Three Years Ago
Note: This story is best enjoyed after the events of Operation Genos. In order to conform to a more cohesive, linear narrative, some liberties have been taken with when the events of Touhou 6, 7, 7.5, and 8 take place. Namely, the seasons they take place in (in canon, it would be summer, winter, winter-spring, autumn, respectfully). For the sake of consistency with Op Genos, this has been changed to a sequence of autumn, winter, winter-spring, spring. Just a heads up.
The Hakurei Shire, located on the boarder of both Gensokyo and the Outside World, was a rather lonely place, in all honesty. Despite being the shrine that governs the very balance of this world, where humans and youkai exist, no one, not even its present Shrine Maiden, 14 year old Hakurei Reimu, know what the god of Hakurei looks like.
Sitting all on her lonesome, Hakurei Reimu sat quietly, drinking her tea. This was just what her day to day life was like; sweep the front of the shrine, check the donation box, and drink tea. No one ever really came to the Hakurei Shrine to pray for anything, as the path to it from the human village was prime for youkai to hunt.
The sound of something flying above was heard, and a blonde haired girl in black and white descended, mounted on a broom. "Yo, Reimu!" the witch greeted. "Still quiet on the eastern front?"
"You know, Marisa, the least you could do is walk like a normal person," Reimu said irritably. "Might actually make me happy to see you, if only for a moment."
Kirisame Marisa cackled in amusement. "I know, I know. Ya love me," she said. "Still, you'd think someone would make this place closer to the village. I know it's gotta exist on the boundary and all that jazz, but you'd think it could be a bit further in on one side?"
"If someone knew the answer to that," Reimu responded, "then it would have already been done."
The conversation died down, and Marisa took a seat next to Reimu. "Autumn's comin' to an end, eh?" she commented. "Feels like it's been a lot shorter this year."
"That's just your imagination," Reimu said. "It certainly helps that nothing has happened for a few years since that whole Makai thing."
"Yeah, those were the days. Wonder how that blonde kid's doing. What was her name again?"
"You think I bothered to remember that?" Reimu asked.
Just then, however, something in the sky went 'boom'.
"The heck was that?" Marisa questioned. "Are youkai causing trouble?"
As if to answer her question, something large and trailing smoke flew overhead. Well, 'flew' in the liberal use of the word, considering it crashed through the trees behind the shrine.
"That certainly didn't look like a youkai I've heard of!" Reimu shouted, grabbing her gohei and flying off in the direction of the crash. "Keep up, Marisa!"
"Race ya!" the witch responded, flying off at max speed.
Within five minutes the two had made it to the crash site. There, at the back of one of the trees, dug into the ground, was a strange white and blue... bird thing. It was large -about five metres, to be exact- and had an odd glass front to it.
"What the heck is that?" Marisa asked. "Ain't never seen a youkai like that before."
"Is it even a youkai?" Reimu questioned. "We are on the boarder, after all. Perhaps it's something from Outside."
The thing made a hissing sound, and the glass front began to rise. The jumped back, brandishing their weapons. In Reimu's case, the gohei, and in Marisa's, her mini-Hakkero.
Steam rose dramatically from the opening, before it dispersed into the atmosphere. Slowly, Reimu and Marisa approached the object.
There, within the confides of... whatever it was, sat a young man in light red clothes, wearing some sort of unfamiliar helmet.
"That... still doesn't answer the big question," Marisa said. "Is it human? Or youkai?"
"I... think human?" Reimu hesitated. "It's hard to say with that thing on their head." She placed a hand on the side of the object, attempting to hoist herself up, but recoiled at the heat. "Ow! Hot!"
Marisa chuckled at the reaction. "Why don't ya leave this part to me, yeah?" she said, hovering off the ground, over the object, and pulling the person out by one hand. Gently, she laid them down on the ground. "Alright, let's see what we got."
The two gingerly removed the helmet, and tossed it aside. Underneath it was a young man, maybe around 17 years old, with pale skin and jet black hair. A small trickle of blood dripped down from his forehead, indicating some level of head trauma.
Reimu, however, had different thoughts at the moment. Specifically, from what she could see before her, and her (admittedly) limited experience with members of the opposite sex, she thought this guy was rather good looking.
The young man let out a small groan of discomfort. "Hey, I think he's coming to!" Marisa exclaimed.
Slowly, the man opened his eyes, and looked at them through hazy red orbs. "Who... are you?" he asked, voice raspy.
"Hey, worry about yourself, okay?" Reimu said. "What happened to you? And, more importantly, what is that thing you were in?"
The man let out a pained groan, before passing out again. "Well, ain't that just grand," Marisa muttered. "Hey, Reimu, should be get this guy to the shrine?"
"Good idea," Reimu agreed, as the two slung the man over their shoulders, and carried him off.
He awoke to a strange smell in the air and an unfamiliar ceiling. The youth bolted upright, and immediately regretted it as he winced in pain.
Slowly, he took a look around. He was in some sort of old, Japanese styled home, which made no sense to him, as last he remembered, he was in Berlin, where... where...
He took a shaky breath, calming his nerves somewhat. He heard footsteps from outside the room, so clearly, whoever had taken him in was still present. Slowly getting to his feet, he felt down the side of his leg for his firearm, yet found it not there.
Then, the door slid open, and a girl with brown-black hair, dressed in red and white, walked in, carrying a tray of food and drinks.
