A/N

This fic was thrown together while I was at work, just a "write it down before I forget it" type deal. Please let me know what you think. I'm not too impressed with it, but with how rare I write out something complete, I kinda gotta put them up if it's anywhere near read worthy.

(Hakurei Miko POV)

I was out for a typical patrol one morning, deciding to take it through the Bamboo forest of the lost, hoping the shade would give me refuge from the heat baring down from the summer sun. A few fairies made an attempt to hide from me, but clearly those juveniles hadn't learned to conceal themselves yet. They were exterminated without incident. Around noon, when I had made my way to what I hoped to be halfway through the forest, I spotted something strange. There was a small hut-like structure, insulated with leaves and mud. It looked crude enough to be youkai, surely no human would live in such conditions when the village was not even half a day away.

Steeling myself for combat, I approached the hut-thing with a death grip on my gohei, slow steps taking me closer to the small entrance. I threw the leafy curtain open to see - nothing. There was dirt instead of floor of any kind, some twigs spread over it. There was no indication anything lived here except a small hatchet and a long sleeved shirt sitting against the far wall. But nothing alive was inside the hut. The inhabitant must be out and about for the day. I confiscated the hatchet, less means this youkai had to do harm the better. Now the question is do I go searching the massive forest, or should I stakeout in the nearby trees?.

Before I could come to a conclusion, my thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey uh, think I could have that back?" a girl said from behind me.

I turned to see a young girl, wearing a white long sleeve shirt and red overalls. She had ash white hair that reached her knees, with a large red and white bow atop her head. But her piercing red eyes told me all I needed to know.

"No, I refuse to give creatures like yourself any further advantage against me" I replied.

She cocked an eyebrow. "Creatures like myself? Are you not also human?"

"Living in a hut in the forest, and acting as if you don't know who I am. You can't fool me. There's no youkai I can't sniff out. And you reek of an unrighteous constitution."

"A youkai I am not. But I suppose human isn't too fitting a name anymore either. As for the stink, I was coming back here to take my clothes down to the lake and wash."

"Alright then, why do you need a hatchet to wash your clothes? And if you're not human, or youkai, what are you? A goddess?"

"Look lady, that hatchet and the clothes on my back are all I have. That's it. Nothing else. Is it too much to ask you not to take half my possessions over suspicion?"

"Suspicion?! You won't even tell me what you are! I won't give you a weapon if I don't know your intention. And don't call me "lady" like I'm some nobody. I am the Hakurei miko, you know."

"Hawk oo-ray? What does that mean?"

"Don't pretend you don't know, now what are you?!"

"Jeez, alright already. I was a human-"

"And became a youkai in order to gain power?"

"No, fuck, just let me talk! I was a human, but through a uh - long - series of convoluted events, I became immortal. Still human, still bleed, still breathe, still have to shit now and then. I just don't die like the rest of you."

"Sounds like youkai to me."

"Okay well what do you want from me? You can't kill me, so what will it take for you to just leave me alone?"

"Let's test that dying theory first." I brought my gohei arm back, and grabbed a yin-yang orb from my belt.

The girl took a step back, balls of fire engulfing her fists. If she's not a youkai, she's got a funny way of showing it. I swung my gohei to divert her attention, and as soon as her gaze moved toward it, I hurled a yin-yang orb at her chest. It went straight through, turning her shirt red near the impact, the fire she held immediately stifled. Her eyes went wide, and she started gasping and choking, stumbling back all the while. She collapsed on her back, doing her best to keep breathing, blood pouring out of the wound, the dirt darkening around her. Her eyes struggled to stay open, breaths getting shorter and further apart. Soon the rise and fall of her chest stopped, her body going limp. Perhaps she was human, but I've met bleeding youkai before.

So much for "You can't kill me" I thought to myself.

Suddenly, a flash of heat and flame consumed her body, leaving a small pile of ash in its place. The call of a distant bird from behind me drew my attention. Another flash blinded me, and when it dissipated, the girl stood a few paces away from me, good as new. She looked more kept and awake then when I first saw her. What type of magic was this?

