Naught but the late autumn breeze can be heard at Hakurei Shrine. No souls to be seen on either the deck or the grounds; the only motion beyond rustling trees is the late afternoon Sun subtly changing the lighting of the area over time. Hidden in the nearby woods, Seija and Shin wait with bated breath.

Is she really not here?

The duo previously spent much of the day going over anti-Reimu maneuvers, up to and including running away.

"You think she's lazing around again?" Shin asks quietly.

"If she is then we need to draw her out so we can look for Clownpiece," Seija replies.

"Assuming we even do that successfully, what happens when Reimu comes back while we're searching?"

They stare at each other and sigh.

Even with all our planning, there's no clean way of dealing with Reimu if it comes to a fight. A numbers advantage doesn't mean much when we're against her, though my leg isn't bothering me anymore so we'll be fighting at full capacity. Avoiding a confrontation altogether is ideal since seeing us might tip her off about how we're up to something bigger. Either way, I'm gonna lose my mind if we keep sitting here doing nothing.

Seija starts, "Shrink yourself down and get a closer-"

Mischievous giggling near the shrine interrupts the amanojaku's strategy. Turning to the source, the duo sees four fairies loitering near the shrine's entrance; Clownpiece's red, white, and blue star-spangled outfit and hat loudly announce her presence.

She just saved us the trouble of looking for her; those other three with her are the Fairies of Light. If they're being this brazen, Reimu must be gone.

"We should approach them," says Shin. "Maybe playing along with whatever they're scheming will get us on their good side to the point of Clownpiece helping us."

"Or we force her to spill the beans."

"That can be our backup plan. First, though, I'll try asking outright to make this quick."

They leave the woods and reveal themselves, replacing Clownpiece and her companions' jovial mood with an inquisitive one. The fairies huddle up and whisper to each other.

"They do know we can see them, yeah?" Seija asks.

Shin nods. "Sunny, Luna, and Star's abilities could let them easily escape, so we need to play nice or we risk scaring them off."

She's right. The bright-eyed one can manipulate light, allowing her to render anyone invisible among other uses.

To the right of Clownpiece in the huddle stands Sunny Milk, her light reddish-brown hair adorned with two red ribbons on either side and a white maid-like hairband. Her red and white dress features various frills, more red ribbons on the sleeves, and a yellow neckerchief; the black sandals on her feet make the white socks they are paired with plainly visible. Vibrant blue eyes complete the eager and happy look, fitting her visible excitement in the fairies' discussion.

If I recall correctly, the one with blonde hair styled in curls is able to mute any noise she chooses.

On Clownpiece's left is Luna Child. A flowing white dress with a black trim at the bottom, decorated with black bows down the middle, a larger one at her neck, and an even bigger one on her back, covers her from neck to shin. On her head is a matching white beret and yet more black ribbons while her feet feature a pair of white slippers. The red eyes on her face are slightly squinted, indicating a degree of trepidation.

And the purple spacey one basically acts as a walking radar. Surprised she didn't notice us sooner with how close we were.

Star Sapphire stands across Clownpiece and completes the circle. Black hair with a purple bow on top drapes halfway down her back. The main body of her dress is purple while the top, sleeves, and bottom frill are all white. Two bands go around her waist where the dress' bottom layer begins. This fairy's footwear of choice is tall brown boots. Her grey eyes fully sell the almost other-worldly appearance as she occasionally nods at what her friends are saying.

The group finishes their meeting and faces the visitors. Clownpiece, speaking for the fairies, says, "It's been a while. Do you want my help with crashing another festival?"

"No, though we did come to find you," Shin answers. "There's something we want to know. Can you all promise you'll keep this conversation to yourselves?"

"She'll help you, but on one condition," says Sunny. "Be a part of our group for a day!"

"Before we agree to that, do you know where Reimu is?" Seija interjects.

"She left around noon with Marisa somewhere," Clownpiece explains. "Don't know the details, but I did hear them mention they're planning to come back by sundown. The sooner you do what we ask, the less likely it is she'll catch you."

Ha! I always felt this one was promising, but that's quite an ultimatum.

Shrugging her shoulders, Seija says, "Alright, what's our job?"

"Why are we playing hide and seek with fairies?" Seija asks Shin while they rummage through bushes and look behind trees around Hakurei Shrine.

"And here I thought you enjoyed seeing fairies do 'great' things," Shin teases, holding a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Enjoying yourself over there?"

"Sorry, sorry. It's just fun seeing you do something so, I dunno, trivial? Down to Earth? Not sure what word to use for it. Normally you're so bombastic, making scenes everywhere you go. Even at home you talk a ton about your grand plans for uprooting the world."

"Getting sick of me?"

"Quite the opposite, actually. I find your relentless drive motivating. That's another reason why I wanted to help you reclaim your sense of purpose at the beginning of all this."

