When she woke up, she found an arrow embedded deep inside her chest. The thick rain fell on her face like a hail of liquid beads. They washed away the blood and left a world of melancholic, empty stillness. The rain pattered hard, but she was still able to see a little even through the thick, painful haze of the mind.

She was in an alleyway being dragged away by a mysterious figure. She couldn't get a good view of them, since she was being dragged by the back of her collar. "I have to say, for such lithe looking girl you're quite heavy…"

The voice was female or at least feminine. The injured girl kept that in mind.

A thought came to her, she has an arrow in her chest so she should be dead right? That should be how arrows worked right? Even through the rain and the haze in her mind she can clearly see that the arrow is embedded straight in the middle of her chest and yet the oddest thing was that she could feel her heartbeat. A soft, beating heart with an arrow jammed into it. She could even see the arrow wiggle a bit with every beat.

She thought about her situation a bit more. Why was she here anyway? Why did she get shot by an arrow of all things? What was she doing before all of this?

She dug back. Within the limits of her mind she dug back. As far back as she can remember…

It was the end of school and the girl was in the middle of getting her things packed. Various other students around her. Some in a hurry to meet up with friends. Some take their time. Some staying because it was their turn to clean up the school while others have clubs activities to attend to.

The girl was taking her time. In smooth, almost robotic movements she placed all her belongings into her messenger bag. A familiar routine that barely even registers in her mind.

She left the school, among the crowd she barely stuck out. Long brown hair that reaches to her waist, brown eyes and a plain high school uniform, a mere dot in a sea of people.

She took out a small note and gave it a quick read. Carton of eggs, green onions, milk, tomatoes, pepper shaker, the usual. Stuffing it back in her messenger bag, she made her way towards the commercial area.

Without thinking she hummed to herself a soft, simple melody from the past. The hot sun shone its rays on the town but she saw dark clouds in the distance. She frowned, remembering that she had forgotten to bring the umbrella with her. With a sigh, she made a detour from the usual road to the department store and into a small but popular convenience store.

Fuji Convenience, a nice, clean and well kept store run by Mokou Fujiwara the 4th. She was, as the girl heard, a descendant of a previous resident in Gensokyo who lived there over a hundred years ago but had left for parts unknown. A small fact that the girl thought was neat.

The store is most popular for its yakitori, grilled chicken on a skewer. They were always thoroughly well cooked while still remaining juicy. They were also always sold out before the day has ended. The girl bought a skewer.

She very much liked the lone owner of the store. She doesn't talk much and only does so when needed. The girl didn't mind, in fact she quite enjoyed it. There was a lot of talk about her appearance, long white hair that reached all the way to her ankles and piercing red eyes. Her almost exotic appearance clashing with a mundane orange and black uniform.

She left the store, taking a small measured bite out of her yakitori. She made another detour, this time to the town's public board. She hoped there was a part time job opened. She wanted some extra money to buy the newest issue of Dark Pink Boy Part 4. Her mother suggested she should get a part time job if she wanted it so much.

There were missing persons posters, an advertisement for a new stand serving grilled lamprey, and a notice of a curfew coming into effect for public safety, but nothing about a part time job. A pity. She'll just have to buy that new issue at another time.

She went off to the department store. Humming the same tune as always. VMP UP was what the store was called, no one is sure why, maybe its creator wanted the name to be so unique as to catch the attention of potential customers.

There were less people than usual at the store. Not that she minded, at least it meant the lines weren't going to be long this time.

She went through the usual motions, starting with frozen goods, then fresh fruits and veggies, then canned food, etc. One time she made a motion to grab a large family size bag of chips, but pulled her hand away at the second with a frown. She did not want another lecture on needless spending, especially when it involves grocery money.

With all her goods in hand, she made her way to the cash registers. She found that some of the lanes were closed, not that she minded. She decided to wait at a line. It was the shortest one at the time and there were only two girls from her school who seem to be together and a foreigner in a cowboy getup.

"Yo, Alice. I feel like we're forgetting something." The blond girl in a well worn lab coat said.

The other girl was also blond, but kept her hair in a short, clean bob cut compared to her partner's messy long hair. "Oh? I was sure we had everything we needed for the school science fair next week."

"No, not that. I meant, something we had on ourselves. Wait! Do you remember that time we helped out that old lady with picking up the stuff she dropped? I had to place my umbrella on a shelf and well… Yeah It's not with me right now."

