Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As soon as the gap tunnel opened, Yukari knew that something was wrong. The inside of the Hakurei shrine was in total darkness, warm, fetid, the smell of illness hanging in the air.

“Reimu?”

She stepped gingerly out of the tunnel of wriggling eyes which shut behind her. She felt suddenly awkward in her new dress, chosen especially for the occasion, her hair done in a cute informal style with fresh ribbons, her face fastidiously made-up, grey eyeliner to accent her violet eyes, red lipstick on her lips.

“Reimu dear?”

There was a cough from deep within the gloom. The paper screen to the priestess’ room was not fully closed and looked into deeper darkness. Yukari gingerly opened it.

“Yukari?”

The youkai felt a sudden flush of relief. It was Reimu’s voice, though cracked and weak. It had emanated from a lump lying on a futon, darker than the rest of the room. It stirred as she approached it.

“Reimu?”

“Go away, Yukari,” returned the voice. “I’m sick.”

Yukari ignored her. She knelt beside the lump and carefully peeled back the top edge of the blanket. The thing underneath shifted, turn its sweaty, matted hair over to hide the face within it. There was a smell of unwashed body and sweat.

Yukari brushed the hair aside. It was greasy to the touch, but that didn’t stop her. Soon Reimu’s face was revealed, flushed, beaded with sweat, the eyes closed, the nostrils red and chapped.

“I said go away!” The voice struggled to support the anger behind it, failed, then collapsed into a series of wet coughs.

Yukari was filled with pity. “Reimu, darling. How long have you been like this?”

“Will you go away if I tell you?”

“I’ll think about it,” said Yukari. Why did the girl have to be so stubborn?

“I’m not sure how long,” muttered Reimu. “Two days? Three maybe.”

“You don’t even know? Haven’t you been eating?”

A pale hand extricated itself from under the blanket and flicked weakly at an open packet lying on the tatami.

Yukari picked it up. “Senbei?” She shook her head. “Reimu, that’s scarcely food.”

The miko’s response was swallowed up by a new avalanche of coughing.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

Reimu turned over and glared at the youkai with red-rimmed eyes. “You’re not going away, are you?”

Yukari smiled. “I’m afraid not.”

“Stupid Marisa,” muttered Reimu. “She’s in Makai at the moment. She’s the one who usually helps out when I’m sick.”

“Your little friend the witch?” Yukari felt a familiar twinge and struggled to keep the smile on face. “Well, just because she’s not around is no reason for you to suffer alone. I shall look after you.”

A new torrent of coughing. Once Reimu had it under control, she said, “No, really, Yukari. It’s fine.”

“But Reimu, you look terrible.”

“Thanks. That really makes me feel better.”

“Are you saying you don’t want me to look after you?”

“No, I’m saying you can’t.”

Yukari blinked. “Whyever do you think that?”

Reimu snorted. “I’ve been to Mayohiga. I’ve never seen you lift a finger to do anything there. Ran and Chen do everything.”

“Now, wait a moment. I think you’re being unfair. I...” Yukari left the sentence hanging, unable to finish it. Then she sighed and said, “I have in the past looked after myself, I’ll have you know.”

There was no answer from Reimu, so Yukari took it as tacit approval for her to continue her defence.

“I haven’t always had recourse to a shikigami. The burden of maintaining the boundary necessitates having someone around to help with the domestic jobs.”

“It’s not really helping if Ran does all of them,” muttered the miko.

“Please let me look after you,” said Yukari. “It breaks my heart to see you suffering like this. And just when I was hoping we could go on that date we’ve so often talked about.”

“You’ve so often talked about,” said Reimu. Then she sniffed. “Is that why you’re wearing perfume?”

Yukari primped her hair, delighted. “Why yes. Do you like it?”

“It makes me want to sneeze.”

The youkai’s face turned stern. “I’m afraid I shall have to insist on caring for you, Reimu.”

“Yukari, please just go. I’m fine. Another day or two and I-”

“No arguments, please.” She stood up. “The first thing we need in here is some fresh air.”

She stepped over to the amadoa and opened it. Light and air spilled in and Reimu sat up, blinking at the light like a newborn baby.

“And all this will need to be washed as well.” Yukari began to gather up the discarded clothes littering the tatami. “I will bring you some fresh robes and.... well, whatever this is.” She held up a long strip of cotton.

Reimu scowled. “Yukari, that’s my sarashi.”

Yukari covered a giggle with her hand. “Well, it shall need to be washed. It’s still moist with your sweat.” She brought it to her nose. “And your scent.”

Reimu sat up with surprising violence, her face flushing in anger. “Why are you smelling my clothes? Are you really that perverted?”

Yukari just smiled at her. “Your scent is delightful no matter how strong, my darling Reimu. I would have it no other way.”

Reimu was about to say something else but instead she doubled over and started coughing again.

“I think,” said Yukari, kneeling beside her and patting her on the back while she coughed. “That Eirin should come and examine you. That is a very nasty cough.”

By the end of the coughing fit Reimu was exhausted. She slumped over, her robe falling open at the chest. Her neck and the top of her modest breasts were flushed pink and slick with sweat. Yukari’s gaze strayed to them, but she glanced away when Reimu looked up at her, eyes flashing, and pulled the two halves of her robe back together.

“It would be best to wash the clothes you are wearing as well,” said Yukari quickly. “Do you have anything else to wear?”

Reimu shook her head.

“Well, I shall bring you some pyjamas then.” She placed a hand on Reimu’s head, expecting the miko to push it away angrily, as so often she did. But she didn’t this time. The coolness of Yukari’s palm had eased the beating in the miko’s head and she closed her eyes, calmed by the youkai’s touch.

Yukari left it there for a moment, then gently laid the exhausted Reimu back on the futon. “Please rest, Reimu. Leave everything to me.”

Reimu nodded, but didn’t open her eyes.

Too exhausted to say thank you, Yukari thought, smiling to herself. Though ‘thank you’ has never been an expression to come readily to my Reimu’s lips.

She waited until the miko was sleeping, and then she lifted the blanket to her neck and smoothed out the rest of it.

“Sleep well, my dear,” she murmured, patting her leg through the blanket. “Gensoukyou will continue to exist without you protecting it.”

------

“It’s mononucleosis,” said Eirin as she took her hands from where she had been pressing Reimu’s neck. “The swollen glands are a dead giveaway.”

“Mono- what?” muttered Reimu.

“Well, it is a mouthful. That’s why it’s also commonly known as mono. It’s a very common human disease.”

“How dreadful,” murmured Yukari. “Will Reimu be alright?”

“Oh, yes. Eventually. The first onset is the worst. It’s essentially a virus that attaches itself to the endocrine system and attacks the body when the patient is run-down or overworked.”

“My dear Reimu,” murmured Yukari. “What have you been up to?”

The miko finished buttoning up her pyjamas. “Well, there was that incident with the fairies. Marisa and I...”

Yukari tutted. “Marisa, again? I’ve always said that black-and-white was a bad influence.”

“Who are you, my mother?”

Yukari lifted her fan to her mouth and chuckled. She turned to Eirin. “However did she catch it?”

Eirin chuckled. “Well, mononucleosis is highly contagious. No doubt she came into contact with the bodily fluids of someone who has it. They may not have even been showing any symptoms at the time, so it’s very hard to tell who it might have been.”

“Bodily fluids?” Reimu shuddered.

“Oh, that includes saliva and the like. In fact, in the Outside World, mononucleosis is commonly called ‘The Kissing Disease’.” Eirin waggled her finger. “So no more indiscriminate kissing for you, Reimu.”

Reimu blushed. “You can get it from kissing?”

Yukari was smiling, but there was no warmth in it. The blush that had settled across Reimu’s skin had unsettled her.

Eirin placed her equipment back in her bag and turned to Yukari. “She should rest. No more incidents for a while.” She handed a little bottle to the youkai. “See that she takes one of these with every meal. It will help boost her immune system.”

“Why are you telling her all this?” demanded Reimu. “I’m right here.”

“Like I said, you should rest,” said Eirin. “Yukarin has been kind enough to offer to look after you.”

“But-“

Eirin smiled at her indulgently. “You don’t have to be in control all the time, Reimu. Take a break for once. You can be a little too intense at times, you know.”

“’Intense’?” said Reimu, frowning. “Is that your medical opinion?”

