The Ashen Phoenix (Touhou / A:TLA Crossover)

[Mathen57]

Sidestory Chapter 2: Gossip​

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Reimu hated the quiet nights. Its gnawing silence heralded threats unseen. The dark set her intuition alight as the hairs at the back of her neck rose, alerted, goosebumps dotting her skin. It damn near paralysed her when she was small. Now, it barely affected Reimu. Fear of impending doom became as ineffectual as the breeze; it came with experiencing an incident every six months. It had gotten to the point where Reimu could ignore the warning signs of a growing incident, opting to let it blow up, giving her a clear enemy to fight. That made it easy to solve since all she needed to do was to beat people up and reconcile over tea. All the uncertainty that stemmed from trying to be preventative was troublesome, a philosophy that didn't make her popular with the human village. Or to some of the more uptight folks like Kasen. But that was Reimu's way, and it maintained Gensokyo's balance for the past two decades.

But today was different. Her skin froze at the cold caress of fear, her breath hitching—a vision of Eientei, whispers of death. That was strange, even for a nonsensical place like Gensokyo. Still, Reimu figured that the current Urban Legend incident might have some Lunarian influence, so checking out Eientei wouldn't hurt. With a grimace and a sigh, Reimu flew to The Bamboo Forest of the Lost. She sped through the canopy of the magical forest as its mushroom-laden ground blurred away. Within a minute, bamboo shoots filled Reimu's vision. It had been a few days since the disappearance of Eientei's Immortals plus Mokou. Reisen vanished soon after while Tewi lingered around the bamboo forest like a bad smell. It was through Keine that Reimu first learned of the disappearance, moaning about "Mokou's gone!" or some such. She didn't remember much of what the teacher said, only that her wailing hurt her ears. After some investigation and dangerous leads, Reimu chalked it up to some Gap Hag shenanigans and left the case cold. Now she regretted doing nothing more; as she flew through the Bamboo forest, Eientei came into view. Her intuition was proven right.

Eientei wasn't a bustling clinic. Nestled deep in a bamboo forest known for eluding any travellers, it prevented it from becoming crowded. But it was never this quiet. No rabbits pounded mochi by the front door, no scribbling of notes from the doctor, no weird beeping sounds from Kaguya's room. Reimu will never be used to silence anywhere else but her shrine. Gensokyo had felt just a little emptier, save for the two newcomers at Eientei's door. The Watatsuki sisters. Time had begun to slow. A blink, a flash of steel, and Watatsuki no Yorihime gave Reimu a proper Lunarian greeting. In an instant, Reimu ducked under an arc of light, cutting the bamboo forest behind her in twain. Toyohime followed it up with a flick of her fan. With a near-panicked breath, the shrine maiden shifted into unreality as the atoms of the world around her were deleted. Not transferred or transformed. It was simply gone. Then came the explosion, a massive shockwave of air as molecules rapidly filled the now-empty space. Reimu's intuition reckoned the explosion could've been bigger, but something about the fan prevented that. Yukari had warned Reimu of this, of the magical and technological supremacy of the Lunarians, a supremacy that not even Hell nor Heaven could meaningfully contest. The two sisters had done more damage to the bamboo forest in one attack than three centuries of death-duelling ever did.

When the dust settled, Yorihime, the more serious one, looked to Reimu with wide-eyed surprise, "Oh, it's you. Speak, what brings you here?" It was the most respect a non-exiled Lunarian gave to a "sub-lunary" being.

Reimu released an exasperated breath; shoot first and ask later, huh? These guys are too much. "What are you doing here? A counter-invasion?" Reimu shot back. She had to shout since the sisters were the size of her fingers from where she floated, and she wasn't keen on getting closer. It was the Watatsukis that gave Reimu one of the few true defeats she's ever suffered. Reimu, who mauled Makai during her younger years, feared by gods and youkai alike, who held Gensokyo's peace in her hands, couldn't hold a candle to them. But that was then, now? With all the power and experience the shrine maiden had prodigiously accumulated, maybe beating one of the sisters was possible, but not two at once. They were a troublesome pair with overwhelming power to spare and more arrogant than a dozen Celestials. Reimu could feel condescension ooze from Yorihime's hostile gaze. The shrine maiden was just a bug floating before her.

