Swiftly Descending Darkness

by TakerFoxx

Gensokyo is a world of monsters, and no one knows that better than Rumia Yagami, a young orphaned girl who had lost her parents to youkai attacks when she was just a baby. But as she grows older, she learns that there are other kinds of monsters, from the ones wearing human faces to the one growing inside her.

17. The Cold of Death

The Cold of Death

The night was clear and the Moon was full.

To Nathaniel, it was like being under the watchful eye of God. Tonight lies would be exposed, misdeeds laid bare, and evil purged. The realm of Gensokyo had rotted long enough, a festering cancer filled with sin and iniquity. Finally, the demonic forces that took sanctuary there would face their long-delayed judgement.

Nathaniel had always resented his entrapment. Why, he had asked himself time and time again, why had God allowed His servant to fall into such an unholy place?

Now he knew the answer. The devils had thought themselves safe from the Light of the Almighty, so in return, He sent his most stalwart knight.

Nathaniel's purpose truly began now. He had been sowing the seeds of redemption, and now the time had come to reap.

He stood in front of the walls of the Human Village, his congregation gathered behind him, looking out over the moonlit fields. Though the night was calm, there was a storm approaching.

Nathaniel took a deep breath. His singed lungs twitched in protest, but he forced them to expand. The time had come.

He slowly spread his hands, hands now laid bare in view of others for the first time since the Dark Voice had taken residence inside his heart. And then he lifted off the ground.

…

The trip to the Hakurei Shrine and back only took roughly a couple of hours. But as Miko shot towards the orphanage, one hand tightly clutching the wooden pole of her gohei, the tall ribboned staff that was one of her badges of office, and the other holding the heavy pouch at her side steady, she feared that too much time had been taken.

When she left, things had been more-or-less in order. The children were all camped out on the lawn under the watchful eyes of the adults, well away from the haunted orphanage, while the Black Circle Six were sequestered apart from the others. However, apparently something had happened since she had left, as chaos now reigned.

The children were all awake and agitated. Miko could see them gathered into small groups, talking loudly amongst themselves. Some were crying, while others were pacing back and forth. A few looked to be on the verge of fighting. The adults were trying to calm them, but it was clear that their efforts were doing little to quell the rising panic. After all, they all looked as scared as the children.

As for the Black Circle Six, they were nowhere to be seen.

Clenching her jaw, Miko scanned the area until she spotted Satoko Yume trying to separate a couple of the younger boys who looked like they had gotten into a fight. With one last burst of speed, Miko soared down low, somersaulting in the air to land on her feet right behind the orphanage's head.

"Satoko Yume!" she called. "Over here!"

Startled, Satoko spun around. Her face lit up when she saw the shrine maiden. "Oh, praise the spirits you're here!" she exclaimed. "Everything just fell apart!"

Miko turned her face to affix the two brawling boys with a disapproving glower. The anger in their faces evaporated as they wilted beneath her glare. "So I can see," she said in a clipped tone. "What the hell happened? Where's the cursed kids?"

"We…We're not sure," Satoko said. Though she was trying to keep calm, her hands were shaking. "They just suddenly vanished. So did Melissa! Joshua's looking for them."

"V-Vanished?!" It took a considerable amount of willpower for Miko to resist tearing out her own hair. "What do you mean, vanished? There's six of them, plus the other! How do you lose seven kids?"

Despite her agitation, the look that Satoko shot the aging shrine maiden conveyed how little she thought of Miko's knowledge of the caring of children.

"Well, whatever," Miko growled. "Was anyone hurt?"

Satoko shook her head. "No, they just left. We don't-"

Then her voice trailed off. Someone was yelling.

Miko turned. It was that girl from the Outside World, Melissa Garcia. The poor kid was clearly in a panic, with tears streaming down her face as she screamed out in her native tongue. Though Miko didn't understand a word of it, she knew a call for help when she heard it.

"Melissa!" Satoko hurried over to her. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Melissa threw herself at Satoko to wrap her arms around the woman's waist. She continued to babble on in whatever language she was speaking.

"Melissa, please! I don't understand you!"

Though it was clearly difficult to get the words out through the hiccupping sobs, Melissa still managed to say, "Graves. Cursed. Help!"

That was all Miko needed to hear. She shot off the ground and zipped around the orphanage's grounds to head for its cemetery.

What she saw when she got there chilled her blood.

There, standing among the dead, were the six cursed children. The small one with silver hair who likely had youkai blood, Keine Kamishirasawa, was crouching down with her head between her knees, hands grabbing at her temple. She looked like she was trying to keep from throwing up. Her two friends, that boy with the spiky hair, Kohta Momoi, and the blonde girl, Rumia Yagami, were kneeling down next to her, their hands on her shoulders. As for the other two, the one with long dark hair, Haruko Kamijima, and the short-haired brunette, Hayate Maeda, they stood hand-in-hand in front of the whimpering girl, forming a barrier with their bodies. In front of them with her hands clasped over her heart was that odd girl with the wheat-blonde hair, Kana Anaberal.

And lying sprawled in the dirt while gawking up at them was that bearded, brown-skinned Outsider, Joshua Stump. Clearly he had found them only a few moments before, and they hadn't appreciated their discovery.

"Mr. Stump!" Miko snapped. She seized him by the back of his collar and hauled him bodily off the ground to hurl a safe…well, safer distance away from the children. "Get away from them, you fool!"

Joshua yelped in surprise as he tumbled down the path between the graves, but when he looked up again to see who had thrown him, his face lit up.

"Miko Hakurei!" he exclaimed as he scrambled to his feet. "Oh, praise Jesus! Praise Jesus for His many blessings!"

Personally, it galled Miko to have credit for her timely intervention be given to an outside deity that had absolutely no jurisdiction over her job, especially one in whose name all of this bullshit was being done in, but now was not the time to debate mythology. "Thank me by filling me in! What happened?"

"I…I don't know," Joshua told her. He stared anxiously at the cursed children, his big, brown eyes full of fearful concern. "Something started hurting Keine, but when I tried to help her, they, um, they…"

At that moment, Keine let out a sharp cry of pain.

"Please do not approach her," said the blonde airhead. "She doesn't wish to be touched."

Enough of this. "I am here to help her," Miko told the little girl with a voice of authority. "And I can help her. But to do that, I'll need to examine her."

At this, all three of the girls standing between Miko and the agonized girl narrowed their eyes in perfect unison. "Begone, shrine maiden," said Hayate, her hand still clasping Haruko's. "You are not welcome."

The evil malice in the child's voice raised goosebumps on Miko's skin. There was no doubt about it. The curse was taking hold.

Right, enough of this. Miko thrust a hand into the pouch at her side and pulled out a handful of paper charms. Then, with a flourish of her gohei, she tossed them into the air.

The power of the Hakurei Shrine flowed through her and into the charms. They floated out from her hand, hovering into the air to form a spinning circle around herself and the children. Then there was a bright flash, and the six cursed children all recoiled with cries of pain.

Joshua lurched forward with a cry. "What did you do-"

"Stop!" Miko seized the man by the wrist. "Stay back! I merely restrained the curse."

"But they sounded like they were in pain!"

"Of course they did, idiot! Did you think that handling a curse of this size was as easy as kissing their boo-boos? Their souls are infected!" Miko started to stride forward, but then she paused.

There was an…interference. Some kind of spiritual energy was filling the area, and it was playing merry havoc with her sealing spell. But what could be…

Ah.

Right.

That.

"Do you mind?" Miko barked at the spirits of the dead. "I'm trying to help these kids, but you're screwing up my power! Back off, and I'll see to your problem when I'm done!"

"W-What?" Joshua stammered. "But I didn't-"

"Not you! The ghosts! We're in a graveyard, remember?" Miko turned back to the rows of graves. "You heard me. Beat it!"

The essence of the ghosts abruptly withdrew, taking their supernatural meddling with them.

"There were ghosts?" Joshua whispered.

"Yes, and that's a problem," Miko said as she turned her attention back to the children. "The seals that I put around the house should have kept them contained inside." Yet another issue that she was going to have to handle, and quickly at that.

But everything in its proper place. The curse was her current priority.

The Black Circle Six were all sprawled on the ground, shaking their heads as they tried to gather their thoughts. However, Keine was still gripping her head and moaning. Marching up to them, Miko went right up to Keine and knelt down.

"Child," she said. "Got a bit of a headache, do we?"

