Nicolas Note:

I'll make this quick. Thank you Dia/Yukina for editing this chapter like the others with your superb skills. This chapter will probably suck without ya!

Alright so this chapter will have references, though I don't know how many, so if don't mind can you find them for me? Thanks. To the guys on the review sect, I thank you for your corrections and support, (yes even you. You know who you are).

Disclaimers:I do not own Touhou or any other Touhou related material, Rook is my creation just so you know.

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CHAPTER 6: A quick rest and an unexpected route

Year 2000

2:39 Anti-meridian

Between the Forest and of the Humans, Wonderful Shop of Antique Goods; Kourindou, Gensokyo

"I've had Tokiko tend to your little friend so as to make herself actually useful around here other than constantly badger me about books and such," says a bespectacled man with a messy short white hair on his head while wearing black and blue kimono like clothes as he holds a tray of warm tea and placing it down on the counter.

Rinnosuke Morichika, half youkai and owner of Kourindou stood the opposite of the half conscious Rook who currently had his head lying on the school desk he sat on. The shop was small and cluttered with various junk and unusable objects, broken china, broken weed whackers, a spare car engine tucked at the store's corner, and finally the single ceiling fan that had two bright light bulbs attached to it. Good ole Kourindou.

"From what the cranky bird youkai has told me, your friend bore some light injuries all over her person, the back, the legs, the stomach, but don't worry all of them are within my range of healing and aren't life threatening, those enchanted waters that you pointed out earlier has helped us greatly…" continued Rinnosuke as he pulled out an abacus and began to fiddle with its beads. "So… adding another member to your household…. Mr. Rook Yakumo?"

Rook lifted his head just to show his annoyed face, and slam the table of the desk he sat on while saying, "For the last time Morichika, I am warning you, and the next time you say that 'Yakumo' again, I'm going to feed you to Marisa!"

Rinnosuke merely chuckled at his words. "Hmph, it makes sense don't you think? Lady Yukari has blonde hair, Miss Ran has blonde hair, YOU have blonde hair, so it is only proper to call you 'Yakumo' seeing that you fit the group very well"

"Whatever, I hate it when people say that." mumbled Rook, proceeding with his headdesk once more. "Are you the kind of guy who bases the people he meets by their hair color and chucks them into the same drawer?"

"I'm afraid not, good sir." replied the half youkai in turn, his expression was bored as he fiddled with his abacus. The expression must have been a habit of his due to the shop's lack of customers, it was most possible that it was because of that reason, owning a shop that barely has any customers to serve must be very dull.

"About Marisa…" said the shopkeeper all of a sudden, the serious icy tone in his words was more than enough to make Rook understand that the conversation may not end well. Knowing he had grabbed the seemingly young boy's attention, Rinnosuke continued once more. "She came by earlier after… The sudden incident… She was crying and I have no idea why. She said something about you and the shrine, so I am going to ask you once, Mr. Rook, what happened?"

Rook remained silent and avoided eye contact with the shopkeeper for a few seconds before replying. "Mima's gone; Marisa thought I was the one who sealed her when Reimu was the one who did it. The girl's better off knowing I 'killed' her mentor rather than her best friend. She won't be able to handle that…"

"The Evil Spirit was the one responsible for the earth to burst and the sky to fall?" questioned Rinnosuke, setting down his abacus while looking at Rook with a scowl.

"No, she was the one prevented it. She sacrificed herself to coax out the spirit that inhibited Reimu's body, telling us to seal her afterwards…" Rook sat up and placed his feet on the desk with his hands on the back of his head, as he stared at the spinning fan on the ceiling. "Everything had a price… She paid for it, I paid for it, Marisa paid for it, even Yukari… All for the sake of Gensokyo's safety."

"Hmph, and all a common villager could say all day is the incompetence of Gensokyo's protectors, typical if you ask me."

"Aye."

"I would tell Marisa's father of what happened myself, however…"

"You're still thinking about what happened?" asked Rook with an eyebrow raised.

The silver haired shopkeeper released a light sigh before replying. "Yes, if he ever knew…"

"Fine, I'll stop by his house if I have the time."

"Thank you, it is most appreciated. However, Marisa is still distressed, please make sure to explain to him of his daughter's problems. Maybe he would be able to help her in her grief… her not-supposed-to-be grief."

"I'll try, though I may forget about it due to another errand. Yukari will sure have a lot of work to push to me because of the damage from the incident earlier."

"It is understandable, Mr. Rook."

With that, Rinnosuke told Rook that he would be gone for a few minutes as he was about to check on Alice's condition and whether this bird youkai Tokiko was doing her job well, which left Rook all alone in the store of useless junk. A glint near the bottom of a wooden shelf, in which a number of old music albums from the Outside were stacked, caught his eye and immediately hooked his attention. Placing his feet on the ground and standing up, Rook slowly made his way towards the shelf and began to dig through the unusable pile of poorly made antiques. "Hm?"

