Blossom of Bodhisattva (Touhou)

[Erien]

Art courtesy of https://twitter.com/MelisaOngMiQin

Hello, and welcome to Blossom of Bodhisattva!

Erien: Some of you who know me from SB know I started as a Touhou author, and I'm ready to come back to that with a new story and a new idea. Only this time, I'll have help, Redshirt is assisting me as co-author for this story, and we are working back and forth on this.

Redshirt: Hello everyone - I've been active on SV for ages, and you've probably seen me around Questing before, but it's been a hot minute since the last time I properly ran a quest, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove. Erien is one of the best Touhou authors currently active, and it's a pleasure to be cooperating with him on this project.

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta! Thanks to @Redshirt Army for writing this with me!

This story contains mature themes, it does not contain sexual content. ​

—


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eE7neXAuzIY

—

You only faintly remembered what it was like, to be alive. A great deal of time had passed, since the last time your feet touched the earth. Your eyes opened slowly, and lungs long without breath filled with brisk winter air. It was an odd, almost alien feeling, not uncomfortable, but not pleasant, either. But it passed, as do all discomforts with time.

The scene around was unfamiliar, tall trees covered in snow, their leaves long since lost surrounded you. There was no path, no landmark, nothing to mark this place as special. And, in truth, it wasn't. Far from it in fact, just a small clearing in a small wood, far removed from civilization. And yet, this was nonetheless exactly where you needed to be.

You glance down at a scampering sound, and watch as a white rabbit, startled by your arrival, sprints across the snow. Deep tracks are left in its wake, and you watch it until it is well and truly out of sight. You smile, pondering when you had last seen such a creature. Then you take a step forward. Your tracks leave no footprints in the snow, nor do the trees block your path. Those you don't simply walk around move themselves around you, shifting with a groan as you make your way.

Your staff shifts in your hand, a slight clinking sounding out with every moment. Beyond the gentle whisper of the wind, it was the only sound here. Your destination wasn't far, a mere minute from where you arrived, and you came to a stop before… nothing, a tree was further ahead, but that was beyond your goal at the moment. You glance up, a gentle snowfall has been going since you arrived, no true storm, just little gentle fallings to mark the season. Then you reach forward, and you find your palm pressed against… a wall, there is no sign it was there, no disturbance in the snow, no change in nature. But it was a wall nevertheless. You run your hand along it, the falling snow landing on your body before simply sliding off or falling through. This wall, no, this barrier would do little to stop yo-

"Do not!" a small voice calls out.

You pause, then look to the side to see the same rabbit from before. Red eyes peer up at you, nose twitching. "None who enter there return!"

You smile, studying the creature for a moment. "I thank you for the warning young…" you smile wider. "Keiko, yes, that is what your mother has named you. But I have a task inside."

The twitching of the rabbit's nose pauses. "You… understand me?"

You nod your head. "Indeed little one, and worry not for my safety, for there are none inside that may bring me harm. Continue on your path."

Keiko stares up at you for a moment longer, then lowers her head in a bow.

Then you step forward. There is the briefest moment of attempted resistance, like a hand attempting to break the surface of a still pond. But like that water, it gives, the air rippling around you as you step through the barrier. It tugs and pulls at you, desperately, if feebly attempting to keep you out.

You ignore it, and transition from one realm to the next, leaving nothing but a hole in reality behind you.

===

Elsewhere along the border of fantasy and reality, there is a humble shrine, which receives few visitors and fewer donations. From one side of the border, the shrine seems ramshackle, in a state of total disrepair. From the other side, it looks worse - outright condemned and abandoned.

Within the shrine (from one perspective), a shrine maiden lies in repose. Those who know her would tell you that this is not unusual. She is not a very good priestess by any standard - she embodies no virtues, and cannot even name the god of the shrine she tends. Those who know Gensokyo would tell you that this is not unusual, either.

The shrine maiden continues to lie still, even though the early morning has already come and gone, and she really should have gotten up by now to sweep the snow away from the pathway. Her outfit, red and white, lies rumpled in a pile in the corner of her room. But then again, the god she does not know has never compelled her to do anything, and this morning seems no different from every other before it in that respect.

If you asked her why she was still in bed, she would lie once again, and say that she felt she had earned the break for her hard work earlier. If you pressed her, she would admit that in deep winter, she does not expect anyone to arrive, and as such sees little point in putting in the effort. This would also be a lie, because in truth, the reason is that deep within her gut, her intuition tells her that today will be a bad day, and as such she has simply decided to delay the start of said day for as long as she can.

But she can delay no further. Hakurei Reimu glowers as she finally, grudgingly sits up from her mat. The air feels different, and the moment she has been dreading has finally arrived. Something has gone badly wrong, and she is about to make this the problem of everyone around her.

===

It was not as dramatic a change as one might expect. To go from one world to the next, the trees remained the same, as did the snow, the sky, the very air you breathed. Indeed, one might expect they had never transitioned from one to another at all. But then, most hardly entered as you did regardless.

It was an interesting place, this Gensokyo, this… refuge for all the youkai in Japan. It was not by any accounts a pleasant realm, full of mischief, sin, and above all else, cruelty. It was not a realm for those who followed the path. It was decadence, a pit, a compost heap of all that had long since served its purpose, clinging to life in defiance with the will of every mortal desperate to avoid the next cycle. Things still here of course, but not properly, and not under the proper purveyance.

All things that died ended up where they belonged. Yet still, a realm that existed solely to preserve existence was simply backwards. Gensokyo was not a place that existed while you were alive, and from what you had been told, it had only truly come into being in the past century. It was a cross between a memorial, and a society of sorts. A place where the youkai could remain, without being forgotten, so that they could exist in this world. It was not their place to do so, and the idea of it… was rather distasteful. But it was not your purpose to right this error, nor would you go out of your way to think of it either. As you had only come here for one purpose, and you were going to fulfill your task without distraction.

You take one glance back towards your entry point. It wasn't a dramatic thing in truth, a 'hole' in reality in the shape of your form. Rippling colors roiled out of it, some you recognized, others alien. Distorting and dancing in the false reality of their existence. Then you turned back, and paused, as you had received a visitor in that short brief span of time.

She stood just at your feet, hands on her hips, eyes narrowed, glaring up at you. She was blue and white. Blue of hair, blue of dress, and white of trim. Rather fascinating 'wings' made of ice jutted from her back, flicking as snow hit them. She stood perhaps two feet tall, just enough that she reached your waist, and in the time it took for you to come to understand these facts. She pointed a finger up at your face.

"How'd ya break the barrier like that?"

… Perhaps a guardian of sorts, but then, perhaps not either. Sizes could be deceiving, but her level of chakra was… pitiful. More than most humans, but far less than a monk or an exorcist. "I walked through it, what is your name, little one?"

Said little one crosses her arms, adopting a childlike cocky grin. "Cirno! I'm the strongest in Gensokyo!"

You smile and nod your head slightly. "Good morning Cirno, my name is Hijiri."

The little one, now known as Cirno. Blinks, in confusion. "Hijiri… you're not Hijiri. That's Byak… Bak…" Cirno pauses, eyes scrunching. "The buddhist lady!"

Your smile dims. "Indeed I am n-"

"You're trying to trick me!" Cirno shouts, leaping back several feet as she does so. "I challenge you to a battle!"

===

Elsewhere along the border of fantasy and reality, there is an impossible mansion, with an impossible view. The corridors of the mansion do not line up the way they seem like they should, and the views from the windows, while stunning, do not in the least align with one another. Here, a view from beneath dense foliage; there, the vista of a forlorn mountaintop. And finally, here again, a view of a snowy forest, marred by an ethereal tear in reality flapping in the breeze.

Within the impossible mansion are several impossible denizens. One of the inhabitants is currently in a panic, as she stares out of this last window. One of the inhabitants is in a deep sleep. And the final inhabitant… she is about to childishly jump straight onto the sleeper as she lies in bed. This will lead her to awaken, which will put her in a bad mood.

She will shortly thereafter be informed of a disturbance that has taken place within her Gensokyo. This will put her in a worse mood.
===

"I do not believe that is entirely necessary." You say to the small… likely youkai. Certainly youkai. "For I do not wish to fight you, nor was I attempting to confuse you."

"I challenge you to danmaku!"

"... I am not aware of such a thing." You reply, raising a hand in placation.

Her hand shoots out, a finger pointed at you in accusation. "See! You're tryin' to trick me again! Everybody knows what danmaku is!""

And yet, you do not.

===

The border of fantasy and reality thrums with ancient power - it is the great masterwork of the sages who founded Gensokyo, bound to the blood of the Hakurei clan, who once metaphorically fenced in the youkai, and now literally fence them out. It is vast in scope, stunning in potency, mesmerizing in intricacy.

It is also punctured, a hole pierced straight through it by some unstoppable force, leaving sharp and shattered edges of unreality exposed to the world, unable to heal the way so many lesser disturbances have done over the past century.

The boundary between the creator and the creation can be surprisingly thin, and Yukari Yakumo can feel this puncture just as clearly as if it was her very own flesh that had been pierced. As one of the sages who created this realm, her connection to its border is deep and true. She has chosen to ignore this pain, with the ease of long practice.

Ran Yakumo does not fit the appearance of a mere servant - in the ancient days, nine-tailed foxes were worshipped as gods, after all. And yet, to one of the great youkai sages, even a kitsune of her stature can be reduced to a mere familiar. Through her bond with her master, can also sense the disruption to the realm, and she has chosen not to ignore the implications.

Her mathematical acumen is undeniable, and so when she calculates the amount of power needed to pierce the barrier, she feels justified in fearing for the worst for Gensokyo. Is this a pre-emptive strike? Have the Lunarians decided to wage direct war? She sits and frets about things that she does not have the power to change.

Her master is much calmer - but one should not take this to mean that she is placid, or indeed anything less than livid. She has simply dismissed the urge to panic, and instead fallen back on her oldest reflex. Yukari Yakumo is plotting. The eldest of the Yakumos has already narrowed down the list of possibilities regarding this incident (capital-I Incident, really) significantly.

The number of actors who could pierce her barrier is fairly long - she has never fooled herself about Gensokyo's relative strength, amongst the supernatural factions. But the number of actors who could pierce her barrier and would, but would do so leaving only a single hole, rather than tearing down the entire edifice? Given the current state of the world, given the alliances and agreements she has made, given the weakness that this might expose to their other enemies, given, given, given…

This is a much shorter list.

Chen Yakumo, the youngest of this motley bunch, does not understand what all the fuss is about, but she knows that her own master is upset, paralyzed by fear and indecision, and that she must try her hardest to step up in her stead. Her twin tails twist through in the air behind her as she scrambles around the kitchen, and her feline ears are folded down to protect her from the clattering noise of pots and pans as she works.

Yukari Yakumo thanks Chen for her (messy) attempt at putting together an omelet, and continues pondering what her best response can be, moving forward. The odds of this being an outright invasion are low, and she must be careful to avoid provocation, while still gaining information. Nonetheless, she wants this disruptive element out of her Gensokyo as soon as possible.

