One Random Sukima 12

It's late night at the Moriya shrine. Kanako has managed to fix the entire shrine on her own, but she's so exhausted, she can't get up from the floor to turn on even one light, and even her Onbashira looks worn out in the darkness. Suwako and Budou arrive to the dark shrine carrying bags with vegetable and fruits in them. Budou squeezes Suwako's hand, shivering as they get closer to the dark shrine. Suwako sweats and thinks "wonder if that old hag fell on the ground and can't get up...?" She smiles and turns to Budou, then says "don't worry, I'll turn on some candles." Budou looks to the ground, then Phredia comes out from under Budou's hair, using her natural light to brighten the place up, helping Suwako find a candle and some old matches that help brighten the living room a little more. Suwako sets the candle on the table and the bags under it, then flies to turn on all the lanterns she can, brightening up the room. Budou still looks a bit unsettled, even though Phredia continues to gently pet her cheek to calm her down. Suwako smiles as she floats down to Budou, grabs some grapes from inside one of the bags, then says "eat up. You'll feel better." Budou grabs one grape, eats it, smiles, then grabs a few more, cheering up and smiling as she contently eats her grapes, constantly saying "mmm~ so yummy". Suwako ventures deeper into the shrine, searching through Sanae's room first, then upon closing the door, she shouts "oy~, Kanako~! Where are you!? And why is everything so dark?" Suwako continues to walk through the small corridor, heading to the bathroom, when she feels her feet bump against something soft, plump and heavy. She looks down and finds Kanako, lying on the ground, her eyes open, yet staring blankly at the ceiling, and a small hammer next to her hand. Suwako stares at her in disbelief and asks "you threw off your back there, gramma?" Like a miracle, Kanako spring to her feet, fire rising along her body as she clenches jagged teeth and stares angrily at Suwako, shouting "who are you calling old, you slimy toad!" Calmly, Suwako replies "calm down. Budou's in the living room! She has a surprise for you." Kanako sits on the living room, wearing a white heating pad on her back, enjoying some soup made by Suwako, eating with a smile on her face. Budou stares at Kanako for a moment, smiles at her, then shouts "you were right, big sis. The heating pad made gramma Kanako very happy!" Kanako continues to smile at Budou, however, a small vein starts pulsating on her forehead, showing her annoyance to the commentary. Kanako manages to calm herself down, then asks "so that gap youkai helped you get a battery powered heating pad? That's unusual." From the kitchen, Suwako replies "I was quite surprised too. She even got me the batteries for it." As Suwako returns from the kitchen, she rummages around her pocket and pulls out three small batteries and says "See?" Kanako stares at the batteries with her chop-sticks in her mouth. Suwako stares for a moment, then starts sweating. Kanako asks "if the batteries are there... how is this thing-?" Kanako grabs the pad and stares at it. Budou giggles and says "energy-sharing tickles!" then starts giggling some more. Kanako pulls the pad father from Budou, and she stops giggling. She gets it closer again and Budou starts to giggle uncontrollably. She pulls it back again, then says "oy, Suwako." Suwako, her eyes cast in a blue shadow, replies "yes... I can see it." The moment is cut short when a sudden thunder strike, accompanied by lighting and rain, startles Budou, making her cry and cling to her gramma Kanako, shaking with fear. Phredia hugs the back of Budou's neck and gives her a kiss, then Suwako looks outside and says "s-scarlet clouds." Another lightning bolt strikes in front of the shrine doors just as Suwako reaches to close them. Suwako readies herself for a possible fight, seeing a silhouette inside the bolt. Iku Nagae now stands in clear view, opens her eyes, then says "a terrible fate is to fall upon the green-haired one. Protect her from the boy at all costs! That is all." With that, she twirls in place, raises her right hand index finger to the sky while holding her hip with her left hand and shouts "Saturday Night--- FEVER~!" then lightning strikes again, Iku disappearing with it. Suwako and Kanako stare at each other, then Suwako says "but it's Wednesday." Kanako continues to brush Budou's hair to keep her calm as she continues to stare at the scarlet clouds in the sky.

