"Are you done?" Yukari asked, still facing away. "The time is here."
Rumia had finished crying at least half an hour ago, and had spent the last half an hour thinking clearer. Yukari had given her a second chance at life. She had given her a chance to become hew own person, not that monster. It would be a betrayal if she let everything Yukari had worked for be destroyed by Shinki.
In a way, Rumia owed her life to Yukari.
But there was something else in the Darkness Youkai's head. She knew there was only one person who would be able to explain the parts of the story Yukari did not know. And that someone was Shinki. While she may not be able to find out in the 25 seconds she would have, maybe one day... she could. After all, Marisa always claimed that beating someone up was the fastest way of becoming their friend.
Rumia smirked, and made a mental note to fight Hatate again at some point. Clearly the first time didn't work. It would be a shame to be on bad terms with the Tengu forever.
"I'm not quite ready, give me a minuite..." Rumia said, getting up.
"You're ready? Excellent!" Yukari said, opening a gap under Rumia, who tried to fly above, but got bopped on the head by Yukari into it, who waved a little.
"Bye bye, do your best~" Yukari said, smiling like a Cheshire cat.
The next thing Rumia saw was a fight raging in front of her, as she rubbed her head, groaning. Then she turned, and saw Shinki right in front of her.
"Damnit Yukari." Rumia said, as Yumeko grabbed her.
Rumia didn't really listen to Shinki's works, she was too busy bracing her mind, attempting to fight back the cries to last out at Shinki within her head. However, the words still found their way into her head, and she spoke on instinct.
"What do you mean? I'm too weak to hurt anyone here."
Shinki said more words, before mentioning to Yumeko to prepare, then, her hand reached for Rumia's ribbon, and pulled it off.
In that instance, for a split second, Rumia passed out. Everything went black. She felt nothing. She heard nothing. Then, from the bottom of her vision, like a veil was being lifted, vision returned.
To everyone outside Shinki's barrier, who had stopped upon seeing Rumia grabbed, they saw an eruption of darkness upon the removal of the ribbon, before a new figure emerged.
She was the size of an adult, the size of Shinki, and looked like someone in her early twenties. Her blonde hair reached jst above her waist, and bird-like wings of some... dark energy, crackled along. She looked just like an older Rumia.
"That's not what Yukari showed me..." Reimu said, before dodgeing Yuugenmagan's attack.
"Love Sign: Master Spark!" Marisa cried, firing a huge laser, not at YuugenMagan, but at Cirno, who was flying in front of the yellow 'core', which looked humanoid.
"Ah!" Cirno gasped, dodgeing the laser, before she started flinging insults at Marisa, completely oblivious to the fact that YuugenMagan had been blasted into the side of the cavern by the beam, her eyes showing pain.
"Reimu! She's immune to attacks where you intend to hit her! Your orbs worked before because you had no idea what they'd hit, my attack worked because I aimed at Cirno!" Marisa said. "She can sense intent to hit her, and reacts, turning into electricity!"
"Who told you that?" Reimu asked, confused.
"Mima-sama, of course!"
"You look different." Shinki said, as she looked to Yumeko.
"Throw her down there." she commanded, as Yumeko did as she was asked, hurling Rumia away.
Two seconds.
Rumia used her newfound wings on instinct, the voice in her head howling, as if it was real. She could feel her sanity beginning to slip already, before the voices became slightly more quiet, the youkai guessing Yukari just intervened.
"Shhhhinkiiii!" Rumia cried, flying towards her.
"Oh my...she's still the same child, she's not herself. Interesting." Shinki said, before blasting Rumia with lighting from her staff, stopping her in place. "However, you I do not mind killing, if I cannot use you."
Pain coursed through Rumia's body, as well as her own power running. It felt as if the power was making her lose her mind on it's own, drunk with power. But Shinki was clearly stronger... she was a goddess, after all. But she was overconfident. That is what Rumia held onto, overconfidence of the Goddess.
Five.
