A drinking party at the Hakurei shrine was Gensokyo's natural immune response to conflict. Or so it had seemed to Reimu at times, at least. More than one bitter rivalry had been settled there, sipping sake under the moonlight after an incident. So, she'd planned this out too. When she mentally informed Yukari that the fight was over and the pair would be going back to the shrine, she, Ran, and Chen were prepared.

Shiko had already been drowsy when they got back. After her first taste of alcohol, she had spent two hours of conversation growing progressively groggier. Now, sprawled on the shrine's floor, she seemed to be out of it for good. Reimu crept over to the shelf where all of the blankets were folded. Grabbing one—she recognized it as one that she'd bought, herself—she carried it across the room and draped it on the sleeping girl.

Outside, sitting just beyond the door, Ran had drifted off with Chen in her lap, sitting back-to-back with Yukari. Yukari was the only other one still awake, looking out toward the rest of Gensokyo. Reimu settled onto the step next to her. Through the trees, the lights of the human village were just barely visible below.

Yukari only spoke up after they'd been sitting in companionable silence for several minutes. "So," she said, her voice low so as to not wake the others. "Do you think it worked?"

"I think so. She's stubborn, but she's coming around. Kind of. … if nothing else, she should be too sore to do anything too stupid for a few days."

"Stubborn, hmm? Just like her predecessor, then."

"I'm sure," Reimu said, as if she had no idea who Yukari was talking about. "I think that now that she's spent time around youkai... it'll be easier. That's kind of what keeps Gensokyo together, right? After you know somebody, it's hard to think of them as a scary monster or, um, dinner."

"You just might be right," Yukari said, and the conversation ended. In the forest below, Reimu could hear the distant sounds of fairies playing, mixed with the soft, steady chirps of crickets. She'd gotten used to staying up all night, but between the soothing sounds and her own exhaustion, she was fading quickly. Yukari seemed to sense it, and pushed aside a few of the fluffy tails that were threatening to envelope her body. "There's room, if you'd like to get comfy."

"... I don't think I should use Ran as a pillow without asking."

"I'm sure that she would be fine with it. She's fond of you, you know."

"Okay..." Reimu slid off of the step and moved around, then settled down next to Yukari. Yukari wrapped an arm around her, and with her other, gently pulled the tails inward. Warm, soothing fluff settled over Reimu like a blanket. "... they're a lot softer than they look."

"She uses a special shampoo. You should think about getting a few tails, yourself. I'm afraid that until then, you hold the dubious honor of being the least-pettable shikigami in the household."

"I think I'll live," Reimu said. She scooted closer and rested her head on Yukari's shoulder. "She did a pretty good trick with the orbs. She might have won, if I'd been much slower."

"Oh, is that why my back feels like somebody dropped a brick on it?"

Reimu winced. She hadn't accounted for the damage link. "... sorry."

"I'm just glad that everything is resolved."

"She... still has some training to do, but. Yeah. I think she's figuring it out."

"Good. Tomorrow, she might need to punish you for leaving that hole in the barrier just sitting here. We'll need to close that first thing in the morning."

"Nngh. It's been a long night. Let me rest."

"Ah, lazy, too."

"No tails and lazy. That's me," Reimu said with a yawn. "I guess I'm just a cut-rate shikigami."

"It's the price that I pay for being such a lazy, greedy master. I suppose we're stuck with each other."

"Guess so." Reimu let her eyes drift shut. Now that they'd stopped talking, she could just barely hear Yukari's heartbeat. It was... nice. "... hey, Yukari?"

"Mmh?"

"I've been thinking about the name thing."

"Oh?"

"I..." Reimu squirmed. She'd made up her mind days ago, but the thought of saying it out loud was still embarrassing. "I think I'm going to... make the change."

"Ah." A few moments passed in silence. "Re-i-mu Ya-ku-mo," Yukari said softly, lilting every syllable. "I like it."

"It doesn't matter if you like it or not. I just need a last name."

"It still sounds pretty."

"That's not really what I'm worried about here."

"Mmhm." With her free hand, Yukari reached over and took one of Reimu's, interlacing their fingers. She gave it a soft squeeze. "Now, get some rest. You've had a long night."

"I'm trying to, if you'd shut up," Reimu said, with an exasperated sigh. Even so, she found herself smiling. "... good night, Yukari."

"Good night. I'll try to keep the shrine maiden from exterminating you in your sleep, but no promises."

"Great," Reimu mumbled with another yawn, and finally allowed her thoughts to settle down. She still needed to figure out how to tell her friends that she had eaten human. She needed to start worrying about her next meal of it soon, even. She was sure that she and Shiko would have more conflicts in the future. But right now, buried in fluffy fox tails and resting against Yukari on a warm spring night, everything was okay for the moment. Reimu Yakumo relaxed, and allowed herself to drift off to a well-deserved sleep.