"And that concludes today's report," Iku finished with a fluid bow. "There may be some further aftershocks on the surface, but nothing out of the ordinary."
Lord Nai shifted in his seat and nodded. "Thank you, Miss Nagae."
Usually, this was the part where Iku said her farewells and returned to the clouds, glad to be gone from Heaven and back in her natural element. However, it was clear from the atmosphere Lord Nai still had something further to stay, and it heeded well to wait and not have him call after her. Change and adapt.
The celestial lord's air was troubled, but not angry. That was a relief as much as it was a surprise: Iku had expected to finally face some consequences for reaching the end of her tether and taking it upon herself to punish Lady Tenshi for instigating an incident in Gensokyo the previous month, but the atmosphere hinted at something else entirely. Still, she waited for Lord Nai to clear his throat with a certain sense of trepidation.
"I do not wish to impose on you, Miss Nagae, but there is a favour I need to ask of you."
Iku gathered her hems and curtsied. "It is an honour to offer any services to your clan that are within my power." After all, maintaining good relations between Bhava-Agra and the Dragon Palace was also a part of her responsibilities.
"Yes, quite." Lord Nai's brow furrowed. "It's about my eldest daughter. There is some festival or other down in Gensokyo tomorrow that she'd like to witness. I cannot see why, but," he shrugged, "there it is."
"I see." That bode ill.
"However, in light of her most recent exploits," Lord Nai's cheeks reddened ever so slightly. Since he appeared to remain unaware of the full picture, Iku surmised he was referring to Tenshi ceding celestial lands to Suika Ibuki. "I have decreed that she not leave Heaven without supervision and thus, that she would need a chaperone to visit Gensokyo. That is where you come in."
It was only thanks to centuries worth of practise that Iku managed to keep a straight face. She hadn't seen Tenshi since their bout at the Hakurei Shrine, and would gladly have kept the situation as is. Still, what could she possibly say? Even the most polite refusal under the circumstances would cause slight but entirely avoidable stress on her employer's relationship with Heaven.
"I would be honoured," she managed, keeping her voice level. "However, if it is not too imprudent to mention this, I am rather surprised that a humble messenger such as myself would be the one chosen to escort the Eldest Daughter. Surely any of your servants would gladly take the task?"
Lord Nai coughed. "As it happens, when I brought up the need for a chaperone, Tenshi specifically requested for you."
"Really? That is..." Alarm bells rang in Iku's head.
"Yes. She was... adamant about it, even."
Iku bowed again. "In that case, I have no choice but to accept this privilege."
Lord Nai had already lost interest in the conversation, his eyes glazing over. "Good. I will see the two of you off tomorrow evening, then."
Tenshi was smiling.
That was really the worst part.
All in all, Iku was positively disposed towards smiles, but the one she was facing was the kind a serial murderer flashes at their victims a heartbeat before sinking their blade in, all teeth and icy cold eyes. The rest of Tenshi's body language didn't inspire much confidence, either: she was clearly trying to keep it befitting of a celestial maiden, but everything from her posture to her controlled breathing radiated barely concealed malice.
Iku sighed inwardly. She had expected this, of course. No doubt this excursion was to be a means towards revenge, though to what extent she couldn't say just yet.
Still, she would endure the trip. Change and adapt.
"It is good to see you in such good health, Eldest Daughter," she said with a bow.
Impossibly, Tenshi's grin widened. "Likewise, Iku. I'm really looking forward to today."
Iku smiled back. "It humbles me to know someone as exalted as yourself has learned my name."
There was a glint of steel in Tenshi's eyes that she quickly hid. "I could hardly forget it after our last meeting. I hope today will be just as memorable as that day was."
Iku's cheeks had begun to ache. "Precisely as memorable, with any luck."
"Now, then," Lord Nai had emerged after Tenshi and stood somewhat awkwardly a few feet away on the the flowering meadow. Iku thought it was for the best: had the conversation continued down the same path without interruption, it would have ended in blows sooner rather than later. "I'll trust Tenshi in your care for today, Miss Nagae. Please keep her out of trouble."
Iku bowed. "As you say, Lord Nai."
"Tenshi." At the sound of her name, Tenshi turned her head, ever so slightly flustered. "Be a good child, then."
