Touhou belongs to Team Shanghai Alice. So do concepts, characters and everything else you have experienced while playing the game, except the dishes. Here's another man who wants to use his ideas for a story.
A.N.: A little note before I begin, I prefer not to, even though Touhou is set in a Japanese theme, have characters address in the Japanese customary titles, such as –san or –chan etc etc. Other than this, certain words remain as such. Think of this as a translated work.
"Miss Fujiwara?" the shrine's resident miko appeared in the main hall. "What brings you here today?"
"Uh, good evening!" Fujiwara no Mokou waved in reply from her standing position, still dressed in the suspenders and dirty westernized shirt she had worn since her days in Gensokyo. It was almost midnight, and while this particular shrine was opened all year round, lately Mokou found herself attracted to the shrine. I don't know why, it feels like Gensokyo here. The air, the peace, the tranquility of the shrine…
"Hmm?"
"Well…"
"You've been here almost every night since two years ago, Miss Fujiwara," the lone miko smiled. "This shrine may be small and in the middle of the forest, but you have been one of our most devoted attendee here."
"I'm… not a Shintoist, actually."
"I've heard that one from you before. Is that why you chose not to show up for Onbashira?"
"I've seen it numerous times myself," Mokou replied. Almost like a daily event with that Kanako's bragging on the Mountain. "And immortals do not lie!"
"Miss Fujiwara," the miko smiled warmly, having heard Mokou's tales numerous times. "There is never immortality. All of us will pass on some day. I do enjoy those stories of your 'Fujiwara no Mokou's One Thousand Year Journey'-"
"One thousand and three hundred!"
"Yeah, that. They really are entertaining, but it can't be true."
"Meh," Mokou scratched her head.
"Either ways, I thank you on behalf of every other miko whom you have spent time with every night. It sure can be lonely here when everybody has gone home. Are you here to share another of your stories tonight, Miss Fujiwara?"
"Half of the truth!" Mokou beamed, her face turning almost as red as the miko's hakama. "The other side of my story… to protect the shrine against… youkai!"
The miko burst into laughter. "Youkai, Miss Fujiwara? That's so sweet of you! I was thinking thieves, to be honest. But what can you do against a determined group of thieves wielding guns?"
"I am immortal, I can't die."
"I love how you spin stories out of nowhere, Miss Fujiwara," the miko swept past the woman, staring out into the night sky from the top of the stairs. "It's a secluded clearing in the middle of the forest, dear. We have to be on our guard against robberies," the miko turned around to face Mokou. "But fortunately, our faith in the god has certainly paid off; no robberies have occurred on our sacred grounds since your good arrival here, Miss Fujiwara."
"Maybe… maybe I'm too un-ladylike with my clothes? It scares them away?"
The miko burst into another round of laughter again. "Some of us believe so, Miss Fujiwara. I mean it well, we don't really see ladies wearing suspenders. I would have mistaken you for a chivalrous man with long hair if your voice didn't give you away!"
Outside the shrine, lightning flashed across the night sky, thunder roared and it suddenly started raining. "Miss Fujiwara," the miko's voice became one of concern. "I understand you are homeless, it must have been hard on your to live alone in that forest. Why won't you consider staying in the shrine during the nights?"
"I'm… I'm fine out there," Mokou said. I lived in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost for ages, always under the rain, sun or snow. The forest will always be my home.
"But how can a gentle soul like you actually live out there in the brutal green?"
"Because I'm immortal!"
"Oh, come on!" the miko couldn't hold herself back and giggled again. "You really are silly, what if you come down with a cold in that rain? I won't have you arguing today, Miss Fujiwara, you are an honored guest under the shrine's sacred roof. I will see to it that you are sheltered tonight. I'm afraid I don't have a room to spare, but-"
"If you insist, Miss Miko," Mokou sighed in defeat. In exchange for not wanting to address her by her first name, Mokou, in return, refused to address them by theirs, and kept to a simple name for all miko of the shrine. "But I won't have myself imposing on you. If you are alright with me sleeping along the corridor…"
"As long as you aren't under the rain, dear."
