She's from the moon, you see.
Lunarians, the people of the moon, have a long history with those of Gensokyo. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but either way they've known about each other for quite some time. Hell, there's even been a war or two between them. It may have been one of these, in fact, that led to Tsukiko winding up on Gensokyo in the first place.
She had a fairly interesting start there, if you think about it. She was found, as a baby, by a pair of farmers, nestled inside a bamboo shoot, wrapped in cloth and clutching a necklace. Being kindly folk, said farmers took her in and raised her as their own for years. She knew she was a foundling, the whole time, but she loved them as her own family. She could hardly do anything else... to her, they were her mother and father. Even if they hadn't been, though, she probably would have defended them all the same, when, at twenty years old(quite young for Gensokyo, and having the figure of a twelve year old), a mob of youkai tried raiding the farm. Then it became clear how special she was, as she lashed out, repelling the raiders with her own spiritual energy. As they turned and ran, she couldn't help but feel proud, and allowed herself a little smile... before she passed out, utterly exhausted.
When she came to, her parents were sitting there, looking worried... as was a stranger. Not a human, but a youkai, with long blond hair, dressed in an elegant dress. She introduced herself as Yakumo Yukari, and offered Tsukiko a chance to do something new... to learn about herself, and what she could do, if she could bring herself to believe that not all youkai were monsters. Her parents had already agreed that if Tsukiko wanted to go with Yukari, they would let her. It was all up to her...
It would take a while for her to decide, but in the end, it wasn't much of a choice. Never knowing where she came from had always rankled at her, and Yukari seemed to know everything. It was only a week before she'd made up her mind to live with the youkai, and learn all she could. With that in mind, she bade her parents farewell, and then took Yukari's hand, disappearing from Gensokyo for more than a hundred years. Closer to a hundred and twenty, even...
And now, she's back. And... well, she looks even more different from everyone else now! But, then, Gensokyo is still wearing traditional clothes, and really hasn't kept up with the times...
Tsukiko, on the other hand, has definitely changed a fair bit. Where before she'd had her hair kept short, out of necessity more than anything, now she wears it longer, down to mid-shoulder, keeping it loose simply for simplicity's sake. She's no longer as darkly tanned as she had been from working on the farm with her parents, nor is she... well, bluntly, child-figured. She's grown to a full five feet and eight inches tall, coming into curves not yet comparable to Yukari and Ran's, along with a slender, athletic figure, as a result of her training. As well, she's acquired a pair of delicate glasses, with square lenses, which she often wears when reading.
Typically, as well, she stands out for her choice in clothing. Unlike most Gensokyans, she wears modern attire, consisting, in her case, of a pleated skirt, simple, plain stockings, and a long-sleeved shirt, with her necklace worn above this. She's also one of the few Gensokyans to wear sneakers... one of the VERY few. Typically, as well, she has a small backpack on her back, where she keeps a cell phone, a laptop, and assorted snacks. She's also got a simple, unadorned wooden staff she carries everywhere with her.
Usually, when you want to find her, she's wandering the roads of Gensokyo, simply exploring the land for whatever reason, and looking lost in thought at that! However, she's truly almost impossible to sneak up behind, thanks to a few dirty tricks she's learned from Yukari. That said, she is a nice, friendly girl, and typically she's more than willing to chat... sometimes for quite a while, about nothing at all. She's still getting used to dealing with people, again, though, so we can forgive her that, I think.
Though, if you ever REALLY wanna get her talking, ask her about the Onmyouji. That'll be fun!
