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.

29. The Storm, Part 2

The Storm, Part 2

The Eye

Yuuka falls silent. She sits still, staring down at her teacup, which now contains nothing but dull green tea. You squirm in your seat, wondering if you should say anything. It seems that she's forgotten that you are even there, and you are in no hurry to remind her.

Still, to leave now without her permission could end very badly. Just because she isn't noticing you now doesn't mean that she wouldn't react to sudden motion. And this is a lady who talks to plants and spies on people through her teacup. Not only that, she does so successfully. Clearly not someone that should be made upset.

As such, you remain seated, feeling rather awkward.

That is when you feel a sudden prickle in your left nostril.

Feeling the panic mount, you try to will away the sneeze. But no amount of wrinkling your nose or holding your breath is accomplishing anything. It continues to grow and grow and grow until…

Yuuka jumps in her seat as the sneeze explodes out of your nose. "Oh!" she exclaims, her lips forming a perfect "O" shape. "Gesundheit! Gave me a bit of a shock there. I'm sorry, my mind must have wandered. It tends to do that these days, as I'm sure you have noticed."

Shaking her head, she says, "Well, we should probably continue. Things were just about to get good, too. All that dramatic thunder and wind and dark clouds and brandishing our weapons and talking about…"

…

Yukari

"Rules?" Yukari said incredulously. "Rules?"

"But of course," Yuuka said. Her umbrella was still raised in challenge, but she had yet to actually attack. "This is a very high-profile battle. A clash of titans, as you so elegantly put it. It only stands to reason that guidelines be established to ensure fair play."

"All right," Yukari shrugs. "How about this? We fight until I kill you. And I keep killing you until you stop coming back. Does that sound fair enough for you?"

Yuuka laughed at that. "Ah, straight to the point. We really should have done this a long time ago. So how does this sound? Anything goes, so long as this is kept between you and me. Whatever weapons, whatever tricks, whatever you have at your disposal, you may use them. Anything that might give you an edge, feel free to employ. Sans outside interference, of course. And the same applies to me. This will be an all-out, no-holds-barred brawl, guaranteed to reshape the landscape and render all current maps of this area obsolete. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Yukari said without hesitation. Though the fact that Yuuka had specifically forbid outside interference worried her. "I was planning on doing that anyway."

"Very good! And as for the terms of victory-"

"I kill you," Yukari said, again without hesitation.

"Yes, my death would put an end to our little clash. As would yours, so don't get too cocky. But seeing how I have no intention of dying and neither do you, may I also suggest an 'Uncle Clause'?"

Yukari blinked, and the tip of her sword lowered a four inches. "Uncle…clause?"

"Yes. Death or surrender."

Her eyes hardening, Yukari stiffened the arm holding her blade. "I don't think so. I'm here to make sure you never get in my way again. Tap out all you want, I'm still going to cave in your skull."

Even though it didn't seem possible, Yuuka's grin grew. "We'll see. Now, I suppose you've had enough talk. Shall we begin? Good. Go!"

Before Yukari had a chance to respond, Yuuka let out a cry of glee and leapt into the air. She flew straight forward, her umbrella swung in an arc intended to slam right into Yukari's neck.

Yukari reacted immediately, bringing up her sword to block the blow. At the same time, she sent a crackling ball of energy surging up the blade.

Blade met umbrella with an earth-shattering impact that sent dust and stone chips flying away from the two combatants. Yukari held her ground and smiled as she watched her nasty little surprise travel toward Yuuka. Then her eyes widened when she realized that a glowing green sphere was moving down Yuuka's umbrella, on a direct course with her own.

Time seemed to slow down. Yukari looked up to lock eyes with Yuuka. "Clever girl," she whispered.

The conflicting energies met, and Yukari and Yuuka were flung backward from the resulting explosion. As Yukari tumbled across the desolate landscape, she could hear Yuuka's deranged laughter echoing from all around.

…

Team Halloween

As Mima impatiently waited in the stony cavern, lit only by floating lights she had provided, she wondered how she could have fallen this far. She had gone from a terror comparable to the Shadow Youkai to just one of Yukari's many pawns. While she was always happy to give Marisa a hand, the massive blow her ego was now taking meant that the young witch now owed her big.

She folded her arms and glowered at her companions. Yuyuko was facing one of the walls, her upper half deep into a hole as she rooted around for…something. Her little serving girl, whose name Mima wasn't even bothering to remember, was standing nearby and staring at Marisa with an expression of utter bewilderment. And as for Marisa herself…

"I'm sorry, but I really don't understand," said the serving girl. "What exactly is wrong with her?"

Mima rolled her eyes and glanced over to Marisa. The young witch was now armed to the teeth with a variety of weapons, spells and other tricks, both her own and those supplied by Yukari. She was also pressed up against the stone wall of the cave, excitedly scratching bizarre formulas, equations and other markings with a sharp rock as grinning manically, reciting what sounded like nonsensical gibberish.

"All right," Mima said. "For the last time. A few days ago, Marisa was temporarily cut off from magic. And during this time, she had her ass severely handed to her by someone who was no match for her sheer raw power but knew something about close quarters combat. And to keep this from happening during this battle, she decided, against my advice I might add, to consume several potions, potions that have increased her speed, strength and agility. And when the adrenaline really kicks in, the potions' effects will be increased tenfold, turning her into a superhuman."

"Oh. Okay. But what does that have to do with her going crazy and scribbling on the walls?"

"Imma tryin' ta find the secret of why beer so good!" Marisa shouted at her. She let out an earsplitting cackle and returned to her calculations.

"Unfortunately, the potions are of her own creation," Mima said with a sigh. "And while effective, they have some rather nasty side-effects. For one, the ones she consumed really shouldn't be combined, and when they wear off she is going to be one sick little puppy."

"I'll be fine, bring on the poppies!" Marisa roared.

The serving girl blinked. "Oh, and…?"

"And the main ingredient she used so happens to be mushrooms found around the Forest of Magic. Many of which have mood-altering effects and hallucinogenic properties. And it seems that she has consumed a great deal of them, more than she should. This has unfortunately put her in an altered state of consciousness."

"Uh, okay," the serving girl said. "So, what you're saying is…"

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" Mima demanded. "Ding-dong, the witch is baked!"

"Like a cake made from steak!" Marisa cackled.

"Wait, what now?" Yuyuko asked, her voice muffled. She pulled herself out. "Youmu, does such a thing exist?"

"No, my lady. I believe Marisa was simply…attempting a metaphor."

"Oh," Yuyuko said, sounding disappointed. "Never mind then." She turned her attention back to the hole. "I'll get you yet," she muttered as she shoved herself back in.

If Mima were fully corporeal, she had no doubt that she would now be suffering from a major headache. She was stuck with someone that was either a complete and utter idiot or a conniving genius who projected an over-the-top airheaded personality to throw people off (even after so many years, Mima still wasn't sure which one it was) and someone of literally no importance but who had somehow gotten into her head the idea that she was people. And to add insult to injury, these annoyances had been placed in a position of authority over her. Yukari's assurances be damned, there was no way that hadn't been deliberate.

Then she glanced over to Marisa, who had evidently forgotten all about her research into the world of alcohol enjoyment and had now turned her attention to juggling rocks. It was just her luck that the only person worth talking to who would show up high as a cloud. Granted, to arm herself with every advantage available made sense, but when the side-effects made her just as annoying as the ghost girls (if such a thing were possible), then Mima wished she had devoted more research into time manipulation so she could skip to the end of this ridiculous battle.

"Um, pardon me again, Madam Mima," the serving girl said.

Mima shot her a venomous look. "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, but is it really the best idea to have her in this state? This is after all a delicate operation, and an important one as well. Should she really spend it so-"

"I'm sorry, are you lecturing me?" Mima cut in.

"No, I'm just-"

"Oh really? That's good to hear. Because for a second there, I could have sworn that you were lecturing me."

The serving girl just looked confused. No doubt the lout she served had neglected to introduce her to any kind of discipline. "I'm not, I'm simply saying-"

"You've said more than enough. And I'll be the judge of whether or not Marisa is fit for duty. All you need to worry about is keeping your head down and your mouth shut and-"

"HEY, BODY-PILLOW!" Marisa bellowed at Youmu.

There was a moment of confused silence, and then the serving girl said, "Um, yes?"

"Can I borrow your swords for a sec?" Marisa jabbered. She held up the rocks she had been tossing into the air. "These are getting too easy! C'mon, be a friend, I'll take you dancing!"

Mima found herself wishing that Yukari would hurry up and send for them already. Or better yet, that Yuuka would attack them directly. Even that had to be better than this. One thing was for certain, this was the last time she would allow Marisa to talk her into working with people she hated.

…

Team Vampire

"What a name," Remilia growled. She leaned back against a stalagmite and slumped to the ground. "What a ridiculous name."

Sakuya cocked her head. "Mistress?"

Remilia started poking at nearby rocks with Gungnir. "Team Vampire. Can you think of a more uncreative name? Out of all the possibilities out there, and she decides to name us after my species. It couldn't have been Team Scarlet or something equally appropriate, wouldn't you agree? And it isn't even accurate! I mean, you're not even a vampire!"

Sakuya cleared her throat. "Mistress, I am not a 'Scarlet' either."

"Don't test me, Sakuya," Remilia growled. "You're still part of my household, so that's close enough. And it's miles more accurate than 'Team Vampire'."

"Yes, Mistress," Sakuya said, bowing her head.

The three of them, Remilia, Sakuya and Flandre, were in the cave Yukari had left them in. Despite the teasing her uniform had garnered a few days back, Remilia had still prepared herself by donning a full suit of armor, sans helmet (she hated the things), specifically designed for her small frame. It was a bit cumbersome, and it clanked something awful, but the protection it offered was far superior to that of her dresses. Sakuya herself had traded in her maid uniform for her old monster-hunting outfit, consisting of a tight striped leather suit, black gloves and boots and a grey hooded cape. Flandre, however, had downright refused to wear anything other than her trademark red-and-yellow dress, despite all of Remilia's attempts to convince her otherwise. She had been tempted to have Sakuya freeze time and suit Flandre up by force, but Sakuya had pointed out that doing so would risk having Flandre destroy a perfectly good suit of armor, so finally Remilia had judged the problem to be more trouble than it was worth.

A pebble flew through the air and hit Remilia in the forehead. "Ow!" she cried, her hands reflexively going to the point of impact. "Flandre, stop that already!"

From her spot against the far wall, Flandre glowered at her older sister. "Then let me join Utsuho's team!"

"It's not up to me! And why you would want to be on that team is beyond me."

Flandre picked up another pebble. She drew her hand back to throw, but jerked back in surprise when she saw that her hand was now empty. Putting two-and-two together, she turned her murderous glare over to Sakuya, who was now holding the stone.

"Don't interfere!" Flandre spat.

Tossing the pebble aside, Sakuya said, "Young Mistress, please. Your sister is doing all she can. Attacking her will solve nothing."

"It'll make me feel better!" Flandre shouted back. "This is all her fault anyway!"

"Oh, it's all my fault, it's all my fault," Remilia groused. "That's all I've been hearing for days. And yes, I'm quite sick of hearing it, thank you very much. So unless you have something new to contribute, please sit on your hands and shut up!"

Another pebble came flying at her face. Sakuya intercepted it before it got halfway.

"All right, that's it!" Remilia shouted as she leapt to her feet. "When this is over, you are in serious trouble, young lady!"

"I don't care! What are you going to do, ground me?"

"Oh, I'll think of something, trust me on this."

"You are the meanest team-leader person ever," Flandre said. "I'm moving in with Utsuho after this is over."

Remilia actually laughed at that. "Oh, heavens help me! Go right ahead, see if that pretentious troglodyte will accept you!"

