-peeks my head out nervously- Uh...hey there, everyone! Hope you aren't too mad that this took another year to get put out. I honestly made an effort to get this out, like, months ago. I really did! But I had a struggle with how I wanted this chapter to end. Do I just bull through and try to end the whole story with this? How would the characters naturally proceed after everything was concluded? Was I forcing a situation I wanted to happen? A lot of questions and doubts kept pummeling me, so I kept putting it off. It didn't help I had other stressful things on my mind throughout the year, not to mention I got a new computer finally! Now I can play the newer Touhou games without the fps slowing to a crawl. Possibly another distraction to why I wasn't writing, if I'm being honest...

BUT! I am still here, and despite the fact that I take so long with these past chapters, I still get encouragements from some great people out there. So I would like to say thank you. I may not respond to everyone one of you, but I still read every review everyone drops, and it helps my confidence knowing that a lot of you still think so highly of this story. Among those is the ones addressing my doubts about how I handle Flandre's character, which nearly everyone thinks came out great! So once again, thank you so much!

So, after the long wait, on a cliff hanger no less, I present to you the next chapter of The Chords of Paradise! With this, I'm hoping I wrapped up some plot points for some of you. Also, this chapter might feel a little different, considering it is told in a third person view the whole time. You'll see why though.

Touhou belongs to ZUN. He's let out a lot of new games when I wasn't looking... Is one of the new characters a haniwa? That's neat.


Chapter 37 – The Red String of Fate

The despairing wail that resounds throughout the Scarlet Devil Mansion's library, in Patchouli's opinion, is most likely one of the most painful things she has ever listened to. Not just because it is jarring to the ears, though that does factor in rather heavily. No, it is because how much it hurts her emotionally, however much that may be, to hear something so tortured from, what she would say, a close colleague in the magical arts.

The explosion that was once the musician from the outside world, Tadashi Rizumu, was actually much cleaner than one would believe, as is usually the case when Flandre uses her ability to destroy absolutely anything. Instead of the rain of blood and guts you would expect when someone explodes, Dash instead exploded into dust, just particles in the air, leaving little to no trace of the once outsider. The little sister of the Scarlet Devil doesn't just blow up anything she wishes, she destroys. It is actually rather convenient, not leaving a mess whenever her ability is used, which is especially true when she used it on a meteor a while back.

Of course, this fact is of little comfort to Alice Margatroid, who just witnessed possibly the one person closest to her fall victim to such an ability. At first, the puppeteer was shocked speechless, as if in denial that such a thing has actually happened. However, when reality sets in for the poor doll maker, the tears began to flow in earnest, before she then crumbled to the floor...and screamed.

This has been going on for quite a while now, and still the once proud Seven Colored Puppeteer doesn't seem to be calming in the least. Patchouli remains ever still as she watches from the side, her coughs still ever present, but not as hampering as they once were. Unsurprisingly, the book loving magician doesn't know exactly what to do in this situation, now that the worst has come to pass. As for the culprit for the whole mess, Flandre seems to be in her own little world, unaffected by the fellow blonde who is grieving right next to her.

Finally, a change happens in the standstill from the vampire, who begins taking casual steps towards where the sole male in the building once stood. "Now then, I suppose I will just take the music box and-"

"What is all this commotion about!?" A shrill yell echoes across the library, even overtaking the cries from Alice on the floor. The source of the piercing demand, to the relief of the librarian, is the owner of the mansion herself, flying above everyone with a rather irritated expression on her face. Remilia, as she has claimed she was doing a while back, has changed out of the tattered dress from her earlier duel, and is dawning what one could say is an exact replica of the old one, only missing her necklace and ribbons from the ensemble.

As the mistress of the mansion looks down on the gathering below, her face gradually shifts into a confused look. However, as she takes in the clues around her, such as the presence of her sister, the current state her once opponent is currently in, and the distinct lack of a certain musician even though his prized instrument is blatantly lying on the floor, the dots come together rather quickly.

Of course, a wide range of emotions race across her face when she comes to her conclusion, ranging from shock, fury, shame, worry, then settling back to fury. "FLANDRE! What did you do!?"

Much to her ignorance, Flandre looks up in shock at her sister for yelling so unladylike, before smiling cheerfully. "What do you mean? I just got rid of the human that was in our home, just like you said I should!"

"Is that what you thought?" Remilia fumes, before quickly landing right in front of her little sister, staring right into her face. "You don't see what you did wrong here?"

"I...did something wrong?" The once cheerful grin on the blonde girl's face begins to die down, her wide eyes now showing a fair bit of unease.

"Let me tell you all you did wrong then." The elder of the two presses on, her anger barely being controlled so she can scold her sister properly. "First, you broke the rules and left your room without my permission. That has always been a fundamental rule, and you broke it. Again."

"But that's because-" Flandre starts to argue, but is over spoken by her sister.

"No buts!" Remilia yells, before calmly continuing. "Second, you attacked a guest of our home, not an intruder. You are only allowed free reign to attack intruders, human or not. And that is only supposed to be after you are aloud to leave your room in the first place." Her sister says nothing at this point, already knowing that she messed up on that front. "Third, you unwittingly made me break my word, that being that no harm will come to Dash while he is a guest of our home. You understand how it looks upon our household when we can't even keep our word, don't you?"

