Welp. Another long year before I posted another chapter. I really need to work on my time management, don't I?

Long time, no see everyone! I'm sorry for the long wait, but a lot has been going on in my life. Combine that with the fact I kept changing my mind about certain points in this chapter...it took me a long time to finally get things how I wanted it. Writing is stressful when you want everything to be perfect, and I doubt I found all the errors anyway.

With that being said, this chapter idea has been in the works for a long time. Like, an idea that has been thrown around years ago. I am so very curious what everyone's reactions is going to be. At the same time, unknowingly, a lot of readers has been asking for this. So...here you go!

Touhou belongs to ZUN. Been playing some of the fan games on the Switch. They're pretty good, honestly.

Chapter 36 – Silence in the Library

I stand with baited breath as I stare over the balcony edge of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, not quite sure how to appropriately respond to what I am witnessing. My best friend in Gensokyo, Alice Margatroid, has just managed to defeat the vampire, Remilia Scarlet, in a spell card duel with basically my freedom on the line.

I end up settling with sighing deeply with relief, followed by looking up at the blonde magician in the sky to shoot her with the biggest grin I can manage. Much to my delight, I see her return my grin with a victorious one of her own.

"Remilia-sama!" The cry of Sakuya rips my attention away from the floating magician, spotting the maid just before she disappears from sight. Next thing I know, that same maid is kneeling beside her mistress on the ground below, checking on the petite vampire's condition.

"Is she...going to be alright?" I ask with a bit of concern, seeing as Remilia has yet to move yet.

"Don't worry about her." Yukari speaks up, an amused look twinkling in her eyes over her fan. "She's most likely using the moment to sulk in private. Once Remilia composes herself enough to not act like a brat, she'll rejoin us."

"That would be most likely." Patchouli adds, not bothering moving from her spot since the duel first started, a look of boredom slowly becoming apparent.

Geez, even her own friend admits that openly. Then again, Remilia really does seem the type, so I wouldn't doubt it.

I chuckle softly to myself at my thoughts, before returning my attention back on the victor herself, who has been slowly making her way back down to the balcony. Alice has an obviously exhausted but pleased look on her face as she touches down, and it becomes increasingly apparent as I approach her. "Hey, great job out there."

"Couldn't have done it without you." She replies warmly. Just as she takes a step to meet with me halfway, the doll maker begins to pitch forward, her eyes beginning to flutter close.

"Whoa!" I quickly go to catch her by the shoulders, letting her lean on me so she doesn't fall over. "You alright there? You look like you're about to pass out."

"And for good reason." Patchouli adds in, a lecture at the edge of her tone. "That little stunt with overpowering her spell card, along with that finishing blow, more than likely drained her to her last drop of energy. I'm surprised she even had that much left in her."

Must have been because of her Aura Song I played for her. Now I'm actually wondering if I made her push herself too hard.

"I gained a bit of a boost when I activated my grimoire." Alice claims, glancing at me meaningfully before staring at her fellow magician. "I was sure I had just enough, don't worry."

Patchouli stares at her with searching eyes, as if she isn't about to believe her claim. In the end, the purple clad magician gives a minuscule sigh before looking away. "However you managed it, I suppose it ended up working out in your favor. Congratulations, I suppose."

"Thank you." Alice accepts simply, before turning her attention back to me with pleading eyes. "Can you find me somewhere to sit down, Tadashi? I desperately need to rest."

"Yeah, of course." I immediately comply, taking a quick look around before escorting her to a set of outdoor table and chairs off to the side the balcony, letting her lean on me as we walk. Once I carefully help her take a seat, I suddenly find Alice's arms wrapped around my neck, forcing me to be crouching in front of her "Uh...Alice?"

"Just...let me have this." She asks softly, slowly resting her head on my shoulder. "For a moment up there, I was afraid I was going to lose you. I wouldn't know what I would do if that happened..."

I find myself speechless at her suddenly meek actions after looking so victorious, yet when I feel how stiff her arms feel around me, I slowly return the embrace to help relax her. "Hey, it's alright. I'm not going anywhere, thanks to you. I really owe you for saving me."

The puppeteer giggles tiredly at that, and I feel her grip loosen on me, if just a bit. "I think you owe me more than just a hug after this, don't you think?"

"Hey, this is the best I can come up with on short notice." I complain, before the both of us fall into a small fit of laughter. As she begins to pull away from me, I begin to feel a slight shifting at the collar of my shirt. While confused at first from the sensation, it doesn't even take me a moment to remember who I placed there for safe keeping. "Maybe this is a start though. I kept Shanghai safe for you."

At the mention of her precious doll's name, and a slight gesturing with my hand to indicate said doll's location, Alice immediately looks down to smile warmly at Shanghai hanging snugly at my collar bone. "So you did. And I see she's all nice and comfortable." With a twitch of her fingers, she attempts to bring life back into the usually expressive doll, only to frown in frustration when nothing happens. "...As I thought, I really am too exhausted to even control her right now."

Concern quickly overshadows my expression at her admittance, but with little I can do to help her recover, I instead choose to pull Shanghai out myself, before carefully handing her over to her rightful owner. "Here. Even as she is now, I believe she would want to be with you at a time like this."

Tears visibly start pooling in my friend's eyes at the gesture, but thankfully she doesn't start crying as she softly takes her doll from my hands and hugs Shanghai to her chest. With the liquid still shining in her eyes, Alice looks up to me to give me her most genuine smile, one I always enjoy seeing from her. "Thank you, Tadashi. You always know how to cheer me up, don't you?"