She slowly smiles. It is not a pleasant smile. Something has gone badly wrong, and she is about to make this the problem of Hakurei Reimu in particular.

===

You step to the side as a barrage of icicles fly past, you watch them curiously, each was a half foot long and pointed to a spearhead. They slam into the barrier, dissipating into nothing a moment later. You continue to stare at them, watching as the icicles fade away into nothing more than little specks of blue light. Then you turn your attention back to the little one, still in the same pose, still pointing her finger at you.

"You can't turn down a challenge! It's against the rules!"

You tilt your head. "I am not aware of any rules."

"STOP TRYING TO TRICK ME!" Cirno yells. It was a sonorous roar cry for someone of her size, it however had little effect besides causing some birds in nearby trees to decide fleeing was a better option than remaining present.

She then launches another barrage. You watch it approach, frown, then simply step to the side once more, they were rather… slow. Perhaps the speed of a horse at gallop. You did not come to Gensokyo to fight things, you had come to deal with your task and meet your sister. But it would seem this little one was rather set on giving you less options than you had thought previously available.

She was in no position to harm you of course. But it still begged the question as to what the proper course of action was. Surprisingly, your meditations had given you little insight as to what to do when a two foot tall ice being challenged you to an honor duel. Perhaps that was contained within a Jataka Tale you had never studied.

You duck as an ice… boulder flies over your head, sighing as you do so.

Perhaps-

—

[] [Educate Cirno]
This action wasn't proper, you should teach her that, with words.

[] [Humor Cirno]
You did not fight as a matter of course, and indeed, your tenets decreed that you would never unless defending yourself or others. But then, she had attacked you. And you certainly did not need to take this seriously either.

[] [Ignore Cirno]
She could not harm you. Abuse that fact.

 

[Erien]

Thanks for the great response so far! Chapter soon-ish, in the meantime.


View: https://i.imgur.com/hMFMInC.png

 

[Erien]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq0HjjELOAs&ab_channel=TouhouRestorationProject

[Educate Cirno]
This action wasn't proper, you should teach her that, with words.

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

Sorry for the delay, some personal stuff came up, we're both ready to get back to this however.

—

You watch the ice sail past your body, it was a beautiful thing. It was an unnatural crystal, glinting in the cool sun of the Japanese winter. It glinted impossible, the shapes that made it up only possible with the tools of a gemsmith, and even then…

Of course, it had been an attempt to assault you. Which did mar its beauty a fair amount. It continues onwards before eventually crashing into a tree, doing little more than causing snow from its branches to fall down from the violence of the impact. You stare at it for a moment, studying it, then look back towards Cirno. "There is nothing to be solved with violence." You say, smiling.

The lesson however, is duly ignored. As her 'wings' flick to her sides, resting against her for a moment before they rapidly begin to vibrate, creating a sound not unlike windchimes. Your appreciation for that beauty however, like the ice, is marred by the fact that she launches herself off the ground, one foot raised, body twisted, apparently attempting to kick you in the head. You step to the side once more. You watch her flight, observing as her eyes widen dramatically once she realizes she missed. You study the angle for a moment, then, realizing she was about to crash into a tree, you appear in front of her once more, snatching her out of the air and into your arms. The fairy blinks, processing multiple new facts at once before craning her head up to look at you.

You smile once more. "Violence, for the sake of it alone, is wrong. I have done nothing to you little one."

Her response to that is eloquent in its simplicity. She sticks her tongue out at you then smashes a ball of ice against your chest. You watch her wiggle free of your arms, flying back, a vicious grin on her face. You glance down to the jutting ice on the ground, then sigh. You could not feel it, and it seemed despite the mismatch she wished to continue her efforts regardless. Were she following the path she would be a model of perseverance at this point. But then, she seems to be by all accounts a child, and there are few things more dedicated than a child.

She raises her hands, a look of absolute victory on her face as a snowball roughly the same size as an ox forms above her head. Then she shoves her arms forward, the sphere of snow and ice screaming through the air towards you.

You raise a hand and catch it. You stare at it for a moment, feeling the slight chill in your hand, then look back towards Cirno. "I do not mean to fight you, or anyone. I am a newcomer to Gensokyo, and I am not aware of the goings on of Gensokyo. This is not the correct action to take, little one."

"The only correct action is the can of whoopass I'm about to unleash upon you!" Cirno shouts, arm outstretched to point her thumb towards the… ground, you aren't quite sure what that meant.

You sigh, then drop the snowball onto the ground where it lands with an interested mix between a plop and a thud. "Is all you know violence?"

Cirno unleashes a battlecry, and charges once more.

—

The trees shiver as the sounds of violence spread. A woodpecker turns its head, curious about the commotion. Even through the dampening of the snow spread throughout the forest like a thick blanket, thuds and incoherent yells can be heard, causing wisps of snow to drift off of branches. A hare peeks its head out between the oaks, nose twitching. Wintry gusts carry the noises of mounting frustration and anger.

But soon enough, even the animals become bored of this latest occurrence and return to their former activities. They have long since been inured to hearing the sudden sounds of danmaku.This is the forest of magic, after all - at this point, if the rabbits and birds startled and fled every time a fairy got into a tussle, they would never know rest at all.

And this particular intruder into the woods, Cirno, is known to all as the loudest and noisiest fairy of all. She is the spirit of the lake, and even deep in their hibernation, the frogs in this forest shiver at her passage, but her yelling and shouting is a recognized factor. But this time, something is different.

On every occasion that this has happened before, the little fairy has either quickly triumphed over her minor adversary, and exulted in her victory, or she has challenged those beyond her and quickly suffered the consequences. But now, her rage is only reaching ever-greater heights. She has not won, but she has not been defeated.

The shouting grows louder, the feeling of magic in the air grows denser, and the wind itself begins to carry the aspect of sharpened ice. Not just wisps but entire tufts and rafts of snow are falling, now, and the trees themselves begin to sway. The little ice fairy is being pushed to her breaking point, and yet the erstwhile "battle" simply drags on and on. It seems it may continue until the fairy decides to give up… but those who know her, know that will take quite some time indeed.

—


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4AQz-uKNaI&ab_channel=MoonTone

—

You reach up and brush the snow off your shoulder, and then your hair. She had failed to harm you in any way, though it was not for the lack of trying on her part. This 'battle' had lasted a good half hour, enough time that the vast majority of the trees were now missing her snow, the ground was covered in enough ice to make a new iceberg, and there wasn't a bird remaining for a good mile all around by your ears, having long since been scared off by the snow, the ice, and the small little balls of energy she had been launching every which way. You only felt weight and cold if you so wished, but you made an effort to brush the snow off regardless, lest your garments become soaked once it melted. Once satisfied by your efforts, you turn your head towards the fairy laying down just at your feet.

She laid, not still, but relatively motionless a good quarter foot into the snow, her eyes closed, her mouth open, and her chest rising and falling rapidly as she took in large desperate gulps of air. She was covered in small bruises and scratches, her dress torn in places on top of that, all caused by her seeming inability to keep from crashing into trees as you avoided her assaults. You crouch down onto the snow, looking over the fairy, and smile as her eyes slowly open.

They remain unfocused for several seconds, first hazy, then confused as she looks around. Before finally she stares at you, her blue eyes not dissimilar in color to the ice she was using before. "Why didn't ya fight?"

"I believe we have gone over this already." You reply. "Are you alright?"

Cirno closes her eyes and nods. "I'll kick your butt when I get my energy back."

You nod your head, then look up to the forest around you, you had no idea where civilization was from this point, nor how far it was. But you weren't going to simply leave her here either. Reaching down you pick up the small girl, then shift her around so that she is on your back, her chin on your shoulder as you settle her into place. Satisfied that she was not going to fall off, you begin to walk away from the hole in the barrier you made.

Cirno groans into your shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to leave you in the woods." You reply simply.

Cirno turns her head to look at you, then wiggles so that she is more comfortable. You smile, then walk in silence for ten minutes, the hole in the barrier, and the battlefield, becoming little more than memories soon. Until, finally, you crest a hill large enough to get your bearings.

This, then, is Gensokyo in winter. Enormous lakes and lush forests, From here, the vista seems grandiose at first blush - enormous lakes and mountains untouched by human industry and pristine rivers gushing with crystal clear waters, spectacular forests untouched by human industry and overflowing with the purest essence of nature.

But there is also a malaise to this place. It is covered with attachments, built on them, founded from the start as a way to preserve that which should have long passed on, and to protect ignorance and lies from the understanding that would undo them. Pining for a long-gone past is unbecoming, and few suffer more from that disgraceful state of affairs than those in the little village down below.

They live in a cage - a picturesque one, yes, but behind all the grandeur, looking out at the sky, you can see the limits of this place. Perhaps a dozen ri away, the other end of their barrier warps space upon itself to give the illusion of an ever-distant sky, but you are not one to be fooled by such trickery.

That said, you brush away your distaste for this place, and refocus - you can see signs of movement down below, and it wouldn't do to stumble in unaware. It takes you a moment to even recognize what is happening, so much does it clash with your experiences, but soon enough you decipher it. These, then, are Gensokyo's Kappa.

They're tracing their way alongside the forest's rivers, but that is where the resemblance to the kappa you recall from life ends. They have taken the form of adolescents, with strange rucksacks and headwear in place of their shells and dishes. For some unknown reason, all of them seem to be female, and they seem to be arguing amongst themselves about some obscure point of minutia about "flow rates".

Just another oddity in this place, you suppose.

—

"Would you happen to know Byakuren?" you ask, turning your head back to the fairy.

Cirno blinks, "the lady in that black suit thing? Yeah. She runs a temple or somethin'." Cirno replies.

"Black… suit?" you ask. Had she discarded her habit?

Cirno nods. "Last time I saw her she was wearing this black leather thingy that wrapped around her, and she was riding a bike around everywhere and beating people up!"

... Oh dear, you aren't sure what a bike was, but that was… Well, you aren't quite sure how to properly process that.

"Why'd you ask?" Cirno continues.

"She would be my sister," you reply. "And I wish to meet her."

"Oh." Cirno replies simply. She says nothing for several moments. "You have a bike too?"

You shake your head. "I'm afraid not."

"Aww…" Cirno mumbles. Then settles back down onto your shoulder. Within due time, whether from exhaustion of the fight, or the vibration caused by your movements, she has fallen asleep. The young girl drooling on your shoulder as you make your way through the forest and towards the village you saw. You walked for well over an hour, seeing little, hearing less, until, to your surprise you found-

—

[] [A Tengu who wants an interview]

[] [A Magical Girl in a poor mood]

[] [A Rainbow themed merchant looking to move stock]

 

[Erien]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Hfs5a7_9aI&ab_channel=SkuddeOuo

[A Tengu who wants an interview]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

A man, though not truly a man, a youkai in the guise of one was before you in the snow. He was stick thin, with pale hair barely darker than the snow around him, and the dull grey jacket wrapped around him only further emphasized how bony he was. The only splash of color in his features was the bright red scarf peeking out from under the jacket, the same color as the rims outlining the strange glass disks he has perched atop his nose, in front of each eye.

