Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Deep in the heart of Makai, a lone woman slumbers. She forgot how long she’s been there. Years, decades, centuries possibly. She wonders about her strong funayurei, her dear tiger, her faithful mouse, her mysterious priestess, and her little yamabiko. She wonders if her disciples are still following her teachings. She wonders if they even remember her.

No, that was silly. Of course they remembered. They were youkai after all. She trusted them.

And yet, her heart ached that she still couldn’t see them, couldn’t speak to them.

So, she decided to reach out.

Perhaps her disciples would be able to respond.

“To anyone who can hear…” she began, her hands clasped in a prayer.

“Share in my nirvana…”

“Let us connect in mind and spirit…”

“Hear my voice…”

“Answer my call…”

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A young Reimu Hakurei awoke from a strange dream. One of a realm that was like Gensokyo but not quite. One of many people she had never seen before. One of someone who was waiting for her. She heard a voice in the dream calling out to her. A woman’s voice, telling her to answer a call. When she woke up, she was thrown off at first, but didn’t think much of it. Just one strange dream in what was probably going to be a lifetime of strange dreams. She assumed it meant nothing.

Until she heard that same voice again.

“Hear my voice…”

“Answer my call…”

She startled backwards a bit hearing it, bumping against the headboard of her bed.

“H…Hello…?” she asked the open air.

No one answered. She wondered why. After all, she answered the call, right? It didn’t make sense to her, as the voice was still echoing inside her head.

Inside…

That was it.

“Hello?” Reimu asked in her head.

“Ah! Kyouko! That must be you!” the voice answered.

“No…my name is Reimu, Miss.”

“Reimu? Oh, my apologies, Miss Reimu. I didn’t mean to contact you.”

“Who…Who are you?”

“You can just call me Byakuren.”

The name didn’t sound familiar at all to Reimu. And it was even more strange that this Byakuren didn’t introduce herself with a title of any kind. But more curious than anything else she decided to not wake her aunt about the weird voice.

“Why were you trying to contact someone, Miss Byakuren?”

“Ah. I just wanted to talk to one of my disciples. I haven’t seen them in so long.”

“Really? How long has it been? Maybe I can pass along a message.”

“You are too kind, Miss Reimu. But I can’t quite recall how long it has been.”

Byakuren let out a heavy sigh.

“See, I’ve been trapped in Makai for…well…like I said, I’m not quite sure how long. And I wanted to-”

“Wait trapped?!” Reimu interrupted.

“That isn’t fair! No one should be trapped!”

“You’re right. It is not fair, but-”

“Lemme help you! I know who can tell me how to get to Makai!”

“Miss Reimu, there’s no way I can ask this of you. You are far too young to travel-”

“Hey! I’m twelve, and I think that’s old enough!”

“It simply is not! Miss Reimu, please reconsider-”

Ignoring Byakuren’s voice, Reimu shimmied out of bed. She threw on her shrine maiden’s garb excitedly before grabbing her aunt’s gohei, and several of her ofuda. Running out to the front of the shrine, she then saw what she was looking for. The treasure of the shrine and her family, the Yin-Yang Orb.

Chapter Text

Standing on the tips of her toes, Reimu carefully rolled the orb towards herself off the pedestal. Only for it to fall and for her to nearly get stuck underneath it. Just barely catching the orb, and herself, Reimu steadied her balance. Once sure she had a hold of it, she then looked at the orb quizzically.

“What’s the prayer Auntie always says?” she mumbled to herself.

She tried to recall what she had seen and heard her aunt say when she approached the orb. It was always a little out of sight from her and a little out of earshot. But after much wracking of her brain, it did come to her, as she vaguely remembered a time in which she could hear what her aunt said.

“Oh, right! I think it was-” 

Reimu cleared her throat before holding up the orb.

“ Guardians of the Hakurei heir. Give me guidance. ”

The orb began to quiver in her hands. It then shone with red and blue light. Yet after that nothing seemed to happen at first. Reimu wondered if she said the prayer wrong, only for the two beams of light to abruptly burst forth from the orb. Reimu let out a surprised gasp as the two lights coalesced into two figures. The first was a man in white and blue priest robes with black hair. And the second was a woman in a red skirt with red hair. Both of them had deep red eyes that shimmered like gemstones, almost seeming to glow. They were translucent, Reimu being able to slightly see through their forms. As Reimu was trying to figure out what just happened, the man was the first to speak, seeming to not fully take in the sight of Reimu.

“Hello again, Asa. We-”

He paused, noticing the person who summoned them was not at eye level.  He then looked down to see it was Reimu holding the orb, a look of bewilderment on her face. He then gave her a gentle smile, Before nudging the second apparition.

“Look, Akane. It seems the young Hakurei we’ve been created to protect is here.”

The second apparition, Akane, it seemed, also looked down at Reimu with a smile.

“Yes, it seems you are right, Ao.”

She then bowed her head towards her, with the man, Ao, doing the same.

“Hello, Little Reimu. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Waiting for me? Don’t you belong to Auntie Asa?” Reimu asked.

“No,” Ao replied.

“We are shikigami crafted by your mother, designed to protect you and guide you. We are your guardians.”

A lump welled up in Reimu’s throat at the mention of her mother. She quickly swallowed it before asking her second question.

“Mom made you?”

Both of them nodded. Reimu’s confusion quickly turned to excitement.

“Wait, this is perfect! I actually need help right now!”

“Then what is it you need help with, Reimu?” Akane asked with a smile.

“How do I get to Makai?”

Both of their gentle smiles turned into concerned frowns. They looked at each other, then back at Reimu. There was a long uncomfortable silence as the two repeated that action a few more times. Until Ao was the first to speak again.

“Why would you want to go to Makai?” he questioned.

“There’s a lady there who’s trapped and I’m going to free her!”

“Ah,” Akane said.

The two looked at each other once again, Ao seeming worried, and Akane having a pensive expression on her face. She then spoke.

“Reimu, we cannot recommend you travel to Makai. It is quite dangerous, especially for one such as yourself.”

“Why not?! I’m a shrine maiden! I’m a Hakurei! If anyone can break that lady out of Makai, it’s me!”

“You are also very young, Reimu,” Ao added.

“You do not have a full grasp on your powers, nor are you able to wield the yin-yang orb yet.”

“Yes, not to mention that Asa and Genji would be worried sick about you, since I believe you have consulted neither of them before summoning us.”

Reimu scowled at the two of them, annoyed that they were saying the same thing as Byakuren. She hated it. She hated being underestimated. So she knew she had to prove all of them wrong by getting to Makai and freeing Byakuren. She looked back up at Ao and Akane, that scowl still on her face.

“I asked you a question and I want an answer to it,” she said firmly.

“How do I get to Makai?”

The two apparitions looked at each other again. Akane then sighed and spoke.

“Well, not too far from here is a cave that acts as an entrance to Makai. However-”

“Great! Thanks! I thought you would just lecture me more, but you guys were a big help after all!”

As much as Ao and Akane tried to convince her that this was a horrible idea, there was not much they could do. The moment Reimu seemed satisfied, their forms dissipated and the red and blue light flowed back into the orb. Tucking the orb under one of her arms, Reimu ran away from the pedestal it was placed on, away from the shrine. 

Only for the orb to start violently shaking the moment she reached the gate of the shrine. Reimu yelped in surprise and dropped the orb. The moment it hit the ground, red and blue light flashed from it as it did before. The light then sprang forth from orb once again with Ao and Akane quickly reforming from it. Both of their expressions were far more stern than they were before, and their forms appeared more solid, rather than the translucent they were previously. That previous shimmer their eyes had now became a true glow, radiating power. Beginning to back away from them, Reimu watched as they both conjured magic into their hands. She began questioning what she had gotten herself into as they glared into her.

“ Reimu Hakurei, ” they both said in unison, their voices booming.

