Lunatic Princess

Cicadas called out to each other in the branches of the Bamboo Forest of The Lost, each chirping to their own individual rhythms. The thick, musky odor of rain and soggy dirt pervaded the air. A full moon outshined the stars like a ghostly sun. Its pale beams pierced through the thick canopy overhead, creating pale blue stripes against the dulled leafy green of the trees.

Hidden in the center of the Bamboo Forest lay the grounds of Eientei Castle. Though dwarfed by the ancient trees, its rooftops towered into the sky. Built with a mix of bamboo, rock, and strong magic, Eientei Castle stood spotless, maintained over hundreds of years. Its smooth walls and polished wooden columns exuded an air of elegance opposite the neighboring wilderness. Electric lanterns in the courtyard hummed as their light bulbs glowed a soft yellow. At the borders of the courtyard, rows of rabbit-eared women stood at attention. Their gaze focused straight, shoulders and chest puffed out, hands cupped behind their back. Lunar Rabbits, a race of people who descended from the moon itself.

A man's booming voice echoed from the center of the castle grounds, clear and confident, as if hanging on every word. He stared forward, ignoring the humanoid rabbits that surrounded him. They gazed at him, before turning their attention to the young woman sitting atop the castle steps.

A Lunarian. A being whose race the Lunar Rabbits have served through all of time.

The man was brown haired, with dog-ears ears atop his head. His loud voice broke the silence of the courtyard.

"... Princess Kaguya Houraisan. You are the woman of our greatest legends. To have the privelage of even being in your presence... brings me unending joy. I have long heard tales of your beauty. Now, simply looking at you... I…. I…"

In front of the man sat a Lunarian princess. Oversized pink silk robes draped over Kaguya's body, so long they folded out onto the surrounding floor. A red dress wrapped around her legs. She sat on the heels of her feet, a soft mat below her. Kaguya exuded an expression of infinite boredom, glazed eyes drifting without focus. Never even a glance at the man prostrating himself before her. He turned his head upward and took in her beauty once more.

"I look upon you and my body trembles. My heart races. The captivating luster of your Raven black hair, how it flows like the finest silk. Your skin is as smooth as fine china. Your eyes, as dark as the night sky, gleam brighter than any jewel I have ever seen in the mountains of Gensokyo."

Kaguya's head twitched, as though only now acknowledging the speaker. She stared at him and grimaced, as though he were a fly that landed in her soup.

"I know now that the myths and legends are true. That deep within this forest lies a woman whose grace is beyond compare. A true diamond treasure, the riches within her castle clear even in the artistry of its walls."

She smiled at him now. Her lips spread wide across her face, squinting down upon the man. And every woman in that castle knew what was coming next.

"On my honor, I ask for your hand in marriage. Should you accept my proposal, my gratitude will reach beyond the stars, and I will always be loyal to you even until my dying breath."

Her smile turned into a wicked grin. Both eyes opened wide, irises reflecting the lunar light above. A shrill laugh escaped through her teeth. And then the princess raised one hand to him. From her palm came brilliant white lights, the edges of which swirled with green, pink, and red. The smell of blood and sliced flesh filled the air.

The man crashed facedown to the ground, the holes in his body pouring out blood like water springing from a cave. The moon's reflection smeared itself in his blood like a stroke of silver across darkening paint. He died alone in a lake of red velvet, shadows looming in from all sides. Kaguya's condescending sneer was the last thing he saw before his vision faded.

The princess' sweet giggling rang out like a bell. One of her wrists rose to cover her mouth while her shoulders convulsed with laughter. The oversized sleeves and robe shook with each breath.

"I guess some things never change." The girl's voice was high pitched, smug.

Out in the wilderness, outside the castle grounds, a pale-skinned girl was hiding in the cover of low-hanging bamboo leaves. When the first drop of blood had spilled, she wrung her hands in sadness and fury.

The princess' laugh ended with a deep sigh, though her sadistic grin remained.

Kaguya rose into the air and drifted forward like a ghost. Her chin raised, feet dangling just inches above the ground. Her robes and ankle-length black hair fluttered about in a still wind.

"Oh, how nostalgic. A desperate man showering me with gifts and proclamations of love. Brings back such pleasant memories." She sighed again, hovering over the man's body. Then she peered into the bamboo thickets surrounding her. Then she yelled, voice echoing through the courtyard.

