Gathering the Pieces

Given that Yukari was so rarely awake once night ended, the sight of early-morning Gensokyo was not one she enjoyed often. Of course, the word "enjoyed" was entirely subjective, as she was finding little to enjoy about the view.

She stared down at the mist-shrouded country. On the whole, it looked very peaceful, but it was all an illusion. Somewhere out there was a deranged lunatic who had come uncomfortably close to cutting her in half, who had gone toe-to-toe with one pissed off oni and had come out on top, who had been on the receiving end of the wrath of two of Gensokyo's most prolific magic-users and survived. And despite all that, despite all of their best efforts, had managed to get away and score virtual immortality in the process.

And then there was what that thing had done to Reimu. Yukari wasn't overly affectionate towards humans (or anyone else, for that matter), but she had been looking after the Hakurei family on-and-off for some time now. And she liked Reimu. The girl was just so much fun to annoy. Plus, she appreciated Reimu's complete disregard of everyone she met, regardless of status and ability. It reminded Yukari of herself.

Also, Reimu was the last of the Hakureis. Should the line end, then they were all royally screwed.

…

As Gensokyo was a country whose lifestyle and culture, if it could be called that, were of distinctly Eastern influences, the Scarlet Devil Mansion tended to stick out. But then, it would stick out in Western countries as well.

It rose above the treetops, near the western shore of the Misty Lake, a tall, imposing structure that was all soaring turrets and red brick. Dozens of windows lined the wall, windows that were always darkened during day but would come alive with bizarre flickering lights as soon as the sun went down. Grinning gargoyles leered down from atop battlements and the front gate. And above it all sat the mansion's centerpiece: a gigantic clock-tower, whose time piece constantly spun round and round in a manner that made sense only to its master.

Generally people gave the mansion and the surrounding area a wide berth, which was perfectly fine with its inhabitants. After all, constant attacks from monster-hunters and other adventurers were part of reason they had moved to Gensokyo in the first place. Being a vampire meant you couldn't go around taking chances.

It was toward this imposing structure that two figures approached. One didn't seem too out of place: a young blond woman wearing black clothing and a white apron, though the pointed hat and the broom she had slung across her shoulders might raise a few eyebrows. However, given her choice of companion was a tall woman with moss-green hair, eccentric blue clothing, and whose legs had been replaced with an ethereal tail, it was highly unlikely anyone would pay her a second look. They would be too busy staring at the ghost.

"So how come nobody ever told me about this Ringleader business?" she said to Mima. "Another one of your 'big secrets'?"

Mima just shook her head. "It really isn't. If you're picturing some sort of shadowy organization working behind the scenes, controlling every aspect of Gensokyo, then you're going to be disappointed."

"Then what is it?"

"Well, as you know, Gensokyo has never had a centralized government. In fact, the entire country is composed of semi-independent communities that seem bound and determined to ignore or annoy one another. And every fifty years or so, the leaders of some of the more prominent communities get together to review whatever agreements they have with their neighbors, discuss the latest issues and open the floor for solutions, air their grievances, point fingers, start blood feuds, that sort of thing. We've also been note to meet during especially dangerous crises to try to solve them before they get out of hand. Nothing very exciting I'm afraid, and things rarely ever get accomplished. The Ringleader nickname is new though. I think it only stuck about half a century ago."

"Huh." Marisa tapped an index finger against her lower lip as she considered this. "And you're a member?"

"Only very recently. It was decided that given Hakurei shrine's importance to the border, it might as well have an official representative. And since I was the closest thing it had to an actual deity, and many of the members rather have me working for them than against…" Mima smiled and shrugged. "Still, others weren't pleased about my addition, to say the least. Easily one of the funniest days I've had in recent history."

"So how come you never told me about these guys, ze?"

"Eh, never saw the reason. Besides, it may not be a big secret, all things considered. Certainly no one has ever made an actual attempt to cover it up. Anyone with a bit of common sense could figure it out of they gave it any real thought. But we've never made any actual attempt to tell anyone either. There's still a lot of bad blood between certain communities, and we would rather the citizens didn't start forcing their leaders to make an issue of it every time a meeting is called. Besides, you've met several of them already at one time or another, just not all in one place."

"Ah. Like who?"

"Oh, you know. There's Yukari of course. And Kaguya, though she's obviously not going to attend, and the leader of the Human Village, forget his name. And there's Kanako Yasaka, of course, and a few others. Just think of any group with any significant amount of power and influence, and then think of their leader. Odds are, they're a member."

"Still…" Mima tapped her lower lip thoughtfully. "Ironically enough, out of all the secrets we are keeping, this is probably the least publically known. Perhaps it is our general lack of interest in hiding the organization's existence that has prevented the cover from being blown. Maybe we should start taking that strategy with some of our real secrets." Her eyes twinkled. "In fact, had Eirin and company just painted that box grey and stuck in the middle of the Human Village with an Out Of Order sign, it would probably have never been trifled with."

Marisa had to laugh at the image. "I would have left it alone, that's for sure."

"Exactly. Ah, here we are."

Marisa stopped walking and squinted up at the mansion, shielding her eyes with one hand. "This is so freaking weird," she complained.

"What? Visiting the Scarlet Devil Mansion?" Mima asked. "Not my usual hangout to be sure, but as I understand it, you're something of a regular."

"Yeah, but I don't usually go through the front gate, ze. Doesn't feel right."