Heh. I'm sure plenty of people would call me a bad influence on her.

An hour of searching comes and goes. Every nook and cranny at or near the shrine is empty. They both stretch their backs after another fruitless round of bending down to examine potential hiding spots in a neck of the woods to the back and right of the main grounds.

"We need a new strategy or we ain't getting anywhere," says Seija.

Shin twirls the Miracle Mallet in her left hand. "Neither of our abilities help us here, especially if we can't see them."

That's assuming they're all together, which wouldn't be very sm- They're definitely all together. I can picture them thinking sticking with Sunny would guarantee none of them are found. If we work off that assumption, Luna would be canceling any noise they make and Star would ensure we can't get near them. But that doesn't cover everything.

"Try shrinking down and letting me carry you in your bowl. That might lessen the amount of noise we make." As she says this, Seija winks. Shin quickly catches on and, after becoming small, flies close to Seija's mouth so the amanojaku can whisper, "Stay a ways behind me while I hold on to your bowl. Look for signs of them moving, like leaves or branches being disturbed. They might be walking around or following us to guarantee we can't locate them."

Shin nods and discreetly hides in a bush as Seija picks up her bowl. The latter continues roaming the forest, making a show of searching the bush and saying offhand comments as if Shin is with her. Only five minutes pass before she hears a collective scream of fairies about twenty meters behind her. Flying over, Seija finds a smug Shin with her hands on her hips holding her head high while the four fairies sit on the ground, disappointed.

Can't believe that worked, and so quickly too. Actually, scratch that, I absolutely can.

"Dang it, I thought we had you," Sunny says with a sigh.

"We've played your game," says Seija. "Now tell us what we want to know."

It's really late in the afternoon now, so we need to hurry up.

"Not so fast!" Clownpiece objects while pointing at the duo. "We hold all the cards here, so you've gotta help us with one more thing first."

"Wow, look at the little squirt being all assertive," says Seija, grinning despite herself.

"Aw, is someone having fun?" Shin asks. The inchling gets her answer via her partner lightly punching her arm, though that does nothing to stop her amusement.

"Anyway," Seija continues, "what're we doing now? A game of tag? Peekaboo, perhaps?"

Sunny taps her head. "C'mon, we think bigger than that! We're gonna turn this whole place on its head!"

That statement piques the duo's interest. Seija crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow while Shin rests her face on her right hand to think.

"We got your attention? Good," says Clownpiece. "You know how long Reimu spends maintaining the shrine? We're gonna reverse all her hard work and create chaos!"

Where are they going with this? Wrecking the shrine has major repercussions and could get them in trouble way beyond a fairy's purview. Color me impressed.

"Follow us!" Sunny declares. She leads the charge to the main pathway between the shrine and its torii, everyone else close behind. "You see how clean this ground is?"

"Reimu spent hours yesterday sweeping up leaves," Luna explains.

"So we want to gather as many as we can and completely flood the place!" yells an enthusiastic Sunny.

Star winks. "It'll be fun to see her reaction when she comes back and has to clean it all again."

Seija and Shin stare blankly at the four fairies who are obviously proud of what they think is a fiendish and devious plan.

"Really not visionaries, are they?" Shin whispers.

Uplifting us dregs of society will stay a two-youkai job, it seems.

Clownpiece puts her hand forward, with the Fairies of Light following suit by placing theirs on top. All four look at the duo expectantly. Shin gives Seija a somewhat exasperated smile and places her hand; the amanojaku follows suit soon after.

"Break!" the fairies yell in unison as everyone raises their hands into the air. They all split off in different directions to gather their quarry, Seija and Shin exchanging nods before flying off. Seija takes the area behind the shrine, where she finds a particularly wide and tall tree. Given its size, there is a veritable sea of fallen orange and red leaves painting the grassy ground.

Time to get to work.

Many peaceful minutes pass while she goes back and forth transporting leaves to the front of the shrine. The solitude this fetch quest provides lets her mind wander.

Can't believe I'm out here picking up dead leaves to butter up some fairies. Anything for the mission, I guess. …Gosh I'm starting to sound like Youmu. She'll get hers eventually.

Her right arm full of leafy cargo, she fidgets with her shard necklace using her left hand.

Like Shin said before, we'll return this together.
…
Am I relying on her too much? I still can't comprehend why I'm happy to be her partner. Plus I've been acting more serious lately. That's not how an amanojaku is supposed to be. Maybe I-

"Urk!" she grunts, clutching her pounding skull and dropping her latest batch of leaves while only halfway to the shrine.

