Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY or Touhou Project. They're the property of Rooster Teeth and Team Shanghai Alice.
Braun Bruder, seated on a cramped seat inside of a swaying bullhead making its way to the middle of nowhere, wondered not for the first time if this trip would actually be any different than the last three.
He knew that his particular field wasn't the most popular, Gods knowing enough people have sent him death threats for propagating or denying anti-faunus sentiment by drawing attention to those myths, but even he was starting to feel frustrated with it.
It had seemed so simple back in the beginning. The legends of youkai and gods were usually swept under the rug as records of faunus attacks from the bad old days or dramatizations of hunters and huntresses, so why not shine a light on them and clear up some crap that kept clogging up society?
It wasn't like there was any shortage of examples to study, pretty much everywhere had at least a handful if you knew what to look for, but the vast majority of them seemed to peter off into dead ends and word of mouth.
Those that didn't… well, he'd learned to keep quiet about the details. It's not like anyone believed him anyway.
He didn't regret his choices per se, his work had reached a lot of people and gotten at least some of them to actually think about their assumptions, but he'd be lying if it didn't feel like he was beating his head against a steel wall. That repaired itself when he wasn't looking.
Spending several hundred lien on a trip only to find out the purported 'incident' was nothing more than a group of teens messing around tends to inspire such sentiments.
That frustration probably played a not-inconsiderable part in his decision to chase this lead. Rumors of a village that had been passing down stories about the youkai for centuries were a lot less substantial than the ruins of lost civilizations, but the potential of coherent answers was enough to get him digging.
When his usual informants came back with the news that they had managed to locate the village that the rumors referred to, a tiny thing in the backwoods of Mistral, it seemed like it was worth a little effort to get actual confirmation.
According to the people he sent, the villagers weren't the friendliest towards outsiders, but they were willing to answer a few questions. It turned out that they had indeed been passing down information about the youkai, gods, and related events for the past few centuries. Even showing off the book to confirm their words.
It wasn't hard confirmation, his finders specialized in locating things not detecting forgery, but it was more than he'd had for some time. That the village head sent them back with an invitation to meet with their storyteller and see for himself had been enough of a push to tip him towards visiting.
If this was a fake, it shouldn't cost him more than he's willing to pay. If it's cultists again, he can probably fight his way out. But if it's genuine…
Braun was woken from his thoughts by the sensation of the transport descending. Alerting him that the journey was at its end.
In the moments remaining, he took the chance to go over his equipment: His trusty pickaxe/crossbow mechashift weapon hung at his hip in its compressed form, two clips sewn into the lining of his jacket, and A backpack containing four empty journals, five writing implements, three days water and rations, a first aid kit, two emergency beacons, and a box of ammo by his side.
And of course, the contents of his trusty pouch dangling from his neck, tucked away between his shirt and chest. A mild warmth emitting from the bag.
At least he'd be ready for whatever was waiting for him out there.
Feeling the aircraft come to a stop, he unbuckled his seatbelt and walked towards the door, getting a good grip and pulling it open to reveal the outside world.
Braun stepped off the bullhead and back onto solid ground, glad to finally be off that flying death trap.
Granted, that was probably unfair of him, but after all the times he's had to wade through Grimm-infested territory due to his ride crashing he's earned the right to be a bit judgemental.
Totally-justified concerns aside, Braun noticed a figure walking over from the edge of the clearing. A man wearing a green jacket and brown pants.
"I take it you're the person I was told I would be meeting?" He asked, running a hand through his brown locks.
"Indeed." the other man nodded lightly. "I was instructed to guide you to our storyteller, she's most eager to have a new listener."
"Thanks for having me." Braun smiled at the confirmation. "Most information regarding youkai or gods is from worn-away engravings or fragments of third-hand stories, the chance to learn from people who have actually kept records is worth its weight in gold for my field."
The unnamed villager simply nodded, turning around and walking towards the village.
Braun threw a quick wave to the pilot, promising that he'll be back soon to either leave or let him know when to return depending on how things work out. That said, he ran off after the villager.
