The Shrine of Gensokyo: Gensokyo no Jinja
Chapter 34: The Border That Separates Us
Original Concept: ZUN & Shanghai Alice
Written by: wrathie
Author's Notes: Sadly, We're still FAAAAR FAAAR away from the ending.
..
..
I had reacted before she could unleash her spell card and was en route to intercept Yukari when her spell card took effect.
..
..
[Bewitching butterfly living in the Zen Temple!]
Glowing blades came sprouting out of the gap behind Yukari and I dove between the gaps when they are spinning to begin a physical bout with Yukari.
Using Sanae's gohei, I struck Yukari repeatedly as she blocked and counter attacked with her fan. Hitting her fan, I pressed down harder and kicked Yukari in the stomach.
..
[Ugh…]
Falling back a little, Yukari took the time and gap between us to drop into a gap and disappear from sight. Meanwhile, her spellcard relentless pursued me as I dived down low and formed a few barriers to stop it from slicing right through me.
..
..
[… Yukari!]
Seeing her reappearance, I flung a few amulets to the air and called out loudly.
[Seal the evil, seal the spirit, free the innocents… Hear my prayer, Cautionary Border!]
Forming a border behind Yukari, I homed in closer when Ran suddenly blocked my path.
[Go Ran!]
[Shikigami's Shot: Charming Siege from all sides!]
..
..
Spinning a spellcard in front of her, Ran grinned as all of a sudden, barrages of bullets just rained down on me.
It was a dazzling rain of light and color and it simply overwhelmed the barrier I had placed mere moments before.
[Oh no!]
Fleeing from the spot, I searched and grabbed my two companions, who struggled at first before I whispered to them.
[Pray with me…]
Pleading with them, I chanted again.
..
..
[Protect the spirit, protect the will
Protect the Innocent and Protect the Pure…
Please, grant me your strength,
Let not this evil touch me nor this evil befall others…
..
..
SEAL!]
..
..
Throwing more amulets in front of me, I smiled wearily when they stopped the rain of bullets with nothing as much of a crack on them. How the paper amulets can stop such a ferocious attack is known to me, it was powered by my faith and my willingness to believe in the Hakurei Spirit.
Absorbing all the danmaku bullets, the amulet gradually turned black in color, a sign that it is at it's peak after just a few minutes.
I will have to stop Ran fast… or she will overwhelm us soon
..
..
[Ah!]
Looking into the direction where my two companions were directing me to, I moved my body so that Yukari missed by just a hearbeat.
[That was close Reimu~ are you tired?]
[Put faith in me, Yukari…]
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath before disappearing in front of her eyes.
[Eh?]
..
..
[Demon Sealing Dimensional Rift]
Teleporting on top of Ran, I fired a few needles charged with magical energy and Ran and it struck home, earning a weak whimper from her as she tried to pull those needles from her body.
[It's no use Ran, it's made specifically to target youkai…]
Knowing how I had perfected the Persuasion needles to paralyze youkai, I regarded them as the last resort and the last weapon I'll use against my opponents. But this is too much, if I do not end this soon… Yukari will devour Gensokyo…
[I'm sorry Ran!]
With my free hand, I threw several ofuda that stuck on Ran's body while still dodging the danmaku that Ran was feebly firing at me. The needles were specially charged with energy that would temporarily disrupt a youkai's body and weaken his/her powers. No matter how strong Ran is, she'll be weaken. However, with Yukari… one cannot say that would happen…
..
..
In mid air I exchanged blows with Ran with my gohei, she was still strong enough to put up a good fight with her claws. Slashing in a fashion that was unlike her wilder cousins, it was quite manageable to knock her back and throw a few more ofudas that stuck themselves on Ran, glowing white to show that they were taking effect.
My ofudas were made to deal with youkai as back in the world I had left, I was called on to exterminate spirits that the villagers can't for the life of them see. This ofudas were given to them to ward off evil spirits and now I am using them against Ran.
It goes against everything that I believe in but…
..
..
[… ah…]
Hesitating for a moment, it took just that for Ran to recover and continue her spellcard with more ferocity.