"I...I'm sorry, Onee-sama." Flandre apologizes. While the younger sister does get jealous of her older sibling, and even has it in her to snark at Remilia on occasion, she really does respect her older sister. Letting her down in such a way, especially smirching their name like she apparently just did, is a huge insult.

"Not as sorry as you are going to be after everything is settled." The elder Scarlet notes ominously, before still continuing with her lecture. "Forth, even disregarding you attacked a guest, you didn't even engage him in a spell card duel, or even checked that he was able to. This could put us in BIG trouble with Reimu. I don't even know what I can do if she decides you need to be sealed away because of this."

The thought sends a shiver down the younger sister's spine. She already is usually confined to her room, only being aloud to leave at certain times. The thought of being sealed away by the red-white miko is an absolute nightmare.

"And finally, last and foremost...you didn't even attack a human."

"Wha...what?" Flandre, to her credit, looks absolutely shocked. "He wasn't a human? But...but he didn't..."

"I understand why you thought that. He was masquerading as a human, after all. As some youkai do, I must add." Remilia impresses, before solemnly lowering her gaze. "Perhaps I should have informed you of that before this evening. I just didn't think the two of you would meet this soon. That was an oversight on my part."

"...What do you mean?" The scolded girl looks at her sister in confusion, letting just a little of her earlier bitterness and jealousy through. "He was here to see you, wasn't he? I doubt you ever would have let me meet him normally."

"...You fool." The mistress of the mansion blatantly insults her sister, her gaze actually looking pitying. "I asked young Dash here because I wished to hire him as part of our staff. He would have been living here, playing music for us whenever we wanted. And that means for you as well." The elder vampire then turns her gaze to the guitar lying on the floor, a sad and disappointed frown spreading from her lips. "And now...now no one can enjoy that music anymore."

The blonde girl looks distraught at the thought, before trying to quickly think of a way to salvage the situation. "B-But Onee-sama! I didn't destroy the music box thing he had! We can still listen to it, right?"

Sighing at her sisters blatant naivety, Remilia is about to inform the other vampire of her misinformation, before a particular sight catches her eye, like a trick of the light. Upon further inspection, she notices that whatever she is seeing, is coming from the now lone guitar. "...That's not possible. It's still there, even now?"

"Onee-sama?" Flandre questions, noticing her sister has shifted away from her.

"Be quiet." Remilia orders, following whatever it is only she seems to be able to see. Finally, her crimson eyes fall upon the still sobbing Alice on the floor, her voice now lowered in volume due to exhaustion and strain. As she is now, it doesn't even seem that she noticed that Remilia even arrived. A far cry from the powerful and willful individual that dueled with her earlier that evening.

Piecing something together in her head, the Scarlet Devil quickly makes her way over to the guitar, scoops it up carefully in her hands, before slowly approaching the grieving puppeteer. Upon reaching her side, Remilia kneels down in front of Alice, before clearing her throat deliberately. "Alice, I need you to listen to me for a moment. Can you do that for me?"

Upon hearing Remilia's voice address her from so close, the puppeteer barely lifts her head up from her spot on the floor, at least giving the vampire indication that she is listening, but not willing to say anything at the moment.

That is more than enough for the vampire to bring up her next point. "This may be an odd question, but could Dash still be alive?"

It takes only a moment for realization to quickly dawn upon the broken expression of the puppeteer, her head snapping up to look Remilia in her crimson eyes before immediately scanning the room frantically for something. Only after her gaze returns to the vampire does she notice the instrument resting in the arms of said vampire. "Tadashi!" Hope reignites in Alice's eyes before, with a speed caused out of desperation, she snatches the lone guitar out of Remilia's deliberately loose grip. After confirming that no damage has been done to the guitar, the magician holds onto it with a fierce protectiveness, fresh tears beginning to fall again from her eyes as she cradles the instrument, this time with relief mixed in with the grief. "Thank goodness. I nearly forgotten..."

Unknowingly, the doll maker's actions seems to only confirm something in the Scarlet Devil's mind, her entire stature relaxing a marginal amount at the realization. "I see. So he's still alive."

"Remi?" Patchouli wheezes out, becoming rather confused with the turn of events.

"It's alright, Patche. It would seem my sister's mistake is not permanent." Remilia states, actually looking relieved herself, if only barely, as she stands back to her full height. "It would seem that young Dash's life is tied to his guitar, in some way. Isn't that right, Alice?"

That mere statement sends a shock throughout everyone present, except for Alice. Her once distraught, yellow eyes are now actively glaring at Remilia, daring her to do anything she would interpret as a threatening action to the instrument in her arms, despite being as exhausted as she is.

Understanding the intention Alice is giving off, Remilia takes a step backwards, giving the agitated girl her space. "It's alright, we won't do anything to harm his guitar." Her attention then sweeps off to her confused sister, her gaze hardening. "Flandre, I do believe it is time for you to go back to your room. I will speak with you later about your punishment."

"But-!" Flandre begins to protest, until her elder sister's glare intensifies at the sign of disobedience. Successfully cowed, the younger sister only lowers her head in shame, not wishing to dig the hole she is in any deeper. "Yes, Onee-sama."

