They came upon a gate guarded by two moon rabbits with spears, who crossed them at the hilt as they approached.
"Halt. Where do you all think you're going?" they said in perfect unison.
"...Into the Lunar Capital?" said Murasa.
"Not a chance. Leave." they responded.
"We simply cannot, ladies. We've got business here—" attempted Joseph, easygoing and casual.
One of the rabbits pointed her spear dangerously close to his neck, and his hands flew up instinctively. Her upper lip was curled into a cruel snarl, and her eyes were cold and lifeless.
"I don't care. Leave, or we'll make you leave."
"And what're you gonna do? Hop at us a bunch?" asked Jotaro sarcastically.
They didn't seem to take very kindly to this, and suddenly there was a battle of raised voices, indignant squeaks, and empty threats between the gatekeepers and the travelers. The gates suddenly burst open, and a girl with one wing and short silver hair walked out, a hand on her hip.
"What's all this fuss about? I can hear you all from inside." she said.
All at once, everyone tried to speak, their hands gesticulating wildly. The woman wasn't paying them any attention, instead choosing to focus her accusatory gaze on Murasa. It made her extremely uncomfortable, but she stood her ground, looking her directly in the eye. The girl eventually whispered something to the two moon rabbits, and they stood down, visibly irritated.
"You all. Come with me." she said, already on her way to wherever they had to go.
They all jogged behind her, struggling to keep up. She took no notice of this, and kept up her brisk pace. All around them, whispers and snickers sounded from the shadows. Clearly, Lunarians were quick to judge, and were always trying to out gossip each other. Murasa tried to keep her head held high, but she couldn't help being reminded of her village. She shook off the negative memories as best as she could, and focused on the task at hand. The girl had stopped in front of a small house, hidden away in an alley. She pressed her ear against the door, listened intently for a moment, and pushed it open with a click.
"I'm home!" she shouted to no one in particular.
She beckoned her guests inside, and flopped down on a couch. Out of a table next to one of its arms, she got a notepad and a pen. She scribbled something on it, and handed it to Murasa.
'I am Sagume Kishin, a Lunar Sage.' it read. 'Everything I say gets reversed, somehow, so in order to speak with you properly, I must communicate in this way.'
She took the notepad back, and wrote more.
'Now, the reason I've decided to help you, is because I recognized someone among your ranks. The one with the green scarf. The humans that I granted sanctuary have mentioned him many a time, so I know that anyone with him must be trustworthy. In fact, that's why I had to do so much to open the door. Non-Lunarians aren't welcome here, especially ones that just appear out of thin air, so I have to keep them a secret. Every time I leave, I worry that when I come back, I won t hear their voices behind the door. But, that never comes to pass, thank the stars. In any case, what business do you have in this place, fair travelers? We don't get many visitors who hail from Gensokyo.'
"We're here to find Hecatia Lapislazuli. Someone's been kidnapping people all over Gensokyo, and if they aren't stopped, it might be catastrophic." explained Murasa. "We saved one of them, and they pointed us in this direction."
'I see. I do, in fact, know something about her whereabouts. The last place I saw her was-'
All of a sudden, someone cleared their throat at the top of the stairs. Sagume's head snapped to look at the source of the noise, and she held her breath.
"Really, Sagume, if you're going to be out for a while, it would't kill you to leave a note. You had us worried sick." they said, their voice getting louder as they descended the stairs.
"And it wouldn't kill you to let someone know you're okay when they enter the house." She let out a relieved chuckle. "Come say hello to our guests."
A man with blonde hair and pink triangle shaped birthmarks on his cheeks leaned on the banister, his lip curled in amusement. Behind him stood a woman with long black hair and even darker sunglasses, her arms gently folded. She, too, had a gentle smile on her face. Joseph's eyes widened, and a grin crept onto his face.
"Caesar! Lisa Lisa! You two are the last people I expected to see." He said, failing to conceal the excitement in his voice.
"I could say the same about you, JoJo. Where've you been, huh?" teased Caesar.
"Oh, nowhere special, just on a totally awesome ship." Joseph bragged.
"A ship, eh? I'll assume that that girl in green and white is its captain, unless you usurped her position?" he responded.
"I sure am. Joseph couldn't take candy from a baby, let alone a position from a seasoned captain like me." Murasa said.
Joseph glared at her, and she smirked at him.
"Everything checks out, then. Clearly, I can trust you all." Sagume said. "Now, about Hecatia..."
She wrote one more thing on the piece of paper that she was working with earlier, and proceded to tear it off. Murasa took it from her, and read it aloud.
"Go to the Sea of Tranquility. You will find Hecatia there for sure."
"However," interjected Sagume, "Be wary, as purified hell faeries are surely running amok, and they'll definitely be protecting her. If you do encounter one, there will be more that come, so avoid them altogether. And... Caesar, Lisa Lisa, accompany them. You two are more familiar with the moon than they are, and I can't just up and leave the Lunar Capital to be their guide."
The pair nodded solemnly, and descended the stairs to join the group. Caesar slung his arm around Joseph's shoulder.
"Looks like we're on another adventure together, JoJo. Try not to get in my way." he said jokingly.
"I'm better off saying that to you." Joseph coyly replied.
"Be careful out there." Sagume said, her voice laden with worry. Her well wishes fell on mostly deaf ears, save for one person.
"We will, Sagume. Don't worry about us." Lisa Lisa coolly responded, her back turned towards the Lunar Sage. "I have faith that we'll return safely."
And with that, the door was shut, leaving the one-winged Sage to fret over their safety in solitude.