After grabbing a black book with a picture of two pale hands holding an apple with a title related to a day's time, he did not hesitate to throw it straight into a waste bin without as much a second glance, he finally uncovered a familiar black box beneath the mounds of rubbish. Undoing the metal lock, he slowly opened the lid and reach inside, taking out the very same tranquilizer pistol Yukari gave him.

"Gaps…" he muttered as if it explained everything before placing the weapon back into its container. Carrying the box with him, Rook made his way back to the wooden school desk he was sitting on and placed the box right in front of him as he stared at it.

Placing his two hands at either side of the box, he began to close his eyes and started to reminisce the past through his memories.

"Hey Rook, what is this?" echoes a little girl's voice.

"It's what you call a present,"

"A present?"

"Oi, why don't I have one? I'm the eldest so why do I have none?" barks another voice; this one seems to be a year older than the first one.

"Lady Remilia, I would like to ask you to keep your voice down, a lady should not raise her voice more than a wind's howl-" chided a softer and quieter young woman's voice.

"Spare me Patchy! I demand this…. 'Present' or whatever it is now! Come now, Rook, spit it out! Where are you hiding these gifts?"

"Big sister, please get off of him! You'll make him fall!"

"You have no idea how long it took me to buy Flandre that… GAH!"

THUD

"Aha! I'll be taking your pouch then as compensation for being a bad boy!"

"Hey give it back, that's going to be our week's meal, damn it!"

"Remi… Give it back to him now… This is trouble, Hong, could you for this mansion's sake please stop them,"

"Hai~! Mistress Remilia, Mr. Rook! Stop fighting! Fighting stop! AIIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!"

"Flandre! How many times do I have to tell you not to swing that thing when inside the mansion! Your weapon is not a toy, act like a REAL vampire!"

"Says the one that tries so hard to act mature…"

"Shut up Patchouli!"

"Aha! I finally got my wallet back!"

"Big sister, let's play!"

"Wait Flan, NOOO!"

"Stop that or else something will break-"

CRASH

"And…There goes the window…. Having fun, Rook?"

"Ah, Magician, glad you're okay. Those two can really be hyper at times,"

"Hmm… make sure to fix the window once they settle down…"

"Hehehe, sure but don't you find it strange? Vampires celebrating Christian holidays?"

"To quote Remilia, if there's a moment of festivity then why not celebrate it? That's why festivities are created at the first place… To celebrate… Remilia cares not for simple obstacles as that, you should know that by now… Chess Piece..."

"You're right. Oi, no need to be so gloomy! Lighten up, it's Christmas!"

"I apologize, it's just my speech has become a habit…"

"Well, it seems that those two finally froze in the snow. I better get them now before China starts crying,"

"Merry Christmas… Rook,"

"Likewise,"

The vague image of Rook exiting the Scarlet Mansion's lounge, leaving Patchouli behind beside the shattered window as the fire place crackled merrily, warming the cozy room with its heat while Remilia and Flandre were seen outside with their legs sticking out of the snow. On his hands, Rook held a bright red box tied by a dark green ribbon as he closed the doors behind him and continued his way down to the mansion's entrance.

The image starts to blur eventually turning into static similar to that of a broken television set until he was back within the confines of the shop holding not the bright red present but his black box between his hands.

"That memory…" he muttered to himself, "…was my fifteenth Christmas with them…"

The ring of the shop's bell indicated that its keeper has returned. The silver haired half youkai entered the shop once more with a short piece of paper within his hand while holding a pen on the other as he donned a wide grin on his face. Rook raised an eyebrow at the sight for he rarely saw Rinnosuke smile like an idiot before.

Something must've happened… I wonder what…? Thought the boy as he watched the shopkeeper come closer.

"Ah, you're still here. Good, good, because I had some good news for you about your little friend!" said Rinnosuke, quickly grabbing his abacus that was settled at the counter. Pointing his pen at the boy he continued. "Your expenses for our service!"

Rook sweat dropped as he heard those words. "So, same old Rinno, eh? All business and doesn't work for sympathy? You work too much,"

"You should tell that to Lady Yukari's shikigami. Now, about those coins…" said Rinnosuke while extending his hand expectantly to Rook, however the smile on his face turned into a frown as the boy before him showed him the empty pockets he had. "Ah, I see… No money? I could put in your tab—"

"HOLD IT!" exclaimed Rook as he rose to his feet. "How about we barter?"

The shopkeeper seems to be taken aback by this and asked. "Do you have any items for trade?"

Damn I should've thought about that… echoed the boy's mind as he gritted his teeth. The first thing that came in his mind was his coin pouch, however after the battle at the shrine a few hours earlier it was possible that he lost it during that time, and by patting both of his pant pockets his fears were just confirmed. His gaze eventually settled on the box before him. An idea formed within his mind that almost made him smile, however he held it back so he can hide it.

