Chapter Fifteen

I felt as newborn must feel right out of the womb. I was suddenly in control of a brand new me.

I gasped in breath, and my lungs crackled open. My hands bunched into fists, and I felt my nails dig into my palms. The stone beneath me was rigid and cold, but the air was muggy and warm.

My eyes opened, but saw only a gray blur at first. My vision slowly cleared. Above me was a tapered rock wall, the face of a mountain. It stretched up and disappeared into a gray fog.

I tried to sit upright, but my body seemed heavier than I remembered. I had grown too used to being a ghost. I tried again, put in more effort, and this time managed to sit up. My back ached to bend for the first time. Looking around, I saw the edge of the platform to my right, but there was no view of Gensokyo. Only fog hung in the airspace beyond.

“You’re finally here. Welcome to House Yakumo.”

A voice came from my left, but it wasn’t the same voice I had heard in the void. Someone stood near the rock wall, where the cliff face met the stone platform we were on. I blinked a few times, trying to see her clearly.

“Who are you?” Then I realized I already knew the answer. “Are you... Ran?”

She bowed in greeting, then stepped toward me. She’s a huge, imposing figure, even taller than me. She wore a heavy robe, but dense muscles stood out from under it. A two-pointed hat sat on her orange head of hair. Out the back of her robe were many vulpine tails, each one heavy and thick with fur. Draped over one arm, she held what looked like a house frock.

“I am.” Her voice was solid and gruff. “And you’re Sakuya Izayoi. Put this on, please. I’d rather you not be nude while we speak.”

She threw the frock to me. It crumpled onto my stomach and legs. I did as she asked, slipping it over my head and covering myself. It was baggy on me, and it smelled faintly of lilacs. The fabric was threadbare and rough, uncomfortable to wear without any undergarments.

I tried to stand up, but my limbs were too shaky. Ran reached down, grabbed my upper right arm, and pulled me up all at once. I felt her strength, both in the grip of her hand and in how easily she lifted me to my feet. She would have no trouble throwing me off the platform if she wanted to.

I was able to stand, though my knees trembled with the effort.

“We’re back in Gensokyo, right?” Looking around, I saw only the mountainside and gray fog surrounding us.

“Yes.” Ran folded her hands into her sleeves. “Normally we have lounge furniture so we can enjoy the view, but Yukari asked me to clear the deck for your arrival. There isn’t much of a view now anyway.”

I looked back to her. “I was with two others, the shrine maiden and the witch. What happened to them?”

“Don’t fret. They’re safe – or at least, safer than you are. My mistress deposited them at Marisa’s home in the Forest of Magic, where they too received newly-formed bodies. It was quite the spectacle. We’ve never seen such a tremendous magical discharge before.”

I stepped up to the ledge and looked down. There was nothing to see, only more gray fog.

“How high up are we? Are we in the clouds?”

“Normally we wouldn’t be. The clouds are unusually low. My mistress is out distributing the abundance of spring energy across the country, and the seasonal influx is already having a dramatic effect. Months of prolonged winter meant all the moisture crystallized, leaving the air much too dry. Now the reverse is happening. All the snow and frost is vaporizing, returning water to the air. A mighty storm is brewing. Soon all the spring showers we’ve missed will coalesce with a vengeance.”

“So... we did it? Gensokyo is saved?”

Ran stepped out to my side, looking out into the fog bank.

“I wish it were so. Winter has ended, but my mistress still despairs.”

I glanced at her. “Despairs? Why?”

“She would prefer to explain that herself, I think. She’ll return soon. My duty is to keep you here until then.”

“I can’t stay. I need to see my mistress. She’ll be worried sick about me.”

“I’m sorry, but you’re not allowed to leave. If you’re hungry, I’ll bring you some food. If you’re thirsty, I’ll fetch you something to drink. If you’re cold, I’ll find you heavier clothes – but you will remain here, even if I need to restrain you.”

I stepped back from her. My legs felt sturdier under me, closer to normal. My strength was returning.

“You can’t restrain me,” I said.

Ran turned to face me fully. “Yes, I can. I’m aware of your abilities, and they won’t help you here.”

I took stock of my situation, and realized she was right. I had no knives, nor anything else I could duplicate into a weapon. I could shift circles around her, but where would I go? There was nowhere to run, unless I wanted to jump off the deck and plummet to my second death.

Then again, could I still shift? Had I lost that power with my original body? I was afraid to try and find that I couldn’t.

“I don’t wish you harm,” said Ran. “Don’t try to escape, and we can have a pleasant chat while waiting for my mistress. I’m happy to answer any other questions.”