Without any further prompting, the sister of the Scarlet Devil sulks away deeper into the library, presumably towards the entrance to the basement, to which her room is located. As she watches Flandre leave the area, Remilia hears the distrusting voice of the puppeteer speak up, possibly because the most immediate threat to her charge is out of sight. "What are you doing?"

"Hm? Sending my sister away. What, do you wish for her to stay?" Remilia asks with sarcasm, before trying to shift to a more thoughtful tone. "I figured you would not want her around, after all of this. Just trying to help a little."

"We don't need your help!" Alice snaps, her eyes going wild with distrust and hatred. "It's because of you and your sister he is in this state to begin with!"

"I promise you, this was not my intention-" The vampire tries to placate the doll maker, but is cut off.

"You promised that no harm would come to him! And look where that brought us!" The blonde magician yells, tears reforming in her eyes. "I was too weak to do anything to stop her, and all because we had that stupid duel! You are just as much of a reason this happened as she is! I have no reason to trust you at all!"

"Alice, even at full strength, I doubt there would be much you could do. Flandre is just that kind of an opponent." Patchouli jumps in, seeing how quickly conversation is going south. "Also, you know Remi isn't responsible for this. She has no reason to harm him, especially after she promised his safety. She is just too proud to do otherwise."

After saying her piece, the librarian proceeds to cough up another storm, her throat not appreciating being so overused after what it has been through tonight. Alice looks upon her fellow magician warily, ready to place blame on her as well, until reason finally breaks through the haze in her mind. Patchouli, while loyal to Remilia, never hesitates to point out when the vampire does something wrong. The purple clad magician lives her life based on logic, and always will.

"While I appreciate the sentiment, Patche, Alice is right. I am just as responsible for this happening as Flandre is." Remilia rebukes solemnly. "As was said before, I gave my word that no harm would come to Dash while he was our guest here. While I didn't expect something like this to happen, I should have taken precautions, as was my responsibility. And I apologize heavily for my oversight."

Alice, while shocked at the maturity the usually immature vampire is showing, still replies back with a fair bit of spite. "Apologies only go so far."

"I know, which is why I want to help Dash as much as I can. It is the least I can do to make up for my little sister's misconduct. Her harming Dash has broken my word, and as such, I owe you a debt. Along with assisting you in any way we can and the earlier deal after our duel, you are allowed to ask of me whatever you wish of me to do."

Silence falls upon the library at that statement, no one daring to speak after such a declaration from the Scarlet Devil. After what feels to be too long to mull anything over, Alice finally speaks up with uncertainty in her tone. "...Anything?"

"I only ask that you allow me to administer any punishment upon my sister as I see fit. Other than that, anything." Remilia says with certainty in her voice.

Another long moment of contemplation passes, before Alice finally proceeds to stand up from her place on the floor, her legs looking unsteady, but her expression firm. "Fine. Let it be clear, I am far from forgiving you. But I can at least be certain you may actually have something to help."

"I'm sure we do." The vampire boasts, before schooling her expression. "However, you are going to have to tell us exactly what we are dealing with here. I would rather not make a mistake based on misinformation."

The Seven Colored Puppeteer shows signs of reluctance at the proposal, even if it means bringing back the musician from his current state. In the end, Alice seems to resign herself to the current situation. "...I am only going to tell you because you seem to already have an idea of what is going on. Speaking of which, I want you to tell me how you managed to realize that in the first place. It's a concern someone managed to figure something out so easily."

"Fine by me, though I doubt you have to worry about that normally. I only noticed because he is like this anyway." Remilia waves the issue off.

"But before that..." Alice firmly points at the mistress, her yellow eyes boring into crimson with conviction. "You must promise me, that no matter what I tell you about Tadashi, you must never use that information against him in any way. If you do, I will tell both Reimu and Marisa everything that has happened here tonight. And we both know how they would react."

A sense of dread goes down Remilia's spine at the threat. While Marisa's ire alone would be concerning, considering she has proven to have the potential to shoot a hole through her mansion with her lasers, Reimu herself is a whole different problem all together. As much as the vampire respects and even admires the shrine maiden after the Scarlet Mist incident, she knows that Reimu wouldn't give it a second thought if she felt that Remilia and those under her are a threat that needs to be sealed away. While it is unknown if the shrine maiden would actually go that far because of this little mishap, Remilia is unwilling to find out either way.

"Agreed. Let us try not to get them involved, if we can." The Scarlet Devil hastily remarks, before clearing her throat. "Now then, before we start, how about we take a seat? You look as if you are about to fall over any moment."

Reluctantly, Alice has to agree with that assessment. After her exhausting battle with Remilia earlier, and after the emotional strain her mind and body has taken this whole night, Alice is just about ready to collapse. With that said, the three currently present in the library go take a seat at the nearby table, with Alice quickly recovering her things off the floor, which she unknowingly dropped in favor of Tadashi's guitar, and placing them all on the table in front of her.

Once everyone is seated, Remilia makes a sudden call out to her favored maid. "Sakuya!"

"Yes, Remilia-sama?" The knife wielding maid promptly appears, ready for any order as always.

"Bring us all some tea. Afterwards, be on standby. We may have need for you later."

"Understood." The silver haired maid bows, before disappearing again. A moment later, Sakuya reappears alongside a food cart, with a piping hot pot of tea on top.