Another headache… Wait, 'another'? When was the last time? When I fought Tenshi…? Why did I have one back then? My memories from that time aren't clear, they're full of blank spots. I wasn't sleeping well, I remember that much. Shin said I flipped my room while asleep. There was something bothering me, a nagging feeling at the back of my mind. Beyond that, I feel like there's been a time since then where my head hurt like this, yet I can't place it at all. What's going on?

"Are you alright?" asks a voice behind Seija. The sudden surprise is enough to snap the amanojaku out of her stupor. She turns around to see Clownpiece, who asks, "Does your head hurt or something?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," says Seija, composing herself.

What was that?

"There aren't many leaves left where I was so I figured I'd help you out since I know how many are by the huge tree," says Clownpiece. "Sunny, Luna, and Star live there, y'know."

"Uh-huh." Seija's offhanded response betrays her distracted mind.

"Sure you're okay? Ya seem real out of it."

Now's not the time to get lost in my own thoughts.

Seija rubs the back of her head. "Like I said, I'm fine. Don't feel like you need to worry about me."

"Doesn't matter to me either way, but we need you to do your part for this to work."

They gather up the leaves Seija dropped and transport them to the growing pile in front of the shrine. On their way back to the tree, Seija says, "Surprised a Hell fairy like you lives here so peacefully. I know what that torch you carry is capable of and you seemed pretty enthusiastic about raising hell back at the fireworks festival."

"For the record, you can just call me 'Piece,'" says the fairy. "My master told me to stand by in Gensokyo until further notice."

"Your master's Hecatia, the goddess of Hell, right?"

"Yep! What she says goes."

I'll never understand this mentality of servitude people like her have.

"'Standing by' doesn't mean you have to stick to such low level pranks. Why not foster some real chaos? Shin and I could help you."

"Well…" Piece trails off. "I could do worse, yeah, but Reimu does let me live here and I'm happy to spend time with the other three. Though I'd stick around even if Reimu tried to kick me out!"

Living here seems to have tempered her a good bit, but there's still a spark in her for something more. I'll consider her a work in progress. Even then, I can't ignore an opportunity to mess with that annoying shrine maiden.

"Let me at least offer some advice, then," says Seija.

"What kind of advice?"

"You did a good job of getting us to play to your tune, but if you really want to drive someone into a corner then it's good to make them think they don't have any options left."

"What do you mean?"

"The only threat you gave us was the possibility of Reimu coming back today. In a worst case scenario, Shin and I could've just left and come back another day to get information out of you since we know where you live. What you should have done was threaten to tell Reimu if we declined and used your friends' powers as leverage to show us how you could immediately escape if we attempted force."

The gears in Piece's head turn. "Oh, I think I get it. That puts way more pressure on you to make a snap decision with less time to think about it."

"Exactly. A key part of manipulation is making your target think there's nothing they can do except what you want. Especially in a situation like this where, as you said, you hold all the cards."

"But why are you telling me this when I could immediately use that advice against you?"

"Take a look around, Piece," says Seija, motioning to the sea of trees that surround them between the shrine and the fairies' home. "See anyone here who could help you?"

"No…?"

Seija flips Piece upside down and catches her by the leg before her head hits the ground, the girl's blonde hair fluttering in the breeze. "If I wanted to, I could force you to tell me what I want right now. It'd be easy." Reverting the girl's position back to how it was, Seija continues, "You made the mistake of separating yourself from the friends that form your trump card. Sure, you could scream, but that risks attracting Shin instead, which helps me rather than you. All this talk could be my attempt to lower your guard and strike when you're vulnerable." Piece's jaw drops hearing Seija's logic. The amanojaku smirks and does a little bow. "See how it's done? There's always a way to reverse a situation to your advantage."

"I never thought about it that way!" exclaims the starstruck fairy. "Maybe I can try this next time I want Reimu to do something for me. But you shouldn't underestimate me either!"

Of course, the next lesson is that you keep some cards close to your chest, sprinkle in some lies with the truth, and don't say what you really think. She would definitely put up more of a fight than I made it sound like, giving the other three ample time to show up; Shin helping me would make things harder for them but doesn't negate their capacity to escape. Just because I managed to flip her once while she was unaware doesn't mean I win on the spot. If this talk gives her the nudge she needs to become a tad more devious, assuming it doesn't go in one ear and out the other, I might find future use for her yet.

They carry on with their banter while they work. For another half an hour leaves are moved from the clearing to the shrine. While Piece is gone for one such trip, Seija stops for a moment and stares at the huge tree in front of her.

Funny that those three fairies live right on Gensokyo's border. The life energy they give off is really something to make this tree so huge. Can't imagine their home's placement is a coincidence. Maybe it somehow empowers the border itself? Those fairies might be idiots, but underestimating their combined power is dangerous.

Another quiet wind passes through and a few more leaves gently float down. The Sun sinks down closer to the horizon.