"Well, I try." I bashfully respond. As I attempt to fight off my embarrassment, I end up taking notice of something unusual, causing me to pull away a little from her in surprise. "Uh...hey, Alice? Is it just me, or is your eyes yellow?"

"Hmm?" Alice hums in inquiry, before realization flashes across her already amused face. "Oh, that. Don't worry, that's just a part of my grimoire's magic. I have to infuse a color into myself in order to use it properly. The last color I used was yellow, so..."

"I see." I reply simply, not sure how to take the change in her appearance. "I'm just so used to seeing your naturally green eyes, it just surprised me."

"It's funny that you mention that." The doll maker muses, a reminiscent look to her features. "To tell the truth, yellow actually used to be my normal eye color, way back when."

"Really?" I ask in surprise, giving her appearance another look over.

"Yes, really." She huffs playfully in her seat. "Reimu was the one who convinced me to try a change in eye color, back when I changed her hair. I experimented around a bit since then, but I found that I like green the most."

I would agree with her, on that one. Green is actually my favorite color, so I always loved the look of her eyes.

"That's such a shame. I think that is a very good look for you~!" A teasing voice pipes in behind me, one that always sends a twitch of annoyance through me whenever I hear it.

Looking back at the gap hag, who has shifted her gap so she is poking her head out near us, I get a sudden epiphany when I look at her familiar golden eyes. Ones that seem to match freakishly well with Alice. "...I think you have a bit of a bias there, Yukari."

Alice, after I noted on the similarities between her eyes and the elder youkai's, seems to have her mood plummet. "...I think I'm going to need to change my eyes back as soon as I'm able."

"I agree." I note dryly, causing Yukari to let loose a childish pout.

"How rude! Is that why you don't like me Dash-kun? Because you don't like my eyes?" I can practically feel the teasing oozing out of her being as she speaks, though she isn't doing anything to hide it. "Because I can change them too. It's a simple matter for me."

"Your appearance has nothing to do with it." I deadpan, though a stray thought does streak across my mind.

Then again, one of the reasons Yukari always freaked me out was because of those eyes of hers. I doubt that would change if she did change colors, though.

"By the way..." Alice starts, breaking me from my thoughts. "...When did Yukari get here?"

"In the middle of your duel." I respond. "Apparently, she sensed you opening your grimoire, so she came to watch."

"Among other things." Yukari chuckles behind her fan.

"...Should I be worried about what you mean by that?" I ask with suspicion, my eyes narrowing slightly.

"My, what is with all of this mistrust of me, Dash-kun? We used to get along so well." She complains to me, though doesn't seem overly concerned.

"The last time you popped in, my whole life got flipped on its head and vital info ended up getting slipped to Remilia." I bitterly inform, surprising even myself with that little bit of a grudge.

My response actually earns me a reaction from the gap youkai, in the form of a sobered expression. "That is fair, I suppose. This whole situation may have been avoided if Sakuya didn't end up overhearing us that night." Her gaze suddenly turns stern at that point, directed firmly on me. "I won't apologize for informing you of your status, however. It was vital for you and the people around you to know, no matter how hard on you it was."

"I get that." I respond, my eyes locked on hers. "My point is, though, is that things tend to happen when you pop in. I'm just being cautious at this point."

"My, how superstitious of you." She notes with amusement.

"Well, we are in Gensokyo. Superstitions are pretty normal around here." I crack a smirk at her, actually netting a genuine laugh from the elder youkai.

"That they are." She agrees, looking pleased by my reaction. "You have learned a great deal about life in Gensokyo, it seems. Good for you, Dash-kun."

"I'm not sure if he should be happy you said that or not." Alice chimes in, a smirk of her own twitching on her face.

"Now that was just hurtful, Alice! I was being serious." Yukari whines at the magician.

"How can she tell, when you are always manipulating things behind the scenes." A familiar childish voice breaks the conversation, causing all eyes to turn to the side to catch the Scarlet Devil herself walking toward our little gathering, with Sakuya trailing right behind her. Remilia's appearance looks just as haggard as Alice, though she seems perfectly able to walk on her own, showing that she recovered far quicker.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black, Remilia?" Yukari retorts, hiding her face behind her ornate fan, as usual.

"Do not compare me to the likes of you. How I handle my business is my own." The vampire snaps, her crimson eyes glowing with irritation. "In fact, why are you here? I don't recall inviting you into my home."

"I just came to watch the show, is all. No need to throw a tantrum." The gap hag says this with so much nonchalance, it felt insulting. "Now that everything is over with, I will be on my way."

At this point, the vampire looks absolutely seething in anger, and would probably even attack her unwanted guest if she didn't just lose a duel. "Just leave, already! Before I really lose my temper!"

"Ooh, scary! Whatever shall I do?" Yukari hams it up, before turning to me. "Well then, I wish you two a good night. Until our next meeting, Dash-kun."

With that, the gap hag disappears in her gap, leaving the impact of her visit behind her. If Remilia wasn't already mad about her loss to Alice before, she is absolutely livid now.

Those two just do not get along, do they? Well, I can't blame either of them; they're insufferable in their own way.

We wait for the petite mistress to calm herself down, her emotions more than likely getting strained by tonight's events. Eventually, she manages to suppress herself down to minor irritation before addressing Alice and I. "Now then, with that unwanted annoyance out of the way, I suppose some things need to be addressed."

