The drone of bullets filled the air as blue blurs zipped past her ears, every close shave sparking a thrill through her veins. Stretching her wings, she dove through the barrage, an emerald missile hurtling through a flurry of snow and ice.
"I'll show you the power of the strongest fairy!"
A cluster of icicles the size of tree trunks rushed at her, each one scattering a trail of sparkling crystals behind them as they homed in their target, forming a spectacular maze of diamond dust that bedazzled the audience on the ground.
Performing a nosedive, the green fairy targeted by the icicles stopped inches above the ground, staying still and raising a finger to beckon the approaching missiles. In response, the cones of solid ice seemed to pick up speed, dropping through the air as a vortex of icy wind wrapped around them.
At the very last second, she darted away in a show of speed, the icicles sending a chill through her body as they passed her before stabbing into the earth and sinking in deeply, throwing up a shower of grass and dirt.
"Is that all the strongest fairy can do?"
She smirked while crossing her arms, several petals lazily dancing in the air around her as her wings hummed on her back.
Instead of answering verbally, crystalline slivers of ice started forming in the air above the lake. Individually, each one was only about as big as a human hand, with razor sharp tips on either side. However, they kept increasing and increasing in numbers, multiplying until the sky itself was blanketed behind a massive wall of ice that covered the entire lake, and possibly even more.
On the shores of the lake, several multicolored barriers sprung up as the onlookers prepared for the inevitable.
"You want my strongest, then you'll get it idiot!"
Spreading her arms, the blue haired fairy shouted for all the world to hear.
"Spell Card: Ice Sign "Icicle Fall"!"
The trembling icicles abruptly slanted, pointing away from their master as they shot out at blinding speeds in a curtain of ice that sliced through the air readily, the gaps between each icicle only inches wide.
The all encompassing attack spread out and surrounded the green fairy on all side, sealing off all routes of escape.
So instead of retreating, she charged headon.
"Bwah!?"
The blind spot in the middle was quickly filled as the barrage persisted, but not fast enough to stop the fairy zooming through. In seconds, she burst right through the 'ace' of the strongest ice fairy and stopped just short of crashing into her, their face a hairs breadth away from each other.
Panicking, the fairy's arms windmilled as she spun backward, losing her balance upon crashing into the icicles hanging in the air right behind her. Her vision obscured by exploding ice crystals, she lost all sense of direction, flipping head over heels as her eyes and ears were bombarded by a cacophony of cracking ice.
I need to get out of here!
Her wings tilted backwards as she flew at maximum speed, heedless of the ice crashing against her as they could do little harm to her body, though she did close her eyes out of reflex. In a heartbeat, she was out of the chaos and back in the clear.
"WAAHHH!"
*SPLOOSH*
A spectacular jet of water shot up into the air as she plunged headfirst into the watery depths of the lake, then it froze into a solid column of ice as she reacted and froze the surroundings to try and stop her momentum.
Moments later, she bobbed to the surface, encased in a block of ice.
"Bwahahaha!"
Clutching her stomach, her opponent rolled in the air like she would on the ground and bellowed with laughter, tears flowing from her eyes.
Indignant, the fairy trapped in the ice could only twitch as a vein started popping out on her forehead, her eyes packing enough heat to drill through the solid walls of ice imprisoning her.
She could only wait until the fairy was done, sitting through her laughing fit before she finally raised an arm, the hand cocked in a finger gun gesture.
A burst of light shot out and a hail of rainbow pellets battered the glacial prison, chipping the ice block and cracking it until the fairy inside could break free.
"Stop laughing Pomu, we're going for round two! I was only getting warmed up, the next round will be the real one!"
"I think we both know what the result will be, Cirno~"
"What, are you scared of my powers? There's nothing I can't freeze!"
Pomu did her best to stifle a giggle.
"Including yourself."
"You idiooootttt!"
Unable to hold back any longer, they resumed their battle, blue streaks raining from the skies as Pomu dodged and weaved without ever firing a single bullet.
On the sidelines, a shrine maiden sighed as she flicked away the a fine dusting of frost on her clothes. The purification rod she usually used now floated in the air, providing a seat for her as her friend sat nearby, hovering on her own broom.
"Do they have to do this every time they meet?"
"It'll be the last time they're going to see each other, at least for a while, so cut them some slack."
"Jeez, it's still extra work for us to observe and make sure they don't go too far. It's one thing if it's the popsicle, but can't Pomu at least behave a little on her last day here?"
"Hey it's technically your job to watch the area."
She patted the sack sitting at their feet, a distinct metallic clink coming out when she did so.
"Plus we're getting paid well for just watching them."
"Speak for yourself."
"Miss Hakurei and Miss Kirisame."
A silver haired woman dressed in a black and white maid outfit approached them with a tray laden with teacups, the calming scent of tea leaves beguiling their stomachs.