Now's not the time to entertain an inner monologue, but I can't shake this sense of unease after that headache earlier. It feels like I'm forgetting something important-

A wave of drowsiness envelops Seija, who feels compelled to sit down against the gigantic home of the Fairies of Light.

So tired… Why…? And I wasn't sleeping well before… Is the problem… sleep…
…
"Let's try this again."

Her thoughts become murky. Her eyelids are lead weights fighting to block out the world's light. Her head droops back and forth until, at last, it happens.

"I leave you alone for one minute and you're falling asleep on the job?" asks a voice to Seija's right.

"Mngh- huh?!" Seija jumps to her feet as if the words she heard were a bolt of electricity that fully charged her body's batteries. She faces the voice and sees Piece, whose arms are crossed while she holds her unlit torch in her right hand. "Oh, it's you."

Hm, not sure what came over me just then. What was I thinking about again…? "That's right, I was annoyed that the idiot fairies were having me pick up leaves."

"What's that supposed to mean? I caught you almost napping on the job!"

"Sorry your prank ideas are so boring," says Seija dismissively.

The star-spangled girl is taken aback by the shift in Seija's attitude. "No one asked you."

We need her to give us info on the Moon, so I shouldn't push her too much. "But that doesn't mean I can't mess with her!"

"Oh, my bad, didn't mean to insult your cute little plan. Maybe next we can send Reimu a strongly worded letter! That'll show her what for!"

Piece, her annoyance growing, asks, "What's with you all of-"

"Don't you wanna make Hell on Earth?" Seija interrupts, her tone gleefully sinister, unable to stop the evil smile forming on her face. "I can help you. If we can drive Reimu insane, the rest will be easy."

"I- What?!" The fairy takes a step back, visibly anxious.

"I'm sure your master wouldn't mind. If anything, I bet she'd praise you for it!"

"No, that isn't what she wants! And I told you before that I'm happy as I am now, spending time with my friends! We'll show the world our version of Hell, not yours!"

"So easily riled up." …No, I shouldn't do this. Making her too angry will only hurt the plan. "But she needs to face reality and learn that life doesn't get to be that easy!"

The amanojaku's smile shifts to a sneer. "Okay, do what ya want. Seeing such a close-knit bond dull your edge like that is heartwarming. Well, I'd call it sickening. What a waste."

"What do you know, you stupid amanojaku?!" Clownpiece's anxiety is replaced by anger. "You call Shinmyoumaru your partner, but I bet you don't even care about her if that's what you think!"

All of Seija's false congeniality shatters instantly, her taunting gaze now a glare. She wordlessly puts her face a centimeter from the fairy.

"W-what are you doing? I won't hold back if you try something!" Clownpiece's threat does not elicit a response from Seija. The latter remains silent, not out of sheer anger but because she cannot keep her thoughts straight.

"Why did her saying that make me so angry? My relationship with Shin is doomed to fail anyway-" Wait, what the hell?! I don't believe that! "Hmph, of course that's the line I can't cross. Gotta make a note of that real quick." Who are you?! "Nothing to concern yourself over. Not like we'll remember the details of this anyway." What are you-

"GAAAAH!" Seija screams, falling to her knees. She grips her head with both hands as hard as she can.

The display only scares Piece further. "Get away from me!" she yells, instinctively igniting her torch and brandishing it in front of her.

"There it is."

Driven by an odd impulse, Seija looks up and takes in the full light of the supernatural flame. It shifts between red, orange, and purple, entrancing her completely. A distraught Piece says, "Wait, no, that's not what I-!"

Overturn… everything…

Seija rises to her feet but her body is hunched over and her head faces the ground. Wriggling her fingers unnaturally, she lifts her right arm up. The world inverts abruptly, however both present do not turn with it, discombobulating Piece. Before she has a chance to comprehend what is happening, Seija grabs her by the collar and pulls her close. Glazed-over red eyes look right through her.

"Stop it…" the fairy barely manages to choke out.

"Seija, what's going on?!" shouts Shin, flying over as fast as she can. "I heard a scream! Are you alright? Did Clownpiece attack you? I think you can back off, she looks scared half to death."

The head on Seija's body almost appears loose. It falls a bit to her right side before swinging around to her left. She stares at Shin for a moment, the light in her eyes regaining the slightest flicker, yet they remain dim. However, the shift in her focus causes her to drop Piece and revert the area to normal.

"What did you do to her?!" Shin demands to know.

"I-it was an accident! She started acting really weird!" Clownpiece responds, still very shaken. "I couldn't stand hearing what she was saying, then when I snapped back she got aggressive and started screaming!"

"You seem too terrified to be lying, but why would she-" The question is interrupted by Seija flying at Shin, hand outstretched.

