Now and Forever

As a princess of the moon life was perfectly...fine. Nothing really inspired me. To put it bluntly, I was bored. So I decided to make my life more interesting. One day I asked Eirin to help me with a pet project. She agreed in a sort of "Sure why not?" fashion. So together Eirin I created an elixir of immortality. We named it the Hourai Elixir after my last name. With out thinking twice, I drank the elixir. I felt more alive than ever, but that didn't last for long. I wasn't sure how at the time, but the other Lunarians found out what I did. I later learned a random rabbit witnessed everything. They decided to execute me for my crimes. And they did...many times. Too many. Multiple deaths weren't enough. So they exiled me to live among the humans we despised. I guess the joke was on them.

Living among humans was one of the best experiences of my life. I lived with humans and reigned as a princess there too. Rejecting those men was hilarious. It went something like this every time:

"Are you a suitor?"

"Yes Princess."

"Are you sure you want to marry me?

"Yes Princess! I love you!"

"Oh, you do? Well I don't feel the same." I would proceed to point out all their flaws.

"Please Princess! There must be something I could do!"

"Well I suppose there is something you can do." Then I would ask the suitor to bring me five items.

"P-Princess! That's impossible!"

"Oh well, I guess you're not marrying me then."

I remember seeing the daughter of one of the suitors glaring me. What was the clan's name again? I'm sure it'll come to me at one point. Later on I heard gossip that the Lunarians were coming to bring me "home". But I didn't want to leave earth. I never felt that alive on the moon. I love this place. So I ran away into a bamboo forest. I wouldn't go back to the moon with out a fight, but I knew it wouldn't take that much. I was never a good fighter. I readied for the emissaries to take me back. Then through the bamboo shots came Eirin. I tensed up. She raised her hand in a non threatening stance.

"It's okay Princess. The Lunarians won't take you back. I won't let it happen. And if they try...Heh. Well, let them try." She took my hands in hers and looked in my eyes with a calm smile. At that moment I felt an emotion I never felt before. It was indescribable.

Could it be? No, that's silly. It's just gratitude...right?

Many years later, we moved into an old manor called Eientei. One night, in the late 20th century if I recall, we heard a banging on the front door with a distressed voice calling out "Please! Help us! Give us sanctuary! Please!" Eirin opened the door and standing there were two rabbits. A tall one with lavender hair and a short one in a pink dress. The short one was clinging to the tall ones leg. Both looked terrified. The tall one jerked back.

"You...You're the fugitives! Eirin Yagakoro and Kaguya Horaisan!" Eirin remained calm.

"Yes. And you're moon rabbits aren't you?"

"Yes! And I don't care if you're criminals on the moon! Please protect us! Humans are invading the moon and I can't stand the fighting anymore!" The rabbit explained what happened. (Although later I found from Yukari the humans of the outside world meant no harm by it.) Eirin looked sorry for them.

"Of course, you can stay here." Eirin said. Stay as long you want miss..."

"Reisen. And this is Tewi." she replied.

"Looks like we have some new housemates Eirin!" I giggled. She smiled back.

"I suppose we do." Reisen and Tewi were welcomed into Eientei. They gained new names of Reisen Udongein Inaba and Tewi Inaba. Things were great. Better than they've ever been. At least until tonight...

Tonight is the Harvest Moon Festival. Everyone is of good cheer until Reisen came running into Eientei. Eirin immediately could tell something wasn't right.

"Udonge? What's wrong?"

"A...A new war is starting on the moon. The other rabbits want me to return to fight. I...I don't want to go back. But if I don't go back they'll send emissaries to retrieve me and Tewi as well. I can't let Tewi get hurt either." I saw that look of terror on Reisen's face. I've only seen it once before, when she was begging for sanctuary all those years ago.

"Eirin," I chime in. "If we kill those emissaries like you did when you found me, we'd have to go into hiding for a long time"

"I know." Eirin replies. "I have a plan. I'll create a false moon. If I do that, the night will last forever and the Lunarians can never find us." So Eirin creates the false moon. Everything seems fine until eight locals from Gensokyo come to put an end to our plan. Tewi, Reisen, Eirin, and I put up a valiant effort, but to no avail. Eirin looks worried. We need to do something, fast.

"Eirin!" I call out extending my hand. "Let's use our Last Spell!" Eirin takes my hand and we cast our spell.

"Forbidden Elixir~Hourai Elixir!" we shout at the same time. The danmaku fly. The eight girls dodge our attacks and fire back. Our spell isn't enough and we are shot out of the sky. As we fall Eirin is crying. I never seen her this way before.

"Eirin?" I said quietly.

"I'm sorry Kaguya!" She sobs.

"Eirin, it's not you're fault we lost. I was the weak link the spell." I reply. She is more gifted in combat than me.

"No! Not that! I'm sorry about Elixir! I was the one who created it! I was the one who got you banished from the moon! And I wasn't punished at all! I'm so sorry Kaguya!" I never expected this out of Eirin.

"Stop blaming yourself! I asked you to help me with elixir! And being on Earth was the best thing to happen to me! It became even when you came! NEVER feel bad about that again."

"You want to stay on Earth?" she asks with tears in her eyes.

"Yes!" I shout. Eirin manages to calm down and floats us to the ground.

"In that case, I'll drink the Hourai Elixir too, so we can spend eternity together." She takes my hands again, the same way she did the night she found me. That emotion came back.

"I will not let you be alone again. Never and eternally." Like one of her arrows, those words shoot me through the heart. I finally know what that emotion is.

It's the emotion that made me want to spend my entire life with Eirin and do anything to protect her.

It's the emotion that I could never feel for those men all those millennia ago.

It's the emotion I thought I couldn't feel at all.

It's better than gratitude, better than joy, better than euphoria itself!

It's love.

I knew exactly what Eirin was saying to me. So I threw my arms around her and say the four words that I now know are only meant for her.

"I love you too."