Eirin patted her on the head. “Just take care of yourself.” Then, to Yukari as she led her out, “Call me if there’s any change in her condition.”

Reimu, exhausted by the confrontation, slid back down under the covers. It felt good to have clean sheets, and the pyjamas Yukari had brought were surprisingly comfortable.

Maybe if I close my eyes, she thought, this whole nightmare will be over.

------

The smell of cooked rice woke Reimu and she realised she was ravenously hungry. She opened her eyes and jerked up out of bed.

Yukari was sitting beside her futon, holding a bowl of rice porridge.

Reimu stared at it. “It smells good.”

“Why thank you,” said Yukari. “I made it.”

Reimu’s eyes narrowed. “Really?” She took the bowl from the youkai’s hands and examined it more closely. Floating in it was egg, spring onion and strips of chicken. The delightful scent of sesame oil made her salivate.

She quickly hid it behind her back and threw a sly look towards Yukari. “So you’ll be able to tell me what you put in it, right?”

Yukari’s smile weakened, but then came back twice as bright. “Of course! What a ridiculous question.”

“So?”

“Well, there’s rice, water, salt.... I’m pretty sure I put some spring onion in there as well. And some oil...”

“What kind of oil?”

Yukari wrinkled her nose. “...olive?”

Reimu smiled grimly. “Ran made this, didn’t she.”

Yukari nodded, chagrined. “It’s been a while since I’ve cooked. I burned the first two I tried to make myself.”

“Wait, you tried to cook some yourself?”

Yukari sighed. “’Tried’ is the operative word, I fear.”

“Yukari, I’m impressed.”

“Really?”

But Reimu was already bringing spoonful after spoonful into her mouth. Between swallows, she murmured her appreciation. Yukari watched her, pleased that seemed to have already recovered a little.

“Ah!” Reimu gasped in delight as Yukari took the bowl from her. “You know, Yukari, you’re lucky to have a shikigami like Ran. She’s an excellent cook.”

“What about your Marisa?” said Yukari. The words were out before she realised it.

“Oh, she always cooks mushroom soup. I think it’s the only thing she can cook.”

“It must be very good, then.”

Reimu looked distracted. “Usually. One time, though, there were some magic mushrooms mixed up in it. I saw some pretty weird things that night.”

“Does she often cook for you?”

“Only when I’m too sick to.” Reimu stared at her. “Wait, Yukari, what’s all this about?”

“Merely trying to compare my Ran with your Marisa,” said Yukari quickly.

“Well, Marisa’s no Ran, that’s for sure,” said Reimu. “Besides being messy and a thief, she’s the least dependable person I know. I don’t know why I hang around with her so much. Just good company, I guess.”

Yukari regretted bringing the subject up. “You’ve got your colour back. Feeling better?”

Reimu eyes widened. “Actually, yes, a little.”

“Then it’s time for your pill.”

“Yukari, I really don’t think I need to...”

The youkai’s face was suddenly stern. “Now, Reimu, don’t let’s fight about this. I’ll get you some water.”

She opened a gap next to her and pulled a glass of water ready-poured out of it.

Reimu arched her eyebrows. “Ran?”

“Take your medicine.”

Reimu took it and drank a mouthful of water.

“Now show me your tongue.”

The miko blanched. “What?”

“I want to see that you swallowed it.”

“Really?”

That stern face again.

Reimu stuck out her tongue then straightaway replaced it. “There, satisfied?”

“Good girl. Now get some more rest. I’ll do the washing up.”

“By which you mean Ran, right?”

“Actually, I’m more than capable of washing things up, Reimu.”

“Okay. Thanks Yukari.”

Yukari smiled sweetly at her. “There. I knew you knew that word.”

Reimu shut her eyes. She heard Yukari’s soft footsteps, then clattering.

“Reimu?”

“Mhhm?”

“How do you switch this thing on?”

“What thing?”

“The thing the water comes out of.”

“The faucet? Just lift the handle...”

There was a sudden splash and a cry.

“...gently.”

Reimu sighed. Her stomach full, she felt sleep start to steal down over her. She was so tired that even when a dish slipped from Yukari’s grip and smashed on the floor she didn’t wake up.

-----

When Reimu woke she felt a little stronger. She got up and stumbled to the bathroom. She came back out and stopped dead, her eyes widening in surprise.

The shrine was absolutely spotless.

Dishes washed up by the sink, all the clothes that had littered the tatami washed and folded in a neat pile in one corner, every surface dusted. Sunlight played through the room from the open amadoa.

“Yukari,” she murmured.

“Oh, so you’re up.”

The youkai came in through the door, dusting off her hands. “That’s the last of the laundry done. I wonder, though. Do you really need so many ribbons? I found a veritable treasure-trove of them in the bottom of your oshiire. ”

Reimu glared at her. “You’ve been going through my stuff while I’ve been asleep?”

“Of course,” said Yukari. “I decided that since I was doing the laundry I might as well wash everything I could find. I’m sure that the last thing that you would want to see was all the work waiting for you after you’ve recovered.”

Reimu blinked, then a rueful smile appeared on her face. “I guess you’re right. Thank you, Yukari.”

“My, my! There’s that word again, and twice in one day as well.”

Reimu stepped over to the amadoa and peered out over the grounds of the shrine. It had been days since she’d seen the outside and, like the inside of the shrine, everything beyond it seemed to sparkle. Spring sunshine lent a gentle bloom to every surface and a light breeze wafted the freshly washed laundry hanging on the line. Reimu’s loosened hair blew into her face. She felt for her ribbon and remembered she wasn’t wearing one.

Yukari came up behind her and took her hair in her hands.

“Yukari, what...?”

“I know you feel naked without it,” murmured the youkai. “Please allow me.”

Reimu said nothing. She stood still as Yukari’s nimble fingers tied the ribbon.

The youkai turned her around and made the final adjustments to it, her violet eyes sharp with concentration

“There. Now you look more like the Reimu we all know and love.”

Reimu drew a lock of hair from her face. Yukari was already handing her what she was looking for: her hair tube.

“You know, I’ve always wondered how you put these things on,” said the youkai.

“Really? It’s easy.” Reimu took a thick lock of her hair and twisted it, drawing a loop at the end then slipped the hair tube over it.

“Oh,” said Yukari. “I can’t help but feel somewhat disappointed.”

Reimu snorted. “It’s not magic, Yukari.” She looked out at the washing fluttering in the breeze then glanced around the rest of the shrine grounds.

“What’s the matter?”

“I know Ran’s around here somewhere. Where are you hiding her?”

Yukari felt a twinge in her chest, but then she saw Reimu was smiling.

“I’m sorry,” said Reimu. Obviously her face had betrayed some emotion. “I guess my sense of humour hasn’t recovered yet.”

She coughed.

“It sounds as if the rest of you hasn’t fully recovered either,” said Yukari. “You should go back to bed. As you can see, everything is well under control here.”

Reimu looked around her. It was true.

She slid back into the welcome warmth of the futon. “I don’t really feel sleepy any more though.”

“I thought that might be the case,” said Yukari. “So I brought you some books to read.”

Reimu’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of books?”

Yukari placed her hand before her mouth in her most affected laugh. “My dear Reimu, you really are the worst. Merely some light reading of interest to yourself.” She brought the little pile of books out from where they had been stashed on a shelf and placed them beside the futon. “Now, don’t read too much or you’ll ruin your eyes.”

Reimu shook her head. She glanced at the title of the first book on the pile: A Concise History of Youkai Extermination.

She reached over and picked it up. It did look interesting.

“Well, seeing as you are in good hands,” said Yukari, standing up, “I shall bid you good evening.”

Reimu put the book down. “Wait, you’re going?”

Yukari seemed pleased. “I’m afraid that I’ve left a few chores of my own undone while I’ve been helping out around here, chores that can no longer be ignored without potentially unpleasant results. I’ll come and see you tomorrow to make sure everything is satisfactory.”

“Okay,” said Reimu. She picked the book back up and turned the first page. Then she glanced at Yukari. “Yukari?”

“Yes?”

“Thanks for everything.”

“My, my! It’s almost becoming a habit, isn’t it?”

“No, really. I owe you one.”

Yukari turned her most coquettish expression on the miko. “Well, if you really feel like doing me a favour in the future, perhaps you can allow me to take you on that date I had in mind.”