"Then it's settled, but only for tonight!"
"You can always come back and find shelter here if ever you decide to, Miss Fujiwara, this shrine welcomes you honorably, just like we welcome visitors and devotees. But I still don't understand why you won't seek a proper shelter in the town near this shrine."
"I feel better being nearer to the shrine, Miss Miko."
The miko sighed as she shook her head, both in disappointment and not understanding the woman standing in front of her. "Your kindness will pay, Miss Fujiwara. There aren't many like you out there in the world anymore. Not many people give a damn about our well being in the shrine, or if the shrine even has problems. One day somebody will take upon your kindness and return you in kind."
"I feel like it is my duty to protect this shrine, Miss Miko. If only I had money-" Mokou flipped out the empty pockets of her suspended pants.
"And your presence here is good enough," the miko laid a soft hand on Mokou's. "Well, since you are here tonight as an honored guest, how about some hot soup? You will make yourself comfortable while I bring it out here, then we can begin your next story."
"Yes, Miss Miko."
"Oh yes," the miko turned around as she was leaving for the small pantry in the shrine. "I'm already curious, but what would be tonight's story?"
"The Phoenix versus the Nuclear Hell Raven."
"Good morning, Miss Fujiwara," a familiar face beamed at her.
Mokou's eyes sprang open and she leapt up from her sleeping position with equal speed. Where am I? All I remember was telling the miko about my battle with Usutho, how I lost and…
I felt really tired after that. Did I just fall asleep in front of the miko? How embarrassing…!
"Sorry, dear, I laced your soup with sedatives," the miko smiled. "It was the only way I could do to ensure you slept properly for once. How was your sleep?"
Mokou finally looked down; she was wearing a simple white kimono, laying comfortably on a futon with a pillow under snug covers, her talismans that were usually tied to her hair and clothes were resting on a bamboo basket beside her futon, all of them looking clean. Or even new. And the comfort… nobody has shown me so much care since… "Good… really good." How long has it been since I slept so well? Keine might have allowed me one night in her home, but that was because I was plenty drunk-
"Now, silly dear, isn't this better?" the miko smiled like a mother to a daughter. "Living humanely."
"I…" Mokou was lost for words. "I… thank you…"
"Thank you!" the miko emphasized the second word. "It is the least we can do to repay you, Miss Fujiwara. Sorry about the change of clothing, though, the kimono is the only-"
"No problem!" Mokou pulled her covers aside and felt her hand along the article of clothing. "It's good enough for me, but where are my own clothes?"
The miko pointed at the window, where her cleaned clothes hung on metal hangers, along with her shoes placed in a lady-like manner below them, looking washed. "Those are for you to change back once you decide to head out today. Breakfast, if you don't mind, would be vegetarian. If you will excuse me…" the miko bowed after standing up and left to attend to the day's visitors.
Mokou sat up on her futon, still surprised by the care she had been given.
Reimu, is that you, already reborn as one of the miko in this shrine?
It can't be, this shrine has onbashira, it can't be you.
But why was I drawn to this shrine? Was it because of you? Day after day I keep thinking back about you, despite you not being the one whom I cared for most. You are a human after all, aren't you? I took it upon myself to defend humans against the youkai, and while nobody took notice of my efforts, I felt satisfied whenever I drove back human-eating youkai from the village.
What about you? You ARE a human too! Why did I not spare a thought for you? I even gave more attention to Keine, whom I'm pretty sure isn't fully human, despite having the graces of one. So why was I caring for somebody that wasn't totally human over you? Yes, you attacked me, but out of innocence, wasn't it? That crafty Kaguya sent you out on some trial of guts or something? And you teamed up with a youkai!
I wouldn't have put it past myself to forgive your actions, if not for the fact you spared me after the duel. That was humanly enough of you, no youkai would ever spare a thought while thinking of ways to have me done for dinner. Yet after that encounter, I stopped thinking about you, confident that you could hold on your own.