"You will keep to your word, won't you?" Alice demands, as if expecting her to go back on the wager they made.

"Of course I will. It would look poorly on me if I didn't hold to the stakes that were made." Remilia huffs, as if the very idea was beneath her. "I just wish to have a word with you, considering you managed to reduce me to such a state."

She then vaguely gestures to her appearance, which appears disheveled, burnt, torn, and other signs of being dragged through a battle. The fact that her dress is still mostly intact and that she still is wearing a cap is actually rather amazing. The same could be said for Alice, who's dress is similarly damaged, yet modestly intact.

"I'm listening." The doll user informs, though she is understandably on edge around the vampire.

"I just wanted to say, as much as I loathe to admit, that I grossly underestimated you, Alice Margatroid." The mistress of the manor says with as much grace as she can muster, though she almost looks pained to admit that much. "I will not make that mistake again. For now on, I will be sure to treat you with the respect your power deserves."

"That won't be necessary, Remilia." Alice denies with a tired shake of her head. "In the first place, I don't wish for others to know I have this kind of power in the first place. Besides..." The victor of the duel smirks wryly at her once opponent, thought not out of actual cheer. "It's not like you treat Reimu or Marisa any differently for defeating you."

"You misunderstand." Remilia interjects, clearly not amused by the implications Alice was giving her. "Respecting one for their power and respecting them as a person is two entirely different things. For example, while Marisa may have the power to best me in a spell card duel, she is still a thieving rat who will never have my respect in anything but."

"She really does need to reign in that kleptomania of hers..." I grumble my agreement in regards for my former flight teacher.

"As for you, Seven Colored Puppeteer..." The petite vampire continues. "I already viewed you more favorably than most, if only for the fact that I have nothing outright negative to say about you. Now, I can at least say you are powerful, if nothing else. So take pride in that."

Alice just sighs in exasperation at the nonsense she is hearing, though she does relax a tad somehow. "I just want this whole ordeal behind us. Do as you wish, Remilia."

"I plan to. And as for you..." The mistress then turns her attention to me, causing me to stiffen. "It appears I will not be able to keep you for myself, after all. Such a shame, as I truly felt that you would have been well off under my employ. We treat our own very well, after all."

"With all do respect, Remilia..." I answer carefully. "I need my freedom. And in my eyes, a gilded bird cage is still a cage."

"The cage door would have been open, though." She replies easily, giving me a polite smile. "All you would have to do is just check in with me, and you would have been free to go where you wished. I am not as unreasonable as others make me out to be."

"That very door can close, at your discretion." I point out. "Sorry, but I think I will stick with my dinky birdhouse in the village. At least with that, I can leave when I wish."

Remilia murmurs something under her breath at that, something about a 'doll house' I believe, before speaking clearly again. "As you wish. As I said, it is a shame, but it is no terrible loss either. I am sure I will listen to your music again, just not as frequently as I would wish."

"I'm not sure when my next concert will be, but when one does come up, I'm sure you'll find out somehow." I recommend, actually managing a smirk of my own despite the trial Alice and I went through.

Is it just me, or are things far more casual than what they should be after what she put us through? We should be hating her guts, shouldn't we?

"I would imagine so." She nods, before politely clearing her throat. "Well then, if there is no other business to be had..."

"Actually, if you wouldn't mind..." Alice speaks up, drawing everyone's attention to her. "I would like to make a small request of Patchouli."

Aforementioned magician raises a brow at that, before slightly hovering forward. "What is it?"

"As I was forcefully activating my grimoire, the magical bindings I used to seal it have snapped." The puppeteer lifts up her closed grimoire at that, which still seems to be leaking a multicolored light from the edges. "I can't just leave my grimoire active like this, so I am in need of new ones. Considering you have an entire library, I would imagine you would have some I could use, if you wouldn't mind."

"That is all?" Patchouli almost smirks, but keeps to her neutral look. "I wouldn't mind giving you a set, but you will have to do the enchanting yourself. I don't know what would be needed to seal that kind of magic."

"That's fine. I should be able to handle it relatively easily when I return home." Alice then proceeds to rise to her feet, slowly but surely. As she stands as straight as she can, she takes a moment to softly tuck little Shanghai into her skirt pocket, while cradling her still active grimoire in her other arm. "Let's go handle that now then. It is getting late."

"Are you sure, Alice?" I ask with concern, being on standby in case she stumbles again.

"It's better to handle this sooner rather than later." She replies, before giving me an appreciative smile. "Don't worry, I managed to rest up enough. I should be able to handle this and fly back home without a problem."

"Fly back?" I frown at the prospect of her trying to fly in her condition.

Obvious my concern isn't very well hidden, as Alice pulls me closer to whisper to me quietly. "Yes, fly back. I personally don't want to stay here any longer than we have to; too much has gone wrong already. Even if I can't muster the strength to do so by the time we leave, we can think of something." She then pauses deliberately to give me a teasing grin, her yellow eyes boring into my dark ones. "Maybe you could give me a ride back? See how much Marisa's lessons have done for you?"

"I don't even know if that's possible!" I whisper back in panic. "I've never flown with a passenger before. Wouldn't it be a tight fit? Not to mention dangerous?"

"Should be easier than flying on a broom. More surface area to sit on." She shoots back, to which I sadly have to agree with on that point. "Like I said, we'll get to that point if I'm unable to fly myself. Besides, I trust you."

