Phoenix Down

Normally traveling the Bamboo Forest of the Lost didn't take long, provided you didn't get lost yourself. If you knew you way around, then it was a quick trip. And even if you didn't, you could always rise above the treetops and journey from one end to the other in about fifteen minutes. And seeing how the entire staff of Eientei both knew their way around and was planning to fly over the treetops anyway, they should have been moments away from the Scarlet Devil Mansion by now.

There were a couple of problems with that.

The first was that they were all flying in formation. While this made the most sense from a defensive standpoint, it did mean the slowest were setting the pace. And seeing how they had many among their number whose jobs included simple housework, cooking, cleaning and maintenance, i.e. jobs that did not include much flying to begin with, the trip was taking nearly twice as long.

The second occurred when they were only five minutes from the forest's border.

Tewi had been in the lead of the caravan (convoy? Procession? Flock? Whatever) when it had happened. The sight sent a deep cleansing sense of relief singing through her. Even though she knew they weren't technically "safe" until they reached the Scarlet Devil Mansion, just having made it past such a large hurdle was heartening enough.

And then everything had gone to hell.

At first Tewi hadn't realized what was happening. Suddenly everything started yelling and the formation broke. Her first thought was that Rin had found them, or maybe Mokou was taking advantage of the situation. But then she realized that such was not the case. No, it was much worse. Kaguya had gotten loose.

Somehow the princess had managed to work her arms from their bindings. After that, it had taken but one burst of power to free herself completely.

"Kaguya!" Reisen yelled as she chased after the furious princess, all the host of Eientei behind her. "Come back, it's not safe!"

Tewi agreed. "Are you crazy?" she called. "Rin'll just eat you too!"

"Cowards!" Kaguya snarled. "Worthless pathetic cowards!"

I hate it when she gets like this, Tewi thought to herself. Aloud, she said, "Anyone who's faster than her, try to cut her off! Only fire if-"

Kaguya took a sudden turn and dipped downward into the forest.

"Never mind, change of plans! Surround her on all sides and try to hedge her in!"

"Do you really think that'll work?" the newly promoted Commander Utada asked.

"No, but it's worth a shot! Hurry up!"

…

Marisa stared in shock at the space that had been occupied by Cirno's body not five seconds prior. Black smoke rose upward as green sparks fell to the earth, remnants of her dual attack with Mima. However, those were unimportant. Her attention was focused on the white steam that swirled in wisps where the two spells had stuck one another.

It was difficult to comprehend. One moment they were about to remove the monster for good, the next Cirno had come the hell out of nowhere and had gotten in their way. And as a result, she had been vaporized in an instant.

I've killed her, she thought numbly. My gods, I've actually killed her.

She didn't like Cirno; there was no secret about that. Nobody really did. The stupid braggart had inconvenienced her more times than she cared to count, to the point where beating her up was practically a national pastime.

But she hadn't meant to kill her.

"Come on!" Mima shouted, tearing Marisa away from her stupefied state. "She's getting away!"

Marisa looked where her mentor was indicating. Rin Satsuki had taken advantage of the momentary distraction and was now vanishing through the bamboo.

"Did you hear me?" Mima demanded. "Snap out of it, girl! We can't let her escape!"

"But Cirno…"

"Forget her! She's a fairy, she'll be fine!"

"Yeah, but who could come back from that?"

Mima shoved herself up against Marisa, so that they were practically nose-to-nose. "Listen to me," she growled. "Cirno does not matter. She got in the way, so what happened was her fault. But if that gives you pause, if you let that stop you from helping me hunt that thing down, then whatever happens after will become your fault."

"But-"

"Furthermore," Mima continued. "I will be very, very disappointed."

It was that last part that did it for her. She nodded once, knowing that any other response would turn out poorly for her.

"Good. Now let's go."

Marisa followed her former teacher into the bamboo forest. Now that she thought about it, Mima was right. What had happened to Cirno was her own damned fault. No one had forced her to jump into the middle of a way. No use crying over spilt milk or vaporized fairies.

Still, she couldn't help casting one regretful look over her shoulder. Behind them, the mist was starting to clear.

…

Bamboo stalks passed by so fast they the seemed to melt into a formless blur. Sometimes they would suddenly appear to block her path, but Rin would just pass right through them without even noticing.

The scene she had just witnessed played over and over in her head on an endless loop. Rumia's friend coming out of nowhere and taking the shot meant for her. The whole thing had been so sudden that Rin honestly didn't have the slightest idea of how to feel about it. No one had ever stuck their neck out for her, especially to that degree. Even if the little fairy did think she was Rumia herself, it still hit her hard.

Especially since she had lost her life for it. Oh gods in everywhere, what was she going to tell Rumia?

She's a fairy, she'll resurrect, she's a fairy, she'll resurrect. Rin repeated those words over and over again, trying to make them stick, trying to make them overpower the image of Cirno's body as it disintegrated. It didn't work very well.

There was a whining sound and three spears of liquid fire spat over her. She managed to dodge just in time, but one grazed her shoulder, splattering her with droplets that hissed and burned as they stuck to her. A small effort of will, and they were absorbed into her being.

Still, she was going to have to do something about her pursuers. As fast as she was, she couldn't outrun them forever. Rin spared a glance at the ground below her. Especially with that damned trail of dead plants she kept leaving everything. Might as well paint a glowing arrow in the sky with a sign that said "Shoot Here!"

That was when inspiration struck. Rin increased her speed until she had gained enough distance. Then she dug deep into the abilities she had acquired from Rumia. As ugly as they were, they could prove useful.

Remembering the spear of darkness that her "Evil Twin" had thrown at the portal youkai, Rin hurled several similar missiles straight out in numerous random directions, like the spokes on some kind of lunatic wheel. As she hoped, the ground beneath each missile withered and died, leaving a clear path of blackened foliage. Choosing a direction for herself, Rin sped along, praying that it would be enough to throw them off. At this point, she was going to take whatever advantage she could get.

Well, except for one. She knew she was some kind of a monster, but she still didn't trust herself with using her new powers in the way they were intended. She wasn't a deliberate killer, no matter what her "Evil Twin" said. Not yet, at least.

…

Marisa saw a change in the trail they were following and swore out loud. She braked hard, bringing her broom to a stop. She felt her accumulated acceleration protest the sudden change in speed.

