Voices

Being an exiled princess of the moon came with both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, there was no longer an advanced civilization under Kaguya's command. No more worshipful populace, no more gigantic palace full of servants, no more entire army ready to die at her word. Instead, she was left with a single mansion of Earth rabbits, Eirin and Reisen aside, whom she had to actually pay. The number of eager suitors seeking her hand had also dropped considerably. And while she locals seemed to like her well enough, she still had to get used to the fact that the most she was going to receive from them was a friendly hello instead of them prostrating themselves on the ground and begging for her favor. And of course, there still was the damned Mokou. There was always that damned Mokou.

Still, there were upsides as well. At least people had stopped pretending to like her just because they were supposed to. Mokou aside, the number of assassination plots was at an all-time low. What few people she had serving under her seemed to be honestly loyal to her personally instead of just her family. All those marriage proposals were starting to get a little annoying anyway. And damn it, she was starting to like being one of girls. Just last week she and Tewi had snuck out to one of Suika's infamous parties and had gotten so smashed that they had somehow woken up in five miles from where they started and were wearing each other's clothes. Of course, Eirin had had some choice words for them when she had found out, but it had been totally worth it, even if she and Tewi had been looking at each other awkwardly ever since.

Plus, on the moon she wouldn't have access to Yukari's black market of Outside World toys. So on the whole things were going just fine. She was enjoying her life in Gensokyo, thank you very much, and as far as she was concerned, the Moon could go and hurl itself into the asteroid belt for all she cared.

At the moment, she was in sitting cross-legged on her bed, dressed in shorts and a simple white tee shirt with a green-and-silver scarf around her neck and glasses on her face, reading the latest novel she had acquired from Yukari. It was from a series that, according to Yukari, was all the rage back in the Outside World. Even though she didn't get most of the references, she was still enjoying it immensely.

She turned the page and gasped. "Wait, Snape kills Dumbled-"

A sudden knock at the door startled her out of her trance. She looked up, blinking in confusion.

"Your Highness? Your Highness!" said a frantic-sounding voice on the other side as they continued to slam their hand against the door. "Please, it's an emergency.

Kaguya scowled. Out of all the inconvenient times! She removed her glasses and scarf, slid off the bed and donned a robe patterned with blue flowers. Then, after tightening the sash around her waist, she went to see what the problem was. Whatever it was, it had better be damned good.

"Your Highness, please! It's important!" the voice kept saying.

"All right, all right! I'm coming already!" She slid the door open and frowned when she saw twelve nervous-looking members of the Eientei guard standing at attention.

"Uh, what's going on?" she asked. "Is Mokou PMSing at the front Gate or something?"

The rabbit who looked like she was in charge, the one who had done all the knocking and yelling, shook her head. "No, Highness. I'm sorry, but we need to evacuate you from the premises as quickly as possible. Eirin's orders."

Kaguya stared at her. "Evacuate? That's preposterous! Eientei is a veritable fortress! What could possibly be so threatening at it would force us to retreat?"

"Highness, it's…Rin Satsuki. She's back."

"Wait, who?"

"Remember?" one of the other rabbits said suddenly. "Eirin's little people-eating blob girl?"

"Quiet!" the first rabbit snapped, giving the second an admonishing whack across the forehead. "Do not speak out of turn!"

Kaguya, however, didn't even notice the disrespect. Now she remembered Rin Satsuki.

"Wait, the same one that ate Reisen and most of the staff until Eirin managed to blow her up? That one?"

The first rabbit inclined her head. "Yes, Highness. I saw her with my own eyes."

"Then what are we waiting for, you ignorant fools!" Kaguya shouted, forgetting in her panic that she had promised to stop calling them. "Let's get out of here!"

All of the gathered rabbits saluted. "Yes, your Highness!"

They started to move, but then Kaguya paused. "Wait, where is Eirin?"

"I'm sorry Highness, I do not know. She sent us to find you immediately after confirming Satsuki's identity."

Kaguya's face became even paler than usual. "So you just left her there? She'll get eaten! We have to go back for her!"

She moved to go find her companion but found her way blocked by the rabbits, who moved to stand in her way.

"Your Highness," said the lead rabbit in a firm but respectful tone, "we were given direct orders from Eirin to evacuate you from the palace immediately, and we intend to follow those orders."

Kaguya's jaw dropped. "What? How dare you! I outrank Eirin, in case you've forgotten. Since when do her orders supersede mine?"

"When your safety is concerned," was the prompt answer. "I hope you can forgive us one day, but we cannot allow you to come within range of that creature."