"Ah, you're awake," the girl noted. "That's a relief. How are you feeling?"
He raised a brow in response. "Not... too bad," he hesitated. "Certainly been worse. Who are you and where am I?"
"In order: Hakurei Reimu, and Gensokyo."
He looked even more puzzled then before. "None of those names means anything to me," he said. "Where is this 'Gensokyo' in regards to Berlin?"
"What the heck is a 'Berlin'?" Reimu asked. "Anyway, it's rude to not give your own name, you know."
He flinched slightly. "I'm... Shinn Asuka," he replied. "Now tell me what the hell's going on."
Reimu gave him a flat, unamused look. "You're just one rude guy, aren't you?" she noted. "If you're wondering how you came to Gensokyo, then you probably just fell through the Boundary between it and the Outside World. That's usually how these things go, anyway."
"Woman, nothing you're saying makes any sense," Shinn muttered. "Why am I here? How do I get back? What the hell is a 'Gensokyo'?!"
In response, Reimu placed the cup of tea on his head with a little bit of force, both shutting him up, and balancing it quite amazingly. "Right, you need to calm down," she said. "Freaking out like that will get you nowhere."
Shinn bit his lower lip in irritation. He really couldn't afford to just... kick back, could he? Hesitantly, he took that miraculously balanced cup from his head, and drank.
… Damn. It was some rather nice tea.
After around ten minutes, Reimu had wrapped up her explanation to Shinn as to what Gensokyo was.
"A world where both humans and youkai, that is, mythological monsters, exist," Shinn muttered. "You really expect me to buy that crock of shit?"
"Yeah, that's about expected," Reimu sighed. This guy, Shinn Asuka, had quite the foul mouth to him, despite his good looks. "Then again, if Marisa and I didn't find you first, you'd take this information a lot more readily."
"I'm sorry, but you really expect me to believe in shit like magic?" he questioned. "I'm a man of science, okay? Hell, I was genetically enhanced at birth, so if you want me to believe you, you're going to have to..."
Shinn was cut off when his mouth was, quite literally, sealed shut by a red and white talisman. No matter how he tried to scratch at it, it refused to come off until Reimu snapped her fingers, and it drifted to the floor.
"Sounds like she got ya good, there!" called Marisa from the other room.
"Oh, put a sock in it," Shinn muttered, looking rather embarrassed. "We don't exactly have that sort of thing where I'm from."
"Obviously," Reimu said. "Now, as for getting you home, I'm afraid I can't do much to help you there."
"The hell do you mean?!" Shinn shouted, slamming his fist on the table. "Didn't you just say it was your job to watch over the Border? How can you not be able to send me back?!"
"That just the thing; It's my job to 'watch over' the Border. Sending people back through it is, right out, outside of my training," Reimu answered. "If you want to get out of here, your best bet would be that Gap Hag, Yakumo, but knowing her, she's probably the reason you're here in the first place."
"So... I'm just... stuck here?" he asked, shocked. "Unable to do anything about it?"
"Well, she never said that, did she?" Marisa stated, walking in to the room. "Besides, it's not all bad here. Kick your feet up! Relax! Go on an adventure or something! That's usually what you Outsiders do when you show up here."
"Hey, Marisa!" Reimu said loudly. "You're being too flippant about this."
"What's the deal?" Marisa asked. "I mean, the guy's bound to have skills. He'll fit right in here."
At that moment, Shinn stood up, and stormed out of the room, leaving the two in stunned silence. "Well, great going, Marisa," Reimu said sarcastically.
"How's that my fault?" Marisa shrugged. "Ah well. It's starting to get late. Better hit the ol' dusty road."
"Yeah, you do that," Reimu muttered. As Marisa left, however, something red caught Reimu's eye from where Shinn was sitting previously.
By the time Shinn got back to where he'd crashed, exhaustion had finally hit, and he realised he was bleeding from the side of his leg. Not heavily, thankfully, but enough to make it just slightly painful.
His machine, the Core Splendor, looked like absolute shit, to put it lightly. Smoke rose from the exhaust, the cockpit was cracked all over, the wings were mangled, and generally, it just looked incapable of flight.
Shinn felt his heart sink. "No... Not like this!" he shouted, running up to the jet. Reaching into the cockpit, he pulled out the handheld radio. "Ensign Asuka to Minerva, do you read me?!" he spoke into the device. "Captain Gladys! Meyrin! Please respond! Rey! Lunamaria! Athrun Zala! Hell, I'd even take the guy in the Freedom! Someone! Please..."
The radio slipped out of his hand. There wasn't even static to respond to his request. "Is this... really it for me?" he muttered. Reaching into the cockpit again, he grabbed several things, consisting of a survival pack, his ZAFT uniform, and... his late sisters phone. Gently, he placed his forehead against it. "Sorry, Mayu. I... couldn't get back at them." A single tear trickled down his cheek. "I'm sorry, Stella... I couldn't save you. I... couldn't save anyone."
Wiping the tear from his face, Shinn began to change out of his pilot suit and into his uniform. The pilot suit was only so comfortable, after all, and he should really get a good look at the extent of his injuries.
Now, stripped down to just his boxers, he could see that the worst of his wounds were just a few bruises and cuts on his left leg. Guess he got lucky. Taking the medical equipment out of his survival kit, Shinn disinfected the wounds and bandaged his leg up, then proceeded to get himself dressed.