Morning at the Hakurei Shrine. Reimu wakes up and finds everyone, but Aya and Rika, have already left. Rika comes from outside with a wooden japanese sword and sweating a bit, but still smiling angelically. She looks at Reimu, bows and says "good morning, lady Reimu." Reimu smiles back and says "good morning Rika. Been training I see? Er... where did you get that sword from?" Rika giggles and says "from my Saboten Stock." Reimu stares back at her with both confusion and curiosity. Rika giggle, rummages through her pockets, then pulls out a small square box, places the wooden sword next to it and it shrinks as it gets absorbed into the box, then says "this is a Saboten Stock. I can store many of my things and save a lot of space! Pretty handy, don't you think?" Reimu stares at her and says "you have to teach me how to use that spell!" Rika chuckles and says "err... why don't I just-?" Aya, who has been quietly sitting on the porch all this time, suddenly gasps and shouts "Reimu, have you seen Momiji around!?" Reimu looks back to Aya a little worried and says "I haven't seen her at all, after you punished her." Aya gulps loudly and says "err... we should go find her when you're done eating." Reimu sighs and says "fine. Remember, we have to find her shadow too." Aya sighs and says "yes, I know. Sorry about that, Reimu. I just got this bad feeling all of a sudden." Reimu looks seriously at Aya and says "yeah, I've got a very bad feeling too. Maybe we should head out now, and come back to eat la-." From the kitchen, in a strict tone, Rika says "oh no, you don't, lady Reimu! I'll get you breakfast and you eat it before you leave! You need all the strength you can get, after all!" Aya and Reimu stare at each other, then Aya says "better listen to her." Reimu grumbles and flicks her arms beside herself, feeling defeated. She heads to the table and sits there, then says "as soon as I'm done..." Aya finishes for her "...we hunt that shadow and find the real Momiji."

At the Moriya Shrine, Ail carries Budou with him into one of his gaps, turns around and waves at Sanae, who stands next to Kanako and Suwako. Kanako holds her mirror in her hand and points it at Ail again, but hides it before he notices her. Sanae says "you rest and make sure to treat that wound properly, or I'll get mad." Ail sweats and manages to chuckle, sounding a bit nervous, but before he can reply, Budou says "don't worry, mama. I'll make sure he does!" Phredia pops her head from under Budou's head, nods, then pops back in. Ail sweats and shrugs, then the gap closes. As soon as it does, Sanae sighs and says "I better start sweeping... this shrine looks like a mess, lady Yasaka. I though you'd take care of it." Sanae turns to face Kanako, who nervously replies "I, err... got a bit tied up." Sanae sighs again, then goes to get her broom to start sweeping around. Suwako gets closer to Kanako, who takes this time to look into her mirror. Both see when Ail and Sanae fell to the ground during their battle with the shadows, Kanako getting annoyed at the sight. Then they watch as Sanae treats his wound, and as they both share rice balls, feeding each other. Kanako whispers "and right in front of everyone, just like that!" Suwako looks casual as she stares into the mirror, then says to Kanako "look, Kanako, he's not doing any of that on purpose. Just watch. I really believe he thinks they're just really good friends." Kanako gets angry and whispers in an aggravated tone of voice "Suwako, don't fall for his tricks! He's just playing dumb. Besides, you heard what that dragon said. We better keep our eyes open." Suwako sighs and says "you're taking it way too literal! You know those dragons love speaking in riddles." Kanako puffs her cheeks, places her mirror back on her chest, then says "look, you may be naive, but I'm not! That boy is dangerous for our Sanae. I just have to figure out a way to make her see..." Kanako and Suwako watch as Sanae sweeps the courtyard, humming tunes to herself with a very happy expression on her face. Kanako turns her sights to were Ail's gap was just moments ago and growls softly, thinking "you may have everyone fooled, Ail, but not me. Just you wait. I'll get you. I'll get you." A large golden washtub falls on Kanako's head, making a very loud clanging sound, then falls on the ground next to her. Suwako recovers from the sudden shock as Sanae rushes to Kanako, shouting "lady Yasaka, are you alright!? Lady Yasaka!" Kanako continues to stare toward the same spot, unmoving and unblinking. Suwako asks "Kanako...? Can you hear me?" Suwako waves her hand in front of her eyes, and just as Sanae get close, she turns to her and says "she's out cold." Sanae looks up to the sky, then back at the large washtub on the ground, then shouts "what the deal with all these washtubs!?"

