Reimu Hakurei, Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, was sweeping the outside of her shrine on a rather sunny day of Gensokyo. She seemed to be bored, as if the amount of physical labour required to sweep around her shrine was boring her to where she wished for something else to do. Eventually, she dropped the broom down onto the floor before letting out a sigh of relief.

"Ah, finally," she said, turning around to the shrine and walking forward. "Maybe the shrine could actually get some visitors now…" as she finished saying that, the broom that she had dropped hit her on the back of her head, causing her to stumble forward slightly from the surprise. "Gah- who-"

Yukari sat upon her border, lowering her arm from which she had thrown the broom to catch Reimu's attention. "Reimu, I have an urgent request for you."

"Yukari? You seem more serious than usual," Reimu said, sighing. "And was it really necessary to hit me on the back of the head with a broom?"

"There is life on Mars, what we call Martian's." Yukari said, ignoring what Reimu was saying. "They took over the moon, defeating the Lunarians there. They are much stronger than anything we've had to deal with before, and they seem to be threatening the safety of Gensokyo. So, I need you to start training, Reimu. We need as many people as we can get, so it'd also be helpful if you visited some people while I prepare."

"You need to train as well?" Reimu asked, sighing as she picked up the broom. "Well, I suppose it would be my duty to do such things. How strong are we talking about here?"

"One of them appears to have some sort of power that transcends the gods," Yukari said, her face getting slightly more serious. "One of them appears to burn anything at will, as well as use any other sort of chemicals. One of them can simply transport anything to anywhere else, including people into outer space. One of the less threatening ones can summon anything at will, and the other one hasn't shown any strength, but can change materials to any other materials."

"Looks like you did your homework," Reimu joked, rolling her eyes. "This sounds awfully familiar to when you wanted to steal something from the moon. I have to train for something regarding the moon. How can I be sure this isn't some sort of trick?"

Yukari sighed, reaching her arm through a gap opened next to her. She pulled out the book of Martian History, before tossing it over to Reimu, who fumbled to catch it. "The Lunarian you fought who can summon the spirits of gods is also coming here after the loss against the Martians, as well as her sister and many moon rabbits."

"Oh, excellent," Reimu said, sighing as she closed her eyes. "Well, if the fate of Gensokyo is at stake, I can't really refuse, now can I?"

"That's right," Yukari nodded, before turning away from Reimu whilst opening a gap in front of her. "Now, i'll be back to check on you soon. No slacking off, understand?"

"Yes, yes," Reimu sighed, walking away and back into her shrine and Yukari disappeared through the gap.

"Why was Yukari here just now?" Marisa asked, who was sitting in the shrine whilst eating something. Reimu jumped in surprise, before her face quickly shifted to one of annoyance.

"Marisa, how did you get in here?" Reimu asked, putting the broom away as she turned angrily towards the magician.

"I'm a thief, I find my way into places without people noticing on a daily basis," Marisa smiled, as she finished the food she likely stole from within the shrine. "Sooo, what was Yukari here to talk to you about?"

"Mars people took over the moon and are apparently going to come here in order to take over the world," Reimu said, with an added sigh on the end. "Sounds pretty far-fetched, I know. But if Gensokyo's existence may be at stake, I better start trai-"

"Wait, people even stronger than those Lunarians?" Marisa asked, as her eyes sparkled in excitement. "Looks like I need to be trainin' as well. Hey Reimu, i'll race ya. First person to train up strong enough to beat a Mars person wins, alright?"

"Actually," Reimu said, as a sweatdrop emerged on her forehead. "I have a job for you, Marisa. You go around places and tell them of the possible threat. Yukari asked me to do that too, so you can get that job out of the way for me."

"What~?" Marisa sighed in annoyance. "But that's your job, Yukari said so! You can do that while I train for the oncoming battle."

"Wouldn't that put you ahead in the race?" Reimu said, smiling. "If you want to make this race fair and fun, wouldn't you want to handicap yourself first by waiting an extra amount of time before training?"

"Well, when you put it that way," Marisa smiled, holding the hat on her head as she closed her eyes and smiled. "I guess it would be no fun if we started at the same time, huh? I'll go tell Alice and the people at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Is there anyone else I should tell?"