Keine looked up at her with tearful eyes full of pain. "It…hurts," she hissed. "It feels like something's trying to break out. Like my head's an egg, and it's about to hatch!"

Hmmm, that was odd. If the curse was to blame, then the other five ought to have the same problem. Maybe…

Miko seized Keine by the chin and forced her to look into her eyes. Keine gasped and instinctively tried to pull away, but Miko's fingers were like iron clamps.

Even with the sealing spell in place, Miko could feel the corruption swimming the currents of Keine's blood. The curse really had its hooks into the poor kid. However, there was something else at play, a sort of growing power independent of the curse. But what could it…

Then Miko got it. Releasing Keine's chin, she shot a look over her shoulder at the sky.

The silver disc of the full Moon shone down on them.

Miko hissed. Oh, come on! Really?

"Joshua," she growled as she returned to the little man. "Keine. What kind of youkai is she?"

Joshua inhaled sharply. "I, uh, th-that-"

"I've always known, dumbass! It's my job to know! You think she's the first half-breed to be taken into this orphanage? But whatever's wrong with her is directly connected to her youkai blood! What kind?"

"I-I…" Joshua ran a shaking hand through his sweaty curls. "I don't really know. None of us do. We just know that her father, ah…"

"Raped her mother and left them both," Miko hissed. "Yes, I am aware of the phenomenon. But you don't know what his species was?"

Joshua shook his head.

"Shit." Miko turned back to the children. "Because if I'm not mistaken, she's a Hakutaku." Her eyes narrowed. "Specifically, a Were-Hakutaku."

Joshua blinked stupidly at her. "Is that…bad?"

"On the night of the full Moon? It's downright disastrous!" Miko shook her head. "All right, I'll take care of this mess. You get back to the others and tell them that I have the situation under control. Keep everyone calm and together, and don't let anyone near us or the house. Got it?"

"I, uh, I think so?"

"Know so!" Miko barked. "Oh, if Mokou shows up, tell her that I'll deal with her as soon as I'm done here."

"Mokou? Why, what is-"

Miko gave him a rough shove. "Do it!"

That finally got him moving, though not without one last long look at the children. Miko's anger spiked, and she opened her mouth to again yell at him for wasting time…but then she stopped.

There was love in the man's eyes. Love. Worry. And fear. Not for himself, but for the children. He loved the children, and it was tearing out his heart to see them like this. No doubt his own inability to help them was gnawing at his mind.

Despite her own impatience and worry, even Miko couldn't bring herself to come down hard on a good man like that. There were precious few like him.

Instead, she placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "Joshua, listen to me," she said, her voice low, firm, but much softer than it usually was. "I will do everything in my power to save them, and the rest. You have my word."

Joshua Stump's eyes misted with tears of gratitude. He reached up to encircle her wrist with his big hand and nodded. "May all of our gods be with us on this night." With that, he finally left.

Out of an uncharacteristic respect for the man's beliefs, Miko waited until he was out of earshot before muttering, "Why should any of them start now?" At least someone ought to hold onto their faith.

Now that they were alone, Miko returned her attention to the Black Circle Six, all of whom were cowering in fear before her. Miko wished that she had the words to reassure them, but she had never really been that good with kids. Oh well. They would get all the hugs and comforting words that they could ever want once she cured them.

Lifting her gohei, she said, "All right, let's get to work."

…

As Gendou Sonozika stared down at the withered corpse of the Phoenix's Daughter, he found himself wondering if he were dreaming.

The Good Reverend Nathaniel Skinner was gone, and with him his congregation and several volunteers. They were off to deal with the situation at the orphanage, which Gendou did not want to think about. He hoped that they weren't too late. Yes, there had been multiple conflicts with the orphanage and just being around those kids gave him the shivers, but despite everything he didn't actually want anything bad to happen to them. Hopefully, Nathaniel and his people would be able to deliver those children from those people's clutches, though Gendou did fear that there was nothing that could be done at this point. If nothing else, it only showed that he ought to have listened to Nathaniel's warnings from the beginning.

However, despite the urgency of the situation, he couldn't find it in himself to really focus on any of that. He had eyes only for the Human-shaped clump of ash laid out before him.

The body of the Fujiwara no Mokou, finally struck down by the power of Nathaniel's God, had been moved from the street to a nearby storehouse. By then, the decomposition had been so advanced that the body was starting to break apart, with one arm and both of her feet simply falling off. And now the centuries of long-overdue decay had finally set in, leaving her as nothing more than ash.

"You're dead," Gendou said down to the ashes, in part to convince himself that it was true. "Finally. You're dead."

There was no response, and there never would be.

Gendou found himself awash in emotion. There was fear, yes. To be so close to his family's scourge, dead or not, made him want to run screaming into the night. There was also anger at the monstrous woman for what she had done to poor Mai, what she had tried to do to the Good Reverend. There was disbelief that she might actually be dead.

But most of all, what Gendou felt was relief. Sweet, blissful relief sang through his veins like a stream of cold water on a hot summer's day. For years…no, centuries the Phoenix's Daughter had haunted his family! She had nearly exterminated the whole line, snuffing out his ancestors' lives in a blazing inferno. And ever since then, her shadow has followed them everywhere.

Like all Sonozikas, Gendou had grown up hearing stories of the last of the Fujiwaras and what she had done. Fire made him uneasy, and his nightmares were all of being consumed by a raging inferno, only to awaken shaking in fear while the mad laughter of an evil woman still filled his ears.

He had tried to tell himself that they were just stories, that the last of the Fujiwaras had to be long gone. But no. All this time, and she had been there, stalking his family, stalking him!

If Nathaniel hadn't managed to end her for good, then Gendou would have been next. Of this he was certain.

"You're gone," he said to the crumbling corpse. "You're really gone. He killed you. Burned you up! Just like you burned up my ancestors!"

Suddenly, the shriveled skull twitched. Gendou leapt back with a cry of terror, but he needn't have feared. Her neck had disintegrated to the point where it could no longer hold the head in place; that was all.

When he realized this, Gendou started laughing. "You're really dead. He got you! That wonderful man! He got you! His God struck you down, at last!"

It was enough to make a believer out of him.

Gendou kept on laughing. "What's wrong, Miss Fujiwara? You're looking a little cold! What happened to your fire? What happened to your immortality?"

It was true! She was really dead!

Giddiness took him, and he looked around until he spotted a spade lying nearby against the wall. He snatched it up and, before he could stop himself, slammed the flat of the blade down onto her head.

The head exploded into a cloud of ash.

"Aren't you going to fight back?" Gendou taunted. "Come on, Miss Fujiwara! The Sonozika family stands before you!" He struck again, this time crushing her stomach. "Don't you want to finish the job? Fight back!"

Then, as he raised the spade to slam it down again, his arm simply stopped.

Surprised, Gendou again tried to bring his arm down, but it wouldn't move. He grunted and pulled, only to find it futile.

What had happened? Had the spade caught on something? Confused, he turned to look over his shoulder.

Another hand had seized onto the spade, holding it in place. A hand with long, slender fingers and pale skin. A hand attached to an arm covered by the sleeve of a brownish-white man's shirt, an arm belonging to-

Gendou's eyes locked with the blazing maroon eyes of his nightmares, and he felt every muscle in his body seize up in panic.

"No," he whispered. "No, no, no. You're dead! You're-"

There was a blur of movement, so quick that Gendou's eyes couldn't register what was happening, but he felt his arm suddenly twist.

Then he was staggering back, one hand clutching at his arm as he screamed. White-hot lances of pain shot through his body as he stared in horror at his arm, an arm that now ended at the elbow. Crimson jets of blood spurted out of the ragged end.

As the Leader of the Human Village continued to shriek, Fujiwara no Mokou calmly tossed his amputated forearm aside, the fingers still clutching at the pole of the spade. "You fool," she said, her voice eerily calm. "Did you honestly think that I would be ended so easily?"

The next thing Gendou knew, she had seized him by the neck with one hand, her fingers squeezing him with a terrible strength. He gagged as his air was cut off. Was this how she intended to kill him? To see if the lack of air or the loss of blood would end him first?

As it turned out, the answer was neither.

Mokou lifted the heavy man one-handed as if he were made of straw and slammed him down right on top of her own corpse. His body pulverized the withered husk, ashes billowing up in a cloud. And through that cloud, the evil glow of her monstrous eyes continued to bear down on him.

