Imperfect Metamorphosis

by TakerFoxx

It's the first day of spring, and Cirno and her friends are once again up to no good! But after stealing a strange box from Marisa's house, they soon find themselves over their heads as they discover some things are meant to remain locked up.

22. The Things We Do For Love

The Things We Do For Love

The bounty idea had succeeded beyond Cirno's wildest dreams. In the space of only a few hours, they had mobilized the entire Youkai Market to their cause, and it wouldn't be long before the word spread to the rest the fairy/youkai community, if the word could be said to apply. True, they were a long way from getting Rumia back, but with so many people working to bring the blob monster down, it wouldn't be long before they were a full gang again. As such, Cirno was in a celebratory mood. So at the end of the day, she had taken everyone to the Falcon's Fist at Center Tree for a round of drinks, Mystia's treat.

Center Tree was something of an oddity in Gensokyo. Like the Youkai Market, it was a highly commercial place, with dozens of shops that sold any number of things. However, it wasn't only a marketplace, as there were several people who lived there, not all of them merchants. It also wasn't exactly a town, either. It was more of an outpost, stuck in the middle of a large wilderness. It was also one of the few places that was equally welcoming to Human and nonhuman alike, and had residents and visitors from both camps.

But what made Center Tree truly unique was Center Tree itself. Like many places in Gensokyo, it took its name from what it literally was. And in this case, it was a tree in the center of a large field. An exceptionally large tree. A ridiculously large tree, with a trunk wider around than a city block and well over a thousand feet straight up. Its many branches stretched far and wide, often intertwining together. The sheer scope of the tree was a breathtaking sight.

It was universally agreed that Center Tree had been artificially created by magic. Who and why were no longer remembered, nor did anyone care. They were too busy erecting a complete settlement in its branches.

Dozens, if not hundreds of platforms stretched from branch to branch, connected by a series of rope-bridges, wooden staircases and twisting ramps. Upon these platforms numerous structures had been set up, ranging from stores to inns to guild sleeping quarters to the local GPF station. And where there wasn't room to build, the trunk and branches themselves had been dug into to accommodate any number of businesses and dwelling places.

The Falcon's Fist was one such business. Carved into the side of one of the branches, it was a combination inn and restaurant run by a falcon youkai named Estelle, with the best stocked bar to be found for miles. This made it a popular place for both locals and visitors. Cirno and her friends made it a point to stop by every time they were in the neighborhood.

The restaurant itself was, like its once-beaked owner, built around an avian theme. The seats were padded with carefully woven straw, designed to have the appearance of a bird's nest while still remaining comfortable. The walls were lined with the feathers of a thousand different species, from the minute pinfeathers of sparrows to the brilliant plumage of peacocks. And the ceiling had an enchantment that caused the tree to grow several specially placed branches that twisted around each other and stretched to the floor in some places, giving the place the feel of a forest canopy. Of course, this was somewhat redundant considering that it was already inside a big honking tree, but it was the atmosphere that counted.

Cirno, Mystia, Wriggle, Daiyousei and Chen had taken control of a long table in the restaurant's center. Of course Estelle had been hesitant to surrender such a prime seating location to a bunch of kids who were without a reservation, but she had taken on look at Yuuka and conveniently lost the reservation of the group who were supposed to have the table. Estelle herself was now huddling under her desk in her office, emerging only to tell the servers that yes, they had to keep serving that table.

Cirno herself didn't care. She was on the top of the world, ordering round after round and supplementing it with enough food to feed an entire football team. The rest of her friends were somewhat less enthused, but Cirno just marked that up to worry and because they didn't yet see the genius of her plan. Once Rumia was back with them safe and sound, then they'll admit that she was right all along.

And to make things even better, they were still getting prospective bounty hunters! Chen had put together a second batch of fliers, but those were running low as well.

"Um, exsqueeze me…" said a scratchy voice from behind Cirno's chair.

Cirno turned around to see a blue-haired Kappa girl with pigtails, a green hat and oversized goggles. A small golden key hung on a silver chain around her neck. She was holding up one of Cirno's fliers.

"Hi!" Cirno said brightly. "What's up?"

The Kappa held the flier toward her. "Um, is dis the monster thing?" she asked. "The one dat dere's a bounties on?"

"You got it!" Cirno said. "Twenty-five million yen to the person who nabs that bitch, and…a whole lot more if you do it quickly!"

"Uh-huh. I sees, I sees." The kappa twisted the right lens of her goggles, causing it to telescope forward to a narrow point. She studied Cirno's stick-figure carefully. "So, what cans it does?"

"Huh?" Cirno said in confusion. Kappa speech patterns were notoriously hard to follow.

Wriggle, who had been listening on the conversation, nudged her with her elbow. "She asking what it can do."

"Oh! You mean the monster?"

The Kappa nodded. "Yesh."

Cirno shrugged. "Uh, I actually don't know except for that it can eat people with its whole body and make itself look like a scary them afterward. Oh, and don't touch it. It's like painful cold."

"Ah-hey. Anyplaces be willings to talks to me more?"

"Anyplace that be…Anyplace you can go to learn more?"

"Yesh."

Cirno shrugged again. "I dunno. Try that big-ass mansion in the Bamboo Forest. They seem to know something."

"Eientei?"

"Yeah, them."

"Kays. Whats about its weaksies?"

"Weaksies…?" Cirno looked again to Wriggle for help.

"She's asking if it has any weaknesses," Wriggle whispered.

"Oh. Sorry, don't know that either."

"Uh, ah-heys." The Kappa squinted her eyes at Cirno's stick-figure. She twisted the right lens of her goggles, making it telescope forward and focusing the eyepiece into a narrow point. "Yeahz, I cans does this bugger for you. Twenny-fize, you says?"

"Yep!"

"Cool. I gets right into this! It be scrippy times!"

After she had left, Wriggle said, "Look, I'll admit that your bounty idea is working way better than I thought it would-"

"About freaking time!" Cirno said in triumph.

"-but don't you think it's a little dangerous to be sending these people after this thing when we don't even know what it is?"

Cirno rolled her eyes. "Hey, no one's forcing them to take the bounty, okay? And we did tell them that we don't know what it can do. Besides, it's not like it can kill them permanently."

"You'd be surprised, little fairy," said a new voice. "There are many monsters in this world, ones that can do a great many things."

Cirno turned to find that another woman had walked up to their table. She wore a shapeless brown robe with a weather-stained hood pulled over her head. Her hair, where it poked out around the hood's sides, was red and strangely, and her pale skin was covered with so many freckles that Cirno almost mistook them for an infestation of parasites. Her eyes were strange though: a dull maroon color with unusually large black pupils. Definitely not human, but her exact youkai species, if she was one at all, was impossible to pinpoint.

"Who are you?" Cirno asked.

The woman smiled a thin smile. "Another prospective hunter, looking for some worthy game."

"Yeah?" Cirno held up a flier. "Well, this here monster's as worthy as they come!"

"That remains to be seen."

Cirno scowled. "Whaddya mean, 'Remains to be seen'? It ate one of my friends-"

"That doesn't sound so difficult."

"-and it fought off a bunch of really super strong people, like…like Yukari Yakumo! And Reimu Hakurei, and that one oni person, and that damned Marisa Kirisame and that scary ghost lady, Mima! If that's not a scary badass then I don't know what is!"

"Another debatable point. Still, it does catch my attention." The hooded woman snatched the flier from Cirno's fingers. She hummed idly to herself as she studied the picture. "Hmmmm. And you say that Eientei might have more information?"

"They'd better. I think they made the thing."

"Interesting." The woman stared at the flier for a second longer before nodding to herself. She placed the flier somewhere in her bulky robes. "Very well, little fairy. I'll take your bounty. Provided, of course, that you have the money to pay."

"Of course I do! You think I'd start something like this and not have the cash to back it up?"

"Yes."

Before Cirno could come up with a retort, the woman spun around and marched out the door, her heavy robes swishing appropriately.

"Dumb jerk," Cirno muttered to Wriggle as she turned back to the table. "She wouldn't be so mean if Yuuka were here. Where'd she go, anyway?"

Cirno's hired bodyguard had disappeared soon after getting them their table, claiming that she "Didn't want to upset people unnecessarily". Even Cirno didn't buy that excuse. Upsetting people seemed to be what she enjoyed best.

Still, she was gone, and Cirno couldn't honestly say she was relieved. After seeing her so easily dispatch the GPF captain and her goons, Cirno had come to realize just how useful of an ally Yuuka was. In fact, after this was over and Rumia was back, Cirno was considering seeking out her help for their mischief making. Perhaps then they might be able to step up their game.

In answer to Cirno's question, Wriggle said, "Don't look so disappointed. Believe me, the less of her around, the better. And it's like the Market: she'll appear if she thinks she's needed. So please don't give her a reason."

At Cirno's other side, Daiyousei cleared her throat. If anything, the day's events had made the green-haired fairy even more nervous looking, if such a thing were possible. "Uh, I agree with Wriggle. Please don't make her come back!"

Cirno scowled. "Okay, fine. Scaredy-cats. Nice to know my gang is so brave and all…" Cirno's voice trailed off. She shook her head and looked again. "Wait, what happened to everyone?"

"What?" Wriggle said.

"Chen and Mystia! Where'd they go?"

"Jeez, you just now noticed they were gone?" Wriggle said. "Way to be observant. You even said 'Bye' to them when they left!"

"I don't remember that!"

"No, you wouldn't." Wriggle rolled her eyes. "And calm down. Chen just went out to check out the shops. She said there was this cool pet store she wanted to visit, which is kind of creepy if you think about it."

"She's already the Shikigami of a Shikigami," Daiyousei pointed out. "It's not like it'll make things any weirder."

"Yeah, it will."

Cirno sighed. "Okay, fine. What'ta 'bout Mystia?"

"She's right over there," Daiyousei said, pointing. Cirno looked and relaxed. There was a small stage carved to look like a tree stump in one corner. Mystia was onstage and had drawn a small crowd of drunken fairies with her singing. They were all swaying back and forth and attempting to sing along, though their level of inebriation was drastically interfering with their success. They didn't seem to care though, and judging by the smile on Mystia's face she didn't either.

