The Shigan side of the Sanzu River was calmer than usual. That was not to say it was usually a hotbed for disorder — most spirits waited calmly to be ferried to Higan, and while visitors were sometimes alarmingly frequent, neither they nor those who lived by the river usually disturbed the overall sense of tranquillity.
Now, however, as Eiki peered through the mists, all was not only calm but quiet. The few spirits she saw were recent arrivals, standing together in a cluster amidst daffodils, staring blankly at the fog. Next to them, Komachi's boat was tucked neatly onto the shore, the oar resting against the bow. Komachi herself was nowhere in sight.
Eiki looked around for a moment longer to ensure she hadn't made a mistake, then sighed and began to wait. As the moments ticked by, she considered plucking one of the flowers and seeing whether it thought Komachi remembered their plans or not.
But there was no need. It was clear Komachi hadn't forgotten. That didn't explain where she had gone, however, nor tell Eiki whether she would be back soon.
She waited for a few moments longer, then headed towards Muenzuka. If Komachi had been waylaid, it made sense to check all the likeliest locations where it could have happened.
The trees of Muenzuka were still bare, while observing the ground revealed nothing more than a bloom of blossoms and a freshly dug grave. Eiki paid her respects while considering her next move. The Road of Reconsideration was right there, leading towards Gensokyo proper, but would she be more likely to find Komachi on the Road of Liminality?
It was then that a golden glint caught her eye, reflecting one of the very few rays of sunlight that made it through the overcast sky.
Various outlandish objects drifted into Muenzuka, including many shiny ones. But as Eiki walked over and plucked the item from the ground, she saw there was nothing unusual about it. It was a simple coin, well maintained, with a hole in the centre.
Looking ahead, she saw another one glittering towards the Road of Reconsideration.
The bloom of spider lilies along the road was muted in early spring, which was to say the ground came alive with slightly less vivid reds than at the height of autumn. A few fairies zipped past, minding their own business and leaving Eiki to follow the trail of coins in peace.
By the time her hand was full of coins she finally caught sight of familiar red hair and the glint of a scythe resting casually against a shoulder. She also saw that Komachi wasn't alone: next to her was a small human child, scurrying to keep in step with Komachi's long stride even as Komachi herself slowed down to accommodate the child's pace.
"Komachi!"
Both Komachi and the child turned around. Komachi waved and halted so that Eiki could catch up to them. "Glad you found us, Lady Eiki. Even if I'm not sure how."
Eiki closed the distance and held out her coin-laden hand. "These may have been a clue."
"Oh no." Komachi began at once frantically looking over herself and clearly found herself bereft of coins. "The weight must have worn through the fabric." She reached beneath her belt. "I should have a spare pouch here if you just—"
A moment of hassle later, the bounty of coins was safely back on Komachi's person for the time being. The matter settled, Eiki turned to look at the child and smiled. "And who is this, I wonder?"
At once, the child hid herself behind Komachi, burying her face in her skirt.
"Hey, what's with you?" Komachi twisted herself and placed a hand on the child's head. "There's no need to be scared."
"But I did a bad thing," the child mumbled into the fabric.
Eiki kept smiling. The child had bluish black hair and a fringe so long it obscured her eyes. Said eyes shined through the hair as the child looked at Eiki more closely and finally relinquished her vice-like grip on Komachi. She still held onto her hem with one hand, however.
"I found her wandering near Muenzuka," Komachi explained. "I would have taken her back through the Road of Liminality, but she refused to follow me there."
"Mother's there!" The child chimed in.
"And why don't you want to see your mother?" Eiki asked.
"Because she's gonna punish me for taking my cousin's snacks."
"I see. And that's why you ran away from home?"
"Uh huh." The child's face fell into sullenness. "But Sis said I should go back and say I'm sorry when Mother gets home."
"That is a good deed you can do right now. Assuming you are sorry, that is."
The child considered this. "Not really."
"Then you shouldn't lie about it. In the meanwhile, do you understand that stealing is wrong?"
A nod.
"And do you understand why it's wrong?"
Another, more hesitant nod.
"I'll come and explain it to you in the near future so that you understand it clearly. For now, can you promise not to steal again?"
The child considered this as seriously as she had the previous point, then vigorously shook her head.
Komachi chuckled. "At least she's honest."
Eiki persisted, still smiling. "In that case, can you promise not to steal for another week?"
The child chewed her lip before finally nodding. "Okay."
"It's a good start." Eiki glanced at Komachi. "I suppose we should take her home now."
"Right you are. Come on, kid. You can hold on if you want as long as you don't pull at the fabric."
The child took full advantage of this permission, clutching onto Komachi's hem as to a lifeline, casting curious looks at Eiki. Eiki resisted the urge to chuckle and followed.
By the time they reached the Forest of Magic, the child had lost all of her shyness. She skipped merrily between Komachi and Eiki as though she knew nothing better than striding in the shadow of youkai-infested woods with people she had only just met.
"You know, Sis..." Her chubby fingers grasped for Eiki's hand and finally latched onto her pinky. "I saw a dragon once!"
