Songs of the Illusionary Veil: Glory, Departed
A Touhou Project story by Achariyth
Disclaimers: The usual disclaimer applies. I am playing fast and loose with histories, cultures, and backgrounds not my own for the sake of storytelling.
"Luna! Star!" Sunny Milk hollered, dragging her broom as she passed beneath the torii gate. The Hakurei shrine had three such gates, separating the Holy, the Most Holy, and the Holy of Holies from the ordinary world that surrounded it. But the ancient priests who consecrated the gates never planned for the fairies that routinely tracked mud across the holy thresholds. "Chores are done!"
The three fairies had recently made their home within the Hakurei shrine grounds after foolishly challenging the shrinemaiden, Reimu Hakurei, to a duel. Unsurprisingly, Reimu hadn't broken a sweat. Instead of sealing Sunny and her friends away, the shrinemaiden had instead invited the fairies into the shrine. Since then, the trio had enlivened the quiet shrine with their antics, even as they helped Reimu with the chores. Now, if only Sunny could keep Star from talking about claiming the shrine as her own.
Sunny slumped against the torii gate and sighed. "Don't tell me that they've left already." The chores never seemed to end around the remote shrine, only the daylight. It came as no surprise that Reimu had caught Luna and Sunny slacking off many times, but Star always eluded her. The starlight fairy's gift always let her know when the shrinemaiden was near. "Reimu's making her soba noodles and pickled salad." The promise of good food should bring her lazy friends out of hiding.
The ground shook beneath her feet. Sunny grabbed for the torii gate's post, but staggered out of reach. She took to the air, dropping her broom on the stone path. Sunny looked through the gate and then to the sky. Earthquakes weren't uncommon in Gensokyo, but it paid to look out from falling keystones.
The shaking stopped, only to be followed by the electric sound of shredding cloth. Sunny patted down her own dress before watching the shrine. A great pillar of white smoke billowed out of the small building, rising high to the sky before the wind blew it away.
A chill ran down Sunny's spine as the last of the cloud faded into mist and nothingness. An incident, no doubt, and on her doorstep, too. She caught her breath and a wan smile crossed her lips. The fairy might not know much about the shrine where she lived, but she knew one thing deep within her bones.
Whatever may come, Reimu would handle it.
"It's about time you showed up," Marisa Kirisame said, leaning against the Hakurei shrine's outermost torii gate. She had traded her want for a broom, but the pointy hat remained. To Marisa, there was not point in being a witch unless everyone else could recognize her as one.
Alice Margatroid most certainly wasn't a witch, even though she spent a lot of time around Marisa. First of all, she was addicted to colors other than black. Two dolls, both blonde like their mistress, trailed behind the puppeteer as she climbed the steps toward the shrine. "What do you want? I was having a heart to heart with Hourai." The doll in the red dress glowered at her name. "She's always misbehaving, not like her sister, Shanghai." Hourai's twin in a blue dress actually beamed.
Marisa whistled as she shook her head. "I've got to get you out more often. They're dolls, not people." All three Margatroid girls glared at her. The witch held up her hand. "But I can only worry about one crisis at a time."
"My social life is not a crisis," Alice snapped, hugging her mysterious black book against her chest. Color bled into her cheeks.
"Whatever," Marisa drawled. No girl with Alice's slender height and porcelain features should hide herself in a forest. Sanae had once called the puppeteer a supermodel. Marisa didn't know what the shrinemaiden meant, but it sounded like fun. The witches smile faded. "We need to see Reimu."
"How bad is it?" Alice said, following the witch through the torii gate. Normally, there was a slight pressure whenever she crossed the shrine's threshold. She might not be a witch, but many gods grew uncomfortable at Alice's presence.
Marisa fished a large ingot of chocolate out of her apron and held it over her head. That one bar could supply three thirsty women enough hot chocolate for a weekend and still have enough left over for the inevitable fairies and visitors passing by the shrine.
"Oh dear," Alice murmured as she pursed her lips. Even Shanghai and Hourai perked up at the sight of the bar. What sorrow would need that much joy to wipe it away?
A sheaf of wheat, waving through the air. Sake, poured onto the ground. Incense, smoldering as its fragrance rose to heaven. Rice cakes, given over to the gods through fire. Salt, consecrating again once holy ground. A dozen meals, each as varied as the hundred offerings filling the shrine's grounds. Rice, grain, pickled and fresh vegetables, but never meat nor fat nor blood. Only the Suwa gods demanded that sacrifice.
Amidst the bountiful offerings, the heavens remained silent.
Reimu pulled a wooden sign off of the shrine's outside wall. It didn't fell right to claim to be a branch of the Moriya shrine. With the heavens silent, it didn't feel right to claim to be a shrine at all.
Her head bowed, the shrinemaiden shuffled inside. Sniffing and rubbing her eyes, she stepped in front of a polished brass mirror set upon a stained reliquary cabinet. The incense hung thicker than usual in the air, Reimu mused, staring at her red eyed reflection. If she repeated it enough, maybe she'd actually believe it.