As the maid proceeds to serve out everyone's beverage, Remilia begins the looming conversation. "Now, getting down to business, let us start with how I made my deduction about young Dash. In order to do that, I must explain exactly how my ability works."

"Your ability?" Alice frowns, not exactly expecting this turn in the conversation.

"As you may or may not know, my ability is to manipulate fate. However, just explaining it like that is over simplifying things. In truth, it is more complicated than that." The vampire states, her eyes beginning to glow ever so slightly. "From my perspective, everything is interconnected with little red threads, like a branching web of red lines. By focusing on those lines, I can pull and tweak them how I please, therefore changing the fates by those connected."

"That's...rather unbelievable." Alice remarks, taking a calming sip from her drink.

"It is, isn't it? However, I have made good use of this ability, Sakuya here being a prime example." Remilia giggles at that, as if reliving a fond memory. After taking a drink of her own tea, she continues. "It isn't all fun and games, however. Pulling a single thread can cause changes in not just who I am targeting, but nearly everyone involved with them as well, causing a chain reaction. I need to check all the angles before I even think of changing anything, so using my ability isn't something I can just use on the spot."

"Okay...well, while this is very interesting, how does this apply to Tadashi?" The puppeteer asks impatiently.

"I am getting there." The mistress huffs. "As I was saying, there are restrictions to using my power. One of them being that when someone dies, their thread normally vanishes along with their life." She then begins eyeing the guitar resting on the table, her eyes still holding that glow. "However, in Dash's case, instead of that happening, all I see is his thread originating from his guitar instead. Therefore, he must still be alive, in some way, and that reason must be connected to his guitar." The vampire then takes another drink from her cup, before smirking thoughtfully. "You could actually say my discovery is a byproduct of my ability, and not from me actually using it."

While surprised to some capacity, Alice can't help but chuckle mirthlessly at the situation. "This is just unreal. Of course someone has to find out in such an unorthodox way..."

"So it is true? He really is alive somehow?" Patchouli asks, her thirst for knowledge taking over in this unique situation.

After taking a huge breath to brace herself, trying to calm her already frayed nerves, Alice nods. "...Yes. Tadashi is, from what Yuyuko and Yukari has described, a faux lich. His soul is contained inside his guitar like a phylactery. In theory, as long as his guitar survives, so will he."

A loud thump at the table startles the puppeteer from her explanation, and to her surprise, the sound originated from the normally lethargic librarian slamming her palms down onto the table, a wild look in her eyes. "A faux lich!? Impossible! Completely absurd!"

"Patche? You know about what she is talking about?" Remilia asks in surprise, not used to seeing her friend this energetic about anything.

"Not as much as I would like, I admit." Patchouli concedes. "From what I know, the faux lich was a way for those to extend their life indefinitely without relying on necromancy, or magic in general. However, that method was dismissed as being too risky to perform reliably, and has been forgotten to time. There should be no way that he has become one."

"That is the simple way to put it, I suppose." Alice confirms. "But there is no mistake, he is a faux lich, a lich who isn't undead. And now you know the location of his phylactery. I don't need to tell you how grave that information is, do I?"

Patchouli, despite all her disbelief, nods seriously. "The location of any lich's phylactery is their most closely guarded secret. The mere fact that you know means he must trust you with his life."

"That's one way to put it." Remilia remarks with a smirk, before returning to a business like manner. "Now everything is making sense. I understand why you didn't wish to tell us. He must have made you promise not to reveal this fact to anyone, correct?"

"Thank you for reminding me." The doll maker replies bitterly. "I'm not sure how I am going to explain it to him that I told you about it..."

"It is good that you did, because I believe I have an idea on how to bring him back."

The statement sends a shock through Alice's system, her emotional state already past the edge as it is. "How?"

"A question first..." The vampire states, staring down on the lone guitar in curiosity. "Does he regenerate his body like a normal lich?"

The doll maker closes her eyes in contemplation at the inquiry, trying to remember the details she learned that fateful night. "...Yes, although at a slower rate compared to a normal lich. Even so, we were told he should be able to regenerate even if he gets blown to pieces, just as long as his guitar survives." She grimaces at that point, recalling the sight she witnessed earlier. "We never gave that much thought, considering we didn't want to imagine him blowing up, but now..."

A fanged smirk crawls across Remilia face at that information, before clasping her hands together under her chin. "Just as I thought. So what you are saying, is that he should fully regenerate with enough time."

Realization dawns across Patchouli's face at that remark, looking upon her friend in surprise. "Remi, are you suggesting that we..."

"I am indeed." The vampire chuckles as she stands from her seat. Without even looking at her, Remilia gives an unsaid order to the servant nearby, intent clear in her tone alone. "Sakuya."

"Understood, Remilia-sama." The elegant maid bows, before approaching the guitar on the table.

Out of instinct, Alice immediately stands from her seat at the table, shakily standing in between the maid and what is left of her most dear friend. "What are you planning?"

"Relax, Alice. I said that we are going to help young Dash, and that is what Sakuya is going to do." Remilia states, before divulging deeper into her plan. "If what Dash needs to regenerate is time, then Sakuya here can provide all the time he will need. Just let her do her work, and you will have him back in no time at all."

