Chapter 5: Mima

How many years had it been since Mima had last seen Selena Marama? Certainly well over a thousand years, several centuries before this supposed rampage that Rumia had gone on following Yukari's Lunar War. Mima hadn't stayed to listen to the rest of what Akyuu and Kosuzu had said, nor did she need to. If Rumia was Selena's daughter after all, which Mima now suspected was the case, she knew that Selena was certainly dead. And with her, every god or goddess of the moon that had ever existed; Lord Tsukuyomi included. What an elaborate lie the upper ranks of the Lunarians must have concocted in order to keep the disappearance (and probable death) of their founder a secret.

Mima had learned much during her time with Selena. While the goddess that she'd known may not have been the 'true' form by which she was known, it was one she professed to favor over most others, and it was the one she donned when the two were together. She revealed to Mima that she was the true identity (or perhaps it was the other way around) of Lord Tsukuyomi, and that she'd founded Lunarian society when humanity was still young, in order to bestow upon them her divine protection from the growing corruptions of the Earth. These same corruptions, Selena explained, would eventually take hold of the many lesser deities of the world, who wanted to use their power and status to rule over humanity, and have them as worshipers and servants. Only later did they realize that this would become their undoing, when they became reliant on that same worship in order to survive, as they too became subject to the corruptions of Earth. It was a fact that had become lost over the course of history, as many of the old gods lost their power, and died when there were no longer humans to worship them.

"And yet, here you are, on the very same Earth you say has been the cause of so many problems," Mima had said to Selena following this explanation.

"Whether or not she suffers those same corruptions," Selena had replied, "the Goddess of the Moon will never have any shortage of worshipers, will she?"

Whether or not Selena had fallen victim to the same contamination that had befallen so many deities before her, Mima did not know. Selena had never confirmed it one way or the other. Mima did suspect she had. How else would she have been so easily killed by her own daughter?

Mima's brief relationship with Selena hadn't been anything she would have considered romantic, not by any means. Yet it had been intimate enough that Mima also suspected something else about the nature of Rumia's birth; that Rumia was her own daughter. A half-goddess, half-phantom, masquerading as a youkai (if Rumia even knew of her true lineage anymore, and Mima suspected she at least knew of Selena), with the power to wield darkness with incredibly high levels of power and skill. Now that was a sickening little twist if there ever was one. It was no wonder that Rumia seemed to be so difficult to put down for good. But, Mima had to admit, she was curious to meet this 'youkai' that had caused so many problems. Whether or not she should tell Rumia the truth about her parentage, on the other hand, was a decision that would require a good deal more consideration.

Then there was this prophecy, the one that Kosuzu had found. It had sounded familiar to Mima when she'd first heard it, but only after she gave it some more thought did she realize that she had heard it once before. Not long after she'd first met Selena, in fact, and she had heard iit directly from the source. The same youkai seeress, a rather famous individual at the time, whose prophecies filled that book Kosuzu had found. Mima had even met that youkai's daughter once; the poor thing had only inherited a mere fraction of her mother's power. Mima had written off the words of the seeress as little more than nonsense. Few of the woman's predictions, at the time, had yet to come true, so there was no way of judging the accuracy of her abilities. By the time that most of her prophecies came to pass, her life had already ended (it was rumored that those who could predict the future rarely led long lives, and Mima believed there was some truth to them). Mima had not been in Japan at the time of Rumia's original rampage, and had not been aware of her existence at all, in order to make the connection between the event and the seeress' words (and had she seen Rumia, she would've immediately noticed the resemblance between her and Selena).

Yet Rumia's origins only made up half of that ancient prediction. There was still the matter of the 'light' it had mentioned. Hana Kazami, the newest daughter of Mima's old friend, Yuuka. She was a child that Mima wanted to meet for herself, and it was why she now found herself in Mugenkan for the first time in over a decade. Though she did also wanted to catch up with Yuuka as well, after all these years. No one would look at her visit to Mugenkan as anything other than a chance to visit an old friend after a long leave of absence. That was what she'd told Yuuka's gatekeepers, Elly and Kurumi, anyway. No need for them to know that she had a few ulterior motives behind her visit, and some more secretive business with their employer.