"Everyone," Reimu said, sighing. "I'd rather not have Yukari getting so worried. As long as everyone knows about it, i'll be fine. So it's best to tell Sanae as well as the Tengu's up there to get those gods involved, as well as the people at Myouren Temple. Eventually, word should spread to everyone."

"Aww~" Marisa sighed, as she stepped outside the shrine. "Looks like you're sending me all over the place trying to get these people, huh? Well, I can't let you have too much of a head start. See ya later!" She said, as she flew off on her broom.

Reimu sighed as she watched Marisa fly away. "People who were able to beat the Lunarians? I doubt they exist."

Meanwhile, outside of Eientei, Yorihime and Toyohime walked up to the door, with the latter raising her hand, in preparation to knock. "I believe this is the place," She said, as she hit her hand against the door, creating a noise from inside.

After a few anxious seconds, the door was slowly opened, as a rather tall character with long, purple hair and ears like a rabbit's peaked through the opened hole to see who it is. After she made out the faces, she opened the door quickly and gasped in surprise.

"M-masters?" She said in surprise, as Yorihime smiled and Toyohime opened her fan over her mouth.

"Yep, we're here on a mandatory stop after some Martians took over the moon." Toyohime said, walking in as she placed her free hand on Reisen's head. "Nice to see you again, Reisen. Is Lady Yagokoro home?"

"Y-yes," Reisen nodded, still not getting over the initiate shock factor of seeing her former masters after an incredibly long time.

"You did send the letter, right Toyohime?" Yorihime asked, walking past Reisen with a hand on the pet's head also. "It's not like we came here without any prior warning."

"I'm completely certain I sent it to the right place," Toyohime sighed, closing her fan. "Hey, Reisen. Did you get a letter earlier? About two hours ago."

"I saw - I saw Master Eirin reading a letter earlier…" Reisen said, turning to face into Eientei as she closed the door behind the two of them. "I heard from the moon rabbits what happened on the moon, but I didn't think you'd… come here."

"Oh, we brought all the others moon rabbits from the moon along with us too," Toyohime said, smiling to Reisen. "So… where is Master Yagokoro?"

"Ah, I understand you'd have stuff to speak to her about," Reisen said, quickly alerting herself. "I'll take you to her. Follow me."

"Alright then," Toyohime said, still smiling as the two sisters followed their previous pet through the halls of Eientei. "So, Reisen, how has it been here with Lady Yagokoro and the Princess?"

"Ah - it's been fine," Reisen answered, nodding her head as her loss of breath from meeting with her masters again finally came back to her.

"That's good to here," Toyohime said, placing a hand on Reisen's head once again. "Lady Yagokoro must have been treating you well for you to feel so at home here on Earth. So, Reisen, after we beat those Martian's and get the Lunar Capital back, what do you say you come back to the Lunar Capital? We can make sure you avoid all possible punishments~."

"Well… I could consider it…" Reisen said, as she thought about her past life on the Moon. "But what about Master Eirin?"

"I believe the crime she committed was far too grave to allow her back on the moon," Yorihime said, as her eyes closed and her face turned to a frown. "Though, if she shows herself to be completely turned around and assists greatly to help Lord Tsukuyomi escape, she may be considered to be allowed back in the Lunar Capital."

"I see," Reisen nodded, as her face also seemed to frown slightly. "Master Eirin is through here, i'll see you again soon."

"We'll make sure to come and play with you once we're done," Toyohime smiled as she waved Reisen goodbye, who walked through the halls. Toyohime again raised her hand, however was stopped from knocking on.

"Come in," Eirin's voice said from behind the door. Toyohime and Yorihime looked at each other, before Toyohime opened the door and Yorihime was first to step through.

"L-Lady Yagokoro," Yorihime said, clasping her hands and bowing. "I apologise for the sudden intrusion here, please forgive us."

Eirin smiled in response, standing up from her originally seated position and walking over to the two sisters. "It's fine, really. I understand the Lunarians lost against the people from Mars, so you had to seek refuge here in Gensokyo. Please, make yourselves at home for the duration of your stay."

