When Reimu had awakened, she had had rushed to see Ran. It was no doubt that Ran and the pups were elated to see her again. She had grown some, as I would observe, and seemed to have gotten chubbier than the last I've seen her. Chen, like before, had ignored her. She hadn't changed much, as she responded in kind, and went right for the pups, finding a joyful romp with long-missed playmates.

It seemed she could't wait for playtime and neither could they, romping around the house and the area outside. Shutome watched from the window, smoking a kiseru, observing at how little the child changed. She wasn't lying, actually, Reimu really hadn't changed much. Her mind didn't seem to be altered and neither did her sweethearted disposition. At least, she hadn't lost that in life full of potential hardship.

She was determined, determined like a calendula in the coldest of winter. Most things, human and youkai alike, are typically so weak, weak enough not to persist in times where they will mostly have hardship. It is a most desired trait to be strong and optimistic against hardship like a calendula in the coldest of winter. Frankly, even though she doesn't much look like the sunny flower, she most certainly is rather sunny like one.

I suppose Shutome is probably musing one that. Of course, she probably would't compare herself to calendula. I haven't much a flower to compare her to and she probably wouldn't compare herself to one. Not any that I could think of. Wistfully, she looked out of the window, watching the child, noting how happy she seems. She then went on to say how she couldn't remember the last time she had smiled that brightly.

In all the time I had seen Shutome, I don't recall her smiling too much. She smiled a few times, yes, but I don't recall her smiling or being happy like the child is. I always remembered her with a faraway look in her eyes and she always seemed to be sorrowful or, to the slightest bit, sad. Tsuma had told me that she always remembered her sad and that her life wasn't a happy one but she couldn't remember the specifics as to why, however, as a child, she figured that she lived rather nicely and living nicely makes people happy.

I suppose such a life would make anyone happy, however, it didn't make her happy. Ran never quite did tell me how of why it didn't make her happy but did say that Shutome had resigned herself to not being wanted or, rather, to being passed around. I never did understand what she meant.

In terms of flowers, Ran said she would compare her to a higanbana, which is to say, she would note her as being "defiant". I wasn't really sure as to how they were "defiant", then again, lycoris flowers tend grow in times when other flowers refused to grow, which is to say, they tend to bloom in the events of natural disasters and choas and during the fall, as warmth fades and the cool starts. Actually, they have known to withstand many things with exception of frost. I suppose she was "defiant" as Tsuma would put it, as she refused to bend to winds and the autumn cool.

I suppose it would be that Reimu, with a sunny disposition, remains a calendula, while Shutome, with her defiance, a lycoris.

Was working on other projects, forgot about this one for awhile.

Sorry.

-Amoridere