Sakuya walked out into a courtyard made of stone. Snow blew through the rocks around her. Suddenly, the wind reached her and she cuddled herself for warmth. The oni was sitting at the end of what looked like a large table made out of a slab of stone almost four yards long. The snow didn't seem to bother her much, though that was probably due to her drunken state. She had her feet up on the table. She was taking multiple gulps of sake every minute or so. Sakuya walked over to the stone table and pulled a chair up. She gracefully set her butt down onto it but suddenly gasped out in shock as she touched freezing cold stone.
"It's -hick- surprising at first, but I'm used to it by now." The oni burped. "It's not as much fun as it used to be though. That's why I've got myself a plan." She hiccupped once more and then took another gulp of sake. "I plan on having a party. Way I -hick- see it is, if we party enough the cold won't bother us and then we can just wait our way through till -hick- spring." Sakuya stared at the little demon. "And, what if they don't want to come to your little party?" She asked suspiciously.
The oni slammed her drink down on the table. "And why wouldn't they? A feast? Drinks all 'round? Nobody can resist a party!" The smile on the oni's face made Sakuya almost start to hear the sense in the oni's words, but she caught herself. She straightened her posture and then replied, "So you intend to invite people?"
"No, no, you don't get -hick- it. I'm gonna bring everyone here! I'll use the magic power of the Divas. We can make everyone come to our party." She winked and then jumped up and stood on the table.
"Here-hick-I'll show you!" Then, she began dancing. She placed her bare foot on the table and slid along its surface. The chains rattled with her movements as a strange feeling came over Sakuya. She heard music. This music didn't come from any specific location but she could hear it clear as day.
"Wait, what are you doing to me?"She said, but the oni didn't stop her dance. "Where is that music coming from?" Sakuya began trying to fight it, but she found herself tapping her foot. "No! No! I don't want to!" She clasped her hands over her ears in desperation, but it was no use and she fell to her knees as the music got louder and louder. "I...I can't resist..." Sakuya closed her eyes and screamed.
Reimu walked through the snow. Her footsteps were all she could hear other than the wind occasionally whistling through the trees. In front of her were the Youkai Mountains. Their peaks reached extremely high, and Reimu had to crane her neck quite a bit to see their tips.
"I wonder if I'll ever get out of here." She wondered to herself and looked around. She didn't seem to be any closer to the Mountains. "I guess this means I'm lost. Damn magical forests and their enchantments." She sat down on a stump. "I wonder if this is how humans get eaten." Her smile turned into a look of disgust. "There you go again, Reimu. Thinking about that kind of thing probably attracts hungry youkai." She looked down at her feet. Then she peered back at the spot where she had been walking. In front of her was a large arrow. It had been drawn in the snow and it was pointing ahead. Reimu jumped off the stump and rushed in the direction the arrow was pointing. She stopped in her tracks. In front of her was a small cottage. It wasn't Marisa's cottage, Reimu knew that much. Marisa's house was on the outskirts of the forest. This was deep within its confines. Suddenly, Reimu felt strange and she began to feel her surroundings swirling around her. "What?" She cried out as she began to feel weak in the knees. Her head hurt. Why did her head hurt so much? The door is opening. Why does it seem so far away? Reimu fell to the cold ground as her name was called out. The voice seemed strangely familiar, she thought, as her eyes fluttered shut.
When Marisa came too, she found herself covered in snow. The winds had begun to pick up once more. The world around her spun and she felt a sharp pain in her side. Looking over her shoulder, she saw a great green shard sticking out of her like a piece of glass. She saw her reflection in it and noticed that her face was drenched in her own blood.
"D-Damn…" She groaned.
"I can't believe you thought you could win a match against me." Chen purred. She was standing over Marisa. Her body was sprawled out like a corpse.
"You really thought I would let you in on anything? You're a fool, Marisa Kirisame."
"H-how…" Marisa spluttered. "How do you know my last name? I never told you…it…"
Chen just meowed. "I suppose, I'll have to kill you. There's no point in letting you live, you'll only interfere with my master's plans." The cat then took a shard that was sticking out of the ground with her hand and aimed it at Marisa.
"Goodbye, Witch."
She began to thrust, but before she could make the finishing blow, a sudden cold breeze blew at her and a cry echoed off the mountains.
"Stop!" Marisa and Chen both turned to look and saw Cirno soaring towards them.