"L-Lady Yagokoro?" Yorihime asked, surprised at Eirin's smiling nature for a second, before shaking it off. "I'm pleased to see you again after all this time."

"As am I," Toyohime said, walking through the door herself and waving her fan in front of her. "Yeah, the Martian's were pretty tough. I lost to one of them who could transport everything to anywhere, including across the the scientific and fantastical sides of the moon."

"Speak for yourself," Yorihime said, smiling. "I fought the one who claimed to be the strongest Martian and won easily. She wasn't all that tough, though she did have some interesting powers at her disposal and provided some entertainment."

"Please," Toyohime said, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I was outmatched because he ability countered my most powerful assets. You're just trying to show off because Lady Yagokoro is here, aren't you?"

"I am not!" Yorihime insisted, biting her lip slightly in annoyance. "I'm just relaying my side of the story, as you did with yours."

Eirin looked at the both of them, before laughing slightly to herself. "Calm down, both of you," She said, as she walked towards the middle of her room. "Would you like something to drink? I'm just as pleased to see the two of you as you are to see me, you know? However, we do have a lot to discuss about the current situation."

"Indeed we do," Yorihime nodded, as she began to catch her breath quickly. "I may have won against one of them, but one of them won against Sagume, Toyohime and Lord Tsukuyomi. The person I fought against may not have been as strong as they claimed themselves to be."

"Perhaps they were not," Eirin nodded, as she began pouring drinks and inviting the sisters to sit at a table, which they did as Eirin sat at the other end. "But one of them defeated Lord Tsukuyomi, as you said. Tsukuyomi is a powerful god, which means someone on their side must be stronger than him, or perhaps transcend the concept of gods. If they do transcend gods, then you would be in grave danger in a fight against them, Yorihime."

"Yeah, Lady Yagokoro is right," Toyohime smiled, looking over at Yorihime. "Looks like you just fought against the weakest of the bunch claiming to be the strongest. Although, Kaiya did mention that i'm still much stronger than she is."

"Kaiya must be the one you fought against," Eirin said, nodding to herself. "Did you catch any other names?"

"My opponent was named Kasumi, and she mentioned someone called 'Hiroko'," Yorihime answered.

"Hiroko?" Eirin asked, tilting her head slightly. "I recall Tsukuyomi mentioning that name once also, although I did not think she would become something of great concern. She must be some sort of god for Tsukuyomi to know of her, and I can only imagine her to be the one to defeat Tsukuyomi given the known information."

"So, this 'Hiroko' is likely the strongest of the bunch, as well as likely their leader," Yorihime deduced, nodding her head. "If she is a god stronger than Lord Tsukuyomi, then it is likely she is stronger than the god spirits that I call upon during battle. That would be troublesome."

"So, someone who could be stronger than us two exists amongst their ranks?" Toyohime asked, smiling. "In that case, we may need more training if we are to go up against an opponent such as that."

Eirin smiled as she immediately realised what Toyohime was referring to. "I'll happily take you on as my pupils once again, though I can't guarantee to teach you anything new. Although, I don't know how that would settle with the authorities of the Lunar Capital. I am still labelled as a high offender there, am I not? So someone like you two coming under me as pupils could cause some sort of dramatic consequence I would not like to send you through."

"You are labelled as a high criminal," Yorihime confirmed, nodding. "However, given the current circumstances, I deem it acceptable to ignore that aspect for the concurring events."

"If you end up helping a lot, we could even give you a pardon and let you and the Princess back on the moon~" Toyohime smiled, stretching out the final syllable as Eirin closed her eyes and shortly nodded.

"I doubt that would be possible," She said, as she opened her eyes once again. "Although, if the offer does arise, me and Lady Kaguya will look over the possibility. So, for now, I will take the two of you on as my pupils once again. We will prepare for the worst, if there is a being that transcends gods among them. When the time comes, I will assist in taking back the Lunar Capital, for Tsukuyomi, the two of you, and for the moon rabbits you most likely brought here with you."

"That sounds great," Yorihime asked, before her thoughts were cut off.

"Eirin, what's with all the ruckus…" Kaguya said, as she opened the door to Eirin's room. "Huh? Ah - you're the two leaders of the defense force… Eirin, what happened here?"

