AN: I do not own Touhou Project, it belongs to Team Shanghai Alice, aka ZUN.
Welcome to the third part of IaMP… and not a SINGLE comment about the entire arc? Nothing? Nothing at all? I'm either breaking brains or people just don't want to talk, either way.
Let the Gates Open!
Potentia Immaterialia et Absentis
(Immaterial and Missing Power)
(Part 3)
(Stage Start!)
After the break in by Yuugi, Meiling and Vaati had retreated to the library to tell Patchouli, Cirno and Marisa what had just happened.
"So not only do we had this stupid mist to deal with, a SECOND oni deva has shown up and is trying to find the first?" Marisa said, basically summing up how in over their heads they were. "We managed to get her at least retreat, but she didn't have a scratch on her." Meiling said, referring to her and Vaati, who was currently past out in a chair with Cirno sitting on his lap.
"This just keeps getting better and better, we need to tell Remi now." Patchouli said. "Tell me what? Like how the ENTIRE FRONT OF THE MANSION IS MISSING!" someone yelled, everyone still awake in the library turning towards the entrance to their little meeting area, Remilia standing there tapping her foot.
"Go on, tell me." Remilia said, impatient and mad. "A oni deva named Yuugi showed up, broke down the door, killed some fairies looking for another deva named Suika, who is apparently behind the mist over the lake, and all the recent parties." Meiling said, not happy either.
Remilia nodded at her and looked past Meiling, seeing Sakuya still frozen in a block of ice. "And do you mind telling me why Sakuya is in an ice cube?" Remilia asked, still not happy. "Err…" Marisa let out, not knowing how to explain what had happened.
"The oni's mist effected Sakuya, it made her more aggressive and had her take out all the books on oni in the library, she tried to stab me." Patchouli said, showing Remilia the book. The currently unconscious and frozen Sakuya was unable to comment.
"That's just great, absolutely lovely." Remilia said as Alice flew in through the entrance. "Everyone I found out something your not going to like. But first question, who blew up the front door?" Alice said, referring to the giant hole in the front of the mansion she flew through. "An Oni did it, and I am not fixing it." Meiling said, not wanted to have to fix that hole.
"What do oni have to do with anything?" Alice asked, confused as she hadn't known about any oni. Everyone, even Remilia gave her a funny look. "The mist was caused by an oni, and a second showed up looking for the first, get the memo Alice." Marisa quipped.
"Ok… not important right now, it has to do with Reimu." Alice said. "Let me guess, she tried to stab you and she was acting aggressive." Patchouli said sarcastically, her and Marisa thinking it was the same case as with Sakuya. "No… Yukari… she had some sort of connection that allows her to influence Reimu and take control of her, like with Ran and Chen. She had her attack me." Alice said.
The responses from everyone ranged from panic to worry as Cirno woke up from her position on Vaati's lap, her movement waking him up as well. "What the heck is going on." Vaati said tired. Not that anyone noticed him in the panic.
"Your telling me that Yukari has Reimu as one of those shikigami!" Marisa yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "I don't think Reimu knows, or that it's anything more then a mental connection at the moment." Alice said, worry in her voice at the thought of their old friend being under the control of Yukari.
"Yes because that makes a world of difference." Marisa said sarcastically. "I'm sorry Reimu is what?" Vaati asked, not understanding the conversation. "Let them deal with Reimu, we have to deal with the oni." Patchouli said, tuning out the two girls.
"She's right, we have more important things to deal with, the oni are the more pressing threat." Remilia said, leading Patchouli, Meiling, Vaati and Cirno out of the library, leaving Alice and Marisa to continue with their conversation about Reimu.
"How long do you think she's been?" Marisa asked Alice, the magician shaking her head. "Who knows, it could have been like this for years." Alice said, shaking her head. "What do you suppose we do?" Marisa asked, both of them agreeing on the subject of Reimu.
"I say we should head back to the shrine and try to find anything we can before Reimu gets up from the beating I gave her." Alice said. "Well what are we waiting for, let's go." Marisa said, completely serious as she hopped on her broom, making a bit of room for Alice so they could get there faster.