Fortunately for him, Shinn had managed to get his pants back on by the time Reimu rounded the corner. She seemed... well, not comically flustered, at least, but a little startled. "... Why are you mostly naked?" she asked hesitantly.
"Had to treat my injuries," he replied, putting his shirt on. "That, and I'd rather be in something a bit looser fitting that my pilot suit."
"That so?" Reimu said, before walking up to the Core Splendor. "So, what is this thing, anyway? Looks a bit extravagant for a coffin."
"It's called the Core Splendor," he answered. "And I'll have you respect it, thank you very much. This guy's gotten me through many dangerous situations, and now... he'll never fly again."
"Why?" Reimu asked. "Isn't it one of those machines? Can't you fix it?"
"What do I look like, an engineer?" Shinn asked sarcastically. "I'm a Coordinator, not a miracle worker. I don't have the tools or resources to fix it."
"Fine, fine. Far be it for me to understand this stuff," Reimu shrugged. "Come on, let's head back. It'll be dark soon."
The days that came to pass were... certainly different from Shinn's usual life. Mainly, it was quiet. Peaceful, even.
During his stay at the Hakurei Shrine, he only regularly saw Reimu and Marisa. It struck him as strange, that a shrine that governs the balance of a place would get so few visitors, outside of a witch. The place was, to put it bluntly, rather shabby looking, and whether that was a result of not having many visitors, or the cause, he wasn't sure.
After the first week, Shinn's injuries were perfectly healed, so during the times where Reimu and Marisa were away from the shrine to patrol the land (via flying, to his surprise), Shinn decided to take it upon himself to work of refurbishing the place as best he could. Shinn felt that he needed to do something with his hands, otherwise negative thoughts would start to catch back up to him.
So it was, that only this warm, late autumn day, three weeks since he'd arrived, the only sound that could be heard was that of Shinn hammering nails into wood on the roof of the shrine.
Shinn wiped the sweat from his brow, and stood up, stretching out his back. "Right. That'll take care of that draft," he said to himself. "Still kinda strange that it's autumn all of a sudden, when it was winter back in Berlin." Shinn looked out over the horizon, at the vast, green land of Gensokyo. "It... really is another world here, isn't it?" he muttered, before jumping down off the roof.
As he landed, though, he heard something... unusual.
"Auu! That was dangerous, Shinn-kun!"
Who said that? It wasn't a voice he recognised, at any rate. He looked around, and saw nobody of note. In fact, he was fairly certain the voice came from one of the shrine's two Komainu statues. But, there was no one there.
"Must be imagining things," he said to himself, before noticing Reimu and Marisa approaching from above.
"Yo, Shinn!" Marisa greeted. "We're back!"
"Yeah, I can see that," Shinn snarked. "Otherwise you wouldn't be here to have this conversation."
Marisa laughed in response. "Ah, this is why I like ya. You don't hold back at all."
"Go easy on him, Marisa," Reimu scolded. "So, you get the roof done?"
"Yeah. It's all good for the winter," Shinn answered. "Though, I really have to wonder how the hell you let it get that bad in the first place. It's easier to maintain something than to repair it."
"What do you want from me?" Reimu asked. "I'm not exactly skilled in carpentry."
"Yeah? Well, neither am I," Shinn shot back. "The only real difference between you and I are three years of age and different muscle masses."
Marisa laughed heartedly. "Man, it's like you two were made for each other," she commented.
This was the kind of routine that had become standard for them. Reimu and Shinn would bounce off each other with sarcastic japes, while Marisa laughed. It was... nice.
A shadow cast itself over the land, catching the trio by surprise. They looked up, to see ominous red clouds in the sky.
"What the hell?" Shinn muttered. "Are those clouds common here?"
"Hardly," Reimu responded. "I've never seen anything like this."
A thought occurred to Marisa. "Hey, Reimu. You don't think... this is an Incident, do ya?"
"You know something?" Reimu replied, smirking slightly. "I think it might be."
"Incident? What are you two talking about?" Shinn asked.
"We'll explain when we get back!" Marisa shouted. "Let's roll, partner!"
"Right behind you!" Reimu responded, as the two took off into the skies once more, leaving Shinn alone.
Shinn really didn't understand what was going on right now, but he knew he couldn't just sit around. Steeling himself, Shinn ran down the stairs, and attempted to follow after Reimu and Marisa.
Shinn Asuka immediately got lost.
"Oh, fuck me!" he cursed loudly. "Just my god-damned luck, isn't it?!" Sighing, he looked up at the scarlet clouds that hung ominously in the air. "'Incident', huh? Yeah, I guess that's one word for it," he muttered. "Do they deal with stuff like this on the regular?"
Shinn looked towards the treeline, and spotted a red haired girl in black, with a heavy red cloak over her figure. Something about her put him in mind of 'Little Red Riding Hood'.
"Hey!" he called out. "Is everything alright?!"
The girl tilted her head, noticing him, but didn't turn around. "A human?" she questioned quietly. "Out and about at a time like this? In a scenario like this?"
"Odd, I know," he admitted. "I was hoping to figure out what this red mist was about, but... well, I got lost."
"That's no good," the girl said, and Shinn was certain he could hear a smirk in there, however that was possible. "At times like this, fairies and youkai run rampant."
"Well, you'd think I'd run into some by now, then," Shinn muttered.
