"What do you mean you thought you saw a sign of your master?" Reimu asked bewildered.

Youmu nodded, "It is as I said. I thought I saw one of Yuyuko-sama's butterflies. I would never mistake it." She said. Her sudden mood became downcast as she thought of her master.

"I'm worried about her, I hope the state of Gensokyo isn't causing her too much trouble." She said solemnly staring down at her lap. Her little ghost part floating next to her in melancholy.

"Now that I think about it. I'm worried too. Over the shrine." Sanae said, her entire form was fidgeting as she sat. She could never deny the responsibilities towards her shrine, and it's been quite sometime since she's been to the outside world. She knew she felt conflicted from the excitement of arriving to the outside world after so long, but it had grown in her; the stress of her responsibilities back in Gensokyo. It wasn't like she was alone in the feeling. All of the girls were apart of Gensokyo, it was their home.

Reimu sighed heavily as she stood and took command.
"Instead of just moping, I find this all the more reason to find a way back to Gensokyo as quick as possible."
The question of how, always remained in Reimu's mind and it just raised her stress levels. She rubbed her temple as her eyebrow twitched.

"I'll be right back." She said leaving the shrine. Her eyes scanned the outside before she took off into a quiet, and serene place. She needed to be alone to think, and just rest. She landed in a thicket just a few miles away from the abandoned area of City Z. She landed crossing her legs, and left herself to think in peace. It was obvious that they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon. It was all too complicated, and a gigantic mess. But not just that, it was just too strange to her. Why would the barrier be collapsing now of all times? In the past, it was strong, until now, strong enough to withstand any yokai trying to escape to the outside world. The only conclusion she could come up with was, perhaps, someone from the outside was messing with the barrier. Which was very unlikely, or impossible rather.

But what if someone they had no knowledge of...had connections with Gensokyo?

Reimu's whole frame shuddered all of sudden, as if something ominous was lingering around her. She sat up straight, breathing in and out deeply. She ignored her feelings tugging at her, and the thought slowly creeping up in her mind. She sighed heavily, letting her form slouch as she relaxed into a lazy position.

"This thinking session is not helping me in the slightest." She commented out loud, she was right. In fact her whole mind only stressed at the fact more.

"Oiiiii!" She heard a voice call her. Her eyes drifted upwards watching Marisa land on the ground from her broom.

"So this is where you were? What's up with you da ze?" She asked sitting right next to her best friend. Reimu's brow furrowed and her mouth in a thin line as she tried to find the right words.

"I'm sure you're not the only one to find the barrier being weakened at this very moment strange right?" She asked.

Marisa hummed, "Well sure da ze. I'm sure no one was expecting it."

"Exactly. No one was expecting it, so why now of all times would the barrier that has stood strong throughout all these years would start to diminish?" Reimu asked, it seemed rhetorical but Marisa saw the serious stare she was giving her. Marisa's eyebrows furrowed as well as she tried to contemplate the conclusion Reimu was giving her. Then she gasped loudly as she realized.

"Wait you mean-"

Reimu nodded making Marisa go silent, both of them sat in this understanding silence.

"So wait, how can someone from the outside be affecting the barrier?" Marisa asked.

"It's not hard, sometimes, there are people who have this sort of connection with Gensokyo.* Whether they are aware of it or not, they are able to transcend the barrier. Me and Yukari were discussing it once."

"Jeez," Marisa groaned leaning her head back,
"The more I think about this, the more I grow a bad headache da ze." She whined taking off her witch hat and running her hand through her blond locks.

"How are the others doing?" Reimu asked.

"Eh, they all seem homesick. Especially Youmu. I don't blame them really, I also miss my cottage da ze." Marisa said folding her arms behind her head looking at the sky. Her eyes that this look of longing in her eyes that Reimu read easily. She took her fist knocking it softly on Marisa's shoulder.

"Even if I have my shrine here, it's not the same. So we just need to find a way, we'll get there." Reimu said, it made Marisa grin at her.