The trail of dead plants and blackened leaves had suddenly exploded into several different directions. It looked like the tip of one of those sparklers the kids were always lighting up during the New Year's Celebration. Marisa grit her teeth as her eyes darted from one path to the other. She didn't know how it had pulled something like this off, but she had to admit it was very clever, even if it only made her want to kill it all the more.

"What now?" she shouted over to Mima, who was studying the new obstacle in an almost scholarly manner.

"What now?" Mima said with even bothering to look at her. "We follow, of course."

Marisa growled and swooped down so that she was facing Mima directly. "Yeah? You got any suggestions as to how, ze? Because unless you brought a full searching party…"

Mima muttered some words under her breath. Her form blurred, and suddenly her body divided in a manner not unlike cellular reproduction. Where there once had been one Mima were now two smaller Mimas. Then those two also separated, bringing the total to four. And then eight. In the end, there were sixteen little green-and-blue ghosts, each one the size of a small child.

"…or you could do that," Marisa finished. "Neeaaaattttt. You gotta show me how to do that."

The Mimas didn't bother to acknowledge the compliment. "Choose a path, I'll take the others," one of them said.

"Don't you mean 'we'll' take the others?" another muttered. "We're here too, you know!"

That one received a smack across her head from one of her neighbors. "We're all the same person, idiot!" the third snapped. "Singular personal pronouns work just fine."

"Not now, we're not!" the second shot back. "If we were, we'd all be speaking in unison!"

"Is this really the time to be discussing pronoun semantics?" another put it.

"Agreed, we have a job to do."

"But if we cannot even agree on how to refer to our collective selves, how can we be expected to even complete this mission?" argued one from the back.

This comment brought forth a chorus of both murmured disagreements and assents. The one who had spoken first sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You see why I don't like doing this often?" she said to Marisa.

"You mean 'we!' You're not the only Mima here, you know!"

Marisa, who was finding the whole thing hypnotically fascinating, started and said, "Huh? Oh, yeah. Anyway, I'll go…this way. Okay?"

"Works for us. Good hunting."

Another rubbed her chin and frowned. "Wouldn't she be more suited heading off in-"

Before another argument could erupt, Marisa shot off along her selected trail, following the line of the taint. Interesting or no, seeing a chorus of miniature Mimas argue amongst themselves was just too strange.

Behind her, the Mimas themselves all chose separate paths, bickering with and pushing one another until they finally got themselves situated. The hunt was on.

…

Less than five minutes into the search, Ran had begun to realize how pointless things were going to be. Now that an hour had passed, she was sure of it. The Bamboo Forest of the Lost was named that for a reason: it was a place where people got lost. And given how much experience Chen had in getting lost even in the most normal of places, it was starting to become akin to searching for a needle in a hayfield.

"I don't think we're gonna find her," Lily said as she prodded a bush with a stick. "I mean, this forest is huge. She could be anywhere."

Ran pursed her lips. "Just keep looking," she growled, careful to keep her own doubts out of her voice.

"Oh-kayyyy," Lily said with a shrug. "Though if you ask me, she probably went into the mansion."

The thought of Chen getting caught between an angry Suika and Eirin's Satsuki person sent a powerful shiver down Ran's spine. "No," she said out loud. "She wouldn't."

"Why?"

"Chen's not much of an inside person," Ran explained. "Every time she's run away, it's always to somewhere outside. Though come to think of it…" Ran's eyes narrowed. A possibility had just occurred to her, one that was almost as troubling as the thought of having to search for her in this enormous forest.

Lily tilted her head to one side. "What is it?" she asked.

"There's this…group she often hides with when she's made at me. I'm thinking she might have-"

"Shit!" a sudden shrill, high-pitched voice screeched from nearby, making them both jump. "Shit, shit, shit! Wrong path!"

Both of them whirled around to see one of the last things they had expected to see. Some kind of spirit, only about a foot tall, with long green hair dressed in a blue robe and tall, pointy hat decorated with depictions of celestial bodies had suddenly appeared on the scene. Apparently something had upset her, as she was banging her fist repeatedly against a tree as she cursed out loud.

"Why did I have to get stuck with a fake path!" the spirit cried. "I wanted to be the one to find her! Why couldn't I find her?"

Ran stared in utter bewilderment. The thing was, she knew the spirit, or at least her master did. Yukari had dealings with her in the past. The only thing was that Ran was pretty sure the spirit had been significantly…taller. And much more emotionally composed.

Lily tugged on Ran's sleeve. "Who's that?" she whispered. "Do you know her?"

"Um, I think so. Hang on."

Ran approached the bite-sized spirit. "Um, excuse me? Mima? Is that you?"

Mini-Mima's head swiveled to look at her. Her demeanor changed immediately. "Oh, you!" she said enthusiastically as she darted over to stare Ran in the eye. "Hi Ran! Yukari said you would be here. How's it going?"

It took a few seconds for Ran's brain to remember how to communicate with her mouth. "Um, yeah. Fine. Mima, what-"

"Happened to me? Oh, we were chasing that Satsuki person, and the path split off into a bunch of other paths. So I used a dividing spell to make more of me! That way, I can follow all the paths at once! Smart, huh?"

Perhaps, but Ran found the idea of several hyperactive pint-sized Mimas running through the forest to be utterly terrifying. "Um, I guess so…"

"Well, no, not really," the mini-Mima shrugged. "I really don't like using it, since my mind gets broken down a little bit more with each division and my pieces usually end up doing something incredibly embarrassing. But desperate times at all that, hey? Speaking of which, did you see anyone looking like they've painted themselves black and covered their eyes in cherry juice flying by here?"

Ran shook her head. "I'm afraid not. We're out here looking for my Shikigami. Haven't seen the Shadow Youkai or whatever it is since Eirin sent me away."

"Aw, bummer. See, I really wanted to be the one to find it, because then I could rub it in the faces of all the other Mimas! They're kinda mean, you know what I'm saying?"

"I guess…Wait a minute, Yukari told me that she had Satsuki contained!"

"Yeah, but she got away. Made a big mess too. Me and Marisa were the only ones who weren't like really beat up, so we went after her! Sucks, don't it?"

"What about Yukari, is she okay?"

"Well…sort've. Got slashed with a nasty dark spear thing, but she's alive. Anyway, it was fun catching up, but I really gotta head back. The other me's really are helpless without me. Laters!"

With that, the mini-Mima turned and sped back the way she came. Not long after, Ran's phone began to ring.

