I had been planning on a story with one chapter per resident of the Hakurei shrine, and with the current MLSF challenge, it seemed like the perfect time to start it. So without further adieu, for MLSF challenge #23 and the theme of "turtles", an oft forgotten resident of Gensokyo.
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At a glance, there doesn't appear to be many occupants to the shrine, often it is only the shrine maiden who is seen. She would get visitors often enough, but she appeared to be the only permanent resident...that said, few normal people linger long enough to spare more than a glance. In truth, the shrine and the area around it is bustling with activity, and there are a number of permanent residents that are seldom mentioned or seen.
For instance, behind the shrine in there is a small lake inhabited by one of these residents. A casual observer would see the occasional turtle swimming or lazing about around a rock in the center, illuminating the lake with glowing moss. What few people know is that rock is actually another turtle, an aged reptile that has lived a long life and gained many powers, including the coveted power of flight. Going by the name of Genji, he was once a proud and free youkai, but was captured by the Hakurei shrine maiden and had been worked mercilessly in some of her early adventures. Lately he's been allowed to rest, his assistance no longer needed, and he takes this time to...well, rest.
"Ah, this will be perfect. I'll just hide out here and wait for here...I should gets some good shots like this." A figure crouched behind the great turtle's shell in anticipation of the shrine maiden.
"I smell something foul on the wind, or is it fowl?" Genji rotated slowly, lifting his head so that it no longer resembled part of a rock, the lake's water dripping from his long beard. "I have heard that your sort are not welcome here, Tengu. What gall you have to be intruding upon my relaxation time, and to use me as a hiding place, how rude."
"Eh, w-what? Who the heck is this geezer?" Aya Shameimaru forgot all about her goal, leaping away from the reptile.
The old turtle's eye twitched at the insult. "My name is Genji, and I will not allow you to remain here. Lady Reimu has ordered that no Tengu be allowed on the premises."
"Oh, is that so? Well, not like I have to worry about you, so just sit tight and wait old man, I'll be gone before you know it." The reporter turned her attention, and her camera, back to the shrine.
The aging turtle twitched again at the insulting tone being used against him. "Look, I've been enjoying my peace and quiet up to this point, but if you continue to disturb that peace I will be forced to deal with you."
The crow looked down upon Genji mockingly. "Oh, and what could a slow turtle like you ever do to me, hmm?"
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"Is everything all right back here? I heard some loud noises." Reimu stepped out behind the shrine, a large wash basin in her arms and some towels over her shoulder. She spotted the old turtle in the lake, the smaller turtles crowded around him, seemingly trying to climb up on him.
"Nothing important m'lady, just an annoying bird pecking at my back, I sent it off though." Genji idly watched as the turtles around him heaped their silent praises upon him, trying to crawl up onto him or playing with his beard.
"Okay then. I suppose it's just strange to hear something from you, usually you're all quiet." Reimu set the basin down and moved back towards the door. "By the way, I just noticed your beard is getting a little long, want me to do something about that?"
"No, it is fine m'lady. All the young ones in the lake have grown rather fond of it, I would hate to disappoint them." The great turtle youkai chuckled at the little turtles admiring him; he didn't mind a little praise now and then.
"Say, you've gotten soft in your old age, haven't you?" The shrine maiden stepped into the shrine for a moment, returning with a stack of laundry in need of washing.
"I'd like to think of it as being more tolerant with time. In the same way I put up with the rude manner in which you address me, my lady." He turned his head away slightly, keeping his eyes fixed on Reimu.
The shrine maiden went about washing her laundry, chuckling to herself. "That makes two of us then. Back then I would have thrown a rock at you for such a condescending tone."
"Hah, still have that fiery spirit I see, I was wrong to assume it was just the yin-yang orbs that gave you your strength all those years ago." Genji shook his head to detach the turtles from his beard, then swam calmly up to the edge of the lake. "So much has changed since then, hasn't it?"
"Marisa, the spellcards, the gap youkai, the earthquakes, the many visitors...yeah, so much has changed." Reimu gazed up at the sky for a moment, then reverted back to her washing. "It's almost frightening if you think about it."
Genji grinned, his beard parting slightly to accommodate the facial feature not frequently seen on turtles. "There is one thing that hasn't changed over the years, m'lady."
The shrine maiden tossed aside a sock that had been rendered unusable from wear. "And that would be?"
