Entry 5: Marisa's History
Marisa slowly opened her eyes, and found herself somewhere she, quite frankly, shouldn't have been.
It was a small room, fit for a child of, let's say, nine or ten years of age. The walls were lined with books and scrolls that, by all logic, would have been too advanced for a child of that age, and the ground littered with old, battered toys.
Marisa knew this room well, for it was once her own.
"Where's..." she muttered quietly. "Alice? Fake me? Where are ya?" she called out.
No response. She was...
"... The only one in the world," Marisa muttered. "Man. How long has it been since I felt like that?"
Just then, the door opened, revealing a small girl with messy blonde hair.
Marisa waved a hand in front of the girl, who did not react. She walked past Marisa, took a thick tome out from under her bed, sat down, and began reading.
Marisa remembered that tome well. The cover may have said 'advanced arithmetic's', but that was just the classic 'switching the covers of the books' trick in play. The contents were more... magical in nature.
"Now that's nostalgic," Marisa commented. "That was one'a my first grimoires. But, if this is the memory I think it's gonna be..."
The door to the room slid open, and in stepped a remarkably tall man with thinning grey hair and sharp eyes. Marisa felt a chill run down her spine, and the child now had a fearful look in her eyes.
This man was known as Kirisame Masato. Marisa's father. Marisa didn't have many fond memories of her father. It wasn't that he was abusive, though; rather, he was just very strict about what she could and couldn't do.
Masato looked down at the child, noticing the book she was holding. The child, fearful, closed the book and held it close to her chest.
"Reading those books again, Marisa?" Masato spoke, voice as heavy as lead. "How many times do I have to tell you? You are a Kirisame; magic is not any of our business."
The child Marisa looked down sadly. "But... I..."
"Enough of this!" Masato yelled. "It was bad enough the village lost the last Hakurei in the same youkai attack that took your mother! She wanted to be an Incident Solver, and look where that got her!"
The child backed away in fear, and Marisa let out a low, sombre sigh. "Yeah, I know," she muttered. "That's one memory I wish I could have forgotten. It wasn't that the same youkai that got Mum also got the previous Hakurei, though; that's just what he told me to hide the truth. No, Mum became a youkai. Even I know that much."
It was a hard time. About a year ago from the time period Marisa currently stood in (so, if this memory was currently 17 years before present time, her mother would have died a year before that, therefore 18 years before the present). Marisa gotten her interest in magic from her mother, truth be told; it was almost hereditary. In fact, if she recalled correctly, the late Kirisame-okaa-san was a very close friend to the former Hakurei miko, something Marisa only learnt years down the line thanks to a surprise article written in the Kakashi Spirit Report. Marisa may not have been a fan of Tengu newspaper, but she at least trusted that Himekaidou Hatate to write things truthfully, even if the stories are dated a bit.
Marisa wasn't an idiot. She knew that her mother had turned into a youkai because of magic that went out of control. Everyone knew it, but because she, at the time, was a kid, they tried to hide it.
Masato tried to grab for the book, but the child fought back. A swift, sudden kick knocked the man to the ground, and in fear, the child Marisa leapt for the window, and ran through the streets.
Marisa felt a serious pang of guilt. That was the last time she saw him.
"Geez. How long are ya gonna keep acting like a human?" Marisa heard her own voice ask. She turned, and lo and behold, there stood the Shade. "You wanted power, yet you're not willing to take that final step."
"I didn't want power for its own sake," Marisa corrected. "I just wanted to follow her legacy. Is that so wrong?"
"Her 'legacy' was becoming a youkai and killing a Hakurei," the Shade pointed out.
"To other people, sure. To me, though, she was a hero, doing what she felt she needed," Marisa responded. "So? Is this all you're trying to show me? 'Cause I remember this much, at least."
"Oh, we'll get there," the Shade commented. "In fact, let's get to one right now!"
The world seemed to shift, and before Marisa knew it, she was standing waste deep in a bush. Of course, since Marisa 'technically' didn't exist, she could only 'technically' feel the bush around her.
Marisa looked around, until she spotted her younger self hiding in the foliage, looking at something. Marisa moved closer, and followed the child's gaze.
There, in the clearing, was a most familiar structure: the Hakurei Shrine. It looked... different somehow. Marisa couldn't quite say why. Perhaps it was just the fact that it looked like a war had recently been waged there.
Just then, the resounding sound of a slap echoed. Marisa and her child self couldn't help but flinch at the sound. The two peered through the foliage, and Marisa immediately felt her heart sink.
