Reimu whipped both ofuda and her sealing needles out of her dress. She stood up, and glared at the Scarlet Devil crew. "The whole time. The WHOLE time, I invited you to the shrine, and you never once revealed that to me?" Reimu yelled.

"Wait, Reimu." Marisa tried to intervene. "Remember what Yukari said, even if we tried, we couldn't-"

"I DON'T CARE!" She shouted angrily. "I don't give a damn what Yukari said! She's sitting here in front of us, defenseless and exposed! As if I'd pass up an opportunity to take out someone so dangerous!"

"She's not dangerous!" Flandre retorted. "She's nice and kind to us! She would never hurt anyone unless they started it!"

Remilia sighed. "I was afraid of this."

Reimu's glare turned to Flan. "She's a threat to all of Gensokyo! A dragon! Living here, in the heart of it, deceiving us all! I'm going to take care of her, once and for all!"

"Reimu!" Marisa's voice rose. "Even if she was dangerous, we ain't gonna win! Are ya stupid or deaf?!"

Reimu growled, moving her ofuda to eye level. "Then I'm going to die doing as much damage as I can."

Remilia stood, and walked in front of Meiling, spreading her arms.

Reimu's eyes widened. "Move!" She yelled.

"I won't." Remilia replied quietly. "Please, just listen to what we have to say."

"I don't care what you have to say! You sheltered her here, and as far as I'm concerned that makes you just as much of a traitor as she is!"

Flandre stood up, and spread her arms as well, standing next to Remilia. "We don't want to fight! If you just listen for a sec-"

REIMU!" Marisa barked. "We need to GO! This ain't something we can handle on our own!"

"Oh yeah? And what if I don't? Are you gonna make me?" She shot back, turning to Marisa. "Huh?! Are you gonna get in my way?"

"So what if I am?" Marisa responded, taking out her Mini-Hakkero. "Ya gonna try anyway?"

"Please." A voice spoke. Everyone turned, and Meiling repeated herself, her eyes welling up. "Please. I won't resist, so please, just take me and leave them alone. I'll come with you wherever you want to go."

"NO, Meiling!" Flan cried. "You have to stay here, with us! We can't leave you behind!"

"Flan, please. Just stay back." Meiling murmured. "As long as everyone I love is safe, I would gladly give up my life."

"Not that you have a choice, but I appreciate the cooperation." Reimu growled. "Even if I can't kill you, I'm going to get in contact with the Dragon Palace and tell them where you are. Either way, you don't walk away from this."

"YER the traitor, Reimu!" Marisa yelled.

"EXCUSE me?" Reimu glared at Marisa.

"Ya heard me! Yer the traitor here, not Meiling!" Marisa challenged her. "After all the times she's been at yer shrine, all the times she's drank an' eaten with us, an' yer so ready and willin' to execute her? What kinda friend are YOU?!"

Reimu faltered. "I-...I'm going this for the good of Gensokyo!" She said. "She's too dangerous to be kept around-"

"Oh yeah? An' how do ya figure that?! Since she's been here so long an' hasn't done a damn thing to ya or ta anyone else?!" Marisa growled. "Where's the destruction, Reimu? Point out where she's gone around killin' an' hurtin people! Point out where she's been causin' destruction and mayhem! Don't keep me in suspense!"

Reimu paused. "E-even if she hasn't done anything yet, she might do something in the future-"

"Oh, well excuse me then!" Marisa bellowed. "Better exterminate me too then, right here, right now! Cuz ya never know, right?! I could turn into a youkai just like that fortune teller did, yeah?!"

Reimu stomped her foot in frustration. "Damn it! Why are you so bent on this? Don't defend her, she's a dragon for gods' sake! She shouldn't even be here! Why's she here and not at the Dragon Palace?"

"Because she's a deserter." Sakuya answered. All eyes turned to her, as she glared at Reimu. "Because her brothers and sisters were slaughtering and ripping each other apart. Because she couldn't stand the sight of it anymore, and she knew that she was likely to be next."

Reimu's eyes widened. "That's... E-even if that were true, then... t-then why choose Gensokyo?! She could have lived anywhere in the world!"

"Because the people she loves are here. In this room. Not anywhere else." Patchouli answered quietly. "She doesn't want to live anywhere else. She wants to be here. With us."

