Keep bringing on the reviews. And this story is close to 2,000 views already. Just plain amazing.
Also, I wonder if this is doing the job of introducing more people to Touhou.
For those familiar with it, yes, those three fairies mentioned in the previous episode were the three mischievous fairies.
On a personal note, "The Capital City of Flowers in the Sky" is hands down my favorite song in the entire series.
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is owned by Nagaru Tanigawa. Touhou Project is owned by ZUN and Team Shanghai Alice. I own neither. This is a fan fiction of those works.
[This Chapter has been Remastered]
Beta Readers for this Episode(Alphabetical Order):
Serendipital
Sky Rider (Left Project - Had this chapter for 8 months, and only beta read half of it.)
superstarultra
We were above the clouds. The sun was setting - the final sliver of sunlight came over the horizon to signal the end of daylight for this awfully busy day we went through. Well, that part was kind of a lie though. We spent most of the day just walking or flying around Gensokyo, doing nothing but hearing the history of either me or Gensokyo's game of danmaku. I was sort of glad that we didn't explain ourselves to Alice. She seemed like she urgently wanted us to be on our way – though more to get rid of Reimu than anything else. Anyways, that wasn't the light we were looking at. The four of us were in awe. Alice the only one who maintained composure.
I heard myself whisper, "What the hell is that?" Ever since waking up from that coma, I've been in awe of quite a few things, but this one was above just about anything else I've encountered.
Alice merely pointed to it, unemotional. "That's it."
A bright light, up in the air, giving off this purple aura, among other colors like blue and red. It was amazing. Like the aurora borealis, the sky was painted with a cacophony of colors, stretching them across the sky, yet they were originating from a singular point. Cherry blossoms were seen coming from the direction of the light. It was absolutely breathtaking to see. So that's it. Whatever that is, that's where the cherry blossoms are coming from?
"The realm of the dead. Hakugyokurou."
We all turned to Alice. I felt as if the wind was knocked out of me. There's no way, right?
"What?!" You just drop that on me? You seriously drop that on me like it was the most casual thing in the world?! She just merely nodded, before floating back below cloud level. Drop a bombshell like that and just leave? Seriously?
"Wait! Alice!"
The puppeteer looked up at Reimu, her face expressionless. "I did what I said I was going to do." Alice bowed. "I have fulfilled the task I said I would do." And with that, she disappeared down into the clouds, leaving the four of us in the heavens, and me in a state of shock.
I still couldn't believe what she said, even after some time had passed.
Hakugyokurou. Said to be the afterlife realm for artists, where ghosts were said to visit every spring for flower viewing. Famous for its cherry blossom gardens.
How fitting.
But for it to actually exist... The afterlife?
It just keeps building and building, doesn't it?
[Imperfect Cherry Blossom]
[Episode 7]
["Instrument"]
"There is a secret place in Gensokyo that is already enjoying the full bloom of spring.
Literally no living human knows about it...
And there were few humans in Gensokyo to begin with.
Spring has yet to come."
- Perfect Cherry Blossom: Prologue
=The Cherry Blossom Barrier from above the Clouds=
"Cherry Petals have been falling from above the clouds.
Does the legendary place really exist?"
-Touhou 7, Perfect Cherry Blossom - Stage 4
We were quiet as we approached the source of the light, the true source of the cherry blossoms. Nothing but the sound of the blaring cold winter wind below us. The snowstorm picked up big time - when we left Alice's house, it started coming down hard. Heaviest I, or any of my three companions, have ever seen. That night would have a massive blizzard.
In the back of my mind, I made a little connection, thinking of Ragnarok, the end of days for Norse mythology where the world was covered in an endless snowstorm. I hoped that wouldn't be the case for this place.
I still couldn't believe that I was chosen to actually help Whiterock's plan. If I had stayed out there, as Alice had said, none of the cherry blossoms would be seen in Gensokyo. And Sakuya, Reimu, and Marisa wouldn't have the best clue as to where to start with their investigations. They might have gotten lucky if they wandered around, but still, I couldn't talk about what ifs. What's done is done. I'm here, I'm helping them, and I'm getting home.
Me being used like that just caused something to snap. I felt like I needed to see this through, Haruhi's creation or not, to make Letty's plan fail and fail hard. For me to be a part of a plot to freeze over a land from some fairy tale villain… If I see that snow ghost again...well, what can I do? I can't fight in here. I'll have to depend on the girls to take on Whiterock and make sure she pays for getting me involved like this. Though maybe I can use my lighter to melt her or something. I don't know. Somewhat like the flashlight and that youkai of shadows I met back in January.
That is, of course, assuming what Alice told us was true. But I didn't think about that. I believed her, and the girls did as well. Besides, it was obvious that the blossoms were coming from where we were headed.
It wasn't even bothering me that we were thousands of meters up in the air – we had to be, in order to be above the clouds. This closed space had to be massive to reach above the cloud base height. Then again, because of the clouds covering the entirety of Gensokyo, I couldn't see the ground any more. That may have tricked my mind into thinking I wasn't as high up as I was. The only thing holding me up that far into the air was Marisa and a wooden stick.
...Yeah, I can't dwell on that. I just can't.
Reimu held up her hand, signaling us to stop. "You hear that?"
Marisa slowed down, cupping a hand over her ear. "Hear what?"
Sakuya tilted her head. I started to hear it as well. "...What the...?"
I strained myself to pay attention, but it was faint. Just over the sound of the wind, I could barely make it out. "Is that music?" Piano, trumpet, and violin, playing some tune. Whatever song it was, it was enjoyable (from what I could make of it), but I've never heard that song before. Afterlife for artists, huh? Yeah, this is lining up.
The fox woman couldn't follow them anymore. There was nowhere to really hide herself, other than in the clouds, and it was a windy mess in them. After the puppeteer and the four left, she went up, and watched them head towards the true goal. She'd have to go back home - having done everything that she could, although she'd like to do more.