On his way to the storyteller, Braun was careful to take in everything about the village that he could. Little details could, and often did, turn out to give important information about what was going on.
Such knowledge could prove invaluable in determining the history of the village, its validity, or if he needed to be ready to bolt for the bullhead at a moment's notice.
The buildings themselves were somewhat rustic, consisting of wooden structures and favoring old Mistrilian designs. The villagers themselves were dressed rather simply, with their choice of clothing consisting of various combinations of short-sleeve shirts and brown pants for the men and white dresses with different-colored skirts for the women.
Oddly enough for a place so far removed from the kingdom's protection, he didn't spot much in the way of weaponry. There were a few guards here and there wielding axes, spears, and the rare rifle, but less than one would usually consider necessary to protect the village in the event of a Grimm attack.
Granted, the farmers he saw on the outskirts certainly looked like they could handle themselves in a fight, but it was still odd.
His guide had some interesting traits of his own. Not only was he moving with minimal waste, but Braun was pretty sure that he'd caught glimpses of dust woven into his clothes, as well as the gloves at his hips. Anyone who could do that was someone to keep an eye on.
Though that didn't mean he was only keeping an eye out for potential threats, there were certainly a handful of local cultures and traits that caught his eye. Between that shrine they'd passed by a minute ago and the weird symbols he kept seeing, he could feel his mind trying to put together the pieces.
If this was legit, this place might be exactly what he needed. Though he would have to meet the storyteller first. In situations like this, you can learn a lot about what's going on from the centerpiece.
On that note, his guide came to a stop outside a quaint cottage near the center of the village. Not too different from the other homes he's seen, except for the strip of violet cloth hanging over the doorway.
"Is this your storyteller's house?" Braun asked his guide, who simply responded with a nod and gestured towards the door.
Taking the hint, he walked up to the entrance and pulled open the door, revealing a young blond woman wearing a pale-blue blouse with a blue-purple skirt, seated in a chair, and reading a book with a red and white cover.
Taking notice of his arrival, she closed the book, setting it down on her lap, and locked eyes with him, golden orbs meeting green.
"So, I take it that you're the historian I've been expecting?" She asked, perfectly calm in the face of a strange man she had never met before opening her door.
"That's me." Braun gave a quick nod and walked forward to offer her his hand, ignoring the chill that ran down his spine. "I'm Braun Bruder, it's nice to meet you. Thanks for having me."
Smiling lightly, she reached out to shake his hand before introducing herself. "My name is Marigold Haan," she replied, giving his hand a quick shake. "It's nice to meet you as well. It's been far too long since I could speak with an outsider."
"Don't get many visitors around these parts I take it?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"It's the price we pay for security," she admitted with a shrug. "Though I will admit that what we have to offer isn't really what the kingdoms would be interested in."
Braun let out a disgruntled sigh at the explanation. "More interested in making fancier toys or more lien than actually learning something about how we got here?" He asked, his tone dripping with the weight of personal experience.
"Quite." Marigold agreed. "It's part of the reason I extended this offer to you. I would rather like for the knowledge we've spent centuries gathering and protecting to be put to more use than decorating my home."
He could understand the sentiment. Though whether or not said knowledge would be of use was still up in the air.
His gaze flickered to the book for a moment, but before Braun could voice his questions, Marigold spoke up again.
"I'm assuming you want to take a look and confirm if I'm a charlatan or not?" She asked, offering up the book in an outstretched hand.
Accepting the gift, and making a note not to underestimate the storyteller, he took a closer look at it. The front and back covers were both red with white borders, but seeing it up close revealed the presence of symbols at the center of each.
Ying-yangs, with the front and back bearing inverted versions of one another.
"Do those mean anything or are they just ornamental?" He asked, turning his attention back towards his host.
"They're the clan symbol of the original owner," she explained. "As far as I know, they wanted to ensure that nobody would mistake their work for someone else's. Hence the coloring and the symbol. They're effectively a makers/owners mark."
"Huh." He turned over the book to examine all its sides before opening it to the first page. No information about the author. "Haven't heard of anyone who used this as an emblem before. Is their name anywhere?"
