Well, anyone up for drinking?" She held up her gourd.

"Me! Me!" Star shouted.

"Don't hog it all for yourself!" Luna yelled.

"Not me." Sunny lazily replied.

Suika, Luna, and Star flew outside. Sakura looked around the treehouse, "Uh, is there a place where I can rest?"

Sunny looked around, "Well, there's that thing over there," she pointed at a sofa, "I heard it's supposed to resemble furniture from the Western world."

"Alright." The student slipped her shoes off and lied on the sofa. "I hope I'm not intruding."

Sunny folded her arms, "Of course not! Even if Suika wasn't in tow, I'd still bring you in." She then lowered her voice to a whisper, "Because not helping humans who came in accidentally can lead to bad things!"

Sakura asked, "Bad things? Like what?"

"Bad things! So bad, I don't even know! Just that they're bad!" She changed the subject, "Need a blanket?"

"Nah. I'm fine. It's quite warm in here."

Sunny smiled, "It is the summer! Well, if you need anything, I'll be here."

She flew off, while Sakura tried to get some sleep.

Sunlight seeped into the treehouse as Suika roused, "Man, what time is it?"

Luna muttered listlessly, "Sometime past sunrise, I know that."

Suika sighed, "Shouldn't humans like my guest here be awake by now?"

"I'm awake," Sakura said, "I just, feel lazy, that's all."

Suika looked like she formed an idea, "Lazy, you say? Sounds a lot like the girl we're trying to meet. You know what I do to make her do stuff?"

"Something bad?" Sunny asked.

"Nah, I just pinch her cheeks in a funny way."

Sakura laughed, "I should try that on my sister sometime!"

Suika spoke, "The morning has come, so my partner should be awake by now. Here's hoping she knows what to do." She faced the fairies, "As for you three, thanks for not doing anything stupid throughout the night. It means something."

The fairies were sweating visibly while Star mumbled, "It was a pleasure, eh heh!"

Suika and Sakura stepped outside, "Oh, right, you can't fly. Hold on to your skirt!" She held the student and floated down to the ground.

"You're very kind for an oni." Sakura said.

The oni girl snickered, "Me? Kind? You must have me confused with someone from the outside world! Like I said earlier, I'm only doing this so I won't get punished later!"

Sakura followed Suika as she flew slowly down a path that led somewhere, "This country is even more beautiful at day! It's practically untouched!"

Suika noted, "Yeah, typical reaction from-"

"-FOUND YOU!" A voice shouted.

Suika and Sakura looked up. The student saw what looked like a girl with large wings spread in the sky. Suika looked like she recognized her, "Ah! The living nuclear reactor! Away from your post, I see? What would Satori say about that?"

The girl crossed her arms, "I have permission this time!"

"Oooooh~! Permission!~ You're a big girl now!"

"Quiet, you!" She raised her arm, which looked like a wooden rod instead of a humanoid arm, "I wanna know, why's an underground oni living on the surface?"

Sakura was confused and distraught throughout this exchange. Suika answered, "My personal life is none of your concern! Now run along; I'm running an errand for the Hakurei girl right now."

The girl lowered her rod, yet smirked, "Okay, but before I go, I wanna see who you have in tow."

"Huh?" Sakura squeaked.

The girl descended down. She was tall, wore a large cape that supported her wings, and had a large red eye in the middle of her chest, yet sported a run-of-the-mill white shirt and green miniskirt. She looked at the purple-haired girl, "I don't know you. Who might you be?"

Sakura stated, "Sakura, Tohsaka. It's a pleasure to meet you." She bowed quickly.

The girl responded, "I see. You must be a human, based on your reactions. Tell me, would you like to duel with me?"

"Du-duel?"

Suika stepped between the two of them, "Hey, hold up! She just got into Gensokyo! She doesn't even have spellcards!" She glanced at Sakura, "You don't have any spellcards, right?"

"I have nothing like that on me."

"Seeǃ? You can't fight her! Now go back to whatever it was you were doing before I get Reimu!"

The winged-girl smirked, "Oh no! You're not getting away with that threat again!" She swung her rod arm, knocking Suika down, then swiftly kicked her with what looked like a gray boot surrounding one of her feet.

The kick sent Suika flying through the air. Sakura gasped as the girl said, "See? That's the kind of power I wield; not even an oni can stand before me, Utsuho Reiuji!"

Sakura screamed, "Stop bullying us!"

Utsuho looked puzzled, "Eh? Bullying? But I just want a battle with someone new!"

"Leave me alone!" Sakura pleaded.

