A Song of Shadow and Flame, Part 2

"And this my friends is what we get when we let Mokou make the plans," Head said wearily. She sighed and buried her face in her palm. "Fantastic. Less than a minute in, and she gets both herself and Kerrigan killed. Injury and insult, right there."

"She's not dead yet," Body pointed out, though she didn't seem much more confident than her twin.

"I give it thirty seconds. If that." She glance to Eirin. "Well? Save her ass already!"

"Working on it," Eirin said. She was hunched over a control panel. Her fingers flew over keys, pressed buttons, flicked switches, and pulled levers. Head wondered if all that was actually accomplishing anything or if it was just for show. "Seeing how easily Rumia's shrugged off Kerrigan, I'm trying to extract Mokou directly. Unfortunately, Rumia's emitting a lot of chaotic energy, and it's screwing things up around her. We're trying to get a fix on Mokou, but there's a lot of interference."

"Look, forget the teleporters or whatever or you're trying to do, and do something obvious instead," Body snapped. "Mokou's about to get chopped into pieces, which means she'll either be fully dead or resurrected into a bunch of other Mokous. And I don't want either to happen."

"As you wish." Eirin abandoned the control panel and reached for a great big lever that stuck out from the floor. "Let's go for a literal extraction then."

It really figured. Mokou had gone out to try to talk things out instead of fighting for once, and she ended up butchered. That's what she got for not opening things up with violence.

Still, she wasn't dead yet, nor did she intend to end in such a manner. Before Rumia's appendages hit, a cocoon of superheated air surrounded Mokou. It didn't drive Rumia off, but it did make her flinch. That was all Mokou needed to leap away on all fours and fly to the other end of the courtyard.

"No!" Rumia cried. She swiped out with hands and tendrils alike, her fingers ripping and killing talons bursting out. She missed, and was not happy about it.

Especially when a steel hook attached to a long, long chain fell from the sky to smack her in the head and drive her face in the dirt.

Mokou paused. She tilted her head to one side and frowned. Well, that had been unexpected.

"Uh…" Head said, staring. "Well. That happened."

"Unintentionally," Eirin said, her storm-cloud eyes flashing in anger. "I was trying to snag Mokou."

"Still, it kind of worked out. Though next time, make it an anchor. No matter who it hits it'll be hilarious."

Rumia rose unsteadily to her feet. Wincing, she touched her throbbing head. She had no idea what had hit her, and she didn't care. Mokou was the only thing that mattered.

Kill her.

"It wasn't what you think."

Ah, there she was. Scowling, Rumia turned to see the immortal in question, standing on a pillar across the courtyard.

"I wasn't part of the group that hurt you," Mokou said. "I only saw the aftermath."

"That right?" Rumia pointed a finger at Mokou. Darkness swirled around her hand and a black comet shot out, trailing a long tail. Mokou flipped out of the way, but it proved unnecessary, as a granite block wrenched itself from the ground to put itself in the comet's path. The edge of Rumia's lip twitched. While she had expected betrayal, having the dream fully switch over to Mokou and presumably Kaguya's side was problematic. Clearly, there had been changes taking place that she had been unaware of.

Mokou kept flying, shouting over to Rumia as she went. "I tried to stop it! When I heard about what they were doing to you, I went there as fast as I could, but I was too late!"

Kill her.

"How noble of you," Rumia sneered. Her shadow swept out, skeletal shades reaching out to seize Mokou's shadow.

Again the dream came to Mokou's rescue. The Sun itself was yanked from its position and pulled around so that Mokou's shadow was flung out of reach. At the same time, something seized Rumia's back and yanked her backward.

The distraction was but temporary. Dark power surged out of Rumia, and the thing holding her disintegrated. She landed in a crouched and looked around. She tilted her chin up and sniffed the air.

Kill her.

There! Mokou was in high branches of a nearby tree. "I never hurt you, Rumia. But I might as well have. I should have been there for you, but I wasn't."

The dream's interferences were beginning to become a problem. Rumia considered simply laying the landscape to waste, but decided that doing so was unnecessary. If Mokou was going to warp her surroundings in her favor, then Rumia needed to respond in kind.

Rumia raised her hands, and a bitter wind started to blow.

Kill her.

Yeah, okay.

"What's going on?" Head said in agitation. She pointed at a screen displaying some kind of fluctuating bar graph. "What's that?" Whatever it was that was being recorded, it had decided to go insane.

"Foreign psychic energy," Eirin grunted as she wrestled with the controls. "Rumia's trying to exert her dominance. And, ah, doing a good job of it."

"Wait, she can do that?" Body said, aghast. "But it isn't even her dream!"

"Remember the tornadoes?"

A heartbeat went by, and then Body quickly said, "Okay, that's it. Get Mokou out and do it now!"

"Love to," Eirin said, her lip curling. "In fact, I've been trying to do just that. When I succeed, you'll be the first to know."

