Touhou Gensokyo Girls
Episode 36: Scarlet festival (The Devil's flower)
SCARLET MANSION: Night
The weather was dark with huge clouds above, in the privacy of her chamber Remilia stood in silence, looking out of the window, she could see lightning in the distance and hear the thunder follow soon after, "I really don't hope this dreadful weather will continue until tomorrow..." she muttered to herself, "If that would be the case, Patchouli could artificially create a more appropriate weather condition around the perimeter of the mansion." she pondered and walked restlessly around her room, as she had been doing for hours without end.
Remilia heard a set of knocks on the door, "Enter." She said in a monotone voice, she knew those knocks so well.
Sakuya spoke softly because she knew what kind of mood her mistress was in, "Milady, I have received word that the Velvets have accepted your invitation."
"Excellent news." Remilia's mood brightened a little, it truly was good news. The Velvets were another family of vampires that kept in contact with the Scarlet family from time to time.
Sakuya continued to inform her mistress about who would come to her party, "Koakuma have reported that the moon people of Eientei and the ghosts of hakugyokurou have also accepted."
But by this point Remilia no longer listened, "Why do I feel so hollow, like there is something missing."
"Mistress? is something wrong?" Sakuya asked worriedly, she could easily tell that something was wrong.
Not even that got through to Remilia, "Is it because Flandre is gone... because Yukari took her from me?" just the thought of Yukari alone dropped her already dark mood, to even further into despair.
Sakuya gently laid a hand upon Remilia's shoulder, "Are you okay, Milady?"
Remilia shrugged her hand off of its resting place, "You don't have anything to worry about." She smiled sinisterly inwards, for the past month, she had been studying in the library, trying to find the best method to seduce or control a victim, and she had found what she had been looking for, "Yukari! You will regret you ever challenged me, vengeance will be mine!"
HAKUREI SHRINE: midday
Reimu awoke startled, because someone was yanking her violently while shouting, "WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" the little oni who had taken residence in her home, yelled at her in excitement.
"WHAT!? ARE WE UNDER ATTACK?!" Reimu tried to go into a defensive stance, but it wasn't really effective because she was still affected by sleep, so she tumbled to the floor with a crash.
"Marisa is here!" Suika smiled innocently.
"You don't have to give me a heart attack every time you wake me." Reimu glared at Marisa for making Suika wake her.
"Don't look at me, I just told her to wake you, not almost kill you." Marisa waved her hands in defense.
"Why are you two always so fresh in the morning?" Reimu asked sleepy-eyed and rubbed one of her eyes gently.
"Because I eat mushrooms." Marisa smirked, she loved this standard answer that she gave to everything.
"And I am an oni." Suika replied following Marisa's example.
"Super! I just need to become an oni, and start eating raw mushrooms, and nothing can go wrong." Reimu was still glaring at them, she was most certainly not happy this morning… and this night didn't seem to become any better because of the festivities.
Knocks suddenly sounded from the door, "Marisa, you go get it, I need to freshen up." Reimu requested in a dull tone, a little payback for waking her up was okay.
"Yo, Alice, " Marisa said upon opening the door and seeing the person on the other side, "Welcome to the night club."
"Night club?" Alice was confused.
"People are sleeping here... Apparently." Marisa joked around as always.
"Ahh… right." Alice was invited in, and found Suika and Marisa inside, "Hi, I just made a new dress for the occasion, do you like it?" Alice couldn't help but feel girlish about it.
Suika looked up at Alice, "You look pretty."
"Oh thank you Suika!" Alice was very happy to hear that.
Reimu had finished freshening up and was wearing a towel around her hair, "Alice... what are you doing here?"
"Oh, you didn't know? Marisa told me meet up here." Alice asked curiously, she had thought that Reimu would have gotten that information.
"Curious... She didn't tell me." Reimu was once again starting to glare daggers at Marisa and that was when she noticed something dreadful.
Marisa stood with Reimu's dress in her hands, "Reimu can I borrow this?" She continued pestering Reimu with that particular question.
"That's the dress I am going to wear tonight... So no Marisa, you may not borrow it." Reimu hammered it in quite firmly and snatched it out of Marisa's hands.
Alice stepped in to be helpful, "I've got something that will suit you, if you need something for the occasion?" It was not as innocent as it seemed, she really wanted to see Marisa in some formal wear, preferably something she made with her own hands.
"Naaah~ I am good." Marisa said nonchalantly, crushing Alice's dreams once again.
SCARLET MANSION GATE: evening
The four girls neared the mansion, Meling stood in the front of the huge gate, checking the guests for invitations.
