Standmaku Crusaders

"Keine... hey, Keine!" Eirin called out. Keine Kamishirasawa had been one of Eirin's closest friends. The two had known each other for many years. The fact she had taken time off at the beginning of the hectic school year was proof of this. Her special curry was one that Eirin looked forward to every time she was over. Today they had more guests than usual and seemingly, the airhead had split a salt shaker in the hallway of the main building.

"Keine! You spilled something out in the hallway. Are you okay?" Eirin called out, searching the rooms to find her. She sighed as she thought of the mess she had to clean up, but smiled nonetheless.

Kaguya relaxed in her room, sprawled in her bed and gazing at the 40-inch TV mounted on her wall. Eirin sure did spoil her. Today, she decided she would take time to recover. She was still hurting from the fight the other day. The time was 11:35 AM. At this time, Eirin would've called her to the dining area for lunch but her cries were strangely missing.

Mokou wandered the interior corridors of Eientei. She didn't often get a chance to be here, but when she did, it was breathtaking. Her constant feuds with Kaguya often distracted her from the finer things in life. However, an object on the floor had broken Mokou's train of thought.

"What's this?" It was spoon that had been dropped. Earlier, she heard Eirin calling out for Keine. Was she using this? Mokou continued into the open door to the kitchen area where she found a fork and the fridge door open, various foodstuffs spilled onto the floor and a body lying on the ground.

"Keine!" She took Keine into her arms and it wasn't good. "What on earth! What's up with her body temperature! It's so high!" Aside from that, an odd glow surrounded her. What seemed like blue, glowing vines wrapped around her arms.

"It... it can't be! Keine has developed a Standmaku as well... this could be bad. Any person who lacks the mental fortitude to control a Standmaku.... it could harm them!" Mokou began to sweat. She realized this was a serious matter. It was possible that for Keine, a simple, peaceful and kind woman, this Standmaku could be fatal.

"Keine!" Eirin cried out upon seeing her close friend in Mokou's arms.

"Eirin... it seems what we feared..." Mokou paused. Eirin looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"No! I never imagined..." Keine had been a friend of the Yagokoro household for a long time. She was there to comfort Eirin when her only daughter had died in a plane crash, and was also there to help raise Kaguya when no one else was able to. Her cheerful, upbeat nature had become like a motivation for Eirin in some of her most troubling times. They didn't always see eye to eye but Keine had always been a friend.

"Eirin!" Kaguya grasped the hand of her grandmother firmly. "What do we do?"

"There is a way." Mokou said. "But I doub it'll be easy..."

"Well then... tell us!" Kaguya said, visibly upset by all this.

"It seems that I was right. All this goes back to PADIO and the new body she has taken. Standmaku all over the world were somehow awoken when PADIO awoke in Reimu's body." Mokou said. "Like I said before, the Hakurei bloodline is very closely linked to the immaterial realm. The fact that this living, yet dead, member of the Hakurei family is here has caused a major disturbance in the natural order."

"So, what you mean to say is... we have to kill her?" Kaguya said. "Because after all, it seems all this supernatural power is because of Reimu's body." As Kaguya spoke, some of the earth rabbits showed up to the kitchen.

"You lot, please, carry Keine her to my bedroom. Please, be gentle." Eirin said.

"Yes, of course Eirin-sama." They bowed, before grasping a hold of Keine in unison.

"Call the Yagokoro Foundation, we need doctors here ASAP."

"So... how will we locate her though? She could be anywhere in the world right now." Kaguya said.

"See, she's been hiring people, businessmen, politicians. Things like that, to help her meet some of her more exotic needs. She isn't a government agent or super spy, so naturally all of this of course has left a paper trail... straight to Cairo, Egypt."

"Seriously? Egypt?" Kaguya looked astonished.

"That's right. I assume there's a reason she's gone into hiding halfway around the world. Maybe she's biding her time..."

"Then its settled, we go there." Eirin said, seemingly having made up her mind in an instant. "She won't stop hunting us until we're all dead. Especially me."

"Egypt, huh? When do you leave?" It was a familiar voice.

"Reisen..." Kaguya was surprised by her appearance.

"3 weeks ago, I had met PADIO at the airport in Tokyo. That was the last time I met her."

"She was this close all along?" Eirin blurted out. "So, she really is serious about finding Standmaku users to fight for her."

"It seems that way. One thing I discovered about PADIO is if she wants to find out something about a person, what they're doing, she'll find a way. It's truly terrifying."

"But why do you want to come with us?" Kaguya shot Reisen a suspicious look. Even though she was free from PADIO's mind controlling flesh bud, there was still a lingering sense of distrust.

"I... I don't even know why myself. You saved my life, Kaguya. I feel I owe this much to you." Reisen smiled.

"We'll let her join us. She owes you her life, Kaguya. She has nothing to lose. We need whatever help we can get to fight PADIO. The Lunar Capital is notorious for hanging deserters, so she has no reason to return."

"I can't ever go back home now that I'm AWOL... the least I can do is help you bring down that monster."

"Speaking of which..." Mokou suddenly said, pulling out a wooden box from inside her bag. "I think it's only right we finally gave your Standmaku a name." She pulled out a handful of cards from the wooden case.

"We call these Spell Cards. There was a use for them a long time ago. With Reimu dead, they're useless now. Still, without looking, I'd like you to choose one." Mokou a fan of cards to Kaguya, all of them face down.

"This... card." Kaguya picked a dusty looking card, bent at the corners and lightly scorched. "Love Sign. Master Spark?"

"That card..." Eirin lowered her head.

"Some years ago, a group of 3 powerful Oni had reawakened in Gensokyo. Their goal was to subjugate all mortal races. A local shrine maiden named Sanae Kochiya along with Marisa Kirisame, fought to stop them. Unfortunately, Marisa died fighting them." Eirin said.

"In honor of her, I name your Standmaku... Star Sapphire!" Mokou nodded.

"So, it's settled. We leave for Egypt tomorrow morning."

"This seems a lot to take in but... I'll do it. Not like I have a choice." For once in Kaguya's life, she was motivated to do something, to be more than just the NEET she always was. And maybe beyond that... she had a glimmer of good will. Of genuinely wanting to help others. And of burning anger that someone had the gall to hurt those close to her family. The fact that they had sent an assassin to try and take both her and her grandmother out. From here on out, the fight was personal.