Reimu’s eye twitched. “Stupid Yukari,” she muttered. But the youkai could tell she was hiding the smile that had slipped onto her face with the book.

Yukari grinned. “You are most welcome.”

She traced her hand in the air before her, and with a jaunty wave she slid down through the gap...

------

... and was already running as she landed on the sparkling silver-and-gold dunes on the other side. A skip, then a jump and she was flying across the glittering surface of the moon.

Her violet eyes scanned the horizon. “Ran? Where are you?”

“I am here, Lady Yukari,” came a voice from beside her. The kitsune flew up beside her surrounded in a shimmering blue fiery aura.

“Report.”

“The Lunarian’s have completed the Ray of Purification far ahead of the expected schedule. Lord Tsukiyomi is at this moment readying to fire it. Where have you been?”

“Busy elsewhere,” said Yukari quickly. “With a more pressing matter.”

“The machine will be heavily guarded,” said Ran. “We should have asked the miko of Hakurei for her help.”

“She’s currently unavailable,” said Yukari. “Besides, we cannot rely on Reimu all the time. I don’t want her to grow even more arrogant than she already is.”

The dunes fled away beneath them to be replaced by the glistening purity of a Lunar sea. On the horizon, the Capital glowed with its blue-white light. And there, on its outskirts, like a great slender tower made from ice, lay the Ray of Purification itself.

The two youkai were swiftly enveloped in a hail of suppressive laser-fire.

Yukari pulled her parasol out of a gap and opened it, deflecting the nearest of the blasts as she and Ran speared down through the storm of energy.

“Ready, Ran?”

The kitsune nodded. “As always, Lady Yukari.” She drew a spellcard from her robes. Fox-Tannuki Laser!”

“Border of Life!”

-----

Yukari looked at herself in the mirror. She liked what she saw. Although her skin looked a bit tired from the previous day’s danmaku battle, a little extra foundation suitably masked it. If anything, the exertion had given her face a sexy flush around the cheeks; no doubt her blood was still racing from the thrill of combat. Now, the prospect of spending another day looking after Reimu added to the excitement. With the destruction of the Ray of Purification, Lord Tsukiyomi’s plans had been set back indefinitely, which meant she could dedicate a few hours to herself without worrying about the world coming to an end.

Ran lifted the hand-mirror behind her mistress’ head, allowing her to check the fall of her hair from that angle. A slight tangle was apparent, so Yukari reached through a gap and brushed it out herself. It was something she would usually have Ran do, but somehow she felt she should do it. The last few days helping Reimu had turned out to be surprisingly fun, and she was still enjoying the novelty of doing things on her own.

She was distracted from her toilette by the chime of the oven. She hurried over to it, slipped on some mitts and pulled open the door. The scent of sugar and burning dough filled the room.

Yukari examined the tray of cookies with the same analytical power she would any of her myriad of intricate schemes and machinations. Overall, they seemed to have come out rather well. Well, far better than the previous batches that now lay in a carbonised mass at the bottom of the kitchen bin. Chen had been the experimental recipient of previous batches, but she had had to retire from the task with a sore stomach.

“They’re a little burnt,” remarked Ran, looking over her shoulder.

“Thank you, Ran. Your continued service to me as a commentator on the plainly obvious is as always most appreciated.” She sighed. “I know they’re burnt. Just a little, though. There’s no way she’ll notice.” She transferred the cookies into a little box which she carefully wrapped in a red handkerchief. “I’ll be back later this evening. Don’t wait up for me.”

Holding the little box in both hands, Yukari opened a gap and stepped through it into the shrine.

The first thing she heard was cheerful laughter.

“...but I did get sick of being mistaken as someone called ‘Yuki’ all the time...”

Yukari recognised the voice at once, but it was too late to step back through the gap. Reimu and Marisa both turned to her from where they were sitting around the kotatsu. She just had enough time to slip the package under her arm.

“Oh, Yukari,” said Reimu.

“Yo!” said Marisa, raising a hand and grinning in greeting.

“And a ‘yo’ to yourself as well, Miss Kirisame,” said Yukari, masking her unease with what she hoped was a particularly enigmatic smile of her own. “Back from Makai I see?”

“Sure,” said Marisa. “As soon as I got word Reimu here was sick, I hurried back. Here!”

She took off her hat, rummaged around in it and tossed a glowing globe to the youkai. Yukari caught it.

“A most charming bauble,” she said, turning it over in her hands. “From Makai, I presume?”

Marisa nodded. “A souvenir. There was a whole bunch of them just floating around Pandemonium so I borrowed a few.”

“Stole a few,” muttered Reimu, bumping the witch on her bare head with her knuckles.

“Ehehehe,” said Marisa, rubbing the sore spot. “Hey. I didn’t hear you complaining about your souvenir!”

Reimu looked at the crystal sitting on the table in front of her. “I don’t approve of how you got it, but it is very pretty.”

There was the sudden sound of a pot cover clattering and Marisa got to her feet. “Oh, that’ll be the soup. I’ll go check on it. Smells great, don’t it?”

Yukari nodded. As the witch bustled into the kitchen she moved to hide the little box behind her back. Reimu spotted her.

“What’s that?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

“Oh, this?” Yukari brought it back out. “Oh, just some karintou for Chen from that little shop in the human village. I stopped by here on my way back to Mayohiga to check how you were doing, but everything seems to be under control.”

“I’m feeling much better today,” said Reimu. Then her face turned serious. “Hey Yukari, I-”

But the rest of her sentence was disturbed by a violent clanging of pots and rampant bubbling from the kitchen, followed by a cry from Marisa. “Reimu, little help? We’ve got an incident on our hands here.”

A flare of fire from the same direction had Reimu on her feet. “What have you done this time?” she shouted over the noise as she hurried to the doorway.

“I was messing with the settings on the mini-hakkero this morning and I guess I musta-“

“Sorry, Yukari,” said Reimu, turning. “This might take some...“

But the youkai was already gone.

-----

Ran was at the sink scraping at the carbonised pans that Yukari had left in it when she noticed her mistress had returned.

“That was quick,” she said. “How was the patient?”

“Literally glowing with health,” said Yukari. “She no longer has any need of my services it appears.”

“Did she like the cookies?”

“I’m a little tired, Ran,” said Yukari. “Please prepare my futon for me.”

Ran stopped scrubbing. “Lady Yukari?”

But her mistress was already disappearing down the corridor towards her room.

Troubled, Ran returned to her washing up.

It was then that she noticed the box of cookies had been thrown in the trash.

-----

Reimu stared at the destruction that Marisa had wrought in her little kitchen. Everything still smelled of mushrooms. The witch had stayed to help clean the worst of it, but had quickly become bored and Reimu had ended up doing most of the work. It was lucky that she felt much better.

She washed the last of the exploded soup off her hands, tossed the now-dirty tea-towel in the laundry basket and opened the oshiire for a new one.

There, on the freshly washed laundry, was a little bundle of lavender. Reimu picked it up and smelled it. She didn’t have any growing near the shrine. It could only have come from Mayohiga.

“Yukari,” she murmured.

She sat down on the porch and looked out across the grounds of the shrine. The world, glazed in sunshine, hummed with the new life of spring.

She lifted the lavender to her nose again.

What was tense feeling that had suddenly settled on her? She must still be sick. She glanced back at her futon. She didn’t feel like sleeping.

That’s right. A book.

She’d finished reading the first three. Yukari’s choice had been surprisingly appropriate - history, danmaku, magicology.

Reimu went back inside and picked up the book on the bottom of the pile next to her futon.

“The Confessions of an Errant Gardner,” she read aloud. It sounded like a trashy novel or something.

She opened the first page.

For when you’re feeling better ;)
Your friend, Yukari.

“Friend,” snorted Reimu. Then she felt suddenly guilty. Yukari was her friend, wasn’t she? They’d started off as enemies, but over the years they’d grown closer. But could you really call it friendship? A human and a youkai, and a perverted one at that! Who knew what diabolical schemes she was secretly involved in? With all her teasing jokes and fan-waving and irony, it was easy to forget she was a youkai of considerable power, perhaps the most powerful in Gensoukyou. And Reimu knew Yukari had eaten humans before, although she was always evasive when the subject was raised. But she let things slip now and again, like the time she’d flattered her as being sweeter than a priest’s flesh. Reimu had known from the offhandedness of the remark that Yukari hadn’t been joking. And then there was that time in the past when Yukari had led an invasion force to the Moon. Had it really all been a trick to destroy the more powerful and dangerous youkai so that she could maintain control of Gensoukyou more easily? Even if it had been necessary, it was surely a cold-blooded act that showed she was capable of almost anything.

