1/5

Once I was free from my work, I took out a piece of paper and wrote up a list.

The previous night, we as a group, the Day Breakers, agreed to meet back up on the ninth to revisit Ethos and attempt to ascend higher in the tower and better ascertain its nature. That gave us a few days to better prepare for going back to the Metaverse. So I quickly brainstormed things I should be doing to get ready, and jotted them down:

Visit Nitori to work on our deal (making/upgrading weapons)

Visit Eientei to get medicine

Resume Spell Card training with Reimu

Try to help Youmu and Yuyuko with investigating the incident on the Outside

Furnish my room

After writing these down, I thought about what else I could do. I remembered Keine saying something about a temple somewhere on Youkai Mountain… What was its name again? ...ah, yes, Myouren Temple. That place sounded rather interesting to go check out. So I wrote down one more item:

If time permits, visit Myouren Temple

Satisfied with my list, I looked outside, saw it was snowing again, and felt it would be unwise to venture far from the village, so I started with the simplest thing: getting some furniture for my room, which was still overall bare with only my futon and a lamp. I decided that having at least a work desk would be a good place to start. I looked around the shop, the most obvious place to start, but Masato didn't really have anything that I liked. So, I got my coat and boots on and simply strolled the streets looking for anyone that might have a desk for sale.

Predictably, there were few people outside, given how hard it was snowing, and the skies were dark and grey. I eyed some of the shops, seeing if I could find a wood shop or other place that might have a desk I could use. I wasn't too concerned about funds; I had enough money and treasure left over from our initial investigation of Ethos the other day to buy pretty much anything I wanted. By chance, my walk took me past the Heida House, where I saw some men taking a large, classical-looking desk out of the back door.

"Excuse me," I asked, "but where are you taking that desk?"

"Oh, we're just gonna run it over to the secondhand shop down the street," one of the men said. "Heida Ojousama had a new desk built for her recently, so we're getting rid of this one."

I smiled. "I happen to live at that shop and I'm looking for a desk. Is there a chance I could have it? I'll let you name your price."

"...oh, are you that man who came here from Outside recently? Some of the villagers have been talking about you. Apparently, you're already close friends with Reimu." The man chuckled. "Not hard to see why; a man with your looks and charisma could sweep any girl off her feet!"

"Yes, of course, but I just want the desk for now," I frowned.

"Of course." I ran back to get one of the treasures we found on the floor with the Reaper and bartered it with them, which the men deemed worth enough to not just give me the desk and its chair but also a pot of ink and a pair of high-quality brushes to go with it. Together, we managed to haul the heavy desk back to the shop, up the stairs and into the room. I thanked the men for their hard work, after which I sat down and had a look at it. Being a used desk it was of course scratched up a bit, but overall it was very well put-together and wonderfully crafted, having little shelves and cubbies for storing supplies. Given that it used to be the desk of the elusive mistress of the house, that of course wasn't a surprise. I tried writing with one of the brushes; I was struck by how smoothly it painted the characters onto the paper, fitting for someone whose life revolved around maintaining a chronicle of Gensokyo's history.

Later that night, Masato once again had me help cook dinner. I felt I was starting to get the hang of it; if nothing else I could now measure out oil with measuring spoons without confusing teaspoons and tablespoons, plus Masato showed me why telling red and yellow onions apart was important (and thus making me realize how hopeless I was at cooking before), although "eying" dishes in the pan until they were ready and "getting a feel for it" were still hard for me to understand.

Masato took a bite of the tofu stir-fry we prepared. "Hmm… I think you overdid it on the spices, but other than that I'd say you're coming along."

"Thank you," I bowed.

Once again, the two of us talked over dinner, and eventually the topic turned toward the desk I had picked up. "You sure scored a good deal," he remarked. "Not every day that someone gets a hold of one of the Heida's old possessions, much less the desk on which Akyuu wrote the Gensokyo Chronicle. You should count yourself lucky."