The wind started to blare. She was not looking forward to navigating in this. She could fly above the clouds, but she couldn't risk those four seeing her just yet.
This was going to suck.
"Ayayaya. You're unable to follow them, too."
From below she came. White shirt, black skirt, and that funny looking red hat. What was it called? A tokin? The crow-tengu girl's shoulder-length black hair flapped a bit due to how close to the clouds she was. The woman jolted in surprise when she saw her rise up next to her, those wings flapping.
"So we tengu aren't the only ones who know something is going down. If this were a normal winter, we'd enjoy it. I'd enjoy it, because the wind can carry me even faster. However, this winter has gotten really bad - even youkai aren't having fun anymore. At least we can depend on the Shrine Maiden to get things done for us." She held out her hand. "Aya Shameimaru. I write Gensokyo's Fastest and Most Accurate Record of Reality, the Bunbunmaru Newspaper!"
When the fox woman didn't shake her hand, Aya shrugged and continued, bringing out her journal and pencil, ready to write. "Hmph. Okay. But I don't know why you're acting like this. The both of us have been following those humans pretty much all day. I got some amazing pictures of their battles, enough stuff to write multiple articles about," the tengu said as she flipped a few pages in the journal. Aya then went back to her original page, again ready to write. "But what's your story? I know you work for that border youkai. Or...or does she still like to be called a demon? Anyways, what's your name again? Ren? Rin? Ah yes, Ran. Ran Yakumo. Servant to that Border Demon. Why are you following them?"
Ran sighed as she went down into the clouds, wanting to avoid the tengu and her questions. Besides, Ran knew about the Bunbunmaru - it was a poorly written paper.
"It has to do with the boy from the outside world, doesn't it? Kyon, right?" Aya smiled, narrowing her red eyes as Ran shot a look back up at her. "Ayayaya. Did you forget? We tengu have advanced sight and hearing abilities. I don't even have to be near like you to hear things. So shall I be forced to write what I think is going on, or can I get an interview from someone who has a hand in this? Because if I am forced to write down what I think is going on, I'll have no choice but to include the name of a certain kitsune, and have her picture in the papers when she used that spell card on the fairies. However, I do take pride in my ability to protect my sources in anonymity."
Ran clenched her fists, getting a chuckle from Aya in response.
"Ayayaya. If you want to attack, go ahead. I can run circles around you. I am the fastest creature in Gensokyo, after all." Aya moved close to Ran, grinning from ear to ear. "So what do you say, Miss Ran? Do you want to be front page news or will you give me what I want?"
Again, I'll say it. It was amazing, but what we found was wondrous. We approached a large gate in the sky, and right above it, a light shining out of what appeared to be a tear in space-time itself. The gate had a platform in front of it with four columns; a perfect little square, floating in the air. But the gate connected to nothing - there was absolutely nothing behind it. Yet the light that seeped through the cracks of the gate was obviously the source of the colors we had seen earlier.
There was something else seeping.
"Girls, what's that?" I felt my body tense upon seeing glowing orbs pouring out of the tear, coming right for us. You gotta be kidding me.
Sakuya brought out her knives, genuine concern on her voice as she hurriedly spoke. "Ah - ah - Red-White?!"
I held on tighter to Marisa. "Tell me those aren't what I think they are!" I know our goal may be the afterlife, but-
"They are, Kyon! Ghosts!"
Really bad time for me to find out that ghosts really exist! An army of ghosts firing energy shots at us at that.
Reimu brought out some amulets, her face going serious. "Blast them!"
Marisa, Sakuya, and Reimu opened fire, mowing down the mobs of ghosts as they came right at us.
"Well, Red-White, I think this is a good an admission of guilt as any!" Sakuya watched as a wave of ghosts fell to her knife throwing. "We now know where the people who took the spring come from!"
This doesn't make any sense though! Then again, par for the course in a world made by Haruhi, right? That is, if it is made by her. "But the afterlife? What do they want with spring?"
"We'll work on that later, Kyon!" Reimu let loose her needles, as they took down a line of advancing spirits. "Let's just go in, get the spring, and be done with it!"
Couldn't argue with how blunt Reimu was with that logic. Especially since it would get me out of there faster.
Marisa made a quick move that made me hold on tighter. She called out as she shot a laser at the incoming ghosts. "Something tells me the afterlife isn't gonna be friendly about us barging in, ze!"
"You think? Well, they took our spring! We need to get it back!" Sakuya said that as she brought out a spell card.
[SPELL CARD: ILLUSION SIGN "KILLING DOLL"]
Another wall of ghosts fell, unable to stand against our maid companion's precision knife-throwing. "Come on! Enough small fry!"
[SPELL CARD: MAGIC SIGN "MILKY WAY"]
The colorful stars that formed around Marisa and I homed in on the next wave, dissipating the ghosts into nothingness. "Woo! Get some, da ze!"
[SPELL CARD: SPIRIT SIGN "FANTASY SEAL ~ CONCENTRATE"]
Again, mowed down. The homing shots didn't even make it fair.
"They just won't stop!" How many afterlives are we ending here? Jeez!
Wait, were we ending afterlives? Was that even possible? Then again, I wasn't in a position to say, nor in a position to deduce the logic of this! All I could say was when they were hit, they dropped, and didn't attack.
"Reimu! Sakuya! Barrier time!"
Marisa tossed up a few blossoms. The two girls put a hand on my shoulder as I absorbed them, the red barrier coming to life. Then we all sped up, charging.
I have to say that this was awesome. The ghosts didn't stand a chance. None of them did. Not with the combined might of the maid, the witch, and the miko. I finally felt confidence, what with the way these three were finally on the same page.
We can't lose.
Oh, if only things were that easy.
Patchouli walked down the hallway. The snowstorm was picking up out there. She narrowed her eyes, knowing that unless she bundled up well tonight, she'd only get sick again.
