Marisa flew down in front of the steps leading to Myouren Temple, as she leaned her broom against a nearby tree. She nodded, walking up the stairs, until halfway up them…

"Boo!" A turquoise haired youkai said, leaping out of the bushes on the side of the stairs. She had heterochromia, with her right eye matching the colour of her hair, while her left eye was a shade of red. She also held an umbrella in her hands.

Marisa didn't seem fazed by the youkai's attempt to scare her. "Hmm. Nah, you're not important enough to hear about this," She said, walking past her and up the stairs.

"What?" She asked as Marisa walked away, scurrying up the stairs as she grabbed Marisa's clothes. "First you don't get surprised by me, now you're saying i'm not important? I knew it, i'm worthless as a youkai and a living being. I should just give up on surprising people and starve if i'm not good at anything!"

"Eh, you go do that," Marisa said, pushing her hand away from her clothes. "I have very urgent business with Byakuren and the residents of the temple at this moment in time. You're much less important to the current state everything's apparently in."

"Huh? B-but i'm here aren't I? Doesn't that make me a resident?" she asked, persisting on not letting Marisa walk up the stairs.

"Maybe you are, but not an important enough one," Marisa said, pushing Kogasa away once again and trying to walk up the stairs. "This is getting annoying. Go back to your hidey-hole until i'm done. Then try again on my way out. Who knows, you might get lucky."

"Lucky? So the only reason some humans get surprised by me is because of luck?" Kogasa asked, lowering her head down. "I knew it. I have no skill at surprising people, or anything at all! I should just give up and stay in the bushes until I die!"

"I'd say that'd help, but I doubt Byakuren would let you die. Just wait for someone else, 'k?" Marisa said, as she walked up the stairs again.

"Fine! But if I can't surprise the next person then that's my hint to give up forever!" Kogasa shouted, walking back down the stairs and into the bush again.

Marisa reached the top of the stairs and walked through the gate, into the outside of the temple. Byakuren was already waiting for her, however, as she was standing near the gate, ready to greet whoever came up. "Huh? You're here already?"

"You set off our alarm," Byakuren said, smiling as she held her hat to fight against the wind.

"Alarm?" Marisa asked, with a questioning look on her face.

"Kogasa," Byakuren said simply, to which Marisa nodded in realisation. "Anyway, it isn't that often that you come to this temple. What triggered your change of mind to come visit us, Marisa?"

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Marisa said, walking through the gate further. "Y'see, Yukari told Reimu to go look for people to help us, then Reimu told me to go look for people to help u-"

"I don't think that information is necessary. Knowing you, you wouldn't come to tell us this on your own accord," Byakuren said, still smiling as she did. As she said that, a bright, white light flew out from the edges of the temple area and around them, seemingly listening in to whatever they were talking about.

"Oh, hey Nue," Marisa said, to which the white light materialised into a girl with black hair, sporting one red wing split into three that pointed upwards, and one blue wing that pointed downwards and was also split into three.

"Oh, you had to ruin it," Nue said, sighing as she narrowed her eyes a little. "Ah well, the two of you have already seen my true form before."

"Well, I suppose you are pretty strong. I guess you can listen in to what I have to say," Marisa said, smiling at Nue.

"What do you have to say?" Byakuren asked, still giving off her friendly and warming atmosphere despite the waiting.

"Well, y'see-"

"Boo!" Kogasa's voice came from the stairs to the shrine.

"Gah!" Another voice said, seemingly scared by Kogasa's successful attempt to surprise them.

"Oh, time to go back to being unidentifiable," Nue said, as she returned to looking like a white light through the eyes of Marisa and Byakuren, seemingly through the eyes of the newcomer.

"Woohoo!" Kogasa said, charging up the stairs as she was overwhelmed by happiness. "See, Marisa! Didn't I tell you I could surprise someone easily. I was going easy on you."

"You were the one saying you couldn't," Marisa said, sighing as the newcomer walked up the stairs. She had light, blonde hair down to her shoulders as well as green eyes.

"Way to give a greeting," Yorimi said, looking around. "Ah, I wasn't aware there was two others here also. Apologies if i'm interrupting anything. I'm new around here so I thought i'd visit anywhere nearby."