Utsuho smiled, "Maybe I will, after I win! You gotta be hiding spell cards somewhere!"

She then flew up into the sky. Magical white bullets shot out of her rod, aiming for Sakura. The student ran across an empty field of grass, struggling to avoid the numerous magical bullets coming at her from the higher ground. "Help me!" She cried out.

Just then, a portal opened. Zel dropped in. He saw her, "Sakura, what luck!"

Right then, Utsuho interrupted, "Ha! Another challenger to my power? Then fall!" Zel looked up. He saw the bird youkai pointing her rod-arm at the two of them, concentrating energy at the end of it.

A large sphere, like a miniature sun, fired at Zel. He had his jeweled sword in hand, and managed to cleave the sun-like shot with ease. Sakura was stunned to silence. Utsuho reacted, "Whoa! Awesome! But this is a danmaku-only duel!"

Zel responded, "I see." He then quickly gestured, "Wait! Stop for now!"

"What for?" Utsuho asked.

Zel looked at Sakura, "Sakura, I just thought of a test for you!"

Sakura looked worried, "A test? You don't want me to fight her, do you? Even at my best, I'm no match for her!"

"No! Not fight! Survive!"

"Eh?"

Zel explained, "I'll order her to use a spell card. You see, in this world, a spell card will only last for a set amount of time. If you can survive the spell card's effects without taking damage, I will reward you." He then leaned in and whispered, "A spell card only lasts for 50 or so seconds. Don't fight her, just avoid taking damage."

Because she was being assigned, Sakura nodded her head. Zel looked up at Utsuho, "We struck a deal. You can use one spell card, but just one. If you manage to hit my companion, you win. If not, then you lose. Of course, she can't even fly, so this should be easy for you!"

"Whatǃ?"

Utsuho gleamed upon hearing the rules, "I'm going to enjoy this!"

Sakura complained, "You're just trying to get me humiliated!"

"No I'm not. I'm simply preparing you for inter-dimensional travel. Now, let me just step aside to avoid any crossfire." True to his word, he moved away from where he was standing, leaving Sakura vulnerable.

Utsuho declared, "In that case, prepare yourself, human!"

Sakura transformed into her "Dark" form while Utsuho reached for what looked like a card and shouted, "Atomic Fire: Nuclear Excursion!"

The sound of klaxons could be heard blaring as what looked like huge white suns fired forth from Utsuho. There were several of these suns, all aimed at Sakura. The student could not move fast enough to evade these shots, but instinctively, she summoned the familiars of her dark form. Large, tall black beasts came forth, bearing the brunt of the suns. In addition to the large shots, smaller blue shots came for Sakura. The student, unable to dodge the smaller shots, reacted by firing away black magical missiles of her own. Her shots canceled out the smaller bullets within Utusho's onslaught.

I can do this! Sakura thought to herself, summoning more and more familiars. I'm just as good as my sister! I am worthy of the Tohsaka name! Her bullets continued to nullify the smaller shots aimed at her. I'm not gonna lose to some stupid bird! I survived the abyss!

Dark familiars were everywhere. Zel called out, "Alright, that's enough. Excellent work, Sakura! I knew I could count on you!"

Utsuho had stopped firing. Her "spell card" had run its course. She floated down to the ground, her face one of despair, "That's why you don't fly! You just, block everything! You block and absorb all danmaku shots! It's not fair!"

Sakura reverted back to her schoolgirl form, causing the familiars to vanish. "I won? Fair and square?"

"Fair and square!" Zel chimed. "That was magnificent! To be able to survive a spell card of hers, well, that's not something everyone can do!"

Just then, Suika and a girl in what looked like a modified shrine maiden uniform flew by. "Hey look! Another stranger!" Suika called out.

Zel looked up, "Good morning to you! Have you been taking care of my companion?"

Sakura turned to him, "The one with the horns has, yes. I haven't seen that other girl till now."

The shrine maiden girl approached Utsuho, "Wanna tell me what's going on?"

The bird looked visibly frightened, "I, uh, was looking for a good challenge. But I lost, so, I'm, gonna go now!"

"Good for me."

Utsuho flew off. Suika said, "This is that girl I was telling you about, Reimu Hakurei, but, it looks like your partner already found you, so, it looks like we're too late."

Reimu looked at Zel, "Have we met?"

"Yes! Yes we have! I'm training a new student! She's the one who chased off Utsuho Reiuji!"

Reimu faced Sakura, "Really? That was you?"

"Yes."

