The shrine was new.
There had always been a shrine on the hill, of course, long before the Great Hakurei Barrier had ever been dreamt up. Still, there was no mistaking it: even without inspecting the woodwork, Mima could sense none of the ancient magic that had seeped into the grain of the previous building. Curious, though likely insignificant.
"Mima?"
"Hm? Right." She refocused her attention on the board before her. "My turn, was it?"
Her opponent, a venerable turtle with an inexplicable white beard, craned his neck forward. "It is mine, I believe. I move my silver general to the back left."
Mima placed Genjii's piece where he wished it. During their first game, Genjii had moved his pieces on his own, but it had soon become clear the only way they would ever finish more than one game in a day was if someone with opposable thumbs did the heavy lifting.
Mima crossed her arms and considered her next move. To promote her knight or to capture Genjii's pawn? Choices, choices. "Anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
"There have been many incidents, yes. You would be better off asking Lady Reimu directly. I'm afraid I've mostly lost track of events since my retirement."
Mima moved her knight forward, earning a rising eyebrow from Genjii. "Surely you know what happened to the shrine, at least."
"It was an earthquake," A new, but entirely familiar voice said behind her. She turned to see Reimu Hakurei standing behind her with her arms folded and trying very hard to look cross. "When did you slither back here?"
"Is that any way to greet the only goddess willing to grace your shrine?" To her great surprise, Mima discovered the smile which rose to her face wasn't entirely false. "I grew bored of Makai and thought I'd come to see how irrecoverably you have managed to wreck Gensokyo in the meanwhile. Surely my presence can be nothing but an improvement."
Reimu's expression remained stony. "I'm having a guest over today. Keep your voice down."
"I promise nothing."
Reimu rolled her eyes, then retreated inside without bothering to slide the door shut. Mima continued to smile as she moved the piece Genjii extended his neck towards.
"Reimu has visitors, now?" The last time Mima had been to Gensokyo, humans had avoided the shrine like the plague.
"A youkai, most likely."
"Ah." The more things changed.
She momentarily ignored the game in favour of eyeing the pond Genjii dwelt in. Water lilies dominated the surface, their white petals brilliant in the sun in spite of the encroaching autumn. Beautiful, much like Gensokyo had been during her flight over it before her arrival at the shrine. For all the fun she made of Reimu's efforts, the land did appear peaceful for the time being.
Even more curiously, Mima didn't mind the peacefulness. Perhaps she was growing old.
She looked past the flowers and focused on her own image on the surface of the water. Familiar emerald eyes, one of the few details she rarely changed when altering her malleable appearance, gazed back at her. She hadn't bothered with glamour that day in general, and apart from her garments she looked as she suspected she had on her day of death. Bold, pale, and curiously young. Younger than Reimu was now, come to think of it.
She had just dismissed the thought and continued the game when Reimu's voice resonated through the open door. "Take a seat." There was a pause, followed by a sigh. "Actually, come in. It's getting chilly after all."
"Thank you. It has been a while, hasn't it?" Reimu's guest had a pleasant and dignified voice, the polar opposite of the shrine maiden's. It wasn't readily familiar to Mima, but something about it gave her pause regardless.
She turned to Genjii. "Who did you say her guest was, again?"
Genjii tilted his head. "A local leader of youkai, by my understanding. She is a former nun, previously sealed in Makai. She runs a Buddhist temple meant for youkai."
"Reimu's rubbing shoulders with other religious leaders?" There was a combination Mima would never have expected. Of course, the same could be said about a youkai-run Buddhist temple. The tale of an ancient sealed beings was as old as time, however. Come to think of it, Shinki had likely spoken of Reimu's guest. Or of a similar figure sealed in some dusty corner of Makai, anyway.
Mima shrugged. So many youkai, so many dull fates. "Now, where were we-"
"Excuse me," The pleasant voice was now loud and clear and coming from directly behind her. "I'm sorry to disturb your game. I wasn't aware Reimu had other guests today. My name is Byakuren..."
Her voice petered out as Mima turned. They stared at each other in perfect silence.
A maple leaf, the first red maple leaf of the year, broke free of its branch and landed amidst the water lilies. It was accompanied by a whisper.
"Hijiri."