Four spherical bells sat in front of the mirror. Reimu hadn't worn them since her first days as an initiate, where she learned how to draw the gods' attention without such aids. Now, there was nothing else left to try. She picked up one of the bells, rolling it in her palm before tying it firmly in her hair.
"Reimu!" Marisa called out, coughing as she entered the shrine. Alice entered behind her, a handkerchief held demurely against her nose. Two dolls floated in, mirroring the puppeteer. "Wow, hitting the incense a little strong, aren't you?"
"You're not supposed to be in here," Reimu said, scowling at the red-dressed doll fanning incense away from her face. Even when silent, heaven still had a sense of humor. The shrinemaiden tied off a second bell. Only those consecrated to service were supposed to enter the Holy of Holies, where the reliquary stayed. Frankly, Reimu just wanted to be alone.
"I built this room," Alice said, hiding her handkerchief. She smiled, nodding towards her dolls. "Well, they did." She had helped Sakuya and Suika rebuild the shrine in the aftermath of the Celestial's tantrum.
"And you know I'm not one to go where I'm not invited." Marisa actually held a straight face for five seconds before grinning.
"I'm all out of tea," Reimu said, eyeing the two magicians' reflection in the mirror. "Can the two of you go get me some?"
"Good thing I brought something stronger," Marisa said, setting her bar of chocolate on a nearby shelf. "Sunny said that you might be needing some after running yourself ragged all day."
"Meddling fairy," Reimu murmured, tying off the third bell. She felt a slight smile spreading across her lips. "You never know, I might just enlist the help of two nearby volunteers." The prospect of actual work should send them packing.
"I thought you had fairies for that," Alice said.
"Indeed." Reimu tied the last bell into her hair. She closed her eyes and sighed. Only sheer force of will kept the shrinemaiden from trembling as she stood, but it couldn't keep the color from draining out of her face. Loosening the ribbon around her neck, Reimu pulled her blouse over her head and onto the floor. Storming out of the shrine, she tore at the bindings around her breasts.
Marisa and Alice stared open-mouthed, scarlet flooding their cheeks. But as soon as Reimu's foot stepped through the doorway, they leapt forward, grabbing the shrinemaiden's arms and pulling her back inside.
"What are you doing?" Alice hissed, blocking the doorway with her body.
Reimu looked at the puppeteer with wide glassy eyes. Tears streamed down her face as she shrugged out of Marisa's grip. The shrinemaiden clung to the front of Alice's dress, crushing the fabric in her hands. "You're prettier. Dance with me," she rasped. Reimu's slender hands pulled on the laces of Alice's bodice.
The puppeteer shrieked, covering her chest with her arms. Marisa shoved her way between her friends and pushed Reimu away. Wild-eyed, the shrinemaiden dove towards Alice, stopping only when Marisa cuffed her hard enough to lift the dark haired girl off of her feet.
"What the Hell's gotten into you?" Marisa said, towering over Reimu. The short witch had dragged the shrine's donation box over, just so she could stand on it to loom over the shrinemaiden.
"Ame-no-Uzume," Reimu said, rubbing an imprint of a hand on her cheek. The shrine maiden sat where Marisa had knocked her over.
"That better have been an 'I'm sorry,'" Alice hissed. She held her arms out away from her body while Shanghai and Hourai relaced her dress.
"Ame-no-Uzume." The shrinemaiden enunciated each syllable of the name slowly and clearly.
"Neither one of us is from your faith," Marisa said. She hurled a wad of red cloth at Reimu. "Put that back on."
"Back when the sun goddess Amaterasu had sealed herself in a cave, the gods tried everything to get her to come back out. Only Ame-no-Uzume's dance coaxed Amatersu out of her solitude." Reimu slipped into her blouse. She turned her head away from her guests. "It...wasn't a ballroom dance." She winced, and her face matched her skirt. "It was a burlesque."
Marisa fell off of the donation box laughing. "I never thought of a goddess as a stripper before," she wheezed, picking herself up off of the ground.
""I'm not in the mood to hear this, especially from one who likes to walk around 'skyclad,'" Reimu snapped.
"The boys only wish that was the case."
"This doesn't explain why you streaked out of here. Or why you wanted to drag me with you," Alice said.
"My god is missing," Reimu said. Then, like a flooding river bursting free from its banks, "I've tried everything to call him back, nothing's worked, I had to try it." Her shoulders slumped as she hugged her knees to her chest. "I had to."
"Quick, hot chocolate!" Marisa said as she knelt by Reimu.
A flick of Alice's figures sent her dolls scurrying for a kettle. Well, Shanghai at least. Hourai stood motionless no matter how many commands her puppeteer gave her. Alice eyed her doll quizzically. "What-?"
Marisa rolled her eyes and stormed over to her chocolate bar. "For crying out loud, worry about your doll later," she hissed, shoving the treat into the dollmaker's hands. Alice fumbled with the bar before it fell into the kettle that Shanghai dragged over. The doll poured milk into the kettle and backed away as Marisa's heating spell flared into life. The witch turned back towards Reimu. "What do you mean, missing?"
