"Merry? Renko? What are you both doing here?"
Kanako had flown us straight from the shaft that lead down to the Hell of Blazing Fires back a ways up the mountain and over to the Moriya shrine. As we landed near the stage in front of the outer shrine, Sanae was already running over to us, wide-eyed with surprise.
"Hello Sanae, we were just having a little talk with Lady Yasaka." Renko said as our feet touched down.
"Really? Are you alright, Renko? You look like you've been to Hell and back. Lady Kanako, where did you take them?"
"I'll explain the details later, Sanae. For now, have you seen Suwako recently?"
"I'm pretty sure she's down by the lake."
"Alright, I'll go have a look. Make yourselves at home girls, I'm sure Sanae can fly you back to the village once you're ready."
Sanae nodded in agreement then waved goodbye as Kanako set off towards the lake. Then she turned to us with barely contained excitement.
"What were you guys talking to Lady Kanako about? Does it have something to do with the big energy generation plan she's working on?"
"Oh, very good, divine detective. How much has she told you about it?"
"Almost nothing. She's being very secretive, but I know she and Lady Suwako are working on something together."
"Well, if she hasn't told you yet, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise."
"But she let the two of you know? Or are you involved somehow? Now I'm curious!"
"I can't say anything about that, but I've got another mystery we could use your help on."
"Oh? What's that?"
"There was a hermit who came to this shrine once. She said she lived up near the summit and she had a bandage covering her right arm, do you remember her?"
"Now that you mention her, sure. She flew away riding an eagle, right? What was her name again?"
"It might have been 'Kasen' if memory serves. Do you know where she lives, Sanae? I remember she had invited us to visit her at some point."
"Ummm, yeah, I think so. Do you want to go talk to her now? What for?" Sanae asked, blinking in surprise.
-.-.-.-.-
"I've seen that hermit flying around here on her eagle a few times, but I've never actually seen her home or where she lands." Sanae said as the three of us soared through the air, hand in hand, suspended on a cushion of wind like always. With Sanae's help we had ascended from the Moriya shrine half of the distance to the peak of Youkai Mountain, just to the sloping edge of the tree line, beyond which the mountain was a bare and rocky crag jutting into the clouds. In just the last 24 hours we had travelled from the bottom of the Underworld to almost the top of Youkai Mountain with two additional back and forth journeys along the way. We were very busy people these days, it seemed. After all of the time we had spent underground and the oppressive heat of merely being in the proximity of the Hell of Blazing Fires, I would have thought flying through the wintry skies would have seemed refreshing, but as gusts swirled old snow off of the mountain and all around us, I found myself being grateful once again for the protective bubble of air Sanae had conjured around us.
"I don't see any buildings down there at all." Renko muttered as she scanned the patchy forest.
"I'm not sure how big a hermit's house would be. If it's just a little shack in the woods, it might be hard to see from the air." Sanae reasoned.
"Merry, you look too. You're the one who's always finding things." Renko pleaded.
"I don't see any signs of a house, but what's that over there, in the sky?" I asked, pointing to another airborne figure a ways off from us, who also seemed to be circling the mountain, in search of something.
"Huh? Where?" From the size of the figure it might have been a tengu, but it didn't look like any we knew. Furthermore the figure was carrying a large object of some sort in one hand...
"Wait," I said, peering hard at the figure's outline. "Is that miss Komachi?"
"Oh! Huh. Probably. I don't know too many other people who would carry around a scythe like that. Let's go ask her what she's doing here, Sanae."
"Why is she carrying that thing anyway? It's kind of worrying. Do you know her, Renko? Is she a bad guy?" Sanae asked.
"She's a shinigami. I'm not sure if that scythe is actually functional or just a badge of office, but I wouldn't recommend trying to pick a fight, just in case."
"A shinigami? Like in Death Note? Oh no, wait, she's coming this way. She's much prettier than Ryuk."
The red-haired figure, which had been flying slowly westward while looking down at the forest, had changed direction and was indeed coming straight toward us. Renko waved at her with her free hand as she drew nearer and she pulled up alongside of us, keeping pace with Sanae as she flew.
"Hello again," she said pleasantly. "You two are the humans I met at Muenzuka a few years ago, aren't you?"
"Indeed we are. I'm honored you remember us, miss Onozuka. I'm Renko Usami."
"It's rare that I get to meet any human twice. Especially one who's come out to Muenzuka. I'm happy to see that you're both still alive, but what on earth are you two doing flying around a place like this with the miko from the mountain shrine? Humans shouldn't be on Youkai Mountain and it's a cold day to be sightseeing, isn't it?"
"Nothing too serious, we're just looking for a friend of ours who mentioned she lives somewhere around here."
"Umm Renko," Sanae interrupted, "before you get into that would you mind introducing me?"