"Okay, cool," Cirno said. "She ain't going anywhere. And hey, you two should be following her example. Liven up a little! The plan's actually working! Heck, I'll bet we have Rumia back by the end of the week!"

Wriggle's already sallow face darkened even more. "Yeah, that's real likely."

"Come on! Cheer up, buggy!" Cirno pressed. "Things are going great!"

"Sure they are. And then something goes wrong, and we start going crazy trying to fix it, only to have everything go to shit."

"What makes you think that'll happen?" Cirno demanded.

Wriggle turned to face her. "Because it's one of your plans!" she snarled. She shoved her chair away from the table and jumped up to storm out of the restaurant, pushing her way past a couple of waitresses on her way out.

Cirno scowled. She stuck her tongue out at Wriggle's retreating back and turned back at the table. "Stupid bug," she muttered. "Not my fault's everything's so screwed up. I'm just trying to fix things. 'Sides, I don't see her coming up with any bright ideas."

Daiyousei looked at her friend with uncertainty all over her face. "Um, C-Cirno, are you…okay?"

"Yeah, sure. I'm fine." Cirno grabbed her bottle of sake and drained it in one long draft. She slammed it back onto the table. Then she leaned back in her chair and smiled. "And hell, why shouldn't I be? Everything's going according to plan! All according to my perfect plan! According to plan, accordion-o-planning, hehehe."

She got up from her seat. "I'm a-gonna find…something," she declared to Daiyousei. "Need some fresh air. Yeah, that's the ticket! Some fresh air is what I need, I do I do." She took two steps and nearly fell right into a nearby booth and upsetting the meal sitting on it. The occupants were less than amused.

Daiyousei was at her side in less than a second. "Uh, here," she said, taking Cirno by the arm and guiding her toward the door. "Why don't I go with you?"

Cirno grinned at her. At least one member of her gang still harbored loyalty. "Great idea!" she said as Daiyousei directed her around the hostess' podium. "That way, if the fresh air's missing, we can work together to find it! It can be an adventure!"

"Uh, sure. We'll do that."

So intent were both fairies on successfully navigating toward the door, that they didn't notice that the Falcon's Fist had fallen silent. Even Mystia and her new fans had stopped singing. Every eye except for the two fairies' was focused on the door.

Then Cirno and Daiyousei nearly ran into a pair of legs standing in the doorway. Confused, they looked up to see (from their perspective at least) a ridiculously tall blond woman wearing a white robe with large sleeves. She had on a white hat with two jutting spires, presumably to accommodate her pointed ears. And if that was not enough to give away who she was, the nine bushy fox tails arrayed like a peacock's plumage behind her told everyone that Ran Yakumo, the Shikigami of none other than Yukari Yakumo, had entered the room.

The two fairies stared up at the monolithic youkai. Cirno rubbed her eyes, shook her head and blinked several times before looking again. It was still her. "Oh," she said. And then, "Well, crap."

For her part, Ran didn't seem too pleased to see them. "Well. Cirno and…forget your name. And over there…" Her head swung over to the stage, where Mystia was still standing dumbstruck. "The eel-girl. Good. Just the troublemakers I wanted to see."

Cirno tried to backpedal but ended up tripping over her own ankles. She tried to grab at Daiyousei for support, but ended up dragging the other fairy down with her. They quickly untangled themselves and sat up to see Ran kneeling down, staring at them.

The face of Yukari's Shikigami was without emotion, which in Cirno's experience was far more dangerous than blind rage. "Cirno. When we spoke last you told me that you had no idea where Chen was. Do you remember that?"

"I don't have her!" Cirno shouted. She hastily scrambled to her feet.

"That's not what some very reliable sources tell me. I don't appreciate being lied to, Cirno. And I don't appreciate people putting Chen in danger."

The hostess, a small Human woman with her dark hair in a tight bun, approached Ran with her palms held out. "Okay, let's just calm down here," she said. "There's no need-"

Ran's head whipped up, her teeth bared. She snarled. The human quickly backed off, as did every else standing nearby.

Ran turned her attention back to Cirno. "Okay Cirno, here's the situation: I'm upset, but willing to let your falsehood go, so long as-"

"I told you, I don't have her!"

Ran closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and said, "Still with the lies. I am trying to remain calm here, but you're making it very-"

"I don't!"

"-difficult. And if you continue-"

"Go away! Leave us alone!"

"-to feed me BS, I am going to lose my temper. And if-"

"I said go away!"

"-that happens, then I can't be held responsible for what-"

"GO AWAY!"

"She came later!" Daiyousei blurted out.

"Dai!" Cirno shouted.

Daiyousei clamped her hands over her mouth. Her cheeks turned red.

Ran, however, had noticed. Her eyebrows knitted together, and she leaned forward so that she and Daiyousei were almost nose-to-nose. "What did you say?"

Evidently realizing that there was no further point in hiding it, Daiyousei said. "Uh, i-if you're t-t-talking about when you, um." She swallowed nervously and tried not to look the kitsune in the eye. "Uh, talked to Cirno earlier, Ch-Chen wasn't with us then."

"Dai, shut up!" Cirno shouted.

Ran reached over with one hand and grabbed Cirno by the face, covering her mouth in the process. She lifted the struggling fairy off the floor and held her in place. To Daiyousei, she said, "Talk."

The implied threat did its job. Daiyousei started babbling. "She was waiting for us in the cave! After Cirno got back from Eientei, waaaay after talking to you! Cirno didn't know, we didn't know, I swear! We weren't trying to…Wait Cirno, don't!"

It was too late. While Daiyousei was desperately trying to explain things to Ran, Cirno had taken a more direct approach to her predicament. That is, forming a small but sharp blade of ice in her hand and jabbing it straight into Ran's hand.

It broke off without penetrating the skin. Still, Ran hissed and rose to her feet, carrying Cirno with her. "You," she said. "Just made the biggest mistake of your-"

"No, she didn't. But you are close to making yours."

Before Ran could see who was talking, something seized her by the ankles. She was then yanked off her feet and dragged roaring out of the restaurant, dropping Cirno in the process. Daiyousei quickly helped Cirno to her feet, and the two fairies watched as Ran was shoved roughly against the underside of a large branch and securely tied in place by twisting vines that slithered over her like snakes.

The room filled with gasps and exclamations of fear. Cirno and Daiyousei turned to see Yuuka standing on their table. She held her closed umbrella with one hand and was irritably thumping it against the other palm. The frown on her face spoke clearly of her displeasure.

Then her face relaxed. She shook her head. "Oh, girls, girls, girls," she said as she stepped off the table. The floor trembled and heaved upward, forming steps for her to walk on. "Come now, it's only been a few hours since I last got you out of trouble, and here you are picking fights again? As much as I enjoy the occasional bout of chaos, please try to restrain yourself!"

Cirno pointed out the door. Her entire arm was shaking. "Sh-sh-she attacked us first!"

"Did she? Well, that's incredibly rude. And why was that, if I may be so bold as to ask?"

Cirno told her. Yuuka listened with a surprised look on her face. Then she smiled.

…

Ran growled and strained against the vines that held her in place. She tried to bite her way free, but then a thick mass of leaves shoved itself into her mouth. She coughed and bit, but could not dislodge the gag.

Stupid. She had been so stupid. Yuuka had made it clear that she was taking the protection of Cirno's gang seriously. But Ran had let her emotions get the better of her, and now she was paying the price. If Yuuka were to kill her now and somehow make it permanent, it would be no less than she deserved for her own idiocy.

Except…no. Ran was not going to let that happen. She was not going to leave Chen in the hands of that monster.

There was a small commotion from inside the restaurant, and Yuuka Kazami emerged into the night, her umbrella hanging on her arm. Keeping a safe distance were Cirno and her two friends: the other fairy and the bird. Though they were definitely curious as to what would happen, they did not look like they wanted to be caught in the middle of it.

Yuuka flicked her umbrella up to her grasp and reached up with it to poke the vines restraining Ran. They shivered and slithered away. Ran dropped to the wooden platform and landed in a crouch. She warily watched as Yuuka smiled down at her.

"So you are Ran Yakumo," Yuuka said. "How…interesting. Little Cirno here tells me that you are the personal servant of none other than the magnificent, the amazing, the all-powerful Yukari Yakumo. And not only that, you are her familiar as well! There's probably no one in all of existence that's closer to her than you." A deep red tongue snaked out to pass over her lips. "That is very, very interesting."

"Really?" Ran said. Her voice was polite but guarded. "And how is-"

She was cut off when Yuuka suddenly slammed the umbrella against her skull and flattened her to the ground. Most umbrellas would have snapped in half without her even feeling it. But as nothing was ever as it should be when Yuuka was involved, Ran's face hit wood with brain-rattling force while the umbrella remained perfectly intact.

"Don't," Yuuka growled. "Don't you dare play stupid. You know very well that I just issued a personal challenge to your master. And now here you are, Yukari Yakumo's familiar. In the flesh. And you have the gall to pretend not to know why this is significant? How dare you!" She shoved the toe of her boot under Ran's stomach and flipped her over to her back. Ran tried to rise but Yuuka shoved the tip of her umbrella into her stomach, driving her back down. "Insult my intelligence again and you will be shipped back home in multiple packages. Do I make myself clear?"

Ran's first impulse was to lunge up and tear Yuuka's face off with her claws, but she beat that back down. "Clear," she coughed.

"Good. Very good." Yuuka removed the umbrella and offered her hand. Ran hesitated, and then took it.

"There we are, no harm done," Yuuka said pleasantly as she helped Ran to her feet. "Now, may I ask what you're doing here, and why you were harassing those children? And I really hope that it wasn't on Yukari's behalf. Because really, responding to a personal challenge through pawns is really unsportsmanlike."

Meanwhile, a small crowd was forming. Most of the bolder customers of the Falcon's Fist clustered around the doorway to watch the proceedings, while several passersby watched from either side and from the platforms above. Ran did her best to ignore them and said, "No, this has nothing to do with my Master or the challenge you issued. I am here entirely on my own business."

"Oh?" Yuuka raised an eyebrow. "That's intriguing. Does Yukari even know you're here?"