"Isn't it nostalgic Mokou!? I know you're out there! I know you saw what I did!"

There was no response. No sounds but the callous chirps of the night bugs and the anarchic song of a sparrow singing into the darkness. The princess frowned. Her eyes narrowed, and she squinted at every bush in the encompassing forest.

A woman with braided silver hair walked up from behind. The soft clack of her sensible heels sounded out from the concrete. A simple dress with an alternating blue and red stripe extended to her shins. On her head sat a red and blue nurse's hat with a solid red cross at the front.

"Lady Kaguya. What shall we do with the body?"

"The what? Oh, yeah just dissolve it with acid or something. Or dump it in the forest. I don't care which."

"Should we send it back to his clan?"

"Sure Eirin. Do you recall what his name was?"

"No, my lady. I was not paying attention when he said it."

"Neither was I. Handle it the usual way."

Eirin nodded and called out to the rabbit-eared servants standing in the perimeter. Two women walked forward. Along with the rest of the servants, they wore uniforms consisting of a black blazer, red tie with a white undershirt, and a pink plaid skirt.

One of the two ladies was shorter. Her oval rabbit ears drooped down the sides of her curly black hair. In one hand, she held a carrot up to her mouth, chewing its tip while she approached the princess. One of Kaguya's eyes twitched when the obnoxious crunches grew louder. The shorter rabbit leaned back, free hand on her hip.

"Ayy, what's up?"

Eirin scowled at her for two seconds before returning to a passive expression.

"Tewi, you and Reisen take this body and bury it out in the forest. Or just feed it to a youkai if you come across one. Either way, make sure it's properly disposed of. I have a theory that the last time we dissolved a body in acid the liquids seeped into our crops. I've been getting a lot of sick calls these past few days."

Tewi stopped gnawing at her carrot, looked at it with raised eyebrows, and spat a piece onto the floor. She retched with her tongue out while Reisen chuckled behind her.

Reisen was taller, with long, straight purple hair that was as long as Kaguya's. Her rabbit ears were thin, pointy, and stood straight up off her head. A white blindfold was wrapped over her eyes. Though even with her eyes covered, the other servants always looked away when she turned toward them. Reisen bowed, long rabbit ears drooping forward before she rose.

"Understood. Should we join in tonight's battle when we're done?"

"No. You come back and rest. Your eyes still need time to recover after that last fight."

Tewi pumped her fist at her side.

"Sweet! Time to take it easy!"

Reisen nodded, her lips pressed tight. It was impossible to tell Reisen's expression with the blindfold on her head. Eirin stared at Tewi again, one eyebrow raised.

"I meant that Reisen should rest. You're going out there just like the others."

"Oh... right." Tewi swallowed hard.

Through the whole conversation Kaguya had just been floating in the same spot, squinting into the neighboring forest. Her voice nothing more than a whisper.

"Mokou was here. She saw me. She MUST have seen me. But why didn't she come out? I wanted to see her mad... I was hoping... for that same rage as before..."

Kaguya's mutterings didn't even reach her own ears. To the rest of the group her face was twisting, changing between anger and disappointment in the yellow glow of the lanterns. A cold wind blew through the trees, rustling the leaves and flowing through the group's hair and clothes.

The princess rose into the air then, higher and higher until she became a shadow on the pale moon above. Her girlish voice now boomed through the castle grounds, beating into the ears of the rabbit-women below. A wicked grin returned to her face.

"My loyal followers. It's time. Prepare for combat!"

XXXX

Immortal Smoke

Fujiwara no Mokou sat on her meager wooden bed. She sank into the red-stained cushion, and the thin wood below creaked despite her light weight. Her waist-length grey hair was uneven, tangled, knotted with the leaves and twigs from the forest outside. Mud caked at the bottom of her shoes. Soil stained through the fabric of her red pants. Her crimson red eyes and milky white skin flushed with the dancing flames before her.

A skewered pheasant roasted on a spit above the fireplace. It's defeathered skin sizzled and cracked in the heat. The aroma of cooked bird pervaded the small shack, escaping through the leaves that made for Mokou's roof before floating through the night-time wind. Outside the shack, all was silent. There were no cicadas to chirp, no birds to sing, no frogs to croak. Every nocturnal animal strayed away from the heat and dry air emanating from her wooden home.