[NO! RAN!]
Torn between humans and youkai, I shivered when Yukari once again appeared in front of me, this time a large grin on her face. She was planning something but I for the life of me could figure out what. Something has obviously tickled her pink as she was grinning from ear to ear.
My two companions, brave as they were dug deep into my clothing's as she spoke.
..
[Well Reimu, looks like you got better than my wildest imaginations… Manipulation of Borders.. like me, to teleport from one place to another… I underestimated you…]
Biting my lip, I knew then that one of my trump cards had instead turned against me. It was Yukari's trump card now… and it… is a deadly one as well.
..
[Well now Reimu… I guess borders can't restrict you anymore, you were just fooling around, trying to strike me down while I was not using my full strength. What made you hesitate, Reimu… you could have finished Ran off earlier…]
..
[… I…]
My mouth was dry and it took some effort before I admitted to her that I was still a little afraid of myself, my beliefs and my instincts. What I want, what I truly desire is a world where youkai and humans can coexists… but is that even possible and for me, who is a savior and killer to humans and youkai alike… ever be accepted?
I… at lost at what to do… what should I do… should I strike down Yukari or to save the people… or should I save the people first?
Should I risk it all and use my full prowess or should I just try and talk sense into Yukari, defending Gensokyo with her attacks…
..
..
And when it has all ended… what should I do… and what would happen to Yukari… what would happen to me?
..
All those… those detestable scenarios keep floating in my mind.
Perhaps… I…
..
[You can't decide… can you, Reimu… you want to defeat me… but you can't bear to hurt me… you want to save the people but you can't risk it by leaving me alone, can you, Reimu.]
As expected from Yukari, you can hide nothing from her for long.
..
[…Yukari, would you please… please stop this… I beg of you… I, I really do not wish to hurt you or anyone… and I… I … don't like being hurt either… so would you please stop?]
Begging her, I held a hand out to her, knowing that it could mean so many things. It mean forgiveness, acceptance, thanks and closing of the gap between us… it can be just as we left it so many years ago…
Yukari seemed to have read my mind as she visibly hesitated; she was tempted by my offer as she studied me for a moment, her eyes unsettled as they danced from side to side.
[No.]
Refusing my words, Yukari smiled sadly as she told me why.
[We've gone too far… I've gone too far to stop now. What's left for us… is to Danmaku… Come Reimu… don't hold back… or this time, your friends will really suffer.]
The tone of her words told me she was serious as she dropped into a gap with a swooshing sound, leaving the three of us in the middle of the empty battleground.
Thinking over her words, I finally understood what she meant and I paused for a moment, glad for some time to collect my thoughts.
Yes, it is true that I had master manipulation of gaps just a little. It had came through intense training while I was young and before I left Gensokyo.
That being said, the time period between me leaving Gensokyo and me living in the outside world was filled with a large gap. Beside that gap, the many important events were dotted with holes in my memory.
I remembered some particular events like the defeating of Remilia and the harsh harsh battle against the Princess of the Netherworld. The finer details were still hazy but I at least have a grasp of what the general idea was and till now I am still disgusted by my ways…
..
..
It took years of molding but now I feel so much compassion and love towards the spirits that I could not imagine that I was once such a ruthless person.
[… thank you…]
Feeling the gentle tugs of my two companions who were encouraging me, I not for the first time wondered whether they could read my mind and share my emotions from the way they are reacting to me.
They had been with me through my tiring journey for so long and they truly felt like family to me, as much as I feel for Suika… and perhaps even Yukari. They are important to me as much as anyone else to me, but if I can sound a little bias, a little more to me.
They are like my children now… precious children that they are…
..
..
But, truly, I had only one option left. I have to go after Yukari. She had disappeared as she knew that borders can't hold me in here anymore. It's anyone's guess where she is now but I have to stop her. If I fail… oh please…
Gods, don't make me fail…
Closing my eyes, I reached for the gap between realities and slid right through it like Yukari, ready for my confrontation with her.
[Yukari, I will stop you… I will!]
..
..
[!]