But as they approached, they noticed the pink haired grim reaper, who was also on her way inside, "So this is the gate of the infamous Scarlet Devil Mansion." Komachi stood right outside and looked up to see it in its full magnificence in the night.
Marisa put on an over the top dramatic performance when she addressed the reaper, "IT'S KOMACHI! THE DEMIGOD OF LAZINESS, OUR LORD AND SAVIOR!" she ended it by bowing deeply in admiration.
Suika burst out laughing, while Reimu and Alice looked at each other and sighed heavily.
"WILL YOU STOP THAT!" Komachi was enraged.
Marisa replied with a shrug of her shoulders and a simple, "*ZE*" to show how little she cared.
Right above them, Aya was flying around, clicking her camera, before landing in front of Meiling to announce her arrival, and not far away, Yuyuko came flying, escorted by her fellow ghosts, amongst those were her guardian, the half-ghost Youmu, and Letty, her chef, they landed right outside the gate where they too announced their arrival.
Alice thought about going over to say hello, but got sidetracked when she noticed the absence of her fellow magician, "where are you going Marisa?"
Marisa laughed heartily, "I'm Just taking another way in, I'll join you when I'm inside." and hurried away before Meiling spotted them.
Alice found it a bit odd, that Marisa would try and sneak in, when there was a party, "...Okay."
"She wants to avoid the main entrance, probably because she didn't get invited." Reimu explained, secretly envying Marisa for not being invited.
"Makes sense." Alice nodded in agreement, she hadn't thought about that.
"Hey Reimu and Alice, over here." Keine shouted and waved them over.
Alice greeted them first, with a polite bow, "Keine, Mokou, so good to see you two."
"Apparently we got invited too." Mokou said with a half smile, she couldn't believe that they of all people would get invited here.
Reimu nodded, "looks like Remilia want to make it larger than before." Just the mention of her name gave her small goosebumps.
But as they got closer, Keine noticed the young girls' outstanding outfits, "MY GOSH! You two look beautiful, your dresses are so gorgeous." she eagerly complemented.
"Oh thank you Keine, I made it specially for this occasion." Alice's cheeks flushed a deep scarlet, "Your dress if also very pretty." she politely waved off the praise.
Keine was taken aback, "You made it yourself? You are truly amazing. Did you make Reimu's as well?"
"I can't take credit for Reimu's," Alice stopped for a second and thought, "but now that you mention it, Reimu, where did you get it?"
Reimu shrugged it off nonchalantly, "Koakuma made it, Remilia ordered her to make it, mostly to make Marisa jealous... I think."
"Koakuma? She is also very talented, I had no idea she could do such a thing." Keine said amazed, as they continued together to the gate.
"So you girls finally arrived." Meiling looked glad to see them, it was like she had been expecting them.
Alice neighed politely before the doors-woman, "Good evening, Hong Meiling."
"Just walk through, I don't need to see your invitations." Meiling told them with a smile as she let them pass, "Oh and lady Knowledge requests your presence, before the main attraction begins." she continued.
"Sure, let's pay her a visit." Reimu answered and looked around to see everyone nodding in agreement, except for one.
"But Reimu, I want to go to the party!" Suika protested and pushed her hands down in discontent.
"How about you go to straight ahead, and I will join you later." Reimu resolved yet another crisis.
Behind a number of bushes, Marisa searched for the one with a special yellow mark, "Where is it? It should be somewhere around here.." then she spotted it and got excited, "there it is, awesome!" She then titled it backwards to reveal a secret passage right under the fake bush, she quickly looked around for eyewitnesses, when nobody was in sight, she entered and shut the bush after her, she activated her magical flare to light her way in the dark tunnel. She had walked for a few minutes, when a stonewall appeared in front of her, she then pushed one of the bricks in the wall. and it opened up to the Scarlet basement.
"Good evening, miss Kirisame." said a wonderfully delighted voice.
Marisa's heart skipped a beat in shock, "WHAT THE!" then she noticed a very familiar dress. "Oh, its just you Yukari."
"What a lovely tunnel you have built here." Yukari looked around in amazement, "Flandre was so thrilled when you first showed it to her."
Marisa then regained her composure and her usual coolness and asked with a smirk, "So, ya here to join the party?"
Yukari just smiled and replied, "Yes I am in fact, but you and I use different ways to attend the masquerade."
Marisa laughed heartily and loudly, "None of us have any favors with miss high and mighty."
Yukari giggled lightly at the humour, "Indeed."