The other girl sighed. "This why you should get yourself a purse."

"Nah, I don't think a purse suits me." The other responded. "I mean, they're expensive right? I already have to do five part time jobs to fund my experiments."

"I'm pretty sure you're exaggerating the price part but I get your point." They both left the line, leaving just the cowboy and the girl with the former having already finished paying for his groceries.

"Man, I'm luckier than usual today." She thought to herself as she paid for her groceries.

She hoped this luck of hers would stick for a while longer. Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. Just as she was exiting the building, she looked out and saw that the clouds were already blocking out the sun.

"Drats." She looked around, her mind filled with all sorts of different solutions to her problems.

She had groceries and she needed to get them home. But she was at the commercial area which was in the middle of town. Her house was on the edge of town in the east, just outside the Forest of Spirits. If she tried to walk all the way home, then it's almost assured that the rain would start before she makes it back home.

She looked at her groceries. They'll be fine, they're inside plastic bags so they wouldn't be too wet. No, she's more worried about her family. They'll fuss over her if she comes home soaked to the bones and she doesn't want that.

She spotted a bus shelter not too far off, just across the street. A plan formed in her head. She'll get to the bus stop, look up on the bus app to form a route back home and she should be able to get home without getting too wet.

She'll check her money later when she's in the bus shelter. Right now she needs to get in there before the rain starts. She looked to the left, then to the right, there were no people in sight, no cars except for the few ones in the parking lot.

She began making her way across the street, no problem. The clouds have begun to darken, she picked up her pace.

There was a glint in the alleyway next to the bus stop but she didn't notice it. She kept all her focus on figuring out a good apology for being so late. She then realized that she had a phone, she could just call them and-.

Faster than her eyes can register, an arrow sped towards her and pierced her chest. She stood still, like a statue. As if the clouds in the sky saw this as their cue, the rain began to fall. Slowly but surely, her body responded. Her grip weakened on her groceries, then her body collapsed under her own weight.

She remembered it, vaguely, but she remembered it.

She felt the grip lighten on her collar before she fell crashing into the hard concrete floor. "You're taking a while longer than the usual candidates. Are you sure you're not just another bogus? Man, that would just be a complete waste of time."

She gave the girl a quick kick to the head. She didn't put much strength behind it but it hurt all the same. "Come on girl I don't have all day. Sure this rain is nice and all but… Hey girl? Ever heard of Finagle's Law? I have no fucking clue who in the world is this Finagle guy or whoever are the fucks who named him Finagle. I mean seriously, Finagle? Really?

"Well, the law goes a little something like this: 'anything that can go to shit will go to shit.' Yeah yeah I took some creative liberties with it but the spirit of the law is intact, right?" She came into view of the girl. She had a hard time making out the finer features due to the dim lighting. From what she could possibly discern, she was most likely around her age, with short black hair and red eyes. That was all she could get.

"Well, I am an individual well acquainted with shit fucking up right in my face. Sure everything is going my way, barely anyone out and about, a strong rain to wash away the blood and drown out the noise… Still, you never know when life swings right back at your face, you know?"

The girl started to lose sensation, her version has gone dim, she began to realize that her life will soon be cut short. She tried to lift up her arms, attempted to rip the arrow out of her chest. They felt heavy, unresponsive, bones replaced with concrete, muscles with cheap rubber band.

"Oh? Are you dying? Dammit, just another dud then."

She felt scared. She was going to die she realized. Her life will end right there and then. No more second chances, no more dinners with her family, no more nothing.

She wondered, will there be a heaven on the other side? Will it be just a black void where you completely cease to think?

She felt cold and alone. She didn't want to end this way. She wanted to die beside someone close.

At the very least she wanted her mother to be with her, to hold her hand, to tell her that everything will be alright. Like the first time she cried since the crash. To gently hold her.

This was no way to die. Alone in an alleyway with someone so callous to life.

Her breathing had ceased, brain activity stopped. She was no more.

She woke up. She was laid flat on her back, in a space she had never been to before. Checkered walls, a floor as black as the void. She stood up, she didn't feel great but she didn't feel horrible either. Just normal she guessed.

