Disclaimer: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona belongs to ATLUS. Touhou Project belongs to Zun. I have no ownership of the copyrights of either series in any way.


Chapter 15: End of Spring

"Alright… so with the bullshit out of the way, can you tell me what actually happened?" I knew Shinji was not going to believe me. Then again, a story of a mythical pocket where all of the world's magic had coalesced where most things are settled via a duel system reminiscent of bullet hell games wasn't exactly going to be winning any… what were those again? Pulitzer prizes? Yeah, wasn't going to be winning any of those for non-fiction stories if they had a category for that. Not that I'd know. I'd only heard of the award from Fuuka once. He and I were drinking some tea and looking out at the garden, similar to what Yuyuko and I did before my training happened.

"Well I don't know what to tell you other than 'That's what really happened.'" I took a sip of my tea. Whether he believes it or not has no bearing on the fact that it really did happen that way.

"Tch… well if that's the case, then you've been through a hell of a lot more than I have. All that's happened to me was being stuck in some weird ass garden before this chick with a scythe told me to follow her. Boring as hell." Shinji was as charming as ever. I'm glad to see that nothing had changed… well mostly as the visible soul at the center of his body would testify otherwise.

"How long were you there?"

"When did I die?" He asked sarcastically. Point taken…

"Point taken…" I took another sip of my tea before taking a breath to continue. "So what exactly happened to you to bring you to this realm of the afterlife? What did they tell you?"

"Nothing, but they told me the pink haired woman would tell me, but she never did either. Though you're here, I guess it could be worse." Woman with a scythe… I have a hunch that it's Komachi from that… time…? Well I suppose then that means somebody is trying to do me a favor. Feels a bit too accommodating… "You look like shit by the way."

"Huh? Oh… yeah, today was pretty rough." Marisa was the center of most of it now that I think about it.

"Well you should get to bed. Unlike me, you're still kicking. You wouldn't want to waste life a second time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"You better. And also, if you're really not shitting me, then Tartarus really is back then?" Shinji asked me, disappointment and exasperation showing only in the smallest of amounts. Not that Shinji was the most expressive person for expressions other than disinterest and cool.

"I wish that weren't the case, but yeah."

"Tch, wish I could help, especially now, but a stiff stays stiff. I can't leave the afterlife. A rules and regulations thing that was drilled into my head by my escort, and here I thought going to school was boring. Still, I'll see what I can do about it from here when I've got the time. I can't sit on my ass doing nothing all day." Shinji then put his finished cup on the tray and got up. He then began to walk towards the exit that was behind us, his spirit staying dead center in his body as he moved about.

"Where are you going?" I asked. Just where is he staying?

"Home or what they told me home was. It's this little house off to the side of this big ass mansion. Besides that, I've got some people to find. I want to take care of that since I'm six feet under and all." Shinji was never one to share, always a bit closed off. "You on the other hand, better get some sleep. I wasn't kidding when I said that you look like a sack of shit, and I'm speaking of worse than usual." Shinji made it to the door out and turned back one last time to say, "Be careful out there," and left, closing the door behind him, leaving me all alone. He didn't even let me say good bye, just like last time.

"…" It has been a long day… too much… just too much. I need some sleep…

Break

"Minato-san, it's time to wake up." … Youmu? My eyes flicker open to find the gardener sitting in seiza next to my bed; her ghost half hovering just off to the side. I lethargically get up and stretch as I let out a big yawn, closing my eyes again. After sitting for a few seconds to make sure I was up, I open my eyes fully and turn towards the patient girl.

"Good morning Youmu." The ghost half then seemed to swim over to me and began to hover over my lap. "Good morning to you too," I said as I began to pat the phantom half. I see that it's back to the usual routine. That's nice.

"Good morning Minato-san." There was a twinge of tremble in her voice just now as well as a stiffening of her posture as I began to stroke her ghost half, but it was only apparent if you were to look for it or were keen enough to notice regardless. "Breakfast is ready. I-I tried to invite the man who was here yesterday, but it would appear that he already left for somewhere."

"Man? You mean Shinji?"

"Yes I believe that was his name. Is he a friend of yours?" Youmu asked as Myon hovered back to the human half's side.

"We weren't too close since we didn't know each other for long, but we could still be called friends." At least I think so.

"Well, then I apologize for not being able to bring him for company," Youmu said with a bit of remorse.

"No it's fine. He said he was going to be looking for some people anyways…" Who could he be looking for? Who would he want to meet in the afterlife…it's none of my business. If I know Shinji, then I know that this is something he wouldn't want anyone meddling in… I turned back to see Youmu nodding her head before continuing.

"I shouldn't keep you here for too long. Breakfast is in the same room as before. I'll see you afterwards." Youmu got up from seiza and proceeded out the door with Myon in tow. I guess that I should get ready for the day now.

Break

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." Igor's welcome never changes. Theodore simply bowed.

"I'm here to do some fusions," I told them as I took a seat, Koishi floating down to sit in my lap as before. She took her hat off and I began to stroke her head before continuing. "I want to fill my compendium today so please tell me what Personas I don't have yet." Apparently with the advent of the new Social Links, my Persona count rose to more than 200. New tarots even began to appear that I hadn't even encountered yet such as the Popess, and Traitor.

"Then I shall prepare your book." Theodore opened my compendium and began to flip through its contents, readying it for when I was going to retrieve a Persona.

"Whenever you're ready," Igor said as he waved his hand across the table with his palm facing upward.

"Let's start with the final Persona in the Magus line then." I couldn't help but feel excited.

Break

"Well I didn't expect that…" I looked at the new Persona card as it descended downwards in a rather floppy manner. Koishi flew over to pick up the card as it flopped down and then flew back to me, giving me the card as she reclaimed her 'special seat' as she liked to call it, much to my chagrin.

"Ah well, accidents do happen as you know. I do apologize, but given what you have just received, I do not believe this to be an entirely fruitless endeavor." Igor was right. I looked at the new Persona which was of the Jester Arcana, rather than the Magus and all I could think was… wow. "Ah I haven't seen that one in a long time. Do take care of it." A long time… I wonder what he means by that. Still however-

"Theodore, would you mind getting the same Personas I had before?"

"Certainly…" He then flipped through the pages and handed me a slip of paper. "This will be the bill." Ouch… I'm starting to run out, but I think I still have enough… Ok, I do.

"Here," I said as I handed him the money. As soon as the transaction was settled, I instantly felt the Personas return to the forefront of my mind. I turned to Igor once I had confirmed their return. "Let's try and get that one again."

"Yay! More pretty lights!" That's right Koishi.

Break

"Off without a hitch." This time, the expected result fell with grace as opposed to the lame fall the previous card had. I looked at the ultimate representation of my bond with Sanae, and all I could that comes to mind is: how fitting. The card the disappeared in a small flash of light and fell back into my mind.

"Ne, Onii-chan, can we play now?" I looked to the girl sitting in my lap that was tugging at the flaps of my school uniform's coat. I quickly raised my head back to the front to find Igor and Theodore missing from the room. It would appear that they disappeared to give me and Koishi some time alone. How nice of them, but couldn't they have said something before leaving?

"I've got time," I told her gently as she then grabbed my hands and pulled me into the air, paying no mind to the fact that the other two residents of the room had disappeared.