"Yes, Yukari?" she said.

"Ran, I need you back at the clinic. I need an extra set of hands and you need to get out of that forest."

"Yeah, I just ran into Mima. Erm, I think I did anyway. She told me Satsuki got out."

"Indeed. I have to admit, she's a clever little bitch. Mima and Marisa are going to try to shut her down. But it's best if you stay out of their crossfire."

"But what about Chen?"

There was a short pause, and then Yukari said, "There's no helping that. I can't have a monster hunt and a Chen search party going at the same time. I need you here, now. We'll have to worry about her after."

Ran's brow furrowed. "I'm sorry Master, but that is not acceptable."

"Excuse me? What was that?"

"With all due respect Master, if there really is some kind of psycho-killer on the loose, then I'm not going to leave Chen alone to get caught in the crossfire either."

"That's an order, Shikigami."

Ran gritted her teeth. Refusing a direct order from Yukari was difficult in the extreme, but she wasn't going to waver. "Chen's your responsibility too. I will not abandon her."

There was a long pause, and then Yukari said, "Very well. I didn't want to resort to this, but…"

Lily cried out in shock. Ran started to turn to see what she was reacting to, but a hand seized her shoulder and whirled her around. There, Yukari herself was emerging from one her portals. That in itself wasn't unusual, at least to Chen, but her Master's dress was torn at the midriff, exposing an ugly black wound. Yukari's lips were pressed together so tightly that they had turned white, and sparks were flying in her eyes.

Yukari mumbled a word, and Ran's body suddenly seized up. Ran set her will and tried to move, but her body would not obey. No surprises there. It was taking marching orders from someone else.

"I hope you realize," Yukari said as she grabbed Ran by the collar and yanked her into the portal, "how much this hurts. I also hope you realize that I am never incapacitated for long. Remember that the next time you decide to disobey me."

The portal sealed itself up, taking both of the youkai with it.

…

Lily White stared at the spot where the portal had disappeared. She had no idea what Yukari was going to do to Ran, but she did not envy the fox. Not one bit.

She looked around the forest and wondered what she was supposed to do now. Her yearly announcements had been ruined so completely that sticking around was pointless. And from the look of it, things were going straight to hell.

It just wasn't fair, damn it. She did her best to fulfill her purpose in life. All that really was making people feel relieved that winter was over. Everybody loved spring, right? Why did people always try to screw things up for her? Why did they have to go and ruin her special day?

Well, enough was enough. "Screw those guys," she muttered to herself. "I'm going home."

Lily snapped her fingers and vanished, not to be seen again for another year. She could only hope that the next first day of spring wouldn't suck nearly as much as this one did.

Rin had to admit, it wasn't the best solution. But then again, the best solution involved everyone suddenly saying they were sorry for hurting her and welcoming her back with open arms, Rumia forgiving her and promising to be her best friend forever, Eirin giving Rin her body back and a pat on the head, and then everyone celebrating their eternal friendship with a big party with lots of laughter and dancing. Rin wasn't nearly so crazy to start believing that was going to happen in the next few moments, so she had to settle for just a potentially workable solution.

After she had gone a good distance from where she had created those false trails, Rin had paused just long enough to hear someone fast approaching. Now that was just not right. The missile idea had been a good one! Why didn't it work?

Well, no use crying over possible ensuing disintegration. It was time to improvise. Again.

Selecting a particularly thick cluster of foliage, Rin shot into the air, careful to avoid getting close enough to the surrounding bamboo stalks to leave traces of that taint. Then, when she was right over the cluster, she pulled all the power she got from Rumia as far as she could into herself and shoved it into the farthest corner.

Once that had happened, the body she had stolen from Rumia collapsed back on itself. She lost form and color, turning back into her natural blob-like state. Suddenly deprived of Rumia's ability to fly, she had fallen right into the undergrowth. Hopefully it would be enough to hide her for the time being.

Unfortunately, she could not hold that state for very long. Once she absorbed someone, her body would naturally conform to that person's general shape. It made slithering around difficult. And reverting back to blob form required a great amount of concentration. She could only hope the danger passed before her cells started to take damage from the strain.

Also unfortunately, she was now effectively blind. Well, not entirely. She could still sense things that were nearby and achieve a kind of very limited sight, one that mainly displayed things as silhouettes, but there was no way she could work up the concentration to accomplish that. So unless her pursuer decided to sit on her or step on her, she was in the dark in this one. So the only thing to do was sit tight as long as she could and pray that no one would see her. Already she could think of a dozen things wrong with that plan.

She can't see me, she can't see me, she can't see me…

Wait. Vibrations. Something had just landed on the ground. Something was near. Rin tensed up. She could feel something moving close by. Something moving very close by.

…

How typical. How utterly typical. Out of all the bloody godsforsaken trails she could have picked, she picked one that led to a dead end. Marisa scowled and hopped off her broom. She had no idea how Satsuki had pulled off that red herring trick, but it was frustrating her to no end.

Still, so long as she was here, she might as well be thorough. After all, Satsuki might be hiding nearby. Worth a shot.

Holding her pulsing hakkero in front of her like a ward, Marisa began to investigate the area. "Come out, come out wherever you are," she sang. "Fee-fie-foe-fum, I smell the blood of something about to be very, very dead.

…

The vibrations had ceased. Even though she no longer had much in the way of an endocrine system, Rin tensed up. Right now she would trade all the apocalyptic powers in the word just to know what was going on.

She waited. Time moved oddly in the dark places of her mind. She had figured out how to slow it down if necessary, but not speed it up. So she waited, as the seconds ticked by, every one feeling like minutes.

If she had teeth, Rin would be gritting them right about now. Keeping still would be a whole lot easier if it weren't for the strain of holding Rumia's power at bay. Even now, she could feel it pressing against her mind, trying to get out.

Wait…Rumia's power…

Fully aware that this was a bad idea, Rin let a bit of the dark energy leak past the barrier she had formed around it. This she took and twisted into the shape of a singular burning eye.

I am so violating every single rule I've ever learned about anatomy, she thought grimly. And probably a few about nature. Still, according to just about everyone, she had been doing that anyway. So why stop now?

The eye formed just enough to give her a murky view of the surrounding areas. Everything was hazy and done in a pale shade of pink, but she could at least make out shapes.

Unfortunately the only thing she could see was leaves. Rin extended a single stalk upward like a periscope, the partially formed eye sitting at the top.

