The Shrine of Gensokyo: Gensokyo No Ginja
Chapter 39: Fates
Original Concept by: ZUN & Shanghai Alice
Written by: wrathie
Author's Notes: Thank you for all your reviews! IRL has been tough!
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[!]
Suddenly, the Queen of the night shuddered and fell to her knees, shocking her partner, the Darkness Youkai as she swept another group of clay golems away with a wave of darkness.
Ignoring the gleeful cries from Flandre as she blasted and blasted more of the golems away and not even flinching when shrapnel peppered her and Remilia, she stood silently in front of Remilia before grabbing her collar and raising her up to glare at her in the eye.
Shaking with anger, she slapped the self-proclaimed queen of the night repeatedly as she howled at her.
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[WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!]
[GET UP!]
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Her howl was a powerful force, able to knock youkai away with the sound wave alone but Remilia did not even flinch, she just clutched her hair and moaned out.
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[… no… no…]
[ARE YOU GIVING UP! HEY!]
Rumia knew no remorse, knew nothing such as despair, she was free from all emotions except anger and her lust of killing, even happiness was a strange thing to her. But she enjoyed Remilia's company, she made things simple by her arrogance as if the world revolved around her.
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Thus, Rumia could not stand it if Remilia starts acting out of character; she is the Queen of the night, why must she grovel? She did not understand! And she was putting all the frustration back to the source, Remilia herself.
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[She's gone…]
[?]
Remilia whimpered as she clutched her wings in what appeared to be fear, she was afraid? The Queen of the Night, the scarlet devil was afraid? WHY!
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[Reimu… she's gone…]
[Gone? Where?]
[She's gone… the destiny that linked us to her… it's all gone… I can't see it anymore… my fate… your fate… all of our fate… it's gone… ALL GONE!]
Remilia screamed and shook Rumia by her shoulders, pushing her to the ground and slamming her fist to the ground just beside Rumia's cheek.
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[OUR FATE IS GONE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? ALL GONE!]
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Tears dropping down and splattering on her face, Rumia paused for a moment before she started laughing.
[AHAHAHAHA!]
[WHAT DO YOU KNOW!]
Remilia screamed back but Rumia was not impressed by her display, now Remilia was just a child, howling and getting on her nerves.
[Get off me, you're nothing but a kid!]
Kicking Remilia off, Rumia grabbed her sword before flying forward and hacking away at Remilia. The two allies has turned against one another but Flandre still played on, laughing in glee.
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[!]
With a sickening sound, Rumia's sword struck it's target and sunk deep into Remilia's side and with another mighty swing, Rumia stuck her and the sword into a piece of rubble near her.
[Ugh…]
Her eyes wide in pain, Remilia struggled grabbed the hilt of the sword and started tugging at it while Rumia just advanced slowly, mockingly at the Queen of the Night.
Perhaps the time has came for the Queen to abdicate her throne to her?
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[You're just a kid!]
She laughed again, licking her lips as she ran a finger across Remilia's cheek, poking and pinching it as Remilia just struggled against her predicament.
[YOU KNOW NOTHING! YOU CANNOT SEE WHAT I CAN SEE!]
In defiance, Remilia screamed again and to her benefit, her counterattack, a crimson spear pierced Rumia's shoulder and hurtled her a few feet forward and slamming her to another piece of rubble directly in front of her.
With the few feet of dirt and destruction between the two of them, Remilia and Rumia broke into insane laughter that resonated and made all who was near enough fall into the ground in agony.
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The laughter was not human, neither was it a sane being… it was terrifying, burning deep gashes into the memories of who was there at the vicinity.
[YOU KNOW NOTHING!]
[WHO CARES ABOUT THAT!]
As if on cue, the two of the slowly and agonizingly walked forward, ignoring the pain of their flesh tearing and with their free hand, grabbed the offending weapon.
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[Take that back!]
Throwing Rumia's sword back at her, Remilia clutched her sides and gnashed her teeth at Rumia, who simply grabbed the sword from the air and grinned cockily.
[You do not see our fate… how dare you mock me!]
[… I do not care about fate. I, change fate.]
Raising her hands in the air, a wave of darkness swept behind her and around Remilia in a dark circle, leaving the two of them alone and isolated from the world.