“ As your guardians, we will not allow you to proceed. ”

Chapter Text

Once the magic in their hands coalesced to their liking, Ao and Akane threw it at Reimu. Her eyes widened in shock at the sight, but she couldn’t just stand there. She just barely had enough time to launch herself out of the way of the blast of magic they threw at her. As it hit the ground beside her, she could feel her eyelids begin to droop and her body begin to feel heavy. She realized the two were launching sleep spells at her. After they knocked her out, they were probably going to alert her aunt and Genji about her attempt to leave. Then she would be in even more trouble, probably grounded. Then she would never be able to help Byakuren.

She couldn’t let that happen.

Scrambling to her feet, Reimu brandished the gohei at the two of them, trying to show that she was ready to fight. Only to then have to leap out of the way again of another spell. And another. The spells were coming rapid fire at her forcing her to have to stay on her toes to not be hit by them. Just as she managed to dodge one spell, another would be sent after her.

Something wasn’t right. They shouldn’t just be targeting her like this. She could be given some way of dodging or some way to make it fair. She then remembered a piece of history she was taught by her aunt. Something that held over to this very day.

“Hey!” Reimu shouted.

“What about spell card rules?! You’re not being fair!”

“ This is not a conflict in need of spell card rules, ” they said.

Reimu could only grumble, understanding that they probably knew better than her. After all, they were probably made with a lot more knowledge than she was.

Of course, she couldn’t let that bother her too much. She had to stay focused.

Not knowing what else to do, she threw one of her ofuda at them, hoping it would stop them. But instead, it simply phased through their bodies. Reimu’s mouth fell open. She’s seen her aunt do that before, so it should’ve worked. So why didn’t it work for her? Annoyed, she threw two more at them, yet just as before, they did nothing. And neither Ao nor Akane were giving any reason as to why they weren't working, leaving Reimu to just guess. But of course, she didn’t have time to think it over, and she had to dive out of the way of another sleep spell. As she continued to avoid the spells, the two spoke again in unison.

“ Makai is dangerous, ” Ao and Akane said.

“ We will not allow you to risk your life for someone you barely know. ”

“I don’t care!” Reimu shouted back, while still dodging the blasts of sleeping magic.

“Someone out there needs my help! And I am going to help them!”

As she continued to avoid the blasts of magic, she glared at the yin yang orb just lying on the ground. Running over to it, she then picked it up and held it up like it was going to be some sort of shield. But all it did was slow down her movement, considering how heavy it was. Getting more frustrated, Reimu shouted into the orb.

“You’re supposed to be some great treasure of the shrine!” 

She tried to throw the orb, but with her lack of any strength, it just fell like a stone in front of her. Now absolutely furious, she ran up to the orb, gohei in hand

“So do something and stop them!”

She swung the gohei at the yin-yang orb, sending it flying towards Ao and Akane. As the orb made contact with their bodies, they became translucent again. She saw both of their eyes widen, and that was when Reimu realized it.

The yin yang orb. That was their weakness. They came from the orb. Which meant if they were hit with it, they would go back inside.

Reimu understood what she had to do if she ever wanted to escape the grounds of the shrine and get to Makai. 

Running to where the orb was lying on the ground again, she swung her gohei at it again, launching it a second time at them. Another strike. It ricocheted off them and they were becoming even more see-through. One more strike ought to do it.

Leaping out of the way of the spells again, Reimu made a dive for the orb as it continued to roll away from her. As she managed to catch it, she saw that Ao and Akane were charging up a more powerful sleeping spell between the two of them. If Reimu couldn’t hit them in time or get out of the way of the attack then she would be knocked out. Taking the few seconds she had left, she steadied herself and the orb. She had one shot at this. It had to be perfect.

The spell was sent towards her. Reimu shut her eyes and swung the gohei into the orb. As it launched forward, Reimu braced herself to collapse unconscious. But it never came. As she opened her eyes again, she saw the spell was gone. Both Ao and Akane were on the ground, their forms practically dissolving.

Reimu had done it. She used the orb to defeat them. As she was slowly coming down from the adrenaline of the fight she let out an incredulous laugh.

“Ha…HA! I did it! I beat you! This just proves that I’m strong enough for Makai!”

Yet the two didn’t congratulate her, nor did they admit defeat.

“ Be careful, Reimu… ” was all Ao and Akane had to say as they disappeared again.

The light soon vanished into the orb as it continued to roll. It then rolled towards Reimu, to which she stopped it with her foot. She could feel the quivering and shaking of it cease.

“I don’t need to be careful,” Reimu said as she picked up the orb and tucked it under her arm again.

“All I need is to be strong.”

Chapter Text

“Miss Reimu, I believe your guardians had a point,” Byakuren tried to say.

“Relax, it’ll be fine!” Reimu replied to her.

“I really don’t think so. I feel some sort of disturbance occurring in Makai. It will probably be even more dangerous for you than it is normally.”

“That’s fine. That just means more of a chance to prove myself!”

“You have nothing to prove! I beg of you, Miss Reimu, please reconsider-”

“Too late! I already found the entrance!”

And as it turned out, she did. Reimu stood in front of a massive cave with an even larger rock covering the entrance of it. She wasn’t sure how to get past it until she saw it. A gap small enough for her to crawl through. Getting down on her hands and knees, Reimu pushed the yin yang orb through the space, then began to crawl through herself. After a bit of squirming, and nearly getting stuck, she did manage to pull herself through.

The moment she made her way through and past the rock, Reimu could already feel a change in the air. She thought Makai was underground but the air smelled just as fresh as it did outside in Gensokyo. Yet it was different, alive with another type of magic. As Reimu got to her feet, she tried to get a good look at her surroundings. Of course, considering this was only the entrance to Makai, it wouldn’t be all that extraordinary. But even then, Reimu was still intrigued. An entire civilization tucked into a little pocket dimension right next to Gensokyo.

Yet she didn’t have time to consider for too long, as abruptly, Reimu was lifted off the ground. Immediately she began squirming and flailing, realizing she dropped the yin yang orb as she was being picked up. Without the orb, she couldn’t defend herself.

“Hey! HEY! Put me down!”

“I don’t think so. Makai is on strict lockdown and-”

The voice stopped cutting itself off.

“Huh?” A human girl? What’re you doing here?”

Reimu stopped flailing for a moment to look at the person holding her. She turned back to see a rather strong looking woman with pale pink hair. She tried to give a proud smile and announced herself.

“I am Reimu Hakurei! And I am here to help someone who is trapped!”

That got a laugh from the woman, who then put Reimu down. She then struck a pose of her own, seeming to play along.

“Well then, Reimu Hakurei. My name is Sara, and I am the gatekeeper of Makai.”

Reimu raised an eyebrow before brandishing her gohei towards Sara.

“Then…that means I have to defeat you to gain entry, right?”

Sara’s only response was laughter.

“No, nothing like that. Normally anyone is allowed to come and go from Makai as they please. It’s just…not now…”

“Why not now?”

“It’s…it’s a bit complicated to explain but…recently, denizens of Hell have been flowing into Makai, and have been rather aggressive with those living here. So in order to keep as many extra people out as possible, I’ve been tasked with sealing the gates to Makai.”

Sara walked over and put her hand on the large rock that was blocking the cave entrance.

“You…kinda just caught me as I was sealing off the Gensokyo gate.”

“So…you put that giant rock there?” Reimu asked.

“Sure did!” Sara said with a smile.

“And I can just as easily move it away again so you can get back to Gensokyo.”

“Great!” Reimu said. 

“Perfect for when I come back with the person I saved!”

“Wait no, I meant now! Let me move it so you can go back now!”

“But-”

Reimu’s retort was cut off by a loud booming noise and the whole world seeming to shake around them. Both she and Sara covered their ears as a second boom rang out. Reimu then looked up to see an absolutely horrified expression on Sara’s face. Taking her hands off her ears, Reimu stared at Sara, confused. But she didn’t even have to ask what was wrong.

“Someone…” Sara began, the horror clear in her voice.

“Some thing broke the seal to Hell gate…”

Sara didn’t waste any time. Dashing past Reimu, she ran over to where the noise came from. Reimu turned to see a gaping hole in the tunnel she was in, no doubt the open gate. She watched as Sara placed her hands on the ground. It then began to glow pink like her hair and rise, creating a wall.