"I see. Entering someone else's home through the front door with their permission and knowledge does not feel right." Mima's mouth turned up in a smirk. "Marisa, I think you need to reexamine your values system."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just saying, they're probably not going to be happy to see me. You know what, go on ahead. I'll wait here."

"Oh, no you don't." Mima snagged Marisa by the sleeve, preventing her from leaving. "You're the one who stole the box in the first place. You're going to see this through to the end."

"You are never going to let me live that down, are you?" Marisa muttered, but she didn't object further.

They headed toward the stone wall surrounding the building. Directly in front was a locked iron gate, which was more symbolic of the residents' desire to be left alone than anything, considering how many people in Gensokyo knew how to fly. Standing in front of the gate with her hands clasped in front of her was a tall woman with flowing red hair. She seemed to be on edge, judging by how she kept casting nervous glances at the surrounding forest. That in itself was fairly normal. What weren't normal were the four black bat-wings sprouting from the redhead: two on her back and two on either side of her head, almost like a second pair of ears.

Marisa stopped walking when she saw the woman. "Wow, hello. That's weird."

Mima agreed. "Now, I know I don't come here often, but I don't believe that is the usual guard."

"It ain't. That's Patchouli's, ahem," Marisa coughed into her fist. "Assistant. She's usually working in the library. I don't think I've ever even seen her outside, ze."

"Hmmm." Mima rubbed her chin as she watched the replacement gate-guard thoughtfully. "I wonder what she's doing out here."

"I dunno. Let's find out. Hey, Koakuma!" Marisa shouted as she stomped towards the gate. "The hell are you doing out here?"

Koakuma started in surprise as Marisa's sudden appearance, her hands jumping to her chest. "Oh my gods Marisa, don't scare me like that!"

"Jeez, Hong was asleep practically all the time and she was a better guard than you," Marisa grumbled. She prodded Koakuma with the handle of her broom, causing the devil to take an instinctive step back. "What are you doing here, anyway? Hong call in dead?"

"Well, um," Koakuma cast an uncertain glance over her shoulder, towards the mansion. "Not exactly."

"Say what?"

"Meiling was unable perform her duties today, due to, uh, injuries incurred."

"Injuries?" Marisa raised an eyebrow. "What, Sakuya use her for a pincushion again?"

"No, not exactly. You see, last week was Mistress Flandre's birthday, and Mistress Remilia traditionally lets her out to play a game on that night. And this year…well, Mistress Flandre wanted to play tag."

There was a long moment of silence. And then Marisa said, "Oh." She started snickering.

Koakuma nodded once. "Indeed. Mistress Flandre was 'It' and…well, I believe Meiling is 'It' now, and will remain so for the foreseeable future."

Marisa suddenly slapped her hands around her mouth and snorted back laughter. She fell back against a tree as barely-repressed hysterics shook her body.

Koakuma, however, just looked indignant. "Well, I certainly don't see what's so funny about that," she muttered as she crossed her arms. "She was quite hurt!"

"I know, I know," Marisa said, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "It's just…Bwahahaha!"

Mima rolled her eyes and moved in front of the hysterical witch. "My companion's joviality aside, we do have business inside," she told Hong Meiling's replacement.

"Oh! I'm sorry, but Mistress Scarlet is asleep! It is daytime, after all."

"Actually, it was Sakuya we wished to speak to. An…incident just came up, one which we believe she could help with."

Koakuma looked dubious. "Well, I'm not sure she will be able to take time from her duties…"

"Huh?" Marisa pushed herself back to her feet. "She's the freaking master of time and space, ze! Time should not even be an issue! Why is time an issue?"

"I suppose," Koakuma admitted. "I suppose I could…" Then she straightened and raised one hand to her temple. A thought had apparently just occurred to her. "Wait, something just…Now if I recall…"

Koakuma dug into the pockets and extracted a small white notepad and a pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses. She unfolded the glasses and put them on as she started flipping through the notepad.

"Let's see…" she muttered. "'Stay in front of the gate'? No. 'Do not move for any reason'? No. 'Absolutely do not fall asleep lest Sakuya gut me like a pig'? No. Ah, here it is! 'Not under any circumstance am I ever, and Patchouli means ever allowed to permit Marisa Kirisame to set foot, hand or any other body part, broom, spell or explosive device on the mansion grounds, and if I do, I will have latrine duty for a month'."

"What?" Marisa sputtered. "Gimme that!"

She snatched the notepad from Koakuma's hand and read furiously. "…broom, spell, yadda yadda yadda…What the hell, Koakuma? Has Patchouli gone all paranoid or something, ze? I thought we were friends!"

Koakuma sighed and took off her glasses. "Marisa, I should not have to remind you that your escapades her have caused Patchouli a great deal of stress," she explained as she wiped the glasses with the hem of her blouse. "And while I don't bear you any ill will, I do not want to be stuck with latrine duty. So I'm afraid that you and your friend will have to-"

Mima pointed a single finger and muttered a word. Koakuma stopped in mid-sentence and her body seized up. The devil's eyes widened as she lifted off the ground, entirely against her will. She appeared to be trying to speak her protests, but her mouth was not cooperating.

Another muttered word and Koakuma's back was shoved up against the iron gate. She winced as she hit hard, her glasses falling to the ground in the process. Her body twitched as she tried to strain against the spell.

Even Marisa seemed shocked at Mima's action, but the spirit paid her no heed. Her focus was on her suspended captive. "Now little devil, pay attention," she said in a calm voice. "We have official business with the maid and your librarian master. I do not care what sort of instructions you've been given. You will go find them, or I shall-"

"You'll what?"