"Let's play tag then!" She shouted, her hands holding on to me stronger than before.

"We can't play that if you don't let go."

"But I don't want to let go." That's sweet.

"Well make it quick though, Onii-chan has to be places today." I can't stay in here forever.

"Like where?" She asked as she settled down, in a manner of speaking, and we began to just float in the middle of the room.

"Well a mansion for starters. I think that will be easier to find." I'd changed my mind on the order of where I was going to go. It might take me quite a bit of time to find the Palace.

"Ooooh! A mansion? Is it by a lake?" Nice guess.

"It is. Do you know of it?"

"Nope! I don't remember much of anything from before I came to this room and saw you sleeping in this room." Nothing…?

"Um… Koishi, do you have amnesia?" She's mentioned memory problems before.

"Nope!" She let out with cheer… cheer… um…

"What about when you said your head was becoming clearer and clearer?" She was crying then.

"Did I say that? I don't remember anything like that. Oh! But I remember Onii-chan saying that you will like me forever and ever!" I didn't say it like that… however… "Say, Onii-chan where was the other place you were supposed to go? You said you changed your mind and something about a palace!" When did I say that? Oh well I must have at some point.

"Well you're right about that. I'm supposed to go to this Palace of Earth Spirits later today." Upon saying the name, Koishi's smile seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye. At first she seemed to be solemn, but then her face twisted into fear before one could possibly register a change had even happened. Her eyes suddenly lost focus as she began to clench her head with her hands, her head beginning to swing left and right in violent sweeps. Her teeth looked to be clenched as well and tears began to form from her wide glowing eyes. Her breathing seemed to accelerate, before she all of a sudd-

"No! Nononononononono!" She screamed, her head shaking having become exponentially more violent as every second passed before she then lost all control and began to fly about in a crazed manner.

"Koishi!" I yelled in response as I tried to keep track of her. I readied myself and summoned my dolls to try and calm her down. I need to act fast! Apparently though, I didn't need to because as soon as my dolls had fully materialized, she flew right into me.

For a moment, she was still as could be, in complete contrast to the erraticism that she had displayed just seconds earlier. Time seemed to not move for even a nanosecond. It resumed as suddenly as it began however in a most troubling manner. She began crying into my chest. Even if I couldn't see her face, it was easy to tell just by the noises and the dampness culminating on my shirt. I slowly placed my arms around her and let her cry for as much as she wanted. My arms moved up and down in time with the heaving she let out. It only made me wish to hold her tighter, and yet her small frame gave me fear over the strength I could use. Words… I should use words.

"There, there. That's it, just let it all out." I told her along with other sayings to help calm her down more. The rest of what I said flowed… but was forgotten like a waterfall. They weren't important to remember. Just throw away lines in hopes that it would calm her. Again then, with as much suddenness as the rest of this event, she began to speak. She still held herself to me, but even so, it wasn't hard to make out what she was saying underneath the sobs.

"I'm sorry. I don't know how to stop it… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. Can we still be friends? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Each iteration of that phrase (of which a part of me wishes to call it damned now) was more broken and weak than the last. Each time she said it, the shaking of her voice only worsened to the point that the sobbing had returned stronger than before. A part of me wanted so much to know just what she was reliving, but right now, it was more important to care for her in the present.

"Koishi…" I called. I could feel her stiffen at my voice, noticing my presence as if she had forgotten it, and as she raised her head, it hurt to see her face. It was mess, even worse than last time. Her eyes had completely swollen and the tears were still fresh upon her face. I took my hand and tried to place it upon her check to wipe the tears away, but she flinched at the site of my action. Just who did this to her?

"I'm sorry, but it wasn't anyone in particular…" She said softly as she took my hand to her face perhaps as an apology for earlier. She then seemed to calm down as she rubbed her left check with my right hand. Her eyes lost stress as she continued. The strength with which she used to hold my hand with was surprisingly strong, as if she was holding on to a life preserver in the middle of the most tumultuous ocean. It was only outweighed by the strength she used to press it upon her face, where it seemed that the more power she used to feel my hand, the more she returned to a state of calm.

"So it was everyone then?"

"Not my sister or her pets…" This is bad, though it seems the palace was the trigger…

"Koishi…" I called her again.

"Yes, Onii-chan?" She asked, uncharacteristically slowly.

"If you need anything. I'm here for you. I'll always be."

"Then can I keep using your hand?" she pleaded.

"Sure." Anything…

Break

"And be sure to come back as soon as you can, okay?" Yuyuko told me as she gave me a big bear hug. We had just finished breakfast, though my appetite was not as large as usual. Yuyuko was seeing me off while Youmu, who was standing to my right, was going to escort me to the gate.

"I'll try." I told her, savoring the moment for as much as I could so as to lift my mood a bit.

"Shall we be off?" Youmu asked as Yuyuko slowly let me go.

"Yeah," I said, nodding to Youmu as I turned back to Yuyuko to say- "I'll see to it that I'm back before dinner."

"You make it sounds like we're married. Oh, does that make Youmu our precious daughter?" Yuyuko giggled at the prospect. I honestly cannot say it would be bad to be married to Yuyuko, but I'm not ready to marry; not with how my love life is. "Oh I'm sorry Youmu. I think you'd rather be the wife and I be the daughter, though I suppose it would be weird to have the daughter more grown up than the mother." Yuyuko's jest sent Youmu into shutdown or at least that would be the best way to describe what was happening to the half ghost. All I could do was sigh.

"Come on Youmu. We should get going." I tapped her on the shoulder to try and restart her brain functions. She flinched at the touch and quickly turned to me.

"R-right!" She replied nervously. We waved one last time to Yuyuko and headed towards the gate. The trek was notably silent as it had been about a week since we had last been alone together like this. Though, perhaps in response to that thought, Youmu broke the ice that seemed to have formed between us since then.

"Minato-san?" she asked to get my attention.

"What is it Youmu?"

"I noticed that you used a sword for you duel with Marisa-san," she posited.

"Um… you mean this?" I took the sword out and activated it, making sure not to break my walking pace. "What about it?"

"Well, how should I put this… ah! Have you ever had formal sword training?" Youmu asked with a bit of energy in her voice.

"Well, no. I sort of just play it by ear and use my prior experience to give me a general feel of what I should do." I could have taken Kendo, but I instead went to track. I wouldn't have met Kazushi if I didn't… at least I think.

"Well then, have you ever used it outside of spell card duels?"

"Actually, that's where I learned. It was either do or die." And I couldn't afford to die. I put the blade away and turned back to Youmu, who looked a bit surprised.

"Oh… um, well I just thought that… um…"

"Youmu, just tell me what you want to say."

"I don't want to offend you." That's sweet of her, but…

"Trust me; it would be pretty hard for you to offend me. It's pretty hard for a lot of people to offend me." Doesn't mean I can't be pissed off, but...

"Okay then… if you're sure…" Youmu reluctantly let out as she took a big breath. "You don't seem to be very good with a sword." She stopped walking and nervously clenched her eyes shut and hands at her sides. Myon was also hiding behind the main body as well.

"Oh is that it?" No, really. Was that it? If so then that's nothing to be surprised about. "I guess you would be able to tell since you are supposed to be Yuyuko's sword instructor after all." Youmu slowly opened her eyes to stare at me in a bit of surprise.

