Keine and Mokou were travelling to the Border of Life, the door that leads into the Ghosts's Netherworld.
Mokou: "We don't have any permission to enter here, Teacher."
Keine: "That's right. We should talk with someone to ask an audience with Yuyuko, the Ghost Princess. Since she's an ex-incident culprit is one of our goals to recruit her."
Mokou: "We've got some company here. Three poltegeists."
The three Primsriver Sisters stopped in front of the Gate. One of them had silver hair and a white outfit, the other one was the opposite with blonde hair and the third one was wearing a red dress.
Lyrica: "Did you come to hear us practice?"
Merlin: "We are about start playing, many fans come to see us! Be welcome."
Lunasa: "Or are you here to trespass?"
Keine: "They are just kids. As a teacher I'm glad to see that the next generations develop their talents and creativity. We have come to talk with the Ghost Princess. Gensokyo is in trouble."
Lyrica: "Sorry but many people make excuses to pass."
Merlin: "Is not that Shrine Maiden. We can win, right?"
Mokou: "I don't advice you to fight us. Reimu is not the only dangerous opponent, you would do well remembering that. I'm not eager to put everything in flames but beware with bringing gasoline to me. Did you heard about the Bamboo Forest Divine Beast?"
Suddenly, Mokou's ruby eyes start burning, a colosal pillar of flames surround the Phoenix girl while her white hair flows. She has a menacing grin on her face.
Mokou: "Do you want to be possesed? Answer carefully."
Keine: "We don't want to harm kids but it's up to you. A Teacher must take the entire land as the first priority if there's even little girls like you three. This is an exam question. Give us your answer."
With the colossal power that Mokou was showing the musician trio swallow saliva and open the door for them. Their terror face leaves their answer clear enough. Mokou ceases on her explosive warning display.
Mokou: "Correct answer. Now, get back to your business."
Keine: "Thank you for understanding. I'll explain to Yuyuko that it was not your fault."
Primsriver sisters: "Thank you very much for not roasting us!"
They exclaim even bowing down to Mokou.
Mokou: "Stop acting like that. Don't treat me like if I was Kaguya. I'm not forgiving your life, I was just asking for something in the only way you allowed me to."
Keine: "Have a nice time, kids. Remember to respect adults. Class is over! Let's go, Mokou. And take it easy, they're just little girls."
Mokou: "Next time come to the Bamboo Forest. I'll listen to your music!"
Primsriver sisters: "We will, miss phoenix."
Inside the door, there was some sort of sanctuary with a vast garden. Some spirits were drifting in the air in the form of Ectoplasm. They were the living beings who die to turn into Ghosts. Yuyuko, the Ghost Princess was the one who give them shelter in the Afterlife.
Keine: "This garden is very well fixed. The Gardener must be a real expert."
Mokou: "She's pretty good. We should ask her for doing some Bonsai to us at home."
Youmu: "Much appreciated. I'm the Gardener and by your look you seem to be visitors, the Primsriver Sister did let you to enter so you have an audience with Yuyuko-Sama, right?"
Suddenly, the half human half ghost girl appears flying with a cute smile on her face.
Mokou: "To tell the truth..."
Keine: "We can't be dishonest with you since you clearly are someone reasonable and a nice person. I'm Keine, a History Teacher from the Human Village, she's Mokou, someone who lives with me at Bamboo Forest. The Primsriver Sisters did let us enter because they are weaker than us and we didn't want to harm little kids. An urgent matter bring us here."
Youmu: "I see... you are intruders but with apparently good intentions and you told me the truth without hesitating. I would feel bad if I had to cut you two in half so we'll do something: I'll hear you first and then decide. Is that reasonable, Ms...? My name is Youmu."
Keine: "Miss Keine. And she's Miss Mokou."
Mokou: "Seems like you are really loyal to your Master. I hope we could reach an agreement. If not, I would like to fight elsewhere. Ruining your work would be a disrespect."
Youmu: "Thanks but... I won't go any softer on you in battle. I appreciate your gesture anyway. Now, Miss Keine, speak."
Mokou: "Heh... cute, skilled and with guts. Not bad."
Keine did explain the situation to the Gardener after landing on the central stairway. They did sit under a Sakura Tree to speak.