"Sure, how about this container here? It's the only thing I have so it'll probably compensate for my lack of money," says Rook opening the black box's lid and showing what was inside.

Rinnosuke's eyes widened as he watched. "A gun? This is from the outside, is it not? I hear that it is a convenient weapon wielded by most Outsider's these days,"

"Yup, so how about it? I'll give you this baby here in exchange for having me and my friend stay here for the night. I'm probably paying more than I should by doing this, but I find it fair," replies the boy with a sly smile curled upon his lips.

The skeptical shopkeeper seems to be oblivious of this and makes his decision. "Very well, I agree. You may stay until morning and I will have the bird tend to your friend's injuries."

Rook hands the shopkeeper the box and shakes his hand. "Pleasure doing business with you!" says Rook with a bright smile.

"I should be the one saying that." mutters Rinnosuke.

With that, the shopkeeper gestures the boy towards the back door and eventually to the stairs where the second floor of the shop lies. Rook opens his bedroom door and wastes no time examining his surroundings as the exhaustion from the events earlier that day had finally caught up to him making him fall face first into his soft cotton like bed.

I'll get you for this, Magician, but… until then….. *yawn* zzzzzz

The thought was unfinished for not a moment too soon the boy fell asleep into the world of dreams.

Year 2000

8:00 Post-meridian, some hours ago during the battle within Gensokyo

Scarlet Mansion, Voile, the Outside

"….Rest assured she will be fine for now," says the young silver haired maid as she fought to keep her face devoid of emotion, though it was obvious that she was worried for her Mistress' health. "My Lady simply overworked herself during the time and all she would require now is a well earned rest…"

Patchouli Knowledge placed her coffee back on her table as she listened to Sakuya's report while reading one of her Grimoires to pass the time. Her assistant stood diligently at her side, holding a silver tray right on her front while keeping her head low at the presence of her master.

"Thank you, Sakuya, you may return to Lady Remilia now." replied the magician as she flipped a page of her book. The maid bowed once before disappearing, leaving no trace that she was even there in the first place. Once Sakuya had gone and left, the tiny wings on Koakuma's head fluttered nervously as she was once again left alone with her master.

"It seems like the plan has proven successful after all, surely this would teach him to challenge me and this mansion alone," said Patchouli while glancing over her shoulder to look at the little devil beside her. "Do you have anything to say, Koa?"

"Um, forgive me if I may be a tad bit rude, but isn't it just…. Wrong to use your own friend for your own reasons?"

"Koa, you saw how Remilia acted; she was willing to retaliate against Rook even if it meant harming herself. You do know how she too is protective of the little sister? I did warn her about using too much of her fate ability, yet she was so stubborn as always and did it anyway. I did try Koa, I really did but… Remilia Scarlet is always Remilia Scarlet, and always will."

Koakuma bent her back and dipped her head low. "My apologies, mistress. However you still allowed her to go on with her crude way of delivering a blow towards the Chess Piece for it was to your own benefit, isn't that right, mistress?"

"Indeed, or rather that's just one of the reasons" replies Patchouli, taking another sip of her coffee while turning another page on her book.

"And the others are?"

"Remilia's powers are similar to a roulette. There's the chance that it will hit the jackpot or the winnings, and there's also the chance that it will hit something bad, in the Chess Piece's case however, the kind of fate Remilia wants to cast into him would be a bad fate, ranging from a horrible death to something much, much worse…"

"So, seeing that Lady Remilia has exhausted herself to the point of fainting must mean…."

"It must mean that something had just happened to Rook, something very interesting," finished the Magician, setting her gaze upon a black rune like writing on one of her book's pages, the symbol of a bird, flying over the moon and under the sun. The inscription written on the bottom of the page was written in blood red ink saying; Thor will drown within the serpent's venom. Regretless he sinks, satisfied, he sleeps fearless slumbers, deep, deep within the serpent's venom.

Patchouli turned another page and upon it was a drawing of a thin serpent with boney branches protruding from its back while crystal prisms grew from its branches.

"Fate has been decreed." mutters the Magician, causing her assistant to look at her with a worried expression.

Deep within the deepest level of the mansion's basement, a loud banging echoed throughout the hollow chamber. Whatever was ramming against the cold stone walls was so strong that the very force of its crashes made the ceiling tremble and the floor to shake. The green clad door guard of the mansion leaned with her arms against the large iron double doors as if pushing it back to keep it from collapsing upon her. Her face was strained from the effort she was giving while sweat trickled down from her forehead as she went on with her task.

With every bang and crashes, Meiling could not help but whimper at the sounds and echoes the prisoner she kept within emitted. Sweat was not the only thing that fell from her face but tears from her eyes. She felt sorry for her prisoner, she did not want to her dearest friend cry; she did not want to hear it anymore, no longer! It has been days since the infiltration of the mansion and Flandre has never ceased crying and shouting. Meiling could tell that the little vampire's voice was cracked and weak, however kept on going despite that.