Reimu awoke. She was in a small wooden bed. The light came in through a small circular window behind her. She smelled hot cocoa and as she lifted herself up out of the bed, a woman drifted into the room. In her hands was a platter with two cups of hot chocolate on them. Reimu gaped at the woman. She wore a blue dress with frills, and her shoulder length blonde hair was almost the same color as Marisa's. "Who are you? Where am I?"
The woman's eyes stared at her in momentary confusion. For a second, Reimu thought perhaps the woman was as uninformed as she was. "I'm sorry to hear you don't remember me, Reimu."
Reimu's head suddenly hurt. "H-how…"
"The forest directed you here though, so I am sure this encounter was meant to be." The woman smiled. "Oh! I suppose I'm being quite rude, aren't I? My name's Alice. You apparently don't remember anything. I'm so sorry, Reimu."
Reimu's head felt like it was about to burst. Her body was shaking and she could barely manage to pay attention to what Alice was telling her. "My head feels woozy. Could you leave me alone for a bit? I need to collect my thoughts."
"I understand. I'll come back in a couple of minutes. Don't let your hot chocolate get cold, okay?" Alice walked out of the room and shut the door behind her.
Reimu's head stopped pounding. She could finally think.
"I…don't remember anything? Why can't I remember?" She banged her head on the wall which didn't really help. Now her head hurt again. She searched her memories as far back as she thought she could go. The last thing she could remember was something about an animal. Gah! Her mind began to hurt again. "Why is my mind blocking it out?"
The door creaked. Reimu looked over at it and saw Alice peering in through the crack in the door.
"I can see you, you know." Alice's face turned a bright red color and she came into the room.
"S-sorry. I was just curious. I haven't seen you in years and well…"
She looked away, as if she had something more to say. Reimu decided it was best not to pry though.
Her head started to pound once more but Reimu shook it off.
"I'm a magician, Reimu." Reimu's eyebrow rose at this.
"So?"
"I can help you remember…if you'd like."
Alice sat down on the bed. "Let me show you." Alice took her hand and put it on Reimu's head. "Do you want to remember, Reimu?"
Reimu nodded. "I feel empty. My head is starting to hurt again. Let's get this over with."
Alice nodded. She closed her eyes and Reimu suddenly felt memories flowing back to her.
The last thing she saw was a very old turtle and a tear crawled down her cheek. "I remember now. I remember everything, Alice."
Cirno punched Chen in the face. Chen was sent flying backwards, but she did a flip and landed on her feet. She purred. "So, the fairy wants to help her friend, does she?" Cirno glared at the cat. "You don't understand. I'm the strongest! A genius. A mastermind!"
"You're a fool, if anything."
"Take that back!"
"I'll do no such thing."
Marisa watched the two berate back and forth, and then decided she had enough energy to stand up. Ignored by the two combatants, she grabbed her hat and patted the snow off it. Then she performed a healing spell. Then a large splat of blood hit her full force in the face.
"Wh-" but then she saw what was happening . Chen had grabbed hold of one of Cirno's wings and pulled it clean off.
"N-No! What are you doing?"
There was a glint in Chen's eyes of evil intent. She was pulling at the other wing and Cirno was desperately trying to escape. Cirno grasped at the snow with one hand and pulled, but to no avail. Marisa watched, her mouth wide open as what played out before her seemed like it was in slow motion. The crystalline wing attached to Cirno's back was pulled off and Cirno's face went pale as a ghost. She fell forwards, her face one of immense pain and she hit the snow hard as blood splattered on the pure white ground.
"No!" Marisa cried out. "No, No, No!" She knelt by the fairy. "Cirno…"
The cat walked over to one of the shards. Picking it up, she caressed the edge. "Serves that fairy right. She was way in over her head."
"How can you say that? You're not a cat…you're a monster!"
"I'm neither. I'm a shikigami. I do what I'm told and I was told to not let anyone escape. Now, stay where you are so I can finish you off once and for all."
She threw the danmaku. Marisa watched as the large piece of magic went sailing through the air towards her.
"Nobody hurts my friends!" Cirno picked herself up and flung her body in the way of the danmaku. Her small form careened in front of Marisa who put her hands up and tried to duck out of the way. Cirno stuck her small arms out just as the shard reached her. It punctured her chest and Cirno cried out in pain as it dug in deep. Marisa cried out, her screams drowned out with her tears as they ran down her face. Cirno fell, a single tear dripping down her face as she landed in the cold snow face down. The wind brushed at the bow in her hair and she managed to mutter the words, "I really am…the Strongest," before her eyes closed and her heart stopped.