On the verge of firing at another group of cats that had bounced out like the thousands that we have downed, I gunned down not them but a familiar figure that I and Sakuya-san had seen earlier.
It was Ran, Yakumo Ran.
Giving a yelp of surprise, I dove for cover as I threw a flash grenade at her. It was modified by Eirin-sama and it exploded in an explosion of red smoke that left Ran rubbing her eyes and me ready to take her on.
[I'm sorry Ran!]
Drawing my two automatics, I opened fire repeatedly at Ran, hoping to hit her with my fire. Firing at her, I saw the bullets slow down as I planned and explode just shy of her to startle her and to gain an edge.
[Target… Locked!]
During my engagement with Ran, I had been using my abilities to manipulate waves to my advantage, trying to find the tricky kitsune and locking her down within range of my weapons.
..
..
[Take this, Ran!]
Holding my hand steady with both of my hands, I fired a homing missile at Ran with the launcher that was given to me by Eirin-sama, as it exploded I flinched and looked away as the resulting crimson hued explosion rocked the field and made my legs turn to jelly.
..
Hearing for any signs of life, I covered my mouth in shock as Ran's form was still present and well as she stepped out of the smoke with nary a scratch on her body. The missile had failed to even slow her down for a second.
[H-How?]
Opening my mouth in disbelief, I whimpered as Ran stepped closer and closer, her eyes glowing a strange red like mine.
My weapons were useless as I kept firing at her desperately but she either knocked them away or just endured the hit without even flinching. Like the angel of death she slowly and agonizingly walked closer and closer to me.
[No… no…]
Shaking my head desperately from side to side, I decided to play more cards as I grabbed a spell card from my pockets. If I have to die I'll put up a good fight!
[Illusio- AH!]
But it was then that Ran made the point to show me who was boss as she dashed forward, grabbed my arm and threw my body to a nearby tree, stunning me and pinning me to the ground with her claws. Her eyes, bloodshot was terrifying to watch and even more so when she seemed so calm about killing me.
Lying helplessly on the ground with Ran on top of me, my heart was beating so fast that I swore Ran could hear it.
..
..
I am going to die!
[…no…]
Whimpering, I did not see my life flash before my eyes but rather I saw a glowing object fly in front of my face and the resulting flash of light repelled Ran a few feet away from me.
Still lying on the floor, I touched myself several times to make myself believe that I am still in the land of the living.
. .
Well… if I am dead I can visit Youmu…
.
..
[R-Reisen…]
But right now there is the person in front of me I should thank and give my full attention to. It was her, the red-white, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden and my savior, Hakurei Reimu.
Panting and coughing, she had saved me from certain death by erecting a barrier that had repulsed Ran away. I had seen Reimu a few days before after she left for around 10 years, she looked and behaved differently from what I remembered.
Judging from the accounts of those who had talked with her, they claimed that she was protecting youkai and humans, something I find it hard to believe. She is the one who had hunted my fellow comrades and Princess with such ruthlessness.
..
But, she was strong and she is strong even now.
[Reisen… ar-are you alright?]
My former nemesis along with Marisa was now my greatest ally. It is as they said, an enemy of my enemy is my friend, she Reimu is now my friend as she helped me out, straining from the effort. It was then that I realized that Reimu was all torn up and barely even standing.
She must have placed her all and had fought her way through to get here, judging from her torn clothes and the many cuts on her body. From my medical know how I could see signs of her suffering from internal injuries. She's not fit to even walk, not to mention flying around.
..
..
[Reimu, you're hurt!]
[I'm fine… are you fine?]
Peering anxiously at me, she did not notice my uneasiness at her showing comfort to me. The Reimu I knew is not someone who would care for someone else and definitely not youkai.
[I… I should have got here earlier… I'm sorry…]
Bowing her head to me, Reimu suddenly jerked me away from where I was sitting. Seconds later a large explosion ripped apart the landscape and would have sent the both of us flying if not for Reimu.
She saved me again when she seemed to warp out of the path of the explosion.
I saw a flash of red before appearing again beside a small tree, Reimu holding me up.
..
..
