Late at night, the moon was rising over the famed Youkai Mountains while halfway full. High in the night sky of Gensokyo a youkai kitsune with yellow eyes, short blonde hair kept under a pink two-tailed hat, and a blue and light purple dress with blue print on the front. She focused her attention towards a scroll, glancing away only to look down at the forests below, which were rather quiet on this uneventful night. The Youkai was known as Ran Yakumo, and at this moment she let out a sigh and curled the scroll up with a flick of the wrist.

"At least things have died down after the recent incidents…All the Lunarian weapons are gone, the barrier is patched up, and all those impure Lunarians have returned to the moon where they rightfully belong…" Ran spoke with a degree of arrogance and relief, putting the scroll into her sleeves as she folded her arms together. "I must report the completion of my tasks to Lady Yukari now…" Ran said as she began to turn around.

She flinched, as suddenly her master appeared before her through a small gap. The master, known by many as Yukari Yakumo, was wearing a long pink dress with a crumpled up white hat atop her head. Her long blonde hair had blue ribbons tied to the ends, and her hands were covered by long white gloves. In one hand she held a simple paper fan, in the other she held a fancy white parasol over her shoulder. The fan was waved in front of her mischievously smiling face as she looked at Ran, stating to her in a relaxed manner "You are sure you've done everything…Ran?"

Yukari looked so relaxed, that it was hard to imagine that she could command any authority at a glance. But Ran, who was quite powerful in her own right, quickly became submissive as she bowed her head forward and stated "I-I fulfilled the tasks you assigned me on the scroll, Lady Yukari." Befitting of a master to her shikigami, Yukari smacked Ran across the head with her parasol after quickly folding it up, returning it back to where it was equally as fast. Ran flinched, but accepted the punishment as Yukari then said to her "I wish for you to read the scroll over to me, if you would."

Ran wasted little time in pulling the scroll free from her sleeves and opening it up, reading out to her master "Seal the barrier up again after it was broken through by that 'hermit'…" Yukari commented on this matter with nonchalance by stating "At some point you must get around to having a little 'chat' with that 'hermit' who broke the barrier, Ran…Such bold behavior cannot go overlooked."

Ran continued on by mentioning "Make sure to dispose of the deactivated Lunarian weapons and ensure they can't use the Dream World as a safe zone again…" Yukari again brushed off the matter nonchalantly, stating as she looked towards the moon "And the cowards have returned to their prison where they rightfully belong…If they have still not learned their lesson after two straight defeats, then they are more of a lost cause than I had assumed of them." Glancing at her shikigami, Yukari remarks with a bit of forcefulness "Continue, Ran…"

Ran looks at the scroll again and says "There's nothing else here…" Yukari once more responds with a swift smack of Ran's forehead with the parasol, this time striking a little harder before remarking "I suppose I should have used a less powerful ink on that last one…Or perhaps your senses are dulling from a lack of use lately, Ran. The invisible ink I placed below the second request states, as such, 'To prepare the necessary things for Master Yukari to put the menreiki under her control'."

Looking at the scroll again with a look of embarrassment, Ran bowed and said "I am so, so sorry, Lady Yukari…It seems you used your ink that is only revealed from contact with the light of the moon…I am a fool to have not noticed such a difference." Yukari smacked Ran one more time, but was delicate in her punishment and said in a complimenting tone "At least you are recognizing that. So, I suppose I must now leave you to that task, Ran?"

"I shall have everything ready within a day, all prime and proper without a single flaw. It is all I can do to owe up for this folly…" Ran stated earnestly, and Yukari told her "As I am expecting of you, Ran. Now, you may go, I require nothing else from you tonight…" With permission granted from her master, Ran left through a gap Yukari opened for her, leaving the lone enigma of a Youkai to look over the land she adored with a small smile on her face.

"The time of his arrival draws closer with every passing day…Time steps towards that destination faster and faster, almost as if it's in a hurry to lure the shadow of Death herself to us…" Yukari then chuckled in a humored manner and said "I welcome the challenge, in that case. Perhaps I shall put a modicum of effort into things this time around…Gensokyo, my favored land, I shall prepare you for the coming battles soon enough…Especially you, my dear Hata no Kokoro…"

Touhou Project Masquerade Arc Final Story: Phantasm Masquerade

Chapter 1: Catching up on Recent Events

Gensokyo is a mythical land of fantasy. Things like Youkai, fairies and spirits are very common in this land, and technology that the more modern day outside world thrives on is very scarce in this land. So for the forests of Gensokyo to be filled with the roar of a motor engine running at full capacity is quite an odd thing to hear, to say the least. But even that sound is explainable through the odd nature of this land, however, describing just who is riding this vehicle is a little more…bizarre to say the least. Tell me, have you ever heard of a Buddhist nun clocking forty miles per hour on a motorbike?

