It took several hours for the oarfish servants to clean up the pza and make it ready for the danmaku battle. During the cleanup, Reimu, Remilia, Fndre, and Meiling were talking with each other.

  "Call it off!" Meiling demanded.

  "No." Reimu replied simply, crossing her arms. "I never go back on my word. You're under my protection. And if you end up dying, I'm going to be there with you."

  "You CANNOT put the entire fate of Gensokyo up to a contest for my life! That's completely irresponsible!" Meiling shouted. "I don't care whether or not you made a promise, you need to stop this!"

  "Meiling, she's not going to listen." Remilia interjected. "You and I both know how headstrong Reimu can be when she wants to be. Besides..."

  "... I have no intention of losing today." Reimu finished for her.

  Meiling's eyes widened, and she asked "What do you mean? You can't beat the Elders, no matter what the challenge is—"

  "Wrong." Reimu interrupted, gring at Meiling. "Your retives have sat in their ivory tower for thousands of years, entirely self-contained and ignorant of the world below them. They don't know what true beauty looks like. They don't know anything about the spirit of danmaku. My guess is that they'll be predictable. Lazy. Straightforward. ...Like Junko."

  "Junko?" Meiling inquired.

  "Old enemy. Don't worry about it. Main thing is, she used danmaku that were purely meant to kill, to win." Reimu expined. "And as a result, she lost. Both in terms of beauty... and the actual battle. She was predictable. I was bored." Meiling fell silent, simply staring at Reimu in disbelief. Reimu gnced around the area. "Looks like the cleanup is about half done. More importantly..." She turned to Remilia and Fndre. "How are you two out here without burning up? We're standing in direct sunlight."

  Remilia chuckled haughtily. "You didn't think we'd set off to search for Meiling without making the proper preparations, did you? We—"

  "We went to Eientei!" Fndre grinned, cutting her sister off.

  Remilia scowled at Fndre, and sighed. "Yes. We went to see Yagokoro."

  "Eirin? Why?" Meiling asked, turning to face her mistresses.

  "She gave us a type of balm used to protect against the sun. She called it 'SPF 500,000', I believe?" Remilia reponded. "We spread it on our skin, and it protects us from the sun. But we have to reapply it every six hours."

  Reimu's expression was thoughtful. "Hmm. Sounds nice. Maybe I'll ask if she has a weaker dose for us humans. It'd be great if I didn't have to worry about sunburn in the summer." She turned to look at the seven Elders, who were gring down upon them from the top of the steps. They hadn't moved from the time of Reimu's initial appearance, and their gaze seemed like it could burn through steel. "...Assuming we get out of this alive." Reimu muttered.

  ———

  Once the cleanup was finished, an oarfish servant walked into the center of the pza, and began to shout. "There will be eight rounds! Each of the Seven Elders will get a chance to dispy their danmaku! The eighth round is for the interloper!" He gestured at Reimu, who scowled.

  "Hey! That's not fair! It's seven against one!" Fndre yelled.

  "You intruded into OUR home. You don't get to decide the rules." Zhan announced from the top of the stairs.

  "It's fine, Fndre." Reimu assured her. "Even if they had fifty chances, they still wouldn't win."

  "My, my! How confident you are." Lady Yuan responded. "Of course, that confidence is rather unfounded. We will emerge victorious, naturally."

  "We'll see." Reimu retorted.

  "Danmaku will be judged purely on beauty! Three categories of judgement: variance of danmaku, intricacy of patterns, and of course, visual appeal!" The oarfish continued. "Without further ado, we shall begin! First to the ring is Master Wuhan!"

  Wuhan, the elder Reimu had grabbed earlier, smirked and stood, stretching his arms. "I suppose it's about time I give this whelp some payback for touching my divine body." He confidently descended the stairs, raising his arms as the oarfish cheered.

  Reimu rolled her eyes and growled "Let's get this over with." She hefted her purification rod.

  Wuhan grinned, and began to float in the air, his body glowing. Reimu took a stance, readying herself. At once, spheres and bullets of light and energy erupted from Wuhan's body, in a continuous lotus pattern. Reimu dodged and weaved around his bullets, her expression calm, and focused. As she did so, Wuhan's bullets appeared to phase right through Reimu, and he growled, his smile fading. "What trickery is this?!"

  Reimu chuckled. "What trickery? Seems to me like your bullets are avoiding me. See?" She stuck her hand out, and sure enough, the bullets phased right through her palm. Wuhan snarled in anger, and the number of bullets doubled, then quadrupled.

  "What's going on?" Fndre asked.