"She does, but only insofar as to grant permission and…offer advice."

"Advice. Really. Do disclose."

"I was told to mind my manners and be respectful."

Yuuka let out a bark of surprised laughter, causing the gathered onlookers to flinch back. "Oh, you were, where you? Well, you certainly fouled that up quickly! But I could be forgiven your brief lapse of judgment, provided that your reason for seeking me out doesn't end up wasting my time."

"It won't," Ran quickly assured her. "I need to speak to you about Chen."

Yuuka frowned. "Chen. Chen? Chen…" She looked down at Cirno and her friends. "Chen?"

Cirno spoke up. "Uh, you know. The catgirl?"

"Oh! Right, Chen! How could I forget delightful little bundle of fun?" Yuuka turned back to Ran. "But whatever could you want with her? You are, after all, a canine by heritage. And canines and felines do not traditionally associate with one another."

"That's because she is my Shikigami, just as I am Yukari's," Ran said simply. There was no point in concealing the truth from her. Creatures like her were uncannily good at picking out lies. "I am responsible for her, and the longer she remains involved in this business the longer she remains in danger."

Judging by the sharp breath Yuuka took, it was evident that she was unaware of this piece of information. Ran braced herself as she waited for Yuuka's answer.

Then Yuuka said, "You are telling me the truth, yes? Chen is your familiar?"

"I am."

"I…see." Yuuka mused over this new revelation for a moment longer. Then she said, "Follow me", and whirled around to march back into the Falcon's Fist. The gaggle at the doorway parted as quickly as they could in their haste to make way. Yuuka ignored them and walked back up onto Cirno's table.

She reached up and tapped her umbrella against the foliage-covered ceiling. In response to her touch the woven branched part parted and the ceiling opened up to the room above. The branches themselves stretched downward diagonally and twisted into the shape of a leafy staircase.

"Cirno? Honey?" Yuuka said.

The little fairy stiffened immediately. "Um…huh?"

"Would you be a dear and go find Chen for me?"

"Oh, um, sure. Why not? I'll get right on that…"

Cirno bolted toward Center Tree's maze of walkways. Her green-haired friend was quick to follow, and after a moment's hesitation the bird shot after them.

"They'll be back soon with the feline in question," Yuuka told Ran. She gestured up the stairs. "In the meantime, I believe we have a few things to discuss. Won't you step into my office?"

…

Cirno started off at a run, her feet pounding against the wood slats of the platform as she picked up speed. She then leapt and took flight, zipping along the twisting walkways, ramps and staircases of Center Tree and dodging her way through the people going about their business. Several of them cursed and either ducked or jumped out of the way as she darted past, and more reflexively tried to shoot her down. Cirno of course didn't care. She was too busy frantically trying to find Chen.

Behind her Daiyousei and Mystia were trying to keep up. Daiyousei wasn't that much bigger than Cirno, so she was having an easier time with it. But Mystia, who was closer to human-size, was quickly bogged down and left behind.

Cirno didn't have time to go back for her. She had to find Chen, and fast.

"Where'd she go?" she shouted over her shoulder.

Daiyousei, who was doing her best not to upset the abnormally tall hats of a group of rabbit aristocrats, shouted back, "What?"

"Chen! Do you know where she went?"

The pause allowed Daiyousei to catch up. "The pet shop! Remember?"

"Right!" Cirno looked around. "Uh, where's that?"

"I don't know, I've never been there!"

"Great. How the hellsicles are we supposed to find a single store in this place?" Cirno moaned.

"I don't know, stop yelling at me!"

"I'm not! Mysty, where's the pet shop?"

That last question was directed toward Mystia, who had just frantically managed to shove her way up to the pair. "W-what?" she panted.

"Pet shop!" Cirno repeated. "Chen! Where?"

Mystia looked at her like she had blown a gasket. "What pet shop?"

"Argh!" Cirno was coming dangerously close to tearing out her own hair. "This is insane! We gotta find a dumb cat who may or may not be in a store that we don't know where it is in a ginormous tree filled with stupid stores! And if we don't, Yuuka is gonna kill us!"

"Unless the fox-lady gets to us first," Daiyousei muttered.

"Exactly! This sucks. What did we do…" Cirno then spotted someone. "Wait a minute, hey!"

"What, do you see her?" Mystia asked as Cirno started power-walking over to a covered balcony with several tables and chairs.

"Nope!" Cirno pointed. "But it's a start!"

Wriggle was sitting at one of the table, staring sullenly out at the empty field beyond Center Tree. She had a chocolate shake sitting on the table and was sipping at it through a straw.

"Wriggle!" Cirno shouted as she ran up to her. "We need your help!"

Wriggle turned, and her frown dipped even lower. "Oh, lookee here. The master strategist herself. What's up, chillybutt? Got another brilliant plan brewing in that empty head of yours? What's next, staging an armed invasion of Makai? Trying to tame the Great Dragon and riding it against Yukari?"

"Shut up and listen! We need to find Chen and fast!"

"Oh?" Wriggle raised an eyebrow. "Why's that? Did she pee all over your bed again?"

"No! She…Wait, does she still do that?" Cirno shook her head. "No, wait, I don't care. Look, Chen's fox-lady just showed up and threatened to take my face off-"

"Mine too!" Daiyousei said.

"-Right, Daiyousei's too if we didn't give Chen back! And then Yuuka did that come-out-of-nowhere thing and tied her up and let her go and hit her a lot! And then I guess she felt bad about it because she took the fox-lady somewhere to talk to her and told us to find Chen! Except we have no freaking idea where she is and need help!"

Wriggle rolled her eyes and let out an irritated sigh. She sucked up the rest of her shake with one long inhale, burped and stood up. "Should've seen this coming," she muttered. "And I told you. Chen's at that one pet shop."

"But we don't know where the pet shop is," Mystia pointed out. "And it won't be long before Yuuka starts getting impatient."

Wriggle's look of sullenness softened. "Okay, point. And it's not that far. Only a couple levels up."

Cirno felt a rush of hope. "You know where it is?"

"Yeah, it's next to this really kick-ass candy store. Come on."

Wriggle jogged over to the edge of the balcony and kept going, stepping into open air and soaring upward. Cirno, Mystia and Daiyousei hurried to follow, and the four of them flew upward and swooped in to reenter the labyrinth of Center Tree.

Despite her assurances, Wriggle actually didn't know exactly where the pet shop was located, and they ended up taking a couple of wrong turns in the process. However, they came across a directory carved into a branch's side (which Wriggle sulkily insisted they didn't need as she knew exactly where they were) and were able to bring themselves to Portnoy's Pets and its cavity-causing neighbor, Wizzlers.

Cirno wasted no time charging straight into Portnoy's and swooping around the various cages and bags of feed, calling out Chen's name. For their part, Mystia and Wriggle went for a more rational solution and floated up at the center of the store and looked down, searching for any sign of the catgirl. It was pointless though. Chen had left. And the shop's owner was not amused by Cirno's frantic search and how it was upsetting the animals. Nor did he buy her frenzied explanations, and the whole gang found themselves kicked out.

"It's not fair!" Cirno shouted as she banged her fist against the store's wall in frustration. "He could at least have told us where she is!"

"He can't. He doesn't know," Wriggle said. The firefly stuck her hands into her pockets. "He told us, remember?"

Cirno grimaced. "Bet he would tell us if Yuuka was around. We shoulda brought her."

Wriggle and Mystia exchanged an exasperated look and rolled their eyes. Mystia said, "She's the one that sent us, remember?"

"Oh, right. And hey, where does she get off telling us to do anything? We hired her, I hired her! It's my plan, I should be in charge!"

"Cirno, just shut up already," Wriggle said.

Cirno whirled to shove a finger against Wriggle's nose. "Don't tell me to shut up! You shut up! I don't see you thinking of anything!"

While this was going on, Daiyousei kept backing further and further away from the argument. This hadn't been the first time such disagreements had broken out, and she knew better than to get between them, especially since this one looked like it was going to be a bad one. Unfortunately, as it was happening in a public place, all their yelling was starting to attract attention. A small crowd was gathering to stare at the confrontation, with some of them shouting words of encouragement and rooting them on.

Someone tapped Daiyousei on the shoulder. "What's going on? Why are they fighting?"

Daiyousei turned to see a young confused-looking youkai girl, not much taller than a fairy herself, with short red hair and a plain dress of the same color, except for the sleeves, which were white and exceptionally long. Unlike most non-animal youkai, this one's origins were easy to pick out, if the large mushroom cap she wore as a hat was any indication.

In reply, Daiyousei whispered back, "Cir…the fairy's mad because our friend's missing and we can't find her, the firefly's been mad at the fairy all day and the sparrow's mad because if we don't find out friend, then someone else is going to get mad at us, someone very scary."

The mushroom girl still looked confused, but she said, "Okay. That sounds complicated. But okay."

Daiyousei sighed and nodded. "Yeah, very…complicated. Hey, maybe you can help us. Have you seen a cat youkai girl, about yea tall" Daiyousei held her hand about half a foot above her own head "with short brown hair and a red dress? And two tails?"

The mushroom girl frowned. "Yeah, maybe. Did she have a green hat, an earring in one ear and…really, really hyper?"

Daiyousei felt a rush of hope. "Yeah, that's her!" she said excitedly. "Where'd you see her?"

"I think most people have seen her by now! She got a job a level down as a restaurant's mascot."

Daiyousei stared. "…she got a what?"

"Yeah," the mushroom girl nodded. "Over at the Nyan Nyan."

"…at the where?"

…

The room Yuuka led Ran up to was one the rooms the Falcon's Fist rooms for rent. As least she assumed so, given its location, but it was difficult to tell for certain, mainly because in the short time Yuuka had inhabited it, she had turned it into a miniature jungle.

The walls were covered with thick stalks, green branches, vines and enormous unfurling leaves. Roots twisted over the floor, making it difficult to walk. And like the ceiling of the Falcon's Fist dining area, the roof was thickly clustered with hanging foliage. However, the restaurant's illusion, while impressive, had about as much in common with Yuuka's as a child's finger-painting had with a master artist's magnum opus. A mist filled the room, so dense that Ran's robes immediately clung to her body. And everywhere there were flowers.