The sisters turned to each other; entire conversations were held in their gaze. Reimu wondered if that's what having a sister was like. Knowing each other's thoughts with but a glance. But fate turned out differently, or these sisters were just strange. Yorihime sighed; whatever they had discussed, Toyohime had won the argument. "Do you know what has occurred to Yagokoro Eirin?" the serious one asked.

Huh, just Eirin? Not even a "Eirin and Kaguya?" Is it…a jealousy thing? "Your guess would be as good as mine," Reimu answered.

Yorihime's eyebrow rose slowly. Reimu could almost see the Lunarian's modicum of respect for the shrine maiden plummet through the ground, "So Gensokyo's protector doesn't know what happens in Gensokyo? That's… pathetic." The Lunarian's eyebrows dipped in frustration. The woman had the gall to look disappointed.

Reimu gritted her teeth and breathed slowly, eyebrows twitching. Any other time, she would fight, were it anyone but them. Even then, it was hard to restrain herself. Reimu so badly wanted to knock them down a peg. "I know they disappeared at the same time." Reimu answered before her brain seized a half-forgotten memory, "Oh, and one of the rabbits said something about Mokou giving the other two some kind of proposal...I think."

"Mokou?" Yorihime repeated, looking towards her sister in askance.

Toyohime answered promptly, "The princess's pet. The one who stole Eirin's elixir."

Reimu scrunched her eyebrows in confusion. She doesn't even say her name… The shrine maiden was starting to realise she was scratching at the surface of some millennia-old drama. The thought of it redirected Reimu's fury to the missing immortals, she was dealing with a problem they left behind. If they ever come back, Reimu promised to give them a heavy beating.

"Oh. Her…" Yorihime groaned, breaking the untouchable aura she exuded. That prompted her sister to giggle.

"Pet?" Reimu asked. Mokou as Kaguya's pet, huh?

"Did the princess not keep her for her entertainment? My few visits to Master Eirin showed me as much," Toyohime asked.

Flashes of Mokou hung to a tree by her own intestines lodged themselves into Reimu's mind, with a half-melted Kaguya staining the ground below with her sizzling blood. That was one of the few times the Hakurei woman walked in on the two's "duels". That wasn't what Reimu would describe as a friendly relationship but…Both were smiling, the kind of smile where they bared their teeth. There was a kind of mutuality to it. Mutuality implies respect. "Well…" Reimu struggled to find the words. She had seen Mokou show Kaguya around the human village, the latter clinging to the former, shooting a hundred questions a minute. No, it was definitely friendly. But it could be seen as taking one's pet for a walk. Owners have friendly relationships with their pets all the time. Then Reimu trawled further into her memories, sorting through the mountain of unsorted images of the past.

Years ago, the moon in the sky had finally resumed its celestial journey, and Eirin had sat beside Reimu. They were at the porch of the Hakurei shrine, with Eirin's peace offering: a week's worth of imperishable food set out on wooden tables. Reimu and co. had solved the Imperishable Night incident, which marked a phase of reconciliation from the masterminds of said incident, leading to a tea party. Kaguya sat beside Reisen as the princess interrogated Marisa on her magical tools while Youmu drank with the moon rabbit. Mokou sat on a separate table, arguing with Remilia and her maid about some liver. She didn't know why she noticed, but Reimu saw the little glances Kaguya would give Mokou. There was a crinkle in Kaguya's eyelids. Her face twitched with the aborted smiles she tried to hide. Marisa seemed to think the princess was impressed, not knowing that her eyes were on Mokou. Mokou, on the other hand, was too busy to notice.