The tight and narrow cast of his face may have seemed suited for severe glares - except that he seemed genuinely cheerful and energized by his current task, as he knelt in the snow. He had not yet noticed your presence, as he poked a small measuring stick into one of the many piles of snow that had built up around the trees, and meticulously took note of the reading.

Based on how rapidly he flipped through his notes, he must have taken dozens, perhaps even hundreds of such readings already, but he seems fully entranced by his repetitive task. Poking out of the satchel at his side, you can see even more notebooks and loose pages, showing that this is far from an isolated event. Even as you draw closer, he still continues to ignore your presence - and while your footsteps were silent, the fairy riding atop you was not.

Only when you walk past him does he finally notice you, out of the corner of his eye. He turns to face you momentarily. "Hmm? Oh, a human!" he nods in greeting, then turns back to his work.

A moment passes, and then he suddenly startles, as if remembering something, fumbling and dropping his stick as he once again focuses on you. "Wait, wait, I'm supposed to… are you from Outside? If you are, it's, er, it's not safe for humans here, you could encounter something dangerous!"

You smile, the care was more than you had expected, admittedly. "I am yes, in multiple facets of the term 'from Outside', and I shall be fine my good young friend."

"Oh, bird people. They always try to sell me papers then get upset when I don't carry money." Cirno mutters. Quietly, but not too quietly. The form of quiet one uses when one wishes to appear to be discrete, while wanting everyone to know your exact thoughts. You had unfortunately met more than one person in your long years with the habit.

His eyes flick up to the fairy, and his eyes widen, his hand reaching up to adjust his glasses. "Oh, you have that one with you? Good, good, she can protect you, I can stick to my measurements… although, wait. I'm supposed to note down anything interesting." He leans in towards you. "Are you interesting? You've gotten the ice fairy's attention, that's interesting already. Wait, who are you again?"

Your smile dampens, somewhat. "I would less say I had her along, more that I wished to protect her from the dangers of the forest myself. As for introductions, I am Hijiri, a servant of the Buddha."

"Hijiri, Hijiri… I've heard that before, somewhere. Buddha. Another religious war? Haven't paid attention to that side…" He's pulled up his notepad now, flipping through it quickly to a new page as he mutters. He looks back up at you. "So you've intentionally come to Gensokyo - not just been spirited away? Are you looking for something in particular?"

"Indeed," you say, moving to lean against your staff. "I am seeking my sister, she runs a local temple in this land. I am not here to start a war, to play off your original idea."

"Huh. Would be a nice change of pace, I guess - a new religious leader showing up without immediately causing a whole Incident. I'd have to go look up the last time that happened, I can't even remember anything like that." He continues scribbling for a moment, then suddenly pauses. "Sister. That's where I've heard that. Byakuren Hijiri." He looks up at you, his smile widening. "Oh my, I've never been able to report on her before, the higher-ups always claim the religious stories, they're such consistent big news-"

He seems to catch himself, and after a moment to compose himself, bows slightly. "Sir, please, could I have an interview?"

"To what end?"

He seems flummoxed "... to write up and put in the newspaper?"

"And what is a newspaper?" you ask, puzzled.

He blinks, slowly. "How old… right, so, erm. So uh, a newspaper is a paper, a sheaf of paper, more than one actually, although I suppose you could use parchment, and nowadays it's digital pretty often, but you wouldn't know about that so let's stick to the paper, right? And then the paper, you put news in it -so news, paper, newspaper. And the news is articles and interviews and it's all about, uh, it's supposed to 'elucidate the uneducated reader and present them with a condensed summary of the goings-on of the world, such that they may shape their understanding of life', or that's what my aunt says. So I take news, well mostly I take measurements, like snowfall levels or mushroom growth rates or leaf-fall speeds and then I compile them into charts, I don't normally do interviews, so this would be a big step up for me, and… and… wait, are you even following that? Did I screw it up!?"

"I understood enough, young man." You say, saying a slight fib without truly lying. It was a chronicle of a sort you supposed, you had never been asked before, but you failed to see the harm in it. "I would not be against it, though I would ask you for directions to her temple if at all possible."

He slowly sighs in relief. "Alright. Alright. Great. Thank you. And yeah, I can tell you how to get to the temple, it's right by the Human Village, once you're there you can't miss it. Right. So, um, Hijiri, sir - who are you? You're a… monk?"

You were directed here with a task, what that task was you see no cause to reveal. But your status? That was never meant to be a secret. "I am a Bodhisattva."

"Oh. That's… you're - enlightened? And you serve the Buddha directly? I remember that much… How does that work?"

"It is quite simple, I have walked the eightfold path and have reached the highest state of my being. And, via personal will I have chosen to return to aid others reach the same conclusion." You reply, smiling fully once more.

His smile grows slightly stilted, and one of his hands drifts down towards his jacket. "... this isn't one of those things where you 'help others reach the right conclusion' through force, right? We've had intruders like that before…"

"Were there any who would do so, they would not be considered a true follower of the path. Strife and violence is not the way, and those who would claim to do so in the Buddha's name I would speak to personally."

"Okay, uh, good? Um, right, interview, uhhhhh… right, okay, what do you think of Gensokyo so far?"

"Quite violent." You reply, gesturing to the fairy perched atop your head.

"I challenged him to a duel… it was a draw." Cirno says, sounding chipper in the first half, dour in the second.

"A… draw? Wait, how did you even meet… you're Cirno, right?"

"Duh!" Cirno responds, eloquently.

"She took issue with my entrance into Gensokyo and challenged me to a battle, I refused, she persisted. So I simply waited for her to tire herself out." You reply.

"Really?" His focus is once again fully upon his notes. "I've heard many times that she's too hard-headed to ever give up on a notion once she's latched onto it, but I suppose even she must have her limits…" He flips back through the previous pages he's filled out. "Right, so you only just arrived, you're here to see your sister, no war desired… any other message you want to have printed and shared? If not, we can wrap this up, I think."

"None comes to mind," you answer honestly. "Has your mother fully recovered from her ailment young man?"

"..." He looks up. "She's… wait. You… know her?"

You smile. "Atago Shion, four hundred and ninety, cancer at the base of the wings I believe?"

For once, his hands are still at his sides. "Right. That was before I was born, they said that she'd waste away, but she… miraculously recovered. She still lost her flight, permanently, but she's otherwise healthy… should I be thanking you? Was that you?"

You shake your head. "I had no hand in her recovery, I simply know of her, as I do you Ryuji. And Cirno, and the rest."

"Oh. So you… right. So that's what… Enlightened. Um." He turns his face away, and seizing upon the measurement stick he abandoned in the snow, he begins to fidget with it. "I, uh, need to go back to my measurements. You can. Please, uh, leave?"

You smile one final time, "of course, please do have a good day."

With that you walked past the tengu, making your way to the village you saw before.

"You knew who I was?" Cirno asks curiously.

"Name, not personality." You reply. "And your life is a mystery to me I must admit, most curious."

"What's 'curious'?"

"I shall explain in due time."

—

The young man stated 'right by' the Human Village, and to your satisfaction you found him to be correct. You hadn't bothered entering the village itself, there was little reason for you to do so. But it seemed pleasant enough, more sizable than those you had visited back when you were alive, with a pleasant mix of simple houses to grand estates. You had however, as stated, no reason to enter it, as from the very moment you had left the forest you had spotted your destination. It sat just outside the walls that were built around the village.

It was… sizable, and changed from when you had been alive. Gone was the simple wooden structure, now it was a grand, multistory thing surrounded by gleaming white stones and banners advertising it as the 'Myouren Temple'. It was ostentatious, well maintained and advertising wealth and success. And that was just the gate, behind it was a truly expansive compound with a good dozen buildings. It would not be a surprise that the temple had changed since your death, but you would never expect it to be this… grand.

"We going?"

"I am, yes. Do you plan on coming with me?"

Cirno shrugs from her perch atop your head. "Got nothin' better to do."

"Then it shall be so." You reply, then begin your trek to the temple, you arrive there quickly and without issue. Your ears could pick up sermons and conversation coming into the temple, and with slight effort you could distinguish the conversations… But you avoid doing so. Now that you were closer, you saw yet more that you were not overly fond of. The front had been partially converted to a graveyard, stone pillars rising in front of it, giving the building more the presence of a mausoleum than a place of peace and contemplation. Tall red banners snapped in the wind, each bearing the name 'Myouren', placed next to the steps like a general's banner, a show of strength? Perhaps, but for what purpose. The steps themselves were spotless, new marble freshly swept and clean, with nary a mark nor scuff upon them.

This was no temple, not by any standard of your time.

It was a lord's palace.

You find yourself paused, observing it all for a moment, then you turn your head towards the figure that had been staring at you since the moment you arrived.

—

[] [A young youkai with a broom, joyous.]

[] [A raccoon-dog pretending to be human, terrified.]

[] [An ancient youkai, grinning.]

[] [A servant of war, somber]

[] [A nun, drunk]

[] [A mouse, angry]

 

[Erien]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9SRbgxGAbc&t=61s&ab_channel=shiningrumia

[A raccoon-dog pretending to be human, terrified.]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

===

In the upper reaches of what is known to the Gensokyo locals as "Youkai Mountain", there is a village, filled with tengu. It is a treacherous place for the unprepared and unwary, filled with politics and tension between the various castes. The divisions within their society can be easily seen by observing which tengu live and work within the uppermost spires of the ancient trees, and which are relegated to the ground below.

Within one of the tallest of those trees, there is a newsroom - and as always, it is busy. The Atago Observer is not a small, one-tengu operation - it is a well oiled machine where dozens of employees work. It is the crown jewel of the Atago clan, a storied lineage which stretches back to the great Atago Tarobo himself.

The newsroom is an eclectic mix of the old and the new. In one cubicle, an elder still uses a stone to grind inksticks, and gentle brushstrokes to create intricate calligraphic art. In another, a young tengu sticks her tongue out, poking at her digital tablet as she sifts through dozens of photographs. Young tengu have ever been willing to adopt the newest tools of man in pursuit of their goals - and that is one thing that the move to Gensokyo has not changed.

In the corner office, with a commanding view of both the rest of the newsroom and of the tengu village outside, resides Atago Nanami, the editor-in-chief of the Observer. Her laptop is open, her screen showing that she has been doing final checks on tomorrow's layout, when her young nephew knocks on her door.

Atago Ryuji is, to put things bluntly, not a very good newstengu. He has no flair for the dramatic, no understanding of what makes a story appeal, and little talent for shaping a narrative. She has tried to place him in various positions nonetheless, as a favor for her sickly sister, and has finally settled on putting him to work gathering the dry and boring raw data across Gensokyo, which so many other tengu see as beneath them.

To the boy's credit, he is decent at the job - he is just as eager to gather the readings of magical energy throughout the land three years down the line as he was as a new hire, and the Observer has likely gained at least a few subscribers from magician youkai of various stripes determining that their paper has some of the most meticulous measurements available.