A cough came out of nowhere, her lungs stung with the sudden action. Patchouli rolled her eyes in response to that. Great. She possibly caught something already. This winter had gone on for too long. She wondered why Remi didn't take it as seriously. Well, it wasn't as if she was going to run out of food these past months, not with the boy there, which was why she bothered keeping him here in the first place, besides honoring Patchouli's request. But his blood carrying that blessing, or whatever it truly was, kind of cut off that supply.
The boy was an interesting study. A normal human male, mid-teens. Japanese. Yet for him to experience what he had, to survive his experiences, to change the world to what it was on multiple occasions… Remi was right. Things were getting interesting out there. But for a single human individual to have the sheer power to create from absolute nothingness? Well, it was the very concept of a creator, or God.
Religion is one thing, it can be altered to fit the individuals who are in control of the religion. For actual Gods, though that was an entirely different matter. Gods ran on faith. At least in her experience. Though this, what was her name, Haruhi? She wondered about her. And the others. Yes, the boy had a male "friend" that he didn't think much of at times. That friend, the esper, and his Organization. Seeking to protect their God, and their world by resolving incidents, not unlike that Miko and the Witch who steals the books from the library.
There were indeed a lot of similarities to be seen there. The one he referenced Patchouli to, the one with what he once called "Bogus Magic". Nagato. The book reader, the quiet one. He said that they had the same colored hair even, Patchouli and her. The one he counted on to get things done. Then there was the time traveler, who only seemed to be of moderate use. Though for her to send him back in time to "inspire" the creator, it made her important. And then there was the creator herself. A selfish little girl who can unconsciously control and manipulate everything around her, and who had to be grounded by the boy. Patchouli wondered who could be the ground for Remi.
"Lady Patchouli?" The voice of her assistant brought Patchouli out of her thoughts.
Patchouli eyed the little devil, her mind still a bit preoccupied with her thoughts. "Ah, Koakuma. Could you please go to the Library and prepare my tea? I won't be long. Oh, and prepare the cough medicine. I do believe I'm coming down with something again. As for dinner, well, the usual Udon will do."
Koakuma gave a bow. "Yes, Lady Patchouli. But may I ask where you're going?"
"The fairy child. I believe I told you earlier." Very unusual for fairies to give birth. Normally they spawn from nature. It was another one of the curiosities that Patchouli had kept close. Studying and tutoring this new type of creature was becoming fruitful. Gensokyo seemed to have some effect on youkai, changing them slightly, making them more… human? It was definitely worth looking into. She heard of youkai taking the time to look more and more human, of integrating with the village, even. It made Patchouli a little giddy with excitement over the implications of it all. There was always something to discover about Gensokyo. "The little test subject."
"Oh. Oh yes." With that, Koakuma bowed and left.
Patchouli smiled as she watched her familiar go about her business. So obedient. So helpful.
*creak*
Patchouli looked up, her heart skipping a beat, her train of thought cut short. The mansion was making a lot of noise, what with all that snow on the roof. They would send servants out to clear off all the snow, but each night, it just piled on back. Though since she strengthened all the pillars with magic, she wasn't worried. Actually, she shouldn't be worried, yet why was she?
Maybe she should increase the potency. Yes, that'll do. She continued walking down the hall, her mind already going through her list of seals, symbols, and barriers, mentally looking for the right one. Nothing a little magic can't fix.
Yes. Nothing to worry about.
The ghosts stopped coming. We made our way closer to the huge door, and there was a woman standing on the platform, staring us down. I clenched my jaw upon seeing her. The woman in white. The yuki-onna. Letty Whiterock.
Upon seeing who it was, Sakuya shouted. "That ice bitch! I'll kill her this time!"
Obviously Sakuya felt some guilt that we had the person behind all of this in our grasp earlier today, and let her run away. Sakuya threw a few knives at the yuki-onna, who simply held up her hand, a sheet of ice forming, blocking them all. More knives appeared all around her, but again, more sheets of ice got in the way. I couldn't help but curse along with Sakuya in frustration over that. Looks like the yuki-onna was merely toying with us earlier, not serious in the Danmaku battle that morning. She was showing us how powerful she really was at that point.
Letty smiled, and let out a chuckle. "Fufufu. My, my, the three suddenly start working together after all of their bickering when they see the true enemy. It's like a poorly written story that wants to hurry up and make up for little character development."
"For the record, I don't bicker with anyone, ze."
No, you're just flirting with me. I'm not complaining, however.
"Give up, Whiterock!" Reimu pointed at the yuki-onna. "We're returning Spring to Gensokyo!"
And getting me back home. Don't forget that, Reimu!
Whiterock showed no emotional response to that except another smile. "Fufufu. You actually think you stand a chance in there? Even if you kill me here and enter, you'll doom existence. You don't know what's in there, do you? You're playing right into her plan. No, my little miko, what you need to do is go back down there and enjoy an eternal winter!" Letty's smile dropped. "Because it's better than the alternative." She stared at us, to give emphasis to her words. It sounded like she meant that. "That was my plan as well, to avoid a certain outcome. All you have to do is make that boy go home, and none of you will die."
We all looked at each other, Sakuya gritting her teeth. "Stop speaking in riddles, ice-bitch!"
Wow, Sakuya can get aggressive.
"Oh, that's language unbecoming of a maid. But I'm not speaking in riddles - go inside there, and you'll doom not only yourselves, but everyone you ever cared for." Letty crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "The same goes for the boy and his world." She gazed at me with her cold eyes (how fitting), smiling. My anger was ebbing away, with her tone. "How about it, boy? Your friends, your family? They've been worried sick about you. And that one girl, Haruhi, she misses you so dearly. You don't know what's been going on out there. Your esper friends are hard at work, though they are dying at an increased rate. They can't keep up with all those closed spaces."
My eyes widened. She knows all about me. My thoughts went back to the people I knew. I mean, I have been referencing them, but I actually haven't given them much thought that day. I did not want to, actually.
But to hear about the espers dying out there...all the closed spaces forming. Everything I've done out there to keep things relatively normal just gone... Even hearing that Haruhi was missing me was a bit much.