Youmu: "The worst incident... caused by the Hakurei Head? So Reimu wasn't alone? It must have been hard for her to restrain any explicit friendship with us. If she had anyone special for her and she couldn't even confess anything or something like that... I put this example because there's someone I love in secret. Do you know Reisen Undogein Inaba? The poor girl is always working so hard at Eientei... I want to save her from that life of being forced by that brat called Kaguya."
Mokou: "Youmu, I think that you and I will get along. I hate that preposterous princess too. Is like <Oh look at me I think I'm more important than you because I have servants to abuse and I don't know how to do anything for myself hohoho!>"
Exclaims acting in a sarcastic way with some gag snobbish gestures on her face and her hands. The half ghost giggles.
Youmu: "I want you to propose an exchange. Help me with Reisen and I'll help you with this."
Keine: "Sounds fair. If you need coaching I'm specialized in many disciplines, much more than just History. Seems like you need more confidence in front of her. So... I'm going to make a new student formulary..."
Gets a sheet of paper and puts Youmu's data on it, there were blank gaps to note several evaluations.
Mokou: "She's addict to be in the Teacher role. Don't worry, just the ussual thing."
Keine: "We need to do things properly, Mokou. Besides, you don't seem to have a problem with my night sessions."
Mokou: "You are incredible, specially when your true form is out~."
Youmu blushes imagining that sort of scene, but with her beloved moon bunny.
Youmu: "Excuse me but... what do you mean?"
Keine: "Kids aren't sleeping. We can't talk about that. Understood?"
Youmu: "Understood, Miss Keine."
Mokou: "Relax a bit. If you aren't natural you could scare that bunny. I bet that the last thing she wants is to feel like she's at work. After all she's a Kaguya Victim."
Keine: "Before we start the coaching, you should tell me about Reisen."
The gardener nods twice with a determined expression.
Youmu: "She's normally wearing an elegant black suit with white shirt and red tie and a pink skirt, that makes her so sexy... her hair is purple like Amethyst, long until her skirt and very silky and fluffy, and her figure is just perfect. But her personality is even better. When I saw how diligent she is, how kind and gentle can act when there's someone in trouble I felt an arrow piercing my heart. The poor thing tends to go to Mystia Lorelei's restaurant at night to drink and forget the day. And I just want to make something for her, give some good massage, make her relax and give her love like if she was a plushie bunny."
The phoenix girl giggles.
Mokou: "You two are the fluffy type. So much sugar. Don't be afraid and believe in yourself."
Keine: "Mokou is correct. We have somewhere to start tonight then. What do you want to make?"
The half-human deeply blushes taking her hands to her chest.
Youmu: "A cake, I did promise to try but I'm not so skilled at that. My main skills are gardening and cutting enemies in half with my Roukanken."
Keine: "There's always room to keep improving. Now, we'll have a look. Do you have fruits as well or just flowers?"
Mokou: "Knowing your target you may want to give her a sweetness overload. You could try some peaches if you have. Don't worry about the Oven. I have plenty of Fire."
Youmu: "I'll gather the ingredients! Please, wait a minute here."
Keine: "No, as a Teacher my responsability is to assist you."
Mokou: "I'll have a nap. Awake me when you need to burn something."
The white-haired phoenix lays down under the tree and closes her eyes after stretching. Keine makes a list of ingredients and starts going with Youmu for them. When they have finished, everything was up to start.
Keine: "Now, we'll start your first exam to qualify in tonight's plan. You hadn't enough time to study but my students tend to pass in more than the 90% of cases."
Youmu: "I'm ready."
Keine: "Very well... first exercise! You need to cut the ingredients. I'm sure that your previous knowledge in wielding katanas will help you in this task."
The half-ghost puts a hand in Roukanken's handle with a focus gesture.
Youmu: "You got that right. I won't dissapoint you, Miss Keine!"
And performs dashing slash so fast that it was impossible to follow with plain sight. Youmu ends at the other side of the table. Keine has blank eyes with an idle gag face. Notes Youmu's score in her student sheet.
Keine: "Indeed, you would be a tough foe but... your oponent wasn't the table. If the exercise was about slaying enemies you would get a S grade but..."
Youmu's gesture changes to the exact same and looks at the Teacher directly.
Youmu: "Sorry, It's just... what I'm used to do! I'll fix it!"
Keine: "Don't panic. I have an idea to make you this exercise easier."
The teacher gets all the peaches and throws them to the half ghost.
