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Your name is Fujiwara no Mokou, and standing before the remains of your home, you really...
Why we're doing this

Nottheunmaker

Altman be praised
Location
USG Ishimura
Your name is Fujiwara no Mokou, and standing before the remains of your home, you really shouldn't be surprised as you are right now.

Yeah, you've known Kaguya for a long time. Knowing her isn't special, the Outside World has been retelling her story for over a thousand years now, though speaking from personal experience, they're off on a few details. The Kaguya in the story was a homebody, true, and she did come from the moon. They managed to keep that right. Kaguya in the story rejected her suitors because she could never stay with them, the so called impossible tasks just letting them down easy. Same with the Emperor. If anyone one was hurt, it was just naivety. She was too pure for anything else, so the story goes. It was the type of person she was.

She wasn't the type of person to be chased out of her own kingdom for breaking taboo. She wasn't the type of person to string along a man with impossible tasks for giggles. She certainly wasn't the type of person to find amusement fighting the same person to the death for centuries. Then after the fight, which she won, she wasn't the type to go off to the losers house and destroy it while she was busy regrowing her lower half.

But you do know her. You know her better than most people alive in the world. You are Fujiwara no Mokou, the last daughter of one of her suitors. So this really isn't a surprise. It's not worth getting mad over.

Instead, you'll get even.

So with merry thoughts of burning mansion playing in your mind, you turn away from the wreckage of your shack and set off for Eientei.

- - -​

You've got a plan by the time you get there, at least a basic outline. You're not gonna just torch the place, it's not quite tit-for-tat. Kaguya owns the whole manor, but most of it is being used by others. You can't justify burning down the clinic, and Keine would never forgive you taking away the place Human Villagers go when local medicine fails. Never mind what Eirin would do to you. Harming Reisen or Tewi would be pointless and cruel. Kaguya didn't hurt anyone but you when she destroyed your place, so no maiming anyone at Eientei.

That said, reducing her bedroom to cinders is on the table, and you're sure you'll think of a few other places while you're doing that. But first you have to kill Kaguya. Besides doing onto her what she did unto you, that win last night set the score in her favor. Can't have that.

"KAGUYA!" You belt out, aiming to get her outside before the fight. You're not sure how you're going to kill her. You don't have time for anything dramatic, so no feeding her own intestines down her gullet or ripping her spine off. Pulling bones out never works well anyway, they're attached to strongly and break before they come loose. Maybe snapping her neck? Quick and clean while nicely violent, but she might revive too fast from that.

You settle on beating her unconscious and setting her to a slow burn, and in that time Kaguya has failed to appear. You shout again, with similar results. Figures. She's probably not even up yet, the day that lazy moon layabout is awake before noon is when the both of you take a permanent dirtnap.

Your patience is already wearing thin, and you don't have the will to deal with her bumming around on your best day. Stepping toward the manor, you kick off your shoes and feel the near pristine walkway under your feet. You'll just have to search the place. With a normal person, you'd start with the bedroom. Kaguya, lunatic ditz that she is, tends to sleep where she pleases at a given moment.

That said, this is a bold move on your part. You've been invited over here a few times, and you guide villagers here most days of the week, but you aren't exactly welcome at Eientei. It goes back to the whole killing the mistress of the manor thing you've been doing for the past three hundred years. Even for youkai that can't really die and seek revenge anyway, spending a few centuries on it is a bit much. They'll let you hang around outside without a fuss, but stepping in? That's going to wrinkle noses.

Good. Your home is a wreck, trampling around theirs is the least you can do.

"Fujiwara."

"Gaah!"

You jump and spun at the sudden voice. The master of the clinic herself, Eirin, stands behind you in her silver haired, red and blue uniformed glory. She wrinkles her nose at you. Your not her favorite person in the world, and clearly stepping into Eientei uninvited isn't improving that opinion.

Still, it's only a moment before she starts speaking again. "It's far too early to bring patients here, nor do I believe this to be a social call. If you'd kindly wait outside, one of rabbits could see to you."

You mentally shake off the surprise before speaking. "Just get Kaguya out here." You growl out, "We have business."

Eirin's face cycles through a combination of confusion, recognition, annoyance, resignation and then end at… troubled. "She isn't here." She said, "Kaguya has returned to the moon."

Something vile started to worm its way through your guts. If it shows on your face, Eirin doesn't react to it. "The Emissaries of the moon requested her presences for a project last night, and she agreed after some discussion."

- - -​

You left Eientei in something of a daze, walking through the bamboo without a particular direction in mind. You remember asking questions, when she would be back, why she'd left, the nature of the project on the moon. All those things, but they hardly mattered compared to the first little nugget Eirin gave you.

Kaguya was gone.

You'd been fighting her for three hundred years. You'd suffered an endlessly painful existence for a thousand years before that. It was indeed, her fault in the first place that any of that happened.