And yet...

“What is this book anyway?”

Reimu skipped ahead and read a paragraph at random.

When my mistress kissed me I knew there was no turning back. The force with which she embraced me, the softness of her lips pressing against mine, the first time a woman’s had ever done so, was intoxicating, overpowering. I dropped my rake and melted into her embrace, gasping with longing as her hungry lips nibbled a burning path down my neck to my brea...

Reimu, flushing red, slammed the book shut and tossed it aside.

She just couldn’t resist teasing her, could she?

Yukari. Yakumo Yukari. Why didn’t she make any sense?

But then, she was a youkai, after all.

Reimu pushed all thoughts of Yukari away. She went to check on the donation box, which proved empty, found her broom and began to half-heartedly dust the porch.

It was already clean.

She sat back down with a sigh. Even with the best of intentions, Yukari ruined everything she touched.

Evening settled over the landscape. Reimu felt a sudden melancholy well up inside her as the colour fled from the world. Even that idiot Cirno would be welcome company right at the moment.

But no one came.

----

Reimu opened the amadoa and sunlight spilled glittering into the shrine. Another glorious day.

Then why did she feel so terrible?

Her cough was gone, as were her aches and pains, and she was filled with the energy that only appears after you’ve recovered from a long illness. But it lay hidden inside her, unwilling to come out.

She lay down on the futon and splayed her arms out on both sides. The fingers of one hand touched a book.

She glanced across at it. Of course it had to be the lewd one that Yukari had left as a joke.

Reimu picked it up and flipped through it. Then she went back and started to read it from the beginning.

Hours passed without her realising it. There was a knock at the door.

Startled, she slid the book under her futon, fussed with her hair and smoothed out her robes which had become creased by lying down.

Her heart was beating strangely fast when she opened the door. It couldn’t be her, though. She never knocked...

It wasn’t her. It was Ran.

Reimu’s disappointment was tempered by her surprise.

The kitsune bowed. “I must apologise for coming unannounced, miko of Hakurei,” she said. “Do you perhaps have a moment to spare? There is a matter I’d like to discuss with you.”

Reimu frowned. “Ah, of course.” She led Ran inside and sat her at the kotatsu as she readied some tea. Why was she here? Ran almost never came to the shrine without her mistress.

She placed the tea and some manjuu on the table and sat down.

“Is Yukari alright?” were the first words out of her mouth. She’d tried to keep from saying it so abruptly, but it had proved impossible.

Ran considered the miko with interest. “Lady Yukari’s situation is exactly the reason why I’ve come to talk to you. She is...” A strange expression flashed onto her face, a mixture of concern, awkwardness, embarrassment. “Lady Yukari is not herself at the moment. She has locked herself in her room and will not come out.”

“Is she sick?”

Ran’s eyes darted to one side. “I... I believe so. After a fashion.”

“What has Eirin said?”

“I haven’t called upon the Mistress of Eintei,” said Ran. “I fear the illness is outside her expertise. It’s a matter that perhaps only you, as Yukari’s friend, are able to help her with.”

There was that word again. Friend.

Ran was being even more enigmatic than usual and it was starting to annoy her. “Are you sure she’s not just joking around?”

Ran shook her head. “You know the Lady Yukari almost as well as I do. This is not the sort of joke that she enjoys playing. Please. Won’t you at least come and talk with her?”

Reimu sighed. “She’s going to be in trouble if this is all a joke.” But the sternness of her words were forced. At the back of her mind she felt concern. As Ran had said, it just didn’t feel right.

----

Reimu raised her hand to knock on the door to Yukari’s room then stopped. She stared at the door for a few moments in indecision then placed her ear to it. There was the sound of light breathing, not the sound of someone sleeping but rather someone just sitting in silence.

She knocked. No reaction.

She knocked again.

“Ran, I told you to go away. I’m sleeping.”

Yukari’s voice, but very weak.

“It’s not Ran,” said Reimu. “It’s me.”

“Reimu?” A pause. “Ah. I’m sorry, I’m not feeling well. Please come back another time.”

“What are your symptoms?”

Silence. “I think I must have caught your illness, Reimu. Your mono- oh, whatever it was called.”

“Yukari, I know that youkai can’t catch human diseases,” said Reimu. “What’s really the matter?”

“Just leave me alone. Please.”

Reimu was taken aback by the bluntness of her words. It was totally unlike the usually ironic and subtle gap youkai. The ‘please’ had sounded almost plaintive.

Reimu considered blowing the door down and dragging her out, but that seemed rather over the top, too Marisa-like a solution to the problem. The situation called for subtlety.

She sighed.

I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this.

“Yukari. I...” Dammit, why was it so hard to say this kind of stuff? “Look, I just want to thank you again for looking after me while I was sick. You know, I was being serious when I told you I owed you one. Why don’t you let me in and I’ll help look after you. It’s only fair.”

“I appreciate the thought, but that’s really not necessary,” said Yukari. “Besides, no doubt it was Marisa’s soup that finally cured you. Perhaps you should go and find her.”

“Marisa?” Reimu frowned in annoyed confusion. She thought about turning around and leaving, but instead she leaned closer to the door.

“Yukari, I...” She shook her head. Thank goodness Ran had made herself scarce. She didn’t want anyone else hearing this. Her voice fell to a whisper. “Look, why don’t you come out so we can go on that date you were talking about.”

“Our date?”

“Yes. I feel bad for ruining it for you.”

Movement on the other side. The door slid open. Yukari peered out, blinking. Her hair was a mass of blonde curls and tangles and she wasn’t wearing makeup. She was dressed in a nightgown which hung loosely from her shoulders, threatening to fall off at any moment.

“But I can’t go out looking like this.”

Reimu looked at her. She’d never seen Yukari in such state. She was usually fastidiously made-up whenever they met. Right now her face was fragile, her violet eyes glassy and moist.

Had... had she been crying?

The image was so incongruous and unbelievable that Reimu felt something akin to panic. It must have showed on her face, for Yukari frowned.

“So I do look terrible,” she murmured.

Reimu shook her head. “No. You really don’t.” She felt awkward, so she quickly changed the subject. “Where did you want to go on our date anyway?”

Yukari’s expression lightened, her eyes regaining some of their usual sparkle. “Our date? Well, I originally had the moon viewing at Eintei in mind. But of course, the full moon was days ago now. Perhaps you have a suggestion?”

A suggestion? Why couldn’t she just choose a place...

Yukari was looking at her, her face disarmingly open and expectant.

Wait, where did people go on dates? She’d seen couples around, walking hand in hand, talking and enjoying themselves. Now where had she....

Of course.

“Well,” said Reimu. “The summer festival is on tonight, in the human village. I always get invited but I don’t usually go.”

Yukari’s face picked up. “A human festival?”

“Oh, you know the sort of thing. Stalls, fireworks, dancing.”

“What kind of stalls?”

“Fried food mostly - takoyaki, yakisoba. They have crushed ice and cotton candy as well, though. Oh, and those games where you toss rings or try to catch goldfish.”

“I see. Well, it does sound rather fun.” Yukari glanced down, as if seeing herself for the first time. Her face went red. “I... I will need some time to get myself ready, of course. Shall we meet here in a few hours? What time does this festival start?”

“In the afternoon, but people usually go a little later, I think. The fireworks are at 9 o’clock.”

“Well, I shall see you at five o’clock then.” For the first time a smile appeared on her face.

As Reimu slipped on her shoes in the genkan, Ran bowed to her.

“Thank you for all your efforts on behalf of my mistress,” she said. An enigmatic smile had crept onto her vulpine face.

For some reason Reimu found it particularly disturbing. She left Mayohiga, shaking her head.

A date... with Yukari.
What have I gotten myself into?

Chapter Text

Reimu adjusted her yukata in the mirror. It felt awkward on her. Had it really been that long since she’d worn it? At first she’d been worried she’d find it in no fit state to wear, but of course Yukari had washed it in her recent great frenzy of cleaning.

Why can’t I just wear my robes? she wondered, tugging at her obi for the fiftieth time.