Eirin noticed Reimu's gaze, "You see it too? Are you curious?" the doctor's melodious voice cut through Reimu's reverie. Was it a Lunarian thing to be so pretty all the time? Why should an old hag like Eirin have such a good voice? Reimu turned to Eirin, who gestured at the two immortals.

"Not really," Reimu replied, "It's just not hard to notice."

"Notice what exactly?"

"That princess of yours is doting on red-eyes hard," Reimu scoffed at Kaguya's expense before sipping her tea, "I haven't seen puppy love like that since I was six. It's honestly yucky seeing a woman her age be like that. Ain't she a million years old?"

A look of annoyance washed over the doctor, "Kaguya is not so inexperienced a maiden that she would engage in…puppy love." The words rolled out awkwardly from Eirin's tongue. It was as alien to Eirin as the doctor was to the shrine maiden. Reimu's lips tugged upwards into a sardonic smile. It was natural for a caretaker to think charitably of their charges. So, it made sense that Eirin's love for Kaguya was skewing her perspective. What Kaguya felt for Mokou was probably not as deep as Eirin would think it was. That's the problem with people like her. They overcomplicate things.

"Sure," Reimu replied, "whatever you say, doctor."

"But I digress; you are right that Kaguya's gaze is not hard to notice. What they have is truly unique." Reimu didn't really care about what excuses Eirin was trying to give Kaguya; she didn't ask to begin with—but the moment lent itself to an opportunity for gossip. Knowing one's customers is an excellent way to keep them returning, and it'd be a boon to turn these two immortals into future donors. Reimu grumbled internally; they can't donate to the shrine if they're distracted fighting each other all the time. It's a dilemma with an obvious solution but vague consequences. It's a good thing Eirin was here to clarify.

Reimu took her last sip and raised her arm to interrupt Eirin, "Yeah, OK. Quick question: what happens when the two get separated?"

In the blink of an eye, something changed in Eirin, but Reimu couldn't venture a guess as to what. The doctor was as unreadable as ever. The shrine maiden could see a million gears in her head turn as she looked at the immortals, eyes giving a faraway look, very far. What did her eight minds see, Reimu wondered. Is the question so complicated as to give her pause? "It would become quite unpleasant for anyone around them." And how long did it take Eirin to encapsulate a million thoughts into something comprehensible?

Reimu sighed; that was not the answer she wanted, "So they balance each other out? Which means keeping them together minimises the damage they could potentially cause." That meant Reimu had to make sure the immortals were within killing distance to avoid the extra work of containing them individually in the future. And more importantly, her shrine donor scheme was a bust.

"It's understandable you see it that way. And yes, you are right. Were Kaguya left alone, the girl would cause much mischief. She is no better than Tewi in this sense." Eirin allowed herself to sigh; it was the most emotion Reimu had ever seen from the doctor. Exasperation wasn't something Reimu would associate with Eirin; it didn't seem possible. "I know the girl detests being described as such, but she cannot help it. The mistress is a slave of her own desires." So, Kaguya'd be another dime-a-dozen schemer, was what the shrine maiden could gather. Reimu could handle that. She's handled it all her life.

"And Mokou?"

"Disaster," Eirin said before pausing. The doctor looked to a rather mad Mokou, demanding Remillia to shut up about her liver. Sakuya was smiling, whispering quiet assurances to her mistress. It seemed the inhuman maid really did value her mortality, to Remilia's horror. "Are you aware of the history of the outside world?" Reimu shook her head, "Four hundred years ago, a century before Mokou found Kaguya, there was a great fire which had engulfed Edo. Hundreds of thousands died from either the fire or from displacement as the winter set in. It was believed a cursed kimono caused the conflagration that burnt the lungs of Edo. It was not. Rather, it resulted from an unfortunate battle between Mokou and the Bureau of Onmyō. And this was an episode during her more catatonic years. She was remarkably worse before that."