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[Remila, I do not care for Gensokyo, I do not care for you… and I definitely do not care for anyone else…]
[Hmph, anyone can see that.]
Regaining some of her composure despite her injury, Remilia and Rumia met chest to chest or rather chest to face as she looked up at her partner in crime.
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[I'll crush your fate, Remilia.]
[…]
Her intelligent eyes considered the bloodthirsty eyes of her companion but in the end, she sighed and chuckled to herself.
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[Why… that's amusing.]
She laughed again at how incredible it seemed to her again, the bloodthirsty fool giving her advice, showing her the way like how Reimu did.
That jarred her as well, Reimu was truly missing in hers and everyone else's destiny. Something is terribly wrong but she did not know what.
[I am not hiring a maid.]
[Hell would I be a maid. I'll rip you to shreds before I do that…]
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[But it is true, Reimu is missing from our fate.]
Spreading her wings, Remilia moaned again as she place a hand on Rumia's shoulder.
[Fate seems incontrollable, but you and Reimu would want to struggle against it… Truly incredible. But only Reimu has defeated fate, made herself the creator of her own fate. Even I, the one who views fate is unable to manipulate fate as I see fit. The many variables involved, the many complex relationship we held in our hearts make it difficult, almost impossible.
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But she, the Hakurei Shrine Maiden can stay untangled from the many relationships the binds her… her fate is never truly visible to me, always changing always unstable in my eyes.]
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She is someone different, truly and forever will be, in her heart and in her actions
Wiping tears from her eyes, Remilia laughed again.
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[A devil, shedding tears… incredible… why do I worry? Why do I fear? WHY!]
[Cause you are weak… that's why.]
The growl from Rumia as she took to the air was sufficient for Remilia but she shook her head anyway.
[It is precisely that I fear that I am strong.]
Biting a spellcard with her teeth, Remilia grabbed the glowing spear that appeared in her hands and declared her spellcard.
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[Divine Spear: Spear the Gungnir!]
Tossing the spear to the heavens, it broke free of Rumia's darkness and scattered into the sky, slamming straight into the now pitch black border on top of them.
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[Fear, will not hamper me… I AM FATE'S MISTRESS!]
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[No… Reimu… is gone?]
Unbeknownst to the two of them, their conversation was overheard by the rest in the Hakurei Shrine and to everyone else thanks to the tiny orb that was transmitting her voices.
Everyone who was fighting, struggling heard the dreadful news and morale instantly suffered.
The hands that were thrusting forward, the hands that were swinging the swords, pitchforks and any makeshift weapons suddenly slackened and lost their intensity and determination.
Everyone who believe that they could win this battle found themselves struggling even to defend themselves… their only source of encouragement and belief above them was gone, instead it was replaced by the feeling of hopelessness that they are indeed fighting a losing battle.
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The people only fought on due to their faith, their belief and their stubbornness to accept the fate that they will die. They jumped into the fray behind the motivated leaders who lead them on.
An army is only as strong as weakest member, no matter how strong the leader and his men are… how talented the leaders can rally his troops… it all comes to naught if the weakest crumbles in front of them, their source of motivation to disappear so easily will surely destroy them…
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Proof of that was shown when the Were-Hakutaku, the Defender of the Village collapsing to her knees, burying her face into her hands and weeping.
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[Reimu… no… Reimu…]
It was like a crack in a dam, the impenetrable figure of Kamishirasawa Keine was a corner stone in the faith gathering the people and when she collapsed, the hope drained from them…
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[Don't give up hope!]
The purple dressed magician beside her, Patchouli Knowledge helped her up and smacked her in the face.
[It is you who told us not to give up! So stand up! Stand up now!]
[I… I…]
Her legs weak and feeling like jelly, Keine struggled to find her strength and her words. She has gone through much in her life, searching for knowledge, strength and acceptance but only just recently has she found the person that could give her strength and make everything she believe in come true.
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And now that person is lost to her, Reimu was gone… something was terribly wrong…
She had believed in her and she has failed her… Kamishirasawa Keine felt betrayed and angry but above all, lost..
