Silver flashed in the air as Youmu cleaved it in half. She repeated the slash several times over, her mouth set, her eyes alight with cold fire, then moved on to the next stance.
Yukari sipped at her sake. "She seems unusually driven these days."
"She felt her defeat rather keenly, the poor dear." Yuyuko looked towards the garden just in time to see Youmu lash out with both blades at once. "I told her she performed admirably and that I have already forgotten what the whole affair was about, but that only made her training regiment more vigorous. I suppose it's a matter of pride."
Yukari nodded and studied the garden. In Gensokyo, spring was already giving way, but here at Hakugyokurou, echoes of the stolen season would keep the trees in lifeless flower for at least a few days longer. The Saigyou Ayakashi alone was utterly barren, with remnants of its supernatural bloom scattered everywhere beneath its branches.
She didn't realise just how long her thoughts had been drifting until a familiar melody rang through the cherry blossom-scented air. She turned to see Yuyuko playing a kin with a dreamy look on her face. Each note fell pitch perfectly in their correct places.
As the final note faded into the ether, Yukari raised her nearly empty cup in salute. "You've practised since I last heard you play."
Yuyuko smiled as she set the instrument down. "One finds a surprising amount of time for idle pleasures in the afterlife."
The smooth reply was as expected. There was no point in asking if she truly knew what Yukari was talking about: if she still remembered anything about her life as a human, it was in fragments which were easy to mistake for parts of her far longer afterlife. Yuyuko seemed comfortable enough with that, and so Yukari was likewise.
"Perhaps we should play something together instead," Yukari said instead. Yuyuko grew more cunning and ferocious at Go with each passing year, and lately, they had taken to playing games on three boards at once. It was always a delight, but Yukari almost regretted making the suggestion. The present moment was perfect as it was.
Yuyuko smiled, but her gaze grew ponderous as it drifted back to the garden. Youmu was still in the thick of her practise, but Yuyuko's eyes swept past her to the bare branches of the Saigyou Ayakashi.
Yukari too studied the tree. Buried beneath layers and layers of slumber and sacrifice, its malicious intent could barely be perceived. Still, it was dormant rather than dead, making it something of an anomaly in the Netherworld.
"It's a shame we couldn't see the Saigyou Ayakashi in full bloom." Yuyuko's tone was light, but she spoke quietly, and as she turned to face Yukari, her eyes were hooded and knowing despite her smile. "I suppose not every secret is meant to be unearthed."
Yukari set her cup down and reached out to touch Yuyuko's cheek. Catching her intent, Yuyuko leaned into the touch and moved closer until they were embracing.
Perhaps alerted by the sudden movement, Youmu whipped her head around to stare at them. She made a choked sound and backed away, hastily stowing the blades back into their sheaths before striding away.
Yuyuko's smile widened after Youmu was gone. "She's still a child in some matters." She sighed and leaned her head against Yukari's shoulder, adjusting where she sat so that their folded legs rested snugly side by side. "Perhaps I should encourage her to spend more time in Gensokyo. It might make her less skittish."
"Or we can simply make a point of snuggling in front of her more often."
Yuyuko's laughter was bell-like even when it was malicious. "Even better."
Yukari brushed her lips against Yuyuko's brow, her mouth curving into an involuntary smile as Yuyuko's bangs tickled her. The smile turned earnest as Yuyuko turned her head up to bring their lips together.
There were countless universes where Yuyuko's spirit had simply moved on, countless more where her afterlife hadn't blessed her with peace and newfound pleasure in her ability to induce death, and even more where Yukari had simply never met her again. Yukari could calculate the odds of them both being there, happy and still in love, practically without thinking about it. But what did those odds matter? They had beaten them, if only just this once.
She settled her arm more firmly where it belonged around Yuyuko and savoured the lingering scent of stolen spring.