Chapter 7: State of the Kyoto and Kuoh
The night was quiet, Patchouli noted while roaming around the outsides streets of Inner Kyoto. It was just as how she preferred it to be though, as she looked around to see all the shops and houses closed. She currently spent the majority of her time at the Kyoto Shrine in order to work with Alice and Yasaka on finding a way to remove the magical leylines in her. However, Alice had suggested that she actually go outside for a change as even though Magician Youkai were generally frail, she herself was the epitome of it. She had even gone on to note that of all the magicians in Gensokyo, Patchouli was physically the weakest and it was even worse than some humans for that matter.
Then as if it was even more of a sign, her asthma had been nearly nonexistent throughout the day thus furthering Alice's suggestions to get some fresh air and sunlight.
Patchouli let out an indignant huff. Alice even had the gall to tell her that Marisa was a little worried about her after she had returned from the gathering at the Inaba Clinic. Still, it was nice to hear their concern from both of them. Perhaps it was for the best to have one day out considering she remained in the shrine for a solid month. Maybe she would even attend another gathering for them the next time around. She had done research the entire day at the time and she hadn't felt very well which left her exhausted.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a silver colored mist roaming around.
Patchouli raised a confused eyebrow.
"Suika?"
Was it her? That didn't seem very likely though. If it were an emergency message of some sort, the best person to send would have been Marisa. She was the fastest amongst the Gensokyo Team excluding Aya. Suika wouldn't have any reason to hide herself as a mist either.
Her danger senses rose immediately as all of a sudden, the mist started darting towards her at a fairly fast speed.
Thinking quickly, Patchouli spread her arms and unleashed several moderately sized fireballs towards the mist. The mist didn't deviate off its course, choosing to continue on its path towards Patchouli right into the fireballs.
"Hmm?"
She had expected the fireballs to go through the mist. Instead, it had dissipated and splashed off of it as if it hit an invisible barrier.
Was it a physical entity then? It was nothing like Suika's mist where anything that attacked it would have simply gone through.
She needed some time to think and she knew how to defend herself from something that was air-like.
"An omnidirectional protection spell it is then." Patchouli muttered to herself.
Patchouli took the deepest breath she could hold and formed steel walls around her. She then enclosed herself like a box, leaving absolutely no gaps for the mist to enter through. That also meant however that no air could get through which gave her limited time to keep herself safe. However, from how the mist was unable to get through as she expected, it meant that this was indeed, some sort of air attack that was being remotely controlled by someone somewhere. Very clever, and even skillful for whoever this was. That meant that this was a skilled magician of some sort and she had no idea where they were.
Deciding enough was enough, she released her breath and blew away the steel walls. Not even a short second afterwards, she created a dome of air immediately as the walls were blasted outwards. As soon as the steel vanished from sight, she sent the dome of air encircling her expanding out in every single direction and angle conceivable. The mist could not resist its effects as it was pushed back away from her some twenty five feet away.
If she couldn't destroy it, then she'd trap it.
She pulled out her grimoire from her pink robe and opened it, causing her to glow blue with magical power as she raised one of her arms and shot an enormous bubble. The bubble sped towards the mist and was sucked into it and encased it. The mist tried to bounce against its prison, but it was futile as it was much sturdier than it appeared. An air attack that took the form of a mist that didn't have a blade powerful or sharp enough to burst through a magically enhanced bubble barrier held little chance of breaking free. If the magician was channeling the mist and actively controlling it, then they would either have to release it now that it was caught or reveal themselves if they wanted something from her.
She spread her senses around for any magical signatures that would be powerful enough to handle something like this. To her surprise however, there was no one around. In fact, the signature appeared to be coming from the mist itself. Questions began rising in her mind on how that was possible until all of a sudden, a bladed spear emerged from the mist, stabbing her bubble and bursting it.
"What…?" She whispered with surprise as the mist that was now free of her bubble expanded in size.
Then, two people emerged from it, leaping out of it gracefully and landed on their feet standing just where the wet remains of her bubble was splashed on the ground.
Patchouli immediately took note of their features, marking them as enemies immediately. They weren't anybody she knew and from how they had acted so far, she believed it was a justified decision to make. Her mind went into overdrive, analyzing everything at several miles a minute.
First, there was the man with the spear. He was a young man, aged around in his twenties if she were to judge properly. His short black hair cascaded down his face and he wore a gakuran worn by Japanese schoolboys. Around his waist was ancient Chinese attire with a belt attached to prevent it from falling. Judging how the bladed spear laid on his shoulder casually, this man thought himself powerful. One look at his spear and the power oozing out of it certainly cemented this fact. That spear was not an ordinary spear by any means, even with how innocuous it looked. She had no doubt that it possessed abilities that she didn't know about and that made it even more dangerous to fight. She already knew that she was not well-suited for remaining in battle for long periods of time and even less so during fights that had her forced into melee range.
His companion wore spectacles and had black hair that spiked in several directions. The same gakuran that was on the spearman was the same one as his companion's. Over the gakuran though was a mage-styled robe garbed protectively over his figure, giving him a rather scholarly young look of a budding magician. The magical signature that Patchouli was sensing was coming from him for sure. A human magician, similar to the likes of Marisa. She absentmindedly noted that Marisa was probably far better than him though.
The mist that had contained them had disappeared and Patchouli's mind began clicking the pieces into place.
"I see. I understand now."
That mist was not an attack at all. It was actually a container of some sort that could house people inside of it until it was the right time to attack. If it could house people in it, then that meant it could also be used as a means to capture someone with little hope of them escaping. There was no other reason for the mist to rush for her otherwise without attempting to attack her.
They wanted her for some reason. And they were good enough that they managed to sneak into Inner Kyoto through several barrier and alert spells that informed them of intruders.
Suddenly, the danger level on these men rose immensely and Patchouli began fearing that victory against them would either cost her dearly, or was not very likely at all. Especially if these men decided to double team her.
"I must admit." The bespectacled man began, pushing his glasses up his nose very confidently. "You're a very skilled user of magic. Much more than a simple researcher. There aren't many people who could have thought of ways to deflect mist in the first place and even less who could successfully do it in an efficient and quick manner."