"Utsuho's not a trogydity! And yes she will!"

"I was speaking of her master. Do you honestly believe Satori Komejii will just let you move in? Or anyone else for that matter?"

"Mistresses, please!" Sakuya pleaded. "This is accomplishing nothing. You are sisters! Family! Surely that must-"

Her attempts at reason went totally ignored. The two vampires continued to bicker, almost as if they had forgotten that they were only moments away from assassinating one of the most dangerous beings alive. Even though it went against everything she had devoted her life to, Sakuya found herself sympathizing with one of Flandre's points. Serving under Satori Komejii would certainly be easier. At least it would be considerably more quiet.

…

Team Underground

"All right," Satori said. "One more time, please."

"Uh, okay," Utsuho said. She took a deep breath and recited, "When the beeping starts, that means Yukari Yakumo is about to open one of her weird gap-things. We're gonna go through and, and we're gonna arrive above the Biscuit Plateau-"

"Skillet," Orin corrected.

"Right, the Biscuit Skillet-"

"No," Satori said. "The Skillet Plateau."

"Right, right. Sorry. Um, and then we're gonna be right above that Yuuka person, and she's gonna be all injured because of Team Christmas-"

"Halloween."

"Right. Them. The ones with the ghosts and stuff. And Orin's gonna set everything around us on fire, and I'm gonna…" Utsuho frowned. "I'm sorry, I know you said it's okay, but are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes," Satori said. "Once again, you are allowed to 'Cut Loose', as they say. Our intentions are fatal, the target is more than deserving, and to not do everything in our power to end her would be the greater sin."

Utsuho was still unsure. "But…ever since I, you know, went crazy and stuff, people keep telling me that using my power against another person is evil. But now you're saying I have to. It doesn't make sense."

Orin squeezed her shoulder. "I know, Okuu. We're just making this one exception. She is an evil person who hurts people because she thinks it's fun. We're trying to stop her before she hurts anyone else. We're the good guys, promise."

"But, but what if she's like I was? Just really messed up and confused?"

"I wouldn't worry about that," Satori said. "Yuuka Kazami has received no sudden power-ups in recent history, and despite her proclaimed love of chaos, her actions have been too methodical to be driven by pure madness. She is deliberately aggravating this situation out of sadism, not insanity."

"Sadism?"

"It means that you enjoy hurting people and watching them get hurt," Satori explained. "It is a common mark of an evil person."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth and she heard Utsuho's reaction, Satori sighed inwardly at the tactical error she had made. True enough, Utsuho's next words were, "I…okay. But what about those people on the other teams? And Yukari Yakumo?"

Orin's cat-ears wiggled. "What do you mean, Okuu?"

"You know how that one loud vampire who kept getting made fun of, Flandre's sister? I mean, I didn't really feel sorry for her, because she was a jerk. But still, they really liked it when she got embarrassed, and not just because they felt sorry for Flandre. They just liked to watch it happen. Isn't that…that word you said? Doesn't that make them evil?"

"Some of them, perhaps," Satori admitted. "However, there are varying degrees of evil. And none of the people we are working with are nearly as bad as the woman we are going up against."

Utsuho was still unconvinced. "But I've never even met this woman. I just know what other people tell me."

"Utsuho," Satori said gently. "Do you trust me?"

"What?" Utsuho said, stiffening in surprise. "Of course I do!"

"Do you believe that I would tell the truth to you?"

Utsuho's wings started twitching in agitation. "Yes! Why wouldn't I?"

"Then will you trust me when I say that Yuuka Kazami is, in fact, a very evil person, that she is evil of by her own personal choice, and if we do not stop her, many innocent people will get hurt?"

"I…" Utsuho looked down at the stony ground of the cave floor. "Yeah. I guess."

"Thank you." Satori reached up to touch Utsuho's cheek. She gently drew Utsuho's gaze back up to her own and smiled. "I know it's hard, what you've been asked to do. And I do not enjoy making you do it. But please believe me when I say that it is for the greater good, and if we don't do this we will find ourselves in a much worse situation."

"Okay, Satori," Utsuho said with a reluctant nod. "But…uh…"

Even though she already knew what was on her pet's mind, Satori said, "What is it, Utsuho?"

"After this is over, can we do something about how Flandre's big sister treats her? Because that isn't at all right."

…

"Such a strange collection of characters," Yuuka sighs. "To be honest, I'm a little insulted. Even when faced with my impending presence, they still devoted their attention to their little dramas. At least Yukari took me seriously. Still does, in fact. Perhaps even more so than before. I know her little toys do." A hissing laugh escapes her ravaged throat. "After all, I can make a very persuasive argument, even when trying to convince so many at once."

…

Yukari

Yukari was not taken off guard for long. Moments after the overload had knocked her back, she was already back on her feet and at the ready for the follow-up.

Unfortunately, Yuuka was nowhere to be found. Other thanYukari herself, the plateau was empty.

Yukari remained perfectly still, reaching out with all of her senses. When that failed to produce any results, she said, "You know, that's usually my trick."

Yuuka's laugh echoed through the air, perfectly audible over the rain. "I don't doubt it."

"So," Yukari said as she turned in a slow circle, her sword held at the ready. "Should I disappear as well? Wait for you to blink?"

"You can try, though you would be waiting for a long, long time."

The air changed almost imperceptibly. Yukari whirled hard to the right, barely escaping being hit by a blast of green energy. As quick as thought, she slipped through reality and called down fire to engulf the attack's most likely place of origin.

Nothing was hit but stone.

Yukari waited. When Yuuka failed to reveal herself, she stepped back onto the plateau. "All right, hide-and-seek is it? That's not like you, Yuuka. I thought you favored full-frontal assaults."

"Mmmm, I do enjoy my fair share of full-frontal," came the disembodied answer. "But for now, I think I'm going to enjoy frustrating you a bit."

Yukari frowned. "What's this all about, Yuuka? What's your game? Did you really go through all this trouble just to piss me off?"

"That's assuming that it was any trouble at all," Yuuka said. "I do love my work."

"Yeah? Well, word has it that you're pretty fond of Gensokyo as well."

"It is a nice place," Yuuka agreed. "Everything's so pretty, and all my stuff is here."

A sharp whistling drew her attention. Yukari side-stepped as several dozen foot-long thorns, all of them sharp as knives, impaled the place where she had just been standing.

"So why do this now?" Yukari demanded once she was sure that there wasn't going to be an immediate follow-up. "Don't you understand what's going on? I'm trying to save this damned place, and you're just distracting me."

"Oh, have I got you worried that much? Honestly Yukari, it's just a bounty and a brawl. And you are doing a fine job of keeping things together. I read that little article you put in the papers. Nice work on not directly trying to shut me down, by the way. Going straight for the reputation." Yuuka laughed. "I guess you wanted to avoid people going after Rumia just to spite you. Did it work, by the way? I haven't really been keeping track."

Yukari shook her head. "Some, but not as much I'd like."

"Still have more than your fair share of bounty-hunters getting in the way?"

"Yes."

"What a pity. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll think of something."

Yukari's eyes narrowed to slits. "Thanks for the moral support. But to change the subject…"

"Yes?"

Yukari suddenly whirled and thrust her blade in the direction of a seemingly random cloud. There was a flash of lightning and thunder boomed. Yuuka cried out in surprise and tumbled to the earth.

Yukari gestured.

The ground surged up to meet Yuuka, slamming into her body and driving her straight back into the clouds. The sky suddenly filled with flashing lights as Yuuka was electrocuted with every available watt of electricity to be found. The pillar crumbled away, leaving Yuuka's limp body again in gravity's grip.

Not content to have her rival tumble lifelessly to the ground, Yukari squeezed her free hand into a fist and pulled. Yuuka jerked in midair, hovered for the briefest of moments and then, as if she were pulled by a tether, shot right towards Yukari. Or, to be specific, Yukari's upheld blade.

Yuuka let out an audible gasp of pain as her body was impaled right up to the hilt. Her confused eyes locked with Yukari's steel gaze. "Wh-what…" she managed to sputter.

Yukari reached out and covered Yuuka's face with her hand. "Never try that whole 'Taunt your enemy out of empty air' trick on the person who invented it," she said.

With that, she set Yuuka on fire.

…

"Erm, well," Yuuka says as you both stare. "Ahem. Perhaps that particular instance wasn't all that convincing. But you know how it goes. You win some and lose some. Short-term inconveniences to achieve long-term victories and all that. But that wasn't really what I was talking about. No, I was referring to these…"

…

Team Halloween

Mima stuck her palms on either side of Marisa's head and locked eyes with her former apprentice. "Okay, let's give her a little bit of a detox," she muttered.

Marisa's body was already trembling, but it really began to shake as Mima flushed out a fraction of the chemicals in her veins.

The serving girl, who was watching in fascination, said, "Um, just a little bit? Shouldn't you get rid of it all?"

"Oh, that's brilliant," Mima said with a roll of her eyes. She released Marisa, whose head started lolling back and forth. "Just nullify all the physical advantages she's gained and make her sick now. I just need her at something approaching lucidity. Now, Marisa. I need you to pay attention. Do you remember where you are?"

"Uh, uh," Marisa said. "The cave. Yukari's cave. Thing. Waiting for the signal."

"Right. And why are we here?"

Marisa blinked a couple time, twitched her head and said, "To help kill Yuuka Kazami. Point A to Point B, five seconds of destruction. In and out."

"Close enough," Mima said as she drew back. "At least she's not raving. Though if Yukari doesn't hurry up and get things moving I'm going to start-"

"Gotcha!" Yuyuko exclaimed. She withdrew from the hole and held her hand up in triumph. Struggling in her grasp was a small brown fairy, barely more than seven inches tall. She squirmed and bit at Yuyuko's fingers in her attempts to escape.

"Good job," Mima said sarcastically. "Leave it to you to find the only fairy for miles. Now let it go, you don't know where it's been."

Yuyuko's response was to toss the fairy in her mouth and start chewing. The fairy's frenzied shrieks were loud and short-lived.

A heavy silence followed, with everyone's staring eyes on the snacking ghost. Then Marisa said, "Oh…okay. Was that the mushrooms playing tricks on me or did that really just happen, ze?"

"Oh, that happened all right," Mima answered.

"Shite." Marisa slowly shook her head. "That's gotta be the most fucked up thing I've ever…No, wait. What you guys did to Cirno's bird-friend was even more fucked up."

Youmu winced. "Please don't bring that up. That's not my fondest memory."

"H-hey, it hasn't exactly treated me to months of sweet dreams either, Bodybag. And seriously, I've seen some real freaky stuff, but that was really, really freaky. I mean, piss my panties freaky. I mean, 'Oh my gods, are they actually doing that?' freaky. I mean-"

Yuyuko, who was blissfully unaware that she was being discussed, swallowed. She covered her mouth and let out a small burp. "S'cuse me," she murmured.

Marisa turned to Mima. "Hey Master, are you sure I really just saw all that? Because I'm really starting to doubt my eyes."

"Yes, Marisa. That just happened. Be thankful that you're under the influence at the moment. It lessens the chance of you actually…Huh?"

The little brown fairy appeared, newly regenerated, her upper body desperately crawling out the back of Yuyuko's semi-corporeal neck. The ghost frowned and reached up to scratch. The fairy let out a shrill scream and shoved her way to freedom. Then she darted out of the caves as fast as her gossamer wings could carry her, screeching all the way.

"Okay, now I'm firmly convinced that I'm still seeing things, ze," Marisa stated. "Because that was just too damned weird."

"Keep believing that, you'll be happier for it," Mima told her. "And to be honest, I'm really starting to regret agreeing to this. I mean, this is completely degrading. Do you want to know where I used to spend my time before battles about two hundred years ago or so? Atop fortresses, with hundreds of troops arrayed before me. Not stuck in some hole in the ground with a stoned witch and two completely-"

Something changed.