"Alright then..." I reluctantly agree, before noticing Remilia beginning to walk off while I was having my discussion with Alice, Sakuya practically attached to the hip along with her mistress. "Are you not coming with us, Remilia?"

"No, I'm going to go get a change of clothes and freshen up. As fun as spell card duels are, they do leave you in a bit of a mess." The petite vampire explains, looking back at me with a fanged smirk. "I will be sure to catch you before you leave, to give you a proper send off. Now, if you will excuse me..." With her piece being said, the mistress and her maid enter the mansion ahead of us, leaving the magicians and I to our own devices.

Patchouli proceeds to float off inside as well, not even bothering to look back at us as she calls out to Alice and I. "Let's not waste time. The sooner I leave this cold air behind, the better."

At the pace set by the floating magician, we make our way back inside the mansion through the dining hall. While we were passing through, I notice that the dining table, once holding the extravagant, leftover dinner that we left behind, had been cleared spotless, not even indicating that a meal has taken place there in the first place. This phenomenon gives me pause for a moment, but considering neither of the magicians has even bat an eye at the missing food, I figure that this isn't unusual.

More than likely, Sakuya cleared it off before we went inside. I'd question when she would have time to do so, but she's a fricking time hacker. I swear, out of all the things in Gensokyo, I may never get used to that.

It doesn't take us long until we find ourselves back in the dim, winding hallways that Sakuya lead Alice and I through earlier this evening. Just as the head maid did before, Patchouli leads us in twisting and confusing paths on our way to the library, with no obvious direction being apparent. Obviously, I find myself just as confused as the first time, but by this point, I just figure to keep quiet and trust in the direction of those who actually live here.

Thankfully, it doesn't take long until we find ourselves in front of two large doors, similar to the ones leading to the dining hall.

With no grand preamble whatsoever, Patchouli just casually waves a hand at the door, and as if by her prompt, the heavy looking doors suddenly swing wide open with no resistance, almost like they were made of paper. Without missing a beat, the apathetic looking magician floats right on in, with Alice and I following close behind.

When I first heard that this mansion has a library, I first presumed, with good reason, that it must be rather large, like one would have in a castle. When I heard a magician practically lived in it, I added a magical twist to that image; adding floating candles and the occasional glyph here and there...

In hindsight, I should have focused on less magic and more...library, in general.

Once I walked onto what seems to be a walkway that overlooks the entire library from above, I realized The Scarlet Devil Mansion's library isn't just huge. Huge is a rather big understatement actually. In terms of size, the library itself could probably take up the same amount of space as the entire mansion, at least from the outside.

Which leads to the first thing out of my mouth...once I am able to pick it off the ground, that is. "How...the hell...can you fit this place inside the mansion?!"

"If you haven't noticed by now, the Scarlet Devil Mansion is much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside." Patchouli deadpans at me, looking upon me like I am an idiot. "The same applies to the library. You can thank Sakuya for that. Time and space manipulation is her thing, after all."

"Time...and space?" I utter in disbelief, feeling some cracks in my sanity at the mere thought.

Oh dear lord, she's more of a reality hacker than I thought! I absolutely refuse to believe she is human now. No human should ever have that kind of power! And we are in freaking Gensokyo! She's like some kind of god! Or...goddess. Whatever!

My dubious expression earns a laugh from Alice, who has been overlooking the library besides me. "Sakuya really is rather ridiculous, isn't she? Just don't think about it too hard, like you would with the rest of Gensokyo."

"I'm trying. I really am." I utter with exasperation, before rapidly shaking my head in an attempt to clear my thoughts. "Agh! Forget about it, let's just keep moving."

"I couldn't agree more." Patchouli deadpans, before floating up and over the railing for the walkway. With a sigh at her fellow magicians attitude, Alice nods her head in Patchouli's direction before attempting to float off herself. Attempting being the word here, as just as the doll maker manages to make it a few feet into the air, she suddenly drops back to the floor like a rock, complete with a rather adorable squeak uttered from her mouth.

The suddenness of the drop, predictably, results in Alice stumbling backwards, and most likely would have resulted in her falling on her rump, if I hadn't been ready to catch her as soon as I saw her drop. "Easy there, I gotcha." I soothe, quickly helping her steady herself on her feet. "Guess that covers it; you're not fit to fly yet."

"Thanks for stating the obvious..." Alice grumbles, slowly pulling herself away from my arms.

The other magician in our midst, the one currently able to fly, stares down at us in, dare I say, amusement. "Is this going to be a problem?"

"No no, just give us a moment." The puppeteer quickly placates her ally in magic, before looking over to me with a mix of expectancy and apology in her features. "I suppose we get to try that idea earlier than expected, huh?"

"You've got to be kidding me..." I exasperate, but otherwise giving no resistance as I pull Arashi off my back, and begin readying it for mounting. "Let it be said, I normally would never try to do this with anyone."

"I know." Alice affirms solemnly, approaching my guitar and I rather shyly for being the one to come up with the idea in the first place. "I really do appreciate this, Tadashi. Really, I do."

"...Don't worry about it." I attempt to give her the most comforting smile I can, despite the unease. Without further ado, I hop on my instrument like I normally do, before adjusting my seat so I'm sitting slightly further down the neck of the guitar. It's slightly harder to balance like this, but it's still frankly easier to sit on than a broom. "Alright, I think there is enough room for you on the base. Give it a try."

