Chapter 2

Reimu woke up with a start. Squinting in the faint grey darkness, she rolled her head around to find her digital clock. One of the good points about Yukari (and there were not many) was that she brought in tons of things from the Outside World. More often than not, though, they were things that Reimu was not familiar with. Of course, she expected Reimu "to pay" for them, which usually meant physical affection or nuzzling from the gap youkai. But Yukari had helped Reimu set up the clock, and it more or less became a part of her morning wakeup routine. It was also one of the few things the shrine's electricity (as provided by the kappas) was used for. She saw that it was 5:49, almost 6:00 am. Neither time to wake up or go back to sleep. She faced upwards and stared at the ceiling.

Beside her, she felt slight movement under the covers. Reimu made a small smile. Slowly, she towards her lover. Sanae was still asleep, her face turned towards hers. Reimu watched the rise and fall of her body. Even in the darkness, she could make out the curvy and shapely outline. She gently reached over with one hand and stroked Sanae's green, silky hair. The sleeping girl sighed peacefully.

It has been two days since the two mikos confessed their love for each other. Although not much has changed in terms of their activities (they still do everything together), every time their eyes met, one girl would blush in embarrassment as the other hugged her or gave a quick kiss. For once, Reimu was grateful that humans and youkai generally avoided her shrine. She relished the time she spent with Sanae without being interrupted by anyone. Even Marisa had not come by yet since that disastrous night.

Today, after finishing their morning duties, they were going up to the Moriya Shrine. Sanae wanted to check up on them again and wanted Reimu to go with her. Reimu reluctantly agreed. Although willing to do anything for her green haired lover, she was nervous about meeting them. Facing two goddesses was one thing; facing two goddesses who had a missing shrine maiden for the past two weeks was another. Not to mention, Sanae had told her that they knew she loved her. Sanae assured her that the Suwako-sama would be delighted to see that they were together now ("But Kanako-sama might, um, be a little bit over-protective of me when I come back with you," Sanae said). Although it put Reimu more at ease knowing that at least one goddess would be happy for them, she still wasn't sure what the goddesses will do or think of her.

It was 6:28 am now. Almost time to get up. Sanae insisted on an early rise today, so Reimu complied. Slowly getting out of the covers, she turned off the clock alarm before it can ring and went to wake up the green-haired beauty. She gently nudged her.

"It's time to wake up, Sanae." She stirred a little and opened her eyes. Pushing herself up with one arm, she got into sitting position and yawned.

"Good morning, Reimu," she said sleepily. Reimu smiled and gently kissed her on the cheek. The two girls changed out of their sleepwear with their backs to each other and put on their recognizable shrine maiden clothing. Reimu stole a peek at Sanae and watched as she put on her arm sleeves. She saw her put them on and tie them with blue string, her ample chest bouncing a little. Instinctively, she put her own hands to her own chest and blushed a deep red. It would be appropriate to believe that she was jealous of Sanae's voluptuous body, but in reality it sent her heart racing for the other girl. She took a few, slow, deep breaths to calm her nerves down. Then she felt two wondrous sensations on her back.

"Reimu~, are you ready yet?" Sanae pressed her chest into Reimu. She knew well enough that she had peeked earlier in order to gape at her body. Reimu awkwardly stiffened, and her heart pounded harder.

"S-Sanae! Your b-bre-!" The green, playful shrine maiden giggled.

"I'll go ahead and breakfast for us." Sanae let go of Reimu, but as she left their room, she casually glanced backward and blew a light kiss.

"See you in a bit, Reimu~." With a swish of blue and white clothing, she was gone. Reimu collapsed in a blissful heap.

Pi~chun.

Ah, how she loved Sanae.

Breakfast passed in a way that was normal for two flirting and love struck mikos. The morning sweeping was done in record time, and the kami was hastily given a food offering. Near midday, Sanae and Reimu were finally ready to go to the Moriya Shrine. They gently rose into the air and flew towards Youkai Mountain.

"Oh, I hope they didn't miss me too much." Sanae said worriedly, not losing her voice to the wind rushing past them.

