Author's note: So. Recently a friend got me into Code Geass. Given how awesome a series that is, it came as no surprise when the urge to write for it started to override my better judgement. Mix that with a semi-recent induction into Touhou, and you get this. Thankfully, this time at least it's going to be a bunch of one-shots instead of a massive sprawling story. Anyway, that's the long and short of it.

Disclaimer: In case it wasn't obvious, I don't own anything of the Touhou Project or Code Geass.

Just Another Incident

It was an ordinary day in Gensokyo. Anarchy brewing, new arrivals showing up with promises of war, dangerous machinery that bordered on the supernatural. Perfectly, and completely normal.

There were times when Reimu disliked being the closest thing to a figure of authority in Gensokyo. In fact, if one were to seriously listen to all the complaints she had with her lot in life, they might even go so far as to say she hated it in general.

While that wasn't strictly true, situations like these seemed determined to push her in that direction.

Beside her, Marisa whistled as the procession of 'diplomats' passed beneath the tori gates. "Man, these guys know how to travel in style! How much do you think the kappa would pay for one of those things?"

Outsiders were nothing new. Every now and then, the barriers between the land of fantasy and the other world would grow thin enough that people could slip inside. Sometimes it was an unfortunate accident. Other times, a certain particularly troublesome gap youkai decided to help matters along for reasons known only to herself. Whatever the case, having displaced people end up in Gensokyo wasn't uncommon.

Normally, Reimu didn't really pay attention to them either. Outsiders weren't under her jurisdiction, and given that most of them didn't last long enough for her to track them down, much less do anything about, it really wasn't her problem. They usually either got lucky and slipped back out the same way they came in, settled down in the human village when they found out there was no going back, or got eaten by some random youkai when they did something stupid, like try to pick a fight or follow the ominous glowing lights that seemed to stay just out of reach.

Of course, every now and then, there would be those kinds of outsiders. The kind who had enough strength to avoid being killed during their first night, and the stubborn attitude to make a problem of themselves. The kind that caused Incidents, with a capital I.

She knew all about the troublesome ones. Her first had tried to abduct her along with several others for use in some shady science experiment to prove the existence of magic or some nonsense. Another had tried to run her out of business by opening up a rival youkai extermination shrine. So yes, she'd dealt with outsiders like them before. Enough that she could pretty genuinely recognize their kind at a glance.

And these were certainly those kinds of outsiders.

Her shrine, normally desolate and empty aside from a few troublesome youkai and fairies, was packed to the brim with humans from the village who were all fighting to get a look at the newcomers. The excitement was palpable, running through the air like an electric current that did nothing to sooth the irritation she was feeling. She'd have killed to draw a crowd like this on any other occasion, but she knew they weren't here to offer donations or tokens of gratitude for all the work she did to protect them. No, they were here for the show.

The Black Knights.

The crowd erupted in cries of awe and wonder as an assortment of massive, humanoid machines carrying weapons larger than a man rolled into position on the grounds of her shrine, stopping just short of the mass of people. Their sleek, black exteriors shone in the dim light of the setting sun like monoliths of steel that stood in defiance of the magical world they occupied. The effect didn't go unnoticed, as the youkai who inhabited the outskirts of the congregation ranged from shooting nervous glances at the giants, to outright glaring daggers after the declaration that had been made earlier that same day.

As one, the monsters opened up, their rear compartments splitting and extending to reveal much smaller human figures seated inside. The murmurs of the crowd erupted into outright cheers as the lead machine's cockpit parted to reveal a figure dressed head to toe in flowing black garments. His mask glinted like an obsidian beacon as he stood, causing the uproar to grow louder and louder.

"Looks like they know how to play the crowd, eh?" Marisa remarked, elbowing her in the ribs with a cheeky grin. "Better watch out Reimu. Wouldn't want to lose out to the new guys."

"Shut it."

She knew they cut an impressive figure. It was hard not to really, when standing astride giant battle mechs. The effect was only magnified by the fact that most from the human village still found plumbing to be a strange and advanced technology. For her part, having been held hostage aboard a literal interdimensional space ship before had diminished some of the effect.