Only for her to then get blasted backwards into an opposing wall by a burst of lightning like energy. Reimu’s eyes went wide.

“Sara!”

She ran over her and tried to pull her to her feet.

“What was that?!”

“I don’t know. I just-”

Sara stumbled a bit before she managed to rise to her feet again. She clasped the spot on her arm where the energy hit her, but still stood at her full height. As she began to approach the open gate again, she froze. 

“What…”

“What is THAT ?! And what is it doing here?!”

Reimu whirled around to see  what Sara was looking at. Only for her blood to run cold at the sight before her. A strange being was approaching them. Five red eyes encased in wheels, being held together by golden energy towered over the two of them. The eyes stared down at the two, all blinking in unison. The energy between the eyes then seemed to collect itself and it took shape. Soon approaching them was a woman with brown hair and with the five eyes attached to her back by the energy. She smiled as she continued to approach. Reimu tried to point her gohei towards the woman, but Sara immediately pushed Reimu behind her, and took up a fighting stance.

“Who are you?!” Sara demanded.

“ I am YuugenMagan, ” she said, five voices echoing at once.

“ Queen of the Evil Eyes. And this realm… ”

She spun around and vanished into the golden energy once again. Yet her voice was still heard.

“ Shall now be ruled by us, the denizens of Hell. ”

Chapter Text

“As if!” Sara shouted at YuugenMagan.

“Even if you defeat me, Mother will never hand Makai over to you!”

“ Oh not to me, ” YuugenMagan answered.

“ But to my masters, she will surely fall. ”

The five eyes then began glowing.

“ Just like how you will fall to me, Gatekeeper! ”

As Sara prepared herself for the incoming attack, Reimu pushed her way in front of her.

“Not if I have anything to say about it!”

She swung her gohei, sending the yin yang orb flying towards the center eye. All five voices cried out in pain when it connected, and the eye closed. The four remaining eyes then turned their attention to Reimu, who then felt quite small under their gaze.

“ Little human, you have made a grave mistake hurting me. ”

Without warning, Sara then picked up Reimu again and began running with her as red arrows began shooting out of the eyes towards the two of them. 

 “The orb!” Reimu shouted.

“I need to get the orb!”

“Got it, kid!”

Shifting herself, she moved Reimu to one arm and scooped up the orb with the other. Having a handle on both, Sara continued to run down the tunnel until she believed herself to be far enough away from YuugenMagan. Dropping both Reimu and the orb, she then stomped her foot into the ground. It flashed pink then a wall of earth rose up in front of them.

Turning around, Sara then looked at Reimu who now had the orb back in her grasp. Her gaze shifted down to the orb for a moment then back to Reimu.

“I don’t know what that is, kid, but it worked against the hellbeast. You think you can keep using it?”

Reimu nodded excitedly. Sara gave her a smile.

“Great. On my mark, you launch the orb and I throw some rocks. Got it?”

“Got it.”

The two waited as they heard YuugenMagan approaching. As they got closer, Sara and Reimu both stood at the ready. When they heard the noise of a blast being charged, Sara gave out the command.

“Now!”

As Sara slammed her fists into the wall, Reimu sent the yin yang orb flying again. The chunks of earth that were sent towards YuugenMagan hit one of her eyes. While the yin yang orb hit another. The hellbeast let out another shriek and the two eyes that were hit shut.

“Alright, just two more! We got this!” Reimu shouted excitedly.

The two repeated the same tactic they had done before. They ran in the opposite direction of YuugenMagan, dodging more of those red arrows. When they were ready, Reimu sent the orb flying along with Sara launching even more stones at YuugenMagan. The final two of their eyes were hit and they screamed again. At last, all their eyes were closed. Despite the fact that they were floating, they seemed to almost stumble searching for Reimu and Sara. Reimu stood at the ready before speaking again, still full of excitement.

“That should do it! One final shot should take care of this thing for good!”

With that she tried to make a run for the yin yang orb and finish the job. Unfortunately, YuugenMagan caught sight of where she was running to. They turned to face her. 

“ Never leave your back open, little human. ”

Reimu couldn’t get to her orb in time, and realized her mistake all too late. As she was trying to make a dive for it, YuugenMagan fired a blast of that lightning like magic at her. It connected. Reimu screamed as the blast enveloped her body and she collapsed to the ground.

“Kid!” Sara shouted.

Sara ran over to Reimu, who was trying to pick herself up off the ground. YuugenMagan then approached from behind the two, laughing in a taunting manner.

“ Come how, little human. Did you really think that would destroy me? ”

As Sara was helping Reimu back to her feet she then noticed that all five of YuugenMagan’s eyes were open again. And they were surrounding the two of them.

“ Foolish Gatekeeper. You have nowhere to escape to. ”

Sara knew she couldn’t call up a wall to block any attack in time. Nor was there really any place for her to run as the eyes circled around her and Reimu. She threw up an arm to guard herself and Reimu. She shut her eyes bracing for an attack, while Reimu intended to launch the yin yang orb again to hopefully stop it.

But that attack never came.

“That is ENOUGH ,” another voice said firmly.

Violet and blue flames suddenly appeared around YuugenMagan, encircling them. From behind them, a large bronze disk depicting a woman materialized. The same voice then emanated from the disk.

“YuugenMagan, return to Hell immediately,” the disk demanded.

YuugenMagan practically hissed at the strange bronze woman.

“ You cannot- ” they tried to say.

“I can and I will. If you refuse to return willingly, then I will send you back through the gateway myself.”

Another hiss. Before YuugenMagan practically lunged at the disk. Seeming to expect this, the woman inside the disk, simply stepped out of it, and wrapped her arms around the heart of YuugenMagan. As she did so, violet flames of magic began emanating off of her. Those flames only seemed to empower the bronze woman and weaken YuugenMagan, as their struggling became less and less. Reimu could only watch in awe as the woman practically wrestled the basically snarling YuugenMagan to the ground. Before throwing them into the Hell gate. As the bronze woman began sealing the gate herself, YuugenMagan shrieked.

“ MY MASTERS WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD, KIKURIHIME! ”

The woman said nothing, as the gateway was completely sealed in bronze. She then turned to Sara with a smile.

“There are still a few more denizens of Hell I must bring back,” she stated.

“I hope you do not mind if I venture into Makai to do so Gatekeeper?”

Sara nodded and bowed to the woman.

“Of course, Miss-.”

“Kikuri. Envoy of Hell.”

Chapter Text

Sara and Kikuri shook hands as Kikuri explained her presence.

“As the envoy of Hell, I am tasked with collecting and returning all the denizens encroaching on your realm in order to restore balance between the realms.”

Her gaze then shifted to Reimu. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the girl, before turning herself to face her completely.

“And it seems that a human soul has joined the forces. Gatekeeper, move aside.”

Sara wasn’t sure what Kikuri was talking about until she looked to see that she was facing Reimu. Her eyes widened as Kikuri spoke to Reimu.

“Human soul, please return to Hell. Otherwise I will have to use force on you as well.”

“Wait!” Sara called out.

Kikuri didn’t listen as the violet and blue flames began to surround Reimu. She began to approach Reimu, ready to take her down if necessary. Reimu just gripped her gohei even tighter, also readying herself to fight.

“As if! I’m not going to Hell, I don’t belong there!”

She took aim with the yin yang orb and sent it flying forward. It shot through the flames and smacked Kikuri in the chest. As Kikuri tried to catch herself, Reimu charged forward ready to hit the orb into her again. In response, Kikuri made her body glow with violet flames again. She launched several flames at Reimu, who dodged out of the way and continued to run at her. Seeing that she wasn’t intending to stop, Kikuri charged as well, expecting to have to wrestle Reimu to the ground just like she did to YuugenMagan.

The two clashed. Or rather, Reimu was almost immediately brought to the ground, arms and legs splayed out as she was pinned. Even as Reimu struggled and flailed underneath her, there was no way for her to get up. Kikuri then picked up Reimu, her expression exasperated as Reimu continued to flail. She then turned and began walking to her bronze gate.