The interruption did not come from Koakuma, who still hung helplessly. Nor did it come from Marisa, who had jumped back in surprise as the new arrival seemed to literally materialize in their presence.

Sakuya Izayoi, chief maid of the Scarlet Devil Mansion and second in authority only to Remilia herself, stood in their midst, her arms folded. She did not look amused.

"Oh," Mima said. "There you are." She flicked her fingers, and Koakuma dropped to the ground.

Sakuya inclined her head. "Indeed. I was upstairs when I saw you harassing poor Koakuma. I shouldn't have to tell either of you that I do not appreciate someone mistreating my employees, especially when they were only trying to do their job." Her eyes hardened. "In light of the fact, I do believe you owe her an apology."

"Huh?" Marisa's jaw dropped. "You want. Us. To apologize? What, are you completely-"

She immediately stopped talking when a knife appeared out of nowhere to fly at her face. It stopped bare inches before cutting through her forehead. Marisa's eyes crossed to stare at the blade hovering over her nose. Indecipherable noises squeaked out of her mouth.

"As I said," Sakuya said as she examined her fingernails. "I do not appreciate people bothering my staff, you least of all. If you have business with me, fine. But please refrain from transferring that business to others."

The stunned silence was suddenly broken by one of the most unexpected sounds imaginable, at least from Marisa's point of view. It was a high-pitched bout of laughter, full of amusement and completely devoid of any mockery whatsoever. That in itself was not so odd, but considering the source, it was quite disturbing.

"Ahahahahah," Mima chuckled. She flicked away a tear that she had created purely for effect. "Maid, I like you. Well done." She turned toward Koakuma, who was still sprawled against the gate and watching the proceedings nervously.

"Young demon, I apologize for my unsightly actions," Mima said, bowing low. "I pray that you'll forgive this momentary lack of manners on the behalf of an old spirit."

Koakuma cringed back against the bars. "Er, um, what?"

"I'll take that as an affirmative." Mima turned back to Sakuya. She spread her empty palms and smiled in a disarming manner. "There now, no harm done. Now, may we take a few moments of your valuable time? I assure you, it is a matter of great importance."

Sakuya's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she shrugged and said, "I suppose that will have to do." She fetched the floating knife out of the air, to Marisa's expressed relief. "And I hope you're not wasting my time."

"Oh, we're not," Mima said agreeably. "Does the name 'Rin Satsuki' mean anything to you?"

Absolute silence was her only answer. Sakuya stood stock-still, her blank expression completely unreadable. Marisa shot a glance over to Mima, who simply winked and indicated that they should wait.

Then Sakuya said, "Koakuma? Is Patchouli in the library?"

The devil stiffened at being addressed. "What? Oh, um, yes. Let's see, this is Tuesday, right? Right now she'd be in…"

"Southern stacks, G section," Marisa supplied helpfully. "Somewhere between 'Ge' and 'Gai'."

"Yes, you would know that, wouldn't you?" Sakuya muttered. She sighed and nodded to Mima. "All right, ladies. Shall we go inside?"

…

"We're getting' a lot of weird looks," Genji muttered as he and Reimu made their way through the Human Village.

"You mean you're getting a lot of weird looks," Reimu retorted. She shifted her legs into a more comfortable position. "Unlike a certain giant flying turtle, some of us actually look like we belong."

"Who's the bigger weirdo?" Genji shot back. "The flyin' turtle, or the bandaged-up girl ridin' the flyin' turtle like a damned horse?"

Reimu had to admit he had a point. Certainly, unusual sights were very common in Gensokyo, and seeing creatures that had no business flying to swoop through the air like naturals didn't raise much in the way of eyebrows. Still, the inhabitants of the human village preferred to keep the country's stranger elements on the outside. And given the reputation Reimu had accumulated over the last few years, she could not honestly say that she was considered any more "normal" than Genji. Even if he was a giant flying turtle.

Of course, Genji was only there because Reimu needed the help getting around. While she could limp around the shrine grounds just fine, traveling long distance was another matter entirely, and the Human Village wasn't exactly around the corner. Of course, they could always have someone else deliver Yukari's message, but once Reimu had learned who the intended recipients were, she had practically insisted that she play the role of messenger, injuries be damned. So she had pulled on her winter boots to disguise her blackened foot, found a straw hat to pull down over her bandaged forehead, and practiced walking around without the crutch so she didn't look like a complete idiot once she had to jump off of Genji. The limp was still there, but it wasn't like she would be walking very long.

Unfortunately, there was still the downside of entering the Human Village in the first place. While she had done the place any number of favors in the past, there were any number of people who just plain didn't like her.

Just as if her musings had intruded upon reality, Reimu started noticing some unsavory glances from those they passed. A couple of older women treated her with vicious scowls before turning their backs on her. A handful well-to-do men deliberately turned into an alley to avoid sharing the street with her. A merchant running a cooked vegetables stand pulled down a curtain around his stand as they passed by. And everywhere were sidelong glares and muted whispers.

Reimu folded her arms and stared at the ground directly in front of Genji's head. Ungrateful bunch of closed-minded idiots. She didn't usually care about how others thought of her, but once in a while it would be nice to receive some sort of acknowledgement for all she had done for them. It didn't matter how many times she pulled their fat out of the fire, she was still treated like an outsider. Maybe the next time a Hell Raven decided to bring forth a nuclear holocaust, she should just pull out a lawn-chair and let them handle it.

"Look, it's Reimu!" a gleeful young voice shouted, pulling her out of her bitter musings. Reimu looked up to see a couple of children, couldn't have been older than ten, running toward her.