"Of course, Father!" The smile Tenshi flashed him was sugary sweet.
Lord Nai sighed and turned on his heels without further comment, vaguely shaking his head.
As soon as he vanished into the nearby peach tree grove, Tenshi turned back towards Iku. She was no longer smiling.
Without a word, she rushed past Iku and ran across the field, taking to the skies.
Iku sighed and hurried after her. Sure enough, the night was going to be a riot.
Tenshi waited for her in the air, her arms crossed, and with a curious look on her face. Iku had just enough time to read the situation to not be surprised when just as she was about to reach her, the celestial instead leaned backwards, somersaulted in the air, and dived straight into the sea of clouds.
Iku followed. At least she was back in her element for now: even with the early start, Tenshi was unlikely to shake her off while they were swimming across the sky.
It appeared she didn't even try, as she soon paused and floated in place, frowning at the clouds.
"You're too slow," she snapped as Iku swam up to her. "Can't you fly faster?"
"I'm doing what I can, Eldest Daughter."
"Do more." Tenshi sneered. "I thought I'm supposed to be in your care, not the other way around. You should pay more attention to where I go."
Iku didn't bother responding in kind. This was roughly what she had been expecting, and retaliating would only egg Tenshi on more. "I will, Eldest Daughter."
Tenshi gave her a long look, then rolled her eyes. "Tch."
She started again towards the ground, but at a far more manageable speed. Iku followed mutely after her a few body lengths away.
As the silence grew so heavy she felt the weight of the atmosphere would surely plunge them to earth, she tried a different tack. "Your father mentioned this visit was due to your interest in a local festival?"
Tenshi scoffed. "What, never heard of Tanabata before?" Still, when she turned to look over her shoulder, her expression had mellowed. "It's not actually a Gensokyo exclusive thing. We celebrated it back when I lived on Earth, too."
"I see. So, you're curious to see if the procession has changed in the meantime?"
"I guess. Either way, it should be fun. I'd like to try out some more earth-crawler food."
The last sentence was accompanied by a surprisingly guileless smile. Iku sensed the shift in the atmosphere and smiled encouragingly.
Immediately, Tenshi's expression clouded over, as if she suddenly remembered she was supposed to be grouchy. "Hurry up, then. I don't want to wait around for you all the time once we get there."
Iku nearly pointed out Tenshi was unlikely to wait for her whether she moved slowly or not, but decided otherwise. At least the celestial wasn't endangering anyone's life so far.
Soon, the clouds parted, and Gensokyo opened up before them. None of Heaven's endless sunshine here: the dusk was darkening rapidly. Even from the distance, hundreds of paper lanterns like a herd of fireflies were visible against the general gloom of the evening, leading up to the recently re-rebuilt Hakurei Shrine.
"Will it rain tonight?" Tenshi asked abruptly, forgetting to sound snide.
Iku recalled her readings for the day. "It may be cloudy, but no, no rain,"
"Good. Then the magpies can come." Immediately after saying this, Tenshi fell into another sullen silence, and Iku knew better than to ask her to clarify the cryptic statement. It was one thing to accidentally set the Eldest Daughter off, another thing entirely to step into an obvious trap.
In any case, it was a relief to see hints Tenshi had some genuine interest in the festival. Whatever sinister plans she had to avenge herself on Iku, at least they weren't the sole purpose for the excursion.
Iku had only just finished the thought when it came time to land. With practised ease, Tenshi swooped downwards and touched ground on the topmost of the stony steps leading to the shrine. Iku landed next to her. Using her feet for walking rather than steering didn't come naturally to her after, but from what she had understood it was considered good manners to refrain from flying short distances where humans lived, and so she made a concerted effort to keep her feet on the ground as she followed Tenshi to the shrine gate.
Compared to when she had last seen them, the Hakurei Shrine grounds were a spectacular sight. Colourful paper decorations hung from all available surfaces, fluttering gently in the soft breeze and changing shades according to which lantern's light fell on them. To the left was a platform covered entirely in paper cranes of all shapes and sizes, with children gleefully stringing them up for them to be hung from the stalls. The shrine itself, though somehow already looking ancient despite being no more than a month old, still managed to appear half venerable, half ominous shrouded in shadows.