Kaguya was about to tell them in no uncertain terms exactly how forgiving she intended to be, but then the lead rabbit added, "In addition Highness, perhaps you have not considered the exact implications of what were to occur if you were to be devoured yourself."

Being contradicted made Kaguya bristle, even if the rabbit had a point. But before she could respond the sound of yelling attracted her attention. Everyone turned to see even more rabbits, soldier and mansion staff alike, rushing toward them. Only this time, it looked like Reisen and Tewi were with them. And, curiously enough, that fox youkai that was always following Yukari around.

"Kaguya!" Tewi wailed. "She's back! It's-"

"I know!" Kaguya snapped. "Rin Satsuki. She's back, it's awful, panic and fear, I got it! Now, where in the hell is Eirin?"

It was Yukari's pet fox (Ran! That was her name) that answered. "She said that she was going to talk to the intruder, try to reason with her. Considering that she had the intruder ambushed twice with a literal barrage of bullets not five minutes ago and shot it several times with a shotgun, I must confess I do not have high hopes for her success."

The first soldier, the one that had knocked on Kaguya's door, cleared her throat. "Highness, forgive me, but we must-"

"Shut up," Kaguya snapped. To the fox, she said, "What, is she insane? Satsuki's a psychopath! Delusional, mixed up, cuckoo, her brain is on extended leave! What is Eirin thinking?"

Ran tilted her head. "Seeing how I have absolutely no idea who this Satsuki is in the first place, I cannot even hazard a guess. Though I should point out that Yukari is already on her way to help, and is bringing reinforcements. Perhaps Eirin is simply trying to distract said cuckoo psychopath until my Master arrives." Her eyes darkened. "And while I still remain uninformed as to this Rin Satsuki's history, I do know a thing or two of the new power she's acquired. And I know that is quite often a bad idea to get in the way of Yukari's operations. So you are going to tell me everything that Yukari will find useful and then you are going to evacuate. Now."

…

Pain. Uncontrollable, agonizing pain. Energy, much, much more than I can absorb, coursing down on me, burning, tearing, annihilating. Trying to stop it, trying to deflect it, trying to adapt to it. No good. It's too much, too fast. Not nearly strong enough.

Feel my body start to disintegrate. Shriveling away, from the outside in. Is this what it felt like for Rumia, when I took her in? If so, then I owe her an apology. Too bad I'll never be able to give it.

No, can't take much more of this. Trying to hold together, but it's so hard. Losing control of my cells, feeling the ones on the surface start to collapse. Wouldn't that be ironic? End it all in a nuclear explosion. Do organic cells work that way? I don't think so. Be funny if they did. Guess I'm gonna find out. Too bad, I was starting to enjoy the open air.

Please, somebody help…

Well, I do believe that's my cue.

What?

Hello.

Rumia! But I-

Rumia? Heh, not quite.

Who are you?

A friend. One you cannot afford to ignore.

What? What do you mean?

In short, I'm here to help you, Rin. And given how you're slowly being boiled away to vapor, I'd say you could use all the help you can get.

Bu-but how? How did you even get into my mind? That isn't supposed to be possible!

Is that so. Well, sorry to hear that. If I'm too much of a distraction I'll just go. Say hello to oblivion for me.

No, wait!

Hmmm?

Can you really help me?

Oh yes. That much is certain.

Please, I don't know who you are, but if you can help me then help me!

Oh, very well. First of all, you're going about this the wrong way.

What?

It's too much energy to take in all at once, right? Sort of like a raging river crashing against a dam. It can absorb and disperse some of the force, but too much too fast and then…bye bye!

I know that already! How-

So stop thinking of yourself as a dam, and become a meander. Let the energy flow through you and back at them.

But…but how?

Here, let me show you.

…

"What?" Marisa shouted at the tiny figure of Eirin Yagokoro. The Lunarian doctor had shouted something at her, but with the roar of the Final Spark it was difficult enough to hear her own voice. Plus, most of her attention was focused on the Spark itself, which had suddenly decided to behave rather oddly, almost like it was pushing back.

Eirin shouted again, but again her words were swallowed up. Just as well, because at that moment her hakkero started shaking uncontrollably.

Marisa exchanged one very confused look with Mima. This was new. And in their field, having new things happen while controlling highly destructive forces tended to end badly.

Suddenly a massive wave of force from their own attack rose up against them. Marisa had exactly enough time to think Oh shi- before her beam suddenly reversed direction. And then there was nothing but noise.

…

I did it!

So I see, good job! But don't celebrate too soon; your work isn't done yet.

It's not?

No. The others who attacked you are still there. The traitor is there too. Am I right?

…yes.