"It's you, isn't it? Reimu Hakurei?" the boy asked. His dark hair was tied into a topknot and he was clenching his fists in barely repressed excitement. "It's really you!"

Reimu blinked, completely unsure of how to answer that question. "Well, yes…"

"Of course it is, dummy!" said his companion, a pigtailed girl who was missing a tooth. "Who else would be riding on a flying turtle?"

"Awesome!" The boy jumped up and down, pounding his fists to the sky. "Oh wow, you're actually here!"

Genji chuckled. "See? Told'ja it was you."

"Wow, it talks too?" The boy pressed bent over to stare Genji in the eye. "Did you teach it that, Miss Hakurei?"

Reimu snorted back a laugh as Genji spurted angrily. "She most certainly did not! If anything I taught her how to talk!"

"Really?" the girl said. She squinted her eyes at Genji, and then up at Reimu. "Does that mean you speak turtle too?"

Reimu couldn't hold back any longer. She had to brace herself to keep from falling off of Genji's back as guffaws forced their way out of her. It hurt like hell, especially with her injured ribs, but it felt good to be able to laugh again.

"No, no, no," she managed to choke out. "Turtles don't really have an actual language. They-"

"Tipo! Chacha!" a new said. A large man wearing a green poncho bustled over to them. He leaned over the two children with a disproving look on his face. "There you are! What did I tell you about wandering-Oh." He stopped his scolding when he saw Reimu and Genji and straightened. "Oh, it's you."

Reimu wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, so she just forced a weak smile and gave a half-wave. "Yeah, hi. It's me…Huh?"

She looked down. The man was extending his arm out with his palm open. It looked like he wanted to shake hands.

"Um…okay…" Reimu slowly placed her hand in his and pumped it once.

The man smiled. "I never got the chance to thank you properly."

"Really? For what?"

"For saving my life."

Again, Reimu almost fell off of Genji's back again. "Wait, what?"

"You probably don't remember," the man explained. "It was a few years back. I was out in the forest chopping wood when I was ambushed by a couple of lizard youkai. Thought I was a goner, up until you showed up and gave them the single greatest thrashing I have ever seen." The man laughed heartily. "Of course, right after you chewed me out for letting me guard down. I tell you, you can lecture like no one's business. Not even my wife can compete! But then, I deserved it. Should've been watching my step better."

Reimu stared. All things considered, gratitude was not something she was accustomed to receiving. "Oh. Well, thank you."

"No, thank you." The man gathered up his children in his large arms. "So, what brings you to the village? Hope it isn't another incident."

Reimu waved the paper she had clutched in her hand. "No, just gotta deliver a message. Nothing to worry about," she lied. No reason for him to worry unnecessarily.

The man looked relieved. "Glad to hear it. Well, we'll just get out of your way, then." He inclined his head. "A pleasure, Miss Hakurei."

The two children waved happily as the three of them headed away. Reimu nodded and waved back.

Genji let out a low whistle, a neat trick for someone without lips. "Well now, how 'bout that? Life is full of surprises, eh?"

Reimu smiled blissfully as she settled back. "Yeah…"

Genji clicked his tongue at her. "Get your head back in the game, girl. Still got a job to do, and sooner you're back at the shrine restin' up, the better."

"Right, right. Best get moving then." She didn't stop smiling though.

The elderly turtle rolled his eyes and started moving again. They passed by shops, houses and a school before stopping large, two-story building at the far end of the village. It looked like two barns stuck together, side-by-side, with a more traditional house slapped onto the front.

Genji craned his neck to stare at the building. Through the windows, they could see odd lights flashing and sparks flying. Smoke billowed out of several thin metal chimneys to drift away on the wind.

"Well, I guess this is the place," Genji remarked.

The edges of Reimu's smile dipped downward. "Looks like."

Over the doorway was a white sign painted with large, blocky letters. It read "THE ASAKURA SCIENCE FOUNDATION".

…

The library of the Scarlet Devil Mansion was known as the single largest library to be found in Gensokyo and quite possibly anywhere else. There were literally hundreds of shelves containing thousands of volumes to be found, and the shelves themselves towered high above the red marble floor. Rolling ladders were to be found at random intervals along the shelves' sides, though they were hardly necessary. And, perhaps the strangest of all, a gigantic pendulum hung from one wall, forever swinging back and forth and filling the library with a deep, echoing clocking noise like an oversize metronome. Whether it served some actual purpose or the library's keeper simply liked the sound was anybody's guess.

Given that the inhabitants of the Scarlet Devil Mansion did not consider the laws of time and space to be rules so much as few among several suggested options, the library was easily larger than the exterior of the Scarlet Devil Mansion itself. And given the size of the shelves and the fact that they were arranged in a manner that made sense only to the said inhabitants, one could easily get lost in the maze of literature with little hope of escape. At least they wouldn't want for entertainment though, unless they were illiterate.

It was inside this labyrinth that Patchouli Knowledge spent practically all of her time. As a devoted student of both the magical arts and the written word, she could think of no better place to reside, even if Meiling was always teasing her about needing to get a life. She knew every inch of the library, and it knew her. All it took was one glance, and she could instantly tell when something was amiss.

Today, something was amiss.

Patchouli sighed as she pulled the book that had attracted her attention off the shelf. The cover had a slight tear and the papers were dog-eared and wrinkled. A paper bookmark was stuck in hallway through. She gave it a small shake, dislodging some leaves of grass that had been caught between the pages. It had not been that way the last time she had seen it. Which meant…

"Tokiko!" she shouted, amplifying her voice so it thundered through the library.