[Yukari…]
Grimly she muttered and I looked where she was watching to see the person responsible for it all. My entire and endless struggle is due to the person levitating in front of us now.
[Why are you doing this? This involves just us isn't it? Why drag Reisen in-]
Asking the millionth dollar question, Reimu coughed up blood and she almost collapsed into my arms. She is really struggling but she is still fighting… why?
[Oh Reimu Reimu~~]
She giggled, funny some people view that noises as adorable, that sound just made me shiver.
[You aren't serious yet Reimu~~~ Till you are… Gensokyo will pay.]
Is Reimu not giving it her all? She's…So beat up! She can't last long!
..
..
[Illusion Shaker!]
Declaring one of my options, I sneaked off with Reimu when Yukari and Ran were momentarily distracted by the many illusions of me dashing and running everywhere.
Earlier I was abducted by Ran and thrown South of our position, if I could just get back behind the line we'll be safe.
..
..
[R-Reisen…]
Being slung on my back, Reimu feebly struggled but she is at her limit and could not over power me.
[Keep still Reimu, you are not fit to move… don't you dare move…]
Biting my lip, I ran through my medical knowledge about what I could do to help Reimu, after all she got hurt because of me, because of us.
..
..
[Reimu, hold still… I'm going to treat your wounds.]
Pulling a few bandages from my medical bag, I first stemmed the bleeding, soothed her tensed muscles, forced her to swallow pills that would stem the pain and stop the internal bleeding and finally to persuade her to take a rest.
[Rest Reimu, I'm your nurse now and I demand that you rest. I'll force you to if I have to.]
Reimu was still struggling to stand and insisting that she is fine which she is not. She is pushing herself way over the limit, she might totally collapse soon. If she did who knows what would happen
[Don't worry, I'll look after you and myself. I'm fine…]
I silently hope so as we were still had a bit more to reach the front line. I prayed to that Sakuya-san and all of my allies were still alive and fighting. Without the orb that was gave to me by Master Eirin I was totally cut away from my allies, I mean our allies now...
..
I feel like I was abandoning my allies once again like I did on the moon. The light was fading too, making the fake moon more and more striking in the darkening sky.
[… …]
All this brings back memories, sorrowful memories that I wished I can forget. The time where I abandoned them to save myself… or was it they sent me away to protect me…
I don't know, I've forgotten… it's that long ago… but I knew one thing…
..
..
[I should have died… I should have died then and there… if I did…]
Nothing would change… right? It is not like I amount to anything, I am just a moon rabbit, a pawn in the imperial moon army…
Looking down at my hands, I shivered even when I felt so warm and I wrapped my hands around myself, trying to tell myself that it will be alright.
But with the crimson moon shining down on me, can I truly say that?
Can I swear upon the moon, even a fake one by the princess… that I, Reisen Udongein Inaba will be strong and live on?
I can tell from the expression of Momizi-san and Sakuya-san that they are disappointed with my behavior.
I am the leader of the Rabbit Army of Eientei, the representative of Eientei and Kaguya Hime, Master Eirin… and I am not showing a good example…
Even Tewi was pulling her weight around, showing who is the boss… and there I am, making excuses to not engage the enemy… not giving it my all…
..
..
Who am I to say that I had learnt, can forgive myself, can live on… and be strong again….
..
..
The day that I came under the tutorship of Master Eirin, I told her I wanted to be strong, strong to protect who I cherish… but now it seems like I have failed.
I can't… can't get over the fear… get over my ownself, the shadow of my own doubt… the shadow of my past…
Without noticing it, I was sobbing, my face buried in my hands and I slowly looked up.
..
..
[!]
[Reisen…]
Reimu was up and she looked better than ever, bathed in the crimson moonlight it is as if all those years were washed away and instead of the more Elderly Reimu I had tended to, it was Reimu again as I knew it; dressed in her red and white Shrine Maiden outfit.
[Forgive… and forget… forgive yourself and you'll see where you went wrong…]
Embracing me and wrapping her hands around me in a warm and comforting hug, Reimu softly told me but I, ungrateful person that I am, rejected her and pushed her away.
..
..
