"You're a hard person to find," Yukari said suddenly, apparently addressing thin air.
The flowers made no reply.
"Don't worry about my shikigami," she continued, with a pointed glance towards nothing in particular, which flinched. "She's used to my conversations with the dead. I admit, most of these dead people have ghosts associated with them. Speaking to ghosts is normal, now. You, on the other hand..."
Yukari took a seat on empty space. She crossed her legs, settling in comfortably. "We've never met, you and I. I was otherwise occupied, when you were out and about. By the time I decided to take a more active role, you were already gone. It took me some time to even learn about your existence." She cast her eyes about, encompassing all of Gensokyo. "I don't know where you are, now. Where are you, for that matter? Where did you go? What happened to you, in that strange time? How did you disappear? How did you die?
"I suppose I could find out, but... this is the place I came to. Your memorial, placed here on the hill with no name, only for those with the eyes to see. Hidden, forgotten..." Yukari frowned. "No, not forgotten. Remembered only by those who choose to do so."
A moment, to gather her words. "In any case, she... you might have known her, or you might not... found your notes. Both the ones you wrote yourself, and the ones given to you. She's a fast learner; she can analyze attacks she's seen only once, or read up on briefly, and in no time at all she's using them as though they had always been hers. She's quick, determined, and utterly fearless. I've had my own encounters with her, and she might even be a challenge for Reimu. They've become rather close friends, by the way. Something you never did manage."
A longer pause this time, as though waiting for some reaction. But the flowers took no offense, or showed no sign if they did.
"She's picked up an astonishing number of things," Yukari continued. "She even has an artefact powering her spells. I believe she obtained it from the shopkeeper, although why he'd part with something like that is beyond me. Oh, that's right, you've not met the shopkeeper either. Never mind, he's not important." Something twinkled in her eyes. "Well, not for you, now. Maybe there was some other item in his extraordinary collection that might have interested you, when you were... around.
"But back to her. With her magic and her habits, I hear she's had some trouble with her family. Her human family, that is. Did you have a family? Or did you spring fully-formed into existence? Your past is as mysterious as your present. So much has been forgotten." Yukari tilted her head. "Perhaps you wished for it to be forgotten? She certainly seems to, distancing herself from her family, her heritage, her humanity. It's quite fascinating to watch, how she associates ever more with beings not of her kind. Would you have approved? Would you have cared?"
Yukari stood, relaxed, poised. "You might be wondering why I'm asking you all these questions. But whatever you may have intended, that girl is your future. Everyone else who might have spoken otherwise... they have not the desire, nor the ability to do so. The flower youkai expressed disinterest, feigned or otherwise; you might have known her as the dreamer, in your time. The puppeteer, the girl with the grimoire... she does not know. And, of course, Reimu."
She sighed indulgently. "Reimu indeed. She's a fine girl, bright in her own way, but not the most curious. Even during the incident with the stolen moon, when she came closest to understanding, she dismissed it as a stray thought. For all she knows, you vanished for a bit, and then someone with your name and looking very much like you appeared and carried on much as you might have. And how I puzzled over that one; it took me a while to understand that the name was hers. You, on the other hand, were named. Something of a whim? We have come full circle on that one."
Yukari tapped the ground contemplatively with her parasol, one, two, three times. "And so this girl has your magic, your power, your past and present, your reputation, your very name. Is she worthy of it? Is she worthy of your legacy?" She turned slightly, and inclined her head in a duellist's salute. "Or should I be asking you, instead?"
There was a sharp intake of breath from nowhere in particular, as the other visitor made her presence known, beginning with the smirk. Yukari ignored the chagrined gasp; it was a good learning experience for Ran.
"There is already a Marisa Kirisame," the other visitor said. "Having two at once would be confusing."
"Oh? No sentimental thoughts for your dear, departed former apprentice?"
The smirk faded.
"No," Mima said, "that's just ancient history. Best to leave it be."