Reimu wanted to groan, "tch." So, she's one of those kinds of enemies. She wasn't impressed by her last fight with Mokou, but if she could burn a city, that was troublesome. Mentally, the shrine maiden placed Mokou in the same category as Flandre. Maybe the two should meet? It'll help keep the overactive vampire entertained. The gods know the younger Scarlet needed a proper punching bag; who better than an immortal? But that meant Mokou would be leaving Kaguya alone to her own devices…Now that Eientei has come out of hiding, that gave Kaguya more chances to meddle with Gensokyo. Reimu needed to give this more thought, it seemed. "So, when left alone, Mokou tends to burn everything around her."

"Precisely."

Reimu placed a palm on her temple, preparing for a splitting headache yet to come. Solutions blossomed in the wilting garden of her mind, each flower as horrible as the other. How does one stop an immortal? Can Reimu trust Mokou not to cause an incident in the future should Kaguya disappear? "Maybe I should seal her," Reimu proposed. The air grew cold as she instinctually mirrored her younger self. Reimu could feel Eirin's stare burning holes into her skin. Oops, "If Mokou goes crazy", the shrine maiden hastily added. She wasn't a cruel woman; after all, Reimu wanted to give Mokou a chance.

"Worry not; I don't believe Mokou would regress into insanity so quickly." Eirin's words washed Reimu with assurance. Maybe her donor scheme wasn't a bust after all! "Though I do wonder why your first thought was sealing her. Quite bloodthirsty of you, no?" Eirin shook her head, "but it is all for moot; sealing her is futile."

"Why?" Reimu's voice was clipped and sharp. She was the barrier maiden. Sealing things comprised forty per cent of her talents, so the comment had cut deep. Eirin shifted in response to Reimu's sudden change of tone.

"Mokou is an immortal and a sorcerer; do not forget this. Give her enough time in the seal, and she can reverse-engineer it, then unmake it." So? Reimu thought. As long as it takes Mokou a millennium to free herself, then it was a problem solved for the shrine maiden. Reimu would be long dead. "And you'd be making an enemy of her. I pity future Hakurei maidens who must deal with her when she's free." It was clear to Reimu that Eirin had simulated the sealing of Mokou in her head. She wondered what stopped the good doctor from going through with it. "But I digress. That is not the most important obstacle to Mokou's sealing. It's Kaguya." Ah, so it was her.

Reimu smiled mockingly, receiving the dopamine hit of vindication, "knew it. It really is puppy love."

"It is not." Eirin chided, "It's not." Eirin repeated. The doctor stared at the dinner table where the immortals sat while Reimu crossed her arms triumphantly. "Reimu, have you ever considered what it feels like to outlive everything around you."

Reimu scoffed at the question, "I know where you're going with this. The answer is yes, and that it doesn't bother me none."

"Elaborate"

Reimu leaned back, grasping memories that were supposed to be erased, "Cause I've done it before, and I moved on. So long as there's something new, then I'm good."

"A sentiment my" daughter, "ward would agree with. But what if there's nothing to outlive?" Reimu was very familiar with the tone Eirin was using. Yukari had used it on Reimu a hundred times. It was the sort of tone where the person was interrogating you, but very subtly. Eirin was probing for Reimu's thoughts, maybe in a bid to know what the shrine maiden was really like. Then it's good that Reimu wore her heart out in a sleeve.

Reimu chuckled, "I know you're an immortal Eirin, so you probably never considered it, but what you're describing is death. When there's nothing to outlive, that means you're dead. So, take your infinite lifespan to prepare for it and enjoy the peace and quiet when it comes to you. A hag like you probably needs it."

Things were quiet after that. Reimu immersed herself in the sounds of the tea party—the clanging of silverware mixed with the voices of the visitors, the banter of a dinner table. Autumn leaves caressed the shrine maiden as the breeze carried their voices to the sky. Vibrations of their sound travelled higher and higher, devolving into incoherency, until there was not a trace of the tea party for even a celestial to hear. Many would call the scene before Reimu idyllic, a dream. But Reimu was the shrine maiden of paradise, so the novelty of such scenes had worn off years ago.

