A Meeting in the Forest

15 November 1884, Meiji 17. The Forest of Magic, Gensokyo Valley

Keine trod calmly through the quiet morning winter wood, her arms hidden under her dark blue winter coat. Despite the winter, many of the trees in Gensokyo's Forest of Magic were still green and full of leaves. The ground, however, was covered in sheets of snow. The woods seemed almost dead silent. The only things Keine could hear were her footsteps and the footsteps of those behind her, as well as the wind.

Following Keine were four other humans: Ichiro and Jiro, brothers, both young men in their early 20s, and hunters for the village, Kou Suzuki, who had woken up and regained his strength, and Hieda no Aya, the Human Village's chronicler and archivist. A young woman, standing rather short, with long purple hair, and purplish eyes, Hieda no Aya was the 8th reincarnation of the Child of Miare, tasked with recording Gensokyo's history. The Child of Miare is reincarnated every 120 to 180 years, and has the ability to remember everything he or she sees. This carried over generations, so Hieda no Aya had a memory spanning over a thousand years, despite being only 17 years old.


Keine went forward through the snowy forest, followed by Kou, then Hieda no Aya, and then the two brothers. Kou was gripping his rifle and turning his head in all directions. The brothers were following at a relaxed pace.

"What's the matter, Kou?" Hieda asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm just a little nervous," Kou sighed.

"Obviously," remarked Keine, "I can hear you turning youe head and pointing your rifle around every few seconds. Relax."

"What about everything you told me about the Youkai?" asked Kou. Keine remembered the short story she told Kou when they met at Mayoiga.

"Oh, you actually believed all of that?" Keine chuckled lightly.

"You mean none of that was true? Gensokyo isn't actually all that dangerous, then?" Kou continued to ask.

"Not all of it," Keine admitted, "I exaggerated most of it to keep you insurrectionists away."

Hieda and the brothers started laughing.

"That wasn't very nice," Kou told her in a soft tone.

"Being 'nice' doesn't protect the village from Youkai attacks," Keine replied.

"Okay, okay, I get your point," Kou sighed, conceding.

"The forest was definitely livelier a few years ago," Ichiro commented, "so there is something strange going on".

Trying to change the subject, Kou then called Hieda, "Hey Aya, do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure," Hieda replied, "What is it?"

"Are all your reincarnations girls?" asked Kou.

"No," Hieda answered, "there were a couple of boys."

"And all their memories carry over through the reincarnations, right?" he continued.

"Yes…" Hieda answered again, though in a somewhat uncomfortable tone, but Kou continued.

"So, you know how it feels to have a—"

"That's enough!" Hieda interrupted calmly, and the whole party stopped walking as she continued, "Miss Keine, may I kindly ask you to hit Kou in the face?"

"With pleasure," Keine replied happily, as she turned around and delivered a hard slap to Kou's cheek that caused him to recoil and fall over, hitting the snow and causing Ichiro and Jiro to laugh even harder.

"I'd have done it myself," Hieda told Kou, reaching out to help him up, "but you know I'm a rather frail young lady. I'd probably hurt myself more in the process."

"Sorry about that," Kou apologized as he took Hieda's hand, "I only had my father; didn't really grow up with manners."

Keine raised her eyebrow at hearing this, before turning around and continuing to walk.

"Apology accepted," said Hieda, "and to answer your question: there are quite a few memories that I wish I could forget; sadly, my ability prohibits it."

"Wait," Keine suddenly said, as she continued walking, "didn't you tell me that your mother told you stories about Youkai?"

"Those are some of the last memories I have of her," Kou replied. "She died when I was young."

There was a short silence as the group continued trudging through the snowy forest.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Hieda told Kou, patting him on the shoulder as she did.

