'Mama'

"Yes Hai-chan?"

'Why am I not a Satori?'

Satori sucked in her breath, before asking. "Why do you ask?"

'Children are usually the same creature as their parents, right? So why am I human?'

Satori really didn't want to have this conversation, she had been dreading it ever since Hailey was two. But Satori will not lie, and she is no different.

"Because… You were adopted, Hailey."

'Like Kaguya-hime?'

Satori withheld a sigh of relief, thank goodness for literature. "Yes, like Kaguya-hime. Only we didn't find you in a bamboo stalk."

Hailey pondered if there are any Bamboo in old Hell, before getting back on track. 'Where did I come from then?'

"I honestly don't know, Koishi one day arrived with you in her arms. Never told me where she got you from either."

Hailey stewed in her thoughts. Satori decided to give her space, and so stayed silent as she continued preparing dinner.

'Were you ever curious?' Hailey asked.

"Very much so. But at some point I realised it didn't really matter."

Hailey was a sharp girl unfortunately. 'Did you want to return me?'

"At first." Satori admitted. "At the very least I would have liked the option to make the decision for myself."

'You didn't want me?'

Satori sighed, put down her knife, and kneeled down to Hailey's level, and put her arms on her shoulders. "Hailey, you are my daughter, and I wouldn't trade you for anything. But when you first came to me, you were a baby of unknown origin, a stranger. But even then, it wasn't that I didn't want you, I just doubted my ability to look after you. Infants are fragile, humans especially so. You must also understand that was the past, you are no longer a stranger, and while I could have done a better job raising you, I am still proud to call you my daughter. You are wanted, never think otherwise."

Hailey was hurt a little, Satori could tell, and she expected as much. Learning that you were unintentional, even in an unconventional sense, probably was not an easy blow to soften. But Satori will not lie, not least to her daughter.

Haileys thoughts were really swimming now.

"Do you need a little time to think?" Satori asked.

Hailey nodded.

Satori nodded in return, and pulled her into a hug. "Love you."

Hailey nodded as Satori released the hug, before going to walk out the room, she stopped at the door. 'Love you too.'

Satori released the breath she was holding. Before returning to chopping vegetables.

Truth was important, Satori reminded herself, otherwise how would anyone ever know when you were genuine?

Hailey stalked through the halls, trying to sort out her thoughts.

Such introspection was interrupted, when she was picked up from behind and twirled.

"Hello Hailey, Aunties here~" cooed Koishi, twirling Hailey in a spinning hug.

Hailey waited patiently for Koishi to put her down.

"Now what's got you down little Ringo?" Koishi asked, setting her down and turning her around.

Hailey sighed, and started signing. [I asked mama, and she told me I was adopted].

"Oh really?" Koishi said. "Well it must be true if Sister said it."

[She said you were the one who brought me.] Hailey signed, eyes lidded in exasperation.

"Did I?" Koishi asked, "Well it must be true if Sister said it."

She did a twirl. "But why are you upset? Sister loves you, that's not a luxury most people have. Certainly better than what you had. All that matters is now."

[You remember where I came from?] Hailey signed, eyebrow raising in surprise.

"Nope!" Koishi said, and after a beat of whatever Koishi had instead of thoughts passed, she continued. "I can show you where it is though. Wanna see?"

Hailey stared blankly at Koishi for a while, before signing [Sure, lets go. I just need to write a note.]

"Why?" said Koishi, as Hailey quickly pulled out a notebook and scribbled on a piece of paper, and gave it to the nearest passing animal. Which took it and padded back in the direction of the Kitchen. Only then did she put the notebook away and sign to Koishi. [so Mama knows where I am.]

"Weird, I never tell Sis where I go." Koishi said.

[I know.] Hailey signed, schooling her expression to be as disapproving as possible.

Koishi cocked her head. But other than that, didn't seem to be phased. "Well letsa go then!" Koishi said, taking Hailey by the hand and running deeper into the palace.

In the Kitchen, Satori was ruminating on if she could have worded that conversation better, when a little Kasha walked in with a note in its mouth.

"Hmm?" Satori said, taking the notice, and giving it a read.

[Going on a soul searching journey with Auntie, will try and be back before dinner.]

Satori dropped the knife.

Hailey blinked, then looked around.

The pair now stood in an English suburb on the sidewalk as the day slowly gave way to evening. Ordinary Londoners walked past, either unwilling or unable to perceive the Satori and the ghostly pale girl.

Hailey's eyes drunk in the surrounding unfamiliar sights.

"Got any questions?" Koishi asked.

Hailey glanced at Koishi before pointing at a house.

"That's a house." Koishi said.

Hailey cocked her eyebrow.

Koishi giggled "They are supposed to be that small silly, not everyone can live in a palace, there'd be no room."

Hailey seemed to think about it, probably imagining old hell being completely filled with Palaces of Earth Spirits, and then nodded. She looked around more and then squinted.

"That's the Sun, you don't look at that." Koishi said helpfully.

Blinking rapidly and averting her eyes, she tried signing in Koishi's direction. [is this the surface?]