She looked around. Everywhere around them, people were moving in couples and loose groups down the makeshift paths, mostly human but with several lone youkai and even mixed groups joining in. A trio of fairies ran through the crowd, bumping into people and laughing breathlessly, the last one carrying something gilded and heavy-looking under her arm.
"Iku! Hurry up! We won't be able to see anything good if you keep lagging behind all the time." Tenshi made a rather good impression of someone genuinely worried about missing out rather than just being bratty.
"We have plenty of time, Eldest Daughter."
"You'd say that, wouldn't you?"
They kept walking. The unmistakable scent of grilled fish from the right told Iku food vendors had set their stalls there, and from the generally satisfied atmosphere around them, the fare was at least adequate. Like the visitors, most of the vendors were humans, but the nearest cart was run by a night sparrow youkai and if the buzz around her was anything to go by, she had no trouble attracting customers.
Tenshi nudged Iku in the ribs and pointed at the youkai's booth. "How about I buy you some grilled lampreys?"
"I thank you for your generous offer, but I am not particularly hungry." Iku then caught sight of a widening grin on Tenshi's face and deduced that though barely noticeable from the general atmosphere of mischief, the offer had been meant to be a swipe against her. Exactly what the insult was supposed to be, she wasn't sure. Was Tenshi mistaking lampreys for eels, and eels for oarfish? Or was she merely under the assumption fish youkai eating fish was taboo, quite unaware that even regular fish ate one another?
Either way, the slight had missed its mark. Iku merely sighed. "Eldest Daughter..."
She raised her gaze to see air where Tenshi had been.
She swam through the crowd, desperately looking for a glint of azure hair or a flash of celestial silks, but the throng was such she could have spent an hour searching and still fail to find Tenshi if the celestial chose to stay hidden.
She had begun to mentally compose a letter of apology to Lord Nai for losing sight of his daughter when she heard Tenshi's word echoed over the murmurs of the crowd, strident and petulant.
"Move out of your way? You're the ones who ought to make way for me, pesky mortals."
Iku groaned inwardly. They'd been separated for all of two minutes. Leave it to Tenshi to cause trouble in that time.
She navigated her way towards the voice, and soon found Tenshi standing in a quieter intersection, facing three burly, irate villagers.
The foremost of the men, with angry eyebrows that met at the middle and arms like tree trunks, spat at the ground to his side. "If I were you, girlie, I'd get out of the way right now before me and the lads have to get tough."
Tenshi let out a short laugh. "Do you honestly think you and your drunken flunkies are any match for a celestial?"
The smallest of the three humans, with a sharp face and cunning eyes only slightly distorted by his obvious drunkenness, whistled. "Sounds like someone's cruising for a bruising."
The third man, with gentler features than the other two, sighed. "Come on, don't pick a fight with a child. We came here to have a good time."
Tenshi checked her fingernails. "A convenient excuse, that. Why, are you that afraid of being put in your place?"
The angriest man drew a sharp breath. "What?"
Iku could watch no longer. She hurried to Tenshi's side, and taking her by the arm, dragged her a few steps backwards. "Eldest Daughter, you are making a scene."
Tenshi made a half-hearted attempt to pull herself free, never removing her eyes from her knuckle-cracking opponent. "So?"
Iku bristled. "So? From what I understood, you were allowed to participate in this festival under the caveat that you'd be on your best behaviour. What would your father say if he found out you ended up brawling with drunken humans?"
Tenshi pursed her lips. "He'd probably say..." She twisted her expression into a reasonably recognisable parody of Lord Nai's usual stern face. "Miss Nagae, I thought I told you to keep my daughter out of trouble."
Iku loosened her grip and felt her cheeks pale. "That is..."
Before she came up with a suitable retort, Tenshi grabbed her by the upper arm. She pulled her down, gentler than she would have expected, until her ear was near Tenshi's mouth.
"Look, I won't be in any trouble here." Tenshi continued in a hushed voice. "You know these fools are no match for anyone but others of their kind."
"That is all well and good, but my main concern is you picking a fight here in the first place."
"Fine. I won't fight them, then."
Iku let out a sigh of relief she hadn't been aware she was holding. Just as she was about to address the men and explain the situation to them, Tenshi moved to grab her by both arms.
"Trust me, I know what I'm doing." With that, she flipped Iku around and pushed her towards the rowdy guys.