There was a time when Mokou took special care in building her bamboo houses. The immortal girl would take hours planning its layout, imagining where the extra rooms would be, where she would sleep or eat, and what kind of view she'd get when gazing out her open windows. During their construction she would dig through the ground so each new house was built on an even level. She would smooth out the sides with her hands, using her magic powers to weld the rocks in place. Wooden boards were carved straight. Logs were chopped up and measured in perfect dimensions. Kitchens, closets, and storage rooms were all built with painstaking detail. After finishing each home, she'd wipe the sweat off her face and adorn the inner walls with decorations and mementos of past battles.

Now the walls of her house comprised of thin bamboo trunks mashed into the ground. They were crude and unbalanced, extending upwards but leaning in random directions. Uneven, unrefined. In some sections there was so much space between the trunks they resembled the bars of a cage. Mokou's flimsy shack had no flooring, and the dirt beneath her would shift as insects broke through the surface. For her roof, she stacked leafy branches across the edges of each side.

The wood in the fireplace cracked and clicked. Sparks from the flames jumped and twisted down into the dirt below, some landing next to the walls. A few embers touched the dry leaves above. At any moment the whole shack could catch fire, yet she did not care. Every battle ended up destroying what she created. No matter how much effort she put into them, they would always turn to nothing.

Once again her mind wandered to the dead man in a pool of his own blood. Mokou sat frozen still, her body slouched forward, her eyes fixed into a blank stare. Her gaze went on for miles, past the dancing heat in front of her, past the yellowed bamboo walls, past the darkness of the trees. Her hands shook, her jaw refusing to unclench.

She did not know the man, had only spoke with him once to act as a guide through the Bamboo Forest. Yet the sight of his body lying in the castle brought back echoes of a distant life. Memories of a time long past stabbed into her heart. Blurred faces formed in her mind's eye. It became hard to breathe, and Mokou clutched at her chest. The fabric of her dirt-stained white shirt crumpled in her trembling fist. Kaguya's shrill laugh drowned out every noise and thought until Mokou became tempted to punch in her own skull. She gasped and closed her eyes. Tears welled up from within, and she turned her head as one drop slid down her cheek.

She told herself that her sadness and anger made no sense. She had seen this happen before. The man's death was his own fault. Did he not know the stories of Kaguya's impossible tasks for marriage? How they became worse and worse over the centuries until she would just outright kill her suitors? And now the man died in a land unknown. He didn't need sympathy. It was his own fault. He should have known the risk. Did he have children? a family? a clan left behind?

The immortal girl put a hand in her pocket and pulled out a box of rolled up cigarettes. Her lips pressed onto the butt of one roll. A small flame jetted out of her thumb, igniting the other end. She inhaled through the blunt deep and slow, the ember on the far side growing brighter. The aroma of burnt marijuana melded with the tangy scent of peppered game bird. Mokou gazed up at the full moon behind the leaves, watching the slivers of smoke disappear beneath the stars.

A twig snapped outside her house. Her head jerked towards its direction.

Danger.

Mokou's mind was now clear, awake and aware. She heard the blades of grass bending from the weight of a light step. A bamboo wall leaned inward as the intruder brushed a shoulder against it. Mokou could see her silhouette through the gaps in the wood, the tall rabbit-ears of a Lunar rabbit standing up off the intruder's head. She turned her attention back to the fireplace, eyes half-closed, and flicked the joint into the flames. Another deep breath, and she wiped her eyes on the sleeve of one arm.

Outside, the rabbit-girl peeked through the doorway and saw Mokou rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. Then she took a step back and crouched down. The rabbit-girl brought her left hand up and concentrated her flow of magical energy into her fingers. Thumb out, pointer finger extended, a dim ball of white light formed in front of her eyes. It grew in size and intensity until her face became illuminated by the magic's soft glow. She had pink hair and brown eyes. Her skin fair and light. The rabbit watched her magic grow until it became a ball the size of her fist. It was a gun ready to fire, and she gripped her wrist with her other hand. Heart pounding, nervous sweat trickling down her neck, the girl stood up and poised herself to barge in through the doorway.