"Oh, it's alright," Kou said, "that was a long time ago…"


The group continued walking for several more minutes, making light conversation along the way, though none of it seemed to help relax Kou. The snowfall lessened as the sun went higher in the sky. Keine spotted a brook, investigated it, and instructed the group to follow it upstream. Later in the colder winter months, many of the streams in Gensokyo would freeze solid, but for now, they were just very cold.

"So, Kou," Jiro called, "You're a hunter, right?"

"Yes, I am," Kou answered, "When I lived around the Chichibu area, I hunted boar, birds, and more recently, Imperial Army soldiers… I was even attacked by a bear once."

"So, why are you so tense?" Jiro asked, "It's winter; nowadays there's nothing dangerous in this forest until the sun comes down."

"I've been in a lot of forests," Kou said to them, "but this one just feels… different."

"Well, of course it does," Hieda interrupted in a kind tone, "It is called the 'Forest of Magic' after all. Magical energy is definitely something an outsider wouldn't normally be used to, but you're overreacting. If a frail young woman like me can walk calmly around this forest, I'm sure a rugged hunter like you can handle it, right? Relax, Kou. Enjoy the fresh air."

"Right," Kou muttered, nodding his head and taking a deep breath.

Keine suddenly stopped walking, and the group stopped behind her as well. She looked around from where she stood. They were nearly there, she thought.

"We're almost to the meeting place," Keine informed them, "Don't make too much noise."

The group slowed their pace and stopped talking. The forest became silent, save the sounds of feet trudging through the snow. A few seconds passed, and the humans heard the cawing of a crow, up in the trees above, which was shortly answered by another caw, from a different tree.

The humans stopped and looked around, except Keine, who turned to the others and said, "They know we're here. Let's move."


They pressed forward for another minute or so, and stopped when a wolf began howling close by. From behind a tree, the source of the howling revealed itself. Not a wolf, but a male White Wolf Tengu.

"Hehehe," chuckled the Wolf Tengu, a tall male with messy white hair and a medium build, as far as Tengu are concerned, at least, making him slightly larger than the average human. He was holding his bow in his left hand, and making hand signals with his right, as he approached the group of humans.

"We were wondering when you were going to show up," said the Wolf Tengu condescendingly, smirking at Keine, then turning around to lead them to the others.

Suddenly, two more Tengu dropped down from the trees above; a male Crow, and a female White Wolf, who began following the Human group. The Crow, who was taller than the two White Wolves that Kou saw, was thinner, had short black hair, wore a long grey winter coat, boots, and a black scarf, and carried only a kodachi short-sword and a tanto dagger, as opposed to the two Wolves, who wore their winter patrol uniforms, mostly white-colored outfits that resembled more traditional Japanese garments. That, and the Wolves were armed to the teeth, literally and figuratively. The two each carried a bow, arrows, and at least two swords.

The White Wolves blended in with the snow, while the Crow, with his black hair and dark clothes, contrasted the color of everything around him.

"What took so long, Keine?" asked the Crow, who had walked up beside Keine.

Keine looked at the Tengu for a second before turning her head to look where she was walking, before replying, "Hieda no Aya was feeling tired around halfway through the woods, so we rested for a while."

"Why did you bring her, anyway?" The Crow continued to inquire.

"I think it's important for her to see this," Keine answered, "Human and Youkai talking out their differences… Gensokyo will never be the same."

"Fair enough, I suppose," agreed the Crow, before noticing something else. "What about the outsider?" he then asked, referring to Kou.

"You ask too many questions," Keine replied.

"I'm part of the Information Corps," explained the Crow Tengu, "It's my job to ask questions."

"Fine," sighed Keine, "you tell your boss that these three gentlemen are guards, and witnesse-"

"Yes, that's obvious," interrupted the Crow, "but what about the outsider. I could smell him long before you got here."

"Shin already knows who he is," Keine told the Crow as they arrived at the meeting place, a large depressed area deep in the forest, known to the Youkai as the 'Drunken Crater.' It was an impact crater from a meteor that hit the Earth a very long time ago. It was since reclaimed by the forests, and then turned into a popular gathering place of the Youkai leaders.