Gendou tried to rise, only to find the monster's foot shoving down against his chest, keeping him pinned.

"I have little time to waste," Mokou said to her squirming prey. "So unless you want me to make every single one of your childhood nightmares come true, you better answer my questions." She leaned forward, one arm draped over her knee as her leg continued to crush Gendou's ribcage. "Where is Skinner?"

…

Nathaniel Skinner had a secret.

When set up against the litany of the many, many secrets that troubled his heart, this secret was not of much consequence. It was nothing compared to the Dark Voice, nor his attempts to wield Gensokyo's own black magic against itself. Even so, it was still a secret, one that he did not feel at all compelled to reveal.

And that was that he hated flying.

Oh, he could fly; everyone in Gensokyo could fly! It didn't make any sense at all, but he could still fly. And though he was appalled at how quickly so many of his fellow Americans had gone native and indulged in Gensokyian wickedness upon being trapped there, he could not find it within himself to really begrudge their excitement at being able to take wing and soar through the sky. After all, who has never as a child dreamed of flying high, swooping with the birds and spinning through the clouds?

The answer was Nathaniel. He told himself that it was his steadfast aversion to any of the treacherous gifts of Gensokyo, that it was further proof of the strength of his convictions that even the gift of flight held no appeal for him. But the truth was that even back in America, he had still hated flying. Only once did he ever board a plane, and the experience was so miserable that he had rented a car for the drive back. It had taken him two whole days to get home, but that was far preferable than to ever go through anything like that again.

Then the war with the Japs erupted, and Skinner found himself having to fly far more often. He had been flown with the rest of his platoon in those great army planes, desperately trying to hold his stomach in. He had stood on the decks of ships, watching in horror as the enemy flew their little bomb-planes into other ships in the fleet. Naturally, his aversion to flying had only grown from there, with the trip home after being discharged being the last time he had permitted himself to board a plane.

And now, here he was, flying through the air, leading an entire squadron of Japs to war. There was a sick irony to all of this, one that was the surest proof of the Devil's existence that he could think of.

But needs must when the Devil drives. And tonight, Nathaniel had a mighty need. Speed was of utmost importance, and so he had to stomach the objections of his, well, his stomach and make use of every tool available to him.

He still hated it, though. If man were meant to fly, then they would have been born with wings!

To distract himself, he turned his eyes to the horizon and focused on his anger. Anger, he felt, had too much of a negative connotation. When fueled by a godly heart, anger was pure, righteous even. Even Jesus Christ Himself had never hesitated to direct His wrath toward those who were corrupt in His eyes.

For years Nathaniel had suffered in this despicable excuse for a country, one inhabited by all sorts of unclean abominations. Gensokyo was a place where the demon walks openly beneath the light of the Sun, where Evil wears Human faces and does not fear the Light of God. A country where false gods flaunt their blasphemy, where sin and inequity are practiced without shame, where even most Humans are backwards Japs who have shut their eyes and ears to the Word of God and are too far gone.

But no more.

Perhaps it was divine providence that had brought Nathaniel there. The Lord did give His hardest tasks to His most loyal soldiers. Gensokyo had gotten sloppy, complacent. And in their complacency, they had invited their doom.

Nathaniel was so caught up in his thoughts that he almost didn't notice that he was being addressed until the person speaking to him raised his voice.

"Eh?" Nathaniel looked to his right. Flying next to him was Brother Andrew, one of the few white men that had originally come with him from Philadelphia. "I'm sorry, Brother Andrew. What was that?"

Brother Andrew's freckled face was always on the pale side, but now it had taken on an unhealthy sheen, one that didn't seem to have anything to do with flying at high speeds several feet above the ground. "I was just…you know…what are we going to do when we get there?"

Nathaniel frowned. "Whatever we must."

"Well, okay, but it sounds like you want to…I mean, those are kids, you know."

Ah, that was the problem. Nathaniel was disappointed. "Brother Andrew, how strong is your faith?"

"My faith?" Brother Andrew blinked his eyes. "Well, I mean of course it's…it's…"

"Because it sounds to me like you doubt me."

"I don't!" Brother Andrew protested. "I'm just-"

Nathaniel was already angry, and this challenge only fueled that burning fury further. "They tried to kill me. They did kill-"

A black shadow hovered behind Mai's suspended by, his own shadow, as she frantically sawed that strip of razor wire through her own throat.

"-Mai!"

"I know, I know!" Brother Andrew blubbered. "But…kids, man!"

Fury welled up inside of Nathaniel. How dare he? "Did God spare the first born of Egypt?" he demanded. "Did he spare the children of Jericho? Or Assyria? We have a duty, Brother!"

"Yes, but-"

Kill him.

Nathaniel blinked his eyes. He shook his head.

Kill him now. Reach over and rip his heart from his chest.

Yes. It would be so easy. Just reach over-

No!

Nathaniel exhaled. "Leave."

"What?" Brother Andrew's head jerked back in surprise.

"I said leave. Your heart is full of doubts. We can't have you with us. Leave."

"B-But I-"

"I said leave!"

Brother no longer, Andrew's eyes went wide with fear. He looked around at all the faces staring silently at him, the faces of the true believers, who, unlike him, had not let weakness erode their faith. He opened his mouth to say something, but he had the good sense to think better and closed it again.

Then he turned and flew off like the soft-hearted coward that he was.

Nathaniel watched him to ensure that he was flying home. It would not do to have him betray their mission to those that they were sent to cleanse. Fortunately, Andrew did indeed head back toward the Human Village.

Once the traitor was gone, Nathaniel took a deep breath to steady himself. It was disturbing that a fellow white American Christian would be so fragile in his faith while the pagan Japs remained united in the service of Jesus's name. But then, a Human heart was a Human heart, and some were weak, no matter where they came from.

He turned back to his loyal followers. "The path the Lord calls us to is not an easy one to follow," he declared. "And many fall by the wayside. Our former brother let the lies of the enemy cloud his vision. Pray that he again finds his faith and turns away from those lies. In the meantime, we must remain strong!"

Murmurs of agreement and the odd amen rose up in response. Nathaniel was glad. Andrew had always suffered from a weak heart, but at least he hadn't infected the others.

"Let us continue then," Nathaniel said. And again they were off, God's army sent to rip Satan's own sanctuary away from him. For if the Lord was with them, then who could stand against them?

…

The ironic thing was, despite it being his job to teach the native Gensokyian children how to use their natural power of flight, Joshua himself was a fairly poor flier.

Oh, he was competent enough, and the day that he had learned that he now possessed the ability to soar through the sky had left him ecstatic. After all, who didn't dream of taking flight like Captain Marvel? And for a time, it was everything he could have hoped for.

But over time, the experience lost its luster. It wasn't that it wasn't fun, but he found that remaining on the ground and seeing to the care of the children was much more gratifying. These days, he mainly used it to do repairs on the upper parts of the house.

However, tonight he could not be held back by his own weakness. He shot over the fields faster than Billy Batson ever could have, his desperation pushing him toward reckless speeds as he headed back to the rest.

Fortunately, the children were still gathered together, with the increasingly-fretful Satoko Yume standing watch. He adjusted his trajectory to fly straight toward her.

Then he realized his mistake. With his current speed, he was going to plow straight into Satoko, no doubt horribly injuring her, if not killing her outright. He immediately arrested his momentum, only for him to lose control and spin wildly out of control.

He hit the ground fast and hard at an angle, the impact only barely softened by the grass. The next thing he knew, he was lying flat on his back, the world swimming around him while several blurry faces looked down at him in concern.

"Joshua!" Satoko anxiously smacked his cheek several times with her palm. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

Joshua blinked several times as the world finally stopped spinning. "I'm fine, I'm fine," he assured her as he sat up. And he was. Fortunately, his stout stature was well-suited for absorbing impacts. "But I need to tell you! Miko Hakurei just got back, and she's curing the Black Circle Six right now!"

A wave of uneasy murmurs spread through those gathered. "She is?" Satoko said. "So, she can heal them?"

Joshua didn't dare voice his own doubts over that very question. "If anyone could, then it's her," he said. "But she said that we need to keep together and stay away from them and the house until she's done."

Haruhi came into view. "So she's going to fix the house?" she asked. "It won't be haunted anymore?"

"Of course she will," Satoko said in her customary firm, authoritative way that she used whenever one of the children was scared and needed reassurance. "She will come through. We need only to have faith."

Faith. Right. It seemed that was all that they had to rely on.

