This fanfic will update every Monday, barring unforeseen circumstances preventing it. Intermissions will be posted on Thursdays, if they occur. All author's notes will be at the end of chapters, this one not included, so that you may skip them if you wish.

Please sit back and enjoy a trip into my version of Gensokyo.

Stars of an Illusionary Sky

Chapter 1: 6, Part 1

A fine frost covered the window as sunlight streamed through the glass and into a small yet comfortable room. As the minutes trickled by, the sun's angle changed ever so slightly, and the brightest spot slowly moved directly over the closed eyes of a sleeping girl.

Renko Usami groaned, and threw her pillow at the window. It bounced off the glass and onto the floor with a soft thwump. She tolerated the light for another few seconds before finally giving in and getting up.

Black skirt, black knee-high socks, and white top… As Renko dressed herself, she looked at her reflection in the slim mirror hanging on the wall. The dark circles under her wine-red eyes hadn't gotten any better. She stifled a yawn.

Maybe some tea would help her stay alert.

Renko walked over to start preparing some tea, and stopped. Her favorite hat, a cute black fedora sporting a white band and bow, was sitting on the kitchen counter beside the tea, overturned. A letter in a crisp lilac envelope was sticking out of it.

How… She knew she hadn't left her hat there, and nobody else had been in her apartment in several weeks.

For now, though, she slid it aside to get the tea.

Minutes later, Renko sat down with her cup of tea, taking a careful sip with her eyes closed. She already felt more awake from its somewhat artificial scent. She let the taste linger on her tongue as she turned the mysterious letter over in her other hand. The paper smelled faintly of vanilla, and there was nothing written on the outside.

Curiosity won over any caution in her mind, and Renko carefully tore the top edge open, and pulled out a sheet of white paper that somehow lacked any fold marks once she flattened it onto the table to read.

"To Miss Renko Usami-

I have sent you this letter to fulfill a promise that was made a very long time ago.

If you wish to chase after Maribel Hearn's shadow in hopes of regaining some of what you have lost, leave your apartment, and speak to the woman in the violet car. Nothing will ever be normal again for you if you accept this offer, and there is no coming back.

If instead you wish to forget her and move on, all traces that she ever existed will soon fade, and with them, your memories. She is destined to be forgotten, and there is nothing in your mundane world that can stop it.

You have two hours to make your decision from the moment you opened the letter.

I will be waiting.

-Ran Yakumo"

By the time she reached the end of the letter, Renko had almost forgotten about her tea.

Maribel Hearn.

Just reading the name made her heart flutter in worry. It had been several weeks since the blonde girl, Renko's roommate and best friend, had simply failed to come home from classes one day. The next day, she was still missing, and there was no response when Renko tried calling her cell phone.

The worst part was that nobody noticed. Renko had gotten no more than shrugs and confused stares from her classmates, and from the professors Maribel should have seen that day. Renko's parents had been concerned at first, but a few days later, hadn't remembered who Maribel even was. Her name had even disappeared from the school system.

Only the Sealing Club notebook that Renko always carried and its photos and stories of past adventures, and Maribel's belongings around their shared space, still served as proof she'd ever existed. Renko knew what had probably happened- Merry's ever-growing ability to see boundaries and travel into places that shouldn't exist must have finally led her so far away she couldn't come back.

Renko had always known this was going to happen someday, but she had held onto the hope that when it did, Maribel would take her with her… not leave her all alone in the middle of Kyoto, watching the world slowly forget her.

Whoever this 'Ran' was, they were offering Renko the chance to follow her best friend into… wherever she'd gone.

Her mind was already made up as she lifted her tea and downed the rest as quickly as she could. She had to pack a few things, and she only had a couple of hours.

Renko stepped out of the apartment building, now wearing her hat and a small, slightly overstuffed backpack. She looked around, scanning the street, and her eyes were immediately drawn to a sleek, somewhat old-fashioned car. It looked very expensive, and the rich violet paint made it stand out- and yet, everyone was walking past it as if it didn't exist.

She didn't hesitate to walk over, and lean down a bit to try and see who was in the car. It was empty, but for a blonde woman in the driver's seat.

The stranger regarded Renko with piercing gold eyes, brighter than Merry's and quite different in shape. She wore a blue and white suit dress that accentuated her lithe yet curvy figure. But what drew Renko's attention the most were the pointed golden fox ears that stuck up out of her hair, and the nine furry tails that were all quite neatly organized around her.

She was a kitsune. A youkai- a real youkai, sitting in a suit dress in an expensive car and calmly watching Renko.

Renko gulped nervously as the kitsune rolled down the window.

"I was starting to think you weren't going to come," she said.

"Are you… Ran Yakumo…?" Renko had a lot of questions to ask, but only two mattered right now. "…and can you really help me find Merry?"

The kitsune nodded.

"Yes to the first. And as for the second… yes, if you truly are willing to leave behind everything else in your life. In your world, even," Ran said. "And… Time has flown differently for you than it has for your friend. You will likely not even be able to see her until spring comes. But if you take this path, you will find her again."

