Note: I'm a fan of Undertale and Touhou Project, not a historian. Touhou, in particular, is very daunting for a newbie like me and I'll try my best to reference the games. Thank you for your time.
*You open your eyes, and hearing the birds sing their morning melody fills you with Determination. You sit up from your bed and, like clockwork, Reimu appears with a plate of food.
"Good morning, you are always up so early. Eat up, you need all the nutrients you can get."
*It's a simple meal of rice, miso, and some fruit and veggies. Unlike other kids, you eat your greens and therefore are superior. What you notice is a sesame-grilled fish with soy sauce on your plate. Normally, the shrine maiden is very sparse when it comes to meat. You ask what's the occasion. Her eyes widen and she puffs out her chest.
"Found an old fisherman about to drown in a river. The fool didn't pay attention and slipped on the rocks, the injury he got while falling would have been his end if I wasn't there. He was very thankful and I got some of his catches for the day as gratitude."
*She seems proud of what she has done and you would have commended it, but her mood shifts as she remembers something else. You eat methodically, battling the use of chopsticks, while she finds the words to tell you something important.
"I… Have to be gone for the day. While I was at the Human Village, I ran into an acquaintance, Kosuzu-chan. She asked me to deliver something and promised repayment. I put it off until I'm sure you would be fine by yourself."
*Silently, you give her your full attention. Reimu breathes before speaking again.
"Frisk, you only rested for three days and you started to walk around yesterday. I'm happy for your quick progress but worried that leaving you alone would be too much. Aunn is not here and Marisa is busy. If there was a Yokai and no one to protect you, you'll probably-"
*You interrupt her by biting the tail of the grilled fish. The crunch of the tailbone and skin gloriously echoes off the walls of the bedroom, getting Reimu out of her reverie. After chewing, you tell her that you will be okay. If Reimu needs to do something, then do it. You will stay at the shrine and clean the place in her absence. You smile and thank her for worrying so much, it is probably a very difficult choice for her to do this. You promised her that you'll be safe.
"Are you sure? If so, then also promise me you won't leave the shrine. If you see someone you don't know, you run and hide. Please, promise me that."
*You hold out your pinky to Reimu. She looks at it and then smiles. She carefully wraps her pinky with your own, her slender fingers way bigger than yours. Her soft smile turns into a joyful grin.
"That's a promise then! You better not get hurt or I'll be very upset, you got that?"
*You nod with sincerity and Reimu picks up the plate after you finish. She comes back with tea and you listen to her talk about the goings around the world of Gensokyo.
*In the last few days, you can't help but compare it to the Underground. A finite space with not very many but very unique individuals that seem to fight each other more than you personally find comfortable. You still have reservations about the Great Hakurei Barrier, but didn't voice them. You will ask more questions at a later time as Reimu needs to prepare for her trip.
*After half an hour, you and Reimu are at the entrance of the Hakurei Shrine. She stands on the stone path, carrying what seems to be a book under her arm, and on her other hand is a strange wooden rod. Her hair and ribbons swayed in the fall breeze along with the rod's paper streamers. As you wait under the awning, she nods at you.
"I won't be too long. There are a couple of scrolls in the warehouse if you're bored. Your old clothes are there too, they are not repaired yet. Also, there are emergency provisions in a cabinet in the back. I wouldn't need to tell you to drink water or other stuff. I'll see you later, okay?"
*You smile and wave and Reimu Hakurei turns around to lift off the ground and float into the sky. You didn't expect flight as you let out a surprised gasp. She looked back to cheerly smile at your shocked expression, then she waved as she flew off, heading past the treeline.
*Now you slightly understood Reimu's comment on her and Marisa being "exceptions" in this place. You ponder the arts of magic as the wind blows across the shrine, causing your borrowed dress to sway with the trees as more leaves scatter into a crimson swarm.
*You decide it's better to start on chores now rather than later so you would have time for playing around. You head to the small warehouse at the side of the Hakurei shrine, assuming there is a broom or rake to push leaves.
*You open the double doors of this quant storage building, hidden behind some overgrowth. Only the front doors are kept uncovered from the foliage. Dust scatters inside from the added morning fresh air. You see shelves, boxes, cabinets, and other properly organized receptacles, even though a layer of dust blankets the interior.
