The first time Naruto Uzumaki heard of Gensokyo, he was all alone in the world.

He was six at the time. He'd been in the Academy for a few months up to that point. He couldn't say that life was particularly bad; he woke up, ate a cup of ramen, went to class, went home, ate some more ramen, studied from some of his books or something…nah, who was he kidding? Naruto Uzumaki didn't read books. Instead he would wander around the village all evening, maybe pull a prank or two for shits and giggles, and then he'd go home and sleep.

He ignored the fear and hatred, the pointed looks from the villagers and the subtle things that his teachers and classmates said and did to make him miserable. He didn't like being bogged down by negative emotions – so long as he got to become a powerful ninja and receive everyone's validation, nothing else mattered. Nobody was going to make him give up no matter how hard they tried. That was his first, last, and only goal in life. His ninja way. And he was proud of it, held all the belief in the world in it.

Until that fateful day.

The day that he met his first friend.

It had happened completely on accident. Naruto had left class early – no, he'd been kicked out of class early for spilling a carton of milk, despite the fact that he hadn't done it, Tobio had. He was actually supposed to go back in after ten minutes, but waiting sounded terribly boring to him. So he'd exited the building instead, lazily strolling over to his favorite swing, safely tucked away in the shadow of the large tree.

But when he got there, he was surprised to see that the swing was occupied.

It was a girl around his age. She was bone-thin, a bit hunched, and had messy purple hair that fell over her eyes. Naruto's eyes lit up; he had never seen someone with purple hair before!

He bounded up to the swing, wanting to get a closer look. The girl lifted her head when she heard him approach.

"…Don't you know that it's rude to stare?" she asked, a bit harshly.

"Ah? Oh, right. I'm sorry about that. Ehehe…" he trailed off, not really sure what to say. He barely ever talked to kids his age, let alone a strange girl that he'd just met. God, he was bad at this.

She eyed him oddly, and Naruto took a moment to study her face. Wow, he thought, she's kinda cute!

And out of nowhere, the girl physically recoiled, as though she'd been struck. "I…I, u-uh, thank you?" she stammered, blushing a deep red as she did.

"Huh? But I didn't say anything?" Naruto asked. He wasn't really sure what had just happened.

She must've realized that too. Her eyes widened, and she covered her mouth with her hands, trying desperately to regain her composure.

Wow, she's weird. But at least she doesn't seem to hate me! The realization made him happier than he thought it would.

"Anyway! My name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki! What's your name?" Seeing the girl relax, he grinned. That was much better.

"Satori." she started, and then straightened up and tried again with more force, "Satori Komeiji."

"Nice to meet you, Satori! Are you new here? Are you gonna be a ninja too?" he asked excitedly. He was already hoping that he could see her again. She seemed nice.

She smiled a bit, for whatever reason. "Yes. I'll be starting next month."

Naruto jumped with joy and pumped his fist. He liked her already! She was maybe the kindest person he'd ever talked to, second only to the Hokage. All of a sudden he wanted to know more about her.

As it happened, they ended up speaking for quite a while, settling into a comfortable rhythm. Naruto, curious as ever, had many questions, and Satori was more than willing to answer them. He learned that she liked reading mystery novels, had a little sister and a best friend whom she both loved dearly, and – to Naruto's utter joy – liked ramen a lot. It was the most information he'd ever known about someone his age, and it made him giddy. He'd have never guessed how amazing it would feel just to know someone's likes and dislikes.

"So where do you live, Satori-chan? Do you have your own place like me? The old man gave me my own apartment a few months ago!"

"I, uh, live in a giant building with the people of my village. It's on the edge of the forest."

"Your village? Where's that? You mean you have your own little empire or something? That's so cool!"

Satori laughed awkwardly. "It's not what you think it is."

"Eh? What do you mean, then?"

"I'm…not from around here, Naruto," she started. "I come from a faraway village named Gensokyo, but it was destroyed when I was a few months old. I've lived here with the other survivors ever since."

"Gen…so…kyo?" Naruto let the name roll off his tongue. He made sure to remember it. It was important to Satori, so it would be the same to him.

Satori nodded. She had that smile on her face again. "I don't remember any of it. But they tell me stories about it. It's very pretty, I think, even though I've never seen it."

"Konoha's a nice place too! I mean, we have a lot of big trees here, and it's really warm all the time!"