Backing up ever so slightly, the reptile prepared himself for the aftermath of his next statement. "There still aren't any donations." And he retreated into his shell as a washboard came flying his way. The aging turtle laughed well into the day, having amused himself for the first time in a little while.
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"What is that...is that another of the messengers? Such a receptive mood, I might as well go and say hello." The frilled figure swooped down on the form below her in the clouds, twirling lazily. "Oh dear, I appear to have mistaken you for someone else, my apologies." Almost immediately after getting close she took off, surprised to find a turtle at such a height.
"My, what was that all about?" Genji peered into the clouds above him. "Well, no matter." He lowered his gaze to Gensokyo below him, sighing. "It has been a long time since I last came up here, look at how things have changed. Now, where shall I visit first...?" The aging turtle spotted something new to him, so that would be the first destination for him. "I've never been on this side of the mountain before, first time it's ever been safe." Below him was a vast area filled with vibrant yellow and black spots, even from so far above he could see little fairies moving about the expanse of sunflowers. In the middle of it all was a single large pink flower different from the others, twirling in place. Genji decided he'd land near that, not recognising the never-wilting flower until he'd come to rest before it.
"My oh my, I must be going senile, my dreams have come back to haunt me." The green-haired woman shook her head. "Old turtle, what are you doing here? Go back into the back of my mind where you belong."
"Ha...I never thought I'd come across you again. I thought you'd disappeared for good seeing as Gensokyo still stands and is at peace. Last I saw of you, you were blasting away at pretty much everyone for the sake of just that. Could it be that you have grown...docile, Lady Yuuka?" Genji settled down, already some curious fairies had approached and were admiring his long beard.
"Oh no, it speaks too." The flower youkai rolled her eyes and started pacing. "Okay, I'll play along then. I'll have you know that I've already defeated everyone in Gensokyo, and the only reason they live is out of my kindness. Yes, even the Yama is at my mercy." She laughed slightly, letting some of her power show, attracting more fairies to the small clearing.
"Ah yes, I do believe Lady Reimu has mentioned your habit of telling tall tales, how had I forgotten?" Genji moved his tail to the side, knocking a few fairies off their feet. "It would seem you and I have something in common, Lady Yuuka. Losing our minds as time goes on...perhaps then was not the dream, but it is now that we sleep."
"You...are thinking too hard." The green-haired woman turned abruptly to face the turtle, her flower parasol smacking a stray fairy out of the air. "Or perhaps you are not thinking hard enough! Is this a dream or a fantasy? A passing thought or a hallucination? Answer me apparition!" Her eyes showed madness and frustration.
Genji laughed, deep hearty bellows shaking his whole shell, creating a frightening experience for the fairies that had taken to sitting on his back. "Still have that nasty sense of humour, don't you? Oh, had it been anyone younger they'd be quaking in their boots!" His laughter went on, only the truly disoriented or brave fairies still holding on to his shell.
Yuuka joined in with some laughter of her own, though not nearly as loud or hearty; her eyes now holding a sly, humoured look. "Saw through my facade right away? You're either really smart or a figment of my imagination. Oh, I don't care which." She twirled around with her arms outstretched; another fairy was caught by the parasol and sent into the flowers. "Would you care to tell me what the occasion is for this visit? It is just another sunny day here in the Garden, so why today?"
One of Genji's flippers was drawn forward, running through his beard thoughtfully. A few fairies moved to help him stroke his beard, making sounds of curious joy. "I had been rela—no, lazing about in a lake, when I was disturbed by an irritating bird. After that I had a talk with Lady Reimu, and I started to think. Thinking only made me feel my age, so I went for a little tour over this new and peaceful Gensokyo to get my mind off of things."
"Something so simple then?" The flower youkai pondered. She closed her parasol and gave it a twirl, smacking a fairy in the back of its head and sending it face flat in the dirt. "I have a question, why do you let that girl treat you like a pet? By now you should have been able to crush her and be free."
"Hmm, back then it was because of the power of the yin-yang orbs she controlled, I wanted to see where that power would take her. Now..." One of the fairies on Genji's back climbed down on top of his head, sitting facing the front with a blank expression, as if to say 'Am I having fun yet?', on its face. "I suppose it's because she treats me so much better. It is nice to be pampered for a time after working so hard. I'm sure that you know what that's like, is that not correct Lady Yuuka of the Mansion of Fantasies?" The old turtle shifted his gaze around, shaking all the fairies off of him. "I think I'll do some more flying around and return to my lake, it was an odd pleasure." He began to lift off.