Whiterock noticed the shock on my face. "Oh, yes, I learned a few things about you, boy. Where you live, where your friends live, what your life was all about. Mostly because they talk about you, and how much they miss you." Letty put her hands behind her back, her smirk making my skin crawl.
I guess this was how it felt to meet a true evil person. Sad that I used to want to feel this. Now...to actually be there, I regretted it.
"Go home, boy. End it. Forget about the plight of Gensokyo. Otherwise you'll doom not only this world, but yours. Nothing will stop it. Just turn back now and allow me to cover Gensokyo in white forever!"
Man, she's just like the bad guys in the comics.
"After all, you don't know of the mistress of this place, do you?" Whiterock's smile widened. She seemed to be really enjoying this whole speech. "Did you know she can kill you by merely willing it? Such a terrifying power! And you four want to oppose her?"
You know, nobody told us about that part. My anger had dissipated, replaced by uncertainty. I think the same went for my three companions. Sakuya was no longer looking like she was ready to kill...she was troubled. All of us were.
I mean, nobody said that the person behind this was that powerful!
No, wait, calm down. If something like Asakura could be beaten, then surely something like that can as well.
Right?
Thing is, there was no Nagato there in Gensokyo. It was at that point that I thought we might be in a whole lot of trouble.
The music started to get louder, Letty casually turning to the gate in response. "Ah, it's your opposition. Well, I hope your teamwork skills are up to par. Well, no. If they are merely at par, you won't survive them. I advise you to leave now." Whiterock turned back to us, staring directly at me, smirking. "Do the smart thing, boy. Give up and run away. And allow winter to reign supreme."
I felt fear, anger, and a whole mix of emotions being addressed like that. I also felt useless. I couldn't fight against a being like Whiterock at all, could I?
The light from above the gate increased, catching the attention of all four of us and breaking me from my musing. It was otherworldly, beautiful. Then I looked back down.
Whiterock was gone.
"Girls," I blurted out. "Where'd she go?!"
"...Wha...No! That God Damn Ice-"
Marisa pointed at the rift and shouted, interrupting Sakuya before she could curse at Letty again. "Look!"
We didn't have time to be angry. Three figures appeared from the rift. Three girls. They burst through the opening, announcing themselves as the instruments they carried (they were playing by themselves) reached a crescendo.
A girl in a red band uniform with pink and black trim, and light brown hair and brown eyes, wore a red hat with a green shooting star symbol. She was carrying an electric keyboard. She had to be in her mid-to-late teens. "The Keyboardist and the youngest of the group! Lyrica!"
A girl in a light pink band uniform, with blue and black trim and wavy light blue hair and blue eyes, wore a pink hat with a sun symbol. She was carrying a trumpet. She had to be in her late teens. "The Trumpeter of the group! Merlin!"
A girl in a black band uniform, with white and red trim and gold eyes and short blonde hair, wore, wore a black hat with a red crescent moon symbol. She was carrying a violin. She had to be in her very late teens or very early twenties. "The Violinist and eldest of the group! Lunasa!"
They all posed in midair in overly dramatic fashion, announcing themselves.
"We are the Poltergeist Musical Performance Ensemble! The Phantom Prismriver Sisters!"
When did I transport into an anime? Seriously, that's what this feels like! Some overdone, over-dramatic introduction of characters of some midday anime!
These three sisters, these artists floated in front of the door. Again, more girls from Europe. I hated not knowing what nationality these people were. For a brief few seconds, I went over who was from where. With all the English books that were in my bedroom, I suppose Remilia is English, at least. Also, isn't "Remilia" an English name? But "Flandre" is supposed to be a French name. Agh! Head-hurting, but my mind didn't want to stop. Patchouli would be harder to nail down, that yuki-onna was also...
On the trail of a certain snow-ghost, my attention went back to the ghosts before me. Again, hard to pin down, except that they had to be from somewhere in Europe. Despite all the nationalities, everyone I've met in Gensokyo had surprisingly fluent Japanese.
Just like in all the anime and manga. No matter where in the world they are, everyone speaks Japanese. Convenient for me.
Back to the matter at hand - the Prismrivers. They were all smiling and had playful looks on their faces. Their heads and bodies were moving in tune in sync to some beat that wasn't being played. Looked like they were all about music.
"Let us in, Phantoms!" Reimu shouted as she moved forward, stopping a few meters away from the sisters. "We need to return spring to Gensokyo!"
Merlin smirked, twirling in the air, playfully. "Hmmm, we're sorry, but you don't have an instrument!"
Lunasa extended her arm at the gate. "It's too bad, really! You see, there is going to be a big performance for the flower viewing! We will be performing!"
Merlin stopped her twirl, pointing to all of us. "And you're not invited!"
Reimu crossed her arms, showing annoyance. "Hmmm...invited by ghosts...no thank you."
Sakuya floated forward, stopping at Reimu's side. The maid opened and closed her right hand as if she was loosening it up. "What, are you going to have a flower viewing party after this, or something?"
Merlin once again spoke. "Yes, we shall!"
"Sounds like fun," Sakuya nodded slightly.
As the maid said that, Lunasa interrupted. "But before that, we need stuff for the banquet!"
Lyrica smirked, staring directly at Sakuya. "It is the eve-feast of the flower viewing festival-"
Lunasa ran her tongue across the top row of her teeth, as she kept the beat Lyrica had in that previous sentence. "-And you are to serve as food!"
Lyrica laughed, and playfully hit a few notes on her keyboard. "Dog-meat dog-meat!"
Sakuya grimaced in response as Marisa and I moved forward (I was still on the broom with her). So wait, phantoms/ghosts eat humans too?
"My good friends, would you kindly open this door, ze?"
Merlin smiled at Marisa. "Oh, look! Lyrica has made a friend! Won't you listen to a performance piece, my good friend?"
Lunasa chimed in. "It's a song of welcome, to a dear good friend!"
Lyrica joined in as well. "Friend!"