"Ah, I was just looking for a desk, that's all," I said.

Masato took another bite. "So, you've been going out a lot lately but stayed in today."

"Only because of the weather," I said.

"Well, the statue is predicting clear skies at least for tomorrow. You have any big plans, maybe?"

"Perhaps just going back to the Shrine to resume my lessons," I answered.

"I'm glad you and her are getting along. I think it's healthy for both of you, since she doesn't get visitors often…"

He trailed off, and looked down slightly.

"...is something wrong?" I asked him.

"...you wouldn't happen to have met my daughter yet, would you?" he said.

I sat up in surprise. "You mean Marisa? Yes, I have met her."

Masato looked up, clearly down in his mood. "I suppose you would have found out eventually. It's a well-known story in town, how she ran away in order to go practice magic… She and Reimu have been friends ever since they were children. I've heard she's done some pretty amazing things, but I never hear about them because she never visits me." He looked down again. "Am I such a bad father that I'm not even worth caring about anymore? Did I do something wrong trying to raise her?" Masato started to sob lightly. I realized this was something that pained him greatly and ate away at him.

"I wouldn't be able to judge," I said, trying my best to avoid upsetting him more.

Masato looked up again. "Heh. I guess you wouldn't. You only came here last week, after all." He looked down again. "...why am I going on about this to a complete stranger and dragging you into this? You're just my employee, it's not like you're family or anything."

I thought about what he said, about him "going on about this to a complete stranger," as opposed to a trusted friend…

"...maybe that's exactly why," I said. "Since I don't know the situation well, I can't judge you on it, and therefore won't judge you. All I've heard is your side of the story and her's, not anything other villagers have-"

"What did she say?" he asked me.

Ah… how should I phrase this, I wondered? This was a very touchy subject after all, so I had to be careful to make sure the words coming out of my mouth were Marisa's thoughts rather than my own.

"Well… I suppose I prompted her, since I figured out quickly she was your daughter based on your family names alone. She said something along the lines of 'having a rough childhood' and 'never being able to go do the things she wanted to.' For sure, she seems to be the type to march to the beat of her own drum, compared to Reimu who carries out her role without deviation. They're so distinct from each other, and yet they still consider each other friends."

"Is that so…" Masato shook his head. "I just… I just wanted to keep her safe and stay out of things that could kill her, raise her to be a normal girl. I realize now I probably overdid it at times. Guess I'm a hopeless father, aren't I? My parents raised me to be a responsible man, and I couldn't do the same for my own kid…"

I cocked my eye. "Oh really? You know, I met Eirin yesterday and she told me you were quite the menace when you were a child and would try to sleep with every girl in the village…"

Suddenly, Masato gave out the jolliest laugh I had ever heard in my life. "Oh ho, you got me there! Nothin' gets past that old lady, and now I guess nothin' gets past you either!"

I smiled. Masato's spirits were raised, and I managed to avoid angering him while discussing a serious subject.

"But I doubt she told you the half of all the stuff I got up to when I was little! So, when I was nine, I…"

For the rest of the night, Masato shared some of his old misadventures from when he was a child, such as when he got caught with erotic Outside magazines he had found at Kourindou and was forced to hold heavy water jugs outside in the cold for a week as punishment, or when he somehow managed to steal a flower out of Yuuka's fields and got away with it by claiming a fairy made him do it (and how said fairy was killed several times because of it). He even once had the gall to go to the shrine, back when Reimu's mother Akari was the shrine maiden, and steal her panties, a crime for which he was never punished and the panties in question were still in his possession to this day. The more I listened to his yarns, the less I found myself believing that this seemingly mild-mannered man had such a wild streak when he was a boy. Despite his past debauchery, he also told how he was still loved in the village for running his family's old and successful business, assisting elders with their tasks as a young man, and once saving a small girl from a youkai by bluffing long enough for Akari to show up and exterminate it. Marisa really was his daughter after all.