"Welcome to the Myouren Temple," Byakuren greeted, smiling at Yorimi. "What's your name?"

"Yorimi Kawakami," Yorimi introduced. "How about you?"

"Byakuren Hijiri. Nice to meet you, Yorimi. This is Marisa Kirisame, and the one who's overjoyed with glee is Kogasa Tatara."

"Yes, yes. Fine, Kogasa, you get to hear what I have to say. And I guess it wouldn't hurt to let newbie hear as well," Marisa said, as she prepared herself to speak. "Where was I? Oh, yes. So Yukari told Reimu that a bunch of people from Mars took over the moon and won the war, then Reimu told me that. Yukari fears that the fate of Gensokyo is badly at stake so she wants as many people to get ready for battle as possible. That's what Yukari wanted Reimu to do, and what Reimu wanted me to do."

"Ah, so you want me to prepare for a big battle?" Byakuren asked, surprised to hear such things offered to her. "No can do, i'm afraid. We believe in peace between us all, so fighting in such a large war would go against our beliefs."

"Haven't you battle people before?" Marisa sighed, before looking at Byakuren again. "Although, if things turn incredibly sour, can we rely on you to provide any sort of back-up that you can?"

"Well…" Byakuren sighed, before nodding slowly. "If someone's life is at stake, I should help in anyway I can to stop them from dying."

"Alright, good t'hear," Marisa said, before looking at Kogasa. "What about you, Kogasa? Do you want to make yourself useful for once and at least try to possibly save everyone's life?"

"Huh?" Kogasa asked, before frowning. "It's an order from Yukari, right? She's basically the head of Gensokyo, so I have to listen to her either way, right?"

"Yeah, you need to train triple as much as everyone else if you're going to help in anyway whatsoever though," Marisa said, before turning her head to Yorimi. "Look, I know you're new here an' all, but Yukari seems desperate for all the help she can get. Wanna help us out?"

"Huh?" Yorimi asked, seemingly snapping back into reality. "People from another planet threatening ours? Well… I can't really refuse in that case, can I?"

"Exactly," Marisa said, closing one eye as she pointed at Yorimi and smiled. "I'm busy right now, so I can't train with ya. Just remember, it's important for us, 'k?"

Yorimi nodded, as Marisa walked off, running down the stairs and flying away on her broom, up from the south towards the west. When she left, Byakuren turned to Yorimi.

"So, Yorimi, would you like to stay at the temple for now?" Byakuren offered. "The temple will always be open and accepting to humans and youkai alike. You can always return here if you have any questions about Gensokyo."

"Oh, certainly!" Yorimi said, nodding to Byakuren. "I'd like to stay here for now, thank you for the offer."

Meanwhile, Marisa landed outside the Moriya Shrine, leaning her broom against the gate and walking through. She looked around, before setting eyes on Sanae, who was outside sweeping the floors. "Hey, Sanae," Marisa called, catching Sanae's attention.

"Oh, it's just you," Sanae said, stopping her sweeping as she looked at Marisa. "Why are you here?"

"Actually, it's something more directed for Kanako, but you can listen in as well," Marisa said, as a godly power began to emerge in front of the shrine.

"Who is it that calls for me?" Kanako asked, as she materialised from the godly power and looked at Marisa. "Oh, it's just you. Why are you here?"

"Ah, here you are," Marisa said, as she gestured for the two of them to listen in. "Well, y'see-"

"What's all the commotion, Kanako?" Suwako said as she walked out of the shrine and looked at Marisa. "Oh, it's just you. Why are you here?"

"You all spend way too much time with each other," Marisa said, as a sort of sweatdrop emerged on her forehead. "Yukari told Reimu who told me to tell everyone I can and spread the word that some Mars people took over the moon and seem to be planning to take over Gensokyo. Yukari wants everyone to train and prepare for the possible invasion. Woo - that's the last time I gotta say that," Marisa said, adding the end part with a sigh and gesture of relief.

"Count me in," Kanako said, instantly after hearing the explanation. "If we perform well in this war, better than Miko's group and Byakuren's group, then the amount of faith we have in Gensokyo will sky-rocket as we become the new saviors of Gensokyo."

"Saviors of Gensokyo?" Sanae repeated, before nodding herself. "Then i'll join too. Being the heroine in such a great story will be great, indeed."