With every bang that sounded, the vampire within the basement kept repeating her screams. "DON'T HURT HIM! *sob* PLEASE DON'T HURT HIM I'M BEGGING YOU MEILING! FLANDRE WILL DO ANYTHING, PLEASE STOP SISTER! PLEASE DON'T LET HER HURT HIM!"

Hong who has been carrying on with the task of keeping Flandre Scarlet from escaping the confines of her 'bedroom', finally had enough and forced herself to at least reply, "I'm sorry Lady Flandre, but I can't let you! Not after what that man did to you, I can't fail on my duties once more!"

Silence

Hong opened her eyes in shock at the sudden silence that spread throughout the hollow chamber. The gate keeper cautiously took her hands from the iron door and stepped a few paces away from the iron door, staring in fear at what may happen next.

Bang

Hong winced at the sound, her limbs paralyzed in terror making her unable to move.

"I'll break you then…" rasped a warped voice from behind the iron doors, and with it, a small giggle that also seemed to be annoyed. "Flandre tried hard to pretend to be good to you… ne, Mei. Ling. Nee. san?"

Bang

"I'll kill all of you…." *BANG* "I said 'please' didn't I?" *BANG* "Yet why? Why… Why can't you do as Flandre says?" *BANG* "Flandre had been a good girl…" BANG "But you haven't listen to anything Flandre says even though she tries hard to be nice…" BANG "Flandre will do something if any of you… break him…" *BANG* Ten nerve wrecking minutes of solid silence passed by before the girl continued, this time it seemed a bit amused.

"…Do you want to know?"

Hong Meiling had enough time to utter a quick yelp before an explosion of scarlet and crimson enveloped her, causing her to black out or maybe more than that.

Year ?

?:? Anti- meridian

Wonderland

Alice sat on her throne with a sad expression. All around her, lights glowed in different ray of colors gleaming at the same time and they sparked as her most favored doll guards stood cautiously at her side. The room was swathed with deceiving beauties and sparkles of sophisticated lights. The girl had her head rested on her right fist as she gazed into nothingness, dwelling herself in her own thoughts. All around her 'throne room', unfinished dolls of every shape and sizes hung from thin strings that came down from the marble ceiling. Strange emblems embroidered on silk red cloth also hung from each pillar that stood in rows around the throne room. The path leading to Alice's chair was covered in royal blue carpet with yellow trimmings at the sides.

A few steps elevated the throne from the ground so that Alice would have a good view of her surroundings. Butterflies flew while the disembodied songs of the birds sounded from nowhere in particular as Alice continued to sort out her thoughts.

The little girl's eyes trailed towards the small opening at the door which was on the very end of the throne room. Even from afar, the girl could see it….. The dark grey void of her broken world, the world she had failed to create... Wonderland.

Raging winds with the force of fifty fierce gales and five hurricanes swirled all around the grey walled flying castle created by the little girl. Below the flying castle lay a dreadful wasteland, filled with the roar of the sandstorm and that of the howls of the abominations that thread it. The grey stone walled castle had three black chains tied below it as if keeping it from flying too far away from the ground. The fortified castle had four watchtowers surrounding it while being enveloped by the stone walls. Its condition remained pristine despite the harsh gust of the storm.

From within the castle, this fact was present within Alice's mind, after all she created this world it was only obvious that she would know the happenings all around it. However, she felt not pride or happiness for this realm of hers, but disgust… After all, this is a broken world created during her time of rage and fury, filled with her darkest emotions in the form of the storm and abominations below.

To her, this world was ugly yet it was her only refuge left from the harsh grasp of reality. The reality of what she really was.

Alice gazed up at the colorful stained glass above her. The girl rose from her seat and slowly descended the steps before her throne as she turned around to see a similar stained glass behind her chair. The glass bore the image of a little girl that bore striking similarities with Alice who was smiling as she sat on the lap of a woman with white hair and a kind smile.

A single tear traced down the girl's cheek and eventually falling down the floor as she whispered seven words. "Why did you lie to me, Mother?"

A card fell from above eventually followed by more until it began to rain cards all bearing the same symbols; Queen of hearts, however the card Alice managed to retrieve was different for it was a joker card. Alice did not even flinch as a stone pillar pierced through the floor and breaking through the ceiling. Neither did she look fazed as the glass of her beautiful windows cracked and shattered. The smooth marble surface of the right wall crumbled at the might of an unknown force, yet still Alice gazed at the joker card with an emotionless expression.

The dolls that hung from the ceiling fell as their thin threads were cut loose, causing them to fall to the ground. A few seconds passed and the dolls slowly rose to up, floating if they had no legs or standing if they did. The crumbled debris of the fallen wall began to gather once more on the wall, forming a large arch where a polished double door suddenly appeared.