"Oh, you haven't met? I'm sorry, I thought since she knew you were a shrine maiden, you must be acquainted. Sanae, this is Komachi Onozuka, shinigami boatman of the Sanzu river."
"Are you really a shinigami? Do you have a Death Note and everything?"
"Oh! You must be from the Outside world. I have a notebook, but it's just a to-do list, it doesn't work that way."
"Really? What about your eyes, do they let you know everyone's name and lifespan?"
"Sure. Are you going to offer to trade me half your lifespan for them?"
"Oh wow. I never thought I'd get the chance. Though if you don't have a Death Note, I'm not sure how useful that power would be..."
"Nah, don't do it, Sanae, the Misa Amane look wouldn't suit you." Renko said with a wry smile. "What brings you out here though, miss Komachi? This is pretty far from the Sanzu river. Are you dodging work again?"
"A human is never far from the Sanzu river. If you let go of that girl's hand you'd find it right now. I'm not slacking off though. I'm looking for someone too. Would this friend of yours you were searching for up here happen to be a hermit, by chance?"
"Oh, you know her too?"
"In a professional capacity, you might say. The Ministry likes to keep an eye on hermits, they have a tendency to try to trick or fight any reapers that come for them. Every now and then one can end up causing a real problem when its their time to go. I haven't been able to find her anywhere though, she must have shut herself up in a senkai."
"A senkai?"
"Old hermit trick. It creates a space that's only accessible to them where they can be alone to train. Some are only as big as a house and others can be entire worlds, depending on what their creator wants. Finding and breaking into one is a huge pain, and its cold up here, so I was just about to head home."
"A distorted pocket of space? That sounds like a barrier, or maybe the sort of dimensional warping Reisen does. I didn't know hermits could do that. More importantly though what did you want with her, Komachi? You're not here to claim her are you?"
"No, I'm just a boatman, not a reaper. I ferry souls who actually want to cross the river. Mostly anyway. My boss just like to keep tabs, make sure that anyone playing with the idea of immortality is keeping their nose clean. The last thing anyone wants to deal with is a wicked hermit."
"I see. By 'my boss' you mean the Yama, right? The same one we met?"
"That's right. If you happen to see her don't mention this though. Lady Eiki worries, but she didn't specifically ask me to come check on up on the hermit, per se. What did you three want with a hermit? I hope you're not planning to become her apprentices, learning the Hermetic Arts is a good way to get on the Ministry's naughty list."
"No, we just wanted to ask her a few questions. If a senkai is a type of spatial distortion though, then maybe my friend here can find it. She's quite a skilled barrier-detector. How about it, Merry? Do you see a senkai hanging around?"
"I don't know what one would look like. But I don't see anything that looks unusual, not from up here, anyway," I replied, turning my eyes back to the ground.
"Are you guys going to stay up here and look? I'm going to head back down, if I stay up here I'll catch my death of cold," Komachi said, stowing her scythe in the crook of her arm and rubbing her hands together for warmth.
"No, I don't suppose there's any point to that. If Merry's eyes can't find it, then it must be very well hidden, I'm sure. Why don't we come down with you, Komachi? Though once we get out of the air, would you be willing to take us to see the Yama, by chance?"
She turned and stared at Renko, wide eyed. "You want to go see the Yama? I thought you said you weren't suicidal?"
"I meant I wanted to go see her while still alive. Is that possible? Can you carry us across the Sanzu river? There are some things I'd like to ask her about."
Komachi stared at Renko, a mystified expression on her face. After a moment she shook her head in dismay.
"Sure, why not? It's pretty rare that a living human would want to go see the Yama, but I'm sure she'd be happy to spare a few minutes for you, if you don't mind getting lectured."
-.-.-.-.-
"Hey, miss shinigami, can you really see our lifespans?" Sanae asked as we landed on the banks of the Sanzu river. It was winter now, and the rocky shore was buried under a a thick blanket of snow. The spider lilies lining the Road of Reconsideration had of course faded long ago and now slept beneath the silent fields watched over by the foreboding gloom of the edge of the Forest of Magic. Somewhere beyond this river lay Higan, and within it, the offices of the Divine Ministry of Right and Wrong, where, presumably, we would find the Yama.
"I can, but I'm not allowed to tell you anything about them."
"Oh, this is weird. I'm really curious but at the same time I don't want to know. But I also do! Oh, by the way though, you said you're not a reaper. What's the big scythe for then?"
"Well, occasionally someone or something might try to stop me from ferrying a certain soul across, but that's pretty rare. Mostly it's just an accessory. A shinigami should be imposing, right?"
"You mean it's just cosplay?"
"It's not cosplay! It's a badge of office."
"It's just a fashion accessory!"