The Mad Witch was standing about seven feet away, her back to the bushes where Rin was hiding.

Shock shot through Rin's mind, nearly causing her to lose control of the power she had been restraining. She sucked the stalk and attached eye back into her body and hunkered down as low as she could.

…

Marisa was pushing her way through yet another cluster of bamboo when something started rustling nearby. She paused, and turned in the direction of the noise. It had come from some leafy bushes.

She approached the source of the noise cautiously. It was highly unlikely Satsuki was in there, seeing how the bushes were very much unwithered. Probably just some kind of small animal.

Still…

Marisa approached the bushes, broom held in one hand, hakkero in the other. Using the broom handle, she cautiously pushed branches out of the way.

Something shot out of the bushes. Startled, Marisa hopped back and snapped her hakkero forward. Then she saw what it was and groaned.

Fairies, about five of them. And the small fry variety too. None of them were over a third of a foot tall. Marisa had cleaned more formidable things out of her pantry.

They swarmed around her head, laughing and chittering in their small squeaky voices. "Hey, knock it off," Marisa yelled as she tried to swipe them away. "Get out of here!"

That of course only made them laugh harder. One of them swooped low enough for her to make out what it was saying.

"Marisa, Marisa, big fat witch,

doesn't wanna stop being a snitch.

Papa smacked her and hit her with a switch

and when she cried, he made her his bitch."

Blinding light tore up the surrounding area. When it cleared, Marisa was standing alone among the now decimated foliage. She was panting heavily and holding her spent hakkero in one trembling hand.

Marisa slowly mounted her broom. Stupid fairies. Always getting in the way. If they didn't want to get fried, then they should just leave her alone. Not her fault.

Right?

Whatever. No time to think about that now. Marisa lifted from the ground and headed back. If she hurried, she might be able to help smash Satsuki with whatever Mima copy had chosen the right path.

…

Wary and terrified, Rin emerged from the ash of her hiding place. She would have stayed longer, but the strain was getting to be too great. Any longer and she would start taking cellular damage.

In the distance, she could see the witch flying away. Now that had been too close. When the blast of heat had swept over her, she had been utterly convinced that she was about to die. She had no idea why the witch was leaving or why she had been attacking in the first place, but Rin wasn't complaining.

Now the only problem was what she was going to do now. Plan A: "Make up with Eirin" was a complete bust. Stupid Lunarian had lied to her and let her get beat up by those people. Plan B: "Devour Kaguya to pay Eirin back" was also a bust. Just as well. Now that she was no longer listening to her Evil Twin, the very idea gave her a sour feeling in her stomach. Time for Plan C: "Find some place to hide and hope Rumia wouldn't hate her for long."

Rin rose into the air and headed north.

…

"So how do you think it's going?" Reimu asked as she helped a noticeably sullen Ran place Eirin back into her bed. "The hunt I mean."

Yukari glowered, but she said, "Horribly. Definitely horribly. Now shut up." With that, she went back to applying some sort of lotion to her wound.

The shrine maiden winced. She shot a glance at Ran, who just shook her head and went back to sulking.

Reimu wasn't sure where she'd rather be. On the one hand, being stuck trying to fix up a messed up hospital room with a lame foot and two pissed off youkai for company was almost stifling. On the other hand, the memory of that deadly cold shooting through her veins was still fresh in her memory. Reimu was certainly no coward, but that was not an incident she was overly eager to repeat.

Well, on the plus side Marisa and Mima had already kicked that thing's ass before. Provided they could cut it off, there was nothing saying they couldn't do it again.

Then again, given the sort of day they were having, Reimu wouldn't put it past fate to throw some sort of unseen complication in their way. In fact, she was almost counting on it.

…

Elsewhere, someone else was also wandering through the forest. Unlike everyone else, she was wholly unaware of everything that had gone down at Eientei, nor would she have cared if she did, except maybe to point and laugh.

Hands stuck in her pockets, she whistled a song that was stuck in her head as she strolled through the stalks of bamboo.

"Gee, gee, gee, gee, baby, baby, baby," she sang under her breath. "Gee, gee…huh?"

A nearby commotion caught her attention. Blinking, she carefully approached the source of the noise. When she was what it was, her eyes widened in surprise.

Well, well, well, Mokou thought as a wide grin spread over her face. How about that. Must be my birthday after all.

…

Tewi grit her teeth as she forced the hood over the struggling Kaguya's face. Restraining the princess had taken much, much longer than it should have. Unfortunately everyone had understandable reservations about shooting their own master. Kaguya had no such reservations.

"I hate this day," Tewi told Reisen as she walked away from Kaguya. The soldiers would take responsibility for her now. "I hate, hate, hate this day." All around them, the rabbits of Eientei were sprawled about and nursing their wounds. Despite the overwhelming advantage of numbers, the fight had exhausted them.

Reisen rubbed a sore spot on her arm where Kaguya had managed to clip her. "Seems like everything's turned upside down, huh? Eientei evacuated, Rin coming back, Eirin's probably gone, Kaguya's beating us up…" She frowned. "No, wait. That last part's pretty normal."

"Not the part with us hitting back. I'm tellin' you, when all this is over, I'm taking a nice long vacation. Somewhere far away, with lots of grass and no-"

That's when Kaguya started screaming. Tewi and Reisen whirled around to see the princess writhing and thrashing against her bounds, muffled cries of distress coming from under the hood. Tewi could tell that this was more than just protesting her situation. This was pure terror.

The two hurried over as the soldiers tried to restrain her. "What's happening? Tewi shouted. "Is something wrong?"

Utada shook her head in confusion. "I don't know!" she shouted as she wrapped her arms around Kaguya's waist and tried to hold her still. "She just started freaking out!"

Kaguya's cries took on a distinct rhythm. "Muhoo! Muhoo! Muhoo!"

Bewildered, Tewi looked over at Reisen, who just spread her hands and shrugged.

Utada reached over to lift the bottom of the hood, just enough to expose Kaguya's mouth. "Mokou!" she screamed. "Mokou! It's Mokou, you idiots!"

Everybody stiffened. Oh shi-

And that was when the chaos began. Balls of flame erupted from the edge of the clearing where they were situated and exploded in their midst. Rabbits scattered every which way, desperate to avoid getting torched. Of course it was all pointless. They were in no danger.