What the hell is with these conversations? Seriously! Give me another philosophical lecture from Koizumi, God! Just fill the rest of my life with them until I die! The Prismrivers weren't taking our conversation seriously, it seemed, as they were having fun with what they were saying to us – they looked like they were enjoying themselves.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you don't plan on opening this gate, ze."
Well that's obvious. If this were a video game, I would say it was just about to be boss time.
The Prismrivers all kept smiling at us. Merlin spinning her trumpet with a finger, Lyrica cracking her knuckles, and Lunasa tuning her violin. I could tell that they weren't going to go easy on us. I knew at that point that the fight with them was going to be really, really bad.
It really is going to be boss time! Sorry, Marisa, if I'm holding onto you a bit too tight.
Lunasa, the obvious leader of the group, shouted out as she positioned her violin under her chin, tapping her bowstring against the neck of her instrument. "Well, then! Let's start the performance! Sisters, get ready!"
Merlin stopped spinning her trumpet and got ready to play. "Prepare for the greatest concert you'll ever hear!"
Lyrica pointed at all of us before readying her fingers over her keyboard. "And since it'll be your last, make sure to enjoy it to the fullest!"
Sakuya turned to us. "So who's taking these three on-"
Why'd she turn her back! I yelled out at her. "Sakuya, look out!"
Marisa pushed her, as the Prismrivers opened up on all of us.
Reimu was already dodging. "Looks like it's three on three here!"
This is going to get really chaotic!
The Prismrivers played their instruments, a stream of danmaku coming right for the girls, and a white streak circled them, forming even more and shooting it our way. They danced with the music they played, dodging any retaliation my companions were mounting and making it look easy. They danced around us in a circle, smiling as they played their instruments, attempting to get us in a crossfire.
Marisa smiled and brought out a spell card. "Just where I want you!"
[SPELL CARD: LOVE SIGN "NON-DIRECTIONAL LASER"]
The three lasers returned, circling us. The Prismrivers were caught off-guard at this, each ducking in the air to avoid being fried. I couldn't help but notice when the trumpet of Merlin got grazed by the laser, and her respective danmaku phased out. The lasers went in a standard predictable pattern, but the knives and amulets chased them down. The sisters didn't merely dance out of the way, but had to go full speed to avoid this.
Lyrica grinned. "Not bad!"
Merlin twirled in the air again. "We thought you'd be easy prey!"
Lunasa crossed her arms and shook her head, still smiling. "It seems these fans of ours want to hear a hit instead of the warm-up song! Back me up on this one!"
Stop it with the musical puns. And please don't let this battle be full of them.
[SPELL CARD: NOISY SIGN "PHANTOM DINNING"]
The sisters gathered, Lunasa up front, Lyrica and Merlin behind her. They played their instruments, the musical notes taking physical form and turning into an explosion of danmaku. Each of them were attacking a specific target. Lyrica aiming for Marisa, Merlin aiming for Sakuya, Lunasa aiming for Reimu. It didn't change. I told my flying companion as such. She merely nodded, and pointed at her wrist to Sakuya. What was she-
Gray. The world was in gray. Sakuya and Reimu had appeared by our side, Reimu bewildered. I'm guessing the miko hadn't had been in that gray realm before. The Prismrivers had stopped, everything had stopped - Sakuya had stopped time for us. I still couldn't get over how cool that was.
Sakuya tilted her head at Marisa as she blinked with her red glowing eyes. "Yes?"
Marisa told them what I noticed, and Reimu nodded, instantly understanding the situation. "Looks like we can use this to our advantage."
"How so, Red-White?" Sakuya asked.
"Well, for one thing, if they were smart, they'd focus on one person and pick us off one by one. Then it'd be down to two on three, then one on three."
"Divide and conquer, ze?" Marisa smirked.
Reimu responded with a smirk of her own, staring at the frozen-in-time Prismrivers. "Looks like it. Let's do that to them, and make them pay for coming to the rescue of the one we're chasing."
Sakuya smiled, obviously liking this plan. "So who do we go after then?"
I suggested Lyrica. After all, she was the youngest. Might be easier to take her down.
"Sounds fun," Sakuya said. "Well, ladies, let's put an end to these so-called artists."
All right, let's do this.
The gray disappeared as Marisa tossed up another handful. Barriers up, we charged right at Lyrica, firing right at her. The Phantom panicked, breaking from the group as she dove around a pillar. Lunasa and Merlin stared in disbelief as their younger sister was chased. They tried to hit us, but the shots bounced off.
"Hey! That's not fair!"
"Leave her alone!"
They gave chase as well, but Sakuya and Reimu each used a spell card.
[SPELL CARD: ILLUSION SIGN "INDISCRIMINATE"]
[SPELL CARD: SPIRIT SIGN "FANTASY SEAL ~ SPREAD"]
A flurry of knives and energy balls appeared, randomly shooting out into the field. The two pursuing Prismrivers had to slow down before they reached this minefield, while Marisa gave chase to the youngest, making sure she was kept on the run. Lyrica and Merlin stopped, looked at each other, and moved back, going in the opposite direction. They ducked behind a pillar that Lyrica would be going behind in the next half lap around the place.
"Just what I wanted, ze!"
As we neared the pillar, a glow of energy formed behind it.
"Marisa!"
"Yeah, I see it!"
We rounded it, Marisa using a spell card.
[SPELL CARD: MAGIC SIGN "MILKY WAY"]
The barrage of colorful stars dissipated the danmaku welcome the two Prismrivers had set up. The two were running, uh, flying, right behind Lyrica, trying to avoid the incoming stars. It seemed that the plan the Prismrivers had, had indeed fallen apart. They gathered in front of the door when they finally got the stars to hit a pillar, and were staring at us.
The four of us went up to them, neither side firing a shot.
Reimu moved forward. "You know, I'm kind of tired of this already. I just want to get this over with and return spring to Gensokyo. So please. Forfeit right now."
Lyrica shook her head, and spoke to her sisters. "I don't think our audience is appreciative of our performance!"
