"KOA!" Patchy shouts. The little devil rushes over to catch Izayoi before she hits the ground.

Flan passes out, but her breathing is more or less steady. I gently lay her head down on the pillows and pull up the covers, before turning back to Izayoi.

A gash is torn open in her chest. The skin is raw, but I don't see bone. Her eyes were glazed over in shock for a few moments, but have since closed. Blood is still pulsing, pushing its way out of the wound. She's limp, but still certainly alive. The little devil covers the wound, and with everything finally calm, a short, simple sentence suddenly sneaks its way out my mouth.

"…What just happened?"

"You found a very interesting person, first of all…" Patchy says, standing over my shoulder, looking from Izayoi to Flan. "As for Flan…"

"An awakening?" I ask. "From the stress of seeing her?"

"The human? Why would that cause such a violent reaction?"

"…She's the one, Patchy." The magician simply raises an eyebrow in my direction. I sigh. "This is… This is the Hunter who… Crippled Flan." The last part only comes out through gritted teeth. I feel my hands once again trembling, but I dig my nails into my palms to keep myself focused.

"Remilia Scarlet…" Patchy begins. Oh Gods, not this… "You mean to tell me that, not only have you been spending time with a human. You have been spending time with the human who-"

"I understand, Patchy…" I say, thankfully managing to interrupt her. "For what it's worth, I didn't know who she was until an hour or so ago."

"That doesn't even begin to excuse-!"

"M-Miss Patchouli…?" The little devil interrupts with a timid voice. "W-What would you like me to do about…?" She gestures to the limp form of Izayoi in her arms, now with a freshly treated wound.

Patchy pinches the bridge of her nose. "Remi." She turns to me. "What do we do with it?"

I… Can't quite describe what I feel when I look at Izayoi. Perhaps I simply don't know what to think. The intrigue when I first met her, the honest joy from working with her, the hatred from discovering what she did to Flan… And then, following me, and saving Flan's life… Saving the life of someone she intended, and failed, to kill. I can scarcely follow her thought process. And then, the same emotion that led me to meet her in the first place is the one that speaks up to rescue her: Curiosity.

"Keep her alive, at least," I say. "We'll… Figure out the rest."

"You heard her," Patchy says. The little devil carries Izayoi over to one of the other, less comfortable beds. "Thankfully we still have plenty of blood. I've researched enough human medicine that I'm sure I can do a blood transfusion, once I figure out her type. But first…"

Already, Flan is squirming in her sleep. "Flandre takes priority."

A memory clicks within me.

"Wait, Patchy, are they-?"

"Finished," she answers. A smug smirk appears on her face. "We should give her more time to recover. Just to be safe. Alongside that one over there, and you finally being back, I think I'll contact Meiling, as well. If everything is ready, it may just be time…"

Then her eyes narrow towards me. "…But first." Then, she turns to face me head on. We lock eyes. "I…" She sighs, averting her eyes. "To be blunt, I don't want to apologize…"

"Then don't," I tell her.

"Hm…?"

"You… You were right. I'm an awful friend and sister. I'm selfish. Immature. I look at all the people around me like they're puppets on strings, dancing for my amusement…" I sigh. "But I don't care how selfish it is." I look Patchy squarely in the eyes. "I want to live a carefree, entertaining life. And I want the same for the people I care about. And damned be the consequences of getting there.

"I am going to retake my home. I am going to see Flan smile again. Genuinely. Brightly. And I'm going to drag you with me, you freeloader." I tilt my head and smile. "Any objections?"

She glares at me, but I also catch a smile creeping into the corner of her mouth. "I think you need a better coping mechanism."

"Well, you aren't much of a counselor, bookworm," I say, shrugging. "Why don't we save the reflection for the end of this?"

"For once, I'll agree."

With that decided, we tackle our first order of business: Meiling. Patchy brings out that purple orb of hers, places it on the desk, and whispers a spell into it. A green glow blossoms from it's center, spreading in a flower-like shape as it overtakes the purple.

"Meiling?" Patchy begins.