"I was wondering, how is it that they let you stay with me?" Reimu asked. The wind avoided her altogether.

"Ahaa. Uhm, well, you see…" Sanae said timidly. As the green and blue shrine maiden stumbled through her words, Reimu realized what she was getting at.

"You performed some miracles." Sanae nearly dropped in flight but quickly recovered.

"W-well, some things happened the day I went to live with you. And I don't think they were miracles, per se," she said, "But Kanako-sama, ah, experienced quite a bit of misfortune. A few of the large pillars somehow fell on her, and Hina spun right into her from out of nowhere…and then there was that sudden hurricane on Youkai Mountain after I left…" Sanae said as her voice dwindled into unease. Reimu flew closer to her and gently took one of Sanae's hands.

"Hey now, if a goddess could make a hell raven go nuclear, then I think she is fine." Sanae nodded and her expression softened a little. The two flew the rest of the way in silence. When they saw the first glimpse of Moriya Shrine with its large pillars, Sanae's face brightened, and they sped up a little. They passed over the forests of Youkai Mountain and the waterfalls with relative ease. There were no youkai, fairies, or goddesses to be seen either, giving the colorful couple a wide berth. Soon, they were at the first stone steps leading up to the shrine.

As they ascended, a strange thought occurred to Reimu. If Sanae could perform miracles, was her love also a miracle? Did she develop these feelings that were not her own? The thought made Reimu's heart skip badly, and she quickly pushed it out of her mind. No! Sanae wasn't that kind of person to do that. Not after seeing how she was over the past few weeks with her. At Reimu's side, the green and blue miko sensed her distress.

"What's wrong?" She said, concerned.

"Uh, it's nothing," Reimu said quickly. But, her heart started to ache a little. Sanae did not press any further, and they flew the rest of the way in continued silence. The shrine finally came into view, and the two shrine maidens lightly landed in front of the donation box. Surprisingly, the front of it was clean, even though Sanae had not been there to do it for a while. Something brown and purple jumped from the top of the one large standing pillars and landed in a frog like way.

"Sanae!" The goddess leaped to her feet and ran to hug the missing miko. The short girl collided with her in a deep hug.

"I'm back, Suwako-sama!" Sanae said. She kneeled and hugged her adorable goddess. Reimu smiled at the small reunion.

"Welcome back, Sanae," said another voice. Reimu looked up and saw it was Kanako. Rather than looking at Sanae, she was looking at her directly with narrowed eyes. Reimu glared back, meeting the other goddess's eyes. Unexpectedly, Sanae walked up to Kanako and hugged her.

"Kanako-sama, thank you," Recovering with a startled look, Kanako soon began smiling and returning her hug. Suwako pulled Reimu's sleeve to bring her to head level.

"So, Reimu, how has Sanae been?" She said. She was smiling in a knowing way.

"Oh, you know, the nice person she is to everyone," Reimu replied offhandedly as best she could. She refused to get trapped.

"Uhuh. But much, much, nicer to you right?" The frog girl continued, teasing the young shrine maiden. Before Reimu could reply, she heard a shout.

"Hakurei, a word please!" This came from Kanako. She wasn't glaring at her anymore, but she didn't look happy either. Sanae stood anxious at her side. Suwako tugged on her sleeve again.

"You'll be fine. Kanako may be stubborn, but she loves Sanae also." She smiled again. "Do your best!" Feeling a lump in her throat, Reimu nodded. She straightened up and walked over to the menacing goddess. Kanako led them to a side of the shrine where it looked over the mountain's forest of Gensokyo. By now, it was becoming close to noon. A gust of wind blew past them as they walked to the open area.

With Reimu's back facing the shrine wall, Kanako turned towards her with arms folded. She glared at her again. Then she sighed.

"Of all the youkai and humans, it just had to be you." Reimu felt a vein pop up. She opened her to speak, but the other woman got there first.

"I'm actually kind of glad." Reimu closed her mouth and looked at her in surprise.

