Lu Bane Na: Ugh, yeah, I couldn't think of what to do there... slow start, I guess.

Guest: Yep!

Queen of Ghosts

SPIRIT SIGN: FANTASY SEAL

Youmu dashed past the multicolored orbs, flipped over yin-yang orbs, and sliced down at Reimu. Blocking the strike, she kicked Youmu back and leaped at her, striking her in the face with her gohei. The half-ghost reared back and snarled, drawing out her second sword.

"To hell with this!" she shouted.

"We're in hell," Reimu observed.

"Shut up!"

Slicing through talismans, Youmu closed the gap between her and Reimu within seconds. She swung both of her swords at her opponent, but Reimu floated out of existence before launching talismans and yin-yang orbs alike at Youmu. She leaped away and ran away from Reimu's onslaught, going past graves and running across the walls. Spotting Saber and Sakura Saber's duel, she ran over and dashed behind Saber for a brief moment, causing the Servant to get battered by talismans and yin-yang orbs.

"Be careful!" Saber shouted before trying to swing at Sakura Saber.

However, the delay from Reimu's attack made her timing too slow, and Sakura Saber locked her sword under Saber's guard and swung her blade upwards, disarming her opponent. Saber's gaze briefly flickered to her blade, which was buried in the ground a few meters behind Sakura Saber. Any move she made would clearly not go unnoticed, so if she was going to grab her sword, she'd need to do it all in one go.

Good thing Sakura Saber offered her the opportunity.

Sakura Saber charged at her, sword outstretched for Saber's face. Saber tensed up, ready to redirect her, and-

...she flopped to the ground, coughing up blood, her sword falling to the ground uselessly. Not wasting any time, Saber ran over to grab her own sword, and as Sakura Saber was getting up she just went back into her fighting stance.

Maybe taking Sakura Saber down while she was getting up would mean victory. But she'd rather let her opponent have a chance.

Holding her sword to her chest, Saber closed her eyes. Her Noble Phantasm would be the attack she'd use to take down an opponent as worthy as this one... even if Sakura Saber having the same face as herself was creepy as hell.

At the same time, Sakura Saber held her sword to her side, pointing the tip of the blade at Saber. She took a deep breath.

"Sheathed in the breath of stars. A torrent of shining life. Hail!

"One silent step... Two steps infinite... Three steps, a sword absolute!"

Saber's eyes opened, and her sword swirled with a golden glow. She raised the blade above her head as the ground began to shake-

Sakura Saber's eyes opened, and she lunged at Saber. Her blade aimed for her opponent's face-

"EX...CALIBER!"

"Mumyō Sandan-Zuki!"

Slice

Sakura Saber flew past her opponent and landed on her feet, her fighting pose still intact. Saber's own sword hit the dirt, right in the middle of the cut in the ground she made.

One of the Saberfaces staggered.

Meanwhile, Youmu was running at Reimu, going at about four feet with each small leap. Even though the shrine maiden was flying, Youmu was going at a speed to match her own. Every time Reimu threw a talisman or yin-yang orb at Youmu, it would easily be cut apart.

If only there was a way to distract her... Reimu thought.

Then something ran in Youmu's path. Somebody familiar...

"I beat her, Master Youmu!" Sakura Saber cheered.

With Sakura Saber going right into her face, Youmu crashed into her Servant, and both tumbled into the ground. Reimu stared in disbelief as Servant and Master lay in a heap of confused limbs and bodies.

She casually floated down to them and smacked them both in the head with her gohei. Once they were unconscious, she went over to Saber, who was on her knees, leaning on her sword.

"Well that sucked," Reimu muttered.

Saber said nothing for a moment. Then she asked, "Are they defeated?"

"Yeah. The Servant got her and Youmu into a mess and I just knocked them out."

Saber began trembling. Concerned, Reimu asked, "Hey, you okay?"

Then the Servant got to her feet and pointed a finger at Reimu angrily.

"It's your fault for hitting me with your attack that I lost my duel!" Saber shouted indignantly.

Reimu put her hands up in mock surrender and shot back, "Hey, sorry that you're too slow to dodge it!"

"And your aim was-"

"Saber!"

Looking up from their fight, Saber and Reimu spotted Shirou charging at them, blades out and murderous. Following him was the buff guy with him, a teal-haired woman with a spear, a dark-haired boy, and Marisa, all of which trying to catch up to their enraged ally. Weird group, but now was not the time to think about it.

Saber stared down Reimu and said, "We'll discuss this later."

