Chapter 2: The Hunters' Warning
The King of Arendelle felt uncomfortable in the presence of the two strangers standing in his office.
One, a black-haired woman in her twenties, was oddly dressed; she wore a long robe of red, black, and white, tied together by a thick sash at her waist. Her side hair locks were gathered into two cloth tubes, both decorated by an ornate pattern that repeated itself on her robe. She stood tall, her height roughly the same as the King's.
The other, the King thought to be far less imposing. He was a bit shorter, and looked like a young man from sixteen to eighteen years of age. His wardrobe was far more typical; a thick coat and scarves blanketed him from neck to foot, and a cap covered his head and ears. He periodically shivered, presumably from the cold. The King found the young man's eyes to be the most interesting of his features: The eyes had deep red irises. This, combined with his blanched skin, made the King wonder if the man were an albino.
"And you say," the King said slowly. "That you're searching for a 'yoh-ca-ee'?"
"Youkai," said the woman, who had introduced herself as Hakurei. "You can say that youkai are 'supernatural monsters,' which is the closest approximation to your culture's definitions."
The King felt a knot form in his throat. However, he suppressed the temptation to swallow. "And what sort of...youkai...are you looking for?"
"An elementalist, most likely one with the ability to wield ice in its various forms."
Keeping his breath steady, the King leaned slightly over his desk, feigning ponderment. "I have no knowledge of any sort of elementalist in my kingdom. I have heard some reports of trolls, but even that has so far has been rumors that were few and far in between."
"Our council declared the trolls in your area to not be a threat...at the moment," stated Hakurei, her gaze unblinkingly locked on the King's eyes. "But we detected dangerous levels of power in this elementalist. It could wreak havoc on your populace."
"I thank you for your concern...but I-"
"Your majesty." Hakurei's lips parted in a surprisingly sincere smile. "I'm sorry to say that our council is far more selfish than I am. I worry for you and your populace, but the council of Gensokyo merely worries about the safety of Gensokyo's borders."
Those words took the King by surprise. He struggled to find the right reply. "I, er, then, I'm sorry to say that still have no idea where to find your youkai."
For the longest time, Hakurei studied the King's face. "You don't have to apologize." She took her eyes off the king to gaze around the room, her sight brushing past the stacks of paper on the ornate desk, past the pictures of the Queen hugging a tiny Elsa and an infant Anna. "Sometimes, things fall out of our control…"
She let her last word fade out, something that struck the King as uncharacteristic of her. She smiled at him again. This time, the smile was even more sincere, more gentle, and the King felt reminded of the time he accidentally broke his mother's vase and profusely apologized to her; that smile that crossed his mother's face as she kissed him on his forehead and said that everything was fine...it was nearly identical to Hakurei's. The knot in his throat diminished.
"We will not take more of your time," said Hakurei. "We ask permission to leave."
"I have a question," said the King. He now felt it safer to ask questions. "What do you do to youkai...s?"
"We neutralize them."
The King felt his heart sink again. "May I ask, how?"
"Youkai vary greatly in their abilities, making it necessary to have multiple plans. I, as a priestess, can use spiritual magic - exorcism would be an example - to deal with them. But in this case, against an ice youkai, the council thought that Mokou's…" She nodded at the young man. "...ability to wield fire would be useful."
Fire?! What in the world- Questions cropped up in the King's mind like a kettle of popcorn being cooked. He immediately forgot his follow-up question and simply said, "Thank you for your help."
As the King escorted Hakurei and Mokou from his office, he again found the encouragement to land one final question. "'Moh-cohh.'" He winced at the apparent butchering of the name. "Are you related in any way…"
"To youkai?" completed Mokou. He spoke softly, and his voice sounded...tired...as if he had just returned from a decade-long war. And yet, his facial features - his brow, his eyes, the contours of his nose - were subtly curvy, effeminate, strangely attractive in a girlish way. "No. I am a human." There was a finality in his words.
As he continued down the stairs toward the castle's entrance, he turned once more to the King and said, "By most definitions."