The Lunarian's eyes widened and she yelped in surprise as Mokou's hand burst through the wall. It grabbed both of her ears and yanked her screaming through the hole. Her shoulders banged against the cracks. There was an electric 'pew' sound as her ball of energy fired into the air. A redish-pink bullet raced upwards into the distance, crashing through the tops of the bamboo trees before fading out into the sky.

Inside the shack, Mokou gripped the Lunarian's ears with one hand, and pushed down on her mouth with the other. The back of the intruder's neck pressed into the broken branches. The stuck rabbit shook her head and gaped at Mokou with panicked, pleading eyes before her neck snapped with a sickening pop. The immortal put one hand on top the intruder's head, and orange-yellow flames erupted from her palm, incinerating the body.

Mokou blinked. The thing in her hands became brittle, crumbling, blackened. She's killed hundreds of Kaguya's servants before. There was no thought to it. It was easy. Practiced. Automatic. But then... was it wrong?

No.

The Lunarian should have known what would happen. Should have known the dangers. She should have known Mokou was immortal and realized that there wasn't any point in following orders to attack.

The wall on which the dead body hung ignited off the burning corpse. Mokou heard a crash behind her, and she turned to face the new intruder stepping through a hole in the other side of her house. The new Lunarian stared at the corpse of her fallen comrade, then at Mokou's stoic face as the flames grew behind her. Her face became pale, and she spoke in a hoarse whisper.

"No! You bitch!"

The assailant raised her hand, magic energy already prepped to fire. Mokou's arm became a blur as she tossed a projectile of her own. Flames in the shape of bird feathers made the rabbit-girl's hand explode. Another one burst a hole in her chest, and she staggered back, grunting in pain. Red-orange flames crawled up her arm and spread out from her chest. Her groans of pain grew louder until Mokou struck her with a flying back kick to the neck. Bones crunched beneath burning skin, and the assailant stood limp, head down. The immortal landed on her feet and clawed her right hand downward through the rabbit-girl's face and chest. Three lines of fire burned into the air, and the attacker crumpled into three pieces.

Wayward sparks from the immortal's attacks flew outward into the walls of her home. Dried, scattered leaves ignited at the base of the trees. Pillars of fire grew, climbing up the walls of Mokou's house. Back at the entrance, the blaze from the corpse spread to the roof, creating a swirling wave of yellow and red that burned above her.

Mokou grabbed the pheasant off its spit and bit into it. She ripped the flesh from its bones and gulped down, watching as four more intruders stepped through the hole that the previous one had crashed through. The two in back had magic in their hands already primed. The two in front held swords that reflected light off the surrounding embers. A moment passed in which neither party said a word. Their eyes drifted to the burning bodies, then to each other.

"For the princess!" Yelled the swordswoman to the left.

Both sword maidens charged forward, voicing a war-cry that grew louder with the closing distance. They were fast, each step a massive stride that might as well have been a leap.

Mokou chucked the spit rod at them, followed by two more flame-feathers. The one to the left raised her sword and deflected both projectiles, but the one on the right missed her parry. The red-hot feather pierced through her wrist and she groaned while her hand and sword fell to the ground with a dry thump. She gasped and clutched at the singed stump at the end of her arm. Mokou ducked under the remaining sword maiden's diagonal strike and rushed to the disarmed rabbit. The immortal smashed her palm into the girl's face, and there was a whimper before the rabbit-girl's head burst in a ball of flame.

Gripping the dead girl's body with both hands, Mokou spun around. A blow from the remaining swordswoman split the corpse in two. Mokou turned again and held the pieces up as a shield against the two gunner's barrage of magic. Sparks of white, pink, and purple magic cascaded into the ground and stuck to the pre-heated bamboo walls. All three Lunarians brought their weapons down. Their faces shifted between anger, disgust, and fear as both pieces of the dead girl's body smoked and sizzled.

Mokou did two underhanded throws and the two pieces of the corpse flew toward the gunners. Both panicked and shot wild, only to hit the flaming remains. Mokou held an arm forward, palm out, other hand on her forearm as if to absorb recoil. A massive fireball shot toward the two gunners and exploded between them. Both disappeared in a mass of swirling red and yellow. The walls of her house shook and leaned outward from the force of the blast. Then it retracted again, the walls and roof above the gunners breaking and collapsing on them in a pile of crisp bamboo bark.