  "That's Fantasy Nature." Remilia watched as the bullets continued to phase right through Reimu's body. "It's Reimu's 'cheat' technique. She expined to me once. When she's 100% in tune with her surroundings, the bullets miss her, no matter what. To us, it looks like Reimu's made of air. To her... Wuhan's bullets really do look like they're swerving to avoid her. Normally, it has a time limit... But it seems like Reimu's going all-out today." She grinned. "That's how she turned invulnerable when she first got here. She's untouchable when she's focused."

  Reimu continued to fly, weaving around Wuhan's bullets almost zily, for about ten minutes. Then, the referee oarfish blew his whistle, yelling "TIME!"

  Wuhan let out a yell, and charged at Reimu, forgetting the contest and trying to physically hit her, only to be stopped by tens of oarfish rushing from the spectator area. "Master Wuhan! Control yourself, please!" One of them shouted.

  "LET ME KILL HER! SHE CHEATS! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!" He screeched, gradually being pushed back by the oarfish. Reimu chuckled, and touched down gently on the pza floor. "Seems I win. Seven rounds left. Who's next?"

  Mutters went through the crowd, some of them unnerved, both by Wuhan's outburst and Reimu's skill. Lingxin looked around, gring at the oarfish, then stood up. "I shall participate next!" He growled.

  The referee oarfish raised his hand and yelled "Round two! Lord Lingxin vs. the intruder! BEGIN!"

  Without hesitating, emerald sers and spheres rushed from Lingxin's body, a furious onsught. Reimu shook her head and took to the air, making her way through the hailstorm of bullets. Meiling was stunned. "How is she doing this?" She murmured. "She's making the seven elders look like... amateurs."

  "Looks like she was right." Remilia smiled. "These dragons have no idea what beauty is like, or how to properly perform danmaku."

  "What?" Meiling asked incredulously.

  "Look at their bullets." Remilia motioned. "There's no elegance here. It's brute force. The patterns are mediocre, the colors and shades are hardly eye-catching. This isn't danmaku, it's just seven bullies trying to hit something that's too fast for them." She grinned wider. "Reimu's almost certainly going to win this."

  After Lingxin was Zhan, then the other three elders. All four of them failed to nd even a single hit on Reimu, and each time, their frustration only grew. Finally, it was Lady Yuan's turn.

  "One left." Reimu announced. She gred up at Yuan, who merely smiled back. "Your turn."

  "So it is." Yuan replied calmly, descending the stairs at a leisurely pace. "I suppose this will decide it."

  "How's that?" Reimu asked. "I still have my turn left."

  "You won't need it." Yuan closed her eyes, still smiling. "Thus far, all my brethren have dispyed their brutality, and their ck of understanding for what this contest truly is." The other elders all spoke at once, yelling and shouting at Yuan, but she held up her hand. "This... is a contest of beauty. You and I both know that." She nodded to Reimu. "Pure killing intent has no pce here. But I am not like my siblings." She asserted. "I know what beauty is. I know it when I see it, and I even produce it, in my... spare time." She gestured to the elders, then the crowd. "All the clothes you see here, every elegant piece of silk, velvet and satin... I designed them all."

  Reimu gnced around, then turned back to Yuan. "So what?"

  "You still do not understand. This match is over before it has even begun. Whatever you may produce during your turn is irrelevant." She opened her eyes. "I know beauty. And it is this knowledge which will provide me with the win. When you lose, and you will, I hope you will accept your deaths with grace and humility. You never should have come here."

  Reimu leveled her gaze at Yuan, and merely replied "Show me why."

  At this, Yuan was taken aback, and her smile faded, turning into a gre. "How insolent. Very well. Gaze upon the glorious danmaku I produce, and despair as you watch, knowing your fates are sealed."

  The referee oarfish raised his arm, and shouted "Round seven! Lady Yuan vs. the intruder! BEGIN!"

  There was a brief pause, then Yuan floated gently into the air and began to glow a bright pink. Slowly, but surely, bullets of deep purples, blues, and pinks began to flow from her body. Some were in the shape of birds, some, butterflies. Some were sers, others seemed to be prismatic, shifting color in the light. Murmurs and gasps went up from the crowd as they watched the spectacle, lights and color shining as if through a giant stained-gss window pane.

  Reimu's eyes widened, and she gripped her purification rod a bit harder, before taking to the air. Yuan's bullets were slow, but the density was immense. Everywhere one looked, they saw nothing but danmaku fire, in all colors of the rainbow.

  Meiling's heart sank. "Of course. Yuan is the royal designer. She'd be the one to give Reimu the most trouble..."

