"I'm being played."

Kurumu snickered at the orange and black striped brassier Moka had pulled out of the bag Touhou Fuhai had given them. Moka glared at her, discouraging her from further signs of amusement. The silver haired vampire was garbed in a sleeveless, burgundy blouse with the top buttons undone to reveal her black choker with the rosary. A wispy layer of fabric was stitched from the wide collar, hanging down to the bottom hem of her black leather skirt. Black leggings swept up from her glossy black, sequined Mary Janes, covering her calves, knees and the small stretch of thighs bared by the skirt.

"Remember to end all your sentences with 'ya know'."

Kurumu snorted a laugh at Mizore's remark, hastily hiding her smile from Moka's scowl. The snow girl had donned her long sleeved, peach blouse with the crimped collar and cuffs. The thin fabric betrayed the black sports bra beneath. Her purple and white stockings actually went well with the pleated white skirt which had the two purple stripes along the bottom hem.

"I'm being played, ya know."

Though Kurumu had a full set of clean clothes, she had selected the outfit she had not worn yet. As this teal midriff top held her breasts adequately, she had opted against wearing a bra. She would probably pull her panties off when she removed these curve hugging, black denim jeans. While her black wedges would have looked better with this outfit, her white platform sneakers were more comfortable.

"Give it here."

Moka immediately surrendered the paper bag with the corded handles to Kurumu. Kurumu pulled out the strapless top which had a matching bikini cut bottom. There was also a black hairband with orange horns and a pair of knee high boots with the same tiger stripe design.

"What is this?"

"A legendary costume."

Kurumu stuck her tongue out at Mizore. She felt up the boots, noting that they were actually just wedges with this stretchy fabric stitched to the side of the soles.

"You could wear this."

"No way!"

Kurumu chuckled, holding the top out to Moka.

"It's not any worse than a swimsuit."

"Then you should wear it."

"I'm not the one needing the rosary fixed."

"If this isn't needed, I'm going to kill that old man."

Mizore clucked her tongue, wagging a finger as Moka reluctantly took the top.

"Don't forget 'ya know'."

Moka smirked, starting to unbutton her blouse.

"I'm going to kill that old man, ya know."

Kurumu smiled apologetically, having joined in with Mizore's reminders all morning long. She felt sorry for Moka now that it was clear that this was all just an old man having fun at her expense.

"We should ask if we can keep this."

"Don't even start."

"Not for you. The striped look is completely Mizore's style."

"Orange and black aren't my colors. What about having Tora wear it?"

Moka snickered, slipping out of her blouse which she let fall on the floor. The vampire reached behind her to unhook the clasps of her lacy black bra.

"She'd never agree to it."

"Your lines."

Moka smirked at Mizore. With her clasps undone, she tugged down the straps and let it join her blouse.

"This is a sham, ya know."

Moka pulled on the skimpy tube top. The stretchy fabric covered the most important parts while leaving much of Moka's milky white breasts exposed. The vampire loosened her skirt.

"I could probably wear the bottoms over my panties."

Kurumu giggled, tugging the bottoms out of the bag.

"Why bother? This fabric is thicker than panties."

Moka grimaced, wiggling out of her skirt and leggings to reveal her bikini cut, black lace panties.

"I don't know if someone else has worn this."

"How many girls do you think that old man can talk into doing this?"

"Ms. Han."

Kurumu shushed Mizore, wagging the bottoms at Moka.

"You're worrying over nothing, Moka. Lose the lace."

Moka sighed, bending down to remove her Mary Janes. She lobbed her shoes aside before stepping out of her skirt. Then she removed her leggings. With another heavy sigh, she dragged her panties down to bare her untrimmed silver tuft.

"You can kill the dirty old man after he repairs your rosary."

Moka laughed, snatching the bottoms from Kurumu. She shook her head, stepping into the panties and drawing them up over her rump. They were made from the same stretchy material and actually looked less sexy than the black lace panties.

"This does feel like a swimsuit."

"Ya know."

Moka glared at Mizore.

"Ya know."

Kurumu giggled, handing over the boots. The vampire took one and wiggled her right foot down into the opening of the stretchy fabric. She worked her foot down to the wedge which she placed on the floor.

"I think these are too small."

"Ya know."

"I'm going to swat you, ya know."

Moka wiggled the fabric up her calves, drawing it almost all the way up to her knee. With a shake of her head, she took the other boot from Kurumu.

"I hope that he doesn't expect me to run around in this getup."

"Your big feet will ruin his legendary costume."

"I don't have big feet! You would have the same issue."

Kurumu smirked as Moka worked the other boot on.

"I remember when we bought shoes, Moka. My feet are smaller than yours."

"She needs big feet to make the most of her super kicks."

Moka stood up straight, wagging a finger at Mizore.

"I'm only a twenty four. That's normal for a girl my height."

"Twenty two."

Kurumu nodded at Mizore's remark.

"Yea. I'm also twenty two."

Moka sighed, grabbing the hairband from Kurumu. She tucked the ends behind her ears, pushing the band down till it was tight to her silver tresses.

"Whatever. I don't have big feet."

"Ya know."

Moka sighed again with a shake of her head at their amusement.

"Let's get this over with, ya know."

Kurumu skipped over to the paper door of this antechamber to the shrine inside Master Touhou's annex. She slid the barrier aside, allowing Mizore and Moka to enter the shrine before stepping into the room and closing the door behind her. She heard the boys' gasps of awe.

A half dozen black wood chairs with white cushions were arranged in two rows of three facing an altar to Kurumu's right. Yukari was seated in the nearest chair, smirking at Moka. The witch had on that velvet black dress with the white hem skirting about the top of her slight bosom. A second white line wrapped about her waist where the dress transitioned into pleats which ended halfway down her bared thighs. Purple stockings swept up to her knees from a pair of velvet black flats. Yukari had even worn the cute black velvet beret with white trim which went with the outfit.

"Truly magnificent!"

Huang's eyes were wide with adoration as he regarded Moka's attire. The young man stood up from his chair. He had on a sleeveless, black satin shirt with a mandarin collar and a scarlet bird pattern. A thick red hem ringed the openings for his arms and about his waist. His slim slacks hugged his legs as closely as the shirt, betraying his muscles. He actually looked good for a change.

"This is legendary, ya know."

Tsukune gagged from his chair next to Yukari. Though he could have worn anything, he had donned the school dress shirt and slacks.

"It's legendary, all right!"

"Woohoo!"

Touhou Fuhai cheered from his place in front of the altar. The old man had on a white robe similar to what he had worn last night, though the inner robe was a navy blue this time. The silver haired elder sprung towards Moka.

"Call me darling! You must call me darling!"

Moka swatted the old man into the floor when he got too close.

"You're a pervert, Darling!"

The old man coughed, rolling onto his back. His eyes remained hidden behind the oval sunglasses.

"Yes. You're just like the real thing."

"What is going on?!"

Huang laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Master Touhou has been a fan of Japanese manga for as long as I've known him. But after Sister's miraculous recovery, he started dabbling into cosplay."

"What does that have to do with repairing my rosary?"

"I'll have you know, young lady, that a man my age needs inspiration to carry out my work."

"Inspiration?! Is this necessary or not?!"

"You forgot darling and ya know."

Moka wagged a finger at Mizore.

"If you bring that up one more time, you are putting this on."

"Now that Sister barely studies with him, Master Touhou has been notably depressed despite how often my cousin dresses up for him."

Touhou finally picked himself off the floor with a heavy sigh.

"You just don't understand, young man. A sweet girl like Xinyi simply cannot fill those boots."

"Or bra."

Kurumu smirked at Yukari.

"At least he didn't say she lacked the personality for it."

