Work Text:
Today, Moriya Shrine was closed to the general public.
It's rare that they would do such a thing, but not unheard of.
While normally this meant that either Kanako was working in her reactor on something important, needing the others to leave their post and help her, or there was some sort of incident going on, this time it was a special occasion. A family dinner.
An important family dinner, which had Kanako pacing around in front of the Shrine’s grounds, worriedly. The divine spirit had her arms crossed while walking in circles, mumbling things to herself as the grip on her own arms tightened and her brow furrowed further. It all stopped as she felt a hand on her back, belonging to her spouse.
“Not feeling it?” The native god asked with a pat, before letting go and stretching their arms a bit, fixing their hat slightly.
“I knew this day would come someday.” Kanako sighed, now frowning less as she relaxed her grip. “And while I’m happy for her, I can’t help but question…”
“Yep. Who woulda thunk our little girl would finally do it, eh?” Suwako snickered after cutting in, looking up at her beloved. “C’mon now. Let’s greet ‘em with a smile, yeah? At least we know who to expect.”
“... I guess so.” The divine spirit shook her head slightly, looking down at Suwako and then taking a deep breath. Was she overdoing it? Most definitely. But she couldn’t help it. For many reasons.
As the two gods stared forward, two small figures in the sky began to approach. Those belonging to their shrine maiden Sanae Kochiya, and the red-white Reimu Hakurei. In no time, they had already landed in front of the other two, their faces showing clear nervousness.
The air suddenly got a bit tense as the gods stared at the shrine maidens.
“Lady Kanako, Lady Suwako.” Sanae, the first to speak, took a bow in front of them.
The gods nodded, waiting for her to continue.
Reimu, who had landed a few paces behind the green-haired girl, suddenly walked forward to place herself next to her, taking her hand with hers.
Sanae took a deep breath. “I'd like to introduce Reimu again… as my girlfriend.”
“Thank you for having me.” The red-white added, bowing herself.
Kanako breathed in, about to speak, until suddenly Suwako cut her off “Was about time you brought a girl home, eh Sanae?” she snickered, ruffling Sanae's hair. “Now c'mon, let's go inside, I'm starving.” The native god finished, turning around with their hands behind their head.
The two shrine maidens turned to look at the other god, who continued to stare at them.
“... Yes, let's eat. I will prepare something quickly.” the divine spirit said, turning her head away to follow her partner, though she was quickly stopped by Sanae's hand tapping her shoulder.
“Uh, actually, Reimu and me, we…” she twiddled her fingers, looking down as she explained. “We wanted to, um…”
“We'll take care of the cooking.” Reimu finished, walking next to her. “Together.”
“Oh?” Kanako raises an eyebrow, looking at Sanae for confirmation.
The girl nodded, scratching her cheek embarrassedly. “Y- Yeah… Thanks Reimu.”
“There really was no need to get nervous over that, was there..?” Reimu retorted.
“Eeeh, the atmosphere has just been so tense, it felt awkward, okay?” Sanae whined, turning to face Reimu as she puffed her cheeks.
The red shrine maiden chuckled, before suddenly flicking the other's forehead, letting out a cute noise as she whined from the hit, though her frown quickly turned into a smile as she stared at the one she loved. Reimu still had a smirk on her face… which was quickly wiped away as her arm was suddenly grabbed and yanked by Kanako, who hadn't yet left.
“Is this how you treat our Sanae?” The angry divine spirit asked, her snake-like eyes staring into Reimu as the grip on her arm tightened a bit, the red shrine maiden’s eyes widening as Kanako’s intimidating presence froze her on the spot.
“Wha- Lady Kanako!?” Sanae pulled on the god's other arm in a quick panic. “Let her go! She didn't hurt me- We were just joking around!” The other shrine maiden nodded at this, wincing in pain a bit from the grip. “Please, don't hurt Reimu…”
Kanako's gaze fell on the pleading girl, her words making her face soften up a little. She let go of the other. “... Forgive my actions. I overreacted.” She said, quickly turning around once more and walking inside. “I'll be waiting for the meal.”
Sanae rushed over to her girlfriend’s side to make sure she was okay, with the other just rubbing her arm in pain and giving a thumbs up, as the god did not really go out of her way to really harm her. Meanwhile, the divine spirit entered the shrine, greeted by a frog resting on the table by laying down on its back, arms still behind its head.
“They were flirting, Kana.” The frog croaked, almost mischievously. “You gotta treat our guests nicely!”
Kanako didn't reply at first, sitting down next to the frog as she looked up at the ceiling, letting out another sigh. “I don't like it.”
“The kid? Oh c'mon, she's not that bad. We've had our differences, but she ain't-”
“No, not her. I meant…” Kanako leaned her head to the side a bit to look outside, seeing the two shrine maidens still there, Reimu waving dismissively as Sanae pleaded over something. “... This.”
The frog flopped over. “Things are-a changin’.”
“I know.”
“We oughta support her.”
“We will.”
The frog hopped up towards the god, jumping on her arm and then her shoulder, patting her cheek. The god softly squished the frog in return.