  "Don't lose heart, Meiling." Remilia reminded her quietly. "Reimu is the shrine maiden of Gensokyo. She's not about to lose, in beauty or battle."

  "How can you say that?!" Meiling asked in panic. "Look at what's in front of us!"

  "I see it. But ask yourself, Meiling. Is this really the most beautiful danmaku we've ever seen?" Remilia questioned coldly.

  At Remilia's words, Meiling looked again, watching. And as she watched, she felt surprise growing. "Wait..."

  "It is beautiful. But only to the untrained eye." Remilia encouraged. "And regardless of its beauty..." She gred at Yuan. "It is cold. Unfeeling. There is little passion in this beauty. Even despite its intricacy, it is still designed to defeat its opponent. That makes it ugly, no matter how Yuan may try to hide it. She cims she is different than the other dragons... but she's the same. Just in a different way."

  Meiling stared at Yuan, then at Remilia, then back at Yuan. "You're... right. This isn't beautiful at all. It's almost... mundane. In comparison to the danmaku we've seen..."

  "You said it yourself." Remilia nodded. "Your brethren have lost their kindness, and appreciation of the arts. Their own hardened hearts and pride have become their undoing. From the very start..." She smiled viciously. "This was Reimu's win."

  "TIME!"

  Yuan and Reimu both settled to the pza floor, and gred at each other. "So. Now you see." Yuan announced. "In terms of beauty, you cannot best me."

  Reimu said nothing, but merely gred at Yuan.

  "Well?" Yuan asked calmly. "What have you to say?"

  Still, Reimu remained silent, her gre only hardening.

  "You have lost. Admit defeat and we may yet spare your lives." Yuan persisted.

  Finally, Reimu spoke. "I think it's my turn now."

  "Excuse me?" Yuan asked quietly. "I don't believe we need to see your danmaku. I have already made that clear."

  "The deal was that I get a turn." Reimu responded, her tone icy. "You can sit down, now."

  Yuan stared at her, her face morphing into an ugly mask of disdain. "Oh, my. I don't take orders from mortals. Shall I kill you here?"

  "Lady Yuan, please honor your promise." The referee oarfish interrupted. "It is the honorable thing to do, even if this mortal cannot best you."

  She gnced briefly at the oarfish, then smiled coldly. "Of course. My mistake." She stepped back, gave Reimu one st gre, and returned to her cushion atop the stairs.

  Reimu took a deep breath, then let it out. She turned to the oarfish and said ftly "Call it."

  With a start, the oarfish servant stammered "T-the final round! The intruder will dispy her danmaku! After this, there will be an intermission for judging! Every participant will have their danmaku judged according to the three categories, and we will reconvene in ten minutes!" The oarfish gnced at Reimu, then at the elders. "BEGIN!"

  Reimu slowly rose into the air, and Remilia murmured "Now, we'll see."

  For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, Reimu closed her eyes, beginning to glow red and white. Behind her, a rge yinyang orb appeared in the same colors. It began to glow brighter, and brighter. Six more, smaller orbs began orbiting Reimu, and chains of ofuda emerged from each one, before looping around her in a sphere. With another deep breath, Reimu opened her eyes. She gred down at the elders, then at the oarfish servants. Bullets of all colors, shapes, and sizes began erupting from Reimu's body. They danced and shimmered, whirling around her in a rainbow of color. Butterflies, dogs, cats, stick figures. Spheres of all colors emerged next, then sers, then regur bullets. Soon, star-shaped bullets and diamond patterns emerged.

  "Wait." Meiling breathed as she watched. "I know those patterns. Those shapes. They're—"

  "The danmaku patterns of all the denizens of Gensokyo." Remilia finished in awe. "She's putting the hopes, dreams, and spirits of everyone she's ever faced... into this one performance."

  Reimu didn't stop. She continued releasing new patterns, new colors. One by one, she cycled through the signature spellcards of every st opponent she had ever conquered. Friends, enemies, acquaintances. Years, and years of incident resolution, of bonds formed, broken, then reforged, stronger than they were before. The colors, lights and shapes paraded on, and on. As the elders and the oarfish watched, they could only sit in utter shock and disbelief.

  Reimu's performance went on for an hour. Then two, then three. She had fully entranced and captivated her audience, showing them a new world they had never seen before, sights they couldn't have imagined in their wildest dreams. After four hours of beautiful, awe-inspiring danmaku, Reimu exhaled deeply, and spread her arms, causing all the danmaku to dissolve into nothingness.

  She gently touched down onto the pza's stone floor, and gred around defiantly at the crowd, then at the elders. "Take as much time as you need to judge. The result will be the same." With that, she turned on her heel, and flew over to Meiling and the others, seating herself upon the grass.'