"When I was your age, I was the object of every woman's desire. Looks. Power. Wealth. I had it all."

Touhou sighed again, his shoulders slouching.

"But as I got older, the girls began to ignore me. The women whom might put up with me for my wealth were the older, manipulative sort. The girls with youth and innocence would never take me seriously."

"Isn't that normal?"

"But two dimensional girls are cute forever! They'll never abandon me!"

Yukari snickered with a shake of her head.

"The dark lord whom created the rosary to defeat Alucard is a hopeless manga pervert."

"If this isn't needed, then I'm going to change back into my other clothes."

"Ms. Shuzen. You're as lovely as your mother."

Moka shivered with a scowl.

"My mother wouldn't appreciate you having me cosplay for you."

"I loved her. I would have done anything for her forgiveness."

"Did you have her dress up in skimpy costumes too?"

Touhou laughed, shaking his head as he started walking back to the altar.

"I wish I had done that. But no. We forced Akasha to put down a man whom was like a father to her. However necessary that it was, I will never feel forgiven for that."

Moka watched the man return to his place at the altar. A white sheet was drawn over the altar, hanging down on the sides but leaving the front and back open. Two black bowls with crimson dragons breathing fire were placed at the front corners with numerous sticks of incense standing out from them. A small blade with a black hilt rested along the back of the altar with golden saucers placed at the back corners.

"Momma never held grudges, Master Touhou. But Mother does. I'll be back."

Moka walked over to the paper door, sliding it aside. She stepped into the antechamber, closing the door behind her.

"We were wondering if we could keep that outfit."

Yukari snickered at Kurumu.

"Are you that desperate to seduce your boyfriend?"

"I was thinking more for Mizore. Stripes are her things."

"I'd wear it for Aoi."

Touhou laughed heartily, pulling a pipe from his robes. He tucked the end in the corner of his mouth while fishing a lighter out of his other sleeve.

"You are more than welcome to it, girls. I have plenty more where that came from."

"Why would you have a bunch of cosplay outfits for women?"

Huang laughed at Yukari's tone of disgust.

"He's been at this for almost a decade now. And he does have plenty of money."

"Are you really going to wear that for Umizake?"

Mizore cocked her head at Tsukune.

"If the shoes fit."

"Speaking of shoes, what size did you make those things? Poor Moka's feet were too big for them."

Touhou puffed a cloud a smoke as the pipe trailed a line of the white vapor.

"Can't say that I recall."

"Who were you planning on wearing that?"

"Not every outfit I acquired had a specific girl in mind, young lady. But when I saw Ms. Shuzen, I knew that it would be a perfect fit."

"Ignoring the fact that I just told you that the boots were too small."

Touhou chuckled, tugging his pipe out of his mouth to point it at Kurumu.

"I have many outfits that you-"

"Not interested."

Kurumu sauntered over to Yukari's chair, gripping the back.

"How long will this process take?"

"That depends on how damaged the seal is. I might be working through dinner."

Kurumu felt Tsukune's eyes upon her. He was having naughty thoughts which annoyed her. It was only because he had seen Moka in that outfit. He was wondering what she would look like wearing it. It was a tame fantasy but with her body longing for his, her lady parts were getting needlessly aroused.

The paper door drew aside and Moka reentered the room in her sleeveless burgundy shirt and black leather skirt. The vampire closed the door and wandered back over to the chair Huang stood by.

"Can we get started now?"

Touhou held out a staying hand.

"I first want to ask a few things. How much do you remember about your mother?"

Moka sighed, relaxing her shoulders.

"Nearly everything. I remember being here when I was four years old though it's not a perfect memory. I remember our other family vacations to Sydney and Paris in better detail."

"What was the last memory of your mother?"

Moka flinched. After a moment, she crossed her arms and glanced at a corner of the room.

"I remember her putting the rosary on me. She promised that it would protect me from the monster. From Alucard. My sister told me that she was destined to kill Alucard and needed Momma's help. But when I saw them, Akua was trying to kill Momma."

Touhou nodded solemnly.

"Akua admitted this to me years ago. She believed that she was Alucard's descendant. That the power of the Shinso was her birthright and that Akasha had stolen it."

"The monster ate Momma. For some reason, that made it go back to sleep. Then I blacked out."

"What is your next memory?"

Moka took in a deep breath.

"December. I was in an orphanage. The kids were celebrating Christmas."

"What year?"

"1999."

Touhou placed the end of his pipe in the corner of his mouth, taking a puff.

"That would explain why the girl on the surface could tell us nothing."

"She was so scared. Lonely. Abandoned."

"Could you talk to her?"

Moka trembled with emotions.

"I didn't understand what was going on. It was like standing behind a window but having no way of opening it. I could see everything. Hear everything. Taste. Smell. Touch. It was all there. But I had no control over anything. Someone else decided everything I did and said."

"Were you able to communicate with her?"

Moka paused, bowing her head.

"It took time. Months. I didn't know how to reach her. She didn't know how to hear me. It took time."

The way her voice broke tugged at Kurumu's heart.

"But you were able to reach her?"

"Right after Mother visited us for my eleventh birthday. At the orphanage. Mother was so cruel. She spent the whole visit talking to me. She wouldn't acknowledge Hatsue at all."

"Hatsue. That's similar to how she introduced herself."

"Yes. We gave her a proper name. A girl name."

Touhou puffed on his pipe as Moka clenched her fists. A few heartbeats of silence passed.

"That was over five years ago, Ms. Shuzen. Why is this the first I am hearing about your ability to communicate with this Hatsue?"

"She was never sure that I was real. She knew that Mother wanted me. A part of her thought that she created me. Like an imaginary friend. And I-"

Moka paused, taking in a deep breath to steady her voice.

"I didn't know if I should discourage that. I didn't share any of my memories or knowledge with her. I worried that would only make things worse for her."

"You could keep secrets from her?"

"Yes. And she could keep secrets from me."

"We determined that Hatsue was a tsukumogami."

Touhou perked up at Yukari's admission.

"That is not an easy thing to determine, young lady. The spirit of a tsukumogami is not the same as the spirit of a living creature."

"I'm well aware of that. But we determined without a shadow of a doubt that Hatsue was not a magical creation placed upon the rosary to protect the true Moka."

Touhou chuckled with a puff of smoke.

"Such confidence. I'll admit that I could not replicate what I saw in the rosary. I tried very hard but the closest I could manage was a little pet project that required much of Akua's assistance."

"Deshi's brush which turns her into Jasmine."

Touhou regarded Kurumu with interest.

"I'm surprised that you know about that."

"Mother allowed us to visit Akua at the Garden over the summer. Akua showed us how it worked."

Touhou nodded solemnly, drawing another deep breath through the pipe.

"Mrs. Shuzen only cares about results. She doesn't appreciate the complexity of the Rosario seal."

"But you will be able to repair it? We will be able to talk with Hatsue again?"

Touhou huffed at Tsukune whom had stood up.

"I never invented this Hatsue, boy. I can repair the seal but I can't repair a tsukumogami."

"It's very important that we all get to speak to her again."

"Come here, Ms. Shuzen. I would like a closer look at your rosary."

Moka acquiesced to his request, kneeling down when he prompted her to. The way he looked over the rosary had Kurumu suspecting that he was actually admiring Moka's cleavage.

"This seal is severely damaged. Like someone has hacked a huge section out of it."

Yukari flinched but made no comment.

"I'm surprised that you can't remove this seal yourself, Ms. Shuzen. There are no traces of the original lock I had in place for this device."

Moka let out a heavy sigh.

"I can remove it, Master Touhou. If possible, I would like it to remain that way."

Kurumu frowned, cocking her head.