For as much as his faith meant to him, even while accepting that he was going to live the rest of his life in a country inhabited by other gods, Joshua was not immune to doubt. He tried not to let it overwhelm him, but in circumstances such as this, when such atrocities were being carried out in the name of Jesus, it was hard not to feel those icy fingers wrap around his heart.

The cold, hard truth of the matter was that no one, regardless of what they put their faith in, was promised anything. Misfortune gave her blessings fairly, and good people who lived their lives faithfully all too often were the victims of evil, and it so often felt like there was little reason.

Maybe there was some master plan that Joshua couldn't see. Maybe the Lord would come through to deliver them all. But in that moment, with so much on the line and so little that he could do about it, he couldn't help but feel that his faith was insufficient against the coming evil.

But then, as he stood there wrestling with fear, he looked up to see the children looking up at him and the other adults with fear in their eyes. Children that he had devoted the last several years of his life to taking care of. Children that he had given his heart to. Children who were now in mortal danger thanks to powers that they were helpless against. Children that looked to him for guidance, for comfort, for protection.

Children that looked to him for faith.

Joshua then looked back to Satoko Yume, a woman who had devoted her entire life to caring for Gensokyo's discarded children, who had seen so many of them pass away while feeling helpless to prevent it, who was probably just as scared as any of them.

But he didn't see that fear. He didn't see her doubt or her worry. Already she was giving instructions to Haruhi, Shion, and Haruna while directing the children to gather together. Her voice was calm, steady, but also firm and full of authority. Even Joshua himself, who knew all too well how much of it was a mask, couldn't help but feel encouraged by her strength.

And now he had a job to do.

He stepped in as well, and together with the rest of the adults, they ensured that those under their care were kept safe and secure. Remembering an old trick one of his field commanders had used back during the war, Joshua clustered the kids into smaller groups, assigning the older kids to head each of those groups and make sure that their needs were being met. Though it was far past bedtime, no one was likely to sleep, so snacks of cookies and fresh fruit were handed out. And if anyone inquired as to the Black Circle Six, Joshua simply told them the truth: Miko Hakurei was seeing to them even as they spoke, and when she was done curing them, she would see to the ghosts in the house.

It helped. As Joshua reassured and comforted the children, he found himself being comforted as well. Maybe it was the children's trust being given back to him. Maybe it was Satoko's confident demeanor working on him as well. Maybe it was God giving him strength. Whatever it was, he did feel his anxiety begin to calm and his head start to clear.

Then, once the situation was calmed, Satoko took Joshua aside. "Josuha, have you seen Mokou?" she whispered to him. "We can't find her anywhere."

Joshua shivered. "Miko Hakurei only said that she was off doing something, and that she would see to Mokou when she got back."

"Doing something?" Satoko repeated. "Something like what?"

Joshua shrugged. Truthfully, he had his suspicions, ones that he didn't want to think about.

"It's something bad, isn't it?"

Joshua winced. "I don't know, Satoko. I don't know why she left. I don't know what she's doing."

Gnawing anxiously on her lower lip, Satoko shot a look at the frightened children. "I always…there was always part of me that wasn't sure if I could trust her…"

No. This wasn't good. The last thing that any of them needed was doubts.

Shaking his head, Joshua banished his own creeping doubts and fears. "Satoko, listen to me. Mokou might be a woman of mystery with a dark past, but I don't for a second doubt her commitment to keeping the children safe. She loves them more than anything, and I have no doubt that wherever she is, whatever she's doing, it's to protect them."

A beat passed, and then Satoko said, "I know. I know. But k-knowing what she is, the sort of things that she's done-"

"Everything that she's done, she's done for us," Joshua said. He reached over and took Satoko's small hand in his. Both of their hands were rough and calloused from years of hard work, though his were far more rough than hers. But her own calluses were well earned. "Trust in her. After all, Miko Hakurei does."

"I suppose I must," Satoko said at last. Then a hard shiver passed through her body. "Oh, Joshua. I don't think I've ever been this frightened."

"The same," Joshua said, and he meant it. Once, he had thought that those endless days choking on smoke and dust in those muddy trenches were as bad as it was ever going to get.

This was different. This wasn't just fear for his own life and the other men in his regiment. This was about the children, the children that he had spent the last several years looking after, helping to raise and care for them, children that were now being threatened by the actual Forces of Darkness, infected by a spiritual evil.

And it was all brought upon them by a man that he had once considered a friend.

Maybe if he had stayed with Nathaniel like he was asked, this could have been prevented. He knew that Nathaniel was…troubled, and always had been, but the Nathaniel that he had known back when they were simply members of the same church could be reasoned with, could be talked down.

Maybe this was his fault after all.

Then, as his own bitter thoughts began to build, Satoko placed a hand on his shoulder. "We're really fortunate to have you," she told him.

Joshua stared. While he appreciated the compliment, he still found it confusing. "How so?"

Satoko shrugged. "You know how to stay calm in a crisis. Honestly, that's something I think we all need more of."

Joshua spared a quick glance at the other adults. Poor Haruhi still looked to be on the verge of some kind of nervous breakdown. As for Shion and Haruna, they were much older and more experienced than Haruhi, but he could see the fear.

But even so, their focus was still on the children. He watched as they went from group to group, speaking words of comfort to those who needed it and keeping everyone's spirits up.

"This…isn't my first time being in this kind of situation," Joshua said at last.

Satoko nodded gravely. "That war you've spoken of?"

Just the mention of that experience made Joshua wince. "Well, yes. But also…after."

"Ah," Satoko said with a sympathetic look. "The opiates."

Another wince. "Well, no. I mean, feeling like the world is set against me. It's something I have some experience with."

"Oh, right," Satoko said. "You mentioned that. Because you are, uh…"

"Jewish." Joshua's lips lifted in a sardonic smile, completely empty of mirth. "Yes."

Satoko hesitated, and then ventured, "You know, you never really explained why that was an issue. Was the Jewish nation at war with the Americas? Did they suspect you of spying?"

Now Joshua's smile did gain an edge of amusement. "Ah, no. Nothing like that. But Jews tend to…well, no matter what country they're in, they tend to hold onto their beliefs, their customs more strongly than most. It makes their communities very tightly knit, but also causes them to stand out, so when things go wrong, people just like to point the finger at those who are, ah, different, I guess." He shrugged.

"Ah," Satoko said with a nod. "And things went wrong after the war."

"Yes," Joshua said in a heavy tone. "Very." He shook his head. "And now, here I am. An American Christian Jew living in a country literally built from Japanese myths." His smile remained, though all humor evaporated. "I guess I'm just used to being the Outsider."

Satoko raised an eyebrow, an expression usually reserved for children thinking of misbehaving but who had yet to put those thoughts into action. Joshua had to admit, though he was older than even Satoko, it was still very effective. "Hmmm," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "How strange. I don't think of you as an Outsider."

"Oh?" Joshua let out a small, bitter chuckle. "Well, you'd be the first."

"Perhaps," Satoko said brusquely. "But I am not the only one." She then craned her neck, her eyes fixating meaningfully at a point beyond Joshua.

Frowning, Joshua turned around. Then he saw what her eyes were indicating, and his face softened.

It was the children, all the unwanted, parentless children of this strange, otherworldly country. Children whose features were so different from his own, children who spoke a language that he had spent his first few years struggling to learn, children who found his face and complexion to be strange, children who found his beliefs to be funny, children that had absolutely nothing in common with him.

Children that he had come to know as if they were his own. Children that he now all knew by name, who looked up to and trusted him, who liked listening to his stories, who frequently asked him to play with them, who went to him for advice and teaching.

Children who accepted him more than any other American had, more than any other Christian had, more than any other Jew had.

Children who now needed his help.

Yuuki, one of the youngest of the boys, was talking to his friend Dai. However, he must have sensed Joshua's eyes on him, as he turned to see the older man looking at him and the rest of the children. The young boy smiled, waved, and went back to his conversation.

"You see?" Satoko said as she walked over to stand next to Joshua. Taking his rough hand in her own, she gave it a comforting squeeze. "You are no outsider to us, Joshua. And right now, we are very fortunate to have you."

Joshua felt tears start to well up in his old, tired eyes. He sniffed, wiped his eyes with his hairy wrist, and nodded in thanks.

The two stood side-by-side for a time, just watching the children that they both cared so much for. Then Satoko broke the silence. "Would you like to pray with me?" she asked.

