Mentioned Characters: Kaguya, Mokou

Winter in the Human Village This Gensokyo is stuck in perpetual winter. Although snow falls year-round, seasonal events still occur. In fact, because the scenery never changes, these events are all the more important. As midnight approached on Christmas Eve, most humans were at home with their families. Laughter and light spilled from every house. The village streets were empty, lit only by festive decorations. On one such street, two shadows gently swayed. "Christmas is meant to be spent with family. That means everyone's indoors tonight, right?" "Yeah, so?" "So this quiet night belongs to me." Mokou sighed. The princess always said the strangest things.

Mokou helps Kaguya sneak into the Human Village in this world, too. Kaguya treasures the time they spend together. No one else makes her feel quite so warm and fuzzy inside. Perhaps that's why she visits the village even more than she does in other worlds. One Christmas Eve, Kaguya stopped by Mokou's home in the Bamboo Forest. Mokou's first instinct was to send her away. But when she saw Kaguya all dressed up in a bright red coat, she found herself at a loss for words. Kaguya sensed her chance and took it. "Help me experience the perfect Christmas!"

(The perfect Christmas? What does that even mean? And why does she expect me to make it happen?) Mokou trudged through the village, lost in thought. Kaguya strolled beside her, happy as could be. Mokou wondered if this wasn't already the perfect Christmas. But when she asked, Kaguya scoffed. "Of course it's not." "OK... so what IS the perfect Christmas?" "How should I know?" "..." "Think of this as a special, one-day-only challenge just for you." A "challenge". For Fujiwara no Mokou, that word was an old scar. And yet, Kaguya prodded at it with ease. What was her endgame? Maybe she didn't have one at all. For a brief moment, Mokou imagined yanking out the infuriatingly carefree princess's heart.

Mokou swallowed her violent urges. This was the Human Village, after all. She didn't want to ruin a time of family togetherness or wreck the decorative lights the villagers had spent so much time putting up. Not to mention, Kaguya was already dressed in red. Drenching her in blood wouldn't change a thing. It was a flimsy excuse, but Mokou had to tell herself something. "No one ever completes your impossible challenges." "Exactly. That's why no one can claim me for themselves." "Don't be stupid. Even if someone did, they'll be gone long before you, and you'd be alone all over again." "True. And that goes for you, too." Kaguya extended her hand. "At the very least, a Christmas this cold could never be called perfect."

Endless pain and cold. An endless curse. And the one who caused it. But when you hold someone's hand, their warmth becomes yours, and yours theirs. Mokou couldn't deny such a clear and simple fact. So she took Kaguya's hand. Midnight came and went, and the small hours passed. The long night slowly gave way to dawn. In the end, Mokou failed Kaguya's challenge. But it was OK. They had all the time in the world. With eternity on her side, she would complete it eventually.