Lost in what she could do now that she was gone…
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[… I… I…]
Biting her lip, she looked at her hands and claws that represented her as a hakutaku… she was half youkai and half human…
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She was alone in this world cept for Mokou who shared the same plight as her…
She must be strong… she must be…
[… I… I understand… we must be strong… I must not quit… not even if she has failed…]
[She tried her best, did she not? I am being weak… I'm sorry… Patchouli-san…]
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Standing up by her own strength again, she raised both her hands and a magical circle shone brightly, reflecting her determination as she called out her spell.
[Protect the people for me… Emperor of the East!]
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Lasers burst from Keine in the shape of a sun and they lanced out in all directions, piercing through the enemies like they were paper as Keine raised herself in the air even as Patchouli covered her eyes in pain from the blinding light.
Instead of Reimu lighting their way, the people seemed to have found a new strength to rally around… Kamishirasawa Keine, a person who has been with them all this time.
Looking at her in a new light, the discouraged people looked at one another…
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[CHARGE!]
First one cried out and as it usually is, a wave of emotion swept through the group as the first found his first victim with a simple thrust of the pitchfork.
They rushed forward as one again, unstoppable in their charge, all brought together by a women who thought it was impossible days before.
Humans and youkai… what separates them?
She wanted to know… but it seems she has known the answer in her heart all this time…
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[… the border that separates us… has always been our own hearts and our own minds… isn't that right?]
Muttering to the person she knew was looking over her from a long way away, Keine held her hands to her chest as she prayed silently like what Reimu had done before, she felt peaceful when hearing her pray and she wanted that same tranquility reflected in her mind right now.
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[Please… protect the people…
Protect the people who love I love…
Watch over them… no matter who they are…
The ones in my heart, the ones I hold dear to me..
It may be selfish… but please… protect them…]
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The circle above her flashed even brighter as she made the prayer as if it was answered, she felt lighter and renewed as she focused more of her strength into her defense and attack.
After all, as any scholar knows…
The best Offense is the Best Defense as well…
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[… Hmph! Cowards!]
Fujiwara no Mokou muttered under her breath as she watched all the men from the village flee from abject terror after hearing the news that Reimu has supposedly disappeared suddenly and without warning.
[Worthless, no use bums!]
Kicking a rock straight into the mouth of a fox that had popped out, Mokou had the time to grin as she flung another fireball worthy of a homerun straight at the body of another golem, which had a hole ripped through it after being hit.
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[Hmph! I knew they couldn't be trusted!]
Slamming a fist so powerful that it cracked a golem that just 'happened' to be in her way, Mokou threw a spellcard in the air as she swore again.
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[Hourai "Mizunoe no Ura no Shimako and Five-Coloured Turtles"]
Another resounding explosion dotted the forests with fire and soot as bullets of all the five elements came from Mokou's flaming wings as she grinned in delight at the spellcard in her hands.
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[Now that's sweet… finally got the hang of this one… ugh…]
Just as Mokou was celebrating, a stony fist slammed into her and the impact sent her soaring into the air.
[…]
But she recovered quickly and counterattacked by bouncing back and slamming her foot in a drop-kick to where she assumed the head was.
[heh…]
But her victory was short lived as all around her, golems were still rising from the earth, fresh and ready for combat while she was half drained…
[… but hell if I give up now.]
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[Mokou!]
She started, not for the fact that a person was coming to help but rather that person was calling her by her name.
Signs of anger flashed across of her face and was made evident when a blazing fireball was sent hurtling towards the direction of the voice, narrowly missing her and causing yet another explosion behind her.
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[Ah! I-I…]
The owner of the second voice hesitated but nonetheless she persevered in looking at Mokou in the eye again.
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[I… I've came to help… if it is okay…]
[… if I say it is not okay?]
Mokou sneered mischievously as she watched Kaguya twitched her body uncomfortably, unsure whether she was or joking or was serious.
[I… well…]
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Kaguya hesitated, she was still nervous around Mokou but at the least she was within arms length of her right now…
[… I'll still be here… I want to help you, Mokou…]
Kaguya blushed while saying so but Mokou seemed unhappy with her answer.
[… feh… do whatever you want… what I do know is… I'm not giving up… neither are those guys.]