"But you told your mother-"

"A lie, Kurumu. And I knew that I couldn't remove my rosary under any conditions prior to seeing Master Touhou or she would have seen it was a lie through your eyes."

Touhou puffed a cloud of smoke, retreating back a step.

"The original key was Akasha. She was the only person whom could remove the seal."

"But you were the one whom created the seal. Surely you could have removed it."

Touhou huffed at Yukari, taking out his pipe to tap the rounded end against the rosary.

"Not with the modifications Akasha made to it. I don't know when or how but she installed a memory matrix within my seal. A fascinating enchantment that I was afraid to tamper with."

"What's a memory matrix?"

"It's a spell which simulates the brain. A memory matrix will record the thoughts, memories and feelings of whomever is wearing it. My biggest fear was that if we had removed the seal forcefully that we would erase all of Ms. Shuzen's memories."

"I think Mother would have been fine with that."

"I lied to her. I told her that you would become brain dead. She didn't agree with my conclusion so she took you to Mikogami. He has always been better at pretending like he was helping."

"You didn't trust Mother."

"It's not an issue of trust. Mrs. Shuzen doesn't appreciate the threat Alucard poses to everyone. You are the key to awakening the greatest evil of this world. There was no incentive for me to remove your seal."

Yukari huffed indignantly.

"So that was it? You were going to leave my Moka trapped?"

"It was fine, Yukari."

"No it's not! Your mother locked you away with no means of escape. As much as I care for Hatsue, there was no reason for years of your life to be sacrificed."

"Akasha must have known this would be hard on her daughter, but it was the only choice she had. She made a spur of the moment decision and allowed herself to be devoured by Alucard. She believes that she will be able to destroy Alucard from within when the rosary is returned to her."

Tsukune nodded, standing up from his chair.

"I'm aware of this. What will happen to Hatsue?"

"She will be destroyed."

"But there must be another way!"

Touhou sighed at Tsukune's reaction.

"I am uncertain how Akasha's plan works. Perhaps she hopes to resonate with her memory matrix. I tried to create a new one based around my shared memories with Akasha. Akua took my creation to Alucard's body but it failed to respond. The next step would have been making a copy from the original but Mrs. Shuzen refused to bring you back to me."

"Did she give a reason why?"

Touhou chuckled at Moka with a puff of smoke.

"She was upset that I had sent Akua back to Japan without warning her."

"Is there a way for us to change how the rosary works?"

"He has the original now, Tsukune. He can make a copy of the memory matrix if he wants to."

Kurumu shivered at Moka's response. She wished they had been able to talk to Touhou about Hatsue before this ceremony but the old man had not bothered waking up before lunch.

"Very well. I shall repair the seal."

Touhou turned his back to them, placing his pipe on the altar. He drifted around to the back of the altar, picking up the ceremonial blade. He made sweeping hand gestures, dipping the tip of the blade into one of the saucers as he placed a charm upon the altar. He drew the blade across the charm.

"Even after Alucard murdered her husband and children, Akasha hoped that her beloved uncle would change his ways. The rosary did not fail to suppress his Shinso blood. It was her lack of conviction which allowed Alucard to escape his death at our hands."

Touhou continued to make movements with his sword as he placed more charms upon the altar.

"If she had truly wished for his death, he would have died. But her heart was too soft. His body went dormant but his blood remained powerful. His regeneration unparalleled. Blood calls to blood."

"Are you saying that her blood synchronized with his?"

Touhou speared one of the charms and walked around the altar.

"Quiet. This is an important part. Unlock Seal!"

Touhou leveled the blade towards Moka, touching the tip against her rosary. The charm caught fire, disintegrating as an array of white lights spilled out from the rosary.

"What is that?"

Yukari grabbed Kurumu's arm, preventing her from approaching like Mizore and Tsukune had. The witch shook her head at Kurumu before turning her eyes back to the ceremony.

"Are those lasers shooting out of the rosary?"

Touhou chuckled at Tsukune's awe.

"What you are seeing is called the spell crest. This is the foundation of the magic seal."

"It's not that impressive. A witch can see that without taking it out of its box."

"Be mindful of your elders, young lady. It's easier to fix things this way."

"Is Hatsue in that?"

Touhou made a contemplative sound.

"Quite the number has been done on the memory matrix. A whole section has been cut out"

"Is that a problem?"

"Repairing the seal will be much easier than repairing this. The seal might take a couple hours but the memory prism could take me a whole day."

"Isn't it all the same thing?"

"No. A seal is a kind of filter. It connects with the host's mind and spirit, limiting the host's powers and actions. For example if I were to put this seal on a deranged serial killer, the person would become no different than an average law abiding citizen."

Mizore nodded thoughtfully.

"So if we put that seal on Ginei…"

"Then he would just be an average scumbag."

Kurumu snickered at Yukari's remark, reaching over to tousle the girl's hair.

"Maybe he should make us a few copies."

"Does my holy lock behave the same way?"

Tsukune held up his right arm, tugging down his sleeve to reveal the chain of the holy lock.

"Why are you wearing one of those?"

"The Headmaster gave it to me to keep my vampire blood in check."

"Vampire blood! Why do you have that?!"

Suddenly the lights spilling out of the rosary wavered. Touhou turned back to face Moka and gasped as white lines snaked out like whips, piercing through the elder's head and shoulders.

"I've lost control of the containment field! Don't get hit by these lights!"

Yukari yanked Kurumu by the arm as the witch threw herself to the floor, causing Kurumu to tumble on top of her. Huang also hit the floor as the others cried out in alarm.

When Kurumu looked up, she saw the lines snap back into the rosary. Moka, Tsukune, Mizore and Touhou all fell to the floor in unison.

"What happened?"

"Signal rejection."

Kurumu frowned as she picked herself up from the floor. She offered Yukari a hand. Yukari sighed as she took Kurumu's hand, getting up.

"It's probably my fault for cutting the spell up. It wasn't stable enough to be pulled out of the rosary."

"And you didn't warn him?!"

"He's a dark lord, Kurumu. I'm sorry for thinking he would know what he was doing."

Huang wandered over to the others, kneeling beside Tsukune. Placing his hands on the prone boy, he shook Tsukune firmly.

"Wake up, Mr. Aono."

"That's not going to work."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"It's a memory matrix and a seal. Both spells are rooted in the mind. When the spell snapped back into its box, it took the mind of every person it connected with."

Kurumu gasped, hurrying over to Mizore's side. She dragged the snow girl up into her lap.

"Mizore. Please, wake up!"

"Save the hysteria, Kurumu. It's not helping."

Kurumu whimpered as Yukari strolled over to join them.

"What do we do?"

"The seal requires a host body so that can't be the issue here. It must be the memory matrix."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?"

Yukari huffed at Huang.

"Are you actually a sorcerer? I feel like I shouldn't have to explain this to you."

"Well you'd have to explain it to me."

"They are in a world of memories, Kurumu. And a lot of that spell was shattered when I pulled Hatsue out of it. I don't know how stable that world is."

"Are they safe?"

"They are with Touhou Fuhai. I would hope that is safe but I can't tell you."

"Can't you pull them out?"

"I don't have a spell for that."

Huang got to his feet with a decisive nod.

"I'll get my sister. Call my cousin. Bring every sorcerer at our disposal to find a solution for this."

Kurumu nodded as the young man stalked out of the room with purpose. She caressed Mizore's pale face as she looked at Yukari.

"What should we do?"

Yukari smiled apologetically.

"I guess we wait."

"It's a good thing that we are in the care of the prestigious, influential Huang family. At least I don't have to worry about my cup ever being empty."