"Hear you loud and clear, Miss Knowledge!" says the distorted voice of my trusted guard. "Is Mistress Remilia there too?"

"Indeed I am," I reply. "I'd rather we skip the formalities for now, though. You can guess why we're calling, yes?"

"About Gensokyo?" Meiling asks. "Well good timing. I've found it, and already marked a good location."

"Excellent," Patchy responds. "Double checked the rules and markers?"

"Triple checked! As soon as I chose the location, I went over all of your instructions. I'm certain I did it all right!"

"Guess we won't know until we try…" Patchy mutters.

I gently thump the back of her head. "Have a little faith, you." I then raise my voice. "Meiling, if the preparations are all done, are you ready to come over?"

"I'd like to do one final sweep of the perimeter, just to ensure no one is around to mess it up. The locals are a playful bunch!"

Interesting… "In that case," Patchy speaks up, "I'll message you again once we've taken care of everything on our side. Remain on standby until then."

"Understood!" Meiling replies. "Looking forward to seeing you all again!"

"As am I," I say. "We'll see you soon."

Patchy waves her hand, and the orb losses its verdant luster.

"Now, out next order of business…" Patchy's eyes turn to Flan, resting with a finally peaceful expression on her face. "We'll need all the help we can get for the siege." She then turns to Izayoi. "…Is it worth waking her back up, Remi?"

"You said it yourself: We'll need all the help we can get."

Patchy sighs. "Flandre first. Wake her up for me, I'll get the wings. Koakuma, make preparations."

"Of course, Mistress!" The two of them go about their business, while I walk over to Flan's bedside.

I touch her shoulder and gently jostle her from sleep. "Flan?" I say softly.

Her eyes flutter open as she pulls herself up, yawning and stretching, having finally gotten a good, if brief, rest. "Big sis? What is it?"

I help her stand up as she looks around. Thankfully, the little devil covered Izayoi up quite well with a blanket.

I can feel myself shaking as I hold Flan's hand. "Just one last thing," I say.

"What do you…?"

I walk her over to the door and into Patchy's work area. Flan gasps in shock when she sees her new gift. The wings Patchy had been working on are complete. The magic crystals gleam radiantly, illuminating the dark room.

The little devil lights a few candles. "Well, Flandre?" Patchy begins, turning in her chair. "Ready for your new wings?"

She nods vigorously, her eyes wide with excitement. When I see a huge, genuine smile spread across her face, I feel my chest start to hurt. Not in the way it had before, when I was crushed under the weight of guilt. More so the opposite. It felt like, finally, a chunk of that weight was gone. It felt like I could breathe properly for the first time in ages.

It wasn't gone completely, of course, but her smile and excitement were infectious. It spread not just to myself, but to Patchy and the little devil as well. I could imagine Meiling's bright smile alongside us, and the image of our old home that refused to leave my head… It finally felt so much closer.

Soon… Soon this nightmare will be over…

"Remi?" Patchy begins. "Could you step out? We shouldn't be long, but I need to focus."

I look to Flan. She nods, still smiling. "I'll be okay," she says reassuringly.

"Okay…" I say softly.

I exit the room, closing the door behind me, as I go back to sit at the desk Patchy would normally use. It was suddenly so quiet. A peaceful sort of quiet. A quiet I hadn't heard clearly in a long time.

Then, with no one around to see it, my façade shatters as I sob my eyes out. Finally, I remembered the blissful taste of happiness.

It felt like the tears weathered away even more of that guilt. Thankfully I was satisfied and cleaned up by the time I heard the door creak open. Patchy pushes it as far as it can go before taking a step back.

Flan leaps through the doorway, spinning as she lands. The crystals of her new artificial wings leave streaks of color, enveloping her in a miniature rainbow, until she loses her balance and falls into me. I catch her as she giggles uncontrollably. Patchy looks from the doorway with a warm, yet smugly satisfied smile.

It takes a moment for my breath to reach me. I almost can't comprehend what I'm seeing. So happy… So carefree… It's like the time we've spent here never happened.

Until she suddenly bursts into a coughing fit, and I hold her tighter. "Flan? Flan!" She looks up at me. She's still smiling, but it's strained.