"Yes, it is. It's very pretty here."

"Hehe, I'm glad you agree! And I'm gonna be the boss of this place one day. When I become Hokage, Konoha's going to be under my protection, and then everyone will love me and finally recognize me, believe it!"

Satori seemed to slow at his words. She eyed him strangely, as if sizing him up. "Why does the village hate–" and then she stopped, looking away. "No, never mind…"

Naruto glanced at her in confusion. "The village hates something?" He briefly racked his brain for an answer. "Oh! I know! You mean the Nine-Tails, right?"

Satori seemed a bit shaken up, but clumsily nodded anyway. "Y-yeah, that. Why does the village hate the Nine-Tails?"

Naruto knew the story by heart. He recited it often, as a reminder of his goals and his devotion to home. "Well you see, the Nine-Tails was a very powerful enemy of ours. A few years ago, it attacked Konoha and killed a lot of people. The Fourth Hokage had to sacrifice his life to kill it and save the village. My parents were there too. But they died to protect everyone from harm. It's why I want to become Hokage, you know, so I can follow in their footsteps one day."

That was a lie. Naruto had never known about his parents, who they were or what they were doing when the Nine-Tails attacked. He'd made up their story some years ago, on a particularly lonely day wandering the streets. For better or worse, he had kept it with him ever since.

Satori was giving him that strange look again. He decided that it was just him being a fool that caused it, and flashed her an awkward grin. "Sorry about that," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I can get a bit weird sometimes, you know?"

To his surprise, Satori shook her head. "No, it's okay, Naruto. I'm the one who should be sorry. I…can be a little judgmental."

"O-oh! Thank god. I thought maybe I was weirding you out or something."

They both chuckled at that. In the distance, Naruto heard the bell ring for the end of the class. A terrible sense of dread washed over him.

"Oh no! I missed the rest of my class! Iruka-sensei's surely gonna punish me now! Ah, what am I going to do?" he cried, clutching his head in agony. Satori giggled, a catty little laugh at his expense. He ignored it and began to form a plan.

"I gotta go, Satori-chan." Naruto made up his mind. "Sorry I can't stay longer, but I can't let anyone see me, or they're gonna laugh at me! So I'm gonna run away and hopefully they'll forget about this ever happening by next week. You'll keep my secret, right?"

The girl nodded in understanding, purple eyes brimming with amusement. "Of course, Naruto. My mouth is sealed."

He nodded. "Good! Well, it was nice meeting you, Satori-chan!" And then, sensing the opportunity, added, "I hope we can be friends in the future!"

He waved Satori goodbye and sped off, beaming all the way back to his apartment. He'd made a friend! Sure, it was a girl, and that was kind of a bummer, but still. A friend! Someone he could trust to have his back and just talk to when he felt like it. He'd read about it in storybooks, but he'd never known anything like it until now. And for the first time ever, Naruto felt himself looking forward to the days ahead of him.

He couldn't wait to see her again.

Hey, Satori.

"Hmm?" Satori set her chopsticks down and looked up, meeting the crimson eyes across the table from her. "What is it, Iku?"

Iku Nagae looked back at her, with just the slightest bit of scrutiny. You've been grinning like an idiot ever since you got back. Did something exciting happen out there? I don't think turning in our registration forms is supposed to be interesting.

"Ah, yeah. I met someone nice today. I guess you could call him my first friend. Er, from Konoha, I mean. Sorry, Iku." Satori giggled. She had never made a friend by herself before, and the novelty of a new relationship was a completely foreign emotion to her, one that she was drinking in to the fullest right now.

And not only that, but he'd thought of her as cute. Cute. Satori's little maiden heart almost soared in delight. It was the best compliment she'd ever gotten.

Iku curiously raised an eyebrow, but otherwise kept her thoughts focused. You mean a boy from the village?

"Mhm. His name is Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. He's already in the Academy. He's very energetic, you know. He dreams of becoming Hokage one day."

Satori felt Iku's thoughts quiet down and grow jumbled, a sign that she was thinking about something, before she finally cleared her mind and responded. So he loves Konoha, then.

Satori nodded. She couldn't deny that. "Yes, he does."

Iku frowned. But Yukari told us we weren't supposed to associate with people that like Konoha. Say, you didn't tell him important stuff about us, right?