Everything was on fire now. Particles of burning wood and heat flung into the air and drifted into Mokou's lungs with every breath. What was once her makeshift home cracked and broke down around her. Smoke filled the enclosed space, stinging her eyes. A single thought overwhelmed her.

I don't want to do this anymore.

The tip of a scorching hot blade stabbed into her right shoulder. Her bones broke, the blade continuing forward until it pushed its way out the other side. Yet Mokou did not react. She stood there and stared down at the rabbit-girl in front of her. The rabbit shut her eyes tight, coughing as she tried to push or pull the sword stuck in the immortal's body. Her long ears drooped down, and her knees buckled. The rabbit now gripped the sword handle just to stay standing. Her eyes watered while her skin and hair dried out from the heat. She was fighting to stay conscious, her body begging to inhale the smoke in a desperate grasp for air.

The dying rabbit was lifted up and embraced in Mokou's arms. Her chin rested on the immortal's shoulder while she coughed and groaned like an infant, suffocating from the smog. The torrid air dried the sweat off her body. Her mouth moved as though she were saying something, but her throat burned too hot to voice the words. The Lunarian closed her eyes and grit her teeth. Then a hand rested on the back of her head.

Mokou watched the last attacker's body fall to the ground. Blue fire stuck to the hole in the girl's forehead, growing as it consumed the rest.

Roaring flame. Constant, swirling, weaving movement in a dance with no rhythm. Nothing now but the rapid cracking of wood and the furious waves of yellow, orange and red. Mokou did not move, but watched as the walls crumbled and fell. The ashes from the rabbit-girls mixed in with the flaming pieces of bark and leaves that snapped off the walls and ceiling. Even the soil melted beneath her.

This scene was all too familiar. It had happened before, has been happening, every day. Countless times. Night after night. Day after day. A cycle of death without end.

A massive tree trunk from high up crashed into the house and hit her square in the head. Her face and chest hit the dirt with a rough thud. The sword in her shoulder sliced through the side and clattered to the ground. Blood dripped across her face from the top of her head. More blood pooled onto the ground through the hole in her shoulder. It soaked into the soil, boiling and reflecting the fire before turning black.

Mokou's mind drifted. For a moment there was an enveloping whiteness that covered her vision. A few seconds and it dimmed like a lamp losing its strength, and she found herself standing inside a cozy wooden cottage. Sunlight beamed in through shades in the windows, the wood that made up the walls a darkened brown. At the corners of the home, lying in the spotlight of the sun, were the toys and playthings that were hers to keep.

A man with a light physique wearing regal green and white robes knelt and smiled in front of her. His hand was on her head, ruffling her coal-black bangs. A woman in teal robes sat on a massive bed with blue sheets, beaming at them both. The bed was so soft that the woman sunk into it like it were made from water. This was her mom. The man was her father. And Mokou was so small that when he stood up her head only reached the top of his knee. She didn't mind though, since the loose fabric of her father's clothes were easy to grip, and made for a good climb.

In her childhood, before she gained immortality, Mokou had always wanted to fly. She wanted to be swift, piercing through the woods like a hawk. She wanted to soar through the skies like an eagle, the updrafts bringing her higher and higher into the clouds. Back then, she wanted so badly to touch a cloud. Was a cloud soft? Did it stink? Why did it create rain? Could you eat a cloud? How did it taste?

Her tiny hands pulled on her father's robes as she climbed up his back onto his shoulders. In her mind she was floating through the skies and jumping on cotton clouds. Her parents laughed and giggled while her tiny feet balanced on the top of father's head, arms reaching up to touch the ceiling, a prideful smile on her face. Her father held out his hands in case she fell. And sometimes she would fall, and if she wasn't too high, he would let her hit the ground.

"Yes Mokou, falling hurts. But it's foolish to never rise for fear of falling, and it is insanity to continue falling without learning why you fell. You must learn from your mistakes, learn from the pain, and rise. Never be stagnant. Always move forward."

The memory disappeared. Mokou found herself still buried underneath the massive tree, her house still set ablaze. With a groan, she put her palms on the dirt and pushed herself up. The wood on her back cracked as it rolled off her shoulders. There was the sizzling of flesh as her magic closed wounds and seared them shut.