Ms. Huang giggled as she poured Kurumu another glass of tea. Like her brother, she was actually dressed in something different. The black outfit was short sleeved but clung to her skin like a bodysuit. Despite having a mandarin collar, the front was open so much that it would barely be acceptable to be worn out in public. A simple tug would cause one of her breasts to spill out. The black garment swept down the curves of her body, ending halfway down her thighs. A red dragon coiled its way around her torso.

"This is Pu'erh tea, Ms. Kurono."

"Hard to enjoy your expensive tea while my friends remain comatose."

Yukari sighed, seated on the floor next to a blanket they had rolled out. They had placed Moka in the middle with Mizore on her left. Tsukune was on the other side of Moka with the old man to his right.

"There is nothing we can do but wait."

"Well I can't wait any longer. It's been three hours."

"We've tried everything we can. Two family physicians and a sorceress all said the same thing."

Ms. Huang nodded solemnly at her brother's declaration.

"None of them respond to external stimuli."

"And I thought for certain that Mr. Aono would wake up to his hand being in that water."

"That's a prank, Huang. If Tsukune asks why he pissed himself, you are going down."

"If they don't wake up soon, they could die."

Kurumu grimaced at the sister's serious remark, setting her cup of tea aside.

"You're joking, right? You can't sleep yourself to death."

"She's not wrong, Kurumu. Even if you're sleeping, your body still needs things like food and water."

"But it takes days for a person to die from dehydration."

Yukari snorted at Huang.

"With your family resources, you could afford to put them in a hospital."

"That is a good point, Ms. Sendou. People can live indefinitely on life support."

Kurumu's heart tightened as she placed her hands on her head.

"Life support?! But that means they'd be like half dead!"

"Still better than being all dead."

Kurumu whimpered at the sister's amused remark.

"There must be something I can do. Mrs. Shuzen wouldn't have been so adamant about me coming along if I was useless."

"You weren't useless. Without you, the situation on the plane would have been much worse."

Kurumu scowled at Yukari, refusing to believe that they could do nothing. She knelt down by Mizore's head, touching the snow girl's shoulders.

"I'm going into Mizore's mind and bringing her back."

"She's not there, Kurumu."

Ignoring the witch, Kurumu took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She pushed her mind outwards but there was nothing. It was exactly the same as when they had fought against an illusion in Yukimura. She felt no sentience or even a primitive awareness. It was like trying to commune with an object.

Kurumu whimpered, shaking her head. She opened her eyes with tears threatening to spill out.

"It can't be. There has to be something."

"I told you before. Their minds have been drawn into the memory matrix."

"Is it possible for their minds to die?"

Yukari frowned at Huang.

"I have no idea. I suppose if the memory matrix collapses, it could destroy their minds."

"Would their bodies die if that happened?"

"No. The body only requires nutrition and a spirit. A sentient mind is optional."

Kurumu refused to accept this. She stood up, unbuttoning her black denim jeans. Huang gasped with carnal desires as she tugged the tight fabric down her hips. As she had feared, she was dragging her panties down too.

"What are you doing?!"

"I'm going to use Lilith's Eye."

Kurumu wiggled the jeans down her thighs. Annoyed by his appreciation of her trimmed garden, she grabbed her black boyshorts with the white heart pattern and dragged them back up. She smoothed the lace hem about her waist before resuming her efforts to free her legs of the jeans.

"Should my brother leave the room?"

"I don't care what the two of you do. I'm going to rescue my friends."

She kicked her feet out of the jeans, reaching behind her to tug the hem of her boyshorts down. Her tail eased out, rapidly extending to the length of her legs. With a flex of her muscles, the ropy appendage slithered up into her left hand. Grabbing her tail beneath the spade end, she eased the four symmetrical petals apart, revealing a shimmering stigma in the center.

Not wanting to remove her citrine earring, she cocked her head and reached over to tug her earlobe aside as she guided her stigma to her left ear. She gasped as her stigma pushed into a small, sensitive hole behind her ear.

She shivered as she opened her eyes in a new world. The room appeared the same but the atmosphere and flow of energy were now under her control. The Huang siblings shared curious glances.

"What just happened?"

Yukari sighed, getting to her feet. With a thought, the witch became the nineteen year old version of herself that everyone had seen when Yukari had used her growth candies. Her dark hair lengthened to reach the small of her back while her bosom threatened to spill out of her outfit which had adjusted to her new height. She was almost as tall as Ms. Huang.

"This is Lilith's Eye. A dream world inside Kurumu's mind."

Kurumu pouted as she looked over the four supine figures lying on the blanket.

"Why are they not here?"

"Because we already established that the Lilith's Eye does not work on mindless creatures and people whom are unconscious."

"Then why did you even let me try?!"

Yukari sighed at her scowl.

"Because I thought there was a chance that you might pull Moka in here. Because of the rosary, the way she has reacted to your Lilith's Eye has always been different."

"So this is Lilith's Eye. It feels… strange."

"That's because it isn't real, Ms. Huang. Kurumu has full control over this world."

"Then she made you older?"

Yukari turned to Huang, shaking her head.

"No. We have some control over our appearance though she could rob us of that if she really wanted to. I can even cast spells inside here because she trusts me."

"I must say that you are beautiful."

Yukari huffed, turning her back on the young man.

"Don't bother. You're in love with Ms. Hitsuji."

"Acknowledging a flower's beauty does not make other flowers less beautiful."

"I'm not a flower, Huang. Shut up."

"My brother can marry more than one woman."

"I'm not interested!"

Ms. Huang chuckled at Yukari's defiance. She looked about the room with an appreciative nod.

"This is truly fascinating. To think that I would see the power of Lilith's Eye."

"Right now the four of us are as helpless as these four. You need to take us out of here, Kurumu."

Kurumu shook her head, knowing that she must be missing something.

"What about dream walking? We could enter Tsukune's dream while inside Lilith's Eye."

"Because his mind was in his body, Kurumu. Go ahead and touch your mental projection of his body but don't be surprised if it's as empty as Shirayuki's body was in the real world."

Kurumu scowled, kneeling by Mizore. While she had experience wandering into Tsukune's dreams, she had no desire diving inside of him with the possibility of facing the ghoul. She placed her hands on Mizore's temples and felt around with her mind. It was exactly as Yukari had predicted.

"There has to be something here."

Yukari got down by Moka's head, reaching over to tap the rosary.

"They are inside here, Kurumu. Unless you can get your mind inside this thing, it's not going to work."

"But we could communicate with Hatsue when we held the rosary."

"Because the rosary had Hatsue's soul. Without a soul, it's just an object."

"Isn't that the girl Mr. Aono was concerned with?"

Yukari sighed at Huang, looking up at him.

"Yes. We moved Hatsue into the baby that Mizore is carrying to save the baby's life."

"But if you did that, then there was no way for this Hatsue to manifest after the seal was repaired."

Kurumu grimaced, realizing there was no backing out of this now.

"Tsukune doesn't know."

"There still is a chance that Master Touhou could make an artificial copy of Hatsue from what is left inside the memory matrix. He made that Jasmine for Moka's sister."

"Was that your plan? To make a fake Hatsue?"

"We hadn't planned anything, Kurumu. It was just a possible option for us. If Tsukune had not insisted on being here, we would have told Master Touhou about it."

Kurumu sighed, supposing there was no point arguing this now. She reached up to her ear, feeling for a tail which was not there. She breathed in deep, relaxing her mind.

Warm fluids spilled down her shoulder as she eased the stigma out of the hole beneath her earlobe. She saw Huang stagger as he came out of the trance. Yukari was once again eleven years old. Reddish brown fluids continued to trickle out of her stigma as she became aware of a small puddle against her left thigh.

"That was surreal."

