The Secret History Files
A Touhou Project Fic in the Danmakuverse by Achariyth
Chapter 1 - My Opening Farewell
"Be forgotten!"
I ducked under a clumsily thrown haymaker and drove my fist into my attacker's gut.
"That was nothing, monster," he hissed between clenched teeth. He's right; I pulled the punch. Keine hates it when I hurt a human. She barely tolerates my feud with Kaguya as it is.
"I am human," I bellowed, snapping a kick at the wiry man's kneecap. He spun out of the way, and I caught his roundhouse kick on my arm.
"Only monsters live as long as you," Wiry bellowed, stepping in close and grabbing hold of my shirt. I hate it when goons place their hands there almost as much as when people complain about my immortality. But before I could gouge my fingernails into some place soft, he sent my flying into the air.
A tree rose up to meet me. Fire lashed out, reducing it to ash. I hit the ground and rolled. Flames licked all around me, until, at a word, they died away. Wobbling to my feet, I faced Wiry. "How many times do I have to tell you Secret History losers to leave me alone."
"You mistake me, Lady Fujiwara," he said, pelting me with stones. I held up my arms and gave silent thanks that if the bone-bruising hits got too painful, I could just die. Serial immortality did have a few benefits. "I am not here for your head-"
"Better youkai than you have tried." Danmaku and fire flew from my hands, sweeping away the stones in mid-air and filling the field where we fought.
Normally, whenever the air filled with magic, any sane mortal would, duck, dodge, and hide from the storm. Wiry stood there and held up a glowing card. As it vanished in his hand, so did my magic. The goon actually had the gall to bomb out of my danmaku. "I know. The Hidden One says that you served our purposes for three hundred years."
"I never worked for your kind." Spell cards were too good for him. I bounced high into the air, plummeting feet-first towards the secret society initiate. He side-stepped me as I landed, twisting his hands deep within my floor-length hair. I yelled as he jerked my head back. Kaguya had done worse, many a time before, but it still got my attention. Too bad these Secret History punks used some sort of disguise magic to obscure their features; I really wanted find Wiry alone in a dark alley. Flames crept along my body, seeking out his hand.
With his free hand, Wiry pulled out a soot-blackened knife. "You can't kill me for good," I said.
"I just have to delay you."
I screamed as he thrust the knife into my chest-
I sat up with a start, panting as though waking from a nightmare. My head jerked around, searching for when and where I had revived. Fortunately, I was in the middle of the field where Wiry killed me. At least I hadn't ended up in a youkai's cookpot.
Patting down my shirt, I breathed a sigh of relief that the blade had slide between the shirt's buttons. I didn't have many shirts left, as the linen didn't react well to fire. My bindings, however, were ruined. Pulling my arms in from the sleeves, I tore away the useless cloth. There'd be no more running for me until I got back to the house.
Those bastards in the Secret History Association and I went way back, to the days when my immortality was first known. In public, they were nothing but an inept group of monster hunters bent on freeing Gensokyo from the youkai menace. However, this wasn't the first time they had killed me, and I had seen their acolytes seal away crow tengu and other top-end youkai into strange books. Still others had been eliminated because the Association initiates had purged all memories of the youkai from existence. Unremembered youkai perished without humans to fear them. I think that's why Yukari created the Children of Miare. No youkai had vanished in such a manner since the Gensokyo Chronicles had been published. Or at least that I can remember.
She hid it well, but Keine hated them as well. She claimed that the Secret History Association was a threat to the existence of Gensokyo. They certainly changed history enough to keep her busy late into many a night just to clean up the mess.
I wiggled my arms back into the sleeves and pulled out a turtle-shell brush. Gathering my long hair over my shoulder, I began the long process of brushing the tangles out.
Look, I might be a princess, and many times a dowager at that, but I am not some pampered court darling who ritually counts each of a thousand strokes through her hair every night. My hair tangles easily in a fight, especially when some ham-fisted goon decides to rake his hands through it. It's better to deal with the painful problem now, before it gets worse.
And it also give my spirit, mind, and body time to finish reconnecting after I revive.