“Then tell me this,” I said. “What happened to Chen?”

Ran was taken aback, as if she hadn’t expected me to care.

“If you’re referring to the knife in her side, she recovered from that within a few hours, but she’s heartbroken. Her attempt to start her own village was already floundering. Human blood has been spilled, so no youkai will agree to live there now. Imagine if I drained a cow carcass in your bedroom.”

“Mayohiga must have meant a lot to her.”

Ran rolled her shoulders in a shrug. “It was a childish fantasy: pure in motive, but impractical to execute. Most youkai aren’t tribal creatures like humans are. Her choice of location was no help. The Forest mages would have chased the village away like an infestation.”

“But you helped her. You built that fence, and her little house, and those traps to stop intruders.”

“I wanted to support her, even if the idea was doomed to fail. Chen must be allowed to make mistakes. She’s suffering now, but she’ll grow from it.”

“She’s not the only one who suffered.”

Ran took in a deep breath, let it out slowly.

“The... event from the other morning is partly my fault. Chen felt more comfortable living out in the wild with some security measures. Her plot was off the beaten trail, and I even left a soft ward to keep bystanders away. I never expected humans to come looking for the place.”

I opened my mouth to say something sharp, but I hesitated. People had also died from my shortsightedness. I wasn’t in a position to judge.

That’s when a new voice took our attention. It cried out from deep within the clouds.

“Oh Raaaaaan! I’m home!”

---

“Here she comes,” muttered Ran.

A silhouette appeared through the fog. It started blurry, but quickly sharpened as it approached. A woman floated in, holding up a big parasol that seemed to keep her aloft. She flew to the stone deck and stepped onto it. She folded up her parasol, then glanced between Ran and me, as if expecting a warm welcome.

I stood and gawked. This woman was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

She wore a long dress of royal purple. Her hat was a puffy cap, fronted with a big ornamental bow. Every place her clothing could have expensive flairs, there they were: cuffs, pleats, ruffles, silky fabric. Her hair was long and bright blonde, but both her hair and clothes were damp. She reached behind her back and fanned her hair over a gloved hand.

“Rather humid today,” she said.

Ran bowed to her. “Welcome home, Mistress Yukari.”

“Thank you, Ran.” She looked at me with a smile. “Have you kept our guest well entertained?”

Her violet eyes were so deep. I felt ready to drown in them.

“We spoke of trivial things,” said Ran. “May I ask, do you still—”

Yukari cut her off.

“Do me a favor, Ran. Go find Chen. Give her a big hug and tell her how much you love her. Take her for a walk through the spring rain. A long walk.”

“Mistress—”

Yukari glanced at Ran, and her eyes flared bright purple.

“Ran, please. No argument in front of our guest. Go. Now.”

Ran bowed again. When her head came up, her eyes met mine for half a second. She couldn’t speak out, but her expression was clear.

I can’t help you. I’m sorry.

“As you wish, Mistress.” Ran turned and jumped off the deck. She vanished into the clouds.

---

Yukari looked to me again, and her smile returned.

“That’s better,” she said. “More intimate this way, yes?”

“What do you want with me?” I said.

She stepped closer, tapping the tip of her parasol on the stone deck. I stepped back, but if I went too far, I would fall into the sky.

“I only want to know where you came from.”

“I’ve lived in Gensokyo my whole life.”

“Really? Then who are your parents?”

“My mistress Remilia raised me.”

“She didn’t give birth to you. No woman in Gensokyo did. Have you ever seen another human here with your colors? Or met anyone else who can stop time? You don’t belong to this country.”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care. Why does it matter to you?”

“You’re right,” said Yukari. “I should explain myself. Of all people, you deserve to know. I can show you many things, if you’ll come down into the house with me.”

“Why should I?”

Again her eyes flared; tiny purple bonfires in the darkening night.

“Don’t misunderstand, Sakuya Izayoi, servant of Remilia Scarlet of House Scarlet. I’m not giving you a choice.”

She brought up her parasol and pushed its tip into my chest. I staggered back, but I had no room to stagger. My feet landed on open air, and I fell – but not off the deck.

I fell into a showroom.

---

I landed partly on my butt, mostly on my back. The floor here was more cold stone, but my fall was softened by a circular rug. I sat up, rubbing my tailbone, and I looked around.