"Hold on to your belongs, because if you don't lose them, I just might borrow them." Marisa quipped as she started flying the broom out of the mansion, passing the small group on their way out to the foyer and flying out the giant hole in the mansion.
"And there they go." Patchouli said as Marisa and Alice flew past them as they walked towards the foyer. "So we got find were that Yuugi girl went. And ask her to help us find Suika?" Vaati asked, wondering what the plan was, since they hadn't made one.
"That would be the basic gist of it." Remilia said before turning to Meiling. "Where did she go?" Remilia asked. "She was going to go check out the mist… before she blew the gate off of it's hinges." Meiling said as the group reached the remains of the gate that Yuugi had punched open.
"Well…" Patchouli started, flipping through her book as Vaati looked over her shoulder. "That's a big hole." Cirno said, smiling at the thought of fighting someone that strong. Remilia scowled before grumbling about damage payment and how she was going to rip Yuugi apart for doing this to her house, at least the destruction by Cirno, Marisa and Flandre was contained to the library!
The group started flying off into the night, over the Misty lake, which was living up to it's name with the mist all around it. Remilia listening for anything that could lead them to Yuugi… not that she needed to with the amounts of screams from panicking fairies.
Suddenly everyone had to dodge as a little blonde girl in a black dress was thrown up from the trees, the girl hitting Vaati and sending both of them crashing towards the ground, Vaati only barely managing to recover, holding the knocked out girl just barely.
"I think we found our oni." Patchouli deadpanned as they landed on the ground, minus Vaati who had landed on a hill and was sitting on the dirt next to the little girl that had hit him.
Yuugi herself was holding a little green haired fairy by the neck, the fairy struggling for air. "You seen Suika? No, well then GOODBYE!" Yuugi said as she was about to punch the fairy, icicles hitting her back distracting her. "Alright that is the second time tonight that has happened who is it this time." Yuugi complained as she dropped the fairy, who flew away towards the hill Vaati was sitting on, as the sick boy was currently swamped by fairies that were hiding behind him from the crazy oni.
BGM: Embodiment of Scarlet Devil – Shanghai Teahouse ~ S.S.H Arrange
Yuugi turned around and saw Meiling, Cirno, Remilia and Patchouli behind her. "You know, I was just going to ask for your help, but seeing what your doing, I think that's out of the question." Remilia said, glaring at Yuugi.
"You're a vampire right? Haven't fought one of those in a long time. Let's see if your legends hold true." Yuugi said, getting into a fighting position. "I don't think any of us except Patchouli are going to be much against her, she's to strong physically." Meiling muttered quietly to her allies.
"Then keep her off Patchy, she owes me a new gate and a new wall." Remilia said, shooting forward at Yuugi, spinning in the air and kicking as Yuugi brought her arm up to block it. Yuugi flinched slightly as her arm was pushed back just a little bit, seemed vampire's still had strength stronger then a normal oni, but Yuugi was no normal oni.
Cirno herself flew at Yuugi, forming a large ice sword between her hands as she swung at Yuugi, the oni bringing up her arms to block the ice sword. When the sword made contact with her arm it straight up shattered, Yuugi kicking Cirno away as she grabbed Remilia's leg, throwing the small vampire behind her. Remilia slowing herself down with her wings as she skidded to a halt in the dirt.
Meiling ran up at Yuugi, her fists glowing with energy as she swung, Yuugi warier of her then Remilia or Cirno as she dodged Meiling strikes, before delivering an uppercut that sent Meiling fly skywards.
Flying up after Meiling Yuugi was about to kick her as Remilia flew in front of her, holding a spear of red energy in her hand as she parried Yuugi's blow. Meiling falling and recovering before she hit the ground as Yuugi and Remilia faced off with each other, Remilia's spear solidifying into her spear Gungnir, named after the spear of the king of Asgard.
From a distance all the fairies around Vaati watched the display in the sky, the little girl in the black dress sitting up and looking at the display in the sky. Meiling and Cirno joining Remilia in the sky as Cirno formed a new sword and Meiling readying her fists. From below a cloud of fire danamaku homed in on Yuugi. The oni not even noticing as Patchouli pelted her with wave after wave of homing fire shots.