…Well I'd imagine not in the real world, but this Gensokyo, where a lot of common logic can be thrown out the window at any given moment. Regardless, I am wasting your time, so lets get to the point. Through the forest, a woman by the name of Byakuren Hijiri is currently riding a two-wheeled motorbike around the many trees in the forest. There was a light above the handles that made it easy to warn the Youkai living within of her riding should the roar of her engines not prove sufficient enough.

Byakuren was decked in a black leather outfit that conformed to her body's beautiful curves perfectly, with a few straps covering her chest and a green scarf around her neck. Her gradient purple and brown hair blew back as she rode happily through the forest, with either confidence or arrogance dictating her decision to not wear a helmet for protection. The same could not be said for her passenger, a young Youkai by the name of Hata no Kokoro, whose head was protected by a black glass covered helmet. Her long lavender hair stuck out from the back of the helmet and fluttered about as she held her arms around Byakuren's waist.

As usual, Kokoro wore her blue plaid blouse with odd shaped buttons and salmon-colored pumpkin shaped skirt with smiling and frowning faces cut into it. While Byakuren rode her motorbike excitedly, Kokoro's heart beat rapidly against her chest, though not even this excitement was enough to illicit a change in her expression. In a motherly tone unbecoming of a biker, Byakuren proclaimed "How are you holding up, Kokoro?!"

In a stoic if not stuttering manner Kokoro replied "I-I'm fine, mother! I can handle this…" Byakuren breached the forest and ended up in a grassy plain, and upon gripping the handles tightly she said with a little energy "Then hang on…! We got one turn left!" She turned the bike and make a sharp curve through the grass, tearing up the ground before she clenched the ignition tightly and caused the motorbike to release flames from the back before it boosted forward at high speeds towards a ramp.

But it was not just any ramp. The cloudy nyuudou Unzan had turned the back of his body into a solid ramp as he laid atop the grass and drank a cup of tea in his right hand until the moment Byakuren sped the bike up the back of his body, and the feeling of rough leather makes him let out a heavy grunt of enjoyment for how good it felt even if it did briefly leave a rough impression on his form. After a brief flight through the air where one could get a good glance of the land below, Byakuren brings the bike right down in front of her temple, swerving it around to a complete stop as the wheels kick up a heavy amount of dirt.

The entrance of the temple, the trio of Kyouko Kasodani, Ichirin Kunoi, and Nue Houjuu were there waiting for Byakuren to stick the landing, and all three of them held up a small piece of scroll paper with a cross painted on it in different ways for each person. The cross was the kanji representing "ten", and while holding up her sign in particular Kyouko wagged her doggy tail and smiled widely. Byakuren, however, looked at her three followers as she pulled the keys out and spun them around on one finger and remarked in a humored tone "You don't have to appraise my performance every time, you know…"

After Kokoro lets go of her, Byakuren got off the bike and turned to help her off, though first she laid a hand against her chest to check how much her heart was beating. It was almost like a woodpecker tapping it's beak against a tree with how fast it was going. Kokoro was leaning back a bit and was silent until Byakuren said "I really hope that wasn't too much for you to handle, Kokoro…" Kokoro raised a hand up and delicately laid it around Byakuren's wrist, telling her quietly as she took the helmet off "I-It's ok mommy…I'm ok, I'm alright…"

Kokoro got off the bike and looked up at Byakuren's face with her nearly blank ivory eyes, her chest puffing out a bit to show her catching her breath while Byakuren appropriately smiled at her bravery. Byakuren placed the keys in a pocket on her suit before she said "You handled yourself very well then, Kokoro, especially for your first time." Kokoro looked up as Ichirin, who was wearing her usual Buddhist attire, said to her after a brief chuckle "It's certainly better than how I dealt with it…"

Nue leaned back on her miniature UFO and said with her pointy eyes perked up mischievously "Hahaha, I remember that! Unzan was holding a bucket for you to throw up in for a whole week!" Ichirin let out a sigh as she rested some fingers against her forehead and said "And poor Unzan had to take some of that into his body by accident…" Speaking of the nyuudou, he flew his way over the forest and towards the temple at that very moment, rubbing his back until it looked normal again, letting out a loud sigh of relief before he levitated down behind Ichirin.

