Kaguya stared at the night sky, trying to discern the stars that had been outshone into hiding by the moonlight. Finally, she gave up and gazed instead at her former home.
It might have seemed strange, but she didn't actually mind seeing the moon. Often, especially on long summer nights, she found herself watching it for hours at a time, feeling perfectly content but for a few twinges of nostalgia.
That night, with the full moon blazing brighter than it ever should have, looking vast enough to swallow the sky, it was a source of unease.
She felt Eirin come to the porch before she heard her. She waited for her to join her side before speaking.
"I have seen no sign of them yet."
"I assume they'll try to catch us unawares." In spite of the situation and the bow strapped to her back, Eirin smiled. Possibly, she felt pride at the potential deviousness of her former students.
After so many years spent together, Kaguya hardly ever needed to look at Eirin to guess what she was feeling. Now, however, she did so. The moon's glow granted her hair a thick silvery aura, and its reflection in her eyes made them seem sharper than ever.
"You know that I trust you in everything," she said softly, assuming Eirin would catch her true meaning.
Eirin nodded, faintly amused. "You think this is a gamble."
"She's my rabbit now." Kaguya tried not to sound defensive. "I know you won't actually relinquish her, but..."
Eirin said nothing for a while. When she did, she turned her gaze to the moon. "I won't lie to you, Princess. There is the possibility that my first plan won't succeed."
"What exactly is your first plan?"
"I sent Mokou to fetch us legal assistance to find a loophole in the contract."
"What?" Kaguya couldn't help it. Eirin had said it so casually, as though asking a favour from Kaguya's favourite nemesis was no different from ordering the rabbits to go on an errand.
To be fair, there was a difference. Mokou was far more likely to get what was asked of her done.
"It was a suggestion. She agreed to it."
"I understand." Mokou was often as bored as Kaguya herself was. She was about to ask if Eirin had bribed her in some way — such as an opportunity to take a bath — but from the way the human phoenix usually acted, she liked looking and smelling like an incinerated vagrant, so perhaps not. "When did she leave?"
"In the late afternoon. She ought to be back by—"
"Master!"
Reisen ran to the porch in a flurry of purple hair. She halted as Kaguya and Eirin turned, moving her hands violently as though unsure what to do with them, at one point tugging at her ears. The only other time Kaguya had seen her so agitated had been when she had first come to Eientei, begging for amnesty.
Eirin observed the former moon rabbit without so much as a raised eyebrow. "Are you that concerned, Udonge?"
"I didn't agree to this! How could I possibly even go back? I'm not—"
The rest of Reisen's protests were swallowed by a hushed awe. They all turned to look at the unnatural rainbow emerging from the night sky.
Eirin stepped forward. "It's time."
Kaguya followed her into the garden. Reisen dragged her feet after them, as though tugged along by an invisible tether.
The rainbow drew closer. The light undulated as though it was a prismatic aurora borealis, its brightness consuming the darkness of the night. Kaguya wondered whether the spectacle was visible in all of Gensokyo, and whether it would thus attract unwanted attention. The situation was complicated enough without self-proclaimed incident-solvers kicking down the walls and demanding answers.
Then, the rainbow split into a top and bottom half. The top half shot upwards, back towards the moon, while the bottom half continued stretching out until it was on level with the highest bamboo near Eientei. The edges of the light grew fuzzy, melting into the air.
Two figures walked down the rainbow path in a stately fashion.
The local rabbits had gathered round: long ears poked out from every nook and bush, and several of the bolder inaba had turned their small faces towards the sky in slack-jawed awe. Although mere theatrics, the rainbow bridge did look appealing. Kaguya decided to incorporate something similar in her spell card repertoire in the future.
By the time the thought occurred to her, Toyohime and Yorihime were at a shouting distance. They marched to the very end of the rainbow before halting, towering over their hosts.
Yorihime focused on Eirin. "Lady Yagokoro. It has been a while."
Eirin nodded. "I trust you have been well."
Kaguya remained silent. Eirin was free to act as if her former students had simply come over for tea, but Kaguya wasn't going to feign any more regard than she truly felt. She had never much cared for the sisters, and cared for them even less now that they had barged into her place of exile, demanding something that was hers. Even knowing they were likely there as a physical projection rather than in person didn't help much. And so she merely looked on, allowing her radiance and Eirin do the talking.
"Let us not waste time," said Yorihime. Meanwhile, Toyohime gave the crowd of rabbits what might have been interpreted as an indulgent smile, but which Kaguya chose to view instead as smugness. "As agreed, we'll simply take what was formerly ours, and you will have ten years of peace from the Lunar Capital. It's the most we can offer you."
"That's what you sold me for?" Reisen's eyes were wider than Kaguya had ever seen them before. "Ten years?"
Yorihime looked down at Reisen. "Good, you're already here. Climb up here, and we'll be off."
"No." Kaguya was surprised by the defiant set of Reisen's jaw in spite of her trembling hands. "Why do you even want me? I thought you replaced me as soon as I left."
