Disclaimer: Shin Megami Tensei: Persona belongs to ATLUS. Touhou Project belongs to Zun. I have no ownership of the copyrights of either series in any way.

Chapter 1: Journey's Start

Death; some time ago, man desired death. Man grew tired, apathetic. Man simply wanted the end, the Fall. However, despite the overwhelming voices for this desire, despite Nyx – the mother of the night and the bringer of the Fall- descending upon the word, despite the intrinsic and certain promise that is death, man didn't die on the day of the descent.

Even though the rest of the world had given up and was willing to die then and there, a small group of individuals, known as S.E.E.S (Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad) rose up and stood against this seemingly inevitable fate. Among these remarkable people, my friends, was myself, at the time, a 2nd year high school student, name: Minato Arisato. In order to prevent the end, I used the pinnacle of my power, The Universe, to use my life force to make a seal for Nyx. That is where I am now. My body, now statue like, chained to this door.

However, even in this empty space, I am not alone. In front of me lies this massive black creature, a pair of horned heads, one for each side of the creature's body. Its four red eyes without pupils are closed right now closed. Erebus, that was the creature's name. Before, the monster had made many attempts to reach Nyx, who is sealed behind me, and initiating the end by trying to break through the seal that I currently was.

Right now though, Erebus was defeated, for now. A short time ago, my friends from S.E.E.S. had somehow found their way to this place and temporarily quelled the beast. Soon after they disappeared and returned back to the normal world with new resolve to live their lives to the fullest, and at least in one person's case I believe, to relieve me of this fate one day; to give me a life again. Such good friends they are.

Although there is no doubt whatsoever that the horrible beast would rouse itself and begin its onslaught anew, for now there was peace. I am going to savor this moment for as long as possible because once Erebus returns from its slumber there is no telling how long it would be before my friends find a way to free me from this task, and until then, Erebus will continue its never ending attack to destroy me to get to Nyx. All I can do is have patience and persevere. No matter the pain, no matter the length of time, even if I went insane and numb from Erebus' relentlessness, I have to believe with all my heart that my friends would succeed. I can wait. One day. I just have to-

"Oh my, now what do we have here?"

! That's not right. It shouldn't be possible. Nobody should be here now besides Nyx, Erebus, and me. But I swear that for a moment, I could hear a woman's voice. Even in this statue state I currently am in, I can perceive the basic senses, but a voice was simply absurd. Has the insanity set in sooner than I expected?

"I only wanted to see what that raucous noise was, but this is well beyond my expectations."

There it was again and this time, if the increased volume were any indication, she was closer than before, but still nowhere to be seen. Though there goes the insanity theory. Funny, it probably would have made things more lively and bearable with Erebus.

"Interesting, this golden gate is quite the spectacle; beautiful, and much more enticing than that boorish creature over there. It appears to be a seal of some sort, and its shape and structure is most definitely a border. Now the question is for what. " Whatever was happening she seemed to be looking around, but I can't figure out from where and, for that matter, who was making these comments. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry. I didn't see you there, how rude of me."

Huh? She seemed to have noticed me despite my statue like state. In my stupor, about a meter and a half in front of my statue body a … tear? A gap? Some sort of … hole… thing appeared. The tear, I'll go with that, had ribbons tied at its ends, making it look like some crude patchwork, and inside… oh god. Badass as I was, I have never seen anything so creepy as this. Eyes, so many eyes; all of them staring out from some void that was inside the tear and worst of all they were not blinking. Something like this is just wrong! A dark nothing with only eyes in it should not exist. It's worse than Ryoji's blank eyeless stare from when he was the Nyx avatar and that is saying something. Whatever made this tear in the fabric of reality cannot be human.

