The next morning things had begun to settle down from the lunarian's attack on the temple in their failed attempt to capture Flandre. With most of the panic over, Byakuren had begun to make arrangements to repair the devastating amount of damage done to the cemetery and everyone had begun to return to their regular activities aside from one person. The temple's resident yamabiko and janitor was notably missing from the halls.

Kyouko was no longer attending to the halls alongside her trusty broom; rather she was resting peacefully in the room that Kogasa was now situated in with her broom within arm's reach. The karakasa hadn't woken up once since Byakuren had found her and gave her medical attention. She remained resting in bed, with her breath being faint.

The karakasa began to arouse from her slumber, with her eyes beginning to open slowly. The small youkai began to take in her surroundings; she certainly wasn't in the cemetery anymore, that's for sure. She heard the sound of light snoring nearby. She turned her head to snoring's origin and found Kyouko sleeping restfully in a chair next to her. Kogasa finally realized that she was in Myouren temple, she couldn't recall why though…

Kogasa noticed that her friend was beginning to wake up from her slumber, with the yamabiko's eyes beginning to open. Kyouko yawned loudly as she groggily wiped the sleep out of her eyes. Her tired expression quickly disappeared though as she turned to Kogasa and found that she was now awake.

"Boo." Kogasa said quietly as she gave her friend a small smile.

Kyouko remained silent as she stared at the karakasa with a relieved expression before her eyes filled with tears and her mouth began to quiver. Without any warning or indication, Kyouko clamped her arms around her and began to cry into her chest.

"K-Kogasa! I-I…I was so worried about you!" Kyouko cried, with her voice being muffled by Kogasa's baggy clothing. Kyouko's sudden act of affection made Kogasa grimace in pain as she held her tightly, why did she feel so sore all of a sudden, and why was she covered with bandages? She was fine the day before…

Kogasa simply returned the hug happily with a cheerful smile on her face as she asked, "Why would you be worried about me? I'm a tough girl, remember?"

Kyouko backed away from her, wiping tears from her eyes. Kogasa finally noticed that she wasn't wearing her usual light blue dress; she was instead wearing a completely white robe of some sort that felt like it was a few sized too big for her. But she didn't remember ever changing her clothes...

As Kyouko finished drying the tears from her eyes she smiled happily, "Y-Yeah…But Sister Sh-Shou told me that these two brutes came to the temple and…and…beat you up!"

"What?" Kogasa asked in disbelief as her memories of the day before began to slowly come back to her.

"Y-Yeah…I was so worried about you...I'm so happy you're okay…"

"That's right…" Kogasa said quietly, she began to recall everything, the two women, and the fight that ensued…the rabbit girl…and…, "M-Master!" Kogasa cried in distress. The karakasa quickly scrambled out of bed, falling flat on her face on the floor from her struggle with the bed. She quickly recovered from her fall and began to run out of the room in a panic, snatching her eggplant colored umbrella from the wall it was propped against on her way out.

"W-Wait! Kogasa, you need to rest!" Kyouko cried, as she began to chase after her.

Flandre and Koishi sat together at a table in the mess hall by their lonesome, sitting together in silence as they ate their breakfast. Koishi was uncharacteristically quiet, not having spoken a word since she had woken up; her cheerful expression was also notably gone, and replaced with a small frown. The only characteristic she had not lost was her tendency to follow Flandre around wherever she went. Flandre wondered what had happened to her friend yesterday to put her in such a foul mood...

Flandre decided it was best not to ask, and continued to sit together in silence. That was, until Kyouko came running into the room with a distraught expression on her face as she scanned the room frantically, she was obviously searching for something.

The yamabiko quickly approached the silent pair, "Fl…Flandre, Koishi…H…Have you seen Kogasa come through here?" Kyouko asked as she panted for air.

Flandre shook her head in reply, causing Kyouko's ears to droop in response to her answer. "Oh goodness…Where could she be…? She's supposed to be resting…She could hurt herself! Oh what am I going to do?"

