Together Forever

Deep Within

In time, Rumia came to, although she did so slowly. But when her awareness finally returned to a satisfactory state, she was lying on her side, curled up in a tight ball. Her whole body was shivering as though cold, and she was covered with a cool layer of sweat. Her throat felt harsh and raw, as if she had been screaming, and her eyelashes were coated with some kind of gummy substance, sticking them together.

That had been odd. One moment Yuuka Kazami had been holding onto Rin's physical body and forcing the little Kirin to look into her eye. Now Rumia wasn't exactly renowned for her intellect, but she had been around long enough to know that when creepy monsters of Yuuka's caliber wanted you to look into their eyes, even if they only had one, nothing good would follow.

Unfortunately, by the time she had made the decision to warn Rin to look away, Yuuka's eye had already filled the entirety of the screen and Rin had stopped responding. And while Rumia had done her darnedest not to look herself, apparently the connection she and Rin shared was enough for her to take some of the bleedover effect. That in itself was enough to make her black out.

Still shaking, Rumia licked her lips, found them to be chapped, and forced herself to sit up. She rubbed the gunk out of her eyes and looked around.

Rin was still nearby, in much the same position as Rumia had just recovered from. The screen was there too, though it was completely blank, showing nothing but a featureless sea of grey.

"R-Rin?" Rumia said hoarsely. She coughed and, not trusting her legs to support her, crawled the rest of the way over to the Kirin. After a moment of hesitation she started shaking her by the shoulder. "Rin, hey. Wake up."

For a second, Rumia was afraid that she would get no response. Then suddenly Rin jerked up with a gasp. Startled, Rumia backpedaled as Rin instinctively lashed out at her.

"Don't touch me!" Rin cried.

"Okay, okay," Rumia said, holding up her hands in surrender. "Take it easy, Rin. It's just me."

Rin stared at her. There was a wild look in her eyes, one that made Rumia's insides squirm. It was a look she had seen many times before in the eyes of feral youkai, a look she herself used to wear during her more primitive days.

"Rin," Rumia said, waving her hand back and forth. "Hey, it's me. Rumia, you remember me?"

Rin continued to stare at her. A shudder passed through her body, and she swallowed loudly. "R-Rumia?" she said in a hoarse whisper.

Okay, they were getting somewhere. "It's me," she said. "You know me. Rumia. Are you okay?"

Rin frowned. "Rumia," she said again slowly, as if speaking the name for the first time. "You're…you're my Rumia, right?"

Actually, Rumia wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea of being Rin's anything. But this wasn't the time to argue semantics. "It's me," she confirmed. "The same Rumia I've always been."

Rin gave her a strange look. "Are you?" she said. Rumia didn't have an answer for that.

Shaking, Rin wrapped her arms around herself and turned to walk away. After a moment of hesitation, Rumia followed.

"What did you see?" Rin asked, giving her the briefest of glances.

"Huh?"

"Did you see anything? When…" Rin licked her lips. "When she looked at me?"

"Bits and pieces," Rumia admitted. "Mostly about the stuff you told me about, about your, you know, past."

"My past?" Rin croaked. She let out a hoarse laugh. "Are you sure? Maybe she was lying. Maybe I was lying. Maybe it was all a bad dream. How can you be sure?"

Frowning, Rumia peered into Rin's face. "Okay, and that meant what exactly?"

"It means…I don't know. It means that I don't know." Rin ran her shaking hand through her hair. Her frightened eyes darted back and forth, as if searching the surrounding darkness for monsters. "I don't get it. Things didn't match up. Not the way I remember."

"Uh…okay, Rin."

Rin glanced at Rumia, as if pleading for her validation. "You know what I'm saying, right? You know what this means?"

"'Fraid you lost me a long ways back, Rin."

Rin's eyes teared up, and she looked away. "Never mind," she mumbled. "Forget it. I don't know why I even…" She drew in a ragged breath and slowly let it out. "She's alive."

Rumia didn't need to ask who "she" was. "Yeah. Looks like."

"But how? I burned her, poured everything I had into her. I felt her die. How could she…"

After a moment of hesitation, Rumia ventured, "Uh, Rin? Don't take this the wrong way, but you were kind of…messed up when that happened. Maybe you felt it wrong?"

Rin let out a hiccupping laugh. "Maybe. Don't see how she coulda survived though. It killed me, it shoulda killed her. How did she survive?"

"Beats me," Rumia shrugged. "I was kind of stuck in a nightmare at the time, so I don't know. Maybe some things are just too mean to die."

Rin paused. She looked at Rin, her brow raised. "That makes…a disturbing amount of sense."

"Just a guess. But hey, if you want to know why the scary lady inside you is still alive, maybe you should ask the scary lady on the outside?"

…

Eyeing herself in the full length mirror, Yuuka adjusted her caveat and straightened out her sleeves. Then she pulled a fresh eyepatch down over her head and snapped it into place. That done, she looked herself up and down and nodded in satisfaction. Call her old-fashioned, but it just didn't seem right to conduct negations with otherworldly affronts to nature while in the buff.

Now presentable, Yuuka left the mansion and went back out to the sundeck. The situation had not changed significantly since she had left to dress. Rin Satsuki was still lying in a crumpled heap on the ground, Elly was still standing vigilant over her still form, and Cirno was still hovering on the edge of the deck, looking like she was three steps away from outright panic. Poor dears, this whole ordeal was upsetting them so much. All the more reason to push toward some kind of resolution.

"Okay, I'm decent," Yuuka announced as she strode out of the doors. "Has she made any sign of recovery?"

The grip Elly had on her scythe was starting to make her knuckles turn white. "N-not really," she said, a slight quaver in her voice. "A couple moans, some mumbling."

"Hmmm." Yuuka regarded Rin Satsuki's body with interest. "Anything coherent?"

Elly shook her head. "Nothing I could understand."

"Is she dead?" Cirno suddenly blurted out. "She looks dead!"

Elly's body started shaking with frustration. "Dead?" she repeated. "You're asking if she's dead?" She spun around and started advancing on the fairy. "How could she mumbling if she's dead, you stupid-"

Yuuka caught her by the ear. "Elly. Not now. Control yourself."

"Sorry, master," Elly said, wilting.

"Good girl." Yuuka released her. "Though you raise a fair point." She turned her attention to the bemused fairy. "Cirno? Sweetie? I know you are concerned for your friend's wellbeing, but it would be best for you to return to your other friends until-"

Rin started to move. Yuuka stopped talking and put a healthy distance between herself and the stirring creature, moving Elly behind herself in the process. Everyone watched cautiously as Rin braced her palms against the flagstones and pushed herself up onto her knees.

"Ugh," she muttered. "Okay. Movement, good. Can talk okay. Hearing's a little wonky. Sight?" She opened her kaleidoscope eyes and squinted. Apparently her sight was working just fine, because as soon as she caught sight of Yuuka, her gaze went cold.

"Ah," she said. "You."

There were a number of ways Yuuka could respond, most of them likely to incite violence. So she went with the safest option. "Are you all right?" she asked with as much concern as she could muster.

Rin let out a low hiss that might have been a laugh, might have been a threat. "All right. Huh. Interesting question. Not really sure how to answer."