It had gone dark. Not pitch-black, but the Sun had been blotted out by rolling clouds, leaving little light behind. The wind had grown to a freezing gale and now shrieked in Mokou's ears as it tore at her clothes and hair. The forest bowed down to its fury. Above, cruel lightning cut through the clouds in brief patches of illumination, but no thunder followed.

It was a storm of death; there was no other way to describe it. And in the center of it all, untouched by the wind, was Rumia, who had become a black silhouette lit only by the twin globes of her eyes. Below, the crimson glow was reflected in her ghastly grin.

"So you've picked up a few tricks. Made peace with yourself, have we? Finally gained control of that rebellious mind of yours? I suppose that means that in here, you are as God Himfreakingself." Now that she wasn't frantically leaping around, Mokou could discern the differences in Rumia's voice as well. It was like there was another entity speaking along with her, overlaying her voice with its own: an entity that was older than the stars and colder than the black of space. "Fantastic. Now, let me show you how little that means."

Lightning ripped down through the sky and Eientei exploded. Mokou, who was having trouble already keeping her balance, was swept off her feet by the force of the blast, which was surprisingly cold. Her back slammed against the wall and she had barely enough time to cover herself before being pelted by debris.

"And speaking of which, I do plan on knocking Mr. Capital-G off His perch one of these days," Rumia said in a conversational tone. She examined her talons, as if checking her fingernails for chipping. "Ambitious, I know, but they do say to aim high. But since that day is far off, I suppose I should get in all the practice killing gods as I can."

The wall exploded, and Mokou was sent tumbling across the courtyard.

"Oh, and by-the-by, out of all the things you could have said to make me not want to kill you, bringing up the day of my rebirth really does not make the list. Like, at all." Rumia cackled as she strolled casually toward Mokou. She got down on one knee next to the fallen daughter of Fujiwara. "Now, I will admit, I'm a little curious as to this supposed connection between us, and why you waited until now to bring it up. But you know what?" She drew back one hand, index-talon outstretched and ready for the final blow. "I think I can live with the mystery."

"What are you doing?" Body squeaked. She frenziedly slapped Eirin on the shoulder. "Get her out already!"

Her tolerance strained, Eirin said through clenched teeth, "Head, if Body touches me one more time, you have my permission to knock her out cold."

"But she's about to kill Mokou!"

"I am aware, and am currently doing everything I can to prevent that! Now, if you'd be so kind-"

"Actually, I have a suggestion," Head said. Before the other two could ask her what she meant, she reached over and grabbed Eirin's microphone.

It felt good to be able to kill again, it really did. The only kills Rumia had gotten since being freed from her lesser self had all been imaginary. Well, there was Rin Satsuki, but she really didn't count, as Rumia technically hadn't been the one to kill her, and she just ended up coming back anyway. As such, Mokou was her first real kill since Yukari Yakumo had brought her down sixty years ago. And she was a hyper-immortal to boot! Clearly, Rumia was starting things off on a high note.

But before she could split open Mokou's stomach and pull out her intestines, she was again interrupted, this time by a fanfare of trumpets. Frowning, she scowled in the noise's direction. The storm she had summoned up should have driven off interruptions. So from what came this new irritation?

Then Kaguya's voice boomed through the air. "DON'T YOU NEED MOKOU ALIVE IF YOU WANT TO LEAVE?"

Rumia gaped in disbelief. She wasn't sure if it was Kaguya or the dream itself that was sending her this message, but the overwhelming obviousness of it rankled her. Subtlety was definitely not one of her strengths, and this offended even her.

What was worse, it was right. True, it was technically possible that killing Mokou would make Kaguya the sole dreamer, making her the only essential tool for Rumia's escape, but that was a gamble she did not prefer to make. Moreover, two immortals were better than one, and she really wouldn't mind have Phoenix Fire in her arsenal once she had finished her mental coup.

Sighing, Rumia lowered her hand. It might have been for the best, but it was still a real mood killer.

"All right Mokou," she said as she grabbed the fallen immortal by the collar and yanked her off the ground. "I've got good news and bad news. Good news? Your messy end has been indefinitely postponed. Bad news?"

She slashed out, slicing off Mokou's legs below the knee. Mokou's eyes bulged, and her mouth opened as if to scream, but no sound came out.

"You'd be real surprised as what you can live through," Rumia said. She examined her talon. On it, Mokou's sizzling blood was congealing into a black, glue-like substance. "But now that I've got to put up with you for a while longer, maybe now would be an appropriate time to tell me what in the hell you were doing in that field and why you never brought it up before."

"Oh," Head said, in lieu of nothing else to say. "Well. That…could have gone a lot…worse."

No one said anything. Eirin just stood there with her face in her hands. Body just stared, her face expressionless.

"Well, okay, it could have gone better," Head said, a bit defensively. "But it could have gone worse! I mean, she is still alive."

Body's face twitched.

"And hey, mission accomplished, right? Rumia stopped trying to kill her, and now Mokou has a chance to talk to her! Erm, gasp pain-filled words in her direction, but it's still a start!"