Joshua blinked in surprise. "Ah, S-Satoko. You know that, ah, you and I don't-"

"I don't see how that matters," Satoko said primly. "You have your God. And I have mine. But I don't think that any of them would want to see the kids come to harm." A small smile lifted her thin cheeks. "And right now, we can use all the help we can get. Perhaps they'd be willing to call a truce for this?"

Joshua found himself smiling as well. "I think, for this, they'd be willing to hear us out." He gave her hand a small squeeze.

Then, together, the two of them knelt down, him on one knee and her on two, and together they began to pray, both to different deities and in different manners, but united in a single purpose.

They prayed for protection, both for the children and themselves. They prayed for salvation for the children still cursed. They prayed for peace. And if any god out there would hear them, they would accept their help gladly.

…

Gendou Sonozika was not a brave man.

When you're a Human in a country rife with danger like Gensokyo, there is so much to fear. Bloodthirsty youkai prowling the Wilds in search of Human flesh. The spirits of the dead seeking to share their torment with the living. Demons from down below hunting for innocent souls.

But most of all, he feared the Phoenix's Daughter.

As a child, he had been regaled with horrific tales of the daughter of one of the Sonozika family's chief rivals, who, in order to avenge her failure of a father, sold her soul for dark powers and used them to nearly wipe out the entire Sonozika line, incinerating Gendou's ancestor in a blazing inferno. He frequently had nightmares of the day that that monster would return to finish the job.

Growing into adulthood, he had thought those nightmares were long in the past, just a silly bit of childhood whimsy. But what Nathaniel Skinner had discovered brought them all rushing back.

The Phoenix's Daughter was real. She had been real this whole time, right under his nose.

And now she was going to kill him.

"Don't make me repeat myself!" she roared down at him, a monstrous apparition of fire and shadow. "I said, where is-"

"He's gone!" Gendou wailed. "He left! Him and his church, plus a few others! They're heading for the orphanage right now!"

Mokou's blazing eyes widened in shock.

Then Gendou was snatched off the ground and shoved up against the wall. Gendou was not a light man, and yet the monster held up aloft with one hand wrapped around his neck, her fingers horribly strong. "He's doing what?"

Now nearly mindless with terror, Gendou frantically nodded his head the best he could. "Just left! If you hurry you might catch him!"

"Oh, you sold him out so easily!" Mokou said scornfully. "Let me promise you this: if even one child comes to harm because of this, then I'll return and-"

She stopped talking. Gendou felt a hot warmth around his crotch. He had pissed himself.

"Hang on," Mokou said, more to herself than him. "It's too late. The Human Village has already declared war. That's literally the worst-case scenario."

Then her burning eyes flitted back to Gendou's, and he understood.

"No!" he screamed as he clawed at her arm with his one remaining hand. "Don't! Don't burn me!"

"Oh, what's the matter, Gendou?" Mokou mocked, smoke billowing from her mouth as she laughed. "Afraid of going out like grandpappy?"

Then, as Gendou stared in horror, she reached up with her other hand to gently caress his cheek. "Well, don't you worry. I'm not going to burn you."

Gendou tried to swallow, but the grip on his neck was too tight to allow it. "You're…You're not?"

Still grinning, Mokou held out her other hand behind her, pointed up at the roof at an angle.

Then a white-hot beam of concentrated flame shot out of her fingers. The roof simply disintegrated as it shot up and up.

Gendou stared, his confusion eating through his terror. "Wha-" he tried to say, only for the grip on his hand to tighten.

Then he felt the temperature begin to drop.

"Do you know what I'm doing, Gendou?" Mokou said as their surroundings grew colder and colder. "I'm sucking up all the heat and sending it away. All the heat in the air, all the heat in the ground, all of the heat in your body, all of it." Tilting her head to one side, her grin widened as tiny crystals of frost began to form on her face. "What? You wanted to be spared my fire, didn't you?"

Gendou couldn't respond. Even without the hand cutting off his air, frost was beginning to appear on his skin as well. Icy fangs sank into his flesh and froze his blood.

His entire life, Gendou had feared the pain of fire, but never before had he realized the agony of ice. Even being burned alive couldn't have hurt as much as having his entire body slowly frozen did. The cold reached its claws deep into him, sapping away all of his strength and vigor, and leaving only pain behind.

Gendou wanted to scream. He wanted to cry. He wanted to beg for mercy, to implore Mokou to please just incinerate him already, but he couldn't even do that. Ice filled his throat, cutting off his air. He couldn't even close his eyes, which somehow still worked despite the film of frost forming over them.

Through that thin layer of ice, he could see Mokou continuing to leer sadistically at him, despite the flesh-cutting ice forming all over her body as well. The beam of heat cut off, and Mokou lowered her arm, chips of frost breaking off as she did.

She said something, but Gendou's ears were frozen over. Then she dropped him to the floor, where he lay in a frozen heap, unable to cry out, unable to move, unable to even so much as shiver. All he could do was lie still and watch as Mokou slowly strode backward, each movement dislodging more of the ice that had formed on her, though the pain and cold didn't bother her in the slightest.

Then red flames swept over her body, scouring it clean of ice. She blasted into the air, heading off to face Nathaniel's people.

And in her wake, a wave of flame roared out, the same flame that had incinerated his ancestors.

As the fire rushed forward to consume him, Gendou realized that Mokou had lied. In the end, the fire got him after all.

…

With six screaming cursed children in tow behind her, Miko flew until she caught sight of a field wide empty enough for her purposes. Good. Time to get to work.

Though Miko was not beholden to any particular god (or at least, none that had ever bothered to introduce themselves), she still technically followed the Shinto ways. As such, there were a number of Harae rituals that could be followed to cleanse away unclean energies and spirits. However, she had a feeling that none of the traditional ways were up to the task of a curse this foul and powerful.

This was going to take something a little more…extreme.

Miko came down for a landing in the middle of the field. Lifting her gohei high above her head, she began chanting. The words weren't anything that any Human outside of her family would recognize (well, maybe Mokou would), but were instead an ancient prayer in a long-obsolete Japanese dialect dating back to the earliest days of Gensokyo's creation. However, despite her role as a shrine maiden, her prayer invoked no gods, called upon no spirits. Rather, they were a mantra, one that spoke to the very threads of magic that wove the magical land together. She was calling upon Gensokyo herself for help.

And Gensokyo answered her call.

The ground around her lit up with glowing white lines of power, forming the shape of a six-pointed star, one enclosed by a hexagon. At each of the star's points was a circle.

Miko then slammed the butt of the gohei into the ground. All six children came down into each of the circles. Cylinders of swirling power shot into the air around each child as the seals activated, ensuring that each one would remain in place.

The Black Circle Six did not like that. Rumia Yagami screeched like a wild animal as she clawed at the invisible walls holding her in place. Hayate Maeda slapped her palms against the seal and began screaming death threats and curses at Miko, promising to do all sorts of horrible things to her if she didn't let them free. Kohta fell to his knees and began ripping at the grass and dirt with his bare hands, trying to dig himself free. Haruko merely stood in place, laughing like a lunatic while describing Miko's imminent death in grisly detail. The only two to not go berserk was Keine Kamishirasawa, who was still overcome with the agony of her emerging youkai blood, and Kana Anaberal, who was doubling over in another coughing fit.

It was clear that the curse was close to taking full control. Miko was running out of time.

Waving her gohei over her head, Miko summoned the Hakurei family's most reliable weapon and most sacred relic: the Ying-Yang Orb, which was the core of their power and the symbol of their authority. At her command, it flew to hover over the center of the star, directly over her head. Once there, it briefly shivered, and then six smaller Ying-Yang orbs broke off from it, each one taking formation between her and each of the children.

Finally, everything was in place. Miko's calloused hands wrapped around the smooth wooden pole of the gohei. She gripped the pole tight, concentrating on the familiarity of the wood, feeling every tiny nick and furrow. Then she slowly breathed in and let all of her anxious thoughts, fears, and worries flow out of her. This was going to be close. This was going to be hard. And she had no guarantee of her success. But it was all that she had.

A few years back, during a conversation with Joshua Stump, his past as a soldier had come up. The man had obviously been uncomfortable discussing it, which hadn't surprised Miko. Gensokyo hadn't had any sort of large-scale conflicts for a while, but her job constantly put her in similar situations, so she understood it was to be surrounded by hardship, death, and violence. And despite his reluctance, Joshua did seem to see that about her, and had opened up about some of the things that he had endured.