"Woah!" Shin yells, mostly dodging but getting a scratch on her right cheek from Seija's nail. A very small drop of blood leaks out. "That wasn't even danmaku, just a physical attack…" The inchling straightens her bowl hat before unsheathing her needle and Miracle Mallet. "I don't know what's going on inside your head right now, Seija, but I'll beat it out of you if that's what it takes! Looking out for each other is what partners do, right?!"

Partners…? "No… she's holding… me back…"

Seija's left eyelid twitches. She throws her arm to the side, reversing the flow of the breeze around her. It collides with the wind near Shin, creating a small vortex that blows leaves in all directions.

"You aren't thinking straight!" Shin's words do not reach Seija's ears. The latter charges a second time, Shin matching her with a thrust of her needle that glances Seija's side.

"Grrr…" the crazed amanojaku growls in pain.

The end of the thrust is flawlessly executed, Shin flourishing her needle when she comes to a stop. "Get out of here, Clownpiece, I'll take care of her. But we're gonna talk about this later, okay?" The Hell fairy does not need to be told twice as she flies off to find her friends. Turning around, Shin says, "C'mon, you're smarter than this! A head on attack again? I could have done much worse to you if I wanted to. Where's the cunning Seija I know? If you really wanna hurt me, I'm sure you're capable of it!"

Nothing changes in Seija's demeanor and she launches forward once more. However, as Shin goes to repeat her previous maneuver, Seija flips their positions so their backs are to each other. She immediately pivots and tackles the inchling, but Shin shrinks herself to avoid being pinned. Re-growing behind Seija, she smashes her mallet against Seija's right side and arm, sending her tumbling down to ground and skidding two meters.

"Was that enough to knock some sense into you?!" the inchling yells. "Wake up, Seija!"

She's trying… to help me… "You know… this isn't who we are…"

Both voices in Seija's head, hindered by the torch's induced madness, wrestle for control. Every word from the foreign voice is like nails scratching a chalkboard in her mind. A tormented scream escapes Seija's mouth. Immediately after, she reverses Shin's perception of left and right and dashes from side to side, using danmaku for the first time all fight to assist her approach. All she can focus on is finding an outlet for the mental anguish she feels.

"Seija…" Shin trails off. Seeing her partner in such pain nearly causes her resolve to falter, yet, after a deep breath, she fights on. Dodging or slicing through every bullet, she evades Seija's feral attacks one after the other. But the amanojaku, even while this handicapped, refuses to give up. The only thing that unifies her sense of self at this moment is her drive to rebel against anyone or anything that opposes her. Shin dodges every charge in nearly the same way each time, which Seija eventually catches on to. After one such instance, Seija flips Shin upside down but keeps herself right side up while still reversing Shin's horizontal movement. This proves to be too much for Shin to adjust too in the heat of the moment; Seija kicks her needle out of her hand and, grabbing her by the right ankle, slams her onto the ground. The inchling grunts in pain and her bowl hat falls to the side. Before Seija can move in for a decisive blow, Shin summons danmaku that continuously grows in size between them, forcing the former to back off.

"That… was dirty," says Shin, rising to one knee and staving off an onset of dizziness. Fighting in a world where her sense of direction constantly shifts is beginning to take its toll. "Just what I'd expect from you. Starting to come around?"

Another flicker, brighter than before, flashes in Seija's eyes, but she says nothing.

"She's regaining her sense of tactics but isn't making much progress mentally," Shin mutters to herself as she stands up, retrieving her hat and needle before sheathing the latter. "That said, this still isn't the extent of what she's capable of. If she starts going all out, I'll be forced to respond in kind. But I refuse to hurt her. There has to be another way here…"

Yet another gust passes through. Seija breathes heavily while Shin mulls over the circumstances of this fight. The smaller youkai's eyes squint before going wide and honing in on Seija's neck. Shin cannot help but grin, her Miracle Mallet now glowing; once more she shrinks to her original size. Before Seija can track her movements, Shin summons random single bullets from various directions to distract her opponent. Thanks to their fighting disturbing the very leaves they were sent to collect, the fallen foliage forms an effective veil that renders finding the inchling a near impossible task. Shin runs up behind Seija and aims for the necklace she knows is hidden around her partner's neck. However, reaching the necklace requires the slightest tug on the arrow-pattern flap at the top of Seija's dress. The amanojaku, immediately in response to the feeling of something on her, spins the world around her vertically. Instead of being forced to choose between holding on - unable to do anything - or getting thrown off, Shin elects to become human-sized again and wraps her legs around Seija's waist to give herself more leverage, similar to what she did to Hatate yesterday. Seija claws at Shin but the latter is quickly able to pull Seija's Hakurouken necklace off.

