Apologies for the delay. Real Life.
"I still can't believe you guys can't fly!" Rumia said to Renko and Maribel as they entered the Human Village.
"You're the weird one for being able to fly!" Renko retorted.
"Well maybe I can understand you not being able to fly Renko; but Maribel less so." Rumia admitted, leading the two to the most ornate building in the Human Village; at the very center; before knocking.
"Keine; I found some newcomers~" Rumia said.
The door opened; and; sure enough Keine looked out of the door; looking confused.
"Excuse me. I need to talk to this youkai for a moment." she said; before she pulled Rumia inside and closed the door.
Keine looked worried.
"What are you up to? I know Yukari's dead. I can see it in Gensokyo's history. She can't spirit away humans to Gensokyo anymore. Did you get Shinki to do this; or is the Hakurei Barrier collapsing already?"
"Wow Keine; it's not like you to be wrong at all; let alone twice." Rumia said. "Did you even look at the two I brought here? I'd have thought the appearance of one of them would have answered your questions!"
"Huh?" Keine asked.
"Well; I guess you don't have the best night-vision when you're not in your youkai form. The blonde-haired girl. She's a half-youkai who looks like a younger Yukari. I saw her enter Gensokyo through a portal similar to a gap."
"Are you suggesting..." Keine began.
"Yes! When Yukari died; she told me to keep an eye out for her descendant. That she had the potential to surpass even her. I think this girl is Yukari's daughter. She can't get back out to the Outside World though. I can't help but guess this is something Yukari set up."
Keine looked concerned and in thought for a few moments, before she paced around a few times.
"Well... this is big." she said, before she opened the door again; and let the two inside.
"What was the delay?" Renko said.
"Renko. You know what the delay was." Maribel retorted. "You heard full well. Even if you didn't understand it all."
"Well excuse me for not wanting to look like a snoop Mary!" Renko said; in a joking tone.
Rumia and Keine looked at Maribel, and she shrugged.
"I changed the boundary between what can and cannot..."
"Be heard." Rumia finished off. "Yes. That's the sort of thing Yukari would do."
"Interesting." Keine said, before she shook her head. "I am Keine; I am both the Mayor and the main teacher of this village. You can stay here for the night; then we can find you somewhere more suitable tomorrow."
"Oh we shouldn't be here tomorrow; hopefully." Renko said. "We'll be leaving shortly after the funeral."
Keine looked at Rumia; as if to say 'you didn't tell them?'
Rumia looked back at Keine; with a 'How do you say this?' look, and the teacher sighed.
"It is likely that before she died; Yukari put into place a manipulation of the boundary between here and the outside world. So that it became one-way. I won't go into why this could be too deeply; since my theories are not confirmed, and Yukari was hard to understand; but I think it has something to do with your powers; Maribel."
"So... you're saying we won't be able to go home?" Maribel asked.
"Most likely not for a while. Until you become strong enough to undo Yukari's manipulations; or until her power fades away." Keine admitted.
Renko didn't look too bothered. "Well; it's not like there's that much waiting for us in the outside world Mary. This is the land of your dreams, and your dreams inspired me as well. We never really fit in too well in Kyoto anyway."
Maribel just chuckled.
"Whatever you say Renko. Whatever you say. It's not like there's a family that will be left waiting for us."
Renko bit her lip. "Yeah; there's your father and my parents. But your father always said 'Follow the name Yakumo.' And you know I'd rather not see my parents again. We don't get along."
"I don't get along with my Dad. Well. Kinda my Dad. If a floating evil crystalline catalyst for a God's power counts as a father. Long story." Rumia said.
"What are you going on about?!" Keine said; startled.
"Makai is a weird place Keine." Rumia said to her. "Weirder than Gensokyo. That said; what do you expect of a world made by Shinki?"
At that point; there was a sound against the door.
A scratching sound. A banging sound. A hissing.
Keine moved towards the door; but Rumia stepped between her and it.
"I... wouldn't open it if I were you. I feel something out there." Rumia said.
"I wasn't going to open it; I was going to seal it." Keine said.
"Bad idea too." Rumia said. "I'm here; I can probobly scare it away; regardless of what it is."
"What is this thing you're talking about?" Maribel asked.
"Whatever it is; it's some kind of feral monster. Most beings in Gensokyo can talk." Keine said.
Then; Renko jumped back from the window; where two red eyes were visible. There was no body that could be made out; although there was the sound of scratching against the window.
"What is that?" Renko stammered.
"It... looks like a creature of darkness..." Rumia said. "Kinda like me..."
"Impossible. They are extinct. But that clearly is a Shade." Keine said; before she turned to the humans.
"Stay inside. No-matter what. Shades are bloodthirsty creatures who will hunt and kill anyone they come across. They dislike light; so stay near the candles." Keine demanded; with Maribel and Renko nodding; before she grabbed a stone off her desk.
"I'm not sure this is an enemy for you to fight Rumia." Keine said.
"Aw come on; if I can't beat it there's no way that you can." Rumia said; before the two left Keine's house.
As soon as Keine shut the door; there was a hiss; and the pair of red eyes appeared from around the corner. At this distance; a simple; hunched humanoid shape was visible; the darkness acting as almost perfect camouflage.
"We need to lure it outside the village. It'll follow us; just don't go too fast." Keine said. "Or else it'll just go after whatever is nearest. You want to protect those kids; right?"
Keine and Rumia took off; flying just slow enough that the creature followed after them; close; until they reached the forest outside the village.