One thing that he had spoken on was a story about having to yank shrapnel from a friend's arm using very crude tools while having no real medical training. Meatball surgery, he had called it. And that term stuck in Miko's mind. On the surface, a lot of what she did involved careful analysis, preparation, and ritual. Most of what she had to deal with were situations that she had seen plenty of times before and knew how to respond to, to the point that incidents that might inspire mind-breaking horror in most people were dull routine for her. She knew that she couldn't expect the average Human to have the same fortitude as her, but as someone who had directly challenged and defeated villains such as Madam Mima, it was hard to really be impressed.

However, there were always exceptions. Monsters that scared even her. Incidents in which her skill and experience might not be up to the task. And crises where generations of Hakurei rituals and rites were rendered useless. The Curse of the Black Circle was one of them. She already knew that no amount of charms or holy water would have any effect. She was going to have to employ brute spiritual force and hope for the best.

Meatball surgery. That was what this was. Crude. Difficult. And full of unknows.

But it wasn't as if she were spoiled for options. Time was running out for the children, and she would not let the curse take them without her doing everything in her power to save them. She was not Yukari Yakumo, no matter how much that old hag wanted her to be.

Miko thrust the gohei up. The tip touched the bottom of the master Yin-Yang Orb. Purple sparks flew at the touch, and the two totems of the Hakurei Shrine connected.

A voiceless wail rose up from the imprisoned children. The curse knew what was happening. It knew the danger it was now in.

Using her body and soul as a conduit, Miko channeled energy from the ground below and the sky above. Six beams of emerald light shot out from the master Yin-Yang Orb into its six smaller counterparts, following the rays of the hexagram. The smaller orb shivered briefly and then let the beams continue their course.

The emerald beams struck each of the children in their hearts. They all screamed shrilly at the contact, their heads flinging back as their voices rose to impossible pitches with demonic echoes. The internal workings of their bodies lit up through their skin, letting Miko see the shapes of their skeletons, the blood pumping through their veins, and the pulsing of their organs. The curse was plain to see, a rivulet of black corruption that began at each of their right hands, likely the point where it entered their bodies, that extended all the way through their right arms to ensnare their hearts. From there, Miko could see its tiny tendrils already extended far through their bodies.

Its hooks were in deep. This was going to be close.

With the very lifeforce of Gensokyo flowing through her, Miko turned to one of the children, Haruko Kamijima. She extended her hand to the poor girl. At her command, the power tethering Haruko to the Ying-Yang Orb expanded. In response, Haruko's body began to shake violently while her shriek increased in volume.

Miko then clenched her hand into a tight fist.

Inside of Haruko's body, the tiny tendrils of darkness began to retract, shrinking away back toward her heart. She kept screaming and screaming, but Miko persisted, drawing the evil from her veins, until it was all concentrated back in the heart.

From there, Miko redirected her focus. The thick, black tumor of corruption was peeled away from Haruko's heart, clearing her valves and ventricles. Once the organ was finally free, the emerald beam began to move, traveling from the cleansed heart and following the curse's rivulet, dragging it back with it. It headed from her chest and into her shoulder, from her shoulder and down her arm, moving centimeter by centimeter, until finally it reached the palm of Haruko's right hand.

Sweat was dripping down Miko's face from the exertion, but she persisted. Once the entirety of the curse was concentrated back at its point of entry, Miko yanked her fist back.

…

It hurts!

Every muscle in Haruko's body was locked up. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't even blink, helpless as unbelievable agony scorched through her veins.

It hurts! Please, make it stop!

It was like having razor wire pulled out of her flesh. It was like her insides were being scraped with a metal-toothed comb. More pain than Haruko had ever even imagined possible enveloped her, consumed her, tore her apart from the insides, and all she could do was helplessly pray that it would be over soon.

Well, there was one other thing that she could do…

Stop her!

The Dark Voice was again speaking to her, again imploring her to give herself completely to it. Only now instead of cold and seductive, the voice was frantic. Panicked. All but begging.

Take my power! Stop her! Kill her!

Part of Haruko wanted to finally give in, finally surrender herself to the Dark Voice, if for no other reason than to make the pain stop. It would work. She could break the shrine maiden's hold over her and-

Then something changed.

If Haruko had the capacity to gasp then she would have. A new sensation was flowing through her, a comforting warmth that seeped through her body, easing her pain and clearing her head.

Many of the children that Haruko lived with had lost their parents so early in life that they had no memory of them at all. Haruko was not one of those. Her family were killed in a flash flood only about six years ago, recent enough that she could remember their faces and voices. Though she had come to accept her life at the orphanage, she still missed the feeling of her father's strong arms around her, of her mother softly singing to her as she brushed Haruko's hair. Sometimes she'd wake up with tears in her eyes, the warmth of their embrace so real that she could have sworn that they were right there with her.

That was what that felt like. The gentleness of her mother, the strength of her father, all of it wrapping around her in a tight hug, telling her that she would be all right.

Tears welled up in Haruko's paralyzed eyes. It just hurt so much though…

And the warmth knew that. It understood. It held her tighter while soothing her fears. Soon it would be over, and she would be all right.

Sure enough, the pain was starting to lessen, and the deathly chill that had gripped her heart ever since returning from the Youkai Forest was beginning to thaw. Realizing that she actually might make it, Haruko steeled her spirit the best she could to ride out the pain.

No! Don't listen! Take my power! Take it!

No, Haruko thought in return, and as she did, she felt the warm voice speaking with her. No. Go away.

…

Haruko gave one last scream as the beam pulled back from her body. At the end, a writhing ball of darkness was ensnared like an octopus caught on a fisherman's hook. It continued to drag the curse back until it was pulled fully into Haruko's Yin-Yang Orb. The orb shivered, and then snapped back into the master orb.

Crying out, Miko pushed up with all of her power. Through the top of the Yin-Yang Orb, a swirling whirlwind red-and-white light and tendrils of inky black shot into the sky. The light and the darkness clashed against one another, each trying to subdue and overwhelm the other. Miko could feel the conflict in her very soul, like tiny insects trying to claw their way into her heart.

But in the end, the light prevailed. The darkness was swallowed up, dispersed, and was gone. In her seal, Haruko abruptly collapsed to the ground and lay still. The poor kid was shivering hard, but she was breathing. What was more, she was now successfully purified.

One down.

Now that she was reassured of her method's effectiveness, Miko turned her attention to what was probably going to be the most difficult case. Keine Kamishirasawa's youkai blood was still calling out, and there was no telling how it was going to interact with the curse.

Again she studied the curse's hold on the girl's body, but to her surprise, it was much less advanced than Haruko's had been. In fact, from what she could tell, Keine's Hakutaku blood was actually holding it back.

Encouraged by this, Miko sent her spirit forward, traveling the lines of power that bound her to the girl, to the Ying-Yang Orb, and to Gensokyo itself. She felt the emerging power in the girl, a savage strength that yearned to be free. From there, she gently touched that power, making herself and her intent known.

And the beast within the girl responded. It understood what she wanted and readily agreed.

…

Get out!

No! Don't let her do this! Take my power before it's too late!

No! I said get out!

Yes, having the curse pulled from her mind, body, and soul hurt, but that was nothing compared to the pounding in Keine's head, the pounding that had been getting steadily worse and worse with each passing hour.

It felt like there was something alive in her head that was about to hatch. Compared to that, the icy whispers of the Dark Voice and the pain of having it extracted were mere distractions, ones that Keine simply wished to be gone!

But it still hurt! Everything about it hurt! How could Keine hope to-

Then a warm feeling of comfort settled upon her.

It was like being with her friends on a warm summer day. It was like being hugged by every grown-up in the Children's Home at once. And though it did not whisper in her ear as the Dark Voice was, she still felt it speaking to her, encouraging her, telling her what was happening to her.

There was a sickness in her, and it needed to come out. However, the sickness was not what was wrong with her head. In fact, behind the agony threatening to rip her skull apart, there was strength waiting for her, strength enough to help Miss Miko exorcise the evil that had taken hold of her heart.

No! It is not sickness; it is power! Take it! Take it, and nothing will ever hurt you again!

Though every centimeter of her body was wracked in agony, Keine felt a sort of calmness descend upon her, and with it came a clarity.

It's finally happening, isn't it? she inquired of the warmth now enveloping her.

