1: This is not Gensokyo

Greetings. My name is Rikako. I am a Scientist that specializes in the creatures that are know as Dolls. This is my Doll Chibi Nitori. Now. What's your name? I see. Then from now on, I hope we'll be able to work together, Renko...

I woke up in god knows where. My head pounded. Was I drunk? Maybe. I can't remember last night...in fact...I can't remember anything. What? Where am I?

"Hey? You okay?"

I looked up to find a girl staring at me.

"I-I'm fine." I said struggling up to prove it.

"You don't look like it." The girl frowned, "How'd you end up here? Were you attacked by a Doll?"

"Doll?"

"You don't know what a Doll is?" The girl cried, "A...Are you an alien?"

"Um...I-I'm pretty sure I'm not."

"Mmmmm...Ah, I got it! You must have amnesia!"

"That sounds right."

"Wow, I always wanted to meet an amnesic person and go on an epic adventure with him before I die. What's your name?"

"It's Renko. Usami Renk-wait what was that first bit?"

"I'm Maribel. Maribel Han." The girl smiled, "Nice to meet you, Renk."

"It's Renko." I corrected.

"In any case, I guess you haven't forgotten too much." Maribel smiled, "So, do you have a Doll?"

"What?"

"Oh, right. Of course you wouldn't. Here."

Maribel took out a orb. The orb opened and light burst out, settling into a shape on the ground.

"Chirp~"

"It's a Chibi Mystia." Maribel explained, picking up the tiny creature, "Isn't she cute?"

"D...Did that thing just come out of that orb?" I asked, stunned.

"Yep."

"H-How?"

"Eh? Well, I throw it at her and she goes in. Ah, wait that's only if it's wild."

"Hold on." I frowned, "That thing's alive right?"

"Yeah."

"All living things are made out of cells. To take cell structure and convert it into energy is impossible. Let alone taking the energy and sealing it. No, what's more incredulous is the fact that the cellular structure is rebuilt exactly as it was before the transformation, memories intact. All of these feats are impossible and any thing that Could do that would require way too much energy that can be stored in that spher-"

"Um...I've been standing here listening..." Maribel interrupted, "But I've already lost track of what your saying."

CMystia chirped her agreement.

"Oh. Um...sorry."

"Well, now that you've stopped all the complicated talk, do you have a Doll as well?"

"Um..." I patted myself down, but couldn't find any similar orbs, "No."

"Oh, that's bad." Maribel frowned, "You won't survive without a Doll of your own. Oh, I know, I fly us to my friend! I'm sure you can get a Doll from her!"

"You can fly?"

"Go, CMystia!"

"See?" Maribel cried over the wind as we flew, "We're flying!"

"But that bird...Doll is carrying us!" I cried, "That...thing is so small and it can carry the 2 of us? How does that work? Her structure is much too small to hold us without the arm giving way and breaking! We shouldn't even be off the ground!"

"Ask my friend about it, she knows all the sciencey stuff!"

"What science? This is common sense!"

"We're here!" Maribel announced as she landed, "Thank you, Mystia."

"I was on my knees, gasping.

"What's wrong? Scared of heights?"

"No. None of this makes any sense. The orb, the flying..."

"It's best that you don't think about it."

I looked up as someone approached us.

"Greetings. I am Rikako." The woman introduced herself, "I've dedicated the good part of my life researching the Dolls that inhabit this world. This is my partner, the Doll, Chibi Nitori."

"Kappa!"

"I'm warning you now, irk me and I'll show you what I'll do with the worse part of my life."

I backed away.

"Hello professor!" Maribel bowed.

"Ah, Han. I've wanted to speak to you for a while."

"Eh? Really?"

"Yes. I was wondering why you're not catching as much Dolls."

"Gack! I-I was training..."

"Why?"

"Why...is a very good question..."

"Training is good, but you've been training in the nearby city for a week now."

"C-Cut me some slack."

"Hmph. In any case, whose this child you brought me?"

"Ah, he's Renk. Usami Renk."

"Renko." I corrected.

"He has amnesia."

"Amnesia? How convenient. I recently brought some medicine from Eientei that should cure that."

"Really?"

"Yep. CNitori, where did I put it?"

"Kappa."

"Ah, that's right. I haven't sorted that out with the rest of the poison and shady drugs I brought from Reisen."

"Poison?" I repeated, "I-I think I'll pass."

"Don't be such a baby." Rikako frowned, "If I give you the wrong medicine, I can just give you the antidote."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. After I make a few notes on the poison first. And CNitori, where did I put the antidotes?"

"Kappa."

"Oh, right next to the other poisons, of course."

"No, I think I'll pass after all."

"So what are you doing here?" Rikako asked.

"Renko doesn't have any Dolls." Maribel explained, "So I was hoping that you...might lend him one."

"A Doll?" Rikako looked at me, "A Doll is needed if you want to travel, but I haven't finished my tests on any of them."

"Can't we just take one that's on low priority?" Maribel pleaded.

"There is no 'low'priority'" Rikako said sternly.

"Aw..."

"Excuse me." I interrupted.