[you don't know! You don't know the pain, the rejection I felt… even thou Kaguya Hime, Master Eirin and Tewi were nice to me… the rabbits were obedient… I just… I just feel the barrier between us… it's too strong and it's… I can't see it…]
Running away from Reimu, I only stopped when she warped in front of me again, wincing in pain but still catching me in her arms.
[Do you understand, Reimu? I… The gap between us is normally not there… but when we're alone… I feel that I don't belong there… I am not supposed to be there… I imagine things… that they were silently asking me to leave… I I feel like a traitor Reimu! I was… and maybe am a traitor! I… I just…]
Shaking my head, I lost control and started wailing loudly in Reimu's arm. All the helplessness of the situation just dawned on me again.
..
Yes, I had truly abandoned them after all, without me who was going to treat the fallen… the casualties will mount… I, I would have caused so much deaths…
..
[Forgive yourself Reisen… for I forgive you…]
Reimu told me but I shook my head.
[Who are you to forgive me, Reimu… you don't know what it is like…]
..
..
[I am the Hakurei Maiden… I speak in the name of the Hakurei Spirit… and… she tells me that you should be forgiven…]
[What?]
Had she lost her mind?
[No… I want to forgive you…]
[What does it matter, Reimu! Even if you do… even if you do… will it change anything?]
[… you, must forgive yourself Reisen and give yourself, the others too a second chance to judge you…]
Reimu, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden told me and a part of me desperately wanted to believe her.
[you have time, Reisen… you know you have… it's not too late…]
..
..
Another part of me said no, no and that it IS too late, there is no hope for me or for anyone else.
..
[No… no… I don't believe you… I can't, I won't!]
Shaking my head, I stepped on Reimu's foot and scampered off.
[Out of my way!]
The two fairies that were with Reimu appeared in front of me pulled on my arms and in that single heartbeat, Reimu caught up with me.
..
[Reisen… you let me realized something, would you realize it too?]
She spoke softly and urgently, her eyes downcast as she related to me.
..
..
[The border between you and… what you fear exists… I too, have seen it… being a Hakurei, I have seen the border many times. Even when I was in the outside world, I could see a glimpse of it…]
I remained silent, it was nothing like what I was talking about and I struggled against her iron-like grip, amazing if you considered how weak she was a moment ago.
[… Yukari talked about it… and I didn't grasped it… but now I do… the gap between humans and youkai… the gap betweens ourselves and others… and the gap between acceptance and rejection, it exists.]
[Reimu?]
[I can see it, I… I see the border between us, Reisen… the border between humans and youkai, the border of rejection you had placed between us, I can see it… it's hiding your true feelings from me…]
Does she mean what she is saying? That she can see my unease? That she can see that I am holding back?
What she was saying is incredible, but this… this is Gensokyo,
A land where anything and everything is possible… and Reimu, Reimu is the Hakurei Shrine Maiden;
The one who triumphs above all, the one who stands above all, the one who is untainted even in the darkest of days.
I wanted to believe her…
..
..
[Believe in me, believe in yourself… believe in your friends, Reisen… the gap, the border between us… can be overcome, but for everything we need a beginning, Reisen…]
[The one, who begets the start is the one who see it till the end…?]
I murmured softly to Reimu and ever so slowly I slid into her arms and cried.
..
[Reimu…]
All the while, she just silently stroked my hair and remained silent.
..
..
Words could not describe the relief and the heartbreak when Reisen cried in my arms, the little lunar rabbit that I had known as simply an associate is pouring her woes, her heart to me and I had responded in turn, giving her the words she meant to hear.
Words that nobody had told her, words that the world had taken from her, the same as the life that she had been unable to lead.
Will she be able to now after all the unease, the unhappiness find the pieces of her broken life?
Looking at my two companions who were sitting on her shoulder, I sighed in relief and relaxed for a moment. In this time and space, let me and her rest for a brief moment.
..
..
[… sigh…]
But, a sigh still escaped me.
I knew it was not over… it is a temporary reprieve and it was granted by Yukari not because we had made an escape. At any moment she can find us, it is just that she did not want to.