But it's not the sort of position that will lead to acclaim, or advancement, or a byline. There is no hope for future career growth - Gensokyo is too small to need an entire department dedicated to data collection, which she could at least put him in charge of. It's the sort of work that's beneath a crow tengu, that a wolf should be doing instead. She has a myriad of other concerns, but from time to time, Atago Nanami worries about her nephew.

But today, things might be changing. Today, Atago Ryugi has come in, in his usual guileless way, and informed Nanami that he took an interview from a bodhisattva, and asked her if she thinks that might be worth anything. The first contact the clan has had with one of the awakened ones, since the bodhisattva Jizo spoke with their honored ancestor generations ago, and put the Atago Clan on the map.

Nanami adjusts her laptop screen, and taking a seat, casually tears apart tomorrow's newspaper. She has a new leading headline. She'll have to punch it up a bit, of course, make it engrossing and engaging, but today, she can make good on the debt she owes Shion. And tomorrow, her little nephew will be the listed author for the most read article in Gensokyo, and the envy of newstengu throughout the land.

Idly, she wonders if she might be tossing Ryugi into hot water, by focusing all that attention on him, but she dismisses the concern. He's an Atago, like her. It's well past time he learned to handle it.

—

*Myouren POV*

That was a face you had not seen now for many, many centuries, and you didn't fight the smile that found its way onto your own face at the sight of her. Long brown hair trailed down her back, decorated with a simple green hairpin shaped like a leaf just above the left side of her face. She was dressed in comfortable finery, a white dress with a black pattern across it, meant to symbolize… the wind if you were to presume. Covered by a green jacket and topped by a checkered black and white scarf. Between that, and the… yet more glass perched in front of the nose like that Tengu before, she looked rather smart and dignified. A far cry from the young imp you had met so long ago.

The disguise was quite well done as well, but, well. You were you after all. "Little Mami, I trust you have been well?"

The shocked look on her face did not abate, if anything it only became more pronounced.

"Mami?" Cirno repeats. "You know that human?"

"I do indeed, and I assure you she is no human." Still smiling, you tap your staff thrice against the ground then walk over to the frozen youkai. "Shall you answer my question?" you ask, reaching a hand forward to ruffle Mamizou's hair.

"I… er…" Mamizou's eyes flit between you, the temple, Cirno, in rapid succession. "Yes?"

Your smile dips. "Now that is a lie and you know it. Tell me, have you been walking the Eightfold Path?"

"Mayb…" Mamizou cuts herself off, she steps back, away from your hand, eyes narrowed. "Why are you here?"

You lean against the staff, the smile returning. She was always such a panicky little creature, and it seemed that hadn't changed in the passing centuries. "I was given a task, what that task is I shall not go into for the moment. I can tell I have already made a noise by my mere arrival, but such things are as such things are. They do not affect me regardless, now, I would presume this is the abode of my sister?" you ask, gesturing towards the palace to your, now, left.

Mamizou nods her head. "It… is, yes. You've…" She straightens herself up, a closed fist moving to her mouth for a moment before she lets it drop. "So you've been sent on a task, I presume you aren't here for pleasantries then, monk?"

"Pleasantries as I wish, yes, pleasure, no." You reply. "Is she in the temple at the moment?"

Mamizou stares at you for a moment. "Are you here to kill her?"

Your smile fades away. "Do you truly know me so little Mamizou? Or perhaps you have forgotten all there is to Buddhism when I wasn't around to teach you any longer."

Mamizou simply stares at you, saying nothing, showing nothing. But she was nervous, very nervous you could tell easily enough. It was quite difficult for her to hide her emotions from you when she was alive, as you were now? It took no effort.

"I am not, nor do I wish her harm. I feel a great disappointment, but it is not my place to judge and condemn, only correct. Now tell me, where is Byakuren? I much desire to speak with her... about myriad things."

Mamizou lifts a finger back towards the village. "Should be in the village square proselytizing with Ichirin."

Your smile returning, you nod. "Thank you. Please, walk with me," you tell the Tanuki, as you turn and walk-

—

[] [Towards the Village]
You much desire to see your sister. Though your presence would likely cause an incident of some form or another.

[] [Towards the Temple]
You wish to see the state of affairs for yourself, there was only so much one could know from a distance.

---

Erien: Mamizou is such a fun character and it's a shame I didn't really get to use her in A Fox in Paradise too much. Writing her this off-balance is very enjoyable.

Redshirt: I've had a blast helping put all this together, and I hope that you'll all like reading it as much as we've enjoyed plotting things out and setting up the dominoes.

 

[Erien]

View: https://youtu.be/db_P4rJLRUQ?list=PLUH4pgcIyON_PdmdWF5u6Vtmag62h9sL5


[Towards the Temple]
You wish to see the state of affairs for yourself, there was only so much one could know from a distance.

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

Your smile returning, you nod. "Thank you. Please, walk with me," you tell the Tanuki, as you turn and walk into the temple. You much desired to see how Byakuren had… changed things beyond just the exterior. It was a funny thing, one does not know what comes with achieving enlightenment, some expected you to know all, some expected you to paradoxically know little to none despite being part of everything. In truth, it was both. There were mysteries of the world, even to one such as yourself. You knew the surface level of most things, names, faces, and if you wished, pasts. But you tended to not allow yourself to get particularly involved with the affairs of the life on Earth, at least, not until recently. You knew of your sister's actions, you knew of her servants, but you did not know their stories or who they truly were.

You could always find out ahead of time of course, but that would be rude to pry. Of course, that was not true of everyone in any case. You knew Little Mami was here, and you had known her back when you had been but a child, and she had been little more than a raccoon dog. Your task was not of judgment, nor was it of correction. It wasn't even one of admonishment. In truth, your task had very little to do with the state of the temple at all. But one can be forgiven for curiosity. Then you cross the threshold, and are, sadly, almost immedia-

"GOOOOOOD MORNING!"

… Assaulted.

—

The people of the village have become inured to the sight of religious squabbling. These supposed paragons of greatness, these preachers who come to tell them how they should live their lives, with their grandiose personalities and their mystic wisdom… perhaps it is not so surprising that on so many topics, they simply cannot agree.

This time, it is pure inanity that has acted as the starting trigger. The young priestess of the Moriya Shrine, and the leader of the Buddhist temple have both been attempting to preach in front of one of the public fountains, and tempers have flared.
Something about a teacup, and broken porcelain, and recriminations of past misconduct. Few could tell who started the argument, and fewer care. What matters to the people of the village-

-a dense burst of green bolts whistle down the streets, slam into a storefront window, shatter glass and wood alike-

-a flare of purple energy, a crack in the cobblestone steps below, as the nun launches herself into the air with superhuman strength-

- is getting off of the streets, before they, too, get caught in the splash radius of this latest squabble.

—

There was a youkai, she was not a complicated youkai. You knew her at least by name as Kasodani Kyouko. You knew she was a student of Byakuren, and you knew she dreamed of one day being a priest. That was all known to you, but, it was all surface level. To that end, you were not aware that she was very, very, quite almost-excruciatingly loud. To you it did very little beyond cause a minor annoyance. Cirno, for her part, was laying in the snow behind you just past the entrance, her head buried in it, her hands shoved through it to, you imagine, cover her ears.

The perpetrator however was staring up at you, a small little brown tail wagging behind her with speed close to, but a fair bit faster still than, the large ears atop her head. You cast your gaze around the grounds. They were, at least, relatively normal, a simple stone plaza, currently half covered by snow. Various buildings were about, their purpose for the moment unknown to you. All carefully placed in ways that they did not overshadow or draw the attention away too much from the large temple in the center of it all. It, like everything else, had changed rather dramatically since you had been alive. Gone was the simple one story building, the old walls, and the poor, but proud exterior. Instead now there was a building that may be a good three or four stories, built with proud oak and tiled by beautiful, if overly ornate, green tile. Though that at the moment was all buried by the aforementioned snow.

Said snow, you know, was being handled by the young youkai that had just tried to deafen you going by the shovel held in her hand. Her green eyes looked up at you in absolute delight, and despite your… perhaps displeasure in a greeting such as that occurring in a temple. You could not, and never would, fault exuberance, if at least practiced and professed earnestly and with no ill intention. "Good morning Kyouko, have your studies been going well?"

The youkai blinks, then blinks again, her smile dropping as she stares at you in absolute confusion. "Um… yes?" she finally responds.

You smile widens, just a touch, just a hint. They weren't, but she was young. "That is good, now, I would assume the larger building is still the main temple?"

Kyouko turns to look at the temple, then back to yourself. Then she nods. "Yes, but… did we meet sir? I'm sorry if I forgot you!"

"We have not, but I know of you. Are the others around?"

Kyouko shakes her head. "Some of the humans are in there, but Shou and Nazrin are out shopping, Ichirin left with Byakuren, um, earlier. And… I don't know where Nue is?"

"I understand," you say. "Would you be perturbed if I were to ask for a cup of tea? I have much to talk about with Byakuren."

"Are you a Buddhist sir?" Kyouko asks.

… One would hope the clothes would be enough. You simply nod your head, then turn it, watching as Cirno finally extracts herself from the snow, and… Mamizou was still staring at you.

—

Byakuren's motions are sublime, her form perfect, her speed superhuman - but when the very winds and air turn against her, against an opponent floating in the sky, that means less than one might believe. Her first blow misses by less than a handspan, as Sanae is simply pushed out of the way by the ever-compliant breeze. Byakuren is far too experienced to leave a true "opening", immediately braces herself against nothing and attempts to reorient, but it still leaves a moment where she is not on the attack, which Sanae immediately exploits.

The glow of the midday sun intensifies to a scorching ray, while around the miko a static charge builds to a crescendo. A lightning strike on a clear and cloudless day would truly require a miracle, but such is the speciality of the Moriya Shrine.

With rapid bursts of movement, Byakuren dodges one shock, then another - and then the third bears down on her, and with a fourth and fifth closing in, she has been pinned into position.Or so it might seem. Compared to past conflicts Byakuren has had to endure, this is, quite literally, child's play.

She allows gravity to take hold of her once more, kicks herself downward to gain even more speed, and outraces the lightning to the earth. The bolts miss her entirely, grounding themselves one after the other on the metal roof of a merchant's abandoned cart. She flips just before she lands, settling down into a crouch, eyes narrowed as she considers her opponent.

A decision is made.

Byakuren Hijiri bursts upwards, her shining scroll glowing with all the colors of the rainbow as it unfurls, trailing behind her like a banner. Her arms crossed in front of her, she dashes straight through the lime-green torrent of danmaku unleashed towards her. Sanae Kochiya is no pushover, has been instructed in how to dodge and roll with a physical blow by no less than a goddess of war - but even doing her best to minimize the damage, this strike, she still feels, is a solid hit sending her tumbling even further up into the sky.

The monk lands atop a storage shed, and exploits the opening. Her magic builds up around her to the greatest extent yet throughout this encounter. She does not so much jump as explode forwards, a loud crack ringing out from the air she brushes aside. She is moving so quickly that to an ordinary human, she would seem to have simply reappeared in her new location, the motion itself impossible to track - and then, with a great two-handed strike, she slams the Shinto priestess down into the ground, right into the very fountain that had begun this dispute.