1/6

The next morning, I got up early so that I could finish my work early and go out to get some work done. I had three days until we met back up to investigate Ethos, so I felt getting ready for that took precedence over all else.

I felt another trip to Eientei was in order.

I flew over the top of the Bamboo Forest, looking for the clearing which the mansion occupied. It was well-hidden in the bamboo, but I knew it couldn't escape my discerning, careful eye. After a few minutes of searching, its roof peeked into view, and I touched down in front of the gates.

When I arrived, I found Kaguya outside with some rabbits building a large snow-bunny. Some other rabbits bounded through the white snow blanketing the ground, perfectly camouflaged and digging through the snow and ice with their claws to draw out what few greens persisted in the cold weather to snack on. Some other rabbits busily worked to maintain the perimeter, shoveling snow and spraying high-pressure heated fluid along the outer walls and roof to de-ice it and remove mildew. And again, Seiran and Ringo dutifully stood guard, wearing heavy jackets and their ears pushed down by ushankas, in a way resembling Soviet soldiers.

"Welcome back, Akechi-san," Seiran said. "What business do you have today?"

"I'm here to see Reisen and your master," I answered.

"Understood," she bowed. They parted to allow access into the mansion, where a rabbit guided me to Eirin's office where both her and Reisen awaited me.

I opened the door, and was immediately greeted by Reisen. "Oh, Akechi-san!" she said. "Welcome back! I didn't think you'd be back this quickly!"

"We made a deal, didn't we?" I replied.

"Ehe, well, I guess so, but-"

"Oh, don't delude yourself, Udonge," Eirin said, spinning around and resting her legs on her desk. "The truth is, you were nervous to see him because you have a-"

"I… DON'T…" Reisen's face reddened and she looked away in embarrassment.

Eirin chuckled. "I only kid, of course." She turned to face me, and I found myself captivated by her sharp, bespectacled silver eyes and hair, and smooth legs which a slit in her dress's skirt revealed.

"You've come back to us again today, Akechi-san," she said. "Have we charmed you so quickly, I wonder?"

I shook my head. "Reisen mentioned you were in need of a male test subject."

"Indeed we are," Eirin smiled. "I haven't had much luck convincing anyone in the village to help me develop drugs, and the men are always busy toiling away in the fields to keep food on their tables. I should be thankful you would come along and offer yourself to assist in my breakthroughs."

I shuffled my feet around, a bit unnerved at her tone of voice, which was mature, sultry and playful all at once. I wondered just what kind of person Eirin was, what kind of experiences she had been through, and most of all what kind of drugs she was about to subject me to, much less the ones she had already concocted.

"What can I expect?" I asked. "I would like to know what my rights and responsibilities are before entering into an agreement."

"Oh, of course," Eirin said, adjusting her glasses. "Now, despite appearances, I am a real medical doctor, and adhere to all the ethics that the position demands."

"Do you have a license?" I asked, a bit jokingly.

Eirin chuckled again. "Oh, I'm sure you'll agree there's no need for me to require such a thing. I've been practicing medicine for far longer than the concept of modern medicine has existed in human society. Creating medicine is but one of my many abilities." She got up and went over to a shelf, pulling down a glass jar. "This jar is a memento from an incident several years ago. We had received word that the Lunarians were planning to have a look around Gensokyo upon hearing that we might be here. In response, I created this jar and stuck the Earth inside of it."

"...er, what?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sure that wouldn't make sense to you, but explaining everything would take hours and I doubt you'd want to hear all the details now. What matters is that I stuck the Earth inside this jar, while still on the Earth, preventing it from ever seeing the Moon, in effect allowing us to hide from the Moon forever. Of course, this didn't go unnoticed, and within a night several people had descended upon this mansion demanding answers, after which we came up with another solution: fully integrate this mansion with the Earth's impurity, thereby shielding us from potential Lunarian incursion."

"But I thought people from the Village came here to see you," I asked.