Ichirin rubbed Unzan's beard and the cloudy man chuckled, followed by Byakuren bowing with her hands held together and stating "Thank you, mighty Unzan, for your help today." Unzan smiles a little bit in response, and Ichirin then said to Byakuren "Alright Lady Byakuren, we'll go get to work on the garden now. Call on us if you need any help with anything else!" Ichirin and Unzan then departed from the front of the temple for the time being.

Kokoro gave Byakuren her helmet as she looked at her two followers, asking them politely "So, are either of you interested in riding this bike?" Kyouko widened her eyes and said in a squeamish voice "N-No, that's alright Lady Byakuren. I could never ride something that dangerous…" Nue winks at Kyouko and tauntingly said to her "You'd be better off riding a tricycle you little softy."

Kyouko perked her eyes up and faced Nue, telling her harshly "T-That's uncalled for Nue!" Byakuren reprimanded the little youkai alien by raising a finger and saying "There's no need to mock Kyouko for her decision, Nue. Even I must admit that this motorbike was hard to learn to operate at first…There are some Youkai out there who would only wish they were as fearsome as this machine…" Byakuren smiled as she laid a hand atop the bike's handles.

"I suppose it's wrong for a Buddhist to hold onto material possessions, but at the same time we're happy to have this bike with us…Perhaps Buddha shall be forgiving of yet any transgression if I offer him more sutras…" Byakuren gently said, and Kokoro looked her in the eyes and told her "Mommy, I'm sure he's an understanding person." Byakuren was comforted by Kokoro's words and smiled, while Nue laid atop her UFO out of their sight and kicked her stockinged legs up while remarking "The bikes in the outside world are SOOOO much better though…Every one of them would make this look like a dusty relic."

Nue then grinned at Kokoro and said "You know Kokoro, Mamizou and I could turn into one of those bikes ANYTIME we want to. Perhaps you'd enjoy riding one of us sometime?" Nue's grin widened a little as she immediately saw the reaction from both Byakuren and Kyouko, and the innocent tilt of Kokoro's head as she was seriously considering the idea. Kyouko shut her eyes tight and barked at Nue "Y-You know exactly what you're saying there Nue! Don't go corrupting Kokoro!" Which admittedly threw the Youkai off-balance for a moment.

Nue shrugged and said with a coy glance towards the yamabiko "It's just some harmless wordplay Kyouko. You got to stop getting so worked up, honestly…" "Well maybe if you weren't such a POOPY HEAD!" Kyouko proclaimed with such emphasis that her voice echoed out a shockwave that pushed Nue back, leaving her rather surprised. Byakuren then firmly put her foot down while keeping a motherly air around her, saying as she smiled "Kyouko, no name calling is necessary. And Nue, I do believe that there are some scrolls that need to be sorted away, so perhaps you could use that delinquent energy of yours to work on that, hmmm?"

Byakuren, her eyes shut, made Nue cease her delinquent behavior by just turning her head her way. She just looked exasperated for a moment before stuttering "A-Alright, M-Miss Hijiri. I…I'll get right on that!" She then sat upright on her UFO and turned around to make way for the temple quickly, while Kyouko stuck her tongue out and made a quiet raspberry. Byakuren, however, then said to Kyouko "You have some work to do as well Kyouko, in case you forgot."

Kyouko flinched and then turned to look at Byakuren as she said "R-Right Lady Hijiri!" She then scurried off on her merry way, leaving mother and daughter alone next to the bike. Kokoro was still thinking about what Nue had said until Byakuren turning to face her made enough noise to snap the young menreiki out of her trance. Kokoro then glanced up and said "Mommy, come to think about it…Where did you even get this motorcycle?"

Byakuren folded her arms together under her chest and remarked with a pondering glance upward "You know, it's not really that interesting of a story, Kokoro…" "And yet one I believe we BOTH wish to hear anyways, wouldn't you agree Hijiri?" A third voice joined this conversation with intrigue in their tone, and Byakuren and Kokoro looked towards the forest to see the familiar Toyosatomimi no Miko approaching them. For once, she was not wearing her famed cape nor was she joined by her followers.

"Daddy…!" Kokoro said with the little joy she could muster upon seeing Miko. Yes, Miko is a female like every other named character that's not Rinnosuke. No, Kokoro did not make a mistake in calling Miko her father. But compared to the feminine Byakuren, the somewhat masculine Miko better fits the role of a father figure to the young menreiki. Carrying her shaku before her chest, Miko stopped behind the bike and said "As I recall, your Urban Legend is one of the few that required you to find an item to use it properly, Hijiri."