Little blue bell-shaped ones that clustered the hanging vines. Huge white exotic-looking ones that looked like birds. Dark crimson ones that looked like water pitchers. And (Ran nervously noted), purple buds the size of a person's head with predatory teeth lining the thick petals. And each and every one turned their faces toward Yuuka and Ran as they entered the room, though the purple buds seemed more interested in Ran. She just hoped that they weren't hungry.

Strangely enough, remnants of the original room could still be seen. The bed was still against the wall and surprisingly plant free. As was the large oak wardrobe, though tendrils still clung to its sides and a mass of orchids nested at its peak. The nightstand and accompanying lamp, however, now more resembled an oddly shaped mossy boulder. And the table and the chair were covered with wild grass and fungi.

"I must say, Ms. Yakumo, I do not care much for your manners, or lack thereof," Yuuka said. She held her umbrella up and allowed a vine to snake down and take it from her. She then walked behind the table and sat down the chair, completely ignoring the fact that it would not look out of place as a garden ornament. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the grassy tabletop, her hands clasped in front of her face.

Something bumped against Ran's backside. She looked over her shoulder to see that a giant black mushroom had grown up behind her. Taking the hint, she sat down on its cap. It sagged under her weight but held.

"I hear a commotion and come down to investigate," Yuuka continued. "And what do I find but two of the children I told Yukari to stay away from being threatened by none other than her familiar, caught in the very act of trying to do them bodily harm? This upsets me, kitsune. This upsets me a great deal."

Ran was about to reply, but Yuuka was still talking. "However, I can understand why you would act in such a manner. Love often makes us do strange things, behave in ways that we may later regret. So I'm willing to overlook your less than courteous behavior and allow you to speak your piece."

Nodding her understanding, Ran opened her mouth to begin, but Yuuka cut her off once again. "However, I should point out that you already have a couple of marks against you, and should you decide to anger, annoy or displease me in any way, I will reduce you to fertilizer. That…wasn't hyperbole, by the way. I will indeed feed you to my babies."

Yuuka turned slightly and gestured with one hand. A beam of light fell from the ceiling to illuminate one of the water pitcher flowers. Ran frowned. There seemed to be something poking out of the top of the pitcher itself, something…

Ran's face paled. It was a hand, drained white of blood. It hung limply out of the pitcher, presumably still attached to the rest of the arm within.

The pitcher jerked once, and the hand slid fully within.

"This room's original inhabitants," Yuuka said by way of explanation. "There were no empty rooms, and they were hesitant to accommodate my babies and I. Quite inhospitable. A simple 'no' would have sufficed. But they decided to scream and throw things. So very rude." She shrugged. "Oh, and one more thing you should be aware of. During our meeting together, you are alone. Don't count on your master to save you, unless she wants to come here in person and tear her way in with her fingernails. I direct your attention upward."

Ran looked up. Yuuka was pointing at the blue bell-shaped flowers that clustered on the hanging vines. Now that she was paying attention, Ran saw that they were glowing with a faint luminescence.

"Beautiful, aren't they?" Yuuka said, admiration in her voice. "They're not native to Gensokyo. I had to bring the seedlings with me when I moved here. They now grow everywhere in my house. But their purpose extends beyond mere ornaments. It seems they also have the added effect of interfering with foreign magics that might be sneaking around in the air. Up to and including your master's nasty little spies and gaps." Yuuka flicked one such cluster with her fingers. A wave of light ran up the vine in response. "I've found them to be useful friends to have. In fact, everything you see here has its own unique uses. It just takes a patient hand and a listening ear to learn how to use them." She turned her head so that she and Ran's eyes were meeting. Her lips were spread with a smug smile. "But all that to say this: these are all my friends, kitsune. And my displeasure is theirs. Keep that in mind."

Ran just stared. She had of course seen people do terrible things before. In fact, she had done a few of them herself, as had Yukari. And she had seen monsters as well, cruel creatures that caused pain and misery for no discernible reason. She had walked among the mangled bodies of their victims and stained her clothes on spilled blood. Yuuka's behavior was nothing new.

But this time it was different. This time, the monster had Chen in her grasp. That changed everything.

Yuuka noticed Ran's unease. "Good. You understand your predicament." She smirked. "Or perhaps you fear that I will do the same to your cat. I suppose that would be understandable, but your fears are ungrounded. I swore to keep those children from harm, and it would hardly be keeping with that vow if I were to harm them myself, now wouldn't it? But I know that love is not always a rational creature. And despite what you might think, I am well aware of my…reputation, in certain circles. So I don't begrudge you your discomfort."

"Then you understand my reason for coming," Ran said.

"Of course, to get little Chen back," Yuuka said. She sounded slightly irritated. "I thought we had established this already."

"No, I mean…" Ran's brain raced as she tried to think of the best way to explain herself. "You understand my…concern, and how worried I've been. She's been missing for about five days now, and she disappeared right when…Well, when certain things happened."

"You mean the Shadow Youkai," Yuuka said. "Yes, I know. Rumia of the Shadows is once again whole. Good times, all around. I was unfortunately in the Dream World at the time of her last rampage, so I missed out on all the fun. But the nightmares she inspired…Ah…" Yuuka closed her eyes and sighed deeply. Her nostrils flared in ecstasy.

Ran had to force her face to remain neutral. Yuuka didn't know the full story. That was very useful information, but it wouldn't do for Yuuka to start asking questions. So, rather than confirming or denying Yuuka's statement she said, "Right. Exactly. And it was right where Rumia was unleashed too. For all I knew she might have been found by that creature, and…" Ran's voice trailed off.

"And you spent all this time worried that she had been slashed to ribbons by one monster, only to find her in the claws of another," Yuuka finished for her. "And it's causing you untold amounts of stress. Why my dear Ran, I'm flattered. So glad to hear that you take me seriously."

Ran nodded. "Yes. And while I have no doubt that you fully intend to, um, back up your words, the fact remains that there does seem to be something that the children need to be protected from. And I'm not just talking about the Shadow Youkai."

"You mean the bounty hunters," Yuuka said. "You're worried that fairy's bounty will attract negative attention. However, you do realize that this was exactly why I was brought into this delightful little mess. To discourage such attention."

"Yes, but even you cannot watch each one of them at all times. They have a history of getting into trouble, and as I can personally attest to, accidents can and do happen under the most watchful eye. And if something were to happen to Chen because of this…"

Ran didn't have to fake the emotion in her voice. It was all she could do to retain her calm façade. Which was just as well. Yukari's words kept playing in her head. "Don't challenge her, don't insult her, don't attack her in any way," her master had said. "Avoid making yourself out as an enemy. Rather, appeal to her better side, if such a thing could be said to exist. Yuuka is a creature of emotion, and if my encounters with her are any indication, she does strongly feel such things as affection, attachment, perhaps even love. Play up these feelings. Have her empathize with you. Beg if you have to. Plead, humble yourself, whatever. Because despite public opinion, Yuuka does have a heart, twisted as it might be."

And it seemed to be working. Yuuka's face was softening. "Well," she said. "I should be insulted by your lack of faith in my abilities, but I'm not. Your concern for your cat is…surprisingly touching, Shikigami. I can detect no falsified emotion within you."

"Then perhaps you will grant my request?" Ran said hopefully. "I don't care what you want with Yukari. That business is between you and my Master. But I would rip out my tails before I stood by and let Chen be caught in the middle of that."

It was then that Ran did something that anyone who knew her would find surprising. She served Yukari and Yukari alone. Things such as royalty, authority, even deification meant nothing to her. She bent knee to no one but her Master.

But still, she found herself sliding down from the mushroom and prostrating herself before Yuuka. She stretched out her arms before her and brought her face within an inch of the root-covered floor.

"Please," she said. "Don't let Chen's absence torment me any longer. Let me do my duty as her protector. I swear that once I leave with her our business will end and I will do nothing to hinder your machinations. Just let me take her home."

Ran held her breath as she waited for Yuuka's answer.

…

"Where is this Nyan Nyan place anyway?" Cirno shouted as the four of them raced through the crowd.

"The mushroom girl said it was this way," Daiyousei shouted back. "She said we can't miss it!"

"What kind of place calls itself Nyan Nyan?" Wriggle asked. "Seems kind of silly if you ask me."

"I dunno, maybe some place with a cat theme?" Mystia said.

"It still sounds silly. I mean, I might as well open a place called the Buzz Buzz if that's the sort of…"

They rounded a corner and Wriggle's voice trailed off. There in front of them was a hut-shaped building. Set in front of the building's entrance was a large flat board, painted to resemble a smiling cat's face. The door was set in the cat's mouth, and people were walking in and out.

That in itself was strange enough, but what was even more bizarre was what was taking place in front of the building. There a yellow box, about a foot high, had been set up. A small crowd of people were gathered around the box. And on top of the box was Chen herself.

Chen was evidently having a good time. She was holding her hands in front of her face like the pars of a cat and jumping from one leg to the next.

"Nyan, nyan, ni hao nyan!" she sang. Then she stood on both feet and stretched one arm into the air.

"Gorgeous-"

The other arm went up.

"-delicious-"

Chen spun around and spread her arms wide.

"-deculture!"

This strange dance and song routine was then repeated over. And over. And over again. Meanwhile, the crowd laughed and cheered. Cirno's gang, however, just stared.

Wriggle was the first to recover. "Okay," she said slowly. "Everyone's thinking it, I'm just saying it. What exactly is she doing?"

"Uh, dancing?" Cirno said.

"Yeah, I can see that she's dancing. The question is why is she dancing? And singing? On a box?"

"I think it's some kind of promotional thing," Mystia said. "For that restaurant over there."

Wriggle gaped. "That's a restaurant? Gods, I thought it was some kind of demonic cat shrine."

"What does 'ni hao' mean?" Daiyousei wondered. "And deculture?"

Cirno scowled. "Well, freaky dance or no, we need her to come back. Come on."

The four of them made their way toward the catgirl. Chen spied them coming and paused in mid-dance.