"Hey, ugly! If you have a problem with me, you'll have to deal with my girlfriend first." She rose to her tip-toes, leaning against Iku's back, and gave her a light peck on the cheek. "Give them hell, sweetheart."
"What?" Iku tried to turn her head to see Tenshi, but before she managed that, Tenshi let go and shoved her roughly forward. The angriest of the men, whether taking Tenshi's words at face value or else not caring who he punched was already squaring up towards her, his fists raised.
Instinctively, Iku raised her hands to shield herself.
A flash and a truncated scream later, she opened her eyes to see the man twitching on the ground and his cronies taking several decisive steps backwards. The fingers of her right hand tingled, as always immediately after she had borrowed the Dragon's power.
"Oh dear." Iku dropped to her knees and examined the body. The man was alive, thank Heaven, merely knocked unconscious from the shock. "Can you take him somewhere to rest? He should be fine in a few hours." She hoped so, at least.
"Sure thing, lady," the milder-mannered of the remaining men replied quickly, twisting his face. "Er... You know you're not supposed to use real magic in the village, right? The Hakurei Shrine Maiden doesn't like that."
Iku pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes, naturally." She would have to smooth things over with Reimu Hakurei later, but at least she was the one in trouble and not Tenshi.
So far.
She looked around, but there was no sight of Tenshi in the immediate crowd.
She bowed at the humans, both at the two remaining men and the crowd that had began to circle around them, keeping a respectful distance. "I am dreadfully sorry for this accident, and hope you can put it aside." The humans mumbled something resembling acceptance, so she took her leave, rushing ahead with such speed she forgot to walk instead of swimming.
Soon enough, she spotted Tenshi, sauntering down the central pathway. She rushed to her side, half tempted to snag Tenshi by the ear and drag her back to Heaven right there and then.
"Eldest Daughter!"
Tenshi barely glimpsed at her before turning back towards the booths at their sides. "What?"
"Someone could have been seriously hurt!"
Tenshi turned back and gave her a funny look. "What? There's no way he could have actually hurt you."
"I was talking about the human, not myself."
But Tenshi had already stopped listening. Her eyes were fixed on a nearby booth with some kind of a tank in front of it. She skipped over like an enthusiastic child, and Iku had no choice but to follow.
"So, what is this?" Tenshi asked the middle-aged human with a purple scarf around his head who was standing by the tank.
"Goldfish scooping, miss." The human displayed a handful of small nets. "You get three of these for five mon, and get to keep any goldfish you catch."
"What? For good?"
"Aye, that's the gist of it."
Tenshi turned towards Iku, her eyes shining. "That might be fun. A goldfish of my own."
Iku almost began counting to ten before realising there had been no bite in Tenshi's voice. On the contrary, she appeared to be genuinely earnest at the prospect of winning herself a pet.
"Taking care of a fish will be a responsibility," she offered.
"Right, right." Tenshi's brow furrowed. "I don't have money."
The human gave her an appraising look, then smiled. "Tell you what, miss. Since it's your first go at it, you can have it on the house."
Tenshi's face lit up, and she eagerly collected the nets. "Let's do this!"
She crouched down by the pool and rolled her sleeves up to her shoulders, then pushed her hair back and raised the first of the nets much like she would raise a sword. Her eyes were practically glowing as she lurked over the water, her eyes pinned on a particularly long-finned goldfish.
Iku turned towards the human. "Excuse me. I am unfamiliar with this custom, and there's something I don't entirely understand."
The human bowed his head. "Ask me anything, miss."
"How are you able to offer the nets at such a low price? And why do you sell three at a time? I would imagine you run out of fish at a very fast rate—"
Right on cue, Tenshi plunged the net into the water. The fish noticed the shadow of her hand and made its retreat, but too late. With a triumphant splash, the net returned from the water.
Tenshi's victorious grin was soon replaced by befuddlement. She narrowed her eyes and brought the net to her eye level. The entire webbing was gone.
"Ah." Iku frowned at the human. "Are they made out of paper?"
"Strong paper," the man replied, a touch defensively as Tenshi turned to glare daggers at him. "A skilled fisher can easily keep the net intact and scoop a fish into it."
Tenshi huffed and moved onto the second net.