A cackle escaped the girl's lips. "Oh, you poor, naïve human," she said. "So overconfident. So... unafraid of the things in the dark." A chill ran up Shinn's spine, as he became aware of hundreds of glowing eyes, all looking at him. "You'd best start fearing youkai, human..." The girl's head then did a complete 180, facing Shinn while her body remained stationary. "You've met one!"
Fear took hold of Shinn completely, and he passed out, collapsing to the floor. The youkai, Sekibanki, looked surprised all of a sudden. "That... wasn't quite what I thought would happen," she admitted. "I mean, a win's a win, but... I thought he was going to run off." She hesitantly looked left and right, as if worried something was going to jump her from the shadows. "This isn't far from the Hakurei Shrine... If the shrine maiden finds out I've done this so close to her turf..." she shivered in fear. "I should get outta here, stat!"
Midnight passed, and the mist had vanished from Gensokyo. This day would go down in their history as the 'Scarlet Mist Incident'.
Reimu and Marisa headed back to the shrine, accompanied by a silver haired woman in a maid outfit, feeling rather triumphant. "Man, that was a blast!" Marisa stated. "It's been too long since we last had one of those."
"I'd have to agree with you there," Reimu said. "I was worried I was starting to get rusty."
"That was you when you were rusty?" the main, Izayoi Sakuya, asked. "If that's the case, I'd hate to see you at your best."
"You weren't exactly a slacker yourself," Reimu said. "Definitely our first time dealing with time manipulation, that's for sure."
"Remilia-sama and I shall strive to make sure we don't get on your bad side, then," Sakuya said with a small bow, before seeing something down on the ground. "Say, isn't that a person down there?"
The shrine maiden and witch looked down, and confirmed what the maid saw. "Guess a youkai got the drop on 'em," Marisa said. "Come on, let's..."
As they drew closer, Reimu and Marisa recognised who it was. "Shinn!" Reimu called out, speeding up to land.
Marisa landed shortly after, same with Sakuya. "He doesn't seem to be injured," Sakuya noted coolly. "Just got spooked, then?"
"No time to mull it over!" Reimu shouted, slinging Shinn over her shoulder. "Come on, hurry!"
Reimu took off at great speed, with Marisa following closely behind. Sakuya gave a slight shrug, before she flew off to catch up. "Guess she really like that boy, huh?"
Shinn sat bolt upright at the table that morning. At the other end, Reimu and Marisa looked at him with the kind of looks disapproving parents would have.
"So, mind explaining what you were doing yesterday?" Marisa asked. "You know, before you passed out in the middle of the road?"
"Trying to find out what was going on," he answered. "I won't make any excuses for the blatantly stupid idea, nor will I apologise."
Reimu let out a sigh, seeming to have expected that answer. "Can you at least tell us why, though?" she asked. "Why did you feel the need to try and do something way over your head?"
Shinn looked away briefly. "I... hate feeling powerless," he said. "It... reminds me too much of the people I've lost. My family... Stella... It reminds of how I failed to save them. I hate it."
Reimu and Marisa shared a glance at each other. That, admittedly, wasn't a bad reason, to say the least. "Well... alright, fine," Reimu sighed. "Obviously, we won't be able to talk you out of doing this again, so from now on, we're training you. Got that?"
Over the course of the winter, life settled into a sort of routine for Shinn Asuka.
Every morning would start with him going out back behind the shrine to check on the Core Splendor, and see if he really couldn't do anything to fix it. A trial in futility, and every time, he would yell in frustration about it. Then, breakfast, and some guidance in the art of using magic by Reimu and Marisa.
Over the three months, Shinn was now able... to fire small bullets. That's it. He can't quite get a grasp on flying, and he can't quite wrap his head around Spell Cards, but it was something, at least.
Then, spring rolled around. Only... it didn't.
The Spring Snow Incident, as the books would refer to it. As the newly christened trio of Reimu, Marisa, and Sakuya, all took off to search for the culprit, Shinn did his own investigations at ground level.
It was during his investigation down by the Misty Lake, that Shinn started having weird thoughts. No, perhaps it was long before then, and was only just now paying attention to them.
Simply put, he was starting to really like being around Reimu. Like, more than most people. Sure, Marisa was fun to talk with, but in her case, she acts more like a dude than most guys Shinn knew. Heck, even Shinn himself was quite as loud mouthed as Marisa was. With the newest addition, Sakuya, it was a lot more professional. Respecting boundaries, and all that.
Of course, those two only visited during the day, with Sakuya exclusively on weekends. That meant Shinn spent most of his time alone at the shrine with Reimu, and as one might know from spending extended periods of time with a person, Shinn began to notice a few things.
The way she'd scratch her cheek when she was unsure about something. How she drank her tea slower that everyone else. Her laugh. Dear god, her laugh.
Objectively speaking, Shinn knew what all this meant. He was, however, afraid to admit to it. Last time he felt that way about someone was Stella Loussier, and... well, we all know how that went.
Shinn sat at the bank of the river, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "What the hell am I to do?" he asked no one in particular.
"Well, how about speaking about your problems?" someone asked in return. "It would be the easiest way of getting help, after all."
Shinn looked around for the source of the voice, before his eyes locked with a blue haired girl in the lake. She had deep blue eyes, dressed in green, had what looked like fish fins on the side of her head, and was in an ice cold lake. Suffice it to say, but Shinn freaked just a little.
"Why are you in the lake?!" he shouted quickly.
"Why?" the girl tilted her head. "Because I live in it, obviously." A large fish tail slashed behind her. From the angle of it, it was easy to say that it was attached to her.