Even after all these years, Mugenkan looks exactly the same, Mima thought, but she wasn't all that surprised. Mugenkan had existed for a far longer time than Yuuka had, and would continue to exist as the boundary between the physical world and the Dream World long after Yuuka was dead and gone.

Mima had only been wandering the halls for a minute or so, aimlessly exploring as she tried to find her old friend, when she was greeted by the sound of a high childish laughter from further inside the depths of the mansion. She heard that same voice speaking something that she couldn't make out, before it resumed laughing. Before Mima even realized what had happened, the hallway flashed brightly (it couldn't have lasted for more than a fraction of a second), and then there was a young girl with dark green hair standing in front of Mima, staring up at the ghostly woman. The little girl tilted her head to the side with a curious, innocent look.

"Hello, miss ghost lady!" the girl suddenly declared, as her face broke out into a bright smile. The girl bore only a passing resemblance to Yuuka, but Mima knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that this one had to be Hana, Yuuka's youngest daughter, especially if that flash of light was any indication.

"Well hello there, little one.~" Mima said in reply, and she returned the young girl's smile, though not as kindly. Mima didn't think anyone she knew would be able to, anyway. "You must be Hana, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yup, that's me!" Hana then adopted that curious expression once more, as though she were only just now questioning who Mima even was. "Hey, so how did you know my name?"

"I'm a friend of your mother's, and I've heard a lot about you," Mima replied, and this seemed to satisfy the young girl. "Now, tell me. Have you seen your mother around the mansion today? It's been so long since I've seen her, and I'd very much like to speak with her."

"Nope! Dunno where she is!" Hana shrugged her shoulders, and as she did so, Mima could hear a set of footsteps approaching from down the hall from which Hana had appeared. "She's usually not home til later.~"

"There you are, Hana," the voice of this second person said, as another girl (older than Hana for sure) approached from the far end of the hall. "You know I can't keep up if you run off like that." The second girl narrowed her eyes at Mima in suspicion, and they never averted their gaze even as she took a defensive step toward Hana. "And just who are you, and how did you get in here?" Mima only smirked at the girl's defiant tone of voice.

"My, aren't you a cheeky one. I can tell just by the sound of you." There was no doubt though that this second girl was Yuuka's daughter, Miasma. The resemblance was uncanny. Mima did not know if Yuuka had ever truly been 'young' in stature, but if she had, she would have been a dead ringer for Miasma. "If this one's Hana, I'm certain you must be Miasma. Reimu told me about you, and how you managed to take on Rumia. Impressive, if everything she told me was true." Mima's smirk widened. "You're shorter than I expected, though."

Miasma balled one of her hands into a fist. "... Excuse me?"

"I guess it only makes sense," Mima continued, not even acknowledging that Miasma had (or hadn't) heard her. "From what I heard, you've got a short enough temper to match your stature."

"Say anything else, and you really will find out if what Reimu said was true or not." There was clear anger in Miasma's eyes, and Mima suspected that if she were to continue, Miasma really would try to beat her senseless. Not that it would work. Physical blows didn't mean much to spirits like Mima (not unless she purposely made herself tangible), so Miasma was more than welcome to try.

"I'm not so interested in you anyway.~" Mima waved a hand as if to shoo Miasma away. "Hana, why don't you tell me just what it is your powers can do?"

"You still never answered my question," Miasma said, interrupting Hana before she could reply to Mima. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"I am Mima, and I'm a friend of Yuuka's. Not that my business with her is any of yours, Miasma." Mima smiled, but in a mocking way that seemed to beg retaliation from the young girl.