And she just left? Took a few keepsakes and returned to where she'd come? With no timetable on when she'd come back or anything? If she would come back at all?

Your plans for the day before now felt hollow. You could burn her room, sure. Burn the store room where she kept most of her useless junk. You could incinerate the whole manor and let the bamboo reclaim the land. But there was no point to it if Kaguya wasn't there. She wouldn't see it, she'd never know.

But even as this emptiness crawled and wriggled its way around and into you, the anger from before niggled at you, with a single question begging to be answered.

Why did she destroy your house?

You'd actually wandered back to what was left of it. You'd built the thing yourself a few hundred years ago, and had maintained it fairly well over time. Can't say you really liked it much. For the most part it was just something to keep the rain off your head, or a private area to nurse your grudge. It had been small, covered with countless quick fixes to keep the wind out and stay dry, and was built with whatever you found in the forest.

It was an ugly, stumpy thing you never thought would be missed, and you can't help but wonder why Kaguya would pick now of all times to come around and collapse it.

But with her sudden departure for the moon it's very clear why.

To piss you the hell off.

Its her own joke at someone's else's expense, just like always. She's ruined the place you've spent hundreds of years at and run, getting out of reach. Hell, it was probably just to rub in that she'd gotten the score in her favor before she left!

Whatever you were feeling before has gone and been replaced with a fresh well of hate. So that was her plan huh? Kill you, kick you while you're down and run? That's low, even for her! She'll never get away with it!

"Damn you, Kaguya Houraisan!" You shout to the sky, "I don't care if it'll take another thousand years, I'll get to the moon and kill you, I swear it on my name! You hear me?! I, Fujiwara no Mokou, swear that I'll kill you as many times as it takes for you to pay for your actions!"

You finish by throw a huge ball of flame in the air, singeing the bamboo around you. Your breathing is ragged and your fists are clenched tight enough to hurt. You slowly, carefully recollect yourself. Your force your lungs to slow, and release your fingers one at a time. You take the time you need to calm.

The hate and anger remain, but you're able to take your mind off them. You need to get working. While you did swear to a thousand years if that's what it took, and are ready to follow through on it, you'd much prefer your vengeance sooner. You could never find away to the moon in the past, but that was before Gensokyo. This is a world where the fantastic happens every day, with people and creatures of immense power around every corner. Some of them must be able to reach the moon. It's just a matter of where to start…



[] The Vampires built a rocket to go to the moon once. Kick in their gate and demand they get you there.
[] Rockets sound like advance technology and explosives to you, and no one does technology and explosives like the Kappa. Encourage them to explore the possibilities.
[] Eh, how hard can making a rocket be? You'll hit up the Kourindou and see if Rinnosuke has anything.
[] Why bother with a rocket? That bratty Celestial lives in Heaven, that's close to the moon. Get her to take you.
 
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Fairies, tengu and immortals
There's a few ways to reach Youkai Mountain. Most people can only use one.

First is flying, which no one does. The tengu do not share their sky with anyone, not without good reason. While you think finding a celestial to take you to the moon and commit murder, possibly some arson on the side, is a perfectly good reason, you doubt they'll see things your way.

There's laundry list of transportation powers too. Any type of teleportation, one of Yukari's gaps, you've even heard about some youkai that can make doors between places, though you're not sure on the details. The tengu don't like people invading their territory that way either, but have a much harder time making their displeasure known. That doesn't help you of course, you don't have any abilities like that.

That leaves walking, which you've been doing for a good few hours. You've long left the bamboo forest behind, and having taken a detour or two avoiding the human village you're well on the way to the mountain.

You've never been this forest. It's not completely unfamiliar, one forest in Gensokyo is close enough to the next, but it's new to you. Might be new to most humans, given the roughness of the path. And the prevalence of youkai.

They're all around you, most not hiding themselves well if they're bothering at all. You can hear fairies laughing, sometimes far, sometimes near. Foxes and tanuki poke their heads out when they think you're not looking, sizing you up for a prank or meal. A large black dog has been following you just out of sight, possibly some foreign youkai. You think seeing it means you're fated to die soon.

Ha. If only.

None of them have had the guts to attack you yet. Maybe they think you're a trap of some kind. No way they know about your power, you don't leave the bamboo forest enough to have a reputation, and the rabbits like to keep what they know to themselves. You're confident that if you keep walking, you'll be left alone.

So it's an absolute shock when the ground drops out under you and you're deep down a hole.

You must've hit your head, with your ears ringing while your vision swims. Both fade quickly, but you're stuck in an awkward tangle of limbs out of sheer dumbfoundedness. You gather enough of your wits to at least look up.

Above, a trio of heads pop over the sides of the hole, peering down at you. They have irritatingly large grins plastered on impossibly cute and amused faces. Your eyes narrow.