"NOBODY MOVE!" Mima shouted.

Marisa leapt up, heart slamming against her ribs as her eyes darted frantically around. "What? What?"

"Something's different." Mima's sapphire eyes narrowed to slits. "Something's changed in the air. It's interfering with my magical senses." She turned to Yuyuko. "You can feel it too, can't you?"

Yuyuko thought for a moment, and then said, "Yes. The surrounding energies are being tampered with."

"What? Really?" Marisa said. She frowned. "Hey, I can kinda feel it too, ze. Everything's all…staticky."

With one smooth motion, Youmu drew both her swords and held them in a defensive position. "Then by all means, let us find the source of the disturbance and-"

The ground between them started to crack apart. Everyone moved back and stared as a head-sized hump of glowing blue bell-shaped flowers pushed its way out of the ground.

"Holy crap," Marisa breathed. "A glowing blue mushroom!"

Mima said, "Marisa, those aren't…Oh, shit."

The flowers parted, revealing two burning red eyes set within a woman's pale face. The intruder looked around and grinned. "Ah, there you four are!" Yuuka Kazami said. "Sorry, I would have been here quicker, but this cavern is rather difficult to find."

"Holy crap, a talking mushroom!"

Mima decided not to correct her prodigy this time. "It's her!" she shouted. "Kill her!"

Her command shook her companions out of their surprised stupor. Yuuka's head quickly ducked back into its hole to avoid being disintegrated by the torrent of firepower that was unleashed.

Mima immediately swooped down toward the gaping hole that was now in the center of the room. "Gone!" she spat. "Well, I'm not in the mood to be led around. Yuyuko, get in contact with Yukari immediately. I'll try to raise the other teams. We need them here, ASAP."

"I can't," Yuyuko said.

"What?"

"The interference. It's stronger," Yuyuko explained. "I can't get through."

"Damn it," Mima muttered. "All right, we're just going to have to kill her ourselves. Yuyuko, you still have that crystal? Good. Now, when I give the word, we're going to-"

"Why don't I just save you the trouble and come right to you?" Yuuka's voice broke in.

"What?"

The wall Marisa had been scribbling on exploded. Marisa yelped and leapt out of the way. Mima, who was in no danger from the flying stone-fragments, simply whirled and launched a pillar of flame straight into the new opening.

There was a pause, and Yuuka's voice returned. "All right, look. Pragmatism is certainly admirable, but may I make my dramatic entrance already?"

Mima's response was more fire. This time, Marisa joined in, letting loose with one continuous Master Spark from her hakkero.

"That's enough!" Yuuka shouted. Several things, long, gnarled and twisted things, emerged from the flames and lashed out. Marisa and Youmu tried to dodge, but found themselves struck in the stomach and shoved against the far wall. Being (mostly) incorporeal, Mima and Yuyuko didn't bother to get out of the way. But to their surprise, they were also lifted up and likewise slammed against stone.

Mima struggled, but found herself held tight. She tried teleporting away, but it seemed that the interference extended to that as well.

"Now may I come in?" Yuuka said, sounding slightly irritated.

"Sure, go ahead," Mima groaned.

Through the smoke emerged Yuuka Kazami. Mima actually raised an eyebrow when she saw what they were dealing with.

Yuuka had evidently found a way around the poison problem. She was using her own body to transport her plants. As before, her hair was covered with those glowing blue flowers. Her body was covered with what honestly appeared to be a suit of armor made entirely from tree roots. It was those same roots that held Team Halloween in place, extending out from her hands. On her back was what appeared to be a small chunk of meadow, complete with grass, weeds and wildflowers. Mima found herself reminded of some of the forest spirits she had met in other lands.

"Uh…" From her place against the wall, Marisa squinted. She blinked and shook her head. Then she squinted again. "Okay. Now I know I'm still hallucinating."

Yuuka surveyed her captives. "Well, look who we have here. A human witch, a ghost witch, a human ghost, and a full ghost. That's nearly all the variations on a common theme. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I was to understand that my tussle with Yukari was just to be between her and I. With that in mind, what are you four doing here? No, wait. Don't answer. That bit's not at all difficult to figure out. No, the real question is this." The roots tightened, making Youmu gasp. "What am I going to do with you?"

…

Team…Vampire?

"Mistress Scarlet," Sakuya said as she stared.

Remilia ignored her. She was too preoccupied with yelling at her sister.

"I've looked after you for literally centuries!" she snapped. "I clothe you, feed you, protect you from those that don't understand you, clean up your constant messes, and this is the thanks I get? 'Oh, Remilia is such a meanie, I want to go run off with some moronic bird that I've only actually interacted with for all of half an hour!' So nice to know that I'm so appreciated."

"Mistress Scarlet," Sakuya said, more urgently this time. "You must-"

"You keep me locked up underground!" Flandre shouted back. "You never let me go to do anything, while you go around with that stupid umbrella whenever you want!"

"Oh, why is that I wonder? Hmmm, here's a theory. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that you've destroyed every other place I've provided for you? Perhaps it's because every time you get out, the body count racks up so fast that entire areas find themselves depopulated? Honestly Flandre, is the necessity of these precautions really so difficult to grasp?"

"Mistress Scarlet, please. You must-"

"Quiet Sakuya, I'm dealing with something here!"

"Ah," Yuuka said. "And how long will that take?"

"As long as it has to," Remilia snapped. "So you two can just stand there and wait! Honestly, does no one understand the meaning of the word 'patience'?"

Yuuka looked at Sakuya and shrugged. For her part, Sakuya was less inclined to do as her mistress had instructed.

"My Mistresses, you need to stop arguing. Right now," she begged. "She's here."

Remilia rolled her eyes to the heavens. "And I told her that she's just going to have to wait until-"

"Who's that?" Flandre said, pointing at Yuuka.

"Stop trying to change the subject!" Remilia said. "We have yet to address the issue of your-"

Sakuya grabbed Remilia's head and, over the sound of the little vampire's angry protests, forcefully turned it toward Yuuka, who was standing and waiting patiently for Remilia to finish.

"What do you think you're doing?" Remilia demanded as she wrenched herself out of Sakuya's grasp. "Have you gone mad? Did you not hear me when I said to…Wait."

She looked at Yuuka, who smiled and waved. Then she looked at Sakuya. Then at Flandre, and then back to Yuuka.

"Hold up," Remilia said. "Is that…" Her eyes widened as the realization finally dawned. "Oh. No."

"Hi there," Yuuka said pleasantly. "Are you finished? Because there are some things we need to discuss." Then she frowned. "By the by, what exactly is that thing you're wearing?"

Remilia screamed and threw herself back, putting as much distance between her and Yuuka as possible. "Flandre! What are you waiting for? Kill her!"

"Why?" Flandre blinked. "Who is she?"

"Are you blind? That's Yuuka Kazami! My gods, any other time I have to talk you out of killing everyone you meet, and the one time I need you to actually explode someone-"

Yuuka cleared her throat. "Look, if this is a bad time, I really can come back later."

"DO IT!" Remilia screamed to her sister.

Flandre needed no further prompting. She lifted her hand in the air and clenched it into a fist.

"Kyuu," she whispered. Then she frowned. "No, kyuu! Kyuu!" She let out a scream of frustration. "Why does this keep happening?"

"Well, as I understand it, Yukari prevented it by sealing you off from your own power," the very much un-exploded Yuuka explained. "And I did it by shrouding my Eye."

"You know about the Eyes?" Flandre gaped.

"Of course! Doesn't everyone? Now, I believe it's time for us…No, none of that please." Yuuka pointed, and to Remilia's utter shock her fingers literally shot out, becoming a mass of green vines and leaves that slammed right into Sakuya's stomach. The maid gasped as the wind was driven from her, and she fell to her knees. Both the knife and the pocketwatch she was holding fell to the ground.

"You people with your underhanded tricks," Yuuka said, shaking her head. "Is it really so difficult to participate in a straight fight? Come on now, I'm giving you three-on-one odds here."

"It's more than that!" Remilia shouted. She held up Gungnir in her shaking hands, as if that would ward the danger away. "Just you wait until the others get here!"

"Ah, no," Yuuka said. "They won't."

"What?"

"You see, I took the liberty of blocking all communications from this cave. And even if you could somehow raise them, I regret informing you that they are currently dealing with problems of their own. So I'm afraid it's just the four of us."

She held up the arm that had struck Sakuya. Disgustingly enough, the entire thing had become a grey vine, flexible and whip-like. Two curved blades perched on the end like a pair of pincers.

"So, what do you say, ladies? You creatures of the night?" Yuuka asked. "Care to try your strength against a real monster?"

…

Team Underground

Satori, Orin and Utsuho slowly backed up, their eyes focused upon their enemy. For her part, Yuuka made no threatening moves, seemingly content to remain in place and watch them.

"I don't see why you're so surprised," Yuuka said. She stepped out of the hole she had created, carefully moving across the pile of newly created rubble. "Honestly, did you really expect everything to go off without a hitch? It's like Yukari said, the first casualty of every encounter is the plan."

"You knew," Satori said.

"Knew what, dear?"

"Our location. The plan. Down to quoting specific bits of the actual discussion."

"Well, yes."

"This is her, right?" Utsuho said. She started to nervously finger the controls on her control rod. "The person we're supposed to be fighting?"

"Yes, it is," Satori said. To Yuuka, she said, "You were watching us."

"Again, yes."

"How?"

"How?" Yuuka repeated, sounding amused. "You out of all people are asking that question? Why not just pick the answer from my mind? Oh wait, I know why." Yuuka flicked her flower-filled hair, sending flashes of light running through the blue petals. "But trust me when I say that it's for the best. This little mind of mine is not something you want to peek in."

"Boss, she's doing something to our communications as well," Orin murmured. "I can't get through to the other teams."

"I know," Satori said. "It is those Mykr's Sirens she's wearing. They have the unfortunate effect of disrupting freefloating magical energies."

"Sounds like someone's been doing her reading," Yuuka said. "Though I must insert a little addendum. These Sirens are my friends. As such, it is not my energies that are being disrupted. Just yours."

"Oh," Orin said. "Well, that sounds incredibly unfair."

Yuuka laughed. "Oh, come now kitty-cat! Look at the numbers! You can't blame me for bringing along any advantage I can."

Orin glanced at Satori. "Hey boss, she called me kitty-cat. Can we stop talking and kill her now?"

"You're welcome to try," Yuuka said. She spread her arms invitingly. Black bark surged into existence on her arms, back and shoulders, overlapping with layer after layer. Most of the mass was concentrated around her hands, which grew to more than three times the size of her head. Yuuka squeezed her gargantuan fingers into two huge hammer-like fists.

"What," Orin said flatly.

"My sentiments exactly," Satori agreed. "Utsuho, please?"

"Yeah, okay," Utsuho squeaked as she stared. "I got it."

She took a step forward and pointed the end of the control rod directly at Yuuka. Her eyes closed while the pupil in the center of her chest narrowed to a slit. "Running program: BattleMode. Startup initiated."

…

"'Yuuka, how have you made division of yourself?'" Yuuka monotones mockingly. "'An apple, cut in four, is not more identical than these four creatures. Which is Yuuka?' Though for the record, I've always found that quotation to be in bad taste. What did that poor apple ever do to him?" She laughs. "Still, quadruple the Yuuka, quadruple the fun! Now, what say we dispense with the neat little order that these scenarios are adhering to and let the chaos take its course? Now watch as everything comes crashing down. Around and around they go…"

…

Team (SCARLET!) Vampire

Not surprisingly, Flandre was the one to make the first move. Evidently fed up with having her murderous intentions curbed, she snatched up Laevatein and swooped straight at Yuuka's face, screaming the whole way.