At Ail's house, Budou and Phredia play around the ceiling, twirling around each other, missing ornaments, walls and the ceiling itself by inches. Ail comes from the small corridor that leads to his room, looks up at them and strictly says "oy, Budou, Phredia. Be careful, or you're gonna get hurt... why don't you play outside?" Budou flaps her wings to hover in place and looks at Ail, an sounding a little disappointed, she says "we can't. There's a stranger out there." Ail asks "a stranger?" For a moment, Ail's thoughts turn to his shadow and his promise to make them pay. He signals Budou to get close to him, and as she hovers down, he whispers to her "stay inside while I got look around. If anything happens, I want you and Phredia to go to the Hakurei, or the Moriya Shrine, got it?" Budou nods, then hides behind the sofa as Ail heads to the front door and goes outside. He closes the door while scanning around, looking for any signs of his shadow. He's caught by surprise, as Reisen jumps on him and gives him a hug, rubbing her cheek on his chest and saying in a dreamy tone "Ail~! You are alive. I am so relieved." Ail's face turns a bit blue, thinking for a moment that he is dead, but when he realizes it's Reisen, he grabs her shoulders and pulls her away, but she forces herself to a hug again, continuing to rub her cheek on his chest, smiling and sighing contently. A bit more annoyed, Ail grabs her shoulders again and forcefully pulls her away, then says "Reisen, where have you been? Eirin has been looking all over for you!" Reisen's face twists into a most disturbing frown, but returns to normal when Ail blinks his eyes. He palces her back down and asks "are you ok?" Reisen squeals and says "you're so~ considerate! Don't yo worry about me, I am just FINE as ever!" Ail sweats and scratches his head as he looks at Reisen with narrow eyes, saying "ok... if you say so." He restores his face to look neutral and says "look, you better head home. Eirin is so worried about you." Reisen continues to smile, but her tone of voice sounds dangerous when she says "she is, isn't she? I better be heading home then. Please take care, and don't you DARE get another wound on that prefect face of yours. See you around!" Before Ail answers back, Reisen skips away, glaring dangerously as the sky with a smile on her face. Ail thinks for a moment and says to himself "that's odd... she's acting so strange... and her hair... there's something about that..." Before he can figure it out, his bracelet does the old and familiar droplet sound, taking his attention away from Reisen.

Meanwhile, at the Hakurei Shrine, Aya and Reimu leave in a hurry, Reimu shouting back at Rika "please take care of the place while I'm gone~!" Rika shouts back "will do my lady~!" After they are gone, Rika looks around the shrine and thinks "well, I already swept the grounds... I cleaned the hot springs, dusted inside, checked the roof..." She looks to the back of the shrine, picks her Saboten Stock from her pocket and pushes a button that releases her wooden sword straight to her hand, then says "I guess I'll train for a bit, then." and walks to the back of the shrine resting the sword on her shoulder. At the same time, in Makai. Shinki, Mai, Alice and Yumeko enter through the gate, Yumeko saying in a concerned voice "we could have gotten here sooner, but my lady wanted to visit those red clouds before." Shinki looks around and immediately gasps in horror while covering her mouth, shouting "the-the forest!!!" The small forest Ail helped revive is on fire, a few of the trees already consumed. Shinki desperately shouts "turn off the fire! Yumeko, Alice, Mai, help me turn off the fire!!!" Immediately, Shinki starts flying around as fast as she can, generating gusts of wind behind her and flying as close to the trees as possible. Alice shouts "Shanghai, Hourai..!" she unleashes 8 more dolls that start scraping the ground and sending dirt toward the trees, then finishes saying "sprinkle as much dirt as you can on the trees, but keep away from the fire!" The two little dolls salute Alice, and Shanghai says "on it, miss Alice!" Yumeko rushes as fast as she can, cutting small branches with her short swords, managing to spare larger portions of the trees from getting burned. Mai flies above the forest and shouts "Yumeko, Alice, give me some room!" then pulls out a light-blue spell card from her pocket and shouts "Ice Sign - Frozen Sakura for Spectators!" Below, Alice, Shanghai, Hourai and Yumeko rush away from the forest as Mai unleashes her spell. Around herself, Mai unleashes 12 groups of ice danmaku that bloom like cherry blossoms, then spread as they fall down like petals. While the petals drop slowly, Mai unleashes a snowstorm of snowflake danmaku she sends toward the fire. The combination of the ice petals, the snowstorm and the snowflakes subdues the fire, saving the entire forest. She smirks and says "say, these spell card things aren't so bad, lady Yumeko..." Mai looks around when Yumeko doesn't respond, then Shinki flies to her, and sounding a bit worried, she says "uhh, Mai... there." Mai looks to where Shinki is pointing at, and finds Yumeko frozen solid inside a block of ice, clenching her teeth, opening her eyes wide, and hugging herself. Mai gulps and says "umm... I guess I need more practice... heh heh." Alice looks up to them and shouts "could you give me a hand here!?" Shanghai and Hourai start clapping, and Alice scolds them, saying "that's not funny, you two!" Mai and Shinki sigh, then slowly descend to help.