"What're you talking about Kyouko?" Flandre asked.

"Oh…Kogasa ran off from her room…She shouldn't be walking around yet! She's supposed to be in bed resting! Can you please look for her Flandre? I can't find her anywhere!" Kyouko explained as her eyes began to fill with tears.

Flandre nodded, "Sure, it'll be like a game of hide and seek, and I'm really good at hide and seek! We'll find her in no time!" she replied enthusiastically, "Right Koi-Koi?"

Koishi didn't respond, and continued to stare blankly at the food set before her. The only sign that she had even heard a word that the vampire had said being her taking her eyes off of her plate for a moment to look at Flandre before returning her gaze back to her food.

Flandre frowned sadly at her friend's lack of enthusiasm; she was beginning to miss Koishi's old flare of cheerfulness and optimism. She hoped that her friend would return back to her normal self soon. Flandre quickly hopped out of her seat, with Koishi slowly doing the same.

"Don't worry, we'll find her, I promise."

"Oh thank you! I really appreciate the help!" Kyouko said with evident gratitude before running off to continue her search. Flandre took that as her cue to start tracking down karakasa, with Koishi silently following behind her. Flandre already had an idea where to begin their search for the missing youkai…

Kogasa ran as quickly as her legs would carry her, her concern was evident as she passed by the ruins of what used to be a cemetery just the day before. Kogasa couldn't believe what had happened to the area she had called home, it looked as if a stampede of blood-crazed demons had rampaged through the area. Only a few tombstones were fortunate enough to be spared from the destruction and left intact, the less fortunate ones were now just a simple pile of rubble. The sight of what had become of the once beautiful area struck her with disbelief and sadness.

The sky seemed to share in her sadness as it was a bleak and depressing grey color, just as it had been during the evening on the day before. The sky's gloominess began to add to the karakasa's fears and diminish what little of her hopes of finding what she was searching for…or at least finding it in one piece.

Kogasa's fears were realized as she found what she so desperately searched for, or at least what remained of it. Kogasa's eyes began to fill with dread as she stared at the pile of debris that was once the grave she had been commonly using as a seat, the very grave that she had tried with all of her might to protect from the lunarians. Kogasa began to feel ill as she stared at what remained of the tomb; her legs began to fail her as she buckled under her own weight and slowly fell to her knees. She continued to stare at the sight before her, not wanting to believe her eyes, she had failed…how could she have let this happen?

Kogasa covered her face with her hands as she quietly began to cry into them, with only one thought in repeating itself over and over again in her head. I failed. I failed. I failed. I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed, I failed…How…How could I have failed him?

"Why're you crying?"

Kogasa slowly turned around and removed her hands from her face to take a look at who had spoken to her. Behind her were the two youkai who had visited her yesterday, only minutes before those two monsters had shown up. The one in red was the one who addressed her, her grey-haired companion was strangely silent in comparison to the day before. The girl seemed…different from yesterday. Her eyes that once shined with a cheerful glint were now dull and almost lifeless; they were now two voids of nothingness.

Kogasa turned away from them and began to dry her face off with the baggy sleeves of the robe she wore. "B-Because…I failed…I failed him…I failed…master…" she sobbed.

The young vampire sat down next to the crying karakasa and looked at her sympathetically, "What master?"

"My master…He must be so ashamed…I couldn't protect him…I'm a terrible excuse for an umbrella!"

Flandre understood little of what Kogasa was going on about, she looked to Koishi to see if she had any better luck in understanding her than she did. Unfortunately, it didn't seem like she understood much of anything the youkai had said, and didn't even appear to be paying any attention to what was going on around her. Instead she seemed to find a sudden interest in her shoes as she stared at them intently. Flandre sighed in dismay, she wished that Koishi would return to her cheerful, if not somewhat rowdy attitude soon, her depressed state was beginning to worry her.