She recognised the two figures standing by the damaged shrine. One of them was unmistakably Ibaraki Kasen, looking pretty much identical to her present day counterpart. The second figure looked different, but there was no mistake; that purple haired girl in the red and white Shrine Maiden attire was Hakurei Reimu.
What made matters worse, though, was that Reimu looked to be on the verge of crying.
"How could you have let it come to this?" Kasen exclaimed, clearly irritated, if not outright angry. "Why didn't you strengthen that seal before it broke, Reimu?"
"I..." Reimu hesitated, nursing her red cheek as she struggled to suppress a hiccup. "I didn't... know about it..."
Kasen seemed far from pleased with that answer. "That is no excuse," she stated. "As the Hakurei Shrine Maiden, it is your duty, your responsibility, to stay on top of these things. 'I didn't know' is not an acceptable excuse."
Marisa felt her stomach twist into knots. This was why Reimu seemed to dislike Kasen so much? She knew it'd be a futile action, but right now, Marisa had half a mind to storm out of this bush, and punch the Hermit upside the head, and the other half agreed.
Just then, however, something large, green, and most importantly, spinning, turned the corner of the shrine, and flew with murderous intent at Kasen. Kasen, in turn, raised her bandaged arm up, and caught the object. After a moment, the object broke away from her grip, before hovering between Kasen and Reimu.
It was at this moment that Marisa realised that the 'object' in question was, in fact, a turtle shell. The turtle in question extended its limbs and neck out of the shell, and if Marisa were to describe it as anything, it would have to be 'old'. Bushy white eyebrows, a thick white beard, and more wrinkles then she'd ever seen on a turtle before in her life (not that she'd seen many). Most importantly, though, the turtle looked very angry.
"Genji," Kasen said plainly. "Bit of a rude way to greet someone."
"Do not speak to me of 'being rude', Ibaraki," Genji spoke in an aged, furious voice. Were it not for the obvious fact that he was a turtle, Marisa would have thought his an angered grandparent. "You are overstepping your boundaries once more. The training of the Hakurei Shrine Maiden is none of your concern."
"And an absolutely enthralling job you're doing at that," Kasen replied sarcastically. "She can't even fire shots that hurt yet! She had to solve this Incident by throwing the treasured Yin-Yang Orb at the enemy like it's some ballgame!"
"She is a child, you accursed Hermit!" Genji yelled back. "You cannot expect her to perform at her late mothers level at this age! Now, leave this place at once!"
With a huff, Kasen pivoted, and began to walk away. "Mark my words, turtle," she said. "One of these days, your coddling will be the death of Hakurei Reimu."
"Like how your actions were the cause for the Hakurei's death fifty years ago?" Genji shot back. "I never forgot, Ibaraiki Kasen. You took that failure as an excuse to double down, solely because you thought you 'didn't do enough'. I say nay; you did too much, and pushed her to exhaustion. Now, begone!"
Marisa noticed Kasen clench her fist in irritation, before she took off to the skies. Guess that one real hit where it hurt.
Still, it certainly explained where Reimu's attitude with Kasen came from.
Marisa looked down at her younger self, and noticed a curious expression on her. It was one that mixed solidarity with jealousy. Marisa could understand that. Reimu had suffered similar pain, so she felt solidarity, yet unlike Marisa, she had someone standing up for her.
Marisa put that aside for the moment, and wondered what that 'seal' Kasen was talking about was.
Then, a shadow loomed overhead, and both Marisa and her younger self turned around in surprise.
"Well," spoke a tall, bloodied, green haired woman in blue. "What's a little lamb like you doing all the way out here?"
Marisa felt a pang of fear and familiarity at this woman. Of course, the knife with blood dripping off it's edge didn't do this woman any favours.
The woman took notice of the book the child was holding. "A grimoire?" she noted. "You aspire to master the arts of magic, do you?" Child-Marisa looked up at the woman, and nodded hesitantly. "And? Why do you want to do that?" In response, the child looked hesitantly over at Reimu in the distance. The woman smirked. "I see. Is that right?" she began to cackle quietly. "Alright. How about I teach you, then?"
Child-Marisa looked up hopefully. "You... you will?"
"Of course," the woman responded. "After all, why would I, the great Mima, pass up this opportunity?"
Mima. That name rang many, many bells in Marisa's head. She sat back, watching as days turned to months as Mima trained her younger self.
During that time, Child-Marisa began to take on an appearance more like the Shade, with short red hair, pointy ears, and a purple dress. Yet to have her favourite Hakkero, Child-Marisa instead used a wand that was tipped with a star.
One year passed in the blink of an eye, and Child-Marisa was not only looking like a youkai, but she was even acting the part. Was that part of Mima's plan? To Corrupt this girl's dream? Marisa wasn't sure what to think about that.