Walking by near the shores of the Misty Lake, Youmu and Yuyuko head to the direction of the Human Village. Youmu keeps holding the hilt of her sword, looking around suspiciously, then desperately says "Yuyuko-sama, please walk faster! Remember, we are in danger here!" With a whimsical smile, Yuyuko replies "Youmu, you need to take things a little slower sometimes, or you might miss a great deal of things, like that beautiful pink flower, growing next to that tall tree." Yuyuko points to her left, then Youmu, looking quite annoyed and unamused, says "let's just get this over with!" Youmu looks to the sky as Reimu and Aya fly by so fast, they look like a blur, although to Youmu's eyes, they look quite normal. Youmu asks "oh, where do you think those two are headed in such a hurry?" Yuyuko giggles and says "oh, that tickles!" Youmu turns around, asking "tickles? What are you talking ab- WHOA!!! Yuyuko-sama!" Youmu's eyes almost spring right out of her head after witnessing the Random Sukima, chewing on Yuyuko like a piece of bubble-gum. Youmu unsheathes her sword and is just about to strike, but from inside the mouth, Yuyuko says "ah-ah-ah, Youmu, don't be too hasty!" Youmu shouts back "but it's eating you UP!" The Sukima starts blowing Yuyuko like a piece of gum, and while expanding like a balloon, Yuyuko giggles and excitedly says "oh~ this is fun. It's like getting an expensive massage. Youmu, you should try this!" Sweating, Youmu smacks her own forehead, sighing and then replying "no, thank you. Now, let me get you out of-" Yuyuko explodes, whimsically shouting "weeeeee" then the Sukima chews on her once more, then swallows her up. Youmu shouts "YUYUKO-SAMA~! What did you do to her!?" Youmu raises her sword, looking enraged and ready to cut the Sukima in half, but it starts whining like a wounded animal, then falls to the ground. Youmu looks on quite surprised and gets closer to inspect the mouth, but it springs up from the ground, quickly expands, then explodes very violently, sending Youmu to the village, where she lands right on top of Kyo's roof, breaking it on impact and dropping to the living room floor on her face. Yuyuko sits between Kyo and Luna on the couch and while smiling, she says "ah, there she is. Youmu, that was quite rude. I though you'd never get here." Youmu doesn't get up and just strikes herself on the back of her head with her fist. Kyo grumbles as he gets up from the couch and helps Youmu up, then says "don't think about it too much. Are you ok, though?" Youmu says "yeah, I'm fine. Sorry about your roof. This mouth that ate Yuyuko suddenly exploded and sent me flying all the way here." Kyo gasps along with Luna while letting go of Youmu, then asks "you mean... that mouth thing is gone?" Youmu asks "yeah? Was that the Random Sukima everyone was talking about?" Luna and Kyo stare at each other for a while, then Yuyuko says "we should celebrate. Youmu, let's prepare a party!" Youmu sighs and says to herself "I'm supposed to be a gardener... a gardener!"