Kurumu stumbled over to Moka's head, kneeling down as the spade end of her tail naturally closed.

"How do I get inside the rosary?"

"There might be spells for this that I don't know about. Are there other sorcerers you can call on?"

"Our cousin does have more experience than Mrs. Wai with magical artifacts."

"She'll be here for dinner?"

"Yes, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. She's three years younger than I am, Ms. Sendou. Her experience might not be adequate for this."

Yukari sighed with exasperation.

"The Huang family can't only have two sorcerers at their beck and call."

"True but Father is more into summons. This is not his area of expertise."

Ms. Huang nodded at her brother's comment.

"We do have others we could turn to, but we don't want to broadcast that our greatest defense against a Miao family invasion has been incapacitated."

"You don't have to tell these people that your Master Touhou is involved."

Ms. Huang smiled at Yukari with a slight shake of her head.

"But they will know when they get here. If they are unable to fix this, they would leave our home with this harmful knowledge."

"So don't let them leave."

"Now you're being unreasonable."

"But if you have to take them to a hospital, won't the Miao family find out?"

Ms. Huang nodded thoughtfully at Kurumu's inquiry.

"I'll talk to Father. Update him on the situation and see how he wants to proceed."

The woman turned about and stalked off. Kurumu sighed, absently toying with Moka's bangs.

"I'm a succubus. I have the power to enter other people's dreams. I should be able to enter Moka's mind and bring back anybody who's trapped inside of it."

"They're not inside Moka's mind, Kurumu. They're inside the rosary's memory matrix."

"But isn't the Rosario seal connected to the host's mind and spirit?"

Yukari gasped at Huang's query.

"That's right. There should be a bridge between Moka and the rosary."

Kurumu placed her hands on Moka's temples.

"So I should be able to reach them if I enter Moka's mind."

"In theory. But Moka's mind might have been pulled inside the rosary too. There might not be anything for you to connect to."

Kurumu sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I have to try."

"You can do it, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu smirked at his vote of confidence. She pushed her mind out but there was nothing for her mind to latch onto.

"I used to think her powers were only in her looks."

Kurumu's eyes snapped open and she scowled at him.

"Why you little… whatever."

She shook her head as she willed a finger into a talon. She pressed the tip of the talon against the side of Moka's neck, pushing it through the flesh above the collar.

"What are you doing?!"

"I need a direct connection. It was the only way I could reach you while you were drugged by Yakumaru."

Kurumu withdrew her talon with a slight trickle of blood. Blood welled up in the injury but did not spill out, much like Kurumu had seen with Kokoa's injuries. Vampires truly were amazing.

Grabbing her tail, she parted her petals once more which caused a gush of red fluids to spill out. She guided the bloodied stigma over to the wound, glancing up at Yukari.

"I'm going to be out of it so you'll have to protect us."

"Assuming this works."

"It has to work, Yukari. Here I go."

Kurumu pushed her stigma into the wound, shivering from the friction against that sensitive membrane. Her mind spiraled out into darkness which caused her a moment of terror. She had no sense of direction as her awareness tumbled through oblivion. There had to be something though. Her mind would have not been able to enter this darkness if there was nothing.

"Kurumu?"

Her feet hit something solid, but the blackness enveloped her. A white light called to her. As she drew closer that white light became the figure of a child with bright white wings.

"Hatsue?"

The name caused the child's appearance to take more definition. Her hair lengthened and became a light shade of pink. But the eyes regarding Kurumu were the same bright sapphires Mizore possessed. A white sundress hung from her slender shoulders by thin straps.

"How did I get here?"

Kurumu's heart melted at the high pitch of the child's voice. She hurried across the void to reach the girl. She fell to her knees, throwing her arms about the girl in a tight embrace.

"I'm so happy!"

The small girl shivered, timidly returning the hug with small arms.

"I'm not supposed to be here."

Kurumu breathed the girl in, relaxing her grip. She leaned back to arms' length, admiring Hatsue. The child's wings had become the chiropteran wings of a succubus.

"Do you know where you are?"

"The wrong side of the seal."

Hatsue turned, pointing to a new light. As they drifted closer, the light became the view of a bright blue sky through an opening framed in gold.

Kurumu stood up, taking Hatsue by the hand. She walked over to the rectangle, realizing it was a pane of thick glass. She paused within arms' reach of the view of the sky. She glanced down through the view, seeing a stretch of land far below.

"What is this?"

"It was my home."

Kurumu shook her head in disbelief as she took in the view. There was a forest and a huge castle.

"I thought that you lived in darkness when the rosary was removed."

"That memory is not mine."

"That isn't your home?"

"This is the window we talked through. Sometimes I could make my home into one of my memories. But it never looked like that."

Kurumu smiled, knowing this was a world created by Moka's memory. She turned upon Hatsue, kneeling down to give the girl another hug.

"I have to go through there. Do you know how?"

"Moka won't let me. She pushed me out before I understood what was going on."

"Because you shouldn't be here."

Kurumu shivered at a familiar voice, though it was pitched higher. She looked to the glass and a child with silver hair stood in the sky. It was Moka. Her white dress was fancier with lace across the top and bottom hems. The top section had black strings down the center of her torso. Three more sections of ruffled fabric came down from her waist to the hem about her calves.

"Moka! What are you doing?"

"Keeping her out. Take her home."

Kurumu frowned at Moka.

"How do I do that?"

"I don't know. But she shouldn't be here."

"Is everything okay?"

Kurumu smiled at Hatsue.

"We were trying to repair the rosary. Master Touhou lost control of a spell and somehow the minds of Tsukune, Mizore and Moka got pulled into the memory matrix."

"I've already told her that."

"Has it really been two weeks? It feels like you told me goodbye only an hours ago?"

"Almost two weeks. Can I pick you up?"

"I don't see why not."

Kurumu pulled the girl into her arms before she got up to her feet. It felt like she had all of Hatsue. She could take this girl back home. But the issue was she had no idea where the girl's home was.

"Where are the others?"

"They're somewhere in here."

"Couldn't you have kicked them out like you did to Hatsue?"

"I didn't want to risk that dummy diving back inside here. And the last thing we need is Tsukune coming in contact with her."

Kurumu nodded, squeezing the angel in her arms.

"Well I have to disconnect for a moment. I just realized that I'm not holding anyone's hands so I can't take Tsukune or Mizore back to their bodies. And I might need Yukari's help to put this girl back where she belongs. Hopefully she can steer me to the baby inside Mizore."

"You just dived in here without thinking?!"

Hatsue giggled at Moka's reaction.

"That's our Kurumu."

"Don't gang up on me. I was worried. They've been unconscious for over three hours."

"Then hurry up, Kurumu. I'm doing all I can to keep this world stable with my memories. I don't know how long I can keep this up."

Kurumu smiled, leaning forward to let Hatsue down on her tiny feet.

"I'll be right back for you, Hatsue. Don't cause Moka any trouble."

"Okay, Mom."

Kurumu smirked at Hatsue's angelic smile. She would come back to them. They just had to be patient.

Emboldened by this truth, Kurumu closed her eyes and relaxed her consciousness. Her eyes opened in the real world and she rasped out a breath. Yukari turned sharply at her with inquisitive eyes.

"Did it work?"

"Not yet. I need Mizore's hand and yours."

"Mine? What do you need mine for?"

"Because we need to put a baby girl back where she belongs."

"Hatsue?!"

Kurumu nodded as Yukari crawled over to her side. She offered the witch her hand.

"Yea. And you're going to show me where I'm going."

Kurumu sniffled as she felt the tears rolling down her cheeks. There was quite a sizable puddle against her knee beside Moka's head. She felt exhausted as she wiped away her tears.

