The sun was reaching the peak of its orbit as Reimu's party emerged from a thicket of trees into a clearing. Marisa led the way on her broom with Alice and the others in tow, occasionally picking a mushroom and popping it into her mouth. Remilia had an umbrella to shield her from the inconvenient rays of sun. Yoshika looked a little nauseated from all the spores in the air, but the talisman on her forehead protected her from the sun. Seiga was back at Alice's house tending to the still recovering Meiling. There was no sign of the Soul-less Black Mushroom.
There wasn't much to say between the members of the group, except for maybe a comment or two about the weather. Even that was stretching it a little bit.
A snoring noise halted their progress. It sounded like someone was sleeping in a tree nearby.
"Hey, you hear that?" asked Marisa.
Reimu nodded.
"I'm gonna check in this tree right here…"
She grabbed her broom and began jabbing the leaves of a tree furiously. A high pitched yelp came out followed by a small youkai. Annoyed, it looked up at the ones who disturbed its sleep and immediately became terrified.
"W-w-what do you want?" stammered the youkai.
"Why are you sleeping out here, Wriggle?" questioned Marisa.
The nightbug was trying desperately not to scream in terror, but answered as calmly as she could. "W-well, I was flying around this morning before the sun was going to rise and I found a cave. There was a lot of noise coming from it like a dragon or something scary, but I didn't go in. I was too scared to."
"Why were you scared?" Marisa looked annoyed.
Wriggle began to plead for her life with both hands in front of her face. "It was really scary! Please, don't hurt me or anything… I just couldn't do it! I came to this tree and waited for something to happen, but the sun came up and I fell asleep!" She sounded like she was about to cry.
The witch puffed out her chest. "You should be ashamed of yourself, ze! A nightbug should never be afraid to venture into the darkness of the unknown! Why, if it weren't for my moral standards, I would…"
Reimu had stopped listening entirely to the conversation, if you could call it one. She looked forward deeper into the forest and could make out what appeared to be a cave. Listening closely and over Marisa's lecture, it sounded like dragon breathing. Remilia noticed it as well and walked over to Reimu. They both look at each other in acknowledgment.
"… and for that, you should pay a thousand suns with interest! So don't ever be afraid to die for your sins!" Marisa had just finished her scolding, although it seemed to have gone off track near the end.
Wriggle grimaced in pain as she had endured the punishment and rubbed her ears when it was over. "Geez, what are you? A judge of black and white or something?"
That was her fatal mistake.
Within seconds of her life, Wriggle was tied up in a rope and dangled off the end of Marisa's broom. She cried and cried for mercy, but none was given.
In a commanding voice, Marisa told her, "Now, point us in the direction to go. Er, since you can't point, tell us and don't lie… or else."
Through salty tears, the nightbug managed to give a direction to go. "Uguu, o-over there, sniff."
Remilia took the lead and pointed out the cave in the distance. "Yeah, it's over there." Everyone followed suit.
The closer they got, the more Wriggle struggled and cried. She was getting loud enough to bother even a rock. Before things could get out of hand, they reached the entrance to the cave. It looked just like a dragon's maw with smoke billowing out of the sides.
"Please! Let me go!" cried the weak little bug.
Marisa untied her bonds and she immediately flew away crying. A sparkling trail followed her sobbing escape over the trees.
"Hah, well. Here we are."
Remilia stepped in first without a word. She had been very quiet the entire time. Marisa shrugged and went in next. Reimu began to step forward but noticed that something was missing. Yoshika and Alice had disappeared.
Apparently the spores from the mushrooms were getting to Yoshika and she began to fall behind. Alice noticed and stayed with her to make sure she was okay. They strayed further and further away from the group until finally, the Chinese vampire passed out with a stupid look on her face. Drool dribbled down her face and she was twitching on the ground… badly. Alice tried to call out to the rest of the party, but they were too far away, so she picked up the vampire and carried her back to the house while listening to an incessant line of gibberish from her. Yoshika had been badly affected by the "secondary effects," caused by the mushrooms.
Without missing a beat, Reimu turned and walked into the cave.
There was no room to walk two abreast, so the party went in single file. It was dark and damp with little fluorescent mushrooms growing along the walls and the ground. The temperature rose the deeper they ventured into the cave, causing a sweat to appear on everyone's forehead.
Eventually, the mushrooms disappeared and left no source of light to show the party which way to go. Remilia took this golden opportunity to show her magic and summoned a ball of flame to lead forward. It lighted the way once more and they continued.
"Ack, dammit! I keep slipping on these frickin rocks! Are you guys having trouble at all?" whined Marisa as she continually stumbled in front of Reimu.
"No."
"Nope."
"Waaaaah!" Marisa groaned in anger and slipped immediately.
"Just stay out of my way already," complained a very annoyed Reimu. She was constantly stopping and stepping over Marisa.
The roaring sounds got louder and louder as they progressed and the temperature continued to rise. It was as if they were walking right into hell.