In response, Yuuka lashed out with her whiplike limb, wrapping it around Laevatein's shaft. She pulled, and Flandre was smashed right through the wall.

"Well, that was easy," Yuuka said to the gaping Remilia and recovering Sakuya. "One down, two to-ARGH!"

Yuuka doubled over and stumbled forward. Her normal hand clutched at the deep, burning slash that cut its way down her back. Behind her, Flandre lifted Laevatein for a second blow.

"I hate you!" the mad vampire screamed. She brought the mystical weapon down with stone-crushing force. "Leave! Me! ALONE!"

Yuuka's face twisted into a grimace of pain. She took three more hits before she managed to twist her body around and catch Laevatein in mid-swing.

"That hurt," she hissed as she straightened up. She held up her arm and pulled Flandre right off her feet. "That really, reallGAH!"

Yuuka looked down to see the bloodied head of Gungnir protruding from her stomach. She turned to see Remilia on her feet.

"You will release my sister," Remilia Scarlet declared. "Else I will introduce you to a pain unlike any you have ever-"

Yuuka's vine-limb shot out and wrapped around Remilia's waist.

"-oof!"

Remilia was pulled into the air and yanked toward Yuuka at neckbreak speed. At the same time, Yuuka thrust Flandre forward, headfirst. There was a loud crack as Flandre and Remilia's foreheads smacked.

"They're quick and opportunistic, I'll give them that," Yuuka muttered as she tossed the stunned vampires aside. "Still, time is pressing, and…"

She looked up to see six silver knives hurtling straight at her face.

…

Team Halloween

"You'll understand if I finish this quickly," Yuuka explained as the roots holding her captives in place started to tighten. "I need to go support myself in that duel with Yukari in only a few minutes. So sorry, nothing personal. Well, maybe a little. To half of you, at least. But to the other two, no hard feelings?"

Mima didn't respond. She was focused on freeing herself. The roots were of Ghostwood, taken from a tree native to the Netherworld, which explained why they were able to hold her in place. Also, Yuuka seemed to have reinforced them against spell damage, which limited a great deal of her usual solutions. And, just to add insult to injury, the presence of Mykr's Sirens was screwing up her concentration. Sometimes being a purely supernatural being had its drawbacks.

She could hear Marisa struggling and cursing nearby. The poor girl had to be in great pain. It would be a terrible way to go, crushed to death while unable to fight back. Mima wished she could do more for her, but at the moment she couldn't think of a thing.

Mima, she heard her own voice say.

Yes?

Stop being an idiot.

What are you-Oh. Right. Okay, so this is kind of stupid.

Mima quickly shrank herself down, faster than the roots were contracting. Then she darted out through their grasp and into the open air. Once free, she focused on Yuuka's now gigantic face and charged straight forward.

She got about halfway before Yuuka noticed the miniature Mima coming for her. "Oh," Yuuka said. "Well, that's clever."

Mima didn't bother to respond. Instead, she shot two beams of cold straight at her target's face.

"Nice try," Yuuka said as the roots curled up to block the attack. "And honestly, come on now. I know you can do better."

Mima stopped. She coughed into her fist.

Yuuka frowned. "Wait, do you smell something…" Her eyes rolled upward and she gasped when she saw that the flowers in her hair were now on fire.

"Wait! Wait, wait, wait," Yuuka yelled as she beat at the flames. "How did you do that? I was looking at you the whole time!"

"I did better," Mima growled. She took advantage of Yuuka's distraction to launch another attack at her opponent's face, this one a ball of acid.

This time, it hit.

"YAAAHHH!" Yuuka cried as she clutched at her face. She lurched back, taking her network of roots with her.

At the same time, Mima felt the interference open up. She wasted no time. "Yukari, can you hear me?" she shouted through space. "Plan's gone all FUBAR. Yuuka's here, and she's-"

Mima was cut off when a tendril whipped out to wrap itself around her neck. At the same time, the interference returned anew. Mima looked up to see Yuuka straightening up. A thick blue mist had appeared around the flowers, dousing the flames and allowing them to regenerate. And the damage done to Yuuka's face was already starting to heal.

That didn't mean she was any less angry though. "Oh, you are going to suffer for that," Yuuka snarled through reforming lips. "I'm going to pop that pretty head right off your-"

It was then that Yuyuko reached up with one hand and grasped at the roots holding her in place. A shiver ran down the whole network. Then it suddenly convulsed violently and fell limply to the ground. Given that Yuuka's armor was made of the stuff, she found herself dragged down by the sudden dead weight.

Marisa and Youmu fell to their knees, coughing and holding their throats. Yuyuko merely brushed herself off.

Mima frowned. She returned to full size and surveyed the mess of withered tendril. "Oh, right," she said. "Ability to cause death. And I guess you of all people would be able to affect Ghostwood. Nifty. Though I really have to ask. Why the hell didn't you do that to begin with?"

Yuyuko looked at her. "I didn't think of it until now. It's so hard to concentrate with this mess in the air. It feels like my head is filled with space."

"So, pretty much the same as always? Nice." The two humans struggled to their feet. Marisa growled as she flipped her hakkero into her grasp, and Youmu seized up her swords.

"All right, ladies," Mima said as everyone directed their attention to Yuuka, who was still struggling to free herself from her own armor. "I think this nonsense has gone on long enough. Who's in the mood for a good old-fashioned beatdown?"

"I am," Youmu said.

"Fucking seconded," Marisa snarled.

"Agreed," Yuyuko put in. "Her rudeness is not to be tolerated."

Yuuka glared up at them. "Murderers," she spat. She held up a fistful of limp Ghostwood. "What did they ever do to you?"

"Oh, shut up you psychotic treehugger," Mima snapped. Her palms glowed with red light. "And if I were you, I'd just roll over and give up. Do the math, Yuuka. You're tough, but it's four-to-one, and we aren't exactly lightweights."

"Two-to-one," Yuuka said. She succeeded in freeing herself and stood to her feet.

"Uh, no. There are four of us, and one of you. Look, I know you're kind of nuts, but I know you can count."

"I can," Yuuka said. She smiled, which was never a good sign. "It's simple matter of fractions. Four-to-two rounds out to two-to-one."

"What?" Marisa said. "What the hell are you talking about, ze? There's only one of-"

Yuyuko shrieked in pain. Everyone whirled around to see her fall to her knees. Her shaking fingers clutched at a long, deep wound in her back, from which rose a faint pink haze.

Unnoticed by everyone, a hole to the outside had appeared in the wall behind Yuyuko. Within stood a little girl in a green dress with golden curling hair. Her lips were twisted in a sadistic smile, and in her hands was a razor-sharp scythe that was easily twice as tall as she.

"Whoopsi-daisy," Elly singsonged. She held the handle with both hands, threw it over Yuyuko's head and yanked it back against her throat.

"Good luck, Master!" she called as she threw herself backward out into the open air, taking Yuyuko with her.

"My lady!" Youmu cried.

"No, wait!" Mima called, but it was too late. Youmu had already leapt through the hole.

"As I said," Yuuka grunted. "Two-to-one."

She opened her hands and flexed her fingers. They twisted and warped, elongating and sharpening to points. The consistency changed, morphing from pink flesh to the grey bark of Ghostwood.

"Now," she purred as she spread her claws. "What say we try that again?"

With that, she leapt through the air and at Marisa's throat.

…

Team Scarlet

Get up, Sakuya said as she pushed herself up. Fight through the pain and get up.

Though pulling in breath was still a painful battle, Sakuya managed to place her feet under her and lever herself into a crouch. She looked up and grimaced.

Yuuka Kazami had both of the Mistresses in her grasp. Both were unconscious, but fortunately the fact that their bodies had not turned to dust meant that they were still alive, at least for the time being.

Sakuya was not about to let that change.

Her hands automatically went for her pocketwatch, only to come up empty. A quick glance confirmed that it was still some feet away. A problem.

Sakuya broke into a stumbling run that gained strength with every step. Realizing that she would need a distraction, she pulled out three knives in each hand. As Yuuka slowly turned her head toward the maid, the blades were flung forward with perfect accuracy.

Yuuka screamed and dropped the vampires so she could grab at her punctured face. "Again with the face!" she cried. She flung her arm forward, and Sakuya's eyes widened when she saw the blast of green energy flying toward her.

There was no time to change direction, so instead Sakuya threw her upper body back, bending it down as far as it would go. Her legs folded under her and she slid forward. The rough stone scraped her knees and shins bloody, but as enough power to take her head clean off passed mere inches above her nose, it seemed to be an acceptable sacrifice.

The beam passed by to disintegrate the far wall. Sakuya snatched up her pocketwatch and rolled over her shoulder and up to her feet. Without losing stride, she continued her path toward her Mistresses as her thumb pressed down on the watch's button, all the while giving thanks that she had long reinforced the watch from being damaged by something so common as a fall against stone.

Unfortunately, it had not been reinforced against other things. The watch immediately started shrieking. Sparks and smoke puffed out of its gears. Sakuya turned it off immediately.

Okay, so even the watch was being dampened by whatever had cut off their communications. That was fine. Sakuya could adapt. And she did, specifically by leaping fully over Yuuka, throwing knives as she did so. Sakuya hit the wall feet-first and rebounded off, all the while filling the air with blades. Yuuka tried to block, but she was still blinded and clumsy, resulting in her being pierced multiple times, further enraging her.

Sakuya had no intention of waiting for her to recover. The maid snatched up the two fallen vampires and sprinted toward the cavern's exit, leaving the thrashing Yuuka behind. There was no thought of eliminating her now. Flandre was the only one of the three with the power to make that happen, and she would be doing no destroying for the time being. The only thing to do now was to retreat and try to contact Yukari. Hopefully, this disaster of an operation was not yet beyond salvaging.

…

Yukari

About ten minutes into the fight, Yukari was starting to feel uneasy.

It wasn't that she was having trouble matching Yuuka's power. Quite the opposite, actually. And it wasn't that Yuuka was pulling out several tricks that she had failed to prepare for.

No, the problem was that things were going too well. While Yukari certainly had no objection to things working in her favor for once, the fact that they were to this degree was making her suspicious.

At the moment, she had taken back the page Yuuka had stolen from her book and stepped in between the dimensions. From there, she watched as the supposed flower youkai reeled and clumsily tried to defend herself as Yukari pounded her from all sides.

Despite her unease, Yukari was not letting that stop her from tearing Yuuka down verbally as well as physically. "What's wrong, Yuuka?" she taunted, letting her voice fill the open space. "What happened to all that big talk I've been hearing from you? What was that you said, again? 'Come and get me, Yukari. I'm waiting'?"

A circle of red lights appeared in the air around Yuuka. They shot inward, one right after the other, each exploding on impact. Yuuka cried out as she was batted about.

"You had me thinking that this was going to be difficult!" Yukari called. "Is this seriously what I was so worried about?"

Yuuka tried to push herself up with her trembling arms. Yukari unleashed a wave of invisible force, crushing her back down into the rain-soaked ground.

"Come on! This was supposed to be a clash of the titans, not a routine extermination! I've pulled weeds out of my garden that were tougher than you!"

"There's no call to say such nasty things," Yuuka muttered. She painfully levered herself to her knees, one hand clutching at her ribs. "And if I'm such a disappointing opponent, shouldn't you start calling in your teams to eliminate me?"

Yukari sighed. "Yes, I might as well. Goodbye, Yuuka Kazami. Goodbye, and good ridd-" Then the full magnitude of Yuuka's words hit her and she choked. "Wait! What did you just say?"

