Deaf to all but a love song
*The following is a Touhou Fan-fiction and is not an official story. All characters, likeness, locations and terms belong to ZUN with the exception of the main male. Please read warmly as from love blossoms a melody sung by the heart.
Story by: StevenTheLost
Touhou Romance Project: 2012-?
It was a song. She didn't know when she first heard it or how long she was walking towards it. Nor did she know why she still followed it as the darkness engulfed her. All she cared about was the song: A warm melody which warped her mind and yet had a soothing effect on her body. She kept moving forward, paying no heed to her impending blindness.
She could still feel.
She could still hear.
She could still breathe.
And so, she continued on.
The melody always remained clear in her mind as it echoed throughout the forest. It never got louder, it never got quieter, it just... continued. Despite this, without knowing where it was coming from, she still moved forward.
She could still think.
She could still walk.
She could still listen to the melody.
And so, she continued on.
She kept moving along the trees, feeling them with her hands as she walked deeper in the forest. The black night didn't scare her. The warm melody was more than enough light for her. It illuminated her will to move, but covered her mind in a veil of darkness. Still, her will was enough. Enough to move on aimlessly to the melodies demands.
She was cold.
Her feet hurt.
Her mind was numb.
But still, she continued on.
All of a sudden, her feet stopped moving. She tried to move them, but they wouldn't budge. Then, the melody stopped and her vision returned. She was on the ground, pinned down and unable to move. Despite her sight having returned, it was impossible to see who or what her assailant looked like. She panicked. She struggled with all of her might to break loose and run away, but she couldn't. She didn't want to die here. Not without hearing that song at least one more time.
And, as if someone heard her silent plea, the melody resumed once more. It was the assailant who was singing. It was a beautiful voice, far too beautiful to be human. She stopped struggling as the darkness once again seeped into her vision and mind. Even in the darkness, she remained calm for the melody soothed her soul, even as it left the body.
It was such a wonderful melody.
Date: Season 127, 19th of Book Month (July)
"That makes twelve missing people this month, huh?"
Mokou was sitting down with a stern expression on her face, even before the villager known as Abel informed her of another missing villager. He always came to report the same thing over and over again. Mokou was always asked to help find them, but never once did they turn up alive.
"Yes, it would appear that way" Abel responded.
Abel was a young man who appeared to be around the age of 18 with short blond hair. Mokou first met him wandering around the Bamboo Forest of the Lost a couple years ago. After escorting him to the village, he introduced himself to be a self-proclaimed adventurer of sorts, but was actually a human from the outside world who somehow wounded up in the forest through a hole in the barrier. Afterwards, he settled down in the human village and started studying everything about Gensokyo from legends to locations.
He continued to go into the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, however, because he wanted to become friends with Mokou. He would always get lost though and Mokou would end up escorting him back to the human village without saying a word as he continued to tell obviously made-up tales of extraordinary adventures. And after he was back in the human village, he would always say, See you again! Not 'later', but 'again' as if it were a predetermined thing.
Then, one day as she was escorting him back to the human village again, she broke her one sided silence and said, "Don't go in the forest ever again. I won't help you get out anymore." To which he responded, "Then I'll be sure to pay a visit to your house then." It was after this conversation that she realized she always found him in the same exact spot in the forest, but she just waved it off as a coincidence.
If only she were that lucky.
About fifteen days later, he paid her a visit. At first, she thought it was just dumb luck and despite her earlier declaration, escorted him back to the human village. But the next day, he came again to visit her again. That was when she realized that it was no coincidence that she found him "lost" in the same spot over and over again. Abel's memory was normal except for his ability to remember layouts of different locations. He used a mental map and continued to explore the forest while always remembering the way back to the village until he found Mokou's home.
"I've never gotten lost once in my life", Abel stated to Mokou during one of his visits. He continued on to explain that even with his eyes closed he still had a general idea of where he was going. Mokou found herself asking more and more questions and before she realized it she was talking to him almost as much as she talked to Keine. Before she knew it, Abel's visits became a normal occurrence and to this day he is one of the very few people she can truly call her friend.
Abel eventually became recognized in the village because of his unique ability and started to receive requests to escort people through the Bamboo Forest of the Lost to Eientei much like Mokou did. He also started acting as a village messenger whenever the village wanted to request help from Mokou, as he was the only person aside from Keine who knew how to get to her home.
He seemed to be in that role for a much longer time than usual because of the disappearances.
"For it to be this many people, it's most likely the work of a Youkai." Mokou determined.
"Yeah, this is why the request from the village is slightly different this time." Abel said.
"They want me to help find out what's causing the disappearances?" Mokou guessed.
"Not just 'they', I'm also asking this as a friend. I personally know some of these people and I can't imagine what could've happened to them. I do know one thing though: they didn't do anything wrong. Please, Mokou." Abel requested while bowing.