"Ah, Princess," Eirin said, nodding her head. "People from the planet known as Mars attacked the Moon and won, so the two sisters have come here in refuge whilst the Moon is under Martian rule."

"Princess Kaguya, good to see you again after this time," Yorihime said, bowing to Kaguya. "Don't be alarmed, no matter the circumstances we will not press any charges against you, Lady Yagokoro or Reisen."

"We could even let you back on the moon if you help out~" Toyohime smiled, also bowing.

"Ah, that's good to hear…" Kaguya nodded, rubbing her eyes as if she had just woken up. "I've started to take a liking to staying here in Eientei, though…"

"Ah, I understand," Yorihime nodded, with a slight look at Toyohime with the corner of her eyes.

"I'm retaking the sisters under me as my pupils, we need to train for the likely possibility of a Martian assault against Gensokyo. I plan to help out in the retaking of the moon to help the sisters as well as the moon rabbits that have migrated here," Eirin explained to Kaguya, who was still rubbing her eyes and didn't appear to be awake enough to be paying attention to her.

"I see…" She said, seemingly lying as she wasn't in the state of mind to be listening to Eirin. "I'll go wake up now…"

"Very well, Princess," Eirin said, as Kaguya left the room.

*Spell Card!* Character Insight!

Reimu Hakurei: She is the Shrine Maiden of the Hakurei Shrine, as well as main protagonist of the Touhou Series. She is rather straightforward and optimistic, however spends a lot of her spare time lazing around within the Hakurei Shrine. She has the ability to float, to the point where she can float through life. This allows her to become invulnerable for as long as she wishes, however this was deemed far too powerful for the 'Spell Card Rules' until Marisa Kirisame gave it a name and time limit. As well as this, like Watatsuki no Yorihime, she possesses the ability to invoke Gensokyo's Native Gods into her body and borrow their powers, however she is not as trained in this ability as Yorihime is.

Marisa Kirisame: She prides herself on being an ordinary magician, as well as the sub-protagonist of the Touhou Series. She is very informal with everyone, no matter who she is talking to, and is a habitual liar. She also has an occupation as a thief, often sneaking into places and taking things without the owner's consent. She has an innate ability to use magic, and often takes her own attacks from other people, such as her 'Love Sign 'Master Spark'' being incredibly similar to Yuuka Kazami's laser attacks, as well as her 'Love Sign 'Non-Directional Laser'' being taken from Patchouli Knowledge.

Kaguya Houraisan: Former Princess of the moon who was exiled due to using the 'Hourai Elixir' made by Eirin Yagokoro. She now spends most of her days sleeping and indoors, often not going outside. She also shares a rivalry with 'Fujiwara no Mokou' due to Kaguya embarrassing Mokou's family with impossible requests when Mokou's father offered Kaguya his hand in marriage. She has the ability to manipulate eternity and instantaneous, which is essentially bringing things to a complete stop with the powers of eternity, or speeding them up greatly with the powers of instantaneous. Because of this, her powers are comparable to time manipulation.

Eirin Yagokoro: Eirin was the creator of the 'Hourai Elixir' that Kaguya drank, and because of this, she was also exiled to Gensokyo along with the Princess. She is an enigmatic person surrounded by many mysteries, and her answers to those mysteries serve only to strengthen such mysteries. She has naturally high intellect, and because of this, she comes of as impatient and condescending at times. She has the ability to make any drug, which is the ability she used to create the Hourai Elixir. She also taught the Watatsuki Sisters.

Reisen Undongein Inaba: A moon rabbit who fled to the Earth and found Kaguya and Eirin. Surprised to meet these notorious figures, she requested asylum within Eientei and became Kaguya's pet, as well as Eirin's student and medicine seller. She was originally the pet of the Watatsuki sisters, before she fled to Earth. She is a loyal pet to Kaguya and protects Eirin as well, however, despite being frowned upon by the lunarians, attempts to help the Lunar Capital during Junko's attempts to take over it. She has the ability to manipulate insanity, which she often does when people look into her eyes. Once they do, they begin to lose sanity.