"Hey guys!" she said, waving at them. "I was in the pet store looking at this really cute bird except I don't think it liked me very much because it kept going all crazy every time I came near but anyway this really nice man came up and said that I was perfect for his restaurant and that he'd pay me to dance in front so I did and it's a lot of fun you should try it maybe he'll let you guys-"

Wriggle stomped up to her. "Yeah, that's great. Sorry Chen, time to go." She reached up and pulled a confused Chen off the box. To the increasingly disgruntled looking crowd, she said, "Sorry folks, show's over. We need to get this catgirl somewhere else, and fast."

"Huh?" Chen said. "But I'm not done yet! I haven't gotten paid and I only danced for a couple minutes and why do we need to-"

Cirno broke in. "Your fox-lady's here. Yuuka sent us to go get you." Then she scowled. "And come to think of it, what's Yuuka doing giving orders anyway? I thought I-"

"Shut up, Cirno," Wriggle said.

Chen's eyes widened. She pulled back. "Wait, Ran's here? I'm not going back!"

Cirno grabbed her by the arm and pulled. "Yeah, you are. It's for our own good."

"No way! The last time I saw her, she tied me up, put a gag in my mouth and stuck needles into me!"

"Yeah. Been there," Wriggle said.

An uncomfortable silence fell. Mystia and Daiyousei exchanged awkward glances while Cirno stared slack-jawed at Wriggle. Chen, true to form, just looked confused.

Wriggle sighed. "Okay, just forget I said that."

"I'm not going back!" Chen insisted. "Ran's too much of a meanie! She can come find me if she wants me so badly!"

Mystia cleared her throat. "Uh, remember the part where it was actually Yuuka that sent us after you?"

"Yuuka?" Chen said in a small voice.

"Yeah. She's talking to Ran right now."

"And did she look mad?"

"Which one?"

"Yuuka."

Mystia nodded. "Kind of, yeah. She took Ran upstairs and told us to go find-"

Chen was suddenly off like a shot. She didn't even bother with the walkways or flight, but leapt into the trees branches and jumped and swung her way back toward the Falcon's Fist as fast as her arms and legs would carry her. "Hurry!" she yelled. "We need to save Ran!"

Mystia blinked. "Wow, she sure changed her mind in a hurry."

"Yuuka will do that to you," Wriggle said. "Besides, she's right. Let's get out of here before Yuuka starts wondering where we are or the creepy cat-guy notices we stole his mascot."

…

"No."

Ran felt her blood turn cold in her veins. Her muscles clenched up immediately. Going into this, she hadn't known exactly what to expect from Yuuka. Laughter, maybe. Mockery. Mindgames, emotional manipulation. Violence. Perhaps even a "Yes", but with conditions, or nasty surprises to be discovered later.

But not a "No". Not like the way she had said it. Cold, definite. Final. Yuuka wasn't making fun of her. She wasn't relishing Ran's distress. She had heard Ran's plea and had given her answer in all seriousness. For some reason that was even worse than her usual flighty cruelty.

"No," Yuuka said again. "Of course not. No, and-Will you get up? Honestly, reverence is all well and good, but you're just being overdramatic. I can't stand it when people are overdramatic. It feels like they're trying to outdo me."

Ran stood up.

"Sit down."

Ran sat down.

Yuuka sighed. She leaned back in her grass-covered chair and kneaded the flesh of her forehead with her fingertips.

"Look," she said at last. "Don't think me unsympathetic. I understand very well where you're coming from. After all, if someone were keeping my babies away from me, then…Why, I don't believe there is anything I wouldn't do to get them back. Your words moved me, they really did. And if things were different I might be compelled to give her a cookie and a pat on the head and send her off with you. But I can't."

Ran's lips moved. "Why?" she whispered.

"Because my hands are tied in this matter. Perhaps Yukari forgot to inform you? I made a promise. A vow. A vow to protect dear Wriggle and her darling friends, both from those who would seek to do them harm and to keep them away from Yukari. And as unfortunate as it is, Chen was among those friends when I made that vow. And seeing how you would take her back to Yukari were I to release her, doing so would be contrary to my promise."

"That's it?" Ran said in disbelief. "That's your only reason? But Chen's part of Yukari's household! She'd never do anything to hurt her!"

"I doubt that, I truly do."

"She wouldn't!" Ran protested. "And even when she was angry with her, she usually just settles for a lecture! Chen's discipline is left up to me! Besides, if it's Chen's protection you're worried about, then there's no safer place for her than with me!"

Yuuka chuckled. "Oh? You seem to lose track of her with distressing ease. But even so, I did not know that Chen was part of Yukari's household when I said what I did. Pity, as it would have opened the door for any number of possibilities."

Ran's hair stood up on end.

"But even so, even though the spirit of the promise will remain intact, the letter will still be broken. A vow is a very heavy matter, kitsune. Especially among the Old Ones. Once our word is given, we cannot go back on it. You know this, don't you?"

Ran sagged. She nodded.

"And so I cannot simply just abandon Chen into your care. To do so would be to violate my word, and that simply won't do." Then a cunning glint shone in Yuuka's eye. "Unless…"

Ran's head snapped back up. "What?"

A bit of Yuuka's trademark mischief had crept back in her voice. "Well, I was just thinking…if you were to challenge me for possession of Chen and overcome me, then there would be no problem with you taking her. A guard who fights valiantly but is defeated in fair combat has not forsaken her duty. So how about it, kitsune? Are you up to doing a little work for Chen's safe return?"

Of course Ran was. And normally she would not give it a second thought. But still, Yukari had warned her about this sort of situation as well.

"If Yuuka wishes to fight, do not let her," Yukari had said. "Do not challenge her, and do not let her challenge you, not to anything at all. I don't care if it's a danmaku duel or beer pong. If it comes down any kind of contest for Chen, deny her and flee immediately. I'll handle things from there. It'll make her angry, yes, and there probably will be collateral damage. But it's preferable to letting her keep Chen. And it's far more preferable to letting her get her hands on you."

Ran could only wonder what Yukari had meant about that. Did she mean snatching Chen away in one of her gaps? That would solve the problem. But what of the collateral damage Yukari had mentioned? They were in the middle of Center Tree, a highly populated area. If Yuuka were to lose her temper here, then many people would be hurt, maybe even killed. And there were too many to evacuate in time. Of course, they could always just transport Yuuka away as well, but doing so would give her temporary access to the Borderlands. And Yukari was quite adamant about denying her that opportunity.

No. She couldn't run now. She couldn't leave Chen in Yuuka's hands, and she wasn't about to let Yukari use one of her methods. Her Master may be a strong believer in the end justifying the means, but in Ran's mind, such solutions were only sought out after all others had been exhausted.

And so she said, "What kind of work?"

Yuuka grinned. "Ah, now that's more I like it. I was thinking something down the lines of a friendly contest." At the look Ran gave her Yuuka said, "Oh, and don't worry. I have no intention of pitting my full power against yours. Have to give you a fighting chance at least. But I have heard that the kitsune are creatures of great physical strength. Is this true?"

"It is."

"Good, good. And among them, you are considered exceptionally strong, are you not?"

Ran nodded.

"Well then, it's settled!" Yuuka said as she spread her arms wide. "We'll decide this in a contest of strength. You physical power versus mine, winner takes all."

"I…see," Ran said. "And what exactly will this contest consist of? Hand-to-hand combat?"

Yuuka laughed. "What an unintentionally accurate way of describing it! Yes, hand-to-hand combat it is!"

She tapped the top of the table sitting between them. At her touch, the grass receded and the fungi shriveled away. The worn wooden top soon became visible as the table returned to its original state. Something was rattling against the floor. Ran peered under the table to see grass seeds falling to land among the roots covering the floor.

"I just wanted to ensure that we were on equal footing here," Yuuka said. She leaned forward and placed her right elbow on the table's top, with her forearm sticking straight into the air and her fingers open and waiting.

Ran gaped when she realized what Yuuka was proposing. "Wait, you want me to arm wrestle you?" she said. "Arm wrestle?"

"Outrageous, isn't it?" Yuuka said. "But it is also simple, straightforward and completely devoid of tricks. Strength versus strength."

Ran hesitated. Then she placed her own elbow on the table and slipped her hand in Yuuka's. The flower youkai's flesh was unusually warm to the touch.

"And what exactly does 'Winner takes all' mean?" Ran asked.

"Ohhhh, caught that, didn't you?" Yuuka said with a laugh. "And exactly what I said. If you win, you win Chen. I'll let you take her home, alive and well, and will do nothing to stop you. But if I win, well…" Yuuka's tongue briefly flicked out. "…then I keep you."

Ran inhaled sharply. "What?"

"You honestly didn't think I would allow myself to take part of a contest in which I stood to lose something without there being the possibility of gain?" Yuuka's perfect teeth gleamed, "If I win, I keep Chen, as we agreed. But I also keep you. I will be your Master from here on, and you will serve me with the same loyalty you gave Yukari." A low chuckle rumbled out of Yuuka's throat. "Granted, you are a bit…older than I would prefer, but that is a temporary problem at best. The physical body is so easily changed. As is the mind."

Ran almost released her hand then. Yuuka noticed.

"Oh, having second thoughts, are we? Now that your own well-being is on the line, you're not so eager to continue. Disappointing, really."

Ran gritted her teeth. She tightened her grip.

"Very good," Yuuka said approvingly. "And if it helps, look at it this way. Win or lose, you will still remain with Chen. The only difference is that with my way, it will be as a playmate instead of an authority figure. But that's not so bad, is it? And now, let us begin. In three. Two. One."

Yuuka started to move her hand. Ran gasped and strained. Yuuka's strength was immense. Of course Ran had expected her to be strong, but this was ridiculous.

It's for Chen, she thought as she squeezed her eyes tight. I can't let her win. I won't. For Chen.

Ran threw every ounce of strength she could into her right arm. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she grimaced and pushed. It was like trying to move a mountain, but she pushed on. And pushed. And pushed. And…

Yuuka's hand began to move back.

Slowly but surely, inch-by-inch, Ran pushed Yuuka's arm back the other way. The flower youkai was surprised. She stared at the turn of events with disbelief all over her face. "What is…" she whispered. Then she frowned and pushed harder against Ran's slowly descending arm.