His eyes gazed at her with suspicion.
"Just who are you? Those four spells you've casted alone shows that you have a good aptitude for elemental magic. I suspect that isn't even the end of it."
Patchouli didn't give an answer and the spearman exited his casual pose to point his weapon towards her.
"Answer our question. Someone of your caliber would have been known very quickly to us. Where have you come from? Magic users with knowledge on how to deflect Dimension Lost within seconds is almost impossible."
She ignored them again, deigning to question them instead.
"And who are you, intruder? It's impolite to attack your hosts, even though you've entered Inner Kyoto without permission. You even seem to know of me if you know that I'm researching."
The interrogation failed as they didn't give an answer either.
Seeing as no information could be gathered from them, Patchouli raised her arm into the air. The spearman immediately tensed, as did the magician though they gave no sudden movements yet.
In the palm of her hand aimed upwards, a white sphere shining brightly began forming. It then shot into the air like a flare and gave two bursts of light before fading.
Patchouli didn't want to risk losing. Though it stung her pride a bit that she wouldn't be able to handle these two on her own for long, it would be more pragmatic to call for assistance.
"That was a signal for help. You won't last long enough."
The spear wielder realized it as well and he charged at her at high speeds. Quick, but not enough to catch her off guard or that she couldn't retaliate with a spell.
Patchouli immediately countered by conjuring Flash of Spring, a wood-elemental magical spell combined with air that created several extremely pressurized shots of wind. The blunt force it could cause could almost be compared to Marisa's current power in her non-explosive stars. However, the spear user cut them aside as if they were nothing more than paper getting in his way.
Not powerful enough then.
The Magician Youkai leapt backwards to give herself space for another spell.
This time, it was a single element spell. Autumn Blade, a metal elemental spell that sent several giant circular saw blades towards the enemy. These ones could slice apart even the natural defenses of an average youkai. Once again, the spear user didn't slow in the least as he slashed each one of them in half and made even more progress towards reaching her.
Not good enough either.
Weaker projectiles weren't working at all, Patchouli realized. The spearman would probably cut through the next one just as easily. She needed something more powerful. Something to defend her at the same time though as another failed spell would render her vulnerable if it didn't succeed in stopping him. A simple magical circle barrier, similar to what most of the residents of Gensokyo used wouldn't be sufficient enough.
Her grimoire glowed with power as her mind quickly ran through the repertoire of spells she could use until it decided upon one.
"Water Sign [Jellyfish Princess]!"
Patchouli declared her Spell Card, completely uninhibited by the Spell Card Rules of Gensokyo. A giant clear bubble colored blue formed, engulfing her within though there was no lack of air to worry about. This was one of her most reliable ways of defense in the case an enemy got too close for her to handle and it had been one of her oldest spells now.
The spearman brought his blade down and from his smirking expression, he fully expected to be able to sever the bubble just as easily as he had her previous one along with her projectiles.
"What the!?"
Patchouli took pride and causing the frown on his face as the spear failed to pierce her defense successfully. He was open and she planned to take full advantage of that fact.
"Earth Metal Sign [Emerald Megalopolis]!"
She called out, her open grimoire and herself glowing green as emerald spiked pillars rose from the ground right in front of her to pierce the opponent's flesh. His gakuran being slightly slashed open caused Patchouli to think that she had finally wounded the spearman. However, he managed to leap away just in time, preventing any further damage to himself. Several more emerald pillars followed him and he continued jumping backwards until he was out of range of her attack. In the end, he wasn't even bleeding.
The librarian didn't like that. That was one of her more powerful spells. The fact that he got away from her at striking distance was not a good sign for her.
His reflexes were very good.
The man spun his spear elegantly and planted it onto the ground with the blunt side, giving her a small reprieve.
"I'm impressed. You're a very skilled magician." He complimented her, smirking once again. "I thought you'd be easy to beat but just from these few seconds, I know I underestimated you."
Patchouli scoffed. "Yes you did. You assumed that as a Magician, closing the distance would leave me entirely vulnerable. Surely you're smart enough to know that any skilled magician would have countermeasures against that."
Instead of becoming insulted, he laughed. "You're right. Since you've managed to last this long, it'd be an insult for you to not know our names."
"In that case, I'm Georg." The scholar introduced himself first. "I have to agree as well, though it also gives even more suspicion. Someone of your skill should have been noticed by any of the factions and associations, major or minor. Even if the Youkai Faction hid you all this time, your magic doesn't show any signs of their teachings nor does it answer how you're not known by anybody. You look human as well, but I don't feel as if you are."
"I'm Patchouli Knowledge." She answered back. "And I'm a Magician Youkai."
Georg cocked an interested eyebrow. "Really now… I suppose that it wouldn't be a stretch to assume you've never seen beyond Inner Kyoto. If you've been here practicing your magic for years, it'd make sense on why you're extremely skilled with elemental magic."
"I'm Cao Cao. And it's been a while since I've had a good fight." Cao Cao named himself, entering a fighting stance. "Stand back Georg. I'll handle this."
That assuaged some of Patchouli's worries. If Cao Cao's magician partner didn't join him, then she could probably hold out long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
"You might want to make it quick Cao Cao. We can't be here long. She called for backup with that flare earlier." Georg reminded him.
"That's fine. I'll try harder this time. Now, are you ready?" He answered, smirking at Patchouli once again as she prepared herself for another onslaught.
He took her silence as acceptance and he rushed in again with similar speed as before.
Her mind ran through her thoughts like a train on tracks.
Her earlier Jellyfish Princess was still in effect, rendering her safe for now. If she was going to hold out against Cao Cao and his devastating spear though, she was going to need more firepower. If single standard projectile spells weren't going to work, then she was going to make stronger ones.
Much stronger ones.
"Earth Water Sign [Noachian Deluge]!"
Her arm extended towards the approaching Cao Cao and a massive torrent of compressed small water shots, infused with earth blasted out of her hands at high speeds towards Cao Cao. They didn't look as fearsome as her earlier bullets, but this one was deceptive in that these were hyper condensed bullets. Each one could cause craters in solid stone walls and outright pierce through its properties if enough power was put into it. If a human were to take its brunt and weren't strong enough, their bones would be destroyed if the bullets didn't outright pierce through their body.