The worst part wasn't the pain. Mokou could handle pain. She lived her life in pain. It was the lack of pain that scared her. She had just had her lower legs cut clean off; she knew full well what that was supposed to feel like, and it was nothing like this. This wasn't pain. This wasn't shock. It was nothing. Maybe a slight tingle around mid-thigh, but below that? Nothing.

"What you're not feeling now is called 'the taint,'" Rumia explained. Her anger seemed to have dissipated, replaced by casual amusement. "Bit of a side-effect from being touched by me. Possible to control with a little concentration, but that's no fun, so I don't like doing it when I don't have to."

She dropped Mokou into the ash the garden had become. "But enough about me. Why don't you talk about me for a while? What were you doing in that field? How do you know me?"

Panting, Mokou pushed herself up onto her elbows. "Y-you don't remember?"

Shadows surrounded Rumia's face, but her hellishly burning eyes were all too visible, as was her demonic grin. "Let's assume that I do not. Let's assume that I want to hear a story. So how about it, oh daughter of a dead and disgraced clan? What story do you have for me?"

Mokou seized the tattered end of her left pant leg and pulled it up. The wound was clean, but the flesh all around it was dead. And not just dead, shriveled and turned black, like a fruit long since rotted.

Like those corpses in the field.

"Come on, Mokou," Rumia said. She scraped her talons across the blade of her sword, producing a grating screech. "You came here to talk, yes? Here's your chance."

Mokou grimaced and let her leg fall. Well, fine. It was her only chance. "All right, you want a story? Here's a story for you. Once upon a time there was someone whose whole life was devoted to death. She thought of nothing but killing, and when she couldn't kill, she died instead. Over and over, nothing but killing and dying. For over two hundred years, that was all she did."

"Ooooh, I like this story already," Rumia purred. "But tell me: was she an exciting and outgoing visionary who took joy in spreading her passion to the multitudes, or was she a boring and stagnant lowlife who only focused on a single subject over and over again?"

"But one day, things changed," Mokou said, ignoring the jab. "She made a mistake and pissed off the wrong person. And when she finally woke up, she had been taken in by a group of strangers who lived far away and knew nothing of the death she had caused."

"Did they sell her? I would have."

"The place she had woken up in turned out to be an orphanage-"

Rumia threw her head back and let out an ear-splitting cackle.

"-that was for children who had lost their parents to youkai attacks."

"Are you serious?" Rumia said, still laughing. She wiped away a tear of mirth. "So, they were busboys, then?"

That was such a non sequitur that Mokou had to stop her narration and stare at Rumia in confusion.

"Get it?" Rumia gibed. "Because they were collecting the leftovers!" She let out another shrieking laugh.

Mokou gritted her teeth as Rumia chortled at her own awful joke. "It was run by a woman named Satoko Yume, and called the Aoki Yume Children's Home."

Rumia stopped laughing. She looked down at Rumia and her brow furrowed. Taking heart, Mokou searched her burning eyes for some hint of recognition, some sign that the name had struck a nerve.

"The who of the what now?" Rumia said.

Mokou took a deep breath. "The Aoki Yume Children's Home."

"Huh." Rumia scratched her temple. How she did so without tearing the skin was a mystery. "You know, that name does ring a bell. Not a big one, mind you. More like those dainty little things that make dogs drool or whatever."

"It should," Mokou said. "Because that's where I met you."

Body fidgeted. "This is good, right?" she said. "Mokou's telling the story, which is what we wanted, right?"

Eirin gave her a withering look. "Certainly, if the story alone was our ultimate objective. Unfortunately, it is not, and the current circumstances are nothing short of counter-productive."

"Then do something!" Head snapped. "Send in an army! Make the earth swallow her up! Anything!"

"What part of Rumia's storm crippling our influence in that area did you not understand? It's all I can do to just keep the screens-"

She really should have known better. Even before she reached the end of her sentence, the static that had been clouding the screens finally prevailed. At the same time, the orange sphere let out a deep, basso moan before all images inside were swallowed up.

For a moment, everyone just stood and stared without saying anything. Then Body cleared her throat. "Ah, Eirin?"

"What?"

"Is she…dead?"

Eirin shrugged. "It's certainly possible, but I doubt it. Either way, that whole area's now off the grid."

"Right," Head said. She tossed what was left of her popcorn over her shoulder. "This nonsense has gone on long enough. Send in the fleet."

To Eirin's credit, though this was the first time any sort of fleet had been mentioned, she wasn't at all taken back by the request. She simply nodded and walked briskly to another control panel. As she did so, she asked, "Of course. Any specific…theme?"

"Yeah," Head said. "All of them."

"Oh, really now," Rumia intoned, her eyes widening. "Oh my, what a twist! And I suppose I was…"

Mokou nodded. "You were about nine, maybe ten at the time. Just a normal Human girl, you know? You liked playing with your friends, you liked playing pranks, you just liked having fun. A kid."

"And my, look how I've grown," Rumia said, rising slightly and gesturing down at herself. "You know how adults are always telling kids that they can be whatever they wanted when they grow up? Well, I became a monster!'"