*You ignore everything else as you look for a broom. Sure enough, there is one by the entrance, ready to be wielded by an intrepid cleaner who comes by. Before you take up your mighty weapon against wandering foliage, you look for something important.
*You search around and find your old clothes in one of the boxes. They look clean and folded but ripped and burnt in some areas, it appears that Reimu hasn't had the time to find a seamstress. As you pick up the clothes, you hear a dull thud as something dropped on the box. It's… the locket. The heart-shaped necklace glitters in the sun that intrudes this place, you see scratches on its golden surface, permanent memories of multiple lives long past.
*Putting your clothes in your Inventory and placing the heart locket around your neck, you grab the broom to start your current chores. You sweep the leaves, starting from the doorway of the shrine. The encroaching enemy stopped and pushed back due to your efforts. After twenty minutes of sweeping, half of the shrine is free of leaves, but you are starting to get bored.
*You think of ways to make it more entertaining, but your thoughts are interrupted. There was movement in your peripheral vision. You stare into the forest to find nobody there. You continue to scan the edge of the shrine's border, knowing to trust your instincts.
*You try to hear any other movement but don't hear anything. You realize that you don't hear anything at all. The wind is silent, the leaves no longer crunch under your feet, and even your breath doesn't make any sound.
*You follow your gut, spin the broom in hand into an upward position, and whirl your spear of straw to attack behind you. As you spin in place to meet your foe, your weapon meets something at head level, the momentum halted by a person around your size. Their face is at the business end of the broom. Your hearing returned as if sound was switched back on.
"Piffpht! H-hey! How did you know!? You humans are getting too good at this!"
*You see a figure around your height, Hair as orange as a sunset is tied into short twin-tails topped with a maid's cap. She is covered in a red dress with a sun-yellow sash and a pair of fairy wings taking up their entire back. You decided to pull back your weapon but keep it pointed at the fairy. Two more join in to look at you hovering a broom at their compatriot, like an oversized flyswatter about to smack her onto the ground. Which, in hindsight, is a humorous picture to look at.
"Sorry, Sunny! I should have muted your flying instead of the surroundings. They figured out too quickly about their lack of hearing."
"The child knew that the back is the most unguarded and guessed correctly. You're just unlucky, Sunny."
*All three seemed to be in a heated conversation. But the name is too familiar, you look at the three and wait until they notice you. Soon enough, the girl in a navy blue dress bespeckled in stars looks over to you and notices you, forgotten by her and her friends.
"Hey, are you the kid that almost died in the forest a few days ago?"
"Eh? Really!? Wait, you are! I didn't notice you left the shrine, how's your injury?"
*You subconsciously want to move your hand to the bandaged spot but stop yourself. You tell them it's getting better. You tell them your name and despite knowing theirs, you ask anyway.
"Nice to finally meet you, Frisk! I'm Sunny Milk! The fairy in blue is Star Sapphire and the one in white is Luna Child."
*You nod to all three as they are introduced. Luna, a fairy in a white dress with bows and wings similar to crescent moons, stares at your new clothes.
"That's a cute Hakama, You look like a little shrine maiden!"
*You spin in place and do a respectful bow. The others make sounds of approval, but Sunny places their hand on their chin.
"Hmm.. I like the simplicity but something's missing. You need some headdress to compliment the look."
*You ponder a bit until you come up with a solution. You look through your Inventory and pull out the faded ribbon. Its red pigment is not as bright as it once was but matches well with the dress. You tie the ribbon onto the right side of your hair. Cuteness Raised, Fashion Increased. +1,500 more views!
"Great! Still simple, but so much better!"
*As they chatted about other clothing, you continued sweeping the shrine grounds. Surprisingly, the others started to assist your efforts. It seems like they did this before with Reimu, going into the warehouse to pick up different cleaning equipment and split off to take part in the upkeep. As they work along with you, conversations would start up that distract them for a bit. They try to include you in their breaks, and you oblige by answering their questions.
"Eh? Talking to each other from a distance? Is that a magic spell or something?"
*You shake your head and say it's a device called a mobile phone. You take yours out of the Inventory and the others stare with curiosity and wonder.
"Look at all these buttons! Outworlder stuff is way more complicated than Nitori's stuff, she would freak out if she saw this!"
*You ask who Nitori is, and if technology was uncommon. Luna answers.
