Something was wrong. That, Alice knew with absolute certainty.

She first looked at her hands. They were smaller and… younger than she remembered. Then, down at the rest of herself.

White blouse… Blue suspender skirt…

It was an outfit that was hauntingly familiar, and it was not one that she had expected to ever wear again.

…

Vulnerable… Incredibly vulnerable…

Without her dolls… Without her grimoire… Without Shanghai… Alice felt exposed. All of that comfort, all of her crutches… stripped away in an instant.

…

The scene surrounding her did little to ease her fears.

The once familiar streets of Makai City seemed to twist in on themselves in unnatural ways. An unending flood of panicked residents surged around her. Miraculously, she remained untouched by the crowd.

A great column of fire, unleashing a sky swallowing plume of smoke, burned in the distance. And… it was growing closer.

Alice, despite herself, became seized by the same terror that seemed to infest those around her. Some base, instinctual part of herself was screaming 'Go! Run! Get as far away as you can! NOW!

She obeyed, though try as she might, her limbs felt as though they were made of lead.

She knew… She just knew what was coming next.

From within the smoke, four figures began to emerge. They were equal parts familiar and unfamiliar.

Their proportions were skewed, and as a whole, they were several times larger than they should have been, but their recognizable features were still intact.

A young miko. A rebellious witch. A vengeful spirit. A deadly flower.

These beings were not idle. No, they were unleashing a great magical barrage, concentrated on a single point within the gloom.

Mother…

But it was not truly her mother. No, this figure was a heavily warped mockery of what her mother once was. Far too many wings, far too many eyes. It unleashed damnation upon its opponents, spreading collateral damage as it went.

As it moved closer, disaster followed.

The ground quaked as the firestorm swept across the city. She could hear her own voice screaming.

The buildings became rubble. The fire seared at her skin. A great fissure opened up beneath her and she could do nothing else but fall.

Everything became dark as she hit water. Cold, absolutely frigid water. It immediately soaked her to the bone. No matter how hard she swam, she continued to sink.

Above her, the faces of those she once knew stared down in disappointment.

Alice fought for breath, only to have water rush in instead, leaving her to drown in an endless ocean.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

Alice gasped and coughed as she jolted awake. Her breathing was frantic, her body shuddered, and everything hurt. She could not find the strength to sit up, and so she remained on her back. She brought her hands up to cover her face.

…Her face was wet. She had been crying.

It took several more minutes and all the willpower she could muster to stabilize her breathing and bring herself back down from the sheer panic she was experiencing.

It was a nightmare. She'd gotten herself so worked up over a damn nightmare.

…

Gods, it had been a long time since she'd had one of those.

Alice let out another big sigh as she removed her hands from her face. Instead of being greeted by her familiar wooden ceiling, a white one filled her vision instead.

Confused, she looked down at herself, and then around the room.

She… was tucked into a hospital bed, wearing a thin, white robe. A machine, whose purpose was not immediately apparent, hummed nearby. The walls and floors were a sterile white, and there were a couple of plain pieces of furniture.

Atop a table, her belongings sat. Her clothes were neatly folded and stacked, with her boots right beside them. Her grimoire was there too, still bound in ribbon.

In the chair next to the table, a certain doll sat patiently.

"Shanghai…" As soon as she spoke, she could feel the connection to Shanghai re-establish itself. The doll turned towards her expectantly.

Without so much as lifting a finger, she beckoned her over.

Shanghai wasted no time floating over and settling herself down on Alice's reclining form, who then pulled the doll into a feeble hug.

…

She was hurt. She was weak. She was in the hospital, likely Eientei.

…What happened?

It was hard to think. Her mind was somewhat foggy, and she could already feel a headache coming on.

The plans for a picnic…. Walking through the Forest with Eric... Fighting a deadly pack of feral youkai….

That she remembered. But… she didn't remember making it to a hospital?

…

Her thoughts were cut short as the sound of a door sliding open caught her attention. It was her own door.

A familiar figure entered the room.

Clad in her signature blue and red colors with a white lab coat layered on top, Eirin Yagokoro stepped into the room, clipboard in hand.

She made eye contact with Alice, gave a single nod, and pulled a chair up to her bedside.

"I had been expecting to see you again soon, but not in this sort of condition." Eirin's familiar voice held hints of levity, but her visage remained neutral.

There… There was so much that Alice wanted to know, but because her mind remained fuzzy and her body remained weak, she settled for the first basic question she could muster.

"...How bad was it, truly?"

Eirin elected to answer bluntly. "Had your physiology been any less robust, you would be lying on a slab in the morgue rather than a bed."

"...Oh." That was… incredibly sobering.

She flipped through the papers on her clipboard. "Yes, aside from the nearly fatal blood loss, there was significant damage to the organs on your left side. Namely, lacerations to your stomach and left kidney, as well as the near total destruction of both your spleen and left lung."

Eirin sighed. It… almost sounded like a sigh of relief?

"Fortunately, your body had begun the process of repairing itself during transport. It would not have been sufficient on its own, but it did buy you precious time."