"How long have we been out?"

Huang sprung from his chair at the sound of her voice. His sister stood by the altar with Ms. Han. A satin black dress with a crimson lotus pattern and crimson hem hugged the subtle curves of the cousin.

"It's after dinner, Ms. Kurono."

Yukari sniffled, coming out of her daze. The witch rubbed her eyes.

"Are you okay, Ms. Sendou?"

"Yea. What time?"

Huang chuckled as Kurumu released the witch's hand.

"It wouldn't surprise me if it was eight."

"That long?"

"It was after five thirty when I invited our cousin over for dinner."

Kurumu nodded with a sniffle. She gestured at Tsukune.

"Well we aren't done yet."

"You should take a break."

When she shook her head at Yukari's suggestion, Kurumu was assaulted by a sudden spell of dizziness. Her hand came down hard on the floor as her other squeezed Mizore's hand firmly. Yukari grabbed her by the shoulders as Kurumu panted with her head bowed and her vision swimming.

"You have to stop."

"No! We don't know if Moka can keep that world stable. I have to go back in."

"At least drink something. It can't be good for you to lose this much fluid."

Kurumu swallowed thickly, lifting her head back up. She let out a breath.

"Fine. A quick drink. But I need his hand."

"I've got that tea."

It felt wrong. Like she was not really here. Her eyes slowly tracked Ms. Huang's movements as the sister approached. She poured a cup of tea before handing it to Kurumu. Kurumu felt like she might collapse if she tried to lift her hand from the floor.

"Give it to me."

Kurumu wobbled as she saw Yukari drift all the way to the left before appearing on the right. The witch did this three more times before her image remained in the center.

"Open your mouth, dummy."

Kurumu straightened up, feeling more stable. She brought her hand up to touch the bottom of the cup, helping Yukari tip it against her lips. She felt the warm liquid drip into her dry throat. She gagged as she swallowed, causing some to spill out her mouth and down her chin.

"It won't do anybody any good if you pass out in there."

Kurumu gulped down the tea, taking the cup out of Yukari's hand. She tilted her head back with the cup, emptying the contents. The liquid spread warmth down her gullet, reaching her stomach. She sighed, feeling much better as she lowered the cup.

"Yukari. His hand."

"You better not collapse on us."

"If she does, we will move her to the hospital with the others."

"Not comforting at all!"

Kurumu laughed weakly, holding the cup out. Ms. Huang took it from her, offering a smile.

"Do you need another?"

"No. I'll make this work."

"Here. His hand."

Kurumu smiled at Yukari whom wagged his limp arm at Kurumu. Kurumu reached over to take his hand in hers, causing her body to shiver. She wanted so much more than his hand.

"Don't make me regret this."

Kurumu grinned, squeezing his hand and Mizore's. She closed her eyes, feeling her stigma buried within Moka's neck. She pushed her mind outward, knowing where she had to go.

She hit the ground before the window. The child image of Moka was not there, having promised to look for the others after they had left with Hatsue. Kurumu hurried over to the view of the sky, pressing her hands against the glass.

"Moka! Where are you?!"

Only silence answered her. Steeling her nerve, she pushed harder on the glass. Moka would not have stayed here if there was no way of Hatsue getting through. This barrier which had kept the girls separate for years was no longer a true obstacle.

She fell through the glass, shattering through the sky. She tumbled through the sky before she denied gravity, righting herself to look down upon the world of memories below. The castle was built on top of a mountain surrounded by woods. It was huge. Bigger than the snow priestess's temple in Yukimura.

"Moka."

Kurumu turned and her heart fluttered at the sight of a pink haired woman garbed in a black, buttoned up, long sleeve blouse. She was the spitting image of Moka. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a black bow at the base. White ruffled lace lined the hem of her collar and about the bottom hem of the blouse, hanging over a ruffled black skirt which reached the glossy marble floor.

"Your father and I are going to Lord Tomi's birthday party."

Kurumu shivered as Lord Issa strolled over to the woman's side. He was dressed in a black shirt with gold buttons and silver hem. The dark haired man had dark stubble about his mouth as he draped his left arm over the shoulder of the woman.

"We trust you girls are old enough to look after the mansion while we're gone."

"But wasn't Lord Nagi-"

"Has already left for the party, Moka. Your sisters are more than capable of defending the home."

"Yes, Father!"

Akua snatched up the small Moka whom was wearing that sectioned white dress from earlier. At sixteen years of age, Akua was not much shorter than she had been when Kurumu had first met the eldest sister. She was dressed in a sleeveless black dress with a white hem. The dress swept down to her hips where it parted to bare her pale thighs. The fabric continued to her knees, lined with white hem.

"No fighting while we're gone."

A shorter Kahlua giggled as she stepped into the room with a squirming Kokoa in her arms. The silver haired vampire had naturally tanned skin which contrasted against her white, strapless dress. The ankle length garment was wrapped snugly about a torso already betraying the start of her adolescence.

"I promise to keep our little sister behaved, Momma."

"I'll show you little!"

Kokoa flailed her tiny limbs but gagged when her sister squeezed her tightly about her flat chest. The little sister had dark red locks held in twin tails with black glass baubles. The runt had a blouse with fluffy short sleeves and a high collar. A pleated black skirt brushed the top of her scrawny knees.

"There is food in the kitchen. We shall be back late so don't stay up for us."

"Come on, Dear."

Lord Issa steered Akasha towards the main door of the castle. Kurumu could feel Moka's worry as the girl watched her parents depart.

"Finally! We're all alone!"

"Yea. Please don't challenge me to a fight again."

Akua swept Moka's hands up in hers with a bright smile.

"No. No. Must celebrate your first win. Let's play."

"Play? What do you have in mind?"

"Been long time since play with friend. Like cards? Dolls?"

"You play with dolls?"

"Yes. Cute dolls. You have?"

Moka staggered under the weight of Kokoa. The little sister buried her face into Moka's chest, rubbing her nose while holding her tight about the torso.

"Nope! It's my turn to challenge her!"

Akua turned malevolent eyes upon Kokoa which caused Moka's heart to tighten up.

"I'm so sorry!"

Kahlua bounded over to grab Kokoa by the shoulders. She tugged but that only caused Moka to stumble towards her older sister whom happened to be about the same height as Akua.

"She slipped free."

"It's okay. I'll humor the brat."

"Brat?! I'll show you that I'm worthy of Mother's blood!"

Akua said something sharply in a language that was probably supposed to be Cantonese. But since this was a distorted memory of Moka's, it literally was garbled nonsense. The dark haired sister stalked over to the squabbling sisters and seized Kahlua's forearm.

"You. With me!"

"But I'm sorry!"

Akua yanked hard on the girl, causing Kahlua to relinquish her grip on Kokoa. She stumbled after Akua whom steered her off into a side chamber. Kurumu followed the older girls into a study, watching what Moka believed the sisters had gone off to do. Akua stopped at a wooden chess board and sat down heavily on the backless cushioned seat in front of the black pieces.

"Should kill you."

"Momma would cry if you did that."

Akua huffed, gesturing at the white side of board.

"Sit. Play."

Kahlua sighed, acquiescing to the older sister's demands.

"Don't take it out on me. It's Momma's fault for letting Kokoa act like this. She was much better behaved with Mother around."

They moved pieces but at the same time they did not. Because this dream had not been detailed any further than this. Kurumu had seen instances like this in the minds of others. Memories of the past which had been expanded outside the experience within their own bodies. It happened when a person relived a moment over and over, trying to make sense or wanting to feel better about a memory. Miyamoto and Tora both had trauma that she had seen through them and outside of them.

"It's snowing!"

