A girl, lying on the ground outside in the snow, shot up and looked around, panting heavily. She looked around, slowly standing, but she quickly lost her balance and fell back down. She hasn't moved in years, some say hundreds, other actually say one thousand. She looked around still, rubbing her maroon eyes. She breathing slowly got under control. "H-hello?" She called out weakly, her voice a bit weak.
"Hm?" Someone else said from the nearby flower fields. She looked up and quickly ran over, two swords drawn in case of an intruder. "Who's there? Show you-" she started, quickly sheathing her swords and bowing. "I am so sorry Lady!" She quickly apologized. "I..I forgot what you looked like. It's been so long." She said, brushing some silver hair off her face as she returned to normal posture.
"Who...you look familiar..." The maroon eyed girl started, trying to figure out who the silver haired girl was.
"Lady..it's me...Youmu...Youmu Konpaku." Youmu said, looking at her worried.
"You..mu...?" the girl said, looking at the snow covered floor. She thought for a bit, then shot her head up. "Y-You're Youmu? Where's Youki?" She asked quickly.
"Gran-I mean, Master Youki left a long time ago, Lady Saigyouji. He is, well, currently a hermit." Youmu stated.
"Youki..a hermit..." Yuyuko said, looking at the ground again. "Why..why am I outside?" she asked. She had no memory of what happened.
"You don't know? You..um..you killed yourself, Lady Saigyouji." Youmu said, looking at Yuyuko, concerned.
"I..killed myself? Why would I do that?" Yuyuko asked, very confused.
"Lady Yukari and Master Youki told me what happened. Lady Yukari found your body at the cherry blossom tree. You had..two knives and you cut your throat open. She found you after you died though. Master Youki said that the legend was true. It calls people to their death by sleeping under it's shade." Youmu explained.
Yuyuko nodded slowly, then her eyes opened. "I..I killed Mother and Father!" She quickly explained, her memory of the day returning. She looked at her hands slowly, shaking a bit.
"Lady Saigyouji, please stop this. You didn't mean to. The Tree actually caused all of this, if you think about it. It, well, used you Lady Saigyouji, to kill them. I think, though, it gave you the power to kill mortal beings."
"I..see.." Yuyuko said, slowly lowering her hands but still looking at the ground. She sighed, then slowly looked up. "Have you see Yukari at all lately?"
Youmu shook her head. "Not for the past couple of years...I've seen her shikigami, Ran, though. She has been saying that Lady Yukari has been sleeping every day, nearly all day and when she's up, she does nothing." the half phantom explained.
Yuyuko nodded once more. "I...see.." she replied. She took in a deep breath and sighed, looking around and laying her eye son Youmu, who was shivering lightly. Her clothing looked the same as when she was a child, but much bigger. In addition, there were two sword sheaths that hung crossed over each other on her waist, the larger one having a pink flower at the end of it held on with some thin tape. "Is..is it cold outside?" She asked., seeing Youmu nod, Myon wrapping around her human in an attempt to warm her up. "How come I can't feel it...?" She asked, extending her arm and opening his palm, some snow falling on her hand, not melting.
"You came back to life as a ghost Lady Saigyouji."
"A ghost..." She said, floating just above the ground and slowly floating to where she used to live, looking around. The fields were different. More flowers and more space. She seen a few swirls of distorted light in the air and some thin smoke on the ground. Yuyuko stopped and snapped her fingers, the odd wisps in the air quickly flying over to Yuyuko and swirling around her hand. "These..are ghosts, are they not?"
The hybrid girl followed behind her master, nodding, nervous. "Yes..they are." She said.
"Why are ghosts living in the Saigyouji residence?"
"Well..without the lord and lady of the household, it fell. The house is still standing, since Gra- Master Youki and I were taking care of it. Because of your suicide, Lady Saigyouji, you turned this into a place for the dead souls between heaven and hell to rest."
Yuyuko nodded, playing with the ghost wisps. "Hakugyokurou...this is what this place is now, the Netherworld, Hakugyokurou." Yuyuko stated, flicking her wrists to send the ghosts away. "Youmu, thank you for staying until I awoke."
Youmu smiled lightly. "It is my duty. After all, your father, Lord Tomari, entrusted in the services of the Konpaku family until they were no longer needed...and without a lord or lady to follow under, my orders stayed to watch over the lands here."
"How long..has it been?" the ghost asked.
"How long what, Lady Saigyouji?"
"That you've been waiting here for me..that I've been dead..."
"Nearly 1,000 years. Time seemed to have stopped here, so I've stopped aging." The gardener said.
Yuyuko nodded, sliding a fan out of her kimono sleeve. She fanned herself off as she did in her mortal life. "Well then...I guess I should lead the Saigyouji clan." She said, starting for the gates once more. "Just one more question..." She asked, Youmu hurrying to her side. "The Cherry Blossom Tree...I can tell it is a youkai...but it's power will keep growing if left unchecked, but there is a binding spell on it."
The half human/ghost nodded. "You..are correct Lady Saigyouji. Lady Yukari and Master Youki were able to bind it using a body...they never told me whose body, and the two swore secrecy to it. But the Tree is bound by that body and cannot do any more harm."
Yuyuko fanned herself off more. "I understand...thank you.."