"Is Rumia okay?" Cirno blurted out.

Was it Yuuka's imagination, or did a look of shame cross over Rin's face? Either way, she avoided meeting the anxious ice-fairy's eyes. "She's fine," she mumbled.

Nodding, Yuuka took a step forward. "I'm sorry I had to do that, but given the severity of the threat, I had to check for myself."

A low growl emitted from Rin's throat. "You could have asked," she said.

"Would you have said yes?" Yuuka inquired.

The growl changed, becoming a sound like a cold wind whistling through a long, dark tunnel. Yuuka braced herself for violence, but the attack never came. Instead, Rin looked away and said, "What did you see?"

Relief coursed through Yuuka, though she didn't let it show. "That you got yourself something of a problem," she said.

Rin looked at her then, her eyes narrowed with annoyance. "I know," she said. "Maybe you could narrow it down for me?"

"There's a voice inside your head, one other than your cute little passenger, but quite like her in a number of ways."

"She's alive, isn't she?" Rin said flatly.

"If you are referring to the Shadow Youkai, then yes, yes she is," Yuuka nodded.

Cirno broke into the conversation. "You mean Rumia? She's alive?"

Elly's scythe whistled through the air and stopped dead, the tip of the blade millimeters from Cirno's throat. "Shut it!" Elly shouted. "Let them talk!"

"Patience, dear. All will be clear in time," Yuuka said to Cirno. She nodded to Elly, who lowered her scythe. Turning back to Rin, she said, "And from what I was able to gather, our nasty friend has somehow lodged herself deep inside your subconscious, where she is no doubt making a frightful mess."

Rin blinked. "Wait, she's in my what?"

"Your subconscious. It's that part of your mind where-"

"I know what my subconscious is! I just want to know how she got there!"

Irritated at being interrupted, Yuuka said, "Walked, I suppose, or however you people get around in there."

"But that doesn't…" Rin shook her head. She sounded dazed. "She couldn't have…

"Could she not?" Yuuka said, raising an eyebrow. "They are tenacious creatures, the Fallen. And their Avatars doubly so. After all, they have the additional advantage of mortal adaptability."

"The Fallen," Rin whispered. "She really is…"

"Based on what I observed, there is little doubt." Yuuka slowly clapped her palms together. "I must congratulate you, my dear. Out of all the beings you could have consumed, you chose one of the strongest and most troublesome."

"It's not like I knew! How do I get rid of her? Without hurting Rumia, I mean."

"Hmmm, well, that's a difficult question," Yuuka mused. "The tried and true methods are unfortunately few and-"

"Hey!"

Everyone stopped talking and turned to stare at Cirno.

The ice-fairy was hopping mad. Literally, as she was bouncing from one leg to the other, as if she really needed to use the toilet. "Look, I don't know what all this talk about subcontractors and people falling down is all about, but I still want to talk to Rumia!" She stabbed a finger at Rin. "You said she's okay? Well, prove it!"

Elly growled. "I told you to shut up, you-"

"Silence!" Yuuka bellowed.

Her demand was obeyed, which was a nice change of pace. Cirno froze in mid-hop, balanced on one leg. Elly wilted, taking a few steps back and hanging her head. Rin just watched without reaction, her terrifyingly beautiful face betraying no more emotion than a plaster mask.

Finally, Yuuka spoke. "Cirno, while your…concern for your friend is admirable, I must dissuade you from this course of action. For one, I have already confirmed firsthand that your Rumia is perfectly fine, and if you do not trust my word, my feelings will be hurt. For another, if you wish to speak to Rumia face-to-face, there are only two ways this might come about. The first is for Rin here to cough her up, and that is still out of the question, as doing so will also release a great big scary monster that loves to gobble up little fairies." She glanced at Rin and amended, "Well, another one anyway."

"But-" Cirno started to say as she lowered herself to stand on both feet.

"The second is for Rin to swallow you as well, bringing you into where Rumia is. And I for one would not recommend such a course of action. For one, the process appears to be quite painful, and I'm afraid Rin here does not have a positive track record when it comes to voluntarily releasing those she has consumed."

Cirno scowled. "I'm not afraid! Let her try!"

Rin spoke. "Actually, there is another way."

The reaction was immediate. Cirno's eyes bobbled and she squeaked out, "Uh, say what?

"I beg your pardon?" Yuuka said, at roughly the same time.

"There's another way," Rin repeated herself. "I could let Rumia, uh, control my body for a while. That way, she could talk to you directly instead of, you know, having me tell you what she is saying?"

Yuuka stared. Somehow, she had overlooked this memory. "…such a thing is possible?"

"Well, I've only done it once, and that didn't, you know, really turn out well," Rin said with a shrug. "But I still remember how to do it, and can just sorta, uh, supervise while she's doing it."

Cirno grinned. "Great! Let's do that!" She turned toward the night-darkened garden. "I'll go get the rest of the guys, they'll want to talk to her too!"

"No!" Yuuka shouted. "Are you mad? Innocent and oblivious as she might be of her predecessor's crimes, Rumia still holds a spiritual connection to the Shadow Youkai, and I for one will not allow that…creature to gain any more of a foothold than she already possesses!"

Rin chuckled. The sound of it sent fingernails down Yuuka's spine. "That right?"

Yuuka scowled. Once again, she was being challenged. "Yes, Miss Satsuki, that is right."

Rin let out a long, whistling sigh. "Look, lady. I'm having a really crappy day, and most of that is your fault. You screwed up one of my last chances to find someone who could really help me, and got them into serious trouble. Then you took me on a guided tour of the most horrible things that have happened to me in my really horrible life. So I'm kinda cranky right now, you know? And I'm getting a little tired of being pushed around."

The color rose in Yuuka's cheeks. "Young lady, do correct me if I'm wrong, but was that a threat? "

"I'm saying that just because everything thinks you're so big and bad, you can go telling me what to do," Rin replied. She grinned. "I tore up that flower dome of yours pretty good, remember? And maybe eating you was a lousy idea, but getting close enough to do it was really easy."

"I would be careful if I were you, Rin Satsuki," Yuuka warned. "I would be very careful indeed. Do not forget whose house you are a guest in. There are certain properties that must be observed."

Rin snorted. "Give me a break. You think just because you let me out of that box, I'm like your guest or something? Nuh-uh. Not happening. If you think you can do something about the Dark Voice, then fine, I'm listening. But I'm not forgetting what you did back at the Youkai Mountain."

"Careful, Kirin. You are not burdened with a wealth of allies, nor are you starved for enemies. You can ill afford to make one of the latter by losing one of the former."

"Yeah, and I have you to thank for that," Rin shot back. "And this isn't a negotiation. Let Rumia see her friends, or I tear your head off.

Silence fell. Elly's face had gone completely pale. Even Cirno looked too shocked to speak. As for Yuuka, she was now so furious that she was seriously considering taking Rin up on her offer. How dare she? Her initial attack could be forgiven, given the circumstances, and Yuuka was willing to overlook her repeated lapses of good manners. But this? This was a deliberate insult, delivered right to Yuuka's face on the doorstep of her home. That was a violation of all rules of hospitality, and Yuuka would be well within her rights to leave her as a smoking black smudge on the ground for Elly to clean up. Didn't the little fool know who she was dealing with?