SCARLET LIBRARY: evening
"So this the famous library, it's enormous!" Keine erupted in absolute wonder as they entered it.
"That was pretty much my reaction, the first time I entered." Mokou said, while clapping her friend on the shoulder.
Patchouli, who was putting a book back high above, heard them and floated down to greet them, "Finally you all are here, and thank you coming." she neighed politely to all of them.
Alice returned the gesture, "Always ready to help." she said smiling.
Reimu looked around puzzled, "Wait! where is your demonic slave, I can't see her?"
Patchouli just sighed, ignoring the hurtful question, " She is out helping Sakuya get everything ready."
"Last I checked, she was talking to Sakuya in the kitchen." said a voice from behind one of the bookshelves.
"Oh there you are Marisa, I was beginning to wonder if you didn't get in." Alice grinned, she had indeed been wondering what was keeping the magician away all this time.
"Moii? I always get in, I'm Marisa you know." she smirked, her usual trademark smirk.
"Yes you are..." Alice had no need to be reminded of that fact, at this point everyone else nodded in unison.
"So what do you want our help for?" Mokou asked, she wanted to know what the youkai witch wanted with them.
"Actually, I only needed Alice to help me with a special transformation spell I have been working on, it just needs the finishing touch, but I thought it would be wiser to invite all of you, in case I need people to test on." Patchouli explained coolly and without regard.
"People to test on?" Keine burst out, with a very intense look in her eyes.
"Do WE look like test subjects to YOU!?" Reimu and Mokou shouted at the same time.
"It's nothing dangerous, I assure you." Patchouli was trying to calm everyone, now she wished that she had been careful with her wording of it.
SCARLET MANSION DINNER HALL: evening
Inside the mansion were a plethora of people, colors and races to enjoy the celebrations of Remilia or the Scarlet's return to power. The Prismriver Sisters played a very pleasant tone to set the mood for the party, and almost everyone was having a grand time.
In the midst of this, Mokou spotted the Eientei group, Kaguya noticed her rival's presence too, both of them eyed each other, but said nothing, like they had created a temporary truce between them, lasting only for tonight.
Patchouli and Koakuma made quite a spectacle with a magic light show that fell like curtains under the roof, after each fall, it changed color until there was a rainbow of falling curtains up there.
Marisa decided to be random when she approached Remilia, "Hiya Remilia, can I smell you?"
Remilia drew backwards in disgust, "No you can't! What kind of question is that Marisa!" she spat the last part. "Besides, I don't remember inviting you." she forcefully added.
Marisa grinned anyway, she knew just how to get even this time, "Would it help if I showed you a magic trick?"
"What kind of magic trick, something that would blow up my house for example!" Remilia's eyes grew dangerously smaller in anger and she subconsciously hissed.
"Nothing of that sort." Marisa reassured the host and walked to the nearest table to placed her hat on it, before she raised her voiced to garner attention, "Ladies and gentlemen, I will like to perform a magic trick." Marisa took her hand down in her hat and withdrew a bat, "Impressive, right?" everyone were quite unamused, "Then watch this! Abra kadabra, Flandre!"
That instant the bat transformed into the well known vampire, "Hiya~" she called out to them.
"MY!" Sakuya put a hand to her mouth in wonder.
Remilia had gone numb for a moment, "Flandre?" Remilia exclaimed, she was so happy right now, "You escaped! Thank the devil."
"Escaped?" Flandre asked as she was embraced by Remilia in a fierce hug, she wasn't quite sure what her sister meant by that.
"I made an all out rescue to save your dearest sister." Marisa grinned from ear to ear, 1
Alice looked at Marisa with a raised eyebrow, "You had Flandre with you the entire time?"
"You guessed correctly my friend." Marisa was grinned like she had just stolen the cat in the bag… which wasn't too unlikely.
Remilia took her sister's hand, "Come with me. I've have someone you should meet."
"Okay sis." Flandre replied with excitement as she was dragged over to where a dozen of aristocratic looking vampires were having a fancy drink.
"Flandre. These are our relatives from the Velvet clan." Remilia gave a swing of her hand and it landed on a young looking female vampire, "This, is Kurumi." Kurumi neighed, as was custom, "and this is her brother Saito." He bowed deeply, and the list of relatives continued as she listed everyone, which was tedious work.
"And this is my dear sister, Flandre." Remilia presented to them all, Flandre neighed back as she had learned was polite.
"N-Nice to meet you." Saito began to make light conversation, but in the back of his mind the sense of danger was overwhelming.
"Hi." the bit more childish Kurumi interrupted, totally oblivious to what kind of power she was standing in front of.