"What? Scared stone stiff?" Oh sure ha-ha, very funny. Make fun of my statue like state why don't you, whatever you are. As soon as I finished that thought however, a woman emerged from the tear as if it was the most normal thing in the world, more normal than Junpei being lazy at the very least. The woman herself however, wow, I thought Mitsuru was pretty but her… wow. She was a blonde Caucasian woman with a set of very sly very beautiful golden eyes. She wore a night cap of all things that seemed right out of ye olde Europe but it seemed just right on her head. She wore a well-coordinated mash of both Eastern and European formal dress that was predominantly light purple, and in her hand was an open umbrella, stalk resting on her shoulder, pink as can be.

However that still doesn't distract from that… tear thing that she rose out from and was currently sitting in. Just the sight was eerie in no small part to the casual juxtaposition of such beauty with such horror. And I have seen some truly horrible things, such as Fuuka's cooking.

"*giggle**giggle* Is the gap really that fascinating?" She then shifted her body into a more… alluring pose with her chest positioned in front of my face and since I couldn't move-"Or could it be me that has your attention?" She stated in a seductive tone with a face to match said voice.

Ok, so those things I can guess are called gaps, not tears, but at least I was close, it was my second thought. Also I was not looking at her like that. How would she know anyways? I'm currently an immovable statue. I swear I wasn't looking at her. I swear it, really.

"Hmm, it would appear that you are tongue tied at the moment." She inched closer to where her face was right in front of mine, "Let me fix that." And then she grabbed my throat, quite suddenly I might add. While I couldn't actually feel the touch of her hand, I could feel that something else was happening. As if something was changing the very nature of my being, like it was being manipulated. I don't like this feeling. What in the world is she doing?

"There. Let's try now." She then pulled away, back to siting smug as a snake on that thing called a gap. The feeling was gone now. But still it felt horrible, like whatever she did being a complete middle finger to physics with me being what she was directing her intentions towards.

"Try what? Huh… I can talk. With my voice. I can talk now!"

"Of course. Would you rather I have you croak like a frog? I can make it so if you wish." She interjected with a fox like grin on her face. Her voice made me remember the current situation. I was in the presence of some… thing, or her, that could open gaps in the fabric of space time as if it was like breathing and for some reason could manipulate me in some way to return my ability to speak. Whatever she was, she could not be human, no matter how much she looked it.

"Who are you?" I could have started with 'what did you do' or silence, but it's probably best to start with the basic questions and not antagonize her.

"Oh? How rude. You should always give your name before demanding someone else's name." This woman is a grade-A troll, isn't she? Keep it together. Don't let her get to you.

"Arisato, Minato Arisato. That's my name."

"Now that is more like it. Although couldn't you have put more zeal into it, perhaps not sound so stone cold?" Yeah, she is definitely a troll. "Oh well. Anyways, the name I chose long ago is Yukari Yakumo; you can just call me by my first name. It is a pleasure to meet you Minato-san." Yukari… just a coincidence, or at least I hope it is. "I must say, this is the first time I have met a living border. I know of others who have used their lives to fuel their seals, however this is the first time I have met one who was in your state; one who is still sort of alive inside their barrier. I wonder are you…? "

"What are you talking about?"

"Hmm? Oh don't mind me. Just the ramblings of times long past. If I may however, could I perhaps be enlightened of the circumstances surrounding your current predicament and what pray tell is going on here? It is the main reason why I have gone out of my way to find this place, mind you I don't go out of my way very often, and I am most curious of the many things that I see here, chief of which is you and this door. That creature is quite the curiosity as well though again, quite boorish." She said, pointing to the beast that currently lay upon the floor below.

She was now smiling a big wide grin at me, expectantly. As if she expected me to answer her in full without reservations. She is quite a bold woman isn't she? However, what is she after, who is she… this Yukari Yakumo. If I don't know that then she can forget getting to know anything from me. Who knows what her intentions are and I better play it safe until I know more.

"I'll have you know that I am simply being polite in asking you. If I wanted to, I could rip you open in a heartbeat to see what you are hiding behind you. If you continue to be so mean, then I will find the answers myself, through you if necessary. I assure you that this border seal you currently are is but a mere toy for me no matter how much power you put into it. I am a border manipulator and you my boy right now are a border. If you do not tell me for what, then I will show you what a border manipulator is. Do you understand?"