A sigh filtered into her ears, and Reimu gave Eirin a quizzical look, "I find it difficult seeing things as you do." Eirin said simply.

Reimu groaned in frustration; the smart ones were always the thickheaded ones too, "that's cause you're looking at a billion years like it's tomorrow. While I'm seeing tomorrow like it's a billion years from now."

"The motto of a true procrastinator." Eirin smiled mirthfully.

"The motto of a mortal." Reimu shot back, "Those who haven't accepted their death yet are usually children. Maybe that's why you three Immortals get along so well—"

"I don't "get along" with Mokou"

"—all three of you haven't grown up yet."

"So we're just children to you, is that it? "Eirin asked, amused. She seemed more easygoing than before. Why was what? Reimu wondered.

"Sure!" Reimu answered before adding, "Well, maybe not you. But definitely those two black and white lovers. That's the special thing they share: their immaturity." Reimu chuckled at the inside joke. Yin and Yang.

"I've always reckoned their special bond comes from the Elixir." Eirin replied, half-stating and half-wondering.

"Like how you and Kaguya have a special bond because of it?"

Eirin shook her head, "Yes and no. In essence, it is the same, but the shape of it is different—"

"—it's different because it's romantic!" Reimu interrupted.

The Lunarian doctor turned suddenly to Reimu in a blur of movement. "Why the sudden interest in their love life?" Eirin asked. There was a tenseness to her voice. Her patience had worn thin.

"I couldn't care less, honestly; I just want you to say I'm right. Besides, you brought it up." Reimu smiled."They balance each other, go crazy without the other, and Kaguya would fight me to free Mokou…And I thought you were perceptive. Admit it; they're ride or die—" Reimu was jolted by a thought, "no, wait, but they can't die. So it's just ride or ride." Reimu scratched her head in thought. She looked at the two immortals enjoying dinner, assessing, analysing. She wondered who really wore the pants in the relationship. Before Reimu could open her mouth, Eirin interrupted her.

"Whatever it is you are thinking, Cease that line of thought; it is unproductive." To be so embarrassed to hear of her charge's proclivities was strangely parental of her. Reimu had thought Eirin was merely a guardian to the girl, and besides, a woman her age isn't usually so evasive regarding sex. Plus, the doctor never came off as an old prude. Instead, she seemed to be a generally unaffected person, very detached from her own emotions. But Kaguya seemed to be the chink in her emotionally-numb armour…" More importantly, as a Hakurei shrine maiden, it is in your best interest that the two are not separated and not enquire further."

Reimu nodded, happy with this small victory over Eirin, "fine, let's agree that the two are—"

"—inseparable" was what Reimu told the Watatsuki sisters. "They're inseparable", Reimu repeated. She was met with their confused gaze before it developed into mounting horror.

Toyohime had many pets. Pets that she cared for, but one doesn't have an inseparable relationship with one's pets. Adopting one comes with the knowledge that you won't be with them forever, especially for a deathless being like Toyohime. The rabbits may live long lives under her care, but never forever. Lunar society had many uses for them, and there would be a time when she might expend them. No, inseparability implied something far deeper than owner and pet. But equals. Was Mokou to Kaguya what Urashimako nearly became to the Watatsuki sisters? That must be true, considering Eirin and Kaguya accepted whatever fool proposal the human had for them. And for the princess's bond with this Mokou not to be kept a secret… word would seep to the capital, scandals would follow, and Lunar society would react. Many on the moon had allowed Kaguya her trespasses due to her parentage. The crimes she committed warranted a sealing, the same sad fate that befell Chang'e, but she was given exile instead. But if knowledge of the princess's deep bond with an impure being were made known, it would be unpleasant. The very idea would be used as political ammunition by the more unsavoury elements of Lunarian society. It was a good thing Eirin hid Eientei from the moon the way she did. Yorihime seemed to share the same thought as her eyes locked with Toyohime's.

