Cursed Legacy

"Kaguya... it's not your fault. The reason this person swore loyalty to PADIO and tried to kill us... is here." Eirin lifted Reisen's hair, revealing a small tumorous growth right in the middle of where her hairline began.

"A... tumor?" Kaguya said, disgusted.

"It's not a tumor." Mokou said matter of factly. "This living organism is a living organism implanted by PADIO herself that can control the minds of its victims directly."

Eirin prodded the flesh bud with a scalpel. It looked like it was soft to the touch but on contact it was hard.

"While PADIO can't exactly control a person like, say, a puppet on a string, she can very well manipulate thoughts and emotions."

"Is there no way to get her talking?" Kaguya asked.

"Not a chance... we'd have to remove that flesh bud first."

"So then... why don't we do that? The old geezer is a trained medical professional, isn't she?"

"Easier said than done. The brain is a highly sensitive organ. Should that flesh bud move even a little bit during the operation, it could damage her brain. At best, it could leave her completely paralyzed and at worse, cause her to slip into a coma and die."

"So this is what PADIO does with people she finds..." Mokou said. "I remember, some months during one of my travels in Japan. I was returning home when I met her all of a sudden... she was standing in the doorway of my apartment building. I ran for my life and luckily she didn't pursue me. But... I could sure as hell feel her evil intent."

"What did she want with you?" Eirin turned her head to face Mokou. "I don't think you ever told me about this incident."

"I have a feeling I know. She's looking for people who have possession of a Standmaku. Perhaps... perhaps she's somehow building an army."

"That explains our guest here." Kaguya nodded. "Though why the hell is she targeting us directly?"

"Maybe she's after me... I'm a lose end after all. I should've been killed alongside Reimu all those years ago."

"Look whatever the case is, we'll get more answers out of this person." Kaguya said, manifesting her Standmaku. "I think I can remove it! Then we can get her talking, right?"

"Kaguya wait..." Eirin froze. "Don't..."

"Don't touch me. I'm going to pull it out in a single pull so it doesn't hurt her." Carefully, her Standmaku placed its fingers on the flesh bud.

"Wait! That thing its alive! That's the reason even a skilled surgeon can't pull it out. Its a living organism that fights back!" Before Kaguya could heed this warning, a snakelike tentacle shot out, one of the many arms of the flesh bud which stuck to the brain of its victim like roots. The tentacle snaked its way to Kaguya hand, digging itself into her hand. A piercing pain ran up Kaguya's arm as she bit her lip to fight the pain.

"Fuck, that thing's gotten into me, now!" Kaguya cursed through clenched teeth. Reisen's eyes began to open as the flesh bud slowly dislodged from her brain. Kaguya however, kept her cool. With the absolute precision of a machine, her Standmaku pulled the flesh bud all the way out in a single pull before proceeding to rip the tentacle from her hand out. Once the whole thing had left Kaguya's body too, it withered away in the sunlight.

"Wha..." Reisen stood up straight, dazed and confused. She had a nosebleed and her body ached all over. "W-what happened? You... you saved me?"

"Well..." Kaguya thought about the answer for a moment. "I'm not even sure I know why."

"Reisen right? We just removed a flesh bud from you. You should be alright, but I advise you to rest." Eirin said, her doctor's instincts taking over. Even though Kaguya was only just discovering her powers, she was able to handle well.

"How are you feeling?"

"I... I feel odd. Like I don't belong." Reisen rubbed her eyes as Kaguya cautiously approached her.

"We just removed a flesh bud from your head. Well, Kaguya here did. We believe a woman named PADIO had sent you here, no?" Mokou said.

"T-that name.... yes I vaguely remember it. I was travelling through Japan on an assignment from the Lunar Capital..."

"L-Lunar Capital? You mean the moon communists?" Kaguya blurted out.

"Then... I had met that woman you call... PADIO. Next thing I know there was a huge briefcase of money in my hand and I was on my way to Gensokyo via train. It all happened so fast..."

"Don't worry about it, just rest for now. Kaguya, you did good. You saved this person's life, even though she just tried to kill us." Eirin smiled at her granddaughter. There was a certain disparity about the way Kaguya looked and the way she acted. Indeed, she looked the part of a pampered princess, but her attitude, ranged from docile to hard as nails. Eirin shrugged it off as she tended to Reisen. Kaguya simply sighed as she looked on towards the slowly setting afternoon sun.