The storyteller shook her head, hints of frustration on her face. "Sadly, the name of the clan and a great many details were lost long ago. We have enough information to determine their goals and profession, but that's all."
"I'm assuming something to do with handling youkai?" He asked, flipping through the pages. "There are some pretty detailed descriptions and strategies regarding them in here."
"They were youkai exterminators, yes." The young woman admitted with a slight nod and a hint of praise. "Your thoughts?"
Braun let out a hum and continued to peruse the contents. The information has been internally consistent thus far and matched up with some of his own discoveries, even the ones he hadn't published. Definitely not recent either. "Well, this definitely seems more legitimate than some other things I've seen," he concluded.
"Our centuries of dedicated effort thank you for your generosity." Marigold deadpanned.
He snorted, finding this a welcome improvement over the dour old man he'd been expecting. "So is this the entire collection or..?"
"No, there's a second book regarding the overall history of the youkai and gods, it's just stored away at the moment."
"Is there any chance I could get a look at that sometime?" He asked, tearing his attention from the entry on Oni. His eyes alight with curiosity.
"I don't see why not." the storyteller shrugged. "Though, if you intended to stick around I'd imagine you might want to talk to your pilot soon. I doubt they're prepared to just sit there until you're finished."
"You may have a point there..." the historian admitted, ignoring the way Marigold's mouth twisted into a smirk. "I have to ask, would there be any free places for me to stay for my time here? Camping out stops being fun after the fifth time."
"There is an empty cottage we keep in case of guests. It isn't the most luxurious of homes, but it has the basic amenities."
"Thank you, that would be great," he offhandedly replied as he flipped through the last set of pages. "There's a lot more here than I thought there would be. Most records are just a single story, maybe some background information if I'm lucky."
"Well, I imagine this sort of information wouldn't be a priority to most." Marigold scoffed. "People have the oddest habit of ignoring the past in favor of fixating on the present and future. Once something is out of sight, it fades from their minds quite swiftly."
"Isn't that the truth." Braun snapped the book shut. "I'm going to go talk to Steve. I don't think I could wrap up all my research in the time he's willing to wait."
"Good luck," Marigold called as he turned to leave. "Once that's done, I would like to speak about what you can learn from your time here, so please return promptly."
Fortunately, the guide was still outside the house and willing to bring him back to the clearing where the bullhead waited. It took a few minutes to explain the situation, and reassure the pilot that they didn't need to make an emergency escape, but ultimately it was agreed that he would come back in three days to check-in.
Watching the aircraft fly off was a sobering sight. Even if the choice seemed clear, the fact remained that he was effectively trapped here for the next three days. Hopefully, his judgment was correct this time…
That done, he returned to Marigold's home, ready to discuss what they would be covering over the next few days.
Ultimately, it was decided that he would be allowed to keep the guidebook to study and copy during his off-time, while his meetings with Marigold would cover the contents of the historical chronicle.
Seeing as it was a little past one in the afternoon and there was some time before nightfall, they decided to get started and cover the first section of the story before Braun heads over to his lodging.
"So, what exactly are we starting with?" Braun asked, leaning back in his seat as he stared across the table at Marigold.
"The beginning of course," the storyteller replied, fixing him with a questioning glance as she opened her book. "Where else?"
Authors Note: So, a while back, the thought got into my head of how well the Touhou and RWBY canons could mash together and refused to leave. Several months, 40k words, and a ton of worldbuilding later, here we are. An experiment in what ripples might result from combining the two stories.
How beings who need to be feared in order to exist might affect a world where negative emotions attract bloodthirsty monsters, what this would mean for the faunas, who share traits with more than a few youkai, and the effect of at Ozma and Salem's forever-war gaining new players. Just to list a few of the possibilities. Here's hoping the idea interests you as much as it did me.
Oh, and if you're worried about this revolving around an OC, don't be. Braun has a role to play, since I couldn't find an appropriate canon character to take his place, but he's not going to be the star of the show.
This is my first fic, and written without a beta, so apologies in advance if some parts are clunky or have an error or two. Constructive criticism is very much appreciated.