"Eh, i've been bored around here lately," Suwako said, raising her hands behind her head as she smiled. "I suppose joining you all would help the shrine and all, but it'll save me from dying due to boredom. Count me in."

"Wow… that was certainly the most frank answer i've had so far," Marisa said, surprised at how quickly all three of them agreed to help them.

"Well, you got your answer from us. Marisa, your time in my presence is over. Sanae, you go tell the tengu's about all this." Kanako said, smiling as Marisa nodded, flying away on her broom.

"Understood, Miss Kanako," Sanae said, running off from the shrine to go tell the tengus of the mountain about the oncoming threat.

Meanwhile, within the invisible Martian city, Kasumi was training in order to become stronger, trying new tricks with her ability to summon anything as her familiars. Whilst she was in the middle of a hard training session, however, Saiko walked in and interrupted her.

"Kasumi, I need to talk to you about something," She said simply, to which Kasumi turned around and looked at her.

"What is it?" Kasumi asked, walking over to Saiko.

"Come with me. It may help drastically with your ability to defeat that god summoner," Saiko said, gesturing for Kasumi to follow her. As they walked through the halls of the palace, they reached a prison. Within the prison were two captives, Sagume Kishin, as well as Lord Tsukuyomi. The bars and inside of the cells appeared to be infused with magical power, preventing even gods from escaping.

"I put chemicals in the water that Sagume drank that stopped her from talking," Saiko said, nodding towards Sagume's cell. "That way, she can't use her ability to stop us from plotting against Gensokyo. In the meantime, Kasumi, you're ability is described as summoning anything as your familiar, correct?"

"Yes, it is," Kasumi said, narrowing her eyes at Saiko, not understanding what she was trying to say.

"Well, if you can summon anything, then that would include things more powerful than you, correct?" Saiko said, not allowing an answer to come from Kasumi. "And since it's your familiar, it will stay loyal to you. So what i'm saying is, if you study up enough on what godkin is like, you theoretically would be able to summon your own gods, with their own levels of power. Against someone like her, that would be very helpful. You'd be fighting fire with fire, but your fire may end up greater, brighter and hotter than hers if you play your cards right and learn about your own ability."

"You're… right…" Kasumi said, as a smile emerged on her face. "If I learn how to summon gods as familiars, then I would definitely be the strongest Martian, right? Even stronger than Hiroko, who beat Tsukuyomi, right?"

"Well, in theory, you could," Saiko said, before sighing. "Although, I don't know myself how far her power reaches. She proved to us that she is much stronger than us by defeating a powerful god within seconds, however that might be the level that your gods can not reach. However, you could certainly surpass the god summoner. That's why I brought you here. We have a strong god in the flesh and blood right here for you to learn about from. Study up, then practice. Hiroko is preparing us for something big, I assure you."

"You're right, Saiko," Kasumi nodded. "Perhaps I was getting a bit too over my head in thinking i'd be able to handle Hiroko, especially after what you just said. But beating that god summoner is good enough for me, and i'd even be able to play a huge part in taking this 'Gensokyo' place."

"Indeed," Saiko said, walking away. "I leave you alone now. I trust that you will use your time wisely, and eventually breach into the realm of gods with your abilities."

Meanwhile, within the Lunar Capital, Kaiya cheerfully jumped up to Hiroko. She was wearing a black hat that she had found somewhere within the Lunar Capital, which covered the entirety of the top of her head with a ring that circled it. It had a red ribbon tied around it, and it was black in colour.

"Uhm, Kaiya? What happened here?" Hiroko asked, looking at Kaiya's new hat.

"I fought that Lunarian and decided that I should get a hat similar to hers, so I got a black one instead of a white one and instead of her pink ribbon, mine is red. I like it," Kaiya smiled as she held the side of her hat.

"Okay…" Hiroko said, her face still not changing from a confused look. "Anyway, what made you such a fashion freak?"

"Well, you showed me how everyone looks in Gensokyo, and judging by that Lunarian's look, it seems like hats are in fashion on this satellite and on the planet. I can see why, they're comfy and fun to wear. Toyohime made me realise my look was outdated by now," Kaiya smiled, as Hiroko was even more confused.

