As Reimu had feared, a large bundle of Bunbunmaru newspapers appeared in front of the shrine the next morning. More precisely, they were stacked on top of the donation box, taunting her with their presence. Reimu looked at the front page of the topmost newspaper and groaned. It was a professional shot, impossible to have been taken unless Aya was right in the room with them. It showed her and Sanae holding hands at the table and facing the Moriya goddesses with a slight blush on her face. The caption under it boldly read:
CAUGHT IN THE ACT! Two Legendary Shrine Maidens, Rivals No More?
She took the stack of newspapers, checked her donation box (which was empty, as usual), and went back inside. Sanae was sitting at the table, fiddling with her frog hair ornament. The young couple had just finished breakfast when Reimu felt a sudden urge to inspect her box. Closing the sliding doors behind her, Reimu put the stack of newspapers in a corner of the room and then sat beside the other girl. She sighed sadly.
"Aya's paper came. This is going to be a long and tiring day" was heard from the depressed girl, who was already feeling the weight of the numerous visits from the youkai. The green haired miko smiled sympathetically in response but did not say anything. She started to put on her snake hair clip as her red companion continued to moan about her woes.
"I mean, it's already bad enough that I have to go around exterminating them every time someone causes an incident."
Sanae finished threading her hair through the clip and inspected it. Satisfied with its appearance, she leaned over.
"Now we won't be left alone in peace-" Reimu started to say when she felt Sanae kiss her cheek. Her face instantly flushed, and she turned towards the other girl, who had a slight smile on her face.
"You're so cute when you're flustered" Sanae said. She took ahold of Reimu's hands and squeezed them to comfort her. "But, like I said before, I love you no matter what they may think of us."
"Sanae…," Reimu said.
"Oh dear, am I interrupting something?" a voice inquired.
The couple jumped a little in their places. They turned and saw a woman in a white and purple dress standing in front of the closed sliding doors. She wore a mobcap with a red, thin ribbon and carried an umbrella similarly decorated with long, red ribbons. An elongated gap that was filled with blank, staring eyes and darkness closed behind her. Reimu scowled at newcomer.
"Yukari." Yukari Yakumo smiled.
"My, Reimu, I had not heard that much contempt from you since the first time I fought you," she commented cheerily.
"What do you want, Yukari?" The gap youkai slightly tilted her head, as if pondering the question herself.
"What do I want, indeed." Slightly twirling her umbrella, she pulled out a Bunbaru newspaper from a small gap. They heard a small, indignant yell come from it, as if she had just stolen her copy from a youkai that was reading it. Yukari faked reading the topmost page and then put back it back through the gap. She looked at the miko couple again.
"I tend to ignore these kind of sensational headlines, considering that they mostly come from that crow," she replied. "But this particular article struck me as…unusual."
The gap youkai paused a little before continuing.
"I didn't think you were one to make such an announcement, Reimu. Needless to say, I found it quite interesting and wanted hear more about it. I can ask, yes?" She said, tilting her head innocently.
Yukari was on another level of annoying. Reimu knew that the youkai was fully aware that she could've spied on them using her gaps, but it was more fun for her to tease Reimu this way. It took all of the red miko's willpower to not grab her gohei and start flinging danmaku at her to get her out. That, and possibly destroying her sliding doors for the second time would not help the situation either.
"And if we don't tell you anything?" Reimu said instead, seething with anger. Yukari pulled out a fan and lightly fanned herself with it.
"You don't have to. But consider that kind of answer as…unsatisfactory for the other youkai that will come here too~."
A heavy silence formed in the room as Reimu glared at the proclaimed seventeen year old "woman," who held the red shrine maiden's gaze. The seconds dragged into minutes as Sanae helplessly looked back and forth to her lover and the insufferably calm youkai. Finally, she broke the tense atmosphere.
"Um, Yukari, sama," Sanae added in quickly to not displease her. Yukari shifted her eyes towards Sanae, who flinched a little.
"It wasn't our choice to have our relationship be exposed by Aya." The green miko looked at Reimu before continuing. "I think that, when we were ready for it, we would have announced it to a few close friends and no more."