"Oh they have, for quite some time, but before it was on an off-site office I constructed, as this place was still being hidden and preserved by the Princess's powers; we needed money to live in Gensokyo, after all, and my abilities would otherwise have gone to waste. Now, however, the mansion is spotless and timeless simply because the rabbits are that good at maintaining it. I really do have to admire rabbit labor; Tewi does a good job raising and training them." She put the jar back up on the shelf and picked up a clipboard. "But, enough about our pasts. I suppose you want to get straight to business."

"...of course," I nodded.

"Excellent. Now, before we can begin any trials, I'll have to give you a thorough examination to determine your physical state of health. Don't worry, I won't do anything which would make you uncomfortable. In fact, much of what we'll do is quite similar to what you've probably experienced in an Outside doctor's office. This way, we'll be able to better determine how to formulate our drugs based on any conditions you may have, including allergies."

"I understand," I nodded again. After a few more minutes of back and forth, we hammered out the terms: in exchange for extra pay and access to some of their exclusive drugs, I wouldn't hold Eientei responsible for any adverse effects which the experimental drugs might inflict. Eirin also expected me to visit a minimum of once per month, although I was free to come by as often as I liked. Again, my legal literacy came in handy here, allowing me to negotiate away some of her more unreasonable terms (although she did seem impressed when I caught them, which let her know I was serious about the contract). Only then did I sign off on it, with Reisen witnessing.

As Eirin promised, she examined me head-to-toe, taking my weight (65 kg), and height (178 cm), my pulse and blood pressure, looked at my eyes and ears, tested my vision, my involuntary reflexes, and did some other things including a blood draw to determine my blood type and look for preexisting conditions. While she didn't do everything exactly like an Outside doctor, it was still very familiar to me, and it was very clear she had been doing this for a very long time with how quickly and accurately she finished her tests. Reisen helped as well, mostly by taking notes or running samples and readings in and out of their lab and coming back with seemingly instant results.

At one point, Eirin dismissed Reisen from the room before doing a quick sweep, where she discovered Tewi and one other rabbit hiding in a cabinet, scolded and disciplined them, then kicked them out of the office before locking the door and drawing a curtain to obscure the windows. It didn't take a genius to guess what was coming: the hernia test, otherwise known as "turn your head and cough." Eirin of course tried to get it over with as quickly as possible, but that didn't make the situation any less awkward for either of us.

After an hour or so, the exam was finished. Eirin took a few minutes to analyze the data, giving me a mochi to enjoy outside, before waving me back in to go over the results.

"Thank you for letting me examine you," she bowed. She flipped through her notes. "I'm pleased to say you are in very excellent condition. I couldn't find any outstanding conditions or allergies which could affect my research, your body fat percentage is well within healthy limits, your vision is perfect, your reflexes are rather superb, and your lung capacity is within the 99th percentile for your demographic." She took off her glasses. "Plus, if I must say, you are a very well-built gentleman."

"I, er… thank you," I smiled awkwardly.

"...however," she continued, "it would seem your nutrient intake is rather lacking. Since you only recently moved here from Outside, this can easily be explained by your body still holding onto all the garbage processed food you ate out there. I'm also not impressed by your hydration. I'm going to have to ask you to drink more water regularly and balance your diet." She reached over to grab two bottles. "One of these is a multivitamin which will help you with your nutrition while you diversify the foods you eat. Please consume more fruits and vegetables while minimizing red meat and sweets. You're not lactose intolerant unlike most Japanese, so I also want you to consume dairy as well for calcium and other nutrients."

I looked at the second pill bottle. "And what about this other one?"

Eirin smirked. "That's my special treatment for ridding your body of accrued toxins from your bad Outside diet. Within just two weeks of taking it twice daily, it will completely flush all artificial chemicals, heavy metals, and carcinogens from your system. You may experience some mild side effects from it during the first few days, but afterwards you will feel lighter and healthier, you'll find you can sleep easier and think more clearly. If you ever want to participate in spell card duels, you'll appreciate this drug's benefits."