Pointing to Wriggle and the others still fighting in the clearing in front of her, Fujiwara no Mokou rushed forward on her feet while screaming out loud.
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[SO… DON'T YOU DARE GIVE ON ME!]
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Everywhere else… the residents of Gensokyo rallied up their hopes and dreams and placed them firmly in their own hands. Instead of whimpering around in defeat, wallowing in their despair and accepting their deaths…
All of them charge at their foes, the harbingers of death with more zeal than before.
Their strokes became more urgent, more accurate and more determined. They wanted to fight on, even if it was to the death they wanted their own hands to be the answer to that.
They wanted a hand in their own fate, even if it is inevitable, even if it cannot be changed, even if history cannot be rewritten and re-script…
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They wanted to see this till the end.
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The people, selfconscious and knowledgeable, knew what was awaiting them while the lesser youkai did not. In their lack of understanding, the youkai were perhaps blessed, not knowing what was in store for them… but perhaps the humans were blessed as well…
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They alone knew of the urgency of the matter and their hearts and mind refused to take it lying down.
The mind will surpass the body, creating miracles worthy of the miracle of the human mind… they did not want to die, their impending doom could only inspire or destroy them utterly.
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A single weakness, a single cry of despair would spell the end for the struggle, spiraling down to the never-ending pit of despair.
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Even so… even so…
They fight…
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Sweat dripped from their bodies as they fought with everything they could… they knew they were sheltered from the beginning… they were being shielded from the very beings that they swore were their enemies.
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Fujiwara No Mokou, Kamishirasawa Keine…
Both of them, hybrids and with their blood mixed with the unspeakable youkai kind…
Yet, they risked their lives to save them… humbled themselves, though proud as they were, to allies and friends in order to save them.
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The first helped as they did not want to feel inferior to them, they were proud too… proud of their strength, their people, their land and they did not want to be just protected by people… they wanted to protect it themselves as well… and finally… seeing the self-sacrifice by one of them, the Immortal Princess, Houraisen Kaguya for them who she did not even know…
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They felt regret, anger and disbelief that she would put so much on the line for them…
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Then… it all went downhill from there… the people ran from their posts, terrified at death and the power that came after them… like God it was, creating puppets from the earth they stood in….
Who could ever overcome those fears and confront them?
Again, someone who they have labeled as a heretic, Fujiwara No Mokou yet again…
She faced them herself, not even flinching as her allies retreated… she forged on, never stopping, arms never resting and the confident smirk on her face never disappearing as she took them all by herself.
God knows the burden on her shoulders as she trudged through the endless field of destruction.
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The people shrank away from her before but they rallied behind her again… never giving up…
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… then came the voice that told them…
Hakurei Reimu, the infallible Shrine Maiden… had disappeared from the skies… covered by a cloud of danmaku that was so thick they covered the sun…
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It all seemed to be the end…
It is… the end of Gensokyo… is it not?
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[…]
I was angry… truly angry at Yukari, I wanted to hurt her so badly…
Firing spellcards, danmaku at her like there was no tomorrow… I just felt happy having an outlet for my anger…
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But all of it, seemed like a dream...
Perhaps I was wrong in letting my emotions run wild? Was that who I truly am?
I am like a spectator, looking at how I threw the ofudas, amulets at Yukari in anger… I am a monster…
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I told myself again repeatedly as I covered my eyes with my hands…
I truly am a monster…
I am a spectator to my own destruction as a person and in my beliefs…
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Where have I gone wrong?
I… I just wanted to protect Gensokyo… I wanted to bring together humans and youkai.. that was my deam…
So, where… where have I gone wrong?
Was I like Yukari? Trying to find the impossible?
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Going about with such means, using my anger as a medium as an excuse… was it who I truly am?
My memories of my past self… perhaps I was selfish, lazy and arrogant in my powers… but I have changed, have I not? Was I in fact… suppressing my inner self within me all this time?
My true self, the inner me… was she someone like this?
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Someone who is as I think, screaming for the blood of Yukari as spell after spell is thrown at Yukari, who herself seemed in disbelief at my actions. Was I truly that person?
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I wanted to deny it so much that it hurts… I was there but not there, lost in my own mind and thoughts…
But one thing I wanted to know above everything else…
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Was Yukari the same? Was she someone like me? Living a lie, living her life suppressing her anger, frustration and everything else by her own reasoning?