Meanwhile, back at Makai. Shinki somehow manages to thaw Yumeko out of the large cube of ice. Yumeko shivers as they continue to walk out the forest they just saved and Mai continues to apologize, while Alice walks beside Shinki, smiling and saying "I should really come over here more often." Shinki replies "now, now, you have your own life to live... Let us do the visiting." Alice smiles mischievously and says "I see. you like it over there, don't you?" Shinki blushes, but does not reply. They finally reach the end of the forest, and immediately after exit, they are met by a surprise attack. A giant fireball that threatens to burn the entire forest again. Shinki gets in front of Alice, then bounces the fireball back to the skies as if it were nothing. In front of them, a wicked womanly voice says "so, it was you. You've got a lot of nerve interfering with my plans, you old hag!" Shinki scowl toward the source of the voice, while the rest look awestruck. Wearing a red dress with a white belt that has a gold buckle, golden bracelets and jeweled necklaces, diamond earrings, and wearing ruby-red lipstick, is Yuki. In a demanding tone, Shinki asks "where is my Yuki, you fake!" Yumeko, Mai and Alice stare back at Shinki as Yumeko asks "you meant that's not Yuki?" Shinki replies without taking her eyes off Shadow Yuki "she's a copy.... a shadow of OUR Yuki." S-Yuki replies "well, the old bag still has something left in her." Yumeko shouts back "you watch your tongue, you creep!" S-Yuki does not reply, then snaps her fingers. Shortly after, a black haired Shinki walks to S.Yuki's side and excitedly says "look, look, I can make blue circles in the air. Watch!" She points her finger and makes a perfect little blue circle in the air, then looks excitedly back to S-Yuki, who scoffs and says "cut the crap. It's the impostors I told you about! They are here!" S-Shinki looks on with an innocent face, and after adjusting her eyes a little, she growls and says "impostors... I don't like impostors. I have to KILL them!" Just like that, she swings her arm toward Shinki, unleashing a blue lance that trails on the ground, splitting it in two as it treads straight to Shinki, who grabs the light with her bare hands and sends it back. S-Yuki fires another massive fireball back at the lance, canceling it out, then says "twerp! Change of plans! Get back to the palace and we'll get them there!" S-Shinki giggles and says "YAY~! Ambush, ambush! Oh, I'll get some friends to help!" S-Yuki snickers and says "good girl. Go get things ready. I'll be there soon." S-Shinki smiles, nods and giggles, then starts skipping on the ground and floating in the air, expanding her arms and making whooshing sounds with her mouth. S-Yuki smirks wickedly at Shinki and Alice, then says "we'll be waiting for you, girlies. But don't make us wait too long." S-Yuki hovers in the air, but Yumeko shouts "you're not going anywhere!" and fires 5 short swords straight at the shadow. S-Yuki smiles and takes off one of her many golden bracelets and says "these aren't just for show, old maid!" She tosses the bracelet in front of herself, then it starts spinning around her body really fast, and breaks all of Yumeko's swords with ease. The bracelet vanishes after it's job is done, but still, S-Yuki smiles and cackles as she leaves toward Pandemonium. In a strict tone, Shinki says "I'm taking care of this right now. You girls stay here." Yumeko says "but, lady Shinki!" A light blue dome surrounds Mai, Alice and Yumeko, then Shinki repeats "stay here!" then quickly flies away. Yumeko bangs on the dome with her fists, shouting "my lady, no! Let us help!" Alice shouts "mom! We can help you! Mom!!" Mai sighs, then sits on the ground, and sounding casual, she says "calm down." Yumeko stares back angrily, then Mai says "just calm down and let's think of a way to get out of here." Yumeko and Alice stare at each other, then sit on the ground, feeling defeated. Hourai and Shanghai stare at each other, but keep quiet.

Aya and Reimu arrive at one of the farthest edges of Gensokyo. A rocky area with a small stream coursing through the many rocks on the ground. Aya asks "why did you stop here?" In a serious tone, Reimu replies "she's here." Reimu points toward a large stone formation with some small trees growing on them. From behind those trees comes S-Momiji with a triumphant smirk in her face, then says "well, well, if it isn't my superior and that worthless maiden. Come to share graves?" Reimu places her arm in front of Aya as S-Momiji reaches behind her and pulls Momiji up, holding her by her neck, dried up blood across her face. Aya opens her eyes wide and calls for Momiji, desperately hoping to get a reply. Momiji manages to barely open her left eye and weakly says "m-miss.... Aya" S-Momiji unsheathes her sword and strikes Momiji's head hard with it's blunt side while grumbling "stay dead, pup." then throws her on the ground next to herself, revealing the back of her shirt cut open and her back full of cuts and dried up blood. Reimu holds Aya back, saying "Aya, calm down. If you try to take her on your own, she'll get you as well!" Aya stops struggling against Reimu, then looks at her and says "but we have to save her, Reimu!" Reimu looks Aya straight in the eyes and says "remember, we combine our powers, and we can win. Concentrate on that." Aya nods, takes a deep breath to calm herself down, then glares toward S-Momiji, however, she's already gone. Both Aya and Reimu look around, and in an instant, Reimu grabs Aya's shirt and pulls down hard, taking Aya down with her as S-Momiji swings her sword from behind, missing both by mere inches. She runs away again, but gets caught by a trap charm Reimu had laid down behind them. Aya takes this chance and kicks the shadow as hard as she can on her face, sending her flying back hard against an invisible wall that shocks her on contact. Aya looks at Reimu with surprise, then Reimu says "she won't be escaping from us." Aya and Reimu continue to watch as S-Momiji gets shocked by the barrier, then Aya gasps and says "Momiji!" Reimu gasps as well, then quickly, both of them rush as fast as they can toward the real Momiji, but S-Momiji manages to free herself from the barrier and flies as fast as she can toward the tengu and the maiden, flying as high as she can, then dropping down with her sword's sharp edge downward at full force. Reimu and Aya split up, avoiding being cut by the blade, then S-Momiji, looking aggravated, starts swinging wildly at them with all her might. Aya and Reimu manage to dodge the out-of-control swings, then Reimu reaches for her charms inside her sleeve, but Aya quickly pushes Reimu away, just as the black sword is thrust toward her.