"What's wrong with that? Fashion is important! You think I wake up looking this good?"
"You are pretty dressed up. Does it really matter though if all you usually meet is dead people? Spirits don't have eyes, right?"
"No, but I'm not dressing up for them, I'm dressing up for me! I take pride in my work, you know? Despite what the management might think, I'm good at my job."
"Speaking of which," Renko interrupted, stepping between the two of them, "will the Yama be okay with us coming to see her? I know she's quite busy."
"Time isn't really the issue, the souls have nothing to do but wait anyway. I can't remember the last time a human asked to cross the river while alive though. I'm not sure what she'd have to say about it."
Renko bowed her head, holding her chin as she weighed the possibilities.
"Do you really think it'll be a problem, Renko? What kind of person is the Yama?" Sanae asked.
"Well, she's a bit prone to lecturing. If we go see her, then chances are pretty good we'll all get a solid talking to. It's not exactly fun, but I think there's questions only she could answer."
"I don't know, Renko." I said, inserting myself into their conversation. "Sanae here is pretty pure. The Yama might not have anything to say to her. I'd think her getting lectured is about as likely as you expressing remorse or learning from anything the Yama tells you."
"I wouldn't take that wager," said a commanding voice from behind us. "While it's true that she may not bear the same weight of sin as you do, I would warn you, Sanae Kochiya, that you are perhaps a little too selfish for your own good."
The voice was one I hadn't heard in a long time, but was certain never to forget. I had rather expected to find myself hearing it several times in the last few days, though not under these circumstances.
"Lady Eiki!" Komachi half-shouted, spinning around in alarm.
The Yama's diminutive form was wading out of a bank of fog clinging to the shore of the river, a stern expression on her face, the official hat and uniform of the Ministry of Right and Wrong still adorning her body was crisp, neatly creased, and spotless.
"You think of yourself as being free-spirited, but you use that flexibility and lack of commitment only to thoughtlessly pursue your own pleasure, with little sensitivity to the needs of others. You are young and inexperienced, yet still think you know what's best for other people, imposing your will on them as you please, with no respect for decorum, propriety or dignity. You must learn to restrain yourself, wind priestess of the Moriya shrine. Keep a respectful distance from others, rather than thrusting the whole of your being on them at a moment's notice. Above all else, you must strive to be humble-"
"Omigods, Renko, is that the Yama? You didn't tell me she was so cute!" Sanae then let out a squeal, interrupting the Yama's lecture as she ran towards the Divine Judge of Paradise and swept her up in a hug, spinning her around as she did. "She's a total Becky! She looks like something out of Pretty Cure with that little hat! I love it! Renko, can I take her home?"
"Unhand me! What do you think you're doing?" the Yama cried, trying to squirm out of Sanae's grip.
Sanae squeezed her tighter, crushing her into a hug and rubbing the Yama's face against her cheek. Her hat, with its polished, official crest on the front, clinked as it fell to the ground. Still clasping the Yama against her with one arm, Sanae began to stroke her straight, greenish hair, while looking up at Renko with eyes wide as melons. "She's so teensy, Renko! Come feel how smooth her hair is."
"Sanae Kochiya! I am the official Judge of Paradise as appointed by the Divine Ministry of Right and Wrong! Put me down this instant!"
"She's bullying the Yama. What a frightening girl..." Komachi said, covering her mouth as she spoke, an expression half-way between awe and terror written on her face. Somehow I wondered if this was the same technique that had allowed Sanae to subdue Flandre. I looked from Komachi over to Renko, who looked back at me with a mirror of my own expression of shock. Renko swallowed and took a step forward.
"Alright Sanae, how about you put her down? You don't want to make the Yama cry."
"I'm not going to cry! Sanae Kochiya, do you want me to condemn you to Hell right here and now?!"
"I'm a living god," She said, squeezing her eyes shut as she again snuggled into the Yama. "I'm beyond your judgement."
By now the Yama's face had grown quite red. With her hair sticking out at all angles from Sanae's ruffling and her hat forgotten on the ground, she really did look more like an elementary schooler than a representative of the heavenly bureaucracy. She growled and Sanae smiled blissfully. Komachi covered her mouth and turned away, whether to keep from laughing or out of mute horror, I couldn't be sure.
There was a brief, instantaneous flash of light then, intense, but quickly fading as the Yama did something I couldn't quite see. Whatever it had been left Sanae sitting in the snow, looking quite surprised and the Yama freed from her grasp and floating a meter above the ground scowling down on her with her mirror in hand, just far enough away to remain out of arm's reach.