"I don't know if you know this, but out of all of us, Sanae was the one who lost the most when we came to Gensokyo. She had to leave behind her friends, home, and previous life. She went with us willingly, of course, because for her, we were the only parents she had. But despite what she says to us, I know that our moving affected her." She looked at the ground. "Sanae tries to hide her loneliness from us. Around here, there isn't anyone she can associate with around her age. Youkai age and view humans differently, and what humans that visit our shrine are few and fearful of the youkai. When she isn't doing her duties, Suwako or I would catch her looking listlessly here sometimes. And every once in a while, she would cry in her room." Kanako took a deep breath and then looked back at the shrine maiden. "Suwako and I love and care for Sanae, but we can only do so much to make her feel at ease and happy here in Gensokyo."

Reimu remained silent, unsure of what to say. The way Kanako spoke of Sanae reminded her of her own lonely self. Of how she spent her days alone with the occasional visits from Marisa and noisy youkai. Of how disconnected she was from other humans. While reflecting, Reimu nearly missed what Kanako said next.

"But then she met you." Reimu's head jerked a little to attention at this. The goddess gave a small smile.

"You know, for a bruiser of a miko, you have that weird appealing factor to other youkai. And Sanae is no exception. Up until she left us for you, she had been spending more and more time here in love rather than in sadness. It was a different kind of pain, but one that we were both happy for. And I believe love is what she needs to heal." She grimaced a little, as if what she was about say next will make her regret it.

"At least with you, I know that she will be in safe hands. And to be honest, I trust you more than any other youkai or human." Kanako took another deep breath and peered at the red miko with unnerving, judgmental eyes. "So, Reimu Hakurei, will you make Sanae happy?"

Reimu open and closed her mouth. She instead looked the goddess back in the eyes and nodded. She didn't need to speak; in her heart, she knew that she would be there for Sanae no matter what. The action seemed to relieve Kanako, and she was smiling again.

"Good, because now we have the Hakurei Shrine for faith gathering!"

"Hey! The shrine is mine!" Reimu said back irritated. The two glared at each other again and then broke into laughter. Reimu felt the tension lift in the air. Kanako closed her distance to Reimu and gave her an awkward hug.

"But seriously, welcome to the Moriya Family." Reimu smiled and also awkwardly hugged her back. For both of them, Sanae's happiness and love was theirs as well. They released and walked back to the inside of Moriya Shrine.

They found Suwako and Sanae sitting at a low table the inside of the shrine/home. The layout of the living room was similar to Reimu's home but bigger and wider. A frog clock hanged on one of the walls, and there was a smaller shrine with short pillars standing guard on each of its sides. Suwako stood up and hugged Reimu.

"Congrats, Reimu!" She said excitedly, who had already predicted the outcome.

"Th-thanks," Reimu replied, not used to the abundant affection of the goddess. The small girl let go and went to sit beside Kanako at the table. Reimu took her place beside Sanae. As she sat down, Sanae's fingers crept into Reimus hand. Reimu blushed a little, and Sanae gave a small smile. Mercifully, the other two seemed to not have noticed the exchange.

"So, how have you and Kanako been without Sanae around?"" Reimu asked. Sanae squeezed her hand when her name was mentioned.

"Well, the first week was kind of hard," Suwako said. She glanced briefly at her companion before continuing. "We didn't realize how much work Sanae did for us. The sweeping, cleaning, cooking, and faith gathering."

"It also didn't help that Aya kept hanging around here after she found out Sanae hadn't been home lately," Kanako added. "But at least she did chores for us a few times."

As the two goddesses talked about their woes because of their missing miko, Reimu felt dread grow in her heart. She just realized that Aya was going to be a problem. Although the crow had visited them during Sanae's stay, it wasn't anything worthy of Bunbunmaru newspaper; a shrine maiden helping out another shrine maiden wasn't that unusual. But now that they were a couple, if even Aya got the tiniest wind of it, she would keep bothering them until she got a scoop. And then she will never live down the unending teasing from Marisa and Suika, not to mention the other youkai who will visit just for the sake of seeing if it were true.