"You know that's not how it works." Kaguya was forced to re-assess her previous opinion: Toyohime now looked genuinely regretful. "But in truth, we are not here to take you back as our pet."
Yorihime nodded. "We are acting as intermediaries today. Nor are we at liberty to explain why we are—" She caught herself, frowning.
"We are in a somewhat awkward position," Toyohime explained, unconcerned by whatever had stayed Yorihime's tongue. "As much as we miss you, I'm afraid we have to deliver you onwards."
Reisen turned towards Eirin in fresh horror. "Master, you can't—"
But it would forever remain a mystery what Eirin couldn't do, because it was at that point that a rock was launched into the air from somewhere within the cadre of rabbits. It rose above the rainbow bridge in a triumphant arch, then fell without fanfare at Yorihime's feet.
Yorihime drew her blade, seemingly out of instinct. "Who did that?"
The rabbits shuffled and looked at their feet, murmuring loudly.
"It was me," said a bored voice coming from the exact opposite direction.
Kaguya turned her head. Mokou had entered the garden, standing by the porch like she owned the place.
She was also visibly aflame.
She sauntered over towards Eirin with her hands in her pockets, paying no great attention to either her surroundings or her smouldering shirt. Behind her, for some reason Kaguya couldn't fathom, scurried Tewi Inaba, behaving like a pale second shadow.
"Sorry about the delay. I ran into some trouble on the way." Mokou wiped some ash from her sleeve and finally noticed the flames. She tamped them down.
"Oh, that's right." Only now did Kaguya recall the assassins she had set upon Mokou a few days prior. "Did they get you?"
Mokou smiled. "Fewer times than they would have liked." She pointed at Kaguya. "I'll get you for this later."
Kaguya smiled back. "You're free to try."
For the first time since they had appeared, Toyohime looked at Kaguya. "Is this your... friend?"
Kaguya responded with a poisonous smile.
"Mokou," Eirin said, steering the discussion back on track. "What did the Enma say?"
"For starters, she gave me a two-hour lecture about wasting people's time, saying she isn't that kind of a judge. After that, she heard me out anyway and said that though what you're doing is morally reprehensible, the contract you wrote is ironclad. Speaking of which, she said she's coming over to visit you next week to explain why exactly you shouldn't sell people like property."
Eirin did something she rarely did: she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Wonderful."
Mokou shrugged. "That's about it. As long as the other side holds their end of the bargain, there's nothing you can do about it."
Distraught, Reisen snapped her attention away from her former masters. She looked everywhere, searching for a saviour. No-one responded. Most averted their eyes.
Kaguya met Reisen's stare coolly. The situation looked bad, of course, but it was folly to think they were seeing the full picture. They had to trust Eirin's unspoken plan, whatever it was.
Only one person moved: Tewi reached to tug at Mokou's sleeve. When Mokou crouched, the rabbit pushed her hair out of the way and leaned in to whisper in her ear.
"That's not really relevant right n—" Mokou paused to listen to more fervent whispering, then frowned. "Fine, fine."
She stood up straight, hands returning to her pockets. "There's one more thing the Enma said. It's about a good deed you can do right now."
Eirin did something Kaguya hadn't expected. She smiled. "Let's hear it."
"It's about a theft. Early on this afternoon, a kasha stole a weird corpse from the Sanzu."
Eirin's frown was so momentary that Kaguya only saw it because she was watching for it. "A corpse?"
"A corpse. Or something that looked like one. Komachi didn't think she was actually dead. Or alive, for that matter. Anyway, it needs to go back to the river. The Enma said that only black things will follow if it remains elsewhere."
"What did it look like?"
Everyone turned to look at Toyohime. For the first time, she was looking at Mokou as though she was something other than speck of dirt. "The corpse. What did it look like?"
Mokou exchanged a look with Tewi, who nodded encouragingly and offered her more whispers. "I didn't see it for myself, of course, but... hair like spun gold. Alabaster skin. Completely preserved, like nothing had ever tarnished it. Its skin had a glow to it, almost like there was a layer of gold just beneath the skin..." She shrugged again and got back up. "Those are Tewi's words rather than Komachi's, but she's not wrong."
Kaguya had already stopped listening, for two reasons. Firstly, her attention was drawn to Toyohime, who had at first stiffened and was now urgently whispering to Yorihime. Secondly, the description of the supposed corpse had given her pause. It scarcely sounded like something that had ever lived. Almost a treasure, instead. An impossible request in the making.
Mokou raised her voice. "Anyway, I promised them I'd help them out if I could, and that I'd let you know in case you wanted to do something about your karma. Komachi didn't think the kasha would burn the corpse at once, but if I'm no longer needed here, I'm going to head off after her."
"Please wait just a moment longer, Mokou." Eirin's tone was pleasant enough, but she wasn't looking at Mokou. Her eyes were narrowed on Toyohime.
