Chapter 14: A Satori's Tale

Twenty-four hours ago…

Kept away from all other denizens of Gensokyo lies an underground faction of Youkai. Those type of Youkai are considered some of the most dangerous, ranging from dismembered goblins to the brutish onis. Thankfully, an agreement was put in place long ago to keep these Youkai in the underground, so long as Youkai from above don't come down. Both parties have benefited from this pretty well, as the underground Youkai can hold festivities without constraint, leading to weeks upon WEEKS of drunken bliss and pyre torches lit.

Luckily, it never tends to escalate beyond that, and even if it did the person who rules over this underground cavern would not step in. Amongst even the most vicious of Youkai, there are disdained whispers towards a particular species known as the satori, who are said to be able to read any mind with their "Third Eye". No one wishes to test this for themselves, and thus the ruler of the underground's Palace of the Earth Spirits remains quite the enigma.

Of course, to the narrative eye, even the deepest of secrets become exposed to the world at large…

The Palace of the Earth Spirits is a building of incomprehensible size, yet despite dug deep into the underground it's ivory stone walls are as pristine as diamonds, it's windows made of stained glass windows that projected light inside it's long, spanning hallways. While there were many rooms to note, the ruler of this palace currently sat inside her bedroom, which was dimly lit by a crackling fireplace.

Contrary to what the rumors and hollow whispers would lead you to believe, the ruler was not ugly. No, they weren't grotesque, monstrous, or anything of the sort. They were a young adolescent looking girl with short purple hair that was always ruffled as if she just got out of bed. Her choice of clothes was a blue shirt with ruffled cuffs with yellow heart buttons and a pink collar, a pink skirt with faint flowery patterns, pink slippers that fit loosely on her feet, and a black hair band that kept her hair from getting too out of control.

Today in particular though, as she sat in a vinyl red chair with a book and pencil in hand, she chose to wear a pair of small yellow rimmed glasses before her purple eyes. And her "Third Eye", which was positioned before her heart and had veins flowing to her wrists and head, had a monocle fitted onto it. As she wrote in her book, she was only disturbed by a couple of her pets, a perky parakeet on her shoulder and a comfy cheetah off to the left of her.

These pets flocked to her with contention on their face, and she responded in kind with a gentle pat of their heads. Her smile was small but full of warmth, and she could hear the content thoughts of her pets cleanly in her mind. For Satori Komeiji, this was a blissful existence. Just her, a book she has written, and the kindness of her pets. Unfortunately, troubling news would soon come to her doorstep, whether she wanted it or not.

"Miss Satori! Miss Satori!" A tiny voice chipper and full of respect echoed into the solitude of Satori's abode, and her hand glided off the head of her cheetah as she glanced back curiously at a surprising sight.

A small black cat with two tails, each tip having a bright red flame, scurried into the room with a newspaper bit in her tiny fangs. With an energetic leap the cat sat upon the arm of the chair and held the newspaper up proudly, Satori responding with a docile expression as she freed her hands to take the paper.

"Thank you, Orin." She spoke softly and then nestled her fingers under the cat's chin, causing them to stretch it out and waggle her burning tails with a vibrating purr. When Satori went to open the paper, Orin sat there looking at it as her master commented "It's nice to see what's going on above ground every now and then. Orin, may you bring me my tea?"

The cat flipped back gracefully, her body consumed by a spiral of flames as magic changed her into a human-like girl. She landed on her black thick heeled shoes and pulled the sides of her black, green frilled dress skirt, perking the black cat ears atop her fiery red twin braided hair as she took a respectful bow. Once she looked up with her dark red eyes, Orin cracked a smile and dutifully rushed out of the room with a meow.

Satori then looked at the paper, her other pets parting at her gesture, and began to catch up on Gensokyo's current events. Every word was ingrained into her brain as though a stamp was taken to it, but while she glided through stuff like the weather predictions and reports on the Human Village she stopped upon a particular article planted on the second page. Her docile demeanor became puzzled, and she spent a moment or two cleaning her glasses to ensure there was no deception.

But the headline to the article was clear as day "Strange green-haired girl invades Tengu territory! Stranger taking into custody for questioning!" as was the picture that came with it. Depicted flying in a mountainous range was a girl with unkempt green hair, a yellow dress, a black hat, and a purple closed "Third Eye" hovering beside her body.