  As the crowd filtered back into the dragon pace in a daze, Zhan gritted his teeth, and smmed his fist as hard as he could against the stone stairs, crumbling them into a pile of rubble.

  ———

  "Reimu, I... I can't believe you... I mean, you just..." Meiling gawked at her, struggling to get the words out.

  "Save it." She replied ftly. "After this, we're going home. I've had enough of you dragons for one day. No offense."

  "How are we supposed to shrug off what just happened?" Remilia asked. "You remembered. Everything, everyONE. Down to the finest details."

  "I said, shut up." Reimu growled. "We'll hear the results in a few minutes, and then we can get the hell out of here." She sighed. "What an utter waste of time. That was more boring than even Junko. At least she had some order and organization to her danmaku. These 'elders' performed more like babies trying to figure out how to walk."

  As Meiling was about to respond, there was a shout from the pza. "The results have been decided!" The referee oarfish announced. Meiling, Remilia, Fndre, and Reimu walked toward the pza, and stood, waiting. Reimu's gaze never broke from the elders, as the oarfish went on.

  "After much deliberation... and although it was a difficult decision to make, in light of our loyalties..." The oarfish knelt at the bottom of the rubble pile, that had once been the stairs. "Forgive me, lords, and dies. We must grant the victory to the trespasser, Reimu Hakurei."

  There was deathly silence, and then Reimu, still gring at the elders, said "Do you know why you lost?" They didn't respond, so she continued "It's because you look down upon mortals. Because you ignore us, you fight over who gets to pull the strings of a world you don't even understand. You have no idea what it's like outside of this gilded pace. Your ancestors were born into nobility, you were born into nobility. Waited on, hand and foot, every hour of every day." She gritted her teeth. "You want to decide our fates, when you don't even KNOW us. You never even took the time to TRY." Her voice rose. "You would DARE to try to decide what we're worth, who we are to you, how we can be useful to you. And because you were so focused on treating us like insects, we advanced beyond you. Now, you sit in this opulent cage, stewing in resentment, anger, and fear." She clenched her purification rod, and finished "It is thousands of years too early for you to decide the fate of the mortal world. Don't EVER underestimate us again." She turned to Meiling. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

  Meiling, stunned, managed "Uh. Yeah. Right, of course."

  Remilia rolled her eyes. "Show some elegance, Meiling. You're the gatekeeper of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. You can articute better than that." She turned to Fndre. "Come, Fn."

  "Right behind you!" Fn chirped cheerfully, bouncing on her heels.

  Just as they were about to leave, Reimu stopped. Without turning back, she yelled "Find out where the Dragon God has gone. And when you do, genuflect before him. It's not enough to make up for what happened here today... But it's a start." With that, she and the SDM crew leapt off the Dragon Pace's isnd, descending to the world below.

  Most of the elders were left quivering in utter loathing and rage by the time Reimu had left. Zhan, in particur, seemed as if he were about to explode. Yet, Yuan let out a chuckle, causing the others to turn to her in astonishment.

  "You think this is FUNNY?" Wuhan bellowed. "We just lost our rainbow dragon! We were publicly humiliated in front of our entire servant body!"

  Yuan smiled and shook her head. "Wuhan... you still don't understand, even after that mortal girl id it out for you." She gazed up at the sky. "I believe... I may need to rethink all of my designs. I'm feeling... rather inspired, right now."

  ———

  As Reimu and the SDM crew descended into Gensokyo once more, Meiling was still somewhat in shock. She never could have dreamed that her feud with her family would simply... end like this. It had been so... simple. So peaceful.

  "How do you feel, Meiling?" Remilia asked in concern, as they touched down in front of the SDM's gates.

  "I... don't know." Meiling replied. "Really. I can't believe it's just... over."

  "JUST over?" Reimu scoffed, her mature and serious demeanor melting away. "Hey, I risked my neck to come and get you!"

  Meiling stared at her hands, then up at Reimu. "Yeah. Yeah, you did. Sorry, I'm just..." She gazed around the grounds of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. Out, towards the Misty ke, and the Hakurei shrine. Towards Youkai Mountain, and the Human Vilge. "I just... need some time." Meiling stated, in a daze.

  Reimu's gaze softened, and she sighed. "Look. Tell you what. I'll host a party at the shrine to celebrate, like I always do. Some good food, some alcohol. Should take the edge off. You in?"

  Meiling stared at her, then chuckled, before breaking out into ughter.

  "What? What's funny?" Reimu demanded.