Like a cat and mouse game, I am the mouse and Yukari is the cat.
[…]
Pondering in silence, I looked down at Reisen and smiled, just a tad to show that I still find all this worthwhile. I am a Shrine Maiden, I serve the spirits and I too serve the people… and of course, gensokyo…
I just hope I had given the right advice to her…
..
..
Settling her down like she had done to me, I asked my two companions to look after her before I slowly rose into the air with my own strength.
I had my destiny to fulfill, my job to finish… and the border, the gap between us to seal…
Yukari…
..
..
I know, you planned this somehow; You knew she was bound to tell me this…
You… the person behind the curtain, pulling the puppets in this play to tell me this.
..
Do I,
Do I have the strength and the will to see this to the end?
..
..
[Yukari…]
I found her almost effortlessly for after all, she was above us all the time peering down at us probably even giggling as she did so.
I could sense it, sense the gap between us as well as the barrier that separates us. She is truly the Gap youkai, manipulator of boundaries and gaps and here I am, sharing the same pain as her.
I can see it, a very small glimpse of it but I can definitely see it.
..
[You can see it, can't you, Reimu.]
She asked me with a small smile, a sad smile that reminded me of how she rejected my offer earlier on. She is like me, torn inside herself with decisions only she can know.
If only she would share with me her pain, the same how Reisen shared hers with me
..
[Yes I can Yukari… you planned it, didn't you? You planned it so I can.. so I can…]
[Now you understand me. Now you know what it feels to be me… now you know why it is impossible for your wish to come true. The boundaries of youkai and humans will never be the same and the gap between us will forever be there. Now, here this Reimu… this is the end. This is Armageddon as you know it. This shall be the end of Gensokyo, here and now… I shall make this a battle to the death.]
Waving her hands, she summoned a great big void right above the fake moon, a single spellcard spinning in the void before it exploded in a flash of rainbow colors.
..
..
[Boundary of Youkai and Human!]
..
..
Shining light seemed to spread everywhere but it is not holy light, it is one that made me sick seeing what power was revealing.
From the earth, youkai were struggling to emerge, all types of youkai, from youkai of the earth to youkai that were mere skeletons; all of them rising to obey Yukari's whim. It was horrifying to watch but I was helpless to do anything.
..
..
[Before, that was just a welcoming party… now, it is the real invasion. No one can stop me… NO ONE! Not even you, Hakurei!]
Lunging towards me, Yukari snickered as I parried her parasol with Sanae's gohei and I struck her venomously on the side, knocking her back.
[are you angry? Are you, Reimu? ARE YOU ANGRY AT ME?]
I slapped her in the face but she just laughed and laughed while spiraling in the air, out of control and yet knowing where she wanted to go. Left with no alternative, I went after her relentlessly.
Screeching like a wounded bird, the both of us danced across the land, in a battle of offense versus defense that must be beautiful and terrifying to watch.
For every gap that I close, Yukari would enact one more to send death spiraling down below. For every laser that Yukari shot at me, I absorbed the energy and fired it right back at her.
It is truly the sword versus the shield and the clash between the two powers of Gensokyo.
Am I representing the humans of Gensokyo or the youkai of Gensokyo?
Who am I fighting for?
..
..
[Gensokyo needs me!]
I told myself as I fought back with everything that I have in my arsenal.
[Youkai exterminator!]
Firing purple bolts of ofuda at Yukari, I never missed a beat even when Yukari stopped the blast with a hand and returned with her own.
[Bewitching butterfly in the Zen Temple!]
Warping space and sending claws, lasers and streams of danmaku around me, Yukari too was giving it her all. On the occasion that she would almost certainly be hit, she would warp space so that the blast of energy would go through her.
Likewise I warped of the way when ever Yukari's attack came too close for comfort.
..
..
[AHHHHHHHHHH!]
Crying out, I swooped down low to adjust my aim and in turn shot numerous needles at Yukari. She is tiring, I can sense it as her attacks aren't as ferocious and intense as before. But so am I, I am merely a human, Yukari is an elder Youkai. How long can this battle of shields last?
How long will I last?
How long will she last?
..
..