"Nitori is a Kappa. Their mastery over tinkering with stuff is like their mastery of water, which is second to none! We rarely get some technology from the Outerworld. Everyone, especially the Kappa, snatch it up to see how it works."
*You nod your head. Even if everyone is taking the little bit of tech that comes through, most of them wouldn't even have a clue how to rebuild it if their knowledge is more arcane than technological advancement. You knew the monsters back in the Underground also had to make do with very little technology that fell through the barrier, but they had royal scientists like Alphys that mixed tech and magic together. Of course, there was The CORE, but you can't recall who made it.
*You continue your work. You rake leaves, Sunny sweeps the Shrine, Star cleans the kitchen, and Luna dusts and organizes. There was a diversion when Luna had a crate land on top of her in the warehouse. You were concerned but the others told you was a normal occurrence due to her clumsiness. After checking anyway, you figured that she was fine. Just a little bruised and embarrassed.
"Ahh! Finished! Now we're done, let's play! What do you all want to do?"
*Despite being the leader, Sunny still asks her friends for suggestions. They both answer immediately.
""Hide and seek!""
"Again? Okay. Luna, you're seeking and Star is hiding, otherwise it's unfair to Frisk.
*They bicker at each other over the decision. Luna is good at hiding due to her ability but always gets chosen to seek because of that advantage, so she barely gets to hide. Star is good at seeking due to her detection ability. But she never takes it seriously and uses it as an excuse to nap somewhere, without telling others. They also complained that Sunny always hides because she uses light illusions to her advantage.
*You interjected, saying that you want to seek first. As long as you and the others stay out of the forest, you are following Reimu's orders.
"You sure, Frisk? Well, alright! Frisk is a seeker! You know the rules as well as I. Don't leave the Hakurei Shrine or you're out, got it?"
""Right!""
*They all start to move as you look at the shrine's exterior wall, the wood weathered through countless years and seasons. You turned at sixty seconds and started your hunt.
"Parsee, I don't have time for this. I have to make this delivery and head home."
"A home to go back to. I'm jealous of your homestead. I'm jealous that you can go anywhere you want."
Reimu Hakurei just finished a Danmaku Battle with Parsee Mizuhashi, the guardian of the Bridge to Old Hell. Parsee attacked due to jealousy of Reimu's fighting skill in their last battle and wanted a rematch. The Shrine Maiden is tired from the three Danmaku matches going through the Fantastic Blowhole, including this fight. Without the Ying-Yang Orbs, it is taking more time than necessary.
She flies by the bridge and prepares herself to go into Old Hell. There are a few oni that don't need a complex reason to attack, they just love to fight and respect strength more than anything else. As Reimu sees the buildings of old hell, she decides to walk through without flying. If she looked confident enough and walked through like she was on a mission, most likely the denizens here would move out of the way.
After going through the streets of the Old Capital without being bothered, she was surprised that it worked. Reimu finally reached the Palace of the Earth Spirits. She found one of the massive door knockers and used it twice. It only took a few seconds and the door opened slightly for a pink-haired girl to peek through.
"You brought my book."
"Yeah yeah, can you please take it? I need to be somewhere"
Reimu shoves the book forward towards Satori Komeiji and she takes it gingerly. She knits her eyebrows and her third eye stares intensely
"You have a young guest back home. I understand your stress, but you must have faith in them. How interesting, they seem quite special for you to act this way."
"Yeah, I don't need a mind reader rooting around in there, are you going to pay or not?"
Satori looks through the book of what seems to be pipe infrastructure, nods, and speaks again.
"I already sent a messenger with payment to Suzunaan but they missed this particular book with the rest. Motoori-san had sent you to rectify that. Your payment is back at the village, but I have something as well."
Satori steps out of view and returns with a thousand yen.
"It's not much, but consider it a reward for the battles you went through. You have a child to feed, they need to grow healthy and strong."
'You're saying it like I'm a mother.'
Reimu didn't voice what she thought but knew that Satori heard it. The Yokai had an amused smile while she closed the door after a farewell. Reimu begins her journey back to the surface but is intercepted by someone else.
"Reimu! How's it going? Been a while, eh?"
"Y-Yuugi!? It's going well if you let go! Too tight!"
