Chapter 3: External and Internal Discoveries
NOTE: This chapter is split into two parts, the first is Reimu's situation, and the second is the search of the girls.
Reimu was in a tough situation. Very tough indeed. Since her awakening, Reimu had found herself tied to a chair, with no weapons in reach and a bright light shining in her face. The ropes binding her to her temporary prison were tight, and there seemed to be no hope of escape for now. She still felt woozy from some drugs, and felt the air to be especially damp. I wonder if I'm underground… Reimu anxiously awaited the identity of her captor. As she listened to the distant shuffling, she reflected on what could have caused this predicament. Several thoughts ran through her head. I haven't done anything to demand retribution from anybody, she thought. Why would they do this? They have nothing to gain from me… Unless it's about the barrier. Reimu was suddenly struck with a pang of fear, frantically jerking at the bindings, struggling to slip free. Then a voice rang from the darkness: "Ah, I see you have waken up. Now we can begin."
As the miko tried to recognize the familiar voice, her captor stepped into the light. Yukari Yakumo. The miko shut her eyes, wishing it to be a dream. Her thrashing became more violent as she tried to get away from the gap youkai. "Relax, Reimu. It's just the two of us," said the sweet voice. Yukari caressed the shaking miko's cheek. "I'll explain everything to you." "N-No… Please… J-Just get away from m-me…" Reimu had a violent storm of emotions inside. Yukari was a complicated situation. She joked around with the miko, but Reimu had never imagined that she would kidnap her either. "W-Why are you doing this?" Yukari smiled. "Now that you've calmed down, we can talk." The gap youkai settled into a chair facing Reimu.
"I have a purpose for all of this. As you well know, we are both in charge of the barrier between Gensokyo and the outside world. In order to continue, you must have a child for the Hakurei line to continue protecting the barrier. However, this is where it gets complicated. I had noticed that you are infertile. Therefore, this is the end of your family line. As such, I have taken it upon myself to maintain the barrier, until I find a proper replacement for you. So, my plan is to transfer your power over the barrier to myself, where I will keep the boundary safe and maintain it." Reimu, overwhelmed at the information, began to sob. Inside, she said goodbye to her hopes of seeing a young Hakurei maiden who would keep her tradition. Her future dreams were crushed in an instant. Reimu lost her will to fight and slumped against the chair, all thoughts blurred together into a giant soupy mess. Yukari glanced at the crying miko, turning away from her glistening tears. She would have to wait awhile for her plan to work.
Marisa jolted awake, shocked by her vivid dream. No, more like nightmare. Marisa trembled at what she just imagined and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to forget about that horrid scene. She stumbled into an abandoned house. There was blood on the walls and burnt lumps of wood where there were once doors. She stepped deeper into the building. A fresh scent of smoke wafted out of the basement. She peeked inside and saw a bloodied Reimu, lying limply against the wall. As she hurried over to her friend, who had gashes all over her body, Reimu whispered some faint words to her friend, urging her to get out, to flee. Marisa was oblivious to the incoming danger, kneeling over her friend's body as a dark figure wrenched Marisa away. She fought and kicked, but was overpowered by the dark figure, who dragged her away from Reimu's dying body, unable to do anything but watch. Marisa shuddered. It was just a dream, she told herself. Reimu's still alive, and we'll find her. Alice watched blankly, standing near the doorway.
"Are you okay? It seemed like you were having a seizure of some sort while you were sleeping. No bad dreams?" "N-No, I'm fine. Maybe just flopped around during my sleep." "Um, in that case, you should get up. Sakuya's got our first lead." Marisa, upon hearing the news, quickly got in her usual attire and darted downstairs. They now had their first clue. Downstairs, the other three were eating breakfast, having woken up early to begin the search. Sakuya cleared her throat. "So, I think I have our first clue. I asked Remilia if she had seen or heard anything near the shrine on the day that Reimu was abducted. She said that there was some knocking and later, a whooshing sound, but other than that, nothing."
Patchouli set down her book. "I think this might have something to do with the tengu. If we can ask them to help us while not spreading it around in their newspaper, I think it would help us a lot." The group nodded and began packing for the trip up the youkai mountain. Patchouli and Sakuya remained at the mansion while Marisa and Alice flew up the steep mountain. "Whoa, it's getting gusty," Alice observed as she clung onto the broom. "Could the tengu not want us in their business right now?" "I'm sure they'll make an exception for this," said Marisa, gritting her teeth as the winds became more and more violent.
At last, the two made it to the top of the youkai mountain, where the tengu lived. The first to greet them was none other than Aya Shameimaru, the resident newspaper reporter. "Well, what brings you up here on this lovely morning?" the tengu asked. Marisa quickly cut to the chase. "Listen, have you seen or heard anything about Reimu recently?" "Well, there was some commotion during the night a couple days ago, but other than that, nothing. Is there something wrong with Reimu?" The puppeteer responded before Marisa could give a reply. "No, Reimu's fine. We just were investigating that commotion. Could you tell us about it?"
The tengu launched into a personal story about how she was on her nightly stroll, flying around in search for inspiration for her next issue of the Bunbunmaru. There was a sound of whacking and ruffling of leaves near the shrine, so she quickly sped over to investigate. When she got there, however, the culprit was gone and left nothing but an emptied syringe. Thinking it to be a starter piece, she pocketed the needle and flew back home. "Could we please have this back? It belongs to a friend," Alice lied. "Well, I guess so… If you promise to purchase my next issue." Marisa halfheartedly agreed. It was a small price to pay, but the newspaper had little to no information at all. She probably would repurpose it to a better use at a later time. After the deal was made, Alice and Marisa quickly returned to the mansion, ready to inspect the element. A few minutes later, Patchouli was examining the specimen.
"It seems to be of the outside world, as a device like this could only be found in Eientei for medical purposes. Since it is empty, I have no way of knowing what was contained inside, but I'll assume it was the perpetrator's." Alice gasped. "Only a few have access to the outside world… No way…" Marisa eventually connected the dots, and covered her mouth. Why would Yukari do such a thing? Her thoughts were cut short, however, when Sakuya announced a visitor. Marisa quickly reached for her mini-Hakkero in case it was the gap youkai. But it wasn't. Outside stood a nine-tailed fox and a small nekomata, both covered with soot and dirt. Sakuya opened the door. "What are you two doing here?"
Ran, the fox youkai, coughed. "Part of our home burned down, and we need a place to stay. Chen has dust stuck in her lungs and I need to treat her somewhere safe." "What about Yukari?" the head maid asked. "Doesn't she usually take care of you?" "Well, you see, that's the problem."
Hello, Hello. I hope you enjoyed the reveal! Don't worry, there's still lots more to come. As always, please leave a review. It really encourages me with the feedback that I get.