[ah…]
Then, all of a second, it appeared to be over. I had one ofuda poised over Yukari's forehead and she had no answer. Her parasol was knocked away by me and I had destroyed all the gaps she had created with my yin-yang orb for good measure. She had no means to escape, it was over.
But why…
[… Yukari…]
But why are my hands trembling? Why do I shiver so and why did the tears creep out of me again as I looked at Yukari?
Why am I hesitating once again?
[… Do it, Reimu. Why don't you do it?]
Yukari asked me, face expressionless as she held her hands up in surrender. But I knew too that she knew the answer to my hesitation. Now I knew the truth, now that I knew how she felt. Now that I can see the gap between us is so great, the differences between us were so great. If it wasn't so, if I had not known all this… I would have…
What would have I done? Defeated Yukari and drink tea with her again after Gensokyo was saved like the many times I have did before?
Could I do that, knowing the gap, the differences, the border between me and her, humans and youkai were so great?
I wanted to protect youkai but before that, I wanted to protect people too.
I wanted to protect Gensokyo, keep the delicate balance intact of humans and youkai.
But I too, wanted to see a world where humans and youkai get along…
..
..
With the knowledge shown to me, can I believe in that dream again?
And Yukari, the one who had been burdened all this time…; how could I ever kill her? How can I banish Yukari from the face of Gensokyo when… when.
Oh gods.. can you tell me the answer?
..
..
[Reimu, you're too soft.]
Lashing out with her feet, Yukari caught me in the legs and as I bent down in pain, Yukari struck me on the back of my neck and I felt my vision swim a little.
[Now, I shall end this struggle, Reimu.]
The roles were reversed and she had my helpless, her fan against my throat ready to tear it apart with a simple flick.
There was no escape for me as well.
[…]
She was hesitating too, her eyes were not unfocused like they were earlier. Instead they were doubtful like mine were.
[… heh…]
[…]
She lowered her hand and sat down on an invisible throne like she did earlier. Likewise as I floated in the air, we faced each other for the third time and perhaps, probably the last time.
..
[…]
[…]
A moment of silence passed between us, we knew that we each had the opportunity to finish each other off but had let it slip away in our confusion. It won't happen again, as we stared at each other I knew and she knew that that was the last time for hesitation.
It pained me but what Yukari was out to kill, I could sense that. The bloodlust from her was overpowering.
..
..
[SHIKIGAMI: RAN!]
Raising her hand, Yukari took the initiative as I too prayed.
[Divine Treasure: Hakurei Sanctifier Orb!]
Slamming straight into Yukari's border, I never looked back as I warped behind Yukari.
[…]
The familiar look of shrewdness was what I saw as she blocked my first strike with her fan and the rest with gaps that absorbed all my amulets with a small sucking noise.
Even so I pressed on, the barrier can't hold and when it breaks, I'll end this.
For Gensokyo, for everyone and for…
..
..
One more glance at Yukari, at her ever complex facial expressions, I prayed for her as well. I may never know her but, I wanted to say that I knew her.
I knew Yakumo Yukari, she is the gap youkai, the one youkai that carried the burden of Gensokyo for so long.
And so, I fight for her as well, her dream of making Gensokyo a perfect one.
Her means might be wrong, her ways might be incorrect but deep inside her, behind the crazed mask, the illogical actions and the incomprehensive way she deals with things has shaped Gensokyo to what it is now.
Without her, I might never have returned… Gensokyo and it's people might not be the same now.
..
..
[Reimu.]
[?]
[You're too late.]
[? !]
..
..
I looked down and to my horror, Ran was peppering the land with her spellcards. The danmaku bullets struck the trees and quite easily set them ablaze and that was not mentioning the scored earth that she was leaving behind.
[!]
Between the trees, I saw a glimpse of a particular youkai that I had saved earlier. The blonde hair and the multitude of dolls that surrounded her was unmistakable.
[ALICE!]
Warping away, I saw the wicked smile on Yukari's face that could only meant one thing. I had fallen deep into her trap.
Author's Notes: Now that her point is made, will Reimu still be able to best Yukari?~?~