"Behold, Chen!" Ran said to as much fanfare as one person could allow, "I have bought you a Type 32 Nekomata PAC Hover Tank!"

Running up to the not-too-wise-a-choice-of-a-gift, Chen hopped in the hatch and took off, vaguely registering Ran smile a wave goodbye, obviously not deep in thought about the absurdity, much less the sheer danger of allowing a child to pilot a deadly war machine.

Of course, the name fit perfectly, so no matter.

Meanwhile, Chen, surprisingly adept at commanding a 2-man armored combat system by herself, blazing a trail straight through Gensokyo, happened upon a certain drunkard lying in the middle of the road.  Without hesitation, she went for the horn.  A bit taken aback by the fact that it did not go "honk honk," but rather "boom ohmygodwhatsthatthingitjustblewupmyhouse!" Chen decided it best not to try again and head on back home.  Though, she was a bit lost.

-

Elsewhere, a peaceful day in Gensokyo.  The sky was blue, the clouds were white, the grass was green as green could be, the hovertank was a brownish-gray something color, with the occasional smattering of red.

"Well, Kaguya," Mokou said with a slight blush.  "I...I accept your apology."

"Oh, this is just wonderful!" hands held together with an impossibly large smile.  "Just think, all those centuries of fighting forgotten because we had the civility to sit down and talk out our problems!"

"I told, you," Eirin said, rubbing it in.  "Things are going to be so much more peaceful now."

And, to prove that Eirin's prediction was entirely correct, absolutely nothing happened.  A hover tank piloted by the most adorable little catgirl in all of Gensokyo most definitely did not just crash through the wall, shoot up the place, and ruin the simple resolution that had solved so many problems.  Nope, absolutely nothing happened.

"Yep," Eirin repeated, "A lot more peaceful."

-

"Because I...I..." Alice's eyes darted away, looking for the last piece to her sentence.

"Well, hurry it up now," Marisa tapped her foot, "I haven't got all day."

"I love you, Marisa!" she finally yelled, far too loudly.  Of course, seeing that nobody lived even remotely near them, there wasn't much of a problem.

"That's very...Huh...Yes.  No, wait.  Yeah, yes." a hint of red crept across her cheek.  And by "a hint of," I mean she was more red than the blood dripping from Chen's hover tank, which, incidentally did not just roll by.

"Oh, dammit, I've gone and made an ass of myself," Alice noted, turning away.  "Shanghai, go get Mommy's hanging rope."

"Wait, Alice," surprisingly enough, romantic movie cliches happen in everyday life a lot more often than you'd think.  She turned just in time to catch Marisa lunging into her.  The two lay there in the soft morning grass, sharing the most passionate kiss, and absolutely nothing ruined the moment.

-

"This just came in, Madame," the maid bowed as she held the letter-bearing tray over her head.

"What's this?" Remilia ran a finger under the envelope's top flap and pulled out  very official looking paper.  "Sakuya, read this for me.  I  cannot bother my eyes with the words of such petty peoples."

Sakuya thought to say, "Are you sure it's not because you're secretly illiterate?" but decided that she didn't feel like dying a horrifying death just yet.  Reading aloud, "URGENT, Formal Statement:  Official Invitation,"

"Oh!  Sounds interesting!"

"To: Remilia Scarlet, From: Kaguya and Mokou,"

"Really?"

"Dear, Friend,"

"They really think I'm their friend?  Really?  Real-"

"Are you going to let me finish or not?"

"Yes, carry on,"

Surprisingly devoid of interruption: "Your presence is requested at a banquet celebrating the end of our hostilities.  It is sure to be a joyous event, and we would be delighted to have you participate.  We plan a great deal of song and dance, though we do not intend to fight to the death.  If that is a requirement, you may pursue other opportunities."

"Hm, maybe we should..."

"Wait, there's more." Sakuya continued, hoping that her master meant "Go to the party" instead of "pursue other opportunities."  "Plans include: feasting, alcohol, music, whatever people do when they aren't fighting, please bring sustenance, intoxicants, acquaintances, come as you are, your absence would be unforgivable, additional notes: please no not, under any circumstances, bring a Type 32 Nekomata PAC Hover Tank.”

“Ah, we really must be there!” Remilia cried, attempting to do her hair in a mirror before remembering she didn’t have a reflection.  “Get Flan, could  you?  I’m certain that she is entirely able to control herself at such an occasion.”

“Are you su-”

“Absolutely!”

-

“And that’s why I have Flan following me around.”

“Oh, okay then.”  The gate guard smiled.

“Oh, and, Meiling?  Do you want to come with us?”  Sakuya asked, glancing away.

Meiling didn’t know whether to be more happy that she was invited, or that she was called by her real name.  “Really?  You mean it?”

“Sure.  I mean, if Kaguya and  Mokou can stop fighting, why can’t we?”

Meiling thought to retort with, “It’s not fighting if I can’t do anything back,” but decided that saying nothing would keep this new friendship going much better.

The two smiled at each other, Flan did absolutely nothing destructive, and a hover tank, again, did not just float by.

-

Yukari woke up to Ran’s calls, not at all happy with being awakened so early, despite it being well into the evening.  “What is it?”

“This came in the mail, Miss Yukari.”

Flipping through it, she gave it a second of thought, then answered a, “Sure, why not?”

Getting dressed (which is surprsingly easy for a pagan goddess such as herself), she asked a, “Oh, and how’s Chen’s liking her new toy?”

Ran smiled, “She went around the block once and brought it back, not causing the least trouble.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Yukari said as she pulled her hair up.

-

“And so, with a few simple words,” Kaguya started.

“We were able to accomplish more than years of fighting ever did.”  Mokou finished for her.

The crowd cheered.  And what a crowd.  Every single inhabitant of Gensokyo was there.  Even Alice, who, of course, was clinging to Marisa, who, surprisingly enough, paid it no mind.  To everyone’s surprise, Remilia’s prediction was correct.  Flan did absolutely nothing to disrupt the party.

Absolutely nothing could go wrong.

That is, until Yukari drove a hover tank through the wall.