-IIXII-

"You don't talk much, do you?"

Reimu glanced at Rookie as he trailed behind her, further proving her point when she received no answer. She did however notice the small shrug he had given her. She moved her eyes back to the path ahead and continued on.

"Pretty silent for someone called 'Rookie'. If I didn't know any better, I would've probably assumed you were mute," she commented.

She could feel Rookie staring at the back of her head, paying it no mind of course.

"In any case, since talking isn't your thing, I suggest you stay close to me if you don't want to get dragged away by some youkai that might be lurking around us," Reimu said. It was difficult to tell at a glance, but she was constantly making sure that nothing was around to jump at them.

Rookie nodded her way. He kept his fingers tightly wrapped around his M7S SMG while also making sure to be an arm's length away from the Hakurei Miko. He followed her example and became more cautious of his surroundings.

The walk was relatively silent. No youkai appeared to be around to cause them trouble, which was fortunate. But soon enough, the two would later realise that the possibility of a lurking youkai was not their biggest concern. It was something else entirely.

"Stop."

Reimu held out her gohei, halting the ODST behind her. She could sense something in the distance. She closed her eyes to better listen to her surroundings, and not a moment too soon the sound of numerous objects speeding through the skies were caught by her ears. Noises of rapid plasma fire were what followed after. It was safe to assume that Rookie was aware of what went on judging by his body language.

The noises were closing in on their location. The two then noticed a handful of green projectiles moving in a straight line through the clouds, along with countless of blue ones. At that point it was easy to piece all the pieces together.

"I think someone up there has a Banshee problem," Reimu said. "Fought those things before. They're agile, but nothing to be worried about-"

An explosion went off above the clouds, indicating that something was shot down. An object could be seen falling from the sky at a rapid pace, trailing off black smoke from the explosion. It headed straight for them.

Reimu squinted her eyes in order to identify what it was. Though she gasped upon realising that it wasn't an object, but rather a person. A familiar person at that.

"Koishi!?"

The satori crashed into the dirt before them, sizzling and groaning. Her clothes were a bit tattered due to the amount of punishment she had taken from the blast, and it was no surprise that she was unconscious.

Reimu quickly went to her side, kneeling down to check on her. Rookie on the other hand opted to stay where he was, gazing up at the clouds just in time to see another fight break loose.

"Just what was she even doing up there?" Reimu found herself asking. She was relieved to see Koishi only suffering from minor burns and injuries, but it was still a worrying sight to say the least.

SNAP!

"Huh?" Reimu turned to the silent ODST when he snapped his fingers to gain her attention. She saw him nodding his head at the sky, making her look to see what he was on about. "The Banshees are... still at it? Then that means... there's someone else up there!"

Reimu immediately got up to her feet, and her eyes widened when a familiar beam of numerous colours came blasting through the clouds. The seemingly endless amount of stars which followed was more than enough for her to figure out who the Banshees were up against.

"Rookie!" Reimu called out. "I'm going up there. I need you to look after the girl. I'll be back, so stay put and keep watch."

Rookie simply nodded. He turned his back to her when she launched herself into the air. He then slowly made his way over to the unconscious Koishi with his back still turned, making sure that nothing was hiding behind the bushes and trees nearby.

-IIXII-