Miasma almost did strike at Mima, before the harsh, sharp voice of her mother cut her off. "Enough, Miasma," Yuuka's voice said, with a finality that silenced the two. Mima turned her head to see Yuuka striding down the hall from behind her, her expression almost as sour-looking as Miasma's at that moment. Yuuka stopped when she was beside Mima, standing just in front of her two daughters. Yuuka seemed to regard them both for a moment, before she finally spoke again. "Miasma, go take your sister, and go out to Gensokyo. I don't care where you go. Mima and I have private matters to discuss."

"But-" Miasma had begun, but she didn't continue. Strong as she was, perhaps even more so than her mother in a purely physical sense, it seemed Miasma knew better than to argue with Yuuka once she'd made up her mind. "Fine. We were heading out to the shrine, anyway." Miasma picked up her younger sister effortlessly, and gave Hana a gentle smile that was so unlike the anger she'd displayed moments before. "Come on, we'll even go get you a treat from the village after we go see Reimu."

"Yay! You're the best, sis.~" Hana cheered, and threw her arms around Miasma's shoulders in a tight embrace, as she was being carried away down the hall, and eventually out of sight.

With her daughters gone, and the two now alone, Yuuka smiled as she turned to face her old friend. "With everything that's been happening recently, I should be concerned that you'd show up now of all times. But on the other hand, it's good to see that not everything has changed on me."

"I'd have to disagree with you there. Gensokyo isn't a thing like it was when I was here last." Mima nudged Yuuka's shoulder with her elbow, and began to laugh teasingly at the woman. "You're the last person I would've expected to settle down and have a couple of kids, Yuuka."

Yuuka's frown returned, and her eyes regarded Mima with an impatient look. "I didn't 'settle down', and I never wanted to be stuck taking care of them. I leave Hana's care to Elly and Miasma." Yuuka crossed her arms. "I really don't want much to do with them."

"Well no wonder Miasma's so grouchy. With you for a mom, I'd be a touch irritable too." Playful as her comments were meant to be, Yuuka seemed none too pleased by them, and so Mima did not push the jokes too far. Yuuka was, after all, one of the few people she had even the slightest modicum of respect for. And probably the only person in Gensokyo these days she could even consider to be a friend. "I would think you would be at least a little bit interested in Hana and her abilities, however. Or at least, you will be, after you hear what I came here to talk about.~"

Yuuka raised an eyebrow at this. "I know of Hana's ability to control light, if that's what you're getting at. An interesting development, considering some of the more... recent events."

"So, this whole Rumia business is true, then." Yuuka did not seem surprised that Mima already knew of this, but Mima went on to elaborate nonetheless. "Reimu told me everything."

"Yes, I'm sure that whatever she told you is true. But I don't suppose she mentioned my involvement the first time Rumia appeared in Gensokyo."

"Oh?" This was the first that Mima had heard of anyone other than Yukari being involved at the time of Rumia's sealing. At least, in terms of those that stood against Rumia that were still alive. "That couldn't have been long after your departure from the Dream World. I never thought that back then you would've involved yourself in Gensokyo affairs."

"Yukari practically begged for my help. The problem was that I not only underestimated Rumia's ability, but also neglected to realize the cost I paid when I left Mugenkan for the first time." Yuuka smiled once more, one that the surviving demons of Makai would have recognized well. "I nearly succumbed to my wounds during that battle, and returned to the Dream World to recuperate. You can imagine how furious I was to realize that when I was awoken by Reimu and your former student, that returning home had not restored my immortality."

"And you vented your frustrations by wiping out half of Makai's population. With some help, of course," Mima finished, and returned Yuuka's grin. "Ah, it's been too long, Yuuka. An eternity in the Dream World wouldn't have suited you, anyway."

"I suppose not." Mima wondered how long it had been since Yuuka had even entered the Dream World. Probably not since the day she'd met Reimu and Marisa, all those years ago. "You came here to talk about something," Yuuka said now, returning to the subject at hand, "and that it involved Hana. So I'd like to get on with it."

"You never were the patient sort, Yuuka," Mima replied, but she seemed unbothered by this fact. "Really, it's something I can't believe you haven't noticed yourself. Do you remember that youkai seeress who lived in Japan shortly before the Lunar War?"