"Like I said, you can't kill me. Can't blame you for trying, everybody does." She said nonchalantly.

"But you did die." I retorted, still trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

"I guess, but I don't stay dead. I just revive in a minute or two."

"So you admit I killed you."

"Fine, yeah, you killed me. But here I am. Just like I said. I don't die."

"Are you a fairy then?"

"No, I'm an immortal. I'm just like you, but I don't age and I don't die."

"Alright, I'll pretend I believe it for a minute. How old are you then?"

"What year is it? Like, actual year." "It's around 1906 in the outside world."

"About twelve hundred."

"There's no way that's true."

"Well I'm definitely older than Gensokyo. I remember the youkai expansion, and I was there when the barrier was put up."

"My grandmother was the one who put up the barrier, that doesn't prove anything."

"Okay, yeah the barrier wasn't too long ago but the hag's youkai expansion project started up like 400 years ago."

"The hag?"

"The gap hag? Golden hair, purple dress, seems like a sweet old lady but captures humans to feed her and her fellow youkai?"

"I was starting to believe your immortal story but this hogwash is getting exhausting."

"If you're the new barrier chick then how have you not met the hag? She's the one who helps you keep it up, you know."

"If she's real, then what's her name?"

"Yukari Yakumo. You gotta at least know her name."

The name sent a chill straight to my bone. This girl may or may not be telling the truth, but either way she's dangerous. Miss Yakumo isn't someone a human other than the Hakurei and the Hieda have ever met.

"I do know her name. My mother told me about her. Said to always listen to Miss Yakumo, as long as I kept her happy the barrier would stay up and the human village would be untouched by youkai."

"See, I knew you had to have heard of her. Do you believe me now?"

"I suppose."

"Then can I have my hatchet back?"

"Depends. Tell me how you know Miss Yakumo."

"I'm one of the few who has lived here longer than she has. We chat every decade or two. She stopped in just a few months ago to say hi."

"If I give you this hatchet, do you swear to not harm any humans?"

"There's no human who irks me. Not one I'd have reason to harm. Except maybe you, but I might warm up to you if you stop being so accusatory."

"Then I'll let you have it, but if I catch you using it for violence I'll do more than just take it away."

"What? You gonna kill me again?" she teased.

"I suppose." I was truly stumped. Maybe I could seal her, but if she's human the seal won't close. She won't die, at least not permanently. The most I could do was kill her.

"Well, here's hoping that doesn't have to happen. It still hurts, I'm just used to it."

"I hope It doesn't have to happen either. But, um, I'm sorry to ask now and not earlier, what's your name?" I truly was beside myself. I've been such a fool today, more foolish in the past hour than perhaps the whole rest of my life.

"Oh, don't beat yourself up. I usually introduce myself, but you caught me off guard today. The name's Fujiwara no Mokou. If I had friends they'd call me Mokou."

"I thought Miss Yakumo was your friend?"

"She scares me too much to keep that close. She's just an old acquaintance. And she calls me phoenix girl. I'm not even sure she does know my name."

"I see. Well, nice meeting you Miss Mokou. Perhaps we'll meet again sometime."

"Yeah, maybe. Or maybe it'll take like 4 generations for one of you to venture out here again."

"Why 4?" It was a strange statement to begin with, but the specific number really threw me off.

"Because that's how long it took this time. You're great-great grandmother was the last Hakurei I spoke to, almost half a century before the barrier was formed."

"So you do know what a Hakurei is!"

"Well yeah, duh. I just wanted to see your face when you heard I didn't." A sly smile cracked across her otherwise dead-looking face. She had truly deceived me. My foolishness apparently knows no bounds.

"Alright Miss Mokou, I hope you have a good day, or good century, or whatever you super old wackjobs say." I tried to contain my frustration, but it had reached a fever pitch by now. Human or not, this Mokou was a handful. I turned and walked away.

"Same to you, Miss Hakurei. If I don't see you again, I'll be sure to tell the next miko all about you."

I gave her a wave without turning back. She seemed nice enough, but long-lived people like herself were always tiresome to talk to. Perhaps I should leave the next Mokou-Hakurei exchange to one of my descendants like she suggested.