You dream.

In your weapon cum chariot cum coffin, you float between the stars and you dream, content and alone. Your story ended at a time and place of your choosing. You made the best decisions you could have based on the information you had at the time and your own judgement. You followed your heart and you regret nothing.

Unfortunately, your dreams are a completely different matter. Replaying pivotal moments over and over, abstractly shoving your life in your face, you are all but bathing in your own legacy, ever questioning your choices. If you had sought greater power, would you have found it? With it, would you have done things differently? Were the sacrifices needed to get that power greater or lesser than what was lost when you turned your back on it all? At the time, you decided they were greater.

Sometimes the dreams are less intense. Flashbacks from the very beginning, when you were barely more than a girl, when you first touched on power at all. The choice you had to make that day, in a different dream altogether. The sword, power to stand against anything. The staff, indirect and non-obvious might. The shield, for those who have the will to protect and endure.

Sometimes they are simply fond memories, like the moment you discovered your own magical nature. Of the fourteen known elements, you touched yours in a burst of inspiration shortly after unlocking your inner potential. It is a part of you; in a way it always was even before you knew magic was real. It is said that those of similar dispositions are destined to cross paths one day, for good or ill.

Time has been meaningless to your dreaming self. You do not notice when the impact occurs, and you do not feel the spinning as you veer out of control. You crash into a barrier, then plunge through, tearing a hole behind you. A second barrier allows you through without resistance; a forgotten and unneeded figure such as yourself is welcomed in a place such as this with (figurative) open arms.


[***]

"If you see the Buddha on the side of the road, spook him."

My clever turn of phrase nearly cost me a great opportunity. I bit my lip to avoid giggling and giving away my position. The Myouren Temple's appearance in the Human Village had been like someone giving me my very own chicken farm. Lots of travellers and young'uns, and rooms full of people sitting silently with their eyes closed. It's every karakasa's dream.

In fact, this wasn't the first time my target -- a youkai modelled after some exotic beast called a 'tiger' -- would be getting a dose of the Kogasa treatment. Just last week she was sitting in this very same spot, cross-legged, breathing slowly. I crept up close, evading every dry leaf and twig in my way, before leaning in and giving her my best "booga-booga-bleh!"

The claw marks healed pretty quickly, but the satisfaction lasted for days.

To my delight, as I peeked over the shrubbery around the temple yard I saw that the tiger lady wasn't alone today. A woman with mouse ears and a tail, obviously not young but still pretty tiny, was sitting almost shoulder-to-shoulder with her.

Facing the two of them with her eyes closed was an older woman with big, curly hair that changed from purple to blonde. Even just sitting, I could tell she was pretty tall, and pretty cut, too. She didn't look like a bodybuilder, but she definitely kept in shape. I got a very mom-like vibe looking at her.

I hovered over the shrubs... careful now... and crept close to the mouse girl... careful...

Suddenly, the mom-looking lady's eyes opened. She looked right at me, as if she'd known I was there the whole time, and smiled at me like I had just shown up early for a party. She pointed at me (how rude) and then pointed to the hallway behind me, hoping for me to leave them in peace.

It takes a while for me to really finalize everything in my head, but... it's a bit upsetting when you realize your reasons for an action are so terribly banal. Because I have to admit, the day-to-day has been... lethargic, to me. Sure, today has been hectic, but... that's how things usually go. Weeks or months of nothing, and then a few hours of heart-pumping action. I'm not saying it's bad; it's nice to have so much free time in my life.

All the same, having a bit more structure in my schedule wouldn't be too bad, either. Hell, Mima always had something for me to do every day, even when she wasn't around. And I remember Keine always assigning us homework too; repetition's the mother of learning, right?

But all the legitimate justifications and explanations doesn't wash away the fact that I'm adding more classes 'cause I'm bored. ...It's a bad taste.

"Ah, Marisa? Are you there?" Byakuren's gentle voice coaxes me out of my thoughts, making me realize that I'm staring like an idiot at two lovely ladies.

So it's totally natural that I try to save some face. It's instinctive! "Sorry, I was getting lost in your eyes," I shamelessly tell her, gently fluttering my lashes.. And if Akyuu's angrily sobbing into her hands, I absolutely don't notice. Neither does Byakuren, who demurely bows her head and looks away.

"My apologies, Marisa. I just seem to have that effect on people." Her voice is rich and warm, the low tones filled with gentle... accomidation, if not acceptance.