"Yes, you did," Mokou said. "But how? What happened to you, Rumia?"

"Eh, well, my memory's kinda fuzzy on that bit," Rumia shrugged. "In fact, pretty much everything before the cross is a big ugly blur. So maybe you can help connect the dots?"

Mokou gaped. She hadn't been expecting this. "You mean, you really don't remember any of it? Not the house, or Satoko, or-"

Rumia sighed. "Look, I don't know if you know this, but…hmmm, a day or two after I got nailed to a few pieces of wood and set on fire, I had the bad luck to run into a certain Yukari Yakumo and her pet shrine maiden, and they, for whatever reason, didn't seem to much care with certain lifestyle choices I had made." She sat down next to Mokou and folded her legs. "Well, long story sort, I got my ass kicked, my mind shattered, and my power sealed away. And when I finally pulled myself together, sixty years had gone by. So no, I don't remember. For me, life started in the fire and the pain. My earliest memory was of taking my revenge. So assuming this whole sob story actually has any truth to it, don't count on reviving my inner child."

Mokou felt sick in a way that had nothing to do with the taint. So, Rumia's lack of recognition wasn't an act? But if that were true, what point was there in reaching out to her? The girl she was trying to find really was dead, and this…creature who wore her name really was the pitiless monster she acted like.

No, she told herself. No, I remembered. I forgot too, but I remembered. I can make her remember too.

"So, you gonna finish the story, or try to kill me with suspense?" Rumia jabbed Mokou's side with her sword. A shock of cold shot through Mokou, making inhale sharply. "Come on, how'd this lovely little fantasy come to an end?"

"Y-you died," Mokou said through clenched teeth. "Or th-that's what I thought."

"Duh," Rumia drawled. "I sort of figured that part out, Mokou. Look, if you want to make it in this whole storyteller thing, learn to be specific."

From the black of space they descended, ships of every conceivable size and make. From tiny one-man fighters to city-sized carriers to planet-destroying battleships to organic beasts, they came down in tight formations and seemingly disorganized swarms. There seemed to be no consistency in their styles either. Sleek, futuristic warships rubbed metaphorical shoulders with cartoonish constructions, horrific monsters with leathery wings and drooling maws, and wooden vessels designed for the ocean but still held aloft by balloons and spinning turbines.

But despite their vast numbers and overwhelming firepower, this was no well-organized navy come down to do battle with a fleet of comparable size. This was a suicide mission, a kamikaze run, directed toward a force of Nature. Supernaturally enhanced and directed by a will of Pure Evil, but a force of Nature nevertheless. Together, they swooped down at the vast canopy formed by Rumia's clouds and opened fired, filling the sky between with ordnance.

The storm was more than willing to reply in kind.

Several minutes later, Mokou fell back in exhaustion. Her story had come to an end. She had said all she had come to say. Now the ball was in Rumia's court.

Yippee.

As for the youkai (if that truly was what she was), Rumia seemed nonplussed. She raised an eyebrow, scratched the back of her neck, and said, "So, that's it?"

"Yes."

"Huh. And just so we're clear, the reason why you took so long to bring this up was…"

Mokou was starting to feel strangely lightheaded. Was she dying? "I didn't remember either. Didn't want to, after how it ended. Buried it."

"Until your subconscious was so inconsiderate to throw it back in your face."

"Yes."

Well. Interesting. If it is true, that is. Not that it matters."

"You don't believe me?"

"I didn't say I don't believe you, I said it doesn't matter. I have no real way to check either way, so maybe you're telling the truth, maybe it's all just a snowjob, I don't know. Nor do I care." Rumia stood to her feet and brushed the ash from her dress. "Hate to break this to you, Mokou, but even if it's true that you knew cute little baby Rumia and used to tuck her in at night, that girl is gone. Dead. Never existed, as far as either of us are concerned. All that is left is her name and her body, and both now belong to me."

Tears ran down Mokou's smudged cheeks, and her fingers clawed up handfuls of ash. She asked the question that, in hindsight, should have been asked from the beginning. "What are you?"

Rumia laughed. "What am I? Well, there's a question I hear rather often. Let me answer it with one of my own: are you familiar with the cordyceps?"

Bemused, Mokou shook her head.

"It's a fungus, a parasite, one that latches onto invertebrate like ants, spiders, that sort of thing. Once it's infected a host, it literally takes over, replacing the host's tissues with its own, and even controlling its body." Rumia spread her arms wide and did a little twirl, like a model flamboyantly strutting down the catwalk. "That's sort of my deal. Once I sink my hooks into someone, they're mine. Well, not at first. They kind of have to say 'yes' first. But after that, it's over. They decay and I grow strong on what they left behind."

Mokou tried to speak, but her throat was now parched and clogged with ash. She choked and coughed.

