The Bamboo Forest was dark and damp, allowing only occasional rays of light to stain the grassy ground. Three adventurers seeking to defeat Sakuya and resolve the current incident were on the way to Eientei, a place where Eirin, famous for her medical knowledge, resided. They hoped to obtain some kind of potion that would counteract the blood of Dracula that was manifesting itself inside Sakuya, or at least to get something that would help them defeat her. Time was of the essence however, for the longer the trio spent searching for a way to win, Sakuya grew ever stronger.

Reimu stopped the group as they were walking and pointed ahead. Someone was blocking the path.

"Hey, what're we stoppin' for?" asked Yoshika from the very back of the group.

Remilia shot her a menacing look.

The Chinese vampire immediately quieted down and stood still.

Reimu stepped forward and confronted the mysterious blocker saying, "Whoever you are, could you please move? We're on a very important mission right now you know."

The stranger muttered something and raised his/her right arm.

"What?" asked Reimu.

A concentrated ball of light appeared at the stranger's right hand as he/she exclaimed, "MAAAASTER SPAAAARK!" and a gigantic energy beam shot towards the party.

"HOLY-," exclaimed Reimu as she jumped out of the way with Remilia and Yoshika following suit.

"Ahhhhh, that feels good!" exclaimed Yoshika as she grazed the majority of the attack, due to being too slow to dodge it completely. "Wow, I should get an extra life or a bomb at least for that."

"What are you talking about?" asked Remilia in an annoyed tone.

The stranger laughed, "haha, at least you were quick enough to dodge my greatest attack, I'll give kudos for that, ze."

Reimu got up and brushed herself off, muttering under her breath. She shook her fist at the "stranger" and yelled, "DAMMIT MARISA! What are you doing here!?"

Marisa pulled her broom out from somewhere and sat on it, levitating above the ground. She smirked and gave Reimu a thumb down, "Ze!"

Remilia stepped forward and confronted Marisa saying, "Look into my eyes, and tell me what you see."

"I won't fall for your mind control, ze."

"Then why are you about to hit yourself with your broom?"

She looked confused and realized she was holding her broom in her hand. "Why am I going to hit myself… with my… broom…" drooled Marisa.

Remilia smiled and turned to the rest of the party. "You guys might want to look away and cover your ears."

Reimu and Yoshika did so, glancing at Marisa one time before turning around. She was holding the broom handle up to her eye.

Remilia laughed sadistically as she forced Marisa to torture herself.

After some time, Remilia motioned to the others that it was okay to look again.

Marisa was crumpled on the ground twitching and moaning with several red lashes marking her face.

"Ooooowwww… my butt hurts…" groaned Marisa. "You didn't have to go that far, ze."

Reimu stepped over to the ordinary witch groaning on the ground and poked her in the ribs with her foot.

Marisa yelped in pain.

"What were you doing blocking us like that?" asked Reimu. "You wouldn't be so, er, "hurt" if you just let us pass."

"Ow… Well, I was really bored I guess. 'Thought that it would be good to practice some danmaku or something on you guys."

Reimu sighed, "Hah, guess it couldn't be helped. But still…"

Remilia spoke up, "You know, this is a lot like when the Imperishable Night incident occurred, isn't it? Does that mean if we continue on to Eientei those rabbits will start attacking us?"

Yoshika hopped over to join the group and commented, "Oh? That was the Imperishable Night? I had no idea what was going on, my master was having me test how effective candle wax is in torture."

No one paid her any attention.

Marisa slowly got to her feet and brushed herself off. She put her mini Hakkero back in her pocket and sat on the broom. "Eientei is actually just ahead. To tell the truth, Eirin asked me to stall you guys for a bit so she could finish up some business with Udonge."

"Well whatever, can we get through now?" asked Reimu impatiently.

"Sure. But uh… can I go with you?"

Reimu hesitated but Remilia spoke and said, "Yes, why not. We do need all the help we can get after all."

"Ze."

"And stop saying that or the broom will have lots of splinters next time."

Next time? Wondered Reimu.

The group of four continued through the bamboo forest, carefully picking their way through the wreckage caused by Marisa's Master Spark. Occasionally, a panda bear appeared on a stalk of bamboo and watched the travelers with mild interest. Nothing jumped out at them, but spooky sounds kept the party on alert, even if they were completely normal things like a night owl or insect.

A mansion was coming into sight as they continued. Small rabbits ran this and way and that, getting in the way of their feet and nearly being crushed.

"Argh, these stupid fur balls keep running into me. Don't their masters discipline them or anything?" complained Marisa.

Yoshika seemed to be having fun jumping over the rabbits as they lined up in front of her.

The party reached the entrance and let themselves in.

"Helloooo? Is anyone around?" called Reimu.

"Maybe they're out," suggested Remilia.

At that moment, footsteps could be heard outside the door on the opposite side of the room. It opened and Eirin walked in, followed by Kaguya and a very depraved looking Reisen.

"Ah, what brings such exciting company at this time of night?" asked Eirin.

"We were hoping to get your help in a very pressing matter," answered Reimu.

Kaguya spoke, "Are you referring to that vampire at the Scarlet Devil Mansion? I thought it may have been the little one over there, but seeing as she is here, could it be the crazy one?"

