As Reimu biked home after school, Marisa followed behind her. Yukari had turned back into her tiny dragon form, and was looped around Reimu's neck like a very sleepy necklace.
"So you're really going to run off with a dragon to look for youkai over break?" Marisa asked. Reimu had been telling her about the previous night's conversation, though she'd left out the part where she woke up with Yukari laying on her. Some things didn't need to be shared.
"Yes, Marisa, I've told you this at least five times already. Don't worry, I don't think it'll be too much trouble," Reimu said. "You don't need to try and keep me out of trouble."
"No offense, Reimu, but you have no common sense. I'm still coming with you, ze." Marisa said.
"…Fiiine. Ask Yukari when she wakes up," Reimu said, frowning. If Marisa just vanished from her dorm for all of break, her dad might worry…
They soon arrived at Reimu's shrine, and chained their bikes to the bike rack. Reimu led the way, and Marisa waited while she checked the donation box.
"Empty," Reimu sighed, closing it with a disappointed last glance at the corners of the empty box. Marisa frowned.
"You really do need a real source of money, ze," Marisa said.
"I know. But it's not like anyone would hire me, even if I had the time outside of school," Reimu said. With that, they went inside. Reimu poked Yukari's nose several times, until the tiny dragon opened her jaws in a wide yawn and blinked sleepily up at her.
"Are we really back already?" Yukari said, trying not to whine. "I was so comfortable."
"Yes, Yukari, we're back. And Marisa wants to come with us. What do you think, Miss Tiny Purple Dragon?" Reimu said.
"Your friend is an interesting human. I won't complain," Yukari said. She started to lower her head to go back to sleep, but Reimu went to poke her nose again- and Yukari bit onto her fingertip. Reimu immediately started flailing her arms around.
"Ow ow ow get it off!" Reimu screeched. Marisa tried to stifle her laughter, and failed miserably. After a few moments, though, Yukari went flying off Reimu's hand, and stopped herself in midair just short of hitting the wall.
"There goes Newton's First Law," Marisa grumbled.
"Well, I certainly won't be getting back to sleep after that," Yukari said, dropping to the floor and shifting back to her youkai form. "So I suppose you'll be fetching things for our adventure. Marisa, shouldn't you go home for that?"
"She went to her dorm while I was in Math and you were asleep," Reimu said.
"Ah." Yukari and Marisa watched as Reimu fished a key out of a rather sad-looking potted plant and unlocked the door to the shrine's basement. Dust that had piled up against the inside of the door spilled out.
"Do you ever clean the basement?" Marisa asked.
"No." Reimu pulled out a flashlight and started down the stairs. Yukari cheerfully skipped after her, and Marisa stared with growing concern at the ridiculous numbers of cobwebs in the corners.
"Reimu, are there spiders in here?" she asked.
"Of course there are spiders. Don't hurt them, they keep pests out of the emergency food," Reimu said without missing a beat. Marisa grimaced, and carefully ducked under the webs, trying not to touch anything. When she caught up, Reimu had already passed a dusty backpack to Yukari and was digging through a box, flashlight held in her mouth. A spider that looked far too large to be natural was climbing up Reimu's shoulder.
"What are you looking for?" the spider asked.
Reimu stopped, and looked at the large spider on her shoulder. The spider stared back.
"…Seriously?" Reimu groaned. "Talking spiders?"
"Well, if you don't want my help…" She sounded almost disappointed. Marisa was too busy hiding behind Yukari to see what was going on, but she could hear fine.
"Well, I suppose… I need the camping stuff, I thought that was over here," Reimu said. The spider hopped down from Reimu's shoulder, shifting shape into a surprisingly normal-looking young woman with blond hair.
"You moved it over to the other side of the basement three months ago. Here, I'll go get it. Since you've let me stay here for so long, least I can do is lend a hand," the spider girl said. She skipped lightly off into the shadows, humming to herself, while Reimu just stared.
"…So I've had a youkai in my basement too? Jeez, Yukari, from the way you said it I thought youkai were on the verge of extinction. They're everywhere," Reimu said after a minute of silence.
"We're not that common. Most youkai have gathered in the area around East Takashi City, the next city over from here, simply because that is where there is still the most belief in us. Outside this region, I could count the world's youkai on my fingers," Yukari said. Reimu started to say something, when the spider youkai came back with a box in her arms.