Except…except that Yuuka wasn't a fool herself, and unlike Rin, she knew exactly what she was dealing with. And that knowledge scared her.

Taking a deep breath, Yuuka turned to the aghast Shinigami and said, "Elly, would you be so kind as to round up the rest of the girls and bring them here?"

…

Deep Within

Once the Shinigami had left the deck, Rin's legs collapsed. She landed on her butt and seemed content to stay there. "Hooo-eeee," she breathed in and out. "Hooo-eee. Hoooooo-eeeeeeeee."

Rin warily eyed the hyperventilating Kirin. "You, uh, doing okay there, chief?"

"Gimme a minute," Rin said, waving her off. "Panic attack. Should pass soon."

"Yeah, I'm honestly not surprised," Rumia said with a shake of her head. "And feel free to tell me if I've got this totally wrong, but did you just intimidate Yuuka Kazami?"

Rin's face had gone fish-belly pale. She swallowed noisily. "Hey, yeah, no need to remind me." Her arms and shoulders started trembling. "Haven't forgotten, you know."

"Yeah. I bet." Putting her hands on her hips, Rumia tilted her head and quirked an eyebrow. "'And just for the record, I'm not really all that surprised that it worked. Because you were freaking terrifying right now."

"O-o-oh?" Rumia said, her teeth chattering. She twisted her face into what was probably supposed to be a smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "Th-thanks. Y-you know th-the b-b-best part a-about existing i-in two pl-places at once?"

"You, uh, mean out there and in here?"

Rin nodded. "I-I can b-b-be all scary out there while h-h-having a com-complete nervous b-b-b-breakdown in here, and no one will know!"

Good point. Rumia doubted that Rin's intimidation attempt would have worked nearly as well if Yuuka could see her now. However, there was something else that needed to be addressed. "Did you mean what you said?"

"Huh?"

"About letting me take control?" Rumia pressed. Her heart started beating faster. "So I can talk to my friends?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why?"

Rin shrugged. "Well, I f-figured that…" She managed a weak smile. "I kinda owe you, you know?"

Boy, was that understating things. "Is that so," Rumia said, scratching the back of her head. "And, uh, don't take this the wrong way, but how do you know I won't just keep your body and go on a rampage or something?"

Rin snorted. "Oh. Please try. I mean it. I'm not saying that because it's impossible or something. If you want to use me to get back at people you don't like, go right ahead. It'll be hilarious."

Well, that wasn't exactly the answer Rumia had been expecting, nor was it at all comforting. Taking a slow step backward, Rumia said "…you really are having some kind of breakdown, aren't you?"

Rin turned her head to look at her. Her eyes were wide, and looked broken and lost. "H-hey, you know that point where someone who's lost everything realizes that they're so far gone that nobody can hurt them anymore?"

"I guess."

Rin giggled. "I hit that point when Yukari Yakumo showed up and took Reimu away. Anything else is just delaying the inevitable."

…

A youkai lived her life in constant danger. True, they were predators by nature, even the more Human-seeming ones. And true, they were technically immortal, able to recover from virtually any injury, able to crawl back from the brink of death itself. But there was always something scarier out there. There was always someone stronger, meaner, and more savage. And supernatural healing or not, pain still hurt, wounds still cut deep, and even immortality had its limits.

Wriggle knew all of this, and was no stranger to fear. She had started off as a simple creature at the bottom of the food chain, and sometimes it seemed like circumstances had conspired to remind her how little she had progressed. Now she huddled in the relative shelter of the sunflower field, eyes wide and senses extended for the monster they now knew was out there. Her heart was beating so fast that she feared it would give them away, and her arms and shoulders would not stop trembling.

At least she was in better shape than Mystia. The night-sparrow had effectively shut down. She was hunkered down next to Wriggle with her head between her knees and her arms sheltering herself. She kept mumbling under her breath, almost like a chant. Daiyousei was holding onto to her, though whether it was to comfort the terrified bird or because she needed to hold onto something to keep from panicking was anybody's guess.

It was times like this that Wriggle found herself envying Cirno. Sure, the ice fairy was an idiot by anyone's standards, but she was also completely fearless. And in situations like this, when horrible death was all but assured, at least she would go out defiantly facing down their foe while the rest of them spent their last few minutes as quivering lumps.

Then again, they hadn't heard anything from Cirno since she had gone after Elly. Maybe she had been eaten already. In which case, perhaps there was something to be said for good old fear.

Wriggle wanted to go after her, she honestly did. Maybe they didn't get along like they once did, and maybe Cirno's stupidity was to blame for everything that had gone wrong as of late, but she was still her friend, damn it! It wasn't right to just let her go off to get torn apart, and yet Wriggle couldn't move. She hated herself for it, but she was just too scared.

Seconds ticked away like minutes, minutes like hours, and finally Daiyousei ventured in a small voice, "I d-don't hear anything."

Neither did Wriggle. There had been noises of some kind coming from the mansion not too long ago, but whatever had caused that calamity had ended. Since then, there had been nothing but silence.

Time passed, and then Daiyousei spoke again. "Should w-we go check on th-them?"

"No," Mystia said in a hoarse whimper. "Too late. They're dead. They're all dead. It ate them, and it'll come after us next. It's gonna eat us, and there's nothing we can-"

"Quiet," Wriggle hissed, shoving her hand over Mystia's mouth. Someone was coming.

They cowered deeper into the foliage. Soon, the silhouette of a little girl holding onto a comically oversized scythe came flying through the starry sky. "Hullo?" she called. "Guys? Hullllooooo? Where are you?"

Wriggle let out the breath she had been holding. "It's Elly," she sighed with relief.

"How do you know?" Mystia demanded, still crouching in the same position. "It ate Rumia, than it became Rumia. Maybe it ate Elly too."

Crap, that was a good point. In fact, that meant they couldn't trust anyone. The Devouring Monster could have already absorbed Elly, Cirno, maybe even Yuuka. While Wriggle couldn't fathom anything getting the best of Yuuka, she was not in the mood to take chances.

"Guys?" Elly, or at least the thing that looked like Elly, continued to call. "Mystia? Daiyousei?" Then, after a short pause, she added in a sour voice, "How about you, Wriggle?"

"What if it is her?" Daiyousei whispered. "Maybe she's here to help us escape."

Wriggle didn't answer. She didn't have one to give. Her fingers curled into shaking fists. Damn it, they had come to Yuuka's garden to be safe! She hadn't wanted to return in the first place, but she had at least expected to be protected outside dangers.

"Come on already!" Elly shouted. "I don't have time for-Oh, forget it." She jabbed a finger at the rows of sunflowers. "All right, you punks! Cough them up!"

Wriggle's heart nearly stopped. She couldn't be doing what Wriggle thought she was doing, was she?

She was. At Elly's command, the sunflowers surrounding the terrified youkai bent their stalks away from them, leaving them exposed. They started shaking their leaves, drawing Elly's attention.

"There you are!" Elly shouted as she swooped down to them. Mystia screamed and quickly backpedaled away from her. Elly stared at her in confusion, then she sighed. "Oh, for crying out loud, stop it! I'm not Rin Satsuki, all right?"

