It was a lovely day in the forest at the foot of the mountain: birds chirped, insects flew around, flowers bloomed.

There was only one problem: Sara Kujou recognized nothing of that.

"I grew up in the forest around Narukami. I know every species of bird, every species of plants that you can eat and you'd better avoid and absolutely nothing is right!"

The tengu general scratched her hair, while trying desperately to recognize something. Everything was too different. It felt like they were replaced by copies that only someone very familiar with the originals would recognize.

"Kujou Tengu, don't be so dramatic," Itto replied, after sighing, "We are alive and we're in fine shape. You're just dizzy from falling into the portal. Look at those sparrows, they're just like the ones at Inazuma."

"You don't understand! Those sparrows are saying something like 'cheep cheep'. Inazuman sparrows say 'chirp chirp'. I'm telling you, there's a high chance we might not be in Inazuma anymore, no matter how this place feels like it."

"Haha, Kujou Tengu, I didn't know you talked the language of birds, might be because of your bird brain."

"Grrrr, it was your fault, you stupid oni…"

"I was just joking, tengu."

"Who said to split up in that domain?"

"Kujou, you don't understand…"

"You idiot oni," Sara jumped at Itto and started to squeeze his neck with her legs, while pulling his hair, "Did your brain turned into mochi? We are somewhere far, far from home because of you!"

"Agh, Sara, I was trying to help! It wasn't fun when I got stuck in a domain last time."

Sara immediately stopped moving. Itto glanced upwards; it was as if Sara felt something, since she had her "war face" – the same face she had when she took his Vision.

"Well, can you leave my head now? It's not like I'm enjoying…that sounded a bit weird."

Sara didn't reply. Her bow materialized in her hands. She trained an arrow at the direction of a bush, letting her Vision imbue it with electro energy.

"Sara?" Itto said, holding her legs, so that she doesn't fall.

She didn't reply as her sharp eyes scanned the area. The purple elemental energy flowed to the tip of her arrow. For a moment, even the forest stopped its sounds. Her breathe became slow, in order to concentrate everything on her supposed target in front of her.

"Hey, what's up, homies? We're not bad guys!"

Sara yelped and shot her arrow into the sky.

"Itto, you blockhead! If we get into a fight, it's your fault!"

From the bushes, a figure emerged. It was a woman; she wasn't a human, a fact given after her triangular ears at the top of her white hair and the fluffy white tail behind her back. She wore a white hakama, with a black skirt, and she was barefoot. She had a strange triangular-shaped hat, which had the same color from the wine from that famous winery from Mondstadt.

She felt something weird looking at that hat. As if she wanted one.

Sara refrained from knocking another arrow in her bow. That wolf-woman held a round shield in her right hand, with a large emblem of a five-pointed leaf and had a curved sword in her left hand. Just from her way of holding them, Sara knew that she had military training.

And, above all, Sara could feel she wasn't alone.

"Who are you? Youkai Mountain is no place to foolish newcomers." She said, lifting her sword.

Sara didn't reply. That wolf-woman's words meant that she still considered them a possible threat. She either had a deep voice for a woman or she purposefully made a commandeering voice. Sara needed to observe her more before saying anything.

Itto, however…

"Oh, you said Youkai Mountain?" Itto said, smiling to her, "We're also youkai. That's our mountain, right?"

"Hm…Indeed, there are no humans with horns. And you?" She looked at Sara, "What kind of youkai are you?"

"I'm a tengu."

"I never saw a tengu with yellow eyes, but," the wolf-woman took a deep breath, "But you smell like one."

"Hey, we're all friends here. We're from Inazuma, you know? We just got a bit lost after taking the wrong turn in a domain."

"Where is this Inazuma place?"

"In Inazuma, obviously."

"There is no such place in Gensokyo called Inazuma! As far as I know, I mean. But that means you're from the Outside World and fell here without realizing."

"The Outside World?!" a black-haired girl popped up from the bushes at the right. She also wore the triangle hat.

"Aya! Don't leave your position!"

"Momiji, this is a one in a lifetime opportunity, interviewing a tengu from the Outside World!"

"Do you have any idea of how much you're exposing yourself right now?" Momiji stopped to sigh, lowering her weapon, "They're obviously armed and we don't know what they're capable of. And the man is an oni."

"If Aya is going to break her cover, so will I," another girl emerged from the bushes at the left; she had brown hair, tied in pigtails, and also that hat, but hers was purple. "We're in the middle of a scoop here, can't be bothered to fight."