"That's not going to work… Oni are normally associated with fire." Vaati mumbled as the fairies around him at tried to hide behind him as a shot was backhanded by Yuugi, hitting Vaati square in the head, knocking him out again. The fairies panicking slightly as they pushed him back up, still knocked out and hiding behind his body.
Cirno noticed Vaati getting hit, growling as she made a second sword and flying at Yuugi, swinging them rapidly. The oni bringing up her arms to block the swords, the ice shattering each time she blocked it only form Cirno to reform a new blade and continue smashing, the shattering ice sparkling in the moon light.
Yuugi was kept on the defensive as Cirno kept forming and swinging swords at her, angry from the shot hitting Vaati. Remilia took advantage this by flying behind Yuugi, the oni noticing her as she tried to stab her, kicking behind her and sending her spear flying as she kicked Cirno in the gut, spinning around and slamming her fist into Remilia's head sending them both flying.
Meiling caught Remilia's spear, throwing it back at Yuugi before flying at her, Yuugi catching the spear and snapping it in half before trading blows with Meiling, the oni barely flinching as Meiling did all she could to keep from being thrown out of the sky.
Down below the aerial battle Patchouli was reading off her spells rapid fire, doing her best to keep from coughing as several colored stones surrounded her, a small red stone floating in front of her, the glowing circle of power underneath her evident as to the power she was channeling.
"Five elements sign… the philosopher's stone." Patchouli muttered as her final incantation, the stones around her lighting up brightly, illuminating the woods. This did not go unnoticed by Yuugi as she slammed her foot into Meiling back, Remilia and Cirno flying at her from both sides.
Cirno formed two swords of ice, throwing one at Yuugi, who dodged it, Remilia catching the sword as Cirno swung hers at the same time as Remilia Yuugi bringing her arms up to stop both blades, slightly surprised as this time they didn't shatter, Remilia's glowing red from the power she was infusing into it, Cirno's having been frozen to super hardness.
Down below Patchouli began her attack, directing her stones to fire at Yuugi, in tandem with the five elements. The oni being pelted from behind as She was dealing with the two girls in front of her.
It was when the bullets stopped for a moment and Cirno and Remilia pulled away that Yuugi tried to attack them, only for the one person she forgot about, Meiling to past her, her palm outstretched as a fierce pain came on Yuugi's back, and she started glowing as Patchouli pelted her with bullets again, she was firing from all her stones, her magic amplified by the power of the philosopher's stone she had created.
The danmaku shots were wearing Yuugi down, the oni far from a magical fighter as Patchouli floated under her, already preparing her next spell as a blue circle was glowing underneath her.
But with Remilia, Cirno and Meiling constantly distracting her, she was unable to do much anything but fight back against the three of them, and take the abuse from Patchouli's spells.
But then things started to go strange. The mist above the lake started moving, gathering up into one big ball. A single fairy noticing and gasping as all the others and the little girl in the black dress noticed as well, all of them gapping at the massive ball of mist as it condensed down into a smaller one.
The terrified fairies started shaking Vaati, trying to wake up the knocked out teen as the orb of mist started to take shape, a little girl with horns forming from the mist and flying fast at Patchouli.
Just as Patchouli was about to release her spell, she was hit, full speed by the ramming girl, her spell stones shutting off and falling to the dirt as Yuugi knocked Meiling, Cirno and Remilia back for the umpteenth time. "There you are Suika." Yuugi said as she looked at the little oni girl under her, who was drinking from her gourd.
BGM: [Touhou]- Suika's Theme: Missing Power ~ 4ºRemix
"Hey, Yuugi, hows it goin." Suika said, clearing drunk. "Been looking for you, thanks for the save." Yuugi said, Remila, Cirno and Meiling looking down at the little oni girl, their culprit. "Hey Yuugi, wanta team up and take em down, they are trying to ruin the parties." Suika said.
"Well I've never been one to let a good party pass me up, let's do this." Yuugi said as Suika floated next to her. "I think we are screwed…" Meiling said quietly as as she flinched just from the sheer power coming off both of the oni.
The fairies down below and the little blonde girl finally roused Vaati, the teen blinking awake as he saw the two oni staring down Meiling, Remilia and Cirno. "Shack person, help them, they are getting beat for trying to help us!" a fairy said, the green hair and blue dress standing out from the normal fairies.
