"They picked quite the spot for this, didn't they?"
Keine had to take a break on her journey up the mountain path, leaning on a nearby stone to catch her breath. It made sense they'd pick somewhere well away from any lakes and rivers, but it certainly didn't make visiting very convenient.
Once the altitude sickness had passed, she started on the last leg of her trip up the mountain. Eventually she found a small passageway leading into a secluded cavern, something she'd have never noticed if she wasn't looking for it. Gensokyo was full of beautiful secrets like this, rewards for youkai curious enough to hunt them down.
The kappa called it the Cave of Lights, and it was easy to guess why. Every wall was lined with dozens – no, hundreds of radiant crystals that fought for her attention. There was no natural light source in here, but when one stone shone its light bounced through to all its neighbours. She'd seen them shimmer long into the night, well after darkness had fallen for the rest of Gensokyo.
"Hmm hmmm~"
A familiar whistle told Keine where to look next. She found Nakari picking at a side wall, eyeing an embedded crystal with blatant avarice. A long strip of duct tape held her helmet together, but the lamp still wobbled every time she moved her head.
"Liking your new home, I presume?"
Nakari squeaked, swinging around with her pickaxe at the ready. "Oh, miss Keine! It's just you." She lowered her weapon, then tried to hide it behind her back. "Sorry. Gotta watch out for new youkai stepping on my turf."
"They'd have to find it first." Keine's eyes skimmed approvingly across the cavern. "Think you can make a new collection out of this?"
"Oh, definitely. Better than the last one, even." The canary pouted. "It's weird, though. I tried to bring a shiny with me when we were leaving the mine, but I've got no clue where it went. You think I lost it somehow?"
"I, uh...I guess so." Keine turned her gaze away. "It's not like anything else could have happened to it, right?"
Nakari nodded along, her expression still a little wistful. There was no way Keine could tell her she'd blown up the last crystal on purpose. Even if it had been necessary to save her life, it would still break the poor girl's heart.
"It was nice of the kappa to let me have this place, though." The canary brushed off the thought, straightening out her battered helmet. "They seem like really nice people."
"I think it's the least they could do after nearly killing you." Keine grumbled. "But at least it seems like they've learned their lesson from this. And more importantly, you're still with us."
"Yeah." Nakari rubbed at her arm. "I don't think I ever thanked you for that. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it," Keine said. "It's fine."
"It isn't, though." Nakari tensed as old memories came back to her. "When all that water started rushing in...honestly, it was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me." She looked up at Keine. "But when you said you'd rescue me, I felt like I could trust you. If it had been anyone else, I don't think I would have made it out."
Keine was quiet for a moment. She felt like Nakari would place a lot of weight on whatever she said next, so she wanted to choose her words with care.
"I know what you're talking about." Keine's eyes hardened. "When I saw Jiro's blood at the bottom of the elevator shaft, I felt like the world had stopped spinning. It was my job to protect him, and in that moment I thought that I'd failed."
She smiled brightly. "But thanks to you, none of the things I was scared of ended up happening. You probably think I'm some sort of superhero, but the truth is that you helped me as much as I helped you. As far as I'm concerned, that makes us even."
She placed her hand on Nakari's shoulder. "So let's leave the past where it belongs, okay? You've got more important things to worry about. Like getting those rocks into those grubby hands of yours."
Nakari gasped, her wings fanning out behind her. Then she nodded furiously, meeting Keine's smile with one of her own.
"You've got it, miss Keine," she said. "My new collection is gonna make the last one look like pebbles on the riverbank. It's gonna bring in tourists from all over Gensokyo. I can see the headline now – Local Canary Wows Audience With Her Super-Sparkly Brilliance!" She blushed for a moment. "Y-You can come see it any time you want, though. Since you're a friend and all."
"That's the spirit."
Keine felt a weight rise off of her shoulders. Nakari was at her best when she focused on what she cared about. If Keine could support her in doing what she loved, she'd offer all the help she could.
"On that note, one of the kappa came to talk to me today." Nakari's wings flapped giddily behind her back. "She said she was working on a drill that'd make my digging way easier. And she's even gonna give it to me for free! All I'd have to do is work in her factory for a month or seven, and-"
Keine groaned. Apparently the kappa hadn't learned from all of their mistakes.
"Nakari, I think we need to talk about your business sense..."