Then, there was an attack on the Hakurei Shrine, orchestrated by Mima.
Some very general looking youkai, led by a human girl who made tanks named Rika, and a human samurai named Meira, all assaulted the Hakurei Shrine, and were beaten by Reimu, who at this point, had mastered shooting bullets, but was yet to fly on her own. Marisa found that rather ironic, given her ability in the future.
It was almost as funny as how hard Reimu seemed to crush on Meira. Marisa knew she would definitely be using that ammunition later.
Finally, after what was, technically speaking, a few hours, Reimu and Child-Marisa stood face to face, prepared to engage in battle.
There was something... feral, in Child-Marisa's eyes. It sent chills down Marisa's spine. Hadn't Child-Marisa's drive been to fight alongside Reimu? Now, she was trying her damnedest to kill her.
The battle itself was... fierce. Nothing like the Spell Card duels they held in the present (future? This whole 'living in the memory' thing was doing hell to Marisa's head). Every talisman seemed to burn its target, and every bolt of magic that narrowly missed left a cut or gash.
Before long, however, Reimu emerged from their duel victorious. Marisa was far from surprised.
"Mima-sama..." Child-Marisa muttered, laying defeated on the ground. "Forgive me..."
Reimu looked down at the red haired child from atop Genji's back. "Tell me," she said, "why did you agree to study under Mima?"
Child-Marisa opened her mouth... and paused. She couldn't clearly remember her reason. Reimu let out a sigh. "Tell you what," she continued. "Watch the next battle, and see what you feel, okay? What's your name?"
"Ki... Kirisame Marisa," Child-Marisa said quietly.
Nodding, Reimu and Genji flew off.
Off to the side, the adult Marisa looked down at her younger self, and felt... almost enlightened. "So, that's how you were born, then?" she asked the Shade. "From the newfound desire for power for its own sake?"
"And what's so wrong with that?" the Shade asked, appearing behind Marisa. "With enough power, we don't have to be afraid of anything. Not the Hakurei, not the Yakumo, not even the Oni. We won't lose anything again."
So that's what this was about, then? Fear of being left behind? How... simple. Then again, it made a lot of sense to Marisa. "And what, you thought Mima-sama had nefarious reasons to train us?" she asked, mildly surprised at herself for using 'sama'.
"Of course she wanted something out of training us," the Shade said. "Mima-sama's a vengeful spirit. She was sealed below the Hakurei Shrine, so of course she'd want us to try and kill 'er."
Marisa, in response, smirk. "Somehow, I don't think that's the case," she responded. "How about we move forward a bit?"
The scene shifted, and a great battle between Reimu and Mima raged on overhead.
In the distance, at ground level, Child-Marisa watched the battle, with both her adult version and the Shade watching from behind.
"You've done well to make it this far, Hakurei Reimu!" Mima stated boisterously. "And that power, too... Yes, you've grown quite nicely."
"What are you talking about?" Reimu asked.
"As the old man and that Hermit have no doubt told you," Mima continued, "the Hakurei Yin-Yang Orb is a sacred treasure, only usable by those that carry the blood of the Hakurei. The orbs absorb the power of their wielder, before releasing it in a single burst, and going back to absorbing. That you have mastered using the energy stored within them to such an extent, that you no doubt have no need to worry about expending so much power all at once..." Something in Mima's expression shifted. For a moment, Marisa could have sworn she saw a small, fond smile on her face, before it was quickly overridden by a sinister grin. "Very good! This means I get to go all out taking that power from you!"
"You're not making a single bit of sense!" Reimu shouted back. "But I don't even care! Prepare for a beat down!"
As the fighting continued with greater ferocity, Marisa saw the awe that began to fill her child-self's eyes. The longer it went on, the more it seemed to affect her. In fact, Marisa could see her child-self's hair change back to blonde right in front of her eyes.
The Shade, however, was less than pleased. "This was it," she said. "The first moment you started to reject me."
"Somehow, I don't see it like that," Marisa responded. "Power without a purpose is crazy, but so is purpose without power. I'm sure Mima-sama knew that."
"What, are you saying she trained us to work with Reimu? Are you mad?"
"Am I? Look at her," Marisa motioned to Mima. "She's having fun, and not in the 'fight to the death' kind of way. But, even if I'm wrong," she turned to her Shade, and smile, "that ain't gonna change who I am, yeah?"
The scene shimmered, and once again, they were back at the Hakurei Shrine. The place certainly looked battered, but less so than the last time around.