"Now, no doubt you're wondering how such a sweet little girl could have fallen under the sway of someone such as I. Fortunately the answer to that is simple: she came into contact with this." Rumia held up her sword, one hand under the hilt and one under the blade. She held it out to Mokou as if presenting it. "How and where, I couldn't tell you. But once she touched it, it really was only a matter of time. She started hearing Its voice in her head, telling her to do…things. Things little girls ought not to think about doing. Before too long this would move onto things like influencing her moods and impulses. Making her crabbier, more prone to anger, that sort of thing."

Mokou mustered up enough saliva to spit. "And th-then it takes over?"

Rumia tsked. "Unfortunately, no. At stage, the most the sword can do is influence, not control. Sure, she'll feel the urge to give in and open the door, but nothing more. The final choice is…or as I should say, was…hers and hers alone. And seeing how I'm walking and talking and she isn't, one must conclude that her willpower wasn't anything special." She sighed and shrugged. "Though you shouldn't be too hard on her. No doubt something horrible and traumatic happened to her and pushed her over the edge. Desperation makes for a wonderful motivator." She bared her ghastly teeth in a ghastly grin. "No points for guessing what that something was."

Then she reached down and lifted Mokou up by the collar. "But still, I do appreciate you making the effort. It was very illuminating. Good talk."

Then she slashed twice out with her sword. Mokou's head snapped back and she let out a breathless gasp. Both of her arms now ended just below the elbows, which were already starting to darken.

"I think that's enough chit-chat for now." Rumia's wings snapped open. "Let's go find your find your friend, shall we?"

With that, she leapt into the air and soared up into the storm, hauling Mokou's dismembered torso along with her.

Head and Body stared grim-faced as their aerial fleet tried to punch through the clouds. Thus far, their success had been minimal.

No, that's not right. Their success had not been minimal. In fact, there had been absolutely no success at all. Their weapons were having no effect whatsoever, and every time a ship made physical contact with the clouds, it would stop working and fall to pieces.

They had tried everything: lasers, missiles, bombs, magic, planet-killing weapons, even a giant vacuum cleaner. But, as Eirin had pointed out after that last attempt had failed, they were pitting imaginary firepower against a very real supernatural force. As active as Kaguya's imagination was, it just wasn't enough.

So they waited. Sooner or later, the clouds would part and Rumia would emerge. They just hoped that when they did, they would not find ignorance to be preferable to whatever was revealed.

Higher and higher they soared, moving ever closer to the rolling canopy of clouds. Rumia flew in slow and lazy circles, her dark wings spread wide and rarely beating the air.

Mokou was hauled along like a sack of flour. The shriveled stumps of her limbs hung lifelessly, and her head lolled back and forth. Her eyes were barely open, and unconsciousness lurked on the edges of her mind.

Part of her was aware that she should try to fight back. Even with her limbs gone, she still had the burning furnace of the Phoenix at her beck and call. One thought, and the deathly cold of Rumia's power would find itself under siege by a blazing inferno. As powerful as she was, Phoenixes were no lightweights. Maybe Mokou would be able to defeat her. Maybe even kill her.

She didn't though. She did nothing.

The clouds drew closer. In her partially conscious state, Mokou idly wondered if going through them would kill her. Those Zerg of Kaguya's hadn't fared well against those whirlwinds. And given how Rumia's power stunted her regeneration, it was quite possible that she was moments away from the Final Death.

Eh, whatever.

It was not to be, however. As they approached, the clouds simply opened up, forming a large circular hole all the way up. Daylight streamed down like a spotlight, and above Mokou could hear sounds of violence.

"That party's been going strong for the last few minutes," Rumia told her hapless package. She tossed Mokou up to grab her again by the back of her pants. "Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Let's drop in and say hello."

Her wings spread out to their full length and snapped back to flatten against her body. Rumia shot straight up through the boiling, lightning-lit tunnel. Mokou watched the grey walls pass by through half-lidded eyes and wondered just how thick the clouds were. Judging by how fast they were going and how they still hadn't reached the top, it had to be half a kilometer at least.

And then they were through. Rumia and Mokou emerged into the sunlight to find themselves in the middle of a war. Several beings and crafts, none of which Mokou recognized, seemed to be waging back against the storm itself. Flying creatures and great airships were trying to pierce their way through the clouds, only to be struck down by blasts of lighting or sucked up by one of the several black whirlwinds that spouted up out of the cloud canopy.

Rumia stopped her ascent to hover in place, her wings flapping lazily. "Beautiful isn't it?" She switched her grip to the back of Mokou's collar and pulled her up. From there, she grabbed the back of Mokou's head with her other hand pulled it back so she could take in the full view. "Look at it. So desperate to get through and save your sorry hide. Or just kill me. Either way, one must admire their tenacity, though I suppose it's easier to throw one's life away when you never really had one to begin with."

Mokou watched the battle for a few moments before closing letting her eyes close.

"Uh-uh." Rumia gave Mokou a hard shake. "C'mon, stay with me now."