"Yes...yes it was. Quite the strange treat." Yuuka waved idly as the bearded youkai flew off to heavens knew where. She looked over at one of the many fairies now left behind in the clearing. "You there, pamper me."
The fairy looked around and grabbed a leaf off the ground. It flew up to the flower youkai's head level and used the leaf to fan her.
"Well, I suppose that will do for now." Yuuka smiled peacefully, closing her eyes and thinking back to days long past.
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"Oh, it is you again, up here in the clouds where your kind does not usually dwell. I had mistaken you for one of my kind at first, then again I mistook you, but for a young dragon this time." Iku Nagae swooped down beside the flying turtle, her shawl twirling about like a fish's tail.
"Messenger for the Dragon Palace, I am honoured to meet your acquaintance. What might this aging turtle do for you this fine evening?" With his beard trailing behind him, he really did look like a dragon from afar.
"Oh, nothing much, I was just swimming in the clouds and I felt the receptive mood about you. Thought I might float over and say hello. Oh, hello by the way, my name is Iku Nagae." The messenger bowed mid-flight.
"I am Genji, it is a pleasure to meet you Miss Nagae. Tell me, how fares the Eldest of the Himawari? I understand she was involved in the destruction of the shrine near my lake." He felt he might as well ask.
"Oh my, the Eldest...she has become spoiled after so long, I suppose it is to be expected that someone like her would appear in heaven." The messenger sighed, her head hanging low. "They grow up so fast, but when they do...I'm sorry, certainly you are not interested."
"Oh no, I am interested. After all, I have someone like that in my own life. Hard-headed, fiery spirit, talent for destruction, but instead of causing problems she fixes them." The turtle gazed off into the clouds. "What the Eldest of the Himawari needs is a purpose to dedicate herself to, something to relieve the boredom that caused her to create the incidents. Don't force anything upon her, but a nudge in the right direction would do her less harm than good."
"It is not my place to interfere, the Eldest daughter would surely complain if I were to try and guide her in any direction, as it would not be of her choosing." Iku shook her head. "But of course, should I sit and let her act the way she has, she'll never find a direction of her own other than a destructive path. You have given me much to think about, Master Genji."
The old reptile stretched his flippers mid-flight. "You do that then. I will be returning to my lake, it will be growing dark soon, and there is food to be had." Genji tilted and began to descend to Gensokyo below, the shrine in his sight.
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"Welcome back Gramps, you've been gone all afternoon." The shrine maiden sat on a wooden stool by the edge of the lake handing out small bits of bread to the baby turtles. "You almost missed dinner. Did you have a good flight?"
"Indeed I did m'lady. I did some catching up, talked with some local youkai, and I've come to a conclusion." Genji settled down into the water, immediately being surrounded by a swarm of smaller turtles.
"Oh? And what would that be?" Reimu dragged the turtle food out from under the shrine's back porch.
"Even that which is ageless is not exempt from the cycle of renewal, it simply experiences it differently. There seems to be nothing that does not change...well, except for that gap youkai." The old reptile drifted over to the shore, awaiting his food.
"Yeah, that gap youkai could learn a thing or two from the others." The shrine maiden sighed and hauled the food over, pulling out the scoop.
It was dead silent for a moment, even the waves seemingly mute as all in the area stayed still. Then, with two heavy sighs, Genji and Reimu broke the silence with the same words simultaneously. "Yeah right."
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I dunno, not sure if it's "Turtle-y" enough for the challenge, but this is what I got. Philosophical words from a turtle with a really long beard. Most of this is open interpretation and creative liscense, as there really isn't much else to fill in certain gaps within the touhou project canon.
Genji being in the lake is based off an interview with ZUN, the other turtles are reference to a line in one of his written works.
The Garden of the sun is a popular place for fairies, not just because of the quality sun-bathing either. In Perfect Memento it states that fairies are attracted to areas with powerful youkai, and while I'm certain that the more powerful youkai are able to hide their power (Otherwise Yukari would be swimming in fairies), it wouldn't be that odd for some to let them be around every now and then.
Also, Genji's words seem justified in his thoughts. Comparing Yuuka's dialogue in Mystic Square to Phantasmagoria of Flower View's dialogue, she's not as...creepy sounding, she just lies a lot.
Anyway, that was my entry, hope you enjoyed it.