The traitor who took you in, pretended to care about you, made you love her like a mother.

How did you-

Who used that bond to manipulate you. Who tore away your life and made you into an abomination. Who assaulted and tried to kill you when you dared to try to take it back, to try to find some escape from the endless loneliness of your own mind. Who claimed that you were the monster just because you tried to defend yourself. Who stuffed you in a box and handed you off to the vampire lover. Who left you alone in the dark for years, claiming it was for your own good when she knew damned well that there would be no end to your torment.

Yes.

And to add insult to injury, once you finally freed yourself, saw the sky and felt for the first time in years, what did she do? After you tried to make amends, did she greet you with open arms? No, she lured you in with talk of reconciliation and let her new friends try to kill you.

Yes!

Such a sad story. Now, what are we going to do about that?

…

Reimu tumbled head-over-heels through the dirt, tearing clothing and scraping skin. She finally skid to a very undignified stop, face down in a small puddle of mud. She did not want to know what had made the mud, but judging by the smell and the taste she could hazard a few guesses.

She gagged and spat out the foul stuff. When she had seen Marisa and Mima's Final Spark start to backfire, she had dived out of the way as fast as she could. Her feet had gotten singed in the process, but she had made it. Barely.

What had happened though? Marisa and Mima were two of the most powerful practitioners she knew. In addition, when it came to magical matters, they were perfectionists. Their spells, once perfected, never backfired like that. It was something that simply didn't happen.

Coughing, she pulled herself up and looked over her shoulder and got her answer.

Her eyes widened and small squeaking noises emerged from her slack mouth. Oh, holy shit!

The shrine maiden is a problem. She will not stop until we are destroyed.

What do I do?

Hmmm, well, you could try this.

…

A twisting vine of darkness writhed its way over to where Reimu landed. The shrine maiden tried shooting it down, but it dodged her attack and struck.

Reimu cried out as it wrapped around her left ankle. The touch was icy cold and poisonous. Pins and needles erupted over her foot, and then it went numb. The numbness began climbing up her leg.

It wasn't done though. The vine lifted her off the ground, dangling her like a chunk of butchered meat. It swung her around a couple of times, almost playful in its abuse. And then it hurled her into the forest. Her body slammed through the bamboo stalks, shattering several until finally coming to a limp stop.

…

Not bad. Should have waited until the taint spread through her body though.

But wouldn't that…kill her?

Of course.

I-I don't think I can do that. I'm not a murderer!

I see. Well, baby steps then. Meanwhile, watch your back.

…

Yukari emerged from her portal, directly behind the Shadow Youkai. She had to admit, the thing was tougher than she remembered. Normally, she would be approaching such a threat more cautiously, but there were larger issues at hand.

The bitch had hurt Reimu. It was going to pay.

Once again she called up fire in one hand and plasma in the other. She pressed her wrists together and sent out death.

Faster than she thought possible, almost as fast as thought itself, the Shadow Youkai whirled around and thrust one hand outward. Yukari's attack hit it in the center of its palm.

Oh, this can't be good, Yukari thought numbly. She tried to turn off the juice, but before she could her own attack turned against her, redirecting itself to slam against her torso. Cloth disintegrated and flesh burned and Yukari was knocked backwards through her portal.

Yukari tumbled through her unnatural world of eyes, completely senseless. She didn't even notice when her cell phone started to ring.

…

Now that was a long time coming. Oh irony, how I love thee. Now then, you say you don't want to kill anyone, correct?

Yes! Hurt, maybe. But not kill!

If you say so. Oh, I wouldn't remain hovering in one place if I were you.

What? What do youAAAGGGHHHH!

…

Attacking a pissed-off Rin Satsuki head on was tantamount to suicide, but Eirin had run out of options. Now she just hoped that she could distract her long enough for Kaguya and the others to evacuate safely. At this point, nothing more mattered beyond keeping this thing from the princess.

For its part, Rin hadn't turned her attention to her yet. She was too busy picking apart the rest of Yukari's posse. The ghost and the witch had already been dispatched, and the shrine maiden was soon to follow. Eirin felt her heart drop as Reimu was hurled screaming into the forest, but there was no time to worry about her now.

Yukari was next. To the youkai's credit, she had kept her head for tactics despite the fact that the battle was turning against her. She appeared through a gap right behind Rin and tried to finish her off at point-blank range. Unfortunately she was unfamiliar with Rin's unique abilities and was promptly removed from the game.