The force was incredible. Ran felt like her muscles were about to tear themselves to shreds. But she didn't let herself stop. She couldn't even think now. Everything in her was focused on making that arm move.

Yuuka's arm was now less than a fourth of the way there. The flower youkai was grunting and growling, but the leverage was against her. "This is impossible," she hissed. "How are…argghhhh…"

Relief coursed through Ran's body. She was almost there. Less than a foot to go. Eight inches. Six. Five. The back of Yuuka's hand was so close to the table. Three inches to go…

And then, when Yuuka's hand was but two inches from touching wood, it stopped. Ran pushed down, using every bit of leverage she had, but it was like trying to push the Earth down. It simply wouldn't budge.

Ran looked up. Yuuka was smiling. The kitsune's heart fell when she realized how completely she had been suckered.

And then Yuuka's hand began to move in the opposite direction.

This time, there was no sign of stress on Yuuka's face. She was completely at ease, with a smile of complete satisfaction on her face. Ran, however, was nearly beating herself to pieces to keep her arm from moving any further back. Any willpower she had left was thrown into her arm. Any strength that hadn't been sapped was being burned away at a furious rate. She pushed, she growled, she cried out in pain and frustration. When her hand was at the halfway point she even reached up with her other hand to give the nearly dead one some assistance, only to have a vine snap out of the ground and hold it down.

"Ah, ah," Yuuka admonished. "No cheating."

Now it was Ran's hand that had less than a foot to go. Nine inches. Eight. Six. Four. It was nearly there. Three. Two…

Once again their arms stopped. Ran's hand was trembling from exertion but Yuuka held it in place, keeping it from falling the rest of the way. Ran looked up with bleary eyes to see Yuuka studying her with an interested look on her face.

Baring her teeth, Ran choked out, "Do what you want with me. But don't you dare hurt her."

"Interesting," Yuuka muttered. "Well then, kitsune. I do believe we understand each other now."

"Wha-"

Moving fast and unexpectedly, Yuuka swung her arm back the other way to smash through the table, taking Ran's arm with it. As she did so, she gave Ran's arm a swift twist. Pain exploded as her forearm was wrenched from the elbow socket, muscles and ligaments, already weakened from the strain, tearing right off. Ran cried out in pain and surprise as spots covered her vision.

When her eyes cleared, her forearm was hanging limp and useless at her side. The table lay broken in two, snapped where the back of Yuuka's hand had slammed into it. Panting heavily, Ran looked up to see Yuuka still sitting in her seat, a smile of satisfaction on her face.

Spreading her arms wide, Yuuka said, "Well fought, Ran Yakumo. My congratulations on your victory!"

Ran's whole body was trembling. She wrapped her left hand around her right forearm and, with a grimace, twisted it back into its joint. Sharp pain blossomed up in response, making her gasp, but she got it to pop into place. She still couldn't move it much, but at least it wasn't flopping about. And the kitsune did have highly effective healing abilities.

Then she met Yuuka's eyes again. "Why?" she said in a voice so low it was almost a growl.

"Why what?" Yuuka seemed to be genuinely surprised at the question. "You won. Chen is yours, as we agreed. But I must say, you are a very impressive specimen, Shikigami. Even when faced with the imminent obliteration of your identity, you still only thought of her. That is a very noble quality indeed. I would so hate to see such a spirit become tarnished." She snickered. "Okay, so that was a lie. But not today, and not in that manner."

Yuuka hopped to her feet, taking her umbrella as the vine handed it to her. "Now finish putting yourself together. Those little girls should be back with Chen, and I need to see her off!" She paused to look down at the trembling Ran. Laughing, she gave Ran an encouraging pat on the back that nearly dislodged her from the mushroom. "Oh, don't look so down! It was well fought, and a dislocated arm is a small price to pay for victory. You came off lucky, I must say. There are many who have wished they had lost so little. Now come. Your girl is waiting for you."

…

Most of the diners and staff had evacuated the Falcon's Fist by the time Cirno's gang returned with Chen in tow. A few of the bolder patrons were clustered a safe distance around Cirno's table and staring up at where Yuuka had disappeared with Ran. Four GPF officers had been summoned to the scene, two of which were interviewing Estelle and a barmaid while the other two were discussing whether or not they should wait for Yuuka to reemerge or go up the stairs after her. Her makeshift staircase remained, but the ceiling had closed up.

Chen was already there. She ran toward the table and hopped onto the staircase. She then clambered up to the top and started scratched at the ceiling.

"Up there?" she asked Cirno when she was close enough. "Is that where they went?"

Cirno nodded. "Yeah."

Chen rolled her way back down to the floor, landing in a sitting position. "How do I get in? I need to save Ran!"

"Excuse me," said a large GPF officer with a big black beard. He bustled over to Chen. "Sorry kid, you're going to have to get off that table. This is a crime scene, and-"

"But I can't go!" Chen shouted at him. "Ran's up there! She needs my help!"

"Who ran where?"

"Ran! My Ran!"

"Your what?"

One of the other officers sidled up to him. "We think that's the name of the woman Kazami took up with her."

"Oh yeah? That's a weird name…" Then realization struck him and his eye popped wide open. "Wait, they're not talking about the Ran, are they? The one the works for the Founder?" He looked down at Chen. "Which would make her…"

At that moment, a slit of light cut its way through the ceiling. It then opened, revealing Yuuka Kazami at the head of the stairs.

Everyone stopped talking immediately.

"That really isn't your concern, officer," Yuuka said as she descended the steps. "And I'd thank you to leave the poor girl alone. I've had enough of your kind harassing these children for today."

The bearded officer swallowed nervously, but he managed to stand his ground. "You!" he said. "You…you attacked our Captain and three other officers not ten hours ago!"

"I did."

"You humiliated them, abused them and threatened our Founder!"

"Also true. My, news travels fast."

"You…You can't just…"

"It's okay, officer," said a weary voice. Ran appeared at the top of the stairs and slowly made her way down. "This is out of your hands now. Seriously, don't endanger yourself over this."

"Ran!" Chen cried. She bounded back up the stairs, shooting right past Yuuka and threw herself at Ran, who caught her with her left arm.

"I'm sorry, Ran!" Chen sobbed. "I didn't mean to run away, I really didn't! I mean, yes I did, but I'm sorry I did and made you come here and she didn't hurt you did she oh please don't scold me because I didn't mean anything by it I really didn't!"

For her part, Ran didn't seem to be in the mood to scold. Instead she settled for for stroking Chen's hair while mumbling "You're safe. Oh, thank the Maker, you're safe."

"And you!" Chen shouted. She leapt out of Ran's arm and climbed up the front of Yuuka's dress to point accusingly at her face.

"What did you do to her, you big bully?" Chen demanded. "Did you hurt Ran? You better not have hurt Ran because if you did I'll claw your eyes out and bite your fingers off and chew up your-"

Yuuka kissed her.

It wasn't a passionate kiss. There was no tilt of the head or use of tongue. It was more akin to the sort of kiss that an embarrassing aunt might give a chagrined child. But it was still on the lips, and it was still held for five whole seconds before Chen's startled brain realized what was happening and she fell back, sputtering and wiping her mouth with her sleeve.

Yuuka laughed. "Oh, you are just the most adorable thing ever! So concerned for your Mama…figure." She knelt down and playfully ruffled Chen's hat. "Now, you be a good girl now. Remember to listen to Ran, and don't forget to write to Aunt Yuuki!"

Ran took a threatening step forward. "Get your hands off her, you miserable-"

"Oh, calm yourself," Yuuka said. "I was just saying goodbye." She stepped off the table and swung her umbrella toward the doorway, like a showman presenting his latest surprise. "There's the exit, and there's the girl. Just as promised."

Without another word Ran scooped up Chen and power-walked toward the door.

"Bye-bye now! Take care of that girl for me. I'll be checking!" Yuuka called after them. "Oh, and do give my love to Yukari. I hope to hear from her soon."

Ran and Chen disappeared through the doorway.

Yuuka turned to face the stunned crowd, or what was left of them anyway. A good number had taken the opportunity to clear out while Yuuka was busy with saying her goodbyes.

"Now then," Yuuka said as she surveyed those still gathered. "Where is…" Her gaze fell upon Cirno, Wriggle, Daiyousei and Mystia, who were hiding under a booth.

"Ah, there you are!" Yuuka walked over to them and tore the booth free from the wall. She tossed it over her shoulder, where it crashed into a table loaded with half-eaten food. This act convinced those still remaining to leave in a hurry, including the restaurant staff and the GPF officers.

"Now, that went well, don't you think?" Yuuka said to the cowering troublemakers. "Such a nice young lady. Pity she's so devoted to…But no, I will say nothing further about that." Then her face turned serious. "Still, this encounter has shown something to me, something…distressing."

Cirno gulped. "Wh…what's that?"

"That it's simply too much of a chore to watch over you when we're out in the open like this. You four seem to attract trouble like maggots to a decaying corpse."

Daiyousei gagged.

"Precisely," Yuuka said. "Which means I'll have to take you some place safer. Some place where I can watch over you with ease, and ensure that no harm comes to you."

"Shit," Wriggle whispered.

The sides of Yuuka's smile turned down. "Language, Wriggle. At any rate, it seems you four will just have to come home with me, to my mansion."

"What?" Cirno, Mystia and Daiyousei said all at once. Wriggle just planted her face in her hands.

"Exactly!" Yuuka clasped her hands in excitement. "Oh, it'll be so much fun. We'll have tea parties, and tell stories, and I'll show you all my wonderful toys. It will be grand!"

The Falcon's Fist filled with the sound of Yuuka's gleeful laughter.

…

Yukari sat in her favorite armchair in her home's common room. Any other time she would be happy to be back. As useful as her citadel was, it was far less comfortable, and deliberately so. The citadel was intended for business, not pleasure. It would not do for her to grow lax on the job.

In fact, she would probably still be there, but the situation at hand was a domestic one, and she didn't much care for the idea of transporting Chen into the citadel. And so she sat and stared at the fireplace. There was no fire lit, but it was still filled with smoke that did not rise into the chimney or billow past the grate. Within shapes and figures could be seen moving about. The scene displayed was that of the entrance to the restaurant Yuuka was reported to be staying in. Yukari had been watching it ever since Ran had disappeared inside. Yukari, of course, had tried to have the view follow her, but apparently Yuuka had been expecting that. Yukari was unable to make it go further than the front door.