She was smiling through that entire speech. I couldn't understand the part about borders, but her intent still came out clear. She is not someone I should mess with. I have met with some truly terrifying women, survived "executions", but she just takes the cake. Talk about impressions, first wily, now scary ass manipulative bitch. If I wasn't as bad ass as I was now, or a statue, I probably would be having a nervous breakdown. Worse yet is I can't do anything at all because again, statue. Ugh. Guess that means I have no choice.

"Where would you like me to start?"

"Beginning please." Her voice was now back to a less stern tone and even seemed quite pleased. She almost looked cute what with her eyes closed in a childlike manner, waiting in anticipation for the answer.

"Well to start with… that beast over there. Its name is Erebus. That creature is the physical manifestation of all of humanity's negative emotions. Behind me, lies Nyx a being awakened by humanity's sorrow and despair and believes that its duty is to end all of humanity. Not for evil reasons mind you. Nyx just believes that death is what humanity wants deep in their hearts. However should Erebus reach Nyx, all of humanity will lose the will to live and become apathetic, essentially brain dead. No human will be exempt from the process and would consequently mean the end of the world as we know it."

"Oh. That is quite a shock." Was all she could muster and in quite a reserved voice this time. She seemed to be in serious thought, the smile was gone and she was looking at Erebus now. Well at least she has a sense of brevity and knows when to stop the jokes though she seems a bit too quick on the uptake.

"I myself separate the two. While Nyx has no malevolent intent, Erebus' sole purpose is to reach Nyx and Bring about The Fall, or the end of all of humanity. I say end but, again, what really happens is that all of man will lose the will to live. They won't die immediately, but they wouldn't care. Essentially, I am a border between life and death, I guess." Weird. She perked up at the mention of the word border. I know she said border manipulator, but is using the same word really all that surprising? "I haven't been here for long. I would wager four months at the most, but I believe that is the gist of it. Do you want to know anything else? You seem to be quite accepting of all this." She seemed deep in thought and I was sort of worried if I overwhelmed her but then suddenly she did ask something.

"Hmm, I am used to the extraordinary appearing before me, but yes I do have something else I must ask. How did you end up as you are, as a border?" She said this quite carefully. Almost too carefully, as if this question mattered to her a lot, though I can't imagine why.

"I'll make this short but, well, back in winter, January 31st to be precise, Nyx descended upon the world in response to so many people simply wishing for the end. Although my friends and I fought against what was deemed impossible. Nyx truly was undefeatable and we were all falling one by one. Everyone has to die at some point after all. But that wasn't the right time for everybody. When all hope seemed lost, I found strength to persevere, and through that strength I was able to seal Nyx away from the rest of the world. Though there is more after that, that's how I got here essentially. I sacrificed my life so that everyone else could still live theirs. Honestly, not too bad a trade though." As long as people could find some joy in life eventually, it's worth it.

"How old are you?" Well that question came out of nowhere, and was it just me or did she seem, somber, nostalgic even? She was grimacing, as if she was remembering something very sad for her. Did I hurt her somehow?

"18 or at least I think I am, though now that I am the seal, I don't even know if age matters anymore." That statement seemed to simply bring her mood down even further. What is going on here?
First she was messing with me, then she threatens me, now she seems like she is about to cry? Again, what the hell is going on here? Silence now filled the air. She looked simply downcast. I might have matched her demeanor, but this stone face only has, well, only one face. Then after some time had passed in this strangely lonely silence, she began to speak in a careful, and surprisingly, caring tone.

"Tell me, do you wish to stay in your current situation?" she stated like how a mother would talk to her beloved child.

"Huh, well I don't find this to be the best time of my life, but what can you do about it?"

"Do you remember what I said about what I am?"

"You said you were a border manipulator, right?"