"Save the cheesy speech for the others. Knowing you, I already know that da ze." She grinned wider, laughing when Reimu aimed her fist at her head. The two stood up, flying back to the area of the shrine.
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When Reimu opened the shrine doors, she saw the group and the two males they had already gotten closely acquainted with. She sweat-dropped when she saw Aya conversing loudly with everyone, while Remilia and Patchouli just sat in the corner observing.

"Are you two just going to become regular visitors now?" She asked.

"Apparently, I don't mind. It's more spacious than my apartment." Saitama said nonchalantly, Reimu's eyebrow twitched but she had no arguments. Or rather the energy to argument.

"Reimu-san, are you feeling better." Sanae looked concerned at her.

"You want the honest answer?" She asked back making everyone curious. But they already guessed from the scowl on her face that it was not pleasant news.

"From a session of thinking, I have concluded that our barrier problem isn't inside Gensokyo, but outside." Reimu said as she sat herself across her kotasu. Many of the girls gasped loudly, shock painted their faces.

"So someone has access to Gensokyo from the outside?" Sanae asked, knowing all too well what Reimu was talking about.

"No doubt, if something were happening inside Gensokyo, me or Yukari would have sensed it long before the barrier got any worse." Reimu said. The air felt grim, and everyone except the two males were left to think in their own stress.

"Wait a minute I'm confused.." Saitama spoke up.

"Well...basically it's impossible for Gensokyo to be entered from the outside world." Patchouli started the explanation.

"Only those from the outside who are, very erm...special can enter Gensokyo of their own free will. Including me." Sanae said, her tone very serious.

"Wait, Sanae-san you mean you were from the human world?" Genos asked, his tone seemed slightly more shocked from his regular stoic. Sanae only nodded, her expression still serious.

She glanced to the side, "I'm no longer a full human however." She mumbled quietly to herself.

"This is dangerous for Gensokyo's stability." Remilia commented closing her eyes in thought.

"How can one person cause so much so much damage?" Saitama asked still very confused.

"Depending on the person, they can have a big effect on Gensokyo. Even if people have very little knowledge of Gensokyo, ignorance can be dangerous. Breaking the wall between the land of yokai is dangerous enough, but what that person does afterwards. Just one action could make it all perish." Reimu explained. Her frame leaned forward on her kotasu, very irritated and very pensive.

"Does that mean, our world is involved too?" Saitama asked, his eyes sharpened as his tone started to turn serious as well. All of the girls could only nod.

"Well.." Saitama's face morphed back to his usual laid back expression.
"All we have to do is find the guy, kick his ass, and prevent things from getting worse." He said simply.

"I don't think it's that simple." Sanae said sweat-dropping.

Youmu sat in the corner spacing out while the others started to aimlessly chit chat. She has been on edge ever since she saw the butterfly, one of the embodiments of her master. She felt it wasn't just an illusion, after what Reimu explained in her conclusion. Images of cherry blossom trees and of the dark, dreary atmosphere of the netherworld flashed through her mind. She froze, her ears tuning out the chatter before her as she started hearing the faintness of a familiar voice. Just as Youmu heard it, all of the girls froze as well, just seconds before a little rumble could be felt.

"Ah, was that an earthquake?" Saitama asked feeling the tiny shaking.

"I don't think so Sensei." Genos said getting on guard like the rest of them. His sensors had just started picking up on something mysterious just minutes after all of them had froze.

Youmu had stood up abruptly and speedily ran out of the shrine towards a certain direction. All of them were confused, but no words were spoken between the girls as they trailed after her. The two males were hesitant watching them run off.

"Should we go after them Sensei?" Genos asked as if asking for permission.

Saitama only shrugged, "Might as well find out what that was about." He said before running in the same direction.
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Youmu had landed in a thicket, her eyes blinking a couple of times before a scene of cherry blossoms appeared before her. She carefully stepped through the thicket before she stood before the reason why her instincts were firing inside her. The faint image of the Ayakashi* cherry blossom tree. It faintly looked like a movie screen projection. A rift of space right in front of her showing the picture of the Netherworld.