"It does take a delicate touch," the man admitted, nodding at Iku.
A vigourous splash, followed by a rude word, rather undermined Tenshi's delicacy.
"I'm not giving up!" She spat, raising the last one like a mallet. Her grip was so tight Iku half expected the handle to snap from the pressure.
"Perhaps you ought to relax first, Eldest Daughter," she said.
Tenshi turned to glare at her in turn. Then, however, she took a deep breath and stooped her shoulders. When she returned her attention to the pool, it was with cool determination.
The third attempt was far more graceful, and for a moment Iku thought Tenshi had actually succeeded. Then, she saw the spoiled net.
Tenshi glowered at the frame in her hand like it had just criticised her dress sense and general hygiene, then stood up with the utmost dignity. "I will return once I collect some earth-crawler money."
The human bowed. "Thank you for your patronage, miss." He flashed her an apologetic smile. "You did well for your first attempt. Please accept these as a consolation price."
He turned to his booth and returned with two pieces of light blue paper with a hole at the edge and a thin piece of string threaded into it. "For your wishes, miss."
"I could've gotten these from the tree," Tenshi scoffed. Still, she snatched the pieces of paper before storming off.
Iku gave the human an apologetic smile before trailing after Tenshi. Tenshi's furious stomping soon slowed down to a more manageable pace, and before long they were walking side by side.
"I'm sure you will succeed on your next attempt," said Iku.
Tenshi raised her nose into the air. "It doesn't matter. Games like that are just a pointless diversion for little children. I only tried it because I felt sorry for that silly human."
It didn't take an inborn ability to read the current atmosphere. Iku quickly changed the subject. "What did he mean by wishes?"
"Oh." Tenshi slowed down and smoothed out the corners of the papers, rumpled in her grip. "You're supposed to write your wish on one of these and hang it onto a tree." She looked around, then pointed to their left, close to the shrine. "See that tree by all the lanterns?"
There was indeed a small tree there, with several dozen pieces of paper in all the colours of the rainbow dangling from its frail branches. As Iku looked on, a small human child accompanied by its parents walked to the tree and with some help, tied a bright yellow wish among the ones already there. "They must have brushes and ink somewhere nearby, then."
"Right." Tenshi peered into the vicinity of the tree, then gave a pointed shrug. "I don't care right now. I'm hungry." She peered around. "I don't like soumen, but maybe they're selling something else worth trying."
"The booths were by the gate, were they—" Iku turned her head to see Tenshi already trotting towards the gate, and sighed. Though a decent novelty at first, walking was already growing tedious. Why humans preferred it over swimming in the air, she'd never know.
By the time she made it to the gate, Tenshi had already engaged with two humans and the sparrow youkai. Iku had wondered how she planned on paying with no money on her, but now the plan was revealed: as she approached, she saw Tenshi take off her hat and pluck one of the peaches attached to it.
"This is a genuine peach straight from Bhava-agra." She placed the peach on her palm and displayed it to the confused vendors. "It's worth ten times more than everything you're selling put together."
One of the humans, a middle-aged woman with braided hair so long it reached her knees, wrinkled her nose. "Looks like a regular peach to me."
The youkai nodded. "Same here. How are we supposed to know you're telling the truth?"
Tenshi stood up to her full height and jutted out her chin. "Who do you think I am? Just look at me." She gestured at her garments. "Anyone with eyes can tell I'm a celestial."
The other human, an older man with a careworn face and white hair, lowered his eyes. "On any other day, we would take you at face value, miss, but tonight we've already had five shapeshifters attempting to swindle us." He paused. "Well, one shapeshifter, actually. She keep returning in different disguises. Still, the point stands."
The woman nodded. "If you can show us some proof that you are indeed from Heaven, we'll be happy to trade with you. Till then..."
Tenshi's eyes narrowed. She raised her free hand towards the sky.
With a jolt, Iku recognised the gesture as the one to call for the Sword of Hisou.
Now, Tenshi likely only intended to summon the sword, but even that would cause further commotion. That being the case, what if she planned to take things further? Even Tenshi wouldn't actively disregard common sense like that, would she?
Iku's thoughts drifted back to the previous month. She quickly stepped forward. "Excuse me."
Tenshi pouted, but mercifully lowered her hand. "Iku! Where have you been?"