Nobody ever told me about your loneliness at the shrine, Reimu. Keine dropped some hints of what you did at the shrine, but I was nevertheless clueless. Never once attended your flower viewing banquets or those big parties some of your friends seemed to love throwing for you. If you were lonely, I could have been your company; I lived in solitude for more than a millennia.
We could have been friends, too, maybe? I mean, we both could use a real friendship, or even comradeship? We have something in common between us; to repel youkai at all costs. But would you want an immortal as a partner? I have heard of you having some troublesome friends whenever you go out on 'incidents'. Maybe being alone is what you really wanted? Surely you don't feel the pain of being alone all the time?
Fine… so be it, maybe there's some people out there who needed personal space. I wouldn't really dream of having a close friend either; I would have devoted a lifetime of happiness to my friend, only to get more than a century worth of hurt myself after it ended.
But… why go in alone, Reimu?
I felt as if I didn't do enough as humanity's vanguard, even from my position in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. I should have been there when you needed help most… before she did her worst on you. I should have been there to take the blow for you, like I had always done for the Human Village. Maybe if I had known about your suicidal mission down below, you would probably be still alive, and we would still be in Gensokyo, sipping tea as you admonish me for my stupidity in going down to save you?
I couldn't die, as much as I wanted, Reimu, even after your passing, while defending the Human Village against the hell raven's onslaught. The Hourai Elixir was a blessing and answer for humanity…
And it carried a curse in silence.
I can't simply disappear from guilt. I was cursed by the Elixir to face my sin; Reiuji Usutho.
She came when Yukari was preparing for the mass exodus out of Gensokyo. I, too, was there, at Mayohiga, along with the others, anxiously awaiting for the spell work to be stable. I remember being dumbstruck at the figure who had been said to have killed the Hakurei shrine maiden. I remember how strong you had been when we first met, and that you probably had grown even stronger as those months and years passed. It made me shudder in real fear, something I had long forgotten as an immortal, for my life when Usutho began her final attack against Gensokyo.
Yukari's nine-tailed pet volunteered to stay behind in Gensokyo to hold out as long as she could. I felt compelled to do the same; after all, I had no other choice. In front of me, in the radiated sky, was the enemy of my existence and the slayer of the people who I had sworn to protect with my fists, fires and immortality. I wasn't ready to fail myself again; I took off into the sky to meet my sin.
The thought of your death at such a youkai, it enraged me. Fueled my fire. The despair that was brought upon everybody by her acts of destruction, they further kindled the fire. Yukari's pet, loyal till the end, knowing her own fate if she stayed behind, gave her own smaller nekomata pet a loving hug before joining me at the outskirts of the abandoned village, it roughed me emotionally. The fact that every second we delayed Usutho was a second worth of time bought for the rest of Gensokyo, I was ready to give it my all, even at the cost of suffering the after-effects of resurrection at such a death in a radiated world.
Something within me took over my being, something with the same burning desire to protect what I had failed to. The phoenix within me was finally born; I was no longer the Fujiwara no Mokou people had known. But I remembered clearly what had happened next; there was no difference. I got knocked out of the sky shortly.
Yukari, a youkai herself, of all people, must have saved me, because when I woke up, I was already in the Outer World, all alone again. Right here, in the middle of this forest, my crash site, proof of my immortality.
Was it fate that guided me, a useless immortal after all, to safety? Or was it actually your doing? A shrine couldn't have coincidentally been near my spot!
What is it that you wanted me to do, Reimu?
Mokou's head snapped upwards at the smell of smoke. Almost like something's burning. Forest fire?
Putting down the pen and paper given to her by the shrine's miko, she crawled out of her tattered tent and took a deep breath; the smell of smoke was indeed there. Fortunately, the rain had stopped the night before, and she was able to follow the trail of smoke in a direction she was undoubtedly familiar with.
Leaves and broken branches crunched underneath her leather boots, a gift she had reluctantly accepted from the shrine just three months ago when she had insisted again on living in the forest. This path leads to the shrine. I wonder…
Suddenly, Mokou broke into a sprint despite the rough terrain, tripping over hidden logs at least twice. Is the shrine on fire?!