"I can't… I'm injured I'd just get in the way." Vaati said, looking over the large group of fairies around him, and the little blonde girl, before looking up at the sky. "But I have a plan. Can you all listen to me." Several fairies scratched their heads, some nodding as well as the green haired fairy and the blonde girl.
"Good, now all of you who can, get up there and help them defend your forest, help Cirno!" Vaati yelled before coughing, the fairies and the little girl flying away from him before forming up behind Cirno, the little blonde girl and the green haired fairy at the front behind Cirno.
"We can help, they can't beat all of us. Mr. shack man thinks we can help." The green haired fairy said, Cirno nodding as she looked at the coughing Vaati. 'Thank you, with all these fairies, we might actually have a chance.' Cirno thought, having seen how effective Patchouli's magic was in concentrated fire. Meiling and Remilia floating opposite the oni as the fairies, over a hundred of them flew around, directed by Cirno to form a box around the group, Cirno flying over to Remilia and Meiling.
"ALRIGHT FAIRIES, LETS SHOW THEM HOW WE DO IT!" Cirno yelled as a rousing sound of the fairies yelling as well as they all started firing danmaku on the two oni girls, Cirno, Remilia and Meiling flying in to join the fight.
BGM: [東方] Xi-on - Dream Battle!
Marisa and Alice neared the shrine, flying in onto the stone path before hopping off Marisa's broom, Marisa landing in a crouch as Alice floated down, sending out a few dolls and Shanghai as a precaution. "Stand guard." Alice commanded, her dolls nodding as they held their swords and some held shields as Alice and Marisa walked up to the door to the shrine.
Marisa and Alice looked at each other before nodding, opening to door together and looking inside, not seeing anyone as they walking into the shrine. "Something doesn't felt right." Alice said, looking around, nothing looked like it had been touched in a few days, but there was no dust on anything.
"This is kinda creepy, I mean with the mansion I know that's the maid doing it, but this just isn't like Reimu." Marisa said, swiping her finger across the table, the moonlight softly illuminating the dark room.
"She should still be in the hammock I left her in." Alice said as she walked over to the door leading to Reimu's little bed room, taking a deep breath before throwing it open. Yelping as a senbon flew out the door.
"Woah, someone's trigger happy." Marisa said as she looked at the senbon embedded in the wall as Alice got up from the floor, Reimu walking out into the room. "Hey Reimu, you alright?" Marisa asked, trying to keep the mood light as she observed Reimu. She didn't seem all that different, in fact nothing had really changed, but her face was obscured by the darkness that wasn't illuminated by the moon.
"Alice… get back, something's not right." Marisa said, as she couldn't see Reimu's eyes. Alice getting behind her and holding her Grimoire close to her, ready to open it just in case. Reimu walked into the light, her eyes still closed as Marisa and Alice backed out of the shrine, Alice's dolls forming up around them as Reimu followed them out.
"You do not belong here." Reimu said in an emotionless tone, her eyes snapping open to reveal… that instead of her normal brown eyes, they were completely purple… like Yukari's. "Well we are here to save you from the gap hag, and if that means beating the living day lights out of you, so be it!" Marisa yelled, clenching her fist as Reimu stared emotionlessly at her and Alice.
"Lady Yukari said I am not to allow her to be disturbed." Reimu said in a no nonsense tone, walking forward as a gap opened up behind her. "Now Reimu, that's no way to treat the guests." Someone said, everyone knowing just who it was as Yukari walked out of the gap, her parasol opened above her as Reimu stood next to her.
"You may have beaten little Reimu last time puppet master, thought I doubt you will be so fortunate this time, after all, you did exactly what a told you not to do, come with the intent to harm Reimu." Yukari said, as Marisa and Alice remembered that bit in their warming from her.
"Crud." Marisa said as she pulled out her Mini Hakkero. Alice's dolls forming a defensive line between the two magicians and Yukari and Reimu. "Let's make things interesting shall we, I hope you know how to fight with your fists." Yukari said, snapping her fingers as she manipulated the border between magic and normality.
