A/N: Woo! You guy's didn't have to wait an entire month this time! It was really close and it really doesn't make things any better, but it makes me feel better, so I'll just hold on to the feeling. At any rate, we've finally come to the "3 years later part". Things might actually start happening now.

As always, enjoy the read. Again, do leave a review if you consider the story worth it. They brighten my day, even if I don't always reply to them.

Notes continue at the end, like last time.

With that issue dealt with, Miko let out a relieved sigh as she stepped out the door. Unless the regent was an idiot, she was safe.

Glancing at the grandfather clock at the end of the hallway, she took note of the time.

"Huh, time for breakfast." She muttered to herself. Smiling, she headed towards the dining hall.

Not that she actually needed to eat - being a hermit, she could survive for a month without any meals - but it felt better than going around in a halfway hungry state. Alternatively, she could just leave the castle and consume some fog, that would also work. She had never liked fog though, so she decided against it. Neither the consistency nor taste had any appeal.

With the air of someone utterly free from worry and stress, she strode into the dining hall; taking a seat opposite Arendelle's other remaining royal.

"How are you this morning, Anna?" she said, while pouring herself some tea and piling some sandwiches on her plate. Eyes roaming across the room, she took note of the servants standing at the side, the low-hung chandelier, the alabaster coloured walls, and the food on the table. Mainly the last one.

"Fine, fine, actually. I feel better than I have in a while." The princess said animatedly. Though perhaps a little less cheerful than before the accident, she did indeed seem to be well on her way back to her usual self.

Miko gave a smile in return. In her mind, this was one of the better possible scenarios.

The two sat there for a while, drifting in and out of conversation while eating.

"Are you going to eat that?" Anna said suddenly, after another lull in the conversation. She was pointing at Miko's last sandwich. The hermit had yet to touch it.

"Uhm…"

"We can finish each other's! Here, have mine." Without another word, the redheaded princess swapped Miko's sandwich with her own.

Miko sighed, but didn't say anything, simply accepting it as one of the princess' quirks. She'd eaten her fill anyway.

Gazing at the food arrayed on the table, she noticed that only one slice of the chocolate cake had been eaten. No points for guessing who, though she'd have though Anna would have eaten more. "Aren't you the sort who can't get enough of chocolate?" she asked.

"Well yeah, but that cake tastes… different. And not a good different either." Anna replied, eyes narrowing slightly while she looked over at the cake.

"Really?" Glancing at the cake, Miko reached over to take a slice for herself. Cutting off a small piece, she tried it.

"Well, I can say for certain that there's no mercury in it. It doesn't taste any different from any other chocolate cakes I've tried." Miko said, taking a sip of tea to wash down the piece of cake.

"That's because you don't know chocolate as I do!" Anna declared, a look Miko could only classify as stubborn on her face.

"Evidently not." Miko muttered to herself. Fortunately, the princess didn't seem to hear. She was busy going off on a tirade about chocolate which Miko simply decided to shut out, while keeping a polite smile on her face and going "uh huh" and "right" at fitting moments.

Personally, Miko didn't find chocolate to be all that noteworthy, compared to all the other sweets she had tasted throughout the years. If she had to pick one, she'd pick caramel waffles as her favourite, due . The concept of having to pick one annoyed her though, variety trumped any singular taste in her book.

Her rumination over sweets ended when Anna gestured for one of the servants to come over, having finished her rant. The servants, who up until now had been doing their utmost to look like statues by the wall, shared quick looks with each other before one dislodged himself from the pack and walked over. The rest resumed looking inconspicuous; some of them having nailed it down to an art form, having less character than the block of wood Anna's mask was made from.

"Yes, your highness?" the servant said, having reached the two.

Slightly flustered now, Anna nonetheless put on her best authoritarian voice and asked, "Right… Uh. First, who made this cake?"

"The new cook." The man answered.

"Oh. Well, uhm, why did we hire a new cook?" Anna asked, seemingly surprised at getting such an answer.

"One of them retired. A replacement was needed." The servant replied.

"Well… alright, I guess if he's new I'll let it slide." Anna muttered, slightly sheepish now.