A large chasm loomed ahead of them. Something was raging and writhing in the middle, growling and roaring at the empty walls. The party slowly approached.
As Remilia's light fell upon the unknown figure, it turned abruptly and stared at the party with blood red eyes. It breathed heavily and appeared to have something in its mouth.
"… run… away…." It growled.
Remilia stepped closer and tried to soothe it. "Okuu, are you alright? Let me help you."
Okuu looked insane. She was eating something and had dirt crusted all over her. With a mighty roar, she began to bristle with energy. "No, don't… come any… closer… GRAHHH!" Unable to control herself, she roared loudly and shook the cave with her power.
"Wooaahh!" yelled Marisa in surprise. Everyone was knocked back by a powerful wave of energy and Okuu glowed with light. The events of the Subterranean Animism were repeating themselves.
"We don't have a choice; we've got to fight her!"
Reimu nodded and noticed something. "Hey, what's she standing in?"
Marisa narrowed her eyes and looked at the insane crow's feet. She was standing in a small patch of black mushrooms with purple spots. "Wait are those…"
Remilia was already charging at the crazed crow. She barely dodged out of the way as a large energy beam shot past her and struck the entrance to the cave. It collapsed and became sealed, trapping the party inside the cavern with Okuu. The temperature was rising quickly.
"Let's go Marisa!" yelled Reimu.
"Right ze!"
The miko launched forward and was immediately assaulted by a barrage of danmaku. It moved extremely fast and kept her from getting close. Marisa was faring the same and Remilia could only keep up just enough to avoid being destroyed. Okuu was firing beams and releasing a powerful energy that continually heated up the room.
It was impossible for the party to even touch Okuu for she was too powerful. The mushroom she ate was amplifying her power far beyond its normal capacity. Her danmaku was almost impossible to dodge and destroyed the sides of the cavern.
"We can't do anything to her Reimu! What now?!" yelled Marisa in between dodging lasers and beams.
Reimu didn't have any idea. She was too busy trying to stay alive to worry about attacking.
Remilia was getting tired. The heat began to get to her and slow her down. It wouldn't be too long before someone got hit.
There was a loud roar and Okuu began to shake violently. Her eyes glowed with rage and her mouth stretched open in fury. With a single growl that matched any that a god could muster, she released a seismic wave so powerful that it knocked the party back against the walls of the cave, incapacitating them.
"GUH!" grunted Marisa loudly in pain. She struck extremely hard and was cratered in the wall. A spurt of blood came out of her mouth as she tried to breathe.
Reimu was also injured badly. Blood was coming down her forehead and dribbled from her mouth. Her eyes were shut in pain and she grimaced as the shock subsided.
Remilia was already knocked out. She slid off the wall and slumped to the ground. There was no sign that she was still alive at all.
Okuu roared with a primal strength that shook the entire chasm and began to absorb the energy in the air into her cape. The incapacitated party could not resist as they were sucked in closer and closer.
"… Reimu…" groaned Marisa as she was dragged into the cape. "I'll… try to find… you…" but she was cut off as she disappeared.
Remilia limply tumbled forward and was sucked in. Reimu saw her unconscious face before it disappeared. It may have been the last of her she would ever see.
Her vision was blurry and the sounds were dull. Reimu could barely feel as she was being pulled in. The inside of the cape was dark and looked like the emptiness of space, a cold unknown that no one knew much about. And then, she felt herself get sucked in completely and felt nothing. She lost consciousness and disappeared into nothingness.
Satori was standing over an unconscious miko lying in her bed. She had fallen out of a black hole earlier and was injured badly, so Satori took her into her home and began to nurse her back to health. Koishi was on the surface doing something.
Reimu awoke and sat up suddenly. She was struck instantly by a sharp jolt of pain through her entire body and fell back into the bed. Looking around, she saw Satori standing over her with an emotionless expression.
"Hey, what were you doing today?" asked Satori.
Reimu remembered the encounter with Okuu, but felt too much pain to speak.
"Ah, I see. So that's what happened to my pet." Satori had read her mind. "I don't know where Marisa or Remilia is at, so don't bother asking. You should just stay there and rest. Koishi will be back soon with medicine." She left the room, leaving Reimu alone.
A lot of emotions welled up in the miko. She didn't know where everyone else was at, but more importantly, whether they were alive or not. It was very worrisome. The mushrooms were in Okuu's possession, but given how crazy she was, they were probably destroyed by now. It seemed like a hopeless journey.
Satori came in with a tray of tea. She set it down on a table next to the bed and slowly helped Reimu sit up. "Drink this, it will ease the pain."
With her help, the miko slowly sipped the tea. It was warm and immediately soothed the aches that pulsed in her body.
"You'll have to tell me what happened to you. I might help."
Reimu nodded and stared into the tea cup. She watched the tea swirl around and thought of the space in Okuu's cape. The journey really was turning out to be hopeless.