After a few moments considering her words, the gap youkai nodded.
"I see. Thank you, Sanae Kochiya. I believe that is all I need to know then." She closed her fan and bowed towards the couple. "May the love you share be everlasting and strong."
Yukari turned to go, opening a gap in front of her.
"W-wait, that's it?" Reimu said, shocked at her sudden departure. She had expected the youkai to make their relationship a much bigger issue than she let on. But she had spoken too soon; Yukari paused and turned around with a stern and disapproving look. The red and white shrine maiden immediately regretted stopping her from leaving them in peace.
"I am sure you are aware of this, Reimu, but do not forget your duties. Just as how the Hakurei Border is the border between Gensokyo and the Outside World, you are the delicate balance and force between humans and youkai. Do not let love blind you of this." Yukari's eyes softened just the tiniest amount.
"If you love the Moriya shrine maiden, then it is not within my boundaries to question it."
With a final swirl of her clothing, she disappeared into a gap. The couple was left alone again. Reimu leaned against Sanae, feeling very tired.
"I will never understand Yukari." Sanae smiled slightly.
"There's going to be many more youkai like that today, too."
"Ugh..."
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The inhabitants of Gensokyo came to the Hakurei shrine in steady waves, their senses of curiosity and general nosiness sparked by Aya's paper. The first to arrive were Marisa Kirisame and Alice Margatroid. They bombarded her and Sanae with personal questions, some of them quite rude in Reimu's opinion ("Have you two done it yet?" Marisa said excitedly, at which point Alice smacked her in the back of the head for being so blunt). Some of the Scarlet Devil Mansion group came to tease or play danmaku with Reimu, with the exception of Hong Meiling, who was stuck guarding the mansion, and Patchouli Knowledge, who wasn't interested. The Netherworld servant Youmu Konpaku and master Yuyuko Saigyouji brought a celebratory basket of food that was cooked and prepared by Youmu and subsequently eaten by Yuyuko. Kaguya Houraisan was curious and also visited them, making Eirin Yagokoro, Reisen Udongein Inaba, and Tewi Inaba accompany her out of worry, or lack of in Tewi's case. The celestial Tenshi Hinanawi found the entire article entertaining and wanted to be part of it, similarly forcing the heavenly oarfish Iku Nagae to escort her. Komeji Satori and her pets, the hellcat Rin Kaenbyou (Orin) and hell raven Utsuho Reiuji (Okuu), watched Reimu squirm under Komeji's mind reading. The whole of Myouren Temple led by Byakuren Hijiri took the chance to preach about unity through love, and the Taoists led by Toyosatomimi no Miko saw the Myouren Temple's visit as a challenge and used theirs to oppose them. By near sunset, Reimu was about fed up with the teasing and taunts from the youkai.
…Actually, the visits were not the worst part. After they had talked to or teased the couple in the shrine home, the youkai claimed spaces on the shrine grounds and sent a lackey or servant to get food, refreshments, or bring more youkai. But both Reimu and Sanae were too preoccupied with each successive group of youkai to go and remove them from their spots. Thus, by sunset, all of the youkai there had turned their gathering into an opportunity to throw a drinking party.
Reimu now sat on the steps leading up to the donation box with her head in her hands. She could hear the Prismriver Sisters playing a music battle against the tsukumogamis Raiko Horikawa, Benben Tsukumo and Yatsuhashi Tsukumo. If she tilted her head a little to the left, she heard the loud and drunk youkai laughing and cheering. As she miserably pondered what had led up this, she felt something hard nudge her shoulder. She looked up and saw Marisa holding a bottle of sake and grinning.
"Hey, Reimu. Thought you might want this, ze."
Reimu took the bottle and mumbled thanks. The black and white witch sat down next to her friend, and for a while they watched the party in silence. Alice was conducting a small puppet show for the fairies. Cirno and Daiyousei were noticeably among them, captivated by the dolls' movements. Youmu and Reisen were running back and forth trying to serve their masters. The Myouren Temple group and the Taoists had apparently resolved their dispute through mutual drunkenness and were now mingling with each other. Beside her, Marisa sighed in content.