Reimu scoffed in disbelief. "Give me a BREAK! If she's a dragon, then to us, we're basically ants! Isn't that what Yukari said?" She turned to Marisa, but was interrupted by Remilia.

"Then you know her even less than we assumed you did." Remilia said, scowling. "Her love for Gensokyo, and its people, runs deeper than you could ever know. That very mentality - of treating all other beings as lesser, as animals - is why she left in the first place."

Reimu took a deep breath, then answered "And how do we know for sure that she's not a threat? Or that she's not lying?"

"You don't." Sakuya responded. "The only thing you can do is trust her. And we here at the SDM trust her completely. Know that we aren't lying when we assure you Meiling would never do such things."

"And how do I KNOW you're not lying?!" Reimu growled. "You could be just as in on it as she is! All of you!" The members of the SDM looked at each other, and there was a long silence. "What if I decide that it's all lies, and I exterminate her, right here, right now?" Reimu questioned.

"Reimu, that's totally unreasonab-" Marisa started, but her voice stopped as she looked at the others.

Remilia stood up, walked over, then knelt in front of Reimu, face down, and Reimu took a step back. "Wha-" One after another, Flandre, Sakuya, Koakuma, and Patchouli followed suit, lining up in front of Reimu, kneeling to the floor. "What? What's this?" Reimu asked breathlessly, her anger and suspicion beginning to dissolve. "What...W-what are you doing? Is this some kind of trick?"

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"No." Remilia murmured. "Nothing of the sort. We beg of you, Reimu."

"Spare Meiling's life." Sakuya continued.

"What? Why should I-" Reimu began, but as she watched, droplets of water began to fall from the floor, around the area where their faces would be. "Are...are you-"

"Please!" Flan cried, raising her head, revealing her tear-streaked face. "You don't know for sure if we're lying, it's true, but even still... Please, just please don't hurt Meiling!"

Reimu lowered her arms in shock. "Flandre? W-what-"

Sakuya was next. "I cannot imagine a world where Meiling isn't part of our family. If you exterminate her, it is highly likely that the rest of us would take our own lives within two months."

Reimu stared at them, shaking her head in disbelief. "I don't - I don't understand."

Finally, Remilia spoke. "Meiling is invaluable to this mansion, not just as a gatekeeper...but as a beloved member of this household. Losing her... I just... I couldn't survive it. So we're begging you!" She raised her head. "Please, we're begging with all our hearts and souls. Spare Meiling, if you have any mercy in your heart! Don't break apart our family like this!"

For a long time, Reimu was silent, and Marisa sat, shell-shocked. Then, finally Reimu spoke. "You all... you really do love her that much, huh..." She sighed wearily, her shoulders slumping, needles and ofuda dropping to the floor.

"More than anything." Remilia whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks. "More than life itself."

Reimu didn't know how to respond other than collapsing, defeated, back onto the couch. "And...and how do I know that her deserting the Dragon Palace... isn't going to cause problems for Gensokyo?" At this, there was no response, and Reimu's eyes widened. "You - you DID ensure that all the trouble with the Dragon Palace is settled, right? That she's okay by being here?"

The SDM members stood up and wiped their eyes, dusting themselves off and taking their seats. This time, Meiling spoke. "No."

"No...?" Reimu said, her anxiety returning in full force. "What do you mean no?! You're saying that her being here means we could potentially face an all-out war with the dragons?!"

Meiling sighed, wearily. "I was afraid of this. From the moment I saw Iku in our back yard-"

"What? When?" Remilia interrupted, her eyes narrowing.

"Just the other day, Milady. When I was tending to the new vegetables you had planted, Iku was standing in a tree, just...watching me."

Remilia gulped. "And you didn't think... to tell us?"

"It's not like that, Milady!" Meiling said hurriedly. "I truly didn't know what she was going to do, and I didn't want to cause undue alarm. I thought it likely that she was merely checking up on me, nothing more!" She lowered her gaze. "But sending an oomukade after me - how could she do such a thing? She tried to have me killed."

"Do ya know why she might'a done it?" Marisa asked carefully.

Meiling growled in frustration. "I know exactly why." She turned to Remilia. "Milady, do you remember what I said the other day about neutrality being taken as treason?"

Remilia's eyes narrowed. "Of course. You deserted the Dragon Palace to avoid getting caught up in the politics, and they must have considered that just as treasonous as remaining silent."