This was another secret the sisters must keep, like this unsanctioned visit to the Earth.

"What happens now?" the petulant shrine maiden asked.

"What happens now is we find Eirin," Yorihime answered. Even if Eirin were in another dimension like Hell or Heaven, sympathetic magic and quantum tunnelling would easily lead the two to her: "We will not interfere with Gensokyo's affairs." Wherever Eirin was, the Watatsukis would find her, and save her from whatever predicament their dear teacher found herself in.

Something shifted in the shrine maiden. Reimu had noticed that the thought of Kaguya being really friendly with an earthling seemed taboo. That gave Reimu an opening to strike at. With the slimiest, shit-eating grin she could muster, Reimu loaded, aimed, and fired. "Funny thing about Kaguya and Mokou." She had the full attention of the Watatsukis now, "You ever seen how they talk to each other? They definitely boned."

The Watatsukis didn't react at first, believing it to be some weak attempt on Reimu's part to unbalance them. A closer look proved that Reimu wasn't lying or didn't think she was lying. That meant three things: she was either delusional, a good liar, or was telling the truth.

"And everyone knows." Reimu fired, "Ask anyone here, and they'll tell you how lovey-dovey they are to each other. Ask the villagers, the teacher, the vendors; it's an open secret." That got their eyes to widen, and Reimu relished this victory over them. Even if it wasn't true, a widely accepted belief was hard to keep secret. This was not good news to the sisters; Lunar society would charge Kaguya with obscenity, and the Watatsukis would suffer from association. Reimu pushed the knife further and twisted it, "and another thing. I hear that Mokou tops Kaguya, so who's the pet now!? Hahahahhahah."

Yorihime trained her features despite Reimu's needling. With a face devoid of any expression, she let out a slash onto Reimu's laughing form. It missed, and Reimu disappeared, her laughter still lingering in the air.

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Reimu had returned to her shrine that night, having dealt with the incident for now and meeting the Watatsukis. She peered into a cold storage appliance from the outside world. Yukari called it a fridge, Reimu recalled. And speak of the devil, Yukari appeared leaning on Reimu's kotatsu.

Reimu wanted to groan in a very unseemly way. So she did, "I have a door. A door you can knock, gap hag."

Yukari's purple eyes peered deep into Reimu's soul and crinkled in amusement. The shrine maiden used to fear how the air grew oppressive and almost irrational around Yukari. It was as if the world bowed to the blonde, telling Reimu that the sage could do what she wanted and there was nothing the shrine maiden could do. The threat of death was still ever-present around the sage, and the air was still oppressive, but the novelty of it had worn off overtime "But where would the fun be in—"

"--But where would the fun be in that?" Reimu repeated in a shrill voice, "Shut up! It's always the mysterious act with you." Yukari giggled quietly as Reimu felt a chill down her spine. A laughing youkai was one thing, but a laughing Yukari? The shrine maiden rolled her eyes and stomped towards a kettle, her gait easing into a casual walk as she reached it. "tea?" Reimu asked.

"I brought my own," Reimu turned to Yukari, and sure enough, there was a new cup on the kotatsu, filled to the brim.

"Course you did," Reimu took a spot in the kotatsu across Yukari, "so what's it today? Training? Some lecture on Gensokyo's nature? Shouldn't you be busy kidnapping outsiders right now?"

Yukari raised a finger to the ceiling, "spiriting away," she corrected with an amused smile, "it's very different."

"Sure it is." Reimu rolled her eyes, "OK, spill it. Is it cause of the Watatsukis?"