Iku ignored her and bowed at the vendors. "Good evening. I am Iku, of the Nagae, a Messenger of the Dragon Palace. This is Tenshi Hinanawi, Eldest Daughter of the Hinanawi clan."
The first vendor exhaled softly, radiating a new sort of respect. "...Oh." She eyed her peers, who looked puzzled at this new development. "A pleasure to meet you. ...Please excuse us for a moment."
The trio retreated to the shelter of their stalls, speaking in hushed whispers. Iku adopted a non-committal expression and pricked up her ears.
"What do you think, Mystia?"
"I don't know. You can't just split yourself in two."
"And you can't fake heavenly veils. Not well, anyway. That looks like the real deal to me."
"Yeah." From the corner of her eye, Iku saw the youkai raise a talon to her lips. "You know, my friend Cirno said she met a celestial not long ago, and the description does match."
The merchants returned. The woman with the braid smiled brightly. "Please forgive us for the delay."
Tenshi held the peach up casually to her side and raised her eyebrow. "Do we have a deal?"
"Would you like some help carrying all that?" Iku asked, casting nervous glances towards the gate. The three vendors had been more than happy to part with some of their wares after they were convinced the heavenly peach was the real item, but from the still audible clamour, they were finding it difficult to decide how to split the bounty between themselves. The tones of voice were aggrieved enough that she feared they had just caused another scene, one that would be easy to track to them once Reimu Hakurei began asking for details.
"I'll manage." Tenshi had a fresh bounce in her step despite her full arms as they waded back into the crowd between the gate and the shrine proper. Immediately after she had finished speaking, however, she teetered awkwardly to the side, and only barely managed to stay on her feet.
Without thinking, Iku reached out to steady her.
Once Tenshi had regained her balance, she gave Iku an odd look. "You know, about before..."
"Yes, Eldest Daughter?"
Tenshi looked at a nearby lantern with a frown. "You helped me out."
"I merely stated the truth."
"You could have lied."
"Is that what you expected me to do, Eldest Daughter?"
"I don't know." Tenshi's frown deepened. "What I'm trying to say is..." She exhaled. "Thank you."
Iku halted in her steps. This was the first time she had ever heard Tenshi thank someone.
"What?" Tenshi now had a vaguely annoyed look.
"Oh, nothing." Iku gave Tenshi her brightest smile. "Shall we find a place where you can try out your plunder?"
Tenshi continued to pull a face, then nodded. "Let's do that. Maybe it's quieter behind the shrine."
They didn't have to go that far to find quiet. As soon as they left the booths behind and entered the dimly lit area by the side of the shrine, it was as if they had entered another realm. The indistinct noise of the festival-goers still followed them, but in this twilight realm, relative peace reigned. Iku spied dozens of people who had had the same idea as Tenshi, sitting by the pond and leaning against the nearby cherry trees, speaking quietly in the darkness and enjoying the cool evening.
"Over there." Tenshi pointed at an unoccupied tree, and they sat down by its roots. "Let's see what I have, now."
She placed the various paper-wrapped bundles on her lap, then moved the two fried lampreys and caramel apple on a stick into one hand so she could have a free hand as she shifted through them. "Oh, here's the takoyaki!" She unwrapped the package somewhat clumsily with one hand and picked up the wooden pick Iku assumed was used to eat the spheres. "I've always wanted to try these."
She fished out the first of the takoyaki and popped it into her mouth.
"How is it?" Iku asked as she chewed.
Tenshi swallowed. "Horrible!" She fished out another one and ate it with relish, smiling all the while. "Tastes like ashes when compared to food at home."
She finished off a third one, then placed the pick on the boat and offered both to Iku. "Here, you try one—" Her expression fell without warning, and she stared at Iku like she had been caught red-handed committing a crime.
Puzzled, Iku focused on the atmosphere. Sudden apprehension, with a current of regret. Only when Tenshi's eyes flitted towards the takoyaki did Iku guess where the problem lied.
"Octopi are not fish," she said in her most soothing tone. "Nor would it be a concern even if they were."
"Oh." Tenshi nudged the takoyaki towards her again. "Here you go, then."
Iku gingerly took the boat. At least now she knew for certain what Tenshi's earlier barb had been about.