Reimu was ambushed by the bigger Oni and pulled into a side hug. She couldn't escape the Yokai's monstrous strength and felt like she was wrapped by an unmoving mountain. She could smell the alcohol on the Oni's clothing.
"Oh? Why so high-strung? We need to put some food and drink in ya! I know a place, my treat!"
"That would be good, but I have a kid back home to get to!"
Yuugi Hoshiguma stopped in her tracks while dragging Reimu along. She gave a confused look at the smaller human. After what seemed to be a few seconds of cogs turning in her head, she grins at the Hakurei.
"Oh, Damn! Congratulations on that! So, who's the father?"
Reimu flushes at what she just heard.
"WHAT!? No! No! NO! Not like that! I'm trying to-"
"Tell me all about it! We have to celebrate! Give me all those juicy details!"
"Nooooooo!~"
Reimu gets pulled around Old Hell, and the trip is delayed even more.
*You dodge a projectile, it barely misses you. You have been going for eight minutes, or is it ten? You lost count, and the end is approaching. You see many more, you weave through with grace. This is more tiring due to your recovering blood. You keep going but even then, you hit your limit. You lag behind and a projectile hits you in the chest. This is the end.
"Ha! I knew my Leaf Shot: Multi-Plant Apocalypse will get you! Finally a victory!"
*The leaves fall harmlessly on the ground and you fall on a leaf pile to take time to catch your breath.
*You started this game when you were found in one of the leaf piles you made during cleaning, and hid in it when Sunny was seeking. You were proud that your hiding place was last to be found but were sidetracked due to Sunny pushing Star into the leaves with you.
*From the leaf pile, Star took a handful and pelted Sunny in the face. Then it was an all-out war. You and Luna joined the two in the leaf war picking up from the pile to toss it at each other around the Hakurei area, laughing all the way.
*Despite the wasted effort from cleaning, the others discovered that it is quite difficult to hit you. Every time they toss a leaf clump your way, you evade it efficiently. Seeing that not one touched you and you tagged each one at least once, the Three Fairies of Light ganged together and targeted you.
*After minutes of trying to hit you, Sunny finally got the only hit while her allies were down and tired. The summer fey looked like she was breathing heavily, but had a bit more energy than you and the others. Luna spoke up from the stone path
"Haahhh. Throwing stuff is tiring, can we do something else instead? Frisk is too good at this."
"Yeah, I'm not tired but let's unwind!"
*Sunny boasted but landed in the leaf pile with you, eager to rest after a hard-fought battle. You take leaves that have longer stems and start to weave. After a bit of work you make a leaf crown, or garland, and place the crown on Sunny and call her the Queen of Leaves. The others started to chant as well.
"All hail the Queen of Leaves! Vanquisher of the Dark Lord, Frisk!"
"You did so well, Queen of Leaves! Your skill is unmatched, your Danmaku is unsurpassed!"
"Haha! Be at ease! Your generous and beautiful queen is grateful for your praise! For that, you may graciously partake of my share of chores for the week!"
""MUTINY!""
*You duck as they tackle their friend into the pile, the leaves explode out into a confetti of red and orange as they curse and scramble. As they throw fists and grab clothing and hair, you hear a new voice call out from the forest.
"What are you idiots doing?"
*You look over the flattened pile to see another fairy at the forest edge that meets the shrine grounds. Around the same height is a fairy with aqua blue shoulder-cut hair and eyes, wearing a blue dress with white trim. A bow similar to Reimu is on their head except for the change into the previously described hues. She is also wearing a cozy pair of white socks. The biggest outlier of this fey is their wings, a set of six crystalline icicles that hover behind them.
"Cirno!? What are you doing here? Should you be at Misty Lake?"
*Luna asked an indignant question. It seems like this new face is not liked. You see Cirno snort and grin.
"Cirno is here because of the rumors. I heard someone strong was here, so I wanted to see for myself."
*You see the others shift their eyes to you, and you shrug. Sunny floats up to meet the ice fairy.
"I don't care who you seek! But you are in the presence of the new Queen of Leaves, so I ask you to leave at once!"
"Eh!? A queen? Who in their right mind would crown you queen!? There is already an Empress of Fairies and she is right in front of you!"
"I see no crown on your head. An empress needs a crown to rule, right? A shame, mine was made personally by a Dark Lord!"
*Cirno looked awestruck, this fairy appeared to be very gullible. But that fact only seemed to embolden Cirno.