Finally understanding the logic behind the vampire's words, the magician moves out of the way perhaps too quickly, eager for this plan to proceed. Allowing just the smallest of laughs to escape her lips at the sight, Sakuya positions herself right before the guitar. After contemplating the instrument for a moment, the maid fishes out a pocket watch from her apron, and with no preamble, clicks the button on it's top.

Instantly, a kind of distorted field appears around the guitar, but otherwise there is no immediate change. After a moment has passed however, a speck seems to spawn in the space near the guitar, and Sakuya focuses her powers more on that spot. Gradually, the speck turns into a red smudge, which slowly begins to grow as time passes.

"...This is honestly going to take longer than I thought it would." Remilia admits dumbfounded, watching as the smudge grows to the size of a finger.

"We were told his regeneration is much slower than a lich's." Alice remarks, a look of concern crossing her face. "However, this is agonizingly slow."

"It would have been much slower without Sakuya's influence." Patchouli reminds her fellow magician, her attention solely on the red blob now taking shape. "However, I think you may have a different concern."

What the librarian means soon becomes apparent, as the red blob takes on a more definite shape, in the size of a fist. The blob then begins sprouting tube like appendages around it, and soon it becomes apparent what they are looking at.

Alice can only look on in fascinated horror. "You...you can't be serious. Is that his...his...his-"

"His heart, yes." Remilia confirms, obviously more used to the sight than the blonde magician. "It's a logical place to begin the regenerative process, all things considering. It's at the center of the body, and if he regenerates the circulatory system first, he should be able to regenerate throughout his entire body at-"

"Please stop." The puppeteer begs, actually looking like she might get sick.

"...You did realize he would be regenerating like this, didn't you?" The blood sucker herself asks, looking at the blonde in surprise. "What were you going to do if you just brought his guitar home with you? Slowly watch over the days as he becomes flesh and blood?"

"I don't know! I wasn't thinking about that at the time!" Alice cries, hiding her face into her hands.

"I didn't realize you were the squeamish type, Alice." Patchouli notes, looking slightly amused.

"I'm not! I'm usually not. It's just..." The doll maker takes another glance at the regenerating body of Dash, who is now spreading his blood vessels into a vague shape of a body, before looking away again. "...It's hard seeing him like this. It's so, so hard..."

Remilia stares at the magician who beat her in a duel earlier, now reduced into the wreck she is in now, before returning her attention back on the rather gruesome display. "...If you plan on being with him after this, then I recommend you get used to this kind of display as quickly as you can."

"Eh?" Alice utters, looking at the miniature vampire with a complicated expression.

"You do plan on sticking by him after this, right?" The lady of the night asks, a certain insinuation in her tone.

"I...don't know what you mean." The puppeteer dodges, shifting her attention away from the vampire, only to flick back after her eyes landed on the regenerating body.

"I"m sure you do, but if not, then let me help explain things to you." Remilia chuckles, her mischievous side showing through. "I'll let you in on a little secret of mine. I actually had a different goal this evening than trying to hire Dash into my staff."

That immediately caught Alice's attention, her stare boring into the side of the vampire's head with shock and suspicion. "...What?"

"It's true. While the idea of inviting him into my little family was a nice thought, I was just going to let him leave if he didn't want to. Never hurts to ask, as they say." The little lady shrugs at that, still not directly looking at the puppeteer.

"Your actions speak differently. You all but blackmailed him!" The magician replies hatefully, already falling back into an emotional state.

"Yes, well...that was after I noticed something with my ability." Remilia coolly remarks, her focus straying back to the guitar, then over toward Alice.

"...Your ability? What about it?" The blonde asks, her anger shifting slowly into curiosity.

"I've told you how my ability works, and what I can see because of it." Remilia stares at Alice dead into her yellow eyes with her own crimson ones, her tone showing no nonsense at all. "What I didn't tell you, is that there is a rare phenomena that can happen amongst the threads of fate, one that I don't seem to have power over."

"And what could that possibly be?

"It happens when the thread between two individuals seems to grow, like several threads all weaving into one, like a string. Taut, strong...resilient, even to my will. Eventually, I determined that this happenstance means that those two are bound by fate, never meant to change nor separate. I've decided that this occurrence would be called the 'Red String of Fate'." Her crimson eyes narrow as she gazes at Alice, before shifting back to the scene before them. "As it so happens, that very same string exists between you and him."

Alice is left dumbfounded, unable to speak for the longest time, until her brain manages to reboot itself, and a fierce reddening spreads throughout her face. "W-Wait a second! What are you saying!? The red string...you don't mean that red string, do you?"

"Ah, you are familiar with it then? That makes my explanation much easier." Remilia chuckles at the puppeteer's expression. "Alas, I only borrowed the name. I have no clue if what I see is the actual red string or not. As I said, it is a rare occurrence for me to see. And a most frustrating one, at that."

"A...frustrating occurrence?" Alice utters back, her panic reducing due to the change in subject.

"Yes. Be it a surprise or not, I am more familiar with getting my way by manipulating fate. I like having the option to fall back on it if all else fails. But whenever I meet someone who is bound by the red string, it irks me. I cannot change their fate, and I therefore feel powerless against them." The vampire's fist tightens at the thought, though she keeps her voice steady. "Even if I try to physically change it, things always shift back to how they were meant to be. So imagine my surprise and annoyance when I discovered that you two had a string between the two of you? Any chance of convincing him to take my offer dissipated into dust. It was frustrating..."