Time passed, as it tends to do, and Kanako now found herself in front of the food prepared by the two girls. She locked eyes with Reimu momentarily, but the latter looked away quickly, not wanting to incite anything again. Suwako, now back in their humanoid form and next to the other god, tapped the glass as she sensed the tension in the air.
“I’d like to propose a toast.” They smirked. “To our cooks, shrine maidens and lovebirds.”
“Lady Suwako…” Sanae whined embarrassedly, while Reimu, who just finished pouring some juice for her, sat down next to her.
“Said it before, but it really was about time, eh?” The native god continued. “‘Specially with Reimu there. You wouldn’t BELIEVE how much she talked about you before getting together.”
“Yeah, well…” Reimu nervously chuckled, “According to everyone else, I was an idiot to not notice sooner.”
“Ugh… Was I really that obvious?” the other shrine maiden pouted.
“You wouldn’t stop talking about her every time you came back from anything involving her!” Suwako leaned back a bit. “With all that yearnin’ and no pullin’ moves, Kana ‘n I were worried you wouldn’t leave us any descendants!”
Sanae spat out her juice. “Lady Suwako!!!” she screamed this time, her cheeks flushing to match her girlfriend’s clothes.
“Er, we wouldn’t really be able to- Nevermind that.” Reimu cleared her throat, pouring some sake for herself.
“Ah, but this is Gensokyo, you know? Anything can happen, so why-”
“Is your shrine unguarded?” Kanako suddenly spoke up, cutting Suwako off.
“Oh, uh.” The red shrine maiden’s face stiffened a little. “Aunn’s always there. And I told Marisa to hold the fort down while I was away too.”
“And you trust her enough to do so..?” the divine spirit raised an eyebrow. “Whatever. As long as you’re sure.”
“Marisa’s trustworthy, Lady Kanako…” Sanae pitched in.
“C’mon, don’t worry the kids.” Suwako added.
“It’s okay, it’s a fair question. I’m not really worried either way, I’ll just beat up whoever tries something when I come back” Reimu confidently said, nodding.
“Speaking off.” Kanako continued. “You seem to be behaving unusually tonight. I’m not used to this side of yours.”
While the native god and her shrine maiden tilted their head at that, Reimu understood what the question meant immediately, and simply shrugged in return. “Normally we meet when there’s an incident going on or when you’re up to something, so…”
“Up to something, she says…” the god scoffed. “Still, such nervousness doesn’t befit you.”
“The situation’s different…” the red shrine maiden continued, as she took Sanae’s hand. “I’ve never really been in a relationship before, and being here to be a part of this “family dinner” is a bit…”
Kanako didn’t have a way to retort that answer, so Suwako decided to speak up once again. “Well, glad we settled that out! What were the two of you up to before coming over?”
“Ah! Me and Reimu went to the hotsprings for a bit!” the green-haired shrine maiden perked up as she explained.
“Though we ended up having to chase some vengeful spirits that escaped instead of doing any relaxing…” Reimu frowned in annoyance as she recalled the experience.
“Sounds about right!” the native god snickered. “Plannin’ on trying again after dinner?”
“Maybe! But, uh…” Sanae looked over at Reimu, before looking back at the two gods. “I was actually hoping Reimu could stay the night..?”
“Hmm? Su-”
“Absolutely not.” Kanako cut her partner off again.
Suwako turned towards her with a small frown, clearly disappointed, while Sanae opened her mouth to object, but quickly closed it to look away.
“Do you want me to leave?” Reimu suddenly got up to ask, seeming quite annoyed. “All you’ve done since I’ve arrived is insult me. It’s infuriating. Are you asking for a fight?”
“Reimu…” the green-haired shrine maiden tugged on her clothes.
“Oho? Are you about to cause a scene?” the divine spirit crossed her arms, standing up as well. “You would do well to think again. It would leave quite the bad impression if you attacked our shrine when we’re publicly closed for the day! I wonder what the tengu would think about it.”
“I’ll show you a scene-!” Reimu yelled in anger, though before she could do anything, someone suddenly stood in front of her.
“Stop! Stop fighting!” Sanae yelled. “Reimu! I understand that you’re upset, but please! Behave yourself!”
While the red shrine maiden grumbled, the divine spirit smirked- Until her own shrine maiden pointed at her. “And YOU, Lady Kanako… You’re acting out of line! Reimu’s in the right, you know? All you’ve done since she’s arrived is be rude!”
Kanako blinked, not expecting Sanae to lash out at her as well. “But- Sanae, I-” she stopped herself. She couldn’t really explain why she acted this way. Not to her, at least. Kanako looked around the room, with everyone staring at her… and fled.
Before Sanae could say anything, Suwako raised her hand to signal they’d take care of it.
And so, the native god chased after the divine spirit, who hadn’t run off very far.
They found her staring at the orange sky, watching the sun fall.
Suwako didn’t say anything yet. She approached her partner slowly, and put an arm around her. They knew why she was acting out in this way, so there really was no need to ask. All she could do now is provide some comfort.
Kanako leaned into Suwako a bit.
“Always one to worry.” the native god looked up to see her beloved’s face.
“... Soon enough, she’ll be gone.” the divine spirit spoke up, still absorbed into the picturesque setting the sky was painting.