Only for the ground to glow pink between the space between her and the gate and a wall of stone to rise, blocking her from getting there. Kikuri paused, confused as Sara then dropped the wall and took a stance in front of her.

“Miss Kikuri, stop! She’s a human! From Gensokyo! Not Hell!”

Kikuri froze, before taking a good look at Reimu, who was still trying desperately to escape from her grasp. Her eyes then widened as she realized the girl in her hand was, in fact, living and not a spirit. Carefully, as to not hurt her anymore than she already had, Kikuri placed Reimu on the ground.

“Ah, my apologies. I thought you were a part of the splinter cell.”

Reimu, despite still being a bit rattled from the fight, stood up and brushed herself off. She tilted her head to the side, not knowing what Kikuri meant.

“A splinter cell? What does that mean?” she asked.

Kikuri turned to the gateway to hell, still sealed in bronze. To then look further down the hallway towards the rest of Makai. She let out a heavy sigh, her expression being quite serious.

“A rogue Shinigami and an Oni led a charge from Hell into Makai, claiming that they deserve a realm to rule. That they do not have to follow the rules of the Ministry of Right and Wrong.”

Those were a lot of words that Reimu only vaguely understood. But she could get the idea for the most part. People from Hell we’re trying to take over Makai. What that meant for her, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was that it would probably be harder to do what she came here for. But that didn’t matter to her. She would do it, no matter what.

“This must’ve been the disturbance I felt,” Byakuren noted.

“And all the more reason you should go home, Miss Reimu.”

“Not a chance!”

Kikuri then turned her attention to Reimu again.

“But human, if you don’t mind me asking, what brings you to Makai? Especially during such a tumultuous moment?”

Reimu then explained herself. She described the dream that she had, how Byakuren is able to talk to her, and how she plans to free her from her prison in Makai. Once she was finished, Kikuri’s expression had fallen, seeming disheartened. She then shook her head solemnly.

“As noble as your quest is, little human, unfortunately it is in vain.”

“Wait, what?! Why?!”

“I have heard of this Byakuren and of her plight. She is sealed in a way that only certain highly specific spell components can free her. Otherwise, your attempts will be futile.”

“Sadly, Bodhisattva Kannon is right, Miss Reimu,” Byakuren added.

“That is one of the reasons I tried to discourage you from coming here. Not only is it dangerous, but your efforts, while appreciated, will amount to nothing.”

Reimu was left to think about what all of this meant. Or at least she should. But instead, she absolutely refused to believe both of them. Her journey couldn’t be for nothing. She was a Hakurei! There had to be something she could do. After all, has anyone ever tried to break the seal with her magic? Maybe it could work. Maybe the yin yang orb would be able to do something.

She looked up at Kikuri and Sara.

“Someone has to protect her from these people from Hell. And that someone is going to be me!”

Without waiting for anyone to answer, Reimu scooped up the yin yang orb and took off at a sprint into Makai. She kept running down the tunnel until she was abruptly running on a road. Looking up, Reimu smiled. She had found her way into Makai itself rather than just being at the gateways to it. She had made it to Makai city. Meaning she was one step closer to completing her mission. She continued to run, ready to face whatever challenges came her way.

Unbeknownst to Reimu, someone was watching her enter Makai city. Someone who has taken a great interest in her presence.

Chapter Text

The moment Reimu stepped foot into the city, she could already see the chaos caused by the Hell splinter cell. Fights had broken out in the sky above the city with magic being fired back and forth by denizens of Hell and Makai alike. In the streets, people were making their way into homes and shops to hide from the intruders. Clearly the Hell splinter cell was already doing some damage to Makai. Reimu couldn’t help but want to aid in the fight against Hell.

But as she was lost in thought, the certain someone who was watching her had managed to catch up to her.

“HEY HUMAN!” someone shouted nearby.

Reimu startled backwards a bit, nearly dropping the orb again. As she scrambled to get hold of it, someone flew down to greet her. A girl with bat wings, purple eyes, and a big red bow on her head landed in front of her. As Reimu got a closer look, she also saw there was a red star shaped mark on her cheek. Starting to back away, Reimu held out her gohei towards the girl.

“W-Who are you?”

“The name’s Elis! And you are?”

“Reimu…”

“Well, Reimu, what brings you here?”

“As Reimu tried to explain herself again, Elis’s expression became even more bright and excited, as if she found a golden opportunity. She patted Reimu on the shoulder, as she began talking again.

“Well, you just so happen to find the right person to help you, Reimu. I’ll make sure you can free this friend of yours!”

Reimu’s eyes lit up with excitement as well.

“Really?”

Elis nodded happily.

“Yeah! But you gotta do something for me first.”

And there it was. Reimu should’ve expected it wasn’t going to be that easy, but it still didn’t stop the sting of it. She rolled her eyes a bit before looking back at Elis.

“Alright. What do you need?”

Elis lifted off the ground and motioned for Reimu to follow her.

“We’re going to get rid of all these hell invaders in one fell swoop! That way nothing can stop you from getting to your friend! Then we can break her out.”

“How?”

Elis turned around now flying backwards and facing Reimu. Her voice then lowered to an almost conspiratorial whisper.

“Rumor has it that the Princess of Makai has a book. One that contains unfathomable magic power.”

Reimu couldn’t help but be enthralled by the story. She listened closely as she continued to walk behind Elis.

“This power, I bet, could send back all the Hell people in no time at all. It could also probably free your friend!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! So that’s what we’re doing! We’re going to get that book, and save Makai!”

Reimu wasn’t sure why, but she felt just as excited as Elis was. Now running forward ahead of Elis, she shouted.

“Let’s save Makai!”

“That’s the spirit!” Elis shouted back.

The two began making their way through Makai, Reimu following Elis to wherever she was going. Deeper they went, getting closer and closer to what Reimu could only assume to be the heart of Makai. In front of her, seeming to rise up from the ground to pierce the sky itself was an enormous castle. That was no doubt where this “Princess of Makai” lived. As they got closer Reimu couldn’t help but think about what this book could possibly do. And if it was anything like the yin yang orb, a treasure that was important beyond all belief, wouldn’t it be heavily guarded?

More concerned than before, Reimu reached into her mind, grabbing that connection she made.

“Byakuren? Have you heard of this book? Or the Princess of Makai?” she asked.

It took a moment before Byakuren answered, most likely because she was thinking.

“I have not heard of the book, but I do know of the Princess. Her name is Alice and she is a human.”

Weird. For all Reimu knew, everyone in Makai was some sort of demon or youkai. But more importantly, if Byakuren hasn’t heard of the book, did it even exist? Was Elis just leading Reimu on a wild goose chase?

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all. And she didn’t know why she was so willing to help Elis to begin with. But it was too late to turn back now. She promised to help Elis. And getting rid of the Hell splinter cell would help Byakuren. Shaking off those doubts, she focused again.

Reimu knew very well to keep her head down, as she expected, there were guards patrolling. Yet she followed Elis, hoping she knew what she was doing. It was much easier for her to avoid guards since she could fly, not to mention Reimu still had to carry the orb as well. But she managed, probably because the guards were all focused on dealing with the hell forces. Soon enough, they came across a place where there weren’t guards. Above them was a window. That was when Elis turned to her.

“Alright! I’ll try to crack the window open. You keep watch. Give me a heads up if anyone comes close.”

“Okay…”

As she was told, Reimu stood guard, making sure no one would catch them. At the same time Elis began trying to wedge open the window they were both going to crawl in through. Yet as she did so, Reimu couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. Just at the edge of her senses, she started to feel some sort of presence. That was when she heard a voice, a whisper.

“Hakurei…”

Reimu whirled around, not sure where she heard the voice from. It wasn’t coming from her mind, and it didn’t sound like Byakuren’s. She thought she was just imagining it, until she heard it again, louder than before.

“Hakurei…”

Elis stopped trying to open the window and looked towards Reimu, confused. Seeing that Reimu was distracted, she then flew down to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, you good?” she asked.

“Y-Yeah,” Reimu tried to say.

“I just…thought I heard someone call my-”

“HAKUREI!”

“Reimu, watch out!”