I had fallen into a room as large as the deck Yukari and I were just standing on. There were no windows or doors, but the room was lit from a fixture above me. A chandelier hung off the ceiling, full of golden loops and teardrop-shaped jewels. Four sparklamps were mounted in the chandelier. Their light filtered and broke through the jewels, casting motes of rainbow color all around the room.

The walls were stacked floor-to-ceiling with shelves after shelves, upon other shelves beneath still more shelves. All of them were stuffed with books, papers and unfamiliar trinkets.

A dark vertical cut hung in the air before me, similar to the portals Youmu could open with her sword. Yukari had just pushed me through it. She stepped through herself, then the gap closed up behind her. I scooted back on the floor, putting some space between us, then dared to get back on my feet.

“Where are we?” I said.

“My exhibitionary,” she said, resting both hands on her parasol’s handle. “We’re about fifteen feet below where we stood a moment ago. This room is where I store the more interesting objects from beyond the Boundary. Having grown up in Gensokyo’s nonindustrial setting, you may well wonder what these things are.”

I only wondered if I would leave this place alive. I didn’t even care to learn what the word nonindustrial meant.

“Allow me to show you a few items,” said Yukari. “They’re hard earned on my part. Even after the initial trouble of bringing them into Gensokyo, I spend time researching each of them.”

She crossed the room to one big shelf. Books of different thickness and size took up every bit of its volume. Many were stacked on top of it, looking ready to slide off if anyone glanced at them too sternly.

“My favorite things are books, of course. They contain that what I most crave from the outside world: information.”

She took one heavy volume off the shelf, hefted it up and flipped through the pages.

“You’ve seen many of the books I brought in. These are the ones I’m currently reading, but once I’m done with a book, I release it to Gensokyo’s information economy. Your own home houses the country’s largest archive of books.”

“Yes,” I said. “A youkai elementalist manages our library.”

Yukari slammed the book shut. “Your library, you say. Remilia Scarlet and Patchouli Knowledge are squatters. I brought that mansion here. It was the single biggest thing I ever pulled into Gensokyo, and the most painful. Let me give a demonstration before I continue.”

She slid the book back into the shelf, then leaned her parasol against the shelf’s side. She stepped back to the center of the room and stood under the chandelier, holding both arms out wide.

“Do stay back,” she said.

Yukari closed her eyes and lowered her head. The room darkened as ambient energy rushed toward her, giving the sparklamps less power to create light. It was suddenly colder. I could see my breath in white puffs. I folded my arms around myself.

A loud crack! sounded out, made worse by echoing off the stone walls. It left a ring in my ears. The room warmed, the sparklamps brightened, and Yukari now held a new book in her right hand. She couldn’t have held it in her left hand, since that arm hung off her body at a wrong angle. A bulge stuck off her upper-left back.

“So that’s the payment this time,” she said. “My left shoulder has just been dislocated.”

I put a hand over my mouth.

“It’s no surprise,” she said. “Some injury always occurs when I bring things in.”

Yukari dropped the book on the rug, then she smacked the heel of her right hand into her left shoulder. I looked away at the last instant, but I heard the crrk of her shoulder popping back into place.

“There.” She flexed the fingers of her left hand, then bent over and picked the book up. “I’ll be sore for a while, but this wasn’t too bad. The more massive the object, the greater the injury. Imagine if I brought an entire encyclopedia set. Just picture how I looked after the Scarlet Mansion. It took me a whole month to recover from that one.”

Yukari held up the book she had just brought into Gensokyo, looking over the title.

“Hmph. Another book about the Internet.”

She tossed it aside. It skidded across the floor and wedged under the bookshelf.

“How boring, and quite disadvantageous for me. Books are no longer the primary means of informational exchange in the outside world. They have a vast network that allows them to share ideas instantly, anywhere on the planet. I’ve tried duplicating it here, but it requires forms of magic unavailable in Gensokyo. This makes books precious. They require only an understanding of language, with no extra infrastructure or equipment. ”

She went to the opposite side of the room. From atop a brass stand, she picked up what looked to me like a paperweight: a small, flat metal object.

“Equipment like this.” she said. “This is an em pee three player, or so I’ve read... though I don’t know what an em pee three is, or why you’d want to play with one. It hasn’t functioned since I brought it. Or how about this?”

She set the paperweight down and went to another shelf. She picked up a hollow glass tube with a needle sticking out one end, held it up for me to see.

“This is a syringe. Healers of the outside world use this to draw blood from the sick. You must be thinking, what a strange way to heal people. Surely a good practitioner would want to keep blood in his patients. This device is used to take blood safely, in small amounts, so it can be examined to determine the cause of illness. They call this procedure a biopsy.”