"Wait. You've gotta be kidding." Reimu interrupted. "You're being hunted because you didn't want to participate in their stupid argument?" Reimu's fists clenched in her lap. "Because you didn't want to get involved with the politics? That's it?"

Meiling nodded. "That's it."

Reimu's glare hardened. "How can that even be?! Aren't dragons supposed to be reasonable?! To bring peace and mediation?!" Her voice began to rise. "To be ABOVE all the pointless crap that mortals are supposed to be fighting about? How can they so ruthlessly come after one of their own just for wanting to stay out of it?!"

Marisa tried to interrupt. "Reimu, uh, I'd watch yer tongue-"

"Shut up, Marisa." She replied quietly. "I am so, so unbelievably tired of taking orders from others. The Lunarians, Yukari, and now the dragons. This isn't right. This isn't how it's supposed to be." She stood up. "I am the Hakurei shrine maiden. I am supposed to be the protector of Gensokyo, and yet I'm constantly getting stomped by people I can't even touch outside of danmaku." She glared at Marisa. "In what world...in what UNIVERSE is it okay to casually slaughter millions? To let your stupid, pointless war embroil thousands of lives in the crossfire?!" At this, Marisa had no answer, and Reimu continued, turning back to the others: "Don't get me wrong. I think having a dragon here in Gensokyo is dangerous enough as it is. But for her brothers and sisters to come down and wipe out so many innocent lives, just to get her back... just to force her to participate in their politics... is absolutely unforgivable."

For a time, nobody spoke, and Remilia said quietly "Then where does that leave us?"

Reimu sighed. "I don't like it. And if it wasn't someone I knew, I'd have no hesitation in ratting them out. But..."

"But?" Sakuya asked hopefully.

"Meiling is my friend. We may not be as close as all of you, but Marisa's right. She's been over at my shrine for feasts and parties since as long as I can remember. And she's not hurting anything right now; the threat is coming from her old family." Reimu continued. "So, for now..." She gave a weak smile. "Consider Meiling under my protection."

Remilia's eyes widened. "Reimu. We...we can't accept that. You've done enough just by letting her stay-"

"Shut up, already, will you?" Reimu grumbled in irritation. "I said I'm protecting her, so that's that."

The others glanced at each other, then Sakuya said "Thank you, Hakurei. We could never repay you-"

Reimu put a hand to her head. "Ah, jeez, stop, I said. I don't like people being in debt to me. We're even now, so forget it."

Remilia smiled, and reached for her teacup, then took a sip. "Fair enough, then. So, now what?"

Reimu thought for a few minutes. "Well, for now, I'd say just continue like you always have been. I'll be watching from afar, but rest assured, until we figure something out, I'll try and keep anyone from attacking this place. Just try and keep your heads down for a while and maybe this will just all go away on its own."

Marisa grinned. "Well-thought out, as ever, Reimu."

"Shut up." Reimu responded, rolling her eyes.

Marisa chuckled, then asked, "So, I know it might be a bit much ta ask, but...could we see ya in yer true dragon form?"

Meiling paused, then considered. "I'll tell you what. When this is all over, and things are back to normal, I'll show you." She winked. "But not before then."

"Aw, whaaaat. Lame." Marisa whined. "Well, we'd best get goin', huh, Reimu?"

"Yeah. If I'm away too long the fairies will probably start drawing on the shrine's walls again." Reimu sighed in annoyance. "We'll get going, so just..." She gazed at the SDM crew. "Keep yourselves safe, okay?"

Remilia nodded. "We'll certainly do our best. Thank you for everything, Reimu."

"Don't mention it." Reimu waved her hand. "Come on, Marisa, let's head out." With that, the two got up and left the mansion.

After they were gone, Remilia said thoughtfully "Well, that was certainly unexpected."

"Indeed, Mistress. I thought for sure we would simply be exterminated along with Meiling." Sakuya nodded.

"Wha, hey!" Meiling huffed. "As if I'd let anything actually happen to you all. If she had wanted to exterminate me I said I'd go with her, didn't I?" Then, she had a thought. "Milady...Sakuya...did you really mean all those things?"

Remilia and Sakuya turned, and said in unison "Every word."

"However..." Sakuya added, "You're back on gatekeeping and gardening duty, as well as tending the Young Mistress, now. So..." Sakuya gazed at her. "Get to work, Meiling."

Meiling grinned and stood up, giving a small salute. "Of course, Miss Sakuya. It would be my pleasure."