Keine observed the flat bottom of the crater from the above. There were no trees sprouting from the bottom, but there were some snow-covered bushes. On the sides of the crater, Keine noticed that the Youkai, most probably the Kappa, have landscaped several portions of the crater to make it easier to ascend from and descend to the bottom, as it was rather steep. Keine also saw large earthwork terraces along the side of the crater, where several Youkai were sitting.

But most importantly, Keine noticed that none of the Youkai leaders were present. There were many Tengu guards all around, several Kappa engineers, and two Oni sitting and laughing, but no Oni Omo or his lieutenant, Yuugi, not a single Kappa Director, and not even Tengu Boss Tenma and his two subordinates.

"Hey!" Keine called out furiously to the Wolf Tengu who greeted her earlier, "You said we were late!"

"That's right: you are late!" complained the Wolf, as he turned around to face Keine, "but so is everyone else!"

"Ridiculous Youkai," Keine muttered to herself, looking around, "I'm sure Shin Kakusu is hiding here somewhere," she said to the Crow Tengu, "I want to talk to him."

"If you say so," replied the Crow, who turned around and started walking around the side of the crater.

Ichiro, Jiro, Kou, and Hieda no Aya sat down on one of the crater's terraces to rest, while Keine remained standing and shaking her head.

The female White Wolf Tengu came over to them and sat beside Hieda no Aya.

"You're Hieda no Aya, right?" asked the Tengu.

"I am," Hieda answered with a smile. "Why do you ask?"

"My name's Momiji," replied the Tengu, "Inubashiri Momiji; I'm a scout in the Mountain Defense Force"

"It's nice to meet you, Momiji," Hieda told Momiji.

"It's always nice to meet another Aya," Momiji said in turn, "I have a friend named Shameimaru Aya, a Crow Tengu. Have you met her? She was in the Human Village for a while."

"Oh!" Hieda said happily, "I have indeed! She was a rather clever woman, I recall. Where is she?"

"She's resting," Momiji told Hieda, "the Information Corps folks told me that Aya had a rough time in her last assignment. They wouldn't even let me see her!"

"I wish her a speedy recovery," Hieda said, "I hope she can visit the village again."

"We surely will when this is all over," Momiji replied, "I haven't been there yet!"

Keine stopped listening to the conversation and focused on the surroundings. There were many Tengu around the crater, and the presence of the Information Corps and the Defense Force seemed equal. Keine could tell who was who: the Defense Corps Tengu were focused on the surroundings outside the crater, while the Information Corps Tengu were observing the movements and conversations of the people within.

The Kappa were fewer, with most sitting along the terraces, chatting amongst themselves. As for the Oni, there were only two; one was sound asleep on the crater's edge, and the other looked like he was telling a bad joke to a group of Tengu.

The leaders of the three Youkai races, however, were nowhere to be seen.


"Say," Kou said to Crow and Wolf that greeted them earlier, "Why is it called the Drunken Crater anyway?"

The Crow Tengu raised his eyebrow and replied, "I don't think Boss Shin will be happy if I go around telling that story."

The Wolf Tengu beside him laughed. "Why?" he asked the Crow, "Everyone on the mountain knows the story; most of us saw it for ourselves. I'll tell him."

"Fine, you tell him," said the Crow.

"How many years ago was it?" The Wolf asked himself, "Never mind; that isn't important. Boss Tenma first came to the Mountain and found the Oni already living in it. There was no room for the pride of two extremely proud races of Youkai, so Tenma proposed a contest to avoid bloodshed: the loser would be allowed to live on the mountain, but as a vassal to the winner."

"And the Oni King just agreed?" interrupted Kou.

"You see," continued the Wolf, "the Oni will only agree to participate in two kinds of contests: a brawl or a drinking contest."