And so she had waited and tried not to fret. She trust Ran's abilities of course, and it had been her idea for Ran to go and plead with Yuuka for Chen's release. But it was impossible not to worry. This was Yuuka they were talking about.

Then things had become interesting. Cirno and two of her friends had rushed out of the restaurant, only to return a few minutes later with the insect-girl and Chen in tow. Yukari had almost snatched the catgirl away right then and there but had restrained herself. She would not act until she had gotten the signal from Ran.

Fortunately she didn't have to wait long. Ran came out of the restaurant with Chen clinging to her neck. Breathing a sigh of relief, Yukari opened a gap for them. Moments later they were in the house with her.

"Well," Yukari said as she stood to her feet. "You were successful."

Ran looked exhausted (unusual, considering her stamina), but she smiled triumphantly. "Yes. I was. I-"

"Just a moment, please."

Yukari closed her eyes and concentrated. Even though she had detected no trace of Yuuka's magic while her Shikigami had passed through the Borderlands, no curses or hexes, it never hurt to be thorough. Fortunately, as far as she could tell, both Shikigami were free of Yuuka's little surprises. There was no alien magics on them to be found.

Then Yukari looked down at Ran's right arm. She frowned. Even though it was covered with her sleeve, she could still feel something wrong with it, the faint traces of pain leaking across the bond.

"What happened to your arm? Did Yuuka use it to make a point?"

Ran didn't meet her eyes. "No, Master. Well, yes, but-"

"She challenged you, didn't she? And you accepted."

"Yes, Master. Well…"

Yukari arched an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"More of she suggested that I challenge her," Ran admitted.

"Ah. And you did this, why?"

Ran didn't answer.

With a sigh, Yukari said, "Very well, we'll discuss this later. In the meantime…" Her gaze slipped off of Ran to settle on Chen, who immediately tensed up and pressed her body harder against Ran.

"I…" Yukari began. "…do not have words for how upset I am right now. You abandoned your Master at an extremely stressful time, ran about with degenerates, allied yourself with the absolute worst person you could have, and drove us nearly insane with worry. And now Ran is hurt because of your behavior. Do you have any idea the trouble you caused?"

"Yukari," Ran said. "I don't think-"

"Put her down, Ran."

"But-"

"I'm not going to hurt her. We're a bit beyond that now. I'm just going to make a few things clear. Put her down."

Ran reluctantly set Chen down on the floor. She had to shake her arm to dislodge her from her sleeve. Once she was there, Chen sat in place and stared downward.

"Fortunately for you, I am both too tired and have too much to concentrate on to give your transgressions the attention they deserve. But rest assured, they will receive that attention. Understand?"

Chen shuddered.

"But I believe it goes without saying that you're grounded. For an extremely long time. Furthermore, you are never to see that fairy or her deplorable friends again. Are we clear?"

Chen's body just shook harder.

Yukari frowned. "Chen, I would appreciate it if you looked at me while I'm speaking to you. I just asked you a direct question. Do you understand what I-"

Chen pitched over on her side and started to convulse violently.

With a cry of alarm, Ran immediately swooped down at the catgirl, only to have Yukari snap, "Don't touch her!"

"What?" Ran screamed. "But look at her!"

"I am. Back up. Now."

Even though she clearly hated it, Ran had no choice to obey. She stood to the side while Yukari knelt to examine Chen.

The catgirl's skin had broken out into grey spots, as if she had caught a strange pox. But the spots were moving, writhing…Yukari frowned and looked in closer.

The spots were tendrils. Dozens of tiny, writhing grey tendrils poking out of Chen's skin, and growing by the second.

Ran gasped. "What…what are those? Yukari, what did that monster do to her? What…"

"Shhh," Yukari murmured. "I need to concentrate. I think I recognize this-"

Chen's body suddenly stopped trembling. Yukari and Ran fell silent immediately.

Then Chen sat up, but not in a natural manner. It reminded Yukari uncomfortable of a marionette being drawn off the ground by its strings.

Chen then smiled. She opened her eyes. They were blood red.

"Hello Yukari," she said. It was not Chen's voice.

Yukari tried to keep her face a blank mask. "Yuuka."

"You!" Ran roared. The sound of her voice shook the house. She lunged at Chen, claws bared and grasping. No doubt she intended to tear Yuuka right out of Chen's body. Yukari glanced at her and hissed a word of command. Ran froze in mid-leap, her body incapable of moving.

"Ran, would you kindly relocate yourself to the back of the room and let me handle this?"

The look in Ran's eyes said that no, she would not prefer to step aside, but she had no choice in the matter. She moved to the back of the room as instructed.

"She's quite the impressive specimen," Yuuka said through Chen's mouth. She stood up fully and dusted herself off. "You really ought to treat her better."

"Get out," Yukari said.

"No, I don't think so. Not yet, at least."

"You said you wouldn't hurt her!" Ran shouted. "That was our agreement! I though you never went back on your word!"

Yuuka laughed, a most disconcerting sound coming from Chen's diminutive form. "Oh, I'm not going back on it. Chen's fine, she just fell asleep for a little while. She won't even remember this happening. I'll say my piece and leave in peace."

"Then say it," Yukari said through clenched teeth.

Yuuka smirked and bowed. "As you wish, mine host. And let me again offer my compliments to Mistress Ran over there. Our battle was well fought, one of the best I've had in a while. And should you ever find yourself in need of other employment, my household could always use-"

"Fuck you!" Ran snarled.

"Very well then. Though should you really be using that language in front of your ward? But I digress. Anyway Yukari, I'm afraid my words for you are not nearly so positive."

"You wound me."

"Not yet. But still, while I do appreciate the prompt reply to little Chen's supposed peril, I am quite disappointed that you didn't come yourself. I always thought of you as the kind that would meet the danger head-on. To crush it or out-manipulate it or whatever you prefer to do. But instead, you hide behind a servant, one whom I now believe might be your better." Yuuka shook Chen's head. "Really Yukari, I expected better of you."

"Is that all you came to say?" Yukari demanded. "If so, then message received. You're disappointed in me. Now, leave."

"Oh, no, no, no. I am far from done." Yuuka clasped Chen's hands behind her back and slowly stalked forward. All the while, the tiny grey tendrils continued to squirm over her skin. "I assume you got the message I sent with that police-girl. And rest assured, I meant what I said. I want you, Yukari. It's been too long since I got to stretch these muscles of mine."

"I don't care," Yukari snapped. "I am too busy to bother with your stupid desire for a scrap-"

"Then you'll just have to deal with me quickly, won't you. Don't keep me waiting, Yukari. I get impatient oh so very quickly. It would be unfortunate if I were to grow bored while waiting. Someone might get hurt. A lot of people might get hurt."

Yukari didn't answer.

"Right then, glad you understand. Oh, and one last thing: if you send any more toys after me instead of facing me yourself, any more pawns, I will break them. Every. Single. One. Remember that, Yukari."

With that, Chen's body winked and blew a kiss. "Hugs and kisses! Be seeing you!"

Then her eyes rolled back and she once again pitched over on her side, where she lay motionless. The grey tendrils slowly shrunk back into her flesh to disappear.

Ran immediately darted forward, but Yukari grabbed her by the wrist and held her back.

"Wait," she said.

"But-"

"Wait."

Then Chen began to cough weakly. She gagged, and a small seed the color of burnt wood fell out of her mouth. Yukari pulled out a handkerchief and picked it up.

"Blackgrass," she muttered to herself. With a sigh, she levitated the seed into the air, where it caught fire and burned into nothingness.

She glanced over to Ran, who was staring in shock. "Nasty little weed from a world known for its lush vegetation and many, many ways to die. Blackgrass is one of the more dangerous specimens. It's a parasitic weed that allows it to possess its prey, turning it into a mindless drone. Some of the more talented herbomancers can use it as a way to remotely control someone. Leave it up to Yuuka to use it as a way to get past my scans. Tell me, did she touch Chen at any point?"

"What? Oh, oh yes. She kissed her."

Yukari's eyebrows shot up. "She…what?"

"She kissed Chen. I thought she was just trying to send me a message, but…"

"What it on an orifice? Such as her ear, or…"

"The mouth. It was on the mouth."

"I see. Yes, that would do it." Yukari felt thoroughly disgusted, though she didn't let it show.

Chen propped herself up on her arms. She blinked tiredly at the room around her. "Ran?" she mumbled. "I feel funny…"

Ran shot Yukari a pleading look. Yukari hesitated, and nodded her permission.

Ran scooped up the still recovering Chen into her arm. She walked toward the door, pausing only to look her Master in the eye.

"You're going to stop her, of course," she said. "Yuuka. You're going to stop her."

"That is my intention," Yukari said with a nod.

"Kill her. I don't care how. Just find a way to kill her and make it stick."

"Also my intention," Yukari responded. Ran and Chen left without another word.

After they were gone, Yukari sat back in her armchair. She pondered this new turn of events. Well, to be precise, it wasn't exactly new, more of an escalation of the events that were kicked into motion that afternoon. But they did bear consideration.

Yuuka needed to be dealt with, and fast. In many ways she was more dangerous than Satsuki or the Shadow Youkai. She was intelligent despite her madness. And she was impossible to predict. The blackgrass had taken Yukari by surprise. Yukari didn't like being taken by surprise.

Yukari stood to her feet and walked over to a wood cabinet with a glass door. She touched its side and it swung open, giving her access to the treasures displayed within. She selected a squat dark green box and closed the cabinet. Then she took the box over to a nearby table and set it down. She lifted the lid.

Inside were ten black spellcards.

Yukari picked them up, one-by-one, and looked at the incantation inscribed on each with red ink. "Break my toys, will you?" Her golden eyes narrowed. "Not if they break you first."