Flandre returned her attention back towards the equally saddened youkai next to her as she resumed her crying, with tears pouring down her face profusely. She was beginning to wish she had brought Meiling along with her, she always managed to cheer her up whenever she was in bad mood…Sadly the gatekeeper was busy packing up their belongings. Meiling had insisted on leaving the temple as soon as they could, yesterday's events would soon be known by everyone in Gensokyo. It wouldn't be long before more individuals began to try to take a shot at collecting the bounty, not to mention the damage that could be caused by any potential bounty hunters to temple grounds. Meiling didn't want to cause the temple anymore misfortune for their sakes.

"Ummm…I dunno what you're talking about…" Flandre said finally after a few moments of silence, not knowing what else to say to the crying youkai.

"H-How don't you know what I'm talking about?" Kogasa asked in disbelief, "I-I let those two brutes destroy master's resting place…I couldn't stop them…I failed him…"

Flandre finally began to understand what Kogasa had been talking about, and just where this 'master' of hers was. "You mean…your boss is…down there?" Flandre asked uncertainly, as she pointed a finger towards the ground where the grave once stood.

Kogasa nodded weakly to answer, putting any doubts in Flandre's mind as who was Kogasa's master. Her master was the one who lay under the earth where the grave was placed; her master was the one who the grave had belonged to. Her master was…dead.

"How could he be your boss? I mean…he's…well…ummm…dead."

"…How? Because…he was the only one who ever liked me…" Kogasa said sadly as she began to hug her legs. "Out of all the humans in the world, he was the only one who ever considered buying me…"

At first Flandre was confused by Kogasa's words, but she soon remembered that Kogasa was a tsukumogami, a type of youkai that was born from an inanimate object. In the case of a karakasa, they were born from umbrellas…or so Meiling had told her long ago. A moment of silence passed before Kogasa continued to speak.

"Master was the only one who didn't think my design was ugly…he bought me when no one else would, he gave me a home. When he bought me…I was the happiest umbrella in the world, someone had finally bought me…" Kogasa said with a sad smile, "Master would take me everywhere with him, out on picnics…on rainy days…he would even bring me with him when it wasn't raining sometimes. It was a good life, the best life an umbrella could ever hope for." Kogasa's smile began to falter and turn into a frown, "But it wouldn't last…"

"One day master became ill…He visited several doctors, but none of them could help him, they all said the same thing…'I'm sorry, I can't do anything to help you…' Soon master became too sick to go out anymore…he would just sleep in and stay at home all day…and then one day he just…died."

"There was a small service held for him a few days later. Hardly anyone showed up for his funeral…he didn't have any family or friends left to care for him…A few days after his burial, everything he owned was taken away…All but me. They forgot all about me, they left me behind. I remained in master's home for years…decades… I thought I would be there for the rest of my life…all alone. That was…until I became a youkai. At first it was amazing…Having your own body I mean. It was quite surprising, one day you're just an old umbrella no one liked, and the next you're a youkai."

"Once I became a youkai, all I wanted to do was go out and explore the world and go scare some humans. Master always used to love surprising the other humans, it always put a smile on his face…At first it was a lot of fun, running around without a care in the world…until that green-haired mountain shrine-maiden showed up with her two friends..." Kogasa grimaced at the memory of her three attackers, since the unidentified fantastic object incident she avoided all three of them, especially the green-haired one… even so, she ended up getting beaten up by them and a samurai once again during the divine spirits incident.

Kogasa paused for a moment, sitting silently as she continued to look at her master's grave sadly. Flandre kept her eyes on the karakasa with great interest; she wanted to hear the rest of her story. Even Koishi, who had been staring at her shoes at the beginning of her tale, was now looking at Kogasa with interest, her face no longer devoid of emotion, but full of curiosity.

"Wh…What happened next…?" Koishi asked quietly, surprising Flandre that she had finally spoken her first words of the day.

