The sunset was a triumph of pinks and oranges. The colours were so mellow and bright Reimu half expected the air to taste like sweets. Perhaps it did even closer to Heaven.
She leaned her head against Sanae's shoulder, breathing in the scent of spring breeze which seemed to be a part of her. "You were right. The view is pretty great."
"I still remember the first time I saw it." Sanae rested her head against Reimu's in turn. They sat on a cliff side near Moriya Shrine, their legs dangling over the edge. "It was one of the first sights I had of Gensokyo. As soon as we had crossed the border, I found myself drifting over here. When I saw Gensokyo in all of its beauty from here, I finally believed I had arrived in another world."
Reimu tried to picture the view as it would have appeared at the cusp of autumn, the deep greens of the current summer replaced with reds and yellows.
"And then..." Sanae held her hand out into the air. "I stepped off the cliff and flew for the first time."
"That's lot of firsts for one day."
"It was a strange day." Sanae straightened her neck and smiled sheepishly. "To be honest, I was nervous. I knew I could fly: Lady Kanako and Lady Suwako had been so certain about it, and in a way, I could feel it. But the thought still crossed my mind that the winds might refuse to carry me. Even now that I'm used to it, I still remember taking that leap of faith."
Reimu had learnt a lot about leaps of faith. Some, like chasing after culprits behind incidents, eventually became second nature. Some remained unnerving, such as taking stock of one's pantry at the end of autumn. Or such as choosing to date a fellow shrine maiden when the relationship could so easily turn sour.
But it hadn't yet, and perhaps it never would. She and Sanae had had their ups and downs, both in terms of friendly competitions and actual arguments, but not once had it been the disaster Reimu had thought inevitable beforehand.
She got up slowly and offered her hand to Sanae. "How do you feel about taking off right now?"
"Good, actually." Sanae squeezed Reimu's hand as she rose to follow her.
And so, Reimu led her over the precipice.
The wind currents were as mild as they had been since morning, barely strong enough to ruffle Reimu's hair. Still holding onto Sanae's hand, she turned around to look at her. "Care for a dance?"
"In the air?" Sanae's eyes sparkled like jewels in the setting sun.
"Why not? It's not like anyone's watching."
And if someone was, she thought as they began their dance, if the kappa and tengu and all the assorted youkai living on and around the mountain were looking in their direction, if Yukari or some other annoyingly nosy entity was observing them from some unknowable location, well, what of it? Let them watch.
In truth, it wasn't much of a dance. There was no beat to follow, for one, and one could hardly take proper steps in the air. With their hands entwined, they were limited to a few gestures and twirls. Still, they swooped and turned and allowed their hair and clothes billow to in the wind, with Sanae's laughter rising to be the only music Reimu needed.
"Oh!" Sanae suddenly stilled. She let go, only to place her hands on Reimu's shoulders for support. "I almost forgot! I planned a small miracle for tonight."
"An edible one?"
"No. I did most of the preparations beforehand, but I need to concentrate for a while."
She closed her eyes. Reimu had the perfect vantage point to study her quivering eyelashes and the minute movements of her lips as she murmured words not meant for this world.
When something soft fell on Reimu's forehead, her first thought was that it was too early in the year for snow. Then another petal floated in the air between them and she understood what was happening. By the time she looked up, they were caught in a rain of cascading jasmine blossoms.
Sanae's eyes were open again, She looked more surprised than Reimu felt to see that her miracle had succeeded. Her smile was proud and content when it returned.
"Impressive," Reimu conceded, breathing in the scent of the blossoms which had landed on her hair and shoulders. "How long did you need to prepare this?"
"That's a trade secret." Sanae's smile wavered, and she drew closer until their foreheads touched. When she next spoke, it was in a whisper.
A whisper which was drowned out by a sudden downpour of rain. Reimu watched Sanae's lips move, guessing the words she spoke, but after that her attention was driven heavenwards, where a small but all the more persistent rain-cloud appeared to be determined to rain on their parade.
Reimu raised an eyebrow. "Is this a part of your miracle?"
"No! Maybe it's an incident?"
Surprising herself, Reimu began to laugh. She kept laughing as Sanae gave her a wounded look, which softened into a faint smile as Reimu pulled her into a spin in the air.
The rain ceased to matter as they resumed their dance. Reimu watched the drops bounce off Sanae's shoulders and glide down her hair, watched her lustrous eyes reflected in tiny droplets clinging to her eyelashes, and could barely feel her own clothes and hair getting drenched.
As they slowed down, Sanae gave a soft laugh and pulled Reimu into an extremely wet hug. "I love you, Reimu."
It was funny. Reimu had never considered what she could say if this moment arrived. But now that it was here, she found the truth on her lips without effort and allowed the words to blend with the wind and the rain and the lingering scent of jasmine.
"I love you too."