"Yes?"

"How does the orbs work?"

Rikako blinked, "Excuse me?"

"I mean...the orb is a machine right? So how does it work? Even magic has a discernible pattern and rules to it...right?"

Rikako stared a me for a while before she smiled dangerously, "You're the first person to ask me that."

"O-Oh."

"I'll...just be going now." Maribel smiled nervously as she inched away.

"Oh no you don't. You're listening to this too."

"Aww..."

"You are correct in assuming magic has patterns and rules." Rikako began explaining, "But you must first realize that somethings are just possible even if it doesn't make sense or seem impossible. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll start with the Doll History. The legend goes that a magician was constantly besieged by a thief. In order to keep the thief away, she crafted Dolls with limited intelligence. But the thief stole the manuals and crafted Dolls of her own. The 2 sides battled for almost an entire year before it stopped. By then the Dolls have already grown into an impossibly absurd amount and once their fighting was over, settled down on this land."

"And what does that have to do with anything?" Maribel whined.

"Quiet child. I've been studying Dolls for a good part of my life and I've discovered many things. Dolls run on an internal magical source. This source is a Perpetual Energy Machine and the Doll's bodies are made to host that power. For that reason, most weapons are useless against them. The only way to combat them is with magic of similar quality. That means the attacks of another Doll would neutralize the magic reservoir and even cause physical wounds."

"Kappa?"

"Oh thank you CNitori." Rikako said taking the glass of water that CNitori offered her, "Anyway:

Upon defeat, the magic link that powers each Doll is absorbed by the victor making their own magical power rise. If that magic power exceeds the amount that the Doll's body can sustain, the body itself goes through an evolution, but that's not important.

What you have to understand is that the magic is not uniformal. There are different types of magic which I've classified into a total of 17. The Dolls all have a different type of magic that supports them and by tapping into that power, their attacks take on that type. But sometimes they can host 2 types of power. I've found that the second typing is usually related towards their physical structure."

"Kappa?"

"Thank you." Rikako said as she took another glass of water from CNitori.

"Oh. I get it." Maribel lied, "Can I leave?"

"So magic has types and that magic is harvested by the Dolls." I nodded, "I can accept that, but where does the orbs come in? And what happens to a defeated Doll?"

"Renko, NO!" Maribel hissed.

"Oh, you're actually listening." Rikako smiled as she finished her cup of water, "All right then, I'll tell you more!"

"Nooooooo-"

"The orbs are called Miko Orbs. It manipulates the magic reservoir that are in the Doll, forcing the magic to leave the body and surround it. The magic holds the body as it is then sealed inside the Orb. The Body is preserved in it's own magic and the magic that makes up their consciousness is further preserved by the Orb.

To answer your next question, that's what the Center is For."

"The Center?" Maribel cried.

"What, you used it but never thought about it?" Rikako frowned.

"A-All I know is that they heal my Dolls."

"Kappa..."

"Really now? I thought I told you all this."

Maribel looked away.

"...In any case, the Center's job is to heal your Dolls. This process is achieved by restoring the magical link between your Doll and a secondary Source. The magical link restores your Doll to health and the memories are replicated through residual magic in the Doll."

"So that's what they were doing..." Maribel said, "Ah. Wait."

"We've completely lost track of what we were doing!" Maribel cried.

"Eh? Really?" Rikako asked taking another cup of water from CNitori, "Never noticed."

"I thought we were here to get answers." I said.

"No we weren't!" Maribel frowned, "We were here to get YOU a Doll."

"Do I have to?"

"Do you have any place to go?"

"I don't think so."

"Want me to go get that amnesia medication?"

"N-No."

"Then it looks like you're going to have to travel around."

"Eh? C-Can't I stay here and help Rikako with her research?"

"No." Rikako said.

"Eh? Why?"

"I don't trust anyone else with my research."

"Aww..."

"So you'll be traveling now right?" Maribel asked.

"Then you'd need a Doll." Rikako noted.

"So why don't you give us one?"

"Because I need them all."

"Stingy!"

"I'm not stingy! I just need a lot of things."

"Oh really?"

"Geh. Look, if you really need a Doll, I think I know someone who has one or two that you can have."

"Really?"

"But I'm not telling you."

"What?"

"Well...not unless Renko promises to take the Dolldex with him." Rikako smirked.

"What?" I asked.

"What?" Maribel cried, "B-But I have the Dolldex."

"And you don't really do anything with it."

"I-I will! I just...need to train for a bit."

"Is that so?"

"I-It is!"

"...Well, then it's a good thing I have another one." Rikako smiled as she took the Dolldex that CNitori handed her.

"Y-You have another one?"

"Of course."

Maribel looked disappointed.

"So how bout it?" Rikako asked, waving the Dolldex, "If you want a Doll, take the Dex with you."

"Um...what does it do exactly?"

…

"Oh that's right, I never told you huh?"

"The Dolldex is my own invention." Rikako smiled proudly, "It registers all the Dolls you catch and provides further information. And contrary to Maribel's beliefs, the information comes from a united database between Patchouli Knowledge and Hieda no Akyu."