For but a brief moment, Marisa and Alice had all their magic power on edge, and in an instant, it all vanished, Alice's dolls slumping over as Reimu pulls out two senbon. "Of course only you two don't have magic, and we have all we need." Yukari said, twirling her parasol as Reimu charged at the two girls.
Maris and Alice jumped out of the way, Yukari having only taken their magic, but not their strength, Marisa pulling her broom off her back as Alice pulled out a lance.
Marisa parried Reimu's next strike as she tried to strike her with both senbon at once, Marisa holding steady as the enchanted wood of her broom held against the purified metal of the senbon.
Alice herself ran at Reimu, her steps making a loud sound on the stone as she tried to stab at her, Reimu pulling one of her senbon away to block Alice's lance thrust. But taking away the extra force she was putting on Marisa allowing her to force Reimu's senbon back, pushing her broom against the metal.
So while Reimu blocked Alice's swing, Marisa pulled her broom away and trying to swing at Reimu, only for her Broom to be blocked by Yukari's umbrella, closed and being wielding like a one handed sword.
"You didn't think I would just hang around if I wasn't going to do something would you?" Yukari asked as she stabbed at Marisa with her umbrella, the witch blocking with her broom, feeling the odd resounding force that should not have come from someone as petite as Yukari pushing back against her.
"What's the matter, are you feeling a little weak?" Yukari asked as she casually swung her umbrella at Marisa, who franticly parried each swing in a sloppy manner, not used to fighting this way. Pulling a bottle out from behind her she threw at Yukari, a gap opening in front of Yukari, her thrown bottle going through and being thrown out of a gap that opened behind Marisa, sending her flying as it exploded.
"Ahh ahh ahh, no cheating." Yukari said, disregarding what she had just done. Marisa scowled but didn't say anything, it was best not to anger the crazy powerful gap youkai.
Alice herself was fairing not very well against Reimu, the shrine Maiden keeping Alice solely on the defensive, as she wasn't used to actually wielding a weapon herself, normally having her dolls do it. The purified metal of the senbon burning her skin whenever Reimu got past her lance, the small burn marks adding up bit by bit.
Alice didn't know how long she would be able to last against Reimu, just barely holding out as her lifeless dolls lay on the stone path. All of them lifeless, except for one. Shanghai slowly got up under her own power, having been cut off from Alice's magic, but over time having slowly developed her own to give her semi-sentience. But with Yukari having abruptly cutting off her from Alice's magic, she had been adjusting to her own new magic source inside her.
Shanghai got up and saw her creator losing badly against the shrine maiden, the doll's emotionless cute face seeming to curl at the edges a bit in a small frown. The now living doll grabbing one of the swords from the ground in one hand, a shield in the other and floating up for a moment, before flying at Reimu.
Alice had her lance knocked out her her hand, holding her hand as it burned from the purified metal. Reimu raising a senbon above her head as she was about to strike down on Alice, the magician closing her eyes and waiting for the bow.
BGM: [Touhou]- Alice's Theme: Doll Judgment ~ 5ºRemix
But it never came, the sound of metal on metal hitting her ears as she opened her eyes, seeing Shanghai floating protectively over her, holding a sword and a shield as she blocked Reimu's swing. "Shanghai…" Alice said quietly.
All her life after the sealing of Makai she had tried to create a living doll, Shanghai being her closest attempt at a doll with some form of intelligence. But now without her magic, Shanghai was defending her, the doll having gained it's own life.
Grabbing the lance from the dirt, she stabbed at Reimu, her stab going under Shanghai and hitting Reimu in the gut, the shrine maiden getting pushed back as bit as she looked up with emotionless eyes, seeing the living doll floating protectively in front of her master, pointing it's sword that was as big as it was at her, holding the shield in one tiny arm.
'The doll Shanghai is moving Lady Yukari, this should not be happening with Alice's lack of magic.' Reimu sent to Yukari, holding her Senbon out, one in front of her and one above her head.
As Yukari and Marisa dueled, she caught Reimu's message, moving her eyes over to see the doll floating by Alice. 'So the doll has gained a life of it's own, cute, but manageable, you should be able to handle both of them.' Yukari sent back at Reimu as she skidded away from Marisa, firing off a small barrage of danmaku at the witch, who yelped as jumped out of the way to the side.