Outside, it seemed like that the building was growing larger by the looks of the rising towers, which a chunk of them would fall to the ground, causing more debris and hindrance and also, the increasing bulk of the walls. The entire fortress shook as it was finally finishing its transformation into an unbreakable stronghold. On the topmost tower a single blue flag rose.

Within the castle, the girl was now once more sitting on her throne now with a battalion of dolls armed with spears and lances surrounding her. A black book sat on her lap as she gazed at her grand castle. The carpets had changed from sky blue to cherry red with gold trimmings on the sides. Marble pillars stood at the sides of the throne room, keeping the equally majestic roof in place. The ceiling was decorated in fine golden chandeliers complimented well with the medieval gray stone above it.

"This is but a girl's fantasy," whispers Alice, "However I will soon make it real… Forgive me, Mother"

Year 2000

10:32 Anti-meridian

Wheel Chair, Gensokyo

Rook noticed a tear fall from Alice's sleeping face, which made the boy feel a tiny bit of worry on his part. Not wanting to disturb her sleep, he continued to push the wheel chair she was on.

Some hours ago

"Hm? You need to leave now?" asked Rinnosuke as he looked up from his outdated newspaper from the Outside. "Why? You need your full strength in case you will have to run errands for lady Yukari the moment you enter the village, and your friend is still asleep it wouldn't be wise to wake her after seeing what she has done to Tokiko"

"I'll manage, besides I'm in a hurry. Who knows how many villagers need help and the Hakutaku won't be able to protect them all with Reimu down for the count for now" replied Rook while trying on a pair of grey sneakers from the shop's junk pile. "Now as for our sleeping beauty, she'll have to be patient with me…. Do you have a wheel chair I can borrow?"

After that, Rinnosuke was more than happy to give Rook a wheel chair to place the sleeping Alice in and send them both of with a smile on his face. Rook noticed that as he left Kourindou, his eye managed to catch a glimpse of his black box that sat on the desk he stayed on before going to bed that night. The oblivious Rinnosuke did not notice the cunning smile on Rook's features as the shopkeeper closed the door. The boy counted to ten before reaching in the large pouch that was cleverly hidden at the back of the wheel chair, and from within it the black box appeared.

Rook can almost imagine the look on Rinnosuke's face once he realized what the boy had planned.

It was already too late for the oblivious shopkeeper to chase him down for they were already on the outskirts of the human village, Rook would already arrive to his destination after a few more minutes. The sun was bright and the cool morning air is still present, there were no youkais around so it was safe to travel through the forest, the birds hummed happily while the bees went on with their respective tasks, spots of light passed through the many leaves above the two people that passed by the forest, and Alice was still asleep.

The girl must have been very tired for she has not woken up even once after being put to sleep last night. Her clothes were now new and repaired thanks to the bird youkai named Tokiko, who seemed to have learned the basic skills needed to sew the rips and cuts that the little blonde girl had on her clothes. Rook on the other hand had his brown shirt replaced by a dark blue one with its sleeves reaching his wrists. He also had a new pair of pants worn and gray running shoes on his feet. His new shirt had the same design as his brown one, the symbol of the Yakumo eye on his left shoulder while three white stripes were embroidered on his right. His black gloves were now replaced by violet ones yet still bore the symbols of ying and yang on their metal plates.

Kourindou also served as a one stop shop for new clothes for certain people and Rook was one of them.

Ah, a peaceful day in Gensokyo, so unlike the fiasco that just happened last night.

"Heh, I wonder how long this calmness would last," said Rook at the trees at the sides of the path. Not even a fairy was flying about; they were probably too frightened to venture far from their homes after what just happened. "It isn't only humans that were affected by this incident…" Rook halted on his tracks and looked up the sky above him. "But the youkais too… This world was made by a youkai, so technically it's supposed to be a paradise for them, not for us…"

ROAAAAAAARRRRRR

A grin spread upon the boy's face. "But that doesn't mean that mean that we can't make it hell for them either, alright missy hold on tight!"

Rook kept a firm grip on the wheel chair's handles as he broke into a sprint towards the sound.

Rook arrived at the Human Village fifteen minutes later and was greeted the sight of a large red skinned monster falling flat on its back on top of a half rebuilt house, while men in makeshift armors continued their assault on the beast as the others of their group held it down with their grappling hooks. The beast had a humanoid form with its buff arms and broad back; however its legs seemed short and stout yet still muscular enough to hold the beast's weight while standing up. It had burning white eyes and two jet black horns while it wore what looked like enlarged versions of an ancient Japanese soldier's armor.

"It must be a relative of the Oni race, I wonder who let it out…" says Rook while placing the wheel chair Alice was in behind a house.

"HEEEELLLPPPP MEEE!"

"Someone get him! They're taking him away!"

"Bows at the ready!"

"You fool you'll kill him!"

Rook took out the black box from the wheel chair's pouch and drew out his tranquilizer gun. Putting his gun's safety off and prepared it for firing, Rook headed out for the sound of the voices.