"Watch out Cao Cao! Don't underestimate that spell!" Georg warned as he glowered at the magician.
Cao Cao took his advice, slowing down to slash at the bullets again. His eyes widened in surprise as he was met with much more difficulty as the first one that he struck with his spear actually pushed him backwards despite him giving an accurate and solid cut into the first water bullet with earth infused in it. He immediately recognized the danger of it and began dodging it instead of slicing it aside as he had done so before.
He shifted left. He moved right. He ducked. He leapt backwards. He dodged each one skillfully.
Her barrage wasn't over though. This was just to stall him. This wasn't her main attack. This was just a distraction for this.
"Fire Metal Sign [St. Elmo's Pillar]!"
A magic circle formed behind Cao Cao on the ground as he was busy evading the Noachian Deluge from earlier. Just as Patchouli predicted, he jumped back into the massive circle which began lighting up red.
"Shi-!"
And just like that, the ground exploded with enormous force. The circle glowed and a white fiery pillar, outlined in red erupted underneath it. It absolutely consumed Cao Cao. The temperature was so high that Patchouli could feel it, even from where she was standing. It was simply a superheated column of magic. The Noachian Deluge bullets even dispersed into steam right upon contact with it.
Patchouli let out a sigh of relief. She was beginning to feel tired. It had been a while since she had fought.
Letting her guard down had been her mistake, she found incredibly quickly.
As her Spell Card finished, Cao Cao was nowhere to be seen. She assumed that he had been incinerated in her attack, but one look at Georg showed that he was smirking.
Immediately, she began looking around for her opponent. This was not good. She had lost sight of someone who specialized in physical attacks and that meant he could strike anywhere.
Suddenly, her Jellyfish Princess popped and Cao Cao reappeared in front of her.
"Grrk!"
Abrupt pain entered her abdomen and her hand instinctively moved to the wounded area. She was pushed back several feet away from the now visible Cao Cao who had struck her with the blunt side of his spear. She barely glimpsed at him to see that his clothes were most certainly burnt off at parts and his skin even took first and second degree burns in areas, but he was very much still alive.
He dashed at her again, planning to give her absolutely no reprieve.
Not good!
Patchouli's eyes widened in urgent panic as she instinctively called up a spell to defend herself.
"Moon Sign [Silent Serene]!"
A blue magical circle formed underneath her and white beams outlined in blue, shot up into the sky like arrows of light. Condensed moonlight, increasing more powerful during the nighttime protected her as Cao Cao ran straight into it to press his advantage.
His arm was instantly singed. At the feeling of first injury, he jumped back as he almost felt another one of the beams pierce his skin and bone to wait for the attack to end.
With the moon spell's job of protecting its user over, it dissipated as Patchouli stopped fueling it. Patchouli began panting in fatigue, rubbing her wounded abdomen from Cao Cao's strike.
"Incredible… Your reaction speed… Your spells. All top class. Any one of those attacks would have killed me had Georg not protected or warned me at the last second even though I didn't want him to. Even then, I still underestimated your skill. I should have revealed my Balance Breaker much earlier and that might not have been enough either with your expertise. It's almost a shame that you're a Youkai. Had you been human, I would have tried to ask you to join me right away. I have no doubt that you're one of the strongest Magicians I've ever seen." He complimented highly, grinning all the while at the tired Patchouli. "But your weakness is clear. For all your mastery over your magic, your physical ability is left wanting. Your consecutive high-level spells have left you weakened and unfortunately, we can't let you finish your research on Yasaka. "
He turned to Georg.
"Capture her."
Georg nodded as he began forming the opaque white mist in front of him and Patchouli stood back up to try and resist.
She knew it was futile. Her body was aching in pain already and the Cao Cao would stop her if she tried to fight back any more. He was correct in that she was too tired to continue any further. Her short breaths were already symptoms of her asthma emerging again which left her even weaker.
The mist completed forming and Georg directed it with his arms towards Patchouli.
This was it for her. She wouldn't be able to dodge it in time.
"Clear!"
All of a sudden, an immense gust of wind blew away the mist that was headed towards her. Aya landed in front of her as she faced the two opponents. In her hand was the hauchiwa leaf fan, her conductor for her unrivaled powers over wind.
"Don't move. You're surrounded." Alice warned as she walked up from behind them, fingers twitching as dolls reacted accordingly with their weapons pointed.
As if Aya was not enough, Cao Cao and Georg were immediately surrounded by floating dolls, various blades from lances, spears, and swords at the ready, aimed towards vital parts of the human body.
"Hmph." Cao Cao scoffed. "These things won't do anything. Georg, we're leaving. We'll have to come back another time."
As soon as he finished talking, he moved like lightning, slashing apart all the dolls that were in his immediate range. Alice's arms and fingers danced to maneuver properly, more dolls emerging to replace the lost ones but it was too late. The mist that Georg had formed earlier spread to engulf both him and Cao Cao and they disappeared into it. The mist then flew away, almost taunting them as if they failed and would come back sooner or later.
"Patchouli! You okay?" Aya turned around in concern for her comrade.
Patchouli coughed a few times before standing back up weakly. "I'll be fine. Thank you for coming to my assistance. They were much stronger than they appeared to be."
Alice agreed, nodding her head as she recalled her dolls. "No doubt they were. There aren't too many people who can get out of a situation like that surrounded."
She looked around at the obvious devastation in the streets. Signs of the battle was obvious as the charred ground laid black and several parts of it also had wet patches.
"I know you aren't suited for physical combat, but was he strong enough that he could leave you like this? On a good day?" Alice questioned while approaching Patchouli.
"Yes." Patchouli answered bluntly and gravely. "At the same time however, the spearman Cao Cao caught me off guard at one point. I thought I had finished him off with a chain of two spells mixed together, but he managed to survive and land a blow on me. Had that not been the case, I wouldn't be this drained."
She fumbled for a bit before Alice and Aya caught her.
