How my joints ache.

At some point, the ground started to take on a slight incline, which kept steadily increasing as I trekked onwards. I thought about doubling back and simply going around, betting on this just being a small hill, but the longer I walked, the more that possibility became disproven. Every time I looked up and saw that the land kept rolling upwards I felt the pit in my stomach grow deeper.

For the umpteenth time, I stopped to catch my breath, though at this point I doubt it would do any good for me. I'm pretty much running on fumes at this point. This was merely a brief respite, however, as when I looked ahead, I saw a clearing in the trees. I stumbled my way forward to the protest of my strained muscles and came across a somewhat relieving sight until I took a glance to my right.

Stairs. Stairs made out of cracked stone. A sign of human civilization.

I should be happy about this, it meant I wasn't alone out here and could find help.

But they kept going on.

And on.

And on.

And on.

And on. And on. And on. And on. And on. And on. And on. And on. And on. And-

Stop.

I felt my knees grow weak at the mere sight of how much further they went in both directions. My legs give in and I collapse onto the steps, turning myself to face the sky. The sun had nearly set completely, and I was nowhere near reaching the summit. Perhaps I'm fated to simply meet my end here.

What a cruel and abrupt end to this-

"Are you alright?" A gentle voice reaches my ears, I crane my head up to see who it belongs to.

A woman in a red dress peeks out from behind a tree, her hair and eyes an unnatural shade of aquamarine. She looks down at me with concern.

"Just…a bit tired…" I force out through deep breaths.

"Really? Your face is awfully pale."

"Been walking a…whil-" I broke into a coughing fit before I could finish that sentence. My head falls back down onto the hard stone, the impact making the world spin. Then in nearly an instant, my coughing had ceased, and I felt as though a weight had been lifted off me. That woman was now kneeling over me, her hand hovering inches above my face. I stare back up at her in confusion, did she do something to me?

"Did you-"

"Please, save your breath." She cuts me off and offers me a hand, which I take with my own and stand up with her help. I gather my bearings and catch my breath. "What is someone like you doing out here at this time?" She then asked.

"I…don't know," I answer her.

"Hmm…I suppose you're not native to this land then."

"What do you mean? Where is this place even?"

"So you're an outsider then. Very well, allow me to explain briefly, but it's going to sound strange. Can I ask that you trust me?"

"...Not like I have any other option here."

"Good." She takes a step back from me. "You're in Gensokyo, a land that houses gods, youkai, and various other nonsensical things the world stopped believing in."

"Excuse me?" I stare back at her, dumbfounded. "So I've been spirited away to some fantasy land out of the blue?"

"It happens more often than you think it would, but that's beside the point. You're in a place humans shouldn't be wandering around, especially at this time."

"And you should be?"

"I'm a god of misfortune, I'm not in any danger here."

"You're a god, then." I look at her skeptically, then I realize something. "So you did do something to me."

"Yes. I gathered a bit of your misfortune, which you seem to have a lot of. Have you been cursed by any chance?"

"Cursed huh…" The thought comes to mind to me often, why else would this body of mine be so frail?

"Seems I've touched a sore spot, you don't have to answer." She smiles at me apologetically.

"Um, okay."

"Anyways, come with me, I'll take you to the village where it's safer for you." She beckons me with her hand and begins walking down the steps. I silently follow after her.

We walked down a seemingly endless amount of steps in silence, having to stop every few minutes so I wouldn't collapse. What struck me as odd was the noticeable distance that woman was keeping between us. Thus, I decided to break the ice with that.

"So um, miss god…" I spoke up as I caught my breath.

"Please, just call me Hina, no need for formalities." She says.

"Hina, then. I've been wondering, why are you walking far away from me?"

"Oh, well, I told you I was a god of misfortune, right?"

"Yeah."

"You see, I have a habit of gathering the misfortune of people that come around here. But you see, all that misfortune tends to rub off on those who come near it. So it's best that I keep a distance from others."

"But, you were close to me earlier weren't you?"

"That's because I didn't have any misfortune gathered that time."

"I see…so you normally can't get close to anyone?"

"Yes, that's simply what my nature dictates." She nods sadly, but returns to her cheery demeanor soon after.

"You don't seem to be bothered all that much about it. Isn't it lonely like that?"

"Oh yes, it is lonesome at times."

"But you're a god, aren't you? Don't you at least have followers that would come see you?"

Hina's smile cracks slightly, repressed emotions beginning to seep out. "There's a reason why gods like me end up here."

"Ah…sorry for asking, it's just…I know what it's like to have nobody to talk to."

"How so?"

"This weak body of mine…it's pushed those I was close to away from me. Until I had no one left."

"What of your family then? Aren't they worried for you?"

"We've drifted apart as time passed, now they feel like strangers to me."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you manage to mend things with them." Hina offers me a sympathetic look.

"Thank you, Hina." I smile back, feeling my spirits lifted. "Now, enough talking about sad things, I'm ready to get going again. Lead the way."

"Gladly."

We eventually reached the bottom to the relief of my legs and were nearing a rustic-looking village. It was as though I had walked onto a set of some historical drama. Hina stopped a fair distance from the entrance and turned back to me, prompting me to stop as well.

"Here we are, the human village. I can't come with you inside for obvious reasons, so I'll tell you this. When you go inside, tell the guards you're an outsider, and they'll lead you to a woman named Keine, she should be able to shelter you for the night, and help you with getting back home." She explains.

"Okay. Thank you for helping me, Hina, I might have really died out there if you didn't find me." I reply gratefully.

"Don't mention it. Now get going, it's bad luck to hang around a god of misfortune." She says with a giggle.

"Alright. Goodbye then, Hina." I then go and walk around her, but a second later she calls out to me.

"Um, one last thing, human!"

"...It's Hisako."

She smiles upon learning my name. "Hisako, I know it's a bit reductive for a god to tell you this but…please find happiness with what time you have left. It doesn't do anyone good to wallow in sadness their whole life. I'm sure your family wishes the same."

"Okay, I promise."

"Good. It was nice meeting you, Hisako. Stay safe."

"You too Hina, goodbye."

We waved farewell to one another and went our separate ways. As the gate to the village inched closer and my tired body heaved onwards, I felt a spark of hope light from deep within.

Perhaps, maybe even someone like me could find happiness.

Author's Note:

Surprisingly, I didn't intend for Hina to appear in this story, but as I continued brainstorming I kept on building on more and more ideas until Hina practically forced her way into this. Guess you could say that spiraled out of my control. (insert laugh track)

Regardless, the story is kind of taking a bit of a life of its own and becoming a bit larger in scope than I initially planned. That being said, don't expect to be taken on a long ride, I firmly intend to keep this fic way shorter than my other work.