"Uh…" Satori trailed off. She'd been so happy to make a new friend that she'd kind of forgotten about that warning. How was she supposed to answer that question in all honesty? Heck, she'd even told Naruto about Gensokyo, the one thing that no one was supposed to know about them.

Satori quivered in fear. If Iku knew what she had told Naruto, she'd be tattled on to Yukari and Eirin, and then she'd be in trouble. She briefly thought about lying, or even just running away and hoping Iku didn't give chase.

As it happened, Iku answered the question for her: by audibly facepalming. You told him, didn't you? God, you're so stupid.

Ashamed, Satori hid her face in her hands. Of course Iku would figure her out. She was one of those people that just knew things about others.

"Yeah, I did. I'm really sorry. Please don't tell on me? I don't want to be scolded…" She shot Iku a pleading look, hoping to get the message across.

She could feel Iku thinking hard about it, trying to grasp the larger situation. But Satori, this is really important.

"Please, Iku. I promise, Naruto's harmless. It wouldn't hurt to have one friend from Konoha, right? And besides…" Satori closed her eyes. "When I looked into his mind, I realized that he didn't have anyone. No parents, no siblings, no friends. I don't know why, but the people of the village don't like him. He's lonely, yet still so cheerful and kind. Like…"

Like Koishi, Iku finished for her. When she's feeling alright, anyway.

Satori nodded. She was glad Iku had said it for her. "I don't want him to be sad anymore, Iku. Not like she is. That's why I want to be his friend."

And Iku looked at her, really looked at her this time, as though searching for something. Satori held her gaze, trying not to flinch. She could feel worry and concern swirling in the other girl's mind before, finally, Iku closed her eyes and sighed in resignation. Fine, fine, I won't tell. This means a lot to you, doesn't it? It's not like you to get attached this easily, and this Naruto doesn't really sound like a bad person. Just…please don't tell him about us again, okay?

Satori nodded, and let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. "Thank you, Iku. You're the best." And then, as the reality of the situation set in, she smiled again. Iku wasn't going to tell on her, she wouldn't get in trouble, and most importantly she'd still be able to talk to Naruto. It was the best possible ending she could've thought of.

Alright, I'm glad you're happy, but do know that I'll be watching him. If he's really as good of a person as you say, then we shouldn't have any problems, but if he dares hurt you in any way, I'm gonna make him cry. You got that, Satori? He won't lay a finger on you so long as I'm there to stop him.

Satori chuckled, warmth creeping into her heart. Iku was definitely a handful at times, but she was the most fiercely loyal friend one could ask for all the same. Satori had always loved that about her.

She really hoped Iku would get along with Naruto. They were such different people, and Satori wasn't entirely sure they would like each other. So she decided to address that.

"Be nice to him, alright? I know you don't like him right now, but just wait until you actually meet him. I think you'd like him a lot more then."

Yeah, yeah, I get it, Satori, Iku waved her off. I'll know it when I see it.

She nodded. "Great. That's all I wanted to hear. Now hurry up and finish your food. I want to know what happens to the dollmaker and the honest men in the next chapter."

Iku rolled her eyes and groaned. Always making me read those dumb mystery novels, why don't you…

It was a little while after sunset that two girls struggled their way up Hokage Mountain.

They took their time, not really in a hurry to be elsewhere. One girl, the one with the stony face and tired eyes, trod up the cliff face with her hands in her pockets, caring little for the small fractures she was leaving in the Third Hokage's image. The other girl, though subtler in her movements and smoother in her appearance, also trudged up the monument with great difficulty. It had been a long, long day for them both, and they were dead tired from hours of training and sparring. They wanted nothing more than to relax, if even for a moment, at their favorite place in Konoha. They needed it right now.

Unfortunately, that meant having to scale the steep cliff, which entailed either taking the long and winding stairs or hightailing it straight up the Hokages' carvings with their chakra walking. They'd decided on the latter.

Fujiwara no Mokou collapsed in a heap once she hurled herself over the top with a final heave. The other girl, Kaguya Houraisan, followed with only somewhat more finesse, doing a clumsy ninja roll before toppling to all fours, panting.

They remained like that for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath. What little chakra they'd had left in the tank was surely gone now; it would be a grueling trek back down. A stray black cat with two tails observed them curiously for a few moments before leaping off the mountain, but neither noticed. The hard, barren rock of the earth was all they knew.

"I think that was a bad idea," Mokou finally said. She was still sprawled out on the ground.