The four sisters had gone outside that night to look at the stars when snow started to fall. Kokoa cackled happily before Kahlua snatched her up in a hug, causing her to squirm.

"Behave yourself. We should turn in for the night."

"Sleep?! No way!"

"Momma said we shouldn't stay up for them."

"Momma won't mind."

Akua stomped over to Kokoa, jabbing the girl in the chest hard enough to make Kokoa gasp.

"But I do. Little girls go bed."

"I guess if you feel that way-"

"Not mean you. Want play dolls."

Kokoa snickered at Akua's reaction.

"Only little girls play with dolls."

Akua turned dead eyes upon the little sister, causing Kokoa to gulp.

"Can we throw over balcony?"

Moka laughed, hurrying over to her sisters. She touched Akua's shoulder.

"Please don't. She's our precious sister."

"She dumber than Earl Grey. Least he know not to bite."

"I'm smarter than our dog!"

Kahlua yipped when something struck her shoulder, causing her to let go of Kokoa. Kokoa instantly hid behind Moka, sticking her tongue out and pulling her eyelid down at Akua.

"Why you-"

The wind picked up and more objects plunked upon the balcony. Moka hopped back as several chunks of ice struck the concrete at her feet. Akua swatted a pair of missiles, knocking one right into Kahlua. The tanned girl whined.

"You did that on purpose!"

"What this? Sky attack?"

"It's hail! Get inside!"

Kokoa scurried off at Kahlua's cry, reaching the door first. She threw it open with enough force to knock it off its hinges. The smallest sister sprinted over to the fireplace, snatching up a black poker. She whirled about, brandishing her weapon.

"I'll defend this fire with my life!"

Moka shook her head as she examined the door. She hefted it up and shared a glance with Kahlua. Her tanned sister was whimpering with a half dozen welts on her shoulders and back. Akua remained out on the balcony, peering intently up at the sky.

"Akua?"

"I swear she must have lived a sheltered life if she doesn't know what hail looks like."

Moka smiled at Kahlua before she rested the door against the frame. She had no idea how to put it back up or if it was even possible. She shivered as the wind carried into the room.

"Akua. Come inside."

Akua relaxed, allowing a bunch of icy missiles to strike her. The girl shivered and turned about, finally opening her dark purple eyes. She held her hand out to Moka.

"Shall we dance?"

"But the hail-"

"I can protect you."

"Silly girl. Even if you swat all the hail aside, you'll freeze. Have some sense and come inside."

Akua shivered again, clutching her arms about her torso. She yielded to Kahlua's beckoning gesture.

"Oh. Is very cold."

Moka and Kahlua laughed as their odd older sister trotted into the lounge.

"I am the Queen of the Flame! You must bow to me to approach my bountiful warmth!"

"Still say throw over balcony."

Moka and Kahlua shared another laugh before they both shivered from another blow of wind.

"What should we do? I can't fix the door."

"We tell Momma that Kokoa broke the door."

"It's the door's fault for being too weak!"

Kokoa gasped when Akua snatched the poker out of her grasp in the blink of an eye. The next blink had Akua cracking Kokoa's head with the iron device, bringing their little sister to her knees.

"Good girl. Bow to my warmth."

Kokoa whimpered with tears in her eyes as she cradled her head.

"We should go to our bedrooms."

"But won't Momma get angry if we just leave this door open like this?"

Kahlua frowned at Moka.

"But we can't fix it."

"One of us needs to stay up and tell Momma what happened."

"I do. Protect Moka from bad weather."

"But you'll get cold if you stay in here."

"Cold no bother."

Kahlua giggled, grabbing Moka by the shoulder and steering her away from the door.

"Go get a blanket, Moka. We can't let this dummy do this alone."

Kurumu smiled, watching the girls manage the rest of the night under the warmth of one blanket. Even knowing that she would get in trouble, Kokoa had stuck with her sisters. She was the first to fall asleep in Moka's lap. The scene continued despite Moka falling asleep next. The other sisters simply closed their eyes seconds after Moka and then they all vanished from the room.

"Over here."

Kurumu turned around, now standing in the middle of a forest. She glanced up, spying a small structure. She floated up to the doorway, smiling upon seeing a small Moka in a black dress. The girl looked directly at her, gesturing for her to enter.

"Is this you this time?"

Moka huffed as Kurumu stepped onto the wood planks. She ducked through the small opening but the room beyond was not much bigger. There was a small dollhouse on her left with a half dozen small dolls dressed in different colored kimonos. The child Moka sat down on a black cushion, picking up a white doll with a crimson kimono and black hair.

"This was our hideaway from Kokoa. She'd challenge me multiple times a day if not for this place."

Kurumu grinned, sitting down on a bench built into this side of the small space.

"I could feel how much you cared about your sisters."

"I love my sisters. I just wished that they would have given Hatsue a chance."

"We put her back, Moka. That baby will be our Hatsue."

Moka trembled with emotions, setting aside the doll and picking up another in a pale green outfit.

"This is hard, Kurumu. Reliving what I've lost. It makes me realize how much better things could have been for Hatsue. Mother could have let us be a family."

"She made the wrong choice, Moka. She couldn't see what you saw in Hatsue. And the men she sought for counsel didn't help."

"It's my fault, Kurumu. I could have opened up to Hatsue years ago."

Kurumu sighed, feeling she could say the same thing about mommy. So many years that could have been better if she had not been so stubborn.

"We can't have a better past, Moka. We just have to do better for the future."

"I'm scared, Kurumu. What if we don't all make it? What future do we have?"

Kurumu was upon Moka in a heartbeat, folding the child up in her arms. She pushed Moka's cheek against her breast, feeling the vampire quiver in her arms.

"We will get through this. We all will."

"He has two of my sisters, Kurumu. Two."

Kurumu shuddered, knowing how hard it would be to promise a happy ending for everyone.

"We can talk later, Moka. I need to find the others. We need to repair this rosary."

Moka nodded against her breast. The girl pushed on her sides, encouraging Kurumu to loosen her hold. Moka sniffled, looking up into her eyes.

"They are at the end. When Momma died."

"Where is that?"

Moka pointed at the entrance of the small structure.

"Please don't go anywhere! I don't want to say goodbye!"

The screams of another Moka caused Kurumu to shiver. She straightened up as much as she could in this small space, tugging Moka with her but the girl pulled out of her grasp.

"I can't go with you. I have to stay here."

"What are you talking about?"

"I can't leave until all of you are out. Hurry, Kurumu. I don't want them to see these memories."

"Mother?! What's happening?"

Kurumu grimaced, feeling Moka's strong desire to prevent Tsukune from witnessing this. She rushed out of the small structure, shattering through the gap of time.

She was falling from the sky. She saw the broken remnants of the castle below her. The air was thick with a nauseating and oppressive presence. A massive hand was thrust up from the structure, serving as a platform for the screaming child. Akasha was suspended above the girl, dressed in glossy black leather lingerie. Multiple tentacles had pierced the woman's body.

"I'm so sorry, Moka. Forgive your mother."

Moka collapsed on the palm, crying out.

"It hurts… Mother… it hurts…"

Kurumu tore her gaze away from the familiar nightmare. She had to find Tsukune.

"What's happening to Moka?!"

"It's the sealing ritual!"

The voices drew Kurumu's attention to a small speck in the sky. She zipped towards it, knowing that had to be her friends.

"I'm sorry. But you must be sealed away. Our blood has synchronized with his. This is the only way I can put him to rest at this time."

Kurumu hurtled towards her target which became larger. It was Mizore and Tsukune and they were on a floating carpet. Their attention was fixed upon the scene unfolding below.

"Please… don't go…"

"Sleep, my precious treasure. She will protect you till the time is right."