A few moments passed, and then came a fluttering of wings. Through the shelves flew a red-winged silver-haired ibis youkai. Patchouli was known to "recruit" outside youkai from time to time to lend a hand, and since she was deprived of Koakuma's services until Meiling recovered, she needed the extra help. Fortunately, Tokiko had surprised her by not only knowing how to read (a rarity among the youkai), but possessing a great love for books. Not as much as Patchouli herself, but she still treated them with greater reverence than some of her predecessors.

Still, she did have one weakness: in that she loved them too much. Patchouli had found volumes lying open on tables and dropped under chairs. She had found Tokiko herself huddled away in corners, mesmerized by some new story when she should be performing her duties. If it weren't for the fact that Patchouli needed the help and Tokiko understood more about bookkeeping than any ten of the previous "recruits", she would have given the slacker the boot after the first week.

"I'm here!" Tokiko announced as she swooped down to hover next to her boss. "What is…Oh."

"Oh. Exactly. Couldn't have put it better myself." Patchouli waved the book in her face. "You read this outside."

Tokiko seemed preoccupied with an invisible speck of dirt on the ground. "Er…"

"Even though I specifically told you that I don't want any of these volumes leaving the library. Forget again, and I don't care how good of a bookkeeper you are. You're gone. Got it?"

Tokiko blushed and nodded.

"And another thing. Care to explain this?" Patchouli held the strip of paper she had extracted from between the book's pages.

"But I was getting to the good part! Shadow was just about to find out who Mr. Wednesday is-"

"I don't care. I do not want any bookmarks other than my own touching my books. And I don't want anyone other than myself using my bookmarks. So learn to memorize page numbers. Understand?"

Tokiko nodded again.

Patchouli was about to add more, but then someone entered the library. It was always easy to tell when that happened, due to the loud echo the door made when it opened.

"Patchouli!" she heard Sakuya call.

Patchouli grimaced. "Oh, what did I do now?" she muttered. Then she noticed Tokiko staring at her curiously. The librarian frowned and inclined her head meaningfully. Fortunately, Tokiko got the message and fled back to whatever it was she had been doing.

"Patchouli!" Sakuya called again. "Come on up, we need to talk!"

"Of course we do," Patchouli grumbled. She placed the book back in its place and drifted upward, above the shelves.

Sure enough, Sakuya was there, standing at the head of the wide staircase that descended into the library. And from the look of things, she had brought company. One of them Patchouli recognized instantly, though Marisa's presence surprised her. While she did run across the young witch on a nearly weekly basis, she never entered through the library's proper entrance, especially not in Sakuya's company. Now Patchouli was all curiosity. Had the maid finally caught Marisa during one of her capers? If so, this could turn out to be a good day after all.

But there was someone else with them, someone rather unusual looking. Patchouli put on her spectacles and squinted, trying to make out the newcomers' features.

Then her heart skipped a beat.

No.

There was no chance. It couldn't be.

But it was. She was here. Here, in Patchouli's library. Patchouli sucked in a breath and quickened her pace.

Sakuya looked up as Patchouli came in for a landing. "Ah, there you are. I'm sorry, but something has-"

"Yes, I'm sure," Patchouli brushed her off. Her attention was entirely focused on the green-haired spirit that had entered with them.

"Madam Mima, it's an absolute honor to finally be able to meet you," she stated, excitedly grabbing the object of her attention by the hand. "I know you probably hear this all the time, but I'm your biggest fan! I have all the books you've written and, and read them over and over! My favorite was Comparative Physics and Their Impact on Magical Theory, but the others were just as fantastic! The research you've contributed to the magical world as a whole and the spells you've devised…absolute genius! Oh my gods, listen to me babble on and on, but I never thought I'd get the chance to meet you in person!"

"Oh gods, here we go," Marisa muttered. She leaned against the doorframe and grumpily folded her arms.

"Why thank you," Mima said in a sweet tone. She placed her other hand over Patchouli's, causing a trill of delight to sing through Patchouli's veins. "You're much too kind. I've actually been meaning to meet with you as well."

Patchouli very nearly lost her footing. "You…you have?"

Mima nodded. "Certainly. My little Marisa's told me so much about you. It's always refreshing to meet another master of the arts."

Behind her, Marisa started making gagging sounds.

"M-me?" Patchouli flushed crimson. "But I'm nowhere near the level-"

"Enough," Sakuya said, cutting Patchouli's dream-meeting short. She didn't raise her voice, she didn't emphasize any particular syllables, but the way she said it made it clear that she would brook no argument.

"Patchouli, as exciting as this must be for you, we have a crisis on our hands," Sakuya told her.

"We do?" Patchouli tilted her head. "What kind?"

Mima released her hand, much to Patchouli's disappointment. "The severe kind, I'm afraid. But first things first. I have something to give you."

"You…you do?"

"Indeed. As I understand it, some of your property has accidentally fallen into the hands of my Marisa here. I thought it only proper that we return it in person.

…

As soon as Reimu entered the workshop of the Asakura sisters, she wanted to leave. The place was certainly large and impressive. One could fit over a dozen Hakurei shrines inside and still have room for a game of football. But it was also smelly, filthy, and crammed with tools, large strips of metal, glass instruments and containers filled with noxious-smelling liquids on top of wooden tables. Straight down the middle was a line of furnaces spewing out black smoke, and half-finished contraptions lay everywhere, wires and gears hanging out like coils of intestines and jutting bits of bone.