Chapter Text

Elis pushed Reimu to the ground just as a knife came swinging towards her. As Reimu looked up, she could see that her attacker was about to swing at her again. She dodged one way and Elis dodged the other. As Reimu was scrambling to her feet, she could see Elis backing away, a look of fear in her eyes. All her previous bravado seemed to vanish in an instant as she laid eyes upon the person that attacked them. Reimu could only guess that this person was one of the people from Hell. And that Elis had never actually dealt with one of them herself.

“D-Don’t worry!” Elis stammered out.

“I-I’ll get help!”

With that, Elis shakily flew away, leaving Reimu alone with her attacker. Only then was she able to get a good look at them.

Standing, or rather floating before her was a woman with green hair, green eyes, and an expression of pure loathing on her face. She glared into Reimu with a fury Reimu had never seen before, making her feel very small.

“It seems we finally meet again…” the woman began.

“Daughter of Miya Hakurei.”

Reimu froze at the mention of that name.

Miya Hakurei…

That was her mother’s name.

But how did this person even know her mother? And how did she know her? And why was she so mad at her? Reimu really didn’t have time to think about any answers.

She just barely managed to scramble to her feet to avoid the woman’s attack with the knife. Thinking quickly she sent the yin yang orb forward, trying to get the woman away from her. And it did work, forcing the woman back a few feet. But what made a pit settle in Reimu’s stomach was how quickly she recovered after being hit. Using the knife, the woman batted the yin yang orb back at Reimu. To which Reimu had to jump out of the way, not wanting to find out what would happen if the orb hit her. 

But she barely had time to recover as the knife the woman was holding came down towards her. Reimu let out a terrified yelp. She quickly looked around her before she saw the orb had rolled to a stop nearby. She practically dove out of the way of the woman’s attack, launching herself towards the orb. Grabbing hold of it, Reimu and orb rolled for a moment before coming to a stop. Yet there was no time for her to get to her feet and launch it again, as she saw the knife be swung her way another time. 

As Reimu continued to avoid the strikes with the knife, the woman started to shout at her. Shout things that made absolutely no sense to Reimu.

“It was Miya that robbed me of my godhood!”

A swing of the knife. Reimu dodged it.

“It was Miya that took everything from my daughter!”

Another swing. It clipped the side of Reimu’s arm, drawing a little blood.

“I had one chance to be god and Miya took everything from me!”

A third swing. Reimu narrowly avoided it only to back herself up against the wall. She looked for a way out as the woman got closer and closer. As she did, Reimu finally sent the yin yang orb forward, knocking the woman back. However, the woman soon recovered, glaring at Reimu. It was only then, Reimu finally managed to get a word in.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about! Miya…my mom, she’s dead!”

The woman smiled viciously at Reimu, holding out the knife to her.

“I know,” she said.

“Because I was the one who killed her.”

Reimu could feel her heart stop. For just a moment, a memory flashed in her mind. One of her when she was even younger, when she was kneeling over her mother’s corpse.

Lost in thought for just a moment, it was Byakuren’s shout of her name that pulled her back to reality. Just barely, she avoided another strike with the knife.

Only to get elbowed in the stomach and sent to the ground. She tried to recover, but only stumbled, collapsing under her own weight. She tried to look for a way out, but the woman had her cornered against the wall of the castle. Several thoughts ran through Reimu’s mind as the woman got closer and closer.

Where was Elis?

Didn’t she say she was going to get help?

Did she ditch her?

Probably.

Was there any way out?

No…

There was nothing…

The orb barely worked the last time…

Reimu couldn’t escape…

As the woman was preparing what had to be her final strike, Reimu curled in on herself, beginning to tear up. She had no way out. She was going to die here, alone. 

“Someone…” she thought.

“Please…help me…”

As she continued to cry, she heard something echo in her mind.

“Miss Reimu!”

Reimu raised her head slightly when she heard her voice.

“Hold on, Miss Reimu! I’ll help you!”

As Reimu was lying on the ground, she felt power begin to flow into the yin yang orb. Power that she was not familiar with but power nonetheless. As the woman was approaching once again, Byakuren seemed to finish what she was doing. She then called out to Reimu.

“Now, Miss Reimu! Launch the orb!”

Slowly pushing herself to her feet once more, Reimu swung her gohei as hard as she possibly could. The orb went flying into the woman, and Reimu expected her to be sent backwards. But instead, her eyes widened as the orb created a massive gaping hole in her form. She could only look down for a moment, then look back at Reimu in pure anger. Before her form seemed to melt away into mist.

Yet Reimu couldn’t even have time to celebrate, or even catch her breath. She began to sway, her injuries getting the better of her. She was barely aware of Byakuren trying to beg her to stay awake. She soon collapsed to the ground, darkness taking her.

Chapter Text

“...Reimu…!”

“...Reimu…?”

“Reimu, sweetie, did you fall asleep?”

Reimu opened her eyes when she heard the question, looking into the violet eyes of her aunt. She smiled and shook her head as she huddled closer into her aunt’s lap. The two laid in the grass in front of the shrine, the sun beaming down on them, not a single cloud in the sky. In the grass was the yin yang orb off its pedestal and simply laid before them. Reimu stared into the orb, then looked up at her aunt, curiosity in her eyes.

“Auntie Asa? Can the Yin Yang Orb really do anything?” she asked

“Yes, Reimu. Anything you want,” Asa replied.

Reimu looked at the orb. She sat up from her aunt’s lap. She then picked the orb up and began turning it over in her hands examining it. She could feel the magic radiating off it, the power. Closing her eyes, she held the orb close to her chest and recited a spell.

“Yin Yang Orb. Grant my desires.”

The orb began to shiver and glow. Then appearing out of it was a small fairy, a bright smile on her face.

“Hello!” the fairy said.

“What wish do you want me to grant?”

Reimu thought about it for just a moment. Before she smiled herself.

“I want three wishes!” she declared.

“First, I want the shrine to always have donations!”

The fairy nodded.

“You got it!”

It waved its hand and Reimu could hear the clink and clatter of coins in the donation box. She started to excitedly bounce up and down before giving her second wish.

“Then, I want my friend in Makai to be free!”

“Done!” the fairy said.

Reimu clapped her hands excitedly. She looked up at her aunt, who gave her a nod of approval. She then gave her final wish.

“Finally…I want my mom to be alive again.”

“Absolutely!” the fairy replied.

It waved its hand again. That was when Reimu heard footsteps beside her. She looked up to see her mother walking to her side. Giving Reimu a smile, she sat down next to her and Asa. Reimu practically leaped into her mother’s arms, hugging her tightly. She looked back at the fairy with a smile.

“Thank you, Yin Yang Orb!” she said.

As Reimu was about to send the fairy back into the orb, she heard what sounded like laughter. Laughter from two unfamiliar voices. Reimu held on tighter to her mother even tighter as she looked for where that laughter was coming from.

It was then she heard an unfamiliar voice.

“Oh how cute,” it said.

“But that’s child’s play for an artifact such as this.”

“It can do so much more than break spells and bring back the dead,” another voice chimed in.

Reimu looked up to see two figures standing by her. One with long hair and six massive wings. And another with a sword and single horn on their head.

“L-Like what…?” Reimu asked the figures.

“Like this,” the horned one said.

The two figures joined hands. They looked towards the orb and the fairy, both clearly smiling despite Reimu not being to see their faces.

“We wish for this world to be destroyed and remade as we see fit.” they both said.

The fairy smiled then vanished. Reimu wasn’t sure of what happened at first. That was when she heard a crack. Followed by several more cracks. She looked down to see the noises were coming from the orb, but barely had time to process it. As it then cracked open revealing a black orb of nothingness. A black hole as Reimu realized as it began sucking in everything around it. Reimu tried to hold onto her mother to not get pulled in herself, but unfamiliar arms wrapped around her. This grip was tight but not friendly, feeling nearly suffocating to her. She realized it all too late.

This wasn’t her mother.

She began struggling against the grip of her captor, whoever they were as the black hole continued to swallow everything. As it was, she heard her captor’s voice, her laugh. She knew that voice but just couldn’t pinpoint where she heard it from. As she continued to struggle she finally shouted.