"It's my scoop! I left my position first." The short-haired girl walked up to her. They both crossed her arms and glared at each other.

"You idiots…" the wolf-woman grunted. "I shouldn't have asked for help the first two frauds that appeared in my way."

Sara, also feeling the tension lighting up, made her bow dematerialize. She poked Itto with her ankle and he immediately put her down.

"Hey, everyone, my name is Itto Arataki and this ball of sunshine here is Sara Kujou, nice to meet you!"

Itto happily waved to them, while Sara gave them a quick bow.

"My name is Aya Shameimaru, from the Bunbunmaru News, Mr. Arataki," she picked pen and paper and started making questions, "Where exactly is Inazuma in Japan? How did you get here? Are you in a scandalous relationship with Ms. Kujou?"

"What?" They both cried at the same time.

"Don't bother with her, I'm the real journalist here," the other girl said bumping at Aya, also with a pen and paper, "My name is Hatate Himekaidou, from the Kakashi Spirit News, the most trusted source of all Gensokyo. What are your thoughts about your stay in Gensokyo? Have you decided to settle down and marry and buy a house at the bottom of the Great Waterfall? I heard the prices there are wonderful."

"What?" They both cried again and turned aside from each other. They surely didn't want to look at each other for a few moments after that.

"Shut up, you tabloid-mongering idiots!" the wolf woman said, slamming both her fists at their heads. With the two nosy reporters standing aside to massage their heads, she introduced herself properly. "My name is Momiji Inubarashi. I lead the 3rd tengu patrol team. We keep the peace and ensure no one approaches Youkai Mountain outside the designated roads."

"Tengu?" Sara's stern expression softened. "You said you were tengu?"

The three looked at her puzzled.

"Uh, yeah," Aya said, scratching the back of her head. "Have you never heard of tengu, bird-like, big-nosed masks?"

"She has a tengu mask in her head," Hatate said, "Like, I never saw a mask like hers."

Sara stood still. Her expression looked so soft; it was like her eyes wanted to cry, but they couldn't. Looking from a distance, she resembled more statue than woman.

"Is she alright?" Hatate asked, leaning a bit towards Itto.

"Well, how can I say this…" Itto said, keeping his smile, even if it had a small curve of sadness, "Sara is, as far as we know, the last tengu of Inazuma."

"Oh…"

"Well…"

"We asked everywhere, including oni and kitsune elders, but no one knows where the tengu went. Not even the Shogun knows."

"I…I never saw another tengu before," Sara said, taking a step forward to observe Aya, who was closer to her. She lifted one hand, almost touching Aya; she refrained, because her education taught her that would be rude, even if Aya didn't seem to mind.

"I never even met my tengu parents," she continued, "Even today I don't even know if I have parents or not. And, yet, are you telling me there's more of you?"

They were tengu. Maybe not like her, but she could feel something she wasn't sure of what it was. She never felt this close with humans, but Aya, Hatate and Momiji's mere presence was enough to awaken something in her she wasn't even sure of what it was.

Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. Was she that lonely?

"Hey, don't be sad," Aya said, happily chirping in, "There's an entire village at Youkai Mountain. Why don't we bring you there? They'd love to meet you!"

"An entire village?"

"Aya!"

"Relax, Momiji, it's more than obvious they aren't bad guys."

"I think I can trust that. It's just that…look at Mr. Arataki: he's an oni. Bringing an oni without warning will raise too many questions…no offense."

"Nah, it's fine."

"We can't leave an oni unattended in the surface." She picked a pouch under her hakama and picked a scroll.

"Heed my call, oni from hell!" Momiji said, while tossing the scroll as far in the sky she could. The scroll disappeared after a few moments. Itto and Sara looked confused, but the others were interested in other matters.

"Where did you get that?"

"Lord Tenma has a deal with the underground oni, to call on them if we need them. We can only use in specific situations. And an oni from the Outside World fits the bill."

The earth started to shake and a massive hole opened in front of them. A figure jumped out of it, landing right in front of them. It was a tall, blonde, ponytailed woman, wearing a blue yukata, tied with a purple obi. She had a massive horn emerging from her forehead, with a star on it. She also held a large red dish in her right hand; she moved it to right and sake fell on it.

Not a single droplet fell out of it.

"Yuugi Hoshiguma has answered your summons," she said, taking a sip from her sake, "It's better be good."

"Ms. Hoshiguma, I'm Momiji Inubarashi, I'm the one who called you. We stumbled upon outsiders and one of them is an oni."

