Eientei was an enigma. A palace that chose to remain hidden, a golden cage for an immortal princess yet the residence of something as mundane as rabbits. Deep inside the bamboo forest it could only be reached with the help of someone who had already been there, this was not due solely to the labyrinthine nature of the forest, someone very powerful and very smart had seen to that. Lunarians had had always prided themselves on being able to reach everywhere yet being unreachable, this pride had naturally, been proved wrong in the past but those who took part in that odyssey know the lunarians had nothing to fear. Eientei was first and foremost a lunarian home, so it behave just like the moon; close enough to reach you, too far away to be reached.
Unlike the Scarlet Devil Mansion, Eientei did not invite people during festivals, it saw no need in showing the beauty of it's roofs, it was meant as a hiding place, a resting place, a sacred place. However the residents on Eientei were invited to every festival held, it was not a good idea to slight them.
Naturally, those hiding in Eientei spent their days indoors with the exception of Reisen Udongein Inaba who acted like the bridge between the mansion and the outside. Reisen wasn't the most gregarious among them, that was Tewi Inaba, she wasn't the smartest, Lady Yagokoro held that honour, neither was she the most famous, for that was Princess Kaguya Houraisan. She was however, the only one able and willing to deal with their neighbours from outside. Tewi was too childish, Eirin too distant, Kaguya too proud.
At first it was hard for her, Humans and Youkai were different from the Lunarians, they spoke faster and stood too near each other, they seemed to have no problem with physical contact and asked personal questions with to much ease. She would usually give them short answers and avoided conversations about anything other than the medicine Eirin made her sell.
Over the time she began accepting the peculiar quirks of her clients, barbarous and loud as they were they showed affection for each other and had no ill-intentions. She began asking questions about their life and answering questions about hers, not long answers, not private answers but answers none the less. A few years after her arrival the moon rabbit had gotten used to her new home.
A few years might be a lot for you and I but Gensokyo was slower, things moved differently there, change arrived at a different pace. For a lunarian, a being who that had isolated itself from mortality, years had no meaning and yet since her descent from the moon Reisen had been acutely aware of the mortality of the people she dealt with. Unlike Lady Yagokoro or Princess Kaguya these people would die, from one second to the next one everything would change.
She missed some of her older clients: grandmothers with a sick child, old men with unhealthy livers, quite a few of them had died during those years but she still enjoyed their smiles and kind words. The lunarians prided themselves on their pureness but she was beginning to question whether everything they had dispensed was as worthless as they thought.
Kaguya didn't interact with the outside, sheltered from the world, locked inside her room she spent her days talking with Eirin and remembering her happy days when she was still living on the moon. She rarely left her room for anything other than eating or fighting with Mokou, and even these things were confined to the mansion of Eientei and the courtyard.
She still remembered that one time a force of youkai and humans assaulted her home and stopped the eternal night. It was a curious sight, 9 brave souls defying all odds just to see the light of day again, the stuff of legends. Defeat was sour, but at least the most amazing alliance Gensokyo had ever seen had come to visit her.
In a sense, the world had always come to her: Eirin personally asked to be her tutor, Her suitors all dragged themselves before her claiming they would do the impossible not one of them keeping their promise, Mokou spent centuries lost in the world before returning to her full of fire and rage.
The one thing she personally chased was a friend, a peer.
Mokou arrived with her passion and her fury but she was far too hot, one can't shake hands with a flame. Her anger proved to big, she never forgot her father's humiliation and so she could never be a friend.
Tewi was willing to be her friend, but she was too immature, too eager to prank her. She loved Tewi and was happy to have her around but she was not to be that friend
Eirin loved her more than any friend could, but she was different. Eirin loved Kaguya like a mother loves her daughter and so they could never stand on equal ground.
Reisen was the closest thing to a friend she had. She met her in the bamboo forest and invited her to her minuscule court. She played with the princess and they both shared their secrets but Reisen was Eirin's pupil and was not always there for the princess.
She wanted someone for her own, who she could always count on and to whom she could always be useful.
Her suitors all claimed to be that person but she knew better. They didn't come for her friendship, all their lies about their admiration towards her and their willingness to complete her quests were aiming much higher than friendship. They came in search of her beauty and left with her rejection.