*Click* *Snap* *Snap* *Snap*

Reimu's blood went cold and felt her heart positively drop into her stomach. Her head turned towards the opening and saw her current nightmare take form.

"Ayaya, what's this?" The crow cooed. Instantly, a flurry of ofuda and spirit orbs streamed at her, but the pure and honest Aya Shameimaru speedily grazed around them.

"A scoop of the lifetime! The hot-blooded Shrine Maiden of Paradise seeks the hand of the graceful green miko of Moriya-"

"Aaaaahh!" Reimu shot out from her seat and chased after the nosy reporter. Kanako and Suwako laughed as the red miko flung danmaku everywhere. Sanae watched the spectacle in awe, her eyes following a certain person instead of the bullets. Unfortunately for Reimu, Aya had stoked her conscious enough to cause her to lose focus and miss her.

"Ayaya, Reimu! You're gonna have to do better than that! People are watching!"

Reimu staggered a little in the air, swayed by Aya's new taunt. They were indeed being watched by other people, one of them being Sanae. Struck with sudden embarrassment and anger at Aya, she sent out numerous homing talismans in rapid throws. But her hesitation had costed her. The crow zoomed out of their range and was soon an evil laughing spec in the distant sky. Reimu's shoulder slumped in defeat. She flew back to the shrine, already dreading the consequences of Aya's paper tomorrow. Sanae got up and comforted the other miko as she reached the ground. Wisely, Suwako and Kanako didn't say anything, although Kanako had a small smirk on her face. Suwako looked at the hanging clock on the wall and had an idea. She clapped her hands.

"Ah, I know the best thing to cheer you up, Reimu! Lunch!" She got up and pulled on the other goddess.

"H-hey," Kanako protested. Sanae moved towards the kitchen.

"Ah, then let me prepare-" She began to say, but the frog-like girl cut her off.

"No, no, Sanae, it's our treat. This is the perfect chance to show you two what we can cook now," Suwako said cheerily. "And, I think you have someone to attend to first."

With that said, she half-pulled, half-dragged Kanako to the kitchen, leaving to give Sanae and Reimu some time alone. Sanae took Reimu's hand and led her back to the table. They sat down, and Reimu held the other girl's hand again. They were silent for a little bit, hearing worrying noises come from the other room with the two goddesses.

"Sorry about earlier. It's just…I don't want us to be bothered by other people, well youkai," Reimu said sadly. Sanae leaned over and gently hugged Reimu.

"I know. But I love you no matter what others may think of us, Reimu," Sanae said. Reimu hugged her back, grateful for her love and understanding. They released after a while and Reimu gave a quick kiss on Sanae's lips. Sanae giggled a little and kissed back. This time, they held the new kiss for much longer.

"Ahem." Sanae and Reimu quickly broke away. They saw that the goddesses had walked in with trays of food. Suwako had a large grin on her face, but Kanako had a look of murder on hers.

"My, Reimu, doing that sort of thing in our home already, " Suwako teased. She walked over the table and put her tray down. The other goddess sighed exasperatedly but dispelled her bad mood. She was just going to have to get used to walking in on them. The miko couple sat very still and red faced as the food was put on to the table. But once everything was set up, they began to tuck in.

"Itadakimasu!"

The food was very good, much to Reimu's surprise. She had expected burnt meat, watery rice, or something hard, but the soba was well made and the stir fry meat and veggies were also cooked thoroughly. As they ate, the four of them chatted and gossiped about things happening around both of their shrines and how faith gathering was going and what was Marisa probably doing right now and could you pass the soy sauce, please? When the last bits of food were eaten, Sanae, who insisted that she would do it, gathered the empty plates to wash them in the kitchen.

Reimu drank the rest of her tea and put the cup down. Suwako was sitting in Kanako's lap now, and they were enjoying themselves with small cups of sake. Reimu watched as Suwako brought a cup of sake to Kanako's lips, who drank it promptly. The smaller girl giggled, and the taller woman did the same for her. Reimu imagined herself doing that for Sanae, and blushed a little. She quickly turned away to face the outdoors and soothe her beating heart. Outside the wind blew a few leaves over the shrine grounds. Lulled by the tranquility after a good lunch, Reimu mulled over the last few hours.