Running out from behind the house, the boy had to duck as something very large creature passed overhead. He watched an adult human fly as a large bat youkai held him by his armpits, its jaw secreting with a waterfall of acid like substance that fell on the man's face and body, making him scream and writhe in pain before finally going limp on the creature's iron grip.

Gritting his teeth, Rook raised his weapon and began firing. With each shot, Rook had to replace the bullets to keep the gun usable if he remembered what Yukari had said clearly. It may have been the distance or maybe he just really had a bad aim, for the bat youkai remained unfazed by his attack and made a fierce dive towards him, shrieking in an attempt to distract him before tearing him apart.

Of course the beast's screams did the trick; Rook was forced to clamp his ears with his hands in order to block the sound out. The boy tried to move out of the bat youkai's way, yet he found that his limbs had frozen in place, probably by fear. Oh come on, why now? He thought angrily as he struggled to move.

The bat youkai opened its beaklike jaw and proceeded to rip Rook's head off from his neck, that is until an iron spear shot from behind the boy and impale itself on the creature's belly as it was four feet in front of him. The villager who just saved Rook's life passed by and mouthed to him, shoot it.

Rook was more than happy to oblige and pointed his gun at the beast's face and pulled the trigger. Being a tranquilizer gun, the weapon uttered a loud bark as a small green dart flew from its cylinder and stuck itself on the beast's leathery forehead in semi pointblank range.

The bat youkai began to shriek loudly, until it was put out of its misery by a spear to the neck by Rook's savior and many arrows to the torso by the other villagers. The creature fell on the ground dead with its jaw still secreting that acid like liquid from its jaw.

Rook's ears were still ringing as he watched the other of the village's warriors check their fallen companion of he was still alive, sadly, the sight of one of the soldier's shaking head indicated that the villager was long gone. That however was the least of Rook's problems; once the youkai had him he was already dead to begin with. This was Gensokyo.

"Nice spear work, Miss Hakutaku, would you mind telling me what other secrets you do you have?" asked Rook while stuffing a finger in his right ear to check its hearing.

The villager who had just saved him took off her makeshift helmet, allowing her long silver hair to fall on her back as she turned her piercing brown eyes towards the boy. Keine Kamishirasawa wore a pure white long sleeved shirt under a fair amount of light armor on her torso, which looked a bit ancient and rusty, and a dirtied white pants that was also armored in greaves, almost making her look like a common foot soldier except for the fact that she was the only one properly armored from the group. At her side she held what Rook has mistaken for a spear was actually a long pitch fork while her left arm held her helm tight.

"Your eyesight is too sharp for your own good, Border of Phantasm's Courier." replied Keine coldly.

"Heh, I know that I have many titles, but Rook is just fine." said Rook sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. Though I was popularly known as Chess Piece (Courtesy of Patchouli and Yukari)

The were-hakutaku's expression softened and eventually cracked a smile as she extended a hand towards the boy in a friendly gesture. "My apologies, I respect my elders very much."

"Jealous that you're not the oldest person in this village anymore?" asked Rook with an amused expression.

Keine only giggled at his words before an earth rattling explosion shook the ground. The red humanoid beast was now rising once more while Keine shouted "Don't let it get near the side of the village!"

At her word, the other villagers hefted their clubs and grappling hooks while rushing towards the lumbering beast. Rook watched as the villagers attempted to divert the youkai's path with their weapons as if they were doing this their entire lives. Three men were swept away by the giant's thick arm; however everything seemed to go according to plan that is until Alice…

"You stupid little girl, what the hell are you doing?" roared Rook as he saw Alice kneel beside the man that the beast was going to finish off. The girl gave him no reply as she stared at the beast's raised hand ready to crush her with emotionless eyes. The creature's arm fell and the injured man had enough time to scream before a burning yellow light glowed dangerously bright around the area. The assaulting villagers ceased their attacks as they watched the lumbering giant fall once more and the light to disappear, revealing a frightened man cowering in fear with questionable liquid staining his trousers. There was no sign of the blonde little girl.

Once the man has been moved, Rook stood on the same spot as the girl he had found had been and immediately spotted a card on floor.

I thank you for your assistance, but don't come and find me. I have some travelling to do.

-Alice

The footsteps that Rook heard at his side indicated that Keine has approached him. "A friend of yours? I can request a search party to find her."

"Just an acquaintance and there's no need for that, she's more than capable of defending herself as she has demonstrated just now…" Rook pocketed the card and turned to face the were-hakutaku, "Take me to the village; I have some business with the child of Miare…"

Queen of Hearts, huh?

Alice had her back against a tree as she peeked past it to see Rook talking to Keine. Once the two began walking away, Alice turned her head towards the forest and began to walk once more. The soft forest grass being crushed under her, she extended a hand at the abundant shrubs around her, feeling the smoothness of their leaves and taking in as much of their refreshing aroma. She would have to escape he crowded life for awhile and live a quieter one, this world and Makai had some things in common, and that is their rowdiness. That boy….. She would have to prove him wrong…. Along with her mother and her sisters, yes… But for now she'll need a house to live in, but it seems like she has already found the suitable place to build it.