"This should set you str- OW!" Shin's declaration is cut short by Seija reeling her own head back to bash Shin's face. This loosens the inchling's grip to the point Seija is able to pry off the former's leg and fling her away. The blow to the head dazes Shin and the effect is compounded by the still rotating world. "You've always been a hard one to pin down…" she says, the shard of Hakurouken in her balled fist.

"Huff… huff…" Seija's chest rises and falls with every breath. Once again, the world returns to its original position. The ground below and trees around them become a shade darker as the Sun sets.

"Shoot, this isn't good, I'm starting to wind down," says Shin, thinking aloud. "She looks exhausted too, but the insanity is pushing her to keep fighting. She'll overexert herself if this keeps up."

"Psst!" whispers Sunny's voice behind Shin. It takes much of the inchling's will power not to jump in shock. "Don't turn around, I'm making us invisible! Act like we aren't here so Seija doesn't notice us!"

"What is it? You're in danger here!"

"It's my fault she's like this," says Piece's voice. "If there's anything we can do to help, tell us."

"And hurry up so I can mute our noise again!" says Luna's trembling voice.

A wave of relief washes over Shin. "Your timing's perfect. Take this shard and cut her with it while I distract her. Try not to make it too deep, just a light nick will do. It has the ability to dispel confusion." Shin puts her right hand behind her back and opens it so the fairies can take the necklace.

"I don't really understand, but alright," says Piece.

While this exchange occurs, Seija struggles with her own thoughts.

She took… the necklace… "How annoying…"

"Something's… in my head…" she says, pained.

"Huh?" Shin turns back to Seija, surprised to hear coherent words. "What do you mean? Is it the torch's influence?"

"We both know… it's not gonna work out…" I don't care…!

"Keep… fighting…" says Seija, her right hand on her face. "Don't stop… until you've beaten this out of me!"

Shin tightens her grip on the Miracle Mallet. "That's what I said before and I intend to follow through! Come at me as much as you want!"

And so Seija does. Over and over she flings herself at Shin like a wild animal, the fairies unable to find an opening, with the inchling not once slowing down and parrying nearly every blow. Not all of Seija's attacks miss the mark, though; Shin gets more than a few scratches and bruises for her troubles. Every hit one lands on the other only bolsters her opponent's drive to win, though their respective definitions in this case are not mutually exclusive. For Shin, a hit on her reflects a failure to help her partner, which she uses as motivation to redouble her efforts. For Seija, every attack she takes assists in weakening the strange voice in her head. It is as if Shin's blows are a chorus of voices that amplify Seija's own, proof that she is not alone.

She'll never… give up on me. "Are you sure… this is the path… you wanna walk? It won't… end well." Shut up… and get out!

The duo flies at each other one final time while the Sun disappears over the tree line; as they do so, Shin clutches her mallet with both hands. Her swing comes down on Seija's left, the latter raising her arm to block the brunt of the hit enough that she can grab Shin with her right hand. The block is fruitless, however, since Shin shrinks the Miracle Mallet just enough that it goes below Seija's arm before increasing its size in time to slam Seija's face. Seija holds fast against the mallet, not letting herself be knocked away, and manages to put her hand around Shin's neck. For a moment, both are still. Only then does Piece suddenly emerge from Sunny's concealment and lightly cut the back of Seija's right leg. The amanojaku, surprisingly, does not yell out in pain. Her eyes simply widen and fully regain their shine a moment before she falls to the ground, splashing up waves of warmly-colored leaves, momentarily unconscious. Piece frantically returns the shard to Shin before going to check on her friends. Fortunately, Seija wakes up a minute later with some prodding from her partner.

"You good?" Shin asks, plopped on the ground and leaning back on her hands.

"Feels like I have a really bad hangover," Seija responds while she lays on her back. "What just happened? Last I remember I was killing time talking to Piece while we were doing some gathering."

"You kiiiiiind of went insane for a bit. Thank Clownpiece for that, though she claims you acted aggressive. Had to apply some percussive maintenance using my mallet and the shard." Shin tosses the Hakurouken necklace to Seija, who re-knots and puts it back on.

"Huh. Don't feel too beat up. You pulled your punches, didn't you?"

"I could say the same. You were way slower and less calculated, and it wasn't just because of the torch's effect. Felt like you were holding back. Honestly, it was as if you were trying to scare me off rather than hurt me. But…"

"But what?" Seija asks.

The battle through and the conflict resolved, Shin's earlier brave face finally reveals a couple of cracks. When Seija goes to sit up, Shin embraces her. "I'm really glad you're alright."

"That's thanks to you," says Seija, who reciprocates her partner's show of affection after a moment's hesitation.

Shin, after basking in the moment for a few fleeting seconds, lets go and replies, "Thank the fairies, too. They helped me out at the end there, got you right on your leg with the shard."

