Chapter Text
Thump thump.
A hollow knock echoed through Miko's chambers, her visitor on the other side of the door rousing her from thought. So, she managed to do it after all?
“It's unlocked Soga, come on in.”
Soga no Tojiko nudged through the door, looking more corporeal than usual, but significantly less mobile. “I told you I can only do this for about an hour a day, no? It's not easy, so I hope this is important.” Her thunder rumbled softly, echoing off the cleanly-hewn blocks, her way of expressing mild irritation.
Miko just giggled quietly. “It's just unusual seeing you without legs, you know? I'm still getting used to it.”
Soga rebutted, “It's unusual seeing you as – no, I won't say that.” Soga bowed her head, irritation dissolving into shame. “I'm very sorry, Miko. I didn't mean it that way.”
Miko closed her eyes and smiled softly. “No, no, it's fine. I know you understand. After all those years with how I was before, it must be hard for you to get used to this, as well. Come, sit. I wanted to catch up with you, and we've clearly got a lot to catch up on.”
Soga flopped onto Miko's bed, clearly exhausted. “I'm sorry,” she muttered, but Miko had already slid beside her. She stroked her fingers up the ghostly woman's cheek.
“We've been working like dogs for so long, but we're finally done... You've finally made a space for hermits in this land.”
Miko turned towards Soga and tousled the tired ghost's hair carelessly. “Thanks for your help, Soga. You know we couldn't have finished the construction without you. I'm not as strong as I used to be.” She laid beside the other woman as they began to finally catch up with each other. They shared their stories, laughed at each other's anecdotes, and discussed recent incidents. They talked until long after the illusionary sunset in Miko's hermitage.
Back in her earlier years, Toyosatomimi no Miko was referred to as Prince Shoutoku. But in spite of her appearance, and contrary to the inflexible society of the day, she knew who she really was. Prince Shoutoku was no man, no matter what others said. But nobody listened, and nobody understood. It was a phase, a delusion, her court said. It was against the order of the world, her parents said. It was a cruel irony, for someone as sympathetic as the Prince.
When the Prince met a certain Seiga Kaku, everything changed. Seiga was a hermit who practiced Taoism, and preached its superiority. Seiga wasn't a good person by any stretch of the imagination. She was a burglar and, because she only cared for her own goals, some called her Taoist lessons charlatanry. But in spite of her flaws, the wicked hermit understood the Prince.
What Miko needed most was understanding, and understanding can lead to unlikely friendships.
Seiga understood her struggle. She had her own arguments against the rigidity of the day's society. She helped the Prince choose her own name and helped her sew her own clothing. When she was around the wicked hermit, the Prince – from then on, Miko – would no longer wear the clothing of a man, the clothing of a stranger.
She brought her most favored consort, Soga no Tojiko, to meet the wicked hermit in the hopes of disclosing her secret. And despite Miko's worries, Soga understood as well. It took time for her to come to terms with it, but in the end, they grew closer than ever. Soga became more than a consort to Miko. She even tried to do Miko's makeup a few times, though Miko wasn't that interested in it other than covering up her facial hair. She was a tomboy at heart.
“Did you get to talk to the mask girl after that incident last week?”, Soga inquired.
“Yes, she's fascinating isn't she? She reminds me of-”
“She reminds me of you.” The ghostly woman smiled softly.
Even Miko's rival in religious politics, Mononobe no Futo, came around. Futo could sympathize with Miko, as a fellow woman if nothing else. The two fierce rivals became fiercely loyal friends beneath the surface, but they kept up appearances in public; though, Futo did sneak Miko into the women's bathhouse in her clan's village, in disguise. Miko had gradually acquired a circle of true and loyal friends, who would do anything to help her solve her problem.
But the reality of hating your own body, the feelings of being slowly strangled by the roles forced on you, these aren't things you can overcome with friendship alone.
In a moment of desperation, Miko turned to the last possibility: Immortality. A concept of Taoism taught to her by Seiga. She would try to preserve her life artificially until such a day when, perhaps, she would be accepted, or at least until her dead name could be forgotten and she could live as a woman in privacy. There would be a deep, long sleep, and a hope that Taoism would come to resurgence, the believers' faith being enough to revive her. It was a huge gamble, but desperation is a gamble that you make every day – a gamble that you'll survive in spite of crippling, all-encompassing depression.
The rest was history. Seiga, being the only one not to take her chances on artificial immortality, covered up the more private details for the former Prince's safety and privacy. Futo and Soga both took the dive into deep darkness, to test the waters for their friend; Miko followed shortly thereafter. Her last thought before the darkness engulfed her was that she would eternally be grateful to these friends. The only three people who stuck by her. The only people in the whole world who accepted Miko as she really was.
When the trio awoke, they were greatly displaced in time and space. The land was strange, still seemingly old, though Miko felt the passage of time deep within her bones. It was a land that, shockingly, didn't take kindly to divine spirits appearing en masse. But after the initial conflict with some pesky shrine maidens (was Shinto really still around? Some things would never change...), a witch, and a phantom girl, it was clear to the inhabitants of Gensokyo that the Taoists meant no harm. And Gensokyo had welcomed her as she really was, just as her friends did a thousand years prior. Miko wasn't the only one of her kind, there. The gamble had paid off.
"Did you want to take a bath, Miko?"
"No no, I'd rather keep talking with you, I'll just do it in the morning."
It had been six months since their revival, and the Taoists had been busy day in and day out. Miko and her consort hadn't had a chance to talk deeply, what with the various construction to undertake, incidents to investigate, and hermit philosophies to spread.
During that period, the medicine Miko had purchased from the doctor in Eientei had changed her greatly. Changed her into herself.
Her breasts gradually budded. Her figure changed like a river flooding in the early spring melt, sculpting its course anew. Her body hair, formerly coarse and dark, became clear and soft. Her accursed facial hair had thankfully become light enough to completely ignore, never again to rasp against the collar of her cape, never again to remind her of what had held her back from truly living for so long. Her wiry form had lost most of its muscular definition during her slumber, like an ancient tree blown over and atrophying on the forest floor. A lithe young sapling sprouting forth from its snapped trunk. Her summer was finally here, and Miko was in full bloom.
Medicine wasn't magic, though, and some things don't change without a bit more help. Eirin insisted that the most consistent results came from not quick-acting potions, but by letting your body change on its own with the lightest of pushes. Despite how Miko felt about her private place her before her revival, it didn't bother her as much anymore. It was funny how peace of mind could help you to accept things you used to hate. All things considered, it was a swift and successful change; Eirin was excited that her formula was meeting with success, but more importantly she was happy for Miko.
It was a lot for Soga to handle.
On the two opportunities that Miko had to seduce her only remaining consort, things had become awkward. Their bodies both felt unfamiliar to one another. Despite how close they had become in their first opportunity at life, Soga was almost blindsided by the other woman's physical change. Neither one wanted to discuss it, but now that they both had time to breathe and relax, Miko thought the opportunity was ripe.
Miko pondered the right way to broach the subject during their catch-up session, but Soga had been gradually drifting off to sleep. And when she was finally ready, the ghostly woman had already drifted off into a deep slumber. The former Prince consoled herself knowing that Soga was at least comfortable enough with her to fall asleep in her arms.
She still loved Soga, but she feared another awkward moment with her consort. Her next opportunity to patch things up might be her last one. Due to this fear, Miko had neglected to listen to her partner's desires for far too long. She had been afraid of the truth. But with the sleeping ghost gradually phasing through her grasp into the mattress, there wasn't any opportunity to do so now.
Miko allowed herself to fall asleep as well, hoping that tomorrow would bring the opportunity she yearned for.