Eirin peered down at Alice. "I cannot possibly stress enough how near you were to death's door. And that applies to both of you."

…Both of us? …Both…

…

"...Eric."

"Yes, the human male that was brought in alongside you."

Alice only managed a look filled with questions.

"For the sake of comparison, his injuries were relatively minor; deep lacerations to his left thigh, accompanied by a compound fracture on his left femur and excessive blood loss." Ever the professional, Eirin maintained an even tone. "It is incredibly fortunate that no vital organs were damaged."

Alice's brows furrowed as she digested the information. Those… didn't sound minor.

"However, unlike you, he is merely human. Had it not been for our swift medical intervention, he, too, would have perished within minutes of his arrival."

…We both almost died…

…

It… was not the first time Alice had experienced near-death.

Once… Only once before had she come so close.

…Although, it had been so long since then that the sensation was almost entirely fresh.

…

It would have been a cruel twist of fate for a youkai with such a long life expectancy to die at such a young age.

…

"How…" She weakly cleared her throat. "How long has it been?"

"Since you arrived? Approximately 36 hours." She appeared to jot something down on her clipboard.

"As expected, you were the first to regain consciousness. That is a simple testament to how swiftly a youkai's body can replenish itself. Opposite to that, it is entirely possible that Eric will remain asleep for another day, possibly two as his own body begins to heal."

"That…long?" Some small part of herself was rather disappointed at that estimate.

She shifted her body in an attempt to sit up straighter. "I… wish to see him." She… wanted to confirm for herself that he was really okay.

Eirin fixed her with a look of mild exasperation. "Not at this time. We may be able to hasten recovery times, but there is no risk-free instant panacea. All bodies have their limits, youkai included."

Alice briefly wanted to protest, but truly could not find the energy to do so.

"Give yourself some time. If I am correct, you should find your strength returning soon enough."

That was sound advice… Doctor's orders…

It didn't make the weakness she felt any less frustrating, however.

"On a related note your mana reserves will take slightly longer to recover than your physical being."

That…certainly caught Alice's attention. She threw another questioning look at the doctor.

Did that mean that she was magically depleted? How long would it take for her to recover? Was it severe enough to prevent her from using any magic at all?

Eirin, likely seeing the concern in her eyes, actually gave Alice a placating smile. "It is not as dire as you may think. Your body simply used everything at its disposal to prolong its own life."

After a beat, she continued. "In an environment such as the Forest of Magic, I would expect it to fully replenish in about a week's time. Until then, simply do not strain yourself. 'Take it easy' as they would say."

Alice nodded.

"I am confident that you understand. You have always been one of our more reasonable clients."

Eirin rose from her seat, clipboard in hand. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have more patients to follow up with."

Alice made the effort to pose a question.

"May I… have a Butterfly Dream Pill?" She could feel exhaustion pulling at her once again, and she was not keen on experiencing more nightmares.

Eirin nodded plainly. "Indeed. I shall have one of the nurses deliver it in my stead."

She made to exit the room, only to stop in the middle of the doorway. She looked back at Alice.

"We may have saved your lives this time, but please do not come to rely on it. I do not condone reckless behavior, nor do I guarantee satisfactory outcomes. Our medicines may be advanced, but they are not miracles. We cannot return the spirit to the body after it has departed, for example. You two would do well to remember that."

And with that, Eirin finally departed, leaving Alice alone with her thoughts.

She hugged Shanghai just a little closer.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

Fortunately for her, it only took Alice another day of rest before she had felt well enough to walk on her own.

She had not fully recovered, mind you, but it was enough.

…There was someone that she had to check on.

…

Having known Marisa and Reimu for so long had evidently conditioned her to assume that humans were actually fairly sturdy.

Especially Marisa. Whether it was due to her highly developed magical ability or just her extreme tenaciousness, she always seemed to spring back from any injury in just a few short days.

But… seeing Eric lying unconscious in his hospital bed, hooked up to a couple of confusingly futuristic Lunarian medical devices… It was enough to remind her how fragile a human body could really be.

His skin was far paler than it should have been; nearly as pale as her own.

His hair, unbound, was splayed out over his pillow. It was clean and, like his hands, held no traces of blood.

His hands… The hands that she had, only a few days ago, considered holding. They were at rest at his sides, just a little bonier, a little more gaunt than she remembered.

Overall, he simply looked small.

Not that he was a particularly large man in the first place. His build was relatively average, perhaps slightly on the thin side. Neither was he tall. In fact, Alice seemed to have a height advantage of almost an inch on him.

His face… To say that his face was peaceful as he slept would have been wishful thinking on her part. It was dishearteningly neutral, devoid of his typical awkward smiles or earnest expressions.

Lying there, he lacked his usual presence. A presence that Alice could not describe, but had quickly become endearing to her.

…

Well, there was no sense in simply standing at the doorway, now was there?

Alice quietly stepped her way into the room with Shanghai in tow.