"No, that's all on me. I really should have been paying attention," I tell them both. And Akyuu's silent mutter of 'Yes, yes you should have' is sweet disapproval~

Still, I can't play the fool all the time, least of all with my students. It'd be a disservice to them, if they want to learn. But my head's still in a jumble, and I've always found it easier to write things out first.

The decision to help all beings achieve enlightenment and happiness is the meaning of being a Bodhisattva. This can take many forms, and may happen in life, or happen after choosing to descend from heaven to help others.

"Delusions are inexhaustible, I vow to end them."

---

Senses, something alien after a thousand years, scents of a forest, the feeling of the hard ground around you, it’s overwhelming.
The sun is bright, even behind closed eyes. You pull on the ground and hoist yourself to a sitting position finally opening your eyes.

…

White… a white path seemingly going on for miles, with the faint outline of a building in the distance shadowed by the morning sun. Where are you?

A snap, you clutch your head in pain, memories coming to bear all at once in your brain, you see them, fighting for your attention, a war, a journey, a decision, too vague to make out amidst the pain, but one thing stands out as the memories fade, the reason you descended.

“Motoori Kosuzu.”

The young redheaded librarian, who walks around with chiming bells in her hair. The girl who loves knowledge in all its forms, and doesn't believe in Things Humanity Was Not Meant To Know. The pure, earnest girl who believes in heroes and fairy tales.

And I want her to believe in me. To look at me with adoration and simple, easy faith. The way she looks at Reimu, the way she looks at Akyuu.

The crystal ball glows orange as soon as Kosuzu's name leaves my lips. It floats away from me and into Mima's waiting hands; my mentor scrunches over it, using her billowing sleeves to hide the ball from my view. Her clothing isn't quite thick enough to hide the light. The blue mood of the dream tent's ruined by the orange light, and it even feels warmer. Happier.

“Well, let's see,.” Mima intones with all pomp and seriousness. I can't help but lean towards her, losing myself in the atmosphere. “Kosuzu. You could certainly do worse. And you already know why you like her. But love is understanding, in its deepest form – can you tell me who Kosuzu is fond of, and why?”

The words come out slowly, but naturally – there's no hint of resentment or jealousy. And I'm not sure if it's because of the dream, or... oh, I don't know. “She has a crush on Mamizou because Mamizou plays mysterious stranger really, really well. Mamizou has that cultured, sophisticated aura to her when she tries, and it helps that she's damn good with magic.

“Reimu... Kosuzu doesn't really interact with Reimu too much, but she grew up listening to stories of the Hakurei clan. Hell, I grew up with those stories, and Mom's from Outside. Gensokyo's a land where fairy tales are still real, and who doesn't want to get rescued by Princess Charming?

“And... if Mamizou is Kosuzu's version of a mancrush, and Reimu's the fairy tale lover... then Akyuu's probably the one she's actually in love with.”

"Welllll..." Reimu begins by settling onto the porch with tea in hand. "The Human Village totals roughly 100,000 people, and lies in the geographic center of Gensokyo. A good amount of the population is dedicated to working the surrounding farmland, but there's only so much you can do before all you can do is wait, so the village still has a bustling commercial district."

The lecture pauses as Reimu sips from her steaming cup, with her pale lips open just slightly, to seal themselves against the ceramic. Her eyes close as she tastes the bitter brew, a small hum escapes her lips, and the poor shrine maiden seems to glow with happiness.

"This is a really good brew, Marisa. Where did you get it?"

"Ah! It's Kourin's special blend. He made an extra batch this time, so I helped myself!"

Reimu catches my smirk of course, but since she smiles and shakes her head, she's not chastising me like usual. I guess she doesn't mind so long as she benefits. How mercenary of her! But I could use this.

"Riiiiight. Anyways - the wall is manned by a rotating militia. It's mostly just for show now that the Spellcard System is in place, but sometimes younger youkai get frisky. Keine's been trying to teach the younger kids about danmaku, but it never was her best subject, so..." She shrugs. "Outsiders usually come to me to head back instead of staying, and those who do stay usually just... go native, I guess. Why are you asking me, anyways? You were born and raised there, so you'd know more than me."

"Eheheh... well!" I take a drink from my own cup - but the tea's still steaming hot, and it burns me on the way down. I wince and cough a bit while Reimu just looks on with amusement. How she drinks it this hot, I'll never know. "I, uh. I got into a bet. With Patchy."