"Actually, it's a she, Princess Anna." The servant corrected. Though he didn't show much in the way of expressions, Miko couldn't help but wonder if he was enjoying himself immensely. Hard to be certain without taking off her earmuffs though.

"Right, well… the point still stands." Anna retorted. After a moment of silence, she got up and added, "Anyway, I have to go. Classes."

"Hmm, right. See ya." Miko muttered offhandedly as the princess hurried off. Well, that was an unexpected end to the meal. Now what was she going to do now? The solution to the problem presented itself when the servant turned to leave.

"Hang on, stay." She said, taking another drink of tea. "So, who are you?"

"Magnus, madam." The man replied. He seemed slightly apprehensive.

Verbosity clearly not being the man's strong suit, she decided to simply ask more about the new cook. Magnus was not the extroverted type it seemed, so it'd be easier to talk about someone other than himself.

"So, the new cook, anything unusual about her?" Miko said, pouring another cup of tea as she did so.

"Actually there is. The other servants have been talking about it. She has white hair, and speaks rather archai – careful!"

Miko had maintained an impassive demeanour, pouring her tea, until Magnus started describing the new cook. At which point Miko promptly stood without thinking, causing the tea to spill, and thereby causing Magnus' sudden concern.

"Sorry, but I have to go, thank you for telling me that, Magnus." Noticing what was in her hand, she set down the teapot and assuaged Magnus' concerns once more.

And without another word, Miko bolted out the door as well. Weaving through the corridors with ease, she made her way towards the kitchens. Joy welled up in her chest at the though of seeing an old friend again. Truth be told, telling Elsa about the shikaisen process had made her somewhat nostalgic, so this couldn't have come at a better time.

When the three Taoists had reawakened, they had sticked together for a time. However, when it became clear that Buddhism was not about to die out, there had been some confusion as to what they were to do now. Tojiko, the only one of the three to actually die permanently, had suggested they split up, do some soul-searching. Miko and Futo, though not outright opposed to the idea, had regarded it with some scepticism, before conceding that it might be for the best. The three had made their first priority to ditch Seiga, so she wasn't an issue at that point. And so after the farewells were said, the three had split up.

And now, two of them might very well soon be reunited, after over a millennium apart.

With some trepidation, Miko pushed against the kitchen door. It swung open easily, and she stepped inside.

Before immediately bursting out in a fit of coughing.

The kitchens were covered in a thin smoke that wafted at around the level of Miko's chin and above. It wasn't really too bad, the smoke was too thin to impede her sight in any way, but inhaling it was proving to be unpleasant.

Standing there in the kitchen doorway, she could hear voices behind the corner. Taking off her earmuffs, the muffled voices suddenly became clear. It also amused Miko somewhat to discover that she could hear two people - members of the staff most likely - making out above her.

"That's the last time I leave you in the kitchen's alone! Why Kai agreed to hire you I'll never know." A rather deep voice, to be sure, probably the head cook then, judging by the way that he seemed to project authority.

"I can assure thee, 'twas only an accident. I shall have it sorted presently. Thou need only go outside and breathe some fresh air with our colleagues, and when thou hast returned, the smoke will be no more."

… that was definitely Futo. No one else would speak like that in this time and age.

"Didn't you just hear what I said? I'm never leaving you alone in here again! In fact-" Whatever else the man had planned to say was cut short by him suddenly developing a coughing fit.

Figuring that now would be a nice time to cut in, Miko strode through the smoke and round the corner to where she figured the two stood, interposing herself neatly between the seemingly young white-haired girl and the tall and pot-bellied cook. Whom she now saw was holding a meat cleaver in his hand.

"What seems to be the problem?" Miko asked suavely. Now that she was a bit closer to him, she could much more easily grasp the cook's character. A bit of a temper, but generally a reasonable fellow it seemed.

The cook cast Miko a dubious look at her sudden entry, but seemed to simply roll with it.

"Oh, nothing. Simply the fact this girl here," an accusatory finger was jabbed in Futo's direction, who incidentally, was going through about a dozen facial expressions a minute at Miko's entrance. ", was able to start a fire and burn what was going to be today's royal dinner in a span of 5 minutes while my back was turned." The man spoke through gritted teeth, clearly doing his best at restraining himself.

Good then, this was someone who knew himself well enough to know that his reasoning was not the best when angry.