With that, she let the arm holding Mokou fall. "Kaguya!" she called out. "Game's up, Princess. You want me, right? You want Mokou?" Mokou's body flopped as Rumia spread her arms wide. "Well, here we are! Hit me with your best shot, or come out to talk. Though I'm warning you, every moment you continue playing war will erode my patience. And if it's gone entirely, I just might be tempted to take it out on our mutual friend here." She jiggled Mokou's body. "So if I were you, I'd put the toys away and come out so we can discuss this like adults."

The fighting stopped immediately. Kaguya's fleet ceased their advance and rose back into the sky while the tornadoes retracted into the storm. Soon Rumia and Mokou were alone in the sky, but even then the Lunarian neglected to appear.

Rumia looked to the left and to the right. Then she sighed and said, "Not amusing, Kaguya. Stalling will not get you anywhere." She drew Mokou close to her chest and pressed the tip of her talon against her captive's neck. "Nor will it help her. Tick-tock, Lunarian. Tick-tock."

The sun shone brightly. A gentle breeze blew. Beyond that, nothing.

"Tch," Rumia muttered. "All right, look: I know you hate Mokou and Mokou hates you back, but I also know that she's your rival, and no one else's. Do you really want her end to come at my hands? Because after all those years of fighting, it seems to be quite the waste to have someone else deliver the final blow." She applied the tiniest bit of pressure, and the tip pierced Mokou's skin. The taint wasn't unleashed, but it made Mokou bleed. "And make no mistake, I can kill her. I can turn her into a shriveled shell, send her mind plunging into the void from which there is no return. And I wonder, seeing how your subconscious minds are currently conjoined, will there be any bleed over effect? Any repercussions? Would you like to find out what happens to your mind when hers dies? Because I have got to admit, I'm kind of-"

"Oh, will you just SHUT UP already?"

Rumia blinked in surprise. Then she grinned, shook her head, and turned to face the booming voice's source.

It was Kaguya. Not all of her, but there was still quite a lot of Kaguya nonetheless. Specifically, her giant head floated in the air, easily the size of a house. Horse-sized eyes were narrowed with anger and glared down at the youkai that had demanded her presence.

"Well," Rumia said, her talon still pressed against Mokou's neck. "When I called on you to face me, I didn't expect your answer to be quite so literal."

"I said shut up, Rumia," Kaguya snapped. "You wanted to talk? Well, here I am. Let's talk."

"Are you really? Because it hasn't been that long since I saw you last, and back then you were considerably smaller and had a great many more moving parts."

"You think I'm dumb enough to get in range of those meathooks of yours? I'm not Mokou. What do you want?"

Rumia grinned and licked her lips. "Ah, progress. And you know damned well what I want. It's the same think I've wanted since I staggered out of the ocean. I want out, Kaguya. I want out of this shithole and into Rin Satsuki's mind. And you're going to help me."

For her part, Kaguya looked unimpressed. "And why should I do that?"

In answer, Rumia held Mokou before her. "Do you want to end up like her? Because I can hurt you, Kaguya. Hurt you in ways you can't even imagine. I don't even need to touch you to do it."

"I've been playing the Game of Death for a long time, Rumia. When it comes to pain, there is very little I cannot imagine."

"Oh, so certain are you. Tell you what: let's put that theory to the test. Because I bet I can hurt you in a manner that is not only completely new, but also dwarfs everything this little twit has put you through." Rumia withdrew her talon from Mokou's neck and held it right over her eyes. "I can open your eyes, Kaguya. And I think I'll start by opening hers."

"Wait," Kaguya said before Rumia could stab into Mokou's eye sockets. "All right. Fine. You win. Tell me what you want us to do."

"That's better." Rumia lowered her arm. "And you can start by having all three of us go to the godsdamned center of your subconscious and opening the way out. Once that happens, I'll be on my way and leave you two to be miserable together."

"Well, that sounds really nice and all," Kaguya drawled. "Except you've already been proven as a liar. Forgive me, but I don't see any particular reason to trust your word."

Rumia laughed. "Ah, some things just never change, do they? But I assure you: I have no wish to harm either of you." A pause, and she amended, "Well, no, I want to hurt you both very much. But I want to hurt everybody, so it's not like it's personal. Well, not very personal. No, offense, but you are very annoying. But even so, the one I really want is Rin Satsuki. You're just the stepping stone to getting to her, and I would be quite content to leave you alone if that's what it takes."

"Still doesn't tell me why you wouldn't just burn the place on your way out."

"Because doing so would be counter-productive," Rumia answered promptly. "See, I don't seek to avenge myself against Rin Satsuki, I seek to replace her. I will claim her power as my own, and seeing how your power is currently her power, it'll come with the package. If I were to drop that match, your mind disintegrates, and your power it gone. Immortality and Phoenix Fire are too valuable to just waste on pettiness."

Kaguya's oversized face twisted with disgust. "You're…"

"What? Insane? Not really. Evil? Quite possibly. Going to gut you two to the barest minimum unless you give me what I want? Most definitely. I know death far more intimately than you ever could. I know how far I can go and still keep you alive. Only thing is, if I do go that far, you will be incapable of basic arithmetic. Do we understand each other?"