"Sara, she looks so cool!" Itto said, his eyes gleaming. Sara, on the other hand, felt bothered for some reason. She started biting her nails, for some reason. She felt strange, but preferred to ignore it. But that was a really nagging sensation.

"Outsiders, huh?" she looked at Sara and then at Itto. "A tengu and an oni. Where do you come from, Noodle Arms?"

"Hey, my name is Itto. I'm from Inazuma, and these are some real guns!" Itto said, flexing his arms. Sara just rolled her eyes.

"And he has a sense of humor as well, I like you, boy," she turned to Momiji, "So, what do you want me to do?"

"Just keep an eye on him until we can know what to do and where this Inazuma they speak of is located."

"Babysitting isn't what I signed up for, but, eh, I'm sure he'll love the Old Hell." She waved to him and said, "C'mon Noodle Arms! I just wish Suika was here, she'd like you."

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!"

They heard something approach by the air, screaming. It fell behind them, making a hole in a tree. After the dust cleared, a short woman emerged, wobbling around like a drunkard. And the smell confirmed how drunk she was. Judging by the two horns protruding from her head, she was also an oni.

"What the naraka, Suika! You just appeared in the most convenient hour possible."

"Ow…I drank Reimu's sake and she exorcized me."

"Hah, typical you."

"Who's the new guy?"

"Oh, he's Noodle Arms-"

"Itto Arataki, the greatest oni of Inazuma."

"I was going to show him Old Hell, why not tag along?"

"Cool, it's been ages since I was there."

"Nah, it's just two months, people are starting to miss you there."

"Meeting where the oni live here will be fun," Itto said, "I'll catch you later, Sara."

So, he was the first jumping on the hole from where Yuugi emerged.

"Wow, what a crazy guy," Suika said, wobbling around at the edge of the hole, "Yuugi, I think I'm too drunk. He just sprouted some wings."

"Trust me, you're never too drunk," Yuugi said, "That little guy just has some tricks up his sleeve. We can't let him leave us behind."

And they jumped as well.

Sara sighed after Itto left. She had to admit she envied him a bit. He just met those two oni and he's already treating them as if they were his distant family. Meanwhile, the only thing she felt towards the three tengu was awkwardness. She started to think on her previous behavior: was that even acceptable? Would that make them have the wrong idea of her?

And yet, she could a storm of emotions inside her heart. She had to keep her expressions neutral. She was the Shogun's general – she had to keep her calm, not mattering the storm, either outside or inside.

"I trust you two can take care of our guest," Momiji said, "I'm returning to patrol. I hope you enjoy your visit, Ms. Kujou."

"Thank you, Ms. Inubarashi."

With a quick bow, Momiji turned around and…just took off. She just leapt into the air and flew.

"How…" Sara said, pointing to the flying wolf tengu, "How…"

"Puh-lease, everyone in Gensokyo can do that with a bit of practice." Hatate said, waving her hand dismissively.

"You shouldn't sell yourself short, Sara," Aya said, "You're not a mage, right?"

"Uh…no?"

"Then, how did you do that?"

"Do what, Ms. Shameimaru?"

"Just call me Aya, and you can call that hatchling anything you want."

"Hey!"

"So, how did you do that thing with your bow, Sara?"

"This?" Sara lifted her hand, making her bow materialize right on the top of it. "Uh…everyone in Teyvat can do that with a bit of practice."

"You have no idea how many decades of magic practice some mages need to learn this trick. And now you're telling me it's that easy where this…Teyvat country is?"

"Wait, didn't you say you were from Inazuma?" Hatate asked.

"Inazuma is one of the seven nations of Teyvat, ruled by our archon, Raiden Shogun, the mightiest of them all."

She said, this time straightening up her posture, speaking with great pride of her Shogun.

"Ehrm…Hatate, I think we should go to Kourin's. The Outside World must've changed the names of all their countries again." Aya said, while Hatate nodded.

Sara was more than sure she was very, very far from home.

A.N.: The inspiration for this fic was when I was talking to a friend about Sara and how lonely she has been in her entire life; she mentioned how it's sadly ironic if we compare with the tengu in Touhou, who have an entire civilization there. So, I imagined a scenario where Sara goes to Gensokyo and is found by Aya and Hatate, who are thrilled with her and go around show Gensokyo for her. Itto is there too, losing every contest to Yuugi and Suika (who make fun of his noodle arms; but he's a sport about that). So I let this idea brewing and I'm start publishing today.

Thanks to quigu for helping me with this fic. She knows a lot of folklore, so I could get some references.

Also I interpreted that, after the events of SA, Suika decided to visit the underground more frequently.