"Tsukune!"

He tore his gaze away to see Kurumu as she swept in upon them.

"I gave the rosary a template of my personality. I hope that will be enough for her."

Tsukune's eyes went wide as he looked back to the scene the moment before Kurumu smashed into him, forcing the carpet down.

"Moka's silver hair. Look. It's becoming the same color as Akasha's."

Kurumu grabbed the stunned young man by his shirt, yanking him up. But his eyes remained wide.

"Did she just say she was a template?"

"Mother…"

"Goodbye, my love. Don't ever give up and always do your best."

Moka screamed out as her mother was drawn into the maw of the beast. Then the whole sky about them cracked and segmented with glimpses into oblivion.

"Damn! Are we out of time?!"

Kurumu thrust her finger to the sky.

"We have to get out of here! Moka can't keep this place stable forever!"

"But Moka just collapsed."

"That's a memory, Mizore. Moka is desperately trying to keep this world intact until I get you all out."

"How did you get in here, little lady?"

Kurumu grinned at Touhou.

"I'm a succubus. Dreams are my backyard. Though I've had to make a few detours."

"Detours? This isn't just a dream world, child. It's a memory matrix. I've been trying to figure a way out of here since we arrived."

"Well you probably can't find it because you don't know what you're looking for."

"If you know the way out, then we shouldn't stick around here."

"Yea. I am getting tired. Follow me."

Kurumu stepped over to grab Mizore, tugging the snow girl tightly against her. She shot up into the sky, thinking about her destination. It would be a window with a golden frame.

"Don't get too far ahead, little lady."

Kurumu shivered, feeling his awareness trying to look up this dress she had instinctively clothed her mental projection in. She squeezed Mizore tighter to her.

"Don't worry. I'll be able to tell when you're not trying to see my panties."

The elder chuckled as he steered his flying carpet close behind them.

"Those aren't really your panties, young lady. I am enjoying the beauty of your mind."

Kurumu smirked, thinking that was a smooth compliment.

"Will you be able to find your way out of Moka's mind once we're outside of the memory matrix? I have hold of Tsukune's and Mizore's hand but I don't have a direct connection to you."

"No worries, young lady. I am quite experienced getting in and out of young girls."

Kurumu could only regret asking. They shot up into the darkness, entering thick resistance. It was like pushing through water instead of air. The further they progressed into the void, the stronger the current worked against them.

"It's like we're in the ocean."

Kurumu grimaced at Mizore's comment, shaking her head.

"No. Worse. More like sludge."

"Sludge has a current?"

"This is a magical current you are feeling, girls. It is a layer of the seal's defense."

"You might want to fix that because it was a lot easier coming in."

Touhou chuckled as he kept close on her heels.

"I've scoured this layer with part of my consciousness earlier but could find no weakness."

"Don't worry. I know what I'm looking for."

"Good. Right now I'm only concentrating on the glimpse of your panties."

"Should you be admitting that?!"

"I have to. If I stop, I might lose sight of you and there's no telling how long it might take our two minds to find each other again in this chaos."

Kurumu sighed with a shake of her head. She would have to punish that old man afterwards.

"Kurumu. Did you hear what Akasha said?"

Kurumu shivered at Tsukune's voice.

"Hatsue is a tsukumogami, Tsukune. We proved that."

"Is she, Kurumu? Did we really prove that?"

"All she said was that she gave the rosary a template of her personality. That doesn't mean that Hatsue doesn't exist."

"Did the tsukumogami have a personality before Akasha gave it one?"

Kurumu scowled, looking back at him. But her anger fled when she saw the emptiness in his eyes.

"She was alive, Tsukune. Ask Moka. Hatsue was alive."

"You were right, Kurumu. The girl I love. Never existed."

"Pull yourself together, boy. If you get swept away in this darkness, we might never get you back."

"I can't believe it. I didn't want to know. I never should have found out."

Kurumu cried out when Tsukune lost hold of the carpet, spiraling out into the darkness and vanishing. Mizore sobbed against her breast as Kurumu turned angry eyes upon Touhou.

"Why didn't you grab him?"

"Because I need to focus on your lovely panties or I would get lost too. That boy should have been doing the same."

Kurumu gritted her teeth as she swung her eyes forward. She needed to focus. She needed to find that window. She had to bring these two out before she could go back for Tsukune.

It felt like an eternity before she finally saw the deeper void before her. It was a perfect rectangle with the golden frame border barely notable in the blackness. She squeezed the sobbing Mizore tighter to her bosom as she shot through the barrier.

The moment she passed through it, the resistance ceased. She whirled about, confirming that Touhou had followed her through.

"I'm taking Mizore back to her body and going back in after Tsukune."

"Wait, Kurumu! Let me help!"

Kurumu pushed herself into Mizore's body before the snow girl could resist. The moment she was there, she let go of Mizore's consciousness. She immediately returned to the void of Moka's mind.

"Are you sure about this?"

Kurumu ignored Touhou whom still remained here. She hurried back to the window. There was no sky on the other side now. Just blackness.

"He's lost, Ms. Kurono."

Kurumu scowled, pressing her hands against the glass.

"Moka won't come out if I don't get him. Go to your own body."

Not caring to hear a response, Kurumu pushed through the barrier. She was swept away by the current of the seal this time which frightened her. She worried that Moka was losing control.

"Moka! Hear me! Take me to Tsukune!"

The ground beneath her became solid as she materialized in a small room. A pink haired Moka picked up a stool and tossed it through the window, causing the glass to shatter.

"Mother!"

The child slammed her fists on a desk, causing the top to crack in half. A second slam caused the desk to collapse in a broken heap.

"Why?! Come back!"

She yanked her blankets off the small bed, falling to her knees next to the mattress. She pressed her face against the bed and sobbed.

"Please. I'm trying. Let me be your Moka. Please. Don't leave me."

Kurumu shivered from the wealth of heavy emotions permeating the air. A small hand touched her side. She glanced down at another Moka dressed in the same white polo and skirt as the sobbing girl.

"This was the day I first reached her. After Mother refused to acknowledge her as her daughter. She had been praying for months that Mother would take her home. Because none of the kids at school liked a pink haired girl."

Kurumu felt the tears rolling down her cheeks as the girl continued to bawl, floundering about on the floor. She grabbed stuff that had been on the desk, chucking it aimlessly about.

"Please. Love me. Please."

"What did your mother tell her?"

The Moka beside her trembled with her own emotions.

"That she was Moka's mother. That she wouldn't take her back until she was Moka again."

The child wailed pathetically as she pounded on the floor with tiny fists which splintered the wood.

"What must I do? Help me. Please God. Please. I can't bear this alone."

Kurumu's heart ached, feeling helpless. It was not just her own as this was how this Moka felt. Trapped on the other side of a window. Screaming at Hatsue. Screaming for Mother.

"I've been in love with you from the moment I met you."

Kurumu turned, noticing Tsukune was also in the room. His eyes were fixed upon the sobbing girl. He clenched his fists as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"And I want to be with you. I want to be by your side forever."

Kurumu rushed over to him, folding him up in an embrace. She cried out when he suddenly went limp.

"Tsukune? Tsukune!"

"Take him out of here, Kurumu."

Kurumu shivered as the silver haired girl drifted over to the pink haired child. The girl looked at them and they were suddenly in a void.

"Who's there?"

The silver haired girl pounded on a glass barrier between them, catching the attention of the other. The girl cocked her head as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Are you Moka?"

Kurumu's heart twisted at the bittersweet start of a relationship between two abandoned souls. Shaking her head, she looked to the horizon. Clutching him close, she shot up into the void.

"I'm sorry, Tsukune. But that girl will never be yours."