"You're... a Mermaid?" Shinn asked. "I thought Mermaids were a more western mythos, not eastern."
The Mermaid, in response, giggled. "You're not wrong," she admitted, "but Gensokyo takes in people from all wakes of life. My name is Wakasagihime, by the way. What's yours?"
'So, it's literally just a Japanese Mermaid,' Shinn thought to himself. "I'm... Shinn Asuka. Outsider."
Wakasagihime looked momentarily surprised. "Oh my! An Outsider! This is the first time I've actually met one!" she exclaimed. "Have you been here long?"
"Since late autumn," Shinn answered. "I've been staying at the Hakurei Shrine ever since."
"Ah, the safest place in Gensokyo," Wakasagihime said. "I take it you've been getting along with the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, then?" In response, Shinn looked away bashfully. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant. "Oh! Does that mean... you and Hakurei-san are..."
"No, no! Nothing like that!" Shinn yelled. "We're not... like that."
Wakasagihime recognised that tone of voice. "I see. You've been burned by the flames of love before, haven't you?"
Shinn looked down, both embarrassed and sad. "Yeah. I guess I have," he admitted. "It's just... every time I've... cared for someone, they've died. My parents, my sister... Stella. Tell me, Wasaka... Wakagasa..." Shinn's expression shifted to one of mild annoyance, as he struggled to pronounce her name. "Wah-Kah-Sah-Gee-Hee-Meh," he strained each syllable. "What should I do?"
Wakasagihime pondered the question briefly. "Better to shoot for the moon and miss," she said. "The pain of love that is lost never goes away. The past cannot be changed, but that shouldn't stop you from going forward."
"Going forward..." Shinn repeated. "I don't even know where that leads. Should I be trying to find a place here in Gensokyo, or trying to get back to the Outside World? Do I still have people waiting for me out there? I just... don't know."
Wakasagihime paused. "I... don't think I can help you with that," she admitted. "The only thing I can say is that you should do whatever you think makes you the happiest."
"What makes me happy, huh?" Shinn muttered. "I don't think I've been properly happy in over two years."
A breeze blew through across the lake, catching both their attentions for the simple fact that it was warm.
The two looked up at the cloudy sky, and noticed the spots of blue that seemed to peek through at places. A small figure could be seen flying through the skies, dressed in white with a pair of incandescent wings on their back.
And, with a loud voice, she shouted. "IT'S SPRING!"
A warm wind washed over the land, and Shinn had to brace himself against it, for fear of being blown off his feet. When he opened his eyes again, the sight he saw was, in as few words as possible, breathtaking.
The warm sunlight reflected off the white snow, and melted the ice, gradually but surely. The crisp, chilly scent of winter was washed out like stale air, replaced immediately by the fresh, fragrant smell of spring.
It was three weeks late, but for Gensokyo, spring had finally come.
"The first call of spring!" Wakasagihime exclaimed. "It's always an honour to be around for the first one."
"So, that's the embodiment of spring?" Shinn asked.
"No, just the herald of spring, Lily White," she answered. "It's her job to announce the coming of spring."
It was... a quaint idea, he though. One person, with one job, that only happens once a year. Shinn had enough problems dealing with the fact that he was ripped from his normal, 24/7 job as an MS pilot four months ago, and here was a fairy, who's only job took place at the start of one particular season, and she looked like she was having the time of her life.
If she was able to cope with only doing something major one day a year, why couldn't Shinn find a way to adapt a new, quiet life? If he couldn't get back to the Minerva, then... why shouldn't he try to enjoy a new life?
Shinn rose to his feet as the epiphany dawned on him. "Thank you, Waga... Wakaga... Waka! I'm just gonna call you Waka!" he shouted. "Thank you for talking to me. I think... I think I've made up my mind."
Wakasagihime smiled kindly. "Well, I'm glad I could help."
Shinn sat outside the shrine, waiting for Reimu and company to return. Spring may have finally returned, but that didn't change the fact that it was still rather cold out.
As Shinn rubbed his hands together for warmth, he heard someone call out. "Shinn! We're back!" It was Reimu.
Shinn hopped up, and walked around to the front. "Reimu, Marisa, Sakuya. Welcome back," he greeted with a smile. "Looks like things went well."
"You know it!" Marisa exclaimed. "Gotta say, though, that ghost lady certainly gave us a run for our money."
"Indeed," Sakuya agreed. "Saigyouji Yuyuko was a force to be reckoned with. That gardener of hers too." Noticing an odd silence, Sakuya looked over at Reimu. "Is everything alright there, Reimu-san? You've been awfully quiet."
Reimu let out a startled yelp. "Oh! I'm fine! Totally fine!" she said loudly. "Yup. No problems at all!"
Everyone that wasn't Sakuya seemed to buy it. "Well, now we'd best prepare for the party tomorrow!" Marisa said.
Tomorrow evening came around remarkably quickly, and Shinn would have to say that he felt the most at ease now than he'd had in years. But, that was probably the alcohol talking right now.
Shinn was... apprehensive at first, about drinking it, but after he caved, one drink led to another, and now he was rather tipsy. Not stupidly drunk, thankfully, but enough to be noticeable.
There were several faces he'd never seen before at the shrine, including the aforementioned Saigyouji Yuyuko, her gardener Konpaku Youmu, an ensemble band of three ghosts known as the Prismriver sisters, a girl in red with cat ears, and no less than three different blondes. He was too intoxicated to be able to tell them apart.
