She woke up feeling… strange. Her body felt lighter somehow, stronger than she remembered, as if she gotten some sort of surge of energy, yet she still felt drowsy. The girl got up, groaning a bit. She frowned, realizing her voice sounded higher than usual. Looking around, she didn't recognize the room- clearly in Japanese style, with a futon sitting in the middle of the room that she had climbed out of.
She froze as she saw a large white blob of some sort float out of the sheets, seeming to regard her eyelessly. A shiver ran up her body as she screamed and bolted away, trying to look for any escape, but in her fear she couldn't see any clear route out, and simply cowered in the corner. She curled up as the thing- the ghost followed her slowly, no doubt aware she was trapped. A door opened, and she sighed in relief as the ghost floated back meekly.
She looked up to see a beautiful and tall pink haired woman in a kimono, looking down at her in concern. "Oh Youmu, were you scared by your ghost half again?" She felt herself be gently picked up, held in a soft embrace. Youmu? That wasn't her name, her name was… wait. She realized she didn't remember, and the woman pet her, seeing her start to panic. "Shhh, it's okay. I don't need you to do anything right now. Just take your time and relax."
She was so confused, but this kind woman pat her on the head(an oddly cheery feeling) and left her alone again. Looking at the ghost again, her fear didn't seem so bad. Things were starting to click into place. That woman was Yuyuko. And she was called Youmu, but… surely she wasn't? That wasn't her name, but… no matter how much she struggled, her name, and any other details, just slipped from her mind. She knew she had heard the names 'Youmu' and 'Yuyuko' before, but she didn't know how.
Spotting a mirror, she walked over to it. As she saw her reflection, she looked calm outwardly, but inside her heart was hammering in disbelief. She looked like… a little girl. Something about that made her feel happy, that she was a girl- she struggled to remember, was she not one before this? Whatever the reason, being one made her feel better somehow. Yet, everything else felt wrong. The white hair, her height, her cute face, this room. She looked over at the ghost again, realizing it must be Youmu's phantom half. It obediently moved this way and that, just by her thinking it, and she rubbed her head.
She knew she was supposed to be someone else, someone who wasn't Youmu. But whoever that was, the memory was simply gone. So now, Youmu was all that was left. She looked at her reflection again, trying now to remember what she knew of this person she had become; a surprising amount it seemed. She knew Youmu Konpaku was a half human, half phantom. A very skilled swordswoman, and dutiful servant to her mistress Yuyuko, aiding her however she could.
But that was all. No memories of how Youmu did these things came to her. No knowledge of the sword, not even gardening tips or cooking recipes, not the slightest in actual memories, just information. It was baffling, and very unhelpful. Yuyuko had said she did not need anything, but she could guess that she didn't tend to cook for herself, which meant… 'Youmu' would have to.
Sighing, she looked around the room, and soon located the closet. Memories or not, she was sure Youmu wouldn't leave the room in her bedclothes. It didn't take long for her to assemble Youmu's usual attire- a white long sleeve shirt, easily buttoned at least, though the bra gave her some trouble. A skirt, which she found mysteriously pleasant to wear and mercifully not complicated. A vest next, which she had to admit did rather tie the look together, made Youmu look very professional in a unique sort of way. Shoes next, and then a black bowtie, and a hair ribbon which thankfully she managed to put on. Thank goodness for muscle memory.
Seeing the completed outfit of Youmu in the mirror was still a shock. She wasn't sure where she could possibly have seen her before, but she knew she had. And now… this was herself. And Yuyuko would no doubt be waiting for breakfast. She sighed, smiling worriedly in the mirror. "I hope you can give me some help, Youmu."
Nothing happened, and she shook her head. All she could do now was try. She turned and headed out of the room.
As she walked into the kitchen, she could see Yuyuko sitting just outside the building, looking out at the scenery. She stepped closer to speak with her, but she was distracted by the view. The purple sky was otherworldly yet beautiful, combined with the light shining down on soft flower petals that blew in the wind, refracted through the occasional passing ghost, made an astonishing view she could see why even anyone would keep coming back to see it, day after day.
Yuyuko smiled as she turned back, no doubt hearing her approach. "Ah, there you are, Youmu! Are you feeling better?"
She stood a little straighter, wishing she could dispel the worry in her gut. "Yes, Yuyuko-sama." That was the right way to address her, right?
"That's wonderful! You can go ahead and start on breakfast then."
"Umm, what would you like, Yuyuko-sama?" Would Youmu already know?
She giggled. "Oh, whatever you would like, Youmu. I can see you are still a little tense. You're such a hard worker… perhaps one of these days I should care for you instead?"
"I am perfectly fine, Yuyuko-sama. That won't be necessary, I assure you!" She had a firm feeling that Youmu wouldn't accept such an offer, even if her teasing tone didn't make it obvious.
She bowed slightly and went to the kitchen, glad to be out of her master's sight. She frantically looked around for any sort of familiar implements that she may know how to use, but everything seemed equally uncertain. However, in her searching she managed to find a large book in a cabinet that seemed to be full of recipes! Sighing in relief, she flipped through it for something easy to start with.
Soon she found an interesting recipe for Japanese pancakes, which seemed doable. As she followed the instructions, she started to notice that Youmu had apparently crossed out some of the existing instructions in favor of different amounts and recommendations. She wasn't sure why that would be, but she definitely trusted the real Youmu's judgment here. As she followed the instructions, her body seemed to fall into a sort of rhythm, and she felt like she had done this a hundred times before. Maybe Youmu had. It was easy to imagine she was telling her the instructions, teaching her how to do it, and that was a small comfort.
She flinched a little as she heard Yuyuko walk in, sniffing the air, and she felt the same panic return. She tried to focus on the cooking before her, but she could hear every motion Yuyuko made, Youmu's ears no doubt honed to catch the smallest disturbances. Swallowing to try and calm her nerves, she spoke up;
"It is almost ready, Yuyuko-sama."
"It smells wonderful, Youmu! I can hardly wait~"
She couldn't help but giggle at the eager tone, and just for a moment, the tension vanished. She couldn't help but look at the completed meal with a sense of accomplishment. This was something she did! And looking at Yuyuko's almost ravenous expression, she must have done a very good job. At least, she hoped so. She brought the food over to enjoy a long-awaited sweet breakfast.