Oh, I appreciate it. What I don't appreciate is being shot at. Please give up.
Lunasa tilted her head, as she reached into her uniform for something. "Sisters, I know we had a planned set list, but the crowd is rather rough tonight. The Concerto Grosso will not do, so we'll need to change, and skip to the finale!"
Merlin's eyes widened in excitement. "Oooooh! A surprise big finish?" She clasped her hands.
It was at that time that I noticed a figure in the rift. It just stood there, arms crossed. It made no movements, so I had to assume that someone was simply watching us. I didn't have time to go into further thought about that, since what happened next kind of put that figure out of my mind.
Lunasa took out a spell card. Something was different about it. It left a trail of...darkness? I knew I wasn't going to like this one.
Reimu immediately yelled at the phantom upon seeing it. "You can't use a taboo spell card!"
A number of curses went through my head over that revelation. A damn Taboo level card. The Prismrivers were going to go full power on us.
"Oh, yes, we can, because we have standing orders to do whatever is necessary to bring in anyone who has a large essence of spring. Besides, you yourselves cheated with that barrier. And it's the boy, isn't it? We see his reactions! Even when he doesn't have the barrier, we can see the red aura in him, the essence of spring itself! We actually need to thank you for saving us the trouble!"
What are they talking about? Essence of spring?
"Sisters! Time for the big finish!"
[TaBoO SpElL cArD: BaLlAd "StAiRwAy tO HeAvEn"]
The three sisters laughed as they floated to the point where their backs were to each other. They started to play their instruments, and spin, a golden pillar of light surrounding them. Sakuya tried throwing some knives, but they instead bounced off.
"What the-?"
"It's a Time-out card!" Reimu shouted out. "We can't do anything to them until it wears off!"
Oh, that's bad. That's really, really bad. Yeah. Time-outs were survival cards.
"Holy crap, ze!"
A flurry of danmaku was flung from the spinning sisters. Not only that, but instruments surrounded the platform, playing and shooting, each homing in on the closest person. It was an entire orchestra of instruments! Marisa was flying at top speed, trying to outrun them.
"Why don't you just lie down and accept defeat!"
"Our band can never be beat!"
"Isn't our music sweeeeeeet?"
It's not bad. A little chaotic, but I could get into it. That is, if you girls weren't firing stuff at us!
Sakuya and Reimu were completely surrounded. They were in a bad spot. Marisa and I kept moving, ducking, dodging, and weaving. The shots fired by the Prismrivers crackled, causing a lot of static electricity. They collided with each other, making loud cracking noises. My body knew this was a bad place to be at - I was in the middle of a war zone. A magical war zone, but a war zone nonetheless.
"This is why I hate taboo spell cards! Too damn unstable, ze!"
I just hate enemy spell cards period!
[SPELL CARD: TIME SIGN "PRIVATE SQUARE"]
Sakuya emitted a barrier sell card, protecting her and Reimu from the danmaku. They couldn't do anything, being bombarded from all sides.
I gave Marisa a squeeze to get her attention. "Well, Marisa, any ideas?" You're the only hope here. Sakuya and Reimu are under assault, you're the only one able to move around.
"..."
Her silence was not filling me with confidence. "Come on, Marisa! Any crazy ideas in that head of yours?!" Seeing Sakuya and Reimu be in panic mode was making me panic. I don't want us to die here!
"...Instruments."
I almost didn't hear her. "What?"
Marisa turned to me, grinning. "I saw it, too...Merlin..." Marisa turned towards the miko. "I got an idea! Reimu! Like how I dealt with one of Flandre's taboo cards!"
"Which one?!"
"Four of a Kind!"
Reimu immediately turned to the witch, an incredulous look on her face. "Are you crazy?! That nearly killed you!"
"Of course I'm crazy, ze! And 'nearly killing' isn't the same as fully killing!"
This is her logic?! And don't be putting your life on the line when I'm right next to you!
Reimu again shouted. "But that wasn't even one of her time-out cards!"
"Exactly why I am crazy! And it did work on Flandre anyways! I'll have to use one of my own Taboo Cards for this! Hang on tight, Kyon!" Marisa stopped shouting, and turned to me, grinning a maniacal grin. "And cop a feel or two if you want, because if this doesn't work, we'll both be dead."
"What? Don't sound so calm when you say that!" For a brief second though, I seriously gave thought on taking her up on that offer. What the hell is wrong with me? And what the hell is wrong with her? She'd just throw away my own life that easily?!
[SPELL CARD: DREAM SIGN "EVIL SEALING CIRCLE"]
"Hurry up! We only have two barrier cards left!"
[SPELL CARD: MAGIC SIGN "STARLIGHT REVERIE"]
Marisa used a spell card to give us some breathing room, this one a random-shooter, too. The colorful stars dissipated the shots around us. Danmaku could fight danmaku.
"Carry the two...multiply..."
"What are you doing Marisa?" You taking longer to go through with whatever plan you have is making me antsy! I had prepared myself for her to just go through with it, jump straight into her attack like she had been doing for the past while.
"Hold on! Math!"
"Math?!" Math at a time like this?
"...Combined with their danmaku, and the barrier, and my own taboo card...Ah, to hell with it. If it works, it'll work. If not, Patchy gets all her books back!"
Nice of her to be so carefree about us dying. Marisa seemed satisfied with whatever plan she came up with so I steeled myself for what was to happen. If this goes wrong… then at least let it be quick and painless. My mind also started to re-register that we really were thousands of meters in the air. That was going to be a long fall if we didn't hit the platform.
Marisa dove right next to the line of instruments surrounding the platform, getting each to fire at us. Soon, after a whole lap around, we had a whole bunch following us.
[SPELL CARD: TIME SIGN "PERFECT SQUARE"]
Sakuya shouted, blatant desperation in her voice. "One left! Hurry up, Black-White!"
Upon hearing that, the Prismrivers began chanting, along with the music they were playing.
"Oh, yes sisters! It's the Final Countdown!"