"Yuyuko-sama..." Youmu mumbled, she reached out her fingers hesitating to touch the image. Finally the group arrived just seconds away.

"Youmu!" Reimu called, but she was too late as Youmu's fingers already reached the image. She watched as the image cracked like a broken mirror, it caused a painful constriction in her chest. But then as it broke, a huge wind burst out and a light shined. Just like the time before when the girls got sucked out of Gensokyo, something like a dimensional rift. The gust was strong enough to blow Youmu away towards the group.

"What is this?" Genos asked in a mumble watching the light erupt. It shrunk and then imploded bringing forth a group of strange entities.

"What..." Youmu mumbled, watching the ghosts swirl around the group in an eerie vortex. She felt the hostility from them, they weren't the usual ghosts she would find under control in the Netherworld. She could feel her heart beat erratically.

"Ugh, ghosts? Actually that's kind of creepy.." Saitama mumbled blankly, watching the vortex move with his stoic face.

"Uh they don't seem friendly da ze." Marisa commented watching the ghost vortex. Reimu didn't say a word but attacked immediately, throwing prayer slips in the phantoms direction, Sanae followed her action with her own. Genos shot large amounts of fire from his palm after them. All attacks taking an affect, but not riding of them completely. The vortex moved violently, the sounds produced from the movement sounded like piercing screams. Youmu just stared dazed, her eyes blinking a couple of times. After a couple of blinks, she caught sight of the butterfly again, flashing before her eyes.

She grit her teeth standing, grabbing both of her katanas and unsheathing them. She glanced at Reimu, waiting, she locked eyes with her and Reimu took the sign to stand down. Everyone became confused when she stopped throwing her prayer slips.

"They're beings from the Netherworld, let me take of it." Youmu said, her swords crossed and she took a stance. Her aura became devastating. Her mind in total focused as her eyes aimed at the dead center.

"Spell Card: Spirit-Cutting Sword "Slash of the Ascension to Buddhahood!"

With her cry she slashed her swords apart creating a giant pillar of energy. The pillar hit directly in the middle of the vortex, a falling of cherry blossoms following its path. The spirits vanished and there was nothing left but silence. Everyone maintained that silence in awe, until Marisa broke it.

"Woohoo! Go Youmu da ze!" She cheered.

Youmu sheathed her swords, sweat-dropping as soon as she heard Marisa cheering.
"Uh, thanks I guess?" She said questioningly.

"Could someone explain what that was?" Saitama asked, his tone feigning slight annoyance that he didn't get a chance to fight ghosts.

"Even we don't know." Alice and Sanae said.

"Perhaps this is only the beginning." Reimu said staring at the empty space. The space where the spirits last ascended from.

"Well whatever that was. That certainly isn't safe for the population, maybe we should consult the Association." Genos said.

"No, it's best not to let others get involved. We want to keep this strictly between us." Reimu shot down his statement.

"But-"

"Just for now, until we can really figure what's going on?" Sanae suggested calmly, trying to ease the tension. Genos shut his mouth and nodded silently. The group relaxed, now that the situation got taken care of, and they aimed to go back to their respected homes. Except Youmu lingered, along with Sanae.

"I understand your worry, and I'm sure your master is doing just fine." She said staring at the empty space along with the gardener. Youmu just gave a sigh.

"I know. I'm just worried about how long we can hold out here too." She said before turning and walking slowly back to the group. Sanae sighed, her hand at her chest, and her fingers slightly clenching between her clothing.

"Sanae-san." She heard Genos called out to her.

"Hm?" She answered without turning.

"Are you ok? You're falling behind." He said in his usual authoritative tone.

Sanae paused before turning with a smile, "I'm fine. I must've dozed off as usual." She said adding a light chuckle. She followed him back towards City Z.

'Kanako-sama and Suwako-sama...I hope they're ok...and the shrine too...'