Opening and turning the pages of her black book, she began to hum a soft tune. The familiar weight of this book provided comfort for her even if she was alone… She would have to endure the loneliness for a short while before she expels it. After turning a number of pages she had finally come across the most intriguing spell she had remembered ever since that human boy told her something unbelievable…. The process of a human turning youkai…

It would be magnificent indeed… If this world would turn into her own personal wonderland, alas she would have to wait and learn more of this world, maybe she would find some more interesting people here just like that boy.

"Hm? Is someone there?" calls out Alice as she hears the faint sounds of sobbing at the distance.

Peering behind a large oak a smile curled on Alice's lips. "Why hello there~! Fancy a little chat, Miss?"

Year 2000

3:25 Post-meridian

Human Village, heading towards the Hieda house, Gensokyo

As Rook followed the history teacher through near destroyed village, he was able to notice the many wrecked houses and that of the damaged properties around him. Villagers running past him in their various tasks to repair the village back to its former glory. Being humans who live a peaceful yet alert life they are able to construct various structures in a short amount of time. One proof of this is the near completion of the damaged village hall, in which few elders are gathered within a meeting for the settlement's reparation. Glancing to his side, Rook spotted a small group of soldiers making rounds around the village, their makeshift weapons held at their sides as was their shields.

I could make them better swords and armor but I don't have time, I'll leave it to the smiths to take care of that, thought Rook while watching the group turn to a corner and disappear from view.

Rook has now entered the village square which seems to have turned into a temporary evacuation center for the many homeless villagers and for the few wounded villagers that either engaged the youkai that attacked earlier or from the events that had occurred last night. Rook's gaze trailed towards the majestic statue of the great Dragon God which stood at the very center of the village, the deep shade of crimson that was present within the statue's eyes has had the villagers mutter to each other nervously and speak in hush tones. Many of the villagers were kneeling before the statue, muttering silent prayers in an attempt to appease the great Dragon of his wrath, and so that he would bless them instead of unleashing freak catastrophes upon them….. Selfish fools.

"Hurry, I have sent a message to Lady Hieda, it is best not to keep her waiting," reminded Keine, glancing over her shoulder to look at Rook. "Are you okay?"

Rook broke away from his trance and replied uneasily, yet he still had his eyes on the statue. "Uh yeah, sure, it's just that the place has an unfamiliar feel to it compared to recent times."

"Everyone feels that way, even I. However it is the children that we adults worry most…" said Keine in a sad tone.

"I see… Hope they're okay." Suddenly, Rook remembered Flandre as Keine mentioned 'children'. And his eyes softened.

"Don't worry, they're fine. We would be able to increase the village's defenses with an extra pair of hands but after the Hakurei miko failed to appear when she was needed we were forced to work by ourselves…. I even had my friend to help us much to her dislike, but worry not I convinced her real good."

"Hm, Reimu failed to appear? I can explain that, maybe you can join my conversation with Akyuu later, it should clear few questions of yours."

"Maybe I will…"

The village was similar to that of Mayohiga, minus the eerie atmosphere and that of the sick illusions that takes place during one's stay. Rook looked back towards the crowd that surrounded the statue which were still kneeling and praying before the Dragon God, before setting his gaze forward once more and follow Keine from behind.

Gensokyo being a 'paradise' for mostly youkais and other supernatural beings rather than humans, there are very few settlements stood for safely accommodating humans with the Human Village being one of them. From what Rook can remember, there were supposed to be several more village scattered around the land of Gensokyo like across the seemingly endless forests and that of the wide plains that stretched farther than the eye can see, then again it may be an illusion created by the Great Barrier, no one knows the true limits of what the Border can occupy. Sure there were humans and they usually come and go to the village during times yet they never stuck together to form a greater force to withstand the more ruthless and greater youkai that come to attack them.

The answer to that is because the humans are content with their peaceful life and the statement above is only from an Outsider's possible view of the place and Rook has kept this question stored within his mind so that he would be able to provide an answer for it once he meets an Outsider in need of the information. Gensokyo's humans are way different to those of the outside. Greater youkai attack less or would attack youkais with similar strength than busy them with hunting for humans. It is only the younger or lesser youkai that would attack so aggressively due to their lack of wisdom and age. Even though they are only lesser youkais they still prove a great threat to a lone human, so it is recommended for a villager to avoid straying away from the Village during nighttime. The village defenses should prove more than enough to combat small raids of lesser youkais, it is only when a powerful Greater youkai decides to cause an incident that the villagers call upon the Hakurei Maiden to aid them.

In the Human Village, Outsiders are always welcome seeing that a quarter of their population is consisted of people from the Outside, so if an Outsider would somehow luckily made their way to the village without the assistance of others or that of the Hakurei Maiden the villagers would gladly accept him or her with great hospitality.