The Shade hissed; before it's claw stretched out like a trident towards Rumia.
'That's like what I can do in my shadow form...' Rumia thought to herself; as she evaded the claw, and turned around.
"We're out of the village; so I'll end this in one blast!" Rumia said, forming a sphere of dark energy and hurling it at the creature of shadow.
"Rumia don't!" Keine shouted too late; as the sphere impacted the Shade.
However; it did not explode. The Shade simply absorbed it; and grew; crackling with the dark energy coursing through it.
Rumia blinked a few times.
"I... should have figured that would have happened. Especially since it seems similar to me..." she said; deadpan.
"That is why I said you cannot defeat it. Shades are creatures of darkness itself. The thing is... they're extinct. Their own violent nature led to their own extinction." Keine said.
The Shade let out a hiss; like an angry snake, before the sparks of Dark Energy around it's fingers formed into a hail of small spheres; which shot towards Rumia and Keine. Rumia countered with the exact same barrage; causing a row of explosions, before she put her palm forward.
"If darkness won't work; then how about light? Moonlight Ray!" Rumia cried; firing a beam of milky light at the Shade; which blasted a hole through it, as it hissed in pain, before Rumia was batted aside by a fist; the Shade's arm extended again. The Shade actually had enough power behind it to make Rumia dizzy from the punch.
"Looks like I got it..." Rumia said; wincing, before her face fell; as the Shade regenerated, like she could, before letting out another blood-chilling screech.
"Rumia; buy me some time. I have a powerful light-based attack of my own; but to use it requires some preparation." Keine said. "That's why I brought you along."
The teacher pulled out a small black crystal; which seemed to have a miniature Full Moon inside it. She clenched her hand around it; and closed her eyes. Rumia noticed a pair of horns start to grow from Keine's head, and her skirt move; as if something was growing.
"Whoa; wait! It's not the Full Moon Keine!" Rumia said.
"I'll explain later!" Keine shouted. "Just buy me the time to transform! It's significantly slower this way than during the real Full Moon."
The Shade seemed to realize the threat, and rushed towards Keine; only for Rumia to fly in it's path, and block it's outreached claw with her hand, before she delivered a Chi-infused punch to the Shade's abdomen. The Chi-punch seemed to be almost as effective as the light, as the Shade was in visible pain, but quickly recovered, before it extended about ten... pointed things from it's back; which rushed towards Rumia; trying to impail her.
Rumia didn't even try to dodge. She just shifted into her Darkness Form and let the tendrils pass through her; before she ripped them off with her own claws. She then changed back to normal; and exhaled.
"Less effort to just dodge; but doing that it just fun." Rumia said, adding; "Annoying I don't seem to have an attack that can actually take you out. We could fight all night and neither of us would get anywhere."
The Shade just hissed, forming a large Dark Energy sphere; the same size as Rumia.
'Crap; I don't think I can redirect one as large as that; and if I block it; the explosion is sure to get Keine too!' Rumia though.
"Light Sign: Great Amaterasu." Keine said; in a notably more feral voice, before a barrage of red and blue light shot past Rumia; and into the Shade, before erupting out at various different points. The beast of shadows let out an anguished hiss; as it was ripped apart, and vanished completely.
Keine was in her full Hakutu form, holding the gem Rumia saw earlier, which was glowing like moonlight.
"This is a Moonstone. A very rare type of gemstone that sometimes can be found. It can store the power of the Full Moon within it; allowing... those like me to use it as a catalyst." Keine said. "If you think you are the only one working to get stronger; you are mistaken."
Rumia grinned at Keine.
"So this is your Youkai form? It's awesome!" Rumia said.
"And in this form I can see even more clearly Rumia; that the Shades are extinct. Which can only mean one thing. That 'Shade' was artificially created and sent to the Human Village."
Rumia's cheerful face suddenly turned to anger.
"A creature as violent as that wouldn't have just walked into the middle of the village and your house ignoring every other house. You said it yourself; they attack whatever is closest." Rumia said.
"That's right. It must have been created... or transported outside my house. And while I think I have my fair share of enemies, a better, more logical, target of the attack would be..."
"Maribel and Renko." Rumia said.
The scratching at the door had not stopped. It re-started shortly after the two left. Maribel and Renko had seen the creature follow Keine and Rumia. This was clearly a second.
The hissing seemed to be saying something. Not in a single hiss, but each syllable split.
"Yaaaak"
"Ooohhhh..."
"Mohhhhh"
Yakumo. The creature was hissing Yakumo. The name of that Yukari Rumia mentioned.
It was after Maribel. It had to be.
"Mary... what are we gonna do?" Renko said.
"I don't know Renko... but it's not inside."
Then the candle illuminating the doorway went out. Maribel and Renko felt a chill, and saw the glowing eyes in front of them.
Maribel and Renko screamed, raising their arms to protect themselves from the raised claw; hardly visible.
There was a loud sound, and a crash, before Maribel opened her eyes to see the creature blasted back into the wall, scrambling up. It lunged again, and there was a flash of light.
Purple light.
The exact shade of Maribel's clothing, and of her portal.
The purple light cut the Shade in two, a thin beam, from head to pelvis, and it vanished.
"Mary... how did you?"
"I don't know Renko... but I think I might have... subconsciously... uh... manipulated the boundary between the beast's right and left halves." Maribel said; guessing.
"Remind me not to scare you." Renko said, as the door opened, and Keine [Returned to her human form] and Rumia returned.