"Don't bow. If it's a request from a friend I can't very well refuse, now can I?" Mokou said.
"Thank you. Although I'm pretty sure I forced my friendship on you" Abel said with a grin.
"You were indeed annoying, always pestering me until I finally accepted your company was a good thing." Mokou said with a smile.
"Is that really what happened? If only my memory was good for things other than layouts of land." Abel said.
"You just admitted that you forced your friendship on me a while ago, didn't you?"
"If only I remembered."
Mokou laughed at this exchange of dialogue. Abel also seemed to have this ability to make the atmosphere cheerful whenever he spoke, although one can attest that to his character rather than a special gift like his sense of direction.
"Anyways, I'd better be going. I've got to go tell the villagers that you'll help find out what's causing these disappearances." Abel said, getting up.
"Is that really something you need to go tell them now?" Mokou asked.
"Well, that and I need to do a bit of research. There might be something hinting as to what's causing these disappearances." Abel answered.
"Local records?" Mokou asked.
"You could say that..."
"So, do you have any Ideas as to what might be causing the disappearances?" Abel asked.
Akyu was drinking tea at the time Abel intruded into her house. He often went there to ask questions about Gensokyo and its various inhabitants because of her vast knowledge and experience spanning more than 1200 years due to her many reincarnations. She kept insisting that he should read the Gensokyo Chronicles rather than inquire her about everything, but Abel explained that it's much easier for him to remember things said in conversations rather than things he read.
She eventually gave up on getting him to read the Gensokyo Chronicles and found herself in lengthy conversations with Abel about Gensokyo. Despite Abel's constant visits and talking at great lengths, their relationship never got past that of an inadvertent teacher and her student.
"There are quite a few cases similar to this, all of them involving a Youkai as the main source. This is most likely the same thing." Akyu responded, still sipping her tea.
"So there's nothing else we could do but keep searching for this Youkai and exterminate it?" Abel asked.
"That would be the case. Oh, and travel as a group at night time. Also, if you hear someone singing, don't follow the source of the sound."
"That's very specific instructions..."
"It involves a very specific Youkai."
"I know. I overheard some of the villagers talking about her. Mystia was her name... right?"
Akyu sighed at the mention of the Youkai's name both confirming and showing disdain for the name.
"She's become very popular among the young villagers despite her nature of making people lost and eating them." Akyu stated.
"…Because of her singing, right?" Abel asked.
"She also sells grilled lamprey at night time." Akyu said.
"Do Youkai even need money?"
"Probably not, but they can, however, get bored."
"Do you think she has anything to do with the disappearances?"
"It's a possibility. With her popularity amongst the youth in the village, hardly any action is taken against her. She might have gotten arrogant because of this and started to increase her activity during the night."
"But she would still sell lamprey during some nights in order to avoid arousing suspicion, right?"
Akyu raised her eyebrows and asked, "Plan on paying her a visit?"
"The only way to find out if she has anything to do with this would be to keep a close eye on her. Besides, even if she isn't involved she might know something about the disappearances."
"Even if she knew something, I doubt she'd tell anyone. Despite her popularity with humans, she herself doesn't like humans."
"Well I'm still going to make sure she isn't involved." Abel said, getting up.
"Wait a minute. What exactly do you plan on doing?"
"Find Mystia"
"Specifics, please"
"I'll go alone at night and make sure to follow any mysterious melodies to their source."
"Do you enjoy ignoring me?"
"If Mystia is behind the disappearances, then I don't want to bring along anyone who would potentially be put in danger. As for her singing, it won't affect me because my sense of direction has never faltered. I won't get lost."
"You call it an ability, but can you say for sure that it's more than just memorization and a good sixth sense? If not, then I can guarantee you won't come back."
"It's more than just memorization. If I know where I want to go, then my legs will take me there, regardless of where it is, although I only just recently discovered that part of my ability."
"And how did you find this out?"
"On the day I found Mokou's house."
"It's a wonder you didn't find her house sooner than fifteen days, if that's the case."
"I never tried relying on my sense of direction to take me to a place I've never been to before, so naturally it took me a while before I thought of trying it out. The other fourteen days were just wandering around in different directions while remembering the landscape along the way. The fifteenth day was when I thought, 'I'm going to where Mokou is!' and I found myself in front of her house before I knew it."
"Quite a useful ability you have there. If you think, 'I'm going to where a hourai elixir is!', then you're set for life."
"I'll need to find a reason to keep myself alive forever before I ponder that."
"Is that all you want to know?"
"Yes, thank you. You were a great help, like always."
"You're welcome."
Just as Abel was about to leave, Akyu said one last thing before he left.
"If she is behind it, makes sure you want to find her during the day. After all, it's easier to kill a nocturnal creature that way."