With a light step that barely disturbs the ground, Byakuren touches back down onto the village streets, her lips narrowing as she sees all the damage that her encounter has caused. With a sigh, she turns away… then pauses. She can still hear breathing. She whirls back around, but she is too late - from the sodden and muddy pit that was once a fountain, using the last of her strength, Sanae has already activated her spellcard.

"Sea Opening - The Day The Sea Split!"

And a cascade of muddy water crashes down over Byakuren, leaving her rather thoroughly drenched.

… she can't wait to get back to the temple and put this day behind her.
—

You would like to say the interior was better. You would have liked to say that is wasn't gilded, with beautifully intricate gold inlays pressed into the wood displaying in written form various sutras. You would have liked to say the chairs that surrounded the dining table you were situated at wasn't made of the finest mahogany, you would have liked to say there wasn't evidence that meat had been served here recently. There were many things you would have liked to say, but you did not lie.

But you didn't say any of that out loud, either. Kyouko had no further questions, at your request she had gained a broad smile and had sprinted into the building at full speed, leaving you to chase after her. She had come back only briefly enough to guide you to a seat, and ever since, you had sat, idly taking in the interior and waiting there calmly, Cirno to your left, looking rather bored you would say. And Mamizou to your right, looking amusingly terrified.

"Myouren I-" Mamizou starts.

You raise a hand. "It can wait until later."

"Yes, but, it's about Byakuren." Mamizou persists. "Much of this temple, it's necessary to compete with the Taoists and the Shinto."

"Compete?" you mull on the word. "An interesting statement. To compete with Buddhism, I wasn't aware there was a competition. Does it matter if one is Taoist, or Shinto? All walk the Eightfold path."

"That is… true," Mamizou says, noticeably non-committedly. "But those who live in Gensokyo take their views on religion rather seriously and Byakuren has no cho-"

"Who caaaaares." Cirno interrupts. "Shinsho whatsits or whatever. Everyone just gets together once a year to start fighting, that's the only fun part."

Then the door at the far end of the room slides open, and Kyouko comes skipping in holding a tray with three cups, steaming mist rising out of each. With the grace of long practice she places one each before yourself, Cirno and Mamizou, then with all the proper decorum of one in training, she stood by the side of the table.

You smile. Then lift your cup. "This one is yours, Kyouko."

The youkai looks remarkably perplexed. "... No? Sir, that is the tea you asked for."

"Indeed, but I did not state it was for myself. You were out there shoveling snow in the cold on your lonesome without any of the other residents of the temple assisting you. You had been out there since before dawn. You shall now rest and partake in tea, then we shall await the arrival of Byakuren."

Kyouko goes from confused to nervous. "Sir, that would be very inco-"

"My apologies," you say, cutting her off. "That was not a request. Be at peace child, and rest for the time being. Buddha does not punish."

Kyouko's eyes flit from you to the tea, her tail starts to ever so slowly wag. Then, ever so slowly she moves to the chair opposite you and takes the cup. She pulls it towards herself, allowing the steam to warm up her still frozen face before she glances up at you. "Um, sir, if I may ask. Who… are you?"

You smile. Then gesture behind yourself towards the opening door. "I am her brother, of course."

—

You were tired, you were soaking wet. You were in, perhaps, what might be construed as a bad mood. You had paused briefly once you reached the temple, Kyouko was missing, that was not unusual, what was usual was a trail of footsteps in the snow leading into the temple, one of them you recognize as being hers. You glance at them, then follow them with your eyes towards the main hall. Your memory was far, far better than it was when you were a human, and that applied to such simple things as recognizing tracks as well. These were… Kyouko and Mamizou, and two you didn't recognize.

New worshippers, perhaps. You would simply have to smile through it. Making your way across the grounds, you walked through the main hall of the temple and towards the dining room. Sliding open the doo-

"I am her brother, of course."

You blink, staring down at… "Oh fuck."

"Language."

—

Erien - Kyouko is cute and I've never had a chance to write her before. I am fixing this as soon as possible.

Redshirt - Byakuren Hijiri's No Good Very Bad Day has only just begun. I hope you're all ready for the ride.

—

[] [Byakuren, explain this temple.]

[] [Byakuren, why was Kyouko working alone?]

[] [Byakuren, I missed you.]

 

[Erien]

View: https://youtu.be/xajmQ4B_jwA

[Byakuren, I missed you.]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

Byakuren stares down at you, her mouth hanging open. You smile up at her, saying nothing. Her language had come as a surprise, but then, Byakuren had never been much one for crass language to begin with. At least, not within your earshot. She had been a firebrand when she was younger. Her expression changes, slowly, but it changes, morphing from confusion and surprise, to plain anger.

"Nue. This is too far." Byakuren says, her voice barely, barely above a growl.

Your smile doesn't change, but your tone does, to something far gentler. "I fear that isn't the case sister."

The table has grown very, very still. Mamizou in particular looked rather more like a statue than the Tanuki you knew her to be. The only movement from the woman behind her eyes rapidly flicking between yourself and your sister. Taking in a breath, more for a show of effort than any form of necessity. You sat up, then turned to face your sister fully. She was your height now, if not slightly taller, though, of course, the last time you had seen her she had a droop to her back caused by age. She had changed in other ways as well, gone were the robes she wore, instead she was wearing some form of black dress with a white tunic or dress underneath that. Her hair was longer, now down to her waist, and oddly colored, starting purple at the top, and ending in the blonde that she had been born with. She was also filthy and dripping water, but that wasn't a conscious decision on her part more than likely.

As you finish rising, Byakuren steps back. Her gaze turns to Mamizou quickly, an accusation in her eyes.

You finish, before she can begin. "When you were eight years old you attempted to ring the temple bell by yourself despite my advice and instruction. The rope snapped under your ministrations, trapping you beneath it for several hours until I had to enlist the aid of several villagers to move it. Ever since, you were terrified of it and would ward the area around it with salt as you believed it to be evil." Smiling once more, you lean against your staff. "Would that be enough? Or do you require more memories?"

She takes another step back, then another. Her hand moves to the center of her chest, clutching the fabric as her eyes go wide. "You… you can't be in Gensokyo. You are… you are dead."

"I died, yes. If you are wondering if I am but a figment of this realm, I am not, I assure you. I recall my death, and our lives. And for some time I have missed you and awaited your arrival. Much time was spent seeing if you would join me in that place." Your smile dims somewhat. "But it seems you did not wish to walk the path as I did."

Byakuren takes another step back, the sliding door behind her blocked her passage for but a fraction of a moment before it snapped in half. The nun continuing to backpedal without seemingly any notice. Her hand was still clutching at her chest, and her face was starting to perspire. Then, without another word, she turns on the spot and begins to run. It is not a graceful thing, it's half stumbling, half falling. Her arm flails at her side as she kicks the snow, her breath coming out in shrill pants.

You watch her for a moment, then sigh. "I shall return shortly."

Then you cease to be.

—

You are Ichirin Kumoi, Byakuren Hijiri's assistant in many matters, and you are tired. Your leader's conflict with the Moriya shrine was well justified, you were certain, but by the same token, you could hardly inspire others to walk the eightfold path if you could not show compassion yourselves.

And so, you have spent the last half hour meeting with the village leadership in one of the nicer bars, as you have so many times before. Over drinks, promises that the Myouren Temple will fully fund a reconstruction of the damaged sections of the village are made - the Moriya have not yet gone forth and made their own offer, you can see, and so this is an opportunity to gain further goodwill, after an incident which may have cost some of that precious currency.

Seeing an opportunity, you're about to ask if the damaged fountain could be replaced with a different design - perhaps a religious one? - when your friend subtly makes himself known.
You've known Unzan for a very, very long time - long enough for the two of you to become synonymous in legend, long enough for the association of a strange girl and an oddly peaceful nyuudou to transform you into something other than human. To anyone observing you, a small bit of fog has simply sprung up around you, but to someone as familiar with Unzan as you, this is a blaring alarm.

The enormous youkai is painfully shy at times, and combined with his desire to help you, he would never manifest in a meeting unless there was a true emergency. As quickly as you can, you excuse yourself - and you barely keep yourself from running back to the temple. Something must have gone very wrong.

—

You stare down at her, your smile was gone, as was any joy you felt from your reunification. Your sister was panicked, and you were curious as to why. You knew of myriad reasons, but which specifically would cause such a reaction you were unable to parse. The guilt? The sadness? Perhaps she had forgotten you had existed for her own sake. You could not exactly fault her for any of those, though you could be perhaps disappointed. She was knee deep in the snow now, panting, overwhelmed. Her head jerks up to look at you, eyes frantic. "I… I saw you die."

"Yes." You reply simply. "And I see the temple has changed greatly since I last lived."

"How…" Byakuren starts. "You didn't become immortal, so that means-"

"Yes, that is the case." You answer the unfinished question.

Her eyes widen somehow further, fear now present on her visage. "Are you here for me?"

"No." You reply gently. "I am here for another purpose, but I wished to see you regardless."

You then look past her towards the broken door of the temple, where Mamizou was rushing out. A look of great alarm was on her face, but she comes to a sudden stop at your stare. You smile. "Would you like to explain your actions?" you ask, turning your attention back to your sister. "I have missed you, truly. I am without desires, but I am not without feeling sister. Did my passing affect you so? You would know, or, should have known it was but a temporary thing."

She was shaking now, and you watched impassively as she reached a hand forward to grab onto your robes. Tears flowed down her face as she appeared… frightened. You didn't much like that expression on her face. Lowering yourself down into the snow, you smiled at your sister, then, slowly, and gently you placed your hand atop her head. "I am not here to smite you sister, I would merely wish for you to explain why you have moved away from my teachi-"

Your words were interrupted as her body went slack, her eyes rolled back, and her hands spasmed before she fell to the side and into the snow. She landed with a wet plop, and you sat there for a moment, staring at her.

"Were you truly that overwhelmed sister?"

—

You and Unzan both stare out at the scene from where you've burst into the temple. The damage, the shock - your first thoughts were that there were intruders of some kind, as ludicrous as the idea might be. But no, that isn't what has happened.

Today, you've seen Byakuren, your guide and mentor, more scared than in all the years you've known her. And all at the hands of a man that you recognize, whom you've been told so much about - about the man that the very temple is named after, in fact.

Myouren's return should have been a joyous occasion, you feel. But it seems that it will be anything but.

—

None got in your way as you bent down to pick up your sister, and, indeed, you paid them little attention as you hoisted her into your arms. Walking back inside the temple you ignored Mamizou's look of concern, Kyouko's look of confusion, and Cirno's look of… what appeared to be at first glance to be great awe. Making your way past all of them, you open the door to her roo-

You open the door to a storage room. You stare down at it a moment, then, with no better option you set her gently down onto the floor. You stare at her for a moment, wondering what had caused her to react in such a manner. There were several options, but Mamizou's question came to mind. Was she truly afraid you were there to kill her?