"Need a hand?" Aya offered and Pachouli grudgingly accepted.
"Did you figure out what they wanted from you?" Alice inquired as they began helping the exhausted Patchouli back to the Kyoto Shrine where they were staying.
"A little, as well as details about them." The Librarian answered. "They were here to capture me and stop me from completing the research on Yasaka. I suspect that they know that we plan on removing the magical leylines on Yasaka. I don't know enough on why they want that unfortunately."
The rumbling sound of footsteps echoed as several youkai guards came scrambling onto the streets and one wolf youkai guard approached them.
"It's gonna be a long night. That's for sure." Aya commented to the Gensokyo group privately as Inner Kyoto awakened to the news of it being infiltrated.
xXx
"This is unacceptable." One of the Youkai elders stated in the council room. "How could we have been infiltrated so easily? A shameful display for all of us."
No one could deny that. No one could even blame the Gensokyo Team for that matter. The Youkai Faction of Kyoto were the ones handling security of Kyoto itself for the most matter. The Inaba Clinic Team in Kuoh was only a Scouting Team, though they could fight extremely well if what Alice had said was true. Nearly all of the other elders shared his feelings. Disgust, shame, and failure.
Yasaka had called for an emergency council considering the events that had occurred only an hour ago. The Gensokyo Team and the Wolf Youkai had reported what had happened and nobody had liked what they had heard. Two enemies, suspected humans, had entered Inner Kyoto in the dead of night with nonethewiser until Patchouli had been attacked. Not only that, but they had known about the research being done on her to remove the Kyoto Magical Leylines from her. That raised serious questions.
How did they manage to get in? And how long had they been doing it now? And did they know about their hidden plans?
The implications were not good, to say the least.
"Worst of all, one of our envoys from Gensokyo was attacked. The main researcher in fact. We can assume then that these humans know about the plan and that it has been leaked somewhere." The Monkey Youkai Elder stated gravely.
The Wolf Youkai Elder promptly responded to him. "Our fellow Crow Tengu scouts and the Gensokyo Team in Kuoh have reported to us that none of the major factions know of our plans. Margatroid-dono has also reported to us that the Gensokyo Team may try to ally with the Gremory Clan, one of the 72 pillars clans of the Devils. While I disapprove of possibly telling them our reasons in the name of trust in the future, they may be valuable should we be attacked in the future considering the circumstances. This intrusion may have just been a rogue pair from one of the factions as they are all in a ceasefire for the moment."
The ceasefire between the three factions was something that each and every supernatural being in the world generally knew. If they didn't, they were quickly taught about it and the youkai were no exception. Many were scared of breaking that tentative ceasefire as one error could cause an entire fallout and war with them wiping each other out. This mainly involved the three major factions between the Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils but the Youkai Faction could be dragged in as well. While Kyoto wouldn't be involved directly, being in the crossfire near Devil territory was not an attractive prospect to be.
"How recent are those reports?" Yasaka requested.
"We received them three days ago, Yasaka-sama." He answered respectfully. "There has been no buildup in terms of military purposes. They have been attempting to reconstruct and repopulate what they have lost from the Great War several centuries back and there are no signs of attack thus far. The Wolf Tengu are prepared for the worst case scenario however."
Worst scenario being if they were actually invaded or war broke out regardless. The Wolf Tengu would lay their lives down for the survival of the Youkai Faction.
Yasaka nodded in approval. "Excellent work. Continue as usual on that front."
"Yes, Yasaka-sama."
"For now, I would also suggest for the scouts to see if they can find any more information on those two attackers. We have names as well. Cao Cao and Georg." Yasaka continued. "There's nothing more we can do except tighten the security once again."
That was the end of the matter. If she allowed the negative atmosphere to remain, no doubt it would cause more tumultuous actions from the council. She needed to take the reins before it began spiraling out of control. Now would be a good time to discuss more positive ones, boosting the morale of the council, Yasaka hoped.
"Let's move on to another topic. Specifically, the movement to Gensokyo."
She glanced towards the Kappa Youkai Elder and he nodded in affirmation, holding up a sheet of paper.
"As of currently, approximately ten percent of our total youkai population, non-combatants and civilians have successfully moved to Gensokyo with personal supervision of Yukari Yakumo. Logistics and living area have been handled by Ran Yakumo, Yukari Yakumo's Shikigami, the Kappa over in Gensokyo and us, the Kappa of Kyoto. As of currently, there is more than enough room for all of us in Gensokyo and more. No complications have arose."
He bowed his head in deference to the Kyuubi leader and representative.
"Thank you." She gracefully accepted his report. "Finally, the concerns on the Kyoto Magical Leylines. As Patchouli-san has been attacked and is currently resting, Alice-san will be informing us of the current progress on that matter instead."
Alice, who was standing in the back of the room, left her spot to stand a little closer to the Youkai Council.
"Research on severing the Kyoto Magical Leylines is progressing well. We have a theory that transferring all the power of the leylines somewhere else can be a possible method. We initially thought the land of Kyoto itself would be ideal, but it would turn into a magically rich land which would undoubtedly attract the attention everybody increasingly over time." Alice began, attention to her given in full by everybody in the room. "For now, we have no set place yet and the conversion method is set. We believe that moving it into an area somewhere where it cannot be accessed to anyone, or where it would disappear in time would be best. There is a downside however."
"What would that be?" The Nekomata Elder asked.
"Due to the latent power of the leylines, this method will take a good amount of time to finish. It is the safest method yet, but also the slowest. Yasaka-sama unfortunately, will be forced to stay in Kyoto and will be able to move around freely as time progresses along the transferring." She answered honestly and a slight murmur came over the room as they discussed their findings.
After a while, the nekomata turned her head to her.
"How much time do you estimate it would take to complete the process after a location is found?"
Alice shook her head. "Unfortunately, we currently do not have a set time. The amount of magical power in the leylines is enormous and would take a long time. It should not take longer than a year."
"That's a pitiful amount in comparison to how long she's lived as well as how long she's been attached to them." The Nekomata elder responded as approval entered her tone. "Gensokyo truly does have talented individuals in it. I must admit, Yukari Yakumo chose her team representatives well."
