Master's Spark 9: Resurrection Blossoms

"Are you sure this is the place?" Marisa asked, observing walls as she wandered into the room Reimu was investigating.

Reimu lifted an empty Scarlet crystal from a workbench. "It has to be. I can still sense the residue of the aura in these." Her head perked. She gently placed the vessel back onto the table as her eyes followed an invisible trail to a shelf, where a chipped crystal gathered a thin layer of dust. "It's no wonder she was driven to madness."

Marisa picked up a broomstick, comparing it to her own.

"Don't steal anything."

"What?" she exclaimed. "I was just looking." She threw the broom back against the wall. "By the way, Reimu, are you sure you want Master to guard your shrine while you're away? I mean, you guys have some kind of history with each other."

"She's proven herself," she noted almost arrogantly, without taking her gaze away from the chipped crystal, fetching a card from her pocket.

"You keep saying those sorts of things. Not that I want the two of you fighting again, but I still don't get why you two became friends all of a sudden that day."

Reimu carefully picked up the crystal, blowing its dust away into a faint cloud. "She hasn't told you?"

"Hasn't told me wha—"

The front door swung open.

Reimu quickly sealed the fault of the crystal with her spell card and stuffed both into her pockets, two more cards in her hands as she extracted them. "You remember the plan, right?"

Marisa affirmed as she took her stance, "I'm ready when you are."

"Elly!" Yuuka shouted from the hallway. "I need you to find another Hakkero while I—" She froze as she spotted Reimu and Marisa. Her brow scowled for a moment, but she found her composure once more. "Border Maiden, why are you here?"

"We received word that you've been taking your experiments too far," Reimu explained. "You've placed a dangerous weapon in the hands of a criminal youkai, and further, you've compromised your own sanity. You've become a liability to the safety of Gensokyo, but we can help you—"

Yuuka snickered a grin onto her face. "My sanity? I'm no less myself than I ever have been before. Just ask my—" Her grin vanished. "Where is my gatekeeper?"

"She is at the Hakurei shrine, unharmed," Marisa explained in an attempt to calm her.

"The shrine. She told you about me? My experiments? My client?" She chuckled as she pointed the tip of her parasol at Reimu, then promptly erased all sign of delight. "My... 'madness?'"

"Kazami, we can settle this peacefully. She was only concerned for your—"

"I. Am. Not. Insane."

As the parasol began to charge, Reimu crossed her cards above her shoulders and threw them into the air, where they hovered suspended. "Marisa," she calmly instructed as she threw her arms open.

The faint sound of shattering echoed from the parasol.

As Yuuka struggled to fire her weapon, Marisa leaped onto her, knocking her to the ground and her parasol a short distance away. Before Yuuka could completely regain her senses from the fall, Marisa stuck a spell card onto the youkai's forehead, pressing her fingers against it. Yuuka retaliated, charging a Spark spell with nothing but her bare hand as her palm began to emit an amber glow. She grasped Marisa's neck with it, the glow growing stronger.

Marisa's voice strained, but managed to just audibly shout, "D... Do it!"

Reimu clapped once, and the card on Yuuka's forehead flashed into invisibility. The two floating cards fell toward the ground before being caught by Reimu's deft hands.

Yuuka's hand loosened, its glow fading as it softly fell onto her stomach.

Marisa stood and backed away, a hand covering her throat as she caught her breath.

The headache was overwhelming, but the clarity of mind was one that Yuuka had not experienced in many long days. A hand to her head, she found herself seated upright, watching with wide eyes as the blur slowly faded away.

"I've sealed away the aura that has leaked into your mind," Reimu spoke. "I cannot destroy it, nor can I remove it without risking damage to your brain. This is the best I could do."

Yuuka's vision finally returned as she continued to stare into the floor. Memories of what she had done and who she had been were flooding her mind under new light. She looked up at Reimu, eyes still wide in fear of herself. "Border Maiden..." she whispered. "What have I become..."

"The crystals' aura you've absorbed is being held back by an active spell card now bound to your mind," she continued, altogether ignoring Yuuka's question, "but I would recommend seeking help from the Lunarians. I'm sure they've developed some form of biological suppression for—"

"No, I cannot," she declined, gently shaking her head. "Not after what I've done to one of their own." She massaged her forehead, as though expecting to feel the physical spell card still attached.

With a smile, Marisa extended a hand to Yuuka.

Accepting it, unsure of what expression to put onto her own face, Yuuka stood to her feet.