Remilia responded in an irked tone, "No. It's neither of us. And that's the reason we are here."

"So what is it you want?" asked Eirin.

"Well, uh… It's because, um…" Reimu hesitatingly yammered.

Remilia answered for Reimu, "It's because my head maid, Sakuya, has become infected with vampirism and is growing too strong. She is a threat to all of Gensokyo now."

Eirin nodded and knew what it was they had come for. "So, you want something to cure her of the tainted blood, right? It would be much easier if you just went ahead and destroyed her, so why don't you?"

Remilia snapped back at Eirin and her eyes glowed red with anger. "Do not ever suggest such a foolish thing to me again! I will personally tear you limb from limb, peel the skin off your body and rub salt into the raw flesh, pierce your eyeballs with red-hot needles, sow your mouth shut, and keep you alive and "healthy" even after it is all over!"

Reimu was astonished at the way Remilia reacted to Eirin. Could this be a sign of how much she cared for Sakuya?

Eirin simply nodded and said, "Forgive me, I didn't mean to strike a nerve. There is a way to purge Sakuya of the blood using a potion, but the ingredients will be extremely difficult to procure. Of course, I have a few of the necessary items, but the most important parts must be sought out. Fortunately, I know where to find all of them... well, all but one."

Marisa stepped forward, "Well, what do we need and where do we find it?"

Eirin pulled out a piece of paper and began writing directions on it. "You will need to go to the Forest of Magic and find a Soul-less Black Mushroom. After that, the Tengu Mountain has a flower that grows on its summit called Lifeblossom, which you'll need 3 of. Down in the depths of Hellfire, you can find a Pure Soul and an Irradiated Gem. The cat and that stupid crow can probably help you. Travel to Myouren Temple and ask Byakuren for a Blessed Vial. After that… the last thing you will need is something I have never actually seen myself, so I don't even know if it exists. It's a legendary item that is said to be obtainable only by those who border life and death, neither dying nor living. You must find the Ancient Heart, a relic that is said to give powers equal to that of what the outside world calls The Omniscient God."

Marisa groaned and said, "Argh, that's gonna be a huge pain to find all that stuff. Isn't there any other way?"

"Well…"

Remilia walked up to Eirin and took the paper out of her hand. "We will set out immediately. There is no point in wasting time here if we can do nothing more."

Reimu sighed and turned to leave. Yoshika was outside hopping around with the rabbits. They seemed to think she was one of them. Marisa shuffled out the door and sat on her broom.

Eirin leaned close to Remilia and whispered in her ear, "There is a strong possibility that this will not work. Since I have never made the potion with all the ingredients, I cannot guarantee its success."

Remilia smiled and replied, "I know. But I will do whatever it takes to keep my loyal servants safe." She paused for a second and continued, "And I will definitely do what I must to save those that I… t-that I love."

Remilia quickly turned with the paper and walked outside, rejoining Reimu, Yoshika, and Marisa. The four adventurers conversed briefly to decide where to go.

"Hey, let's go to the Forest Magic, I think Alice might be able to help us find that mushroom," suggested Marisa in a strangely energetic tone.

"Well, we might as well go there I suppose. It seems to be the closest out of all the other places," agreed Reimu.

Remilia merely nodded.

Yoshika hopped in agreement.

"Alright, let's go then, ze!"

The party headed out and began walking in the direction of the Forest of Magic, or what they assumed to be the right way. Their voices could be heard fading away.

"… hey Reimu, don't you think this is kinda weird? It's like we're on a tour of Gensokyo or something, or even on a quest like in an RPG."

"What? Don't be ridiculous. Let's just go."

"Hehe, ze…"

The party faded from view.

Kaguya turned to Eirin and asked, "So, do you think they can find all the ingredients?"

Eirin looked up to the moon, "I don't know princess. This is an almost impossible task. The power of the Head Maid was fearsome already, but now that her abilities are being amplified by the vampiric transformation, I can't be certain of a bright future for any of us. Not to mention that she will most certainly not be herself after the change is complete. As for us," Eirin turned to Kaguya, "look up there." She pointed to the moon. "It might be a good time to visit, don't you think?"

"Yes, you may be right. Perhaps a long vacation is in order…"

The moon princess and her teacher stood in the pale moonlight, both wondering if Gensokyo would be able to survive this incident and whether or not the four adventurers would come back alive. They both understood that if Reimu and company failed to collect all the ingredients in time or they perished in doing so, nothing would survive in Gensokyo and more than likely, the border would be destroyed. Sakuya would go on to destroy the outside world and unless new heroes arose, old and new gods alike would become slaves to her.

Reisen moaned on the ground. She had collapsed during the meeting, but no one noticed her.

"Ah, I forgot about you." Eirin walked over and picked Reisen up. "Let's see about finishing those experiments, shall we?"

Kaguya chimed in, "Oh, what does that part of her do again?"

"I'll show you one more time, right Udonge?"

Tewi chose this time to reveal herself and popped out of the ceiling. She took a picture of Reisen and disappeared.

Udonge was crying and struggling desperately to escape as Eirin and Kaguya brought her into a room with a heavy steel door and shut it. Her cries could be heard the rest of the night.