"Splendid, I'll take it."

"Good," Eirin nodded. "Now, take these for two weeks, and make sure to adjust your diet. Only then can we move on with the drug trials. I presume you get a lot of physical activity in order to maintain your physique, so I won't make any recommendations for now." She opened the door for me. "If you have no other business, Udonge will lead you back to the village."

"Udonge?" I asked.

"My name for her, but don't ever call her that, only I can call her that," she smiled.

As promised, Reisen led me into the back of the mansion, to a room filled with different varieties of medicines on the shelves. Pills, herbs, lozenges, mists, bath salts, teas, the whole gamut, all kept atop shelves or locked up in cabinets.

"I'll start by letting you see the basics," Reisen said. "Master told me that you have to gain our trust and produce meaningful results before I can let you have the good stuff."

"Understandable," I said.

"Good." She laid out a small selection including painkillers and smelling salts. I studied them carefully and considered what effect they would have in the Metaverse, before picking out what I felt would be good for now and giving Reisen payment for them. It wasn't that much to start off with, but even so I now had a reliable source of medicine to supplement mine and Marisa's healing magic.

The light of the day was dying as I left Eientei, promising Reisen I would be back soon. Immediately I took to the skies and quickly made my way back to the village, but at one point, colorful lights and what sounded like explosions erupted from one corner of the forest. Curious, I flew down closer to investigate.

As I approached, the explosions stopped, leaving only a thick haze of smoke. Bamboo shoots were pushed down in a wide circle of bare, scorched earth potmarked with craters and covered in a layer of ash. And in the center were two heads.

Heads which were currently having a chat.

"Somehow, I don't think you thought your 'extra-special colorful whirlwind of eternity' out all the way through before usin' it on me," Mokou said in annoyance.

"The only thing that matters was that I reduced everything below your neck to a fine red flurry of ash," Kaguya dismissed.

"At the cost of your own goddamn body too," Mokou retaliated. "Now all we can do is sit here and bitch at each other in the middle of the cold, pitch-black forest until we regenerate, assumin' animals don't come by and eat us before that!"

"Why don't you breathe fire or something to keep yourself warm? I know how much you hate the cold~"

"I could blow on your hair to set it on fire," Mokou snarked.

"Come at me," Kaguya dared trying to twirl what was left of her hair, only to tip over onto the freezing ground, squeaking as she rolled over onto her face while Mokou laughed.

"Lover's quarrel?" I asked, hands in my pockets and casually strutting up to them.

Mokou looked over at me. "Whaddya doin' here at night?" she asked. "Don't you know? This place is full of animals and youkai waitin' to eat 'ya up! And it's cold!"

"I was on my way home from Eientei, flying over the forest when I saw explosions coming from here. I just had to come down and take a look." I picked Kaguya up off of the ground. "Apologies, Princess," I said.

"No, it's okay, I've been through much worse," she admitted.

"But your the Princess-"

"You don't have to always treat me like some high-and-mighty flawless goddess just because some bored guys enshrined me in their narratives," she said. "Besides, I haven't really been a princess ever since I got kicked off the Moon anyway."

"Yeah, now you and Eirin are just a buncha hobos livin' in the middle of the forest sellin' drugs to the villagers and youkai," Mokou snarked.

"Look who's talking, you and your ramshackle shack held together with rusty nails, rice paste, duct tape and prayers," Kaguya shot back, sticking her tongue out.

"Speaking of which," I said, picking Mokou up as well, "is it close to here?"

"Yeah, sure," she said. "I'll tell 'ya how to get there. It's fuckin' freezing out here."

"No tea?" Kaguya asked in a prim tone.

"Not like you could drink any right now," I said, looking for any excuse not to cook anything. I was seated on the floor in Mokou's house, in the room I had woken up in on Christmas, in front of the fireplace and across from their heads which I had propped onto upturned buckets. In any other context, this would be utterly nonsensical and horrifying. But, of course, common sense didn't exist in Gensokyo, so I found myself simply taking it in stride.

