Astraphobia [Complete] - ReiMari (character death, also includes illustrations!)

[hungrybookworm]

Character death AND illustrations? Oh boy oh boy. Since this is technically a chaptered fic, I figured it deserved its own thread. Feel free to yell at me if you think it doesn't, though.

I'll write something happy again soon, I promise...

Illustrations by my lovely friend Furu/amemenojaku! This is primary a ReiMari story, but if you squint you can see some ReiSana and YukaReimu too! Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Lights
(AO3 Mirror)

The Yakumo House on a cold, clear night. 24th March 2007.

?Good evening, Yukari-sama. We?ve received a residency application from a family of gods near Lake Suwa.?

?...Good evening, Ran. Do we really need to do this right after I wake up??

?Unfortunately we have quite a lot to get through tonight. They wish to relocate their shrine to Gensokyo, in order to gather more faith. The gods are named Kanako Yasaka, Suwako Moriya, and-?

?You don?t need my advice for residency applications. Remember what I said about non-human population numbers??

?...So I should write them an apology and tell them we aren?t accepting new applicants right now??

?Correct. They cannot live in Gensokyo, not for a few more decades at least. There isn?t enough room. Now bring me some tea.?

?As you wish.?

*****
One year later. 29th March 2008.

The rain started suddenly, on an overcast afternoon three days ago. Dark, foreboding clouds rolled across the sky, and the sound of rain tapping against the window woke Marisa up from her afternoon nap. She?d scrambled out of bed, and sprinted outside to yank her clothes off the washing line. The rain was heavy; a grey curtain that sent a shiver through the forest. It was still too chilly for storms; she assumed it wouldn?t last long.

But the rain kept going. It fell and fell, from sunrise till sunset, and all the way through the night. Days passed. Rivers burst their banks, the Misty Lake filled to the brim, and water-loving youkai celebrated across Gensokyo. People began moving furniture upstairs in the Human Village. The Forest of Magic turned into a swamp, the thick smell of mud and wet vegetation adding to the humidity. Even the driest dirt paths stuck to Marisa?s boots like gloopy natto. Heavy rain wasn?t unusual in Gensokyo, but intense rain in this season was a rarity.

The water got everywhere, through the tiniest cracks and the thinnest gaps, creating skinny streams that trickled through the ceiling. Marisa had given up staying dry long before her house flooded.

It happened while she was out, checking on the village. She stopped by the Hakurei Shrine on the way back, and found Reimu splashing through a waterlogged main room, carrying buckets under both arms and cursing under her breath. Marisa slipped away unnoticed, not in the mood to help. Reimu was fine, that?s all that mattered. When she arrived home, her living room was flooded up to her knees. Piles of junk stuck out here and there like little islands, and the notes she?d worked on that morning floated on the surface like white leaves.

There were no holes in the ceiling. The water had almost appeared like magic.

?You?ve got to be kidding me!? Marisa yelled as she tossed her broom aside, and waded through the room. She tried to scoop up her notes, but the pages fell apart in her hands. The pages that stayed intact were illegible, the ink running and blotting like watercolour paint. A magician?s worst nightmare. She told herself not to panic. It was just a week?s worth of notes, redoing them wouldn?t be too much hassle. As long her grimoires were safe-

Except, weren?t her grimoires stored in a trunk near her desk?

Shit. Marisa dashed through the water, feeling it slosh through her boots like blood being pumped around her heart. Marisa?s grimoires held years? worth of research and observations. They were invaluable; losing them would set her career back several years at best. She reached her desk, and just as she feared, the trunk underneath it was totally submerged. Opening it to check the damage wasn?t even an option; that would allow even more water gush in. Marisa knew it wasn?t air tight.

?No.?

The sky darkened outside. The wind blew, driving the rain against the side of the house. Marisa trembled, clenching her fists.

She turned around, and waded out of the house. She snatched up her broom on the way out, and emptied her boots as soon as she was outside. Her spell cards and mini Hakkero were in the inside pocket of her waterproof coat, safe from harm, but if she was going to beat up whichever moron decided to make it rain for days on end, they were gonna get wet too.

It was an incident now, the first one in years. She was going to rip apart whoever wrecked her house.

*****
A long time ago, back when Marisa was still learning how to fly, her teacher made her read a book on thunderstorms.

