It's been at least an hour, and Sanae's still awestruck at the place the shrine's landed. They are, in fact, on top of a mountain, one covered in fully leafy trees and a wide river, from what she can see. Their lake and shrine made it through intact, and the grass around them is so green, much more than it ever was in Japan. Everything seems bright and new. Each flower, each tree, even each blade of grass is as vibrant as a painting. It's breathtaking.

"Kana-chan, look at this!" Suwako hollers from her perch atop the torii, snapping Sanae out of her trance.

"You should ease back into it," Kanako chastises Suwako from below. "You'll hurt yourself."

"I'm fine. I told you I'm feeling way better already!" She hops off the gate and glides easily down to the ground. "Come on, you try!"

"I'll try later. It would be a good idea for you to save your strength."

"Bet Sanae can do it! Sanae, you want to try flying?"

"A-ah, okay!" Sanae answers excitedly. Flying is something Kanako had mentioned might be a possibility, but she didn't think she would actually be doing it so soon.

"I'll teach her," Kanako says. "You should take a nap or something. It'll catch up to you."

Suwako pouts with her whole body, slouching over and looking up at Kanako in defeat. In her smaller-than-usual state, it makes her look even more like a child. "Fine," she says. "But don't have too much fun without me. I'll be back for you soon."

"I know," Kanako says. But she looks happier and calmer than she has in years.

They practice flying together while Suwako sleeps inside the shrine. It comes naturally, with all the magic in the air and in Sanae's blood. "Take it slow," Kanako says, holding Sanae's hands tightly to guide her, both of them hovering a few inches above the ground. "Try not to think about falling, just keep yourself up. You command the air around you."

"Okay, Kanako-sama."

Even when Kanako lets go, Sanae finds it's easier than she'd expected. All she has to do is float, and it's as natural as walking. Tentatively, she rises up, up, up until she can sit atop the torii like Suwako did. And it is beautiful, the slope of the mountain and treetops and valleys and green landscape as far as she can see.

"Good job!" Kanako yells from the ground. "You're a natural."

"Thanks!" Sanae laughs, swinging her feet.

"I have a few things to take care of, to settle us in. You can explore the area, if you want."

"Are you sure you don't need help?"

Kanako shakes her head. "It's okay. Please get acquainted with the mountain. We'll be here a while, after all."

So Sanae sets out on her own, drifting above the landscape. The mountain is full of youkai, mostly kappa and tengu, that Sanae thought only existed in folklore. There are more gods, too, lesser ones. She can tell. She can feel their power, and it isn't nearly as strong as her mothers'.

But what makes her smile most is that out of all the mountain's inhabitants, none of them look like the people she's so used to seeing back home. All the tengu racing through the sky, all the kappa down in the river, all the sharp-featured gods are each so beautiful it makes Sanae's heart race. And she sees two women kissing in broad daylight within the hour, sitting on the edge of the river with their feet in the water. The picnic basket at their side suggests they're on a date. Sanae's heart feels all funny. She makes a mental note to tell her gods as soon as she returns to the shrine. That being a girl who loves girls isn't bad in this world.

She can't stop grinning when she finally makes her way back home. "Kanako-sama!" she gushes as she bursts through the shrine entrance. "There are so many women here and I saw two girls kissing and I think it's okay to like girls in this world!" She's beaming at Kanako, talking so quickly that she wonders if her thoughts are even coming out coherently.

Kanako smiles warmly. "So it seems. Gensokyo is nearly entirely populated by women, you know."

Sanae can't believe it. For the very first time in her life, this is a place that she could belong to. "Does that mean...?"

"Yes." She looks down at the floor, suddenly seeming uncomfortable. "Well. How should I say this... If you'd like to date girls, you have my blessing. I'm... sorry if we made it hard on you before. Suwako and I could have handled it a lot better than making you keep it hidden." She smiles, a little sadly, and Sanae pretends not to see the tears welling up in her eyes. "I know for myself that it's a pain like no other to try and force an important part of yourself down and out of existence. It never truly works. I shouldn't have done the same to my daughter."

"I... I understand. We had to do it, right? It's okay."

"It's not okay," Suwako's sleepy voice says from the entryway to the house. "But it's over now, and we're, you know, not there anymore."

"Right," Kanako agrees, then squints. "I think you got taller."

"Huh?" Suwako looks down. "Uhhh... Only a centimeter or two, I think... Kana-chan, what if I'm stuck like this forever?"

"It'll be okay," Sanae tries. "I'm sure it's fine in this world, right?"

"I don't wanna look like a little girl!"

"You already act like one!" Kanako says, barely holding back laughter. "Well. It has been a long day for all of us. Sanae? Why don't you start on dinner?"

"Yes, Kanako-sama." And just like that, things are normal. It's bright, and comfortable, and natural, the way it should be.

It doesn't take long for them to settle into living in Gensokyo. Kanako leads discussions (her choice of wording) about the mountain and the shrine with the local tengu. Suwako spends most of her time lazing around inside, Kanako still concerned about her well-being. And Sanae finds herself quickly adapting to the way of the land, crafting her own spellcards and firing off practice danmaku.

Sanae's bedroom is still the exact same, a familiar comfort throughout all the changes. Her anime figures, her stuffed animals, her bed and desk and shelves and dresser. The window still faces the lake, the setting sun coming in slanted lines through the windowshade. The picture of the schoolgirls is still barely hidden in the top desk drawer.

Sanae takes it out, admiring it for the millionth time. She's memorized it by now—each line, each detail, the filled-in black spaces, the screentones. Determined, she attaches a piece of tape to each corner, and firmly presses it against the wall, right by the door.

How strange, she thinks. She finally made it.

Finally, finally there's a place Sanae, and her gods, can truly call home.