“Let me go!”

“If you insist~” her captor replied.

She was then released. Reimu screamed as she was pulled into the swirling vortex that was the black hole. As she fell, her vision went dark again.

And when it returned she was witness to another scene. It came in flashes, every scene disappearing into darkness before the next one came into sight.

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Reimu was in the shrine alone on a rainy night. Aunt Asa and Genji were busy somewhere else. Her mother was outside finishing something up before she came inside. Despite how gloomy the night was, Reimu didn’t think much of it. It was just an ordinary night.

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Reimu could only watch in terror as the shrine was encased in a cage of dark magic. She began calling for her mother. Just barely through the magic, she could see her mother running towards her. She’d save her. She knew she would.

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Reimu screamed as she could feel the shrine be lifted off the ground. She looked up and saw that she and the shrine were about to be engulfed in a mass of dark nothingness. Another black hole. She heard familiar maniacal laughter. Calling for her mother again, Reimu could only hope that she would be able to get to her in time. As the shrine continued to be lifted, Reimu screamed again.

“MAMA!”

“HELP ME!”

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Reimu knelt by her mother. She felt the ground around her and her hands becoming sticky with blood as the substance pooled around her. She sat before a ghastly sight, a knife through her mother’s chest, plunged into her heart. She could hear Genjii and her Aunt Asa calling out to her, as they began to approach the shrine and her. But she paid no attention to their cries for her. Still kneeling over her mother’s body, Reimu began to sob.

“Mama…”

“…Please…”

“…Don’t go…”

Chapter Text

“…Reimu…!”

“…Miss Reimu…!”

“Miss Reimu, please! Wake up!”  

Slowly opening her eyes, Reimu wasn’t entirely sure of where she was or what had happened. When she awoke, she felt her head resting against something hard, most likely the ground. Next to her was the yin yang orb, as inert as ever. She looked around, rather quickly realizing she was not back at the shrine. 

She was still in Makai. She then recalled the last few things that happened. She was helping Elis, then got attacked by that spirit woman. Elis ditched her and then Byakuren saved her. As Reimu continued to regain her bearings, she heard that voice calling out her name again in her mind. Knowing who it was, she answered.

“Byakuren?”

“Oh thank the stars, you’re okay! You fell unconscious after you dispelled the spirit, and I was so worried my magic had an adverse effect on you.”

Reimu just nodded, only somewhat paying attention to what Byakuren was saying. 

But more of her focus was on what just happened. She was nearly killed. Twice. Once by YuugenMagan and once by that strange spirit. Thinking about it now, she was only able to survive both times when others had stepped in. She was out of her depth. She was in a realm she didn’t know how to navigate and got duped and ditched by the first person who offered her help.

Reimu, letting everything sink in, curled in on herself and started to cry.

She missed Genjii.

She missed her Aunt Asa.

She missed her mom.

“Byakuren, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you. I-”

Reimu sniffled a bit as she tried to collect her thoughts.

“I want to go home.”

“It’s quite alright, Miss Reimu. I’m sure no one will blame you for leaving.”

More magic began flowing from the yin-yang orb into Reimu. This was different from the magic that was used to defeat the spirit. It was more soft, and seemed to wrap around her like a blanket. Strength giving magic, or healing magic as she assumed it was.

“Save your strength, Miss Reimu. When you are ready, you can make the journey back home.”

So Reimu did as she was asked. She stayed curled up next to the castle wall, hoping no one would see her. That she wouldn’t have to survive against anything else. That soon enough she could go back home and have everything return to normal.

But it wasn’t to be.

She heard more than saw people approaching the palace. She heard the screams of the guards that tried to fight them, followed by their bodies collapsing to the ground. She knew it was better to stay hidden, to stay out of sight of whoever was attacking the palace.

Yet curiosity got the better of her.

Slowly getting to her feet, Reimu crept around the wall of the castle to get a better look at those people.

And that’s when she felt her heart drop.

She recognized those figures. The six wings. The sword and the single horn. They were the people from her nightmare. The people who would use the Yin-Yang Orb’s power for terrible things if they got their hands on it.

She had to leave. Now.

Trying to keep her head down, Reimu began to creep away from the palace, hoping, praying to all gods that she wouldn’t be spotted. She could feel herself hyperventilating, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest. But still she pressed forward. She seemed to almost be past the two figures, until she felt an overwhelming presence. Like someone was staring at her.

“Oh, Konngara look! A human!”

Reimu could feel her entire being freeze as she heard that, Both pairs of eyes turned towards her. The oni, Konngara, rushed towards her, picking her by the back of her shirt. He looked between Reimu, and the angel.

“Well, Sariel. What do you think of it?”

The angel, Sariel, observed Reimu a bit more closely, taking in every part of her appearance.

“Seems like an ordinary magic-using human to me. I would’ve thought she was probably not worth our time.”

Sariel’s eyes then drifted down to the yin yang orb lying on the ground next to her.

“Although…”

Konngara’s eyes followed Sariel’s gaze as he set them on the yin yang orb as well.

“She has to be someone rather important if she has a go-shintai that powerful,” Sariel concluded.

“Say, wasn’t the orb one of Tamanooya-no-Mikoto's creations?” Konngara asked.

“I believe you’re right.”

Reimu finds the name familiar but says nothing, feeling far too scared to interject. 

“Now if I recall, Tamanooya goes by Tamatsukuri now,” Sariel said.

“But tell me, darling. Do you remember any of the gods she made a contract with?”

Konngara seemed to consider for a moment before shaking their head in the negative.

“I’m afraid not, dear.”

Abruptly, they dropped Reimu, letting her collapse to the ground. He then turned to Sariel.

“What say we crack this open and have a chat with whoever’s inside?”

“No…” Reimu whispered, weakly.

The two turned to her again, their gazes practically boring into her. Reimu moved a few feet across the ground, crawling over to the Yin Yang orb and holding it close to her chest.

“I…I won’t let you…” she said a bit louder.

Sariel let out a short laugh.

“How cute. The human thinks she has a say in what we do.”

“I…I have to…” Reimu told them.

“You…I know you won’t stop at Makai if you win here. You’ll go to Gensokyo too. And you’ll use the Yin Yang Orb for evil.”

Reimu shakily got to her feet.

“I…I won’t let that happen!”

“And who might you be to stop us?” Konngara asked.

Reimu managed to stand up. She steadied herself, gripping her gohei in both hands, with the yin yang orb under her foot.

“My name is Reimu Hakurei…”

She glared at the two of them the best she could.

“And as the future guardian of the barrier, the people of Gensokyo are under my protection!”

Chapter Text

She didn’t want to admit it.

She didn’t want to admit it was a huge mistake to fight Sariel and Konngara.

Somewhere deep inside herself, she knew she wasn’t powerful enough to take them on. But she also knew she couldn’t back down now. 

She could barely run out of the way as Konngara’s sword slashed closer and closer to her body. She could barely dodge the lasers that flew from Sariel’s staff. She only had just enough time to start swinging her gohei into the orb before she had to run away again. But sure enough, as it connected with Sariel, she let out a cry of pain. Before batting it away with her own staff. Forcing Reimu to jump out of the way of her own Yin Yang Orb.

As she ran to chase after it, that was when Konngara charged, planning to strike her down as her back was turned. If it weren’t for Byakuren sensing it before Reimu did she wouldn’t have gotten out of the way in time. Reimu practically leaped towards her orb, grabbing it and rolling along with it for a few feet. Before it soon came to a stop. Reimu rose to her feet again, knocking the orb towards the still charging Konngara. As it struck him in the face, he let out a cry of pain, holding his eye.

“You little, pest! ” they shouted.

“I’ll destroy that go-shintai, then tear you to pieces!”

“Patience, love,” Sariel chided.

She then drew her staff in a circle, creating a rune in the air. Which then fired several lasers at Reimu.

“Don’t let her meager attacks get the better of you.”

“You…you’re right,” Konngara confessed.

He then glared at Reimu again.

“But still, we shouldn’t hold back!”

Sariel smiled at him.

“No. No we shouldn’t.”