?Now, Marisa,? Mima had said, taking the book from her and opening a random page, ?you?re flying several hundred metres up in the air, surrounded by forest. What do you do if you see a thunderstorm up ahead??

Marisa couldn?t remember how she answered, but it was incorrect, because Mima made her do fifty sit ups as punishment. She knew now, though, that if you see a thunderstorm, you get out of the sky immediately and seek shelter. Ideally you turn in the opposite direction of the storm and get indoors as fast as possible, but if that?s not possible, you land and start running, because you?re more likely to get hit in the air. Magical storms were fine, of course. Magical lightning counted as a form of danmaku, and was essentially non-lethal. But real lightning was dangerous to humans.

Most youkai could survive a good zap, but if someone like Marisa got struck, that would be it.

Marisa remembered this advice as she heard the first rumble of thunder. She was halfway up Youkai Mountain, the cold rain and wind tearing at her face. Her hat had long blown away, and her hair was a ragged mess. The glittering lights of a danmaku fight were fading away up ahead, barely visible in the howling rain. Reimu was already ahead of her, aiming to solve the incident first. The culprit had flooded her shrine, so she was undoubtedly just as angry as Marisa. Unfortunately for her, the magician was catching up fast, having avoided several fights earlier and taken a short cut through Genbu Ravine. Soon the pair of them would be neck-and-neck, racing to the top of the mountain.

The storm clouds were thickest at the peak. That was obviously where the troublemaker lay in wait. As far as Marisa was aware, nothing lived that far up Youkai Mountain, so there was plenty of time and space for someone, or something, to concoct a fiendish plot. A textbook incident. Marisa was looking forward to smacking a nice, weighty danmaku bullet into the villain?s stomach. She gripped the handle of her broom, and leant forward.

There was a second roll of thunder, louder this time.

Marisa felt it. Goosebumps shuddered over her skin. She pulled her broom to a stop, and hovered in place. Her brain was numb with cold. There was another rumble of thunder, and this time a flash of lightning within the clouds. It lit up the whole landscape. She saw Reimu up ahead, fight over, still moving forwards, ignoring the storm completely.

Was she insane? Marisa considered rushing over and yelling at her, even if it sparked a danmaku battle, but a few seconds later she realised Reimu?s logic. The storm was real, but unnatural. Whoever was responsible for it wouldn?t direct the lightning towards them. Not if they were playing by the rules.

Another flash. The thunder was deafening this time, as though the sky itself had split in two. Reimu was lit up again, and for a split second Marisa saw her in perfect detail. Her clothes were wet and weighing her down. Her ribbon was askew. Her skin glimmered with a thick layer of water, and a strand of dark hair was stuck to her forehead. She held her purification rod in her left hand, and there were now three long needles in her right. Of course, ofuda were useless in this weather.

If Reimu was continuing, Marisa would too. She leant forward and directed her broom to the right, hoping to avoid Reimu?s notice if she could help it. If the two of them made eye contact, they would fight, Marisa would lose and then all her time and effort flying through the rain would?ve been for nothing. She glanced over the flickering landscape, trying to spot a less obvious route to the mountain peak.

She wondered if keeping up with Reimu would be harder in the future, now that all her research was ruined. Maybe this was her only chance to solve an incident first, for a while. The thought made her sick with anxiety. Mima?s face flashed through her mind for a moment.

And then, it happened.

There was a blaze of white light, and a roll of thunder so deep it hurt. The hair on Marisa?s arms stood up. She felt herself yell, but couldn?t hear anything. Searing heat splashed against her left side. And moments later, darkness again. The heat disappeared, replaced with biting cold. Marisa?s eyes couldn?t adjust fast enough. Her ears rang. The rain constantly pounding against her was the only thing grounding her to reality.

And in the corner of her eye, she glimpsed a flicker of red and white falling out of the sky.

*****
?Reimu!? Marisa skidded to a stop, mud smearing over her legs. ?Hey!?

She?d landed in a small forest clearing, the trees resembling a wall of rock in the darkness. There, floating in a small pool of water right in front of her, lay Reimu Hakurei, face down and motionless. Her weapons were nowhere in sight. Marisa felt cold terror rush through her. She tossed her broom aside and sprinted, trying not to panic. This was Reimu, she told herself, the amazing shrine maiden of paradise. She could defy gravity itself. She?d probably get up all by herself any moment. Right? ?Reimu!?