Byakuren turned to look at Miko, and with a face that even the most paranoid of people could trust she said "All I did was procure a bike from Korindou. It seems as though this dropped in from the outside world around the time the Urban Legends began to crop up." "Between the Urban Legends and that strange girl from the outside, Gensokyo got some tastes of that so-called 'technology' the humans from the outside have developed. I must admit, while intrigued, I have no real interest in spending time fiddling around with any of it." Miko stated while laying a hand atop the handles of the bike and rubbing it softly.

Miko then glanced at Kokoro, who walked up to her with a little glimmer in her eyes. "And just how are you doing today, Kokoro?" Miko inquired with a smile, and Kokoro said in turn "Daddy, where have you been lately?" Miko blinked a couple times and then smiled confidently before turning around and placing her shaku up near her forehead, stating happily "I have been guiding the humans in the village through the recent chaos. It has been quite the easy task for one of my status!"

As Kokoro looked on at Miko in awe, she was doing a good job disguising the exasperated look on her face as she thought to herself "Between the Urban Legends and the Lunarians it has been hell lately…But I can't let that show." Before Kokoro got the idea to glance around to see Miko's true expression, the Crown Prince flipped around and forced herself to look confident as she proclaimed "But now that the chaos has passed, I can start spending more time with you again!"

"Yay!" Kokoro proclaimed, arms raised as high as they could. Miko laughed proudly at how good her mild deception was, but then Byakuren raised a finger and said to her firmly "Miko, before that…I kind of need you to explain something to me." Miko paid close attention as Byakuren contorted her face into an expression of slight anger that made even the usually collected Miko quiver, and the words Byakuren said "Mind telling me just why you attacked our daughter during the Urban Legend incident?"

Miko clenched her shaku tightly and could just FEEL the pressure coming from Byakuren. It had been some time since the Buddhist had shown such rage around her, so Miko made quick to explain herself with as much composure as she could "I-I never did get around to apologizing for that…But Kokoro was being possessed by her particular Urban Legend, so force was the only way to free her." Byakuren's rage quickly died down and she smiled, quickly saying in response "Then thank you for doing that, but it was definitely concerning to hear Kokoro say that to me."

"And had there been any better way of handling that, I would have. Speaking of the incident though…I've heard rumors of that girl from the outside still showing up in Gensokyo despite the barrier being patched. Sightings have mostly spotted her at the Hakurei Shrine and Korindou…Isn't that rather odd?" Miko commented to slightly change the subject, and Byakuren replied "I had not seen her, no…But then again, I never directly met that girl in the first place. I only have Kokoro's description of her to go by."

"Oh, so Kokoro ended up meeting her as well? I had an encounter with that girl at the barrier breach at the crux of the plan to send her back, but Kokoro had already departed from the area at the time…So that could only mean…" Miko glanced at Kokoro and inquired "You ended up traveling to the outside world, if only temporarily?" Kokoro nodded her head once, and Miko let out a rather potent sigh before stating "This incident truly was chaos incarnate…Perhaps I should just admit my stress towards this matter and be done with it all."

"That doesn't sound like you at all, Miko." Byakuren pointed out with a humored look on her face, and Miko admitted in turn "No I suppose you're right. Hahaha…Perhaps I should switch to Buddhism to find some peace of mind." Miko and Byakuren shared a glance for a moment and then both laughed at the idea, as they knew that Miko would not so readily abandon Taoism. Kokoro blinked a bit before asking "But mommy, if you didn't meet that strange human from the outside, what were you doing?"

As Kokoro raised a finger to her chin and pondered the answer Byakuren and Miko both looked at her, with Byakuren being wise enough to state "Oh, I was trying to deal with the Occult Balls, and Miko and I got into a bit of a disagreement over how to handle them. I suppose I got a bit too worked up and temporarily decided to butt heads with Miko for the first time in a while." Miko merely chuckled at that and said kindly "There is no need to apologize for that. In the end, while our goals connect in regards to Kokoro, our views in regards to other matters are still different enough that the occasional argument is to be expected. Though I shall point out that it was I who defeated your mother in our danmaku duel."