"Yes, but I suppose you do not know what that entails?" I would have nodded but I had a stiff neck at the moment. "Well it means just that. I am a youkai, yes just like those old myths like a satori or oni, but I am a unique one of a kind youkai, and I have the equally unique ability to manipulate anything that is remotely a border, either physical or abstract, in any way I please. For example, I can control the border between real and false vacuum, as well as the border between life and death." What?

"Alright… so you are a Japanese mythological creature who has the ability to manipulate abstract concepts, but what does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, remember when I gave you back your ability to speak?" Again would have nodded, but at least she seemed to recognize my answer regardless. "Simply put, right now as you are, you are a border. You are something I can manipulate." Right she did say that earlier but I was too surprised to immediately remember something she said offhand. "If you find that your situation is currently unsatisfactory, then perhaps I can help alleviate that problem." Wait what does she mean?

"What I am saying is that perhaps, I can make it so that you can live normally again while still maintaining this seal of yours. You get to live a normal life and your friend Erebus will still not have a way to reach Nyx. Do you get it now?"

Huh? Did I just hear that right? A way out, and one that is almost too good to be true? But now that I think about it, she did give me back my ability to talk with a mere touch. She didn't even seem to exert any effort in the process either. But still…

"What do you have to gain from helping me?" I had to know what she was after. I still have no idea who she is or where she came from. But then, she smiled. It was the most sincere smile she had given me this whole time. Granted it was not a lot of time, but still.

"You remind me of an old friend. I couldn't help her then and it only a miracle that the situation evolved as it did, but perhaps if I help you… no, forget I said anything. Though, do you doubt my sincerity or do you just not like me?" and back to the first Yukari, admittedly I like this one the most.

"No not at all. I do like you- no I mean I don't like you- wait I mean, arrrrrrgh." Yeah, she is such a troll or is it tease?

"Oh I can tell you are going to be so much fun." Her smile was quite big now. "Well, do you want me to give you a life back? I promise you that I will do my best to live up to what I have offered you here, after all, in the absolutely infinitesimal chance that I screw this up, I would lose a lot as well. Please let me help you."

That look she was sporting just now; it was a truly honest look. It was a look I was familiar with, particularly from when one of my close friends came to accept something or resolved to do something. It was a look that made me truly believe in others and that maybe the world isn't so bad. I know I really have no concrete reason to believe her right now other than her sporting that look, but I think I can trust her, for now.

"So what do you have to do?" She perked up immediately from that somber demeanor after hearing my answer.

"Don't worry about a thing I will have you out in no time." She seemed quite excited I must say. "Though I must inform you that I have never done something like this before and that this will be sort of new to me so please be patient with me, please?"

"What!? How is this going to be safe? And how new are we talking about?"

"Don't worry; it will be a simple transition like using different programming languages, essentially the same concept, only needs slight adjustments." She was smiling. I know that probably was meant to reassure me of her prowess but it just simply unnerves me more. Is it too late to back out now? She then moved in closer and was now in a very intimate proximity to my body. She placed her hands on my stone cheeks. Curse my inability to feel right now.

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?"

"Of course just give me silence so I can concentrate."

Some moments passed by and… It got white all of a sudden. And now suddenly it's dark instead. Wait those are my eyelids. How I missed not being a statue. Opening my eyes, I saw that I was in some dark void. It was brighter with my eyes closed, that's how dark it was in this place. But a couple of meters away, there she stood; my benefactor. She was looking at me with a smile, and none the worse for wear. Huh looks like she really meant it when she said that it was going to be how powerful is she?

"Well how did I do?" That is so not the question one asks when they preform what she just did. She just gave me a life to live outside of the seal. Something I was willing to wait an eternity for, given out just like that. I feel sort of like Ikutski-san now for even doubting her. Hell, I feel bad that there doesn't seem to be a way for me to ever properly thank her for this.

"What exactly did you do?"