Alice bowed respectfully. "Thank you."
"We began distrustful of you due to your relation towards Gensokyo and Yukari Yakumo, as well as our grievances and dark thoughts on our continued survival. But, it appears Yukari Yakumo has had the upper hand the entire time." The Monkey Elder noted. "Indeed, her intellectual prowess and foresight cannot be overestimated. Only the opposite."
Yasaka smiled openly at the beginning approvals of the entire council.
"We may have been intruded upon by enemies. However, current events show that we cannot lose heart. They are turning in our favor for once. We cannot allow one error to poison our entire path. I have no doubt that if we continue as we have done so far, our survival will be in sight at the end of this long and arduous journey."
A nostalgic thought passed by her as the council looked at her curiously.
"It has been a long time. Kyoto, both Inner and the Outer modern city has changed and I have been there for almost all of them. I am sad over the fact, like many of you, that we must leave our home in the interest that we may continue to live on. But just as times change, the people must change with it as well. That is how progress and development happen. Both to a person, and to society."
She stood up from her seat regally, her nine golden tails flowing behind her elegantly in all its radiance.
"This council is dismissed. In a good note I might add."
xXx
Any signs of battle that had happened last night between Patchouli and Cao Cao and Georg had been completely erased. There were absolutely no marks remaining as Patchouli and Alice walked down the streets of Inner Kyoto with slow purpose in their steps. Now that they paid more attention to their surroundings, it looked very similar to the Human Village in Gensokyo. A tavern stood on one corner of the street while Edo-style era buildings were abundant everywhere Alice and Patchouli walked. The sun was out as youkai of all species, young and old, roamed around freely. It didn't seem likely that Cao Cao and Georg would attack them in broad daylight with so many witnesses around.
A new rule also been made for the Gensokyo Team. None of them would head out alone for fear of being targeted. They now had to leave with another member of the team. Alice had decided on this after the attack on Patchouli. Aya had complained at first, but agreed in the end.
Thus, this was now why Alice and Patchouli were together walking around Inner Kyoto.
"So… are you gonna do it?"
"Do what?"
"You know… Move to Gensokyo."
"I-I don't know. It's such a big decision."
"Well I'm going to. I'm not going to stay here and die like a mutt."
"What!? That… seems so sudden. But I admit, Kokoho-chan has been feeling weaker and weaker…"
Alice looked away from the pair she had been eavesdropping on.
"The opinions look mixed on the general populace." Alice commented to Patchouli who didn't even bat an eyelash.
"So it seems. Most of them are indecisive on the matter. It's to be expected." Patchouli replied while the two of them continued to their destination. "If I heard correctly, their situation is similar to many of the youkai of Gensokyo."
"In that aspect, we can empathize with them. Not personally, but some of the other youkai I know could." Alice added, looking at a passing tofu shop with a tantalizing scent.
The other youkai left them alone for the most part. They received some stares occasionally, but most of the youkai minded their own business. It was interesting to see some of scared, interested, and even seductive looks that the various youkai gave to them though Alice and Patchouli continued ignoring them.
"This may seem a little random. But regarding Cao Cao and Georg, do you think you could have beaten them?" The puppeteer seriously questioned, looking to her fellow magician for an answer who stopped in place.
"As confident as I am in my skills, I'd have to say no. I was fighting in a much better state than I normally was and I was still defeated. Had I known they were coming, I could have certainly raised my chances of winning with preparation. A magician with the correct information and knowledge is something to be truly feared after all. I could have lasted much longer had I not been hit, but winning seemed very unlikely." Patchouli solemnly answered, twisting herself to stare at the blonde magician.
"The spearman had a very powerful spear. Enough to make most of my standard spells completely useless. His proficiency in it was very high as well. I had to begin relying on my Spell Cards in order to make a significant difference on him. The Balance Breaker he revealed to me in his talk also makes me believe he has something more in hand, though he confessed that it may have not worked very well on me."
Alice brought her hand to her chin in a thinking pose. "Hmm. That's Cao Cao then. What about Georg? Do you know anything about him?"
Patchouli shook her head. "Not very much. At most, he excels in wind or mist magic. The mist you and Aya saw rushing towards me also served as a container that could have imprisoned me had it surrounded me. He seems to be a Magician of sorts, though I have no inkling of what he would specialize in other than what I saw. Cao Cao mentioned that Georg protected him during one of my Spell Cards, but I didn't see a barrier of any sorts. Both don't seem as stupid as the fairies in Gensokyo at the least."
"Two powerful opponents, just like that." Alice muttered so that only the two of them could hear it. "How do you think you would do if Aya or I was there?"
Patchouli scoffed at the question. "Cao Cao was able to close the distance on me, though I didn't make it easy for him. If you were there, as long as Georg does not interfere, we can defeat him even on my worse days. Your versatility in your dolls makes you a powerful magician at all ranges, unlike myself who fares much better in mid and long range fights. As for that tengu, I don't foresee having any problems. He is by far, much slower than her. Her manipulation over wind should far exceed that bespectacled inferior Magician as well. "
"I suppose we have that going for us." Alice commented and the two of them resumed strolling to their destination again.
"This is on a whim…" Patchouli started, causing the puppeteer to glance at her. "But I heard that that the entire team from Gensokyo has told Aya her reasons for joining it and leaving for the Outside World."
Alice raised an interested eyebrow. "Yes. Whether directly or indirectly, we all have for her most recent article. You're the only one she hasn't gotten it from though she's been persistent in talking to you, hasn't she?"
The librarian huffed indignantly. "She has. It's been irritating, but it hasn't been on negative intent at least. I've rebuked her several times, but I suppose I should tell you and her now, seeing as the both of you won't stop asking me."
"Ahh, the mysterious reason Patchouli-san is here." Alice joked kindly, breaking her serious manner for a moment. "I'm sure Aya-san will be glad to hear it from you. I support her reasons for gathering it and she is serious in it."
"In that case…" Patchouli started. "Yukari personally requested to Remi for me to join the team that would head to the Outside World. I was the first one besides Suika."
"Yukari-san..."