Even though Yuuka couldn't see her, she still turned to leer at the empty air. The rain washed the blood and dust from her face. "I said, isn't it time you called up your little friends? Specifically, Satori Komejii and her pets in that cave four point eight miles southeast from here, Remilia Scarlet and her entourage eight point two four miles north from here and that collection of spirits and spellcasters you've got holed up seven point nine miles to the northwest? I'm sure they're growing impatient."

Yukari said nothing.

"Now, if I recall, it was Team Halloween that was to strike first," Yuuka continued. She pushed herself up onto shaky knees and held out her hand. Her umbrella flew from where it was lying into her grasp. She straightened and opened it above her. "Through one gap and into the other, bringing down destruction the whole way. Team Underground was to follow, with the cat unleashing an inferno while the bird cooked the flesh away from my bones. Once they were gone, Team Vampire would make their appearance, over…there I believe?" She pointed off into the distance. About a mile-and-a-half away was a jutting stone pillar, right on the edge of the plateau. "The human maid would then use her powers to stop time, and that cute little undead girl would turn me into vapor."

Yuuka scratched her chin. "After that, I believe I was to be sealed up in a piece of jewelry? Not the most dignified endings, I'll admit. Still, the whole sealed power thing is attractive in its own right. Has a bit of a genie-in-a-bottle feel to it. Though it probably wouldn't work out, as I've always been a bit selective about whom I grant wishes for. This whole forced servitude to anything who gives the thing a rub really doesn't appeal to me at all."

Yukari wasn't listening. She was too busy trying to contact the teams. However, it was as if an impenetrable darkness had fallen on the caves. She couldn't so much as touch them.

"What. Did. You. Do?" she demanded.

"Who, me?" Yuuka said. "Oh, not a lot. Just made sure that our you-and-me tussle remained between you-on-me." She giggled. "Actually, that's the reason why I haven't been able to put up much of a fight. It seems I'm just not myself today. To be specific, I'm only one-fourth of the woman I was." She paused, and said, "One-fourth, Yukari. You can put two-and-two together, can't you?"

She could. And the fact that she hadn't counted on Yuuka doing something this insane enraged her. However, she didn't have time to dwell on that shortcoming. She reached into the seams of reality, preparing to move herself as close to Satori's location as possible.

That was when what felt like an icicle drove itself through her brain. She gasped and stumbled back into the physical world. Rain hammered down on her, unnoticed through the pain.

Something slammed into her back and she tumbled to her knees. She looked over her shoulder to see Yuuka standing over her, fully healed with her umbrella twirling merrily over one shoulder. And in hanging in her hair, along the undersides of her arms and along the brim of her umbrellas were dozens of small bell-shaped flowers, all of them blue and glowing.

"Sorry about bringing these out," Yuuka said, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "But I can't have you leaving the ring. Besides, isn't it best that they fight their own battles?"

With that, she lashed out with her right foot. The toe hit Yukari squarely in the stomach and knocked her onto her back. Yuuka stepped onto her gut with one foot and pressed down.

"You know," Yuuka said. "Like you were supposed to? Cheaters never prosper, Yukari."

…

Team Underground

Initiated BattleMode? Y/N

Y

Initiating BattleMode. Standby…

13%

29%

45%

69%

82%

98%

BattleMode initiated.

Spellcard System activated.

Override.

Caution! Overriding Spellcard System is illegal and may do damage to your system. Are you sure you want to continue? Y/N

Y

Caution! Are you absolutely sure? Y/N

Y

Caution! Utsuho, are you going crazy again? Y/N

Huh? Y-I mean N! Override already!

Please enter password for Spellcard System Override.

Password "Password?" is incorrect.

Password "Wait, what was the password again?" is incorrect.

Password "Satori, I forgot the password!" is incorrect.

Password "Oh, wait, that's right" is incorrect.

Password "Falken's Maze" accepted. Spellcard System overridden. Removing Safety Locks…

Please standby…

Caution! Safety Locks removed. Lethal Force…Authorized. Please be cautious.

Utsuho opened her eyes. Her vision was now overlapped with a red targeting grid. Infrared allowed her to see even in complete darkness, and the grid automatically picked out targets and identified their threat level. It made fighting so much easier.

And at that moment, there was one target that she really wanted to pick out.

Her gaze swept the cavern. Yuuka Kazami was not difficult to find. A huge gathering of heat in the form of a massive humanoid, she was sitting on a rock with her oversized hands on her knees. Utsuho's targeting system locked on. She lifted up her Third Leg and started to charge her attack.

It was then that she noticed the two other heat signatures lying at Yuuka's feet. Neither of them were moving.

Utsuho faltered, and her attack cut off. The targeting grid exploded into static, only to be replaced by her normal vision. "What did you do to them?" she screamed.

"Oh, so you are finished?" Yuuka asked. "Sorry, it looked like you needed a couple more minutes to get ready, so I decided to wait." She stood up and nudged Satori's head. Utsuho's master was out cold, as was Orin. "But these two were ready to go. Unfortunately, it turns out that the short one is pretty helpless without the use of her Third Eye. The cat got in a few good hits and the odd burn or two, but these hands were made for smacking, and smack them they did." Yuuka shrugged her enormous shoulders. "But they were never the brawn of this team anyway. So, now that you're up and moving, are you ready to rumble?" She smacked her gigantic fists together.

Utsuho was. She most certainly was. She no longer doubted that Yuuka needed to be destroyed. Now the only question was how quickly she could do it. She once again took aim and, with a shout of absolute rage, let loose with enough energy to melt stone.

It passed right through Yuuka's body to burn away at the far wall.

Utsuho blinked. "Wha-"

Something incredibly hard hit her from behind. Utsuho yelled as she was knocked forward. She tried to bring herself to a stop, but a large stalagmite got in the way.

"Ow, ow, ow," she groaned as she sat up and rubbed her head. That was going to leave a bump.

"Oh, my! I can't believe that actually worked!"

Utsuho looked up to see Yuuka Kazami, presumably the real one, smiling at her.

"So sorry, dear. It's just I've always wanted to try the old illusion decoy trick. No hard feelings, right?"

Utsuho gaped. "That was an illusion? But it had heat and everything!"

"Mmmm-hmmm! Warming up an illusion really isn't that difficult. I could have made it solid if I wanted to, but that would have ruined the effect. But enough of that. Let's get started for real."

With that, she seized up Utsuho with one hand and smashed her back-first through the stalagmite. Utsuho's body exploded in pain. Her vision erupted into spots. As such, she almost didn't notice when Yuuka picked her up again and slammed her three times against the wall.

"Come on, let's see some fight!" Yuuka shouted. She released the Hell-Raven, letting her slide to the ground. "I heard about how you almost brought apocalypse down upon Gensokyo. Surely, bringing it down on one humble little youkai should be easy!"

Utsuho didn't respond.

Yuuka sighed. "A pity. And I waited for you and everything. Ah well, hopefully Yukari won't be as disappointing." She drew back one enhanced fist and brought it down, intending to end Utsuho with one crushing blow.

A single slender arm snapped up, seizing Yuuka's fist and stopping it dead in its tracks.

Yuuka frowned. She tried pushing down, but the hand holding her in place gave her no leeway.

It was then that she saw Utsuho's eyes. They were open and burning with the same inferno that filled the eye in the center of her chest.

"BattleMode reinitiated," Utsuho said, her voice a strange monotone. She lifted her Third Leg. "Activating Lethal Spell: Solar Sign-Plasma Storm."

…

Team Scarlet

It was just Sakuya's good fortune that she had several lifetimes worth of experience of dealing with these sort of situations. Otherwise, rushing blindly through a pitch-dark cavern too dangerous to fly through on bleeding legs while carrying two vampires, small as they were, might have proved difficult. As it was, she was just slightly inconvenienced.

Still, it did mean that escape was troublesome, especially with an angry Yuuka not far behind. Sakuya could hear her thrashing somewhere back in the darkness. If nothing else it made for a great motivator.

Noticing a pinpoint of light in the distance, Sakuya altered her course toward it. She just hoped that the storm had yet to start with the rain. Despite the shielding Yukari had provided, moving through falling water at high speed would be extremely unpleasant.

As there didn't seem to be anything in between her and the light, Sakuya hugged the two vampire girls as close to her as possible and took flight, narrowing her body and shooting straight toward the exit.

The good news was that when Sakuya exploded out of the tunnel, it wasn't raining. The bad news was that this was due to the fact that they still weren't outside. They had emerged into a cavern the size of a small cathedral. The light was coming from several large holes in the ceiling. At least that meant that they had a way out, though the water pouring in meant that they would have to fight through the rain after all.

However, now that they had some cover, it was time to check on the Mistresses and call for backup. Sakuya flew toward a shelf of rock that stuck up from the ground at a diagonal angle. She took shelter beneath it and carefully set Remilia and Flandre down.

To her relief, neither were badly hurt. There was significant bruising on their foreheads, but that was a small price to pay for going up against someone like Yuuka. And their natural recuperative abilities would take care of that in short order. She shook Remilia's shoulder and was pleased when she got a soft moan in reply.

That taken care of, it was time to salvage this disaster of an operation. She closed her eyes and concentrated. "Yukari Yakumo, can you hear me? We have been found out. Yuuka Kazami somehow discovered our position and attacked. I managed to get us away, but the Mistresses are currently unconscious. Please send help. We are located…Yakumo, are you even there?"

Silence. Odd. They should be well out of range of Yuuka's interference, but there appeared to be no improvement. Granted, Sakuya was no magician, but she should at least be able to send a communication to someone of Yukari's caliber, especially if Yukari was supposed to be keeping an eye on them.

"Yukari, are you there?" Nothing. "Please respond. If you can hear this, we are in a large cavern not far from where you placed us. I cannot judge our exact position, but it appears to be right under the surface, with numerous holes leading to-"

"Sakuya?"

Sakuya looked down to see Remilia getting up. The little vampire still looked woozy, but otherwise okay.

"What happened?" Remilia muttered. She touched her forehead and winced.

"The fight went against us, and both you and your sister were knocked unconscious," Sakuya explained. "I managed to distract her long enough to get us all away, and am now attempting to raise Yukari Yakumo. Unfortunately, this has proven unsuccessful."

Remilia shook her head. "What? Wait, I don't…" Then she saw Flandre.

"Flan?" she yelped. Remilia quickly scurried to her sister's side. "Oh gods. Flan, are you all right?" She grabbed Flandre's shoulder and shook it as hard as she could. "Flan, answer me!"

Sakuya's sharply honed instincts went off and she pulled Remilia out of the way, just in time to avoid being hit by Flandre's sudden backhand. "No touching!" Flandre shouted as she pushed herself up.

Both Sakuya and Remilia slumped in relief. "Oh, thank the gods," Remilia muttered. "And excellent job, Sakuya. I fear to think of what would have happened had we not escaped that monster."

"Thank you, Mistress."

Flandre tried to stand up but ended up falling back down. "Remi, my head hurts," she murmured.

"Yes, it's just our good fortune that we seem to have equally thick skulls," Remilia said. "Sakuya, now that we are all conscious, we should vacate these premises immediately. If Yukari is unreachable, than I fear that things may have gone wrong on her end as well. At any rate, it would be in our best interests to return to the Scarlet Devil Mansion as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Mistress," Sakuya said. "Though I should point out that-"

Unfortunately, whatever it was that Sakuya wished to point out would remain forever lost to history, for at that moment she was interrupted first by a thunderous boom that shook the very air, followed by a great crash. The three of them rushed to the edge of their shelter to see that a huge chunk of the far wall had been destroyed. And to their great dismay, Yuuka hovered in the center of the hole.

The monster had retained her flexible vine of a right arm and the flowers in her hair. But she was now supported by several more bright green vines that protruded from her back and clutched at the nearby rock walls in a manner that reminded Sakuya uncomfortably of both an octopus' tentacles and a spider's legs. Given that Yuuka could fly, the additional limbs were probably just for effect, as a means of intimidation. Sakuya had to admit that in this regard they were very effective. Especially since several of them were holding the same knives she had thrown at Yuuka.

