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It was a miserable evening - cold and wet, a low, drenching rain that soaked everything. Even the rain itself seemed to radiate misery, just a bit too little to justify not going outside, and a bit too much to actually go outside without getting soaked. Yakumo Ran shivered, pulling the little bundle in her arms closer to her.
Yukari noticed this, tilting her parasol ever so slightly towards the kitsune. She waved it off - it was her tails out the back that were getting soaked, not anything the parasol could reach. “Don’t worry about me. We’re almost there, anyways.”
Yukari nodded, as they ascended the last of the steps. The Hakurei Shrine looked all the more forlorn in the drenching rain, flowing off of it in endless streams. Dirt and old leaves from a few days neglect pooled now into puddles of mud the pair were careful to step around.
As they climbed the last steps, Ran could only note the donation box. It had far, far more money in it than what she’d normally expect. Either the box had been left unattended for quite some time, or… perhaps the news had gotten out, and the contents were out of sympathy. Maybe both.
Yukari reached out, knocking on the wooden frame of the door.
“Hakurei? It’s Yukari. Can you let us in, please?”
There was silence from the other side. Yukari reached out and knocked again.
“Go away.”
So she was in, then. Ran cleared her throat to speak. “Please, Miss Hakurei. It’s really not something that can wait.”
“An incident?”
Ran shook her head - not that the occupant could see it, but out of force of habit. Yukari stepped in. “Not yet… but it could very well be. If I believed there was anywhere better to go, we would go there first.”
“And what,” the voice continued glumly. “Makes this sodden old wreck the best place to go to?”
Yukari paused, opening her mouth to speak, but finding words failing her. Ran shifted uneasily, accidentally disturbing the small bundle in her arms.
The small shrill sound of a baby’s cry sounded out over the rain. The silence that followed was deafening, the downpour itself seeming to hang in the air like the sky itself was holding its breath.
Slowly, the door to the shrine slid open.
“Come in, then. And you better have a good explanation for this.”
The inside of the shrine was not much better than the outside. It was dark, a gloom seeming to hang over everything. Ran scurried about to get some old heaters going, having handed the child over to Yukari while she sat in the kotatsu.
The woman opposite Yukari was in a state of complete dishevelment. The few times she spoke, it was in a dry, hoarse voice, and Ran made sure the kettle was on to get some tea down her throat. Tired, salt-streaked eyes watch Ran pass, though they were never more than a few seconds away from the bundle in Yukari’s arms.
“So.” The woman began. “Who in their right mind left their child with you?”
Yukari chuckled mirthlessly. “A woman not quite in her right mind. Stressed and strained. She genuinely believed handing her to me was the best option - and though I can see the logic, I don’t necessarily agree with it.”
“Mmm. The name?”
“She doesn’t have one yet.”
“Her mother didn’t even do that?” The miko’s voice was quite incredulous. Yukari shook her head.
“Her mother thinks she’ll be best off with as little influence from her as possible.”
Ran walked over, placing a few cups of tea on the table from a tray. The heaters were beginning to work, but it’d take a bit before this area got any warmer. Better to heat from inside and out at the same time, she figured.
“And why ,” Hakurei continued, “Did you bring her here?”
In the gloom, Ran’s knee smacked against something hard,, and she stumbled over it, wood clattering and creaking. She looked down, and her heart skipped a beat.
It was a wooden cradle. Brand new. Lovingly crafted. Completely empty. Never used.
Ran could feel the shrine maiden’s eyes spearing through the back of her head. The only reason she didn’t start to sweat was out of some instinctual fear of dirtying the woodwork she was leaning over.
To her immense credit, Yukari didn’t even flinch.
“Multiple reasons. It’s not like I could drop this girl off at an orphanage or anything like that. This shrine might be the only place that can help her.”
Those last words finally broke the stare off of Ran’s back. “Help her?”
Yukari leaned forward. “Her mother was a youkai.”
The silence was deafening. Ran carefully reset the cradle to a resting position, and scampered into the kitchen.
“How…”
Yukari looked down. “...When a woman who became a youkai has a child, that child is technically conceived as a human at first. When she eats human blood, or absorbs youkai energies another way the child absorbs it as well, and becomes a youkai.”
She reached out, pulling back a bit of the swaddling cloth. “But if the youkai is suppressing their nature, or trying to purify themselves of it, it’s possible for the child to be born human. Often powerful, but human, at least at birth. It’s very easy for them to become youkai from there, and often, if the suppression was only for their own survival, the mothers will transform them deliberately, so they are not made prey of by any youkai they live nearby.”
The shrine maiden nodded slowly. “But.. the mother didn’t want to do that to her?”
Yukari gave a weak smile. “Her mother… wants to change herself. She’s not the person she was when she became a youkai. Inflicting that on her own daughter, making her something she doesn’t even want to be? No mother would want that for her child.”
“Which is why she gave her to you? To seal her youkai side away?”
Yukari nodded. “My ability to manipulate boundaries was one thing that might help her child stay human. I’ve… reinforced that barrier. But the power of the Hakurei Shrine should help her suppress it nearly completely. Unconsciously, even. And it might let her live a human life.”
Hakurei gave a dry chuckle at that, sipping at her tea. “A normal, human life? As a Hakurei Shrine Maiden? You know that’s not going to happen, right?”
Yukari chuckled as well. “It’s the closest to one she’s going to get. Closer than she’d ever get with her birth mother, at least. And her mother never specified where to take her.”
The Shrine Maiden nodded contemplatively. “Glad to hear you say that. For a moment, you didn’t sound very Yukari-like, there.” She looked at the child again. “Her birth mother… would she want to get involved?”