The Crow turned to add to the story, saying, "Everyone at the time knew that Omo had terrible alcohol tolerance for an Oni. He could still outlast any human, though."

"I think I get it now," Kou said to the two Tengu, "Omo surprised you and beat Tenma here in this crater."

"Gods, no!" the Wolf said, holding back a laugh while the Crow was already chuckling, "Tenma would have beat Omo ten times over!"

"So, how did you lose?" Kou asked them.

"Shin Kakusu mistakenly believed that when an Oni clan was challenged to a contest, their leader would be the one to represent the clan," explained the Wolf.

"Unfortunately, the reality was that the best fighter or best drinker of the Oni clan would be the one to step up," the Crow said, "It just so happens that most of the time, the best fighter or drinker is the clan leader."

"Her name was Yuugi Hoshiguma," the Wolf continued, "She's one of the four Devas of Ooe-yama. They sat down there in the center of the crater and began drinking. The first to fall would be the loser."

"And Tenma was the first to fall," Kou said, understanding the story.

"The contest lasted for almost a week," the Wolf told him, "I didn't watch the whole thing, but at the end, Tenma was asleep and Yuugi was unfazed and smiling. They say she didn't even let one drop of her sake fall."

"When it was over," the Crow continued, "a number of Tengu wanted to unite with the Kappa and overthrow the Oni, but Boss Tenma quickly got them under control."

"It would've been too much bloodshed," said a familiar male voice behind Keine, "which was precisely what Boss Tenma was trying to avoid."

"Shin," Keine said, turning around to greet the Tengu Information Corps Boss, who was wearing a grey cloak over his usual black winter coat.

"Boss Shin!" the Crow addressed, standing at attention, "Apologies, boss. The human asked and—"

"No need to apologize, Jin," Shin told him, "everyone here knows the story already, and I need to be reminded of my error every now and then, so I can avoid future mistakes."

"Yes, Boss!"

"Excuse me," Hieda called, walking to Shin.

"Hieda no Aya," Shin said, smiling, "I'm delighted to see you here."

"Oh? Really?" Hieda no Aya asked, with a light blush on her face, "This meeting must be awfully important to you, then."

"No, it's not that," Shin chuckled, "I just missed our little encounters in the Human Village."

"As if," Hieda giggled.

"Shin," Keine called again, interrupting his flirting, "Where are they?"

"They're late," Shin said, waving his arm in gesture.

"Obviously," Keine sighed.

"I'm not at liberty to give you the information that you are asking for," Shin told her, "but I can tell you that, for various reasons, Boss Tenma likes to be the last to arrive, and he will be the last to arrive."

"Well," Keine sighed. Shin wasn't going to say anything useful, as usual. "At least we know that once Tenma arrives, we can finally begin this farce," she then said, walking past Shin and taking a seat beside Kou and the other humans. Hieda continued her conversation with Shin, this time more seriously, now that Shin's flirtation had worn off. Keine could not hear them from where she was seated.

Kou was talking to Ichiro and Jiro about Youkai anatomy, specifically that of the Oni, Tengu, and Kappa. Ichiro was explaining to Kou how the Crow Tengu's wings are magical and can easily be concealed for convenience or stealth.

"So, they just disappear?" Kou asked.

"Technically yes," Ichiro explained, "they disintegrate and reform at the will of the Tengu, but the wings of each Crow Tengu are unique and the strength of the wings is dependent on the Tengu's magical affinity."

"But they are born with the wings?" Kou continued to ask, still looking confused.

"Yes," Ichiro confirmed, "magical wings for magical beings; it isn't hard to understand."

Keine stopped listening to them and began looking around again. It was still morning, yet Keine already felt tired somehow. It wasn't the feeling of tiredness from physical strain, but rather that of mental stress. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to relax herself. It was getting colder each day. Keine wondered if they'd have to wait here all morning. Sighing again, she shut her eyes to rest them, listening to the sounds around her until they started to fade.