"Stop running!" Tewi cried as she tried to restore order. "She's not after you! Protect the Princess!"

Of course everyone ignored her. Even Reisen looked like she was about to split. Growling, Tewi turned to the elite of the Eientei Guard, the only ones who had kept their heads.

"Okay, I've had enough," she said. "Fuck spellcard rules, it's not like she's following them anyway. Find that pyromaniac and-"

She never got the chance to finish. A fireball hit the ground only three feet away and sent her sprawling.

…

Rin had put a good amount of distance between her and Eientei when a stray fireball had flown by and nearly hit her in the head. She yelped in surprise and dove for cover.

When no more came, Rin hesitantly peeked out. From the look of things, there was some sort of commotion going on nearby, one that strangely enough did not involve her. Thunderous explosions were tearing up the landscape and people were screaming.

Two of those people ran past her. Ran stared after them. Rabbits, both wearing Eientei uniforms. The wheels in Rin's head began to turn. If she was right, then all the yelling was from everyone who had evacuated from Eientei. Which meant…

You should probably investigate that.

I should probably investigate that, Rin thought. She floated towards the tumult, careful to remain in the shadows.

It might be dangerous. Shouldn't you be armed?

Rin glanced down at her right hand. Well, better safe than sorry. A weapon was just a weapon, after all. A small focus of will, and her sword once again sprang into existence.

Over there, where all the fire is. That's where you want to be.

Rin noticed that there was a substantial amount of flame concentrated in one area. There, she could see figures moving, figures she thought she recognized. That was probably where she needed to go. Strange though, a part of her was saying that this was a bad idea. She supposed she should listen, but for some reason it was getting harder and harder to think. Though she could still see, everything was growing fuzzy, almost like she was falling asleep.

A dream, it was all a dream. Just slip away and dream a dream…

…

Tewi tried scrambling to her feet, but one of the panicked rabbits ran into her from behind and she hit the ground face first.

Tewi spat out dirt and leaves and pushed herself up on her palms. She looked up and froze.

A pair of baggy red pants, covered with paper charms, stood before her. Suspenders held the pants to a button-up shirt that might have been white once in its past, but time and heat had made it a more light brown. Above this was an ethereally beautiful face framed by flowing hair of a shade of purple so pale it was almost white.

Tewi whimpered.

Mokou smirked down at the terrified rabbit. Then she stepped over her and strolled casually past the fires she had started, heading over to Kaguya's bound form. The few soldiers who had stood their ground snapped to attention and took aim; though it was obvious they also doubted their chances of success.

Tewi snapped out of her paralysis. "Mokou, wait!" she said. "This isn't the time for your-"

Mokou pointed a finger over her shoulder at her. The tip was glowing.

"Not the time?" Mokou said, her voice completely devoid of any concern whatsoever. "Time is all I have. All time is my time."

"Not now it isn't!" Tewi shouted back. "Please Mokou, not this time! It's an emergency!"

"Well, well, well, when did you suddenly get so serious? I thought you liked games." She pointed her finger at Kaguya and the soldiers surrounding her. "And right now, this is the only game in town. Oh, by the way. Pyrofuego."

A searing column of flame lashed out from her finger and struck the ground in front of the soldiers, scattering them. A few more blasts followed this, and soon Kaguya was left unguarded.

Mokou sauntered over to where her rival lay helpless, that satisfied smirk never leaving her lips. When she was within kicking distance, a wall of fire rose from the ground to surround them. Tewi and some of the remaining soldiers tried to approach, but it flared up in response to their presence and drove them away.

Safe from any rescue attempts, Mokou reached down and pulled off Kaguya's hood, exposing her smudged and glaring face and bloodshot eyes.

"Man Kaguya, what the hell did you to do end up like this?" Mokou said. "I knew your bunny brigade would go on strike sooner or later but…damn."

Tewi felt like screaming in frustration. Normally this sort of thing wouldn't be such a big deal, but they needed to leave the forest now. Rin could show up at any moment.

As if her thinking it brought it about, Tewi's eyes went wide when she saw an almost formless black shape slinking along the edge of the clearing, heading towards the wall of fire. Despite the overwhelming heat, Tewi felt her insides turn to ice, especially when it turned to regard her with those horrible red eyes.

Then it winked at her and crept into the fire. Like before, the fire blazed up and tried to ward it off, but if she felt the heat at all it gave indication.

"Mokou, wait!" Tewi called. "Get out there!" Unfortunately, the roar of the fire drowned out her voice.

Inside the wall, the two eternal rivals were too preoccupied with one another to pay attention to anything else. Kaguya spat. "Coward! Untie me and face me on equal terms!"

"Yeah, no thanks." Mokou held up one finger. Fire ignited on the tip. "I've been doing that every day for…gods, I don't even remember anymore. Something-odd centuries. So I think I'll just take advantage of a very convenient situation and have myself a little barbeque. Fire Spin."

She gestured, and three whirling fiery tongue washed over Kaguya's body. The princess screamed as her blackened and began to crack. The fat underneath started to melt and run out in sickly yellow rivulets. Her hair burst into flames and shriveled away to floating ash.

Mokou kept smiling even as she turned up the heat. "How did you kill me yesterday? Something about slicing open my stomach and pulling out my entrails? Not the worst you've done, but it still kinda sucked. But I win this round."

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you?"

"Wha-" Mokou's question was suddenly cut off as a blackened blade exploded from her chest in a spray of gore. The wall of flame flared up one last time and withered to nothingness.

Oh no, Tewi thought numbly as Rin Satsuki kicked Mokou off of her sword. Oh no, no, no. The immortal fell to her knees. Blood vomited from her mouth.

Rin stared down at Mokou with a contempt that Tewi would have thought her to be capable of. Back during her last rampage, she had been plenty crazy, but never coldly malicious like this.

"You people never learn. Always thinking your petty little squabbles are the only things that matter. But I'm afraid this is game over for you, fire bird. Now, let's see: how did that spineless little waste of space do this again? Oh yes…"

Rin extended both hands. Her talons shriveled away, and the darkness fled from her palms and forearms, leaving the lower half of the appendages purely transparent.

"No!" Tewi cried as she rushed forward. She grabbed a heavy stick off the ground and swung it with all her might at Rin's head.

It hit, but predictably enough it did nothing other than snap in half. Three twisting coils off darkness sprouted from Rin's back and speared the ground where Tewi was standing. She managed to leap away just in time.