As much as she hated it, there wasn't much she can do to stop Aya from making their relationship public knowledge. The crow would knowingly avoid her and the green haired miko, meaning she couldn't punish or silence her. No, she would have to enjoy what little time she had with Sanae alone before the nosy youkais and noisy magician show up. With Sanae… Reimu's heart panged briefly as she recalled her uneasy feeling earlier this morning. She could create miracles, and it was possible that her own love for Sanae was made by her. But the green haired miko seemed to genuinely care about her, and Kanako made it sound like Sanae would never do such a thing. But if were true, then what did she feel about her? How would she feel about Sanae now? Reimu remained in turmoil with her feelings for a few minutes. Without really knowing, she decided to ask the two goddesses, who knew Sanae better than her. She turned to face them, her heating steadily pounding with increasing dread.

"Um, Suwako and Kanako, sama," Reimu said, unsure of how to address them. The two looked at her in surprise, because Reimu had never addressed them this way before.

"My love for Sanae isn't…a miracle, is it?" Reimu asked, afraid of the answer. Suwako and Kanako looked at each other and then smiled at the anxious girl. Suwako got up and hugged the red miko.

"No, Reimu, Sanae loves you from the bottom of her heart," She said. "We know what a girl looks like in love, especially if it is Sanae."

"Sanae truly loves you, else she wouldn't have created such a mess when she left us," Kanako said, referring to the events that happened to her two weeks ago. "So to answer your question, no, your love is not a miracle."

Reimu felt a large weight on her heart lift, and she hugged Suwako back in cascading relief.

For the rest of the afternoon, Reimu helped the Moriya family do some household cleaning. Now assured that her love was her own, Reimu couldn't help but feel both elated and nervous around Sanae when they happened to be in the same room. Every time Sanae gave her a small smile or a quick kiss, she felt like she would faint from overwhelming happiness. But luckily, the hours passed by without any more major issues and they finished by late afternoon. Now, Reimu and Sanae stood in front of the Moriya shrine with the two goddesses, preparing to head back to the Hakurei Shrine. Suwako went up and gave one last hug to Sanae.

"So, you'll be staying with Reimu from now on?" Kanako asked. The green miko bowed.

"Yes, if that is alright with Kanako-sama." The older woman nodded, then turned her face towards Reimu.

"Please take care of her, Reimu," she said softly. The red miko nodded. Suwako bounded over and hugged her as well.

"You are always welcome to stay here too, Reimu," she said. "Please visit us ever so often!"

The group gave their final goodbyes, and the young couple rose into the air and flew off. The two goddesses waved until they became specks in the sky.

"So, our little girl is growing up," the smaller of the two said. The taller woman merely huffed and crossed her arms. Grinning, Suwako pulled down on Kanako's arm to bring her to head level and kissed her.

"Sanae might be away from us, but I will always be here for you." Kanako smiled and kissed her again.

"Yeah."

High above them in the sky, the two mikos held hands as they flew. They remained silent during the trip, but both of them gave the other loving glances to the side ever so often. Many times, their gazes would meet, and they would blush and try to steady their flight again. By the time they arrived at the Hakurei Shrine, the last hints of the sun were finally dipping below Gensokyo's mountains. Overcome from her tumultuous feelings throughout the day, Reimu waited until both of them were on the ground, and then she gently pulled Sanae into a hug.

"I love you, Sanae" she said. Sanae smiled and hugged the red miko back.

"And I love you, Reimu."

.

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Author's note:

Hello, Kali Shima here! I hope you enjoyed reading this fan fic thus far. The first chapter feels very one-shot, but it is not the end of my writing. I plan to write more on this lovely couple, about one month or so per chapter depending on how much my life wants to interfere with me.

I had planned on releasing this in the beginning of March, but then computer problems and sudden workload.