She set the glass tube aside. On the floor nearby lay a wooden club. She picked it up with both hands, posed as if to swing it at me.

“What do you think when you see this? It must be a primitive weapon, but look how finely it’s crafted.” She traced one finger along the club’s length. “So smooth, so precisely cut. How could something made with such care be intended for a knuckle-dragging human to smash his dinner over the head? Because this isn’t a weapon at all. It’s a recreational item called a baseball bat. It’s used for sport.”

I said nothing.

“Doesn’t impress you?” Yukari dropped the club on the floor, wood clattering on stone. Then she held up a finger. “I know. A human your age might be interested in something more salacious.”

From another shelf, she picked up a small square of crinkly material. A perfect ring stuck out from inside it.

“This is called a condom. They use it to prevent both pregnancy and the spread of some diseases. A man is meant to wear it when he enters a woman during lovemaking.”

My face went hot.

“No? Then I misjudged you. You’re a chaste and restrained young lady.” She flicked the crinkly square away. It disappeared into a shelf. “I’ll try just one more thing. It’s incredibly popular with outworlders.” She looked around the shelves, and found what she sought. “Ah! Here we are.”

Yukari held up another small metallic object. This one was bigger than the paperweight, and it had moving parts. She showed me how it folded and unfolded.

“This is a communications device.” She put it to the side of her face, up against her ear. “Speak into it like this, and someone else who has their own device can hear you from any distance. It’s called a cell phone in the current language. In the old language, it’s ketai denwa.”

She stepped toward me, repeatedly folding and unfolding the thing in her hands. It made a soft click each time.

“But that doesn’t make sense, does it? How can this item have an old language name when such things didn’t exist while the old language was used? Do you know the answer to that riddle?”

I shook my head, but said nothing.

“You may not believe it, but the old language is old only within Gensokyo. Both old and current languages are in active use beyond the Boundary. In old speak, they’re called Eigo and Nippongo. In modern speak, they’re English and Japanese.”

She stood too close to me now. I looked at anything but her eyes.

“Why are you telling me all this?” I said.

“Because, young one, you asked why I brought you here.”

She turned and threw the cell phone. It hit the far shelf with such force that it shattered at the hinge, breaking in two.

“It’s very frustrating,” she said, making a fist. “I possess all these items, but they’re ultimately worthless. I can learn everything of the outside world, but I can’t go there.”

She slowly turned back to me, her eyes blazing hot violet.

“Living things aren’t even possible. I’ve tried sending both humans and youkai out of the Boundary, to act as scouts. Every single one of them died. I’ve tried bringing people in to tell me about their world. All I ever retrieved was a flopping corpse, and dead men tell no tales. The Boundary allows nonliving objects to pass with difficulty, but it’s an absolute barrier to living things. Except, perhaps...”

She took one more step forward. I tried to take another back, but I had run out of room. My back bumped into a shelf.

“Except for you,” she said. “You’re the first Gensokyojin I’ve seen who didn’t originate here. I’d like to know where you came from.”

“I don’t know,” I said, pressing my back flat up against the shelf.

“I know you don’t. That’s what we’re here to find out. I could have used your original body for a cognation spell, if it hadn’t been destroyed. Your current body is no help, since it’s a construct made from Gensokyo’s own energy. My remaining hope is your spirit, your metaphysical essence. That, I might be able to use.”

“Does that mean killing me again?”

Yukari smiled. “It’s not personal. I’ve lived many, many times your age, imprisoned within the Boundary. Gensokyo is beautiful, but after living here for millennia, it bores me to tears. I want out.”

I tried not to tremble.

“Is that why you tricked Youmu into taking the spring?”

“Yes indeed. It was the only way. My life is connected to the Boundary, which is powered by the magic of Gensokyo itself. If that magic were removed, then the Boundary would fail.”

“But you’d also kill everyone else in the country.”

“It’s rather difficult for me to care.”

I shook my head. “I won’t help you.”

“Your help isn’t required. Let’s see if I’m quick enough to grab your spirit before it reaches the Sanzu.”

She shoved me again, this time with both hands on my shoulders. Instead of bumping back against the bookshelf, I fell into open space again. She had opened another gap and pushed me through.

This time, there was nothing for me to land on. I stumbled backward into the clouds, now darker as nighttime approached. There was a single flash of lightning. Thunder came shortly after. Warm, wet air rushed past me, whipping at my hair and frock.

For a split-second, I saw Yukari looking out at me from the gap. The darkness swallowed her, and I fell.