Without a word, my blonde friend carefully takes a seat right next to me. As an unexpected result, the guitar ends up sharply dipping in the air out from under us, coming up just short of the floor. Not surprisingly, this causes Alice to reflexively latch onto my side tightly with her free arm, in fear of falling over once again, and her yellow eyes then glare up into mine in obvious disapproval. "Could you not!?"

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't compensate for the extra weight." I quickly apologize, putting more focus in my control over my guitar. "I told you I never done this before."

The girl besides me can only pout in response, obviously still miffed at me, but thankfully at least understanding my own situation. After taking a moment to readjust herself on my unorthodox ride, all the while keeping her arm around me, she seems to relax into me. "Fine. Do you have it handled now?"

"Yeah, I think so." I confirm, before proceeding to lift us into the air gradually. While it's awkward to fly while having two bodies pressed together on such a small space, there is at least no immediate complications with our arrangement. "Just hold on tight and try to keep still. Your shifts in balance may throw me off."

Alice nods cautiously to my warning, tightening her hold on me all the more. In the meantime, Patchouli continues to observe us in thinly veiled interest as we approach, eyeing my guitar with inquisitive eyes. "May we continue now? As amusing as this is, I have other things to do."

"Sorry to keep you waiting. We're ready." I respond, settling up besides our guide in the air. With no further prompting needed, the purple-themed magician begins to float off in a random direction in the vast library, with Alice and I carefully following right behind her.

The flight through the library is rather unique experience, to say the least. As we fly to the other end of the massive room, it feels like a sea of books just flows by underneath us in a mixture of wood, paper, and dull color. Unsurprisingly for a mansion made for a vampire, the library is very dimly lit, with only the bare amount of lighting needed to see produced by overhead, floating lights of some magical means. After a while, the massive paradise for books seems less surreal and more...spooky. Like anything could just suddenly jump out of the shadows made by the dim luminescence.

Then again, that could pretty much apply to the whole mansion. But for some reason, all of these bookshelves look like they make a labyrinth. I'm just glad I don't have to navigate through it. So glad I learned how to fly!

Fortunately, the journey over the bookshelves did not drag on. Seemingly not long after we took to the air, Patchouli begins her decent toward a seemingly secluded section of the library, with us following close behind. When we land, our guide surprisingly turns to address me, who is currently waiting for Alice to dismount my guitar before hopping off myself. "...That is a very odd method of flight you use. Care to explain why you ride upon your instrument like that?"

"Besides apparently giving other people rides?" I joke, earning a soft backhand into my arm thanks to my passenger. "I kinda have to. We've tried other ways, but in the end I can't fly myself, but my guitar can. Marisa taught me how from there."

A look of contempt quickly flashes past her features, before shifting to a more resigned expression. "I thought that method looked familiar. I suppose the black-white is actually good for something, at least. But now I'm curious..." Her focus now drills into me, as if analyzing every aspect about me. "What kind of youkai are you, where you have to rely on your instrument for flight? It is very unusual."

I balk at the inquiry, my mouth snapping shut when I realized I may have already said too much, yet again. Fortunately, Alice comes to my aid for the nth time tonight. "He would rather keep that private. Please don't read too much into him, Patchouli."

The librarian give the puppeteer a particular look, before huffing and hovering off towards a table pilled with all manner of books and literature. "So be it. I will probably figure it out on my own anyway, eventually."

A feeling of dread runs over me at her words, before I feel a comforting hand placed upon my shoulder. "I wouldn't worry about it, Tadashi. She just wants to know for the sake of knowing. Nothing bad will come of it if she figures it out."

"I hope you're right..." I mumble, not quite feeling comfortable about the idea, but willing to believe in Alice.

Once that little situation passed, I quickly take note that this small part of the library is a bit different to the rest. A generous amount of space has been cleared away to make room for the table Patchouli is rummaging around, which I now realize is a sizable work desk. Along with the desk, there is a rather large and comfortable looking chair, obviously meant for the magician's use only, and piles upon piles of books stacked on the floor. It's rather clear that Patchouli spends much of her time here.

By the time I finish my observations, the purple-themed magician returns, holding what looks to be strips of some kind of material in her dainty hands. "Here is what you are looking for, Alice. They may not look like much, but they will do the job."

"They will work just fine." Alice takes the bindings from her fellow magician, giving them a once over before quickly wrapping them around her grimoire. It does little to stop the glowing light from leaking from the pages, but at least the covers won't accidentally flip open. "I'll be sure to properly seal my grimoire once I am rested. Thank you for this, Patchouli."

"There is no need for thanks. Magic improperly sealed or controlled is dangerous, so I am only doing what needs to be done." Patchouli retorts, before floating back to her desk. "Now, I recommend that you should be on your way. It's getting late, and you will need all the time you can get if you are flying home like that."

Was...was that a joke? It was said so straight faced I couldn't tell at all.

In the end, I decide to take the advice for what it is as I turn to address Alice, who just gives me a weak smile. "Shall we go then? Looks like we are overstaying our welcome."

"Yeah, we should..." As the puppeteer is responding, I see her freeze up mid sentence, her eyes rapidly widening to a size I don't think I have ever seen on her before.

"...Alice? What's up?" I ask in concern, rapidly running through possibilities of why my best friend would suddenly lock up like she is doing now. I turn to Patchouli for answers, but I immediately notice that, while not stock still frozen as her fellow magician, she has gotten noticeably stiffer. "Uh...what's going on?"