"Yes, it's impressive how you could get on their nerves with mere rumours alone. A wonderful show from my cute shrine maiden!" Yukari dipped her hand into a gap, and it came out from a gap near Reimu. Long, spindly fingers squeezed Reimu's cheek, prompting the shrine maiden to burn the hand with a seal. The appendage disintegrated, but as Yukari got her hand out of the gap, it seemed as good as new. Before Reimu could chastise her, the gap hag spoke first, "But I wanted to talk about their master." Now, it was Yukari's turn to look exasperated. She rested her head on the kotatsu and sighed, "Eirin's disappearance is causing more trouble than it's worth. I hope those sisters find her." Yukari jolted to the realisation that she was rooting for a Lunarian. "Oh my."

"Then why'd you let them go?" The word stupid nearly leapt out of Reimu's mouth, but it didn't feel right to say, so she picked "dumbass" instead.

"Apparently," Yukari dipped her hand into a slit in reality, as her index finger came out another slit above her, pointing directly at her head, "this ineffable youkai didn't account for Eirin messing up a simple fusion spell. Eirin! Can you believe that?"

"Couldn't Eirin have been sabotaged?"

"If you're dumb enough to be sabotaged, that still counts as a mistake on your part. Anyways, " Yukari sighed as she rested her head on the table, "I've got Lunarians poking and prodding my beautiful Gensokyo three days after my walking ICBMs up and left...I dearly hope whatever Hecatia's cooking staves them off awhile."

"What does ice have to do—"

"—deterrents Reimu. They were my deterrents," Yukari interrupted, visibly annoyed. "Honestly, keep up." Then, with a breath, Yukari fixed her posture and gave Reimu an unreadable look. A blink and her irises turned yellow. The oppressive air of a dangerous youkai had returned. Where once was a tired old hag, now a timeless youkai sat before her. All in the span of a breath. "I foresee many Lunar-related incidents in your future." The sage said seriously, acting as if she hadn't been whining just then.

Reimu looked out to the moon, her arms gripping for a gohei that wasn't there, "and it's all because Mokou wanted to fuse with Mt.Fuji. That mopey idiot really needs to get over herself; I dunno what Kaguya sees in her."

"Oh, it's rather straightforward. The more complicated question is, what does Mokou see in her?"

Reimu gave Yukari a look of plain disbelief but kept her mouth shut. "Say…" Reimu began, "You remember my conversation with Eirin after the Imperishable Night incident?"

"Of course I do." Course she does. She wasn't even there, yet still knew of it. Remembered it, too.

"Talking with the Watatsukis reminded me of it. You think anything the doctor said was true?" Especially regarding the "inseparable" duo. If that was true, that meant where Mokou went, Kaguya would follow, bringing Eirin with her. Then, their disappearance was fated, considering the pyromaniac's nature—nothing Reimu could've done would prevent it then. She would be absolved of any wrongdoing!

Yukari shook her in a way akin to a mother lecturing her child, "Some of it. She's massaged the truth, mind. Mokou would not go crazy without Kaguya. She has other companions to keep her stable. Keine, Sumireko, that bird youkai—"

"—Mystia?"

"Yes, Mystia!" Yukari's eyes widened in shock, "for you to remember such a minor youkai… Considering who you are, I'm very impressed."

Reimu shrugged, ignoring the backhanded compliment, "It just came to me. That's all. I don't really keep track of her since she's harmless."

"Well, Eirin said what she said then to protect her cute surrogate daughter." The purple eyes returned, "Cause the big mean shrine maiden was talking like an exterminator. You can be a little too candid at times, Reimu."

The tips of her ears grew hot, "ah. Damn. I sounded pretty threatening, didn't I?"

"You did! And Eirin's the most paranoid person to talk to. The moment you talked about separating Mokou and Kaguya, she immediately tried to frame things a certain way. She's an amateur liar, you know?"

Reimu narrowed her eyes at the youkai, thinking of ways to destroy Yukari, "And I'm guessing you're gonna keep beating around the bush regarding what this "certain way" is?"

Yukari nodded, "I'm not your mother, Reimu. Besides, I've already given you a hint. So solve the puzzle on your own."

"Any chance I can beat the answer out of you?"