But of course I can’t... not to a festival. It would look weird.

I already look weird. What on earth is wrong with me?

She stared at her reflection. Something was definitely wrong. And then she realised what it was. Her ribbon. She was still wearing it.

She took it off and brushed her hair out long. She was amazed at how different she looked with her hair loose. A smile broke over her face. She actually felt pretty, now.

Maybe this date wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

On the way to Mayohiga Reimu flew over the human village. The streets were already filled with people, multicolour spots swarming about the little striped squares of the stalls. The sound of taiko and flute music floated up to her.

The sound filled her heart fill with nostalgic excitement. It seemed like a long time since she’d last been to the festival. Going there on a date with Yukari, though? The chances of the whole thing turning into an incident were pretty high, come to think of it. But maybe that’s what they both needed right now.

The memory of Yukari’s plaintive voice through the door to her bedroom made Reimu unhappy and she pushed it away. She flew faster through the cooling late-afternoon air.

Hidden by Yukari’s magic, Mayohiga was hard to find ordinarily, but today Reimu came upon it almost at once: the gap-youkai, expecting her, had made its location obvious. Chen was waiting on the porch of the little house, absent-mindedly batting at the wind chime. Her orange eyes went wide when she saw the miko come in to land in the garden.

“Reimu-san!” Chen skipped up to her, her usually cheerful and energetic self. She was dressed in a yellow yukata decorated with red goldfish, her obi folded in the traditional butterfly-shape that little kids wear.

Reimu smiled down at her. Like most kids she looked absolutely adorable in festival wear. “Hello, Chen. Are you going to the festival as well?”

The nekomata nodded. “Ran-sama and I are going as well. It’s kind of...” Her face went red and she dug a foot into the ground. “...a double date, I guess?”

Reimu chuckled. “What, really?”

“Oh, we won’t get in your way,” said Chen earnestly. “I promised Yukari-sama we wouldn’t.” Her hand flew to her mouth. “Oh, I wasn’t supposed to say that!”

The door opened. It was Ran. The shikigami was dressed in her dark-blue kimono, embroidered with a spiral flame design sown in gold. Her face was powdered white, the traditional red liner worn by kitsune at the corners of her eyes and lips making her appear even more mysterious than usual.

“Chen, are you going to keep our guest waiting on the porch?” She turned to Reimu and bowed. “Please come in and make yourself at home. Lady Yukari gives her apologies. She’s still getting ready.”

The three sat on the tatami around a little table as Chen served them tea under the strict gaze of her mistress. Reimu took up the steaming cup she was offered and sipped it.

It had been a while since she’d been to Mayohiga, she realised. While Ran scolded Chen for the way she’d held the teapot, Reimu looked about the room. The tokonoma had an elegant display of lavender in a vase and a wall-hanging with the characters 孤独 drawn on it in calligraphy. Reimu recognised Yukari’s hand in the great violent swathes of fresh ink.

こどく: detachment, or loneliness maybe. It was a curious word to have hanging on one’s wall, especially for a youkai. It sounded surprisingly Buddhist.

Reimu’s reverie was disturbed by the wall sliding open as Yukari made her entrance.

“Sorry to have kept you waiting!”

Reimu dropped her tea cup and scalded herself. She clutched her hand to her chest, rubbing it desperately, but no cry escaped from her, since her mouth was already hanging open.

Yukari stepped into the room dressed in a yellow kimono decorated with a robin-egg blue lozenge pattern. Her obi was outrageously intricate, fold upon sophisticated fold. And yet, the way she wore the yukata was distinctly erotic: it hung from her shoulders loosely, her neck and collar exposed, as well as the swelling of her more-than-generous bust. She had set aside her usual mob-cap and was bare-headed, her hair combed out and lacking ribbons. Her hair was so blonde, Reimu thought. So long and so blonde, like a veil of sunlight.

It was beautiful.

A knowing smile slipped onto Yukari’s face. “So how do I look?”

Reimu closed her mouth, frowning at the realisation that the hot feeling on her face meant she was blushing. “You look... nice.”

“’Nice’?” Yukari placed her fan before her mouth. “Oh my darling Reimu, we really must teach you how to offer a compliment properly. Let me show you how it is done.”

She glided over and took the miko’s hand. “You look absolutely charming, my dear. Who knew that under the austere garb of everyone’s favourite miko such a gorgeous blushing young maiden was hiding? But your obi is a little off. Here, let me help you.”

Yukari, ignoring her protests, turned Reimu around and made the necessary adjustments.

“Don’t you think you’ll get cold, Yukari?” muttered Reimu, annoyed. Yukari’s hands were around her waist, tugging her and tucking there. Had she really done such a bad job?

“Oh, we must all make sacrifices in the interests of beauty, must we not?”

Reimu scowled at her, but inside her heart was lighter. This was the Yukari she knew, not the Yukari who had shut herself away, whose voice had sounded so weak, whose vulnerability had shocked her so much.

Maybe everything was going to be alright.

Yukari stepped to one side and slid her hand through the air, opening a wide gap. Reimu stared at the eyes squirming within it. “We’re not gapping straight into the festival, are we?”

Yukari giggled. “Of course not. I know how easily alarmed your fellow humans are by displays of magic. We shall be making our entrance like any other human: on foot. In fact, I’ve cast a little charm over Ran, Chen and myself. For the duration of the evening, we shall be indistinguishable from your fellow humans.”

Reimu frowned. “But they’re used to seeing youkai in the human village.”

“I know Ran is a familiar face there, but I haven’t been to the human village in a long time,” said Yukari. “A very long time, but unfortunately not long enough for those who might still bear me personal animus for unfortunate events in the past to have forgotten me. I don’t want our date turning into a spectacle, after all. I want us to be able to take things easy and enjoy ourselves without attracting too much attention. So shall we?”

Yukari held out her hand. Reimu stared at it, noticed her freshly manicured and lacquered nails, then took it.

Chen and Ran followed them as they stepped hand-in-hand through the gap.

---

The road to the human village was filled with people. Farmers with their families from all around were converging on the festival. Everyone was dressed in their finest yukata, their faces bright, their talk full of excitement and good cheer.

Yukari looked about herself, feeling suddenly out of place. “There are certainly far more humans than I remember. Where did they all come from?”

“Don’t forget humans are able to have children about fifteen years after they’re born,” said Ran. “And then fifteen years or so later those children have children and so on. Human population growth is a basic logarithmic expansion. There’s an equation that expresses it very simply...” Her voice faded away as she noticed Yukari’s eyes were glazing over. “Well,” she said quickly. “Let’s just say they breed like rabbits.” She glanced at Reimu. “No offence, Hakurei-san.”

Reimu stifled a laugh.

The crowds grew as they reached the main street of the village. The sound of drumming and flutes wafted across to them and with it the scent of burning sugar and fried meat. As soon as the stalls themselves came into sight Chen was tugging at the sleeve of Ran’s yukata.

“Ran-sama! Ran-sama! I want to go and play the goldfish game!”

Ran sighed and with an apologetic smile let herself be dragged away into the crowd, leaving Reimu and Yukari alone.

Yukari took Reimu’s arm in her own. The miko looked at her, eyes narrowed.

“Yukari, is this really necessary?”

Yukari’s smile was almost simpering. “Oh, Reimu. Do lighten up. This is a date, after all.”

Reimu shook her head, but made no move to remove the youkai’s arm from her own.

As they walked together along the street, navigating the crowds and looking at all the different stalls, Reimu kept being accosted by people. Some merely bowed or offered a word of greeting, but others took her hand or sleeve and spoke to her.

“Hakurei-san, thank you again for writing those fuda! I haven’t had problems with tannuki since.”

“Reimu-san, is it alright if we reschedule my purification next week? It’s just that the weather’s perfect for planting canola and...”

“Reimu-san! Don’t forget it’s my shichi-go-san next week! My dad bought me a new kimono. What do you think?”

“You seem very popular,” Yukari murmured in the miko’s ear as she bowed profusely to a particularly talkative old lady who was busy telling her about everything that had happened in her life since the last time they had met.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” said Reimu. But inside she was pleased by Yukari’s words.

Suddenly a little girl came barrelling out of the crowd and threw her arms around Reimu’s legs with an excited cry. She was around ten years old, with twin-tails and glasses, dressed in a light-blue yukata decorated with a morning-glory design.