As she neared her destination, the smoke became thicker, causing her to cough as she took in soot-filled breaths. I may have been playing with fire all my life, but this is definitely…!
A scream cut through the air in the forest. Somebody is calling for help! It's coming from that shrine, I bet.
Finally, she arrived at the base of the shrine… or whatever was of it; in front of her stood a burning shrine. Caring nothing for her own safety, Fujiwara no Mokou leapt up the stone steps in bounds, her mind focused on entering the shrine to save anybody she could. As she made her way up, she caught side of somebody fleeing through the forest. Arsonist?
Ignoring the runaway figure, she continued her way up the stairs, panting as she came to a stop at the halfway point. Gotta keep going!
Another scream, this time definitely from inside the shrine. Miss Miko!
Ignoring the aching in her leg muscles, ignoring the pain from her exhausted lungs, ignoring the pounding in her head, she continued up the stairs. Nearer and nearer she came to her goal, but each step after the tenth began to feel like an eternity as the pain in her mind took over.
No! Can't… give up… now! Mokou made it up another step, and another… and another… and slipped on a mossy patch on the next, her head coming first against the stone steps, knocking the air out of her. Dizziness followed and threatened to knock her out like the soup the miko had fed her did. Don't sleep... don't sleep… don't close those eyes… lives depend on you… Hakurei miko's life depends on you… the miko…
Hakurei Miko?
"Reimu?" Mokou breathed as she forced herself to look up. Through her blurry eyes, she began to see a black-haired girl wearing miko wear with detached sleeves. Hallucination?
Another desperate scream for help pierced her ears painfully, the image of Reimu still standing at the front doors to the shrine, as if beckoning her to reach her intended goal. With determination and gritted teeth, Mokou painfully pushed herself back on unsteady feet, falling again at first, but, on all fours, began making the final leg of her climb up the stairs. I'm… I'm Fujiwara…
Another step cleared. Fujiwara…
And another. no…
One more step cleared painfully. Mokou!
I AM FUJIWARA NO MOKOU THE IMMORTAL! Mentally screaming at herself, the last descendant of the Fujiwara clan roared out against the pain and fatigue she had accumulated while sprinting up the many steep steps of the stairs leading to the shrine and charged upwards in renewed vigor. Even as she finally cleared the last step, she stopped for not a single breath as she threw herself into an inferno that was consuming the shrine.
Whether it was for Reimu or the actual Outer World miko in the shrine, Mokou only had one thought in mind.
I guess… I answered my own question, Reimu. If I am allowed to continue my existence back on Earth, it means I have been given a second chance.
I failed to protect you. Yes, I have failed badly like a bad song being sung by the song bird youkai. But here I am, an opportunity to make up for it, and it seems to me that you probably fated for it. A shrine and its miko… they are mine to protect. I may have lost the most important miko to have ever existed in my lifetime, but there are so many more that will need my help.
This is my promise to you, Reimu. No more shrine maidens in this shrine shall ever suffer under my watch. I shall incarcerate my existence to a loyal guard duty over this relic of this world, and no evil, youkai or human, shall cross into its sacred grounds, even if I ever have to place my body on the line at every possible situation. I may have lost my powers over the control of fire when I was (possibly) gapped out of Gensokyo, but I will still keep my promise.
My promise… as the last descendant of the Fujiwara clan.
Fujiwara no Mokou, the Immortal
A.N.: This is my slightly redone attempt for Mokou. The first one that I posted up, which I took down in five minutes, disgusted me. It was so incomplete, so cheesy, so unlike another man's work on the site!
Enough of the 'another' jokes around lol.
Mokou has always struck me as being a guardian for something. In fact, I was planning for another character for this entry, but after reading fanfictions here about her saving others, or even being 'Hurricane Mokou' (cookies to those who know where this name came from), I knew I had to do one for Mokou sooner or later.