"No silly, it's a surface, I've been all over the surface, and I never found this place… maybe." Koishi said. "Yet this clearly is the surface, so therefore it must be a surface." Koishi rambled.

[how did we get here?]

"On our feet." Koishi said. "Come on, it's not far."

Koishi started walking, pulling Hailey along by the hand.

"Ah yes, Privit drive. Eenie meanie miny- That one!" koshi said seemingly randomly pointing out a house. "Number 4, where I found you."

Hailey stared at the building that was functionally identical to every other building on the street.

"Yes I'm sure." Koishi pulled her along. "Come on, let's spy on some ugly people."

Hailey was pulled over to the front window, where a family dinner was taking place. A large fat man was sitting on the table, complaining about some unknown subject in an unknown language. A thin horse-like woman was fussing over the third member of the table, which resembled some sort of rotund gremlin, but was more probably some sort of child.

"Ugly aren't they?" Koishi said, making Hailey raise an eyebrow.

"Oh I don't mean looks." Koishi said, "Although they aren't exactly easy on the eyes. No, I mean in here." Koishi holds a hand over her chest.

"You see there." Koishi said pointing at the fat man, "his grumbling is directed at some workers who left his company for being underpaid and overworked, calling them slackers. And her." the finger travelled to the horse-like woman. "She is comparing her 'friends' child to her own, finding fault in everything he does, while ignoring that her child has the very same flaws but worse." The finger travelling to the Gremlin. "Inconsiderate, rude, bully, manipulative, greedy, it would take less time to list the problems he doesn't have."

Hailey watched in silence as Koishi pointed every member out.

Koishi then stepped back, making Hailey turn to face her. Koishi did a little twirl and started singing.

"An old man, clad in strange robes, dropped you off at this abode~"

"Mom and dad met a tragic end, on relatives he must depend."

"But oh no, bad blood runs deep, for her sister's death she would not weep."

"So was the scene I happened upon, two ugly people who wished you were gone."

"A house with no love would do you know good, so I took you away to one that could."

She bowed.

Hailey, having watched Koishi's little performance, turned back to watch through the window.

The Gremlin had started a tantrum over something.

"Soooo… curiosity sated?"

Hailey watched, for a moment, before smiling, and signing. [let's go home Koishi]

"All righty!" Koishi cheered, before leading Hailey away, the only evidence they were there was footprints in the garden bed.

But not everyone was as oblivious as the Dursleys.

It was in a swirl of Phoenix fire that Albus Dumbledore arrived in Privit drive not seconds after.

Now haste was not a word that one would usually associate with Albus Dumbledore, indeed his associates would often accuse him of dragging things out. One could say he had the patience of a saint.

If one knew this, one might understand the sheer urgency Dumbledore had apparently arrived with, as he hadn't even changed out of his bedroom slippers.

One of the tracking widgets had gone off after being dormant for years. The one magicals use to keep track of children, or in this case, one Hailey Potter, who had vanished without trace ten years ago.

Immediately his senses, honed after years of fighting dark wizards, told him something was off.

His mind struggled to hold onto this feeling of wrongness, until he finally noticed the detail that his hindbrain was desperately trying to ignore, two figures walking down the street.

Barely remembering to cast a muggle concealment charm on himself and the phoenix perched on his shoulder. He made a brisk walk to catch up with the figures.

Before he could speak up the taller one spun on her heel, to face him with a big smile on her face, allowing Albus to get a good look at her.

A strange girl with mint green hair, and dark green eyes in a stylish black hat. She wore a fancy rose patterned green dress with an equally fancy yellow blouse being worn over the top, with a pair of simple, yet expensive looking boots decorated with a purple heart. To Dumbledore's experienced eyes, it suggested that this girl was a woman of means, or at the very least was friends with an extremely well off tailor. However, Dumbledore also noticed the the strange purple cords that seemed to extend from her ankles, Wrists, and under her blouse*, all of which terminated in an orb that hovered over her heart. They had a certain fleshy quality that implied that they were not mere accessories.

This girl was not human, that much was obvious.

"Oh Heyo, it's the Old man." The girl spoke in a language Dumbledore didn't know, but sounded like it came from somewhere in the east, Japanese perhaps?

Then her smaller companion turned around as well.

Her hair was a mess of waist length black hair, tamed only by its length, with a fringe swept to the left, covering one eye. Her Skin was ghostly pale, her one visible eye a brilliant green. She wore a pair of round glasses with thick black frames. Her dress was as black as her hair, but with red rose patterns embroidered into it, and unlike her companion, went to below the knees, and were accompanied by woollen stockings. The blouse she wore over the top was green to match her eyes, and had the same oversized sleeves, with black trimmings.

One thing that Drew Dumbledore's attention more than anything however, was the lightning shaped discoloration on her forehead. Because not only did the presence of the Scar confirm who he was looking at, it also showed that the Scar had healed. Something Dumbledore didn't think possible.

The girl, possibly sensing scrutiny, hid behind the taller girl, suggesting familiarity, as if their similar wardrobe hadn't already done so.

"Hello!" Taller girl spoke, this time in perfectly passable english. "My name is Koishi, are you here to try and take Hailey back?"