Keine: "Do your part, Youmu!"
She cuts them in pieces without even blinking giving them cubic forms and then the history beast gets them back into the plate before they fall.
Keine: "This now is better. You did pass the first exercise. A teacher's job is to develop the student's main potential."
Youmu: "Thank you for your guidance, Miss Keine."
Keine: "The Second Exercise will be preparing it. Use the flour, make the cream and then call Mokou to use the oven to say it somehow. Be wary about how much time do you tell her to warm it up because sometimes she's really rough. This one is worth most of the exam points. Good luck!"
The silver-haired gardener nods and starts rushing into the table in shambles to follow her teacher's instructions. Keine was taking notes in form of cute chibi drawings. Everything was quick, because Youmu moved swiftly to prepair every detail. Then, the critical moment arrived. A tense atmosphere could be breathen when teacher and student approached to the sleeping phoenix.
Keine: "You have to be extra careful, Mokou can breath fire very easily when she's waking up. If you do it well, the cake will be ready. But if you fail, everything would have been for nothing."
Youmu: "You make it sound like if the weight of the world rests over my shoulders..."
Keine: "You have to pass to conquer Reisen's heart. Return with the glory."
Youmu: "Understood! Hey, Miss Mokou! Can you wake up?!"
The ghost girl approaches and the phoenix yawns.
Mokou: "Hmm... five more minutes... uaaah~"
From her mouth a powerful flamethrower did go out. Youmu dodges it putting the cake-in-progress safe at enough distance to start warming it. Keine was very tense seeing her apprentice.
Youmu: "Please, I need you!"
The phoenix stands up, yet sleeping and making some sort of drunk walking.
Mokou: "You... how dare you..."
Keine: "Beware, she's dreaming with a danmaku battle!"
Mokou: "You are... talking too much for a roasted chicken... *Yawns* Inmortal... Firebird: Flying... Phoenix."
A colossal firebird was going to Youmu at high speed with that powerful spellcard. The half-ghost was determined to pass the Test.
Youmu: "I won't hesitate!"
Starts doging the firebird while preparing the cake at the same time like if she was cooking near from a giant bird-shaped oven. When the spell misses and the blazing avian goes elsewhere, leaves the cake and gets near from her.
Keine: "This is getting intense. Allow me to stop her. You have passed the exam, Youmu! Congratulations, it seems good enough. But before anything..."
Jumps and lands at Mokou's back. Embraces her from behind and starts caressing her blunt white ponytail with care passing the fingers between the white silk locks. Mokou reacts with pleasure chills, squinting her eyes and opening them. Her cheeks were red and Keine whispers to her.
Keine: "Wake up, sleeping beauty~."
Mokou: "M-My weak point! Keine, don't do it here!"
Keine: "You almost burn everything in dreams. It's a punishment, take responsability."
Mokou: "I'm sensitive there... sorry if I went too far."
Youmu looks how the phoenix girl kisses Keine on her lips and blinks twice.
Youmu: "You are quite a curious duo. Thanks to your help, the cake is ready. Will you come with me tonight to Mystia's Place? Yuyuko-Sama was taking a full day sleep because of eating too much. For me, our agreement is fulfilled. Miss Keine, you're an excellent teacher. Miss Mokou, you're an excellent oven."
Keine: "Everyone can always learn something new. It's been a pleasure. We'll go, I want to see how much my students grow in real world."
Mokou: "Strange compliment but I don't complain. The more heat gives, the better is! We don't have a choice. I've heard that waking up the Ghost Princess from a nap is a bad idea."
Youmu: "Sure it is. Don't try unless you want to see Yuyuko-sama eating until there's nothing left."
Later at night, in Mystia's Restaurant many people were grouped talking, eating and drinking as always. The gloom illumination gave the atmosphere a relaxing touch under the starry sky. A moon rabbit was drinking sake like no tomorrow, she was half-drunk and had the same appearance described by Youmu. She was singing something.
Reisen: "Your dad is someone who go to work in a crowded train! *Hic* Even if someone threads on him he's always apologiziiing! *Hiccups* Fifty years swallowing for being dumbaaaaas! His home iiiiis... at the last stop and beyoooond!"
Mystia: "Poor thing... she's always so tired."
Keine: "Your role is make her happy, don't forget it when you give her the cake."