Reimu rubs her head while sitting on the ground and says "thanks, Aya." Aya holds her left shoulder and clenches her teeth as some blood slowly drips from the sword wound. Reimu quickly grabs her and takes her away from S-Momiji's reach, once again, avoiding a wild swing my inches. Reimu manages to lift to the air whit Aya on her arms, as S-Momiji goes back to the real Momiji. The shadow smiles as she brushes the wounds on Momiji's back while saying "she tried to stop me on her own to uphold her honor." She sticks her finger nail deep into one of the dried-up wounds, making Momiji twitch and bleed again, then smiles at both Reimu and Aya, then says "I see. She's dear to you, isn't she?" Reimu manages to land at a near-by rock, then lets go of Aya, who stands to her side, glaring straight at S-Momiji. Reimu manages to keep her calm and asks "why are you doing this? Why do you want to kill us?" S-Momiji laughs for a while, then stops laughing and says "you fool, you were just a job! You are too strong to be taking lightly, and those two payed me to help them kill you." Reimu whispers to Aya, who sits on the air and closes her eyes as Reimu says "that is not what I asked you!" S-Momiji smirks, then says "we came here to take your place in life, to evolve this world into a glorious sun-less future. A future for all shadows." S-Momiji grabs her tokin, throws it to the air, then slashes it in half, then says "and when I take over the tengu, those stupid hats will be the first thing to go." Reimu asks "so you're just parasites?" S-Momiji frowns, her face turning bright red with rage, then shouts "we are the future! It is YOU who are the parasites!" Aya suddenly shouts "Illusionary Dominance!!!" The air around Aya turns red as she grabs Reimu and flies straight toward S-Momiji, tackling her to the air and continuing the assault, flying left and right non-stop, then she suddenly stops and flings Reimu straight toward the Shadow, then Reimu shouts "Divine Skill - Foot of the Wind God Champion!" The air around Reimu's legs turns orange, and along the momentum gained from Aya, S-Momiji is defenseless and unable to dodge in time, receiving a kick to her abdomen that sends her flying hard to the ground, spitting black blood as she falls. Her sword falls away, crossing over Reimu's barrier and shattering into pieces, then turns into a cloud of black dust. S-Momiji gets to her feet, and immediately rushes away like a blur just as 5 multi-colored orbs strike hard right where she just was. She heads straight to Momiji, grabs her by the neck and sinks her claws into the wolf tengu's neck, shouting "I will NOT die like this!" Reimu stops from sending charms, and Aya stops her attack completely. S-Momiji smiles triumphantly once more, then says "take down that barrier, and I promise no harm will come to her." Reimu and Aya look at each other, then Reimu says "fine!!! Just leave her alone already!" S-Momiji continues to smirk and says "good choice, ladies." Reimu waves her gohei, taking down the invisible barrier. S-Momiji stares with ill intent at Momiji and says "why the hell not? I'll release you from your pain, claim your life as my own, and then, little miss loner tengu can go back to her solitary life-style." Aya gasps as S-Momiji smiles and says "yes, miss Aya, I know all about it. The closer this girl gets to dying, the more of her soul and memories I absorb, so I can successfully take over her life. Then, I'll achieve what she can only DREAM of ever achieving. I'll become the new leader of the tengu. Think about it, miss Aya. Instead of being friends with this lowly dog, you could be my right hand. You can MAKE the others like you, whether they want to or not. You'll never be alone again!"