Reimu didn?t respond. Marisa plunged into the pool, and found the ice cold water went up to her bare thighs. ?Come on, stop messing around and get up!? She waded over, and grasped Reimu by the shoulders. One was red hot, where the skin had blistered. ?Reimu?? She could tell, now that she was up close, just how bad things were. Reimu?s clothes were singed, and the cloth around her right shoulder was burnt black. There was a small, gruesome looking wound on her right shoulder that reminded Marisa of a cigarette burn. ?Reimu??? She grabbed her and flipped her over, onto her back. Reimu?s eyes were half-closed, her mouth slightly open. Water dripped from her lips.

Reimu had been struck by lightning. There was no doubt about it. Panic overtook Marisa. She stood there, frozen in terror, knees shaking, her mind racing, heart beating so fast she thought she might faint. She had to do something. Something, anything, what?

The rain made the pool?s surface foam and ripple. She had to get Reimu out of the water first. Marisa wrapped both arms around her and began dragging her out of the pool, onto the mud. This had to be a joke of some kind, hadn?t it? Maybe a bad dream. Nothing felt real. Once she was out of the puddle, Marisa knelt down next to her and hovered a hand over Reimu?s face. No breath. She pressed two fingers against her neck, trying to find a pulse. Nothing. The mud left ugly marks on her skin. It looked like blood in the darkness.

Yes, this was a joke. A disgusting joke. Marisa almost wanted to laugh. She put her head against Reimu?s chest, trying to hear her heart and lungs. Nothing. Only the sound of infinite raindrops hitting the leaves around them, and the occasional roar of thunder overhead.

?Come on, Reimu.? Marisa could barely speak. ?You?re not allowed to die, remember? That?s why we have spell card rules and stuff.? No response. Marisa shook her. ?You can?t call yourself the best in Gensokyo if you die to something this stupid, come on.? Still nothing. ?Seriously, this is a fucking sick joke! Get up and go beat the crap out of that guy! This isn?t funny!? She was having trouble breathing. Something wet and heavy was clogging her lungs. ?I?ll do it myself if you don?t. I?ll beat you to it for once, just watch.? But she knew she wouldn?t. She?d lost the will to fight. ?Reimu??

She knelt there, feeling the rain seep through the stitches in her waterproof coat. The cold water washed over her skin, and numbed her joints, her limbs, her mind, her heart. The only warmth came from the hot water dripping down her cheeks and through her nose. She reached out, and touched Reimu?s cheek with a knuckle. It was cold too.

She didn?t have to worry about Reimu beating her anymore. The last Hakurei shrine maiden of Gensokyo had passed away, and Marisa was alone in the world.

[hungrybookworm]

Chapter 2: Thunder
(AO3 Mirror)

The Yakumo House on a cold, clear night. 24th March 2007.
 
?Good evening, Yukari-sama. We?ve received a residency application from a family of gods near Lake Suwa.?

?...Give it to me.?

?Of course. Here.?

??The Moriya Shrine, I see. Three gods, one of which is an arahitogami specialising in miracles??

?Is something the matter??

?Approve the application. We?re letting them in.?

?What, but? Yukari-sama, last week you said we couldn?t afford to let the non-human population increase-?

?There is still room for gods. They can relocate their shrine near the peak of Youkai Mountain.?

?That will infuriate the youkai sages! And the Hakurei Shrine already gets very little faith as it is, another shrine would only deplete it further.?

?I believe a rival is exactly what Reimu needs. And I will deal with the politics, rest assured. The tengu and kappa need a bit of excitement in their lives. Perhaps this will finally spark a new incident, and in the process? well, we will have to see how effective it is in preventing disaster.?

?What do you mean??

?You will find out in a year. Now bring me some tea. We have a lot to discuss tonight.?

??As you wish.?

*****
One year later. 29th March 2008.

Someone was shouting in the Hakurei Shrine?s main room. ?Who else could be responsible for this? There?s a god of wind and rain enshrined at your place!?

?And I?m telling you that Kanako-sama isn?t at fault!? Sanae was covering her head, shouting over the clatter of water pouring into buckets. The Hakurei Shrine?s roof wasn?t just leaking, it was gushing. ?We?ve received nothing but good will since arriving at Gensokyo; we have no reason to curse anyone.?