The takoyaki was rather better than Tenshi's words suggested: spicy, and so hot Iku nearly scalded her tongue.
She chewed dutifully before swallowing. "That is quite nice."
"They made an effort, at least." Tenshi was already tearing open the next package, and unveiled two taiyaki. "I think I've had these before." Without asking, she pushed the wrappings towards Iku. "Take one."
"Thank you." Iku placed the takoyaki on the ground between them and took one of the fish-shaped pastry.
They ate in silence as the first stars of the evening lit up high above the tree branches. For all the lights and hubbub nearby, there was a sense of stillness in the air, the kind that only exists on dark summer nights that never seem to end. Iku savoured her pastry and allowed the last of the tension in her body melt away into the royal blue of the skies above.
She glanced to her side. Tenshi's eyes were half hooded and directed at the wall of the shrine as she licked the last of the red bean paste off her thumb. The atmosphere around her was muddled, but the rare soft smile on her face confirmed Iku's suspicion she was genuinely enjoying the moment rather than trying to lull Iku into a false sense of security.
Just as she began to wonder why was it that for all her animation, Tenshi hardly ever simultaneously smiled and had an air of happiness, the celestial's eyes flashed.
"We didn't write our wishes down yet!" she exclaimed.
"Eh? Oh, yes. Do you still have those strips of paper?"
"I should." She began shifting through the empty wrappings, then held up the paper strips in obvious triumph. She shot to her feet. "Let's go!"
She rushed back to the lantern-lit section, the papers and caramel apple in hand, leaving Iku to pick up the wrappings.
Iku sighed, but didn't find it in herself to be more than vaguely annoyed. If Tenshi had caused her more work on purpose, she had done so in a far more subtle way than usual, and though Iku liked to believe she had a rather realistic view on the character of the eldest daughter of the Hinanawi clan, this once, she believed Tenshi had genuinely meant no harm.
She discarded the wrappings in a convenient box in front of the shrine, then walked to the tree Tenshi had pointed out before. The reason for its tiny size became clear once she finally saw it up close: it was really a potted sapling rather than an actual tree growing from the courtyard. A small plaque on the pot informed her the plant was a loan from the Garden of the Sun.
Tenshi had just finished writing her wish against the nearest booth, and grinned as she handed the brush and Iku's paper strip over. "They said there's going to be fireworks soon! Hurry up so we can get back to the trees for a better view."
She ran off immediately afterwards, so hastily Iku almost had whiplash by proxy. Staring at the instrument shoved into her hand, she shrugged. Since she was there, she might as well follow the traditions of the festival. Change and adapt.
Now, what to wish for? Paid leave? A mild winter that would leave her with plenty of time to relax?
Uncertain, she looked at the wishes already hung on the tree for inspiration. Only a select few paper strips were the same shade of blue as her.
She recognised Tenshi's decisive and uncompromising calligraphy from the nearest blue paper, and couldn't resist the temptation to read it.
More festivals like this.
It was several moments later that Iku straightened her back, still staring at the wish. It was simple, even childish in its purity, but it made her feel warm in a way she had never associated with Tenshi before.
She felt dizzy as she made her way back to the back of the shrine, so much so she didn't realise she was floating above the ground until she left the lights behind her. The glowing feeling grew warmer at the sight of the beaming smile Tenshi gave her when she returned to the cherry tree.
In that moment, Iku would've wagered her entire being that it was a smile of genuine cheer. Though there was no mistaking the malice that was at the root of the entire excursion, as far as she could tell, it had all been swept away for now.
"Did you make a good wish?" Tenshi asked as she sat down.
"I believe so. What did you wish for, Eldest Daughter?"
Tenshi grinned. "I'm not telling!" She jerked her head towards the sky like a hound catching a scent as something flew into the air. "Here they come!"
Another rocket followed the first, and another after that, and soon enough the entire sky was covered in sprays of colourful glitterdust, red, green, and gold. Tenshi looked up with a patient smile, like she had expected more but knew earth-dwellers could only do so much, and was going to enjoy the display as best she could.
There was a lull in explosions, during which a bright, child-like voice echoed from the crowd: "Danmaku is cooler!" The declaration was followed by a volley of ice shards firing into the air, rising high before melting into vapour. The interlude was responded to with general sounds of merriment, and when the fireworks began firing again, the sparks were joined by danmaku of all kinds and colours: pink butterflies, purple knives, red and blue orbs, green lasers, and a veritable torrent of rainbow petals.