"I don't recall her name, but yes, I do. She was probably killed by Rumia, or maybe she was dragged into Yukari's pointless war. I doubt it matters, since no one ever heard of her again after that. I never put very much faith into the words of anyone claiming to know the future."

"If you were really asleep for a thousand years, then you wouldn't know that most of her predictions actually did come to pass in the years after her death," Mima said, and this seemed to catch Yuuka's attention. "Including one of the last ones she made. And you might be interested to know that this one involves the both of us quite heavily."

"She made quite a fuss about that last one she made, right before the start of Yukari's war. That one about the surging darkness, and the avatar of the sun. Is that the one you're referring to?" Yuuka still seemed doubtful, but it was clear in her troubled expression that an inkling of understanding had begun to work its way into the ancient youkai's mind.

"You still don't get it, do you? The 'darkness' is Rumia, and the 'light' is Hana. The avatar of the sun is that hell raven you so carelessly slept with." Yuuka gave Mima a look that would've terrified any lesser being, but Mima was unfazed. "And the 'moon' refers to Selena Marama, the Moon Goddess. She's Rumia's mother."

"That one you spent all that time cavorting around with back then?" Yuuka stopped, realizing immediately what Mima was trying to imply. Although Mima didn't know it, Yuuka was now noticing the resemblance that Rumia bore to Selena (though Yuuka had only met the goddess once before, and hadn't made the connection until now). "You can't be serious thinking that Rumia is your daughter."

"That's exactly what I think, Yuuka," Mima said, now smirking with amusement. "It fits, doesn't it? Rumia, the daughter of a moon goddess, with power over darkness. Hana, the daughter of a hell raven with the powers of the sun god, who now has power of light. And the two of us, so very different, and yet so alike. You, closer to the sun, and me, closer to the moon. It's oddly fitting, don't you think~?"

"You must have lost your mind back in the Outside World, is what I think, Mima," Yuuka practically growled out. She didn't need to say what was on her mind for Mima to understand what was making Yuuka so angry. She knew that Mima was right, but that wasn't specifically what bothered her. No, it was that she didn't like her life being dictated by some long dead youkai seeress. "I'm not about to believe something so asinine without any shred of proof."

"Say what you will, but you know that I'm right.~" Mima did not have any proof to offer, but there was at least one thing that came to mind. It would at least provide Mima with a chance to meet with her own daughter for the first time. "If you'd like, we could always ask Rumia who gave birth to her. And if she says that it's Selena, well..."

"I'm not going to waste my time talking to that psychopath. Why didn't you just ask Selena yourself?"

"What do you think I was off doing in the Outside World for so long? I thought that maybe I'd find Selena out there somewhere, but I never found any trace of her. I can only assume now that Rumia killed her, sometime before you and Yukari sealed her powers away."

"Even more reason why I'm not about to go ask Rumia about it, then. But if you're truly so insistent, I will look into it myself." Yuuka took one step to turn around, and then stopped, considering something. "Keep this theory of yours to yourself, Mima. If it really does end up being true, the last thing we need is for everyone to know about our involvement in this whole Rumia thing."

"My lips are sealed, Yuuka. This stays between us.~" Mima called back, as she watched Yuuka depart down the halls of Mugenkan. No doubt to return to the Dream World for the first time in many years, to seek the wisdom of some of its other inhabitants; beings that Yuuka might even consider to be elder sisters, of sorts.

Mima had never visited the Dream World herself, but she'd heard of its inhabitants from Yuuka in the past, and they were notoriously tricky creatures; the Dream Youkai, an immortal race that were bound to the Dream World for eternity, lest they forfeit their eternal life. Yuuka had once lived among them, and now she would seek their counsel. It was just a question of whether or not she would actually receive it.

Mima didn't know if they would help or not, but either way, she found herself feeling at home in Gensokyo once more. Perhaps she'd simply resume where she'd left off all those years ago, tormenting Reimu and her shrine as her main source of amusement. Mima certainly thought that would be fun.