With that they continued their assault on Reimu. The lasers kept coming, the sword strikes only grew more furious. She was having a harder and harder time keeping up, let alone attacking them back. Sure she still managed to hit the two of them a few more times with the Yin Yang Orb, but it still wasn’t enough to stop either of them. 

It was then that one of Sariel’s lasers struck Reimu in the chest, sending her to the ground with a thud. The Yin Yang Orb went rolling one way as Reimu hit the ground, and her gohei went skittering another. As she lifted herself off the ground, she collapsed under her own weight, the injuries seeming too much for her to handle. She just barely managed to grab her gohei before trying to reach for the Yin Yang Orb desperately. And even with all of that she was also attempting to pull herself to her feet once again. But as she got the orb back into her hands again, rather than trying to send it towards her enemies, she instead hugged it close to her chest, almost seeming to hope it would protect her from Sariel and Konngara. The two approached slowly, as if to let it sink in that this fight was over. Konngara pointed their sword at Reimu while Sariel pointed their staff.

“Foolish little human,” Sariel began.

“Even with help from elsewhere, you stood no chance.”

Konngara walked to Sariel’s side, an almost genuine smile on their face.

“You could even say it was a bit admirable,” he added.

“That you fought to the end for your home.”

“ But this is where your little life ends here, human, ” they both said in unison.

Reimu shut her eyes and braced for what could only be her end. Whether it was by Sariel’s magic or Konngara’s sword, there was no escape for her. 

That was until she heard someone shout something.

“Hey! You leave that human alone!”

That was then followed by the sound of magic being launched. Both Sariel and Konngara winced as the burst of magic hit both of their backs. Reimu then heard the voice again, this time addressing her.

“Don’t worry, Reimu! I told you I would get help!”

That seemed to get Sariel and Konngara to cease their attack for just a moment. They whirled around to see who was talking and what was going on. Reimu, recognizing that voice that called out to her, took those few seconds of their confusion to look at where the voice was coming from. And there she saw something that she wasn’t expecting.

Elis had indeed returned. And even more oddly, she was the one that attacked both of them. Reimu could see her arm outstretched, holding a wand with a star pointed tip. But what was most strange about the situation was that she actually returned with help. As standing next to her, the floating bronze disk behind both of them was Kikuri. Konngara bared his teeth at the bronze woman, seeming more than a little displeased by her appearance.

“You are too late Kikurihime,” they practically snarled.

“Makai is ours. And soon, Gensokyo too.”

Kikuri simply shook her head disapprovingly.

“No. Neither of those realms belong to you.”

She took up a fighting stance.

“Not as long as I’m here.”

Sariel put a hand on Konngara’s shoulder to relax them. She then shot a glare towards Kikuri.

“We shall see, Kikurihime. We shall see.”

Elis, while the two were distracted, flew over to Reimu and began helping her off the ground. As Elis was putting Reimu’s arm over her shoulder she whispered to her.

“Hey. We can both get outta here now that disk lady is handling those two. Maybe we can still find the book.”

Reimu shook her head.

“I’m not leaving. As long as those two remain a threat to Gensokyo, I’ll keep fighting.”

She straightened herself up. Elis looked away a bit awkwardly, seeming to decide whether to take off again or not. But soon took her place by still Reimu’s side. She then whipped out her wand again.

“If you say so. Let’s show these people what happens when they mess with our homes!”

Chapter Text

One thing that Reimu didn’t expect was how good of a fighter Kikuri was. Especially in hand to hand combat. She already had some idea of it based on what she saw when she took down YuugenMagan. But this was something else entirely. Those violet and blue flames that Reimu had seen before lit up the entire area surrounding Sariel and Konngara. And Kikuri herself was currently engaged in a battle with Sariel, countering every laser blast with a burst of violet flame.

The whole time, Elis was flying around the two of them, launching spell after spell at them, keeping Konngara distracted. Reimu couldn’t blame her for keeping her distance, even if she seemed determined to help. But if anything it seemed like she was looking for an opportunity to ditch the whole thing. Which Reimu didn’t exactly blame either, even if she personally thought that was cowardly.

Seeing that Sariel was distracted by Kikuri, Reimu saw it as good a time as any to attack. Making her way to the side of the fight between the two, she prepared to launch the Yin Yang Orb. She then launched it towards Sariel, sending it crashing into her side. It knocked her down, allowing Kikuri to advance her attack attempting to pin her to the ground like how she did with YuugenMagan. But quickly, Sariel recovered, clearly angry. She threw Kikuri off her and rose to her feet again.

Yet, just as Sariel was about to turn to Reimu, another spell hit her in the back. One by Elis. Sariel whirled around to face Elis, pure fury behind their eyes.

“Worthless Makaian!” they snarled.

They pointed their staff at Elis and fired a laser at her. She tried to get out of the way, but it clipped her wing. Elis screamed as it tore through her wing, sending her crashing to the ground.

“Elis!”

Reimu forgot herself for a moment and ran over to where she landed on the ground. Thankfully Elis seemed mostly unharmed and just a bit shaken up. As Reimu was helping her back to her feet, she saw that Konngara was making direct eye contact with them.

And that was when Reimu realized she left herself wide open without the Yin Yang Orb.

Konngara gave the two a vicious grin before charging at the both of them with his sword. Reimu let out a scared cry and covered her head, not knowing what else to do.

Kikuri, seeing what was about to happen, acted fast. She shoved Sariel away from her and dashed in front of Reimu and Elis. That only seemed to make Konngara’s smile widen. He raised his sword.

“Fall, Kikurihime!” they shouted.

Reimu was about to shout for Kikuri as the sword came screaming down towards her. But Kikuri simply raised an arm and blocked the strike with the sword. It hit her arm with a resounding clang. And while it seemed to dig in a bit to her, she seemed mostly unharmed. She then gave a small but rather smug smile.

“It’s hard to cut down something made of bronze, isn’t it?” she asked Konngara.

Konngara grit his teeth and ripped his sword out of Kikuri with a roar. Sariel, seeing that, charged forward herself, her staff clashing against Kikuri’s metal body. Only for Sariel to smile and set off a laser directly in Kikuri’s face. She was blasted backwards by the burst of magic, but quickly came skidding to a stop on her feet. Reimu took that chance she had to grab the Yin Yang Orb from where it rolled to. Acting quickly, she then launched it at Konngara, who left himself wide open. As it connected, Konngara cried out in pain and stumbled back as well. As it flew back towards Reimu, Kikuri seemed to recover enough to stop it herself. She then took a moment to turn it over in her hands, observing all sides of it.

“Hm. This go-shintai…” Kikuri mused aloud.

She was looking at the Yin Yang Orb, which caused Reimu to look down at it as well. Before she looked back up at Kikuri, a confused expression on her face.

“What about the Yin Yang Orb?” she asked.

“I think it’ll be crucial in returning both of them back to Hell.”

She placed the Yin Yang Orb back in Reimu’s arms. In an instant, Kikuri was behind Reimu, both her hands on her shoulders. Both their bodies began to glow with violet flame. As they did, Reimu couldn’t help but feel more than a little nervous. Her body began to quiver, as she practically leaned into Kikuri’s touch. Kikuri, in response, gripped Reimu’s shoulders a bit tighter, in an effort to comfort her. She then focused, her eyes on Sariel and Konngara.

“On my mark…” Kikuri said slowly, watching the two of them carefully.

Hearing that only caused Reimu to shiver even more. She didn’t know if this would work. She didn’t know if she could do this. Sure Kikuri was confident, but what did confidence do in the face of uncertainty? Reimu started to panic, wondering what would happen if this didn’t work. Elis would be killed. She would be killed. She would never see her family again. Kikuri would lose. Makai would be done for. Gensokyo would be done for. She’d lose absolutely everything. She began breathing even faster, tears now welling up in her eyes.

What was she thinking?

She couldn’t do this.

She wasn’t strong enough.

“Breathe, Miss Reimu,” Byakuren’s voice said quietly.

“Bodhisattva Kannon and I will help you.”