Yuuka looked around. She sniffed the air and said, "Ah, this is the place. Fe-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of three someones that I very much need to hurt." Her vines tensed up and she leapt into the cavern. From there, she continued to remain suspended as the vines moved her around and felt about for her prey. "Come out, come out wherever you are."

…

½ Team Halloween

The ghostly girls were gone, taken by the little crazy girl with big-ass blade. That left Marisa and Mima alone with one seriously unhinged Yuuka Kazami. Who so happened to have claws made of wood. By this point, Marisa still wasn't convinced that she wasn't just imagining the whole thing, but it why play the odds? Especially if said crazy Yuuka with claws was leaping at her, claws open and grasping.

It was just the witch's good fortune that, despite Yuuka being a hell of a lot stronger, Marisa was so much faster. And with all those lovely potions she had consumed, Yuuka might as well have been diving through syrup.

Unfortunately Marisa, who was never a shining example of mental health even at the best of times, really wasn't working with a full deck at that moment. So while leaping out the way was a simple enough manner, she somehow found herself on Yuuka's back with her legs wrapped around her throat immediately after. She had no memory of consciously deciding on this course, but she did know that she was blasting away at those damned blue flowers with lasers of every known color straight from her fingertips, all the while making machine-gun noises. Granted, despite what she had read, she still wasn't clear on what a machine-gun exactly was, she only knew that she wanted one. But in the meantime, she had to settle for this.

"Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch!" she chattered. "Eat hot death, motherf-"

Someone grabbed her by the back of her collar and yanked her right off. "Hey!" Marisa yelled at Mima. "Put me ba-HOLY SHIT!" She pulled up her legs just in time to avoid having them bitten off by the honest-to-gods giant toothed flower that had suddenly sprung out of Yuuka's back.

Growling in anger, Yuuka started to turn around. Mima dropped Marisa. She lifted up her hand and spoke a word. Piercing yellow light exploded out of her palm and slammed into Yuuka's chest, knocking her back against the wall. Mima kept the energy flowing, holding Yuuka in place.

"I'll admit that you came prepared," Mima calmly told her struggling adversary. "Ghostwood and Mykr's Sirens. The perfect weapons against beings such as I. But there have been others who have used similar precautions against me, others who thought they could adequately prepare themselves with that which I am weak against. And they all thought that by doing so, they may attain victory. Do you realize how many of those people are corpses now, Yuuka Kazami? The answer is all of them!"

Marisa pumped her fist into the air. "You tell her, Master!"

"Well, whoop-dee-doo for you," Yuuka said. "I'll just have to be the first then." She started to push herself forward, step-by-agonizing-step. Though Mima did not let up, she kept forcing herself to put one foot in front of the other. Even as her blouse burned away and the flesh underneath started to cook, she kept moving forward.

"You may have survived and won countless battles, but none of them were against me," Yuuka said as she slowly closed in.

"Sure they were. We've fought before."

"Not like this, we haven't." Yuuka was only ten feet away now. "And believe me when I say this is the last time you'll ever pester me."

Mima rolled her eyes. She kept the juice going while preparing another surprise. "Who's writing your dialogue? And by the way, your hair's on fire again."

Yuuka blinked. She reached up to confirm that, yes, the Mykr's Sirens were once again burning. "How do you keep doing that?" she screamed as she beat out the flames. "All right, that is it!" The air filled with a sharp whining as something charged up. "Now, it's my turn to-"

"MIMA, DUCK RIGHT NOW!"

Even though Mima knew she could handle this, she obeyed immediately. A second later a blazing white star hit Yuuka in the center of her ravaged chest and knocked her back once again. This was followed by another. And another. And another. Soon the air was filled with the ordinance.

Mima looked over her shoulder. Marisa was hovering in the air and glowing with a brilliant white radiance. Surrounded her were twelve magical circles. And each one was firing off those shooting stars in rapid succession. The witch's head was thrown back as she laughed madly, all the while hammering Yuuka down with far more power than she should have. A full half of the cave was demolished and brought crashing down on Yuuka as a result.

Finally it ended. The circles disappeared and the glow faded away. Marisa dropped to the floor. She tried to stay on her feet, but her knees buckled and she fell back onto her butt. "Whooeee!" she grinned as she swayed back and forth. "What a rush!"

"Indeed," Mima said. "I don't recognize that one. Is it one of yours?"

"Nope! You know those freaky black spellcards Yukari gave me? Well, I've been wanting to try them out for days now, and figured that now would be a great time to cut them loose! She said it's called 'Starlight Starbright', and it's supposed to be the safest one she had. Which makes me really wanna know what the most dangerous one does. Hey, looks like Yuuka isn't gonna be moving for awhile. What say we kill her now and call it a day?"

"A capital idea," Mima said. "Except that we find ourselves without a sealing crystal. Yuyuko unfortunately took it with her."

"Right. Scythe girl." Marisa pulled herself up to her feet. She swayed a little, but kept steady. "Eh, one thing at a time then. Pound her first, worry about sealing her ass later."

A roar of pure rage cut into their conversation. The rubble exploded, and a monstrosity crawled out. Yuuka had apparently decided that her humanoid form was becoming a hindrance and had discarded it for something…much less human. It was now more of a grasping mass of grey limbs covered with flowers, many of which possessed some sort of open, hungry maw. Her head and shoulders remained, however. Though her mouth was now filled with considerably larger teeth than she had before.

Mima reacted instantly, raising her glowing hands to attack. Yuuka, however, was already moving, and hit her with a huge mass of foliage that sent Mima's shot bouncing harmlessly away and knocked the ghost up through the ceiling. She disappeared in a cloud of dust and falling stone.

Marisa gaped as she watched her mentor disappear. Then she looked at Yuuka. "Okay. Definitely swearing off mushrooms," she choked. "I mean it this time, ze."

"Well, credit where credit's due," Yuuka said. "I have to say, that was rather impressive, coming from a Human." She cocked her monstrous head to one side. "Tell me, where did you learn such attacks, Miss…?"

A significant paused followed, and then Marisa realized that Yuuka was waiting for her to introduce herself. "What?" Marisa blanched. "You don't recognize me? Seriously?"

"Should I?"

"I'm Marisa freaking Kirisame!" Marisa jabbed her thumb against her chest. "The Mad Witch of the Forest of Magic! Mima's only real apprentice! I'm like the most powerful Human alive!"

"That…really doesn't count for much, actually."

Marisa threw her hands into the air. "Oh, come on! Me and my buddy Reimu Hakurei stormed your mansion and kicked your ass like something whatever years ago!"

"I truly doubt that," Yuuka said. She pursed her lips as she thought. "Though I do recognize the name of Reimu Hakurei. Would you be her sidekick then?"

"Are you serious? Okay, looks like I'm gonna have jog your memory." Her hakkero appeared in her hand. "And by 'jog', I mean stick my boot so far down your throat that you'll be pissing shoelaces!"

Yuuka surprised her by laughing. And not in the expected mocking matter either, but a genuine chuckle of amusement. "Oh, calm down. I'm just giving you a hard time. Of course I remember you. Hello, Marisa. You're looking well."

Marisa lowered her hakkero. "I, uh…Thanks? You're hideous, by the way."

"You're too kind," Yuuka said with a gracious nod. "But seriously, it has been awhile. Perhaps not as I judge such things, but definitely for you. I mean, look at you! When last we met, you were just a little bud of a thing! Now…you're still pretty scrawny to be honest, but you've certainly grown up."

Marisa was getting impatient. "Yeah, yeah. The breast fairy visited and everything. Look, can we just do this thing already?"

"The breast fairy?" Yuuka asked. She sounded horrified. "Good heavens, does such a person actually exist? What a revolting thought." She looked Marisa up and down. "Though if I were you, I'd file a complaint. It seems you might have been shortchanged."

"Huh? What are you…" Then Marisa got it. "That's it Kazami, you're fucking dead!" she yelled as she thrust her hakkero forward. "MASTER SPARK!"

Despite the beam's size, one of Yuuka's branch-like limbs effortlessly deflected it. "Oh please," Yuuka said. "Have you forgotten who invented that spell? And your technique's off, by the way. What you should be doing is…"

Marisa wasn't listening. Even before the Master Spark finished she had already started running toward Yuuka. It was fortunate that she had the foresight to drink all those enhancement potions. Even though her ability to distinguish illusion from reality was questionable at the moment, and even though she was going to feel like shit tomorrow, it did mean that, for the meantime, she was as nimble as a monkey. A rather useful trait to have while leaping your way through an evil jungle.

She hopped her way across the network of roots and branches, ducking grasping vines and dodging carnivorous flowers. Yuuka took notice and tried to form a net to catch her, but Marisa just leapt forward without hesitation, twisting her body through the trap with only inches to spare and landing on her feet. A sloppy grin covered her face. Sure, she could die at any moment, but there was just no getting around how awesome this was.

Not that she let that slow her down. Yuuka's big ugly face was now in range. Marisa darted forward and lunged. As she flew through the air, she drew her left arm back and flexed her fingers a certain way.

The leather and steel gauntlets that Marisa wore were more than just protection against chafing. Each one had a secret compartment with a spring loaded mechanism that Marisa had designed herself. The one on the right held her spellcards. One flick of her fingers, and the next one would pop into her hand, ready for use.

As for the one on the left, that one held something that was much less…subtle.

A triangular blade shot out from its hidden sheath, eleven inches of tempered steel and fused with every weapon enhancement spell Marisa could get her hands on, from armor piercing to rust proofing and everything in between. Marisa landed full on Yuuka's face and thrust it right into the abomination's right eye.

The whole of Yuuka's bizarre garden lurched as Yuuka's head jerked back. She cried out in pain and surprise. Marisa didn't waste any time. She yanked out the blade and brought up her other arm. One of Yukari's black spellcards leapt into her fingers. With one fluid motion, she activated it and shoved it right into Yuuka's screaming mouth.

And then she was off, making her way back and dodging the convulsing plants that threatened to crush her. She leapt off the roots onto stone and sprinting to where her broom had fallen. Seconds later she had mounted it and launched herself in the air, flying toward the hole Mima had been smashed through.

A blast of intense heat nearly caused her to lose control, followed by a roar of rage that didn't sound like it had come from Yuuka. Marisa glanced over her shoulder. What could only be described as an angry pillar of fire with freaking flaming tentacles had erupted out of Yuuka's mouth. It spun like a whirlwind while its appendages lashed out, scorching Yuuka's horrific body. Yuuka screamed as it roasted her from both without and within.

Marisa tried to tear her eyes away from the horrible sight. She had seen a lot of gnarly shit in her time, some of it actually real, but that? That was definitely going to be returning in her nightmares. It wasn't until one of the pillar's arms slammed into the wall a mere seven feet from where she was floating that Marisa jolted out of her stupor.

She quickly turned herself around and got out of the collapsing cavern as quick as she could. The next logical step would be to find Mima. And after that? Well, after the horror and post traumatic shock had died down enough, it would be nice to go up to Yukari and say something down the lines of "I got her and you didn't!" Despite what she had just seen, Marisa was wearing a crazy grin. She was starting to see why Yuuka enjoyed chaos so much. Sometimes it was just plain fun!

…

Yukari

Mykr's Sirens. Of course. It just had to be Mykr's Sirens.

Of course, that in itself wouldn't be a problem. Irritating area effects aside, they were just flowers. And Yukari Yakumo was…Yukari Yakumo. Normally they should have no more effect on her than a vague discomfort, perhaps a humming in her teeth.