She looked around. The room made her head swing about, strained her eyes, she wanted out of there. She began walking. Attempted walking, it was for naught. For one reason or another, despite her visibly seeing, physically feeling, her legs and feet moving one step at a time, her body simply refused to move.

She didn't understand.

She began running, fast as she could run. She ran so hard she thought her heart tried to escape its flesh bound prison. Her legs screeched to her mind, screwdrivers jammed into her thighs, to stop.

A figure forms in the distance.

She collapsed onto her knees. She breathes hard and fast, lungs desperate to reclaim lost air, legs rendered useless from pain and exhaustion, a mind bewildered beyond all belief. She just wanted to go home.

The figure began to take form. Variables established, boundaries formed, facts set in stone.

The girl sunk. Floor to liquid, solid to two hydrogens attached single oxygen. She had no more strength to swim.

Tired arms unable to lift, screams cut short by waves.

A tall figure who bared a large scythe, she propelled her boat towards the girl. When they were side by side, she reached out an arm and grabbed hold of the girl. "Hey girl, you feeling alright?"

The girl stared back in bewilderment and confusion. Before her stood a woman, pink hair tied in pigtails, dressed in blue and white with an easygoing on her face. "Hey, kid. Don't worry about death just yet."

"Yo Alice, who dropped all these groceries?" Two girls stood in front of an unfamiliar scene. A blistering rain and howling wind blew some of the scene away but they could still see that something had happened.

One bag of groceries was anchored down by the weight of its contents. The plastic shaking wildly as it's blown by the relentless wind. The other bag was gone, it's content spread across the floor, cans rolling away, boxes slid past, fruits and veggies at the mercy of nature.

"A bit careless don't you think? Maybe they got an urgent call and dropped everything?" The girl named Alice said. "What are your impressions Marisa?"

"Well it can't be the cowboy wannabe that's for sure, he didn't carry that much stuff. From what I can get the food here is enough for a family of four."

They began to look for any souls among them. "I don't see anyone? How 'bout you Alice?"

"Nothing, I don't see anyone around. Must be the curfew."

The girl in the lab coat motioned the other girl to come with her, they began to look around the scene. "Say, this is a lot of stuff. Do you think someone can hold a single bag in each hand and make a phone call before they can get to the bus shelter?"

"Well we can't tell for sure, looks likes a lot of stuff has been blown away so we could possibly be off the mark. Even your previous assertion of there being enough food for four could be erroneous."

Marisa went and looked inside the grocery bag that wasn't blown away by the wind yet. She saw that inside there were canned tuna, condensed milk, tomato sauce, some blood.

She blinked, rubbed her eyes and looked again. Shielded from the rain was a few specs of blood. Her mind started to race. "Shit, Alice I think I found some blood!"

"B-blood?" She retained a calm exterior, but the break in her voice said much about her true feelings. "Come on Marisa, don't play games with me."

"No I'm serious Alice! There's actual blood inside this bag. Shit, maybe whoever they were they got attacked by someone?"

Alice leaned in with the umbrella and looked inside the bag. "Well, it could be anything. I mean, there's a can of tomato sauce in there right? It could've broken and-."

Marisa grabbed the can of tomato sauce and showed it to Alice. It was almost unscathed save for a scratch or two.

"Okay, maybe it isn't tomato sauce, but we can't just jump to conclusions willy nilly like that. I mean, for starters, where's the body?"

"The body?!" She looked around frantically, her mind racing to all sorts of possibilities. Her lungs breathing fast and hard, mist erupting from her mouth and forming in the cold air.

"Hey! Marisa! I know that look! You're panicking, stop that. Just take some deep breaths and think this through." Alice said in a calm, measured tone. "Just slow down your breathing and look around methodically."

Doing as she said, she took a deep breath and looked around. She looked at the bus stop, nothing. The parking lot behind them, not much happening there. The street to the left? Nothing. The street to the right? Nothing.

Finally, the last thing she could see through the thick rain was the alleyway. She saw something at the entrance. A modest, brown leather messenger bag with its strap cut and a single sneaker.

"There." They both ran over to the bag. On closer examination, they found that the sneaker had its shoelace snagged on to the buckle of the bag. The strap, they found, was cut with something sharp as they found the damage to be very clean. "Hey, Alice. I want you to listen to what I think."

The girl was shaking slightly but she nodded. "Go ahead."

"You know how people wear purses right?"

"Over the shoulder?"