"Oh, gahhhh," Genji gagged. "What in the name of the great catfish is wrong with this place?" He shook his head and sneezed.

"Tell me about it," Reimu agreed. "Look, this place probably isn't doing much good for your skin. Wait outside, I'll be out in a minute."

Genji twisted his head to fix her with a reproachful look. "Young lady, if you think I'm just gonna abandon-"

"Oh, knock it off," Reimu said wearily. She slipped off his back, making sure her good foot absorbed most of her weight. "I'm just delivering a message. And these guys are pretty harmless."

An explosion thundered through the workshop, knocking over vials and sending gears rolling through the piles of scrap metal. A cloud of dark smoke that had nothing to do with the furnaces rose from one of the far corners. From within, flashing sparks could be seen, accompanied by an angry bout of cursing.

"Well, mostly harmless," Reimu amended. "Still, I've taken them on before. They're more eccentric than dangerous." When Genji still looked incredulous, she said, "Look, I'll be fine, okay? Compared to those trips to hell, this is nothing."

"Well, if you say so," Genji muttered. Despite his reluctance, he did seem relieved. "Holler if things go sour."

Reimu was tempted to make a snide remark about how much Genji would actually be able to contribute, but thought better of it. "I'll do that."

Genji nodded and quickly floated back outside. Shaking her head, Reimu covered her mouth with her sleeve and limped her way through the maze of metal toward the explosion's origin.

As she approached, she began to discern words through the rest of the commotion. "Core's only discharging every four cycles," said a calm, if still loud, voice. "Should be doing that every two. There's too much energy release."

"You think?" shot back a higher, more agitated sounding voice. "Nearly discharged it right through my spinal column."

Reimu cleared her throat. "Um, excuse me!"

"The problem is probably with the fluidic converters. Get down there and check if they're aligned properly.

"Oh, hell no! You go, it's you turn!"

With a roll her eyes, Reimu picked up a nearby wrench and banged it against a sheet of metal. "Hey!"

There was a pause, and a head poked out of the smoke. Long purple hair framed a face that was smudged with soot. Turquoise eyes blinked at her from behind a pair of glasses with round lenses.

"Oh, bloody hell," Rikako Asakura muttered once she recognized her visitor. "It's you. Of course."

She disappeared back into the smoke. There was the loud clank of a lever being pulled, and the whining sound died away. The smoke slowly cleared, revealing a…something. Something made out of a bronze-colored metal and with way too many legs.

Another head, this one with brown hair that managed to be even filthier than Rikako's, popped out of the things guts. "Hey!" Rika Asakura shouted down to her sister as she pushed the safety goggles she was wearing up to her forehead. "What's going on? Why'd you turn it off?"

Her hand still on the lever, Rikako tilted her head toward Reimu.

"Huh?" Rika blinked. Then she smiled. "Well, look who decided to visit us blasphemous heretics! Or was it heretical blasphemers? I could never keep it straight. So what brings you to our humble adobe? Got another sermon about the evils of science all prepared?"

Reimu scowled back. "Believe me, it wasn't my idea."

"Yeah?" Rika pulled herself out of her unfinished creature. She slid down its curving carapace and landed next to her sister. "What, your god sent you with a message of eternal damnation? Fire, brimstone, soggy noodles, the works?"

"No actually, I-"

"But, oh wait!" Rika snapped her fingers in front of her nose. "What am I thinking? Hakurei shrine doesn't even have a god! It doesn't have a god, right Rikako?"

Rikako shook her head. "No, I don't believe so."

"Riiigghht. So that rules out the divine condemnation. Kinda hard to blaspheme something that ain't there."

Reimu's left eye twitched. Remember the mission, you're not here to fight, she told herself. Give the message and get out.

"I'm actually here on behalf of Yukari Yakumo." Just saying the words felt strange. While she considered Yukari a valuable ally, maybe even a friend, she never thought she would end up as the ancient youkai's messenger. Still, considering the contents of the message and the recipients, she supposed she could make an exception.

"It's about one of your past experiments," Reimu continued. "Seems it's causing some problems."

Rika and Rikako exchanged a confused look and shrugged in unison.

"Yeah?" Rika said. "Which one?"

…

The recovered property was not a book.

Bewildered and upset, Patchouli circled around the crystalline chest, running her hand over the smooth surfaces and sharp-cut edges. It was one of hers all right. The question was how it had come into Mima's possession.

Strike that, she knew how Mima had gotten ahold of it. Marisa's presence was more than enough of an answer. But the idea of Marisa taking one of her boxes was…disturbing, especially considering that they were constructed for a reason: to keep magical items of a dangerous nature out of the hands of those who would misuse them. And Marisa couldn't even pick up a pen without misusing it.

But how had she found it? The boxes were sealed away in a separate part of the mansion and were heavily protected by a variety of wards and other defensive mechanisms.

"How did…" Patchouli fumbled over her words and tried again. "How did you even get one of these?"

They were gathered in Patchouli's private study. As would be imagined, the place was almost a miniature library of its own. However, unlike the library itself, this room contained only books that were either part of Patchouli's private collection or were written by Patchouli herself.

The chest itself sat in the center of the room. Mima had apparently shrunk it down to travel-size and had returned it to its original state once they were all inside. That in itself was enough to indicate that it had been taken from the Scarlet Devil Mansion grounds, and as such all of her protective spells and safeguards had been broken. Given how long it took Patchouli to construct and enchant one of those boxes, it was all very irritating.