Renko didn't have to take long to think about this. She could wait, and could accept that things were different, if she knew Merry was alright and she'd see her again.

"…Can I bring my backpack?" Renko asked.

Ran chuckled softly, and nodded once more.

"You may. Get in. We'd best be starting now, it's a long trip," Ran said. Renko gave a small nod, and opened the car door. She nestled into the luxurious black velvet seat, taking off her bag and setting it at her feet, and the car hummed to life as she closed the door and pulled the seatbelt across her lap. There was silence as Ran rolled the window back up and expertly navigated into a sudden, inexplicable gap in traffic.

After several seconds, she spoke up again.

"Care for any music?" Ran asked.

Renko nodded, a bit shyly. While she wasn't about to change her mind, the presence of a real and probably quite powerful youkai was rather intimidating.

Ran pushed a button with her tail, and some moderately energetic instrumental music that Renko had never heard before started to play. She liked it well enough, though, and she looked out the windshield for a lack of anything else to focus on.

Somehow, they had already left the city, and were starting out onto a somewhat rough country road, under trees with their leaves edged in silvery frost. Renko blinked a few times, and glanced back at Ran.

"Um… Miss Yakumo?" she asked. Ran returned the glance for a moment.

"Miss Yakumo is my master. You may call me Ran," the kitsune said. "What is it?"

Master? Was this kitsune a servant to someone? That was strange… but Renko didn't want to offend her by using the wrong name.

"…Miss Ran… Where are we going?" Renko said.

One of Ran's ears idly twitched.

"Somewhere what is forgotten is remembered, and what is thought to be fiction is very much alive. A land filled with monsters, and also with hope. The residents call it Gensokyo," she said.

Renko blinked a few times in surprise. Gensokyo… Maribel had referred to one of the places she had visited in her dreams as Gensokyo. So she'd finally ended up there for good.

"I… I see." Renko went quiet again, staring out at the scenery that was flying by much faster than should have been possible. It almost made her feel dizzy.

The song changed, to one more upbeat. Renko shifted a bit uncomfortably, and looked at Ran again.

"…In your letter, you said something about fulfilling a promise. Is it okay to ask about that…?" she asked.

Ran let a small smile grace her lips, revealing the tips of fangs.

"It was a very long time ago. My master made me promise to bring you across the barrier once the memory of Maribel Hearn had vanished from all memory but yours. Had you refused my offer… I would have taken you anyways."

Renko shivered slightly, and it had nothing to do with the winter air. Ran noticed out of the corner of her eye, and her smile widened slightly.

"…Do you fear me, Renko Usami? I am no danger to you. My master would be very upset if you were at all harmed. Youkai deserve caution and respect… but the only one you perhaps need to fear is the one I suspect you will be unable to," Ran said.

Renko frowned slightly. The kitsune wasn't making any sense to her. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, and rested her head against the car door. This was going to be a long day.

Renko hadn't realized she had fallen asleep until the car came to a stop and she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Wake up, Usami. We've gone as far as we can by car," Ran said. Renko lifted her head, and nodded. As Ran got out of the car, she shook her head to clear away the haze of sleepiness, and she made sure to bring her backpack with her.

The car had stopped at the base of a hill, and Ran was standing in front of worn stone stairs leading up. Just when Renko caught up, she started up them at a pace Renko could match without too much effort.

Renko couldn't help but watch Ran's fluffy tails all swish side to side in perfect synchronization as she walked. It didn't take the kitsune very long to notice, and she chuckled.

"…You may pet them, if you wish. I am not a Ninetales and you will not be cursed or anything," Ran said.

"Oh, um… Thank you," Renko said, giving a sheepish half-smile. She hadn't been aware it was so obvious. She curiously reached out to touch one, and her touch was rewarded with the sensation of long, thick, and luxuriously silky fur.

"They're so soft!" Renko giggled just a little, and moved slightly away so she wouldn't be tempted to abuse her newfound fluffy tail privileges.

"I should hope so, with how much shampoo I have to use," Ran muttered. Renko managed to catch it, and had to force herself not to laugh.

The stairs weren't that tall, and at the top, a badly-worn shrine gate that looked like it had been red at some point stood before the dusty shell of an old shrine. The entire place felt unnaturally still, and though Renko had heard the typical sounds of nature on the way up, here there was only silence.

"Alright… We're almost there. Now…" Ran focused, and the energy in the air was tangible- Renko could feel a massive amount of almost electrical power flow through the air, through Ran.

Suddenly, the air underneath the shrine gate flickered, and rippled like water. The ruined shrine behind it was replaced with a slightly weathered but perfectly intact one, and everything on the other side looked… more real than the eerily still surroundings.

"…Go on through. This is the gateway to Gensokyo, the Hakurei Shrine. I will be right behind you," Ran said. Her voice was slightly strained, and Renko could still sense the energy running through the air.

"Right…" Renko stepped forwards, and took a breath to gather herself. This was it. She was leaving her world forever, and she was going to find Maribel.

There were six weeks until spring.