Her useless attack did some good though. It got Rin to turn her back on Eirin. The Lunarian doubled her speed and leapt forward at her onetime prodigy, throwing the syringes with all her might. Like her rifle, the syringes and their contents were made special. Each one had an enchantment that would press down on the injector once the needle pierced skin, sending 40ml of a particularly nasty bacterial disease Eirin had whipped up herself into whatever poor sap so happened to be on the receiving end of her wrath. That in itself was enough to paralyze and kill most people in seconds, but Eirin wasn't interested in taking chances, so three it was. Followed by three more. And a focused blast of danmaku to the head for good measure.

To her surprise, it worked. As soon as the needles plunged in, Rin's spine stiffened and her dark aura began thrashing. Her sword fell from paralyzed hands as she wobbled in the air.

I'm sorry Rin, Eirin thought as she watched her greatest success and most tragic failure start to fall back into the pit that had been dug for her.

…

Wow, I actually felt that. Nasty stuff.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!

Oh, stop your crying. It's giving me a headache. Well, mind ache. Whatever. Anyway, you're fine.

I can't move…burning…whole body burning…

Yeah, this would be lights-out for you under normal circumstances. One major problem with that though.

…wha…

Looks like that toxin is organic in nature. Spores, maybe? Germ warfare? Really cranky microscopic fairies? Whatever the case, life is life, and it's not going to work.

Why?

Because I'm here. Don't worry about the toxin, it's under control. All you have to worry about is the traitor.

…

Whatever steel resolve had been driving Eirin's assault began to melt into ice water. Rin wasn't dying. Just as it looked like she was going to fade away completely, her spine had straightened, her shoulders had squared, and the fire in her eyes began blazing with new life.

Then the syringes started to sink into what passed for Rin's flesh. Damn it.

Eirin acted without thinking. As soon as Rin turned to face her, Eirin leapt into the air and slammed her foot into the monster's face. The contact felt like a dagger of ice being driven into her heel, but she managed to take Rin off guard. Her scarlet eyes bulged in surprise and the force of the kick sent her flying against the pit's side where her head collided with an audible crack.

…

So, you still don't want to kill anyone?

Um…

Can you make just one exception for her? She did just try to kill you.

But I...

And she kicked you in the head. Now that was just rude.

…

The biggest drawback to kicking someone poised over a large hole is that once the kick connects, you really had nowhere to go but down. Of course, this being Gensokyo, Eirin could have simply flown to safety, but there were certain factors that made that impractical. Namely, an angry Rin recovering far too quickly and grabbing her by and arm and a leg, swinging her round and round and tossing her headfirst down the pit's throat.

As she fell, Eirin couldn't help but think, I knew this was going to suck. If she had time she would have smiled at the irony.

Then lights exploded behind her eyes.

…

Feels good, doesn't it? Feel free to finish her off anytime.

Huh…

…

Eirin stared up through glazed eyes and swollen eyelids as the shadowy blur descended. Something in the back of her mind told her that she should probably be panicking right now, but for the life of her she could not think of why. Especially since staying down and going to sleep seemed like such a good idea.

Something grabbed her by her collar and hoisted her up. She frowned in annoyance. Why wouldn't people let her rest?

Then the fuzziness in her mind cleared enough for her to recognize Rin Satsuki's stolen mask. Oh, that was right. Rin was back, and wanted to kill her. And from the looks of things, that was about to happen.

Despite literally facing her impending death. Eirin felt an almost eerie sense of serenity. There was a certain rightness to going out this way. She had done her best uphold her duty and was now going to be ended by the person with the most reason to. It was almost karmic in a way.

Holding her up with one hand, Rin reached back with the other. Eirin smiled slightly. Well, this was it.

But to her surprise, Rin didn't rip out her throat or tear off her head. Instead, she hauled out and decked her.

…

Oh. Well. That was…primitive.

Yes.

Now I'm curious; you had the perfect opportunity to kill her right there and every reason to. Why didn't you? Don't tell me you're still hoping to patch things up with her. I think we're a little beyond that now.

I know. I'm not.

Then…?

Because I'm not done with her yet.

Really now? What more could you…oh. Oh. Hehehe, I get'cha! Rin, I'm starting to like you!

Um, thanks?

Just be careful. These little games have a habit of coming back to bite you in the ass.

I know. I'll be careful.

Good. Oh, ah, look out for the oni.

What?

Yes. The very big one that flattened you earlier and is now reaching into the hole with one really large hand, looking to pop you like a pimple.

Oni?

The nasty kind that are really three pimples in one and are so filled with pus that you swear there must be some sort of viral civilization living inside.

Oh! That oni!

…

Wrong! This was all wrong!