The sage and co-founder of Gensokyo let out a guffaw at the threat, "Nope." Reimu shot out a yin-yang orb to Yukari anyway. The orb went into a gap, and Reimu suddenly found her face planted on the table, a burning sensation at the back of her head.

"Fine, point made." When Reimu recovered, she groggily took her face from the table, her senses returning to a hundred per cent. She discussed some other things with Yukari after the latter had finished giggling at her expense, trading barbs and being lectured. They emptied their teas and spent whatever outside world confectionaries Yukari brought out from the gaps. Before Yukari left, Reimu motioned her to stop, "What do you think would happen if Eirin was separated from the other two?" She asked.

"That depends. Is she still somewhere the moon can reach her or no? Is she in a dimension where she can enact change?" Yukari asked.

"All those things."

"Well, without someone like me to keep her in line...and without Kaguya to care for. Then, Eirin might simply experiment on whatever she fancies."

Reimu leaned back, arms on the ground as support, "Is that a good or bad thing? For the place she might find herself in."

"Definitely bad," Yukari stated without hesitation. Millions of universes away, within a realm hidden from most. Yagokoro Eirin surveyed the kneeling rabbits before her. She had assigned three to explore further in the wilderness while the rest built Eirin's sanctuary; two returned. They had orders to bring any unconverted rabbits they could find while mapping the world around them. As they chased a spirit rabbit, one of their number had been caught by a mass of green tentacles connected to a single eye. It spoke to them, interrogated them. It was evident to Eirin that she was hunted by one of the locals. The capture of one of her rabbits was a probing attack to gauge her reaction. So react, she will. By day's end, Eirin walked to the base of the Tree of Time, where she was building her sanctuary, and fired an arrow at the sky. A constellation of spells and diagrams lit up the sky as a pure veil of white encompassed the land around her. She had formed a barrier the local spirits had no hope of piercing. Eirin had ensured she would be left genuinely alone for the first time in decades.

Something rumbled within the tree as a corruptive energy tried to seep out. Soon, Eirin thought, but not now, not when the rabbits have yet to build you a vessel.
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Spoiler: AN

Was in a lecture about Aristotle, professor said something about the soul and sub-lunary beings. It was then I found the perfect slur for Lunarians to use.

I'm on my second-to-third draft of the main chapter, so that is on the back burner, and life has been kicking me in the balls. But I didn't want to leave the year having only posted in Sept and Oct so I thought I'd show you guys what's happening back home in Gensokyo. Obviously, Reimu didn't just discuss about Kaguya and Mokou with Eirin, but it was the only relevant part of the convo to the story.

Also, when Reimu dropped that bomb on the Watatsukis, I imagined her expression to be similar to Toji when he was speaking to Geto from JJK. And speaking of the bomb. Back when I started this story, I was hesitant regarding whether I wanted to explore those explicit themes with the characters since, back then, I had no idea how to explore them. Now I do. So you guys might see it pop up more in the near future (but it won't turn to full-on smut --Though I might just store those scenes somewhere else in AO3 if I end up wanting to, though.) If you think it clashes with the tone of the story so far, give me a heads up so I can course correct. Obviously Kaguya and Mokou's bond wont devolve into only that, it's just a new thing I wanted to add to their dynamic. Which is kinda what this chapter is for. I can dip my toes on the subject without fully commiting, since technically I'm not making an explicit statement on what the two are like physically, it's just Reimu parroting some rumours (I get to have my cake and eat it too and leave it ambigous haha).

I've pivoted back in forth on whether I wanted to do a full rewrite of the earlier chapters, but it would ruin the small amount of momentum I already have. But it's tempting. Also, I feel that this chapter feels like one of the better-written ones to me, which is great, I think. I haven't gotten worse, at least. Maybe that opinion might change after a week or two. But ultimately, you guys are the judge.

I hope you guys enjoyed it, and if I'm not able to post a new chapter soon, then Merry Christmas to everyone. Stay safe!