"Koishi…" Her voice turned from gentle to concerned as she touched the picture with her open palm. She then rested the paper atop her lap and leaned back, letting out a sigh. With eyes open partway she diverted her glance to the right, finding atop a dresser a sketched picture with herself and Koishi. Both were smiling, but Koishi had her arms around Satori's neck in a hug. Before she stood up, Orin's voice ringed out from behind.

"Miss Satori, your tea is ready! Nyah!" Her tone was filled with good cheer until she walked up beside the chair and upon placing the silver tray and heated pot on the arm looked down at the paper. Then, she swiftly plucked it up and nuzzled it close to her face. Satori made little effort to stop her abundant energy, instead laying her hands atop her lap with a melancholy expression until the paper was dropped and Orin looked at her befuddled.

"W-Why is there another satori in this picture?" Orin's mouth was wide and partially agape, and Satori could only answer with a lie "I don't know Orin. Any others should, in theory, be underground. Yet the tengus have happened to come across one."

Ignoring her tea as she stood up, Satori placed her book on the chair and brought a hand to her chin, her Third Eye moving to avoid being pressed against her chest. She wandered the sanctity of her room, Orin lingering close behind, her thoughts presented as confused as a cat possibly could have them.

"Miss Satori looks really concerned…has she seen this other satori before?"

Satori had to avert her eyes from her closest pet, her expression perturbed as her mind wandered into melancholy "Oh Orin…Even you cannot remember my sister. And she loved you very much…" and then she's left laying a hand on top of her drawer while looking at the picture. A memory of Koishi nestling Orin's cat form against her dress while spinning around filled her thoughts, complete with echoes of her merry laughter.

"M-Miss Satori…are you crying?" Orin's call snapped her out of it along with a liquid trickling down the left side of her face. The cat offered her sleeve to her master, but the Satori smiled and wiped it dry with her own before muttering "I-It's fine Orin. I suppose I'm shocked to not be alone anymore." Calming her mind by looking away from the picture, Satori aloofly held her arms before her chest and turned to Orin.

"I'm leaving you in charge of the palace. I will make the trip to the Tengu village on my own."

"Huh? W-What about the agreements?" Orin stuttered, and Satori closed her eyes while peeling the glasses away from her face "If I recall, you were called up to the surface once to help with a jiangshi." Satori gave a tiny smile as Orin chuckled with some nervousness.

"S-Sorry, I forgot that Miss Satori. But the tengus are territorial. They won't take kindly to us underground folk showing up."

"Only if I bring risk to them. I thank you for the concern nevertheless, Orin." Satori, having kindly said her final word, left the room and approached the sprawling foyer after grabbing a black laced hooded cloak from her closest. She then left her palace and strolled through the vast underground city, her small body weaving past the hustle and bustle of giants until she ended up at the winding tunnel that would take her aboveground, at which point she flew the rest of the way.

"How long has it been since I've been at the surface? Everything is certainly brighter than I remember…" She said as the sun beamed down upon her figure emerging from the tunnel embedded into the mountainside. The forest glistening with morning dew, the breeze gentler than a mother's hug, and the welcoming vibe of the chirping birds all provided her an unforgettable experience.

Yet even so, her sister was at the forefront of her mind, and she pushed aside her joy to take flight towards the Tengu village. Even though she could not place a number to the amount of years it had been since she was last on the surface, logic dictated to Satori that she'd find the tengus in the same place as before, nestled between the largest mountains in a small village filled with wooden bridges and humble pagodas that lied next to some luscious waterfalls.

Her judgment was made true when she approached the mountains, overseeing the bountiful village and the black bird winged humanoids that lived around there. Satori did not go for subtlety and moved for the largest building in the village, which sat above the rest and appeared to be built like a palace with each floor having rickets as their rims. Guarding the entrance were two humanoid Youkai with canine features like fluffy white dog ears and proud bushy tails. Each held a sword half as tall as them, and a shield with a maple leaf painted onto it.

Though their eyes were closed, the very second a toe tapped the wooden patio of the palace, Satori's presence caused their eyes to widen awaken and for their blades to be at her throat.

"State your business, intruder!" The left one said with fangs grit ferociously. Satori stood her ground without fear, parting her cloak to reveal her Third Eye, which instantly forced the blades back an inch and got the canines trembling.

