"It's been a while since I've come all the way out here." Rumia said.
"Yeah. I come here sometimes to collect ingredients to help out Mystia though." Wriggle commented.
"It's been pretty quiet since the whole Rika mess, around here." Mystia said, referring to the Youkai Mountain.
Kogasa just flew around the group, humming happily. Cirno and Daiyousei flew with the group as well, although quietly, as both were somewhat fatigued.
It didn't take long for the group to reach the Kappa Viliage, where they saw a small group of Kappa, which included Nitori, along with Rikako by the river.
"OK, turn it on!" a kappa that wasn't Nitori said, as another Kappa pressed a switch on some machine.
There was a humming, before a large sphere of water, big enough for two Kappa to swim in, floated out of the river, and about two meters above it. There were small black... hexagons around the water, which seemed to be projecting some energy field.
"Seems stable!" a Kappa said.
"Three... two... one..." Nitori and Rikako said together, as just after the 'One', the sphere splashed back down into the water.
"Not stable enough." Rikako said. "We need the devices to be more energy-efficient, or else they won't last long enough to move what we need. Remember that was it stationary as well, not moving."
"Times like this things would be so much simpler if the Oni were still around, eh?" Nitori joked. The kappa laughed, and one responded; "Yeah, lack of muscle is the problem here. Would be a lot easier to move stuff around."
At that point, Nitori noticed Rumia and the others.
"Oh! You caught that little trial run of the Anti-Gravity Field Generator. We need to move some pretty heavy stuff to get the reactor's energy around Gensokyo. Problem is, we're... well... not strong enough to do that!" Nitori said.
"I could help, but I've got other things to do." Rumia said, before she looked at Rikako.
"Rika of all people told me to speak to you about something." Rumia said.
Rikako's face fell.
"Rika. Seriously? And you listened to that madwoman?"
"She told me to ask you about a magic tournament that happened several years ago. Rika recognized someone and told me they were bad news and to ask you since you met her before."
Rikako thought, and then sighed.
"Oh yes. That shambles. I entered to prove that technology and magic together would overcome magic, but I only got to the semi-final, before Mima beat me." Rikako said. "Still, I have a good enough idea of what happened afterwards. Reimu beat Marisa, and then Mima in the final, and was invited inside the ruins that the hosts were in, for her prize, which was supposed to be any wish they could grant for her."
"Wish-granting?" Mystia asked.
"It was a lie. A fraud. A trap. Reimu told us that she was attacked, the pair just attempting to collect data on magic, and then kidnap someone with strong magic, since their world had no magic at all. They then left for their home dimension after Reimu narrowly escaped. Here's the kicker, the ruins were some kind of... inter-dimensional ship. So, since they're clearly not using magic, they must use science that is tremendously advanced even compared to the Kappa."
"Wait, these guys tried to kidnap Reimu before? Are they stupid?" Kogasa asked.
"They almost succeeded." Rikako said. "Reimu said if they didn't under-estimate her power, she wouldn't have got out. I never saw the hosts myself, but Reimu said one was dressed like a sailor, and the other wore a lot of red."
"Yep. She was dressed like a sailor alright. She had some... thingy that absorbed our magical attacks too."
"Sailor? This sounds like a story!" a voice said from above, before a figure landed.
Hatate stood up from her landing.
"I came here to check up on the Anti-Gravity Device and it sounds like some other story is bre... oh. It's you." Hatate said, noticing Rumia.
"Hi Hatate." Rumia said.
"Hmph!" the Tengu pouted, looking away.
"Rude crow..." Mystia chirped.
"Sparrow-Brain." Hatate retorted.
Nitori sighed.
"Hatate... you said you saw something earlier that was a little odd..."
"If we're gonna talk about that, Nitori, we can do it in private. I'm not helping her in any way." Hatate said.
Rumia suddenly smirked, as she got an idea.
"Are you sure? After all, I may have stumbled upon a major incident. An incident Aya probobly wouldn't know about yet."
Hatate looked slightly towards Rumia when she heard the last sentence. "So?"
"So maybe if you... help us out... you can come along and get... exclusive rights to the story. If you're annoyed I cost you a one-up on Aya, well, here I am, giving you a chance to get that one-up back. Without resorting to theft this time."
Hatate closed her eyes and huffed a few times, flapping her wings, as she looked in thought.
"Fine. You give me a story and we're even. But I swear if this turns out to be some fairy pulling a prank..." Hatate said, in an annoyed tone. "I saw some weird blonde sailor a couple of times earlier while looking for stuff happening with my Spirit Photography. She was looking around, as if looking for something that she forgot where she left it. I last saw her going into the Bamboo Forest... which probobly means she's lost in there. We're gonna find her, that's the best place to look."
"Careful Hatate, Rikako said this person almost kidnapped Reimu last time she was here." Nitori said.
"And I'm a Crow Tengu. She won't be havin' any chance at kidnapping me." Hatate said haughtily.
Nitori muttered very, very quietly. So quietly not even Hatate could make it out. Rumia got the feeling that was the idea.
"Well, after what I did for Kaguya, the rabbits shouldn't be any issue." Rumia said.
"That and the princess likes me!" Kogasa added.
"Eh?" Cirno asked.
"She likes me as an umbrella!" Kogasa said. "And she saved my life!"
"Long story. It's Kogasa logic." Rumia said, knowing Cirno wouldn't understand the concept of Kogasa almost dying, being a sprite for whom, as a fairy, death and reincarnation was at least a weekly event.
"Ugh... what have I got myself into with you idiots..." Hatate sighed.
"The one calling people idiot is the idiot, idiot!" Cirno said angrily.
"You tell her Cirno!" Mystia added.
Rumia got the feeling the two birds didn't get along.
Author Note:
Bleh short chapter. Been ill. I blame the ill.