"You're… not offended?" She asked cautiously.

"Didn't I just say that it's hard to offend me?" I teased her.

"I see..." Youmu looked down on towards the ground. Even though I couldn't see her face, it was clear that she was feeling embarrassed about the whole thing.

"So what were you going to say after that?" She perked up, the conversation having gotten back on track, I hope.

"Oh well, what I was going to say was… well what I was going to suggest was that, since you seem to favor the sword so, despite a lack of skill, I was going to… I was going to offer to… I was wondering if you'd… let me teach you?" The meek words which escaped her matched the shrinking with which her body seemed to do.

"Teach me?" I asked, a little curious, a little surprised, and, admittedly, a little dubious.

"Only if you're fine with it… I, I don't want to force you."

"Sure." I don't see why not. It can help pass the time.

"I understand if that's your… ans…wer… wait what did you say?" Youmu asked.

"I said sure. I guess if I'm going to keep using a sword, I might as well learn how to properly use it." I don't know if it will be useful for duels, but I don't think it would hurt. Youmu seemed to look stunned by my reply before her face began to lift into elation; Myon flew in circles above.

"Yes! Yes! I'd love to teach you!" She grabbed my hands in hers and began to shake them. "You will not regret this! I swear it on my honor. You'll become a great swordsman" Youmu, for the first time, smiled earnestly and without hiding a bit of herself behind a face of cold stone.

"Youmu, I think this is a bit backwards. Aren't I supposed to be the one thanking you?" I pointed out. She stopped for a second to think on what I mention before her face began to turn a crimson shade. She then let go of my hand as soon as her whole face had become dyed by the color, though she continued to look straight at me.

"R-right! I didn't mean to-" She coughed into her hand while Myon descended. "Excuse me, what I meant to say was: Please take care of me during our lessons." She took a bow, though I was unsure of why she was still so formal since normally I should be the one to lower myself here.

"I as well." I took my own bow. "We should get going however. We can get started when I come back home."

"Yes, let us go without further delay." She took a step to the side and held out her hands in a leading motion. "By your leave." I guess that adds one more thing to the list of things to do. Notably, Youmu's step was lighter after that. The quiet night of the dead kept us company the rest of the way.

Break

"Well it's the only mansion near a lake…" I said cautiously as I looked down at most of Gensokyo, neglecting my shrine duties. "I'm pretty sure Reimu won't mind if I'm late…" I said to myself, trying to rationalize my actions for the day. Ruukoto can take care of her in the while I'm gone. She's probably asleep too. Descending towards the ground, I saw the mansion and surroundings come closer and become more detailed by each meter that passed. Though the mansion was indeed close to the lake, there was still a considerable amount of forest between the actual building and the body of water. Luckily for me, I can fly, thus making the terrain a complete non-issue. "If only I had this power when I was in high school…" I let out. It would have saved me a lot of train fare and time.

Landing in front of the gate, I could see much more detail than I could before. It was mostly symmetrically designed as it was definitely made with a western aesthetic in mind. Fitting for a vampire, which was a western myth. Though what stood out about the mansion was the fact that all the windows were blackened scarlet. I guess that it makes sunlight unable to penetrate into the building. Lastly, a clock tower in the distance stood proudly and reminded me of the clock inside Tartarus. Actually, looking at it again, there weren't very many windows at all. If not for the fact that I was coming at about 11 or so, this would have been pretty scary at night. After getting my good look at it, I then began to walk towards the gate. There, a single girl could be found sitting, seemingly asleep. I stopped right in front of her and the gate.

"Um… hello?" I asked in a voice a bit louder than my usual. "Hello?" I asked again, but without response again. I was explicitly invited today to the mansion, and there isn't any other… I then began to walk past the sleeping girl before suddenly her hand extended out in front of me.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Her voice was soft sounding and lower pitched than I expected, but thanks to that, it sounded cool and confident. Her eyes, I noticed, were hyper aware unlike before.

"Inside?" I mean that was the intention.

"A wise guy, huh? What's your name?" She asked cautiously.

"Minato Arisato. I was invited here by Remilia Scarlet." I told her with a bit of a questioning tone.

"Oh!" She immediately retracted her arm as soon as I told her who I was. "Sorry about that. I was told you were coming." Her face softened as well to a laid back one more fitting the sleeping girl from before. "Name's Hong Meiling by the way. Nice to meetchya!" Her voice was notably higher pitched than before and was less stressed. Looking at her now, the girl wore a very heavily Chinese influenced garb. It included a qi-pao like top and a long skirt with a slit that went all the way up her middle thigh. Its green color however felt a bit unusual though it helped to contrast her pinkish red hair that was long enough to reach the top of her legs. She also wore a section of it on the sides of her head in braids tied with two black ribbons, and lastly she wore a green cap that had a star on it that was engraved with the character for dragon. Considering the fact that her name was Hong Meiling, I suppose the Chinese like clothes fit. "By the way, if you call me Kurenai Misuzu, or China, I'm gonna deck you one."

"Got it," I said, not wanting to antagonize the guard. She then gave a nod of approval and proceeded to open the gate with a push.

"Well, go on, I'm a busy woman and I can't keep you here all day either." She then sat back down on her chair while still waiting for me to go on in.

"Thanks then." I then started on my way towards the mansion door.

"By the way!" She yelled to grab my attention. "Don't tell anyone I was sleeping!"

"I won't!" I know what it's like to have a nice afternoon siesta.

"Thanks!" It sounded a bit sheepish despite the volume used to reach me. I didn't hear another word out of her so I guess she just went back to sleep. I walked up to the main entrance after that and stood there for a moment. The design on the door was quite intricate, and wasn't even the slightest bit dirty. To be honest, this was my first time seeing such architecture in person. The closest to this would be the time I went to Mitsuru's resort with the maids. Right now though, I didn't have too much time to spend and was about to knock on the door when, to my surprise, it opened on its own… spooky.

"Welcome, Minato-san." It was Sakuya who opened the door from within. "You've arrived just in time. The immortal is already here, and lunch is just about ready. Come; let me show you to the dining hall." I feel like part of the beginning of a classic horror flick. The only thing missing would be an organ piece in the background. Actually hell, with the clock tower, it could also be a nice Castlevania stage too.

"Huh, just like in my dream," I dazedly whispered. The mansion certainly matched how I saw it from my dream. Though as clichéd as it was to say, it was much bigger on the inside than it was on the outside… actually the place was bigger on the inside than on the outside. The ceiling looked to be several hundred meters tall while on the outside it couldn't have been bigger than maybe 3 stories.

"Is something the matter?" Sakuya had apparently caught on to my confusion.

"Um… the architecture?" That would be my main problem right now.

"Ah… don't worry about that. That's my doing," Sakuya said without missing a beat.

"What do you mean?"

"I can manipulate space as well as time. They're very much one and the same." I keep telling myself to just simply let stuff like this go, and I should because if I don't I'll lose hair far too early for normal. Sakuya stopped in front of a lavish door, then again everything here was lavish, and proceeded before me while keeping the door open. "Mistress, the boy has arrived." I guess this is it.