‘Reimu-oneesan! You came! You came!”

Yukari looked down at the little girl. “And who is this?”

“This,” said Reimu, smiling as she extricated the little girl’s arms gently from around her legs. “Is Eri-chan. Her father’s the village tailor. He’s the one who makes my robes for me.”

“Uh-huh!” The little girl nodded enthusiastically. Then her smile disappeared and she stared at Yukari. “Onee-san, who is this?”

“This?” Reimu frowned. “Oh, this is...”

“I’m Sumire-oneesan,” said Yukari, kneeling down and patting the little girl on the head. “Pleased to meet you!”

Eri smiled shyly as she looked Yukari over. “You’re very pretty. Are you Reimu-oneesan’s big sister?”

“No, I’m her...” A moment of hesitation. “I’m her friend.”

A man’s voice came from the crowd. “Eri-chan?”

Disappointment flashed on the little girl’s face. “Oh, my dad is looking for me. I have to go. Are you going to be watching the fireworks later?”

“Of course,” said Reimu.

“Oh good! Let’s watch them together. And don’t forget to bring Sumire-oneesan as well.”

Reimu blinked at her. “I won’t forget,” she said.

The little girl vanished back into the crowd. Reimu turned and smiled teasingly at Yukari. “Onee-san?”

Yukari pouted. “Now, whatever are you implying, Reimu?”

“Well, I think Eri liked you.”

Yukari’s expression brightened. “Do you really think so?”

Reimu jogged the youkai with her elbow. “C’mon, Sumire-oneesan. I’m hungry. Let’s get something to eat.”

They bought yakisoba at one of the stalls and stood eating it while they watched the people go by.

“It really is more a town than a village now,” murmured Yukari. “I suppose I may have made a mistake by having Ran do all the work in checking up on things here. Perhaps Sumire should do her part from now on.”

“I don’t know if you need to worry too much,” said Reimu. “Things are pretty peaceful. Keine does a good job at protecting the village.” She scanned the crowd of people. “You know, it’s a little strange that we haven’t run into her. I hear she always comes to these festivals.”

As Yukari joined Reimu in looking across the crowd, her eyes fell on a group of young men standing around the shooting game. One of their number was in the middle of playing it, or at least trying to, as his friends kept jogging his elbow and distracted him. The young man closest to them saw Yukari looking at him and he met her eyes and smiled.

Yukari returned the smile and gave a jaunty wave. She turned and nudged Reimu as she was about to put some noodles in her mouth.

“Don’t look now,” said Yukari. “I think the young men over there are checking us out.”

“Which young men?”

Yukari inclined her head.

Reimu glanced at them. “What, them?” She snorted. “Oh, but they’re just boys.”

“Now, Reimu,” said Yukari, fussing with her hair. “There’s no reason to be disparaging of youth. Naivety and innocence can be awfully attractive, you know.”

The young men, having forgotten the game, were now all looking in Yukari and Reimu’s direction. The one who’d been shooting and the one who’d made eye-contact with Yukari were both being jostled and teased by the others. Despite their laughing protests, they let themselves be pushed by their friends, still joking, towards the two women.

Reimu, in a panic, slipped her arm into Yukari’s and dragged her away, blushing furiously.

“We could have just said hello, you know,” murmured Yukari, her eyes teasing.

“No, it’s okay,” said Reimu, still blushing. “Let’s go play the ring-toss.”

Wherever they went, it seemed that ‘Sumire’ drew a lot of attention. To start with, Reimu was annoyed by it, but she quickly found herself enjoying the attention. Yes, it was embarrassing, but she also felt a strange pride in the fact that Yukari was there with her. She was sure that a lot of the glances in her direction were from people envious of her for her beautiful companion.

At the ring-toss stall, Reimu, still distracted by the strange novelty of all the attention they were getting, barely managed to get a single ring over a peg, but Yukari cheated with some discrete gapping and managed to get them all.

“You should be ashamed of yourself,” muttered Reimu as they walked away from the stall, Yukari carrying her prize: a huge stuffed tsuchi-no-ko with a lolling tongue and a dumb expression.

“Oh, please,” said the youkai. “The cost of the prizes is already more than met by the price of playing the game in the first place. Anyway, I would have been able to win at it without cheating, it’s just that I was trying to be as efficient as possible.” She handed the stuffed tsuchi-no-ko to a little girl who was looking down at the takoyaki she’d dropped on the ground, tears welling in her eyes.

“Is that so?” A smile played across Reimu’s lips, both at Yukari’s specious reasoning and her offhand act of kindness towards the little girl, now hugging the stuffed toy to her and staring at them as they disappeared into the crowd. “Well, let’s play goldfish catching then. There’s no way you can use your gaps to cheat at that.”

Reimu proved to be right. Yukari found it difficult to use the paper scoops without having them break on her. She refused to give up, though, and eventually she ended up scooping up a single fish. The man behind the stall took pity on her and gave her another one for free.

“They get lonely on their own,” he said to her with a wink.

Yukari was pleased with her prize.

“Do you know how to look after goldfish?” asked Reimu, looking at the little red-gold creatures with some concern.

“I’m sure there’s nothing to it,” said Yukari.

“Well, next time I come to Mayohiga I want to see these fish alive and well.”

“I would never let anything happen to little Reimu and Yukari!”

“What, you’ve given them names already? Which one is Reimu?”

“This one. The one with the pretty eyes and the fierce expression.”

“I’m not fierce,” said Reimu.

“I never said you were,” sniffed Yukari. “Her eyes reminded me of yours.”

“My eyes don’t bulge out like that.”

“It was their size rather than their shape I was thinking of, my dear Reimu.” Yukari sighed. “My, my. You simply cannot take a compliment, can you? Perhaps something to eat will put you in a better mood. It’s almost time for the fireworks after all.”

They ran into Eri and her father while they were buying takoyaki.

The little girl’s eyes bugged out with excitement. “Reimu-oneesan! Sumire-oneesan!”

Her father, a surprisingly youthful-looking man wearing glasses and dressed in an elegant yukata, bowed and rubbed the back of his head. “Ah, I’m sorry about this. She’s been looking everywhere for you.” He glanced at Yukari and bowed again. “Pleased to meet you, miss. Eri was telling me that Reimu-san was accompanied by another beautiful young woman.”

Yukari covered a giggle with her hand.

Eri grabbed hold of Yukari’s sleeve. “Hey, let’s go and watch the puppets!”

Yukari blinked. “They have puppets?”

Rather than the bunraku that Yukari was expecting, it proved to be a small stall with shadow-puppets. As luck would have it, a new story was about to begin.

“A long time ago, a long time ago,” intoned the man behind the screen. “There was a king and queen who had a very beautiful daughter...”

“I can’t see,” said Eri, hopping up and down.

“Here,” said Yukari. “I’ll give you a piggy-back.”

Eri let Yukari lift her up onto her back with a strength that would have been surprising in a human woman of her stature. However, everyone’s eyes were on the show itself and no one noticed.

It was an old story that Reimu recognised right away, about a beautiful princess who was cursed with eternal sleep by the jealous queen of the youkai.

“Hey Sumire-oneesan,” said Eri, who had been watching the show intensely, her eyes wide. “Don’t you think the evil youkai-queen looks a bit like you?”

“She does, doesn’t she?” said Reimu, stifling a laugh. It was true. The voluptuous figure, the long hair, the proud way she stood. She was Yukari in silhouette.

The real Yukari clucked her tongue. “I know the show is intended for children, but there really is no excuse for such a lack of historical accuracy.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, for one thing, the princess was scarcely an innocent victim in all of this. The reason that I... well, that is to say, the evil queen, cursed her with eternal sleep was not due to some jealous tiff over a prince. The princess was a youkai exterminator, and a very cruel one at that, and...” Her voice dropped away. “Well, it’s a very long story.”

Eri’s eyes had gone wide, delighted at the grim story. “Wow, Sumire-oneesan. You know all sorts of stories. I think I like your one better.”

“Me too,” said Reimu, hiding her grin with a hand.

“Well,” said Yukari, reaching up and ruffling the girl’s hair. “I am ten years older than you, after all. When you’re as old as your big sister, you’ll know all sorts of stories as well.”

Reimu was too interested in watching the two of them to follow the rest of the play. She didn’t believe Yukari’s story for a moment, but she found the natural way she was behaving with Eri as adorable as it was surprising.