"Found it," she called.
"Thanks," Reimu said, taking it.
"Anytime. Have a nice trip, I hope you come back safely," the spider youkai said. She shifted back into a spider, and disappeared into the clutter. Reimu opened the rather faded cardboard box, and shoved a sleeping bag and first aid kit and various other odds and ends into the backpack Yukari was holding. She paused at a long, old-looking knife in a leather sheath.
"…Well, this could be useful, I guess," she said, and stuffed it in too. With that in, she zipped it up, and took it from Yukari.
"So you're ready?" the dragon asked, smiling. Marisa had finally stopped hiding behind Yukari, though she was shifting uncomfortably and glancing back at the stairs every few seconds.
"Yeah. Let's go," Reimu said. As soon as the words left her mouth, Marisa made a mad dash for the stairs. Reimu and Yukari calmly walked up after her, and found her waiting a few feet away from the stairs, her goggles askew on her forehead.
"You guys took too long, ze," Marisa said.
"I didn't know you were arachnophobic," Reimu said. Marisa crossed her arms and looked away.
"Well, if we ever need to convince Marisa to do something, we can threaten her with spiders," Yukari said, smiling cheerfully.
"Noooo," Marisa whined.
"I won't. Yukari might. So… I guess we should leave? I mean, Yukari, you did want to go after school, right?" Reimu said, hastily changing the subject from spiders.
"Yes, that would be for the best. I will tell you about the youkai we are going to meet along the way," Yukari said.
And so Reimu made the final preparations for leaving. She took their bikes up into the shrine, tucked her umbrella into her bag, and locked the doors behind them. Yukari led Reimu and Marisa down the street, to where the road led out into the wilderness.
"So tell us about these youkai," Reimu said. She had somehow ended up at the center of the group, Yukari on her right and Marisa on her left as they passed by the last few buildings on their way out of town.
"Well, the easiest one to locate is Yuuka Kazami. She's a flower youkai, actually about as old as me. She was terrifyingly powerful when youkai were still feared… Any herbal medicine she makes will always work, but she'll punish anyone who harms her plants. She's been hit hard by urbanization, though. She was very sweet once, but she's lost her entire garden eight times now and she's gotten very jumpy when it comes to humans and very reserved with youkai." Yukari spoke casually, but her eyes were fixed on the ground rather than on either of her companions.
"…You were good friends with her, weren't you?" Marisa asked.
Yukari nodded almost imperceptibly, without looking up.
"Now she hardly even talks to me when I visit. If this plan works and we youkai get our power back, I'm hoping she'll become more open, the way she used to be…" Yukari's voice held no sadness, but the even tone sounded forced.
"I know you youkai are weird and all, but I hope it all works out for you. You're still people, ze." Marisa leaned around Reimu to offer the dragon a hopeful smile. Yukari glanced up at her, and quietly chuckled.
"I appreciate it. Ah, and the other youkai we're trying to find… That would be Tewi Inaba, also known as the White Hare of Inaba. She's a rabbit youkai, and has a somewhat obnoxious personality but she'll be willing to help us. Back when youkai truly held power, she could grant or take away luck at her whims. She still has minor influence over luck, but I don't know where she may be now. I'm certain she's still alive, though."
"So… We're trying to find a shut-in and an obnoxious gambler?" Reimu asked.
Yukari burst out into sincere laughter, laughed until tears ran down her face and she had to force herself to stop, giggles still escaping her every few seconds.
"Ah, sorry, sorry, I needed that. Ahh… That really is apt, though. Hilariously so, ahaha. Don't tell either of them that, I imagine they'll take offense… heehee." Yukari wiped her face with her tattered, worn sleeve, and smiled as they walked.
"And our guide's a lazy lizard," Reimu added.
Yukari started laughing again.
They kept walking like this for a while, with Yukari directing them through thick woods and steep hills seemingly at random. After a while, the sky started to darken, and the long orange light of sunset fell upon them.
"Let's stop and rest just over this hill. There's a fairly nice spot," Yukari suggested.
"Sounds good to me." Reimu's feet were starting to hurt.
As promised, they made their way up the hill and were greeted with a grassy clearing, open and safe. Marisa immediately took off her backpack, sat, and started rifling through it for the food she had brought. Reimu took a seat beside her, and Yukari shifted to dragon, about the size of a scarf, and draped herself around Reimu's shoulders.
