As she ate, she couldn't believe how delicious these pancakes were, even though she made them herself. Was it really just following the recipe? She had felt like her hands were almost moving on their own when she made it, as if Youmu's skill was somehow being imparted in the food. And yet, she still didn't have any memory of Youmu's previous cooking, nothing came to her that could help.

Even while she ate, she couldn't ignore the fact that Yuyuko was right by her at the table, eating too, worried that she might somehow move incorrectly or make some imperceptible slip-up that would expose herself as an impostor. Looking at Yuyuko's innocent, cheerful face as she ate, she wondered if all this worry was for nothing, but surely Yuyuko would know her servant better than anyone? And when she was caught… what would happen?

Her worried musings were interrupted by Yuyuko letting out a content sigh. "Ahhh, that was wonderful, Youmu! You always make such wonderful meals." She reached out and rubbed Youmu's ghost half, sending a jolt through her. She squeaked in soft surprise, feeling as if she was being pat herself. Her ghost half, responding to her, nuzzled on Yuyuko's hand, and she felt a sudden sense of peace come over her, and a smile grow on her face. A deep sense of satisfaction flowed through her as she was rewarded by her master, a feeling that everything was right in the world.

She was somewhat roused as she heard Yuyuko's laughter. "Goodness, I could just pet you forever, Youmu." She blushed, which only made Yuyuko laugh more. "Well, I'd best let you get to your usual practice. You always get so testy when you miss it."
She almost blurted out she would rather be pet more, but caught herself. Yuyuko's smile only grew, but she simply got up and left 'Youmu' to compose herself. She sighed in relief as she was left alone, finishing her meal in peace, musing over the feeling that had swept over her. She felt a little jealous of the real Youmu, getting to serve such a nice, beautiful and sweet princess like Yuyuko.

She almost wished she was Youmu, fully and completely, but… well, it was becoming more and more clear to her she wasn't. Practice, she had said? What kind of practice? She thought, trying to recall what she knew of Youmu, hoping she hadn't picked up some hobby she would have no way of guessing. The most likely practice she would be doing would be training her swordsmanship, which she knew Youmu took very seriously.

Even if that wasn't what Yuyuko meant, doing that would be something expected of her. The problem, as before, was that she had no idea how to use a sword, much less two as Youmu tended to. But… she had to try. Getting up, she took the plates to be washed, then wandered, looking for wherever Youmu might usually practice her skills.

The home was in truth a massive manor, and she could easily tell it may take a long time to find what she was looking for. Thankfully, luck was on her side and she quickly found where Youmu kept her training swords, which looked to have been carved by hand and worn down from extensive use. When she picked them up, she half expected some sort of shock or jolt, but nothing happened, no mystical qualities to be found.

It was a little disappointing, but she supposed that would be too easy. Stepping away from the wall where they laid, she swiped through the air a couple of times, trying to get used to holding the weapons. She had a firm and natural grip, no doubt a result of Youmu's long training, but that didn't mean she had any idea what to do with them. She tried to a few experimental movements and attacks, but was interrupted by a door opening.

Yuyuko hovered over, smiling. "Youmu? I realized we haven't continued my lessons in quite a while. And since you are clearly in the middle of training already, would you mind terribly if have a little sparring session?" She clasped her hands together as if to say 'please?' while winking, making it cheerily clear this wasn't really a request.

"Oh, of course Yuyuko-sama." She forced herself to smile, hide her worry, handing over one of the swords to Yuyuko, following her outside the building, pausing on the porch where she had been sightseeing before. Yuyuko took a ready two-handed stance, 'Youmu' doing the same, struggling to maintain composure. She watched Yuyuko carefully, but the movement still came out as a blur, and her sword was knocked out of her hands in one swift movement.

She looked from the sword to Yuyuko, and she flinched back on seeing her expression. Suddenly she felt like all the warmth had been sucked out of the room as a deathly chill ran down her spine. Yuyuko was still smiling, but there was no happiness in it. Her eyes couldn't turn away as Yuyuko drew closer, flinching, trembling, as she felt an icy cold hand touch her cheek.

"Y-Yuyuko-sama, I-"

"You're not my Youmu, are you?"

She struggled to respond, but the words felt like an icy punch in the gut, taking the air out of her. She couldn't move at all, feeling as if Yuyuko's gaze was draining the life from her bit by bit. She could only manage a shuddering breath when the princess closed her eyes, moving back.

"Since you did make me a lovely breakfast, I will allow you to explain why you are inhabiting my dear gardener."

She shrank back, still shaken, prostrating herself before Yuyuko in fear. "I-I truly do not know, Yuyuko-sama. I-I just woke up like this. If I could, I would go back to being myself, but… I don't even know who I was. I just don't know."

"I see… I understand then." She reached down, patting the false Youmu on the head softly. "Well, if you did not do this maliciously, then I suppose we can work this out."

She looked up hopefully. "You can find out what happened to me, Yuyuko-sama?"