Suika charged at the hole, arms pumping furiously, angry tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes. It wasn't supposed to go this way! It was supposed to be just another brawl! They would go find the painted-blue-honey-sake-she didn't even care anymore and beat it up until it stopped being bad. That was how all the other times went!

But now, in the space of thirty seconds, her two biggest buddies and the grumpy doctor lady had gotten the crap beaten out of them, and not in the usual way. You just didn't do that to people! Beat them up, sure! It was a time-honored tradition! But this thing was going too far! It didn't play by the rules. You just don't break the rules like that!

And through the whole thing, Suika had just stood there, watching everyone else try to do something. Why hadn't she moved faster? She could have saved them! But no, she had to stay frozen like a big, stupid rock.

Well, the time had come to fix all that. Suika reached the edge of the hole and looked in. At the bottom, the evil shadow person was standing over the doctor lady. The doctor lady looked kinda dead, which meant the evil shadow person was now a murderer.

Suika could think of only one thing to do to murderers. Her eyes red with fury, she reached down with one gigantic hand, intending to twist the little monster's head right off.

The evil shadow person didn't even so much as look at her. Instead, moving so fast it was almost a blur, she snatched up her black sword thing from the ground and jabbed it into Suika's palm.

The pain of it was so great that for a moment Suika couldn't think. Her mind just locked up and she tumbled backward onto her rump. There was a loud crunch, signifying that she had landed on something, but she had other things to worry about now.

The shadow thingy leapt out of the hole, sword in hand. Suika bared her teeth and got ready to crush the little pipsqueak.

However, said pipsqueak didn't even bother attacking. Instead, it jumped right over her hands, pushed off of her head, and went right over her. Suika whirled in surprise, unable to understand why it hadn't wanted to fight.

But there it was, running away from her, running towards the mansion. Suika was almost insulted.

She bared her teeth and shook her fist. "Where do you think you're going, you coward!" she yelled. "Come back and-"

Something wet leaked through the bottom of her dress.

Suika's eyes went wide and she leapt to her feet, sending tremors through the ground around her. She was pretty sure she hadn't wet herself. She wasn't nearly so drunk for that to happen. But still, what else could it have been?

Then she saw the shattered remains of her gourd floating in a puddle of sake. And there, lying among the pieces, was the squished body of the sake bug it had contained. Dead.

Her heart fell in her enormous chest. Her gourd. Her most precious possession. An unending source of sake, and that made it good as family in her book. She must have landed on it when she fell back. But how could she have been so careless? It had always survived all of her fights before.

Suika reached towards its fragments with twitching fingers, but couldn't bring herself to touch them. She didn't deserve to. It had been entrusted to her, and she let it get smashed. She was now a failure as an oni. She had let her friends get hurt, and now her gourd was gone, all thanks to her stupid clumsiness. Exile was too good for her now. It was all her fault, all her…

No.

Not her fault.

It's fault.

Her breathing slowed to a steady pant as every negative emotion focused itself into a single clear conclusion. She looked up at the fleeing form of the evil shadow person. It was swinging its sword at Eientei's walls, cutting its way in.

"Not so fast, murderer,"Suika whispered as she began walking towards the mansion with slow, deliberate strides. "You and I have unfinished business."

…

You are entirely too merciful for your own good. She's not even unconscious! You should have decapitated her on your way up.

…

What?

Who are you?

Well, that sounded aggressive. Way to bite the hand that feeds you.

You forced your way into my mind without permission, something that not even the strongest empaths could do. You know my history, despite the fact that my very existence is a closely guarded secret, known only to Eientei, the scientist sisters and certain residents of the scarlet vampire's staff. You know things about my abilities that I didn't even know.

Heh, wow. That's surprisingly insightful of you. Why so lucid?

Look, who are you, and how did you get into my mind? What are you doing here?

Is this really the best time for a Q and A session? We're kinda in the middle of something here.

Answer, or I'll banish you!

Okay, okay, Jeez! Bipolar much? As for who I am, think of my as your conscience. Except instead of telling you what's "good and proper", I tell you what's smart. I'm the part of your mind that's not deluding itself with ideas of "redemption" and "acceptance". I'm the part of you that tells it as it is, that you are going to be hated by everything and everyone no matter what you do, so you might as well become what they're going to accuse you of anyway. Because you have no chance of surviving otherwise.

But…but…that doesn't even make sense!

So? Face it, sister: it doesn't really matter where I came from, because I'm all you've got. That Rumia girl is absolutely scared shitless of you. All your former friends at Eientei think you're pure nightmare fuel unleaded. Everyone else is trying to smash you into paste anyway, and if they're not now, they will as soon as word of this little scuffle gets out. I'm the only one looking out for you, so if you banish me, you're on your own. Stuck running for your life with no one but a terrified little girl who thinks your some kind of psycho-kidnapper for company. Does that sound fun to you?