"Down to one! Down to one!"
"And then we can take the boy to Lady Yuyuko!"
I really wanted those Prismrivers to shut up.
"Kyon, we're gonna-"
The broom jolted, sideswiped by one of the Prismriver's danmaku, and it knocked me off. Marisa grabbed my arm almost instantly - she had quick reflexes! I dangled there for a while, the shots whooshing by me.
I yelled in terror, as we were flying nowhere near the platform. It really was going to be a long fall through the clouds. The pit of my stomach felt like it went all the way down to my feet as I stared down. "Don't let go of me!"
"Hold on!" Using her whole body for momentum, Marisa spun in the air, then flung me in front of her. I landed on the broom, facing her and shaking while instantly getting into an embrace with her. Oh. Well, we were facing each other on the broom. She gave me a smile, brought me closer to her body, and placed her head on my shoulder so she could see where she was going. I stared behind us, at the massive amount of homing danmaku that was following us, and couldn't help but hold onto Marisa a bit tighter.
Yes, it was lavender and mushrooms. Marisa really did smell nice, and her body was warm. On the plus side, that sensation was getting my mind off of me almost dying a second ago.
Marisa rose straight up, narrowly avoiding the shots by the Prismrivers, each one zipping by us by mere millimeters. Marisa rose, and rose, way above the field of battle. She took a sharp turn down, the danmaku following us. Down, straight down into the pillar of golden light, as she threw a handful of cherry blossoms into the air.
[SPELL CARD: DREAM SIGN "DUPLEX BARRIER"]
"Last one, Marisa! Do it now!"
"Okay, Kyon! This is it!"
"Oh geez!" Again the pit of my stomach was going all over the place. I clung closer to her, hanging onto the witch for dear life.
We were diving straight down. The barrier let us into the pillar, and we were racing down at top speed.
"Barrier...aaaaaaaannnnnd-"
"This is nuts, Marisa! This is just plain nuts!" And sorry for screaming in your ear!
[TaBoO SpElL cArD: "PoLaRiTy ReVeRsE"]
She hit it right as we got to them, in the little space between the sisters. Black and white stars were left in our trail, colliding with the inside of the barrier, managing to shake the pillar of light, causing it to hit the homing danmaku. The pillar changed color, as did any Prismriver danmaku that came close to the stars.
We pulled up right before we hit the ground – I didn't even realize how close we were to just hitting the platform until we righted ourselves. A few meters and we would have had to scrape ourselves off of the stone. The spell card and the barrier...
"Reversed the polarity of the danmaku! Boom, da ze!"
For some reason, that sounded like some convenient plot hole cop out, but I wasn't complaining. Nor was I crying foul over their illegal spell card we just broke with an illegal spell card of our own.
The Prismrivers were showered in their own danmaku within the pillar. They dodged, but...well, what they yelled aloud kind of explains what happened.
"What!"
"No!"
"Our instruments!"
So much like an anime. They were stunned at the action, due to the fact that it happened, and the boldness that was shown to even do that. The field was clear of any of their shots, their barrier broken. They floated there, staring down at their broken instruments, wide-eyed and amazed. Sakuya, Reimu, and Marisa went up to meet them, after I was able to reposition myself on the broom.
The sisters gazed at each other, and then at their opponents. Lunasa clenched her fists and pointed at us. "This doesn't change anything! We can still take you-"
Merlin was hit with a barrage of knives, knocking her into one of the pillars. She screamed for a while before she just collapsed in a heap on the platform.
"Merlin!"
Lyrica was the next to get hit, the lasers spinning her in place, and she, too, fell to the platform.
"Lyri-Lyrica!" A horrified Lunasa looked back up, to all of us.
Reimu tapped her gohei on her shoulder as she neared the phantom. "Use a taboo spell card on me, will you? Only one person is allowed to do that! And you aren't her!"
Lunasa slowly backed away from the four of us, fear splashed across her face. She knew she was going to get it.
Sakuya turned to Reimu, about to say something, but didn't. She instead had a little smile. "Well, girls," said Sakuya as all three of them converged on the lone Prismriver. "What do we do with this inhospitable host of ours?"
"Hit her with your spell cards at the same time?" I suggested.
All four girls turned to me, Lunasa the only one not smiling, the only one who started to cry.
I know I should feel bad about suggesting it, but I didn't.
[SPELL CARD: LOVE SIGN "MASTER SPARK"]
[SPELL CARD: ILLUSION SIGN "KILLING DOLL"]
[SPELL CARD: SPIRIT SIGN "FANTASY SEAL ~ CONCENTRATE"]
Ouch.
The force of the combined attacks pretty much pinned Lunasa to the gate. She was stuck up there for a few seconds before she kind of peeled off and fell to the floor.
Yep, just like an anime.
"Well, now, see what happens when we work together, ze?"
"'Work together'? That was mostly you, Marisa! Reimu and I were just spamming our barrier spell cards!"
"...Sakuya, did you just call me 'Reimu' instead of 'Red-White'?"
"...did you just call me 'Sakuya' instead of 'Maid'?"
"Did Kyon just face death without copping a feel?"
We all turned to Marisa. Really? We were having a nice touching moment and you say that?
She grinned at all of us. "...Yeah. Yeah, that sounded a lot funnier in my own head, ze. Sorry. And the answer is no."
I felt the heat rise in my face, not wanting to scream the following: That has nothing to do with the situation! And I didn't cop a feel! My hand slipped!
Which it did.
At first anyways.
I know. I am ashamed of myself. I really was doing my best to hang on with Marisa's movements, and that meant clutching her body. And… I readjusted my hands a few times.
Regardless, that was such a rush. Scary as all get out, but man, what an experience. To be a part of that battle, even in just a support role…. My body was still shaking from the adrenaline. I mean, for crying out loud. It really was a bullet hell. It was a lot more overwhelming to be among the shots than to have a view over it, guiding your character.