Maybe I should cut it, but my hair is longer than Kaguya's. In certain circles, that makes me the glamorous one, which rankles her and pleases me to no end. Next time, I'll just burn the punk that tries that stunt.
As the comb passed through my hair again and again, my thoughts filled with idle revenge. Eventually, even the most elaborate plans for roast acolyte began to bore me, so I replayed the fight in my mind. Somehow, I needed to keep my enemies from snaring me in my own hair.
"I just have to delay you," Wiry had said.
I ground my teeth. Already, my skin burned, and in a moment, so would everything around me. The Secret History Association never really made a determined effort to eliminate me, but they did have many a long term plan. Personally, they were an annoyance, and I'd leave them alone, as long as they didn't mess with myself, Keine, her school, or Eternity Manor. Not that I'd need to bother. Eirin would tear apart anyone who was sill sane after meeting Reisen in her fury, and Keine consistently confounded the Association with her history tricks.
But the fools only had to get lucky once, and all of Gensokyo knew that Keine and I were closer than sisters...
I leapt to my feet and pocketed my comb. Pressing one arm tight against my chest, I sprinted home.
Some time during my run, I abandoned all attempts at modesty and comfort. Some lucky guy could have gotten a cheap thrill as I ran through the village, but all eyes were on Lord and Lady Hieda as they addressed the crowd. I didn't hear a word of what they said; I needed to see Keine.
I burst through the front door, shrieking her name. We shared a small house with no central heating, just long enough for a kitchen, a dining room, an office, and a single bedroom. (At night, another person's body heat matters more than privacy. Put those thoughts away, perverts.) I ran from room to room, but Keine wasn't there. No sign of struggle, no sign of her, not even her clothes. It was like I never had a roommate.
Throwing myself onto the bed, I wept. I couldn't even catch her scent on the sheets. My only friend was gone, and I was adrift once more, alone like I had been when I first drank the Hourai Elixir.
I don't know how long I had spent trembling in our, no, my room, with my head buried in the crook of my arm while rivers rolled down my cheeks. All I know is that the room grew chilly before I finally wiped my eyes clean with my sleeve.
My stomach roiled; resurrection always left me hungry. If I didn't sate it soon, I could find myself dead once more. Sliding against the wall, I walked towards the kitchen. Throwing open the pantry, I piled noodles, jars of pickled vegetables, and dried meat onto the counter.
The stove lit with the snap of a finger. While I waited for water to boil, I sipped at a bottle of sake and drifted through the house and into the office
There, on the barren expanse that Keine insisted on calling my desk, a tented note stood alone. My eyes widened; Keine's calligraphy was distinct and elegant, just like what my father had tried to drill into me back when I was nothing more to him than a way to secure another alliance by marriage.
Setting the bottle down, I unfolded the letter. It took a moment to read past the tears.
My Dearest Mokou,
I am sorry for worrying you. Please know that I am safe, hidden within history, and I will return safely to you. But before that can happen, I must make sure that the Child of Miare is safe. The Secret History Association has kidnapped her, and I cannot unravel their purpose. She is hidden by a history master almost as skilled as I am.
Please find Lady Akyuu; I have almost exhausted what I can do from where I am. I know that you aren't as passionate about Gensokyo's fate as I am, but I ask of you, please do this for me.
Even though we are apart, I still remain,
Yours truly,
Keine Kamishirasawa
P.S. Don't go rushing out before eating. You can't do anyone any good huddled on the street in a stupor.
A weight lifted off of my shoulders. Draining the bottle, I smiled. The letter anchored me once more. I still longed to see my friend again, but while I waited for her, I'd fulfill her request. And if it meant slapping Wiry and his friends around, so much the better.
My stomach growled. Keine was right; I'd wait until after dinner to make myself available to Lord Hieda. And then the Secret History Association would learn that there were more harrowing things that haunted the night than youkai.
Author's Note:
Bohemian Article in Japanese Red mentions a Secret History Association bent on clearing away all youkai from Gensokyo. Seemed like a fun element to play with.