…

I'm sorry, was that an answer?

What do I do now?

That's better. And now, you get to do what every great hero aspires to do someday. You get to storm the castle, fight off the guards and rescue the princess! Oh, won't that be fun!

Yeah, sure. Fun.

Oh, chin up already. It's not that bad! Once you do this, you'll never have to worry about anything ever again. Cross my heart, hope everything else on this godsforsaken wad of dust dies.

…what?

Sorry, reflex. Anyway, enough talk. Tally ho!

…

Yukari was not accustomed to losing, nor did she enjoy being manhandled. So when she finally came to her senses and realized what had happened, she was somewhat put out.

"I will kill that fucking thing!" she raged. "I will kill it, kill it, kill it, and bring it back from the dead so I can kill it some more! I will kill it so hard that it won't even be a memory anymore! I will-"

Then she noticed the many, many eyes floating through her world of borders, each of them staring at her.

"What do you morons think you're staring at?" she shouted.

All of the eyes suddenly found something else to look at.

Yukari took a deep breath and opened a portal back to the bamboo forest. With any luck, the situation was still salvageable. Unfortunately Yukari had never been much of a believer in luck.

And with good cause too. The place was a deserted mess. Just like last time she had encountered the Shadow Youkai, black clouds blotted out the sun, and what little light there was had became strangely muted. The fallout from the battle was still there, such as the pit in the ground and the hole in the side of Hourai Clinic, but other than that there was no sign of anyone, friend or foe alike.

Yukari's insides went sour, but she forced herself to investigate. Reimu, that's right. The young shrine maiden had been tossed into the Bamboo Forest. That was probably the best place to start. After that, she could get to work piecing the rest of the team together.

Yukari floated into the patch of forest where Reimu had been thrown. The path that her hurtling body had made was still fresh, with several bamboo stalks snapped in half. "Reimu!" Yukari called as she followed the trail. "Are you all right? Reimu!"

Then she saw her. The shrine maiden was on her side at the foot of several stalks that apparently been too tough to break. Her clothing was ripped, the bow she usually wore was missing from her hair and she was covered with cuts and scratches. Worst of all, her left foot and part of her shin was a dark shade of purple, almost black in some places. Yukari swallowed. It was the taint. She had seen it enough times to recognize it, and had actually suffered from it herself.

Reimu wasn't moving, but she was still breathing. Her breath was shallow, but at least she was alive. Yukari dropped to her side and gently took Reimu's head in her hands and laid in on her lap.

"Oh Reimu," she muttered as she gently stroked the girl's smudged face. "If only you know…how completely ridiculous you look right now."

Reimu cracked one eye open to glare at her. "Wow, thanks for the sympathy, dumbass," she mumbled.

Yukari smiled wryly, not letting the relief she felt show on her face. "The mighty Reimu Hakurei, taken out by a single youkai. Oh, just wait until I tell everyone. No one will ever be able to take you seriously again."

"Shaddup."

With Yukari's help, Reimu pulled herself up to a sitting position. She winced and said, "What's up with my foot, frostbite? I can't feel it."

"It's called the taint," Yukari explained. "Something Rumia used to do. Once she touches something living, it slowly corrupts and shuts down."

Reimu's eyes widened. "Seriously? She killed my foot?"

"It's not permanent. I had a nasty case of it myself, taken from our last encounter. Covered my entire right arm and part of my shoulder. But it stops spreading once she releases you and will eventually go away."

"Yeah? And how long does that take?"

"Depends on the size." Yukari tilted her head as she examined Reimu's foot. "Yours doesn't look that bad. I give it about four days until you'll be a hundred percent again."

"Four days," Reimu groaned. She sighed heavily. "You know, this incident is becoming a lot harder than you said it would."

Yukari frowned. "So I've noticed." She shook her head. "Look, just wait here. I'm going to try to find the rest of the group."

"What, with that thing on the loose? Fat chance!" Reimu tried to straighten up but fell back with a gasp of pain.

Yukari frowned as she felt Reimu's side. "Looks like you've got some broken ribs there. You're in no shape to be going anywhere."

"Yeah? And how about you? Looks like something torched your midriff there, or that just some daring new fashion?"

"Hush. Wait here until I get back. And by the gods if you move I will knock you out!"