"Splendid!" The door swung all the way open now to reveal the same lush dining hall that I had seen before. The table was still empty but two of the seats were taken; one at the end by Remilia, and one at the side by Mokou, who looked a tad bit uncomfortable to be here. And to be honest, I felt a bit the same. "Come now, don't be shy. You wouldn't want to miss a bite of this, I promise." I silently entered the room and took a seat opposite of Mokou's.

"I suppose you have a lot of people dying for your company," I retorted as I situated myself into my chair.

"Oh most are already dead on arrival." That's a bit creepy, especially since the speaker looks and sounds no older than twelve. I simply sighed and looked at Mokou. I also noticed that Sakuya was walking towards her mistress as well.

"I see you were invited as well?"

"I see you like stating the obvious?" Yep, she's still fine, that Mokou. Counter to her reply, her mood seemed to lift at my greeting.

"It helps to keep me focused, and besides what's obvious to one person may be subtle to the next. Perspective's funny like that." Mokou gave an amused huff that almost sounded like the start of a laugh.

"Oh is that from personal experience? Didn't catch on to enough things?" Mokou made a playful jab. A bit of a smile adorned her face as a result.

"What can I say, I was a heavy sleeper. I missed a lot of things." But those things were never really important anyway.

"Here you are; soup for the first course." Sakuya placed a bowl of soup in front of Mokou first than me, as it appears that she had already served her mistress first… I don't like that red color. "Please enjoy. It was made with the best tomatoes in our garden." I hope this isn't a case of soylent green... Well it certainly tastes like tomato…

"Well then I suppose I, as the one who called you both here, should get on to the topic of today's discussion." Remilia suddenly began to speak as I was about to ingest a second spoonful of soup.

"Question!" I interjected.

"Yes?" She asked, going along with my pace.

"Do you have a reflection in a mirror?" She is a vampire after all.

"No. Anymore questions?" Well that answers that.

"Are we really here to talk about the Dark hour?" I followed.

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" Remilia almost seemed to be daring me to something but to what I couldn't tell.

"No, carry on." I took another sip of soup… which turned out to be that last one.

"Well then, before that little distraction… ah! Thank you Sakuya." The maid just placed the second course of the meal before her which consisted of a nice steak and a curious red drink. The smell of iron seemed to waft from that direction, but it could just have easily also come from the maid with her abundant number of knives. "Ahem, anyways, as I was saying. I expect the main speaker for this afternoon to be you." She pointed her finger to me as she began to slosh the contents of her glass. "Tell me everything you know of the Dark Hour! Every miserable pile of secrets that you hold of it, young man!" She bombastically let out. I was almost tempted to intentionally drop my spoon as it would fit the current atmosphere. Judging from the way she said that, I'm guessing that she actually has no sense timing or ability to read the atmosphere. "Well? What are you waiting for? Speak!"

"Well for one thing there is a lot to talk about…"

"And we won't get anywhere without you starting! So come on!" Remilia's charisma… is sort of dropping. In fact compared to her previous demeanor, this one was more like a spoiled child. Not to the point of rotten, but still it was clear that she was quite demanding.

"Next is the fact that I don't know why I should share the information with you in the first place." As soon as I said that Remilia froze in place and then sat back into her seat, continuing to slosh her glass. Placing a hand to her mouth, she seemed to delve into a state of thought.

"What if I say please?" Remilia finally let out after some internal deliberation.

"Concrete needs are what I'm asking for Scarlet-san."

"Actually I'd also like to ask why the hell am I here? I'm losing customers over this." Mokou for some reason joined the conversation only now.

"Now, now; I gave you both a nice lunch, the least you both can do is repay me just a bit." Remilia said trying to contain Mokou's and my own growing discontent, or in my case simple non-compliance would be a better descriptor. She placed her glass on to the table now so as not to spill it.

"Yeah, a nice meal isn't enough remuneration for the information you're asking for. This is the kind of stuff governments kill people over." Maybe I'm overselling it a bit, but then again it does concern people's lives, and perhaps it will keep Remilia from asking any further.

"You know if you don't tell me why I'm here right now, I'm just going to take off." Mokou began to climb out of her seat. "It was nice seeing you again by the way. Don't forget about that offer I gave you," Mokou said to me with a nod as she was just about out of her chair.

"W-wait! Sakuya! Stop her!" Remilia cried indignantly, her previous shell of dignity and grace pretty much shed as she flailed her arms like a child and her voice shrilling.

"As you wish." Sakuya then disappeared from her master's side and reappeared next to Mokou. "Would you kindly return to your seat?" Sakuya asked Mokou in a mildly threatening way.

"Actually I've got to get going too if that's all we're here for. I have something I need to investigate as soon as possible." The Palace of Earth Spirits is the only place I can really learn anything about Koishi.

"Uh…uh…" Remilia was now in a panic trying to keep both Mokou and I here. She stared at the scene before her and seemed to be collecting her thoughts when suddenly, she put her hands to her eyes in a sloppy manner. "How come none of this is going as I planned! Awwwaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Okay I did not except her to cry! Dammit! Sakuya immediately warped to her Mistress' side and began to console her.

"Don't cry now, it's going to be alright," she cooed and continued to say similar lines until Remilia stopped crying, which was surprisingly quick. Though she wasn't completely recomposed, she was at least only sniffling now. You know despite… actually fittingly enough, she acts just like you'd expect someone who looks her age to act… Tantrums, the cheesy bombast, lack of actually thinking things out; it's like what a kid would do. I guess I should try to make it up to her for making her cry then… letting out another sigh, I readjusted my seat.

"Mokou, you might want to stay since I'll talk a bit about the Dark Hour today." I might as well since they already know about it, and I never feel good being the cause of a little kid crying.

"Oh come on, really? Does this really bother you?" She asked, irritated at not being able to leave.

"Actually yeah. I don't like seeing girls cry." There's a part of me that can't help but object to even the thought of it.

"You must be a regular charmer then." Mokou tiredly took a deep breath and sat back down in her seat. "Fine then, but this info better be good." She didn't sound as irritated as the line would suggest.

"So, you're going to tell us now?" She let out a sniff after speaking, which would most likely be her last as she had regained pretty much all of her composure now.

"Yeah, just give me a second to gather my own thoughts on where to start." Sakuya then began to move away before saying-

"I'll go retrieve the other plates for you two." She really is a good maid, consoling her mistress one moment, and without losing a step, going right back to work the next… I guess the best place to start would be what it is…

"Tell me, would you believe me if I said that there was a hidden hour of the day?"

"We live in Gensokyo where fairies, youkai, magicians, humans, and vampires, all live together in the same space. I'd believe it given that circumstance." Remilia had returned to form after her embarrassing display. That wasn't the answer I would have given but then again, I'm not them.

"Live as long as I have and there really isn't anything that surprises you anymore." Mokou's response was the same…

"Well then that makes it easier, because that's what the Dark hour essentially is. Oh thanks." Sakuya set down a plate for me just then. "Continuing," I continued as I began to reach for my utensils, "it's been a while since I'd last asked myself, but if I remember correctly, it's the byproduct of an experiment gone horribly wrong."

"And what experiment would that be?" I turned towards the entrance of the dining hall to find a familiar face walking in… well actually flying in… um…

"Um…"

"Patchouli Knowledge, we met briefly yesterday." She was quite mellow. "*Cough* Sorry, I'm not in the best of health." She then sat down about a seat away from me. She seemed to be breathing heavily despite having flown here, not even walked. "As you were saying?" she asked softly.