"Really?" Seija runs a finger along the laceration on the back of her right calf. It does not even bleed. "Wow. They actually had it in 'em."

Seriously though, what the hell was that? Felt like someone was talking to me but now it's all fuzzy. The only parts I clearly recall are looking at Clownpiece's torch and fighting Shin. Guess it's a side effect of being temporarily driven insane.

Her immense confusion causes the freshly-sane amanojaku to sigh. "Given the circumstances, this totally doesn't count as you winning."

"Oh not this again…"

"Um," says Sunny's voice, "is it over?"

All four fairies stand about five meters to Seija's left, Sunny no longer rendering them invisible.

"Yeah, it is," Shin replies.

"Seeing you two go at it like that for so long made me feel exhausted," says Clownpiece, her fear a thing of the past. "Promise you won't start acting weird again, Seija?"

That question matches Shin's story, but what is she talking about? I sat down, almost dozed off, then… uh… I know she pulled out her torch, but what prompted that?

"How did I freak you out, exactly?" Seija asks, her apparent sincerity throwing Clownpiece off.

"Uh, you got all in my face after insulting my friends and me! How do you not remember this?!"

Everyone stares blankly at Seija and Clownpiece, with the former tilting her head while the latter appears bewildered.

"Ah, screw it, never mind," says the fairy. Her three companions shrug the strange topic off; Shin, conversely, briefly places a hand on her chin in contemplation.

"The Sun just finished setting," Luna says while pointing at the freshly made night sky. "Won't Reimu be back soon?"

Star closes her eyes and focuses on nearby sounds. "I can hear two people approaching the shrine, though they're still about a minute away. We have a ton of leaves set up but there isn't time to finish preparing."

"This is all your fault," Sunny pouts, gesturing at Seija.

"I'm not the one who used that torch, sunshine!" Seija counters. "But, because I'm feeling gregarious today…"

And because we need Piece's help…

"Leave the rest to Shin and me."

"-and that's the gist of it," says Marisa, walking through the Hakurei Shrine's torii alongside its resident shrine maiden, Reimu Hakurei. While night has already fallen, the star- and moonlight let them see the way well enough.

"It's good the fire was put out quickly," says Reimu. She wears her staple red and white ensemble: a sleeveless red top over a white undershirt tucked into a red skirt, the last of which has a white trim and goes a little past her knees. On her arms are detached white sleeves with red strings weaved through on each end; the sleeves become wider as they get closer to the wrists. Her dark brown hair features a red and white bow on the back side and a matching pair of tubes on the front side which style her hair such that it frames her face. Finally are her white socks and black sandals. "Didn't expect to hear a tale of heroism involving those two of all youkai while we were out investigating."

"I honestly expected them to get up to no good the moment they were cut loose, but they haven't caused any problems. Even the Eientei debacle was really Mokou's fault."

Reimu gives Marisa a knowing grin. "Maybe they're turning over a new leaf?" The magician looks at her companion with eyebrows raised higher than most would think possible. Both immediately burst out laughing at the notion.

"Guess they've got us pegged," Shin whispers to Seija while they hide in the bushes close by. The three Fairies of Light and Clownpiece peek their heads over the duo's shoulders, the former group masking everyone's presence.

"Nah," Seija responds. "Ya see, we're turning over plenty of leaves right now!"

The incident solving pair are too busy giggling to notice a mass casting a shadow on them as they approach the shrine. Seija points her finger towards the ground and a storm of leaves rains down.

Marisa looks up at the harmless onslaught. "What the…?"

"Oh come on, I just cleaned this place-" Reimu rants while a bomb made by Star expands from three centimeters in diameter to roughly twenty centimeters, courtesy of Shin's mallet, without her or Marisa noticing. It was within the pile that fell, all of which was thrown up moments prior by Seija's ability. The moment it touches the ground, the bomb explodes. Its destructive power is minimal and largely harmless to living creatures, but contains more than enough concussive force to blow off Marisa's hat, dishevel both victims, and scatter the pile in all directions. Everything in the area is covered, from the path to the shrine's roof and deck to even the donation box. Many get stuck in Reimu and Marisa's hair and clothes, both of whom stand stunned at what just transpired. Seija, Shin, and the fairies, upon seeing the looks on their faces, howl out laughter.

Once the shock subsides, Marisa manages to say, "…Guess those fairies won't leave you alone, huh?" Words cannot adequately describe Reimu's expression when she turns her head to Marisa. However, if looks could kill, no one in Gensokyo would be safe. "I'll, uh, get started with cleaning."

"That's what I thought," says the unsettlingly calm voice of Reimu from within the avatar of rage standing next to the magician.

Luna taps Seija and Shin's shoulders before saying, "Let's get out of here before she starts looking for us."

Won't argue with that.