"Aah, I'm sleepy…" Yukari yawned, and rested her head against Reimu's neck.
"Yukari, sleep on Marisa for once," Reimu said, trying to ignore the youkai that was snuggled around her shoulders.
"I'm already on you, though~ I don't want to move~"
"Haha, Reimu, I think she likes you, ze." Marisa teasingly elbowed Reimu, who turned a bright scarlet.
"I- wha- no! Marisa, no!"
"Mm… Reimu's not really my type. I like magicians, if I have to pick from humans, or a magician youkai," Yukari said dismissively. "Of course I'd really rather have another dragon, but so far as I know I'm the only one."
Reimu managed to shake off the blush, and focused intently on the rice balls Marisa took out and placed on top of her backpack.
"Okay, one for everyone! They're store-bought, but… It's for the best that I didn't try and cook." Marisa took one, and Reimu reached out to get one herself. At that moment, Yukari moved along her arm and picked up the onigiri that Reimu had been reaching for in her mouth, and returned to her position around Reimu's shoulders while happily munching on it.
Reimu sighed, and took the last one for herself.
The sky continued to darken, and as it started to get hard to see, Marisa took out a small battery-powered lantern and set it out. Once the rice balls were gone, and their idle conversation about school drew to a close, both girls piled into sleeping bags, Yukari still curled around Reimu's shoulders, and drifted off to sleep.
Reimu woke to find Yukari in her humanlike form lying on her again, this time nestled against her in the sleeping bag.
She groaned and pushed Yukari's cheek away from her forehead, lifted the youkai's arm off of her.
"Damnit, Yukari…"
This managed to wake the youkai.
"Good morning, Reimu," Yukari said sleepily, climbing out of the sleeping bag. Reimu sat up and rubbed her eyes. Marisa had already been awake, and grinned at the two of them.
"I could make so many jokes about this, ze," she said.
"Please don't…" Reimu said, shaking off her sleepiness and getting out of her sleeping bag. She started to roll it up, while Yukari went over to Marisa to see if she had any food. The youkai was rewarded with another rice ball. Reimu soon joined them.
"So, 'Kari, how far away is this Kazami's place?" Marisa asked.
Yukari blinked a few times.
"Kari…? Are you referring to me?" she asked.
"Do you see anyone else around here I could be talking to, ze?"
"…I've never had a nickname before," Yukari said dreamily. "Ah, um, we aren't far. In fact, if one of you carries me for a couple hours, I could fly the rest of the way there with both of you on my back pretty quickly."
"Haha, sounds fun, ze! I'll carry ya, 'Kari, you look like you'll make a comfy scarf." Marisa chuckled. Reimu couldn't help but think that Marisa had gotten used to the idea of youkai really quickly given how scientific she usually was. Nevertheless, she was a bit glad for it. Once breakfast had vanished and everything was packed, Yukari took on her small dragon form and padded lightly along Marisa's arm, lightly looped herself around the scientist's shoulders, and promptly fell asleep. Marisa giggled, and as they walked, she carefully lifted Yukari's head in her hands and examined her face and scales, lightly touching her scales and fur and even her ear once.
"I'm not usually one for biology, but I'd love to study how her internal systems change based on what size she shifts to," Marisa commented to Reimu. "Too bad I can't dissect her. She's too nice for that."
"Yeah, plus I think she might eat you if you tried," Reimu said teasingly.
Marisa laughed, and the two started talking about final exams (which were only a few weeks away). After a time, Yukari woke up, and stretched, tightening and then relaxing her coil around Marisa's neck. She slid down from her, and shifted to her dragon form, this time as wide around as Marisa's shoulders and very long.
"Ahh, here we are… I can't do this too often anymore, but this is about half of how large I am at my full strength," Yukari said, grinning with jaws the length of Reimu's torso. "Hop on~"
"…That's awesome." Marisa put one leg over the youkai's back, seated just behind her shoulders, and Reimu sat sideways on her, hands gripping the soft fur of her mane. Both of them could feel Yukari coil back and then spring up into the sky, and she stayed there, flowing through the air like water along a streambed. Her flight was very smooth and even, and Marisa cheered, throwing her arms up in the air, as Reimu watched the ground fall away under them. Trees flew by as if she were in a bus, only they were below her instead of stretching up above. Yukari stopped rising so she was skimming the treetops, weaving fluidly between them with no danger of throwing either of her passengers off. She settled into an even pace, and the wind ruffled Reimu's hair and clothes pleasantly.