Again, there were no words spoken, just a gentle affirmation

Keine felt her throat tighten. She always knew this day would come, the day when she would be forced to reckon with what she really was.

Everyone had always known that there was something different about her, from her weird silver hair to how slowly she seemed to age compared to the other kids. Keine herself never had any illusions of what she was. Her father had been a youkai who had forced himself on her mother, and she had lived in fear of what would happen to her when everyone learned of her horrible heritage.

The grown-ups all knew, of course, and thankfully did not judge her for it. Kohta and Rumia also knew, and she couldn't be more grateful for their acceptance and protection. But she always knew that it was only a matter of time before the other kids found out. She could hide from her own blood for only so long.

And now it was finally waking up.

Keine wanted to cry. It wasn't fair. Unlike the others, she was already cursed, and had been so since birth. But now she had to suffer another curse on top of the one she already carried, and now both were trying to-

Wait.

Now that comforting presence was speaking to her again, gently reassuring her and giving her peace. What was more, it was pointing out something, something that frightened her.

Perhaps one of her problems would prove to be the solution to the other.

No, don't you dare!

Keine didn't want to do it. This was a legacy that she had never wanted to embrace, but still had always been a part of her. Despite how small and scrawny she was, Keine was still scarily strong. She had to be careful to hide it, to not let anyone else find out lest they put together what she was.

But now she could no longer hide from it. It was coming out.

Then don't let it! Take my power, and you can have your vengeance on every youkai in Gensokyo! You can find that bastard that fathered you, and ripped him to pieces!

Perhaps she could. There was no denying that the fact that she carried a piece of that monster with her filled her with revulsion.

But as Miss Miko and the curse warred on one another within her body for control of her heart, Keine came to a realization. Maybe it was the comforting warmth leading her to that point. Maybe it was something that she had always known. But in her heart of hearts she knew it to be true.

Her father had used his power for evil. But her power, the strength given to her through his blood, was hers and hers alone. As such, it was up to her to decide what to do with it.

She could continue to hide from it. She could deny it, keep pushing it away. However, it was still going to come out, no matter what she did. Perhaps now was the time to use it, to turn that heritage into a good one.

And despite what the creature that had fathered her had done, despite what he had given her, it was still of Gensokyo.

The Dark Voice most assuredly was not.

Do not reject my gift! Take my power, and I'll-

Be. Quiet.

Keine reached down deep into the source of that pain, dipping her hands into that boiling blood. And from it she took strength.

And with that strength she joined the battle waging inside of her.

As Miss Miko pulled the Dark Voice out of Keine bit by agonizing bit, Keine threw all of her pain into pushing it out. The Dark Voice continued to scream, threaten, plead, and bargain, but its hold over her lessened by the second. It was beaten.

…

This time, the curse was extracted far more quickly and cleanly, the girl herself helping to push it out.

Again light and darkness did battle in the air. And again the darkness was reduced to embers and snuffed out. Keine fell to the ground, but she would be all right.

Encouraged by this, Miko then turned to the next child, this one the boy Kohta Momoi.

Whatever optimism gained by her previous two successes died when she saw the look on his face.

Kohta was still kneeling in the grass, his fingers covered with dirt and leaf blades, but he was no longer trying to dig himself free. Instead, he was staring right at Miko, his face tense and his lips contorted into a snarl. There was an odd red glint in his eyes.

There couldn't be any doubt about it. He meant to fight her.

Well, it wasn't as if she hadn't anticipated this. Miko readied herself for the struggle ahead. And then she began.

…

Do not let her!

Kohta's head thrust back and his mouth opened to release a scream that couldn't escape his throat. The stupid woman's magic was digging into his body, trying to rip his power away!

Fight it!

Grimacing, Kohta tried to resist, but it just hurt so much. How dare she? How dare she? Who did she think she was, to try to take what wasn't hers? Didn't she understand what she was dealing with?

Take my power! Do it now, before it's too late!

Yes.

Yes! He had to. Before the chance was gone forever. He would take the power, and then nobody would be able to stop him! First he was going to kill that old hag, then he would pay the Human Village a little visit, see if they found his presence so objectionable then. After that, it was off to the Youkai Forest! There were too many spiders there, so maybe a little bug-squishing was in-

"K-Kohta?"

Wait, who?

Ignore her! Take my power!

"Hold on, Kohta!"

Confused, Kohta tried to look in the direction of the voice. His neck was locked up, so he couldn't turn his head, but he did manage to drag his eyeballs over to get a glimpse in his peripheral vision.

Keine was there, in the seal next to his. She was still in pain, still holding onto her head with one hand, but the other was pressed against the invisible barrier as she looked to her suffering friend in concern.

"Don't-" Keine winced, but pressed on. "Don't listen to it, Kohta! Fight it! Get it out! I know you can do it!"

Don't listen to that little tart! Take my power!

But…But that was Keine.

She's a traitor! A weakling who doesn't understand true power! But you do, don't you, Kohta? You understand. Take my power before it's too late.

Grimacing, Kohta felt himself caught between two power forces: the insistence of the Dark Voice, and his loyalty to his friends. All the while, white-hot torment burned him alive.

She's a youkai! You hate youkai, don't you? Youkai killed your family. Youkai took you and your friends away. Youkai killed that other girl, right? Why listen to her when you could listen to me?

And just like that, the pain was forgotten. The anger was forgotten. All of Kohta was now focused on what the Dark Voice had just said.

What. Did. You. Just. Say?

A strange sensation fell upon Kohta. It was not dissimilar to whenever Mr. Joshua would lay those strong hands on his shoulders and counsel him. Something was coming over him, something that agreed that Kohta's anger was just, and now was the time to do something about it.

As if realizing its own mistake, the Dark Voice's tone changed, now much more different than the constant, cold insistence it had been until now.

Kohta. Listen to me-

No.

We can fight this together! You and I! All you have to do-

I said NO!

Now Kohta was angry. And in that anger he found strength.

How dare you say that about my friend?

…

Miko's spirits lifted when she felt Kohta's resistance quaver. The curse still fought against her, but its host was no longer cooperating with it.

Then a moment later Kohta joined back in.

On Miko's side.

Smiling, Miko thought, That's it, kid. You got this.

Much like she had with Keine, the two of them drew the curse out of Kohta, until finally the ugly thing was sent wriggling up into oblivion.

Three down.

As the newly cleansed Kohta fell to his side, Miko turned her attention to Hayate Maeda. In contrast to the others, the girl looked absolutely terrified. Miko frankly could not blame her.

But maybe in that fear she also would find the strength to fight for her soul.

Miko locked eyes with Hayate, silently asking for forgiveness for what she was about to put the child through.

And then she began.

…

Please no…

Take my power! Do it now!

Awash in sheer, raw terror and overwhelming pain, Hayate fell back against the unseen cage keeping her contained. She couldn't move. She could barely even think. All she could do was let the pain wash through her, helpless to do anything about it.

You can do something about it! Take my power! Kill her and make the pain stop!

If she were able, Hayate would be sobbing. It hurt so much! It was killing her, just like those monsters had killed Eiko! She couldn't take it!

Please, make it stop! It hurts so much.

Take my power!

It hurts. Oh gods, I don't want to die, I don't want to die…

Listen to me! You can end this right now!

Maybe…maybe I should…

Then, as Hayate felt her resistance to Dark Voice crumble away, something…changed.

It wasn't like the pain or the fear eased in any sort of way, but she felt a strange sort of comfort move through her, like a pair of strong arms were wrapping around her shoulders while a kindly voice spoke to her. There were no words, not like the insidious whispers of the Dark Voice. But even so, they told her to be strong, that the pain was that of healing.

Even so, Hayate wished that she had enough muscle control to cry. It just hurt so much.

Then the warmth spread, filling her. It didn't take the pain away, but it gave Hayate something to cling to, something to draw strength from.

Do not listen! Take my power!

Finally, Hayate was able to manage a tiny whimper. It wasn't much, barely even audible over the screaming inside of her head.

And yet, even that small bit of control was a comfort.

Take my power, already! Do it now!

Hayate whimpered again.

Please…

Do it!

Please. Just go away.

…

And a fourth! Hayate slumped back against the invisible wall of her seal, panting and weeping. But she was alive. And the curse was gone.

To be honest, things were proceeding better than Miko had anticipated. With everything that was going on, and with the exact nature of the curse still unknown, she would have counted herself lucky to even rescue half of the Black Circle Six.