Eirin looked at the stars from her window, she had spent the whole day working and missed dinner with the princess and her retainers. The moon made her silver hair shine a beautiful light and illuminated the room pearly white. She was tired, She wished she could dedicate her time to her experiments but someone had to make the money needed to buy the food and the resources needed to make the medicine.
Back on the moon, she never had to worry about these things, but if this made Kaguya happy she was willing to put up with it. Reisen was very helpful and saved her from having to leave the mansion on a daily basis but she felt bad forcing her student to work so hard.
Someone knocked at her bedroom door three times.
- Come in - she said eagerly.
Reisen came through the door and laid a wooden tray on a small square table in the centre of the room.
- Master, I made this for you - said the rabbit.
- Thank you, Udonge, you are too kind - said Eirin.
- No, no, Master, this was nothing, please enjoy the dinner - answered Reisen.
- I Thank you for the food I am receiving -.
The tray contained a big bowl of white rice with onion and peas, a rolled omelette with pumpkin and soy sauce and a little plate with Mango slices. In their search for purity Lunarians had abandoned all kind of meat which meant their culinary culture revolved strongly around the use of vegetables and fruits along with legumes and dairy products. They preferred sweet flavors and
Eirin ate quietly, covering her mouth with hear hand whenever she took a big bite and only speaking to compliment her student before trying each dish.
- Master, there is something you must know -.
- Tell me Udonge, I am listening -.
- I was buying some food this morning when the pharmacist and his family approached me, I greeted them and asked if they were making use of our medicines -.
- That is very nice of you, Udonge, mister Maki is a good man who cares about his family and the people from the village, I hope he is doing well -.
- Well, he told me some bottles had gone missing, the ones you made for Nazrin -
- Missing? what does he mean missing? -.
- He says they banished, without trace, all of them -.
- This is very grave, Nazrin's condition was serious. That was a whole month worth of treatment, she can't afford to miss her medicine at the moment- .
- Surely you can make some more - suggested Reisen.
Eirin's expression turned sombre.
- The ingredients I used were difficult to obtain. Mice have a very distinct biology so they can't just take any medicine like us. It would take too long. Don't we have any clue about what happened to the bottles? -.
- We do Master, after the pharmacist left, his son, Seiichi, told me his parents were paying his aunt a visit and he was left in charge of the shop. A girl who had been helping his father came to the shop and they both... they both...- Reisen was blushing furiously.
- Enjoyed their time alone in a private manner? - Suggested Eirin.
- Yes. The point is, the boy thinks this girl might have stolen the medicine, she told them she wanted to run her own apothecary, he thinks she might have stolen the medicine thinking she could sell it -.
- Does the girl have a name? - asked Eirin, her tone of voice saying what she was too well-spoken to say.
- Apparently, she is called Seiga -
- I see, Udonge, I'll be paying a visit to the Taoists tomorrow, tell this boy I wish to speak to him once I return, I'll be back before dinner, I expect to see the boy waiting for me in the courtyard, I will take no excuses-.
- Yes Master, as you wish-.
Eientei was deep asleep, even Eirin who had many a thing to think about had closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the night. She is worried, very worried, she has heard about Seiga, about her cunning mind and ruthless ambition. If she really stole Nazrin's medicine there were bound to be complications, perhaps she ought to gather some allies before confronting her and the rest of Taoists.
Somewhere far away from Eientei, at the Myouren Temple Nazrin is in pain, her medicine made it better but she was too exhausted to get up from bed. Shou and Ichirin are keeping a close eye on her but if there are any signs of improvement Nazrin is keeping them for herself.
Byakuren Hiriji is praying for her friend and thanking the gods for Eirin's medicine. Little does she know that this medicine is currently in hands of the most merciless enemy the Buddhists have ever faced.
I'm honestly surprised this only took 24 hours,
Imperishable Night has always been my favourite Touhou game. It was the first game I played and the first one I completed in a single continue on Hard. I love the music from this game and have grown an affection for the story and the characters. This might have helped with the process.
I know the story seems to be moving slowly, I can't really help it. I have a curious and unfocused mind, I like to procrastinate and it shows when I write.
Think of this as a game of chess or shogi. Most of the time, you must first play strategical "boring" moves before the tactical fireworks can begin. The plot is just starting, the gears have been set in motion and soon major events will take place.
2018 is approaching and I doubt I will be able to publish a third chapter by then so I wish you a happy new year's eve and a great 2018.
best wishes,
THE AUTHOR.