There's a pause in the conversation, although actual silence never descends upon us. It's spring again, and we can both hear Lily's screams echoing in the distance, accompanied by birdsong and the swaying of branches. The shrine grounds a

Today, you received a letter. While getting letters isn't rare at all, there is something different about this one. Perhaps it's because of the red splatter on it that looks like blood. Or perhaps it's because of the stone that's inside. Hopefully, the stone won't turn out to be a shard of poison. They've done that before, and you had to spend several hours in a trance to cleanse your body and the air around you. All because your mother happens to be a youkai, and some people think that makes you a man-eater.

Regardless. The letter. You slide the blunt edge of your knife into the envelope, tear open one side and peek inside. There's a gemstone in there. Still doubtful, you turn the envelope around and tap the bottom until the gem falls onto the table. Deciding it's not poison, you pick it up for a closer look. It's an irregularly shaped, smooth and generally round black gemstone with a speck of light suspended inside. Odd, but perhaps the letter will explain.

“Greetings,” reads the letter, “Lately I have been hearing rumors of something powerful being scattered around Gensokyo in pieces. I thought it was only rumors until, by chance, I found one piece myself, included with this letter, and did some... research. It seems as if there are nine pieces in total. Your job, Seimei, is to gather them.
According to everything I've heard about them, they are the pieces of some item of immense power. If we ever want to fulfill our dream of equality, we need this power on our side.
Below is everything we know about the possible locations of these pieces:
-It seems like the Hakurei shrine, the Moriya shrine and the Myouren temple each have one piece.
-This is also true for the Scarlet Devil Mansion and the Eientei.
-The sixth piece is rumored to be somewhere underground.
-We know nothing of the remaining two pieces.

-Seven
PS. I cut myself while writing this. Sorry.”

It’s good to be home. Or it will be, once you get past the Border.

You still remember when you left Gensokyo, young and starry-eyed and itching to see the world outside that tiny bubble, perched on that outsider’s shoulder. They said you wouldn’t last a month. They said you wouldn’t have a scrap of belief to live on.

You cannot wait to see their faces when you return, in your full-grown glory and your elegant European suit, and tell them how that outsider wound up becoming a famous poet. How his greatest work fed you enough belief to go from that little boy who could barely spend a whole day in human form to – and here you’re tooting your own horn somewhat, but it’s quite true according to ladies far and wide – the strapping man you are today.

You’ll tell them of all the mad adventures you’ve had in a world far less dead to the supernatural than they had feared. Psychopomps carrying heads made of cheese doing battle with neckless knights over who had the right to their shared myth of origin. Strange flying mushroom men in Groucho Marx glasses arguing with a coal-black genius of fantasy-science. Infinite varieties of vampires and were-things, who were actually quite entertaining thanks to how often you got to kick their fangs in. Spirits, ghosts, gods, angels, demons…

Before you can do that, though, you’ll need to get back through the Border. The pulsing wrongness of it still strikes dread into you, even as it offers no response to the touch of your black-gloved fingers.

[]For all of Lady Yakumo’s cunning, she always forgets that most supernatural beings can fly.
[]There was a shrine that marked a safe entryway, right?
[]With all the force of myth behind you, you can probably just brute-force it.
[]You still have that odd little token…

[X] “If she wants me, she'll get nothing less. I'll go now. Delaney, it was good to see that you're okay. Kaguya, if Mokou shows up, I want to hear about it straight off. And thanks.”


Some people will spend all their lives working out a single part of their body – the wishbone.

Not you; you've nurtured it enough already. You have fed it to the point of gross obesity, you've exalted it above divinity, and you've polished it to shine brighter than a twenty four-carat diamond. If you reached out and slapped it up on the sky among the stars, nobody would ever tell it apart. Astronomers around the world would be flummoxed for years to come. All conceptions of physics could change to accord the discovery. New religions would spring like mushrooms after heavy rain. Science as humanity knows it may very well go to the devil. The world could be thrown into another dark age, and you would be the one to thank for it.

However, you won't do that. Not because you wouldn't want the infamy of single-handedly setting civilisation back a couple of centuries. Not because science is already one leg in hell and you would rather it stayed at least half on this side for a while longer. And certainly not because you never wanted to be the central figure of a shady new religion.

It's because you want to start developing a different part of your skeleton.

The backbone.


“Very well,” you say. “If the shifty vixen wants me, she will get nothing less.”

 
  “Alas for those that never sing,
 But die with all their music in them!”

—Oliver Wendell Holmes