Reimu stares at Aya and notices the desire in her eyes. She shouts "Aya, don't you even think about it! I'm your friend. Momiji is your friend too! You told me yourself that you rather have a few real friends than hundreds of fake ones." Aya continues to stare at S-Momiji with great desire. Reimu feels desperate, and unleashes a barrage of charms toward Aya, hoping to stop her, but Aya stares back at Reimu for a second, so Reimu cancels her attack and starts to sob, kneeling on the ground, all her charms falling to the ground around her. Aya slowly flies toward S-Momiji and slowly extends her arm, saying "never alone... again..." S-Momiji smiles and extends her hand to Aya, but when she tries to grab it, her fingers go right through. She feels a hard blow on the back of her head, making her release the real Momiji. The blow is followed up a sharp wind sickles to the abdomen, a hard kick on the ribs, wind attacks that feel like sickles, another kick, another strike, one after the other, then Aya shouts "Gust - Sarutahiko's Guidance!" Aya's legs get surrounded by a small hurricane that allows her to tackle the shadow hard against the ground, making her bounce violently against the stones of the ground, then Aya grabs her and shouts "Demon Beast - Sickle Weasel Veiling!" and surrounds herself in a thin shield made of wind blades that cut the shadow over and over, making her scream in agonizing pain. The shield around Aya disappears, but Aya continues to hold the shadow in her hands and with fury in her eyes, she says "you hurt two very special friends. You can rot in hell!" then lets her fall to the ground where Reimu was before. All the charms are still there, surrounding S-Momiji, as she struggles to keep conscious, trying to find a way to escape, but Reimu is already next to her, placing her gohei on one of the charms that turns out to be a spell card, then says "Divine Arts - Omnidirectional Demon Binding Circle" A pillar of light activates right where S-Momiji is, making her scream echo far. The spell finishes, and all that is left of S-Momiji is a thin black cloud that vanishes as the wind blows. Reimu looks for Aya, who is already with Momiji, so she rushes to them. Aya embraces Momiji for a moment, then looks to Reimu and sobbing, she asks "what do we do?" Reimu sighs and says "she'll be alright. Here, let's first take care of those wounds." A shadow blocks the light of the sun, and when Reimu and Aya look up, they gasp, then Eirin asks "you need some help?"

Meanwhile, at the Moriya Shrine. Sanae finishes sweeping the courtyard, when in between the trees, she spots Suwako, hidden in shadows and staring back at her. Sanae says "Lady Moriya, is that you?" Suwako runs away, making some bushes rustle violently while Sanae tries to follow, calling "Lady Moriya, are you playing some game again? Look, I'm a little busy, so if you don't mind-" Sanae feels as though she's been struck with a spiked mace on the left side of her face and finds herself spinning in the air before falling face-first to the ground. She lightly touches her blood-covered cheek while trying to recover her bearings. From her right, walking slowly to her, S-Ail, whose hand is covered in small white spikes, in a threatening undertone says "I will avenge my love with your blood. After that, I will go after my other self, and while he grieves your passing, I'll bleed him out for a slow and painful death." Sanae readies her gohei and tries to unleash some gales at the shadow, but he kicks her as hard as he can on her ribs, making her scream in pain and roll against a near-by tree. From under the skin on his forearm, a black and red blade springs up and accommodates itself neatly on his hand. He raises the blade and says "now die a most shameful and unfitting death at the hands of someone WEAKER than you!" A blue gap opens right in between the shadow and Sanae as he lunges the blade at her, then another gap opens just behind him, making him stab himself on the back with the blade, then quickly, Ail springs out of another gap and using his bare fists, he punches S-Ail's face with great force and fury, and each punch makes S-Ail see stars and feel as though his teeth will fall off at any time. Ail continues his assault, every second that passes make shim feel more and more aggravated, and finally, he gives S-Ail such a powerful uppercut, S-Ail flies in the air for a few seconds before falling on his back. Afterward, Ail surrounds his hands with a red barrier and uses all his will-power to turn it into a small dagger. He grabs S-Ail by his hair and says "don't worry, you'll be joining your sweetheart soon!" Ail back-flips and surrounds himself in a blue barrier, avoiding Kanako's logs, giving S-Ail the chance to run away. Kanako hovers ominously above Ail, who continues to surround himself and now Sanae in his barrier. Suwako comes from behind the trees and shouts "Kanako, what the hell are you doing!? It's the other one! Get the other-" Suwako realizes S-Ail is gone, but Kanako continues to glare straight at Ail as he kneels down beside Sanae and helps her sit up. Suwako flies up to Kanako and says "you old hag, you better get some glasses! You missed the culprit!" Kanako says "the only culprit I see is right next to her, Moriya." Suwako smiles as she gets in front of Kanako and places her hands on her shoulders. While still smiling, she says "you fire that now, he's going to fire back. you understand that right?" Kanako doesn't respond, then Suwako adds "and if by some unfortunate accident you hit Sanae, I'll rip you to shreds." Kanako looks at Suwako, then says "right... sorry. I don't know what got into me. Let's go check on Sanae."

Earlier at the Human Village, Orin was barging into houses, calling for Okuu every time, and every time, Satori apologized to the house owners for her pet's behavior. Satori had enough and punished Orin by pouring water on her, and punching her on the head. Now, Satori and Orin explore the Garden of the Sun, looking for Okuu, or her shadow. Orin runs happily around the many sunflowers, saying "ooh, isn't this pretty, miss Satori?" Satori looks around, looking displeased and tired, then says "Orin, don't go too far ahead. You don't know what's hiding around here." From behind, a shadow towers over Satori, who turns around to face Yuka, who is dressed in a blue plaid vest and skirt and white long-sleeved shirt. Satori gets startled at the mean and angry expressions in the youkai's face, but she manages to compose herself and asks "excuse me, but we're looking... for..." Satori backs away, then calls for Orin, who quickly comes and gets in between Satori and Yuka, then Satori shouts "she has Okuu!" Orin says "alright, then, let's GET HER, then!"