Tenshi laughed and jumped on her feet. "That's more like it!" Without hesitation, she drew a spell card from the pocket of her skirt and held it high. "Earthquake 'Escarpment Evacuation Route'!"
The keystones flew upwards followed by a flurry of red bullets, casting Tenshi's face in a crimson hue. Many eyes from the crowd turned towards Tenshi's display, and Iku found herself clapping quietly, drunk on the atmosphere.
Tenshi grinned and turned towards Iku. "You too!"
Iku's hands froze mid-clap. "Me?"
"Everyone's doing it!" Tenshi grabbed her arm near the elbow and pulled Iku up without much resistance. "It's fun!"
It was true enough, and so Iku drew a spell card of her own and held it towards the sky, the arm in Tenshi's grasp automatically making its way to her hip. "Orb Sign 'Orb of the Five-Clawed Dragon'!"
The five-pointed stars, their blue glow nigh ghostly in the summer night, shot upwards to the further amusement of the spectators.
Tenshi laughed and mimicked Iku's stance. "It's my turn again!" The Sword of Hisou appeared in her open palm, and a wide grin spread across her face as she drew her next card.
Iku instinctively took a step backwards.
"Scarlet Weather Rhapsody to All Humankind!" Tenshi bellowed.
The rich red mist of concentrated power emerged from the blade, shooting skywards like a geyser of lava.
"Eldest Daughter, that spell might be a little too much for this o—" Iku managed before the rumbling earth drowned her out.
"That was great!" Tenshi was still beaming with pride as they emerged above clouds.
"You controlled the spell well."
"Did you doubt me?" Tenshi stuck out her tongue, but there didn't seem to be bad blood behind the gesture. Her smile faded. "I mean, it's way easier to control the sword while standing on the ground anyway. It's just that the tremors... well." She shrugged. "I don't need to tell you."
"Indeed." Iku sighed. "I hope no-one was injured."
"It's not like anyone was inside the shrine when it collapsed."
Iku nodded. The damage caused by Tenshi's impromptu earthquake had been slight, but from the look on the Hakurei Shrine Maiden's face as she made her way through the crowd towards Tenshi, it had clearly been time to leave.
"Think she'll come after us?" Tenshi asked almost as if she had read Iku's thoughts.
"Yes, I believe so. With luck, she'll wait till tomorrow."
"Fine by me. I could use another duel, even if it's against a puny human."
"Quite..." Iku's thoughts were elsewhere. Whether she had managed to keep Tenshi out of trouble was a matter of opinion, but she had a sneaking suspicion Lord Nai wouldn't see what had transpired in a favourable light. She could only wish the news never reached him.
Still, from the way Tenshi was exuding enthusiasm, she couldn't entirely regret the evening.
They landed on a flower field near the Hinanawi residence. Tenshi adjusted her hat and turned towards Iku.
"So..." Her eyes kept drifting to the side before she steeled herself and looked at Iku head on. "Thank you for today."
Iku bowed. "Thank you for treating me, Eldest Daughter."
"You're welcome. You know..." Tenshi shook her head and adjusted her hat again, her hand stopping at where the missing peach had been. "I wasn't expecting it to be that much fun. Or at least the way it was."
Iku smiled. "I enjoyed myself, as well."
"We should do this again sometimes. They hold festivals at New Year's, too."
"That would be lovely." Iku hesitated. "Assuming Miss Hakurei is placated by that point."
Tenshi grinned. "Oh, I'm sure this incident will be solved by then."
With that, she stepped forward until she was right before Iku and rose to her tip-toes. Even then, she could only barely reach high enough to plant a kiss on her cheek, much gentler than the one she had given her in Gensokyo.
She backed away and smirked when Iku instinctively raised her hand to touch her cheek, but it was a smirk without malice. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and half ran, half flew across the meadow.
Iku stood still for a long while staring at the vacated field of flowers, exhausted, confused, and apprehensive of the repercussions of their escapades, but ultimately quite certain there really would be another festival one day.
Slowly, she began to smile.
After all, hadn't they both wished for it?