"Yeah, like that." Marisa said. "So, like, you know how the strap goes across the chest? Well, looking at where the cut is made, I guess that, maybe, something sharp stabbed the mystery victim in the chest?"

"That's a possibility."

"And the shoe, it's all tangled up. Do you think that maybe, like, the mystery victim was being dragged and the shoe got all tangled up with the bag?"

"Well if it did. It certainly didn't go far before it got all loosened."

They both looked at the alleyway. A thought was shared between them. "I'm going in."

"Wait! Marisa! Stop! We should call 119 or 110 and… And she's gone off. Dammit Marisa!" They both ran into the darkness.

It didn't take them long to find both the culprit and the victim. Laid flat on the ground was a young girl much like their age wearing the same school uniform. An arrow was embedded in her chest, blood stained her shirt and her eyes glossy and empty. "Ah shit. Looks like my luck for today has run out."

The assailant slowly rose up. The darkness of the alleyway hid her more finer features.

"Hey! Asshole! What the hell have you done to her?!" Marisa shouted.

"Well, what does it look like? There's an arrow in her chest, go ahead and put two and two together, or are you an idiot." She began to approach them.

"Oh yeah?! Well how about I give you a knuckle sandwich?!" Marisa shouted as she approached the assailant.

"Wait! Marisa! You're being too brash!"

A powerful aura began to surround the assailant. Two red arms appeared, swirling black and white arrows decorated it. It began to raise it hand towards Marisa but before it could do anything a powerful aura began to surround its target as well.

With blistering speed and strength a figure had appeared out of Marisa. Pale white skin inscribed with symbols of the periodic table, a stylized witch outfit adorned it body. Two canisters sat on its back, empty and on stand by.

"Wait, shit you got a stand?!" The assailant shouted as she brought her arms in to defend herself.

"Let's go! Dream On!" The stand let off a series of punches so fast, so ferocious, that the human eye could barely register its bloodthirsty rush.

"OH SHIT!" She defended herself from the vicious assault, barely. She could hardly maintain her footing until the last punch sent her flying through the air. She fell with a loud, vicious crash on the wet concrete ground. "Dammit… That stand… It must be a close range power type. Shit, I need to get out of here. In an enclosed space like an alleyway I'm fucked." She began to stand up before limping out of the scene.

"Hey! Wait! Come back here! I ain't done with you!" She motioned to chase her down but Alice called her attention.

"Wait! Marisa! Stop!"

"What?! Why? She's already getting away!"

"It's… It's the girl on the ground. She's moving."

"She's what?!"

At first it was subtle, a simple twitch of the finger. Slowly, but surely, life began to return. The body shook, eyes blinked, breathing resumed. Suddenly she vaulted forward, spewing out a torrent of blood from her mouth before she collapsed onto the ground. "I… I feel cold... Mom… Where are you mom?"

"Hey! Hold still and don't move! Everything will be fine." Alice attempted to soothe her. "Please! Don't push yourself!"

"I saw the other side… It was so weird…" She started. "They… She said not to worry but… I'm scared… I feel so cold…"

"Oi! Don't worry about anything!" Marisa said, kneeling down to her. "We're here now! You'll be all fine. There's… There's a hospital just down a few blocks away from here! We can get you there in a jiffy!"

"Wait! Marisa! What are you doing?! We should be calling the ambulance! She still has an arrow stuck in her chest!"

"Well we're keeping it in there! She'll bleed out faster if we remove it." She picked up the injured girl, using her stand to help support the weight, she began to speed down the alleyway.

"Dammit Marisa! Stop being so rash! What if the arrow jiggles around in her chest and slashes up her insides?!"

They both ran out of the alleyway, hearts beating as fast as a bullet train, full of worry and fear. Thus began a series of bizarre incidents in the small sleepy town of Gensokyo.

Stand Profile

General

Name: Dream On

User: Marisa Kirisame

Song: Dream On by Aerosmith

Type: Spirit (Close Range)

Statistics

Destructive Power: A

Speed: A

Durability: C

Precision: C

Learning: C

Range: C

Appearance: A tall black and white feminine figure with a stylized witch clothing. It has two large canisters on its back, their purpose remains unknown. It eyes are hidden by its long yellow hair, its skin is pale white and covered with symbols from the periodic table.

Abilities

N/A