Soon applause rippled across the crowd and Reimu realised the play had come to an end.

“So the evil queen wasn’t really sent to Yomi with sealing magic?” asked Eri as Yukari leaned down so the girl could drop their coins in the little wooden box being held out by the puppeteer.

Yukari chuckled. “No, she just changed her name and went to live in the forest. I suppose it’s a little disappointing as an ending, though.”

Eri’s eyes were wide as she tried to imagine “So did she live happily ever after?”

Yukari’s smile was enigmatic. “That remains to be seen.”

There was a sudden hush as loud taiko drumming rippled over the crowd.

“It’s time for the ondo!” cried Eri, clapping her hands. She tapped Yukari on the shoulder and Yukari let her down.

“The ondo?” Panic flashed across the miko’s face.

“Oh, come now, Reimu,” said Yukari, taking her hand. “There’s no use trying to wiggle out of it. Every miko is trained to dance. Why, the ondo is originally an o-bon dance, anyway, so of course you already know it.”

“Well, that’s true, but...” Reimu shrugged. “Oh, never mind. I don’t have a choice, do I? The two of you will just gang up on me.”

Eri and Yukari both nodded.

They stepped out into the street as the music of the shamisen and the taiko started.

Yukari was right. She did know the dance. It had been a few years since she’d done it, but it came back to her almost straight away. Step to the left, clap, step to the right, clap, draw both hands down through the air, clap, kitty ears, repeat...

No one was exactly sure what the significance of the ‘kitty-ears’ bit was, but it was tradition, and the ondo wasn’t quite the same without it.

Reimu glanced across at where Yukari was dancing with Eri. She was surprised at how graceful Yukari was. She really seemed to be enjoying herself.

It was a side Reimu had never really seen in the gap youkai before. She seemed almost...

...normal.

Yukari caught her looking and winked at her. Reimu turned away, blushing.

When the ondo finished, Eri’s father came out of the crowd and swept the now-yawning little girl onto his shoulders. “I’ll get this little one out of your hair,” he said. “She’s probably due for bed, but I’ll let her watch the fireworks.” He bowed to Yukari. “Please let me know if you ever have need for a tailor, Miss Sumire. Beautiful clothes are the ideal complement to a beautiful woman, isn’t that how the saying goes?”

Eri stopped mid-yawn and pouted. “But I wanted to watch the fireworks with them!”

Her father smiled at her indulgently. “Now, you’ve had enough fun with your big sisters for one night. Let them spend some time together.”

“Will I see you again, onee-san?” asked Eri, rubbing her eyes.

Yukari patted her on the head. “Oh, I think you will.”

“Good night,” she said, before yawning a third and final time as her father bowed to them.

Yukari and Reimu waved as the two disappeared into the crowd.

“You know, Sumire,” said Reimu, a mischievous look on her face. “For a youkai, you make a pretty passable human.”

Yukari sniffed, but she was pleased. “I shall take that as a compliment.”

Reimu took Yukari to a little grassy slope that she knew of that was out of the crowds and would allow a clear view of the fireworks. When they arrived, Ran and Chen were already there. The two were snuggled up against each other, hand in hand.

Ran, startled by their approach, took her hand from Chen’s and quickly moved aside. “Ah! Lady Yukari, Reimu. We were just...”

But Chen had already got to her feet and was staring at the bag of goldfish in Yukari’s hand. “Yukari-sama, you played the goldfish game too?”

Yukari nodded. “So you didn’t win anything, Chen?”

Chen shook her head and grinned. “Oh no, I won five. But I ate them already.”

Yukari jerked the bag away from the little nekomata. “Well, these two are mine and I forbid you to eat them.”

“Aww.”

Yukari’s eyes met Ran’s and she arched her eyebrows.

“Oh, I just remembered,” said Ran, quickly. “Say, Chen, didn’t you say you wanted some cotton candy?”

The little shikigami’s eyes lit up. “But didn’t you say that...”

Ran jogged her with her elbow and smiled apologetically at Reimu and Yukari. “Please excuse us. We may be a little while. There was a long line at the stall last time I looked.”

With Ran and Chen gone, Reimu and Yukari lay back on the grassy slope and relaxed. It was a little oasis of peace in the noisy town. Around them flowed the distant sounds of the festival, the laughter and music unseen and somehow ghostly, as if coming to them from some dream-world.

“Coming to the festival was an excellent idea, Reimu,” said Yukari. “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much.”

“Well, it’s not quite over yet,” said Reimu from beside her. “The fireworks are the best bit. Do you know Marisa used to do them for the festival?”

“Is that so?” murmured Yukari, feigning interest. “She’s... she’s not here tonight, is she?”

“What? Oh no,” Reimu chuckled. “There was an unfortunate incident a few years back where she’d had a bit too much to drink before going up on her broomstick. About a dozen stalls got burnt up. Luckily, no one was injured, but people’s memories are long. She hasn’t done it for a while now.”

“If only you weren’t still recovering from your illness,” murmured Yukari. “I would have treated you to some shochu. Fireworks and sake go so well together.”

“It’s okay,” said Reimu. “It’ll be nice to watch them sober for once.”

Silence, and only the distant voices and drumming to break it.

Reimu turned over, leaning on her elbow. “Uh, Yukari?”

Yukari looked across at her. The miko’s face was serious.

“Yes?”

“What was that all about, earlier?”

“Earlier? Whatever do you mean?”

“You know what I mean. The whole locking yourself in your room thing.”

“Oh, that,” Yukari turned back over and stared up at the sky. “I... I suppose I was just feeling a little tired and emotional. Luckily, you were there to pull me out of it.”

“I was worried about you,” said Reimu. “It’s not like you to act like that.”

“No,” sighed Yukari. “I suppose it’s not.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Yukari glanced across at her. “Reimu, with you here by my side, how could I be anything else?”

Reimu frowned, then flushed red. “You’re back to normal, I think. You’ve started teasing me again.”

“I’m just being honest,” said Yukari. “Our friendship is a very precious to me, you know.”

“Our friendship?”

“Well, yes. We are friends, aren’t we?”

“Friends?” Reimu’s frown deepened. “You know, I’m really not sure.”

Yukari hid her nervousness under a teasing smile. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

“Well,” said Reimu. “I wonder if humans and youkai can really be friends. I am supposed to be a youkai exterminator after all. And you eat humans.”

“I’ve only ever eaten humans who deserved it,” said Yukari defensively. “So if we aren’t friends, what are we, then?”

Reimu sighed. “We’re just... well, we’re just us, I suppose.”

“When you put it that way,” murmured Yukari, relieved. “I don’t think I mind not being friends.”

She slipped her hand across the grass and took hold of Reimu’s. The miko said nothing, but neither did she make any move to remove her hand.

There was a sudden whistling hiss as one, two, three little sparkling comets streaked up into the night sky overhead. One after another they exploded into plumes of red and yellow and green, like blossoming flowers made of flame. The fireworks had begun.

Yukari sighed in delight. “No matter how long you live,” she breathed. “I don’t think you can ever get tired of fireworks.”

“They are beautiful,” Reimu agreed. The whole sky was afire now, the bursting of the rockets a steady beat of light and sound.

“But not as beautiful as you, Reimu,” said Yukari, squeezing her hand.

The miko snorted. “Sukima, you’re really...”

Suddenly Yukari was leaning over her, her face lit by the purple and red of the starbursts erupting across the sky.

Reimu stared up at her, nervous. What was she doing? Her face was so close! She could feel the youkai’s breath on her skin, smell its sweetness. She was close enough to kiss her, if she wanted to. All she had to do was lean in a little more...

Yukari closed her eyes.

Wait, was she really going to...? No!

Reimu had nowhere to flee, even if she’d had enough time and been in the right state of mind to try and do so. Yukari’s lips were already flush against her own. Warm and surprisingly soft, the breath between them hot, they parted as the youkai kissed her.

Reimu’s lips trembled as she felt Yukari’s tongue try to slip between them, but she made no move to kiss her back.

It felt like an eternity until Yukari broke the uncompleted kiss. Reimu lay there, licking the moisture from her lips and saying nothing.

Yukari lay back again. In the sky the fireworks continued to blaze. She glanced across at Reimu. The miko’s face was still upturned, her eyes focussed on the scintillating explosions bursting overhead.

