~Author's Note~
I'm quite proud of these. Enjoy.
~Drabbles of Praise~
It was a soggy, rainy day, so Sanae went out to jump in puddles.
"Wheeee!" giggled Sanae, making a huge splash. "Thanks, Kanako! That puddle was great!"
She jumped in a muddier one, staining her stockings deep brown. "Ooh, wow! You outdid yourself here, Suwako!"
"Oh, Kuraokami, you shouldn't have!" she added as she danced around in the muddy water.
Sheltering in the shrine, Kanako scowled. "Where's she get off thanking him? I'm the storm goddess around these parts…"
Suwako shrugged. "I don't mind. Although," she sighed, picking up some discarded frog shaped wellies, "I wish she wouldn't forget these."
That cold day was also Minoriko's birthday, and she came home from waterproofing crops to the warm, homely smell of baked goods.
A cake was on the table. Minoriko's eyes lit up. "Oh, Shizuha, you shouldn't have!"
"Come on, I know we argue sometimes, but we're sisters! I love you!" Shizuha kissed Minoriko's freckled cheek. "Go on, try a slice!"
Minoriko tried a slice. It tasted like sweet potatoes.
"It's good!" gushed Minoriko. "I didn't know you baked, though."
Shizuha laughed. "I don't! But you know what? Fake it 'till you cake… No, cake it till you… bake it? Oh, nuts."
"We're goddesses, right?"
"We are."
"Then why does nobody like us?" pondered Jo'on.
Shion raised her eyebrows. "Gee, I don't know… Because we bring misfortune?"
"It feels wrong," sighed Jo'on. "People should be fearing us, bowing before us, doing everything we say because we'll torture them for eternity if they don't! That'd be the life…"
"Sister, we're not that type of goddess. I keep telling you, we're not almighty supreme beings who rule over all, we're kami! Natural spirits who embody concepts!" snapped Shion. "I mean, it's almost as if we shouldn't be viewed through the lens of western religion…"
"I've been wondering," said Ichirin, pushing aside her drink, "what exactly is the Tao?"
"Hmmm…" Futo finished her raspberry torte while she pondered. "How can I put this? The Tao is a path. The Way, it was once called, and we follow it through virtue, meditation, harmony with nature and working towards spiritual immortality."
Ichirin's eyes widened. "But Budhhism is also a path involving meditation, virtuous behaviour, harmony with nature and the quest for nirvana!"
"Really?" cried Futo "Then why do we fight?!"
"Because Taoists don't care what Byakuren has to say and Budhhists don't live the way Miko wants…"
"Brought you a drink."
Reimu deposited a bowl of wine on the altar and bowed. When she looked up, nothing had happened.
"I hope you're all right in there," Reimu said to the empty, lifeless altar.
"Gensokyo hasn't been destroyed, if you were wondering. I'm well. Marisa's got an ear infection, though…"
"Am I just talking to myself? Nobody's ever seen you." Reimu sighed. "What am I doing here? Dusting the same decking, dancing the same dances… Am I just a marionette, going through an eternal routine?!"
Inside the orb nestled in Reimu's pocket, Mima struggled not to laugh.