"Man, it's times like these when I wonder why we even have a youkai exterminator." Reimu huffed, in spite of what she felt right now.
"Don't be silly, almost all of them here right now have been involved in some incident that you and I had had to sort out."
"Yea, but it made things a lot livelier in Gensokyo, no?" Reimu had to admit that what Marisa said was true; had it not been for the youkai causing disasters left and right, she doubt she would have made peace, and even friends, with many of them. Not to mention, she would have been lonelier…
"And you and Sanae together is an incident in and of itself, ze!"
"So, how are things between you and Alice?" Reimu said, desperate to change the subject. Marisa's smile grew wider.
"Great! Did you know that Alice likes it when you massage her hands? Probably because she uses them so much to make her dolls and control them. Right now, I'm helping her research into self-conscious dolls, and…"
Reimu stared at the sake bottle she held as Marisa talked about her cute significant other, not really listening to her. She used to envy their relationship, as she never really knew what love felt like. But then she fell in love with Sanae. She looked up and saw a glimpse of a familiar white sleeve. The green and blue miko was currently being goaded into a drink by Suika. She sighed internally. Perhaps it was inevitable that they were going to throw a party at her shrine in the next few weeks; nothing interesting (or disastrous) had happened in Gensokyo for a while. Aya's paper simply sped up the timing, and many of the youkai took that chance. In any case, they were making a mess of her shrine, like they always did. Reimu popped open her sake bottle and proceeded to drink from it.
"Oh!" Marisa exclaimed.
Reimu finished about half of the alcohol before she stopped. She started to feel the familiar buzzed sensation.
"I see you're getting into the mood now, Reimu, ze."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Her words were slurring just a bit. Marisa slyly looked away and gestured at a few people.
"Oh, nothing yet." A white haired maid and a white haired swordsman came over.
"Hey, Sakuya. Reimu's almost ready." The maid smiled and gently helped the slightly drunk shrine maiden up.
"Please come with me, Reimu. We have to get you prepared."
"Wait, prepared for what? Marisa!" Reimu called out angrily, but the witch was now talking to Youmu and ignored her completely.
Sakuya Izayoi led Reimu inside the shrine home. She paused for a few moments before closing the sliding doors. When she turned around, Reimu saw that she had a bundle of clothing in her hands.
"Here, Reimu, please put this on." Reimu folded her arms and glared at the ever polite maid.
"Sakuya, what's going on?" But, like Marisa, Sakuya did not answer and merely held up the bundle. Reimu eyed it with great suspicion.
"And if I refuse to put it on?"
The maid shrugged and pulled out an ornate stopwatch. She smiled benevolently at the miko, knowing full well that she will be wearing it either way. Reimu gave Sakuya one last scathing look before taking the bundle and going to her room to change. She noticed that it was one piece of clothing and let it unroll naturally. It revealed itself to be a sleeveless dress similar to the design of her shrine outfit. It was a bright scarlet color, and the edges and collar of it were outlined with a thicker white fabric. A red ribbon was tied under the collar, and a larger one around the waist. It was basically, in Reimu's mind, a yukata that lacked arm sleeves and took less work to wear. She put the dress on, surprised at how comfortable and familiar it felt. She pulled on each of the ribbons until they felt snug and inspected herself in the mirror.
This actually suits me, Reimu admitted to herself. She turned herself this way and that, marveling at how different and brighter she looked without her usual attire. When she heard knocking and the door opening, she realized she had spent too much time ogling herself. Sakuya walked in and saw the shrine maiden posing. Reimu's face instantly turned the same color as the dress. But the maid merely smiled and went over to the miko.
"Here. You can let your hair down for today," she said, undoing Reimu's head ribbon. Sakuya took a comb from the top of a drawer and expertly brushed the other girl's hair in a short time. She took a step back and inspected her work. Satisfied, she gently took Reimu's hand once again and led her outside to the corner of the shrine, just out of sight of the shrine grounds.