"Tea?"
Two cups were snatched ofF the tray without a second thought, a deep sense of contentment running through their bodies as they took a sip of the tawny brown liquid. It felt like liquid warmth was injected into their souls, and even Marisa couldn't help but murmur a word of thanks to the maid who had brewed the tea.
"This really hits the spot doesn't it?"
"Sure does."
"We should ask for more tea leaves from Remilia."
"You do that the next time you break into her mansion."
"I wouldn't have to ask her if I broke in. I'd just take them"
"It's time."
They both jumped at the voice, a quick glance upwards revealing the source.
As they were talking with the maid of the aforementioned Remilia listening next to them, a gap had silently opened up in the air right above them, two red bows tying shut the two ends of the portal, the opening exposing numerous eyes swimming in a purple void.
"Bring her to the shrine."
By the time they reached the shrine, the sun was at it's apex, a glowing white circle in the sky that cast long shadows among the cherry trees blossoming behind the wooden structure. A carpet of sakura petals covered the stone slabs that marked the shrine boundaries, spreading it's perfume across the sacred grounds. It was a fragrance that was particularly memorable to the lone fairy that now stood near the torii gate, her eyes staring past the shrine into the forest surrounding it.
Deep within the dappled shadows of greenery and leaves, three pairs of blue, red and yellow eyes stared back at her.
Catching their gaze, she winked and waved a hand while silently mouthing.
Bye~
The three blinked, then vanished.
"Who're you waving at?"
Walking out from the rickety shrine, the shrine maiden twirled her rod as she craned her neck to look at the back of the forest. An orb floated next to her, bobbing up and down silently with a yin and yang pattern swirling across the entire surface.
"Just some acquaintances from around here."
"Tch, that doesn't narrow it down at all."
Turning back to Pomu, she shrugged.
"Well whatever, it's time you got going. You have everything you need?"
"Yep."
She patted the backpack behind her, an utterly modern piece of travel gear that included zip-pockets, padded tablet sleeves, a removable waist belt, external fleece-lined pockets for flowers, side bungee cords for compressions and more. (as advertised by Rinnosuke, owner of the store who sold it)
"Alright, time to send you on your way then."
Finishing her warmup stretching, she pointed her gohei at the torii, and the orb floated forwards, eventually reaching the gate and stopping motionless midair.
"I, shrine maiden of the Hakurei shrine, permit passage through the great barrier that seals Gensokyo to Pomu Rainpuff."
A pulse of energy was released from the orb, a ripple of visible force warping the gateway of the torii like the surface of a pond. When the ripples cleared, a different scenery could be seen through the portal, slightly incongruous with the environment around the shrine.
"So I guess this'll be the last time I see you then."
Looking down, Reimu scuffed the dirt with her shoes, kicking a loose pebble across the ground.
"Gonna miss me?"
"Nah, if anything it'll be less trouble for me without you around."
"I'm sure you'll still have plenty to do with everyone else causing incidents."
"You got that right."
The two of them shared a laugh, reminiscing on the past for a moment.
Then Reimu took out a bundle of cloth and chucked it towards Pomu, several clicking sounds coming out when it landed in her hands.
"A couple of my bent needles, expired ofudas and useless tidbits I don't need anymore. Might be useful to you though, if you can find someone to fix them."
The fairy stared at her, quirking an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Hey it's better than nothing, right?"
Shaking her head, she stowed them away in the backpack, somehow finding a spare bit of space within the cramped confines, then she left the bag on the ground and went over to Reimu.
"Wha-hey!"
For the first time, and maybe for the last time, the fairy hugged that shrine maiden that had fought against her, with her, drank sake with her and seen the cherry blossoms with her through many springs.
The shrine maiden tensed, her palms pointed towards the fairy, and for a brief moment they hung in the air, poised to push against her. Then they fell back to her sides, her body relaxing against her slender frame.
It wasn't long before the fairy released her grip, and picked up the bag on the ground, slinging it on her back again.
"Well then, seeya!"
At that moment, a dizzy array of lights flashed in the distance, with an assortment of fireworks to accompany the lightshow shooting up in the air, which Pomu distinctly recognized as ones crafted by the kappas. Frogs, rabbits, bats, ravens and for some reason, motorbikes, all showed up within the incandescent petals of flame that stood out brightly even against the midday sun.
Her eyes lingered on the phantasmagoria of fireworks for a while, before she turned around and walked through the torii.
The moment she stepped through, she started running, disappearing down the steps in the blink of an eye as a few stray drops of tears fell on the ground, the only proof that she had passed through.
"Still a crybaby even now."
Grinning slightly, she turned around and walked back to the shrine, the orb returning to her side as the portal folded in on itself, closing the outside world from Gensokyo once more.