But it seemed that being attached to Yuuka had amped up their effects a good thousand times over. Or perhaps Yuuka herself was responsible for the effect, and the flowers were just for show? Either way, Yukari, who was long accustomed to slipping in and out of dimensions and having them obey her every whim, felt like someone had taken that part of her and smothered it with a soggy blanket filled with lead. She had to manually close down most of her magical senses just to make the headache go away.

Of course, Yuuka was not about to give her a break. At the moment, she had Yukari by the neck and was thrusting her facefirst into the ground over and over.

"What part about 'Don't send any more pawns after me' did you fail to understand?" Yuuka said. Despite the rancor of her words, her voice never lost that pleasant inflection. She might as well have been lecturing a schoolchild for cutting in line. "I thought I had made myself perfectly clear. This was to be between you and I. But no, you had to go and gather together a ragtag gang of miscreants. I mean, really. Remilia Scarlet? Mima? That despicable Yuyuko What's-Her-Family-Name?" She stopped pounding Yukari's face into stone and held her up by the back of collar. "Given the sort of things they've done, am I really the worst monster in this?"

"No," Yukari said. Her hands suddenly shot up to seize Yuuka by the neck. A second later she had flipped her adversary over her shoulder to land back-down in the rainwater. Yukari spat out a gob of bloody mud. "You're just the one who got in my way." With that she heated up her palm until it was searing hot and pressed it into Yuuka's face.

Or at least she tried to. Yuuka managed to get her hands up and seize her by the wrist before she made contact. "That I'll grant you," she said in a conversational tone, almost as if she weren't using every ounce of strength to keep her flesh from being seared off. "But it's just so inconvenient, having to go dig up and wipe them out. I did warn you that I would break any puppets you send after me, didn't I? You really-"

"Stop talking," Yukari said wearily. She knocked Yuuka's elbows out of the way with her other arm, allowing her superheated palm to fall the rest of the way.

Unfortunately she only had contact for a couple of seconds before Yuuka managed to squirm out of the way. The psychotic creature rolled back into a crouch, the severe burn on her face was already fading away.

Now that there? Yukari thought. That is just not fair. She herself healed more quickly than most people, but it wasn't nearly to that degree. This was going to be a problem.

However, first she was going to deal with the problem of the flowers. Not only was she now cut off from a significant part of her arsenal, she now had no way of rescuing her teams from whatever Yuuka was subjecting them to. Which was aggravatingly ironic, seeing how she had brought them here to come to her aid.

Still, at least her short-range abilities were unaffected. And in that regard, she still had plenty in the way of firepower. Purple energy surged around her hands as she stood to her feet and started walking toward Yuuka.

That was when she found her movement halted. She looked down to see that a lime-green vine had sprouted up from the ground to wrap around her right ankle.

"What?" she said, surprised. "But…the poison! How did you-"

Yuuka held up her left hand and smiled. From her index finger trailed the source of the vine, which slithered down to disappear into the ground.

"Well, that's disgusting," Yukari muttered. "Okay, try this on for size."

With that, she thrust both hands forward and fired off all the energy she had been gathering. For some reason Yuuka didn't even attempt to get out of the way, but instead took the hit right to the chest and was blow off her feet. The force ripped the buried part of the vine right out of the ground. Yukari looked down and realized that she was still attached.

"Oh, this is not-"

Yukari was pulled right off her feet and sent flying through the air right after Yuuka. Grimacing, she ignited a torch at the end of her finger and twisted her body around to cut the vine off. Once she was free, she braked hard in midair, forcing herself to a stop.

Yukari let out a sigh of relief. Then her eyes widened when she saw that Yuuka had already rebounded off the ground and was heading straight toward her. Not only that, but her right arm had morphed and twisted, reforming itself into a huge curving blade.

"Say hello to my ridiculously oversized friend!" Yuuka cried. A second later she had slammed right into Yukari. The ancient youkai felt the point of the blade slice into her stomach and she was driven back down to the ground, Yuuka's hand around her throat and the blade slicing through her guts.

…

Team Underground (Utsuho)

CAUTION! TARGET ATTACKING!

Attack avoided. Retreat back-left five meters. Firing stance adopted, target locked-on.

Attack-type: Magma Burst. Fire.

Attack blocked. TARGET ATTACKING! Taking flight. Safe cover detected. Moving to cover.

Cover taken. TARGET ATTACKING!

Roll back. Crouch. Target locked-on.

Attack-Type: Spark Spray. Fire.

Hit! Target blinded and attacking wildly.

Side-step seventeen meters to right. Target locked-on.

Fire-Type: Pulse Beam. Fire.

Hit! Target is down!

Reprioritizing. Satori and Orin located. Status: Unconscious. Moving to recover.

CAUTION! CAUTION! CAUTION! TARGET RECOVERED AND ATTACKING!

Incoming fist. Dodge. Dodge. Sidestep left two meters. Target locked-on.

Attack-type: Melt Beam. Fire.

Hit! Target is reeling! Dodge past. Orin locked-on. Recovering…

Orin recovered! Satori locked-on. Recovering…

CAUTION! TARGET ATTACKING! Attack type switched! New enemy attack type-Vine Barrage!

Activating Auto-Fire. Multiple targets locked-on.

Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire. Fire.

Damage taken! Retreat!

Fire! Fire!

Damage taken! Fire!

Position overwhelmed! Retreat!

Exit located. Status: Open and within range. Loading tunnel maps…

Escape route plotted.

Retreating…

…

…

Escape successful. Cover located. Regrouping now.

BattleMode deactivating…

The cover in question was an alcove some ways away from the battlefield, just large enough to accommodate the two youkai girls. Utsuho gently set Orin's prone form down before allowing herself to collapse. While BattleMode made the second-to-second stresses of combat easier, it took a lot out of her.

She glanced out and down the tunnel. Yuuka Kazami didn't seem to be following. That was a relief. Utsuho wasn't sure what in the world that woman was, but she had been scary beyond all reason. Someone had said that she was a flower youkai. If that was the case, then Utsuho was definitely going to be avoiding gardens from here on out.

Then she saw to her unconscious friend. Orin was starting to stir, something that Utsuho was pretty sure was a good sign. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least Orin was all right. Utsuho didn't know what she would do if her friend had been really hurt. Utsuho hated being alone. Despite all her power, she was terrible at figuring out what to do. Which is why she relied so much on smart people, such as her fellow pets (Orin especially) and Satori…

Utsuho felt like someone had kneed her in the stomach. Satori. She had left Satori behind, with that monster. Not only that, but the reason Satori had been hurt in the first place was because Utsuho had taken so much time to get ready. And now there was no way to get her back.

Oh gods.

Satori was gone. Utsuho had failed her.

She felt a lump form in her throat. Her vision blurred with tears, screwing up the infrared in the process. She closed her eyes and let out a choking sob. What was she going to do?

Orin groaned. The redhead catgirl twitched, blinked her eyes and pushed herself up with a groan. "Oh gods," she moaned as she held her head. "Did someone get the number of the mountain that just fell on me? The hell happened?"

Utsuho looked down. She couldn't meet Orin's eyes. "I-I went into BattleMode, b-b-but I took too long! And…and Yuuka attacked you guys, and I tried fighting her off, I really did, but she was too strong! She kept healing herself and trying to punch me and throwing stuff at me, and then she went all crazy with all these tentacles and…" She fell forward, throwing her arms around Orin while she cried into her shoulder. "I'm sorry Orin! I couldn't get her away!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up!" Orin said. She grabbed Utsuho by the shoulders and moved her back up. "Are you saying that freak still has Satori?"

Feeling absolute wretched, Utsuho sniffed and nodded.

"Oh," Orin gulped. "Oh crap."

"I'm sorry, I really am!" Utsuho cried. "I tried shooting the tentacles, but there were too many of them, and I kept getting hit and then that whole retreat program took over, and then-"

"Whoa, hey. Calm down! It's not your fault, okay? It's not your fault. You did the right thing getting us out of there. It's what Satori would have wanted you to do. So stop blaming yourself."

"But…but Satori is…"

"Listen. We're going to get her back, okay?" Orin placed a hand against both sides of Utsuho's face and held her so that their eyes maintained contact. "That's what we're going to do. You and me, we'll kill that freaky bitch and get the boss back. All right?"

Utsuho nodded again. She sniffed and wiped her nose with her arm. "Okay. So…how do we do it?"

Orin squinted into the darkness of the tunnel. "I dunno. We'll just have to make it up on the fly." She grabbed Utsuho's hand. "Come on. Let's go get her."

…

Yuuka's hand covers the teacup. You jerk back at the sudden interruption and stare at her in surprise.

"So sorry to break the flow of things," Yuuka apologizes. "But you'll be wanting to pay extra close attention to this next part. I can guarantee that you'll find it most…enlightening."

With that she uncovers the teacup. Your eyes dip down as the scene begins to reform…

…

Team Underground (Satori)

Satori never had much cared for fighting. Despite it being something of Gensokyo's national pastime, it was just something she did not enjoy. For one thing, it just seemed like an unnecessary waste of energy. For another, even with the edge her Third Eye gifted her, she still lost on occasion. Which meant some very unpleasant awakenings taking place afterward.

Such as the one she was experiencing at that moment. Consciousness returned slowly, bringing with it a massive pain in her skull. She winced and her hand reflexively went to her head.

"Ah, you're coming around," said a nearby voice. "Good. I wanted to show you something."

Even though the cavern was dimly lit, the light still hurt. Satori blinked a few times and squinted through the haze. She could just barely make out the hulking but still vaguely humanoid form of the speaker. Though the shape seemed too warped to properly pinpoint is identity, the two glowing red eyes framed by a blue haze left no doubt that she was now in a lot of trouble.

"Hello there," Yuuka said. "Sleep well?"

Satori tried to speak, but her tongue felt thick and swollen. "Oot…su. Ho. Oh…Rin?"

"Your pets? They just left, I'm afraid. Though I'm sure that they'll be back soon, mounting some daring rescue attempt. But we have plenty of time to talk in the meantime."

"Talk," Satori mumbled. "Abow…Wha?"

In answer, Yuuka reached up with one oversized hand to lightly brush the flowers in her hair. "To begin, I must apologize for depriving you of those mind-reading abilities you so depend on. But in this case, it was actually in your favor. It's like I said, my mind is not something you'll be wanting to peek at."

Her teeth flashed as she grinned. "And here is the reason why," she purred. "Enjoy."

The blue glow of the flowers started to fade. Satori steeled herself, bringing to mind every technique she knew of to block out unwanted transmissions. She was not about to seal off her Third Eye, but she also had no intention of hearing what Yuuka wanted her to receive. And so, as the interference slowly dimmed away, she calmed her mind and secured her thoughts from…

…something got through…

…something that…

someth…

And she was…elsewhere.

Gone was the cave. Gone was the feel of stone, the cold damp air, the heavy sound of Yuuka's breathing. Gone was the pain in her head and the dim shadows seen through blurry vision. Even the natural sensations of Satori's body were gone.

They were all gone. The only thing that was, the only thing that mattered, was The Thing that Satori now Saw, floating alone in an endless dark void.

It was…simply indescribable. Unimaginable. Beyond her means to so much as conceive. It would be impossible to fully put to words what she Saw, but if one absolutely had to make an effort, one would have to begin with the endlessly huge stalk that formed the majority of its body. A vertical mass of pulsing material, it seemed to stretch up and up for eternity. It was not flesh, it was not stone, it might not even be energy, at least not of any kind that had been yet discovered. But it most certainly Was, and Satori nearly felt her mind smothered by the sheer horror of its mere presence.

She thought it would never end. She thought that it would extend upward for all eternity, connecting the roof of the universe to the floor. But end it did, expanding out into a disc that dwarfed most galaxies. Something was moving along the circumference of the disc. Though Satori did not wish to See anymore, she found herself propelled up against her will. She shot up around the edge and back, forced to take in the sheer scope of The Thing.

