Three months passed, in which no major incidents happened. However, despite this, Rumia still helped people with trivial things when she got the chance, because she liked the feeling of helping others.
As she helped people more, things changed. Two days after the Tome incident, she could suddenly see within her own sphere of darkness during the day, something she could not do before. The vision started off short-sighted, but over the three months, turned into normal vision. In addition, unlike for as long as the darkness youkai could recall, she had actually grown. Instead of looking like a ten-year old like she did before, she now looked more like a twelve-year old, a fair bit taller. Whereas before she was smaller than Wriggle, she was now the same height. She was also a little smarter than before, although not much.
"Rumia, Wriggle, Mysti!" Cirno said happily, flying over the Misty Lake.
"Hi Cirno!" the three youkai said happily, having gathered to play and pull pranks. Daiyousei was nearby as well, but was too busy stopping Sunny, Luna and Star from causing yet another fight with Cirno.
"China's sleeping again over there! Wanna go mess with her?" Cirno asked happily, indicating to Meiling at the gate.
The three youkai followed the fairy to the sleeping gatekeeper, and took their usual positions. Cirno started slowly freezing Meiling's feet, and working up her body. Mystia quietly sang her Night-Blindness song in Meiling's ear, as Rumia surrounded her head with a sphere of darkness. Wriggle called some insects to buzz around inside the dark sphere around Meiling's head.
It took until Cirno had frozen to Meiling's knees for the gatekeeper to stir, at which point she made a gagging noise as she swallowed a bug.
"Aw, you four again. Same trick as three days ago. You like that one, don't you guys?" Meiling said. "It's annoying, especially the bugs, but better than what Sakuya would be doing."
"I personally found it funny." An unfamiliar voice said from behind Rumia, causing the three youkai and the fairy to turn around.
Standing there was a youkai who looked like a young girl, about the same size as Rumia. She wore a large, black hat, with a yellow ribbon, and has somewhat short green-tinted hair. She wore a yellow shirt, and a long, green skirt. However, what was most interesting was the blue cord around her body, connected to a blue orb which floated over her heart.
"You guys seem fun." The stranger said. "I'm Koishi Komeiji."
"Wriggle Nightbug. Firefly Youkai."
"Mystia Lorelei, Night Sparrow."
"Rumia, Darkness Youkai."
"Cirno! The Strongest!"
"Hong Meiling. Gatekeeper."
Koishi tilted her head. "Wriggle, Mystia, Ruia, Cirno, China." She said. Rumia noticed Meiling's face fall, although no-one else could see that happen.
"And what are you?" Meiling asked, still unable to see.
"... I'd rather not say. You can only see and hear me because I want to be seen and heard by you guys." Koishi says nervously.
"Eh, everyone has things they'd rather not others know about them. This is Gensokyo." Meiling says.
Suddenly, Sakuya appears in front of the group, and looks around.
"Meiling... were you sleeping again, these guys pulled another prank on you." Sakuya says, looking annoyed, before she turns towards Koishi.
"I don't think I'll let this one see me~ She dosen't look fun." Koishi says.
"I don't look fun?" Sakuya asks, pulling out a knife and running her finger across it, her eyes slowly turning red.
"Eh? Why can you see and hear me?" Koishi says, surprised.
"You're supposed to be invisible to me? Why would you hide yourself from me? Meiling can't see right now either. Your objective is clear, Satori, you want to infiltrate the mansion and read Mistress' mind!" Sakuya says, taking a combat pose.
"You're a Satori?" Meiling asks.
"What's a Satori?" Rumia asks.
"A race of mind-readers, who don't know how to run their mouths. They have three eyes. the third over their hearts. I'm not sure why one is above ground though..." Sakuya says, before adding, "They are the most hated race of them all."
"But she only has two eyes!" Rumia says.
"Her third one is closed." Sakuya says, pointing to the orb with a knife, before she appears behind Koishi.
"Five seconds to leave Satori, or I will attack."
"But I'm looking for directions to the Hakur..." Koishi began.
At that point, Rumia acted on instinct, and grabbed Koishi, pulling her past Sakuya, while the other three followed her, Cirno bumping into Sakuya.
"So you're looking for Reimu? I cannot allow a Satori to read her mind either... she knows of some of the mansion's secrets!" Sakuya says, chasing after Koishi.
"Sakuya wait! A Satori with a closed eye can't read minds!" Meiling shouted, but it was too late.
"Hakurei Shrine, right!" Rumia asked, pulling Koishi.
"Yeah, my Sister asked me to find Reimu!" Koishi said.
"I know where to find her..." Rumia began, before suddenly cirno deflected a knife with a blast of ice.
"Sakuya's chasing us!" Wriggle says.
"Not good! We can't beat her, no way!" Mystia panics.
"Whaddya mean we can't beat her?! I'm the strongest!" Cirno says, turning around to fight Sakuya.
"Just as planned... she'll buy time." Mystia says smiling.
However, suddenly, seven rainbow orbs appear over the horizon, and one slams into each person, two into Sakuya.
The last thing Rumia sees before going out cold is Reimu showing up, muttering about the noise.
Rumia comes to inside the Hakurei Shrine, with Wriggle, Cirno, Mystia and Koishi all there as well, along with Reimu, drinking some tea. Sakuya is not at the shrine.
"Where did..." Rumia begins.
"For the fifth time, she woke up first, told me what happened, I kicked her butt for her being a moron and she left." Reimu says. "Told her to go talk to Patchouli if she didn't trust me."
"Well now that everyone is awake, and I found Reimu, I'll give the message!" Koishi said happily.
She paused for a couple of seconds, as if recalling, before she nodded, pulling out a note.
"Sis told me to come and get help. Weird things have been going on underground. Strange monsters have been coming through portals and attacking us underground. They've also been attempting to go up the blowhole. We've been able to stop them, but the attacks are getting more regular and larger, we won't be able to hold out much longer... that or Yuugi will smash everything in letting us hold out... or Okku will make everything go Nuclear."
Koishi looked at Reimu.
"Why should I care about underground?" she asked. "I'm a Youkai exterminator, not a youkai savior."
Koishi moved towards Reimu, and whispered in her ear. Rumia overheard "That time.", but nothing more. However, Reimu's face suddenly went serious.
"Well... if that's what's attacking... then I do have to get involved." Reimu said, before looking towards Rumia's group. "You lot are comin' with me too. If I have to do something because you brought Koishi to me, you lot are dragged in too."
"Uh... OK!" Rumia says.
"I get to prove I'm the strongest underground!" Cirno says.
"Another adventure? Why not." Wriggle says.
"Uh... underground? I'm a bird..." Mystia says.
"Come on Mysti, you'll love the adventure. You weren't happy you missed out on that adventure to the mountain." Wriggle says, causing Mystia to sigh.
"Fine... I'll come too. Reimu'll beat me up otherwise probably."
"Who do you think I am?" Reimu says, sounding annoyed.
So begins Arc 2, and the real meat of the story and character development. Strap in, because Arc 2 is gonna be a lot bigger than Arc 1 was, which was a prologue in the grand scheme.