XXXX

No Reason to Stay

Mokou reached into her pocket and pulled out her paper box. The magic seal patched into the side remained intact, protecting it from burning up. She pulled out another cigarette blunt and lit it off the fire from the wall next to her. The roll almost reached her lips when a ball of swirling blue and pink energy crashed into the center of the room. The immortal disappeared in an explosion that disintegrated everything. Splinters of smoking wood broke down in blinding light, a soft hum of energy grew louder as the ethereal sphere expanded and swallowed the shack.

More Lunarians fired magic from behind the cover of trees. Grey bullets pierced through the air, leaving red trails of magic behind them. Outside the broken shack a half circle of Kaguya's servants fired on what remained of the makeshift shelter. Their pointer fingers glowed red hot while thin white traces of smoke floated off the tips. Pieces of charred wood and blackened soil blasted upwards from every shot.

Their barrage ended, and the rabbit-women stepped back into the safety of the trees. Princess Kaguya's voice called from above the blazing canopy. Her voice was high, giddy, teasing.

"Oh, this will be good. I am so very excited about our fight tonight. It'll be like a celebration! See, something wondrous happened today Mokou! It was a real trip through memory lane for me. And I bet it was the same for you."

Nothing left of Mokou's home now but a smoldering crater. White and grey smoke billowed up from its sides. It was a suffocating miasma that spread out beneath the clouds. The smoke covered the night sky, blocking the light of the moon and sending the forest into total darkness. Kaguya couldn't see her hands in front of her face. Still no response from within the crater, no light or movement. The force of the projectiles had even blown out the flames. Kaguya frowned.

"You know, I killed a man today. He died asking me to marry him. I would have felt sorry for him if it wasn't all so pathetic! What's funny is that after he died, I couldn't help thinking about you. Now why would I do that? Maybe because he only found me with your help?"

Still no response. No sound, no reaction.

"Or perhaps it was because he reminded me of someone I've seen before? Someone we both knew? But who would that be? There have been so many dirty, low grade scum I've killed that there's no way I could remember them all..."

Kaguya's right eye twitched. She scowled through the smoke. Was Mokou dead and holding off on her revive?

"Oh! I know now! That man reminded me of your father! How could I forget? I mean they both died the same way. Hah. You remember that day? Of course you do. Just thinking about it brings a tear to my eyes. Oh the ecstasy I felt when I took a peek at his rotting carcass! Killing him may have been the greatest experience of my life."

A yellow dot appeared within the smog. It floated in the darkness like a lone firefly. Kaguya heard a sigh. It was a deep, slow breath inward followed by an exhale that expelled all the air out of the owner's lungs. A cool, gentle gust of wind streamed in through the trees, pushing Kaguya's hair forward and ruffling her loose robes.

"Mokou! If you don't come out and face me, I'm just going to shoot you again!"

The breeze that swept through Kaguya now pushed the smoke back enough to uncover Mokou's face. She was standing in the middle of the blast zone, the yellow dot from a newly lit cigarette burning from her mouth. Mokou squinted back at Kaguya with an icy, dead stare.

"You don't remember him, but I do. You didn't kill my father. He took his own life."

Kaguya spread out her arms and lowered herself so she floated just above the ground. Her whole body became encased in a ball of light, white and tinted pink like an ocean pearl. The eyes of her servants shined a dull purple in the darkness behind her. To the princess, everyone became dots. The yellow glow was Mokou, surrounded by bright eyes of the Lunar Rabbits. Kaguya was the only one to illuminate her full body.

Seconds of slow, agonizing stillness. The servants glanced at each other. Kaguya opened her mouth but Mokou's low, sullen voice cut her off.

"I give up. This is pointless. I'm leaving."

"... What?"

"I'm done. It's over." Her voice rising a little louder.

"... What... are you talking about? Don't tell me you're having a breakdown after dealing with a few useless rabbits! Come on! Where's that furious anger I love so much from you? Attack me! Don't you want to avenge the memory of your father? Your family? Fight me! Show me the fury of immortality!"

Mokou's chuckle had a mocking tone.

"... I loved my family. What they would have wanted... the best way for me to avenge them... would be to leave you."