"It's a pleasure meeting you." one of elder vampires greeted her, and then began to ask her about various things, like her favorite bloodtype, to which he got the answer, "Marisa!" he had not anticipated that answer.
"Wait! I didn't know she had a sister?" Saito whispered to his sister, in a voice so low that Flandre didn't hear it.
"Neither did I." Kurumi responded in that airhead voice of hers.
"Why would Remilia hide that she has a sister? and what are those wings!" Saito continued muttering in a low voice.
"They look so pretty." Was all Kurumi thought about… totally out of this world was she.
"I sense high sparks of energy coming from her." Saito added before getting interrupted by a certain announcement.
"Ladies and gentlemen. the dancing will begin momentarily." Sakuya announced in a grand voice to address them all.
"Ready!" Lunasa firmly commanded of her sisters.
"As ready as I'll ever be for performing for bloodsuckers..." Merlin insulted their contractor.
"Relax sister, remember last time, we came home with more gold then we could carry." Lyrica cheerfully added to cool the tension down.
"And bandages around our hands, after signing over 26 MILLION autographs!" Merlin aggressively pointed out.
"Please don't speak of it, I couldn't play the keyboard for a week!" Lyrica had already begun to recall the horrendous memories.
"Both of you, focus! We will be called forth any second." Lunasa again tried to keep them in line, before she swore under her breath.
And true enough, Sakuya gave them the sign to play again.
Once the Prismriver sisters began playing their intro, Remilia energetically called out, "There you are, Reimu~"
Reimu looked down for a second to calm herself before replying, "Hello Remilia, looking disturbing as always."
Remilia just smiled back at Reimu, "Here, take a glass of our finest wine."
It wasn't the first time Reimu had been handed drinks by the vampire of the house, so she just took it and downed it in one gulp, "Tastes good." she just replied.
"Wh,y thank you." Remilia replied, then she waited a while, before asking, "Can you feel it?"
"Feel what?" Reimu look at her puzzled, then she noticed a feeling that wasn't there before.
Remilia's lips turned into a wicked smile, "now you notice the difference, it's something called 'dark deception', don't worry it's not lethal in any way, it just makes you a bit easier to handle."
Reimu's own power was gone, or rather, suppressed, "This is not good!" she thought, Remilia had found a way to make her temporarily impure, and at the same time the Prismrivers began playing in earnest.
Remilia instantly became more lively as the music sped up the tempo, "Let's dance, you and I." she said as she took Reimu's hand in hers.
Reimu rolled her eyes in dismay, "Someone... please help me."
"I'll save you." Suika gallantly came to her rescue and, not so gallantly, ripped Reimu out of Remilia's arms.
"She is my partner, go find you own!" Remilia hissed at Suika and yanked Reimu back with all her might, which even surprised the little oni.
Then something appeared below Remilia and Reimu, "No, she is mine." and a voice from the void of beyond told them, before Yukari appeared.
But before Yukari could teleport Reimu away, Remilia quickly unfolded her wings, gripped Reimu tight and flew her up in the air, "She is my human."
"When the hell did I become someone's property!" Reimu exclaimed as she battled to get free of Remilia's grasp.
At this point everyone was looking at them, as Suika jumped after them, Yukari opened more gates to catch them, and Remilia used her speed to dodge Suika's jumps and incoming portals.
Reimu had resigned herself to her current fate as she was powerless to resist in a weakened state, "I must admit... I failed as a youkai exterminator..." she thought as she was the plaything between three strong youkais.
Marisa noticed the dispute, "Reimu! I'm saving you!"
Followed by Flandre exclaiming, "I'll save Reimu too..."
And then followed by, 'Wait for me!" Alice hurried after them.
Reimu, who already had too much company, barely had time for the words, "Oh no..." before Marisa's gang joined in.
Aya, as usual, was ready with a camera, and the war of Reimu gave her a lot of opportunities, "Ooh, my readers are going to loooove this." she smiled inwardly as she swooped around to get pictures in the best possible angle.
Marisa threw some kind of bottle, that on impact, blinded everyone in the dinner hall for a short time, except Flandre who knew that trick, and had closed her eyes just before the bottle cracked on the floor, she then saw an opening and quickly blazed into the three Reimu jugglers, grabbed Reimu quickly and then headed away from them all again, "Marisa! I got her!"
"I'll be-" Marisa was about to say, but then stopped in mid-sentence when she realized that her broom was missing, she remembered that she left it outside the secret tunnel she and Flandre built, "I forgot my broom... How the hell did I forget my broom!"