"Please wait here, Reimu." Sakuya said politely. She pulled out her stopwatch and disappeared, stopping time to spirit away elsewhere. But fed up with the secrecy and complacency, Reimu peeked around the corner. Instead of a mess and drunk youkai strewn about the shrine grounds, she saw all of them looking at the front of the shrine expectantly. They were not drinking nor fooling around for once. It shocked her a little seeing this spectacle, and she quickly pulled back. Before she had time to process it all, she heard Marisa's voice ring out, amplified by magic.
"Hello, Gensokyo, da-ze! This is Marisa Kirisame bringing you the special event of the evening!" All of the youkai cheered loudly, a cacophony of female voices.
"Many thanks to the Scarlet Devil maid Sakuya and Netherworld servant Youmu, for which this couldn't have been done without their help!" Reimu risked another peek. She scanned the youkai crowd and didn't see where Marisa was talking. She looked directly to her right and saw her standing right where her donation box should have been. The increasingly furious shrine maiden had taken only one step forward to kill the witch when she was pulled back.
"No, Reimu. This is for the best," Sakuya's voice said quietly. Reimu broke free from the maid's hold and turned on her.
"What the hell, Sakuya?! What exactly is this all for?" Reimu demanded. Before Sakuya could answer, Marisa called out to them.
"Without further ado, let's have our very special people out here!" Sakuya smiled and bowed to Reimu.
"If you please." Reimu glared at the cordial maid/Marisa's partner-in-crime.
"I swear, once all of this is over, I am going to exterminate you all."
.
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Reimu walked to where Marisa was standing. Now that she thought about it, she had never gone out in front of other humans and youkai in different clothing. It made her feel very vulnerable and self-conscious of herself.
"Marisa, what are you doing to my shrine?!" She angrily said once she reached her. A green patch of clothing suddenly caught her eye, and she looked past the grinning witch. Her mouth dropped, and her anger all but disappeared in that moment.
Sanae looked like she had been bathed in green light; her hair shone a soft, luminescent green and her eyes were bright and inviting. She was dressed in a similar outfit to hers, only light green and with sky blue ribbons.
"Like what you see, Reimu?" Reimu heard Marisa say.
"Aba…" She was at a loss of words. Sanae brushed back a hair out of that was sticking out and blushed at her. Marisa took her speechlessness as a yes and turned to the youkai.
"And now for the special event! Let us watch the famous couple of Gensokyo partake in their love and kiss, ze!" Reimu tore her eyes away from Sanae.
"Wait, what!?"
The youkai started to chant "Kiss! Kiss!" over and over at the couple. Reimu began to panic and turn very red; she wasn't ready to kiss Sanae in public yet, let alone in front of the very youkai who will no doubt remember this and tease her for it later on. She could also tell that they were getting a kick out of it, watching the shrine maiden squirm under pressure for their entertainment. Reimu turned back to Sanae to see what her reaction was. Sanae was also red in the face as well, but she didn't look as panicked as she was. The green clad girl took Reimu's hands and held them.
"I see now why they made us change. You look very beautiful, Reimu," Sanae said softly, though Reimu could still hear her over the chanting. She nervously giggled. "And now we have to show them that we love each other."
Reimu peered at Sanae closely. The redness she had on her face did not seem to be because of embarrassment.
"Sanae, are you drunk?" Sanae shook her head no too many times. Suika and her damn sake gourd. The chanting grew louder as the couple continued to stare at each other, and Reimu felt the pressure grow on them to hurry up and do the kiss.
Damn the youkai, Reimu thought. Forget exterminating; she will make sure that they regret living. But for now, Sanae. She closed her eyes and kissed her alluring, green lover. The chanting became a loud cheer, and Marisa's fireworks exploded above them. They colored the starry night red, white, green, and blue, a fiery symbol of their love.
Marisa had probably planned this since she first arrived, Reimu realized. The witch had had time to talk with each of the youkai that came and acted accordingly to set this up. As she broke the kiss, Reimu felt almost grateful for her friend and the support from Sakuya and Youmu. There was still the issue of her donation box missing and getting them drunk, but for now, she and Sanae will take it easy and let the youkai have their fun.
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