Despite her fear, Wriggle was still bewildered by that statement enough to stop cowering and stare at the frazzled Shinigami. "You're not who now?"

"Rin Satsuki," Elly repeated with a roll of her eyes. "Yeah, as it turns out, that's the monster's name."

"It has a name?"

"Most things do. And guess what? It also has your buddy Rumia, and says if you go to the mansion right now, it'll let you talk to her."

Now Wriggle was completely beside herself. "Wait, Rumia's alive? For real?" She didn't dare let herself hope, but if it was true…

"No!" Mystia hissed. She clamped down on Wriggle's arm with both hands. Wriggle winced as the night-sparrow's talons sank painfully into her skin. "It's a trick! Don't listen to her!"

Daiyousei looked as confused by this turn of events as Wriggle felt. "What about Cirno?" she asked Elly. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, that idiot's fine," Elly growled impatiently. "But here's the deal: Rin Satsuki is this close to snapping and doing something horrible." She held up her hands, thumb and index finger curved so there were mere millimeters between their tips. "And she said that if you don't go back and talk to Rumia, she'll kill Yuuka."

"WHAT!" Daiyousei and Wriggle gawked. Wriggle followed it up with, "Is that even possible?"

"Don't know," Elly said, her voice grim. "But Yuuka apparently thinks it is."

"But it's a trick!" Mystia insisted. "It'll just eat us as soon as we get there, just like it did Rumia!"

"Yeah, maybe," Elly admitted. "But you see, here's the thing: as much as I like you guys, Yuuka is in danger right now. And when it comes down to you or her, I know who I'm saying goodbye to."

Mystia's body started to shake violently. She burrowed into Wriggle's side and screamed, "NO! You can't do this! You can't make us!"

"I can," Elly said, taking an ominous step forward. "And if you don't believe me…"

There was a sharp whistle, and the blade of her scythe slammed into the ground in front of the cowering girls' feet. "That's one reason why," she said. "And if that isn't enough for you…"

The air filled with the sound of rustling leaves. Looking up, Wriggle saw that the surrounding sunflowers were all bending their head down to stare at the three of them. Despite it being night, their petals had opened and she could swear that she saw tiny eyes glinting in the darkness of their dials.

Then the ground beneath them started squirming. Yelping in surprise, they sprung to their feet and looked down. Roots and vines were emerging from the earth, slithering around them like worms.

Her voice cold, Elly said, "I've got four million, seven-hundred forty-three thousand, eight-hundred ninety-two reasons more."

…

Deep Within

As they waited for Elly to return with the rest of Rumia's friends, Rumia pondered on the approaching reunion and how she should go about it. What bothered her was just how calm she felt about the whole thing. After all, she hadn't seen her friends in…actually, she had no idea how long it had been, but there was no doubt that it had been a long, long time. Though she had kept hoping, a part of Rumia had come to believe that she would never see Cirno, Wriggle, Daiyousei, and Mystia again, that she would either be killed by one of their enemies or was doomed to be trapped in Rin's mind for all time.

And yet, here Cirno was in the flesh (and boy howdy, did Rumia have a few things to say to her). And soon the other three were to be with them soon. Not only that, Rin was going to give her the chance to be with them, even if it might only be for a short time. She was about to step out into the real world and interact with her friends again.

So then why wasn't she excited? This was what she had wanted, right? She should be celebrating. Instead, she felt very little at all.

Maybe she was just jaded. Everything that she and Rin had tried ever since she had been absorbed into Rin's mind had ended with total disaster. Luck clearly did not favor the two little wayward youkai girls, and perhaps she just expected the rug to be yanked out from under her again.

Ah well.

Then Rin cleared her throat, startling her out of her musings. "So…you wanna do this now? Because they'll probably be back soon."

Rumia swallowed. "Er, okay. Does it…hurt?"

"I dunno," Rin said with a shrug. "Probably not. It'll probably be a little weird, but you can handle it." Then she fell silent. She gnawed a bit on the knuckle of one of her fingers for a bit before saying, "Uh, Rumia? You know I meant what I said, right? If you wanna do something…dangerous when you're in control, I won't stop you."

Her brow bunching up, Rumia scrutinized Rin's face. "Even if that means letting myself go?"

A brief look of pain flashed through Rin's eyes, only to be masked away. "Sure," she said neutrally. "If that's what you want."

Rumia considered that. Seeing her friends again was great. But to be free? To finally be rid of this stupid empty world, to not have to put up with crazy Rin anymore, to be able to walk around in the real world?

How long had she gone without sleep? How long had to been since she last had anything to eat? How long had she felt the wind on her face, or the grass between her toes? Rin was offering her a chance to just walk away, to finally be free from this living nightmare.

Now that was something worth celebrating.

Except…Rumia glanced over to the screen. On it, Yuuka was still warily watching them, her arms folded, her eye narrowed with suspicion. She thought about what Yuuka had said about her evil former self still being alive, and how being freed would also unleash that monster. Maybe Yuuka and Rin together would be able to stop her, but if not…

Rumia sighed, her shoulders slumping. She couldn't do it. She couldn't risk letting that thing loose, especially with her friends nearby. Doubly so, since it wasn't very likely that they would have separate bodies. Her former self would probably just take over, wiping out her mind in the process.

"Maybe some other time," Rumia said. "Let's just do this thing first."

Rin slowly nodded. Rumia wasn't sure, but it looked like the little Kirin seemed a bit relieved by her decision. "Okay," Rin said. "Now, what you want to do is this…"

…

Rumia opened her eyes.

She was standing on the deck outside of Yuuka's mansion. Her body (or Rin's, she should say), was still reshaping itself to look like her. Fascinated and somewhat horrified, she watched as Rin's metallic talons shrank down into pink, little-girl fingers.

Clothes, Rin said in her mind. Don't forget your clothes.

Oh, right. Rumia had gotten so used to being naked that she had nearly forgotten. Concentrating on the black outfit she usually wore, some of the bubbling goo that was her body became soft cloth. White shirt, socks and bloomers appeared, followed by a black vest, skirt and shoes. She even added that stupid ribbon.

Boy, this was weird. It didn't her, per se. In fact, she really couldn't feel much at all, as most of her senses were still developing. But it was definitely weird, like her body was boiling in reverse, minus the heat. What was even stranger was the connection between her physical body and the one inside her head. It wasn't like she had left that place to go out here, more like she had created a second, larger body and somehow inhabited them both at the same time. She could see the flower-covered mansion next to her, the stony deck beneath her feet, the star-filled black sky above, and the shadow-covered garden beyond the reach of the lights, but she could also see the empty nothing around her and Rin standing next to her, looking concerned. She moved her physical arm while leaving her mental arm limp at her side. Then she moved her mental arm while keeping her physical one still. And finally, she moved them both in unison.

It was incredibly disorienting. Was this how Rin felt all the time? If so, Rumia really hadn't been giving her enough credit for holding it together for as long as she had.

With careful deliberation, Rumia opened her physical mouth to say something, but at that moment the rest of her senses bubbled up. And ooohhhhhh…

The air, the fresh, cool air! It kissed her skin and left goosebumps. The feel of the clothing covering her skin, rougher and heavier than she remembered but not at all unwelcome. The smell of the flowers filling her nostrils, nearly intoxicating her. So many sensations being rediscovered. It filled her being and left her feeling lightheaded.