Kogasa turned to the satori and looked at her for a moment before replying to her question, "Well…they beat me up…They thought they could beat me up just because I was a weak youkai…Humans can be so cruel sometimes…Then sometime after that Byakuren lady was freed, I heard that her temple was made next to a cemetery. So I decided to move here to scare some humans without having to worry about those brutes trying to beat me up again…This place was like a paradise. No shrine-maidens around to try exterminating you just for crossing paths with them and you get to scare as many humans as you want, what else could a youkai ask for? But then…I found his grave."

"I couldn't believe it…It had been years since I saw master Miyazaki...It was quite…surprising. After decades of separation, I finally found him again…After that, I swore to be by his side as his umbrella again, it's the least I could do after he gave me what I never had…a purpose." Kogasa found herself wiping the last of her tears away with her sleeve as she finished her story. Flandre and Koishi who had listened together silently with open ears looked mystified by her story. "But now…I've lost him again…along with my purpose…what does one do without a purpose?" Kogasa asked glumly.

Another moment of silence passed before her question was answered, "…Big sister says that our purpose in life is to live the lives we've been given to the fullest, and to spend them with the ones we hold closest." Koishi said monotonously.

Kogasa stared at the satori for a moment before replying, "How am I supposed to do that? The only one I've ever held close is master, and he's…"

"Dead." Koishi finished for her, "Gone…But your master wouldn't want you to waste your life dwelling in the past and being his umbrella…He'd want you to spend it with the people who love you…Like Kyouko." Koishi's words took Flandre aback, out of all the time Flandre spent with the satori; she had never heard her say anything so…meaningful before.

Kogasa's cheeks turned red at Kyouko's mentioning, and looked at Koishi with obvious embarrassment on her face. "Wh-What? Ky-Kyouko and I a-are just friends…w-we don't like each other like that…"

Koishi grew a small smile on her face, as she giggled at her reaction. "So? You can't love your friends? I love Flanny and China, there's nothing wrong with that…right Flanny?"

Flandre nodded happily, "Right!"

"See? You can love your friends too. I know that Kyouko cares about you a lot, she sent me and Flanny to go find you…she's really worried about you."

"She…She is?"

"Uh-huh, she's worried sick about you. I think your master would want you to stop worrying about him and spend time with her…you should go and talk to her."

"…I guess you're right…Master…Master doesn't need an umbrella anymore…but Kyouko does…I better go see her…" Kogasa slowly rose up from the ground, using her umbrella to help keep her balance. Koishi and Flandre followed her and returned to the temple alongside her. Before entering the temple, Kogasa took one last look at the cemetery. "Goodbye…Master. I'll…I'll never forget you…"

"Kogasa! Kogaaaaaaaaaasa! Where are you!?" Kyouko called out again in her attempt to find the missing karakasa. So far she hasn't seen any sign of Kogasa; she was beginning to lose any hope of finding the girl. "Oh Kogasa…Where on earth did you go…" she muttered sadly, with her ears drooping in sadness.

"Kyouko!"

Kyouko turned back to see who was calling her, as soon as she saw who it was her spirits began to rise. "K-Kogasa!" Kyouko began to run to her friend in a sprint.

Kogasa began to open her arms for the unavoidable hug from the yamabiko, but much to her surprise she didn't receive a hug from her friend. Instead she was given a painful smack on the head by the yamabiko's broom, causing her to cry out in pain and a large bump to grow on her head. The two others in the room grimaced as a large cracking sound echoed throughout the halls.

"Ow! Owww! Owwwwww! Wh-What was that for Kyouko!?" Kogasa asked as she rubbed her head in pain.

"For being a big idiot!" Kyouko said sternly. She looked quite angry with her friend in contrast to the amount of concern she had felt for her less than a minute ago. Her anger quickly vanished though, and her expression began to lighten. "Never do anything like that again you big dummy…You had me so worried…" Kyouko said softly as she hugged Kogasa. "Now you're going back to bed right now! You're supposed to be resting, and I don't want to hear any excuses!"