Rin's now transparent arm expanded and joined together into a single mass, about the size of a tent. This dipped down to envelop a skewered Mokou and her charcoaled enemy. It picked them up, gore, ash and all. Despite the obvious pain she was in, Mokou kicked and pushed and tried to break free. Of course, all of her attempts were fruitless. Once Rin had you, there was no escape.

Kaguya, it should be noted, just hung limply. But this was of course to be expected.

Rin cackled as Mokou and Kaguya's mutilated bodies began to tear apart from the outside in. Their clothing and (in Mokou's case) hair dissolved away, followed by their skin. For a moment, Tewi was treated to an unforgettable anatomy lesson as Mokou and Kaguya's internal organs became wholly visible. Then these too crumbled away.

Mokou and Kaguya wasted away into nothingness.

Still laughing, Rin separated the large blob into two separate appendages again and reformed her arms. "Wow, that was...interesting. Wonder when the changes will starHELLO!"

Rin's neck snapped back and her arms spread wide and stiffened. Shivers ran up and down her stolen body.

And then she began to change.

The twisting aura of darkness exploded into a frenzy of motion and her skin looked like it was boiling. Her limbs extended and reformed themselves into a smoother, more graceful shape. Her "hair", if it could be called that, shuddered and suddenly shot out about four feet. The midnight black of her body dissolved away in patches, revealing its inverse beneath.

Then the metamorphosis was complete. Rin dropped to her knees. For a moment she was motionless. And then she stood.

Her new body was…different. It retained aspects of the form she had taken from the Shadow Youkai, particularly in the shape of the face, the ripping talons on the hands, and certain parts of her clothing, but bits and pieces of her new victims had been added to the ensemble, turning her into a gothic artist's wet dream. She was now much taller and more graceful in her movements. Her hair now flowed in Mokou's distinctive style, but the color was Kaguya's. The dark aura remained, but it was now shot through with flashes of red and purple. The Shadow Youkai's vest also remained, but the skirt now more resembled Mokou's trousers, decorated with the floral pattern of Kaguya's robe. The ropes that had bound Kaguya's arms now twisted around the wrists and forearms like some sort of avant-garde bracelets. And her skin, once a featureless expanse of black, was now the pale color of ash.

Her eyes though. They had not lost their shape, but had cooled to a haughty shade of lavender. But the burning cruelty was the same.

Rin cocked her head as she examined her new form. She held out her left hand and extended her fingers. "Not bad," she murmured as she ran the fingers of her other hand up and down her forearm. "Not bad at all. Is this how it feels to be completely indestructible?" She gave one of her new breasts an experimental squeeze. "I think I like it!"

Then her eyes narrowed as she took notice of her frozen audience. "Oh, is it rabbit season already? Time to take the new body for a test run."

Oh wow, what to do, what to do, what to do? Tewi thought desperately. Shooting her wouldn't work, blunt impact wouldn't work, and running would only delay the inevitable. She hated to admit it, but by all accounts, they were now royally screwed.

Rin extended her right hand. Her sword, dropped while she absorbed the two immortals, trembled and snapped to her palm. Yep, royally screwed.

"Rin?" said a nearby voice, drawing everyone's attention.

Reisen stood there, arms outstretched, palms up in a nonthreatening manner. She slowly approached the nightmare. Her entire body was trembling, but she kept walking.

"Rin, it's me," she said. "It's Reisen. You remember me, right?"

"Reisen, are you stupid or something?" Tewi shouted. She skirted around Rin and darted to her friend's side. "Now is not the time to get suicidal," she hissed in Reisen's ear.

This was ignored. Reisen's eyes remained focused on Rin. "Come on Rin, I know you remember me. Remember the time we snuck out to go to the Winter Solstice festival? And we got kicked out for cheating at all those rigged games? Remember all those picnics we took when we were supposed to be sparring? Remember all those times you came crying to my room after Eirin chewed you out and I let you sleep in my bed? I even spent a week inside of your mind and stood up for you when Kaguya wanted to execute you. Please Rin, I know you remember. I know this isn't you."

Tewi shot a glance at Rin and sucked her teeth. To her surprise, Reisen's words seemed to be working. Rin now looked…unsure of herself. Hesitant. There seemed to be some kind of internal struggle going on.

"Rin, please," Reisen pressed. She was now only a few feet away. "Don't do this. I know you're angry, and the gods know you have every right to be. But don't become the monster. You're better than that."

Rin shook her head and shuddered. She looked up. "Reisen?"

"I'll be twice-over damned, it worked," Tewi whispered.

Reisen smiled and nodded. "It's me, Rin. Don't worry. I won't let anyone-"

Then Rin laughed and swung out with one arm, knocking Reisen to the ground. Reisen tried to push herself up, but Rin planted one foot on her back and pressed her back down.

Tewi screamed and rushed forward. Rin barely glanced at her before slashing her side with one talon. Hot pain flared up, only to be replaced with bitter cold. Tewi tumbled to the ground, grasping her injured side.

"Just when I thought you people couldn't get any stupider, you go and prove me wrong," Rin said in a conversational tone. "I swear, you have got to be the most gullible piece of shit I've ever encountered. I don't know what she saw in you, I really don't." She lifted the sword up, ready to plunge it into Reisen's skull. "Well, if I'm going to rip this country to pieces, I suppose this is a good place to start as any. Sayonara, Inaba."

Then she froze, sword poised in midair. Her head twitched, and her other hand went to her forehead. She grimaced and looked like she was fighting off a headache.

"Oh, for crying out loud," Rin growled. "You had to wait until now to wake up?"

...

Rin clawed her way to the surface of her mind, screaming all the way.

What are you doing? she cried.

What's it look like? Plan B, times two.

Stop it! Leave Reisen alone!

She felt the other her sigh. Look Rin, can you just give me a minute here? I promise it won't even hurt.

No! You said I was on my own! You promise! Why did you lie?

Situation changed. You weren't going to do what was necessary. I, on the other hand, just made you explode-proof. Say "thank you".

Rin screamed and forced control away from her "Evil Twin". Get out, get out, get out!

She tried to mentally crush the monster, but it slipped away before she could. For the merest fraction of a second, she could feel it slithering through the recesses of her mind. And then it was gone.

Rin frantically searched every bit of her mind, but the only other presence she could feel was Rumia's, who was still floating alone in the dark and totally confused and oblivious to all that was going on.