Miko, after that light boast, was met with a brief glance from Byakuren as she commented "Only because I began to understand what you were planning with the Occult Balls. What matters in the end is not who won, but rather that the Occult Balls were taken out of this world entirely." Byakuren then raised a finger to her chin and whispered "But then again, there was that thing the Hakurei maiden approached me for…"

"I'd put no concern in anything regarding the Occult Balls or the Urban Legends at this junction, Hijiri. As the news spread about, the Lunarians responsible for planting them in this world have returned back to the moon. Speaking of such incidents though…How did you both fare with those odd machines they planted on Gensokyo?" Miko inquired, leading to Byakuren stating "I managed to destroy a couple of them, but they just kept sending in more. Everyone at the temple had a difficult time being around them…"

"I-I managed to destroy one after a while, but they were really scary…." Kokoro commented a moment later before a mask showing her fright appeared for her to put onto her face as she shivered. Miko blinked a couple times and thought to herself "Shouldn't the machines have rejected her presence? Hmm…I suppose tsukumogamis might be different enough in that regard." Byakuren said in a gentle but reprimanding tone "You should've come to the temple Kokoro, it's dangerous to get involved with these type of incidents." Even though she said that, Byakuren did remember the times Kokoro had fended well for herself.

"Regardless, that incident has also passed, and the humans in the village are calming down for the time being. It's certainly a wake-up call though that we might need to prepare for another invasion attempt by the Lunarians…" Miko commented with a little caution in her voice, something which is not common from her. Byakuren took her words to heart and said "But specifically, we should make sure the human village is well-protected from collateral damage. We're lucky that the Lunarians didn't drop their weapons down there."

"Indeed, and luck is not something we can rely on again. But I do not wish to drown our conversation on such stressing matters…I said I finally broke away from affairs in the Human Village for a reason, after all." Miko then glanced at Kokoro and said with an inquisitive smile on her face "So Kokoro, how has life been treating you besides the recent incidents?" Kokoro pulled away the mask and said calmly "I've been doing well…I'm still going to the Scarlet Devil Mansion to see Flandre, and Tenshi has come down to visit me a lot to make sure I'm ok."

With a slight glimmer of joy in her eyes, Kokoro laid a hand against her chest and said "And I've been trying to help people in the human village a lot." Miko smiled at that and said "Still remaining dutiful to that vow you made all those months ago, I see. Very good Kokoro, your diligence towards that vow should be rewarded, wouldn't you agree?" Nervously Kokoro shook her head and said "T-That's alright daddy, mommy said kindness is it's own reward."

Miko glanced up at Byakuren briefly and then said "Very well, I suppose I shall respect that. I am always listening to the desires of those around me Kokoro, so if you need help finding someone TO help, then I am always willing to help. And I'm sure Hijiri has people come to her that need help as well." Kokoro responded honestly with "It's alright daddy, I need to be able to handle this myself. A-And I soon plan to help those who I wronged back when I went out of control with my powers."

With intrigue in her voice Miko commented "An admirable goal if I do say so. But just be careful, some folk might be particularly dangerous to be around without some company." Kokoro said with an affirming head nod "Of course daddy…" After a moment of thought Kokoro perked her head up and said "Oh yes, I forgot to mention that I'm going to need to head off to the Scarlet Devil Mansion in a bit. I promised Flandre that I'd take her out to explore Gensokyo."

"Is that so…? Well then, it seems I will have to save our time together until a later date." Miko said with a hint of disappointment in her voice as she laid the shaku against her mouth. Kokoro then respectfully bowed towards Byakuren and remarked "Thanks for the ride mommy…I'll see you later." Byakuren bowed to her daughter and reminded her kindly "Remember your sutras dear, and I shall wish you well on your travels tonight."

It was a simple farewell, but it showed the understanding and love between the two. Kokoro then looked at Miko and gave her a bow as well before walking away from the temple and taking off the ground with flight. As she left their sight, Miko took a moment to glance at Byakuren's leather suit and finally decided to comment "Now you explained the motorbike…But just where exactly did you get that suit from, Hijiri?" Byakuren nervously chuckled and said "Now THAT…Is a longer story…"

Meanwhile, in the forest not far away from the temple, there was a particular opening the wise but mischievous tanuki Mamizou Futatsuiwa was looking through at ground level. She leaned against a tree while wearing a beige striped scarf around her neck and waving her bushy tail around. With her arms folded together she watched Kokoro fly by overhead and perked her ears up, remarking in a curious tone "It's been a few months since that troublesome Yukari mentioned going after Kokoro, and yet she has not made a single move…"

Mamizou leaned her head forward and the lens of her glasses went white as she commented "Perhaps I need to make MY move now before she gets the chance…Hmm, it's going to be difficult, but I do have the right allies on hand to make this task easier." Putting the pipe she holds into her mouth to smoke it briefly, Mamizou's smile crept along her face as she said "You aren't going to lay a hand on the menreiki, Yukari…Mark my words, the brilliant mind of Sado shall not lose to you."

Next Time: Return to the Night Concerto