"Y-Yes mam…" Kogasa said almost in a whisper.

"Thanks for finding her you two! I can't tell you how worried I was…I really appreciate it!" Kyouko said with evident gratitude. She gave the two of them a quick bow before taking Kogasa's hand and dragging back to her room forcefully.

"…Kyouko's kind of scary when she's angry…" Koishi said once the two were out of sight.

"…No kidding…" Flandre agreed.

A few hours later, Meiling had completed packing everything the group had in their possession. The three of them were finally ready to depart. Byakuren and the rest of the temple's residents showed up to bid the group farewell at the gates of the temple.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider staying at the temple a bit longer? It would be no trouble for us at all if you stayed for a few more days." Byakuren asked with concern to the small group of Flandre, Koishi and Meiling.

Meiling slung a large bag over her shoulder and replied, "I appreciate the hospitality Ms. Byakuren, but we don't want to overstay our welcome. Plus we aren't exactly going to be attracting a lot of good characters to your temple…Besides, we still have the rest of Gensokyo left to explore! I truly appreciate everything you and everyone has done for us Ms. Byakuren, you have our gratitude."

"Hmmmm…I thought you would say that…Well I suppose I won't hold you any longer then. Just remember, Myouren temple will always welcome you with open arms. I wish you a safe journey you three."

"We'll keep that in mind, thanks again Ms. Byakuren."

Among the small group of youkai with Byakuren, Kyouko stepped forward, along with Kogasa. She looked like she would burst into tears at any moment as she approached the pair of Flandre and Koishi.

"So…This is it…You're leaving…" Kyouko said sadly.

"Uh-huh…" Flandre replied in an equally saddened tone.

"Well…Good luck with your big adventure…I…I hope you'll visit again someday…"

"We will!" Koishi said happily.

Kyouko's eyes began to fill with tears, and her mouth began to quiver. "I'm…I'm gonna miss you guys…" she said in an almost inaudible voice.

Kogasa quickly began to comfort her friend, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Safe travels you three, I hope your journey is full of…surprises." She said with a small smirk.

"Well, we had best get going before it gets too dark out…Ready to go you two?" Meiling asked.

"Yep!" Koishi and Flandre replied together energetically.

"So long everyone! I hope we meet again one day!" Meiling said cheerfully before beginning the journey back to the human village along with her two companions.

"Bye Kyouko! Bye Mamy! Bye Cap'n Murasa! Bye Ms. Byakuren! Bye Ms. Shou! Ummmm…Bye everyone else!" Flandre said happily as she waved goodbye to them vigorously along with Koishi.

Every temple resident waved back to the three happily, with tears trickling down Kyouko's face as she did so. The only resident who didn't bother to return the gesture was Nue, who just stared at the three indifferently with her arms crossed as they walked down the path that leads down toward the human village. The three soon disappeared out of sight and into the sunset, as they continued their journey across Gensokyo.

A/N: Well...This chapter came out a bit faster then I honestly expected it to...Not that it's a bad thing of course. I'm glad I finally got this whole Myouren temple story done, I've been dying to finish it. It was a pretty fun story arc to write though, especially since it brought the story's first real violent scenes... It was also where I think the reviews finally started to come in coincidentally...Eh, I guess people like loli on loli violence. :P I sure know I do...

Ahem, joking aside, I really appreciate the recent amount of reviews given to this story! It's a real morale booster for me! I hope you continue to enjoy this here story. Although, I hope you won't be too broken up if I took a break from writing this a bit...There's a few other hobbies I'd like to get back to. Though I won't leave writing this alone for too long...

Well, I'd honestly love to keep rambling on about more nonsense, but I'll stop this note here. Hope to see you next time!