Yuuka watched with evident interest. "So," she said, tilting her head to one side. "This is the elusive Rumia." Her shimmering eyes glanced the small youkai girl up and down. Rumia cringed under her gaze. It felt uncomfortably similar to that memory of being on that laboratory table, with Yukari Yakumo, Mima, and the unfamiliar Hakurei shrine maiden glowering down at her. "To think that such a destructive creature would be contained within such a diminutive girl."

"Rumia?" Cirno said. The ice-fairy stared at her with wide eyes. Displaying a surprisingly amount of caution, she took a hesitant step forward but stopped. "Is that you?"

"I suppose we are about to find out," Yuuka murmured. "Well, girl? What have you to say for yourself?"

Rumia blinked and tried to steady herself. She was still sorting through the bombardment of sensations. Focus, she told herself. Answer their questions?

She shifted her weight, but it seemed her motor skills were still a little wonky, as that caused her to lose her balance. Flailing her arms, she tumbled over and landed roughly on her side. Caught up in the moment, her mental-self did the same.

"Are you okay?" Rin asked in concern.

Rumia didn't answer. All of her attention focused on her hand, which was lying flat on the ground. She slowly ran her hand over the smooth, stone tiles, marveling at their grainy coolness. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she laughed in the wonder of it all.

"Rumia!" Cirno cried, and she darted forward.

"Cirno, don't!" Yuuka cried out. She extended her hand, and a barrier of thorny rose-bushes pushed up through the stone to block Cirno's path. But the ice-fairy was too fast, too determined, and too accustomed to high-speed chases through three-filled forests. She darted through the grasping vines and threw herself at Rumia.

"Well, she seems happy to see you," Rin said, bitterness in her voice. Rumia ignored her. She just stared slack-jawed at Cirno's concerned face, which was now so close to her own that their noses were nearly touching.

"Are you all right?" Cirno pressed. She shook Rumia by the shoulders. "Come on, Rumia! Say something!"

"Cirno, get away from her," Yuuka said. "Right now."

Rumia wondered why Yuuka didn't simply use one of their vines to yank Cirno away, but then she remembered the beanstalk that Rin had killed. No doubt she didn't want to risk any more of her precious plants getting killed.

"Rumia?" Cirno said again.

Rumia supposed she should say something. She slowly lifted one arm and used it to move Cirno out of the way. It was surprisingly easy. Rin's body really did have strength to spare. Then she laid the other hand against the ground and used it to push herself up into a sitting position.

"I'm…okay" she said, forming each syllable with care. "I'm fine." Then she started laughing again. "In fact…I'm better than I've been in a long time.

…

Deep Within

Rin stood still as Rumia giggled with joy at her newfound freedom. As she hadn't learned to separate her two selves, the youkai girl that remained with her laughed along with her larger self, oblivious to Rin's presence.

Biting her lower lip, Rin heaved out a sigh and turned away. "Sorry," she muttered.

…

Together, with extreme reluctance and overwhelming fear, Wriggle, Mystia, and Daiyousei marched forward, all too mindful of Elly's scythe at their backs and Yuuka's plants nipping at their heels. Well, no, they weren't exactly marching. They were in the air, after all, and their legs were barely moving. But the pace was the same, as was the feeling of inevitability.

Once, a long time ago, nearly the entire gang had been marched to their deaths, after a prank had gone horribly wrong. It hadn't taken of course, and no one really expected it to. The point had been more to send a message than to remove them from the world. But Wriggle found herself remembering that day and finding it familiar. And unlike last time, there were no broken-toothed grins and shouted taunts to their executioners. This time they might not be coming back.

They neared the mansion, and Wriggle could see that something of importance had already taken place. For one, there was an extremely tall beanstalk thrusting up from the ground, one that looked like it was dead. Yuuka stood off to one side, looking quite put out but otherwise all right. Cirno was there too, kneeling next to…

Wriggle's jaw dropped. It couldn't be. "Rumia?" she whispered.

"Is it?" Daiyousei said, craning her neck. When she saw the blonde-haired, red-eyed youkai, her face lit up with excitement. "It is! It's really her!"

"No, it isn't," Mystia said flatly. "It's a trick. She'll eat Cirno. Th-then she'll come for us."

"What a shame," Elly said. She swept the pole of her scythe around, knocking all three girls over the deck's outer railing and sent them sprawling over the stone tiles.

Mystia recovered first. She immediately retreated to the nearest corner, her back pressed against the railing. "It's a trick," she moaned. "It's coming for us all. It's going to eat us. I won't be eaten, I won't be eaten, I won't be eaten…"

…

Boy, moving was harder than she had thought. Rumia carefully maneuvered her feet so that they were under her, pressed her hands against the ground for balance, and slowly rose up. Her knees wobbled, but she was able to keep her balance.

Rising with her, Cirno kept questioning her. "It's you, right? You're Rumia, right?"

"It's me," Rumia confirmed. Okay, she was getting the hang of this.

Cirno's face brightened with joy. "WOOHOO!" she cheered. "Awesomesauce! I knew you'd come back, I knew it!" She grabbed Rumia by the hand and started dancing around. "Stupid Yukari Yakumo, said it couldn't be done! Well, Rumia's back, so there!"

"Whoa, easy!" Rumia cried. Cirno wasn't strong enough to pull her off balance, but she didn't need any distractions right now.

Cirno didn't seem to have heard her. "Do you have any idea how long we were looking for you?" she said, merrily skipping about. "It was crazy! Yukari wanted to have us arrested and stuff, but Yuuka put a stop to that."

"That's great," Rumia said, wrenching her hand free. "Hey, Cirno?"

"Oh, and don't listen to Wriggle. Yuuka's great! She's been taking care of us all this time and is the nicest lady ever!"

Rumia, who still remembered Rin's screams, was less than convinced. "Cool. But look, Cirno?"

"You're gonna love it here! We get to live in a mansion that's a garden! I'm serious, there's a freaking garden inside! Like, the floors are all dirt with flowers and stuff growing out. How cool is that?"

Okay, enough. "Cirno!" Rumia shouted.

Startled, Cirno stopped dancing around and stared at her. "Er, huh?"

Sighing, Rumia ran her fingers through her hair and said, "Look, I know this is real cool, and it's great to see you again, but there's something I really need to tell you."

"Oh!" Cirno grinned widely. "Of course! You're really happy to be back, right?"

"That too," Rumia said, nodding. "But there's something else."

With that, she grabbed Cirno by her upper arms and yanked her up.

…

As the thing claiming to be Rumia lifted Cirno into the air, Wriggle felt her heart stop. Oh gods, Mystia had been right. Now Cirno was going to get eaten and there wasn't anything they could do about it.

The creature lifted Cirno high above her head. A low growl emitted from its throat, and its face, which looked so much like Rumia's, contorted with rage.

Wriggle closed her eyes. Call her a coward, but she had two friends that were horribly devoured, one of which had never come back. She didn't want to witness a third.

And then, something wonderful happened.