Fairies.

They appear to be chatting with each other, and when they look back down you move. Their eyes bulge and they bolt as a gout of flames sears up the hole, with yourself flying up close behind. You spin in the air once you're out with hands at the ready, keen to dole out well earned punishment. Alas, there's not a mischievous wing in sight.

You snort little jet of fire and land. Fairies. Pranks are one thing, but pit traps? They're either an ambitious bunch or still wound up over the latest Incident. Happens everytime.

You dust off your trousers, stick your hands behind your head and keep walking. You don't have time to chase after every youkai or fairy that causes you trouble, even if you felt like it. At least that little display should keep them away now.

- - -​

The path up the mountain is steep yet wide. It's a simple packed earth tracked, yet smooth with no weeds sprouting up. Well maintained, but if the lack of tracks are anything to go by, not well used. The forest rose up on both sides in it's great green glory, looking wild and graceful while somehow never encroaching on the path.

You weren't an artistic type, not even a thousand years ago as a noble's daughter. You knew if a wall-scroll or kimono was pretty, but the whys never concerned you, nor did it hold your attention. It all just looked nice. You'd grown a lot since then, and with all you've learn now...

This place was downright picturesque. It'd be perfect if it weren't for the two youkai arguing in the middle of it.

"You're the most boring person on the whole mountain, you know that? There's mountain hags that have better stories than you." spoke a dark haired girl. She was wearing a white button shirt similar to your own, but with a short black skirt and excessively tall geta. She looked vaguely familiar, in some annoying way...

Her companion was definitely someone you hadn't met before. She had a pair of wolf ears sprouting from her snow white hair, matching her equally white shirt. She to sported a pair of geta, poking from a long black skirt with a large flame pattern. "If someone gets close enough to cause interesting stories, I've failed as a guard."

"Then tell me about those that tried to come here! Someone climbing the mountain? That'd make a great article!"

They don't seem to notice you, and you'd rather not get drawn into a brewing squabble. You kept walking, content to let them bicker.

White-hair drew a sword as you near, but her eyes remain half focused on Black, the other half nowhere in particular. "No one got near. No one would without an invitation from Lord Tenma. And-" she says, still not looking at you "- even if they did, I would dispose of them myself."

Black's eyes took on a dismissive tilt. "Aren't you a bloodthirsty dog." The tilt seemed to bring you into view, with her whole body taking on a new, quizzical tilt. Avoiding eye contact, you maneuvered to get around white and continue up.

White thrust her blade out before you, blocking your path. She also kept argueing. "Better than remaining a bird brain. How your's is so rotten while engaged in such a noble pursuit as writing is beyond me."

You tuned out their words and inspected the sword. Decent make by your reckoning, such as it was. The cutting edge faced you, allowing you to appreciate the keenness of the blade. It looked sharp enough to not feel it cut.

You ducked a bit to get under it, but the wolf tengu just brought in down with you.

You began wondering just how hot a fire you'd need to to melt the blade, but then White cuts in, finally acknowledging you "Human, leave before I cut you down. I'm in no mood for blood shed this day."

You look White in the eyes, then shift over to Black. She was eyeing you more critically now, and you can see a spark of recognition as a sly grin works across her face.

"Hold on a minute, Momiji." she says, giving a name to her… something. Conversation partner? "A lone human trying to journey up Youkai Mountain? And to approach a pair of tengu so openly? That sounds like a scoop worthy of my paper!"

And that triggers a few memories at last. Aya, tengu paparazzi, fastest dispenser of gossip in Gensokyo, and the last person you need butting into your business.

"That's not my concern, crow."

'Geez, what a pain', you think. You know tengu, even with the changes they've made over the years. This guard won't back down, and while you're sure you can beat her, it will cause trouble later. Plus there's Aya. Given her interest in you and the friction with Momiji, you can bet on her at least sitting out the fight, but you're still stuck with her afterwards. You might be able to scare her off with enough threats, like last time, but she'll be bolder on her home turf.

Your hands find their way into your pockets. "Just let me pass, I'm not going to cause trouble.", You say.

"Oh?" Says Aya, grin growing wider. "I don't think anyone accused you of that."

"And it's irrelevant." Momiji cuts in, pressing her sword closer to your neck, "You have no reason to be here, and are not welcome. Leave."

You don't look down. Swords don't intimidate you. They haven't for a very long time.



[] Talk your way past. Just because it's never worked before doesn't mean it won't now.
[] Push past them. You'll never out run a tengu, but enough fireballs could make you more trouble then it's worth.
[] You have a mountain to climb and no daylight to waste. Fight the guard and get this over with.
-[] Fight Aya too. Nip the paparazzi in the bud, it'll make things easier.
-[] Ignore Aya. She can't make you talk if you don't want to.
[] Write-in
 
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