Yuyuko sighed, finally looking away. "Oh, I think I know already. Let us go back inside. I think you should be seated when you hear it."

That was worrying, but she got up and followed her into a seating room, generally where visitors would stop on their way in, she supposed. She seated herself opposite, looking over at Yuyuko timidly, waiting for her to speak.

Yuyuko still wouldn't look at her, eyes on the floor. "Well, to put it simply… you must have entered Youmu's body while she slept, most likely in Higan."

She blinked, confused. How could she do something like that? And Higan? She tried to recall the name, and it came to her after a moment; It was part of the afterlife, specifically where souls waited to be judged. She froze on that thought, shivering, trying not to think about it, but it could not be ignored. She swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling dry.

"Yuyuko-sama. Am… am I dead?"

The princess looked up, sadness clear in her eyes, and she nodded solemnly. "I am afraid so. Youmu must have stopped on the way back home to rest, and-"

"B-But I wouldn't do anything like that! I don't even remember how I… how I died."

"I know. Many souls are restless when they die, struggling to accept the truth, trying to cling to life however they can. For a half-human like Youmu, it is possible a spirit could take her over if she was defenseless. Even if you don't remember doing it, you must have acted on impulse."

She looked down at her stolen body in horror, clenching her hands. "Please, can you fix this? I don't… if I knew that, I wouldn't have done any of this."

Yuyuko smiled, if slightly. "You are much kinder than many ghosts in the same situation. Since you did not make me force you to leave, I will offer you a choice. When I remove you from Youmu, I could escort you back to Higan. Or… I could let you go free into the Netherworld. Consider it… a free pass. One new soul off the books won't hurt anything, and I am sure you will stay out of trouble now that you know what you are."

She bowed her head gratefully. "Thank you, Yuyuko-sama. Please, give me a moment to prepare myself."
"Of course." Yuyuko closed her eyes, taking a soft breath. She did the same, looking down at Youmu's body, no doubt for the last time, she thought. After this she would be… dead. Truly and completely. A small part of her wanted to run away while Yuyuko wasn't watching, even if she knew it would be pointless. Having a body was something she knew she would miss, especially one like Youmu's- she shook her head, shooing the thought away. This had to be done.

"I-I am ready, Yuyuko-sama."

Yuyuko stood, walking over, placing a hand on Youmu's head. "Very well. I think it would help if you don't look."

She closed her eyes, and suddenly felt a strange tugging sensation in her gut, a strong feeling that seemed to overwhelm her senses, slowly but surely, until that was all she could feel. Nothing else registered, and after a moment, she could see again, but feel nothing. Looking around, she realized she had no hands, no feet, but was simply hovering in the air weightlessly. She turned this way and that, alarmed, but she calmed down somewhat on seeing Yuyuko again, even if she seemed larger than before. She tried to speak, but no words came out; she realized suddenly she had no mouth to speak with.

But a small groan came from Youmu as she awoke, shaking her head. looked around in confusion, then froze on spotting the little ghost, fear flooding her face, and she brought her blade down, a blur of motion faster than the ghost could possibly dodge; but all she felt was a soft 'bonk' on her head, as Youmu was holding the practice sword instead of her real one.

She cowered regardless, worried this was just the prelude of her getting her revenge with a proper weapon. But rather than regarding her with loathing, Youmu just seemed embarrassed to be holding the wrong sword. Yuyuko giggled and pat Youmu on the head, regarding her warmly.

"Now now, Youmu. It's rude to attack our guests." Youmu and the ghost both looked at her in confusion. "This little one helped me find you and bring you home. So yes, she is an honored guest."

The ghost flinched back in surprise; her? A guest now? She shook her head, trying to communicate this wasn't necessary. She certainly wasn't sure what she should do next, being dead, but she do not deserve to be in their presence after what she did.

But Yuyuko couldn't hear her silent protests, and she simply pat the little ghost softly. Youmu watched the two in confusion, before seeming to resign herself to her princess' whims. "Very well, Yuyuko-sama. Is there anything I can do for our guest?"

"Just let her move about freely. Mmm, she will need something so you can tell which ghost it is… ah!" She got up and walked off, leaving the two alone suddenly. Youmu looked across the table at the ghost, who uncertainly settled down on the pillow Yuyuko had been sitting on. It still felt comfortable, but without the sensations of a living body, she didn't feel anything else around her.

It was all new to her, but none of these changes seemed… good. No wonder ghosts like her just naturally try to keep living. But she wouldn't do it again. Yuyuko was showing her far more trust than she deserved, and she wouldn't let that be in vain.

She was taken out of her thoughts by Youmu clearing her throat. "I do not remember how you helped me, but I trust Yuyuko-sama's word, and you feel strangely familiar." She bowed slightly. "Thank you for your help, miss. I apologize for my rude behavior just now- ah?" Another head shake. "You aren't angry? Thank you again." Youmu smiled gently, and the ghost couldn't help but feel a little better.