The cook pointed at the counter, where an entire pig rested. Almost all of it had been burnt black. Miko gave a rueful smile at the sight. Some things never change it seems.

"Right… well, you and I both know you aren't in the best mood for handling the situation right now. How about you go outside like this girl told you to, and then come back later? I'll keep an eye on her for you, so there shouldn't be any problems. I'll even put in a good word for you with that pretty maid who does the laundry." Miko flashed what she assumed to be a disarming smile. She frankly just wanted some time alone to chat with Futo right now.

The cook mulled it over for a few moments, looking at Miko more closely, she recognized her from the few times she had wandered in the halls around here. Apparently, she was close to the royal family. At the very least, they let her do as she pleased most of the time. Picking a fight might not be the best course of action, all things considered.

"Fine, but the smoke better be gone by the time I return."

Miko and Futo watched as he stomped out, not bothering to hide his displeasure. They listened until the sound of his footsteps disappeared, or as was the case for Miko, until the sound of his footsteps had dimmed somewhat.

Turning around, the former regent turned around to regard her fellow hermit, who she now saw, was just short enough to avoid breathing in the smoke.

Lucky her.

The two stood there in silence gazing at each other, before Futo suddenly gave a happy cry and embraced Miko tightly.

"Well… this is somewhat… awkward." Miko breathed out after a while, before giving a low chuckle, mirth evident in her tone. Somewhat tellingly, she had returned Futo's embrace with almost no hesitation.

Futo laughed as well. It was a rather nostalgic sound, clear and melodic.

"It has been truly been too long, has it not, Crown Prince?"

"Yep. How did you come to be here-, no wait." Miko cut herself off, listening to long tales wasn't quite what she had in mind right now. That could wait. "Don't answer that. When you have time off later tonight, let's go out, and you can regale me with tales of what you've been up to until now."

"Verily, I expect thee to reciprocate of course." Futo replied, a wide smile on her face.

Her slightly oversized white shirt swayed slightly as she turned to address what she had been ordered to by the man who had left not too long ago.

Miko watched as Futo summoned a light breeze, gently guiding the smoke. Before long, she had gathered all of it in a decently sized ball in her hands.

With the faintest traces of pride lining her smile, Futo sent the ball out through the window with a flick of her wrist. The ball flew in a straight line for a short while, before suddenly ballooning out over the fjord.

Miko gave an appreciative chuckle. "Nicely done." It might not seem like much, but Futo had always been extremely receptive to praise, especially when directed at her accomplishments.

"Gramercy, Crown Prince." Futo replied. "'tis most kind of thee."

"You're welcome." Miko said, before adding, "Do explain to me why you still speak like that though."

"Pray pardon?" Futo said, before lifting a hand to indicate that she wasn't finished. After mulling it over for a while, she continued. "Would you prefer it if I speak like this Crown Prince? It is undoubtedly more modern, no? Yet, it seems off somehow. I guess I simply prefer speaking like we used to. It seems more natural to me, if that makes sense." Her head cocked slightly to one side, Futo regarded Miko with her grey eyes. "Should I speak like this from now on?"

Wow, you really haven't changed. At all.

"No, it's fine. I was just curious. Then again, you were never fond of change, were you? You clung to Taoism and Shinto when Buddhism came over from the continent, and then there were all the times you burnt down those statues and temples. In fact, thinking back to those days-" Miko cut herself off suddenly. Her ears had picked up something.

"Hmm? Wherefore didst thou stop?" Futo inquired, a puzzled look on her face.

"It would seem your boss is returning." Miko answered, shrugging nonchalantly. "Oh well, it's a shame, but we'll catch up later at the tavern. I'll be in my room until then, so just come up when you're done for today."

"Indeed." Futo replied. Listening intently, she too could now detect the heavy tread of her superior. Sighing, she shook her while speaking. "'twas lovely to see thee again, Crown Prince. I look forward to tonight."

"Hmm, as do I. I'll actually have someone to drink with for once. Recette's too young, she's fourteen. Anna's in the same boat, she's fifteen. And Elsa wouldn't go to a tavern with me even if the Yamas themselves decreed it." Miko said as turned to leave. She stopped and turned her head by the doorway to catch the last of the conversation.

