AN: I came up with this while listening to the Touhou fansong, "Requiem Eternam". It's really sad, but really sweet. I don't own Touhou or WITCH.
Past Dreams
The Dream World was a truly strange place. It had no set of rules, regulations, or even that much logic behind it. It was exactly what it was, a world of dreams.
In a particular part of the dream world, was a place called Mugenkan. It was defined by the seemingly endless garden of sunflowers, practically glowing under the constantly black sky. At the center of the strange garden, lied a large red mansion, simple as it was elegant.
This only seemed to confuse the young boy even more so. As he walked down the narrow path between the sunflower plants, he couldn't help but feel as if something was watching him. But there was nothing but flowers here, perhaps they were keeping an eye on him?
The boy shook his blond head, that would be silly. Several stray strands of his hair got into his face, irritating him to no end. He wished he had brought his hairclips with him in his dream, but alas, he fell asleep in his nightclothes. He continued walking, in as dignified a manner as a seven year old can get.
The trail widened, he noticed, and it went from dirt to flat stones. He remembered seeing similar things in his mother's garden, so people wouldn't step on the grass. They always lead somewhere. He tread farther, his curiosity peaked. Maybe these lead to that red place?
As the trail went farther, it got even wider, almost enough to fit a small cart through. As he got to this section, he saw a woman down the path. A gardener? Maybe she could tell him where he was.
He ran towards her, nearly tripping over his long nightshirt several times. As he got closer, he got a better look at the woman. She was tall, even for an adult, and wore nothing but red plaid. Her hair was really weird, green as the sunflower leaves, even though she was actually kind of pretty. She held a pink parasol in her hand, and a watering can in the other, pouring some on the dirt.
"Aren't you supposed to put the water on the plants?" The boy found himself blurting out. The woman didn't look surprised for a moment, and smiled, but didn't look back at him. She said, her voice a bit deep for a woman, "They don't have mouths, so in order to drink, they drink from their roots. And since their roots are in the ground, it's only logical to water the ground."
The boy cocked his head to the side, "Really? The gardener at the palace said that they absorb it with their leaves."
"Then the gardener is wrong," The woman smiled, finally turning to look at the boy. Much to his shock and confusion, her eyes were redder than rubies. He stared back with his brownish-green eyes, dumbly asking, "What's with your eyes?"
"I was born with them." The woman simply responded, not unkindly.
"Oh," The boy said, feeling a bit dumb for asking such a now seemingly obvious question. Seeing the boy's silence, the woman introduced herself with a curtsy,
"My name is Yuuka Kazami, Flower Master of the Four Seasons."
The boy seemed taken off guard, but offered his own bow, "My name is Prince Phobos Escanor, first and only son of Queen Weira and Royal Consort Zanden."
The droll tone of the recitation was clear to Yuuka's ears, but it didn't meet her face. Instead, she offered the child her hand, "Nice to meet you, my prince."
AN: A little oneshot, I know. But I just thought this would make for a cute little story. Mini!Phobos making friends with the USC was an idea that could not be dismissed.
Here's my headcanon. Every so often, a kid with magical properties winds up dreaming themselves into Mugenkan. Yuuka is used to this happening, so she often welcomes the kids as long as they don't make a mess. Phobos was a relatively innocent kid back then, and wound up meeting Yuuka in her realm. Since both have a thing for flowers(Phobos gathers power with roses, fills his throne-room with them, and even involves them in his schemes for crying out loud!), they naturally hit it off as friends.
However, as the dreaming kid gets older, they become more rational and realistic. So, soon after puberty hit and maturity sets in, the kids wind up leaving Mugenkan eventually. This happens to Phobos maybe two years before he begins his road to evil, as he thought that his lessons and playdates with Yuuka were nothing more than childish dreams.
Continue on with this story if you wish, but at least give credit where it's due.