Patchouli snaps her head at me at my inquiry, her once lethargic demeanor going noticeably more alert. "You both need to leave here...now."

"...What?" I ask in bafflement, feeling like I am missing an important piece of information. That feeling only morphs to unease when I feel alarm bells ringing through all my senses, even though I can't place exactly what could be causing it, only adding more to my confusion. After a moment though, I can place the feeling to something familiar...

It feels like I am being watched. It's just like when Yukari was spying on me in the outside world, or when I met Mystia's blonde haired friend before...Rumia, I think her name was? But who could it possibly be?

Just as I am finally getting a grasp on the situation, I hear the book loving magician release an aggravated sigh. "...Too late."

Before I can even ask what she could possibly mean, a shiver shoots up my spine, causing my whole body to go rigid despite myself. It's like someone decided to place a block of ice down directly behind me, just letting the cold air around it to send tingles through my nerves just from proximity. This just leaves me one, unsettling guess.

Something is behind me. I didn't hear anyone, or feel anything, but something is there.

I am unable to stew on the thought for long when, in almost an anticlimactic fashion, a soft, rather curious sounding voice pops up. "Who are you?"

Slowly, without making any sudden moves, I turn around to address whoever is behind me. At first glance at her face, I could have mistaken the unknown girl for Remilia, due to how her face is similarly shaped and full of youth, plus the same crimson eyes. That opinion is quickly overwritten by several other factors, however, namely her clothes, hair, and wings. The clothes consist mostly of a red vest and skirt, a pink shirt with short sleeves underneath the vest, and a pink mop cap remarkably similar to Remilia's own. Her hair is rather different, being short and blonde instead of Remilia's wavy light blue, plus the little pony tail she has it tied into on the left side of her head.

And then there are the wings, if I can even call them that. Unlike the iconic bat-like wings vampires are known for, this girl only seems to have the black, skeletal frame of bat wings, and hanging off of those black rods are sixteen crystals, eight for each wing, which seems to dimly glow in the color of the rainbow. It makes her wings look more like a colorful chandelier more than anything.

Realizing I might be staring too long, I quickly think of a response to give to the mystery girl. "Do...you mean me?"

The girl smiles up at me in response, folding her arms behind her back in a frankly cute manner. "Yep. I have never seen you here before, so I want to know who you are. You look interesting."

"Well, this is my first visit." I shrug lightly, before kneeling down stiffly to look this new girl in the eyes. Said crimson eyes that are staring at me with wide curiosity. "My name's Tadashi Rizumu, Dash for short. I'm a musician from the outside world. What is your name?"

"Flandre, Flandre Scarlet." The girl introduces herself, before pausing and then doing a quick curtsy, as if remembering that is something she should do.

"Flandre, why are you up and about? You know the rules." Patchouli asks firmly, looking rather irritated at the situation.

The blonde girl turns her attention to the librarian, her innocent looking expression shifting to that of a scolded child. "I heard a loud rumbling from my room, and I got curious. It sounded like an explosion, so I thought it might have been Marisa..."

"And naturally, you thought she would be here." The magician finishes, heaving a deep sigh before she starts grumbling to herself.

The explosion she heard must have been from Alice's last blast of magic. It did cause quite the commotion...

Speaking of the doll maker, I feel Alice place a firm grasp on my shoulder from right besides me. When I look over to her, I can clearly see a panic in her features that I'm certain I have never seen in her before. "That's Remilia's little sister." She begins whispering to me, never letting her eyes leave the apparent vampire. "I've never met her myself, but if what Marisa and Reimu says about her is to be believed, she's just as powerful as her older sister...and much more unstable."

"Really?" I ask quietly, standing back up to better address the puppeteer. "You're certain about that?"

My friend nods her head in silent confirmation, before attempting to pull me away from the two residents. "We should leave here, before she-"

"Excuse me, um...Dash-san?" The younger vampire calls to me, instantly locking Alice and I down with her attention. "You said you are a...moozition, right? What is that?"

"Musician." I correct, honestly surprised at her question. "You don't know what a musician is?" At the slight shake of her head, I decide to humor her a little. "Putting it simply, a musician plays music, for other people preferably."

"Oh! Like a music box?" Flandre asks excitedly, before she begins pacing around me slowly, eyeing me up and down very intently. Despite the curious girl's closer proximity, Alice refuses to move away from me, which honestly gives me some comfort.

As the little vampire finishes her impromptu inspection, she pouts up at me with dissatisfaction. "...Are you broken?"

A bewildered look flashes across my face due to her inquiry, not quite sure I follow what she means. "Excuse me?"

"Are you broken?" Flandre asks more firmly, before making a twisting motion with her hand. "I don't see a crank on you anywhere."

"A crank...?" I murmur in confusion, looking back Alice who also looks just as befuddled as I do. "I uh... I don't have one. I don't think anyone normally has a crank."

"Then you're lying to me." The vampire narrows her eyes at me, which causes me to panic.

"What? No, I'm not." I deny quickly, which only seems to sour her mood more.

"Well, it's either you are broken, or you're lying to me. Either way, I don't see how you can play music." She attempts to explain to me, which honestly makes me feel more lost.

Either way, in response to her unsound logic, I pull my guitar around and into my arms, displaying it blatantly to the non believer. "I'm not sure what you are thinking, but I can play music, using my guitar here. See?" I quickly demonstrate by strumming my instrument with a slow, open note.