"Tell me," I asked them, "why do you fight each other to the death so much?"

"Because this bitch over here disrespected my father and my family," Mokou accused. "The least I can do is inflict massive and endless pain to her until she fully understands how I feel."

I nodded. "Upholding family honor is important, and I'm sure it was even moreso back then."

"I just fight her because it entertains me," Kaguya smiled. "In eternal life there is eternal boredom, after all. And if not me, then Mokou would surely have killed hundreds of thousands by now in rage. So, for over a thousand years, we've fought. At first it was just punching, kicking and stabbing each other, but ever since she gained her powers and Spell Cards were invented our duels have become epic, beautiful spectacles indeed."

"Powers?" I asked.

"Yeah, I taught myself some magic on the side, and now I'm a powerful sorcerer who specializes in fire," Mokou explained. "All the better to reduce Kaguya to a pile of ashes."

"I see…" I turned to Kaguya. "Why did you get cast off the Moon? How did you meet Eirin? And why won't you go back?"

Kaguya looked down and frowned.

"The truth is… I hated it up there. You wouldn't understand."

"I think I would, I'm good at deductions."

"Oh, well…" Kaguya paused for a moment. "I… I really like Eirin. She's like a mom to me, since my real parents never cared to check up on me. And she's really devoted to me too. When I asked her to make the immortality elixir, she didn't argue. She wanted to be at my side forever. But drinking the elixir was a crime, as it made me impure. That's why I was cast down from the Moon, and why Chang'e, the master of the Moon Rabbits and who stole a prototype, is imprisoned up there. When a contingent came down to get me, she betrayed and killed all of them just to be with me. She knew I hated it up there, and wanted to reunite with me."

"But why did you hate it up there? You're a princess."

"...that was exactly why."

"...what do you mean?"

"When you're a princess, you have everything done for you, but you also have no freedom. You cannot feed yourself, dress yourself, bathe yourself, or make your own decisions. I felt chained, chained by the men who told me what sort of person they wanted me to become, and I wanted to break free of that, whatever the cost. That's why I am where I am now. But… as much as I want to, I can't bring myself to actually see the world, out of fear I would just be oppressed and objectified again for my beauty by people who won't see me as a person, so I kept myself shut in Eientei for the longest time."

...her message certainly hit close to home for me. Not being able to make your own decisions and feeling imprisoned by societal expectations. I got screwed by the system, and attempted to incite chaos in a bid for revenge. But now, I had the opportunity to start fresh with new relationships, and I would be a fool to throw it away. Especially if two of those relationships were princess Kaguya herself, and a daughter of the legendary Fujiwara clan.

"Oh, boo hoo," Mokou sneered. "I'm a poor little waif 'cause I'm royalty. Well, here's a news flash: you weren't an illegitimate child who wasn't allowed to show her face in public. And don't forget: you shamed my family. Don't you dare make yourself sound like a victim."

I tensed up.

An illegitimate child. Unwanted, born out of marriage. In Japanese culture, simply being a bastard is considered an irredeemable flaw, one which makes society shun you and your family if you were ever found out. That was my dark secret. And apparently, Mokou's as well. At least everyone who would have cared about it in her case would have long since died. But as for me…

"Somethin' wrong, Goro?" Mokou asked.

Ah. She noticed. I shook my head. "Oh, no, it's nothing. It's just…" I looked down. "...you were an unwanted child…"

"Yeah, that's why my name isn't in history books. My mom wasn't actually my mom; from what I've been able to dig up, my dad had an affair with one of the family's mistresses, and I guess my birth mom was one of them."

I tensed up even more.

"...'ya sure you're alright?" she asked again.

"Ah, yes I am. It's just, that's horrible…"

"Well, whatever," she said. By now, I realized she at least suspected I was keeping something a secret, especially since I only started acting like this when she started talking about how she was a bastard.