  "Nothing, nothing, haha." Meiling wiped the tears away from her eyes. "It's just so... YOU, Reimu." She smiled warmly. "Of course, I'll come. I'd like that. I'll even make some tea for the occasion."

  Reimu sighed, and scratched her head. "Fine. But don't overdo it, okay? I'll start letting everyone know. Compared to what today was like, I don't think I'll actually mind cleaning up the shrine after the party. At least I know I'm not going to die from that."

  "If you say so." Meiling snickered. Then she paused, and said "Hey, Reimu?"

  "Yeah, what?" Reimu asked tiredly.

  "Thanks. For everything. I mean it." Meiling held out her hand to shake.

  Reimu considered, then shook Meiling's hand. For the first time in a while, she cracked a smile. "You're welcome."

  ———

  Late that night, the party was in full swing. It seemed as though everyone from Gensokyo had come, though most of them didn't know the reason for celebration. Lanterns hung from the trees, and cherry blossom petals fluttered through the air.

  "So, ya went up against the big bosses of the dragons?" Marisa asked, taking a sip of sake.

  "Well. 'Went up against' isn't really right. More like I just showed them stuff, and then they let us go." Reimu mumbled. Her face was flushed slightly, and it was clear that she had had more than a few drinks.

  "Wow. Wish all of our problems could be solved just by 'showin' people stuff.'" Marisa teased.

  "Shut up." Reimu groaned. "The problem's been solved. Quit trying to ruin my mood."

  "Yeah, yeah." Marisa ughed. "Still, that was pretty bold of ya. What were ya gonna do if they didn't agree?"

  "I'd kick their asses, obviously." Reimu grinned. "I could have taken them."

  Marisa rolled her eyes. "Ooookay, I think ya've had a bit too much tonight." She said, reaching for Reimu's sake cup.

  "Don't you dare." Reimu growled, holding it out of Marisa's reach. "I'll kick your ass too, got it?"

  Marisa put her hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. Jeez. Drink yourself silly, see if I care." She grumbled. As she turned to look at the many residents of Gensokyo, she spotted Cirno and Suwako arguing and fighting. "OI!" She got to her feet, running over, yelling "Quit it, you two! No fightin' tonight, y'hear?!"

  Reimu took another sip, and a voice spoke above her. "Is this seat taken?" She looked up, and saw Yukari Yakumo standing above her.

  "Yes." Reimu grouched, putting her hand out next to her.

  "Oh, don't be like that." Yukari gently brushed her hand aside, and took a seat next to Reimu. After a pause, she murmured "You disobeyed me." Reimu didn't respond, listening. "I told you, explicitly, that if a dragon were to decide something, not to interfere." Yukari's tone got quieter. "You disobeyed a direct order. Do you understand what you may have just done? Not just to Gensokyo, but to the Outside World?"

  Reimu finished her sake cup, then set it down on the grass. After a few moments, she responded "Let's get one thing straight, Yakumo." She turned and gave Yukari a look that could kill, her voice suddenly lucid and calm. "I am not your puppet. You don't own me. You don't control me. You don't tell me what to do unless I think it's a good idea. And even then, you butt out and let me handle things."

  Yukari said nothing, but opened her fan, hiding her mouth. "Is that so?"

  "I'll let you in on a little secret." Reimu growled. "I've always disliked you. I don't like the idea that we can't control the world around us, and that includes the dragons AND you. I'm not a doll with strings, that you get to whirl around and make dance however you please. And if you think that's not true, you and I are going to be enemies one day." She balled up her fists. After a few more moments, she continued "I haven't forgotten what you did to my mother."

  Still, Yukari was silent.

  "I had two emotions that day. One was relief. The other was suspicion. Even as a kid, I knew. But I didn't have any choice. It was her or you." Reimu murmured. "And while I can appreciate what you did for me by intervening, that doesn't mean I trust you. I never did. She didn't either, and I'm beginning to realize why." The two sat in silence for a few minutes.

  Then Reimu said "Don't get in my way. That's what I told the SDM's maid, and it's what I'm telling you now. Despite what everyone thinks, I'm still a youkai exterminator. And I still know how to get rid of youkai that are causing mayhem." She stood up. "I am not my mother." She finished calmly, in the same tone she'd taken with the dragons. "And I won't be as easy to get rid of as she was. Watch your step." With that, she strode into the Hakurei shrine for more alcohol.

  Yukari remained sitting, and closed her eyes, taking a sip of sake. Then she sighed. "My, my. How dramatic." She gazed up at the moon, before smiling, one st time.

  "I'll certainly keep that in mind."

  END

  A/N: Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the epilogue and the A/Ns at the end!