“Birds will leave their nest when they’re ready.”
“And that moment comes closer every day.” Kanako sighed. “Our little Sanae’s gotten so big…”
“She has.” Suwako rubbed her back. “But you can’t be acting that way. She’ll probably forgive you, but you really pissed the other kid.”
Kanako looked down.
“We can’t freeze time and have her be that little kid forever.” the native god continued. “She’s beginning to take her own paths in life, and soon enough she may not need us. But that’s life.”
“I know.” the divine spirit softly replied, closing her eyes for a second before turning towards Suwako. “It doesn’t get any easier, however.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Suwako reached over to hold her partner’s cheek in her hand, with Kanako leaning into it this time, holding their hand with her own.
The world seemed to freeze for a bit, as the two gods stayed that way for a bit. The divine spirit had many worries, she always had. She worried about Suwako disappearing, she worried about the shrine, she worried about Sanae… It was very different to Suwako, who just went with the flow, without a worry in the world. But of course, this was due to her having been a human in the past. A god from the Myriad doesn’t understand the need to worry. But now that they were together, Suwako always did their best to understand Kanako. And that’s why she loved them.
“Let’s go.” Kanako let go. “I need to apologize.”
Suwako nodded, and the two began to head back. Despite what happened, it seemed Reimu hadn’t left yet, as she was talking to Sanae with a small, soft smile. The moment Kanako arrived, however, Reimu’s face scrunched up a bit, and Sanae grabbed her arm just in case.
The god stepped forward, her expression being considerably softer to her than before, as she pointed at her. “Reimu” She began, pausing briefly to find the right words “I owe you an apology. I’ve been unnecessarily rude towards you. Please forgive me.”
Reimu folded her arms, eyeing the god carefully, though she was quick to just sigh and nod at her words. “Apology accepted. I didn’t mean to snap back then either.”
Sanae’s face lit up as she watched the exchange, mumbling a small “Thank goodness” as she let go of her girlfriend’s arm.
Kanako looked at the other shrine maiden, who seemed relieved everything had gone smoothly. Her attention turned back to the red one, as her commanding tone softened up once again, and her motherly side came out instead. “Make sure you treat her well.”
“I will.” Reimu simply replied with a nod, the other shrine maiden next to her smiling with her hands clutching her chest.
“Good. Now, let’s finish eating so you lovebirds can do whatever you have planned tonight.” The divine spirit finally teased, letting out a hearty chuckle. “Though try to be as quiet as you can, the walls are thin.”
“Wh- Lady Kanako, you too?!” Sanae exclaimed as she turned red again, causing Suwako to join in on the laughter.
Everyone went back to the family dinner, with the heavy mood having been completely lifted. Suwako and Kanako kept teasing the two shrine maidens, causing Sanae to almost think the previous conversations were much preferable. Reimu seemed to ease into it as well, though she didn’t seem stoked with much of what was said about them.
Eventually, the food was finished, and when everything was cleaned up, Sanae led Reimu to her room, and the gods stayed where they were, deciding to drink together some more.
“She really ain’t that bad.” Suwako poured herself a cup. “She’ll do our girl right.”
“... Truthfully, I’m glad it was someone like Reimu.” Kanako took a big swig of her cup. “Perhaps now she’ll think about merging shrines…”
“It’s always a new business opportunity, eh?”
“Of course! Though our shrine is already doing much better, so it’s more like we’re doing her a favor!”
The gods laughed together for a while, until Suwako suddenly stood up, already feeling the buzz.
“I’m gonna go get some more sake…” She mumbled, walking off and leaving the divine spirit alone.
“... I’m proud of you, Sanae. I can’t wait to see you grow further.” Kanako mused to herself, leaning back a bit with her hands on the floor. She almost began to close her eyes, until the native god suddenly rushed back.
“Kana, shhh, quickly, come look!”
Kanako raised an eyebrow, allowing herself to be dragged along by her partner, as the two gods quietly hurried over in front of the door to Sanae’s room, which was slightly ajar. Understanding what Suwako meant, the divine spirit carefully peeked inside, not wanting to be caught.
Under the glow of the moonlight coming down through the open window, Sanae and Reimu stood at the center of the room, embracing. They seemed lost in the moment, looking at each other’s eyes. Reimu was the first to lean closer, and…
Their lips met, locked into a deep kiss.
Kanako pulled away from the door, staring at Suwako, who had a big grin on her face.
Before she could say anything, however, the native god reached out to grab Kanako’s hand, tugging her back to the main room. The same moonlight spilled in that room’s window.
“Think we should give them pointers?” Suwako teased, breaking the quiet.
Kanako chuckled. “We’ll let them figure it out themselves.”
The native god snickered as well. The two stared at each other for a while, and without another word, Suwako suddenly kissed her partner, her arms wrapping around the other’s neck as she pressed her whole petite body against the larger god.
The other god kissed back, of course, allowing her worries to melt once more, and the two stayed like that for a while.
The shrine would change, as all things did. But one right remained constant. Kanako’s love for Suwako, her partner, and Sanae, who’s journey she was excited to see where it may lead.