The yellow dot grew brighter as Mokou took another hit of her blunt. Then it dropped and showed a glimpse of Mokou's dirtied boot before she ground the it beneath her sole. Mokou disappeared, and there was nothing left in Kaguya's vision but complete darkness. She strained her eyes forward, seeing nothing, hearing nothing but the sound of footsteps in soil fading with its growing distance.

"No way. Face me! Don't think you can just walk away from this!" She shouted into the dark.

Kaguya raised her hand and sent a blast of energy spiraling through the forest, lighting up every tree in a neon pink glow as it passed. In front of it, Mokou's became visible right before the projectile exploded across her back. Sparks flew out in random directions, and Mokou staggered forward from the hit. But then the light faded away until there was nothing but the dim glow of Kaguya's own bubble. She could hear the immortal girl limping with one foot dragging along the dirt.

A rush of adrenaline pumped through Kaguya's body. The thought of Mokou injured and in pain made her heart race. Her eyes opened wide, a white, toothy grin forming across her face.

The princess floated forward, her arm still raised. Repeated blasts of magical energy rocketed through the forest, tinting the trees and grasses with pink, orange, and purple hues. Each shot was a direct hit. And still she kept seeing Mokou walk away, back turned toward her. Kaguya kept firing, and in the brief flashes of light she saw the girl's body become more mangled with each strike. Spine and chest bones exposed beneath tattered clothes. Kaguya lowered her hand and listened as the sizzle of forest floor once again faded into the quiet.

Another gust of wind, and the night sky cleared. Moonlight spread between the branches once more, revealing the burnt, broken forest. Kaguya stared into the massive crater where Mokou's makeshift home once stood. Drifting forward, she traced the crystalline path of her energy blasts until she stopped upon a mound of white ashes. These were the white ashes of a cremated human. These were Mokou's ashes.

Princess Kaguya scoffed. This wasn't an uncommon sight between the two. Mokou and Kaguya have been killing each other for almost a thousand years. By now they both knew the signs of when the other had "died". A puff of dust rose upward as the princess stomped into the pile. She ground her heel down until she hit dirt, staining her white socks.

Her laugh echoed through the forest… but then something felt off. A strange sensation that left her stunned. Kaguya couldn't quite place it. It was like she were examining a rip at the corner of a priceless painting. Kaguya's eyes narrowed, her nose scrunched up in frustration. Then the princess took a deep breath and sighed.

"Huh. How very. Deeply. Unsatisfying... Still, I suppose I can just settle on the next best thing for entertainment..."

She floated up into the tree tops and faced the servants at her back. Her pink and red dress fluttered in an isolated wind. Her silk-smooth raven hair shined in the moonlight. With one hand raised a pinkish-purple orb shot out from one of her palms. One of the servant girls fell clutching her stomach, blood gurgling from her mouth. With shaking knees another of the other girls leaned toward her fallen companion and saw the forest floor beneath the hole in her chest. She went pale and screamed. It was a panicked, tearful cry. A wave of fear spread through the crowd like a virus.

Every one of them turned tail and ran. Some rabbits gave frantic cries between their breaths, running in a straight line away from their master. Tewi sprinted alongside the more experienced of the rabbits. Her group serpentined through the trees, searching for places to lie low and hide. There were a few that concentrated their magical energy into their bodies and took flight. The princess watched them make it past the forest canopy before shooting them down in a hail of pink and blue orbs of magic.

Blood and pieces of flesh rained down across the forest. The dulled green and brown of bamboo trees, glowing in the pale blue moonlight, became striped with a red shine. And beneath it all princess Kaguya laughed, her head leaning upward so the rain of blood splashed across her face.

Often when the inhabitants of Gensokyo described Kaguya's power, they ended up being vague and abstract. The phrase that often came up was that she could "manipulate eternity." What this meant in practice was Kaguya could control the flow of time in an area. It was a power that made the area disappear from the rest of the world, stuck in a bubble of hyperbolic time. Under her influence, Kaguya could bend time so that a person's feelings of pain, pleasure, excitement, or even fatigue could last for as long as she wanted. Under her influence, she could control how many hours were in a person's day, or how long they'd have to bleed before they died. For Kaguya's servants, tonight would seem to last forever.