Taking a few steps forward, I look the gate over from top to bottom. The large torii standing in the way signifies that this truly is that place... The location where she went to, trying to locate the one she hated the most...

Overwhelmed by it all, I take a step back and sit on the rock behind me, still looking at the torii which marks the edge of "the barrier". Just beyond that gateway is the Hakurei Shrine, and just beyond that shrine should be a village... Or so I've heard. Supposedly, there's a woman in the village who knows her, and can tell me where she is.

"...Fujiwara..."

Resting my head on one palm, I say this and look up at the gate with hope. She may have rejected me so many years back... but I told her that I'd never give up on her, and so I'll chase after her even now, into the land called "Gensokyo"... Even if it means putting my own life at risk, and even if youkai dwell within, I won't stop here.

Standing from my place of rest, I walk towards the gate and spot a body of water at its foot, shining with the light of the moon on its surface. Gazing into the pool, I take just a moment to look at myself.

Black hair, in a mess going this way and that... Brown eyes, generic and dull, yet still with some life in them... Even my clothes don't stand out. Just a generic yukata and a sash. The strangest item I have is a walking stick in one hand, for when I get particularly tired, but even that isn't to strange in an area like this.

That's what I look like, and how I hope to always look. Pointing my attention back towards matters at hand, I pass the torii, crossing the point of no return. Even now, I can feel that presence of demons in the air, and it's... concerning.

A sudden rustle nearby catches my attention, and a flash of claws barely evades my vision. Backing away slowly, I watch the bush for more movement and, surely enough, something in the shape of a human lunges out towards me. Correcting my footing, I narrowly dodge the beast's next blow before giving it a good whack to the head with my walking stick, sending it spiraling to the ground.

Looking it over, it seems to be... A pink haired, bony winged girl. She's sporting an apron and two fuzzy ears, which seem uncharacteristic of any bird I know. A feeling of dread sneaks up on me, and I take off towards the shrine, where there should be someone waiting to assist me.

Quickly, I ascend the steps to find... That the shrine is void of light, and that the activity I expected is nowhere to be found. A chilling wind blows past, and I have to hinder myself from looking back as I jump the railing of the building, taking off into the woods with reckless abandon.

"Fujiwaraaa! I'm not going to die here! I'll find you, and then I'll propose to you again, just like before! Do you hear me, Fujiwara? I'm not like the others, since I'll never give up! I won't turn around and abandon my goals, and I'll prove to you that I'm a suitable man for you to marry!"

Flying through the trees and other foilage, I feel my footing mess up, and with one loud thud I hit the ground, flying through a thorn bush as I do. Finally rolling into a tree, I come to a painful and bloody stop, no longer able to move without feeling pain... but I still move my arms, and pull myself up, only to fall down once more.

"D... Damn it! Why couldn't I be blessed with a body to match my desire? If this useless vessel of meat can't do the job, then... I guess I just have to... give... up..."

Feeling my drive leave all at once, a staggering pool of blood enters my sight. The pool expands, and it takes a few seconds for my deluded mind to realize that it is, in fact, my own blood spilling out of my body.

...That's when the rim of a long skirt, or possibly of a dress, enters my limited sight. A feminine laugh, and an air of benevolence... Despite my condition, I'm happy to see that there's somebody else out here.

"Fujiwa... ra... Is that yo... u...?"

"...No, I am not Fujiwara. I am not guilty of the sins she has committed, and I am not one to know the sort of past she has had to live with... I can, however, make it so you can see Fujiwara."

"You... You can show me to her? Please, h... elp me get up, and help me so that I can see her agai... n. I'm begging you..."

...For a time, the owner of this voice is both still and quiet. I can feel her gaze going over me once and once more, studying me with careful precision. Even now, this woman is probably thinking about how pitiful I am, and how I don't seem to be anything special...

"...Very well. I will let you meet Fujiwara once more, and you can do whatever you please from that point."

"...What do you want in exch... ange? It must be something... incredible."

After saying that, I feel a thorn being carefully removed from my forehead, and I notice that the skirt has gotten much closer to me now. Two small, delicate hands touch my head, and one gradually slides down to rest on my eyelids.

"The only thing I ask for in return... Is that you rest."