I decided to lighten the mood a bit (as much as I could, given that I was talking to two severed heads) and talk about some Outside world topics such as popular culture, anime and manga, as well as my work with Sae-san. Kaguya in particular seemed very interested in manga. "Reisen sometimes brings home comics from Kourindou for me to read. I'm surprised how good they are, the art and the long, complex stories they tell…"

"Yes, they don't make manga like that anymore, do they?" I lamented. "Now, publishers and studios seem to exist solely to churn out the next big franchises every season, with shallow plots and overt fanservice, for the sake of pushing action figures and nendoroids and for fans to make and sell each other porn and body pillows, and which Americans subsequently pirate, badly translate and post online without permission."

"Human culture sure is something else, isn't it?" Kaguya mused. "And you seem very knowledgeable about it. I know the Human Village probably isn't anything like what you're used to, but… there's that girl, what's her name, Usami? I hear she visits the Village a lot when she dreams. Sanae used to live Outside too. Perhaps if you could accompany me there like a gentleman and help me learn about culture out there, then you would get to enjoy my presence." She smiled primly yet smugly.

"But they don't live forever like we do, and they die in a flash. Like Goro here. He'll grow into an old man and die someday just like the rest of them."

"Oh, I see… then why do you associate with Keine?" Kaguya asked.

Mokou choked a bit. "I, er…"

"See, you do have more of a heart for 'short-lived humans' than you claim," Kaguya said.

"S-shut up! I don't need to listen to you!"

"You saved me as well, even though you could have left me to die in the snow, if you believed I was just going to die anyway," I noted. "But with an attitude like that, you're never going to make any friends, and having no friends will just make you a morose hermit. Why don't I come visit you from time to time? Maybe even go places together and meet people?"

"Eh?" Mokou blushed. "B-but, with a guy, I mean, ah…" She stared at me awkwardly. "Ah, yes! Maybe I'm not feelin' good 'cause I'm just a head!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," I said.

"Whatever. Could you do me a favor? See the fire? Can you throw me in there, pretty please?

"...um, sure?" I was confused. Even if she was immortal, wouldn't that still be unbelievably painful, burning up in a fire? And yet Mokou sounded adamant. So, I picked up her head, hair and all, and threw it into the fire like a log. I watched as she disintegrated into ash and smoke… lots of ash and smoke, it seemed, before a flash erupted from the fireplace, blowing hot wind throughout the room, and a figure resembling a phoenix soared out, skreeing and spreading its fiery wings, before reshaping into the white-haired, red-trousered girl, good as new.

"Ah… feels good to be whole again," she said, stretching her arms.

"Amazing," I noted. "Reborn from the ashes, just like a phoenix." I looked at the trail leading from her to the fireplace. "Speaking of which, you seem to have gotten some on the floor."

"Yeah, I do that when I'm reborn," she said to me. "It's not just any ash, though. That shit's got some powerful magic in it. 'Ya spread it over a normal person it'll get rid of all their ailments. I collect it and sometimes sell it to the doc so she can use it in her medicines."

Ash which heals your ailments… that could prove useful to our fortress infiltrations, I realized.

"I see… is there a way I could have some of it then?"

"...you mean you want this ash?" she asked.

"If it isn't too much."

"Hey now, buddy, I don't just go around given' this ash to random people," she said, crossing her arms. "It's got its benefits, yes, but if you want any of it I'm also going to need something from you. Like…" she looked down, and kicked her feet a bit. "...like just havin' someone to talk to when Keine can't be there." She jumped up and stammered, "a-and goin' on trips to the Village to see Sumireko and the others, too!"

"Splendid," I smiled. I looked down at Kaguya. "How about you? Do we have a deal?"

"I'm the one who offered, did I not?" she said.

"I suppose so."

And so I struck a deal with them, the Lunar Princess and the Fiery Immortal…

I am thou, thou art I. Thou hast acquired a new vow.

It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Hermit Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…

I looked down at Kaguya. "Now then," I asked, "how are we going to get you home?"