Keine Kamishirasawa, the were-hakutaku that now travels before Rook as they passed the place where a pub was supposed to be standing, (in which five men stood on all fours crying their hearts out, weeping and wailing about the loss of their fine made sake brewed by the prettiest girl of the village) works part time as a history teacher for the children of the village, and as the village protector herself. Even though she was part youkai and had no further obligations to the village other than being a teacher, she willingly risks her life to protect the village from all sorts of threats and disasters every time the Hakurei Maiden fails to appear. By doing just that, she has gathered the respect and admiration of many of the villagers for most of them were either saved or taught by her when they were young. There is a saying that says if you are an Outsider, Keine was the safest person to be with once you get to her good side, which is all the time, make her mad once and one will experience the pain that will last the ages.

There were very few notable structures built within the village aside from the 'grand' village hall, there was the Hieda House in which most of Gensokyo's history articles are stored. Keine was known to visit it frequently to gather subjects about her future lessons, though this was already common knowledge to almost all. There was also Keine's school in which she teaches her lessons to the children and to those who seek to pursue greater knowledge than what they were taught when they were young. There were a number of scholars in the village that aid the village leader and elders when the time demands it, though Keine and Lady Akyuu were probably the most wisest being unique individuals.

"NO, RUN! LET EVERYONE RUN! IF WE STAY WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE, MOTHER, FATHER HELP ME!" screamed a desperate voice of a young girl within the familiar sight of Keine's school.

The sounds of the shouts and wails caught Rook's attention and almost made him sprint towards the source, yet he held himself back and sent a questioning glance at Keine who responded in a sad tone. "Even if no one had been killed or injured during the incident, there were still some that generated traumas during the event. The very thought of the world ending scared them out of their wits and…. Eventually reduce them to that. We have been trying to heal them once everyone has calmed down, yet not even our finest healers and doctors can soothe them of their pain"

"Of course none of you can help them for their sickness is not physical but mental; the experience must have scarred their soul or something. This is something only time would be able to heal" said Rook turning his gaze back at the school where women and men alike kept running in and out at random intervals. Some wounds are too deep to heal, poor things.

"We were forced to use the school as an infirmary for those who have suffered those conditions, luckily for us there were only six individuals who have been traumatized, we would be able to take better care for them that way. Having way too many people with that kind of case will be too much for us to handle, thank the Hakurei that such a thing didn't happen or we wouldn't even be able to mobilize most of the able villagers to defend the village from youkais that would take advantage of the situation. Everything should be back to normal after a little while" says Keine trying hard to be optimistic, yet the lack of light within her eyes betrayed the gesture. She knew that this was going to go down in history, whether she likes it or not. Being an event that involves the great Barrier she would not be able to alter it so that everyone may forget the terrifying experience. This was a situation she could do anything about but endure.

"L-let's move on, shall we?" she offered turning her back towards her own school. It was obvious that she not happy about the current proceedings and wanted to nothing more than to forget about it.

Rook said nothing and went to follow her lead.

Is this what they call Karma? Thought Rook as he glanced from his left side to his right and back again watching people go by their business and help each other. That girl. Makai. This incident… Could it be all related? An incident erupting out of nowhere right after the incident in Makai was resolved, Reimu being possessed, a girl boasting about her demon heritage when she was human herself. Demons… those folk are only native in Makai, could this be… no, Marisa already explained it to me. Reimu was possessed by a random spirit right after her battle and was unlucky enough to have been possessed by a strong one, Makai's goddess could not have a hand in that for it was just a coincidence…. But what about Alice? A kid with a very powerful magic artifact in her hands appear just hours after the incident last night is just too suspicious. Yes, she's from Makai but I still don't know her reasons of her arrival here, it's possible that she was spirited away here by accident after the Mystic Square incident, but could there be more? I'll have to look into this later….

"We're here," announces Keine turning her head towards Rook, who looked up just to find himself before a fancy oriental styled mansion. "Welcome to the Hieda House, home of Gensokyo's history."

Nicolas Notes: You're probably wondering about wonderland, eh? The wiki says that Wonderland is a part of Makai, but here I made it something like being a part of Alice's mind. An imaginary world she failed to create due to miscalculations. The inspiration of Wonderland's full transformation would be the Black Rock Shooter series, yeah I love BRS and with Yukina/Dia editing it only made it better.

From my point of view, Rook did quite a lot of thinking, huh? hehehehe...

So we arrive at the human village and we see its poor state with the people panicking... Explaining a few things about the village was very taxing on my part and most of the facts there are from the wiki and PMiss...

So yes about those references, did you find them all? No? Yes? Tell me about it on the reviews. Now before I end this chapter I have just to ask... Any violent reactions? No? very well... GOOD NIGHT FOLKS, SEE YA NEXT WEEK!