Dumbledore blinked, before clearing his throat. "Well, miss-"

"You can't have her, you know, she's my Niece." Koishi interrupted, picking up the girl and hugging her, the girl had an expression of calm resignation suggesting this happened often.

Dumbledore blinked again. There was something strange about her demeanour that he couldn't quite put his finger on. And he was quite sure neither Lilly nor James had any relatives quite like this.

In order to avoid being interrupted again, he got right to the point. "My Name is Albus Dumbledore, a Wizard. May I ask exactly who you are?"

Koishi pouted. "I already said, my name is Koishi, Koishi Komeiji. Are you here to take Hailey or not? You feel very interested in her."

It seems even the direct route was having difficulty, but he persevered. This creature/girl was unknown territory and her demeanour seemed deceptively simple. "I am more curious about how she ended up in your company, she vanished over ten years ago."

"She didn't vanish silly, she came home with me. Now she's my Niece." Koishi said.

This told Dumbledore two things. One, that this was indeed the kidnapper who snatched Hailey, and a being who is capable of removing an infant from a heavily warded house, and two, that this was not Hailey's primary caregiver, if she indeed had one, and that there was a sibling, or honorary sibling that is doing so.

"And why did you do that?" Dumbledore asked, it was worth a shot, as the being seemed fairly receptive to answer questions.

"Because everyone deserves to be loved." the girl said, with such uncharacteristic clarity, that it once more completely threw Dumbledore off.

The girl, clearly unable to follow the conversation, started tugging at Koishi's sleeve.

"Hmm?" Koishi intoned, looking down at Hailey in her arms.

Hailey wiggled a bit, and Koishi put her down.

To Dumbledore's confusion, Hailey then started moving her hands in several strange patterns one after another.

"Ooh, right, of course, we are gonna be late for dinner!" Koishi said in Japanese, placing her fist in her upturned palm in realisation.

"Nice to meet ya Mr Dumbledore, but we gotta go, Hailey promised Sis that she'd be back for dinner." Koishi said, switching back to english.

Dumbledore went from puzzlement to alarm. If they go back, Hailey might well disappear for another ten years.

"Excuse me, before you go, may I ask where you live?" Dumbledore asked.

"With my sister, Haileys mama… sometimes." Koishi replied.

"And where does your sister live?" He tried.

"Somewhere farrrr away." Koishi said, spreading out her arms. "Why, do ya wanna meet her?"

"If it wouldn't be too much trouble." Dumbledore said, somewhat hopeful.

"Hmmm…" Koishi vocalised. "Well sis doesn't really like surprise guests… Well, I'll probably be coming back in the next few days, if you can still remember me, I'll take you to sis if she says yes."

Hailey was tugging more on Koishi's sleeve. "Ok, ok coming."

Before Dumbledore could say another thing, there was a sudden bluster of wind, and a stream of green rose petals. When Dumbledore could see clearly again, the pair was gone.

And Instantly he knew what the girl had meant, by 'remember', as he could feel his memories trying to slip away. Thinking quickly, lest his only lead vanish, he touched his wand to his temple, and drew out the memory.

Faux, knowing what to do, immediately teleported them back into his office.

Striding over to his cabinet, he pulled out the pensive and dropped the memory into it immediately.

Checking to see if the memory was intact, he sighed with relief. "Thank You my friend."

Faux trillied happily.

As he poured over the memory however, he frowned. The memory was clear, and everything was intact… with the exception of Haileys chaperone. The figure was a greeny-yellow smudge, and try as he might, he couldn't recall what she looked like, what she sounded like or even who she was. He recalled her being Haileys self declared aunt, but details like a name and appearance eluded him.

This disturbed Dumbledore more than he cared to admit. He knew of no such being that could affect the mind like that, especially his. Indeed, he imagines that somebody else wouldn't have even realised they were forgetting something.

"What sort of frightening creature is capable of such things?'' he asked to the room in general.

"I wonder what's for dinner?" said the frightening creature in question.

Chapter Notes:

*I have altered Koishi's design slightly, giving her more cords than her canon appearance, mostly for the sake of taxonomic consistency between her and her sister, Although she still doesn't have one attached to her head, for some thematic reasons. Might change it back later, not sure.

Writing Koishi is interesting, she is basically in a walking coma, sometimes little thoughts and memories float to the top, but otherwise she's just not thinking.

Also as you might have noticed, Hailey doesn't have a narrative voice, except when she is with Satori, this is a little bit of a writing experiment by having the main character's thoughts and feelings be opaque to the audience, being only able to guess based on her actions and what she signs, with the exception of when she is with her mother, who can transcribe them to us. I might get bored or give up on it later if it doesn't work well, but for now, I felt it might be interesting for Hailey to be as mystifying to the audience as she is to the cast.

Koishi would be absolutely terrifying to deal with for anyone who doesn't live in Gensokyo (she is still terrifying there, but then so is everybody else, so it balances out).

Also, still not explaining to you how Koishi got to London, I might reveal it later, or I might continue to keep it vague to annoy people.