'Understood.' Reimu sent back after receiving Yukari's message, dashing at Alice and Shanghai as she swung with her two senbon, Shanghai holding her shield in front of her to block the swings as metal met metal, Shanghai pushing her back a little bit with strength new to the living doll.
Alice herself took advantage of the opening and jabbed high, over Shanghai as Reimu lifted one of her senbon up to stop the jab. But her trying to stop Alice's jab left her open to Shanghai's swing, catching Reimu on the side as the sword tore a bit of her clothing.
With that Reimu fell back a bit throwing her senbon at Alice and Shanghai, pulling out a new pair as Shanghai blocked one with her shield and batted the other away with her sword.
Marisa was not fairing as well against Yukari as Alice's battle was going. Swinging her broom wildly to try and hit Yukari, the youkai just casually batting her swings away with her parasol. Marisa having switched to using one hand to grab her Hakkero from behind her.
The little magical generator worked better with her own power added in, but it could work on it's own, if weaker then without her power. But Yukari took advantage of her using only one hand to bat her broom out of her hand and away from her, leaving Marisa without a large weapon to parry with as Yukari smacked her side, sending her flying into the gate at the front of the shrine, hitting a barrier that had been put up to contain the fight.
Yukari had noticed Marisa pulling out her Hakkero, and decided to mess with her, opening a large gap behind her, a train coming out, empty with it's horn honking. Marisa shot up at the noise, throwing her Hakkero out in front of her and firing, the master spark meeting high velocity train as the magical laser and the metal train pushed against each other, the laser slowly winning.
Marisa found some courage to speak, if even only for a taunt. "I don't care if you take my power, I'll use all the tools at my disposal to deal with you, and I'll do what I always do. LIE! CHEAT! STEAL! AND SURVIVE!" Marisa yelled, finding a very small well of energy within her to strengthen the Master Spark, as while Yukari had taken her own magic, she was using her own power to power this spark, her annihilation of willpower!
Yukari watched as her thrown train was dissolved by the Master Spark, a slight frown on her face as inwardly she was smirking. 'Reimu is truly not the only protector of Gensokyo, even one as greedy as her will fight on for her friends, she'll survive for them, just as they all will.' Yukari thought as the Spark dissolved, Marisa standing there panting as she looked at Yukari, pointing the Hakkero at her as it sparked with static.
Alice meanwhile had been tag teaming with Shanghai, the magician and her living doll redirecting Reimu's attacks and getting in their own. Alice always worked best with a partner, and no partner was better to be with her at all times, then her very first.
It was then a very large explosion of power erupted from the Forest of Magic, catching everyone's attention. "That was by Misty lake." Alice said, knowing the direction, as a large explosion rocked the land scape, dust kicking up all way even at the shrine.
"I think we will have to cut this battle short." Yukari said, snapping her fingers, returning Alice and Marisa's magic, and returning Reimu's will to her. "Wa? What's going on? Alice?" Reimu asked, her eyes still purple.
"There isn't time for that, the culprit of the feasts has shown herself, and she's got a friend." Yukari said, opening a gap. "GO!"
Reimu, Alice and Marisa looked at each other as Reimu ran to the gap, running through it, Alice recalling her dolls as Marisa grabbed her broom. "It was a test wasn't it?" Alice asked as they stopped before the gap. "There is no time, if you don't want Misty lake and the surrounding area to be a giant crater I suggest you move it!" Yukari said, both of them realizing that she was testing them.
"Fine I was testing you, and you past, NOW GO!" Yukari yelled, getting slightly mad as she opened a gap behind her to teleport away to the battle site, Alice and Marisa nodding before running into the gap, Shanghai following.
The battle had begun, the Oni devas verus the self proclaimed protectors of Gensokyo. To say a lot was on the line was an understatement. Even if it all started… with an Oni wanting to party forever.
(Continue!?)
AN: And S**T has officially hit the fan, next chapter might be a shorter one then normal, probably around 3000 words, but to make up for that, it's ONE, HUGE, BATTLE! LET THE FUN BEGIN!
P.S. Bonus points to whoever can figure out where Marisa's little declaration came from, i thought it would fit, seeing as Marisa is kinda like the one who originally made it.