Reimu rolled her eyes, "Of course you screw up when I need help." she muttered as she was dragged after Flandre.
"FLANDRE! I AM YOUR SISTER, I COMMAND YOU GIVE ME BACK MY SHRINE MAIDEN!" Remilia yelled loudly as she swooped after Flandre.
"Flandre! Over here!" Alice called out and waved at her.
To Remilia's dissatisfaction, Flandre didn't obey and instead threw Reimu to Alice who made a net of strings to gently catch the incoming shrine maiden.
Some of Remilia's vampire cousins decided to join the chase, it looked like some kind of sport to them.
But they didn't get far before a flame-tongue appeared right in front of them, "Not on my watch, vampires!" Mokou said in a totally cool way, despite the shimmer in the heated air around her.
The Vampires hissed at the immortal human and turned away.
Alice caught Reimu in her net, "I never thought it would be used on humans." Alice grinned cheerfully, despite the seriousness of the situation, she couldn't help but enjoy herself.
Saito swept in to cut the net down and took Reimu and threw her to Kurumi, just before the net sent paralyzing shock waves through him.
Kurumi was not more fortunate, she had not considered the possibility that Flandre was not on their side, so she didn't pay attention to the fast approaching little sister, and right before she would have caught the red white human, she was hit in the chest with such a force that sent her flying violently into the wall and lost consciousness.
By this time Yuyuko had taken the scene to commentate on the events above and everyone were watching the mauling unfold.
As Reimu fell, she was caught by heavy clouds, "And looks likes she was saved by Suika's density ability." Yuyuko announced below.
Then red bullets shot from below the clouds and vapourized them, Remilia came flying up to catch Reimu in her arms.
Yukari, on the other hand, had other ideas and made a border right in front of Remilia and made Reimu reappear beside herself, as soon as the rest spotted Yukari's doing, they jumped or dived after them.
Then Reimu had had enough, and as the effect of the 'dark deception' was wearing off a bit, she summoned what power she could muster, made a shield around herself and detonated it, everything in a ten meters radius got blasted away, Remilia, Yukari, Suika, Flandre, Alice, and a dozen vampires all got too close and got sent smashing into the wall, "WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM! A LITTLE TOY YOU ALL CAN PLAY WITH?!" She huffed loudly after shouting, before she decided she needed something therapeutic, "I need a drink." she finished and walked to the liquor table for some refreshments, no one objected.
"AND THE BALL, IS THE WINNER!" Yuyuko announced in a voice that made it sound like a professional wrestling match. The people of Eientei were applauding.
Eirin who was also making a drink for herself, was a little concerned, nothing major just a little, "Are you okay? you have been through quite the rollercoaster."
Reimu made herself a strong drink, "I do feel dizzy."
"You are very popular." Kaguya noted, though it was obvious that Kaguya wanted to try that kind of treatment once.
Reimu made a sour look before downing the first half of her newly made drink, "but not from the ones I intended to attract." She was about to gulp the second half when she was stopped.
Eirin took something from her pocket, "this should counter the poison." she gestured for Reimu to hold out her glass, Eirin then opened a small bottle, poured it in Reimu's remaining drink, and said, "drink up my friend." she cheered with a smile.
Reimu could feel her power slowly returning, "Thanks, you are a lifesaver."
"I made it in case someone would be sick from food poisoning." Eirin explained calmly, but her explanation fell on deaf ears as Reimu was just chugging it away.
"That's our Eirin for you." Kaguya happily added.
Behind them, the people Reimu blasted away were recovering from the impact with the wall or the ceiling.
Remilia was the first to get up and quickly began sprinting around to see where Yukari could be, but she had disappeared as quickly as she had arrived.
Suika took it like a champ and reemerged back to her normal self.
Alice, who had some difficulty recovering from the blast, felt her head spinning, "please warn me next time, you do something like that." she said as walked over to Reimu.
Flandre barely had a scratch on her and just walked casually up to Reimu laughing, "That was fun!~"
"Do you even know what pain is?" Alice asked still feeling her head spinning.
"Of course I do! Being imprisoned here most of my life is painful." Flandre's eyes flashed briefly with anger.
"...Sorry! I.. I didn't mean it that way." Alice apologized quickly, she let her emotions rule her judgement momentarily.
"Don't be so depressing you two~" Marisa sure was chipper as she grabbed around their shoulders, "Come on, let's do something fun."
"Okay! Let's dance together!" Flandre's mood changed completely, then she grabbed not only Marisa, but Alice as well.
And the party continued long into the night.
To be continued.