At Marisa's house, Marisa and Yuki are playing cards when they are disturbed by loud calls and constant bangs from the door. Marisa gets up, and as she walks to the door and sounding annoyed, she says "hold your horses, I'm coming!" Upon opening the door, Marisa finds Satori, trembling at the doorway, hugging herself, covered in dirt and some bruises. Orin is behind Satori, rolling on the ground, wearing more ribbons than usual on her braids and tails and looking quite discontent. Marisa exclaims "WHOA! What happened to you, ze?" Satori trembles as she says "w-w-w-we f-f-found O-O-Okuu! Sh-she's held ca-captive i-i-inside a house at th-the Sunflower F-F-F-Fields!" Marisa gasps and asks "you tried fighting Yuka? Oh, you two are brave!" Satori shakes her head and says "n-no. It was..." Satori starts to cry and bawls "it was horrible~~! Waaahhhh~" Satori hugs Marisa while crying, then Marisa thinks "wait a minute... From what Reimu told me, she could have come face to face whit Yuka's shadow. Oh, what did Reimu get me into now? Can I do this? Can I save that bird, AND beat that shadow?" Yuki pops her head form inside the house and says "hey~, you're out of vegetables again!" Marisa forces Satori off her, sending her to Orin, who catches her in the air and says "come on, miss Satori. Roll with me on the ground to shake off all that bad stuff!" then forces Satori to roll along with her on the dirt. Satori tries to get away, shouting "Orin, let me.. go! Orin, no!" Argh!" Marisa turns to Yuki and says "looks like we have work to do, Yuki!" Yuki stares back at Marisa, raises her hand in the air, then shouts "BLAZING Black and White to the RESCUE~! Right?" Marisa lowers her hat to hide her eyes and sighs, then says "right, right. Just... come on!" Marisa gets on her broom, then flies away, while Yuki flies after her, cackling like a maniac and shouting "I'm gonna eat a pineapple sunflower for dessert, wahahahaha~!" Marisa replies "please stop being so weird." As they fly away, Satori continues to be forced to roll on the dirt in front of Marisa's house, shouting at Orin and demanding to be released. Marisa sighs and says "now I see why Reimu gets annoyed with so many visits, ze."

At Makai, inside Shinki's dome, Shanghai and Hourai glow bright yellow as they both hold hands. Alice desperately asks them "Shanghai, Hourai, what are you doing!? Stop that!!!" Both dolls look back at Alice and say at the same time "after the dome shatters, take care of our bodies. We'll be back later, so don't cry miss Alice. Now, go help that nice lady, or we'll never forgive you!" Alice gasps as the dolls glow brighter and brighter, then covers her eyes just as the light-blue colored dome shatters to pieces. The two dolls fall lifeless and unmoving to the ground. Alice holds back her tears of sadness as she picks them up, then turns to Yumeko and Mai and says "I'll go and help mom while you two go look for Sara, Luize and Yuki. We will need help." Yumeko complains, saying "hey, who put you in charge!?" Alice turns to Yumeko and says I am much more powerful than you can possibly imagine. I can at least buy mom some time." Yumeko growls, then nods and says "but I swear, if lady you let anything happen to lady Shinki, I'll punish you until there's nothing of you left!" Alice smiles as she nods, then says "please, hurry. Shan-... that's right." Alice pockets the two dolls, then looks toward Pandemonium, and without saying another word, she lifts off to the sky. Mai says "I'll look for Yuki, if you don't mind." Yumeko nods and in a strict tone, she says "don't take too long. I'll got look for Sara and Luize, then. We meet at the palace entrance when we're done, did I make myself clear?" Mai smiles back, nods, then flies away back to Gensokyo. Yumeko looks toward the palace, but turns around, then flies toward Luize's tour blimp, feeling great anxiety in her heart.

To be continued...

Characters, spell cards and scenario belong to ZUN -Team Shanghai Alice-
Ail, Kyo, Luna, Budou, Phredia and Mai's spell cards were created by Wilie G.R.
Rika was created by Snapshot 2010
Some assistance by Snapshot 2010

NOV 15 2009
written by
Willie G.R.