There was a simple chair against one of the walls. She took the opportunity to have a seat, cradling the doll in her lap as she did so.

Alice let out a sigh as she took the weight off of her feet. She… wasn't 100% yet, that she could certainly tell. But, she also wasn't the type to remain idle for long.

And… There was a part of herself (one that had been growing louder lately) that really wanted to be there when he woke up.

That time would be relatively soon, if Eirin's estimate had been correct.

And so… she waited. Checking her nails for imperfections. Combing her fingers through Shanghai's hair for the third time today. Mentally dissecting her own performance in the previous fight and what she could have done better.

Time passed slowly, or quickly, or perhaps not at all? There was no clock in this room, oddly enough.

At some point, she had scooted the chair up to his bedside.

Her gaze once more fell to his hands.

~~~~~~Tradition's End~~~~~~

Eric, before he could even open his eyes, felt pain.

His body, heavier than he'd ever felt it before, throbbed with a dull ache. Well, almost all of his body.

His leg… Oh, his leg really hurt. It was like an ache, but more intense.

Ugh… He didn't even want to move. If he did, it would probably just make the pain worse.

Maybe if he just lied here, it would eventually go away?

…Where was here, exactly?

…

It really didn't take all that long for him to become aware of another sensation.

Warmth…

Specifically, warmth in his hand. His right hand. And… something was brushing against his skin?

…

Alright… He couldn't fight his curiosity anymore. He simply couldn't.

Opening his eyes had been surprisingly less painful than he'd expected. An unfamiliar ceiling greeted him.

…Where the heck am I?

It was a sterile white.

White… Am I… dead?

…Mmm, no. He couldn't be. He hurt too much to be dead. You couldn't hurt as a spirit, right?

He shifted his head, ever so slightly. Whatever was brushing against his hand hadn't stopped, and he really wanted to know what that sensation was.

His gaze settled upon a certain blonde head of hair. Well, two blonde heads of hair.

…

Eric rarely ever dreamed. Whether it was because he couldn't remember them or because he genuinely didn't have very many, he had no idea.

When he did dream, however, it was usually a jumbled, nonsensical mess.

…That made this dream he was having seem even weirder.

...

Alice was sitting in a chair at his bedside. Well, sitting was a generous way to put it.

She was leaned over, resting her head on her right arm, which was in turn resting on the bed.

She was wearing a white robe instead of her outfit. Shanghai was latched on to her as if she was getting a piggyback ride.

Alice's fluffy hair was disheveled and devoid of its usual headband. It was… a really cute look, if he was being honest.

Although… Alice's eyes were closed. She looked… troubled…

Looking just a little further down, his gaze fell upon his own hand. And… the hand that rested upon it.

Her left hand was warm against his right one. With her thumb, she stroked the back of his hand in a slow, but steady, rhythm.

He'd never felt her hand before. It was… soft.

…Yeah, he was definitely dreaming.

Eric made another effort to sit further upright. He had partial success, but…

Ugh… no, that hurts too much for this to be a dream.

So, if this wasn't a dream, then where was he? Why was Alice here?

…Alice's thumb stopped moving.

He glanced away from their hands and back to her face.

…

Her eyes were open, and…

Gods they are a nice shade of blue.

Eric weakly cleared his throat. Could he even speak? There was only one way to find out.

"Hello… Alice…" he croaked out.

He could see the relief wash over her as if it was a tangible force.

~~~~~~Author's Notes~~~~~~

So! This is a shorter chapter than I'd wanted to write, but circumstances IRL (i.e. moving) have limited my time that I can spend on other things. Having said that, I did at least want to get something out, if for no other reason than I can't just leave y'all hanging like that!

They're fine! Well, as fine as they can be considering they both took some pretty serious damage in the last chapter.

I…don't know exactly how Eientei operates, and I'm not a doctor, so there may be some inaccuracies when it comes to hospital procedures and other medical stuff. They're the best analogue to an emergency room that Gensokyo has, so they're used to medical emergencies, at least.

Eirin, regardless of how she may come across in her private life, actually has a pretty good bedside manner. I think she'd be someone who doesn't like needless waste, lives included. Where's the other Eientei characters? IDK, they probably have their own things going on.

Btw, the hospital robe they have been given to wear is more like the Japanese styled ones, rather than the American-styled hospital gowns. Much more stylish, tbh. And, uh, better quality? Eientei is pretty good at taking care of their patients.

The reason Alice takes the Butterfly Dream Pill? The one that is never detailed in canon? Well, there you go! She tends to have some pretty nasty nightmares from time to time, otherwise.

Next chapter will be longer. Though, I'm still gonna give it two weeks to cook, like this one.

Thanks for reading! Have a good day!

~~~~~~Reviews~~~~~~

fajar867: THEY LIVE! Lol, for real though, IDK if I could ever bring myself to kill major characters off like that. Well, not in this fic at least. It would be way too much of a whiplash and, honestly, too dark for what I'm trying to do. Thank you for your understanding in regards to the increased wait between chapters. I will not abandon.