Reimu waited patiently, or as patiently as she could given the circumstances, while the black-clad soldiers dismounted their giant machines and made their way through the exultant crowd towards her. Those around them parted ways as though one of Sanae's miracles had taken hold of their senses, bowing their heads as the Black Knights passed, and reaching out for the chance to touch the fabric of their uniforms. The Knights and their leader bore the focus without complaint, appearing quite used to the treatment as they crossed the remaining distance and halted just short of the shrine maiden.

The masked man raised his hand, and the crowd behind him quieted down almost immediately. She certainly wasn't pleased to see that kind of authority being wielded, but had already resigned herself to humoring his entrance. After a rather unnecessarily dramatic pause, he fixed his unreadable gaze upon her.

"Reimu Hakurei, of the Hakurei shrine!" He declared, somehow speaking loud enough that even those in the far back could hear without shouting. "I am Zero, and these are my champions of justice! The Black Knights!"

In perfect synchronization, his followers formed up on either side of him, one hand pulling down their specially made visors to obscure the upper parts of their face as they struck a pose that was equal parts impressive and reserved, to the deafening applause from the crowd behind them.

Cute. She wondered how many hours they spent practicing that in front of a mirror.

"We have come to this land of yours, hearing the pleas of those trampled underfoot by a tyrannical system carried to us by the far winds!" Zero continued, sweeping one hand outwards to encompass the citizens of the human village. "A tyranny that takes the form of inhuman monsters preying on the helpless and the weak! A tyranny that we, as defenders of all those without the power to defend themselves, could not allow to continue! I understand that you are charged with the protection of the humans that inhabit this place…"

He held out his hand towards her, a gesture which might have looked like a peace offering to anyone who was too blind to miss how calculated it was.

"On behalf of the United States of Japan, I hereby extend this greeting in the hopes that we may work together for the betterment of all mankind!"

Once again, the crowd went wild, cheering his name like a talisman against the darkness. She also noted that of the youkai on the sidelines, very few looked like they were enjoying themselves anymore.

She spared a quick glance at Marisa, and found the black and white witch grinning from ear to ear. She was loving this whole spectacle no doubt. In all likelihood, she'd end the day with a few more outside world souvenirs.

Reimu was half tempted to beat some sense into these lunatics here and now, but with so many people nearby, and given the reaction they'd just caused, she was obligated to at least hear him out. My, how she hated dealing with people like this.

"I don't know about all that." She said carefully, choosing not to take his offered hand. "But I think it's time the two of us had a chat. Alone. If you want to try your hand at diplomacy, we can do it inside. Your friends will have to wait out here though. I don't want to clean up after all of them if they make a mess in my shrine."

She could tell that her answer wasn't well received by the hard looks his followers were giving her, but a lifetime of fighting some of the most dangerous creatures in all of Gensokyo had rendered her all but impervious to dirty looks. Zero, for his part, took the remark in stride.

"It would be my pleasure." He said, smoothly transitioning his pose into a respectful half-bow. "Please, lead the way. We have much to discuss."

Yeah, like how many heads I'm gonna have to crack tonight. Reimu thought to herself. Instead of speaking her mind, she simply nodded turning around and starting back towards the shrine where the two of them could talk without a horde of people breathing down their necks.

It was going to be a long evening.

Not long after, Reimu found herself seated across from the self-proclaimed warrior of justice at her table.

"Normally I'd offer to make some tea, but I don't think that playing the hospitable host is necessary for an invasion force." She said as they knelt down, fixing him with a meaningful glance. Annoyingly enough, that actually got him to chuckle.

"There's no need to trouble yourself, miss Hakurei." He replied just a bit too easily. "My mission here is to liberate the people of Gensokyo, not impose myself upon them."

"Right. About that." She said with a sigh, folding her arms across her chest. "Just what is it you're after exactly? I've heard the news that you showed up in the middle of the human village and apparently declared war on the youkai. That's… really not a smart move. At all."

"What I'm after?" He asked. "As I've said, miss Hakurei-"

"Reimu is fine." She cut in, quickly tiring of the formal tone.