For what it's worth, the look of dumbfounded amazement on her face is absolutely priceless. "Oh wow~! What else can it do? Show me, show me!"

Not exactly willing to turn down a plead for my music, I turn to Alice with an unspoken question in my expression. Immediately seeing what I want to do, I can tell how unwilling she is to grant my request, obviously wanting for us to get away as soon as we can. In the end, she gives me a hesitant nod, to which I beam a thankful smile at her before turning back to Flandre. "Alright, I'll play a special song for you. But only one, okay? I have to leave after this."

The vampire girl happily nods in understanding to my condition, and with no further prompting, I proceed to pull on her aura for my ability. The process goes smoothly, though I am a little put off by the condition of her life energy. Unlike the norm, Flandre's aura is a lot more...shaky and unrestrained. Regardless, I continue infusing the leaked bits into my guitar, and then allow the Aura Song to guide me through the notes of her soul.

Right from the bat, I could tell that this song is completely different from what I am used to, starting with the chaotic, fast paced opening. While at first it seems like a jumble of notes, they are actually quite repetitive, and get easier to play as I go. After a couple of repetitions, the song starts in earnest, and while the pace slows down significantly into simpler notes, the feel and the tone of the tune takes a more devilish turn. Maybe it's just me, but the build up to the chorus feels unnerving.

The whole tone changes again when the chorus hits. While somehow keeping the devilish feeling, the notes begin to climb in a energetic hop, and when they reach their peak, another burst of fast pace notes hits before practically dancing away. The difference from the rest of the song is jarring, yet undeniably catchy, like a carnival just spontaneously took place in a ominous atmosphere. And much like the rest of the song, the continuing notes after the chorus take an even larger shift, becoming light, mysterious, and even magical while somehow leaving the darker tones behind. That change doesn't stick around, unfortunately, and the song loops itself back around to its more devilish theme.

Once I get settled into the unnerving song, I take a glance at my current audience, only to find my opinion is mostly shared among the magicians. Alice continues to look on edge, not exactly looking to enjoy the song even a little bit. Patchouli, on the other hand, looks far more composed listening to the vampire's song, as if she has spent far more time getting used to this kind of atmosphere. With that being said, she still doesn't seem to be enjoying it too much. If anything, it is like she is tolerating it.

On the other end of the entertainment spectrum, Flandre looks like she is hearing what is possibly the greatest thing in Gensokyo to her, with a childish sparkle in her eyes and everything. While this isn't surprising, considering this is the song produced by her soul, the mere fact that this chaotic song comes from her is a dire fact. It speaks volumes about who she is, and also attests to Alice's warning about the girl being unstable.

Not that I was doubting what Alice was saying, but I wanted to give Flandre a chance to prove her wrong, at the very least. Guess she was right though...

Finally, after playing through the chorus of the song a second time, I finish the composition in a definitive, loud note. Of course, the little lady that I was performing for breaks into an excited applause. The others decide to politely clap as well, if only to not offend the one the song is for. While I can completely understand why the magicians weren't as entertained as Flandre, it still hits a sour note within me for not pleasing someone with my music.

"Amazing!" The colorfully winged girl exclaims, looking thoroughly entertained. "I've never heard something so great before! It was incredible!"

"Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed my performance." I give a fragile smile, at least thankful someone enjoyed the song, even if it's only the song's owner.

"Oh, I did! I did very much." Flandre confirms, before staring at Arashi with newfound curiosity. "So then, this...'geetar' you used... It makes the music, right?" Her crimson eyes then dart to the head of my instrument, before pointing at it in excitement. "Look! It even has the crank, right there! Six of them, even! That means it's special, right?"

Her line of questioning confounds me more than ever, even after I realize she is talking about the tuning knobs on my guitar. In the end, I find that correcting her on every little thing would take all night, so I just roll with it. "Yeah, that's about right. Anyway, as I said earlier, I really must be going..."

The words seem to shatter the vampire's good mood, her once cheerfulness giving way to a melancholy I honestly didn't expect. "Already? But..."

"Don't complain, Flandre." Patchouli speaks up, admonishing the saddened girl. "You agreed to his terms, so let him go."

"But-!" Flandre starts to complain, before solemnly tilting her head down. "...Alright."

The resident magician nods her head in approval at her acceptance, before continuing on. "They already had a long evening meeting with Remi, so they must be tired at this point. Let them go get their rest. You know how dealing with your sister can get."

At the mention of Remilia, Flandre mood shifts once again. Surprisingly, this time it's a mix of grumpy irritation. "Of course... Everyone only comes to see my sister. Why is that anyways? She's not all that great..." Her irritation then shifts to me, causing me to flinch when I see her eyes are starting to glow. "Let me guess, you just came here to show her that...music box thing, just because she wanted you to."

Well, she's not wrong. But what's with calling my guitar a music box? She does know that more things play music than a music box, right?

As if taking my stunned silence as confirmation, Flandre seems to have struck a last nerve in her bundle of emotions. "That's so unfair! I never get anything nice like that! Why does she gets anything that she wants, but I don't!?" She emphasizes her point by stamping her foot, and unexpectedly this causes rather large cracks to spider web in the flooring around her.

The sudden tantrum puts everyone else in the room on edge, and while Alice and I look on helplessly, Patchouli seems to cautiously be gripping the book she has on hand, as if readying for something. "Flandre, please calm down. Acting out like this doesn't give anyone reason to listen to you."