A foolish notion, but then, her life had been one of foolish notions. You stare at her for a moment longer, then you turn around at the sound of commotion, finding yourself face to face with-

—

[] [A Shrine Maiden in Red]

[] [A Shrine Maiden in Green]

[] [A Nun]

[] [A Tiger]

[] [A Mouse]

—

Erien - On the one hand, passing out is kinda stereotypical. On the other hand, she's seeing ghosts.

Redshirt - A smaller contribution from me this time, but I hope you enjoy the look into some of Byakuren's followers anyhow!

 

[Erien]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM6cQ4PXAok
[A Shrine Maiden in Red]

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta!

—

You twirl your latest replacement gohei in your hands, getting used to its new proportions, as you hover over the village and consider your next move. Just once, you'd like to deal with a brewing Incident before it boils over into a Gensokyo-wide mess - and given that Ran herself showed up and was ominously vague in your direction, this is looking to be one of the bigger ones. You've learned that whenever the Yakumo's are involved, everything is about to become an enormous headache for you.

Unfortunately, it seems that nipping this in the bud will be harder than you've daydreamed about - the wicked hermit wasn't the one you were looking for either. You'd really thought that this kind of pointless damage was right up her alley, but no, Seiga didn't have anything to do with the damage to the Barrier.

Still, you did have a lead - when you described what the tear looked like, she seemed to recognize something, and you'd beaten some answers out of her. One thing that might allow someone to pass through a border of fantasy that way… was Buddhist spirituality. No doubt she was simply trying to send you to hurt a rival of the Taoists, but something about that explanation instinctually struck you as correct. And you've learned to trust your instincts.

Mind set, you head directly for the Buddhist temple, the breeze flowing through your hair as you whip towards your destination. As you approach, you narrow your eyes - there seems to be some sort of commotion going on - some damage in the inner courtyard, quiet whispers and a lack of activity on the outside… more evidence that something really is going on.

Nobody greets you as you land in front of the place, and nobody shows up to stop you when you kick the door open. No resistance, no opposition… this is getting sketchier by the moment. And then you see it - Byakuren, unconscious, and an unknown element carrying her in. The other temple residents are looking at him warily, unfamiliarly. And for some reason known only to the gods, Cirno is there too.

… you did think that doing this sort of thing was uncharacteristic for Byakuren. She's a headache in other ways, but you figured she was sensible enough not to make your job harder so blatantly. Someone else coming in makes more sense. A rogue element - taking out the Buddhists leadership and rallying them to make a mess?

Something about that train of thought feels off, but that's fine - you'll deal with him first, figure out the specifics later. It's what you've always done.

===

You found yourself facing a rather short, but impressively aggrieved looking young woman. She was brown of hair, done up in a rather complicated looking ribbon, and that was far from the only complicated part about her. She was, at least from first glance, a shrine maiden. Or, quite possibly, someone doing a poor job of impersonating one. Her red shirt was short, just barely reaching her equally vibrantly red skirt. Beyond that she held a gohei in her hands, the traditional short staff used by priests and priestesses. From the ribbon, the various frills, to the diminutive nature of her form she might very well have come across as a rather adorable approximation of a shinto or buddhist priestess.

But the annoyance in her eyes give her the look instead of a forty year old school marm. Her name you knew to be Reimu Hakurei, and she was, it seems, bothered by your presence. So was the rest of the staff of the temple turned castle you note, if the worried look on Mamizou's face was anything to go by. You knew Hakurei, just as you knew everyone on a surface level. She embodied many vices, but you were not here to judge, merely to guide.

"Are you the one who damaged the barrier?" Reimu asks, glaring at you.

Ah, yes. That would be why she was here then? A simple enough matter. "Indeed I was, I am afraid it was blocking my entrance into Gensokyo." You reply with a small smile.

Mamizou goes from 'worried' you note, to backing away expeditiously. Kyouko looks over to the tanuki, then does much the same. Cirno, for her part. Stands firm.

"Why?" Reimu asks.

"In what manner is the question asked?" you reply. "If you mean, why was it blocking me, then it is simply a good barrier. If you meant why I broke it, it was because I had little other option. If you are asking why I desired to enter, that is a personal matter."

Her glare turns into a glower. "And you make more work for me in the process."

"I suppose yes, my apologies. Though as a shrine maiden, I would not believe you would be in charge of the barrier."

"I don't fix it, but I guard it."

"Then my apologies for making you fail your mission, is there anything I can do to achieve recompense?"

She shifts her grip on the gohei. "Come with me."

Ah. "I'm afraid I cannot. I have tasks to perform here. If you do wish to speak to me however, I should be free later on today?"

She stares at you, wordlessly, for several long moments. Then she does what you expected, but wish she hadn't.

—


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zphrWpK3fuc

—

The ofuda thrown towards you as she leapt back was unwelcome, but not unexpected. The tools of her trade, they were paper talismans that sought out evil on their own and punished it with great exuberance. They had a record of efficiency, and in some cases lethality. And as you simply stood there and watched them, they crashed into the walls around you, none bothering to even get within inches of you as they deliberately avoided your body. You watch instead as the vast majority dive towards a large gilded scroll on the wall praising the Myouren temple, and… utterly annihilate it.

"A fine strike." You muse.

"How?" Reimu hisses.

"They are merely doing what they were designed for." You reply, turning your head back to the shrine maiden. It was only then you noticed she changed her tactic, the ofuda were gone, now she was swinging the gohei like a battlestaff. You stared at it, observing the incoming strike as it smashed through no less than three vases and a statuette of the Buddha before it came screaming towards your head. The strike spoke to years of training, a body being honed to a fine point, and plenty of experience.

You ducked.

Her wrists shift, arresting the movement before the gohei could collide with the wall and it swung back around again, curving through the air to arc towards the floor.

You step to the side as it slams into the wooden flooring and cracks it. The flooring, not the gohei of course. The shrine maiden then surges forward, the gohei held behind her as her opposite elbow raised.

'Dream Sign - Youkai Buster!'

The arm then snaps forward, revealing a stack of ofuda that burst out of her hand, they tear forwards glowing purple to the point they appear aflame.

You step to the side. Watching with interest as the charged ofuda crash into the walls, ceiling, flooring, and just about everything else they could find. Causing wood to crash and splinter all over as several new holes open up along the corridor. Several rooms burst open, revealing other sleeping quarters, their nuances however escape your notice however as the gohei comes swinging around once more.

You watch it fly towards you. Then catch it, causing the shrine maiden to let out a yelp as her momentum is arrested. "Please cease this. Violence for violences sake wi-"

She shoves her hand forward, causing the gohei to shift through your grip and poke you in the forehead. You stare at it, going slightly crosseyed. Then let out a sigh. That was two now.

'Divine Sign - Ascension Kick!'

You let go of the gohei, and watch as the shrine maiden arcs her body, her foot, glowing orange narrowly missing your head before she embeds herself in the ceiling. She hangs there for a moment, and you debate pulling her down, before she wrenches herself free, she twists in midair, the same leg kicking out again, at such a speed that the air shrieks around her.

You step to the side, pick up Cirno, move her out of the way, and watch as Reimu goes tearing down the corridor, collapsing several walls as she does some form of powered, spinning… kick.

The ice fairy thrashes in your arms, and you glance down at her as the sound of deconstruction continues behind you. "Throw a punch already!"

"Not required, Cirno, could you kindly retrieve Byakuren and remove her from the temple?"

"Why would I do that!? This is great!"

"Because then I would owe you a favor."

"Yeah, and?"

'Divine Arts - Omnidirectional Demon Binding Circle!'

You twist out of the way, once, twice, thrice, as a wave of ofuda erupts from the shrine maiden, crashing through walls, furniture, everything. The tea cups explode, the bowls break, the wooden paneling of the floor tears itself from the ground like a mighty oni had swept its club, and, of course, the rice paper walls faired little better. You then stop, not turning to look at the panting shrine maiden behind you. "Because such things are valuable, and to aid another is a good thing."

Cirno looks up at you in apparent awe, then nods and scampers off towards the room you had stored Byakuren in. She doesn't use the door. Mainly because the door to that room no longer existed. Nodding to yourself, you then turn around to see Reimu staring at you from across the temple, she was panting, covered in debris, and looked more than slightly annoyed.

"There is little purpose to this action." You straighten yourself, smiling at the shrine maiden. "All tremble at the rod, all fear death. Treating others like oneself, you should neither kill nor incite the same in others."

Reimu raises her gohei in front of her, then begins to chant as small, black and white orbs emerge from inside her clothing. The ground begins to rumble, dust falls from the ceiling, and you could hear, if not see Cirno running.

==
Mamizou is smoking her pipe, a look of sorrow on her face. Ichirin is cradling Byakuren in her arms, her full concentration upon her master, as the ice fairy hovers overhead. Kyoukou's ears are folded back, and she's emitting a pitiful whine. Nue is somewhere unknown, as usual. And you don't see any of it, don't pay attention to anyone else as your gaze remains unnervingly locked upon the temple, as if you could peel back the masonry and see what was happening through the intensity of your stare alone.

It's not so far from the truth.

Every moment of every day, you can feel the temple. The temple is the Ship, and the Ship is your tether to existence. Your anchor to reality. And that anchor is rusting. Literally and figuratively - the anchor you stand upon, embedded in the ground to act as your perch, has started to show flecks of red. And figuratively…

You stare out with the experience of a seasoned sailor who can feel an ill omen as it approaches. There's about to be a squall. The Ship is about to sink.

You close your eyes, just as a resounding thud reverberates. When you open them, the temple is in the process of falling apart, debris flying through the air as a kaleidoscope of colors continues to tear through the wreckage. A direct hit to the citadel, a capsizing ship.

This isn't the first time the Ship has been damaged. It probably won't be the last. You grit your teeth and bear the pain, but… it hurts.

==
The black and white orbs begin to orbit around Reimu, faster and faster, a rainbow trail being painted in the air in their wake. Her stance relaxes, the tension of the fight leaving her, and her eyes close. Her expression shifts as the stresses of the world drain away. With a small smile growing on her face, she finally looks her age, instead of being prematurely aged by the weight upon her shoulders.

The energies she is channeling reach a crescendo.

'Last Word - Fantasy Heaven.'

She doesn't yell the name. She doesn't need to. She is floating, carefree, above all the troubles of the world. Very few things in existence could so much as touch her, right now.
You raise your eyebrow, slightly. To think that someone with so many vices tying them to the world could separate themselves so fully from it, so easily? Your lips part, and you speak, softly, barely audible above the rushing wind. "Remarkable."

Reimu may be floating above the world, unable to be affected… but she can still very much affect the world herself. The intricate marble flooring is ripped up like it was nothing but rice paper. The walls, engraved and aged mahogany, turn to nothing but splinters in a moment. Statues, scrolls, furniture, they all are torn to shreds.

And the destruction passes you by. You, too, are not fully of this world. You do not bother to dodge - her needles, her orbs, her ofuda - all of it simply passes through you like a mirage, unable to harm someone who has reached freedom from samsara.

Her eyes are open - but for once, throughout this entire fight, she is not annoyed, or enraged. She has managed to leave that behind, at least for now. She simply acknowledges that you, too, are in the same state as her, absorbs the knowledge without emotional attachment to it.