"Where is this so-called 'Dark Lord?'"
*You wave casually at Cirno from the leaf pile and she narrows her eyes. The other two fairies seem hesitant to add to the conversation. They look to their new queen for guidance.
"This is the Dark Lord? They don't look so special to me."
"Well it's because it's not a-
"You DARE mock the Dark Lord, Frisk!?"
*You caught on that Star was trying to add context but was interrupted by Sunny. You know Sunny is trying to shield your pride, but the others want to steer away from this conversation.
"During the battle, they were nothing but a blur. Even with all of us working together, all of our attacks were evaded with ease and grace. It took us ages to even land a single blow!"
*You notice the other fairies look on in horror, they go behind Cirno to silently tell Sunny to divert the topic, crossing their arms into an X or shaking their head 'No!' frantically. Cirno, unaware of the others, looked enthralled by this story.
"And what happened? What did the Dark Lord do?"
"The Dark Lord recognized our strength and gave me the Crown of Leaves, naming me the first Queen of Leaves!"
*Sunny proudly pointed her nose up, the leaf garland looking noble in the autumn sun. The two fairies put their faces into their hands, resigned to the trail of fate that their leader put them on. You wonder why they were so adamant to change the subject. You have a sinking feeling that you're going to know why when Cirno stares deeply into you with a gleam in her eyes.
"So, if you get a single hit on the Dark Lord, you can claim a crown? Would I become a true Empress if I land the blow?"
"Eh? Yeah, but it is only with lea-"
"Hey! Dark Lord! This soon-to-be Empress challenges you to a Danmaku Battle! Prepare yourself, because I'm showing you who is the strongest fairy in Gensokyo!"
*You look around and then point to yourself for confirmation, Cirno nods seriously. You don't know what this Danmaku Battle is, but if it's similar to the battles you're used to, then you just dodge, ACT, spare, and have a laugh in the end. In the back, you see Luna and Star grabbing both legs and shaking Sunny upside down while she holds onto the hem of her skirt for her dear life. The crown holds despite the constant movement.
"(What are you doing?! So much for playing games! A Danmaku Battle!? Frisk is injured!)"
"(If this continues, Reimu would know something happened, and we all will be Exorcized until the start of next spring!)"
"Ah! Even the Dark Lord needs their rest! They just came off a battle with us and it would be an insult to you if they fight not at their full potential. Come back in a week and they will be good to go!"
*Cirno doesn't glance in their direction, focusing solely on you. She speaks back.
"Why should I wait? I came all this way for a fight, and I'm not leaving until I get it! This Dark Lord is done resting. They have a challenger, and that's me!"
*She Raises a hand and an orb of blue light forms above it. A chill starts to form in the air, it smells of mint. You get up from the leaf pile and you walk towards the fairy, the leaves on you flutter away to safety. You tell Cirno you have no reason to fight and dislike doing it. But if she's set on battling, you won't stop her. You say you won't fight back, no matter what, and wish to keep the Shrine clear of damage.
"Not fight back? Are you afraid of me, or do you look down on Cirno? Fine. Don't attack and just dodge, if I can't hit you a single time even with spell cards, then I lose. But that won't happen!"
*Cirno flies back as you put yourself in a position away from the direct line of the Hakurei Shrine. The Fairies of Light show up to your side and Sunny asks a question.
"Have you seen a Danmaku Battle before?"
*You tell them that you have not.
"Okay! It's simple! Just dodge and wait out the timer. Cirno will throw a lot at you, but the Danmaku will be in patterns, those patterns are Spell Cards, which she has to commit to. So watch for patterns!"
"Hey, what are you talking about over there? A new Empress needs to be crowned, so you better not back down!"
*You nod to the others and give a reassuring smile. Whatever the situation, you are Determined to end this amicably. The other three retreated and then Luna went to the side of the makeshift battlefield.
"There is a ten-minute timer! If the challenger, Cirno, couldn't hit their opponent, Frisk, until timeout, the opponent wins. If Frisk is hit, Cirno wins! Other than that are the standard spell card rules! Do you both agree?"
"YES!"
*You nod.
"Battle Commence!"
[!]
*You feel a winter breeze when you enter the field.
[Fight] [Item] [Act] [Mercy]
HP 5/5