"Um… are you okay?" I asked out of concern for the obviously ill mage.

"I'll be fine. I've been like this for a while after my experiments with arsenic and mercury and the like. Even youkai will be affected by those in due time." I'm curious as to what experiments would require those materials, but it seems like I won't have time to ask right now. "So what was this about an experiment?" She asked again as Sakuya placed a cup of tea in front of her. "Thank you, Sakuya."

"You're welcome." The maid returned to doing maid things.

"Um, well as I was going to say, I believe the experiments involved the shadows, which apparently had the ability to manipulate time and space… to a degree, but I find that claim a bit questionable…. Nevertheless, the experiments were carried out to control that power. After a horrible accident occurred due to the shadows going berserk, something or other happened, and created the Dark Hour. I'd give a more detailed explanation on what happened, but it's been a while since I've freshened up on that knowledge, and I'm not a quantum physicist by any means."

"So in summary, someone screwed up?" Mokou asked, unfazed.

"Well, screwed up enough to completely mess with the space time continuum, but yeah. They screwed up." Actually, it's far worse than how I'm putting it, as Yukari would have told you… Takeba I mean.

"Hmm… time experiments. That would explain the anomalies I found with your watch Sakuya." Patchouli looked as if a problem had been solved right before her… well in a far more subdued manner than what could be considered normal.

"It would appear so." Sakuya… she looked quite relieved. I suppose that watch is something she holds dear to her. If I had something that I held dear to stop working, I'd panic too. Actually I'm not entirely sure how I'd react to any of my gifts from my social links being in disrepair.

"Well anyways, that's really all I know about the origins surrounding the Dark Hour," I concluded.

"So does this Dark Hour have a purpose, other than serving as a hair shirt for the one responsible?" Remilia asked me.

"Well it houses shadows, and the Dark Hour; Tartarus too."

"Yes, the tower," Remilia confirmed. "You call it Tartarus? The underworld in Grecian myths; the place where souls are judged? That's an interesting name for it."

"Ironic, I know, but I didn't name it."

"Should I assume that the tower is part of the reason the Dark Hour exists?" Remilia asked.

"Well I assume the two are inseparable. I've never seen one without the other." Or at least the tower without the time.

"Hmmm, then I'd like to ask another question," Remilia followed. I turned my attention towards her after finishing my drink. "What is the point of the tower?" A logical train of thought… should I allow it though…

"It's for the most part useless now. It used to be the place where one could summon the personification of Death itself, but the process however is now defunct."

"What happened?" Patchouli asked. Her voice was quiet, but surprisingly clear.

"The materials necessary have already been used up, and there aren't any copies." And by used up I mean beaten to a pulp by my friends and I in SEES.

"How do you know? Magical reagents can be copied and processes can be subverted with enough intuition," Patchouli retorted. Pride was evident in her voice. Despite her seemingly cool demeanor, she has a fire in her.

"Care to share what those materials were?" Remilia asked.

"Shadows; very specific shadows, unique you could say."

"Interesting, though perhaps what's most interesting is that you said they were already used." Patchouli did seem to be smart when I first met her.

"Nice catch, and yeah, you use them up by destroying them as if it were a ritiual. Thing is though is that it turned out to be a bit of a dud. In the end, nothing happened." I made sure that nothing really happened. "And that's really it. The tower really serves no purpose anymore… I guess other than being a nest for shadows…" That is a problem either way. "And for the most part, that's all I have to say about that. It's all the info I have that's worth discussing." I took my tea cup in hand and took a nice long sip.

"Hmmm… well I still find all of this to be quite dubious, and what you have just told me has only furthered that opinion." Remilia reclined in her seat after I had finished. She seemed to delve into thought for a few moments before her face seemed to morph into a worrying smirk, well worrying for me anyways. "Sakuya, I agree with what you said last time. I do think we have our selves an incident here."

"So you're still going to explore the tower?" I said looking at all the people in the room.

"Hey don't look at me. I just want to keep those things off my stall. I don't really care about the tower." Mokou said in indignation.

"Well I think you're still hiding something from us, and I wager that the answer is at the top of the tower." Remilia's reply made me sigh on the inside. "We're still going to explore it; with or without you."

"Um… Patchouli-san… was it?" I asked the purple haired girl.

"Just Patchouli is fine." She Yawned after answering, and took a second to open her eyes again.

"Shouldn't you stop her or something?" I mean she obviously knows Remilia better than I do and there isn't really a point… I hope she doesn't see a point.

"Actually I think it's worth checking. And any time I can get one over Marisa, I'm willing to try." Oh Patchouli, why?

"Well there you have it! We're going to explore the Tower, and I suppose it is only fitting to invite you into our group since you were so kind to tell us this information. So how about it?" I could see in the vampire's eyes a burning determination, granted a not very bright burning, but a burning all the same… I 'm not going to stop these… I was about to say people… so um… screw it, people, from doing this… well if you can't beat them… I sigh again…

"So how is this going to work?" I just couldn't be bothered to put any energy in that. I barely have enough to keep my eyes open or to keep my face from my palms.

"Excellent! Though I hadn't thought of that yet!" Great Remilia, just great. "But I suppose we should come up with a name first! Now then… hmmmmmmmm." Remilia's eyes scanned the room in thought for a moment before she opened her mouth.

"How about the, Super Scarlet Squad?" She relayed her first thought.

"How about no, and why don't we forgo the name thing entirely?" Mokou spoke her objections with an exasperated tone similar to mine.

"No! A name is a quintessential part of anything!" I can't disagree entirely there, much to me chagrin. "Well then how about the S-team?"

"Too similar to another name I've heard before," I told her.

"Then the Mighty Scarlet Rangers?"

"Did you ever watch Neo-Featherman?" I asked her

"Right…the how about the Men in Scarlet? Oh wait most of us aren't men." She shut her own idea down. Better that then someone else do it. "Oh, how about just The Scarlets?"

"Does every name have to have Scarlet in it?" It's getting pretty weird.

"Yes, and I won't allow any objections!" I simply stared at her, trying my best to relay to her that the amount of care I have, is zero. She seemed to lose some of her bluster and then replied, in a more subdued manner. "F-fine, if it's that annoying for you, then at least humor me for one more name, and then we can stop."

She then returned to thinking up another name. She seemed to peruse the dining hall as did I in this lull to find Patchouli and Sakuya mostly ignoring the whole thing and Mokou just staring around. I turned back to the Mistress of the Mansion to find her staring at me.

"What is it?" I asked her, feeling a bit uncomfortable under the gaze of her slit irises.

"Well… how about, the Scarlet Exploration, and Eradication Squad?"… Did she just… I looked at my old S.E.E.S armband… she did… Oh screw it, it's not like it will hurt anyone…

"Sure, whatever," I said, my tone as non-committal as possible. If it's come to this, then I might as well just end it.

"Then it's settled! That will be our name when we climb the Tower!" Not that it matters, though I suppose telling it to Remilia's face wouldn't be very productive.

"Congratulations, Milady."

"Well at least that's out of the way." Sakuya and Patchouli rejoined the conversation at its tail end.

"Can I go now?" Mokou beat me to the punch on asking.