They held each other's gaze for a time, as if trying to gauge the other's resolve. Rumia must have won, because Kaguya broke the stare first.

"Fine," she sighed. "Like we have a choice."

Then Kaguya's giant head dissolved into hundreds of floating dots of lights which swirled around and came together to form a humanoid shape. It flared brightly for a moment, and Kaguya herself appeared.

"All right, asshole," she snarled. "Let's get this over with."

"Yes. Let's." Rumia leered at her. "And hey, if it makes you feel any better, at least when Gensokyo is ashes, you'll still be alive and well in your private-"

Then she shut her mouth and stared at Kaguya in shock. She looked down to see the tip of a humming green blade protruding from her chest.

Then something hit Mokou hard enough tear her from Rumia's grip and just kept going. "I got her!" Kaguya screamed. Not the one who had been conducting the negotiations, the one now carrying Mokou over her shoulder. "Go, go, go, go!"

At her word, Kaguya's strange fleet simply materialized around Rumia. And, as one, the foremost line opened fire.

Treachery, Rumia had expected. A sneak attack, she had anticipated. She had been dealing with Kaguya, after all. Such things were simply a matter of course.

So it was a little embarrassing that she had been caught flatfooted like she had. But it really wasn't her fault. She had seen Kaguya right in front of her. Not only that, she had smelled her and, more importantly, felt her presence. How was she to know that a second Kaguya would simply pop into being behind her and jab a laser sword right through her?

Well, she supposed that the same could have been accomplished with a run-of-the-mill dream assassin. She really should have been more on her guard. But what was done was done. Now she had to concentrate on blowing this stupid flying navy to pieces, finding Kaguya and Mokou all over again, and pick up from where she had left off. And while she was at it, she could figure out why in the blue hell there was two Kaguyas! That had been no imaginary copy; of that she was certain. The smell had been the same, as was their auras. Somehow the Lunarian had managed to clone herself, which meant…Rumia wasn't sure, actually, but headaches were guaranteed to be involved.

However, that little problem was going to have to wait until she had dealt with Kaguya's toys. Thanks to her stunned state, the first few shots got through. What was more, they hurt.

But as annoying as these pests were, they really weren't much more than stinging insects. And Rumia had one hell of a flyswatter at her disposal.

Her storm, which still swirled below her, erupted upward. Her body was enveloped with its soothing coolness, which helped alleviate the burning sensation. What was more, the psychic energy required to maintain the fleet's existence was torn apart.

And just like that, they were gone.

Sighing, Rumia touched where she had been stabbed. Ouch, that hole was going to take some time to heal. In that regard, she envied her prey. Having such recuperative abilities surely had to be useful. She looked forward to claiming them for her own.

Though speaking of which, maybe reacting so aggressively against the fleet had been a bit hasty. She hadn't exactly seen Kaguya and Mokou clear the area safely. Bringing up the storm like that could have killed them on the spot.

Rumia sighed. She really was getting careless. This really was a bad habit with her. Give into her impulses a little, and the next thing she knew nothing was left but a pile of corpses. She was just going to have to keep herself under tighter control. It would not do slip up and screw everything up by killing her quarry. Well, at least if she accidentally bumped off Kaguya, there was now a spare…

Then Rumia's eyes widened. Say now, that was an intriguing possibility. Granted, she would have to double-check to make sure it was safe, but if so…hmmm…

Grinning, she sniffed around until she had picked up Kaguya and Mokou's scent. From there, she extended her wings and started to fly.

Mokou had seen better days.

Her attempts to reach out to Rumia had been an utter failure. Her arms and legs were amputated below the elbows and knees. She was inflicted with some kind of curse that prevented her from healing. And now she was being slung over Kaguya's shoulder like a bag of potatoes while being hotly pursued by someone who probably found their immortality to be cute.

If there was one comfort to be had, it was that she barely conscious. Full awareness that she now owed Kaguya her life would just be too much to take.

Unfortunately, as far gone as she was, she was still able to make out snippets of conversation between Head and Body.

"…last too long…"

"…Eirin, what's taking you…"

"…get us out of…"

"…ah hell…screwed so…"

Then she was dropped unceremoniously onto the hard ground. She moaned and tried to sink deeper into the darkness.

However, several hard slaps to the face quickly divested her of that course of action.

"Come on, Stumpy. Wake up!" Head shouted as she smacked Mokou back to full awareness.

"Huh, wha…" Mokou muttered. She blinked several times and squinted. The best she could figure, Head and Body were standing over her, both of them looking worried. Beyond that, she couldn't tell, though that was less due to clinging fuzziness than the thick, swirling fog that had enveloped them.

"Yeah," Head said. "More of Rumia's damned weather. This stuff doesn't kill, thank the gods, but it does keep the help away. Which means we need you up and mobile. We'll need all the firepower we can get."

Mokou grimaced. "Can't…heal…taint…"

"I know. Body?"