Reimu glowered but she complied. Yukari left her to head back to Eientei. First order of business would be to find Eirin. A doctor would sure be handy right about now. Plus, she seemed to have some idea as to why the Shadow Youkai was suddenly so strong. After that, she should probably also find out what happened to Suika. They could use her strength in the coming rematch. Also, Yukari couldn't but feel just a little concerned for the oni. Suika could handle herself just fine, but impulse control was not one of her stronger points.

And she supposed she might as well find out where those witches had landed, if for no other reason than to make Reimu happy.

The mansion would probably be the best place to start, mainly because of the hole torn out of one of the walls. Well, at least it now matched the clinic.

On her way over, Yukari glanced in the pit by chance and froze in midair. Eirin was lying in a crumpled heap at the bottom. Her condition made Reimu look the absolute picture of health. Her face looked like it had been smashed in with a brick and there were the telltale signs of the taint on her nose, cheeks, collarbone and right foot.

Yukari was down in the pit in an instant. A quick inspection confirmed that she was alive, but just barely. Considering what Rumia used to do to her victims, this was downright merciful. Still, she would be gone in less than an hour if nothing was done.

Yukari wasn't usually the altruistic type, but they needed Eirin alive. Fortunately, despite not being a healer, she had somewhat of an advantage in this situation. On paper, her power of border manipulation didn't seem all the great, but with a little creativity it could work wonders. And she had had several millennia to learn how to be creative.

She placed one hand on Eirin's swollen forehead and concentrated. Her mind steadied itself away and dove deep into the doctor's psyche, searching for her consciousness. She found it, but it was slipping away fast.

Well, first order of business would be to ensure that it slipped no farther. Yukari reached even deeper until she found that great fissure, the border between life and death. In her mind, it appeared as a shining light-filled crack in a sky of black. She had to admit, the warmth it was emitting was very appealing. Of course, it had been designed that way.

"Come forward, weary soul," she heard a soft voice whisper. "Come forward and lay your…Oh, hell. It's you again, isn't it?"

Back at her body, Yukari smiled. "Hello dear. Fancy seeing you here."

"Cut the crap, Yukari," the voice snapped back. "What are you doing here anyway? And don't tell me you're dying. I'll probably die before you do. No, wait, let me guess: you're about to get in the way of my job again, aren't you?"

"So it would seem."

"Godsdamn it, Yukari! Look, I'm in enough trouble as it is. Shiki's been riding my ass all week long, and I'm trying to score some points here. So I don't need you gumming up the works, all right?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. But I'm afraid I must. Call of duty and all that."

"Of course you must," the voice said sulkily. "But when the call of duty means the little guy gets screwed…"

"Look, I'll speak to the Yamaxanadu for you. You don't have to worry."

"Like that'll save me from a lecture. Look, if you're going to do it, do it. I've wasted enough time here already."

"Aw, you're a peach. Thanks!"

"Don't mention it. Ever." And with that, it was gone.

Yukari finished sealing off the border between life and death, preventing Eirin from slipping completely out of reach. Then she started moving backward, coaxing Eirin's spirit closer and closer to wakefulness. It wasn't a perfect solution and it wouldn't fix the damage done to her body, but it would ensure that she wouldn't be slipping off into oblivion before she could get real help.

Finally, she sealed off the border between consciousness and unconsciousness. Eirin's body twitched, and her swollen eyes opened.

"Ughugh," she muttered. "Whuh hawppened?"

"I just brought you back from near-death. No need to thank me. It was my pleasure.

Eirin scowled at her. Then she tried to sit up.

Yukari pushed her back down, though she did so gently. "Nuh-uh, not so fast. You're in no condition to go anyway, and I need some fast answers. You said that thing wasn't the Shadow Youkai, and after careful deliberation," she indicated the stinging burn on her torso, "I'm inclined to believe you. But I still need to know what I'm dealing with."

Eirin sighed. "Long story," she said. Her voice was starting to clear up, but it was still weak.

"Give me the abbreviated version then. What can it do?"

"Adapt to and absorb most attacks. Can also…" she started coughing. Yukari waited for it to stop.

"…can also apparently redirect attacks back at their source. That one's new though. Didn't know about it until the witches got shot."

"So it's nigh indestructible."

"Near enough. Not completely though. A big enough blast has a chance, as does blowing it up from the inside."

Yukari quirked an eyebrow. She could only imagine how they had found that out. "Okay, and how exactly does it have the same abilities as the Shadow Youkai?"

"She can…" she coughed "…she can envelop and devour people. Doing so will give her access to their full power and memories. Guess the Shadow Youkai was her first meal."

The implications of what she had just been told sank into Yukari's mind like a piece of burning pitch, but there wasn't time to panic now. "Witnesses claim that they saw Rum…the Shadow Youkai being swallowed and dissolved by a large transparent blob."