Slowly, slowly, she drifts downwards, until her feet are just barely touching the ground - even as the destruction continues to rage around you, the two of you are the calm in the center of the storm, standing and looking at each other.

She reaches her limit. The magic ends, and she returns to reality, the emotions slamming back into her. She sags, slightly, her breathing speeding up - and then she stares up at you, wide-eyed.

You smile, and look around at the ruin she has brought to this temple of opulence and ostentatious wealth. With the walls destroyed, you can see the gathered inhabitants outside - none of them seem to have been harmed. "Thank you, Hakurei Reimu. A site like this… is far more suitable for my teachings."

She blinks, slowly, considering this. A complicated expression plays along her face, before she settles on a thunderous frown. "Don't make more trouble. I'll be back later." She stomps her way out through the wreckage, muttering something to herself, and out of politeness, you don't listen in.

In the front courtyard, she pauses for a moment, her eyes drifting across your sister's followers, lingering a moment on her unconscious form. Cirno leans back, fluttering away from the shrine maiden's inspection. Reimu turns one last time to look at you, a pair of fingers pointing at her eyes before being leveled at you. She'll be watching.

With that message conveyed, she leaves.

You are left standing in the exploded remains of the temple that bears your name. Everyone seems to be looking to you for direction on what to do next.
—

The temple was just a thing, and one you didn't much like at that. There were other places, other ways. You shall begin your tutoring again, of your own volition, even if it wasn't your mission.

[] [We shall temporarily move our endeavors to the Hakurei Shrine]
It was only fair, after all.

[] [We shall move into the Human Village]
There was space, though another religious order saw it as a threat. Regardless, your order was one of little requirements.

[] [We shall setup camp in the wood]
Youkai living with youkai. Homeless was simply a state of mind.

[] [We shall request lodging at that nearby red manor]
You had seen it coming in, though of its resident… you knew nothing, actually. You were certain you could at least beg temporary aid.

—

Authors Notes

Erien:
I never got to write Reimu Hacksacky in AFiP, I look forward to changing that. Also haven't written a Touhou fight scene in a… fair bit.

Redshirt:
>explodes buddhist temple
>refuses to elaborate
>leaves

 

[Erien]

View: https://youtu.be/waaS16BLank

[We shall temporarily move our endeavors to the Hakurei Shrine]

Unbeta'd

—

*Erien Section*

You smile, looking over the assembled group. A tanuki, an ice fairy, a ghost, a yamabiko, a nyuudou, and twin servants of Bishamonten. Twins of purpose, not in appearance, as the tiger is as far removed from the mouse as any two animals truly could be. It was an eclectic group, and you knew there to be more, humans, non-youkai, though none were present. You had made sure of that before you were willing to allow Reimu to lower her stress at your expense.

Though… you do suppose it would be more accurate to say it was at the temple's expense. You turn your head, watching as part of the temple roof falls down onto the ground with a crash. A pity, in some ways, and a pain in others, quite literally as the case may be with a particular ghost.

"Collect your belongings, we shall be moving to the Hakurei Shrine temporarily for lodging. It is, after all, only fair that she extends us such courtesy." You cast an eye to the grounds once more. "This shall have to be rebuilt, and it will." You turn your head to focus then on Murasa… the ghost that Byakuren had brought along. You knew who, and what, she was. But you would not judge her for that, especially since her… urges, had been more maintained as of late.

The fact however that she was connected to the ship on a physical level, however. Was something you were apologetic about, as the damage to the shrine had harmed her as well. But she was a youkai, she would recover, with time. The Nyuudou, blue of hair and wearing… you suppose some approximation of a nun's clothing spoke up first. Ichirin Kumoi, a former human who transcended that 'mere' status by consorting with youkai. Ever since, she at least amongst those belonging to the shrine was the closest to actually practicing buddhism… even if she was far from diligent about it.

The scent of alcohol on her breath as she closed the distance with you was proof enough of that.

"What the hell do you think you are doing!?" Ichirin screams into your face.

You stare down at the nun, and you speak quietly. "Why moving you all of course. This place is no longer tenable except for those truly desperate."

"I… believe," Mamizou begins. "She is asking why you believed this to be wise sir."

You smile, ever so slightly, but a smile regardless. "I do not play at wisdom, and I would ask none seek me for it. I instead merely do as the path dictates and my mission requires."

"Mission?" Shou growls. The war-servant glaring at you. Bold, perhaps, but foolish. "What kind of mission? From who?"

You tilt your head. "I am afraid I cannot go into details, and, I assure you what has occurred here has nothing to do with it. This, I'm afraid, was merely a consequence of my desire to see my sister." Your smile then drops as you stare the tiger down. "As for from who, you should know that only one being can direct me as such."

Shou's eyes, along with Nazrin's widen. And Ichirin takes several hurried steps back.

You smile once more. "Indeed, now, please pack, we must move before people grow overly curious."

The lot of them run off, all, of course, except one. A certain eager looking, starry-eyed fairy, who was currently looking at you like some form of deity. "There's someone stronger than you?"

You lower yourself down onto your knees, meeting the gaze of the fairy at an equal level. "Of course, did you not believe it to be so?"

Cirno's grin could relight the sun, if so prompted. "Can I fight them!?"

"... No."

—

*Redshirt Section*

The climb up the mountain would normally be trivial for all of you. Even with the biting cold and wind, even with the knee-height snow and ice buildup on an unmaintained trail, none of you will suffer the same aches and pains as ordinary humans attempting to scale such a height.

But this is not a normal circumstance. Those traveling with you are weighed down - both literally, as the belongings they could reclaim from the ruined temple prevent them from flight with their weight and bulk, and figuratively, as the weight of their regrets and uncertainties presses down upon them.

This too is a lesson, you think, as you make your own way up unburdened by either.

Your sister is among the most afflicted. With her strength, carrying things is simple, and she has taken the burden of lifting some of the heaviest items upon herself, for the sake of her followers - but she is the most weighed down of anyone here. She hasn't so much as looked you in the eye since you left, hasn't muttered a word in protest, has meekly gone along with all of your suggestions.

You will give her time, for now - though the glares thrown your way, when Minamitsu believes you aren't looking her way, shows that you may not have unlimited lassitude in this regard before things break down.

At last, you reach your destination. The area up ahead… is still not properly cleared of snow, but at least you can make out where the path is meant to be, past the torii gate. The caretaker of the shrine has been negligent in her duties, it seems - but then, you already knew that, her sloth written upon her soul when you saw her last.

You do not sense the shrine maiden in question, however - and few things can escape your eye, Hakurei Reimu not among them. She isn't here. Who is, here, however, is -

"Hello!" An excitable lion-dog in green has run through the snow, to meet your procession. Aunn Komano, you know, the spirit of the guardian komainu statues that flank the Hakurei shrine's torii gate. Her tail is wagging behind her with frantic energy, as she rushes to welcome guests. "Miss Hijiri! And all your friends! What brings you all to the Hakurei Shrine?" She turns to face you, directly. "And who's this?"

Byakuren steps forward, about to say something… and then it dies in her throat, as she simply glances towards you instead, before her gaze drops back down to the ground. An awkward silence reverberates for a moment, before you kneel down in the snow, bringing yourself down closer to the little guardian's height. "Hello. As Reimu has leveled her shrine, my sister's followers will be temporarily boarding here, until a suitable replacement can be built or found."

Aunn… stills. Her ears droop, and her tail stops wagging. "That… I can't let you…" She glances up, and considers how many people are present here, many of which are much more powerful than she is, and starts to emit a squeaky, pitiful whine at the thought of having to fight them all.

You make your move. Your hand darts forward, and you begin to scratch Aunn beneath her chin. "N-n-nooooooo-!" There are tears starting to build up in her eyes, so with your other hand, you also begin to scratch behind her ears. "M-miss Hakurei won't-"

"Shhhhh. It's alright. It'll be fine. I'll speak with the Hakurei shrine maiden when she returns." Aunn collapses forwards into your arms, as your sister's followers observe you with varying degrees of incredulity. But perhaps it's not surprising - as a komainu, Aunn can naturally sense ill-intent, and you have none. It's only natural that she feels at ease near you.

Looking over Aunn, you can see Cirno flutter forward, no doubt about to say something unwise, but your sister intercepts her. With a gentle hand on the ice fairy's shoulder, she guides her forward, deeper into the shrine grounds. It's… an echo of days long past. When you were mortal, more than once, Byakuren would go forward and act while you served as a distraction. "Come along now." And as your sister sets forth, the others follow.

By this point, Aunn is looking more than a little cross-eyed from your ministrations, but seems to have accepted her fate. Even her tail has begun to wag again. With one final scratch, you stand up, and go to follow your sister and her followers. Making your way around the back of the shrine, you notice a minor commotion, the ostensible "Buddhists" bunched up away from:

—

[] [An oni, an old companion]

[] [A ghost, quite amused]

[] [Another fairy, quite mad… in the classical sense]

[] [A hermit… not in the classical sense]

—

*Erien Section*

Gensokyo was a land of mysteries, it could hardly be understood, not by those who lived there, and certainly not by outsiders. It was a fragile thing, held together by routine sacrifice of those who 'wandered' in, and existed in a quasi-cold war between humanity and the monsters that surrounded them. It was one of the few remaining places in the world where mystery truly still existed, the unknown, the eldritch and misunderstood. It was maintained by the sages from above, ruled by the dragon, and maintained by the Hakurei Shrine.

The Shrine Maiden herself, while ornery, performed her task well. She maintained the border, she maintained peace, she maintained… paradise. She was as mysterious as the rest of Gensokyo was, for she was as part of it as the youkai and the gods that dwelled within it. She could not be called 'human', despite having no part of her that was godly or monstrous. But then, to be a human in Gensokyo was a nebulous thing that had many different meanings. The Shrine Maiden of Paradise was powerful, she had trained in the arts of her lineage all her life. There was nothing residing within Gensokyo itself that could truly threaten her, and few from without. She was enigmatic, she was as mysterious as the realm.

She was also currently hammering a series of wooden planks into the hole of the barrier.

"Mother fucker." She growled.

Truly, such words speak of the great wisdom of the Hakurei.

Reimu leaned back then, one hand wiping away the sweat from her brow as she looked over her handiwork. The hole in the border was the shape of a man, which was… odd, but then, so was the jackass (her words) that created it. Now, however, it was secured. There were three-

Reimu bent down to pick up another plank of wood.

Soon to be four planks of wood over the hole to keep any outsiders from wandering in accidentally, and natives from wandering out. Not that any natives would be dumb enough to wander into that particular death sentence. There were very few in Gensokyo dumb enough to wander into the outside world, and they tended to come back when they died regardless.

The last plank was set in place. Creating a coverage of at least forty percent, a low percentage to be sure, but then, the shrine maiden generally considered that good enough. Nodding to herself, she turned her head back towards Gensokyo as a whole, then, with a thought, lifted herself off the ground and began heading off in the direction of her shrine.

She had performed all her required task of the day and now it was time for rest and relaxation.