There was the sound of a crack, a sharp hiss, followed by a steady humming noise. Body was holding up what looked like a glowing green stick. "Yeah, better do this fast before this stops working too. Okay Mokou, gonna have to do some quick surgery." She knelt down next to Mokou. "This is gonna hurt like hell, but you'll thank me later." Then she pressed the stick against Mokou's forearm, right above the taint.

She had not been exaggerating. The stick-thing burned right through flesh and bone, and Mokou welcomed the searing pain. It was far better than the deathly frostbite of the taint.

"We figure that with our army being all kinds of useless, you're our best bet at coming out of this alive," Body explained as she cut away the taint. "Breaking down dreams is one thing, but we're willing to bet she won't do so well against Phoenix Fire."

"Yeah, and speaking of which, were we right?" Head asked. "Is she the kid?"

Mokou flinched as the final limb came off. "No. And yes." To her immense relief, once the taint was out of the way, her arms and legs started regenerating almost immediately.

Head closed her eyes and muttered something. "Okay," she said. "Explain."

"I mean it's her in name and body only. Something terrible moved in after she got crucified. That's what we've been dealing with." Mokou's hands and feet started to reform.

"Oh." Head looked disgusted. As for Body, she winced in sympathy.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Yeah." Mokou said up and rubbed her wrists with her still-stumpy fingers. "Me too."

"Well, at least it simplifies things," Head said. She grabbed her fist and cracked her knuckles. "Only thing left to do is kick her ass."

Then something whined and choked. Body's glowing stick-thing sputtered a couple of times before winking out of existence.

"Well," she said as everyone stared at her. "That was the worst possible omen we could have had." She tossed the small metal handle away.

"You don't know the half of it," Rumia said as she emerged from the fog.

Everyone started moving at once. Mokou leapt into a crouch, flames running up and down her arms. Head whirled around, her fists crackling with lightning. As for Body, she pulled out a short, slender stick and jabbed it at Rumia.

"Avada Kadavera!" she cried, sending out a bolt of green energy.

As for Rumia, she simply deflected the attack with a lazy swing of her sword. Then she pointed at them and said, "Yeah, no."

The fog suddenly thickened into a thin, black cylinder around each of them. They could still see out, but they couldn't leave. The twins froze, staring at their prisons with looks of naked horror. Mokou sympathized, as she had already felt the effects of Rumia's power and was in no hurry to feel it again. Unfortunately, that meant she wasn't going anywhere.

Even through the dark smoke, Rumia could still be seen as she sighed heavily. "So. 'Sup, guys? Together again, eh?" She folded her arms over her chest. "Not quite the reunion I pictured, but hey, you know how plans get derailed."

"Let us go, Rumia," Body snarled.

"Aw, how cute. She thinks she can make demands. No. I am not letting you go. I'm having a really lousy day, and have had it up to here with playing these stupid games. So, let's start things off with the obvious question." The burning orbs of her eyes bore straight into Body's. "Why and how are there two of you now?"

For once, neither of the Kaguya twins responded with jokes. "Uh, well, you remember back when Mokou got her head cut off, and you said she might do the starfish thing?" Body said.

Rumia's eyes widened. "You cannot be serious."

"Nope. Turns out you were right. Who knew, huh?" Body let out a nervous laugh.

While Rumia's attention was focused on the twins, Mokou was examining her prison. She had no doubt that the touch of the smoke was fatal. However, she remembered what Head said about Phoenix Fire possibly being able to match Rumia in power. Granted, that theory was still untested, but at the moment, Mokou had nothing to lose. Keeping a wary eye on Rumia, she surrounded her hand with a blue fireball and extended it toward the wall of the cylinder.

Fortunately, Rumia didn't even notice. "So, that's it then? There are now two Kaguya Houraisans? It's not like one of you is a clone, or a dream-copy?"

Head swallowed noisily. "Er, which answer is less likely to get us killed?"

That made Rumia chuckle. "Doesn't really matter, it was rhetorical. Hold still for a moment, please."

"Why?" Body said in alarm. "What are you doing?"

"Just getting a feel of the situation…Hmmm, well I'll be damned all over again!" Rumia laughed. "Well, how about that! You two really are completely identical!"

Mokou's fire touched the wall of her prison. The fire and smoke seemed to resist each other. Mokou could feel the fireball losing some of its intensity, while the smoke started to break apart where she touched it.

"Uh, thanks?" Head said. "We kinda figured that out already."

"I'm sure you did. But I needed to check it for myself. Wouldn't want to do something I'd regret later."

Mokou looked up sharply. Oh no, this couldn't be leading where she thought it was leading.

It was. Rumia held up her sword. "See, Kaguya always got on my nerves. And I only really need one to open the gate."

"Wait, no!" Body cried, holding her hands out. Mokou frantically threw all the fire she had at the wall.

It was too late. Rumia thrust her sword right through Body's cylinder and cut right through her heart.

Well. That's gonna leave a mark.

Anyway, next chapter will finish off the story entirely. It's gonna be a little longer than the previous two.

Until next time, everyone.