~Author's Note~

I wrote this originally for day two of the Gensokyo Festival. I liked it pretty much as it was, but some small changes were needed. If you like a bit of hot-blooded shonen anime, please read on:

~Shin Akarui Bishoujo Kettei Daisenshi Marisa Ze!~

"Impertinent wretch! You thought yourself worthy to defy me, the scourge of all that walks upon the Earth?! You fool! I will incinerate everything you ever loved, starting with your own wretched body."

Searing black fire closed in on her from all sides. There was nothing she could do. She let out a piercing scream as she tumbled through the maelstrom of agony, tearing with a thousand hungry claws at the magic shielding her skin. She barely felt herself hit the ground.

"Pathetic," the dragon sneered. Deep, dark, glistening blue like the inkiest night, his eight heads filled the sky. "This is the great and powerful Marisa, wielder of arcane secrets that would make mortal men pluck out their own eyes, daughter to a vengeful spirit, apprentice to the strongest youkai of all, consort to the heir of Makai and guardian of the Eastern Wonderland?! I would not trust you with a boiled egg!"

Stars swam through Marisa's vision. Trembling all over, fighting for ragged breaths, she forced herself to meet one of the dragon's gazes. "I'd give it to Okuu."

The dragon laughed a cruel, barking laugh. "That wretched avian cannot hope to defy me! Skulking in her palace of mud, slobbering all over the boots of her telepathic master, trembling at the thought that she might lose control and cause somebody a minor inconvenience…! She was given infinite power, and all she does is serve a weak and cowardly wastrel!"

"That's not true!" Marisa tried with all her might to stand, but her exhausted legs weren't having it. She fell in a helpless sprawl at the dragon's feet. "Th-that's not true… Okuu is a wonderful person! She loves eggs, but… If I asked her to, she'd guard that egg… With her very life!"

"Oh, I'm sure she would. Because she's a good little girl, isn't she?" said the dragon, pouting eightfold in mockery. "That's the problem with you modern heroines. You have no imagination. Tell me, Marisa, why would anybody look after a boiled egg when they could take it for their own? Why would you waste your precious time and energy trying to make somebody else's life richer?!"

"She'd do th-the same for me." Gritting her teeth, Marisa forced herself up onto her trembling hands and scorched knees. A hot, pointed stone dug into her shin, making her cry out in pain. "Sh-she'd do it because she cared, Orochi! But that's not something you understand, is it? No, all you care about is gloating, apocalypses and more gloating."

The eight-branched serpent gasped in mock horror. "How could I have forgotten?! Friendship! The greatest power of all, and the only thing capable of defeating me!" Unable to keep up the act, he burst into cruel laughter. "You wish it were that easy. But your friends aren't coming, are they, Marisa? No, they'll most likely be halfway to the moon by now, in the vain hope that their former enemies might save their miserable hides. And they left you- poor, lonely, weak little Marisa- to face Yamata no Orochi, devourer of all that is pure and wholesome! All on your own. I do not know why you even tried."

Marisa grit her teeth. "How else would I beat you?"

"Oh, how quaint. She actually believes she could defeat me!" Orochi crowed. He curved his eight necks lazily around Marisa like a platoon of basilisks. "As if you could. No matter what you say, no matter what you do, no matter how many impassioned speeches you make, you will never be stronger than I. You are nothing more than a weak, feeble pink monkey with no tricks left inside your hideous little poofy white sleeves. You might as well simply give up and-"

"Oh, shut up…" Marisa rolled her eyes.

Orochi's eyes widened. "Wh-what? WHAT?! You DARE tell me to shut up?! How DARE you?!"

"I'm sorry, have you never been to Gensokyo before?" Marisa forced her battered body to rise. She wedged her broom between trembling thighs and gripped her hakkero. "We don't give up. If you make one move, I'll-"

Eight streams of black fire converged on Marisa. Within seconds, everything caught between Orochi's heads was scorched to a crisp.

Orochi smiled with eightfold smugness. "Give the yama my warmest regards, you worthless witch. It won't be long until I come for her, too."

Hovering untouched above the serpent's thick, spiny shoulders, Marisa slowly clapped her hands. "Not bad. You almost singed one of my feet," she said sweetly. "I messed up, though. I meant to say I'd move if you shot."

Orochi howled with rage and lunged up at Marisa. She launched herself high above his snapping jaws, clung to her broom with white knuckles as she wheeled around into a dive and careened under his whip-like tails.

"Y'know, Orochi, there's something my dad used to say," said Marisa, casually slipping under a spread of black fire. "My real dad, that is. She used to say 'practice makes perfect', and I've been battling youkai since I was twelve!"

"Irrelevant. I am the scourge of the universe, he who is sworn to bring eternal darkness-"

"Yeah, and I'm an Ordinary Witch." Marisa flashed a dazzling smile. "An Ordinary Witch who trains for two hours a day and never gives up. You think I've reached my limit?! Don't make me laugh! No matter how hard things get, no matter how many times I get my head kicked in, I'll just keep on coming! I did it to Junko, I did it to Okina, I did it to Yukari, and you can bet I'll do it to you! There are no limits I can't transcend, and this is NOT my last word!"

Marisa's hakkero shook with energy. Caught on a knife-edge between salvation and oblivion, more excited than she had been in months, the Ordinary Witch took aim. "Magicannon… FINAL! MASTER! SPAAAAAAAAARK!"