Kaguya chuckled. "I suppose it was." She gazed thoughtfully at the village beneath her. "But the view is nice as always, though."

"…Yeah. It is."

"You're not even looking."

"I've seen it enough times to remember what it looks like from up here."

"Well, you know, a memory isn't as powerful as the real thing. I always find it to be just as beautiful as it was the first time. I never get tired of it."

Mokou propped herself up on one elbow, staring at Kaguya's back. "That's awfully romantic of you. Maybe try telling me that again after five more years. Surely you'll be bored by then?"

Kaguya lifted a hand to her chin and giggled. Mokou rolled her eyes. She hated when Kaguya did that.

"Perhaps another thousand years. Maybe that would be enough. Maybe."

"Well, we're gonna be dead long before then, and thank god we will. I would go insane if I had to spend another thousand years with you, Kaguya. You're such a child."

"Ooh, that's rich coming from you, Mokou. You're like an old woman, always grouchy and complaining about people you don't like."

"Yeah. And you're the only person in the world that I don't like."

Kaguya smiled with amusement and returned to enjoying the view. Mokou begrudgingly joined her, sitting down on the edge of the cliff.

She had to admit, the spectacle was intriguing as always. Konoha was truly a sight to behold at twilight, it seemed. It was dark and dim and quiet, as befitting of a hidden village, and yet there was also an undeniable warmth, a sense of life emanating from its very core. This was a place of hopes and dreams, and she could imagine the people of the village bustling about, doing their best to make themselves a good living. It reminded her of home.

Perhaps that was why they always came back here.

"You know," said Kaguya finally, "we should bring the little ones up here sometime. I'm sure they'd love it."

Mokou snorted. "They're kids, Kaguya. I don't think they would really care."

"My, that's a bit harsh of you, isn't it? They might be kids, but they love pretty things. I don't think I've ever seen Koishi as happy as when we got her that hat for her birthday."

"Yeah. And now Iku wants one too with a red ribbon instead of a yellow one. Won't stop bitching to me about it."

"Hehe. Iku-chan is awfully stubborn when she wants to be. Just like you, Mokou."

"Say that again and I'll kill you," she bit back, though with no real spirit. She missed the days, sometimes, that she could say that and actually mean it. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

"See?" Kaguya smirked victoriously. "You really are just like an old woman."

Mokou felt her fist twitch and fought off the urge to punch Kaguya's face in right then and there. Even now, after all these years, it remained her natural response to dealing with the other girl and her barbs, such was the unchanging nature of childhood habits. She forced herself to calm down. There was no point. They were shinobi carrying a many great burdens now, not the petulant children they had once been. A gesture of violence would no longer mean anything to either of them.

She settled for a subdued grunt of acknowledgement and left it at that. Kaguya made no further attempt to irritate her, and they returned to watching the village, a somber ambience settling over them. Neither girl spoke again; whatever they had to say, it had long been said in previous visits. After a timeless period, they stood up and wearily set off back down the mountain.

It was at times like this that Mokou would remember the real reason she and Kaguya came back here whenever possible. Oh, the view was bewitching, of course, and it was a quiet and peaceful place, free from all distractions. But it was…imperfect. Incomplete. A poor substitute for the real thing. And that was all that she needed to know.

Because as much as the village reminded them of home, that was all that would it ever be: a reminder. When all was said and done, Konoha was not their home, and it never would be.

It wouldn't do for them to forget that.

Author's Notes: So it begins. As you can imagine, the Touhou characters are a bit OOC, but I tried to preserve as much of their canon personalities as I could. In addition, the power levels require some balancing; if not, the 2hus would wipe the floor with the Naruto characters. Some powers will be toned down, and others will be re-purposed into a more feasible interpretation. For example, I can tell you that Satori's mind reading can work as advertised in Touhou, but there will be a couple caveats in place that will limit its effectiveness. You'll see what those are in later chapters.

I should mention that the cast of this fic is not going to appeal to all audiences. This is a Touhou-centric story, and as such Touhou characters will get vastly more screen time than Naruto characters. They aren't necessarily going to be the popular ones, either. If you clicked on this fic expecting Reimu and Marisa to be the protagonists, then I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed. That being said, if you're still eager to stick around and find out who appears in the story, then I welcome you to continue reading.

That will be all from me. Thank you for coming!