"I-I'm okay, Sis…" I help her get back her footing.

"Glad you got that burst of energy out of your system," Patchy says, entering the room. "It'll take some time for you to get used to the wings. It might mess with your magical circulation, so tell me if anything feels wrong, okay?"

"Of course!" Flan replies.

"Once you've calmed down, you should rest. You need your stamina back."

"I…" Flan laughs dryly. "I know, Patchy…"

I sigh. Of course it won't be that easy… Flan gives me one last hug, before we wind down with some tea. Her hands and breaths are still shaky, but it's a far cry from when she was bedridden. Just having her sitting with the rest of us is a blessing.

"…And in a few days, we'll begin our siege," I say as the small talk ends. "We'll contact Meiling in a bit so she can join us."

"And what about Flandre?" Patchy asks.

I glare at her. "A bit early to be asking-"

"Of course I'll help," Flan interrupts.

"Flan, you don't-"

"It's my home too, Sis." She looks at me with a furrowed brow. A look of determination, and what some my assume is naivety. But she's seen what can happen when fighting those bastards. This is confidence. "The wings already feel fine," she says, flapping and stretching them. "Just a little rest and I'll be ready to go!"

I sigh. "I figured as much…" Can't take a chance for vengeance lying down. You really are my Sister. "Now as for Izayoi-"

"Remi!" Patchy shouts.

"Can you two stop interrupting me?!"

"Izayoi…?" Flan repeats. "Who was that?"

I gasp Flan's hand on the table. I take a deep breath, before looking Flan in the eyes. That determination is thinned out, and I can see the fear behind it. She can feel it. I put my other hand over hers as well, hoping to quell the shaking just a bit. Both hers and mine.

"Flan," I begin. "I… During my time in the city, gathering blood, I had some… Assistance. Assistance from a human. A… A Hunter." She pulls away slightly but I don't let go. "There isn't anyway to be subtle with this, Flan, so I'll just say it:

"It was the Hunter how attacked you. She was helping me out in the city. The very same one you attacked earlier. You didn't kill her." I pause and breathe. "She is indebted to me, and she can make for a powerful-" ally "-weapon."

I glance at Patchy, and she's listening just as intently as Flan. Though her eyes are far more judging. "The raid will be dangerous, but…" I straighten myself, and let go of Flan's hands. "I will only have her help if you allow it, Flan."

Flan looks over her shoulder to the mass of sheets in the bed. Her breathing is rapid, and I hear her swallow. I touch her arm and she whips back around to face me.

The same look as before. The same terrified expression she wore when she first saw Izayoi. I grit my teeth. Flan stands up and walks straight over to the bed. I follow her. She grabs the covers and throws them to the side, revealing Izayoi, unconscious and wrapped in bandages.

Flan's eyes are wild. Feral. Like a cornered predator. She holds her hand out over Izayoi.

Then she pulls away, stumbling backwards into my arms. She swallows again, as Patchy walks up to us, sighing. "I knew we should've killed her when-"

"No," Flan interrupts. "S-… Big Sis?" Flan looks to me with a forced smile. "She's under your control, right? A slave?"

"That… That's right," I tell her.

"Sh-She'll only do what you say, r-right?" Flan's eyes are pleading, with tears slowly leaking from them.

"Yes," I say. "Yes, Flan, that's right." I pull her closer, wrapping my arms around her, and she turns around to wrap her arms around me as well. "She won't hurt you, Flan. She won't hurt you…"

She quietly sniffles and sobs into my shoulder for a few moments. When she pulls away, and the little devil gives her a handkerchief, she clears her throat and speaks.

"I trust you, Big Sis," she says. "Make her fight for us. Okay?"

"Of course, Flan," I say. We pull each other in for one more hug. "Of course…"

She's scared. Anyone could see that. I certainly can't blame her… And I can't blame her for clutching my shoulder with a vice grip. A grip just like what I had on Izayoi's throat. A grip of pure fury and hatred, boiling beneath the surface, ready to incinerate that fear.

And the source of said fear along with it.