Smiling in satisfaction, Miko turned to the fifth.

Then her smile withered when she saw who it was.

It was that small girl with the bad cough, Kana Anaberal. From the onset, Miko had always known that Kana would be the trickiest to handle. Yes, the other four had been cleansed without taking any great harm (though it probably didn't feel that way to them), but Miko was genuinely worried about whether or not Kana's constitution could even handle the process.

Unfortunately, there was no way to find out except to plunge right in.

Gensokyo, Miko silently prayed. Spirits of the air above and the earth below. All of the gods. Please, lend this girl your strength.

For her part, Kana didn't seem afraid like Hayate, defiant like Kohta, in agony like Keine, or on the brink of insanity like Haruko. She wasn't even coughing anymore. If anything, she seemed merely curious, standing silently with her head tilted to one her, eyes calmly watching the shrine maiden.

Well. Here goes. Readying herself for a tough fight, Miko began.

…

It was a strange thing to experience the instrument of your own death.

Ever since those spiders had taken her and the others, Kana had known that she was going to follow poor Eiko through those doors, cross over the River Suzune, and leave everything behind. It wasn't as if she wanted to die; she most certainly did not. But there was a peace in accepting the inevitable.

..ake…y…ower.

Ever since the spiders had filled her with their venom, Kana had felt her death coming. It was a slow thing, like watching a tree slowly begin to topple toward you while being unable to move out of the way, like watching the shifts and cracks that precede a landslide. Something inside of her was broken, and it didn't matter if the curse was removed. If anything, it was the only thing keeping her alive.

Ta…my…pow…

But that was all right. It wasn't as if she were going to die die, not like Eiko had; her new friends had seen to that. They had shown her a way for her to stick around, to simply…change, once her mortal body expired. Good thing too, as that silly bone charm that she had nicked from the market had proved to be a piece of junk. Wouldn't that have been embarrassing? To die, expecting that thing to keep her around, only to vanish for good?

…ke…my pow-Are you even listening?

Well, there was one good thing about going through all of this. At least then that darned Dark Voice would leave her alone. And at least things would stop hurting all the-

Something happened.

Kana could feel it. As Miss Miko was drawing the curse out, something broke, something important.

Kana sighed. Oh, dear. There it was.

You should have listened.

…

Miko gasped in horror as she felt Kana's fragile body literally break. The sickly girl doubled over, vomiting a foul cocktail of dull maroon blood and fragments of black corruption.

Calm, calm, Miko told herself. If she panicked now, then there was no chance that the girl could be helped. Though she knew the damage that it was causing, she continued to draw the curse out little by little, until finally it was yanked free from Kana's body.

Another whirlwind of cleansing magic, another brief struggle, and it was gone.

Unfortunately, it seemed Kana would soon be gone as well.

The girl now lay curled up on her side, her body shaking violently with an overpowering fit of coughing. More blood ran down the sides of her mouth.

She wasn't going to make it. The process of pulling the curse out had just been too much for her.

Miko slowly inhaled. She had, at various times, been accused of being a cold, unfeeling monster, one who didn't care about the lives of those that she was supposed to safeguard. And it was true that, with all the death that she had seen, with all the lives that she had failed to save, seeing someone die, even a child, didn't affect her like it would most people. She could be cool and detached when she had to. She could harden her heart and do what needed to be done when the situation called for it.

But that didn't mean she didn't care. That didn't mean that the death of a small, lowly child didn't hurt.

However, Miko couldn't let that affect her. She still had a job to do.

The shrine-maiden turned to the last of the cursed children, Rumia Yagami. For her part, Rumia had stopped shrieking and slavering and was now standing utterly still, staring down at Kana. The look on her face was strange. It wasn't the concern a child might have for a friend, nor was the cold, dispassionate way a predator would regard its prey. She was just staring.

Then she slowly turned her head to lock eyes with Miko.

…

Stop her.

Feeling nothing but cold detachment, Rumia watched as the shrine maiden once again began the rite, the one that would rip the Dark Voice from her heart, the one that had already been used on the others.

The one that could kill her.

You saw what she did to your friend. Stop her.

She could do that. As always, the Dark Voice offered power. Power enough to break the shrine maiden's ritual. Power enough to wreak vengeance on those who had caused all of this to happen. Power enough that she would never have to be afraid again.

Yes. No more fear. Make them afraid. Make them regret hurting her. No one will ever dare lay hands upon you again. Don't you want to be safe? Don't you want your family to be safe?

She did.

Then take my power. Nobody will ever be able to stop you. You will never be afraid again.

As Rumia watched the green beam begin to flare up, she…hesitated.

The Dark Voice was making a lot of sense. Having it removed from her would be nice, but they would still be in danger from those who had set those spiders upon them. And if she allowed Miss Hakurei to rip the Dark Voice from her now, then that opportunity would be gone for good.

And yet…

Something else was there. A calm, comforting presence. One that stood with her, that held her hand, that told her not to give in.

Time is running out. Only you are left. Soon I will be gone, and you all will be killed.

Rumia shook her head. Everything was so confusing.

Fine. If you won't, then perhaps he will.

Rumia blinked in confusion. Huh? He?

Then she felt…something. Another presence drawing near, a presence like her own.

There was no doubt about it. Someone else bearing the Dark Voice was on their way.

…

Just one more.

Miko readied herself for the final exorcism, praying that this child wouldn't fight her, praying that she would survive.

Just one more.

The power built up again, strength lent to her by Gensokyo herself. Time to-

Wait.

Miko's sharply honed senses, strong sense of intuition, and natural affinity for the currents of magic all suddenly screamed at her, all telling her that danger was coming, that danger was here, right now!

That was the only warning that she got before the world exploded.

All of Miko's gathered power suddenly hit overload as the rune she had been using to contain and purify the children blew up. Light flashed behind her eyes, and she lost all sense of everything.

When Miko came to, only a few seconds had passed. This wasn't the first time she had been knocked senseless, or even the twentieth, and she recovered quickly.

Not quickly enough.

Where the rune had been was now a scorched circle. Apparently Miko had been flung into the air and landed in the grass not far from where she had been conducting the ritual.

Furthermore, there was now a long trail of black cutting through the grass, one that stopped at the scorch mark, no doubt the result of whatever had attacked her.

The children were also nearby, sprawled here and there. A quick visual scan confirmed that they were still alive, even Kana, though obviously still senseless. Well, most of them anyway. Keine was stirring, no doubt a result of her youkai blood. As for Rumia…

Rumia was still standing exactly where she was. Her clothes were burnt, her face was smudged, and her hair singed, but other than that she seemed completely unaffected by the explosion.

She just stood there. Staring.

But not at Miko.

Her apprehension growing, Miko slowly turned as she drew herself to her feet, her eyes following the black trail to its source.

People were now gathered in the field, about nine meters away. They were Human, denizens of the Human Village judging by their clothes. She saw the common folk, the wealthy, village guards, and others. Many of them held torches. Many of them held weapons. All of them looked angry and scared, a dangerous combination.

And at the head of the mob stood a tall white man with a blonde beard, a man wearing a long brown coat and a wide-brimmed brown hat. Hanging from his neck was a large silver Christian crucifix, though his seemed strangely warped. And his skin was ruddy, as if badly sunburned.

His hands, however, were bare, perhaps for the first time in years.

Miko felt her gorge rise. No, not this. Not him.

A small, confident smile perking up his lips, Nathaniel Skinner took a step forward. "Good evening," he said in his smooth, deeply accented voice. "Shrine Maiden Miko Hakurei, if I'm not mistaken." His blue eyes flitted briefly to the sprawled children. "I'm sorry, but are we interrupting something?"

…

Been a while since I've done a birthday update, though this time it wasn't intentional. It just so happened to be finished on my birthday, which is weird.

And boy howdy, did that talk between Joshua and Satoko give me trouble! I couldn't decide how much of his past to delve into. I already established him as being at least ethnically Jewish, and given the timeline, he had to have experienced his fair share of antisemitism on top of the already established war PTSD and drug issues, but going into it in too much detail felt like it was distracting from the rest of the chapter while too little felt like it was doing him a disservice.

Speaking of which, it only just occurred to me a couple days ago that Skinner probably did get drafted into WW2. I figure Joshua probably served in WW1 but was too old when the WW2 draft came or was excluded for some other reason. Wish I had realized that connection earlier. Oh well.

Until next time, everyone.