Mononobe no Futo was many things: scion of the storied Mononobe clan, immortal shikaisen, trusted right hand of the Crown Prince, feng shui master; the list went on and on. Unfortunately, the latest addition to that list was 'completely lost in an impenetrable forest at night'.
It was all Seiga's fault, as usual. She could hear the wicked hermit's coy, simpering voice even now…
"Really, Miko darling, you simply must get in touch with those Lunarians."
"Thou wilt show proper respect to Her Highness, base-born mountebank!" snarled Futo.
Seiga continued without missing a beat. "After all, that doctor of theirs can do almost anything, I've heard. Even the Human Village swears by her amazing remedies; imagine what her support could do for your reputation! And let's not forget Princess Kaguya herself. A single glance from her drives men wild! Why, even the Son of Heaven couldn't resist her beauty, or so the stories go."
Toyosatomimi no Miko let out a single, thoughtful "Hmmm". Her ever-present shaku started tapping gently against her lip; a sure sign that she was considering something very carefully.
"My Prince, you cannot seriously be thinking…" Futo whirled to face Miko, mouth ajar.
"Enough, Futo. Seiga may not be as respectful as you would wish, but she does have a point. I have been awake for quite a while, but still have not paid my proper respects to the House of Eternity. This should be remedied as soon as possible. And who better to send than my trusty second?"
Futo shot a venomous look at Seiga, but Miko's words soothed her a little. "As you command, my Prince. Your will shall be done."
Futo had never considered disobeying Miko's instructions, but she was beginning to grow tempted to interpret them as loosely as possible. She had been wandering the Bamboo Forest of the Lost for nearly six hours, two by air and four on foot, and the daylight was already failing rapidly.
Her overflights of the forest had shown her nothing but a sea of gently waving bamboo stalks stretching almost to the horizon, so she had landed and began exploring on foot. Four hours of searching passed without encountering anything, not even one of the rabbit youkai who were supposed to be infesting this forest.
Every single direction-pointing ritual Futo had tried, whether from the traditions she learnt as a child or the arts that Seiga had taught in secret, had failed. All that effort, and not a single sign that the domain of the Lunarians was anywhere nearby. Wait, hadn't she passed that rock twice already?
"Truly, this accursed place well deserves its name. I had thought it simply the over-active imagination of the peasants or some minor enchantment, but to baffle even my skills…" Futo's mutterings trailed off as she saw a faint glimmer ahead.
No, not just any glimmer. A fire! She hadn't been so glad to see one since Sakurai-ji went up in flames. Of course, that one didn't really count, since she had been the one who set it...
Futo shook her head a little and started walking towards the flickering light; now was not the time for wool-gathering. She was tired, hungry, and more than a little frustrated. Resting for a while sounded like an excellent idea, and if the person in front could give her directions, all the better. She didn't even care where the directions took her, as long as she managed to get somewhere instead of wandering aimlessly.
Soon, she emerged into a little clearing, where a figure was hunched over a fire burning away merrily.
"Hail and well-met, stranger! Dost thou have room at thy fire for a weary traveller, perchance?"
The person sitting on a large rock next to the fire glowered at her as she approached, but nodded and jerked her head slightly, indicating a patch of somewhat dry ground opposite. Futo nearly flopped down in exhaustion, but caught herself just in time. Instead, she carefully lowered herself to the ground, tucking her legs comfortably under her.
The flickering firelight revealed Futo's new acquaintance to be a woman dressed in one of the more outlandish costumes she had seen since her awakening. Long, unkempt white hair, a white tunic with a strange collar and what looked like red hakama, but were far tighter and covered with talismans. Truly, this was a strange era she had returned to.
After an awkward few minutes of silence, Futo spoke up. "Thou hast my thanks for the warmth and shelter, however rude it may be. Know that thou hast the honour of granting succour to Futo of the Mononobe, who is master of the True Way, seneschal of the Hall of Dreams' Great Mausoleum, majordomo of Senkai, and trusted advisor of the Crown Prince Toyosatomimi no Miko. What might thy name be, stranger?"
The woman snorted as Futo recited her titles. She didn't look too impressed, but commoners of this era usually reacted that way. Proper respect seemed to be incredibly lacking in this day and age. Nevertheless, Futo would be magnanimous. Allowances had to be made for their sad ignorance, after all. Of course, once the Crown Prince was properly installed as ruler of Gensokyo as was her rightful due, all that would change...
Startled, Futo realised that her companion had been speaking. "I beg thy pardon?"
"I said, I'm Mokou. Mokou of the Fujiwara, if it makes any difference to you."
Futo blinked a little. Fujiwara, Fujiwara. The name didn't sound very familiar, to be honest, but the way Mokou had said it, it was almost as if she expected her to know it.