Wait, not just Rumia. There was something new, another mind. Two other minds, in fact. The minds of…

Oh no. Oh no, no, no.

…

Rin stiffened. Her body swayed back and forth like a reed in the wind. Her sword dipped low and fell from her hands to clatter on the ground.

Then she shook her head and looked at the world around her.

"What happened?" she whispered. "What did she do?"

Then she glanced down.

"Oh my gods, Reisen?" Rin cried. She leapt off the rabbit's body. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't me, I swear! Did she hurt you?" She reached down with one hand to help her up.

In response, Reisen screamed in terror and bolted into the forest

"Wait!" Rin called. "It wasn't me! Please Reisen, listen to me!"

Then she saw Tewi, still on the ground with a blackened gash along her side.

"Tewi? What happened? Did I...did she do that to you? Did she do all this? No…I can't…"

Rin screamed, a horrible echoing sound that pierced through Tewi's skull and nearly sent her into unconsciousness. Then she leapt into the air and flew away, crying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" as she sped off.

…

"You know what the worst part is?" Mima said as she tried to hold her final miniature still. "Having sixteen different sets of memories for the same ten minutes. Can you imagine having to sort all that out? Quantum physics is easier."

Her miniature clamped her teeth down on Mima's hand. Of course it did no good, and soon she was reabsorbed into Mima's body.

The ghost sighed. "Well, that's done with at least." Then she frowned and looked over at Marisa. "Hey, what's wrong with you?"

The two of them were back at the Eientei courtyard. After their search had proved to be fruitless, they had regrouped and headed back on the possibility that Satsuki had pulled a fast one and doubled back. Of course, no such luck.

Now the only question was what they were going to do now. Satsuki was proven to be far cleverer than they had thought, and by now she could be anywhere. It didn't help that Marisa was acting very odd, especially for her. She didn't look like she was even paying attention to Mima, which was a definite first. Instead, she kept glancing toward the spot where Cirno had disappeared and biting her lower lip.

Mima sighed and floated to her former prodigy's side. "Oh, come now. You're not still worried about that fairy, are you?"

"What? Oh, of course not, ze! It's just…" Marisa waved her hand at the space in front of her. "Shouldn't she be back by now? It doesn't usually take this long."

"Well, of course not," Mima scowled. "For one thing, the air's still too hot. And given the size of the blast, her cells were probably scattered far and wide. I wouldn't expect her to piece herself back together for another half an hour or so."

"Oh. Well, um…"

"Spit it out."

"Is there something you can do?"

Mima pressed her fingertips to her forehead and sighed. She thought she would never see the day when Marisa would express this degree of concern for another person, much less Cirno. "All right, fine. Then will you stop freaking out about her?"

"Hey, I'm not freaking out! I'm just-"

"Save it and let me work." Mima closed her eyes and concentrated. Even though she was still dealing with the aftereffects of her own being recently fractured, she could still feel the pieces of Cirno's essence floating around like a billion confused dust motes. A small focus of will, a quick muttered spell, and they began to coagulate at a single point.

At the same time, the temperature of the surrounding area took a steep trip downward. Marisa's breath became visible and she shivered. Frost started to form on the ground.

Mima gestured, and there was a sudden blaze of white light. The light formed itself into a small humanoid form, and Cirno dropped to the ground. The ice fairy scrambled to her feet and stared at the world with her new eyes.

"No, wait!" Cirno cried as she lurched forward. "Run Rumia, I'll hold them off! I can do it, I'm…the…strongest …"

With that, she pitched forward and flopped on the ground, where she continued to mumble under her breath.

Marisa stared. "Um, is she okay?"

Mima shrugged. From her point of view, there had been nothing to worry about in the first place. "Yes, she's fine. Her body just reformed quicker than usual. She'll be a little loopy for a few minutes and then she'll back to her irritating self.

Still sprawled in an untidy heap, Cirno began to snore.

"There, you see?"

Marisa slumped. "Oh, good. I mean it's not like I was worried or anything, I just didn't want put up with Reimu screaming my ear off again, ze."

"Sure you weren't," Mima smirked. "Sure you weren't."

Marisa opened her mouth to respond, but she was interrupted by a nearby rustling. Both of them whirled to face the forest. Marisa shot a glance at Mima, who returned the look and nodded. Marisa flipped her hakkero into her hand and energy began to gather at Mima's palms.

But to their surprise, it wasn't Satsuki at all. It was two rabbits dressed as maids. One was supporting the other, and both were smudged with ash.

Mima blinked and let her gathered power fade away. Beside her, Marisa was doing the same.

More rabbits were emerging from the forest, dressed in a variety of uniforms. More maids, soldiers, cooks, laundresses, etc. All of them looked exhausted, and many of them were covered with ash.

"Uh, what's going on?" Marisa muttered out of the corner of her mouth. "I thought they took off!"

Mima nodded. She had been thinking the same thing. All things considered, the rabbits return in this condition was not a good side.

Then the rabbits' leaders appeared. Reisen limped out of the forest, carrying a shivering Tewi on her back. Tewi's dress was ripped along one side, and underneath a black tear could clearly be seen on her pale skin.

Oh no.

Marisa ran up to them. "Hey Cottontail, what the hell happened here? You guys were supposed to be gone an hour ago, ze! What are you doing back?"

Reisen's scarlet eyes fixated upon her. That was when they saw the tear tracks smearing their way through the ash on her cheek.

"Where were you?" Reisen said in a hollow voice.

"What?" Marisa looked confused. "Where do you think? We were trying to stop Satsuki!"

Reisen didn't say anything else. She just looked away from the witch, hefted her friend back up and continued to limp towards the clinic. Mima floated out of their way without a word.

Marisa stated after them, her mouth agape. She ran back to Mima. "Hey, what do you think happened?" she said. "Did Satsuki get Kaguya? What's with the ash?"

Mima just pursed her lips and shook her head. She had been wondering the same thing herself. Satsuki was of course the most obvious explanation, but she had yet to exhibit fire-based abilities.

Unless she ate that Mokou as well, she thought. If that was the case, they might as well cut their own throats right now and save Satsuki the trouble. Well, everyone else except Mima herself, of course.

Before she could continue down that depressing line of thought, another voice cut in, drawing their attention.

"Huh?" Cirno said as she pushed herself up on her palms. She looked around at the procession of weary rabbits, confusion all over her face. "Where am I? What happened? Where's Rumia?"