"Considering that our business is now settled, yes. You both can leave now if you want to." Remilia was actually quite gracious now that things had finished, as abruptly as they did.

"Finally, I don't know how much business I lost because of this non-sense." Mokou got out of her chair quickly walked towards the exit.

"Oh, before I forget, I'll be asking for the both of you again when more details have been decided." Remilia's afterthought made sense, to me at least, though I really wish she wasn't so hell bent on doing this. I suppose if it bothers me that much, I should just follow along to make sure nothing bad happens.

"Whatever, I'm getting out now before I lose any more business. Bye Minato-kun, see ya all the rest of you." And like that, she walked out of the room with Sakuya trailing behind to see her out, closing the door behind themselves and leaving me as the sole guest. Remilia stared at me curiously, confused by the fact I hadn't gotten up to leave yet.

"I'm surprised that you haven't left yet. Is there something more important for you to tell us?" Remilia asked using her tone of voice that she had at the start of this meeting. Patchouli silently looked over use, her interest peaked I suppose.

"I haven't all the courses yet." I could swear that I could almost see a visible sweat drop from their foreheads… now where is the rest of the meal?

Break

"Well this wasn't what I was expecting." I've just come from a lovely 7 course meal from the mansion. After settling my stomach down, I came to the place where the map had said to come to… which was only a few hundred meters away from the Hakurei Shrine, to my surprise. "So what do you make of this?" I asked the only one who was here.

"Nyan!" She said, or I assume a she. The person… or cat was the only one here. A black cat that had bows tied to her was sitting leisurely and unafraid of my presence. Tired and still feeling a bit full, I sat down next to it whereupon it flipped over unto its back, exposing its belly.

"I suppose I should have expected that." Unfortunately for me, though fortunately for the cat, I can't help but place my hand upon its stomach. As I began to rub her and after I saw her face contort into pleasure, I returned my gaze to the scenery before me. "I didn't know there was a hot spring so close by." Indeed, what lay before me was an open air hot spring that looked so very inviting to me, who hadn't taken a good soak in a long while. The washrooms in Hakugyokurou just don't suffice.

"Nyan!" The cat let out as she began to paw at the arm that was giving her the massage. She seemed to pull at me away from the spring.

"It's fine. I don't have time to take a dip. I have to find this Earth palace, or something." My link with Koishi raised another rank, bringing it up to four or so. However that doesn't really matter. What does is that I need to find what's causing her so much pain and the only place I can find out is the Palace. Suddenly I could feel the cat moving under my hand… no it wasn't like it was moving, it felt more like shifting.

"Ne, Onii-san. It's called the Palace of Earth spirits." I turned to where the cat was in a bit of surprise to find… a girl… with cat ears… and human ears… I guess this is where I just give up and say Gensokyo. "So how long are you going to keep your hand there?" I turn back to her after pinching my nose to find my hand… well it's no longer there now! "It's fine! Just call it my giving back to you for that nice belly rub!" I couldn't help but begin to rub the back of my head, partly from embarrassment and partly because I can't think of another reason to put my hand on the back of my head.

"Sorry about that."

"I already told you it's fine." She smiled a cat smile, appropriately enough, and proceeded with the conversation. "So are you Minato Arisato?"

"Um… yeah. That would be my name." Is this… the person who gave me the map? No, she wouldn't have asked for my name if that were the case.

"Really? Awesome! I was waiting for you." She perked up for a moment before opening her eyes in surprise. "Oh I forgot. I'm Rin Kaenbyou, but call me Orin since my name is a bit long." Orin… like a pet name then. Now that I had a good chance to look at her, I saw that though her cat ears were black like her cat form, her hair was vibrant, almost strawberry red. It was tied into to twin braids on both sides of her using four black bow ties, one for the beginning of the braid and for one at the end. She had a smallish face that seemed to naturally smile though the red cat eyes were a strange site to see. She wore a one piece dress that had a very strange pattern on it, almost like stars, and yet not. Abstract would be the best way to put it, though it was dominated by blues, greens and blacks. The skirt of said dress as well as the other openings was laced with green frills. Lastly, she wore dainty black shoes that were also adorned with bows. Curiously, she also had one last black bow tied to her left leg for no particular reason.

"Um… okay, Orin."

"Come on? Being shy now?" the cat girl teased.

"More like confused." Seriously, human ears and cat ears? "How do you know who I am?" I said that before I remembered that there is a newspaper.

"I was asked to escort you to the palace. My master was the one who wanted to see you." She then got up and dusted her skirt off as she held out a hand. "Come on!"

"Uh… sure…" I cautiously let out as I took hold of her hand to stand up. "But where exactly is the Palace then?" She looked at me for a few moments before just pointing down. "So what, hell?" I joked.

"Well, formerly." … you know what? I'm not going to even give that another thought. "My master wants to see you as soon as possible, so we'll be using the entrance near Youkai Mountain."

"And which mountain would that be?" There are quite a few mountains in Gensokyo. Standing anywhere with a view would make that abundantly clear.

"That one!" She pointed… hey isn't that the mountain Sanae's shrine is on? "It's at the base of that mountain! So just hold still for a second." What?

"Hold still for what?" I asked before the image of a shovel entered my field of vis-

Break

"Hey, sleepy head. Wake up!" My eyes opened from sleep for the second time today. This time instead of a bed, I found myself being carted in a wheelbarrow; my limbs slumped over the sides. "Good Morning! Or should I say afternoon?" I looked up to find… concentrate on the face… Orin pushing the cart. "We're just about there. We just got off the elevator and are in the Palace now." I thought the scenery looked weird. Looking around, pure white columns were the first thing that I saw from my vantage point and were placed. Behind them, stained glass windows lined the walls, light pouring inside through them and onto the checkerboard floor of red and black… a bit dreary honestly.

"Um… why did you knock me out?" I didn't sense any danger… and I'm alive, so it can't be for any bad reason.

"I just wanted to make the trek quicker. If I push you with my wheelbarrow it would be much easier than guiding you as I'm more used to bringing people in like that rather than taking people on tour. I'm not Hell's Traffic Accident for nothing, you know onii-san?" I think this is where I get out of the wheelbarrow. No matter how much pride she has in that name, that's still… never mind. I quickly flew up and out of the wheelbarrow that Orin was pushing me in.

"Thanks, but I can walk." In fact, I'd much rather walk.

"Awwwww, well it's not for nothing since we're actually only a few halls away from Satori-sama." She said as she continued on even with the wheelbarrow emptied of its contents. You know it's odd seeing this sight. A girl and a wheelbarrow in a fancy mansion; it's not something you see every day.

"I suppose I would agree with that notion, if it weren't a site I see on a regular basis." I turned to my back to see that the extra voice I just heard apparently belonged to this girl that stood…well obviously behind Orin and me.

"Yes that would be my voice you heard," She said as I began to look at her. Pink hair adorned by a headband that had a heart emblem was the first thing I noticed before looking at her face to find a somewhat blank stare looking right back at me with a strange level of intensity; her purple eyes looking into me unyieldingly, as if she was concentrating on something even though she looked quite… apathetic. Moving down in systematic fashion, she wore a blue somewhat long sleeved shirt cut off with pink frills and a adorned with yellow heart buttons, similar to her headband and wore a pink skirt that had the same coloration as her sleeve ends, but with more of a flower pattern. Her pink slippers and white socks seemed to complete the ensemble quite daintily.