"I pray thy forgiveness, but the name and deeds of the Fujiwara are not known to me. Alas, I have slept for most of an age, and much has changed since I last walked the soil of Nihon. Nevertheless, thine appearance does not bespeak much of them. Perhaps they are vassals charged with the care of this place? My condolences; such a duty must be onerous indeed."
Mokou snorted again, even more contemptuously than the first time, but stayed silent, letting the expression of distaste on her face speak volumes on her behalf.
Futo continued, uncaring of the mood. "Tell me, Fujiwara, art thou well acquainted with the paths of this benighted forest? I have a commission to fulfill from my master, and I would fain complete it swiftly. Dost thou know where the House of Eternity, demesne of the Princess Kaguya, may be found? I wish to meet her with all haste."
Mokou's expression remained unchanged, save for a barely perceivable twitch when Kaguya was mentioned.
"Huh. Wouldn't have thought you'd be looking for that place. You're one of that Taoist Saint's crew, aren't you? Heard about you people when I last went into town to visit Keine."
The white-haired woman idly stirred the fire with a dry branch, causing it to flare up slightly, while continuing to speak.
"The Myouren bunch seemed to be particularly upset, for some reason. Funny, it's usually Reimu who complains most about incidents. Anyway, what do you want to see Her Exalted Lunarness for?"
Futo fumed inwardly. The idiot woman didn't seem to understand. Perhaps it was time to speak plainly.
"'I would have thought my words earlier to suffice to make my purpose clear, but 'tis obvious that I presumed overly much. Nevertheless, I shall be generous and repeat myself: I am the representative of the great and glorious Crown Prince Toyosatomimi no Miko, who has awakened once more to bring her wisdom and guidance to all. Currently, I seek the Princess Kaguya of Eientei in order to present my lord's compliments to her. Lead me to her domain, and thy reward shall be rich. Otherwise, do not waste my time bandying words as if this were a marketplace and I a fishwife."
Mokou sighed. "Figures. Should have expected nothing else from a Mononobe. After all, they always were a bunch o' stuck up posers with their noses in the air."
She jerked herself to her feet sharply, stretching and working out the kinks in her back.
"Allies of granddad or not, they always were utterly insufferable. No wonder they changed their name later, probably couldn't stand to live with the shame of losing that war."
Futo was stunned into silence temporarily, but soon wounded pride and anger began to overwhelm her surprise. What did this jumped-up peasant think she was doing, referring to her honoured clan that way?!
True, she might have abandoned them and the ancient faith for the sake of the Crown Prince and the True Way; but she would kiss that rotting jiang-shi of Seiga's before she let an insult to their name pass!
"Thou hadst best still thy foolish tongue, else I still it for thee. The Mononobe were great and honoured before thine ancestors first scratched a living from the soil. Indeed, thou wouldst be well-advised to do as I instruct, or the consequences will not be pleasant."
Mokou leaned forward a little, smirking. "Oh? And just what're you going to do if I don't? Kill me?"
Perhaps it was something about the way the firelight fell on Mokou's face, but her entire presence seemed to have changed. Futo began to feel a little apprehensive. The white-haired woman didn't feel like a youkai (Oh, Futo knew those accursed beings far too well); yet no mere human could ever have exuded this feeling.
It was time she nipped this in the bud. Surely this disrespectful hick could be cowed by a show of force?
Slowly getting to her feet, Futo fixed Mokou with the coldest glare she could muster.
"I know not what foul arts thou possess, but know that I am a shikaisen, one who has overcome death itself! The secret arts of the Mononobe and the power of the True Way are united in me!"
She held out a hand, and fire bloomed in her palm, red hot and ready to be hurled at the soon-to-be humbled Mokou.
"Fear me, Fujiwara, and learn thy place!"
Mokou replied with a fireball of her own aimed squarely at Futo's face, which she hastily dodged with an undignified squawk.
"Oh, please. You really have been out of it for ages, haven't you? I haven't heard someone talk like that - alright, someone other than Kaguya when she's being even more infuriating than usual - since the Edo," drawled Mokou. "Also, immortality isn't exactly the best thing to use to scare me, ya know? You're speaking to someone who drank the Hourai Elixir, after all."
Even Futo had heard of the Hourai Elixir, though Seiga had only ever mentioned it as being a legend. Regardless, the immortality it was rumoured to grant was something even she could never hope to match. Her mind frantically raced to think of something to get her out of the mess that seemed to be getting worse every minute.
What was that barbaric custom they had here? The one that the shrine maiden had used to defeat her just after her awakening?
"I, I challenge thee to a contest of...uh...ah, yes, danmaku! If victory shalt be mine, thou shalt guide me to Princess Kaguya and nothing more shall be said of thine appalling manners."
Mokou advanced, cracking her knuckles. "And what if I win?"
"Uh, I shall say nothing more of thine appalling manners?"
"Wrong answer."