"Agreed," Reimu replied.

They both hurried over to the Saigyouji Ayakashi, leaving the other group in the dust.

...

Reimu expected a grand fight. Something more hopeless than her encounter with Satori. At least a few broken bones or something.

What she got was so, so far from climactic it hurt.

On her hands and knees, head bowed low, Yuyuko Saigyouji begged, "Please don't take my food! I'm so hungry!"

"You're hungry because you've chosen to eat and eat until your stomach widened like the Gates to the Land of Shadows. You need to eat less!"

Yuyuko's 'Servant', who acted a lot more like a Master, stood in front of Yuyuko, tall and imposing, in between the ghost and her food. The Servant herself was dark-haired, almost purple, with a violet bodysuit that hugged her body and a crimson spear at her side.

The spear itself reminded Reimu strongly of Lancer. She prayed they weren't related.

Once Reimu and Saber got closer, weapons drawn, the Servant turned to them with a cold smile.

"Greetings. I am Scathach, Queen of the Land of Shadows," she said, rather forthcoming with the info.

"Oookay…" Reimu muttered. "So, do you mind not stealing food any-"

"I would not mind at all. In fact, I was about to give it all of the way."

Scathach gestured to the excessively large pile of food, and Reimu felt a weight fall off her shoulders.

"Can... can I hug you?" she asked.

Scathach shook her head. Yuyuko continued to bawl, but she was paid no heed.

Looking slightly exasperated, Saber asked, "Wait, there's no fight?"

"I don't intend to," Scathach replied. "After all, this place needs some fixing."

"You're not going to hinder our progress?"

"I don't see any reason not to."

"Not going to give us a challenge?"

"No thanks. I'd rather not stomp the King of Kings into the ground."

Saber's cheeks puffed angrily. Reimu swatted the back of her head.

"Thank her," the shrine maiden huffed. "We don't have to deal with some big battle and now we can go home."

Shooting a glare at Reimu, Saber bowed her head at Scathach and said, "Thank you for your kindness."

Scathach bowed in turn. Thankful that she could now go home and get her roof fixed, Reimu turned heel and went back the way she came. Saber began following her, and they both ignored Yuyuko's wailing as Scathach dealt with her food.

"Personally, I'm glad that we can just go back now," Reimu said conversationally.

"Good of you to forget Shirou," Saber grumbled in response.

With an eyeroll, Reimu replied, "Fine, we'll go check him out and see if we can fix him."

Going down to where they battled Youmu and Sakura Saber, they found the same group from before standing around something. Upon closer inspection, they were interrogating both swordswomen, who were tied up, back to back.

"Hey!" Reimu called. "Somebody hold back psycho boy!"

Of course that got everybody's attention, and before Shirou could charge at Saber, the buff guy grabbed him around the waist and lifted him up like a child.

"Thank you!" Reimu said.

Both of them walked over, and Marisa grinned at them.

"Wow, you beat up Yuyuko fast," Marisa remarked.

With a shrug, Reimu told them, "Well, her Servant just let us go and was already dealing with her for us. Can't really complain."

Looking over at the others, Reimu realized she didn't even know any of these people. Only one of them was probably Gensokian, but she couldn't recognize who he was.

Saber herself couldn't recognize the other Servants. While it hurt in her heart to see Shirou like this, she couldn't afford to not take note of the others. She had to pay attention to everything around her. A good king would do that to take note of-

"I'm just gonna say, Reimu, MY SERVANT IS A BADASS!" Marisa suddenly started shouting.

Her sudden shout jarred Saber a bit, but she quickly composed herself.

"Cool," Reimu said, her voice flat.

Marisa didn't seem to care that Reimu was hardly paying attention to her Servant's badassery, because she continued, "She's a Lancer, five-star, and top-notch! Oh, she kicked that old man's ass I tell ya..."

The teal-haired woman said, "You flatter me."

"Then there's the big guy," Marisa continued. "Leonidas or something. Also a Lancer, not as cool but still cool. And he's the Servant of that kid!"

Marisa pointed at the last person. He kept on flickering his gaze from his feet to Reimu. Saber wondered why he was acting so strangely.

Strange how she didn't have to think too hard about it.

"R-Reimu Hakurei," he stammered. "I-I'm in love with you."

Everybody's faces went slack in disbelief. They all turned to him, trying to process what he just said. He himself was looking embarrassed, holding his hands over his eyes.

Reimu walked over to him, saying nothing. Noticing her walk over to him, the boy removed the hands from his face.

Then she slapped him.