However these things took a back seat to what I had noticed upon her chest. "Pervert, Stop staring." Despite her saying such I couldn't help but look at it. Upon her chest was a red ball like thing with several tubes extending out from it, and most notably, an eye sat there and looked at me… Is… is this… "I said, stop looking at my heart like that!" Koishi's sister? "What did you say?" I thought that perhaps you're Koishi's Sister. She froze in place and a plethora of emotions seemed to wash over her face from happiness to surprise, but, most notably was hope. "I… I see. Orin?" The cat girl perked up from having been left out of whatever was going on and stared intently at her master. "She's a Kasha." Okay then.

"Yes Satori-sama?" Oh so this girl is Satori then.

"You may leave now. I'll take over from here," She told her associate with command.

"Yes ma'am." Orin left without another word and without so much as a good-bye. She must be really loyal to Satori.

"I made sure to train all of my pets. Now come, let us continue this in the tea room." You know… I don't think I've actually said a thing to her this entire time... So how is she…? I suppose the answer will come soon enough though. She took me into her pace and began to walk away, my only recourse was to follow and see what would happen then. We walked down the halls, turning the corners in a ways I didn't remember as the pattern seemed to be random at each turn. However Satori did finally manage to find the door she was looking for and opened it up. The door swung open to reveal a dainty looking room with a tea tray and snacks laid above a table

She and I entered into the tea room, which was perhaps more brightly lit than the hallway that I was just in, but it was still for the most part, dreary. We each quickly took a seat at each side. I suppose it is a nice change of pace from the rest of what I have seen thus far of Gensokyo though, which is a bit unexpected.

"Here." She placed a filled tea cup in front of me, a western one. The table we sat at was a common table that you could find anywhere and was covered in a nice pink cloth

"Thanks," I said as I took it closer to me. I wasn't really thirsty though honestly so I left it on the table after pulling it closer.

"That's fine, just keep it there anyways." She then coughed to clear her throat before speaking again. "Let me introduce myself: I am Satori Komeiji, the master of the Palace of Earth Spirits."

"I'm-"

"Minato Arisato," she finished my introduction for me as she took a sip of her tea. How did she do that? "Hmmmm…" she seemed to concentrate on me for a bit before sighing contently. As to why however… "I'm happy to see that she's safe and sound."

"Um…"

"Yes, I'll tell you what you're here for." She's cutting me off at every turn. It's like she can read my mind. "Actually that last one was just me guessing your train of thought, though this current one was me reading your mind." Satori… apparently she can read minds… oh duh, her name. Satori are a class of youkai known to read minds.

"Yes, my given name is admittedly quite… uninspired. However let us move on from that topic to what I wanted to hear from you." She took a moment to pause before continuing. "I simply wished for your presence in a quiet place so that I could peruse your mind for memories of Koishi."

"That's a pretty strange reason… couldn't you have asked a lot of other people other than me? Somebody else must have seen her around." But then that means there's some special reason to ask me.

"Perceptive, and as you guessed, there is a reason why I asked you." She took a moment's reprieve, I guess to mull over details to share. "Yes I was doing that. Let me first get this out of the way by saying that the reason why I asked you is because every other person that I've tried to ask has no recollection of her, however you didn't just have memories of her, but also one of her spell cards. You were an opportunity I could not afford to lose." She paused to take a drink, and I did the same. She finished her sip before I and began speaking as I was still drinking. "I don't wish to waste more of your time since you seem to be skipping work so let me quickly start by saying that Koishi is a special kind of Satori."

"What makes her special?"

"She locked away her ability to read minds… yes; a satori that cannot read minds, almost like she isn't a satori in the first place." She almost sounded amused, if not for the fact that she also sounded somewhat appalled. That's quite interesting…

"So what? Was she bullied by other satori for locking the ability away?" That could be the cause…

"No, that wasn't it." She paused again looking blankly around her. Her focus was not in her gaze. "Let me preface the rest of my explanation with the fact that satori, and many of the youkai who live here underground, are hated to quite the extreme, at least in days past when we were first forced underground." Her tone was for the most part calm as it was before, but a sense of bitterness was more than apparent from her inflections.

"So then that means she too was hated by people back then."

"Yes, as was I. We lived simply, just trying to make the best of our situation. However people's fear, both that of Humans and other Youkai, we, and many other 'dangerous' Youkai were forced underground. Our home was taken from us, our lives uprooted. Still though, we made do with what we had however, and what we had was each other. Whenever one of us was hurt, the other would provide comfort. We had each other at the very least, and that seemed like that's all that was needed." A smile seemed to creep onto her face as she recalled those memories of halcyon days. "However we found that wasn't enough to stifle our loneliness and we soon found ourselves in the company of pets. We can't read the minds of animals and creatures without sufficient ego or intelligence. It seemed to be the natural course of things given the nature of our powers, the cause of our banishment from the surface." …That same smile was now gone.

"That's… quite a tale." Fear is a powerful motivator.

"I suppose so, but here is the main part that would interest you the most. Even after we had been banished, Koishi's scars from before never fully healed. It's in fact the reason I had my pets in the first place, to try and help her… but as you know, she's no longer here. She's in that blue room of yours."

"So what happened then?" I asked.

"She couldn't take it anymore. That day… the day she couldn't take it anymore… I was going to her room to wake her up, just like I always did, but I couldn't sense her mind at all, not even the dreams she normally had. When I realized that I couldn't read her, I feared that she had taken her own life." Satori's voice took to panic as she recounted a day she remembered so vividly. "But what I found was much worse. She had forcibly closed her third eye; her heart."

"What happens when you close your third eye?"

"I didn't know at the time… Koishi just seemed to disappear when I tried to walk over to her. Her body just simply faded from existence. It was like she was never there to begin with… She didn't even say goodbye. "

"That…" sounds like suicide…

"For a satori, I suppose it might as well be since closing the third eye, would be the same as closing your heart. She probably doesn't even feel emotions correctly." All those times she smiled…"But I am getting off track. I'm sorry for having gone off like that."

"It's fine."

"Right, you've listened to many people's problems before." The older sister in front of me took one last gulp of her tea before setting the cup down for the final time. "Despite your womanizing habits," she began with a very harsh tone that almost seemed to send shivers up my spine. "I have a favor to ask you." Sure… go ahead and ask… though the womanizer part wa- "Please be quiet… " … "Thank you, anyways. As I was saying, the favor I wish to ask of you… could you please… perhaps… bring Koishi home?" She let out slowly, annunciating every word so as not to be misunderstood. If she knows me from my memories however, she already knows my answer.

Break

The sweltering heat that seemed to shear through the air as Satori opened the door made me break into a sweat immediately.

"This is the Nuclear reactor in the Former Hell of Blazing Fires. The elevator that Orin used to bring you here is through this place." Blazing was right, how I slept through here… actually I can believe I slept through this, never mind. "Come, this way." She then walked right in without seeming to mind the heat. "Actually it's very hot and I'd rather leave as soon as possible." No complaints here. She and I began to walk into the facility.