"You did?"
"Uh huh! It flew above the village!" The child's dark eyes, or at least what could be seen of them, were luminous with barely contained excitement. "It was smaller than story dragons, but bigger than the statue!" She leaned in closer and lowered her voice, urging Eiki to bend down. "If I see it again, I'll tell you. Maybe I can draw you a picture."
Komachi gave Eiki a conspiratorial wink over the child's head. "I'm sure it will show up again as soon as it knows how much it means to you."
"My cousin says she saw a giant dragon once," the child continued in her normal voice, pulling at Eiki's hand to hurry her along. "But I think she was lying. She lies a lot. But I try not to lie."
"That's very good. Hold onto your honesty."
The child beamed. She spent much of the remainder of the journey humming a bright tune.
Once the village came into view, however, she scowled and began dragging her feet.
"Hey, now." Komachi crouched down to the child's level to ruffle her hair. "It won't be all bad. You have to go back at some point. Besides, I'm sure your mother will be really worried if you don't get home soon."
The child pouted, then finally sighed. "Okay."
"Good girl." Komachi straightened up and held out her hand. "We'll take you up to the gate, okay?"
The child's nod was less than enthusiastic, but she accepted the outstretched hand. She then turned towards Eiki, eyes round, reaching for her hand as well.
Eiki could readily picture the silly impression two Ministry officials tethered to a grim-faced child would paint. Nor could she help herself from chuckling as she gave the child her hand.
The few passers-by gave them looks of amusement and consternation in equal measure. Eiki countered each with a placid smile, and watched Komachi wave at one particularly confused-looking individual as though it were a daily occurrence. The child didn't seem to notice anyone. She kept her eyes fixed steadily ahead, as though walking towards her judgement. In a sense, Eiki assumed that was true.
At the gate, the child extracted herself and turned to give them a solemn look. "Bye bye."
Eiki gave a small wave. "Don't wander off again, now."
The mischievous glint in the child's eye suggested that this particular piece of advice would be discarded with extreme prejudice. Still, she smiled at them both before running into the village.
Komachi grinned. "Should we go after her and see that she actually goes home?"
"We should trust her for now." Several villagers near the entrance had paused to look at them with interest, while several others had quickly recognised the newcomers for who they were and made themselves scarce. "I hope she doesn't wander into Muenzuka again, at least. I'm amazed she found her way there."
"And she was at home in the Forest of Magic, too. What a reckless little adventurer." Komachi's fond smile dimmed. "I'm sorry I got sidetracked like this."
"You did the right thing. You couldn't have left the child to fend for herself."
"But I should have left you a note. I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten about today."
"I never thought you had."
"Oh?"
"That's right." Eiki stepped off the road to make way. There was a maple nearby, its bright red seedlings only just begun sprouting and bearing some resemblance to spider lilies. She walked over the admire them and waited for Komachi to settle next to her before turning to smile at her. "I knew you remembered because you worked so diligently today."
Komachi scratched the back of her head, looking very pleased with herself. "I guess I don't often receive enough coins in a day for their weight to tear through fabric."
"Of course, the fact that I could tell that you remembered on that basis alone paints a troubling picture of your general work ethic." Eiki swallowed the admonition that had already risen to her tongue. "However, I will save the lecture for later."
"Is the deferral on that my anniversary present?" Komachi's tone was woebegone, but her eyes danced.
"Of course not. Your present is that for the rest of the day, we can go wherever you want and do whatever you wish." Although Eiki knew her words had been taken in their intended spirit, she hastened to add: "within reason, of course."
"I'm sure I can think of many reasonable things I'd like to do with you." Komachi's hands found Eiki's, first one, then the other. It was difficult to say which was warmer, her palms or her smile. "And in exchange, my present is that I promise to work harder." She hesitated. "For at least a week."
"It's a good start." Eiki gave Komachi her brightest smile. "Thank you for the past year."
"Likewise. Let's make this next one even better." Komachi closed her eyes and leaned in closer.
Eiki took the cue and met Komachi's lips with her own, briefly, softly. When Komachi opened her eyes again, they dazzled.
Eiki stepped back but didn't let go of Komachi's hands, her cheeks reddening. "Ahem. What else would you like to do?"
Komachi's smile was a match for the sun that now peeked at them from behind the clouds. "For starters, I'd like to show you one of my favourite napping spots."
Eiki raised an eyebrow. "You do realise that will make it easier for me to find you when you're slacking off in the future?"
"I know, but I want to share it with you anyway. And then... I think we should take a nap."
Eiki couldn't help but laugh. "A nap?"
"A nap." If Komachi looked a tad sheepish, she was no less radiant for it. "Just a short one since there's so much else I want to do afterwards. But I think it'll be nice for us to lay down on the grass for a while and listen to the birds and the waterfall at our own pace." She pulled back one of her hands and used it to shield her eyes as she looked upwards. "Especially if the sun finally comes out."
Eiki gave Komachi's remaining hand a squeeze. "Then we will do exactly that."
They returned to the road with their fingers entwined just as the sunshine fell upon them in earnest.