"Of course it doesn't! It never has!" The raging girl snaps, before her eyes narrow in consideration. "Nothing I want ever does come to me... No matter how good I am, or how long I wait. The only time I got close, I had to do something myself." Her crimson eyes widen in realization at her own words, before a wide, unnerving grin spreads across her face. "I should take a lesson from my sister, and be a little more selfish. Starting now."

Alarm bells go off in everyone's heads at that line of thinking, and I quickly back peddle away from the unhinged girl, along with Alice. Patchouli, on the other hand, begins chanting as quickly as she can, her book open in front of her in one hand, while the other is pointed at Flandre. "[Water Sign-"

As soon as the magician starts to call out what sounds to be a spell card, the vampire aims her arm at Patchouli, and with no hesitation launches a barrage of fast, multicolored bullets, actually taking the librarian off guard. While some of the shots do make contact with Patchouli, the majority of the shots actually make contact with the ground around her, causing a large cloud of smoke to appear. "Sorry, Patche. I'm not letting you stop me this time."

Alice and I look on in concern as the smoke begins to dissipate, until we finally spot Patchouli. While she looks relatively uninjured, the magician seems to be coughing up a fit. While that is somewhat unsurprising, the fact she can't seem to stop coughing is alarming. "Wha...what's wrong with her?"

Alice, upon seeing the condition of her fellow magician, grits her teeth in frustration. "Patchouli has a bad case of asthma. While it's acting up like that, she won't be of much help to anyone. Of all the dirty tricks..."

Gulping at the implication, I slowly turn my attention back to Flandre, who is staring at me very intently, and slowly begins to walk toward me with a grin that is anything but comforting.. "Now then, with that out of the way..."

Alice, despite her own clear exhaustion, steps between the vampire and I, quickly attempting to unravel her grimoire again to use. "You stay away from Tadashi."

"Alice, don't." I plead, all to aware she can't do anything at the moment.

Ignoring me for the moment, Flandre eyes the puppeteer with a curious look. "You're...Alice, right? I've seen you around here before, though I was told I wasn't aloud to play with you." She then giggles unnervingly to herself, before tilting her head. "It's fine, I don't care what happens to Dash-san. I just want the music box."

Quickly piecing together her intentions at that demand, I quickly hide Arashi behind me, a genuine fear burning through me. "You can't have it, my guitar is everything to me. It's of no use to you."

"I think I'll decide that for myself, Dash-san." She declares stubbornly, before tilting her head to the other side, this time in thought. "...Speaking of which. You said you're a 'moozition', but you're really just a human, right?"

As the little sister asks this question to me, she raises an open hand that she points at me with clear intent. Figuring she is about to shoot danmaku at me, I prepare myself to dodge at a moments notice, taking to the air on my guitar if I have to. However, that assumption is put into question when I hear Patchouli try to choke out some words. "F-Flandre, stop! He's n-not-" That is all she manages to get out before coughs overtake her again.

The warning goes unheeded anyway, as Flandre slowly begins tightening her hand. Shockingly, I feel a painful tightness in my chest at the motion, and I can't help releasing a cry of pain, accidentally dropping my guitar behind me in the process so I can clutch at my chest. "Urk! W-Wha!?"

"Tadashi!?" Alice quickly twists around to look at me due to the noise I'm making, her expression changing to absolute terror. With little else she can do, my best friend in Gensokyo rushes over to what she can figure is the cause of my pain, and attempts to pull the pointed hand away from me, with no affect. "Please, stop! You don't know what you're doing! I beg of you, please no!"

"My sister said it's alright to attack humans who wander into our home." Flandre states while ignoring Alice pulling on her arm, her face showing a cheerfulness that just doesn't fit the situation at all. "If you're a human, then everything is fine. I can get what I want, and she won't be upset with me. So then, Dash-san..." Her wide eyes, once filled with amazement and curiosity when they looked upon me, now hold a startling indifference, as if I'm only an afterthought to her. It is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed since coming to Gensokyo. "...Bye-bye!"

At that, I witness her closing her hand in a tight fist, before my entire vision is engulfed in a blinding white for an instant, then fades to nothing but darkness and silence.

Well...that just happened. And just when it looked like Dash and Alice were getting somewhere. Err... Hope nobody is cross with me on that one. Please let me know? -starts taking cover-

Just to clarify some things: I am a big fan of both Flandre and her theme. Some of the things I've seen fans come up with involving either is just amazing, and I can understand why some of you wanted her to show up when the story led to the SDM. It's just...you should never meet your idols, fictional or not. Canon Flandre is a rather volatile existence, and I knew, even if Dash somehow managed to charm her, their meeting wouldn't end well. So if you felt I was unfair to her or her theme, just know I tried to do them the most justice I could. Didn't keep me from looking forward for when those two meet! Poor Alice, though...

While we are on the topic, writing a character who is described as insane is sooooooo difficult, especially when they don't have very much appearances to build off of. I'm not sure if I wrote Flandre exactly right, so please give me a little leniency on this one.

So then, what do you all think will happen after the fact? Just so you know, the next chapter will most likely be the second to last, if not the last, chapter of the story. Everything is coming together, so to speak. Just hope it doesn't take me nearly as long to write that out. Until then!

On a side note, funnily enough, I actually tested if two people could sit on the surface of guitar myself. By my estimate, there should be enough room. Goes to show the kind of things I look into for this story, right?