"You idiot!" the creature shouted in Rumia's voice. "Why'd you go and put a bounty on us? Do you have any idea how much trouble you put us through, you dumb jerk?"

"Ayiyiyiyiyiyiyi!" Cirno cried.

Wriggle's eyes popped open. The creature was violently shaking Cirno by the arms while angrily ranting at her. Shocked, she sat frozen in place, staring at the bizarre spectacle. Why wasn't it eating her? It had the opportunity. Instead, it was acting exactly like…

Wriggle sucked in a sharp breath. A tiny quiver of hope sprung to life, lifting her heart. She exchanged looks with Daiyousei and Mystia, who seemed just as stunned as she was.

And to Wriggle's great astonishment, it was Mystia, terrified almost to the point of madness Mystia, who had the guts to break the spell and hoarsely whisper, "R-Rumia?"

Rumia apparently now had very good hearing. She stopped shaking Cirno and turned to see who had spoken. Then she saw Mystia and her eyes lit with delight.

"Mysty?" she said. Her hands opened, dropping one dazed ice-fairy to the ground. Then her eyes moved, focusing on her other two friends. "Wriggle? And Dai! You're…you're here! You're all here! You're all right!"

That did it. The fear broke, and the doubt dissolved. If it was still a trick, Wriggle was willing to risk it.

Crying openly and not caring who saw it, she charged forward and tackled Rumia with a flying embrace around her neck. Rumia oomphed and took a step backward, but was able to keep her footing. But then Daiyousei slammed into her midsection, and Mystia threw herself on top of all three. Her balance gone, Rumia fell back and landed on top of Cirno, taking everyone with her in a great big dogpile.

Nobody cared. They had gotten their friend back. Team Nineball was whole again, and everything was all right.

…

Yuuka had not moved. She remained exactly where she had been standing ever since Rin Satsuki had threatened her, dispassionately watching the children's tearful reunion. Normally such a thing would stir strong feelings in her, inspiring clasped hands and gleeful smiles. Not today. Her face might as well have been carved from granite, for all the emotion she betrayed.

Her task accomplished, Elly flew over to her master's side. Yuuka greeted her with a small nod. "A lovely sight, is it not?" Yuuka said, her tone implying that she thought it was anything but. "It warms the very cockles of my heart."

Elly cast an uncertain glance over to their guests. Her fingers tightened on the pole of her scythe. "She's not eating them," she remarked.

"Indeed not. It would seem that young Miss Satsuki's word was good. We live to be cowed another day."

With that, Yuuka abruptly turned on her heel and slowly moved away, hands clasped behind her back. "Walk with me," she said. "We have matters to discuss."

Leaving their joyous guests behind, Yuuka and Elly departed from the deck and entered the mansion. The vines curling around the doorframe grasped the handles and pulled the glass doors shut behind them. Even so, Yuuka didn't stop until they were within the confines of the Tulip Room. She didn't know the limits of Rin Satsuki's senses, and she was not about to take chances.

Now that they had put a sufficient number of walls and closed doors between them and the girls, Yuuka stopped walking. Pursing her lips, she held her hands in the prayer position in front of her face, the tips of her forefingers tapping thoughtfully against her lower lip. "Well, Elly," she said. "It would seem that you were correct. My rashness has indeed invited trouble through our front door, leaving us with quite the conundrum to solve. The situation is far graver than I had ever imagined, which, considering the fallout of my little tussle with Yukari Yakumo, is quite the bold statement to make."

Elly gravely nodded. She had deduced as much. "What do we do?"

"An excellent question, one that requires careful dissection and analysis before a satisfactory answer may be found. So for now, let us set aside our struggles with Yukari and all related to that little debacle and focus on what is before us. To begin, as I see it, we have two pertinent problems that must be overcome," Yuuka said, holding up two fingers in demonstration. She reached up with the other hand and pulled one of the fingers down. "First and most obvious, there is Rin Satsuki herself. I really must give the devil her due, that Lunarian Frankenstein really outdid herself with this one. Rin is a truly unique specimen. Her body is naturally invulnerable to outside attack, and the way she takes skills and power from those she has devoured have turned her into quite the threat." Yuuka shook her head and let out a mirthless chuckle. "A shame about her attitude problem. Still, I find myself curious. There is a great deal of potential in that one."

As far as Elly was concerned, the only thing about Rin Satsuki that interested her was figuring out how to move her to the opposite side of the world from where they were. Deciding that such thoughts were better left unspoken, she said, "And the other?"

"Ah, that should be obvious." Yuuka lowered the other finger, squeezing her hand into a tight fist. "Cute little Rumia's previous incarnation, the Shadow Youkai, still alive and firmly lodged deep within little's Rin's subconscious. Based upon what I've been able to gather from her origins, she is a palpable threat all by herself, of the 'Destroy on Sight' variety. Her current location only makes the situation worse, as I have no doubt that she is making an atrocious mess of Rin's mind."

Elly's eyes widened. She was beginning to understand. "So is that why Rin Satsuki was so, um, mean? Because of the Shadow Youkai?"

"Mmmm, of that I have little doubt." Putting one hand on her hip, Yuuka rubbed her chin, her eye narrowing dangerously. "Though, given what I've seen of the girl's life, Miss Satsuki would hardly need such influence as an excuse for aggressive behavior. Still, the current situation cannot be allowed to continue. The Shadow Youkai must be removed and exterminated before we can move forward."

Elly hesitated a moment before venturing her next question. Earlier, Yuuka had identified the monster as something horrible, and Elly wanted to make sure she had heard her correctly. "Master? The Shadow Youkai? What is she?"

It was a long time before Yuuka answered, and when she did, there was a note of something that Elly so rarely heard from her: fear. "A simple mortal, originally. Human, probably. But one that has been touched and twisted by powers most terrible. We are dealing with the emissary of one of the Fallen."

Elly's breath caught. So, she had Yuuka correctly after all. Yuuka's mansion boasted an extensive library, and she had done her homework. "An Avatar?" she whispered.

"Indeed. Of an Archangel of Death, no less."

Now Elly knew why someone as powerful as Yuuka had been afraid. When Avatars of the Fallen appeared, they often did so as harbingers of the Apocalypse. Worlds had been destroyed, and entire species rendered extinct. "Are you sure?" Elly pressed. "I mean, couldn't it be some other type of Angel?"

Yuuka shook her head. "I know what I saw, sweetheart. I know what I felt. Make no mistake, one of the Creator's tainted assassins dwells inside that girl's mind." Her lips curled into a snarl. "To think that a psychopomp of all things would find its way into my domain. What a revolting turn of events."

While she knew that Yuuka hadn't meant anything by it, Elly still felt hurt by her words. After all, the Shinigami were psychopomps as well, even if she no longer performed as one. Careful to mask her reaction, she said, "But what can be done about it?"

Yuuka shrugged. "In that, I'm afraid our options are limited and risky. Fortunately however, they are not non-existent. And I for one intend to see that hideous creature expelled from Gensokyo by any means necessary. After all, given the reason this country was created, she is nothing more than a trespasser. And with that in mind…"

Her words trailing off, Yuuka's gaze slowly drifted to the circle of soil surrounding the room. Elly followed her master's eyes until they fell upon one of the large, closed tulips, this one a deep purple. While most of the flowers were completely still, this was jerking and twitching as its occupant struggled in vain to escape.