They heard Yuyuko humming as she came back, plopping something on the ghost's head, to Youmu's surprise. She could feel she was wearing something now, but had no way to see what it is.

"There we go! Now you can tell her apart from the other ghosts, right Youmu? That headband should work perfectly."

Youmu seemed she wanted to object, but brushed it aside with another smile. "Of course, Yuyuko-sama."

Yuyuko chuckled and gently guided the ghost to another room, Youmu following, as she was lead to a mirror. She knew what she would look like; a ghostly blob. But it was still a shock to see, and almost more surprising was that Yuyuko indeed gave her one of Youmu's headbands. It was touching that Yuyuko really had no hard feelings about this, that she was forgiven. And, as weird as it was to admit, it did look a little cute on her.

"Do you like it, Yure-chan?"

She looked back at Yuyuko in surprise. Yure-chan? Was that herself? Even more gratitude filled her as she nodded happily. Even if she lost her old identity and her stolen body, her princess gave her something to identify herself with, and a new name. She would pay this back somehow, of that she was certain.


As the months passed by, Yure slowly grew used to her new existence as a ghost. The Netherworld was a beautiful place, still just as amazing to behold as that first day she saw it in Hakugykurou. She felt content to remain here, to enjoy her time here forever. Except for one thing. As she saw other ghosts, she realized they did not recognize her as one of them, thinking she was a phantom instead. She had thought they would be like her, but in fact they often looked like they had in life.

Of course, she couldn't remember who she used to be in any case, and that did not bother Yure as much as she thought it would at first. Instead, she was filled with a certain conviction, and that was the true issue. She wanted to repay Yuyuko and Youmu for their kindness after her own transgressions, but in this state she simply couldn't help them at all. She had no hands, no voice. She had tried at least to sweep the place by holding a broom in her coiled tail, but to no avail.

And to make it worse, she had seen Youmu's expression! Her polite apologies, her apologetic smiles just grated on her nerves. She knew the gardener meant well, but it only made it more infuriating that she could do nothing. And so, Yure had come back to Hakugykurou once more, glaring a hole in the broom that had foiled her. She knew quite well using her tail again wouldn't work- it just couldn't get a tight enough grip.

How she wished for hands. How she wanted to grab it, even break it, if only she could take hold it and do something! More than that, she wished she was like Youmu. She almost, almost wanted to take her body again, though she hated herself for the thought. Yes, those thoughts only grew stronger then more she saw her. She saw Youmu's astonishing skill in cooking, gardening, swordsmanship, she was so skilled and refined and… perfect.

All things Yure could never be, even if she still inhabited her form. She had no skills to serve, and now no ability to help. With a mental scream of frustration she grabbed the broom and snapped it in two, turning away to sulk yet again. She paused, realizing what she just did, looking back in disbelief. How?

She thought back, trying to recall what happened in that instant of rage. Yes, she had felt it, didn't she? Like she had limbs again. But how had she done it? She floated over to what was left of the broom, trying to somehow take hold of it, but whatever force she exerted them lay stubbornly out of reach. Her frustration mounted again. She had it, she was holding it!

With a mental sigh of defeat, she floated off to tell Youmu about the broken broom. It took some time for her to wordlessly indicate she wanted Youmu to follow her, but eventually they were back before the broken implement, Youmu looking very confused.

"How did it break like this? I know you couldn't have done it, Yure-chan."

She wasn't sure if Youmu was being nice or simply stating it would be impossible, but either way Yure was starting to get angry at her, as Youmu muttered to herself over the various and increasingly outlandish ways the broom could have broken. When she apparently reached the conclusion they had some sort of vandalizing intruder, she let out an audible groan.

"It was me!"

Youmu jumped, spinning around, looking for whoever had spoken, reaching for her sword. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

Yure was too stunned by her own voice to reply. It sounded a lot like Youmu's, but it had the same echoing quality many of the other ghosts had. Seeing Youmu shift to put Yure safely behind her, she couldn't help but feel a little amused.

"You won't find me that way!" Youmu turned around quickly, looking around wildly, and Yure fell into a giggling fit, falling to the ground in hysterics. "I-I can talk! Finally I can talk!"

Youmu lifted Yure softly into her arms, relieved. "So it was you."

"Y-Yes. I'm sorry I broke it. I'm still not sure how I did that, but now-"

Youmu smiled. "Yes, you can talk now. I'm very happy for you."

"Do you know how I did it?"

Youmu looked at her ghost half. "My other half can do that too, when I need to perform my duties in two places at once. I think I can teach you how that works."

Yure lifted up, surprised. "Really? You'd do that for me, Youmu-san?"

"Of course. You are my friend, after all."

"Thank you… I-I promise, I will pay you back for this. I want to help you and Yuyuko-sama any way I can. So please, teach me everything."

As Youmu picked up what was left of the broom and lead Yure into the building, she felt a surge of hope flow through her. Though she did not know it then, that was the start of her apprenticeship, the true start of her afterlife.