Disclaimer: I do not own Touhou Project.

It was raining outside. The only sound to be heard inside the shrine was the loud pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the earth like a multitude of bullets fired from the sky.

Cirno knew this quite well, as she was staring outside the shrine window with a solemn expression, but she still wanted to go out and play. She had just purchased a new ball and everything. It was nice of the miko girl to take her in for the night, although she had nothing to provide even the slightest bit of entertainment. It hardly ever rained in Gensokyo, so maybe it was because of lack of preparation that explained it.

"Reimu-chan...I'm boooored..." loudly moaned the ice fairy. She laid down onto the floor and curled up into a fetal position.

Reimu Harukei glanced up from her boiling-hot cup of tea. "I know, Cirno-chan, but if you go outside while it's pouring like this, you'll catch a cold or even worse!" she explained with a slight grin.

"What?!" Cirno gasped, sitting up, "What could be even worse?!"

"You could get pneumonia and die."

Cirno's face went pale for a moment, but then she put on a rather haughty smirk. "Ha! Nothing like that pneumonia stuff can kill me! I AM the strongest, after all!" she proclaimed in a proud manner with her hands firmly on her waist. Reimu chuckled.

"Heh; you may be right,"

"Besides, can't I just freeze all the rain with my powers?"

"If you did that, you'd probably end up causing a massive icicle shower that would result in destroying all of Gensokyo!" Reimu had been joking when she said this, but the look on Cirno's face that followed made her feel like she may have made a fatal mistake in saying it.

Fortunately, the young sprite passed over the idea without much more thought. "Ah, well..." Lying back down again, Cirno spread her arms and legs out and kept her eyes glued to the ceiling. A heavy silence lingered in the air for a good three minutes or so. Reimu continued to drink her tea, and Cirno just thought quietly to herself. The rain seemed to only pick up the pace as time went on.

"Can't I just freeze it a little-"

"No."

"..."

"..."

"...Please?"

"Absolutely not."

Cirno rolled over onto her side. She had never been so bored in her entire life. She stared up anxiously at Reimu for a while, who in turn stared right back. The candlelight flickered violently, causing the shadows to suddenly scatter like a bundle of leaves blown away by a gust of wind. Sighing, Reimu leaned forward in her chair to carefully place her tea cup down onto the table. She had been pondering this entire time so far whether or not to put her hidden plan into action, but now it seemed like as good of a time as any. It's true about what they say that desperation can drive people to do crazy things.

"I have an idea! How would you like to play a game to pass the time, Cirno-chan?" the shrine maiden suggested just as the ice fairy was about to drift off into sleep due to boredom. This was the trigger to reawakening Cirno's energetic side again. The wheels in Reimu's head were beginning to turn hastily now; she knew this might be her only chance to fulfill one of her greatest desires. She couldn't afford to mess this up, even if she wanted to.

"What? Sure! Okay! I'm the best at playing games in the whole world!" proclaimed Cirno, pushing herself up into a seated position. A clock chime in the background told the two girls that it was now 8 in the afternoon.

"Oh, that's a relief to hear! Then I'm positive you'll be able to win this game!"

Reimu climbed out of her chair and sat down on the floor in front of Cirno. She slowly placed her palms upon Cirno's hands, and grasped them tightly. A faint blush arose on Cirno's cheeks as the warmth of Reimu's hands flowed up her fingers and into her arms. Reimu's face was only inches away from Cirno's, and she was wore a grin that was almost considered psychotic. The heavy breaths she let out brushed against Cirno's skin.

"Ummm...R-Reimu, what IS this game called?" Cirno meekly inquired.

"You'll understand everything in a moment, my dear Cirno..." whispered Reimu in response. She drew closer, and closer, which in turn made Cirno pull back further and further. The miko licked her lips hungrily, which only heightened Cirno's confusion and fear. Reimu's grip on her hands was too strong for her to escape. Her heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest. Her whole body was shaking like crazy. She closed her eyes, and opened her mouth to scream...but only paused as she felt something hard press against her cheek. Cirno peered out with one eye, and realized that Reimu had tapped her with what appeared to be a CD-ROM container for the new Touhou Project game that came out several weeks ago.

"You beat this game a few days back, right, you said?" Reimu asked, her expression serious.

Still in a state of paralyzing shock, Cirno could only nod her head in response.

"Can you help me beat it? I keep dying on the third level, and it's really frustrating me. The main reason I invited you over here is to help me win the damn game."

"...Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Oh...s-s-sure, I'll help..." Cirno took in a deep breath, and then cried, as if to reassure herself, "I'm smart enough to do it!"

For the rest of that rainy night, Cirno and Reimu played Touhou Project, although the ice fairy continued to remain extremely wary of the miko for quite some time afterward...which was understandable, as Reimu actually had a bit of a loli obsession that she kept well-hidden from the other residents of Gensokyo.

Cirno was her favorite even if she was kind of annoying.