…

Deep Within

Rumia pitched forward and landed on what could only be described as solid nothing. Whatever, she didn't care, so long as she landed on something, even if that something was nothing.

She took stock of herself. Arms, legs, torso, head, hair, all there! Oh thank the gods, she had a body again! Sure, she knew her body wasn't actually real and from the look of things still stuck in Rin's head, but it was miles better than that being trapped in that void, with no sensation of feeling, no movement whatsoever, no nothing except her fear and memories to keep her company.

And to make things even sweeter, she could move her whole body now! She was no longer trapped in the crucified position and driving herself crazy with trying to get her limbs to obey. Sure, it wasn't the same as actual freedom, but it was a step in the right direction.

Unfortunately she didn't the chance to enjoy her newfound mobility, as Rin chose that moment to appear the hell out of nowhere. Her captor had a wild look in her eyes, and if to punctuate that observation she grabbed Rumia by the shoulders and shoved her up again…more nothing.

"Was it you?" Rin shouted. "Were you the dark voice? How did you get out? Tell me!"

Rumia gaped at her. "Wha-I-I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

Angry tears formed in Rin's bloodshot eyes. "It had to have been you!" she cried. "There was no one else in here! It had to be you!"

"I swear, it wasn't me, it wasn't me!" Rumia babbled frantically. "I don't even know what it was! Please, please don't hurt me!"

Rin stared at her with an unreadable expression on her face. Then she lunged forward with one hand. Rumia cried out in fear and covered her eyes, convinced that she was about to be killed. Instead, Rin pressed the palm of her hand against Rumia's forehead.

A feeling of warmth tingled across Rumia's scalp. It didn't hurt per se, but it wasn't exactly comfortable. Still, given her predicament, complaining wasn't exactly the most prudent action at the time.

Rin jerked away from her as if she had been burned. "You're right, it wasn't you," she whispered. "There's nothing in your memories, nothing to indicate…" She began shaking. "Bu-but if it wasn't you, then who was it whispering in my ear, telling me to do all those awful things? Who was it trying to turn me into a monster, who took control and tried to kill everyone? Who was that, Rumia?"

Rumia scooted away from her. "I don't know what you're talking about! I was stuck…where you put me the whole time! I'm innocent, I swear!"

"I know, it's just…" Rin grabbed her head and fell to her knees. "I don't know what to think anymore!" she sobbed. "It doesn't make any sense! I mean, I've studied up on psychological conditions. You know, back when I was normal? And I can't have an alternate personality, not like that! They just don't work that way! At least I don't think they do. I just don't know anymore."

She shook her head. "Rumia, I know you don't want to hear this, but I think I may be going crazy."

Oh, Rumia thought bleakly. Isn't that just swell. The weird-ass blob girl from who knows where who goes around eating people, killing plants and picking fights with virtual gods was going insane. And here Rumia was, stuck in said girl's mind. Rumia was starting to get the sneaking suspicion that she was in somewhat of a bad situation.

That was when she noticed the other noises for the first time. It sounded like the muffled cries of someone trying to scream through blankets. Rumia reluctantly turned around to the source of the sound.

What she saw made her stare.

Apparently Rin had gone and picked up some new travelling companions. Two people hung in the air, much as Rumia had done herself. One was a statuesque beauty with a regal bearing and flowing hair so dark it was almost invisible against the backdrop of nothing. Her arms were crossed over her chest, like a corpse in a coffin.

The other was much leaner, much more vicious looking, but no less beautiful. Her pale lavender hair also flowed down her back and her arms went down and then up, with her palms open to the (metaphorically speaking) sky, as if she were shrugging. Though judging by the way both of their muscles were straining, they were clearly in those positions against their will.

Rumia gulped. She had never seen those two personally, but given where they had been when she had been sent away and considering all the stories she had heard along with the occasional picture in the Bunbunmaru, she guessed that she was now in the presence of Princess Kaguya, mistress of Eientei and the only recognizable sovereign of the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Which probably meant the other was the infamous Fujiwara no Mokou, Kaguya's eternal rival. Stories of what had happened to the unlucky few who dared to piss her often were sometimes used to scare small children.

However, that wasn't the only why Rumia was staring.

Like both her and Ran, the newcomers were also completely naked. Now, Rin wasn't bad looking, but Rin's bizarre powers, the fact that she had eaten her and her general craziness meant that her casual nudity wasn't exactly erotic. Instead, it only made her scarier. These two, however…well, Kaguya reported used to have suitors lining up by the dozens. There had been talk of actual wars being declared for her hand. And while Mokou's history wasn't nearly so…varied, from what Rumia could see (and she could see a lot), she could go head-to-head with Kaguya in this matter as well. In fact, if it weren't for the final reason Rumia was staring, her cheeks would be turning red and her eyes dipping to places south.

However, there was one more reason for her staring, one that made all the other reasons fall to the wayside. Both Kaguya and Mokou were wide awake and staring in turn. They appeared to be both frightened and furious, but this presumption was based upon facial expressions alone, as their mouths were completely gone. Where they should have been was a smooth span of skin. That didn't stop them from trying to communicate, as dampened cries and curses, some of which Rumia could almost understand, shot out from their throats as a furious rate.

As Rumia had also been in the same place they were, both in terms of being unable to move and in losing her mouth, she could sympathize with their distress. That didn't change the face that the sight scared the shit out of her.

"Oh, them," Rin sighed. She sounded more annoyed than anything. "The evil voice in my head grabbed them after she knocked me out and took control. I didn't want to send them away too, but they wouldn't stop yelling, and this was the only way I could get them to shut up. Honestly, I have no idea what I'm gonna do with them."

…

This chapter was written to the music of IOSYS and The Birthday Massacre. I think the contrast fit it well. And yes, that is a Korean pop song Mokou is singing in that one scene. Yes, it was stuck in my head too. I blame Dead Fantasy.

Anyway, there's going to be one or two more chapters of the Eientei arc in which a lot of questions are finally answered, and then we'll move on. I'm kinda laughing at myself, as I thought we would be out of Eientei by chapter four. A fool I was, a fool!

Also should point out that canonically, Mokou is actually on pretty good terms with Eientei's inhabitants (except Kaguya of course). I tried to stick that aspect in, but it just came off as awkward. So chalk this up to one of those minor character changes I mentioned.

Until next time, everyone!