"I simply extracted your consciousness from that stone and used some of that border you were part of to make the body that you have now. The clothes and items you have on your person right now were from your mind and I just simply helped to make them real for you. You can thank me later for that. Right now your soul is in a state not unlike some gods. Split but still whole in a way. I would elaborate, but it would take too long for me to explain properly. To put it simply, right now you are both here, and in that seal. I have made sure that the seal has not weakened in any way even though the you that is here now is quite displaced from that location." Well that is confusing but I guess there is no turning back now that I have already gone through with this. I can only take her word for it. At least my clothes were intact. I was wearing the Gekkoukan Highschool uniform. Black blazer and pants, white dress shirt, a butler's tie, even my S.E.E.S armband was on me. Best of all however, my MP3 with Fuuka's headphones was hanging from my neck and on my shoulders respectively. Although…

"So, what now? This isn't the real world." In fact I don't even know where this is.

"Hmm? I didn't say anything about returning you there. Did I now?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I am saying is that we are not going back to that world."

"WHAT!? THEN WHERE THE HELL ARE WE GOING!?"

"Please lower you volume, it is quite loud. But it is exactly as I said we are not going back to that world." Oh what the hell… "However I have my reasons. Simply put I wish to keep an eye on you. "

"Whoa whoa, hey, I know I said that I liked you but you know that I didn't mean it like that."

"Oh? But it was such a cute confession, are you sure you want to deny it so readily? I'll let you know now I am very lovely girlfriend material. But jokes aside the you here is tied to the you that still is in the seal. If the you here dies, then that one dies too, and the seal will, well, I believe you can imagine what will happen."

"Oh… " so my survival is even more imperative than ever. That also means that I still can't see my friends if Yukari is as meticulous as she comes off to be. She isn't going to let me out of her care then. I can't even let them know that I am okay now. I can't see any of them. I can't eat my Hagakure bowl. I won't be able to show it to any of them now. What was the point of this!? Was this what I wanted? No, I can still make this work. And besides she didn't say anything about not seeing my friends. It's just going to take longer than I had hoped. I was willing to wait as the seal. I can wait as I am now.

"As I said before, I too have something to lose should your seal break. And I intend to make sure that such an event never comes to pass, so long as I am around. And the best way to do that is to take you with me back to my world."

"Ok… but where exactly is your home?" The best course of action would be to follow her. She hasn't shown any ill will yet and I highly doubt she will start any time soon.

"A wonderland hidden in the east, a place where the forgotten become remembered, where the lost become found, a place that you most likely have never heard of." Hipster.

Immediately after she finished speaking, she opened another gap, instead this time, light was showing through, sunlight. She gestured me towards the gap. I guess she wants me to walk through it to our destination, her world.

Stepping out of the gap, the site was truly something to behold. A beautiful landscape of nature unfettered by machines or any of the modern things I had been so used to back on Tatsumi Port Island. It was like something out of the greatest story book fairytales. I don't think I have seen anything this majestic before now. Luscious green forest as far as the eyes can see, mountains that rose proudly into the sky, and speaking of the sky, it was a beautiful clear day without a cloud in the sky, no pollution in sight. In the draw distance you could a see a huge lake with a very regal looking western styled mansion near its shores and a few villages in other parts. A huge bamboo forest also stuck out amongst the normal trees and… a gate… in the sky… how did miss that when I was looking at the sky for the first time? But oh well, even that was quite the spectacle.

"Beautiful isn't it?" I couldn't see her but I could tell that she sounded very proud of the site I was seeing, experiencing, living.

"Yeah…" I couldn't really think of more words to say to her. I was just too enamored by the scenery to really form a complex thought. 'How great would it be to be here with my friends?' I wondered. Before I knew it she stood in front with her arm stretched out as if presenting the world before me. Her prideful smile still hung on her face and then she said the words that marked the start of my new journey, my new life. She said…

"Welcome to Gensokyo, Minato Arisato."

And what a welcome it was.

Author's Notes: I'm writing this on the seat of my pants so this is going to be a journey for all of us. Let's have fun shall we? I also make apologies in advance for potentially sporadic updates due to what I dub as 'lethal laziness'. I hope you enjoy the story and tell me of anything I did wrong. Thank you.