"This is really nice, actually. I wish I could fly too," Reimu said, smiling at the sky and the clouds that seemed closer than ever.
"When people start believing in magic again, you may be able to. Flight is fairly simple, and back in the era of magic, shrine maidens tended to have some kind of special ability." Yukari spoke in a dreamy tone.
"…Yes. Just yes. We're not allowed to fail at this, Marisa," Reimu said.
"Haha, got it." Marisa chuckled.
Eventually, a clear patch in the trees came into view ahead. The colors of countless flowers of all types, sunflower-gold holding a clear majority, filled the area, and as Yukari headed towards it, a small wooden shack on the far edge came into view. A green-haired woman in old, faded red plaid clothes looked up suddenly from where she was seated on a rock near a cluster of blue flowers with a bucket of water. Yukari swooped down to a large, flat rock, which Reimu and Marisa hopped off onto, and shifted to her humanoid shape.
"Yuuka, I've missed you," Yukari said, a hopeful smile on her face.
She was met with a cold look from the woman's feral, feline scarlet eyes. While Yukari's human-like form was graceful despite her nonhuman attributes, Yuuka's features were all sharp and she had a sort of tension to even the smallest movement that made her look dangerous. Her fingers ended in long, sharp-looking claws rather than nails, and when she spoke, fangs glinted in her mouth.
"You brought humans here, dragon? Was failing to save us not good enough for you? Are you betraying us too?" the flower youkai said in an even voice laced with fury, narrowing her eyes.
"Yuuka, no, that's… That's wrong, these two are helping us. We're going to make youkai hold power and a place in the world again. The miko took care of me when I was injured just out of kindness, Yuuka, once humans know we exist again they'll stop destroying your gardens…" Yukari stepped to the edge of the rock she was standing on as if asking for permission to approach.
"You're insane if you still think there's hope for youkai. Leave me alone, dragon, and take your humans with you or I will kill them." Yuuka deliberately turned away and started tending to her blue flowers again.
"Yuuka…" Yukari watched the youkai visibly ignore her for a minute. "Yuuka, please… I can't do this alone. You and I are both still strong enough for humans to see us as we are, and apparently there are now ways of spreading information over a very wide area very quickly. What happened to the youkai I used to know and trust so well…?"
"She died when I lost the Garden of the Sun. You didn't even try to help me defend it," Yuuka said without looking up.
"That's not fair, Yuuka, I… Y-you know why I didn't help you…" Yukari took a small step back, almost shakily.
"Yes, you were too busy defending a couple of useless autumn goddesses who ended up fading away despite your efforts. If you had chosen to stand by me instead, perhaps you'd still be worth my time." Yuuka stood up, and walked off in the direction of the shack.
Yukari stood where she was, completely still.
"…Yukari?" Reimu asked, walking up beside her. Marisa moved towards her too, and both of them could see the tears silently rolling down the youkai's face. Without speaking, Yukari phased to her large dragon form in the blink of an eye, and gestured with her tail for them to get on. The two girls sat on her back, and Yukari took off and flew again, not far, faster and more haphazardly, finally coming to a stop in a clearing and practically collapsing into a heap on the grass, shaking with now-audible sobs.
Marisa knelt beside Yukari, staring awkwardly and trying to figure out how to comfort her. Reimu took a spot on the youkai's other side. Whatever had gone on between these two youkai, both of them were suffering… Reimu didn't want to see anyone hurting so badly. She gently pulled Yukari into her arms, and Yukari hung limply in her arms and cried. They stayed like that for a while, until finally Yukari fell silent and still, the soft breathing of sleep replacing her sobs.
Reimu gently laid Yukari down on the soft grass, and let out a soft sigh.
"Marisa, watch Yukari for me," she said.
"Watch her? What, are you going somewhe-" Marisa stopped. "…No. Reimu, no, that's a terrible idea, you're going to get yourself killed…"
"I'll be fine. Really." Reimu smiled at Marisa, and stood up. "I'll be back, don't worry."
Marisa watched helplessly as Reimu turned and started walking back towards Yuuka's flower field.