"Thou art friends with the Royal Family? 'Tis a lie if I say I am taken aback. Thou hast much to tell me it seems." Futo said, an amused look on her face.

"That I do." Miko replied.

Having said that, she left. Popping the earmuffs back in place as she did so.

3 Years later

A smirk played across Miko's lips as she regarded the what stood in front of her. Beside her, Futo was livid, though she masked it well. Still, little clues gave it all away, like how a small fireball had been conjured in her right hand, while the left one was so tightly clenched that her fingernails were digging into her skin.

"I'm guessing that there isn't supposed to be a bust on that cake." Miko said, her magnificent cape rustling with the slight accompanying gesture she had made. Her smirk had only grown more pronounced with the comment.

"A thousand curses upon the princess! May her teeth fall out and her legs rot!" The white-haired hermit swore. Unlike Miko, Futo could evidently see nothing amusing about having her cake demolished.

"… that's a tad excessive, don't you think?" Miko deadpanned. "I know you Futo. When you curse someone, it tends to end up worse than what you threaten them with."

"I did spend six hours on that cake! Six hours of painstaking care, ruined by the whimsy of an adolescent princess!" Futo exclaimed, her rage having given way to shock, which was an improvement, however small.

"Right, I get it. It's kind of silly to get this worked up though. You've lived as long as I have. Getting this attached to a cake is unseemly."

Futo seemed to mull over those words for a bit. Giving a long sigh, she calmed down noticeably.

"Forgive me Crown Prince. Thou art right, as usual."

Miko felt a pang of guilt at those words. She had pretty much convinced Futo to die for her in the past, in a conversation similar in some ways to the one just now. Shaking her head, she buried the feeling. The past is in the past.

"Come on. Let's go to the chapel, the coronation is soon." She said, extending a hand to Futo.

Slightly belatedly, Futo took it, allowing herself to be lead.

Elsa regarded the assembly in front of her with trepidation.

So many people…

The coronation was almost at hand, beside her, her sister stood, slightly fidgety. Only natural Elsa supposed, neither were exactly used to occurrences like this. Behind her, the choir stood on their balcony, singing.

In the back, sat Miko and another, white-haired girl in pleated white robes. Miko herself wore her regular outfit, as always. The only difference being a deep blue cape with a ridiculously ornate and detailed dragon, which - did the dragon just blink?

Opening and shutting her own eyes a few times, Elsa noted with some relief that the dragon had made no other movements. She turned to the others in the room.

She recognized a few other faces. There was Eugene and Rapunzel, whom she recognized from a painting of the entire Coronan royal family that she had received a year prior.

There was the Duke of Weselton, though he looked noticeably older than the portrait Elsa had seen of him.

There were also Kai and Gerda, who stood by the sides, as always.

She heard the archbishop tapping his foot once on the floor. Turning slowly, she steeled herself for what was to come.

Breathing in and out, she nervously extended her hands to take hold of the orb and sceptre when the archbishop interrupted her.

"The gloves, your majesty." He said, regarding her with a look she could have sworn was patronizing.

Nervousness suffusing her, she gingerly took off the gloves, placing them on the cushion in front of her. Then, without pausing a beat, she picked up the regalia and turned around, holding it as was customary.

Behind her, the archbishop started reciting the words that would mark her ascension to the throne.

Conceal, don't feel.

In her hands, the orb and sceptre were acquiring a coat of frost.

No! No!

Behind her, the archbishop had more or less wrapped up his recitation, ending it with "Queen Elsa, of Arendelle."

Moving as quickly as she could while still looking natural, she placed the orb and sceptre back on the cushion and put on her gloves once more. Relief flooded through her. The worst was over it would seem.

A/N: Right. This chapter introduced my all-time favourite Touhou character. Sorry folks, it isn't Miko, but Futo who's number one for me.

As you might have noticed from reading the chapter, I am not good at writing in the archaic style the fandom renders Futo's dialogue in. If one of my readers is actually proficient with that, do send me a message telling me if her dialogue was any good.

Well, until next time then.

PS. One last thing... as I'm rather tired right now, there are likely quite a few typos and grammatical errors in the text. If you spot any, could you please let me know?