For the most part it looked nothing like I had seen of nuclear plants in the real world. For the most part it looked more like an elaborate shrine like area, made of stone rather than metal for one thing. The walls and such were adorned in lined patterns that seemed almost alien, yet ancient at the same time, perhaps because of their exoticism to me. It was made all the more exotic by the bath of warm gold colors that choked the scenery in its glow. The glow of which came from bellow the floor. Actually it wasn't so much a floor as it was a walkway that was suspended over what looked to … what looked to be a… a sun… Yeah that's definitely Fusion alright.

"This is actually pretty impressive."

"Really? It doesn't really do anything other than make this stuff called electricity, or so I've read from other people. Really, the most it's done so far is give the place a makeover." I suppose this is a case of pearls before swine. "If it has no use, it has no use. A pig can live in happiness regardless of shiny baubles. Likewise, I don't need this eclectic city, or whatever it's called." Electricity. "Yes, that."

"If we had something like this in the outside world, then one of the biggest issues of sustainability would be solved in an instant." Though I suspect that given how humans are, it would only end one problem to start another. Oh well, what can I do from here? I looked to my side, a bit melancholic from those thoughts to find that we were currently on an open walkway that had a perfect view of the mini sun… though of course being such a thing, looking at it directly was quite difficult.

"If you are done thinking things through, the elevator should not be very far from here." At the turn of the corner she then continued with- "Right there." A door stood at the end of the hallway that I guess, led to the elevator. "Well? Get going." She's a bit pushy.

"I'm no-"

"Warning; foreign nuclear energy particle signals have returned. Reinvestigating foreign source to determine threat level. " Upon hearing that, a girl with black wings flew up from the cliff side and landed on the ground next to us. "Hold it right there!" The voice that just spoke to us was the same one as before, but its inflection and pitch were completely different. In fact I even think the level of intellect was different too, judging on the word structure and vernacular chosen. Once I got around that I took a look at the winged girl.

"That's Utsuho Reiuji, my hell raven." Satori read my mind again apparently, but even so, I returned my focus on the new arrival.

Just like her wings, her hair was jet black and fell all the way down past her waist though its true length was concealed by a massive cape she wore over her wings… a cape that is perhaps one of the most interesting ones I had ever seen seeing that while the outer cloth was colored pure white, the inside was a moving picture of galaxies and stars… okay that's actually pretty cool. Still though, the true length of her hair was obscured by the cape, and might be even longer depending on how the green ribbon on her head was tied. Looking a little lower than that, I could see that her eyes were completely focused on me and nothing else. Looking into her maroon eyes though, I was curiously reminded of Cirno for some reason; strong will, little mind… Elsewhere, she wore a white button up blouse that had a curious red gem in the middle of her chest that seemed to almost look like a demonic eye. Her skirt was barely knee length and was colored green just like her ribbon. Lastly, her feet had strange decorations on them. The right leg was covered completely in cement and her left leg had… orbiting spheres of energy, almost like electrons…

"Utsuho, where is your control rod?" Satori asked the girl.

"Unyuu?" Reiuji's concentration broke as she then looked at her right hand with innocent curiosity before breaking in a panic. "I FORGOT IT!" She yelled at the top of her lungs. Satori just shook her head. "Still," Reiuji continued, undeterred by the forgotten item, "I have more than enough control without it to investigate the foreign nuclear energy signature." She began to sniff the air like a dog. First putting her nose to the ground, and then moving along; she got closer to me as each second passed before she finally reached my shoes. Once she did however she looked up at me and said, " Ooooh. Such a nice scent. So this is the smell of another's nuclear power…" She then stood up and began to close in on me. Nuclear power… I have some?

"That's surprising." Satori said. "I thought Utsuho was the only one with the power over Nuclear energy. You're just full of surprises Minato-san." Once Satori finished speaking, the raven in girl's form in front of me then hugged me, the gem and other parts of her body holding me tight.

"Foreign nuclear source contained, returning to core to maintain and protect," Reiuji san said in her robotic and more intelligent sounding voice again… wait what?

"Hold on, what's going on?"

"I can't read her mind, but I think she's attracted to your Nuclear power." Again, what nuclear power? "Don't worry though, I'll handle this." She coughed into her hand, and took a deep breath. "Utsuho, let him go this instant," she told the raven in a cold threatening voice that seemed to chill the atmosphere in the Former Hell of Blazing Fires.

"Ye-yes! Satori-sama!" The hell raven immediately let go of me and stood at attention for her master.

"Please don't bother the guest as he is about to leave." Satori's tone was softened compared to before; I guess because she had her attention now.

"Yes, Satori-sama," Reiuji parroted. Satori then turned to me and said-

"You should probably leave now while I have her like this." Yeah that would be a good idea. I turned back towards the exit and began walking when I heard a flapping sound behind me. Looking back, I saw Reiuji following behind me quite closely. "Utsuho!" Satori yelled to reprimand her.

"Unyuu! Ooops…" she said, sticking out her tongue while rubbing the back of her head. Her closed and eyes and smile made her look more innocent than sneaky. Looking at her, my chest lightened and I let out a small laugh as I walked into the elevator while I still had the chance to get away.

Break

The sun's light flooded my eyes as I stepped off the elevator. Taking in my surroundings, I found that the elevator's entrance was a nondescripts hole in the ground that was located in a quite deep into a forest. And right next to the hole, a dirt trail was nearby that could be seen rising upwards upon the landscape, leading to a tall mountain…

"So this is Youkai Mountain." I wonder if I should visit Sanae since I'm in the neighborhood… nah. I have work to do, and I've already skipped out enough as is. I turned around and prepared to take off when out of the blue, something flew through the sky… it seemed to… no… it can't be… it was round… dome shaped… a UFO!? "That didn't just happen, did it?" I asked rhetorically. Aliens; Aliens are in Gensokyo. It's not a fantasy kitchen sink now, it's just a plain old Kitchen sink with everything in it… well not my problem. Once again I prepared to kick off the ground… and once again something flew… no someone flew past… a girl with green hair in an off colored shrine maiden uniform… "Sanae-chan?"

… Guess it is my problem now…


Author's Notes: Yeah, if you think this chapter wasn't worth the wait, neither did I. I had a hard time with this chapter. Most of it stemmed from writer's block, but also because this chapter is a transitional one. Actually hell, most of it is just exposition, and explanations. Nothing much interesting is going to happen if I wanted to write on the path I wanted too. It bored the hell out of me too, but it's necessary and not all chapters are going to be great ones like 14 or chapters 4 and 5 (Well I think those are not bad at least).

Though this still doesn't excuse the long wait I subjected you all to. I'll at least tell you guys that I also decided to take a quick break from this chapter during the writing of it… actually a lot of quick breaks. In fact so much so that I've pretty much got the rest of the first season planned and ready to go, the final chapters' outlines all planned out. So I haven't been doing nothing this whole time. Still, I'm sorry for the delay and I'm sorry for the delay being for a chapter that really shouldn't have taken this long to write. I'll try to get the next chapter out much faster than this one.

If you have any suggestions on how to write in a timelier manner, leave a review. If you want to tell me places that you think might need some sprucing up, leave a review. If you want to discuss life, the universe and everything, go somewhere else. I'm bad at philosophy; really, really bad at philosophy.

Anyways, thanks for reading, see the above paragraph about reviews, and as always, have a great day.