If Alice was surprised, she didn't show it on her expression. Instead, it was a calm and polite one that awaited Patchouli's answer.
"It's no secret that Remi is fond of Reimu. They'll duel occasionally with mixed results. Sometimes Remi will win and sometimes Reimu will. Remi ended up in a slump for a while after the shrine maiden entered her coma." Patchouli started as the two of them continued walking.
"A slump? From Remilia?" Alice's eyebrow rose in interest at the thought of such a thing coming from a 500 hundred year old vampire with the personality of a child at times.
"Strange as it sounds, that is the truth. Afterwards, she stopped by my library one day and asked that I look for a way to awaken her and I attempted to without much success. One day though, Yukari visited Remi to tell her about the plan to bring the youkai of the Outside World over to Gensokyo for several purposes." Patchouli continued her explanation, even dryly smiling at one point of it.
"I'm sure you've heard of her reasons to do so. The first was to quickly repopulate and make up for the losses during the Lunarian Invasion. The second was to quickly gather a defense force from the recent immigration. The third was to give enough faith to Reimu, making her a living Goddess like Sanae, which would awaken her from her coma." The librarian raised fingers for each purpose raised.
"I do remember Yukari mentioning all three of those before we left for the Outside World." Alice supported.
"That's right. And Remi agreed to it as soon as Reimu being revived was part of the plan. She asked me to join the team in person and I accepted as her friend. I don't believe it's as emotional as Marisa's would be or maybe even your's. But it's simple enough." Patchouli finished up as Alice gave a sincere smile at it. "Yukari asked me to find a way to remove the magical leylines from Yasaka and it was within my ability, so I accepted."
"Very short. And you're right. Certainly not as dramatic compared to myself or Marisa's." The blonde magician agreed as they stopped at the edge of the city.
Here, a barrier that shimmered glowed every once in a while. An obscured and blurry view of the modern city could be seen as people walked by past where Alice and Patchouli without any indication of being aware of the barrier.
"Ahh, we're here."
"I'll run a basic magical scan over it to see if it's been torn down recently or broken through." Patchouli stated before she pointed at another section of the glimmering barrier. "See if you can find if it's been tampered with."
Alice did just that as Patchouli held her hands out an inch away from the barrier. They began glowing with magic coursing through it as Patchouli closed her eyes to focus on the barrier.
It was solid. It had layers upon layers within it. Reimu and Yukari would find this a powerful barrier, but nothing they couldn't tear down if they chose to. It reeked with centuries of experience and age. The oldest layer was within with the newest being on the outside.
Then, Patchouli snapped out of her reverie with shock on her expression.
This was not good. She immediately walked over to Alice who was frowning at what she had found as well.
"It's solid Alice. There's been no signs that it's been broken through."
The puppeteer shook her head. "I couldn't find anything either. It hasn't been tampered with. I don't like these implications."
"This can mean two things." Patchouli started. "Either we have a traitor in our midst somewhere within Inner Kyoto allowing them through. Or…"
"Cao Cao and Georg have a way to get through the barrier without us knowing somehow." Alice finished for her. "This is not good at all. I don't know which one is worse. That we may have to watch our backs at all times and be vigilant in everything we do, or that we'll be freely spied upon and be careful with everything we say. Or even both."
Patchouli stared off into the shimmering barrier, pulsing gently.
"Let's go. Yasaka is going to have to know. Whether we want her to or not."
xXx
"Ahahaha!" Marisa laughed boisterously, hands on her stomach as Issei explained his recent conundrum. "Ya' ran into Asia in the shower!? That's great!"
"Stop laughing! I didn't think she was in there! I was just thinking to myself and I went in accidentally with something on my mind! I don't even want to remember the look my Mom gave me when she came in!" Issei tried to defend himself, though it served to do nothing except having Marisa laugh even harder. "Asia even made it worse! She pressed her boobs against my back while hugging me from behind, telling me that someone told her bathing together was a Japanese custom to help deepen friendships! My morals were being thrown out the window!"
Reisen was next to Marisa, giggling to herself at Issei's expense. Marisa unable to sit up any longer, fell over onto the ground, pounding it with her fist with one hand on her stomach to help ease the pain of laughing too hard at the poor lone male in front of them.
All of them were seated around the Inaba Clinic's living room. With the events involving Asia being over, changes had occurred over the next week. Issei visiting the Inaba Clinic on occasion to talk to the Clinic Team was one of them, often explaining to them recent events of what had happened over the last few days.
"Geez. It's not that funny." Issei complained. "Anyway, yeah. Asia stays with me in my house now. Buchou persuaded my parents to take her in somehow and now they adore her like the daughter they never had."
Marisa wiped a tear out of her eyes as her laughter finally slowed down. "Ha… well. Now ya've got a cute girl livin' in your house right? What's there ta' complain about? Most guys would kill ta' be in yer' situation."
"Nothing!" Issei exclaimed, as he raised a fist resolutely. "I just feel like… I have to protect her innocence! She hardly knows anything about the world outside of books and the church! That's why it's my duty to make sure nothing corrupts her!"
The blonde witch chuckled to herself. "Ya' say that, but ya' know yer' a devil right? Isn't that yer' job? To corrupt humans and whatnot?"
"Well… but she's…! I… can't argue with that." Issei didn't expect the strangely sound logic that she told him and he hung his head in shame.
"So yer' a massive perv' and ya' fail as a devil." Marisa pointed out, finishing him off with even more cruel statements. "Life really sucks for ya'."
"Ease up on him Marisa. He's not used to your teasing." Reisen tried to assist though the soft smile she had on her face told the others she enjoying this as much as Marisa was.
The human pouted at her before assenting to her request. "Alright fine. I'll give him a break."
"Reisen-san…" Issei cried gazing at the spoken person with a look of gratitude. "My savior! I'm not the devil here. Marisa-san is!"
Marisa just waved at him cheerfully with a grin on her face.
"There must be something good that's happened recently at the least. Do you have anything like that?" The moon rabbit asked and Issei perked up immediately.