—
Authors Note

Redshirt: Reimu is my spirit animal. Whenever I see her the only thought in my head is "mood".

Erien: My spirit animal is Mokou. I wish for death.

 

[Erien]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jp-fy1iHfE

Thanks to @Armoury for the beta! He's a monster at the fighting games!

[An oni, an old companion]

—

*Erien Section*

Making your way around the back of the shrine, you notice a minor commotion, the ostensible "Buddhists" bunched up away from… Ah. You knew she was still alive, but you weren't aware she was here, delightful. You smile, your shoulders becoming more relaxed, and you gain… almost a spring to your step as you walk up to, then past the group.

"Good morning, Shuten." You say, lowering yourself so that you are looking the oni eye to eye.

The oni, who had previously been half-grinning/half-glaring up at Byakuren blinks. She looks towards you, then blinks again. She looks towards her gourd full of sake, stares at it, tilts her head, looks down the spout. Then back to you. "Tightass?" she says in recognition.

"The one and the same." You say with a grin. "Do you fancy yourself a shintoist now?"

"Naaaah," Shuten slurs. "Jus' poke her a biiiit. The… tha shrine maidens that is. Used to be more, now's just the… tiny one." Suika squints her eyes, trying to remember. "I thoughts ya died?"

"In a fashion, yes." You reply. "But I have some unfinished tasks to perform."

"Dat so?" Shuten asks, then takes a long swing from her gourd. "We…well thiiings must be fuuuuucked den."

"Partially," you admit.

"How…" a new voice interrupts, and you both look up to see Byakuren staring down at you, saying the first words she has in quite a while. "Brother, how do you know Suika?"

You tilt your head, then look back towards the oni. "Suika?"

'Suika' shrugs her shoulders. "Taaasty." Then she focuses on Byakuren, all five of her that she could see at the moment likely. Then she grins.

—

*Redshirt Section*

"Ohhh… he dinnent tell you the story? Thass… thass sad. Brothers and sisters… they shouuuuldn't hide things from essh other." Shuten reaches back and cricks her neck, then rolls her shoulders, before leaning forward, her voice taking on a cadence of a well-worn and often-retold story.

"Shoooo lemme tell ya, then… it was a dark an stormy night in Kyoto - the "City of Peace and Proshperity" wasn't so peaceful, hahaha. The kids were cryin', the mothers were lamentin', and I had gathered an mustered alllllll my strong- my strength, and I…" She adopts a vicious grin, dropping her voice to add emphasis, "I escaped my prison."

"Seeeee… I had to use my head, to escape - thass a joke, all I had was my head, but it's soooorta true too. I used to just… just smash and break and take whatever I wan-ned, but thass… that's no way to live, yanno. Being trapped, an weak… it reallllllly gave me a kick in the ass, to finally start usin' that head of mine, haha."

Byakuren blinks, looking confused for a moment. "But… when…"

"Right, right, yer brother. So I'd fig-fiige- found a way to focus my strength over tiiime. It took yearsh, but I had nothin else to do, ya? And I juuuuust kept making my powersh more and more and more and more… dense. Con-cen-trate it in a single pooooint. Didn't let any - any! - of it leak out, every itty bitty bit I kept and sho they didn't even notish I was doin' anythin. And the bindings on meeeee…" Again, that vicious grin. "They jusht couldn't match up."

"And sho one stormy night, the buddha-buddhist temple in Kyoto - it all bursht into flames, and a thousand - no, a millon! - spirits cry out, because the great evil was free once more!" Shuten closes her eyes and leans back, basking in the imaginary terror for a moment, before refocussing. "So, I wash free, sure, but I knew they was gonna be lookin for me - and they took me down once, when I was strong an' had an army. And now they were huntin' me and I had nothin'. So I took the scenic route, an went hikin up Mount Ibuki - ya know they - they named the mountain after me, yeah?"

You chose that point to interject. "That 'scenic route' you took was quite indistinguishable from sneaking and hiding. And it's quite interesting to consider how they might have named a mountain after you, so long before you were born."

She smiles at you, memories of your old arguments neatly slotting back into place as if mere weeks had passed since you last bantered, instead of centuries. "An' after all this time, ya still can't let that go, huh?"

"Right - so - after that great and mag-magni- great display of power, I wan-ned to rest, so I made a bed in a pile of thistles, an went to sleep. And as I slept, this bozo crept up on me. I thiiiink he was entrac-entram-entranced by my beauty, since when I woke up he wash just staring at me."

"I was attempting to discern if you were alive." You comment.

"So I see thish Buddhist priest, and I'm thinkin that I need to beat him up, but he's smart, yeah - he's seen how strong I am, and he doesn't want any of that business. So he jusht asks if I'm the greeeat evil, and I say yeah, and he backs waaaay off."

You're smiling as you reply. "She was so diminished in strength, that I could not believe that this was what the legendary Shuten-doji had been reduced to - at that moment, she was weaker than any common oni."

"Cuuuter though," Shuten counters, with a wink.

"The answer is still no," you reply dryly.

Shuten snorts. "Oh come on… live a little!"

"I did, then I died, I have finished with that portion of my life."

"Thaaat's why yer tightass."

Byakuren's attention is snapping back and forth so quickly between the two of us that she nearly threatens to tear her head off. "Brother… did you, with her?"

"Naaah," Suika replies. "I playeds hards to catch!"

"You attempted to get me drunk on numerous occasions, then eventually started approaching me in the middle of the night naked."

Suika snickers. "Dats subtle for an oni." She blinks a few times. "But yeah, thish guy just started hanging around as I hiked back upsh the mountain, went to check on all my old places. Everything changed a lot while I wash sealed away, so he was reaaaaal helpful to getsh me back up to speed - thats why I let him live, ya'know."

"I followed her up the mountain to ensure that she did not bring danger to the people there - but she refrained from that entirely, to my pleasant surprise."

"Welllllll, I spent a lottttttta time thinkin' when I was sealed away, ya'know. And all of that raidin' and destruction… what did it really bring me, in the end? And then thish guy comes along and starts talkin about what brings people satit-statis-makes people happy, and a lot of it… it makes a lotta sense to me. He'sh - your brothersh a smart guy, you know dat cowtits?"

"Cowti-" Byakuren starts to hiss, only to pause as you raise your hand in front of her face.

"Shuten, behave."

Shuten, or, perhaps Suika you suppose. Rolls her eyes and takes another swig. "So, just comin' ta visit da shrine?"

"No," you reply. "Reimu destroyed the Myouren temple shortly after I arrived in Gensokyo. So, in fairness, we shall be borrowing her shrine for the time being."

Suika blinks, slowly, then slowly starts chuckling. The laughter builds, until she's truly howling in mirth up to the sky, a deep belly laugh that belies her small size. "Y-you're just gonna take over - ahahaha - you're just taking tiny's shrine for a bit? That's amazin', see, this is why I kept you around - you act like such a tightass, and then ya pull somethin like that." She laughs again. "Man, I can juussst imagine how mad she's gonna be - it's - it's gonna look…" She blinks, slowly, looking past you. "Yeaaah! Exactly! It's gonna look exac'ly like that!"

The voice from behind you is filled with malice and ill-intent, washing over you practically like a wave. "Explain yourselves."

It seems that Reimu Hakurei has returned to her shrine.

*Erien Section*

Reimu did not look angry, that would be a disservice to the word. She instead looked rather like an Asura, or, at the very least, someone who would soon reincarnate to be one. "Hello again," you greet warmly. "I find I am quite impressed with your shrine. It is plain, but very lovely and well put together."

"Why. Are. You. Here?" Reimu 'asks'.

"Ah yes," you nod your head. "You destroyed the Buddhist's place of residence. While I was not overtly fond of what my sister did to it, I did not wish for it to be completely destroyed either. As it is now, they have no place to live." You then clap your hands together over your staff, bowing your head slightly towards the priestess. "To that end we shall be temporarily lodging here until we can repair it properly."

Reimu stares at you, she stares at you for a good long while. Her eyes drifting from person to person, until she finally lands on Aunn, the koma-inu standing just beside her. They lock eyes, and Aunn quickly looks away to focus on you once more. "He's nice…" Aunn whines.

Reimu's glares at you once more. "Why would I let you stay here?"

"Because it is proper to do so, you have, after all, destroyed their home. They were not involved at all with what you took issue with, you merely found me there and unleashed your anger and rage." You explain. "Now you leave them homeless and without most of their belongings. Is that fair? I am not asking to stay within your building, but to instead use your grounds."

Reimu's eyes narrow. "Don't care."

Suika hiccups. "Ahhhh come on, he's an ooooold friend of mine."

"You stay out of this," Reimu snaps. "Buddhists, shrine, out."

"We can pay." Mamizou offers.

At once, all heads turn to the tanuki who pulls out a small stack of money from the inside of her robe. "Ten thousand yen."

Reimu's eyes flit to the money, then Mamizou's face. Her gaze then narrows. "If that money turns into acorns."

"Then I shall take her over the knee myself," you reply. "Have we come to an understanding shrine maiden?"

Reimu walks up, rips the money out of Mamizou's hands. Counts it, then nods. "Behind the shrine, some old storage buildings and houses. I want you out of here by the end of the week."

"... We shall discuss that," you reply. "But I thank you for your charity in any case."

Reimu glares at you once more, then stomps off into her shrine through the back door.

You watch her leave in silence, then turn your attention to Suika. "She's certainly friendly."

Suika giggles. "She's fun!"

You suppose, to her, she would be. You pause for a moment to allow Cirno to once again clamber up your shoulders. Then you make your way past the back of the shrine towards… a decently sized clearing. Well, perhaps 'clearing' would be a poor word. It was filled with refuse, old banners, flags, and what appear to have been portable shrines, all left abandoned. In the center of it was a decently sized… what you would imagine to have been once an arena or practice field. It was surrounded by various buildings all in various states of disrepair, some were houses, some were entirely for storage, all would be suitable for your purpose.

You did not know Reimu's shrine as it was, it did not exist when you were alive. But the Hakurei did. And while their past as exorcists remained in the past, their legacy could, at least, be of some use to you. You surveyed it all, there was more than enough space for all the Buddhists… and Cirno if she chose to stick around. You turn your attention then, to your sister. "Your followers are your own, I would suggest having them see what buildings remain useful for the purpose of shelter. I myself shall be taking the smallest one." You point off towards a small shed a good distance from the rest. It was a wooden thing, with several holes in the side and a ruined tiled roof.

Leaving them behind, including Cirno who immediately ran off to explore, you make your way towards it, pushing open the door to reveal… what was indeed a shed, with little more than several discarded boxes and what appeared to be a large metal locker against the far well. That bore investigating, if for curiosity if nothing else. But your thoughts were halted however, as a figure shoved you into the building, and closed the door.

You blinked, then turned around to find yourself facing-

—

[] [Byakuren]

[] [Mamizou]

[] [Murasa]

[] [Shou]

—

Erien: I hate writing drunk dialogue.

Redshirt: Suika's account of what happened is 100% objectively true with no inaccuracies or exaggerations, and should be taken as literally as possible.