"...So you forced the issue." Realization washes over the magician's face, along with a slight annoyance.

"I pulled every trick I had to force you apart. It became less about Dash and more about proving I can overcome this blight to my own power. And just as I felt that victory was assured, you turn things around on me. It was my complete loss, on all accounts..." Remilia then sighs, letting the tension leave her.

Silence falls between the two, before the sound of a huff escapes Alice's lips. "I really should slap you for picking a fight over such a silly reason."

"I would not blame you." Remilia chuckles wearily, before her sly smirk returns. "However, don't think I revealed that fact just because I wanted to clear my conscience, or some such silly reason. I wanted you to realize something out of all of that."

"Which is?"

"You two are destined to be together by fate, without question. Whichever way that means is up to the two of you. However, I think we both know which way that is, don't you think?" The flustered look upon Alice's face returns tenfold upon the remark, earning a cackle from the vampire. "Oh my, you are just so precious!"

"...Shut it." The doll maker grumbles, attempting to hide her face away.

"Anyway, I just hope that, after everything you two have went through tonight, you finally start something. You shouldn't just wait around for a 'perfect moment' or some such silly thing. Remember, there are more dangerous beings out there than just my sister." Remilia warns, actually shocking Alice with how sincere she is sounding.

"...Thank you for the advice." The puppeteer reluctantly acknowledges, looking thoughtfully down on her hands. "I'm actually surprised. I wouldn't think you would actually take the time to give me such advice."

"Is that what I was doing? Or was I just distracting you from the more gruesome sights of regeneration?" Riddles the Scarlet Devil, which causes Alice to finally shift her attention back to her dear friend.

For what it's worth, Remilia did do a good job in distracting her through the worst of the ordeal. What once was only a heart and the beginnings of his blood vessels, now rests what clearly looks like a body, though still without its skin. All the exposed muscles overlaps everything underneath, such as organs or bones, so while it still isn't exactly pleasant to see, it at least is far more tolerable than before. And even that is apparently beginning to be covered up, with a thin layer that looks vaguely like skin finally starting to grow in...

...All at once.

...Everywhere.

...Without an ounce of clothing anywhere.

Needless to say, Alice never hid her gaze faster than anything else in her life, turning her head away and hiding her flaming face with her hands for good measure. She attempts to say something, but the only words that leave her mouth are in a jittery mess.

Of course, the puppeteer's actions result in a rather unladylike laugh out of Remilia. The sentiment is also shared between Patchouli and Sakuya, but they do a much better job in hiding it. A nice break admits the once heavy atmosphere, all things considering.

Finally, someone manages to find some words to actually speak with, and that turns out to be the gleeful vampire. "Oh my, your reaction is just absolutely priceless, Alice! Did you like something you saw?"

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! Just someone please cover him up!" The blonde squeals, never thinking she would see the musician in such a state.

"That may not be such a good idea, right now." Patchouli speaks up, amusement in her voice. "If we placed something on him while Sakuya is using her power, it may just deteriorate."

"It would be quite alright, Patchouli-sama. Nothing should disappear at the point I am at." Sakuya corrects, her own tone a little strained from using her ability for such a length of time. "Unfortunately, I regret to inform you, Alice, that I am unable to retrieve anything suitable while I am doing this. It will just have to wait until after I am done."

"You honestly don't expect me to do anything, do you? Besides, I think I am actually enjoying the show." Remilia teases, though not seriously ogling the still body on the table.

With everyone else not showing any cooperation at all, Alice let's loose a frustrated growl. "Argh, fine!" With perhaps more force than necessary, the flustered girl yanks the shawl off her shoulders, and quickly drapes it over the recovering young man, all the while doing her best not to look directly at him.

Now with a minimum amount of decency, Alice looks over the nearly regenerated form that is Tadashi Rizumu, now back in the flesh. After everything that has happened to him, he looks nearly the same as he did before his unfortunate run in with the little sister. All that remains is the last patches of skin to grow back, and his hair to return to the proper length. Looking down on him, a storm of feelings rises up in the normally composed magical puppeteer, ranging from joy, relief, grief, frustration, protectiveness, desperation, longing...

A quick shake of the head attempts to clear the blonde's head of the overwhelming feelings, before a fierce determination overtakes her features. Many of her current thoughts will just have to wait until he comes to, but until then...

A relieved gasp pulls her out of her thoughts, and when Alice looks for the source, she finds a rather exhausted looking Sakuya, who begins to take a step back from the table. "...It is done. He should be restored, at this point."

"Excellent work, Sakuya, as always." Remilia praises, before taking a closer look at her prized maid. "...Are you alright? It is not often I find you this worn down."

"My apologies, Remilia-sama. I have not used my powers to this extent in quite some time. I just need to rest for a moment, and-"

"That is quite alright, Sakuya. Take as long as you need to recover, I insist." The mistress commands, before looking down at the young man. "Well, here he is, just as I said."

The doll maker quickly begins inspecting him up and down, looking closely at everything that isn't covered by her shawl. Only a moment after she begins, dread slowly crawls up her spine, and she quickly places her hands in front of his mouth and on his chest. After waiting a minute, that dread transforms into panic. "He isn't breathing, and he still feels cold. Why isn't he coming back to life?"