Shinn sat alone under a tree, taking in the much warmer spring breeze, in an attempt to sober up at least a little. He really didn't understand just how some people could get drunk for the fun of it.
"My, you seem to be having a good time," someone spoke. Shinn turned, to see one of the three aforementioned blondes -the one dressed in purple, specifically- approach him. "Here I'd thought you would be far too stressed to let your hair down."
Did she know he was an Outsider? Well, that fact didn't bother him that much. "Figured I'd stop worrying about things I couldn't control," he said. "Sure, I'm still worried about my friends back home, but unless something big happens, I can't exactly help them. Best I focus on the now."
The woman laughed. There was something... odd about it. Disconnected, he felt. "That's quite the mature response. Here I'd thought you would be a ball of anger. Well, even if you asked... I wouldn't have sent you Outside anyway."
The wording struck him as odd. "What do you..."
"Let me give you some advice, Shinn Asuka," the woman said, voice dropping a few octaves. "That spot you're eyeing, next to the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, is not for you. An Outsider cannot hold the heart of someone integral to Gensokyo's survival, or anyone of this land. Know that now."
"What... are you talking..." Shinn's words trailed off, as he grew more and more sleepy.
Shinn woke up the next morning with a screaming headache. His memory of most of last night was rather hazy at best. He could faintly recall some kind of ominous warning, but that was it.
He sat down at the table, nursing his head. "Bit too much to drink there, bud?" someone asked.
"Yeah," he answered. "Can't say booze is right for me." He paused for a moment. That... wasn't Reimu or Marisa's voices. Those two were still asleep right now. So, who the hell was he talking to? He looked up, and saw a petite girl with sandy blonde hair with horns on her head, drinking out of a gourd. "Um... Who are you, again?"
"We haven't met," the girl said casually. "You were out cold when I showed up last night. Name's Suika. Ibuki Suika. An Oni, if ya couldn't tell. Good to meet ya."
"Shinn Asuka. Likewise," he responded. "Does... Reimu know you're here?"
"Probably not," Suika admitted. "She was pretty drunk herself last night, when we fought. Leave it to a shrine maiden to put on such a good show!" The Oni laughed heartedly. "I'll be sticking around for a while, so I guess we'll be roomies from here on!"
Shinn gave a small sigh. He wasn't entirely sure how to handle someone this... chipper.
Well, at least it wouldn't be boring.
Over the flow of time, life at the Hakurei Shrine was far from boring. From the new resident Suika, to the new regular visitors of Konpaku Youmu and Alice Margatroid. As the days ticked by, the shrine felt less and less desolate.
On top of that, Shinn found himself getting... rather close to Reimu, to put it simply. Whenever either of them had any down time, they'd spend it keeping the other company, whether it was Shinn walking with Reimu on her patrols, or Reimu passing tools to Shinn while he worked on shrine maintenance. For whatever reason, the others seemed amused by it. But, it was nice, what they had. Simple, warm. It filled a void that both didn't realise they had.
One night, however, two weeks later, Shinn Asuka woke up at a little after midnight. He wasn't sure why, but something about the night felt odd.
He stepped out into the fresh night, and looked up at the moon. Once more, something felt odd to him. The moon seemed... wrong. Shinn looked around the shrine, yet couldn't find Reimu anywhere.
"Could it be another Incident?" he muttered to himself. It seemed to be one thing after another here, didn't it?
Getting his jacket on, Shinn left the shrine, and headed towards the human village.
To Shinn's shock, the village... wasn't where it should have been. It was just a field.
"What the hell?" he questioned. "How does a village just disappear like this? What's going on?" He investigated the area, and found no traces of... well, anything. It was less like the village moved, and more like it was never there in the first place.
A sound echoed from the bamboo thickets in the distance. If that was a sign of anything, it'd be where the culprit was. He was sure of it.
Steeling himself, he ran into the Bamboo Forest of the Lost with confidence.
It should come as no surprise as to what happened next.
"Oh, god damn it," Shinn muttered. "Lost again."
Shinn ran a hand over an arrow that he had carved into a bamboo shoot a while ago. "I've passed this place three times already," he said. "I'm sure I've been travelling in a straight line."
He pushed on, regardless, until he finally spotted something different; a woman dressed in white and purple.
"My, we meet again, do we?" she asked, noticing him. Shinn definitely recognised her this time.
"You were at the party a few weeks ago, right?" he asked. "Bit surprising to see you here. Are you investigating this strange night, too?"
"Something to that effect," the woman said. "You... haven't heeded my warning, though. I thought I told you the spot next to the Hakurei Shrine Maiden wasn't yours to claim."
The infliction of her voice sent a chill up Shinn's spine. "I mean... why's that bad?" he asked hesitantly. "Besides, I don't see how it's your problem."
Something metal stopped a hairs breath away from his neck. He looked down, to see the sharpened edge of a 'STOP' sign. "Perhaps I got a bit too eager, reaching so far across the boundary to drag you here," the woman said.
"Drag me here?" Shinn repeated. "Does that mean... you're..."
"Indeed, young man," the woman smirked menacingly, a black miasma forming on the end of the fan she pointed at him. "I am Yakumo Yukari, and you, Shinn Asuka, like many other Outsiders before you, were brought here as fodder for youkai."
Reimu and Marisa trekked back through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, having successfully completed their mission at the mysterious Eientei.