"Oh, don't worry about me," she said. "I'll just pretend I'm a Nukekubi and float all the way back to Eientei, like so." Her head levitated off of the ground, and floated out of a window into the dark, frigid night while going "oooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo…"

I stared at the window with a funny look on my face. "I never imagined Princess Kaguya to be like this."

"That story is full of shit," Mokou said bluntly. "She hasn't been a princess for so long that she doesn't really act like one anymore, and only uses it as an excuse to lay around and do absolutely nothing. Also, her adoptive folks were money-grubbing pricks, but that's beside the point, 'specially since I raided their vault after they died and gave all the money and gold to the Heidas, who back then were just a buncha hobos but then became the richest and most powerful family in Gensokyo, 'cause of me."

"Interesting," I said. "Any particular reason?"

"One of their daughters was about the only friend I ever had growin' up,'' Mokou answered. "So you could say I paid 'em a favor." She reclined. "But, those days are way past me. Nothin's been the same ever since I beat that guy to death to get my hands on the Hourai Elixir. Thirteen centuries now I've been wanderin' all over the place. A good chunk of it battling Kaguya, but also wandering the world too."

"You've traveled the world?" I asked. "Where have you been?"

"Nowhere in particular, though you could say I shaped history sometimes. For instance, during the Black Death I helped control the spread of the virus by burning corpses and mice. I started the Great London Fire in 1666 by accident. I've traveled to every continent, even Antarctica; I'm prolly the first human ever to step foot on that ice cube. At various times, I spent a few years livin' in other places besides Japan, including London, Rome, Constantinople, Moscow, Alexandria, Tehran, Antananarivo, Delhi, Bangkok, Shanghai and Seoul, and I've even visited D.C., though I'd always come back to Japan to do battle with Kaguya. That's just because while I was busy leavin' footprints all over the world, she'd still be holed up in that mansion, forcing me to have to come back to fight her. That's about the only reason I'm here in Gensokyo, is to fight her. That, and at some point I realized someone would eventually discover my secret and lock me up in a lab somewhere to experiment on me."

I looked down. "You must really hate Kaguya, for shaming your father. But…" I looked at her again, "if you were a bastard child, why even fight for your family's honor when your existence alone is a scandal?"

"That's a great question," Mokou answered. "To be honest, I just… I just wanted to redeem myself somehow, show that I really was and am a Fujiwara even if I was a bastard child. 'Specially now, since I'm the last surviving member of the clan. As far as Kaguya goes, well… I wouldn't even really call it 'hate' anymore - believe me, my genuine, boiling hatred of her fizzled out long ago. Nowadays, it's kinda turned more into an escalating game of blood, violence and one-upping each other's Spell Cards, punctuated by lots and lots of snark and banter, that just kinda drives itself. Other people grow old and die in a flash, but in the end, so long as the Hourai Elixir holds up each of us will always be there for the other to fight."

"I see…. I can't imagine that kind of violent, tedious existence."

"I don't think any normal human would," Mokou said. "But, that's just the way it is. Ain't nothin' I can do to change it."

Change… I used to feel the same way. That there was no way for me to escape my situation as a bastard, or as an assassin. But now I was doing my damndest to crawl out of that pit of despair and toward a brighter future. The least I could do was help Mokou and Kaguya do the same, no matter what it took, even if it was impossible.

Because doing the impossible was Ren's modus operandi.

"I wonder if perhaps I could…" I mused.

Mokou chuckled. "Eh, I doubt it. But, who knows? You've already broken into my life; not a lot of other people have. And you know, we might actually be pretty similar."

...I had a feeling she knew the truth about me, but I wasn't ready to bring that up just yet.

"Well, it's gettin' late. I'm sure Masato is wonderin' where the heck you are. Need me to guide you back? I'll at least see 'ya outta the forest."

"Absolutely." We exited the house into the frigid night, flew above the forest canopy and back toward the village with her lighting the way.