"...I don't know." Remilia reluctantly admits, not exactly planning for after the body regenerates. "Sakuya, did you make sure you gave him long enough?"

"Yes, Remilia-sama. By my estimate, it has taken him several months to recover back completely, down to the last hair. Even then, I gave him some days after the fact, just in case." Sakuya informs, trying to look prim and proper even after her tiring ordeal.

"If it isn't time, then there must be a factor after the fact." The vampire theorizes, placing a finger to her chin in thought. "But what could it be?"

"Place his phylactery in contact with his body." Patchouli instructs passively. "His soul must need to reconnect, and it's too weak to do so from a distance."

Without needing any further prompting, Alice quickly place the guitar on top of the near bare musician, wrapping one of his arms around it for good measure. With baited breath, everyone watches intently for any change with the young man. After what felt like too long to everyone, a sudden intake of air is heard from his nose, alerting that he has begun to breath.

That he has begun to live once again.

As if the mere sound of his breathing is the cause, like a marionette with their strings cut, Alice crumples to her knees, her stress and exhaustion finally reaching the limit. Despite this fact, a small, relieved smile slowly creeps across her face. "...Thank goodness, he's back."

"It would seem so." Remilia responds, moving to stand right beside the poor girl. "All that's left to do, it seems, is to wait for him to awaken. For now, we should let him rest."

"I certainly hope you don't mean here." Patchouli remarks, pointing at her library table for good measure.

"You make a good point. We should move him to one of the guest rooms." The vampire concedes, before shifting her attention to her maid. "Sakuya, I hate to ask you since I just told you to rest, but..."

"It is fine, Remilia-sama. I just need to go easy with the time manipulation, and I should be alright." The elegant maid asserts, looking ready to receive an order.

"...Very well, then. If that is the case, I want you to take Dash to one of our guest rooms for him to recover, and get him into something comfortable. He may be here for a while." Remilia orders, causing the puppeteer to immediately go alert.

"What!? No, if anyone is going to move Tadashi, then..." Alice's protests are cut short when, in her attempt to stand back upright, her legs give out on her. "...Ugh."

"...Make sure Alice has a room ready too." Remilia adds as an after thought, before addressing the exhausted doll maker directly. "You're in no condition to do anything, let alone try to carry Dash anywhere. You need to rest maybe more than he does, after tonight. I know the idea doesn't appeal to you right now, but please allow us to keep you two here. At least until he wakes up."

To her credit, Alice looks ready to argue with the mistress over the matter, despite how exhausted she already is. After a moment of contemplation, however, the blonde just sighs tiredly, letting her shoulders sag with her tension. "I honestly don't have a choice. I couldn't take him back home if I tried." Her eyes then glare back up at the vampire, despite her eyelids threatening to fall completely shut. "But I am not going to leave his side. I am going to be there the moment he wakes up. Am I clear?"

Remilia, despite obviously finding the statement hilarious, took it completely seriously. "Well, you heard her Sakuya. Make sure wherever you put Dash has room for one more. We won't hear the end of it otherwise."

"Very well, Remilia-sama." Sakuya confirms, before moving over to the prone form of the musician. With surprising ease, the maid hefts him, his guitar, and the shawl covering whatever dignity he has left into her arms, before proceeding to carry him into the air as she flew toward the exit of the library, and presumably toward the guest rooms.

"Now, what are we going to do with you?" Remilia ponders, looking down at the crumpled form of the puppeteer. "Patche, do you have an idea?"

"...I suppose." The librarian sighs, before waving her hand to her side, a small flash of magic shimmering across her fingers briefly. After a few moments, the sounds of something flying can be heard down the dark aisles of the bookshelves.

Shortly after, a new figure appears rapidly approaching their direction. Said figure seems to be a young woman with a rather simple attire, being a black dress with long white sleeves, and a red tie added to give off a more businesslike feel to her. This is complimented with long, red, and orderly hair, but is then offset with the bat-looking wings sprouting from said hair and back, and her deep red eyes.

As the new arrival lands beside Patchouli, she takes on a similar posture that Sakuya often has; that as a servant ready to receive orders. However, unlike the elegant maid, the redhead wears a small, inviting smile on her face, one that appears eager to receive an order, rather than patiently waiting for one.

"You called for me, Patchouli-sama?" The redhead asks, before actually taking stock of the situation. When her gaze fell upon the slumped form of the puppeteer, her eyes widen. "Oh! Is that Alice-san? What happened, she looks terrible!"

"That is why I beckoned for you, Koakuma." Patchouli informs calmly. "I want you to take Alice and her things to the guest room our other guest is staying at so she can rest. Sakuya should be there getting things in order."

"Of course. Leave it to me." The girl named Koakuma nods, before moving over to Alice's side. "Come on, Alice-san. Let's get you to bed..." The servant says softly, lightly nudging the puppeteer's shoulders. When she doesn't get a reply, Koakuma shakes the blonde again. "Alice-san?" There is still no response, which prompts the redhead to take a closer look at her charge. Almost immediately, the problem is obvious. "Um...Patchouli-sama? Alice-san is passed out."