As if rising to challenge this peculiar look, Toyohime smiled. "Out of respect for you, Lady Yagokoro, we are willing to compromise on your end of the bargain." Yorihime stepped right next to her sister as Toyohime continued. "If you retrieve that corpse and bring it to us, we are willing to leave Reisen with you."
Eirin smiled her usual ineffable smile. "That may be easier said than done."
"We would never doubt your ability to get it done well and quickly, Lady Yagokoro." Yorihime turned to look at Toyohime. "I'm sure we could handle it ourselves, but we would rather not sully ourselves by spending any more time here than strictly necessary."
"All the same..." Toyohime raised her hand. Reisen yelped as her feet left the ground. She dangled helplessly in a parody of flight, struggling to turn to no avail. "We have to make sure we have something to show for this peace. We will return shortly before dawn. If you have the corpse, you will have your rabbit back."
The rainbow faded till it was little more than shimmer in the air. The sisters likewise vanished, turning the colour of water before even that impression of them was gone. Reisen vanished with them.
"Master!" echoed miserably in her wake, like the ghost of a scream.
"Hmm." Eirin frowned. "A passable exit."
"Glad you focus on the important things," said Mokou. "Where did they take her?"
"I would imagine that they are holding her in a dream world or an equivalent space. Undoubtedly, we could find the means to break her free, but that would inevitably put paid to any deal we wish to make at present time."
Mokou opened her mouth, but before Kaguya could hear whatever banal thing she had to say next, she was overwhelmed by a horrible sinking feeling. "The key."
All heads except those of the most incurious of inaba whipped in her direction.
"The key to my treasury," Kaguya explained. "I have kept my most priceless treasures under lock and key ever since that amanojaku tried to make away with them. The walls and door of the treasury cannot be damaged by any means. Only the key will do."
"And you gave that key to Reisen?" The schadenfreude made Mokou's wry smile twice as obnoxious as usual.
"It was an act of trust. It's something you could never understand." She ignored Mokou's eye-rolling and kept going. "Obviously I didn't think they would take her so suddenly."
"Obviously."
Throughout this exchange, Eirin had remained as serene as a cloudless night. She now turned to face Kaguya. "You will have the key back before the following day, Princess. We will seek out the kasha and retrieve the corpse."
"We? Just how many tasks are you volunteering me for?" Mokou sighed. "I suppose I did say I'd do it."
"I'll come too!" Tewi announced, all bright smiles.
Eirin nodded. "Do you happen to know where the kasha's lair is, Mokou?"
"Former Hell, apparently. If we head off to the Sanzu—"
"I have a better idea. Follow me."
Kaguya assumed Eirin had intended the words only for Mokou and possibly Tewi. However, the entire rabbit population of Eientei followed them into the Bamboo Forest of the Lost, whispering and chattering and bouncing about, as though this was some kind of an exciting excursion.
Kaguya followed likewise. This was, at the very least, the most interesting event of the year so far.
After a mere five minutes of walking, still in the heart of the woods, Eirin came to a sudden halt. A small spring bubbled by her feet. She dislodged the bow from her back with such deftness that to the untrained eye, it would have appeared to be magic. She conjured up an arrow and shot it straight into the water.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then, the ground heaved, sending the rabbits scurrying off or else taking to the skies as a tremendous geyser shot upwards.
Eirin nodded at Kaguya. At once, Kaguya saw what she was meant to do. She held out her hands and allowed her power to stream across her.
The raging torrent parted and froze, forming a narrow tunnel between two walls of water so still they might have passed for ice.
Satisfied with her work, Kaguya peered into the tunnel, joined by a half a dozen curious rabbits. At a glance, the tunnel was traversable and very deep, leading to the faraway bottom of the spring.
And probably beyond.
Mokou gave a low whistle. "And that leads to Former Hell?"
"Indeed." Eirin re-attached the bow to her back. "After you."
But Mokou didn't enter first: Tewi rushed forward, skipping ahead and disappearing into the darkness as though she on her way to some grand festival. Mokou shrugged, and waved over her shoulder at Kaguya as she followed. "I hope you choke on a peach pit while I'm gone."
Kaguya waved back, smiling her sweetest smile. "I hope you fall into a pit of molten stone and drown in it."
The last thing she saw of Mokou was her thumbs-down before it too vanished into the depths.
Eirin smiled as she followed after her. "We will return shortly, Princess,"
"I will see you then."
And with that, Eirin too was gone.
Kaguya ensured that the spring would hold still well into the following day. The rabbits, meanwhile, began poking at the eternal water wall, squealing as it turned out that incredibly, water was still wet.
Kaguya looked skywards and wondered whether she should head home at once. Eirin would take care of the situation, no matter what arose, and someone should be present at Eientei just in case Toyohime and Yorihime returned.
Wild laughter roused her back to the present and made her smile. She'd return in a moment, yes. But first, she'd watch the inaba try out their new water slide.