"A-A satori? HERE?" The right one stuttered while looking to her partner, but then Satori closed her eyes to comment "I am not here to cause trouble. I wish to speak with your leader of a matter of grave importance."

"Y-You won't threaten us with your mind games!" The canines said while barely keeping their swords held up, yet Satori's response was swift "We cannot help but feel your fear. Yet I would not take advantage of it. Now, I understand how territorial you can be, but if you see qualms with my presence I will offer no resistance. My affairs are simple."

The canines continued to shake until the oriental doors behind them parted, through the shadows emerging a tall and regal figure garbed in white robes similar to that a maiden would have. The undersides of their arms were lined with three rows of black feathers. Their red skirt was split in the center and extended down to her toes, and there was a orange leafy pattern spread across it. They wore a red mask with wide eyes and tribal markings on them, and it had a rounded nose that was at least six inches long. Their hair was black and long, ruffled like a unkempt nest, and their nails were as long as their fingers with a red polish.

"Momiji…Kurasaki, stand aside." The tengu swung their arm in one fell motion, carrying in their presence and voice such authority that Satori could feel it. The canines sheathed their blades after a whimper and stepped back, allowing the mighty tengu to step in front of Satori. They towered over her thanks in part to their high-heeled shoes, yet with feet firmed to the ground Satori met their powerful gaze and smiled.

"Ah, the Tenma has come to greet me personally. You've grown since the last time I was above ground." Satori dryly held respect for her peer, who in turn responded with a glare.

"…I needed no seers or tarot cards to predict your arrival. This matter troubles me as much as it does you. For today, I will accommodate your presence, but when this mystery is resolved…"

"I shall return without question. Let us work together then, Tenma." With a suspecting glance, the Tenma turned and guided Satori into her palace. Shortly after, the two ended up in a docile room with oriental wall patterns and a stone fountain in the corner filled with tiny golden fishes. The two sat on cushions in front of a glass table resting on the ground, and from this perspective their eyes were even with one another.

Once tea had been brought all piping hot in porcelain cups, the two began to speak, Satori starting out with "I must admit, your tea is richer than anything we produce in the underground. You have my compliments." The Tenma was staring at her the whole time she was sipping, leading Satori to ask "If you are concerned about me reading your mind, I assure you my intention is to not ruin my already shaky presence here."

"Did you find THAT out by reading my mind?" The Tenma said in a deep gender neutral voice, yet the Satori chuckled and said "I only needed to look at your body movements. Your arms are tense, your stare is focused and cold…"

"Hmph, I see your point. Still, for you to take the reputation of your species into consideration…You have surprised me, satori. How does this newspaper situation relate to you, then?"

"Ah, you've already familiarized yourself with the situation. That saves me some trouble, and yet…Brings up more troubling issues. I would assume the person running the paper is still that miscreant, yes?"

"Shameimaru? Yes, and I questioned her thoroughly when this paper was produced. No matter what, she insisted she had just received that picture from someone who told her it'd make for an interesting story. I can assure you though that we have not recently captured any satoris." The Tenma's expression looked a bit perturbed even behind that mask, and with perplexing murmurs Satori laid her cup to rest and offered her own view.

"A mysterious photo you say? I do not wish to make you question a member of your own species, but…"

"Shameimaru has had some…questionable articles. However, I believe that she would never slander the name of her people." The Tenma let out a sigh and slanted to the left a bit, resting a hand for balance while Satori told you "I suppose the possibility of sabotage towards the Tengu is not out of the question."

"A planting of false evidence by another faction? The only one I could think of that would try that might be the tanuki Mamizou, since we'd come into conflict with her recently, but…"

"Tanukis are pranksters, I'd think they wouldn't try something on this level. But, just for the sake of putting this matter to rest…Could I see your prison?" Satori stepped on glass with that inquiry, yet the Tenma lifted their head up and responded "I suppose it'd be the quickest way to clear up this mess. We both want to get this over with…"

Despite the seeming willingness in their voice, the Tenma had an air of paranoia around their body as they stood up and their arms quivered. Satori stayed cautious as she followed the Tenma through the halls of her palace, their journey taking them down a couple flights of stairs until eventually they find themselves in a place the sun barely touched. A couple more canine Youkai were guarding the rusted jail cells, but these two were wearing thick steel armor.