"I do! Ever since Asia started living with me…" Marisa gave a snigger here, though Issei ignored it and continued. "She's been going to school with me. Buchou enrolled her so we go to school together now! She even helps wake me up and cooks for me! All the other guys are so jealous of me whenever she's around me."
"What do the girls think then?" Marisa asked inquisitively.
"They think it's cute. Asia is always around me. But they don't like me a lot." Issei answered happily all the way through.
Reisen raised an interested eyebrow. "The girls dislike you? Why's that?"
"Because… I always try to spy on them when they're naked! Looking at their breasts, the heaven of all teenage guys… Is always worth everything! Even your reputation!"
After his declaration, silence reigned momentarily as Marisa and Reisen both looked at him with mixed expressions. Reisen with one of utter disbelief and Marisa with a casual one that didn't appear to care too much.
"Ya' know, I was jokin' when I said you were a perv' earlier just ta' make fun of ya', but I guess I wasn't wrong after all. The fact ya' said that with so much determination with your fist clenched…." She nonchalantly said, crossing her arms behind her neck. "No wonder all the girls hate ya'."
Issei shook his head as he stood up from his chair, resolve in his eyes burning. "It's not over! Because my dream… is to become a harem king! Your words don't affect me at all!"
Here, Reisen looked at Issei with the same expression as earlier while Marisa twisted her head to the side, hand covering her mouth to stop herself from laughing openly.
"I-I suppose it's… a dream. Not the best…" Reisen slowly managed to remark, as if trying to rationalize his words. "But a dream regardless. I don't think I've ever heard such an outrageous one though."
"Hmph. One day, all those stupid bishounens will know that I got a harem before them!" Issei huffed with both excitement, beating his hand against his chest once before sitting back down. "But before that, Buchou said I have to get strong enough to become a high-level devil. I have to train and do these contracts for other people."
Marisa and Reisen vaguely remembered Aya mentioning how the devils interacted with clients in a non-malicious fashion regarding contracts.
"Contracts huh? Sorta like a deal?" Marisa inquired to make sure she had it right, which Issei nodded to. "So what kinda contracts do you do then?
"Contracts are supposed to give reputation to the devil that fulfills them successfully. Though, my last client…" Issei started reluctantly. "It was easily one of the scariest things I've ever seen. Someone like that shouldn't exist… I don't really want to talk about it."
"Why? Was it that bad?" Marisa asked curiously before he looked at her seriously.
He nodded his head gravely. "Yeah... Mil-tan."
Issei shuddered at the very thought of the innocent sounding name becoming an utter nightmare while his obviously scared voice spoke.
"H-He was a bodybuilding man who wanted to be a Magical Girl and dressed in a Gothic Lolita Dress."
Reisen raised an eyebrow, interest piqued. "A magical girl? Gothic Lolita?"
Another nod. "Yeah. L-Let's just talk about training. I don't want to talk about him anymore. The faster I forget about him, the better."
Marisa shrugged casually. "I think yer' just overreacting. Doesn't seem like that big a' deal."
His body shivered at her nonchalant action at the image that procured in his head.
"A-Anyway! School's a lot better ever since I started hanging out the Occult Research Club! My popularity is even rising!" His mood shifted around quickly as he brought out his backpack to open it up. "Enough that some girls walked up to me and gave me this book for free!"
He took out the book in question and placed it onto the table. The cover was completely blank except for its dull gray color scheme. The back was the same and the book was moderate in size, but not too thick either.
"It doesn't look professionally made. What's it about?" Reisen examined the rather plain looking book with no actual cover.
Issei shrugged his shoulders in the same fashion as the blonde witch. "I actually don't know. I haven't opened it up yet since I wanted to show you guys too. It must be really good though because the girls blushed and then ran away. That's never happened to me before."
"Hurry up and open it then! It sounds interestin'!" Marisa energetically demanded as Issei did just that, opening up to the front page of the book.
His eyes lit up with recognition. "Hey, it's a doujin! This art looks pretty good! They even drew me pretty accurately!"
"So it's a story about you?" The doctor asked inquiringly. "I suppose that does confirm that you've gotten more popular."
"Yeah!" Issei grinned enthusiastically as he flipped onto the next page. "Oh hey, Kiba's in here too! We're saying some pretty weird things, but whoever wrote and drew this did a good job! This is pretty good!"
He decided to skip a few pages onto the next one. This time however, confusion began spreading on his face.
"Wait, why are our shirts off? I mean our pants are still on, but… This is kind of awkward to look at."
He turned a few more pages.
"Now our pants are off. My thing is sticking out too…. Oh…"
He immediately shut the doujin and laid it on the table, his face turning green as the two females looked at him with worry on their faces.
"Issei-san. Are you alright? What was in there?" Reisen placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
He began taking deep breaths to hold in his bile as Marisa decided to voice her concern too. "Issei, you alright there? Ya' need some water?"
The devil nodded his head slowly and Marisa went to do just that while Reisen looked at the innocuous looking book on the table. She moved a hand to grab it, but Issei slammed his onto the book to prevent her from opening it.
"No! Don't!" He warned as she looked at him in quizzically.
"I don't understand. Unless you tell me what's in there, I have to look for myself in order to help you."
He shook his head fiercely, looking to her with an utter look of fear. "No… You don't want to look in there. It's… my worst nightmare…"
Marisa came back with a cup of water in hand, placing on the table as she sat back down. "What is it?"
"I-I can't say. It's…" He shook his head again, shaking away his doubts. "It's one of my worst fears. Sorry, but I'm going to burn that doujin as soon as I get home."
As he moved to put away the book, he gasped. "Oh no!"
"What? What now?" Marisa asked again with irritation in her tone from the various unclear answers she got.
"I just realized…" He muttered. "Asia has one too! I remembered seeing one of the girls give her one!"
He dropped onto the ground, arms forward to support to his weight with legs bent in an L shape as his eyes dropped tears. "I'm sorry Asia… I failed to protect your innocence."
Marisa nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders. "I'll just say it again. Life sucks for ya'."
He sadly agreed as talks continued between the three peacefully for the most part. Issei began to discuss his training under Rias for the past few days in which he woke up at five in the morning. Marisa gave him an impressed look at that while Reisen wondered whether he was getting enough sleep in that case. The sun began setting until Issei brought up a topic that had been bothering him for a while.