"Oh my, it seems like everything has finally caught up with her." Remilia remarks, looking down at the now unconscious magician with some sympathy. "Well, I suppose you have your work cut out for you Koakuma. Please make sure she will be comfortable when you drop her off, won't you? She has had a long day."

"...Yes, Remilia-sama." Koakuma sighs, before proceeding to lift the limp form of Alice off the floor.

As the little devil carries out her orders, Remilia takes a moment to address her long time friend, who has already stuck her face in one of her many books. "Well, this certainly goes down as one of the more interesting evenings we ever had, don't you think?"

"I don't believe those two would see it quite like that." Patchouli remarks, not even bothering to pull her attention away from her reading. "I wouldn't be surprised if they never come here again, after everything they went through."

"I wouldn't be surprised, which is a shame." The Scarlet Devil somberly agrees. "I am just thankful that this whole thing didn't end in tragedy. We were lucky young Dash is such a unique individual."

"To that, we both can agree to." The magician nods.

A moment of silence passes between the two residents of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, as Koakuma, despite struggling a bit to find a balance, manages to carry a prone Alice and her possessions in her arms. Without another word, Patchouli's servant flies off, swerving past the bookshelves on her way toward the guest rooms.

With the last subject of tonight's disaster now gone, Remilia herself begins to make her way out of the library, albeit in a different direction than everyone else. "Well then, if you will excuse me Patchy, I need to go have a word with my sister."

"So soon?" The magician asks, actual surprise lacing her tone as she shifts her attention to the miniature mistress. "Normally you give her time to stew before lecturing her."

"Not this time. Her behavior could have caused some serious consequences for all of us this time, for her especially." The vampire states, her tone laced with several emotions at once, ranging from disappointment, anger, and even fear. "I need to impress on her that her current behavior, now more than ever, can no longer be tolerated if she wants to keep the current amount of freedom she now has. Flandre can no longer be the same child she has been for the past centuries. Tonight has proven that."

"You know it won't be that simple." Patchouli interjects.

"I have to try." Remilia sighs. "I love my sister, Patche, and I want to allow her the freedom she so desperately wants. But if she doesn't change, I fear she will be seen as a threat to Gensokyo. If that happens, being locked in her room is the least she will have to worry about."

Silence permeates through the library at the words of the mansion's mistress, her words weighing heavy in the air. Eventually, the purple themed librarian returns her gaze back to her book, but with a noticeably stiffer posture. "...Good luck."

"Thank you. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Patche." With that, the Scarlet Devil slowly begins her trek to her little sister's room, dreading the conversation that is about to be had.

With everyone finally gone, Patchouli slowly lets the tension in her fade, before finally getting back to her reading in earnest. After a rather long period of not a single page being turned, however, the purple clad magician closes her book with a sigh, before letting her gaze aimlessly drift up above, contemplating about everything that has happened this single night.


Oof... This was an emotional ride for everyone involved, wasn't it? Needless to say, this night is going to have lasting effects on everyone, as it was meant to be. Some of it possibly for the better. Hopefully.

Now let me tell you, for any aspiring writers, making plans way into future chapters certainly has its payoff. I've had this whole thing planned out since the party upon Dash's arrival, the things about Remilia's ability for one, and the resulting kick in the pants for Alice's feelings being another. In fact, ever since I first heard about what Remilia's ability was, it made me think about the 'Red Thread of Fate' myth. It just seemed too perfect to pass up, and to me, seemed to fill in some holes about her ability in canon. This is what Remilia could see in Dash way back when, the many ways his fate ties to those around him. Never may it be said that I haven't been dropping hints throughout the story, huh?

Anywho, I hope this chapter does it for everyone for now. Next chapter, more than likely, will be the final chapter. Wither an epilogue will come after or is part of this last chapter is up in the air. Regardless, everything should come to a close...for this, at least. I have like... -checks on my notes- Six different side story possibilities, a possible sequel being among them! I'd like to list them, set up a poll for you all on my profile, and whatever stories get some votes will get some priority from me. Here they are:

Chord's Echos: A group of side stories not focused on Dash, but those he influenced along the way, and what they deal with. Mystia, being Dash's protege, may have some focus on this one.

Incident's Bystander: Tales of what Dash and Alice do during the incidents that take place after this. As a frame of reference, this story started after the Ten Desires incident. A lot of things happened while I was writing this, and I'd like to cover Dash's place in all of this. Incident chapters will take place in no particular order.

The Gensokyo Tour!: The one thing many of you wanted was for Dash to go to these different locations and visit the characters there. Well, that will be this story's focus! Locations visited in no particular order.

Platonic Dolls: A what-if series. I've always wondered what would happen if Dash wasn't romantically involved with Alice, but with one of my favorite characters, or maybe with one he is close friends with. Well, with this, I could experiment with it a bit. Nothing too long or anything, but given some serious thought.

The other two I will write at my own pace. The first is a custom incident I have come up with, and will be more action oriented. The last one will be the sequel to The Chords of Paradise, and the true ending to the series. Not a slice of life, by any means. I'll focus on this one after I had some fun with these other story ideas.

And that's it. I hope you all look forward to the last chapter, and the other projects I have planned, Touhou or otherwise. Considering I'll be stuck at home for the foreseeable future...I'll have a lot of time on my hands.