"The Yin Yang Orb is missing," Reimu said. She leaned over and opened the reliquary. Normally the icon that served as the embodiment of the Hakurei shrine god on earth sat inside. Now, the cupboard was empty. "See."
"Couldn't you have just misplaced it?" Alice said, stirring the melting chocolate inside the kettle. Shanghai carried a stack of mugs over to her mistress.
"I've always been able to call it back," Reimu said, shivering. She closed her eyes and held out her palm. Alice and Marisa waited while the shrinemaiden uttered a quick prayer. Reimu's hand remained empty. "Now, I can't. And the god won't come when I try to channel him."
"Did you ever learn your god's name?" Marisa asked, wrapping a comforter around Reimu's shoulder.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Reimu snapped. She huddled within the thick blanket. "Not like it matters any more. How can I call myself a shrinemaiden when my shrine no longer has an icon of an embodied god?"
"I wouldn't be too sure of that," a refined, feminine voice said. The three girls jumped. Only natural grace kept Alice from tipping over her kettle.
"Who's out there?" Marisa said, palming her elemental reactor towards the shrine's exit.
"Down here."
Alice's eyes searched the shrine's interior until a waving doll caught her attention. Hourai bounced in the middle of the room. The puppeteer's eyes snapped open. She wasn't sending commands to her doll. And when did Hourai's hair turn green?
"Hina? What are you doing?" Reimu said, brandishing sealing charms. Even without her god's icon, the Yin Yang Orb, the shrinemaiden was ready for a fight.
Alice rubbed her eyes. Sure enough, Hourai's hair had grown long enough for her to tie it together underneath her chin with a red ribbon in the same style that the luck goddess, Hina Kagiyama, wore hers.
"Someone was so kind enough to leave a vessel I could use right outside of a vacated shrine," Hina-in-Hourai said as she twirled through the air. Alice sputtered as she flicked her fingers, but the strings connecting her to her doll fell limp.
"This is still the Hakurei god's shrine," Reimu said, rocking to her feet. "Not yours."
The embodied doll goddess settled inside the reliquary, planting her fists against her hips. "Your god left. Shouldn't you be worried about who's going to move in?"
The shrine's courtyard filled with angry shrieks. The three girls rushed outside, fumbling for spell cards as they ran.
Star Sapphire, like the explorers of old, had planted a homemade flag into the grass. Standing on her tiptoes as she shouted, the fairy tried to tower over a blonde girl wearing a straw hat. Red-faced, Suwako Moriya shoved a sign at the fairy, no doubt the same shrine that proclaimed the Hakurei shrine as a branch of the Moriya Mountain Shrine. Neither noticed the audience or the small doll setting her own claim inside the shrine's reliquary.
Reimu's eyes turned glassy as she tottered on her feet, finally falling into Marisa's arms.
Water for the hands, salt for the floor, ash for the lips. A prayer offered with each step of the cleansing. Finally ritually pure, Rinnosuke clapped his hands and drew open the curtain to his hearth's shrine.
Merchants took great stock in ritual. Not only did haggling over prices have a distinct form, any job that relied on the blessings of numerous gods for diverse goods demanded the fastidiousness needed to keep them satisfied. Fail to please the war god and risk bandits. Clipped, worthless coins followed in the wake of the prosperity god's displeasure. Upset the harvest goddess...
He lived in special fear of that. Not only did she help bring forth the bounties of the earth that passed through Rinnosuke's hands as he bought and sold, Minoriko Aki smiled on him personally. Every day, as she came through his shop, along with a host of other women. Each plied their charms in the hope of being the one girl womanly enough to catch his heart. (It wouldn't be quite so bad if the girls actually bought something when they visited.) Scorning any of his suitors would cause a small riot. Scorning Minoriko would likely ruin him.
Each morning, he poured a small gift of appreciation. Rice wine flowed into a small cup in front of each of his household gods' icons. The gods must enjoy the offerings; every evening he found the cups empty. Although the daily gifts to a dozen gods added up to a noticeable part of his budget, the blessings ensured that he was never hungry and the gods never went without their libations.
Today, thirteen icons greeted him. The newcomer, an orb etched with the symbol of the Way and Harmony, even manifested its own small stone bowl. How it had pulled the earthenware from the Hakurei shrine was a mystery.
Rinnosuke filled the bowl with a pour offering. "Greetings. I am unworthy of such an august visit. Shouldn't your shrinemaiden be the one to attend you?"
She has forgotten me. You alone know my name.
The voice echoed in Rinnosuke's mind with the force of a tempest. The sake before the Yin Yang Orb rippled in its cup. "I don't know the sacrifices-"
To obey is better than sacrifice.
The Orb took on a cold glow that illuminated the merchant's hearth. Rinnosuke knelt before his hearth's shrine, silent. Then, in a quiet voice, "What would you ask of me?"