She then felt a familiar power course through her and the Yin Yang Orb; Byakuren’s magic. It flowed like water through her entire being, empowering her, feeling like Byakuren’s arms were also wrapping around her in an embrace. That was when Byakuren spoke once again.

“You are not alone.“

Reimu steeled herself.

I’m…

Sariel and Konngara charged at her.

I’m not alone.

She swung her gohei into the Yin Yang Orb.

It launched forward towards the charging Shinigami and Oni.

Chapter Text

The Yin Yang Orb crashed into both of them at point blank range. The impact sent them both flying backwards, away from Reimu and the others. Reimu gripped tightly onto her gohei, expecting them to get back up again and for the fight to continue. And yet, she felt Kikuri squeeze her shoulder lightly.

“That did it,” was all she said.

And that’s when Reimu saw the state both of them were in. Sariel could no longer hold themself up, their wings slumped over in large feathery heaps. Konngara was doing no better, having taken to one knee, using their sword to hold themself up. Both of them were breathing heavily, looking absolutely exhausted. Seeing this, Kikuri smiled first at them, then turned to Reimu with that same smile.

“Thank you, Miss Reimu,” she said.

“With your help it was much easier to take them both down.”

Reimu didn’t believe it at first, but her sight didn’t lie. She was looking at the defeated rogue Shinigami and Oni. She helped stop the Hell splinter cell. Reimu’s surprise then morphed into pure joy.

“Did you see that, Byakuren? I did it! I helped stop them!”

“Indeed I did, Miss Reimu. You did wonderfully.”

“I…I wish I was actually able to help you though. That’s why I came here after all.”

“It’s quite alright. Perhaps it’s just not my time yet. But for now, you should return home.”

Oh right. She still needed to leave Makai. Kikuri seemed to understand that too, but seemed to know she couldn’t do that herself, since she had to handle Sariel and Konngara. So she walked over to where they both were, and rolled the Yin Yang Orb back to Reimu. As Reimu picked it back up, Kikuri began using those blue and violet flames to bind both Sariel and Konngara. She then looked up.

“Miss Elis?” Kikuri called out.

Reimu turned to see Elis looking like she had been caught. It became quite obvious she was trying to sneak away. Again. She straightened herself up looking more than a little sheepish.

“Would you mind guiding Miss Reimu back to the Gensokyo gate?”

“Oh…Oh! Yeah no problem!”

She flew over to Reimu’s side with a smile.

“C’mon. Let’s get you out of here.”

With that, Reimu bidded Kikuri farewell and began her walk back to the Gensokyo gate. As she walked back, she could already feel the change in Makai City. As if the denizens of Hell that were following Sariel and Konngara knew their leaders had fallen. The city was far more bustling, but in a different way than before. Reimu could see many of the denizens exiting their homes and helping with the clean up of the damage. While others simply returned to their normal lives. And yet, despite expecting nothing, Reimu could hear the whispers of some of the denizens.

“Is that…”

“I think so…”

“That human stopped the Hell forces.”

“She’s incredible.”

Despite a part of her feeling a bit of pride at the praise, Reimu felt embarrassment more than anything else. She wasn’t used to the spotlight being on her, having mostly lived a normal and quiet life at the shrine.

But maybe she would have to get used to it. She was a Hakurei after all.

Eventually she and Elis made their way back to the hallway where all the gates were. Waiting there was Sara, with a smile on her face.

“I take it you’re ready to go home now, Reimu?”

She nodded. Sara’s gaze then shifted to Elis, with a bit of a knowing grin.

“I hope you don’t plan on following her, do you Elis?”

Elis shook her head.

“Nope. No way.”

“Good. Because if you did, you know I’d have to stop you.”

She turned back to Reimu.

“Now let’s get your gate back open.”

With little to no effort, Sara moved the rock blocking the Gensokyo gate, leaving it wide open. She then motioned for Reimu to walk through. Reimu nodded, thanked Sara, then waved goodbye to Elis. With that, as Elis waved back, she walked through the gate. She began climbing upwards through the cave, back to the surface. Only then, as she continued to ascend, did she realize how tired she was. She had been walking for a while, and she had to fight a lot of people. Well, maybe not a lot, but enough to exhaust her. She was hurt, she was worn out, and she probably had to use a lot of her magic to help defeat Sariel and Konngara. All she wanted to do was go back home and rest for…well she didn’t even know how long she wanted to rest for. But it would definitely be a while.

After a bit more walking, Reimu finally exited the cave back into Gensokyo. She breathed in the familiar air, and felt herself relax. But she knew she had to keep going. So, despite how much her body ached, Reimu kept walking. She knew the path back to the shrine as she walked it before.

As she arrived back there, she saw what she had feared. Both her Aunt Asa and Genjii were awake, talking frantically back and forth. She knew it was about her disappearance, and the disappearance of the Yin Yang Orb. She didn’t know whether or not to call out to them to draw attention to herself. But as she approached, Genjii heard her footsteps and raised his head. When he saw Reimu, his eyes widened. He then turned to Asa.

“Madam Asa, look! There she is! And she has the Yin Yang Orb!” Genjii said.

Asa looked up towards Reimu and pure elation washed over her. Only to then be overcome by irritation.

“Reimu where have you been?!” Asa practically shouted.

“In Makai…” Reimu replied sleepily.

Asa’s eyes widened in shock.

“Makai?! How- Ugh, never mind, you’re injured, you can tell me after we patch you up.”

Reimu didn’t even have time to answer as her aunt scooped her up into her arms. As she was being carried back into the shrine, she heard Byakuren’s voice one last time.

“I believe this is where we part ways, Miss Reimu. It took quite a lot of my energy to stay in contact for this long.”

“Okay. Good bye Byakuren.”

“Good bye, Miss Reimu. May we meet again.”

And the voice in Reimu’s head went quiet for good, as she drifted off to sleep in her Aunt Asa’s arms.

Chapter Text

In a realm that’s not quite Gensokyo, a strange collection of humans and youkai gather for once after several years. And all at the beck and call of their leader. None of them were sure of who sent the message to come, as they knew their leader was dead. And one of them made that clear.

“You think this was some sort of prank or something?” A brown haired girl asked.

“A prank? By who?” a violet haired swordswoman asked in return.

“I don’t know, but she’s gone! Who else would call us here? This has to be a joke.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions, Rika,” a third voice chimed in.

All of them turned to see their master, who indeed was with them

“Lady Mima! You’ve returned!” the violet haired swordswoman said, surprise coloring her voice.

“Naturally. Hell can’t hold me back. And now that I have returned, it is time to get what I want.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Yes. The Hakurei God’s power.”

“But…how?”

“Don’t be like that! Lady Mima has a plan!” Rika chimed in.

“Of course I do. But I’ll need a bit of help from all of you. As well as one more person.”

“Who?”

“Hehe. I think it’s time I pay my darling family a visit.”

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Away from the Hakurei shrine, in the Human Village, a young girl sat inside her house, reading a book. Her father sat nearby, writing something in a journal. It seemed idyllic, peaceful, and perfectly ordinary.

And that’s when the door is thrown open. A green haired woman with a ghostly tail floated in, leaving both the man and girl quite surprised. The man seemed more shocked by the intrusion of the green haired woman, rather than who it was. But soon, his eyes widened in pure surprise as he got a good look at her.

“Mima?!” He asked.

“Hello, Mason.”

“I…how?! You were dead!”

“And believe me, I still am. But death is never the end, especially in a realm like this.”

The girl looked up towards Mima. Her expression immediately brightened as she realized who this was. Dropping the book, the girl ran over to her and threw her arms around her. Mima laughed, and quickly hugged her back.

“Woah, careful, Marisa. I’m not as tangible as I used to be,” she chided.

“I don’t care!” Marisa practically squealed.

“You’re back! I told Dad you’d be back!”

“And here I am,” Mima replied.

She looked back at the man, who was still barely wrapping his head around the situation. Giving him a rather devious smile, she then knelt down to Marisa’s level, her smile becoming far more warm when facing her.

“Now, I’m working on a little pet project, and I could really use some help. You think you’re up for it, Marisa?”

“Of course I am, Ma!”