Reimu said, "She's one of the strongest youkai I've encountered. That couldn't have been a small feat. I can't thank you enough for dealing with her."

Sakura giggled, "Heh heh heh! I'll admit, I was really scared, but I somehow pulled through."

Suika announced, "But if your travel partner's here, does that mean you're gonna leave Gensokyo now?"

Sakura looked at Zel and asked, "Are we?"

Zel answered, "Not yet. Now that I'm here, I have some business to do with some of the locals in this country." A slight twinge of disappointment flashed across Sakura's face, "But you can rest in my chest space! You completed the tasks of today!"

Sakura gasped, "Reallyǃ?"

"Oh yes! I know you only entered two worlds, but it feels like three to me today, and since you survived time away from me, I'm going to count this trip as two worlds, so you may rest easy!"

Sakura exclaimed, "Thank you so much! Eh, how do I fit into the chest?"

Zel explained (to a confused Reimu and Suika in the background), "Imagine the chest is wide enough to accommodate your entire body." He laid the chest down and opened it, "Another pupil of mine is already taking a break inside! Say hi to her for me!"

"I got it." Sakura looked at the present company, "Professor, Suika, Reimu, thank you for everything."

"No sweat!" Suika boasted.

"Okay then, here I go."

She walked to the chest, imagining a grand hallway opening up to her. Before she knew it, her feet were resounding on marble floors. "Wah!" She looked around in her surroundings. She was in what looked like a central hub, with many different pathways connected to where she was.

Other footsteps echoed through this chamber. A voice, childish yet regal, addressed her, "What an interesting development! The lost child of the Tohsaka, here at last! And without your master!"

"Uh, huh?" Sakura saw a girl, a short girl, one wearing a royal white dress. The dress was a bright contrast to her long black hair, and her blood red eyes. "Who are you?"

The child's eyes turned to gold, "I am the Mistress, and you will obey me."

Sakura's eyes looked listless, and she said with no feeling, "Yes. I understand."

The girl commanded, "Now then, show me your true form."

Sakura changed into her "Dark" form.

"Excellent." The girl continued to speak, "Follow me."

Sakura, unable to speak, followed the noble girl. She was led into what looked like an engine room. A generator of some sort was hooked up to the wall. "All of his important magic is connected here." She stood to the side of Sakura, then flashed a wry smirk, "Destroy it."

Sakura raised her arms to generate dark energy and fired it. A split second later, the black shot was hit by a blue shot. "WHATǃ?"

A blue laser beam, angled diagonally downward, struck the girl. Sakura looked around, "Huh? What?"

Behind her, she saw a young woman, one wearing a red coat over a black shirt and a white skirt, sporting long brown hair, and eyes that matched her magic. The woman jumped forward and did a downward kick at the girl. A dent was made on the floor where the girl's body laid. "Is this what you've come to, Altrouge? This is your idea of sabotaging your sister? Really, whatever happened to your schemes of grandeur, of cunning? You've reduced yourself to a retro 80s anime villain!"

Altrouge muttered, "Quit talking."

The woman said, "Good for me." She picked up the injured Altrouge and carried her.

"Wait!" Sakura cried out. She had changed back to her usual form, "Who are you? And who's that supposed to be?"

The woman asked, "Where were you last at Zel with? What world?"

Sakura thought for a moment, "Gen-something. Something to do with a land of illusions."

"Oooooh~! And was Zel with anyone?"

Sakura nodded, "Yeah. A horned girl named Suika, and a shrine maiden girl, Haku-something."

Altrouge spat, "No! You can't be serious!"

The woman smiled, "Oh, I think they'd love to meet you, and find out why you've been hiding out in here for the longest time!" She got to the edge of a hallway, the one Sakura came through. The gate was open. The woman lobbed the red-eyed girl through the gate, "Out ya go!"

Sakura was still stunned, "You haven't answered me yet! Who are you?"

"Call me Aozaki for now."

Sakura was further stunned, "Aozaki? As in Touko Aozaki?"

"Er, no. Aoko Aozaki. I was on a break, just got back from this environment that simulated a cool mountain hike, hence the warm clothes, when I noticed Arc's 'sister' trying to use you."

Sakura asked, "By Arc, you mean Zel's adopted granddaughter, right?"

"Yeah. Altrouge is a troublemaker though. Hard as Hell to fight, but easy to knock out, if you can expose her quickly enough." She changed the subject, "You're here for a vacation too, right? Would you like to share the hot springs with me?"

"There are hot springs in here?"

Aoko replied, "Oh yes, there are! Here, let me show you!"