When Yuuka spoke again, her voice was a low, dangerous murmur: "…you know how much I hate trespassers."

…

Deep Within

Rin sat by herself with her legs folded, arms resting on her knees, and back bowed. Behind her, Rumia's reunion with her friends was still growing strong. The crying had more-or-less stopped, as had all that crawling over each other, and now they were all sitting together, catching up.

"Did it hurt when she ate you?" Cirno wanted to know. "Because wow, that was freaky."

"Of course it did, numbskull," Rumia told her. "I was getting dissolved!"

"And she's in there right now?" Wriggle questioned. "Can she hear us?"

Rin felt Rumia's eyes on her back. She sighed but said nothing.

"Yeah, she's here," Rumia told them.

"Can we talk to her?" Cirno asked. "There's a bunch of things I wanna know."

"Uh, I don't think that's a good idea," Rumia said. "She looks…kind of upset right now."

Upset. Now that was putting it lightly. Right now, all Rin wanted to do was let Rumia go so she could be with her friends again. Except she couldn't. Thanks to her complete failure to rid the world of that Shadow Youkai, Rumia was doomed to stay where she was until a solution was found. And given the sort of luck they had, she wasn't holding her breath for one to present itself. Besides, letting Rumia go would mean she would be alone again. Rin couldn't let that happen, not again.

Maybe she should just let Rumia stay in control. Yeah, that was an acceptable compromise. That way, Rumia could stay free and be with her friends without leaving Rin. And it wasn't like Rin had been doing all that great as it was.

Except that would be the next worse thing to being locked up again. She would be deprived of the world around her, never to feel anything except the vast nothingness inside their shared mind.

Just like Rumia had been for the last several weeks…

Outside, Daiyousei was asking the next question. "What's she like? Is she really scary?"

"Rin? She's uh…" Rumia glanced to the Kirin again. "Hey, Rin? What do I say?"

Letting out a broken giggle, Rin sniffed and told her, "Whatever you want. Tell them the truth."

"The truth? Okay, if you say so." Turning back to her friends, Rumia said, "Well, she's pretty messed up, really annoying, has a lot of stupid ideas, doesn't listen when she should, and okay, she's been really scary lately." Rumia took a deep breath and said, "But, I gotta admit, she does grow on you after a while. Sort of. You get used to her, is what I'm saying."

Rin had to snicker at that. Well, that was considerably kinder than she had been expecting, and much more lenient than she deserved.

One of Rumia's friends started to ask another question, but then they were interrupted by some kind of commotion. She heard Rumia inhale sharply. "Rin," she said. "She's back."

Rin didn't need to ask who.

There was the sound of scampering, and then Yuuka's voice spoke. "Hello again, dears. I apologize for my intrusion, but we are not out of the woods yet, and I need to have a discussion with Rin Satsuki concerning…sensitive matters."

Rumia let out a long sigh. "Ho boy." She glanced to Rin. "Hey, she wants to talk to you."

As if Rin hadn't heard. "You do it," Rin said without turning around. "I don't wanna."

"Great," Rumia muttered. "Now I get to be the one in the middle." Turning back to the screen, she said, "She says she doesn't want to. She told me to do it."

"Oh, did she?" While Yuuka's voice remained even, there was no missing the undercurrent of anger. "Well, I'm afraid that is unacceptable. Tell her that if she is unwilling to come out and talk, she can go ahead and deal with the Shadow Youkai on her own. Unless of course reasoned discourse is too high a price to pay for having that foul creature removed from her mind."

"Shit," Rumia muttered. "Hey, Rin? I think you really should-"

"I heard, I heard," Rin groused. Rising up, she slouched back to the screen. "All right, fine."

Rumia hurried to get out of the way, and, with surprising amount of reluctance, Rin took back what was hers.

…

It didn't take long. Soon Rin was looking out at the world through Rumia's eyes. As her normal (if such a thing could be described as normal) body was rather tall, the change in perspective was a little disorienting.

"Okay, I'm here," she said to Yuuka. Rumia's friends immediately retreated, fear etched on their faces. "One condition though."

Yuuka frowned in displeasure. "Still making demands. All right, let's hear it."

Nodding to Rumia's gawking friends, Rin said, "Make them leave. Take them somewhere safe."

"Leave?" Rumia said in her mind. She sounded distressed. "Why? I mean, they just got here!"

Trust me, Rin told her.

"Why?"

Rin didn't have an answer for that.

Yuuka's scowl deepened, and her eye bore into Rin's face. But she nodded. "Very well. I would have done so anyway." She glanced to her Shinigami. "Elly? Would you please take the girls to their room and stay there with them?"

This was met with refusals and protests from Rumia's friends, but a harsh glare from Yuuka followed by a meaningful scrape of the Shinigami's scythe against the ground put a quick stop to that. They were escorted from the deck in short order, leaving Rin alone with Yuuka. A meeting of monsters.

"There," Yuuka said. "They are gone. Prudent perhaps, but I must ask why you insisted on privacy."

Grinning, Rin changed her shape, letting Rumia's form melt away and returning to the terrible combination of stolen features that was her natural state. Her viewpoint rose until her eyes were level with Yuuka's.

"I don't feel like being talked down to," she said, speaking with a warped symphony of overlaid voices. "But I didn't want to scare them, you know?"

Yuuka's facial expression didn't change, but it seemed that she was chewing on the insides of her cheeks. "And you continue to try my patience. Has anyone ever told you how thoroughly annoying you are?"

"Only every day," Rin gibed. Her grin widened, displaying her spiky teeth. "So. What's up?"

A small twitch had developed under Yuuka's eye, but her voice remained even. "I believe I have a solution for your stowaway problem. But before I continue, I need to know: are you aware of exactly what kind of creature you're carrying?"

Rin frowned. "Uh, sort of. You said it was one of the Fallen, yeah? That means a Fallen Angel"

Apparently she was right, as Yuuka's eye widened in surprise. "Well, you have done some legwork, I see. But that's not wholly correct. What you carry is the Avatar of one of the Fallen. Explaining that in full would take too much time, but the shortened version is that she is a mortal that has been corrupted by a Fallen Angel and driven to fulfill its desires."

"I'm a what?" Rumia said in confusion. "How the hell did that happen?"

"Uh, okay," Rin said. "Cool. So, how do I get rid of it?"

Yuuka clasped her hands in front of her lap. "It won't be easy, and there are few safe methods. The official technique involves returning the Fallen Angel's essence to its original receptacle."

"Huh?"

"It normally takes the form of a weapon, such a sword or a spear," Yuuka explained. "Halberds are also sometimes used, though not exactly common."

"A sword?" Rin brightened. "Oh, I know what you're talking about!

Interesting. "Do you?"

Rin nodded. "Yeah, I got this weird, ugly looking sword when I…" A look of shame passed over her flawless features. "Uh, ate Rumia."

"Well, that sounds like the thing!" Yuuka smirked. "Do you know where it is now?"

"Er, not really. I kinda lost it."

Yuuka stared at her. "You lost it."