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I knew now… it came to me suddenly…
My strength was my own downfall… my faith was the only thing that I could justify doing the things I am doing…
My faith was the only thing that was telling me all that I was doing was right…
I was taught to serve, taught to serve the people… to save the people, to guide them…
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And along the way, I picked up the belief that with my faith… I can accept anything, withstand anything and everything that was thrown at me… My faith… was that strong…
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Perhaps… I have gone wrong then…
Despite the frustration that I had felt in the past, I had justified it with my faith, knowing that it will all turn out well if I endured it… Everything will be okay if they understood me…
I believed in that till the end, as…
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As…
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[why…]
I asked myself as my body stopped, and I floated in mid-air with Yukari looking up at me.
I was no longer the spectator; I am me again, in control of my body in the air as tears slowly leaked from me for the countless time.
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They didn't know me, did they?
They did not know why, why I did all this… All my actions, all my beliefs… there is reason for that… I wanted to save Gensokyo…
I wanted to promote my faith…
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So many reasons I could not say… the words would never leave my mouth… I would keep it inside me, the frustration bottled inside me…
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I had thought it would disappear one day, perhaps it will if I am patient enough it will all disappear…
My spiritual training helped me thus far, always suppressing my inner anger and frustration…
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I am… never angry… never rash… perhaps that's why…
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The inner me, the true me… is such a person, wanting to find an outlet, an excuse to be mad, to be angry and to destroy things.
I have power, great power inside me that can be used for good and evil…
[… … Yukari…]
Yukari she, must feel the same way… bottled up inside her are so many reasons, so many explanations that she must be dying to tell someone… someone who cares, someone who understands her, to listen to her pour her heart out to her…
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As they say… who will listen to me… even if I listen to everyone else?
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Who is the person I can pour my heart to? Who is the person I can expect to listen to me, to treat me as I am… not the Hakurei Reimu… but just as Reimu…
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I am Reimu, I AM REIMU…
I knew that, I admitted that… and I embraced that…
But it is not enough… who else admitted that I am Reimu? Just plain Reimu and not Hakurei Reimu…
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Not Miss Keine nor Mokou… despite their kind words they are still view me differently… not as THE Hakurei… but somewhat similar… Miss Keine, her emotional support is Mokou and vice versa…
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So… who is mine?
[… Suika…]
It is Suika, the only one in my family… and we depend on one another…
I remember her, the only oni and the most powerful youkai in Gensokyo… she is my emotional support…
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Perhaps I in the past, being the Hakurei Shrine Maiden… is the support for all the people and youkai in Gensokyo without me knowing it…
Even now my heart is heavy… the burden of the Hakurei is still on my shoulders and my only support… Ibuki Suika… is down…
Thus, I lost control…
But does anyone know that? Does anyone even bother to know… to hear my explanation?
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I don't know…
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[Yukari…]
She does… perhaps she does… but it is the same with her… who would listen to her? Who would listen to the Might Gap Youkai, the one who is before all, the strongest of the strong, the weakest of the weak… Yakumo Yukari?
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Who…?
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[… Yukari…]
My eyes opened again to see Yukari standing in front of me, the madness ebbing from her eyes as she studied me closely.
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[…Yes… Reimu?]
[I…]
Understand…
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Yukari smiled and she held up a spellcard in front of her in invitation to me.
[This is… truly the end… Reimu, if you understand… then…]
[I'll hear you out… Yukari… but if you fail to persuade me…]
The both of us smiled again and I felt the border between us weaken, I understood Yukari's pain, her loneliness ever so strongly…
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I… I…
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[Then, Reimu… let us play… the swan song…]
[…]
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[Yukari's Arcanum…]
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[Danmaku.
Bounded.
Gensokyo.]
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The spellcard shattered in front of me and the Great Hakurei Border seem to shiver and shake in the aftermaths as countless bullets streamed from the border…
[… thank you, Yukari.]
I whispered softly as a spellcard appeared in my hand, called to me by my own heart…
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[Musou…
Tensei…
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Fantasy
Heaven]
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Author's Notes: Hax Spellcard is HAX!