"Reimu then. As I have said, my people and I are champions of justice, come to save humanity from the subjugation enforced upon them at the hands of these youkai. We have come to put an end to the exploitation of the weak by the strong, and shape a nation where all people may stand on equal ground. This is my dream. This is the dream of the Black Knights."

Great. Yet another person wielding ideological nonsense and playing off the fears of the locals to get their way. Just what she needed. Now all she had to do was figure out if he was a Byakuren or a Remilia.

She took another look at him.

No, scratch that, she already knew. He was definitely a Remilia. This guy… Zero, practically radiated megalomania. If he and the little vampire were to meet, it would either turn into a bloody battle for superiority, or love at first sight. Probably both.

"Well, I think there's been a misunderstanding." Reimu said, working hard to keep her voice calm and neutral as she placed her hands on the table. "Namely about the way things work around here. Gensokyo is already a place for all people, and while it's not an even playing field, it's a balanced one."

She looked directly into his mask, willing her iron gaze to break past the shroud.

"My job, in addition to keeping the citizens of the human village safe, is to preserve the balance of Gensokyo as a whole. Now, when someone does something stupid and upsets that balance, like oh say… declaring war on half the world, it falls to me to keep things from falling apart. Do we understand one another?"

He leaned forwards, propping his chin on one hand as he regarded her. Something about the gesture radiated amusement, which only served to further grate on her nerves.

"And if one were to continue on upsetting this balance?" He asked with faux innocence.

"Then I'd have to beat them and all their little pals senseless, before shipping them back to wherever they came from." She concluded evenly, pulling several ofuda from her sleeve for emphasis. They didn't have the same impact on a human that they did on a youkai, but humans were notoriously fragile by comparison.

For a long moment, he simply sat in silence, his mask hiding whatever thoughts were running through his head at the moment. Reimu was tensed, ready to forcibly evict him and his thugs if he gave her the slightest reason to.

"You know, I've heard quite a lot about you from the villagers." He said. She wanted to roll her eyes. No doubt he'd been regaled by stories of the 'youkai shrine' and it's lazy good for nothing keeper. He wouldn't be the first to bring up her shoddy reputation, but at least it would give her the reason she needed to kick him to the curb. "You've done quite a lot of good work for the people here."

"Eh?" Her violent thoughts ground to a halt, caught off guard by the unexpected praise.

"Yes, quite a lot of good indeed." He continued, nodding sagely. "And not just in doing your job either. Not to say your work isn't impressive in its own right. The stories of your exploits are almost unbelievable in scope. But even more than that, I must say that I'm impressed by the work you did even without having to."

"Just what are you getting at?" She questioned, highly suspicious of the direction this conversation was going.

"The spell card system, of course." He answered. "A non-lethal form of combat that allows both humans and youkai to compete without resorting to outright bloodshed. It's an exemplary form of dispute resolution. Positively inspired, if I may say so."

She narrowed her eyes, but didn't speak up. Danmaku was one of the things she genuinely prided herself on, and though some might have tried to demean it by claiming it was nothing more than 'play fighting' almost all inhabitants of Gensokyo had taken to the system on some level.

"It shows a splendid initiative, and allows you, as the mediator of this world, to enforce your will in a way that minimizes casualties." He said, giving her a nod of respect that only served to heighten her suspicion. "If I might ask a bit more about this system… Am I to understand that you are exceedingly skilled at it?"

"Yeah. I am." Reimu said, raising an eyebrow. It wasn't just vanity speaking. Her defeats were few and far in-between, as Gensokyo's toughest could all attest to.

"As I suspected of the one who crafted the system." Zero said. "And is it true that you can use this mode of combat to compel others to act in accordance with your will?"

That was enough to trip a couple alarms in her head. The entire question sounded like something she'd be asked just before an incident kicked off.

"More or less…" She answered slowly, drawing out her gohei for good measure. "I think it's time you leave…"

"On the contrary…"

A hidden hatch on the side of his helmet slipped open, and she found herself staring straight into a piercing violet eye.

"I think it's time we… negotiate…"