"Actually… Buchou has been acting weird lately. I was wondering if I could get your advice." He informed his hosts as he took a sip out of the tea that Reisen had gone back to the kitchen for. "Asia joined the Occult Research Club too even though she's not a devil so she can be around me more. But even she's noticing that Buchou's not really acting how she is."
"How so?" Reisen requested to know, prying to get more details.
"Well, she's been blanking out a lot. She has this faraway look whenever she looks at me and Asia. We had to snap her out of it a couple times now, but Buchou looks sad after we do. She tries to hide it though." Issei continued explaining. "I'm not sure what's going on. The others haven't really told me either so I was wondering if you guys might know what's happening to her. Is she sick? What do you think I should do?"
Reisen shook her head and smiled sincerely at him. "It's a good sign that there's been something on her mind for the past few days. It may or may not have something to do with you. You can try and ask her about it, but if she doesn't want to answer, just leave it be. Offer that if she wants to talk about it to come to you so that she feels a sense of control over her situation if it's that bad. If it isn't, then you don't have to worry."
Issei nodded seriously. "Yeah… you're right. I should try and help her if she needs it! Asia can help too! I'll ask her if she wants to come with me to help Buchou. Thanks Reisen-san."
He looked to the window outside.
"Ahh, it's getting pretty late. I should be getting home before Asia worries about me or something." He stood up from his seat to gather his items. "I'll be leaving now. Tell Suika-san hi for me!"
"Will do kid." Marisa gave a two fingered salute to acknowledge she heard. "Come back anytime!"
"Good luck Issei-san. Remember to respect her decision if she doesn't want to talk about it." Reisen reminded as she waved good-bye to him. He did the same as he left the living room and they eventually heard the front door opening and shutting to signify that he left the Inaba Clinic.
"He seems to be doing well for himself as a devil." Reisen commented. "It's almost as is his life hasn't really changed. It may even turn out for the better, disregarding his death experience. He always talks about his new friends at the Occult Research Club."
"That Kiba guy, that short white haired girl, Rias and Akeno I think. And Asia if ya' wanna count her since she's joined too, but not really part of the club." Marisa named, pointing up a finger for each person.
"I think we should. And speaking of friends…" Reisen turned solemnly towards the witch. "What are your thoughts on what Aya-san has told us recently when she came here a few days ago? About the attack on Patchouli-san and the possibility of there being a traitor or enemies powerful enough to defeat her?"
The aged witch regarded Reisen with the same attitude. "Those two guys? Cao Cao and Georg? Well…"
She scratched her head as she gathered words on what to say.
"Patchouli ain't a pushover. Between me, Alice, and her, she's got the most spells under her belt fer' most situations. That guy's got some serious power if he got Patchouli down like that. Patchouli's weak ta' anything that gets too close ta' her but she still has some spells to make sure that doesn't happen. If he can get through those, I'm surprised Patchouli lasted that long. It just shows how good she is when she ain't held back by her asthma and weak physical ability."
"If that's the case, do you think the others stand a chance?" Reisen doubted for a moment.
"They'll be fine. If yer' stupid enough ta' give any magician time ta' prepare for ya', then they'll make ya' pay for it. As long as everybody is there, then some wacko with a spear can't do anything. Everybody there is strong too, so I'm sure there's nothin' ta' worry about." Marisa waved off her concern dismissively. "Ya' gotta give 'em more faith. They're not weak. They won't lose."
Reisen paused for a moment before agreeing with her friend. "I'm sorry. I suppose I'm worried for them. There's more pressure over there for them than there is for us. They have to deal with the entire Youkai Faction while we simply have to watch for any dangers that come by. I think they're fortunate that Aya had to be sent back to Kyoto then or it could have been worse."
Marisa beamed at the moon rabbit. "Exactly! Aya may screw around most of the time without tryin' too hard like most of us, but she's one of the best Gensokyo's got. She and Alice won't let anything happen. Now then…"
"Hmm? What is it?" Interest and suspicion decorated Reisen's expression as Marisa's smile turned mischievous.
"What're the chances Issei'll remember that his doujin thing is missing?"
Reisen looked baffled for a moment. "He seems like the type of person to forget some things. Why do you… Oh."
Her question was promptly answered before she could even ask as Marisa held up the doujin that Issei had left.
"I swiped it when his back was turned. He didn't even realize it." The innocent smile she had completely contrasted to her act.
Reisen sighed in disbelief.
"I honestly should have expected this, given your reputation back in Gensokyo."
"Yup!" Marisa laid the reading material onto the table. "Since he's finally not here, wanna check it out? I don't think he's comin' back anytime soon to get it anyway."
Reisen gave no action for a moment while Marisa looked at her with a massively smug grin plastered on her face. Eventually, she sighed again, deciding to give in to her friend's demands.
"Fine. At the very least, we'll know why Issei-san was so afraid of what he read."
"Haha, alright! First page then!"
A few more days passed in relative peace for the Inaba Clinic as their usual activities went by unhindered. Marisa and Suika both relaxed around the Clinic though there were a couple days when the former went out to buy more supplies for the Clinic with the hard-earned money that Reisen brought in. Suika continued her spying activities again with her mist, but it wasn't as often compared to when they hadn't been discovered. Then, Rias and her entire peerage came into the Clinic with Marisa already in the front assisting Reisen with papers.
"Oh, it's the full devil brigade! What's up?" She waved at them with a grin. "What's with all the glum looks?"
Issei stepped forward with a sheepish look.
"Err… Well…"
Reisen cocked an eyebrow as Rias stepped forward with a very determined expression, eyes focused and body straight.
"We'd like to request your assistance."
A/N: Here's Patchouli in all her magician glory! I really enjoyed writing her fight scene against Cao Cao and Georg since most of the fights have been curbstomps thus far. Here, it's more of a fair fight. Once again, this is a self-beta'ed chapter so if you find mistakes in it, you can sort of blame me. If you read the whole thing, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Try to leave constructive reviews if you can! Point out what you like or don't like and why! I always seek to improve!