"Found it in one of the back rooms," Marisa supplied. "Hong woke up as I was sneaking past, and I needed a place to hide."

"But how did you even get in there?" Patchouli demanded. "The wards should have made it impossible!"

"Is that was those were? I thought Hong was just going nuts."

Patchouli was started to grow angry. No, check that, incensed. "You mean you stumbled into my vault by accident?"

Marisa thought for a moment. She shrugged. "Seems that way."

Patchouli was going to continue yelling, but Sakuya cut her off. "Enough. We don't have time for pointless bickering. Especially considering what the box contained."

"Is that so?" Patchouli muttered. "So what potentially earth-ending device of mine has fallen into the hands of the kleptolunatic?"

"Rin Satsuki," Mima said cheerfully.

Patchouli didn't immediately react. In fact, the words so completely failed to make any sense to her that it was almost as if she had not heard them at all. Patchouli shook her head and said, "I-I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Rin Satsuki was in the box," Mima said helpfully. "Though she hasn't exactly fallen into Marisa's hands, per se…"

"More like she tried to chop them off," Marisa muttered.

"…in fact, her condition could be described as…oh, what's the word?" Mima wondered. She snapped her fingers as she pretended to try to remember. "'At large'? 'On the loose'? 'Currently roaming free through Gensokyo, likely devouring everything and everyone in her path, engaging in such a gluttonous massacre that the world has not seen nor shall ever see again'? I suppose they all apply."

Patchouli felt her knees grow weak. She tried to sit down in her desk chair, missed, and landed bottom-first on the floor, where she remained. She gaped up at the spirit. "Rin Satsuki is free? Marisa set the psychopath loose?"

"Hey, it wasn't me, ze!" Marisa protested. "Blame Cirno, it's all her fault!"

"What? What does-"

"Oh, that's not all," Mima said. She pulled out a slip of paper from her sleeve. "I really hate to further ruin the day of my biggest fan, but I really need to give this to you and Sakuya."

Her mind being in the state it was, Patchouli did not possess the mental facilities to stand, much less take the paper and read. Fortunately, Sakuya did that.

"What is it?" the maid asked. She scanned the first few lines. Her eyes widened.

"A subpoena," Mima said. "You two are officially ordered to appear before the Court of Conflict in two days time to discuss the problem. Failure to comply will be treated as a deliberate attempt to sabotage the cleanup operation and shall be treated as such." A sweet smile spread across her lips. "But I don't think that will be a problem, do you?"

…

The look on the Asakura faces when Reimu handed them the summons almost made having to visit the human village and enter their dump of a workshop worth it.

"Are you serious?" Rika demanded as she waved the paper about. "A summons? We were barely involved! Go talk to the moonies if you wanna prosecute somebody!"

Rikako agreed. "S-surely this is all a misunderstanding," she said, wringing her hands nervously. "After all, our part in the experiment was miniscule at best! We weren't even involved in the containment of the creature. Perhaps y-you should speak to the vampire's entourage. After all weren't they the ones who were in charge of the creature's care?"

"Someone else is taking care of them," Reimu said. "But you guys were still there, so you gotta show up as well."

"This is ridiculous!" Rika shrieked. She tore up the paper and threw the shreds every which way. Then she stuck her finger in Reimu's face. "You're just trying to pin something on us that isn't even our fault!"

Reimu grabbed the offending finger and pushed it away. "Think what you want. But tearing up that paper won't change a thing. You still have to show."

"No! This is idiotic! I refu-" Rika's protests were cut off as Rikako grabbed her and shoved her arm around Rika's mouth.

"I'm sorry about that, she gets excitable," Rikako explained with a nervous smile. "Of course we'll be there. We wouldn't dream about upsetting Yukari Yakumo."

"Glad to hear it. Well, I'll just be on my way then. Don't want to get in the way of your…" Reimu regarded the Asakura sisters' latest project with a skeptical eye. "Uh, what is that again?"

Rika started gnawing on her sister's arm. Rikako winced, but held on. "That? Oh, nothing important. Just a…an alternate means of transportation."

"I see. Well, best of luck then. Be seeing you."

With that, Reimu turned and walked out of that dismal place, leaving the two scientists behind her.

Genji was waiting for her by the entrance.

"So, how'd it go?" he asked.

Reimu pulled herself on top of his shell with a grunt. "Oh, pretty well I'd say. You were listening, I take it?"

"Mmmm-hmmm. Caught the gist of it. Now, it may be I'm just gettin' old, but it seemed to me that you were lettin' them believe they were going to stand trial for criminal actions instead of just bein' brought onboard as consultants."

"Did I?" Reimu smiled. "I didn't notice."

Genji sighed. With a rumble he lifted off the ground. "Kiddo, remind me to explain why it's important for the messengers not to tempt people to shoot them."

Reimu closed her eyes. "I'll do that."

…

"This is not good," Patchouli muttered as she paced back and forth."This is not good. This is not good."

She and Sakuya were alone in her study, Mima and Marisa having departed some time ago. In that time, Patchouli had not been able to bring herself to shake the jitters that were running up and down her body, hence the trench her nervous pacing was digging into the floor. For her part, even Sakuya was starting to look a little upset, which was as good as outright panic for her. At least, there was a definite look of agitation breaking through her usual state of detachment.

"I know that," Sakuya said icily. "You don't have to keep telling me. And hold still, you're driving me nuts."