Eirin sighed, though it came out as more of a groan. "That'd be her."

So, something with the strength of the Shadow Youkai coupled with near invulnerability. Yukari was starting to think that she was in over her head in this one. And if things were so bad that she would even entertain that thought, than that meant the situation was about as dire as it could be.

"All right," she said. Her words were a carefully controlled monotone, masking the uneasiness she was starting to feel. "I'll take you to my place, and then I'm going to go find the rest of my friends, and we'll see what we can do about this mess. When I get back, I expect a full report on what this thing is. And I mean everything: strengths, weaknesses, origins, personal habits, secret crush list, everything. Got it?"

Eirin nodded weakly, but then she frowned. "Wait," she said, and then with more urgency, "Wait!"

"What?"

Eirin suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Yukari by the sleeve. "Kaguya, I had the guard sneak her out the back. But Rin's sure to track them down! Please, you have to take me too her! I can't let Rin get the Princess!"

"Whoa, hold on! First of all, who the hell is-"

Eirin growled in frustration. "Rin is the monster's name, okay?"

"Fine. You can explain that later too. But what makes you think I'm going to risk my life to save your princess? I mean, loyalty is loyalty, but this-"

"Idiot!" Eirin spat. "It's a monster who can absorb people and steal their abilities! What do you think will happen if it takes Kaguya?"

With a shock, Yukari realized that the injured doctor was absolutely right. If this Rin could do as Eirin said (and there really was no reason to doubt her word) and it managed to devour Kaguya, then they would be dealing with a creature that had Kaguya's immortality and Rumia's pure annihilating force, with this "Rin's" super adaptability.

Yukari was accustomed to putting down threats, even ones that were similarly unkillable. But at least those weren't fanatically dedicated to absolute genocide. If this thing had Rumia's Shadow Youkai abilities, than there was a good bet it's…distasteful outlook on life would pop up as well. Despite the fact that Rumia's memories had been wiped and her personality reset, Yukari had found that it's safer to assume the worst in such situations.

A small moan escaped Yukari's lips. Exactly when and how did this day get so wrong?

Well, best start working on fixing it. First order of business would be to get an update from Ran. She pulled her cell phone from her dress. Fortunately, it was undamaged. Then her eyes narrowed as she examined the screen. Huh, it seemed that she had missed a call.

Unfortunately, she had no time to ponder the problem further. A thunderous bellow of rage tore from Eientei, followed by the sound of something smashing into something else. Well, at least she now knew where Suika was.

…

Did I not tell you to kill the oni? Now look what's happened.

I know, I know, I'm dealing with it!

You're actually dealing with the fact that your head's now flatter than a-

You know, for a hallucination you're awfully pushy.

…

Suika had to admit, she did feel a little better now, but not enough by far.

She had managed to take the evil shadow person by surprise (how, she had no idea) when she smashed through the mansion's wall and barreled right into the disgusting thing. It had tried to stab her again, so she had snatched up a piece of wreckage and threw it at the monster's head. Then she had stomped on it. Repeatedly.

It had stopped moving about that point. Suika was almost disappointed. Still, she wasn't here to have fun, she was here to smash. And things were easier to smash when they lay still.

She turned and bent down to wrench a large piece of the wooden floor loose. Then, turning back to where the monster lay, ready to batter it to a pulp.

It wasn't there.

The oni's eyes narrowed as she searched the corridor. Well, it was certainly fast. But speed alone wasn't going to save it from her wrath.

Still holding her weaponized segment of floor, Suika went hunting. She was going to find it even if she had to tear the whole mansion apart with her bare hands. And from the look of things, she was already off to a good start.

…

She's going to kill us!

No she's not. Stop whimpering.

Yes she will! She smashed my head like a piece of fruit! And now she'll-

You survived getting blown apart, you can survive whatever she can dish out.

But I…

Do you want me to take over? Because I will if I have to.

…you can do that?

I don't know. Shall we find out?

No!

Then shut up and listen to me! She's strong, but you are much, much faster than she is. Plus, she can't even touch you without hurting herself. And you can mold your body to fit into tight cracks, yes?

Um, for a little while. But it's hard maintain a constant-

Okay, I get it, shut up. Now listen, this is what we're going to do…

…

Gah, too many things happening at once. Sorry if it's getting confusing. I'll try to tie things together in the next chapter.

And this fight just refuses to end! Hopefully things will come to a finish soon. Still, I'm having fun. Rin's dialogue with her inner demon was a blast.

Until next time, everyone!