…

It was just as well that Yukari was so sure of her abilities to handle the Yuuka Kazami mess, because another one was about to put in its bid for importance. Miles away from the Yakumo home, Reisen Udongein was feeling absolutely wretched. She had already been upset when she and Eirin had left the Ruined City, but several miles of travel and enduring the obligatory youkai and fairy (and surprisingly enough, one human) ambushes had done nothing to improve her mood.

To begin with, there was the fact that Gensokyo's best and brightest were rallying to hunt down and destroy someone she cared very deeply for. The fact that she had been forced to abandon said person and was now apparently hated by them was definitely making things worse. Her only hope in that matter was that Reimu Hakurei would think of something clever. Reisen had never been much of an optimist and she wasn't overly compelled to start now, but it was Rin's only chance.

Secondly, there was the problem of her master, Eirin Yagokoro. Despite her exceptional recuperative abilities and no small amount of medical knowledge to use on herself, she was still in bad shape, which the stressful meeting and being forced to defend herself against the usual perils of travel had done nothing to improve. Even though she kept her condition carefully hidden behind a mask of indifference, Reisen knew her master well enough to know that she was holding herself together through sheer willpower and an unhealthy amount of drugs.

And then there was the issue of Princess Kaguya, to whom Reisen had sworn fealty, being the captive of the aforementioned Rin Satsuki. Having her princess taken away was bad enough, especially with Eientei being in the state that it was, but to have Rin be the one to do it was nearly driving Reisen mad. Kaguya's hatred for the little Kirin had been legendary, and by now it had to be reaching murderous levels. Even if they managed to rescue her from Rin's grasp or if Rin agreed to release her, Kaguya would not be offering any support in Rin's favor. She had strongly advocated Rin's execution the first time around, and would probably do so again. And despite the turmoil she was feeling, Reisen was finding it difficult to say that she was wrong.

Not for the first time Reisen envied mortals such as the humans. At least they had the option of taking their own lives.

Instead, she just had to pray that Reimu would come through for her. And that Eirin wouldn't collapse. And that Kaguya could be mollified. And…

"Reisen, wake up."

Reisen's head jerked up. "Huh?"

Eirin, who was flying a few feet in front of her, was looking back at her. Her expression was odd. She looked annoyed, but she seemed to be trying to hold it in. Sympathy, perhaps.

"You were starting to drift off course," Eirin said. "Pay attention to where you're going."

Reisen looked down. To her surprise, they were already over the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. Quite far in, in fact. Eientei was only a few minutes away.

Reisen nodded quickly. "Right. Sorry." She adjusted her direction.

Eirin squinted at her, lips pursed. She looked like she wanted to say something, but instead just sighed and turned her attention forward. Reisen breathed a sigh of relief. She was in no mood to discuss her feelings.

However, as it turned out she wouldn't have to whether or not Eirin asked. Soon after, the grey bracelet Eirin was wearing started to flash. The Lunarian doctor blinked in surprise and pressed the fingers of her other hand against it.

"Tewi?" she said. "Yes, we're almost there. Can it wait…Wait, slow down, I can hardly pick out what you're saying. Are you at the mansion? Then where are you?" Eirin listened for a moment longer, and then her eyes bulged out and her jaw dropped.

"Wait," she said. "Are you serious? It's there, it hasn't vanished or anything? Are you sure…Right, sorry. Oh, for the gods' sakes, don't touch it! Don't even get near it! Just…post a guard around the clearing, I'll be there shortly. Send up a signal flare so I can find you."

With that, she terminated the conversation and turned to face Reisen, who was listening in confusion.

"Reisen," Eirin said in that voice she used when she was upset but trying very hard to hide it. "Do you remember your last encounter with Rin?"

Reisen gulped. "Um…yes?"

"Specifically, the bit after she absorbed the Princess and Fujiwara no Mokou and attacked you. According to you, she was uncharacteristically cruel but then reverted back to her previous personality, claimed ignorance of what had happened, and fled. Is this correct?"

Despite her discomfort at discussing that very painful memory, Reisen said, "Yes. Why?"

"Now tell me, and I need you to remember, as you and Tewi were the last to leave the scene and Tewi was in no condition to recall anything: prior to fleeing, did she drop anything?"

"Drop anything?" Reisen repeated. "Rin? I…uh…What do you-"

Then she got it. The realization was so sudden and so significant that Reisen felt like she had been physically punched. "Oh my gods."

"Exactly," Eirin growled. "And you really could have told me earlier."

"I…I was distracted! Rin was flipping out, and Tewi was hurt, the Princess was gone, and I-"

"Quiet and follow me."

Eirin immediately shot in the opposite direction of Eientei, heading toward the forest's borders. With no choice available, Reisen followed.

In time they saw a glittering green spark hovering above a clearing blackened by fire. A ring of the Guard circled the clearing in the air, and more were likely hidden within the trees. Tewi was in the clearing, jumping up and down and waving at them. Eirin and Reisen directed their course toward her.

As they touched down, Tewi rushed up to them. But before she could say anything Eirin said, "Skip everything you were about to say to me and just tell me where it is."

Tewi shut her mouth and pointed to a small ring of the Guard. Eirin stormed past them and looked. Her face went stone-cold.

"Well," she said. "That changes things." She held up her wrist and touched her bracelet again. "Yukari, it's me. I need you…I don't care what time it is, you're nocturnal anyway. Listen to…Of course it's important! Do you think I'd be contacting you otherwise? No, I don't! Now shut up and get your eternal ass down here immediately! I honestly don't care about what you think of my tone, and I don't care what you're working on. Get. Down. Here!"

Then she grimaced. "All right, here's a hint. What's pitch-black, looks like something out of a blade fetishist's wet dream and is lying at my feet this very second? Glad to hear. See you soon."

Reisen pushed her way forward to her master's side. She stared down at the object. It was lying in a patch of black ground, partially covered by dead grass. But its shape was unmistakable.

It was a sword, and a large one at that. It was made of some sort of pure black material with what looked like wisps of smoke rising from it. The blade was large and curving, with several smaller blades sticking out in odd places, as if someone had grabbed up a handful of knives, cleavers and hooks and welded them on. Set in the cross-brace was a black stone that might have blended in with the rest of the sword were it not for the pulsing red light within, growing fractionally stronger with each flare.

…

Shinki stood on a balcony that jutted out of the great tower of Pandemonium. Below her, the vast expanse of Makai, the world of demons, stretched before her. A land of stone and fire. Not much to look at, she had to admit, but it was hers. And she took her duties as its sovereign very seriously.

Which was one of the many, many reasons her meetings with Yukari annoyed her so much. She had her hands full enough running her own kingdom when Yukari was perfectly content to do nothing and let her own domain fall apart. And when things did go wrong, who was knocking at her door and both accusing Shinki of being at fault and in the same breath asking for help? Okay, so the thing with the tourists was her fault, but that had been more misguided than anything. Could Yukari claim the same for her mistakes?

Well, the meddler was just going to have to dig herself out of her own hole. Shinki had her own problems, and had no intention of concerning herself with those of the Above World.

She sensed someone coming up behind her. "You're brooding again," said a voice that was ethereal, crystalline and not entirely real.

Shinki sighed. "I'm not brooding."

"Yes you are. You have that look."

"I'm not…Okay, so I am brooding a little. There, are you satisfied?"

The newcomer laughed, a strange tinkling sound similar to the chiming of dozens of tiny bells. "You really need to not let that woman get to you, my sibling. The mood she puts you in is becoming dull routine."

Shinki turned and started to walk back inside. "Fine," she said to the other as she passed it. "If it annoying you so much then you can go to those forsaken meetings and deal with her. I'd like to see how you'd enjoy it."

The other laughed again, and a hand touched Shinki's shoulder. Her skin tingled at the touch. "You know I only jest, sibling. You must learn to stop taking everything so seriously. Now come. Some tea will do you good."

"How would you know, you don't even drink?" Shinki shot back. But she allowed herself to be led back into the tower.

Like Shinki, the other person had six magnificent wings spreading from its back, but instead of lavender and leathery they were feathered and of the purest white. It wore a simple blue robe and had silver hair that fell past its knees. It was not a man. It was not a woman. It was very beautiful.

And attached to its hip was a thin curving sword with an elegant silver blade, inscribed with graceful runes. The hilt was gold and set with precious stones. Set in the cross-brace was a blue stone that shone with a pulsing white light.

…

Imperfect Metamorphosis is back baby! Thanks for your patience, guys. Finals week was as mad as predicted, but I got everything done and passed all my classes, so yay on that! And thanks to everyone who read and/or commented on the Christmas story! Also thanks to Lunaoh for the nice words! :D

Anyways, I'd like to take back what I said back in All's Fair about all this being part of the Hide-and-Seek arc. The whole Ringleader bit and associated scheming seems to have grown quite a bit, but not a whole lot of actual hunting has gone on, Kotohime's pursuit of Marisa notwithstanding. So in a bit of retroactive changing of canon, all that was the Strategy arc, and the next chapter begins the Hide-and-Seek arc. I hope. We'll see.

And while writing this chapter I've noticed that Anonymous NEET made a good point about Yukari's powers seeming to be plot-based. Despite seeming to be all powerful, there are an unusual number of creatures that can block her out or turn her abilities against her at improbable moments. The reason for this is the problem inherent of having a ridiculously powerful person like her play a major part, in which I do want her to give her all but can't have her just swoop in and end the conflict by gapping it away. So here's the official explanation: Yukari created Gensokyo and is therefore top dog within the canon of IM. However, there are a number of creatures such as Yuuka, Ex-Rumia and few others who did not come to being in Gensokyo and are close or equal to her power level. As such, they are more resistant to her control over borders and can, with some preparation, counter her abilities. As for Rin, she not only absorbed Ex-Rumia's natural resistance but in her natural state is a creature without any real borders, thanks to her physical "body" being a completely consistent mass. So while Yukari might be able to do something to her mind, trying to fix her body would be much more difficult. Of course, now that I've said all that there's going to be a whole bunch of places in the story that directly contradict all this! Ah, such is the joy of trying to infuse logic into the Touhou Project. :(

MST3K mantra, Takerfoxx. MST3K mantra.

Until next time, everyone!

Note: Masha Kinoko's blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo comes thanks to permission from Kimiko Muffin. Go read his comic.