Despite the pain, Rumia formed a blade, made of the same dark-energy that formed her wings, and swung it at Shinki's staff, knocking it, and her electrical magic, away from her. On contact with the staff, the energy erupted into an explosion, obscuring Shinki, and knocking Rumia back a bit.
Seven.
Rumia shok her head, and rushed in towards Shinki, the same crackling along her arm as when she attacked Mai, except far stronger. Yumeko flew in front, swords drawn, but Rumia's fist broke right through them, and slammed Yumeko in the jaw, knocking her aside, but it slowed her down enough. Shinki unleashed a massive blast of blue flames, which Rumia thought would consume her, but darkness welled from her body, and smothered the flames consuming her after she flew out of the flames, before she felt her burns healing, her body taking in the darkness of the cave itself.
Ten.
The voices got louded, as Rumia, acting on sheer instinct, launched a huge barrage of danmaku, which Shinki blocked easily with a barrier she then dashed in again, forming another blade, and slammed into the barier, breaking through, but knocking herself away as the construct exploded on impact.
Twelve.
This time, Shinki aggressed, and flew in herself, using her staff to batter Rumia. Even though she tried to fight back, Shinki's strength was far greater, and Rumia went flying after a quick exchange.
Fifteen.
She couldn't give up. The voices roaring in her head to kill, Rumia recovered in the air, and launched herself towards Shinki once again, however, at the last second, darted towards Yumeko, diving into her shadow. Shinki looked where Rumia dived into the shadows, but was unaware as the light from part of the battle below connected her shadow and Yumeko's, for the slightest of seconds, letting Rumia jump between them, and out of Shinki's shadow, behind her, fist crackleing.
Twenty... one hit, that's all I need! Just give me one hit on her! This is it!
Shinki suddenly let loose a huge feeling of power, as at the last fraction of a second before Shinki was struck, six large, angelic wings formed, and batted Rumia away. Shinki turned, a whip of energy extending from heer staff, and lashed into Rumia, wrapping around he, binding her, and draining her energy away.
Twenty-Two
Rumia's vision began to blurr. Shinki was just too strong... she could feel her strength and sanity leaving her...
Twenty-Three
Two seconds left. That was all Rumia had. She had failed to stop Shinki, even with her true power. She had failed to get her ribbon back. Yukari's gambit had failed.
"Shinki..." Yumeko groaned, her jaw clearly smashed by the punch earlier.
Alice appeared behind Shinki, Grimoire open, pointing at the Goddess, being forced to point at her by an army of dolls. Hourai, Shanghai and Goliath were posed.
Twenty-Four
"Grand Finale; Seven Colored Magic!" Alice said, unleashing a rainbow blast from her Grimoire, following by two huge sword-waves by Golaith, with a red and blue beam from Shanghai and Hourai on each side of the Grimoire's blast.
The attack slammed into Shinki's back, causing the goddess to flinch.
Twenty-Five
Shinki's whip vanished, her concentration broken for the slightest moment. That was all Rumia needed, surging forward, the ure to kill rising. She could feel herself vanishing, being consumed with nothing but a desire to kill, maim, and torture.
But Yukari was wrong.
The experiences of the last few hours had given Rumia more personality. More willpower.
She now had Twenty-Six seconds. That one extra was all she needed, as she slammed her fist into Shinki's face, causing her head to turn to the side, while her other hand wrenched the ribbon from Shinki's hand, which she slapped back on herself.
In that instant, the ribbon pushed Rumia's hand away, with the usual burning sensation. Rumia felt nothing again for a second, before she was back to normal.
She had made it, but Shinki just had a small mark on her face, and looked furious.
"... Who attacked me from behind..." she said, turning slowly, her wings turning daemonic, ragged, purple, and covered in red markings.
Then, her wings vanished when she saw who.
She stopped moving, and was in shock.
"... Alice." she said weakly.
Alice said nothing, and attacked again. Shinki let the attack hit her. It did not hurt her, but she let it happen anyway.
"... Alice." she repeated.