Reimu could be seen casually sweeping the step, as she let out a small sigh. "Geez, if Gramps wasn't a turtle, I'd be 100 times more pissed that he wasn't helping," she said to herself. "Where'd he even go, anyway? He doesn't usually wander off like this."
The sound of footsteps echoed from the stairs. Reimu looked up, and saw a familiar girl in purple witch clothes.
"You're... Marisa, right?" Reimu asked. "Mima's pupil? What are you..."
Reimu paused. There was something... different about the Marisa before her. It had only been about three days since their battle, yet Marisa's hair had not only grown out, but was now blonde, and her ears had a more natural, rounded look to them.
On top of that, she looked almost bashful right now. "H... hey," she greeted nervously. "Sorry about... you know, earlier."
"Earlier?" Reimu repeated. "Ah, you mean the whole fighting thing? Don't worry about it," she waved off. "That annoying Hermit might say I should be harder on you and those other youkai, but... I dunno. Just doesn't sit right with me."
Marisa looked surprised by this. "You... felt weird exterminating youkai?"
"Odd, isn't it? That the Hakurei Shrine Maiden would feel that way?" Reimu asked. "Well, that's in the past, anyway. So..." Reimu extended her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Marisa-san. I'm Hakurei Reimu."
Marisa, slowly but surely, reached her hand out and grasped Reimu's. "I'm... Kirisame Marisa."
At that moment, a familiar brown haired girl jumped on Marisa's back. "Aw, look at you two!" she exclaimed. "Getting along like besties already!"
"Ah!" Reimu exclaimed. "Ghost Girl!"
"My name is Rika!" she shouted back.
At that moment, another figure appeared; a purple haired samurai, whom doofed Rika on the top of the head. "Enough of that, Rika-dono," she said. "You are making the Hakurei uneasy."
Reimu seemed to blush something fierce at the presence of the samurai. "M... Meira-san?!" she exclaimed. "W... what are you doing here?!"
"Make no mistake, Hakurei-dono," Meira responded. "I have no intention of becoming too chummy, that I do not. However, in my family, it is tradition that, after a long battle, the victor and loser share tea together, so that no hard feelings are had."
"Ah, don't mind her," Rika added. "That's just her way of saying that she'd like to know you better."
Meira rapt Rika once more on the head. "Kindly stop putting words into my mouth!"
From atop the shrine, the present day spectre of Kirisame Marisa looked on with a fond smile. "That's right," she muttered wistfully. "This was the first group. Reimu, me, Rika, and Meira. And, of course..." she looked back, to see both Genji and Mima, floating a ways away from the shrine.
"They're getting along quite splendidly," Genji said. "I'm relieved. Reimu-sama doesn't have many friends her own age. Or at all, honestly."
"No doubt thanks to that idiot Ibaraki," Mima replied. "Honestly, can't stand those hermit-types and how they force their ideas down peoples throats."
"She certainly oversteps her boundaries, that's for sure," Genji agreed. "Yakumo as well, though less so, given her sleeping cycle."
"Damn, the hag still hasn't retired?" Mima asked. "Can never really get a good read on her. She still got that fox as a Shikigami?"
"Ran-sama is still around, yes," Genji answered. "She's finally graduated to being a full blown Kitsune, and has even taken a Nekomata as a Shikigami of her own."
"The Shikigami's got a Shikigami? That's a laugh," Mima cackled. "Ya know, if little Ran-chan took over the Yakumo business, things would be just dandy."
"She's certainly more mature than Yakumo, that's for certain," Genji admitted. "But, for now, all we can do is look after these children."
The two looked down at the four that had gathered. "I'm surprised," Genji continued, "that you would take on the daughter of Kirisame."
"Girl had talent, what can I say?" Mima shrugged. "I don't care what the world says, but just because I'm a vengeful spirit..."
"'...doesn't mean I'm vengeful against the Hakurei'..." the Shade finished hesitantly, standing behind Marisa.
"Thought so," Marisa said. "She was having too much genuine fun during that battle."
"But then... what was the point?" the Shade asked. "Why... am I like this?"
Ah. The loaded question. There was some irony to be had here, with how it was now the Shade, and not Marisa, questioning what they believed, but Marisa took no humour in it.
"Who can say?" Marisa said. "Best we can do right now is keep going forward, and learning."
Once more, the world began to shift.
A/N:
So, I was today years old when I learnt that Rika and Meira are both actually humans. I could have sworn they were just bog-standard youkai.
Well, that covers the truth of Highly Responsive to Prayers and Story of Eastern Wonderland. Next time, we'll learn the events of the next three PC98 games.
Stay tuned!