Mokou: "And you could ask Yuyuko if she can move to the Netherworld. Kaguya would be very annoyed if she had less servants to avoid doing something."
Youmu: "I'll try. For now... here I come."
The teacher and the phoenix were observing the scene. The half-ghost comes with a delicious-looking peachy cake and puts it on the table.
Youmu: "Good night, Reisen-chan. Here you are, the cake I did promise!"
The rabbit look it and some tears of joy sprout from her eyes.
Reisen: "Youmu... you really did it for me?"
Youmu: "Just for you. Because I want to see you happy. I want you to forget that slave job."
The rabbit embraces the gardener tightly putting the head on her shoulder.
Reisen: "Everyday... I endured just to see you at night. Of everyone, you have always been trying to forget a bad day. I'm working there to learn from Dr. Eirin and because I'm exiled too and I don't have elsewhere to go!"
Youmu: "Come with me then, I-I love you!"
Reisen: "Me too, Youmu... I will come to see you everyday!"
They slowly get near from the other and a damp french kiss happens. Some butterflies were flying through their stomach. Then, the new couple start sharing the cake. Knowing that perhaps that could be one of the few days left to be with her rabbit, made a painful smile for some seconds. Reisen sits on her lap and starts caressing her face, with her eyes gazing into Youmu's sapphire look.
Reisen: "Is something wrong?"
The half-ghost girl shakes her head, holding hands with the rabbit medic. Their cheeks had a charming red tint. Before they realize, the rabbit nurse and the gardener were kissing again.
Youmu: "Nothing. I'll protect you and never let you go, my fluffy bunny. Hmm~."
Reisen: "Me too, my cute ghostie."
From a prudential distance the other duo was carefully observing the results.
Mokou: "Well done, teacher."
Keine: "I'm proud of my student. We have to save Gensokyo, Mokou. It's not just us. There's people like them as well."
Mokou: "Let's leave them alone. We have now permission to see the Ghost Princess."
Keine: "After a well-made job, we could always drink something and sleep until tomorrow."
Mokou: "Sounds fine to me."
After a relaxing night with no bad surprises or incidents, the two woman did return to the Netherworld. Youmu received them. She was feeling clearly happier.
Mokou: "You know what now, Youmu."
Youmu: "Sure. Follow me!"
They arrived at Yuyuko's sanctuary. At the living room a tall woman with wavy pink short hair and the eyes of the same color, wearing an elegant blue kimono was eating a big cake.
Yuyuko: "Visitors? Welcome~"
Youmu: "They were who did teach me to do that cake, Yuyuko-sama!"
Yuyuko: "Is that true? Ara ara~. You deserve a reward! Your names?"
Keine: "Miss Keine. History Teacher from the Human Village."
Mokou: "Fujiwara no Mokou, just a lady from Bamboo Forest. I have an idea of what our reward could be."
Youmu, Keine and Mokou explained the complex situation in Gensokyo with every detail.
Yuyuko: "Ow, I see... so we all are in danger. That's no good. If even Yukari-Sama, my best friend is taking it seriously I can't leave her like that. Plus, Reimu is a very valuable ally and a good friend of Youmu."
Youmu: "I'll help against that Zan Hakurei too. If anything gets bad, call for me."
Keine: "Much appreciated. We'll need you in eight days at Hakurei Shrine. We must unite every ex-incident culprit we can."
Yuyuko: "Oh, the cherry blossom incident... okay~. You'll have us there when the time comes."
Mokou: "We are done here then, this place is beautiful and I would like to have a nice cake but time is short."
Yuyuko: "Depart with my blessings, and do it for the sake of us... and cakes. That's important."
Keine: "Thanks for receiving us. See you soon!"
Youmu: "I'll bring Reisen with me! Thanks to you, Miss Keine and Miss Mokou! I don't let him get away with it ruining our lives!"
After accomplishing their first part of the mission without having to fight, they started moving from the Netherworld.
Keine: "No one attacked us yet. This is very strange since we are necessary to perform the Ancient Ritual to give enough power to the Maiden."
Mokou: "He would have attacked the rest. But I'm not so afraid. We are talking about Yukari, Sakuya and Reimu after all. They can manage by themselves to find a way to survive."
Keine: "I hope so. Something tells me that we'll have to face the enemy soon."
Mokou: "If he comes, it will be a grave mistake. Killing me is almost impossible."
TO BE CONTINUED...