Alice put her dolls away, and closed her Grimoire, which seemed like it was resisting Alice's commands to attack Shinki. She moved slowly towards Shinki, with purpose in her eyes.
"... Alice."
Alice reached Shinki, and looked the taller woman in the eyes, before suddenly, quick as a whip, her hand flew.
The sound of the slap rung throughout the whole cavern, and everyone stopped. Shinki had a red mark on her other cheek, the result of Alice's slap.
"GENSOKYO IS MY HOME!" Alice roared at Shinki. "I'm your daughter, I know! You miss me, I know! I missed you too! But Makai was sealed from Gensokyo, and, frankly, not without reason! Makai is dangerous to the people here, and we're dangerous to Makai too, even if we;re not dangerous to you!"
"... Alice..." Shinki began weakly, only receiving another slap.
"I'M NOT DONE YET!" she thundered, anger and determination in her voice. "I'm not brainwashed! I'm not kidnapped! While I went into Gensokyo by accident initially, attempting to avenge my earlier loss, I grew to love the place quickly! I grew to make friends, real friends, not just dolls. I grew as a person, as a magician. I became more than I ever would otherwise! I chose Gensokyo! Every child leaves home at some point Shinki!"
Alice paused, breathing heavily.
"I'm not a possession of yours mother. I'm not a doll for you to play with and control to your every whim. I am Alice. No, I am more than that now. I am Alice Margatroid. I gave myself a second name after leaving. Now the barrier to Makai was broken a few years ago, you can come visit me, or I can visit you, but this is my home, and you won't take me away from it!" Alice finished, tears of emotion running from her face.
Shinki looked around, before she embraced Alice, sobbing.
"Oh Alice... what have I done? I got too absorbed in what I wanted, and forgot what was most important... what you want. I forgot you were you, not some toy of mine to dance as I please." Shinki cried.
YuugenMagan, Sariel and Elis opened portals, and went back to Makai. It seemed they didn't want to fight really, as they left as soon as they could tell Shinki's resolve changed.
"Yukari probobly made it worse... she didn't even tell me you were trying to get me." Alice said.
"No... I'd have done this regardless of her once the barrier was broken when Byakuren was freed." Shinki admitted.
"She's just a big mama bear!" Rumia commented. She was utterly exhausted, and having trouble flying, but knew she had to.
"Also, Shinki, there's another reason I want to stay here." Alice said, blushing a tiny bit, before she whispered something to Shinki.
"Ah.. yes... well if you had told me THAT..." Shinki chuckled.
Rumia tilted her head. Marisa tipped her hat the grinned a little, knowing what Alice must have said, even without hearing it.
"Does this mean I don't get my rematch with Shinki?" Yuuka groaned.
"Sorry Yuuka. I'm sure your bloodlust was totally not fuflilled today." Reimu said.
"Nah. I got to see something I liked. I know someone I want to fight one day, when she can control that power. Also, I think I'd get on well with that darkness inside her, that killing intent she was holding back." Yuuka replies, indicating at Rumia.
Shinki let go of Alice, as Cirno, Mystia, Wriggle and Kogasa all arrived to Rumia's location, Mystia catching her as she suddenly started falling, too exhausted to even float anymore.
"I need meat..." Rumia groaned.
"THAT WAS AWESOME!" Wriggle shouted.
"You sure showed her!" Mystia said.
"You went Ex-Boss on her!" Kogasa said, suddenly getting Yukari's Parasoul bopping her over the head from a gap, and Rumia heard Yukari say "Stop breaking the fourth wall Kogasa. I gotta fix that every time you do that."
"You are officially the second strongest!" Cirno declared.
Shinki looked at Alice one last time, and then at Yumeko, who was no longer punch-drunk, before she opened a portal, and pulled all the maisma back in.
"Rumia, I don't understand what happened to you, but one day, when you get control over *her* madness, I hope we meet again." Shinki said, just before she left Gensokyo, the portal closing behind her.
"Shinki... is on another level." Rumia groaned, before falling asleep.