"So… you mean to tell me you've always been a fashion freak? Except you've been confined in one city so you didn't know what was happening outside of that?" Hiroko asked.

Kaiya nodded. "Mhm! Back on my planet before you came and brought me to Mars, I was always up to date with new looks. Although, this hat wearing trend seems to be the best one yet. Oh - don't worry Hiroko! Your ribbons and dress still look cute, you're still alright. No need for you to change," She said as she saw Hiroko's face shift a little.

"Didn't… plan to…" Hiroko said, still looking weirdly at Kaiya with new information about her character. "Anyway… you're aware we're all getting ready for a big war, right?"

"Oh, yeah, I know about that," Kaiya said, smiling. "I don't like fighting that much, as you know, but it can't hurt to have more powerful people when going up against so many foes. You've already got ribbons in your hair, but Kasumi, Saiko and Yorimi don't have anything on their heads. I'll have to take them all shopping some time soon."

"Yeah… you do that…" Hiroko said, nodding as she was still trying to get over Kaiya's new revelation. "Slowly but surely, with all these hats, we'll become more and more like the people down there…"

"That can't hurt, right?" Kaiya said, still smiling and cheerful as before. "Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about that. I'll go now." she said as she left the room, leaving Hiroko alone again.

"The second highest ranked person from Mars other than me genuinely just charged in my room to talk to me about her hat…" Hiroko muttered to herself. "Can't say nothing… interesting… happened today."

*Spell Card!* Character Insight!

Kogasa Tatara: A Karakasa Obake where both the girl and umbrella are considered as one entity, and neither of them are separable from the other. She makes job out of surprising people wherever she goes, whether it be Myouren Temple, Human Village or anywhere else in Gensokyo. Unlike most other youkai, however, she does not need to eat humans to survive. Instead, the spirit gained from surprising them keeps her filled. She is often a cheerful youkai, however when she fails to surprise someone (which is often) she easily gets depressed.

Byakuren Hijiri: A buddhist monk who believes that youkais, humans and all beings should be at peace with each other rather than be in conflict. She is kind to both humans and youkai, however these actions may cause some humans to avoid her and Myouren Temple due to the everlasting conflict between humans and youkai. As a monk and magician, she has the ability to use magic, however she specialises in physical enhancement magic, such as being able to increase her speed drastically, to a point where she can outrun Reimu Hakurei's 'Fantasy Seal'.

Nue Houjuu: Similar to Kogasa Tatara, Nue Houjuu also makes an occupation out of scaring people, using the fear of the unknown as well as the fear of her true form. Nue is a mischievous girl who enjoys malicious pranks, however reacts badly when anyone finds out her true form. To accompany this wanting to stay unidentified, she has the ability to make anything unidentifiable. Using this ability, she often keeps herself wrapped in a ball of light to stay undetected by people.

Sanae Kochiya: A human shrine maiden, however is also a distant descendant of Suwako Moriya, the goddess to which the shrine she serves was originally owned by. Sanae is confident, dutiful as well as energetic at most times. Unlike most shrine maidens and people close to gods, she is a very scientific person, much like Kanako Yasaka. She also enjoys seeing herself as the hero of a fantasy novel or game. Like Reimu, she has the ability to summon gods to help her, however she can only summon Kanako and Suwako. She also has the ability to make miracles occur.

Kanako Yasaka: The goddess of wind and rain. Long ago, Kanako and Suwako got into a war which eventually ended in Kanako's victory over Suwako, making the Moriya Shrine now technically owned by her. She is an ambitious woman, treating religion as a business, where the profit is more faith. Unlike most gods, however, she encourages scientific progress and demands little formalities in her worship. She has the ability to summon wind and rain, which she does so to help grant a good harvest for humans, gathering faith. Suwako and her have also been sighted altering the terrain.

Suwako Moriya: The goddess of mountains. Contrasting to Kanako, Suwako is much more laid back and mischievous. However, she is potentially just as capable of scheming as Kanako is. Long ago, she lost a war against Kanako, and lost her shrine to the god of wind and rain in the process. She has the ability to create earthiness, which allows her to 'swim' through the ground, as well as create magma and geysers, which is likely how she contributes in altering the terrain. Her hat also resembles a frog, causing some people to mistake her as the 'frog god'.