The moving things that ringed the disc resembled tongues. Tongues that writhed and lashed out and curled around themselves in a sickening manner. The disc itself was covered with millions upon millions of beaklike mouths that endlessly opened and closed, revealing slimy gullets that were lined with row after row of curved teeth. Satori's vision moved further and further back, revealing more and more of the disc, until she finally Saw the entire scope of The Thing. There, in the center of the disc, was a curving mound composed of the same unidentifiable material as the stalk. Even though Satori had no way to judge such things, she somehow knew that this mound alone nearly matched the eye of the Milky Way galaxy for size.

All of this falls short of what Satori really experienced in that moment. To fully describe The Thing runs the risk of exposing others to the same insanity that Satori was subjugated to. Can one truly put to words the overwhelming revulsion that one experiences when encountering something so incredibly wrong, so utterly alien, that its very existence is an affront to reality? Can one explain how its presence seems to change the very nature of the way things are? How everything once believed to be true is warped and violated and made not mean anything anymore?

She tried to look away, but her Vision was fixed upon The Thing. Its very existence violated her sanity. It overwhelmed her entire being. Right was wrong. Black was white, up was down was left was right was diagonal was all of the above all at once and then not even they had any meaning anymore as all was everything and everything was nothing and nothing was what shouldn't even exist except that it did it was right there despite being counter to anything and everything an absolute abomination except did that word even mean anything anymore it is so hard to tell when even names cease to matter…

And then the mound surged and slid open, revealing a staring eye made from hellish flame and pain. It filled the entirety of her Vision. It filled the entirety of her Being. It was everything and everywhere. And, with a Voice that could collapse suns and shatter solar systems, it spoke a single Word.

HI.

Then she felt herself slipping away, away from the horrible Thing, away from the insanity, the pain, the absolute wrongness. She forced herself along every agonizing step of the way, desperate to get away, to return to reality, even though she was no longer certain that it still existed, or if it had ever existed at all. In the distance, she heard the shrill sound of someone screaming, and she clung to it, using it as a beacon, even moving closer and closer, never once realizing that the voice was her own, back in her body, not until she finally clawed the last bit of the way back into normality and…

…her vision cleared up just in time to see the heel of Yuuka's boot come down on her face.

…

Me

Yuuka allowed the additional mass of her hands, shoulders and arms melt away and return to normal. Gnarled bark became pink flesh and red cloth once again. She knelt down and gently picked up the large, clear crystal that had rolled out of Satori's clothes. Then, as she casually rolled the crystal over her knuckles, she watched and waited.

Satori's body was starting to dissolve into a fine, lavender mist. Her life energies. If left to themselves, they would eventually gather together and reform her body, allowing her to resurrect. Such was the way of the youkai, to always return anew from death. Whether this was a blessing or a curse frankly depended on who you spoke to.

However, that would only happen if Yuuka were to permit it. And as it just so happened, she intended no such thing. Once the ruler of the Underground had fully disintegrated, Yuuka held the crystal right into the purple cloud.

There was a slight rushing noise, and the mist started to swirl around the crystal. It drew in ever tighter and tighter, forming a vortex as it was literally sucked in. Yuuka had to laugh at the sight, as it had suddenly reminded her of bathwater going down a drain. The sheer absurdity of the comparison struck her as funny for some reason.

And then it was done. The mist was gone, and the once clear crystal now shone with the same gentle lavender color. Yuuka held up the crystal and slowly turned it around, letting its light illuminate her face.

"The universe said to me, 'Madam, I exist!'" she said. "'However,' I replied, 'The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.'"

With that, she laid the crystal in her palm and covered it with her fingers. When she opened them again, her hand was empty.

…

You slump back in your chair, grimacing and clutching at your head. It feels like someone was driving a metal spike right through each eye. It feels as if your brain were hemorrhaging.

"Easy there, easy," Yuuka says. "I know. It's always a bit of a shock. Though what you just saw was heavily edited and watered down. Even what that little digger went through was far from the full experience." Here her fingers gently move over the lavender crystal she wears. "Had she truly beheld yours truly as I once was, she not only would have ceased to exist, but all memory of her and everyone she was close to would have been erased from living memory."

The only response you are able to come up with is a groan of pain. Yuuka's words seem to be coming through a very long tunnel.

"I must admit though, seeing that makes me all kinds of nostalgic," Yuuka continues on. "Of course, I've fallen on hard times since then. Made some mistakes, got involved in the occasional poor decision. Along the road I've lost the overwhelming majority of my power and influence. As a result, I am a far cry from what I once was. No doubt my former…contemporaries would find me almost as insignificant as the mortals they prey upon. I don't complain though. Mine is a good life, and I have been introduced to so many wonderful things as a result of my…banishment. So many new pleasures. But there once was a time where this world would have been shattered to nothingness simply by being in my presence. There once was a time where even beings such as Yukari herself would feel lesser than a microbe by comparison. It kind of makes all of her posturing seem silly as a result, doesn't it?"

…

Yukari

When the stars stopped spinning, Yukari found herself flat on her back with rain pelting her face and Yuuka crouching over her and driving that blade right into her stomach.

"Painful, isn't it?" Yuuka said. "I'm almost tempted to decapitate you right here and now. But honestly, where would be the fun in that? Especially since all I have to do is move my friend up just a centimeter…" Yukari gasped as the blade slowly moved upward.

Yuuka held the pressure for a full three seconds before saying, "No, you don't like that, do you? But what would happen, say, if I were to move it in the other direction? Just take it all the way down and split you right through. Rather symbolic, isn't it? Oh, and just out of curiosity, would this be your first-"

Yuuka stopped in midsentence. She frowned, confused, and looked down to see Yukari's arm thrust right into her chest, black ichor dripping down the elbow.

"Oh," she said. "Well. That kind of hurts."

"Yeah, speaking of symbolic," Yukari grunted. Then bright light exploded in the cavity she had created and Yuuka was launched into the air, taking that abominable blade with her.

Now free, Yukari rolled over and clutched at her open wound. It was deep and painful, but fortunately Yuuka had yet to do any real cutting. Yukari would live. She just wished her powers were geared toward more traditional healing.

She was not without options, however. Though the pain and the magical interference meant that she couldn't concentrate on repairing the internal damage, she could at least close up the exterior. Yukari placed a hand over the cut and grimaced as the skin slowly sealed itself back up.

Once she was no longer opened like a slaughtered pig, she turned her attention to Yuuka. The flower-lover had landed a good distance away and was now just scrambling to her feet. From the look of things, nearly a good third of her abdomen had been blown away. Of course, it was already in the process of knitting itself back together, but Yukari was in no mood to just let Yuuka put herself back together.

She strode purposefully through the rain, golden eyes shining through the darkness. "You sick, sick monster," she said. "You want to play games? You want to just inflict pain for your own vile pleasure? I don't. I do not have the time to indulge you. I'm working to rescue this country from abominations that are worse than you. I'm trying to save everyone's lives here, but the whole world just seems bound and determined to work against me. Even the people who are supposed to be my allies are challenging me at every turn. I'm having to resort to threats and blackmail just to get some cooperation, just like I always have to do."

Yukari's entire body suddenly flared bright red. Yellow electricity surged and crackled all around her. "And then we have you. So set on getting in my way and making things difficult. And not for personal gain or because you have some sort of grudge. Those I could almost respect. But no, you do it just because you find it funny. Because it amuses you. So fuck you, Yuuka. You've been a thorn in my side for only maybe a couple of weeks, and already I'm sick of you. I've had it with your mind-games, I've had it with your damned plants, and I've really, really had it with that annoying smile of yours. You want to cut me off from using borders and dimensions against you? Fine. That just means I'm going to have to hurt you the old fashioned way."

Yuuka stumbled to her feet and stared at Yukari. And then, in such an infuriating manner that had to be deliberate, she smiled. "Oh, you're making me hot."

"Not yet," Yukari said. "But I can promise, this will."

With that, she leapt into the air and came down fists-first. Her knuckles slammed into the wet stone and she discharged the energy she had gathered.

The response was immediate. Sheer, raw power surged out from her in a massive shockwave, blowing away water and disrupting stone. Yuuka was bowled over and knocked sprawling.

Then the ground started to crack apart. Fissures opened up as stone pillars forced their way up, only to fall crashing back down into darkness. The Skillet Plateau was literally coming to pieces.

But it didn't stop there. Flames erupted within the gaps, rising up to lick the sky. Soon the whole place was aflame, with the only sanctuary being the columns that had somehow managed to survive.

Of course, this was no danger to someone who could fly. And with the interference still going strong, Yukari was limited to what she could power with her own body. So she would just have to make good on her promise to do things the old-fashioned way.

Yukari started moving, jumping from column to column, swiftly making her way toward her target. Yuuka was again struggling to stand. Yukari bunched her muscles and leapt into the air. At the height of her arc, she sent a spinning blue missile Yuuka's way. It hit, and sent her flying backward into the center of the nearest pillar, smashing it in two and sending the top half careening down into the flames.

A moment later, Yuuka found herself pressed down by two green beams of energy pouring down from Yukari's hands. She looked up and managed to recover her grin, weak as it was. "So, damnation is it? Going to send me to Hell?"

"Oh, believe me, I'd love to make you Shinki's personal problem," Yukari said. "But no. I'm not even going to grant you that."

"Just as well. You'd have a hard time of it. I seem to have left bits of myself lying all over the place."

Yukari shrugged. "Then I get to hunt them down and get rid of them too. Might be fun."

"Is that a hint of sadism I hear, Yukari?" Despite the fact that she was literally pinned down right over a lake of fire, Yuuka laughed. "It seems you can learn to enjoy yourself after all."

"Believe it. This is just a taste of the banquet I've prepared for you."

Yuuka cocked her head. Even though she had the upper hand, Yukari felt an involuntary chill. Yuuka didn't seem at all worried. Instead, she looked downright eager.

"Then by all means," Yuuka purred. "Let us enjoy it together."

With that, she slammed her elbows back into the stone that held her aloft. It shattered beneath her. And with gravity pulling her from below and Yukari shoving her down from above, her body plummeted straight down with absolutely no resistance.

But Yuuka had yet another trick up her sleeve. Four vines popped out of her back and whipped upward to wrap around Yukari's torso. Realizing what Yuuka intended, Yukari didn't fight it, but allowed herself to be pulled down as well. She added to her own momentum and swooped down to hit Yuuka in midair. Her hands closed around her throat and they both fell into the inferno.

…

Bang.

All right, now that the mood's been thoroughly ruined, I've got two things I want to touch on. The first is to give a very big thank you to Cygan Angel for her help in editing this chapter! As many of you have pointed out, I tend to overlook things, so having a second pair of eyes is a real big help. Thank you again!

The second is another thank you and an advertisement. It seems that Imperfect Metamorphosis now has a dedicated thread on Spacebattles, courtesy of RoboJesus, AKA GLH (thanks dude!). At the moment, there are only a handful of posts, as I'm pretty sure only three or four people on that site have even heard of IM. However, as I'd hate to have a perfectly good thread go to waste, it would be awesome to see some of you guys over there. If you would like having a place to discuss recent chapters and theories, that would be the place to do it. And I'll definitely be lurking about, so if we can get it up and running, that would also be the place to ask questions, offer suggestions and requests, get updated on when the next chapter can be expected, receive previews and all that good stuff. Criticisms are also welcome, though the same rules about politeness apply. Anyway, same deal as before. Check my profile for the link.

So yeah, a big thank-you to Cygan Angel and RoboJesus, and hope to see you guys over at Spacebattles!

Until next time, everyone!