The Prismrivers, who had gotten up not too long after the fight as my companions and I were conversing, were busy gathering pieces of their broken instruments. They didn't look in our direction at all as they did as such. We landed, and they silently stared at us for a bit, then to themselves, before kneeling.
Merlin was the first to speak. "Such...superior opponents."
Lyrica nodded in agreement. "We would like to write songs about you four."
I rolled my eyes at this incredibly cheesy line, as Lunasa shook Reimu's hand.
"I do apologize. But we had orders to stop any intruders. We do have to serve our master after all."
Reimu looked back at Sakuya, and then at Lunasa. "...It's...yeah, it's understandable. You're defending what you believe in."
Lunasa nodded. "We had orders to hold the gate, but, well, we got beat." Lunasa gave a small shrug. That's that, I guess."
"So," Marisa stared up at the gate. "Any chance of you opening the door, ze?"
"Actually, the door is broken." Merlin pointed above it. "We just fly through the rift right there."
I couldn't help but bring the palm of my hand to my forehead, and I had to struggle not to start yelling. "...So, wait. Let me get this straight, girls. We could have just skipped this entire battle by just going in there?"
The Prismrivers glanced at each other then back at me, Lunasa answering. "Uhm...maybe. If we didn't see you enter, then, yeah."
Someone just give me some sedatives. I want to lie down.
Lyrica chewed on her lower lip, uncertain. "But you sure you want to go in there?"
"We told you, we need to return Spring."
The sisters glanced at each other again. Lunasa sighed. "Well, you won. We can't stop you. But the gardener will."
My mind went back to the figure in the rift. When I looked back up, it was gone.
Someone had to be watching us battle. And they just did their recon.
They knew we were coming.
We've got to be reaching the end here.
Ran gave what she could. She had to. But she made it a point to Aya that she couldn't print most of what she was saying, that this would be for her boss tengu to know. She explained it the way her master explained it.
In the end, Aya was wide-eyed, astonished by what she heard. "So, Whiterock isn't...wow. Can't even use this for my newspaper, because I don't think anyone would believe such a thing. All a little girl?"
Ran just nodded. "That's what my mistress told me. It's what I was supposed to do in a few days anyways, telling the tengu the situation. Because you guys are naturally nosy."
"Ayayaya." Aya did her annoying laugh. "Well, that's true. But what a story. I still can't get over-" Aya tilted her head, stopping mid-sentence. She was silent for a while. Did the tengu hear something? Ran couldn't hear anything but the storm.
"What is it?"
"...Sounds like...no...did a large house just collapse?"
"My lady?"
The woman in the light blue kimono turned to her gardener.
"Yes, Youmu?"
"The boy is being brought here."
"Oh, that is great news! Did the Prismrivers capture him?"
"No...that's not it." Youmu paused. "You see...there are invaders. They wish to take back the spring we have collected. The Prismrivers have been defeated by them."
"Ah. That may be a problem then."
"Not to worry, my lady. I've watched how they fought. And they are bringing the boy with them, directly to us."
The woman had a cheerful expression after hearing that. "Oh, how nice of them to deliver him! Saves us the trouble of going after him." The woman smiled again, looking up at the tree. "Everything is finally going our way. We'll have the Saigyou Ayakashi blooming within the hour!"
Alice sat in her home, staring into the fireplace. She kept berating herself for breaking down like she did. But Reimu...she was just too powerful. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair.
Giving up my humanity to beat her...and it still wasn't enough.
Absentmindedly, her fingers were moving. Her dolls were coming to life, gathering around. A Shanghai doll reached up to her, as if to offer a hug. Alice looked down on it and smiled.
"Ah...yeah. You're right. It'll be just fine..."
She reached down and hugged the doll with one arm, her other arm's fingers twitching, giving the doll movement. It wrapped its arms around Alice and gave her a kiss.
In the back of her mind, she knew that she was the one controlling the dolls. That they weren't really comforting her, that she was doing this herself. But she didn't mind. She didn't mind that she would argue with them, have them argue with her, when in reality it was all inside her own head. She just didn't care.
Alice smiled as she looked back down to the gathering of dolls.
"Okay, guys. Let's get dinner ready."
A pounding sounded in the room - the door was being knocked on.
Alice looked up, wide-eyed. Visitors? Nobody ever came to visit her!
She sat there stunned, unable to determine whether she did indeed hear that, or had she finally lost it.
The door was knocked on again.
Somebody was at the door. After putting the Shanghai doll on the table, Alice got up and adjusted her dress the best she could, despite the burn-marks and tearing. She still hadn't changed since her battle with that magician Marisa, who seemed friendly enough even though she appeared to have forgotten her. She had promised to come visit Alice sooner or later, but Alice didn't want to hold her to her word and end up disappointed.
Again, more door-knocking.
"I'll be right there!"
Those four couldn't be back already, could they? And the snow storm couldn't be affecting them since they are above the clouds.
"Maybe Reimu came back to apologize." Alice spoke to herself. "Yeah, like that'll ever happen."
Opening the door, and before she could even let out a sound, Alice was immediately swept into the snowstorm by an ice cold vengeful force. The force extinguished the fire, and knocked over all the dolls.
The doll that hugged Alice shattered its head on impact.
-begin-
Losing control over Tool LETTY WHITEROCK.
Will condition further.
-end-
Aya is such a fun character. And she actually did follow the heroine of Perfect Cherry Blossom throughout the day, stopping when they reached the point depicted. She has interviewed a whole slew of characters in the series from Touhou 6 onward, and really does give you insight on the people of Gensokyo. Aya is a good person, it's just that her obsession is pretty much journalism, and competing with the other tengu to have a superior newspaper (Tengu -love- gossip, so they turned that into a business).
She also has two official Touhou games in which she's the star - Shoot the Bullet and Double Spoiler. Basically, she's taking pictures of the Danmaku patterns shot at her. Fun games, just very tough, since your only means of defending yourself is a camera that eats up the enemy shots that are in the pictures you take. Though the fact that she really is the fastest person in Gensokyo kind of helps with that.