Patchouli stopped as she was asked, but ended up pounding her fist in the wall in frustration. Unfortunately she hit is too hard, and the action sent a spike of pain through her hand. She winced as she clutched her throbbing hand. "Ah, damn it! This isn't fair! Marisa steals my box, and we're the ones that take the fall for it."

"Well if you had placed it someplace where she couldn't find it…"

"It was plenty safe where it was. It isn't my fault she's just so destructively lucky."

Sakuya closed her eyes. She pressed her fingers against her forehead. "Right, of course. Still, this does present a number of problems."

With roll of her eyes, Patchouli collapsed back into her chair. "Thank you for that profound observation. I really wouldn't have noticed had you not told me. But now that you mention it, yeah. Things are a bit, oh how do they say it, fucked up beyond all recognition!"

"There's no need to shout…"

"But there are plenty of reasons to want to!" Patchouli held up a hand and started ticking off points on her fingers. "First of all, there's that affront to all that is good and holy running around loose in Gensokyo, with more than five times the power as last time and probably still holding a grudge against us. There's the fact that the Ringleaders now know about that affront to all that is good and holy and want an 'explanation' for its existence, which can't mean anything good for us. Then there's the very good possibility that Remi's going to find out that we not only helped Eirin Yagokoro without letting her know, and that we used her little sister to fix the problem without permission. And then there's-" The rest of her list was left unfinished as the excitement caught up to her and she doubled over as violent coughs wracked her body.

"Which brings up an interesting point," Sakuya said, taking no notice of Patchouli's distressed condition. "What are we going to tell the Mistress?"

"H-h-huh?" Patchouli forced herself up as she brought her coughing fit under control. "Y-you want to tell her? Did you forget to unfreeze your brain the last time you stopped time?"

Sakuya shook her head. "It was wrong to hide this from her in the first place. Like it or not, she is still the master of this place, and deserves to know."

Patchouli slapped a palm against her face. "Sure, if you want to get drained dry, stuffed and mounted over the fireplace! Can we back away from potentially suicidal ideas here?"

"Besides," Sakuya said. "She's right outside, listening to everything we're saying."

"Because right now, the last thing we need is…What?"

In answer, the door to Patchouli's study swung open. Standing in the doorway was a pale-skinned girl with light purple hair, one that didn't seem any older than ten. She was dressed in a blue sleeping gown and nightcap and was clutching a stuffed bat. It would be easy to mistake her for an adorable small child and give her a condescending pat on the head. However, doing so would be to ignore the bat-like wings that sprouted from her back, the viciously sharp fangs that were revealed every time she so much as opened her mouth, and the distinctly unchildlike way she was glaring at the room's occupants with her blood red eyes.

"That was very observant of you, Sakuya," Remilia Scarlet noted. "Very impressive. But I'm still angry with you both."

Patchouli straightened in her chair. "R-Remi! You're awake!"

"Yes. I awoke with a hankering for a midday snack when I heard shouting going on in the library. I then noticed none other than Marisa Kirisame exiting the scene, and note that I said exiting, not fleeing, in the company Hakurei shrine's resident evil spirit." Her eyebrows knitted together. "And when I went to ask you what it was all about, I overhead you two discussing something very interesting."

Patchouli shot a panicked look to Sakuya, who just looked resigned.

"So tell me," Remilia continued. "What is this 'affront to all that is good and holy' and what does that have to do with my sister."

…

Yukari turned away from the doorway and marched back into her home. Enough bitter reminiscing, she had put off sending the word out too long. By now, her proxies had already delivered their messages. The time had come for her to do the same.

The ancient youkai unlocked a Western-style cabinet, its plain design standing in sharp contrast to the luxurious surroundings. From the top shelf, Yukari pulled down a large amber crystal, carved in the shape of a three-sided pyramid. This she placed on a nearby table.

Yukari settled herself in a chair and placed her hands on either side of the crystal "Come on, you bunch of self-important, thickheaded bitches," she muttered. "It's showtime." With that, she sent a small portion of will into the crystal.

A moment later, it began to glow.

…

You know, it's funny. Despite the fact that this chapter is only a third of the size of Chapters Eight and Nine combined, it was easily twice as hard to write. Maybe it's because none of my favorite characters to write for (Rumia, Rin, the Dark Voice, or Team Nineball) were featured, maybe it's because there was considerably less action/drama than before, maybe it's because I introduced two sets of characters that I haven't gotten the hang of yet (Patchouli and Sakuya just don't feel right to me, for some reason), but whatever the reason, this chapter was a pain in the ass. Still not really happy with how it came out, but seeing how I spent half a week with massive writer's block and really needed to get the ball rolling, I suppose I should be happy that I got something. Whatever, it's done, let's move on. Next chapter will be Team Nineball-centric, so that should be easier.

Some other things of note: Rin's first stop was actually supposed to be the Scarlet Devil Mansion, in which she would then absorb Patchouli and go on a roaring rampage of revenge which would result in the mansion's destruction. But then I realized that, adaptation or no adaptation, she wouldn't last against Flandre. Hence why she went to Eientei instead, and why she scored on Kaguya and Mokou. Even the playing field a bit. But now with the way the story's going, I doubt she'll come by the SDM any time soon, if at all. Ironic, I know.

Also, there's no real indication that Rika and Rikako are actually related, despite having similar names and an interest in science. But all things considered, it really isn't a stretch for them to be sisters, and in Touhou speculation is as good as fact.

And no, Remilia isn't one of the Ringleaders, which is why the message to the SDM was delivered in person. She's still likely to just show up anyway, further ruining Yukari's day.

Until next time, everyone!