A gesture made them step aside so the Tenma could show Satori the jail cells, all of which were desolate and grim in their atmosphere. There was no hope to be found in here, but from a simple glance they thankfully appeared to be empty. Satori walked up to one of them as the Tenma explained "We tend to not use these often anymore. The Spell Card Rules have mitigated the need for prisoners."

Slowly, Satori walked in front of every cell and peered deep into them, but froze up at the middle one. In the corner of the cell lied a battered body chained unconscious to the walls. The person's identity could not be mistaken from the satori's perspective.

"Koishi…" The mutter of that name got the Tenma looking towards the cell, their eyes widening as they held their arms out and stuttered in a frightened manner "I-Impossible…What's going on here?!" She looked back to her guards for answers.

"L-Lord Tenma…You told us to put the prisoner in here." The guard spoke hesitantly for fear of sounding defiant, yet the Tenma was more concerned with the choice of words than the tone. Looking back at Satori, the Tenma was met with her clasping her Third Eye out towards the cell before looking back at the Tenma with a glare of antagonism.

"Did we not just go over the possibility of someone framing this situation?" The Tenma stood firm and disciplined, but Satori let her Third Eye hover before her heart as she mentioned "The body in there has no thoughts. My sister Koishi cut off her Third Eye and thus no longer has even a subconscious to her name. Had I detected even a single thought, I would believe this was a setup."

"Is that all it takes to make you believe that I am lying? Have I not been honest with you thus far?" Tenma's tone was insulted, that much was clear even with the mask. Satori clasped her Third Eye and glanced into the cell, commenting "My sister cannot control herself…I get that you Tengu have your territorial problems, but could you not tell that someone like her would have no idea of what she was doing?"

"Enough with your presumptions, satori! The Tengu have done nothing to your kind to deserve this mistreatment!" The Tenma swung their hand out with authority, yet their echoing voice only made Satori's eyebrows furrow into a bitter state.

"…The mind is like a book. Information is stored on 'pages' that we flip through whenever we need to remember something. Whenever we choose to add to this book of ours, the covers flip open and lay bare the 'current' thoughts on our mind. That is what the Third Eye perceives. You can claim the tongue is the bearer of the truth, but it shall always be your mind that'll uncover your perverse thoughts."

"T-Tsk…So you ended up invading my thoughts after all. I should've known better than to let my guard down around a satori for even a second. But I will demand you listen to me one more time. I am NOT the one responsible for this. Whatever is going on here is not of my doing." The Tenma insisted the truth, defying the information Satori brought forth as though they were an iron wall repelling intruders to a castle.

"And yet…your thoughts continue to say otherwise. No one can hide their thoughts from me. In the end, the simplest solution to your problem is to free my sister. I have no cares towards anything you Tengu might possess, so there does not even have to be a bargain in place. So if-"

"ENOUGH!" The Tenma's voice kicked up a gale so strong it was like a hurricane, and the guards scurried off in fright as the sealed up windows blew open and bathed a light upon the Tenma that made them look as though they were basking in a holy radiance. Standing her ground yet again, Satori murmured "So your pride has been wounded by that remark, has it? Do you require something more out of this than what I have offered?"

"It was a mistake to allow your presence here this long, underground Youkai! There was a reason your kind was banished from the surface, you disgusting primitives!" The Tenma threw away all pretenses of rationale, Satori responding in kind with a sigh and a murmur "I suppose there's no way this can just be resolved with a Spell Card Duel, is there?"

The Tenma snapped her fingers loudly, and the guards came back in ready to attack Satori. Quickly lifting off the ground and flying towards the window, she looked back at the cell for just a moment, yet was then consumed by the rage of the Tenma as they proclaimed "This shall be war, satori! You have just declared war upon the Tengu!"

The Tenma had to be restrained of her fury by the guards, and Satori looked back with only a single thought on her mind as she fled the Tengu village "Koishi…I'll rescue you from this nightmare, I promise."

Back in the present…

Around the time the bells had been rung at the Human Village, Satori had emerged from the underground with a small army of onis, gnomes, and other mighty monsters. Having managed to unite under a common ground of their pride, the monsters were even willing to listen to Satori for just this one occasion. Flying in from the east of the tunnel they marched out from were a swarm of hundreds of Tengu, all of them having donned their masks and weapons for battle. From this distance, Satori met the eyes of the Tenma, a fierce battle about ready to unfold…

Next Time: Just as Planned