"Lunarians, huh?" Marisa commented. "Who'da thought we meet something like that?"
"Not me, that's for certain," Reimu sighed. "I seriously hope that's the last immortal we have to deal with."
"Here here, buddy," Marisa said. "So, what do you want to bet Shinn's run off to try and investigate?"
"Not taking it," Reimu answered. "It's almost a guarantee."
Marisa laughed in response. "Yeah, you're right. He's really keen on it, though. Trying to help."
"Really," Reimu smiled fondly. "I think... he's still just struggling to rely on others."
"Well, he is at that age," Marisa said. "Rinnosuke told me about it. That 17 was that strange age where your too young to be relied on, yet too old to rely on others."
"How wise of him."
Just then, something caught their eyes. Something red on the ground. A jacket.
Reimu's heart sank, recognising it. "Hey... isn't that Shinn's jacket?" she asked.
"I... I think it is," Marisa said, filled with equal amounts of dread. "Come on! He can't be far off!"
The two shot off into the forest, hell bent on finding their missing friend.
"Shinn... Please, be alright..." Reimu muttered.
The scent of blood filled the air. Yet to the beast, it was ignorable to the familiar smell of smoke and fire.
The beast let out a howl of anguish, as it charged at the wolf it called its prey. To some, they might have thought it was yelling the name Stella.
The wolf in question, a girl by the name of Imaizumi Kagerou,continued to flee in terror of the beast that chased her. What did she do to deserve this?
The beast halted its advance, however, when it smelled something... familiar. It turned, and saw the red-white shrine maiden and black-white witch.
Reimu and Marisa looked in horror at the... thing before them.
It was humanoid in appearance, wreathed in shadows, with claws that could cut through a tree, and fangs that could tear flesh in an instance.
Yet, the face was still human. Still familiar.
"...Shinn?" Reimu said hesitantly. "Is that... you?"
A groan escaped its throat, followed by another roar that sounded like a name. The two dodged out of the way, as the beast that was once Shinn Asuka swiped at them.
"Hey! What the hell?!" Marisa called out. "Can't you recognise us?! It's Marisa and Reimu!"
The beast leapt after them, continuing to swipe at them. Every time it started to decent, it would grab onto the bamboo, and leap anew, until one clean strike got Marisa across the chest, throwing her to the floor.
"Marisa!" Reimu called, flying down to get between the two.
Fighting with magic was one thing. Fighting in melee was something else all together, especially when your opponent overpowered you so drastically. Reimu had to do all she could just to not budge from her position.
"...Rei...mu..." came Shinn's voice.
"Shinn!" Reimu exclaimed. "You're still..."
"...me... Kill..." he struggled to say. "Kill... me..."
"I... I can't!" she shouted. "Just... try to hold on! I'll..."
"No... too late..." His voice became more and more strained. "Can't... stop it... Please... you have to..."
With a heavy swipe, Reimu's gohei was flung from her hands, and the length of the claws cut into her chest. Reimu hesitated, but still focused as much power as she could have into her hand. With a tearful scream, she struck.
High above, Yukari watched the scene unfold, and smirked. Twisting her hand, she plucked a purple wisp-like thing from the air.
"I did warn you, after all," she told the flame. "But, you just didn't listen, and now you have to be punished. The heart of the Hakurei Maiden belongs to Gensokyo, and Gensokyo alone. It is not for one such as you to claim for his own." The flame twitched slightly. "Oh? Did you really think this was where your punishment ended? Oh, you naïve welp. Your torment is only just beginning." With a click of her fingers, the flame vanished into the ether it came from. "Let's see how well you hold up in the Animal Realm, where the Beast Spirits run wild and untamed."
Pain. Excruciating, unending pain. It was as if his arms and legs were being repeatedly ripped off, and his insides were being used to suffocate him.
He tried to run, but the eagles were faster. He tried to crawl, but the wolves were stronger.
How long had he been down there? Days? Weeks? Years, even? It was impossible to tell. At this point, he could barely remember his own name.
But, there was still something in the depths of his mind. Something he still fought tooth and nail to keep from those beasts.
The memory of that girl in red and white. That peaceful time at the shrine. He would protect them, even if he lost everything else that made him who he was.
Then, as if to answer his determination, something blew the Beast Spirits away. A woman-looking person with yellow hair and eyes approached, and gently scooped up his battered and torn spirit.
"You're... not one of the normal human spirits here, are you?" 'she' muttered. "So torn up, too. Don't worry, Keiki-sama will be able to patch you right up."
The place the 'person' took him to was unlike anything he had seen in Gensokyo before. It was far more modern in comparison.
Then, he was brought to a blue haired woman who had an unapproachable air to her. "Ah, Mayumi-chan!" the woman exclaimed. "And... who's that you've got with you?"
"A lost spirit, Keiki-sama," Joutouguu Mayumi responded. "I believe it was discarded here by someone, hoping it would be torn to shreds."
Haniyasushin Keiki looked closely at him. "An Outsider?" she noticed. "None should be condemned to this realm. I fear you may be right, Mayumi-chan. It was probably that Yakumo Yukari. She only ever brings Outsiders in to be food for the youkai. Simply repairing this one won't do much good; she's bound to find out and come finish the job." She looked closer, and noticed several discrepancies. "But, that might work," she muttered, taking him from Mayumi's hands. "Mayumi-chan, fire up the kilns! I have a plan!"