"Yeah, I dropped it somewhere, haven't seen it since." When Yuuka continued to stare at her, she said in a defensive voice, "Look, the Shadow Youkai had just got done possessing me and almost killed my best friend, Yukari was chasing me, I got scared!"

"I see," Yuuka said. She sighed. Well, this presented a problem.

"But I think I can summon it back!" Rin said eagerly. Now that she had been presented with the opportunity to rid herself of the Shadow Youkai for good, it seemed that she had forgotten that she was supposed to be intimidating. "I've done that before!"

"Hmmm, no," Yuuka said after some consideration. "That would not be a good idea."

"But…"

"If Yukari was in the area as you say, chances are she has already found it and has it kept safe somewhere. If you were to summon it to yourself, you risking alerting her of your location."

Rin seemed to wither at that. "Oh. That would be…bad."

"Indeed," Yuuka said with a nod. "Furthermore, simply possessing the sword is only half of the process. To complete it we would need the aid of a genuine Angel. And unfortunately, those seem to be in short supply around here. There are only two that I know of, one of which is too…changed by mortality to be of any use."

"But the other…"

"…is subservient to the first, and they are both on Yukari Yakumo's council," Yuuka finished for her. "As such, while they would be more than happy to remove the Shadow Youkai for you, I highly doubt that you or Rumia would survive the process."

"Oh."

"Indeed." Yuuka smiled. "Fortunately, from what I have been able to gather, the Shadow Youkai's soul is heavily damaged, wounded on a spiritual level. And while harming it will not destroy it, it does weaken its resistance to…certain techniques."

Rin perked up. "What kind of techniques?"

"Well, you know how it is," Yuuka said with a shrug. "When you are unable to afford proper treatment, you seek other, shadier alternatives. What we need here is the equivalent of a back-alley doctor. Crude, but workable. Fortunately, this is Gensokyo, where many individuals in possession of interesting skills exist. And as luck would have it, I happen to know just the doll."

…

The next day…

Yawning widely, Shihuha Aki stumbled from the hallway into the small kitchen. Her eyes were still bleary with sleep, and she was relying on her nose to guide the way. Fortunately, her sister, who had probably been up for hours, already had breakfast made, making the trip easier.

"Good morning," Minoriko said sunnily as Shizuha felt her way around. "No, wait, afternoon. For lunch, we have corned-beef hash and sautéed potatoes and onions. Used to be breakfast, but I think that label expired."

"Bite me," Shizuha mumbled as she grabbed the offered plate and plopped down at the wooden table, which was covered by a red-and-white checkered tablecloth. Minoriko handed her a cup of coffee, which had to be three hours old by now. Not caring in the slightest, Shizuha gulped it down. It tasted wretched, but it helped drive the sleep away.

"Oh, by the way," Minoriko said as Shihuha tucked in. "Before she left, Hina said that she found those paint cans you lost. Turns out they were buried in the linen closet."

"Oh yeah?" Shizuka muttered around a mouthful of potatoes and onions.

"Yeah. But she's holding them hostage until you return those ribbons you took from her. She says not to deny that you have them, as she saw you stuff them under your bed."

"Hina can bite me too," Shizuka hissed.

"Shizuka…" Minoriko said, warning in her voice.

Sighing, Shizuka gave up. "Fine, fine, I'll give 'em back. I just needed 'em for one night anyway."

Beaming, Minoriko affectionately pinched her sister's cheek. "I knew you would be agreeable."

Shizuka swatted her hand away. The fogginess was finally clearing, giving her a clear view of the home she shared with her sister and their friend and roommate, fellow goddess Hina Kagiyama. They lived beneath the ground, their house burrowed out around the gnarled roots of a great tree. It wasn't exactly grand, but it served their purposes, and they couldn't really afford anything nicer.

It was tough being a goddess in many ways, especially when you were a lesser deity. Minoriko had it the roughest. She was a harvest goddess, which sounded like a cushy job on paper, but given how many other deities there were running around with the exact same purpose, she often found it difficult to amass sufficient faith. Shizuka had it a little easier. Her domain was changing the color of the leaves in autumn and making them fall from their branches. Not exactly a popular job, but someone had to do it, and at least she didn't see much competition. Hina had it the best of the three. She was a curse goddess, the kind that removed curses, bad luck, and other forms of misfortune rather than spreading them, and those were always in demand. Plus, she was one of the best in the business. Still, even she had her bad days.

That was the downside to living in Gensokyo. Sure, they had a better chance at survival than they would in the Outside World. At least people believed in them here. But given the country's small size and high deity population, standing out from the crowd was a real trial, especially when you were only relevant for one season of the year. Spring sucked. It wasn't as bad as winter, but it still sucked. All the leaves were fresh and young, and Shizuha couldn't even go near them until late September at the earliest.

Ah well. They would get by. They always did.

Shizuha finished her late breakfast/lunch and helped her sister clean up and put the dishes away. As they were finishing, someone knocked at their door.

That made them pause. They didn't get visitors often, and the one that did drop by usually came in the autumn. "Who…?" Minoriko said in bewilderment.

Shizuha shrugged. "They're probably looking for Hina. I'll get it." She walked up the stone steps to the front door and opened it.

Standing on their doorstep was a little girl. She looked like some kind of youkai, with short blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing a red skirt and a light pink blouse, with a bit of red ribbon tied at her throat. In her hair was a large red bow, with cherry-shaped hair pins. Something was making her nervous, as she kept glancing out at the woods around them.

Shizuha stared down at her. "Hello," she said. "Can I help you?"

"Uh, yeah," the girl said. "Hi. My name is…Er, well, look. I've got this…problem, you know? And I was told you could help me."

…

And with this, the Month of Taker comes to a close! Oh, what's that? You don't know what that is? Why not? I mean, I explained it back in Rhapsody of Subconscious Desire.

Wait, what's that you say? You haven't read Rhapsody of Subconscious Desire, which by the way has just finished up and will soon cross paths with Imperfect Metamorphosis? Well, you'd better get on that then!

Note: the above doesn't apply to those who did follow RoSD. You guys are exempt. And sexy.

But to everyone who hasn't being reading RoSD and don't know what I'm talking about, the reason for this hiatus was that, for plot reasons, I needed to have RoSD finished immediately, so I decided to do it all in one go. That ended up taking five chapters, and during that time I also somehow managed to write a Resonance Days chapter and a three-chaptered RD spinoff. So I decided to release everything over the course of a month, with this chapter capping things off. And now you know.

Also for everyone who hasn't heard: I recently got with the times and started a tumblr! And now that I have someplace to talk about whatever I feel like, I'm going to be sticking most of my post-chapter thoughts there (the one for this chapter will go up in a couple days), as well as a bunch of behind-the-scenes ramblings and whatever I feel like talking about. It's also open to questions, so check the link in my profile, follow, and say hi!

So anyway, now that all those spinoffs are done, I think I'm just going to concentrate on just updating IM and RD for a while, alternating between stories every chapter to keep things fresh. Christmas specials are of course the exception.

Also, you may noticed that Imperfect Metamorphosis has some sexy new cover art! Kudos to ty4107 for the awesome picture and RandomNumbers5902672 for commissioning it!

Anyway, I believe that's everything. Until next time, everyone! Happy Halloween!