Yukari shook her head. “She asked me to, essentially, hide her child from her. To prevent a moment of weakness causing her to corrupt the child. Or for her own youkai energies to influence her. Not to mention… she has quite a few problems of her own. Problems that make any connection a risk to her daughter. Problems that.. Will keep her away. For quite some time.”
She reached out, proffering the child. “The only person who can help her is you. Please, Hakurei.”
There was a long pause. Ran, still tidying up the kitchen, found herself holding her breath, closing her eyes, waiting.
At long last, Hakurei spoke.
“...Ran?”
The kitsune poked her head through the doorway. The miko gave her a sad smile.
“Would you mind bringing over that cradle?”
Ran breathed a sigh of relief, before rushing to comply. Yukari dutifully lowered the child inside, filling the cradle for the first time.
The miko looked inside, reaching out to touch the little girl’s cheek. “Purple hair… interesting. Part of her youkai heritage, I guess?”
Ran nodded. “We think so. It should darken as she gets older, though.” The kitsune shifted uneasily. “So… you’ll take care of her?”
The shrine maiden took a deep breath. “You’ve left me no choice, right? Like you said, she has nowhere else to go. And I can feel her spiritual power even now.” She looked at the two Yakumos, her face a mixture of emotions. “Yukari… bringing her here-”
“Was something I would have to do regardless, the moment her mother gave her to me.” Yukari interjected.
The miko shook her head. “We both know that’s not the only reason why she’s here. Yukari… thank you. I’ll take care of her, I promise.”
Ran sagged, relief flooding through her. “Thank goodness…” She leaned back, feeling the exhaustion of the day hitting her.
Hakurei lifted up the child, who made a small noise at that. “Now then… if she’s going to be the next Hakurei… she needs a name.”
Yukari nodded. “Did you have anything in mind? I’m assuming something new?”
The miko cradled the child closely, tracing a hand along her cheek. “Yeah. Even if she’s gone… It’s still her name, after all.”
Ran nodded. “What about Chen? I’ve always liked that name.”
The miko chuckled. “As in Orange? For a kid with purple hair? No… I do have something in mind, though. There was one name I’ve always thought was pretty - but it just didn’t feel right for her. For you, though…”
She lifted the child up by her arms, smiling at her. “How about… Reimu?”
Ran rocked the cradle idly. Reimu burbled back at her.
“So… you’ll be the next Hakurei, huh?”
She reached down, gently stroking the child’s head.The newly named Reimu giggled, with Ran only able to smile weakly back at her.
“Empty nesting already, Ran?”
The kitsune looked up to see Yukari walking next to her. She smiled at Ran.
“Hakurei’s finally getting some good sleep. Probably the first she’s gotten in a few days… and the last she’ll get in a long while, if your sleep last night was any indication.”
It was ultimately decided that the Yakumos would take care of Reimu for one more night, giving Hakurei a little more time to tidy up and take her in. Ran had only known the child for a little over… thirty hours, she supposed. And yet…
Ran looked down at the cradle. “You’re not wrong. She’s rather sweet, all happy and cute like this.” She sighed, sitting back. “If Hakurei hadn’t… was there any chance of her staying with us?”
Yukari shook her head. “It’s not just Hakurei. Her mother wanted her to live as a human would. There was no way she could ever have become Yakumo… what did you suggest? Yakumo Chen?”
Ran stuttered, before seeing the cheeky grin on Yukari’s face. “And… I suppose if she wanted to not know who she was with, it’d be too obvious if she was with us.”
Yuakri knelt down, leaning over the cradle. “It’s… horrific, really. Two mothers faced with the worst of realities; one unable to save their child… and one for whom the only way to save them was to abandon them.” She reached down, looking the infant in the eyes. “I’m just glad I was able to ease some of the pain with this. And maybe one day… maybe one day she can see her again. Her birth mother, I mean."
Ran nodded. “If anyone could meet with someone like that, it’d be a miko, no? I wonder if she’ll realize.”
Yukari chuckled. “Who knows. I might have quite a lot of fun teasing her about it later.”
Ran looked down at Reimu again. “...Yukari. This might be a bit weird, but can I just call her something, once?”
Yukari gave her a strange look. “If you’re gonna call her Chen, don’t. I’ll teach you something tomorrow if it’s that bad.”
“I wasn’t going to call her that, Yukari.” Ran looked down at Reimu, who was now yawning. “...We never called her by name. Not once.”
Yukari looked at her, quizzical. “She didn’t have a name, no?”
Ran shook her head. “She didn’t have a first name, but we still just called her ‘the child’ or ‘her infant’. Starting tomorrow, she’ll be Hakurei Reimu… but just for tonight… she’s still her mother’s child. And she deserves to hear her own, full name. At least once.”
Yukari gently reached out to pat Ran’s back. “...If it’ll help you say goodbye, Ran. Sure.” She stood up. “But you better say it quickly, because she’s falling asleep fast.” She yawned. “Ah… so am I, for that matter.”
Ran nodded. “I’ll be in shortly, Yukari. I’ll just say goodnight to her now.”
Yukari nodded, stepping away. Ran smiled at her, then back down at the infant in the cradle, already starting to drift off to sleep.
“This is it then. You’ll be ‘Hakurei’ tomorrow, and you won’t be my charge anymore, come the morning. I’ll miss you, little one.” The child looked at her, giving a sleepy smile, and she smiled back.
“Good night… and good bye.” She wiped away a tear. ”Sweet dreams, Ibaraki Reimu.”