His name was Shinn Asuka. He could finally remember that.
There were still holes in his memories; parts that had been thoroughly shredded, with no hope of recovery, but that was only about 10% of his total memories, according to Keiki.
Speaking of which, the Goddess of Idols seemed to be fiddling with some large, clay-made contraption. "Mayumi-chan! How are we looking?"
"Our opening is there, Keiki-sama," Mayumi responded. "If we act now, we might be able to get him through the hole Yakumo has left in the boundary."
"Then we'd better act fast!" Keiki exclaimed. Then, she turned to Shinn's spirit. "I'm sure you've a lot of question, young one," she said, as if a mother. "But, there isn't the time for it. In order to keep you safe, I'll be throwing you back in time a little, hopefully keeping Yakumo's gaze off you." Shinn flared slightly in bewilderment. "I know, I know. It's a lot to take in. You'll be going back home, sure, but..." she gave a kind smile, "I'm sure you'll make it back to Gensokyo. Back to the one you've come to love. You just have to have faith, okay? Believe in Better!"
"Keiki-sama! We have to hurry!" Mayumi called out. "Otherwise we'll miss our chance!"
"Right!" Keiki called back. "Just hold on, okay?"
It was when Keiki shoved him into the clay contraption she'd put together that something finally dawned on him.
He was about to be shot out of a cannon, wasn't he?
As one of the two began counting down, Shinn Asuka had only one thought: What the fuck?
On the edge of the Forest of Magic, there was a small shop that sold bits and pieces of things from the Outside World, known as Kourindou.
Presently, there were only two people there; Morichika Rinnosuke, the silver haired store owner, and Kirisame Marisa.
Rinnosuke place a cup of tea down in front of Marisa. "How's Reimu-san holding up?" he asked. "It's been a few days since... that, hasn't it?"
"Two weeks now," Marisa answered. "And she's still not doing any better. Barely eating, and that wound on her chest's gonna scar for sure."
"It was a deep wound, to be sure," Rinnosuke noted. A good thing you got here when you did, or it might have been infected. What about yours, though? It looked just as bad."
Marisa ran a finger across her chest, tracing the scabbing under her clothes. "It's... doing fine," she said hesitantly. "It's the wounds on the heart that are the worst."
"Reimu was close to him, huh?" Rinnosuke asked. "Have you tried seeking counsel from someone? I'm sure Kamishirasawa-sensei could offer some advice for dealing with grief."
"We tried that," Marisa stated bitterly, "but, as luck would have it, Yakumo intervened."
"That's concerning," Rinnosuke said. "How'd she make it worse?"
"Constantly turning Keine-sensei away, saying she'd be the one to fix this," Marisa answered. "Though, it's quite obvious Yakumo's doing jack shit to help Reimu."
Rinnosuke let out a sigh. "Yeah, that sounds like Yakumo-san, alright," he muttered. "To her, Outsiders are fodder to keep the more aggressive youkai fed. Hardly a shred of sympathy for them."
Marisa stood up, and began pacing the store front. "It's infuriating," she muttered. "I feel like... I'm not doing enough to help her, but I don' know what else I can do."
Dejected, and without reason, Marisa picked up a box her hand passed over. Its top had a dramatic image of some blue-white-and-red, metal, winged person on it, striking an action pose. In an attempt to distract herself, she looked at the sides of the box... and froze in shock. "Oi, Kourin," Marisa said hesitantly. "What... the hell am I holding?"
"That?" Rinnosuke asked. "It's a model kit from a TV show from the Outside World. Some kind of 'anime', I believe the word was."
Marisa felt a sinking, unsure feeling in her heart. "Do me a favour, Kourin," she said. "Don't let Reimu see these things. At all."
Rinnosuke raised a brow. "Well, it's not like a lot of them come through here," he said. "But, alright. I'll keep that in mind."
Marisa slammed a bit of money down on the counter. "I'll be keeping this one," she said. "Just to make sure that if anyone screws this up, it's on me."
Rinnosuke was taken aback as Marisa saw herself out of the shop. "That was... huh."
As Marisa took off to the skies, heading for her home deeper into the forest, she looked back at the side of the box. What the hell was she to make of this Destiny Gundam thing, and why was there a picture of Shinn Asuka on the side of it?
Time marches at a steady beat. It is unrelenting. Those that cannot keep up are destined to fall by the wayside.
Shinn Asuka lost two years in the Animal Realm, before he was rescued by Keiki and Mayuri. During that time, Hakurei Reimu had closed her heart, and Yakumo Yukari met a certain pink haired Looper, and her outlook on people from the Cosmic Era changed drastically.
At the request of this Looper, Yukari intervened with the events of that world, and, one year after Shinn arrived back in the Cosmic Era, and three years after he'd first arrived in Gensokyo...
A young boy broke through the surface of the Mistly Lake, panting for breath.
A/N:
As promised; the prequel. And with that, I can tie a neat bow on Operation Genos.
Unless I get ideas for a sequel, but let's not push it.
You might have noticed that some things here don't completely line up with the story Reimu told in the middle of the original. Well, that was half intentional. With time, memories become a bit... inaccurate, let's say.
But, now we have the story behind Shinn and Reimu. A bit abridged, maybe, but I couldn't quite stretch it out into more, smaller chapters.
Well, nothing to it, I guess. It is what it is, and I can only hope I did it justice.
Well, until we meet again, then. Wherever that may be.