"I-I knew that."

"Right. In layman's terms, it's a sort of encyclopedia on Dolls...pocket-sized."

"Oh. So why do you need me to take it?"

"I can't access the database directly." Rikako looked away, "And...they banned me."

"Wow." Maribel snickered, "What did you try to do?"

"I-I thought I could change some of the more...ridiculous theories."

"...Well I don't see any harm in it." I sighed, "I do need a Doll after all."

"Great!" Rikako cried, handing me my Dolldex.

Renko received the Dolldex!

"What was that?" I asked.

"What was what?"

"And who's this person with the free Dolls?" Maribel asked sternly.

"Ah, right. She lives quite a bit away so I'll LEND you a Mystia. She knows the way."

"By the way." Rikako said as we began to lift off, "I didn't say it'd be free."

"What?"

Too late. We were off.

Mystia dropped us off a good ways off. After letting us off, she got back up and returned to the lab. Maribel waved good-bye.

"So you're the one that wants a Doll?"

The 2 of us jolted and spun around. There, we saw a shrine maiden who stopped sweeping the grounds to frown at us, "Renk...right?"

"Renko." I frowned, "It's one letter, you'd think people'll take the effort to remember it."

"Unless it's youkai extermination, I don't take anything seriously." The Miko said, "Who's the girl?"

"I'm Maribel Han." Maribel bowed, "Rikako sent us."

"I know." The Miko sighed, "Come on."

"Feel free to donate." The Miko said as she went into the shrine, "And stay out here."

I looked at the donation box. Maribel peered inside. She replaced the lid and shook her head.

"So I heard one of you has amnesia." The Miko said.

"Uh, yeah. That would be me." I said as Maribel quickly backed away.

"Why didn't you take the medicine that Rikako had?"

"Y-You don't know if it'd work."

"True." The Miko said, coming out with a plate, "Though if it's made in Eientei, for better or for worse, it'd work."

"Are those..."

"These are the only Dolls I keep around." The Miko said.

On the tray there was a small back and white witch, a small maid and a miniature version of the Miko.

"You have a Doll of yourself?" Maribel smiled.

"You have a problem?" The Doll asked.

Maribel backed away.

"She seems...cranky." I said.

"She's always like that." The Miko said.

"Um...I-I think I'd take..."

"You're not taking anything."

"Eh?"

"At least...not until you donate."

I patted myself down one more time. Coming up with nothing I looked to Maribel. She rummaged around her bag and came up with a few coins.

"Is that it?" The Miko frowned.

"Hey, it's a donation, I don't have to extravagant." Maribel frowned.

"Stingy." The Miko pouted as Maribel dropped the coins into the empty Donation Box.

"Um...back to the Dolls."

"Oh right. There's still one more thing."

"Again?" I sighed.

"Do you want a Doll? Or not?"

"I'm seriously considering it."

"Well while you do that, I'll just tell you what I want." The Miko shrugged.

"As you can see, I'm a Shrine Maiden."

I rolled my eyes.

"I am the Miko of the Hakurei Shrine, Hakurei Reimu. No relation. I often exterminate youkai. My livelihood spawns from that. But recently a new shrine has emerged and stole my worshipers."

"What does that have to do with me?" I frowned.

"I want you to destroy them."

…

"...You're serious."

"Of course." Reimu said.

"Why me? Why not you?"

"Because if I did it, it'd spark a shrine war. And you don't have anything better to do. You've lost your memory."

"I've lost my memory so I've lost enemies." I admitted, "But that doesn't mean I should go making new ones."

"Look, if I give you this Doll, what would you do? Search for your memories? How would you start? I'm just giving you a small quest. It's not like you have to drop everything."

"Well how do you know there won't be a shrine war anyway?"

"Because I'm not related."

"YES YOU ARE!"

"Did you not hear me say 'No relation' at the beginning?"

"Give it up." Maribel sighed.

"...Fine." I said, "I'll do it."

"Good. Then take this." Reimu said, handing me the Doll version of herself.

"What? Why?"

"It's to keep an eye on you." Reimu said, shoving the Doll in my arms.

Renko received CReimu!

"What was that?" I frowned.

"By the way kid, a word of advice." Reimu said, "Don't try and reasonify everything."

"That's not a word."

"Shut up or I'll sic my Doll on you."

At her words, the back and white witch got up and floated up to Maribel, hugging her face.

"Oh, she's cute." Maribel laughed.

"Funny, Marisa doesn't take a liking to just anyone." Reimu said, surprised, "...Feel free to take her too."

"Eh?" Maribel cried, "Really?"

"Of course." Reimu smiled, "I need to take care of my only worshipers now right?"

"Yay!" Maribel gave CMarisa a full hug.

"Now go." Reimu said as she turned away and walked back to her shrine, "I don't want you kids hanging around here."

And that was how my journey began. I wasn't really complaining, but...

"Hey, Renko, come here! I'll show the best sport for finding Dolls!"

"Why are you still here?"

"Haven't I told you? Having an epic adventure with an amnesic person is my dream!"

...for some reason I feel like I was forced to do this...