"You may not be bound to stand before me to be judged, but you and I will still be having words, Sanae Kochiya. It would behoove you to learn the value of respect while you still wear the flesh of a mortal. We will have a lengthy discussion in due course, you and I. For now though," she said, tugging her uniform shirt into position and looking down to where her hat had fallen -an instant later it was back on her head, perfectly shined, dried and polished and impeccably positioned. "I feel I must first speak to you, Renko Usami. I am surprised to see you here before me again, but I am sadly not surprised to see that you have kept to the same reckless habits about which I warned you before."
She coughed faintly and brushed a stray lock of hair off of her forehead, trying to regain some measure of dignity. She angled her mirror toward Renko, observing the reflection shown in it. "I am similarly unsurprised to find that you have continued to endanger both your self and your partner without the slightest bit of remorse. What will it take, I wonder, to impress upon you just how dangerous the path you are walking has become?"
"If you find that my outlook hasn't changed significantly, wouldn't that indicate that I haven't found anything in myself that requires improvement? You're entitled to your own opinion, of course, but I like the way I live, and I've never forced anyone to accompany me. Those who share in my adventures do so by choice."
"This reprehensible arrogance of yours will be your destruction. But you are right about one thing. You do see nothing wrong in your own conduct, and for that you have my pity. There is nothing I can do to teach those who are willfully ignorant, nor to light the way for those who refuse to see. You have heard my lecture already though, and there is nothing I can impress upon you of which you are not already aware, so I will forgo the sermon this time."
My heart fell, hearing her say that. Even the Yama seemed to recognize that trying to dissuade Renko from taking ridiculous risks was hopeless. What possible hope could I have to act as a brake for her then?
"With that said," the Yama continued, "I am here now to make sure that my underlings are properly attending to their quotas and not to provide guidance. I heard you speaking to Komachi earlier, and I take it you have some pressing question to ask of me? Let's hear it then. The sooner you've spoken your mind, the sooner Komachi and I can both return to our appointed duties."
"Oh, thank you for your brevity! I expected to have to wait much longer before I could ask anything of you. It's about the Underworld, and the activities of the Ministry in the abandoned hells beneath Gensokyo. As you must have seen, I've just visited Chireiden, the Palace of the Earth Spirits and met the mistress of that place."
One of the Yama's eyebrows twitched at that statement, ever so faintly.
"I heard that you tasked her with the duty of managing those vengeful spirits left behind in the Underworld when Hell was moved."
"Yes, that's correct. It's a task of critical import. Satori Komeiji was given that duty because her ability to read minds makes her naturally suited to the role. Vengeful spirits cannot hide from her, even if they are possessing another being at the time."
"I see. Given that the task is so important, and so uniquely suited to miss Komeiji, I must imagine you would be disappointed to hear that that task is actually being carried out by one of her pets, for the most part."
"I am aware of this. The pet in question is a kasha who has been living in the Underworld for a very long time. She too is quite skilled in the manipulation and handling of vengeful spirits. She's a helper well suited to acting as Satori's assistant, and I have no fear of her being possessed. Even if she were to be, her mistress would quickly put and end to it. The kasha attends to the day-to-day labour involved in the role while miss Komeiji handles the administrative and planning tasks. It is an acceptable arrangement, from the Ministry's perspective."
"I see. I take it there was some logistical issue preventing you from moving the earth spirits to Hell's new location and so an arrangement of this sort was a matter of necessity for you, yes?"
"To some extent, yes. Moreover it was a matter of protocol. Vengeful spirits in general would be very difficult and dangerous to move and souls as befouled and unrepentant as the earth spirits would be even moreso. More important than that though, those spirits are bound to the hells to be punished. To transport them would necessarily mean that they would be given respite, however temporary, from the agony that their sins have earned them. This is considered undesirable in and of itself. If any of those sprits were to manage to possess a mortal creature and escape confinement though, that would constitute an irredeemable mismanagement of their divinely ordained fate. The Ministry is not in the habit of taking risks."
"So it must have been a real problem for you when the oni and all of the other youkai moved down to the Underworld. All of those vulnerable mortal creatures within easy reach of the spirits. I imagine you must have had to figure out Satori's role quickly once that happened."
"Not at all. She was already there, working for us long before the oni came to the Underworld. Such a migration would never have been allowed, otherwise."
"Oh! So then the Palace of the Earth Spirits predates much of the city of Former Hell then. That makes sense, it looks rather different, after all. In fact it looks almost out of place there. I'd wager to say it certainly wasn't something designed by the oni. In fact I'd guess it was built for you, miss Eiki. There was a time before Satori took the job of managing the vengeful spirits when that work fell to you, wasn't there?"
"Yes, back in the days when that place was part of Hell itself. What of it?"
"Well, I'd just like to confirm one detail about that time. Back then, when you were overseeing the Underworld, was Satori already living in the city at that time? And if she was, do you recall if she happened to have a sister, another satori, by the name of Koishi Komeiji living with her?"