“Reimu?”

“Mhm?”

“You’re... angry at me, aren’t you.”

Reimu’s voice betrayed no particular emotion. “Why?”

“For kissing you.”

Reimu didn’t look at her. “What? No, I’m... I was just a bit surprised, that’s all.”

“You didn’t try and escape this time, like you usually do.”

Reimu squinted as the fireworks reached their blazing crescendo overhead. “I didn’t really have anywhere to go. There wasn’t enough space to roll out from under you.”

“You didn’t like it?”

Reimu blinked, blushed red. “I... I didn’t say that.”

Yukari swallowed. “Well, then, ah...”

Reimu turned on her, eyes flashing. “Yukari, you’re not just teasing me this time, are you?”

Yukari’s eyes were wide, nervous. Reimu thought she looked as though she might run away at any second.

“No,” Yukari admitted. “I...” She turned her face away. “You know, you’d think that after a thousand years this sort of thing would get easier to do.”

“What kind of thing?”

Yukari turned back, her eyes suddenly intense. “Reimu, I like you.”

Reimu stared at her. Was Yukari... blushing? “Wait,” she said. “Yukari, are... are you confessing to me?”

“I’m trying to.”

Reimu sat up. “I... I don’t know what to say. I...”

Yukari shook her head. Her eyes were glistening with the beginnings of tears. “Forgive me, Reimu. I... I just had to let you know how I felt. I couldn’t stand it anymore. But... I already know why you can’t be with me.”

Reimu frowned at her. “And why’s that?’

Yukari lowered her gaze, her voice little more than a whisper. “Because you’re in love with Marisa.”

Reimu’s eyes went wide. Then she burst out laughing. “Marisa? Yukari, Marisa and I... well, we’re just friends.”

Yukari looked back up. “You don’t need to lie to me to spare my feelings.”

“I’m not. It’s true.”

“But... the two of you are so close.”

Reimu sighed. “We’re best friends, Yukari. That’s just what best friends are like.”

Yukari blinked. “I... I see.”

The miko’s eyes narrowed. “Is that why you’ve been so weird around Marisa lately?”

“I suppose it is.” She looked down at her feet. “So Reimu, you still haven’t said whether you...”

Reimu shook her head. “Look, Yukari. This is all happening pretty fast. I... I’m not really sure how I feel. I always assumed that you were just teasing me.”

Yukari sighed. “It’s my fault. I’m afraid I’ve never been very good at expressing my feelings.”

“Look, Yukari,” said Reimu quickly. “It’s not that I hate you or anything. It’s just that... I need a little time.”

“Of course,” said Yukari. She took a deep breath. The fireworks had finished and the pungent scent of the expended gunpowder was everywhere. Wisps of smoke were falling from the sky. She knew the moment had slipped away. She felt lost, bereft, but somehow free. What she’d said had been true: she hadn’t been able to keep it in any longer. And now, now that Reimu knew how she felt, that painful burden was gone. But in its place was an anxiety that was almost as bad.

“Well,” she said, getting to her feet. “I suppose, like your little friend Eri, we should be going home ourselves. It’s most definitely past my bedtime and little Reimu and Yukari need some fresh water. ” She dusted off her yukata and turned to Reimu, holding out her hand.

Reimu stared at it for a moment, then stepped forward and slipped her arms around Yukari’s waist, embracing her.

Yukari, surprised, hugged her back.

“Reimu?”

“Stupid,” muttered the miko, pulling her closer. “Stupid Yukari. How can you act so cold, right after confessing to someone?”

They stood there in the cold air.

“Yukari, look, whatever happens, I... I really enjoyed our date,” said Reimu, her voice soft, half-muffled by the collar of Yukari’s yukata.

“As did I,” murmured the youkai. Hugging Reimu she was reminded suddenly of how slight the girl was. She felt as though she could lift her up over her head if she wanted to. Really, with her flashing eyes and biting tongue tamed, she was just a girl, like any other.

No, not like any other.

Reimu looked up at her. “Yukari, the next time we meet...”

“Mmm?”

“It’s your turn, okay? To choose the place for our next date, I mean.”

“Oh? Of course.”

“Perhaps next time we could go somewhere a little quieter.”

Yukari glanced down the slope. She saw Ran and Chen down below in the crowd, eating cotton candy. Eri and her father were there as well, the little girl fast asleep on his shoulders.

“I see what you mean.” Yukari leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “Just say the word, Reimu, and I will be waiting for you.”

The miko looked up at her. She smiled and nodded.

“Well then,” said Yukari. “Shall we join the others? They look rather lost without us, after all.”

She offered her the crook of her arm. Reimu took it and together they walked down the slope.

-----

Yukari’s long blonde hair rippled about her face in the sharpness of the lunar wind as she turned to Reimu. “Reimu, I’m so sorry. This was not exactly the kind of date I had in mind.”

The suppressive fire from the Imperial Lunarian guard grew more intense. Great arcs of blue energy sprang up all about them and Reimu and Yukari were forced to duck and weave together to avoid the deadly barrage.

“I already told you,” said Reimu as she swept under a particularly thick bombardment alongside the youkai. “There’s no need to keep apologising. What I don’t understand is how the Lunarians could have built a doomsday device without anyone knowing about it.”

“The ways of Lord Tsukiyomi are indeed enigmatic,” said Yukari. Then she looked suddenly guilty. “Also, I may have tried to solve this problem on my own while you were sick.”

Reimu’s eyes flashed. “You’re not serious!”

Yukari avoided her gaze. “I’m afraid I am.”

The rebuilt Ray of Purification appeared on the horizon and the laser fire grew suddenly more violent. A blazing arc of fire swung up unexpectedly from a hidden division of rabbit soldiers and Reimu would have suffered the brunt of it had Yukari not grabbed her hand and wrenched her out of the way.

Reimu, gasping, her robes singed by the edge of the deadly attack, stared down at the youkai’s slender hand in her own. “Yukari, what are you-?”

“Oh, just the usual,” grinned the youkai. “Saving your li-”

Reimu, eyes wide, pulled Yukari against her just as a huge orb of destructive energy span past them, knocking off the youkai’s hat. It fell spinning to the earth, disintegrating into ashes as it did.

Reimu, still hand in hand with Yukari, turned to her and sighed. “I suppose it was too much to expect a quiet, incident-free date with you.”

“Well,” said the youkai. “We may not be friends, but we do make a good team, don’t you think?”

Reimu gazed at Yukari’s smiling face, so close to her own. Lit by the laser fire, it reminded her of that moment they’d shared beneath the fireworks. Teasing humour glinted in her wide violet eyes, her long blonde hair free and blowing about her face like an unruly halo.

She really was beautiful.

“You’re right,” said Reimu with a rueful smile. “I guess it really wouldn’t be ‘us’ unless the world was threatening to come to an end on our second date.”

There was a pause in the onslaught of laser-fire. Reimu darted forward and kissed her.

Yukari, eyes widening in shock, forgot everything else then. The black sky with its blazing stars, the knife-cold wind sweeping past them, the sound of laser-fire starting up anew: everything moved in slow motion, muted, like a dream. The only thing in her universe was the slender young woman pressed against her; that scent of hers she loved so much, the ghost of incense and of warm skin; the softness of her lips and the hot wetness of the tip of her tongue sliding against her own.

Reimu kissed her deeply and Yukari kissed her back.

Then time resumed. The two broke the kiss, moved apart as beams of deadly energy speared up between them. They darted apart momentarily, ducking in and out of the vicious rain of enemy fire, before coming back together.

“Was that a kiss for luck?” asked Yukari, bringing a finger to her lips. They still tingled with the memory of Reimu’s own.

The miko snorted. “You know I don’t believe in luck.”

“Then whyever did you...?”

“Ever since the festival I’ve regretted not kissing you back,” said Reimu. “I wanted to make it up to you.” Her face grew suddenly shy. “Was... was it okay?”

Yukari sighed. “I enjoyed it very much.”

A deep blush flooded Reimu’s cheeks. She looked across at Yukari, her eyes shining. “Once we’ve stopped this invasion, why don’t you come to the shrine for tea? There’s a lot I have to tell you... Yukarin.”

Yukarin.

Yukari blinked in surprise. Then she grinned.

She took Reimu’s hand and together they dived down through the rising veil of laser fire.

The End