The six delinquents quickly and carefully rush back to the three fairies' home and go inside. Neither Seija nor Shin have been within a fairy's abode before and inquisitively examine the quaint room they find themselves in. A small living area with a table and kitchen greets them; on the wall is a staircase that leads further up the tree, but none go up there for the moment.

Everything's so… tiny. I'd barely be able to sit on any of the chairs. Guess it's all fairy-sized, though Shin probably feels right at home. How does a place like this even work inside a tree? Shouldn't the tree be dead if it's hollowed out like this? Must be another fairy thing.

"We did it!" Sunny exclaims, raising her hand for a high five that is mirrored by her three friends. Seija and Shin also join in, feeling pleased with themselves. After breaking, Luna goes to make coffee while Sunny and Star prepare a victory dinner.

"Well, guess you earned it," says Piece, grabbing a seat at the table. "What was the question you wanted answered?"

Shin moves to the table and, sitting down herself, asks, "How did you get to the Moon back when the Lunar Capital invaded Gensokyo?"

"What? That's all you wanted to know? My master's friend was leading me at the time, but we took a path that cut through the Dream World."

"You could go there physically? How? I thought the only ways there without Doremy Sweet's help were sleeping or utilizing perfect possession."

Hearing Shin say Doremy's name makes Seija's pointed ears perk up.

I've only ever seen Doremy at the fireworks festival, though from what I gather Shin's met her a couple of times. Something about hearing her name bothers me, though. We should be wary of her.

"Heck if I know," Piece answers. "We went to the capital straight from Hell but I think the Lunarians used a similar passageway to reach Gensokyo from the Moon - well, what they thought was the Moon since they were in some weird fake Lunar Capital at the time as the real thing was made temporarily impure. But a path to the capital does exist. It's how Reimu and the others got there from here."

A fake capital? Wonder what the story with that is.

"Do you know where Gensokyo's version of this passageway is?" Shin continues.

"Nope. Your best bet would be asking Reimu, Marisa, Sanae, or Reisen directly."

"Yeah that ain't happening," says Seija. "They had to find out where it is from someone else, right? Let's figure out who that is and ask them."

If the Lunarians' forces and the do-gooders used the same path, that means the ones who told them are-

Shin speaks up after a few seconds. "The only candidates I can think of would be Seiran and Ringo."

"Yeah, but after the dango festival they're not exactly our biggest fans," says Seija.

"Mhm. I doubt they'll willingly give us that kind of info, deserters or not."

We could try force but if we move on them directly they might take drastic measures and blow the whistle on us. Plus they normally do their business in the village, so even approaching them's a risk.

The duo contemplates with crossed arms, closed eyes, and furrowed brows. "Want some coffee?" Luna asks with a small but sincere smile, derailing their trains of thought. She holds a tray with a white porcelain pot and six matching mugs.

"Oh, thanks!" says Shin, placing two of the cups on the table and pouring the bitter liquid in. The relaxing aroma permeates the room as she does so. She grabs one and hands it to Seija, who leans against the wall behind her. "Here, have some." The amanojaku, still feeling weary from her earlier bout of insanity and its consequential battle, nods and takes a sip.

Can't help but imagine some know-it-all drinking this stuff whenever I have it. A pretentious airhead who thinks they have all the answers-

"That's it!" Seija suddenly exclaims, startling everyone present.

Shin, who jumped in her chair from shock and spilled coffee on her kimono, exasperatedly asks, "What is it?"

"I know how we get close to the rabbits while keeping ourselves out of the line of fire."

"And what's your brilliant scheme that's made it where I need to do an extra batch of laundry later?"

Seija rubs the back of her head upon seeing Shin's stained clothes. "Our goals are way bigger than some pieces of cloth! And I'll help you do laundry next time, don't sweat it."

"Pft, you help clean without being forced to? That I've gotta see."

"Regardless, we're gonna cash in a favor. Remember our little would-be ambushers? One of them happens to live in the village. We use her to get what we want."

"…Huh, not a bad idea. But let's hash out the details later," says Shin, motioning to the four fairies gathered together and staring with serious yet curious expressions.

Seija turns to the hosts. "If any of what we talked about tonight leaves this room, I'll show you way worse than whatever you saw earlier." The fairies nod vigorously. "Glad you understand. Maybe one day you'll reach our level after all."

Not! But it'll give these squirts something to work towards, heheh.

"Don't count us out!" Sunny proclaims, Luna, Star, and Piece backing her up. "We'll prove to the world the power of fairies!"

"Think they'll ever succeed?" Shin quietly asks Seija.

"I have total faith in them."

"Ouch, that little confidence, huh?"

"Who knows? Piece at least is pretty strong in her own right. And I've been surprised by the conviction of someone small before."

Shin elbows her partner in the side, though it does nothing to reduce the smug grin said partner bears.