Marisa stood on the porch outside, her back to the shouji screen. She?d decided to drop by the Hakurei Shrine on her way back from the village, to make sure Reimu hadn?t been swept away by a freak tsunami or anything, but Sanae Kochiya had beaten her to it.

?And why should I believe that when you tried to take over my shrine last year??

?That was a misunderstanding!?

?Come on, give it a rest.? Marisa slid the screen open and stepped inside. The tatami squelched under her socks. ?You?re giving me a headache.?

Reimu glared at her. Her hair was sopping wet, and the ribbon slipping down the back of her head. ?Her shrine?s behind all this rain, I?m sure of it.?

?We?re not!? Sanae yelled. ?We?re just as frustrated as you are!?

?Can?t your god make it stop then, if they?ve got so much faith??

?It?s not that easy!?

Reimu was a pain to deal with when she got like this. ?Just go up to Youkai Mountain and beat her up anyway,? said Marisa. ?Isn?t that what you always do??

?I?m not flying up Youkai Mountain in this weather.?

?I came all the way down here in this weather and I?m going back up again once you let me leave!? Sanae sounded close to tears. ?You?re more than welcome to come with me and discuss the matter further with us!?

?All right, all right,? Reimu waved her hand dismissively. She was fed up with the argument. ?I?ll believe you for now. But if your gods are behind this, I won?t let you off easily.?

?I?m glad you understand,? Sanae snapped. She turned around. ?I?ll be taking my leave now!?

?What was that about?? asked Marisa after she left.

Reimu looked guilty, now that Sanae was gone. Guilty and tired. ?Just doing my job. It would?ve been more fun with danmaku??

?Obviously.? Marisa grinned. ?Too wimpy to fight in the rain??

Reimu glared at her again. ?I?m conserving my energy. Anyway,? she looked at the ceiling, ?since you?re here, help me with the leaks. They?re getting out of hand.?

?What, seriously?? Crap, she?d stuck around too long. ?Um, actually I kinda need to go??

?No you don?t. Come on.?

They ran out of buckets in moments. Reimu spent ten minutes or so rearranging them, trying to get a few to cover more than one torrent of water. Eventually she sighed, finally giving up.

?The whole room?s gonna go mouldy, you know,? said Marisa, sitting on a chest of drawers.

?Don?t remind me.? Reimu stepped gingerly through the room, then sat down next to her. She stank of wet cloth and tatami reeds. ?What are you doing here, anyway? It?s not like you to come over in bad weather.?

?I was checking on the village. Making sure it wasn?t the new Misty Lake. Got any tea??

?No, the water got into my larder.? Reimu sighed. ?I really will fly up Youkai Mountain if it gets any worse than this.?

?So it?s not an incident yet??

?It might be.?

Reimu looked around the main room again, grimacing. Marisa shuffled around a little, trying to get comfier on the hard wooden surface. Her hand brushed Reimu?s. Her skin felt cold and clammy, and Marisa snatched her hand away immediately, embarrassed.

?It might stop tomorrow,? Marisa said, hoping Reimu hadn?t noticed.

If she had, she didn?t let it show. ?That would be nice.?

?My house hasn?t flooded yet, and the village is still intact, so it?s not that bad.?

?Well, you can?t stay here if it does.? Reimu gestured to the buckets with her foot. ?I don?t even know where I?m sleeping tonight.

?What about that store room?? Marisa could vaguely remember a large building somewhere in the shrine grounds.

?That?s waterlogged too. The only room not leaking right now is the sanctuary, where the god lives.? Reimu closed her eyes and groaned. ?That new shrine has to be involved somehow.?

?Why?s that?? Marisa raised her eyebrows. ?Intuition??

Reimu shrugged. ?Something about the mountain?s bothering me.?

Those words stayed with Marisa as she flew back home. Indeed, the clouds looked thicker around Youkai Mountain, curling around it like a whirlpool. It was worth taking a look later, she decided, after she got home and changed clothes.

But instead she found her house knee-deep in water, and her possessions ruined. She had no other option now. She had to solve the incident before Reimu, even if it meant punching Sanae Kochiya in the face herself.

But of course, things didn?t work out that way. Nothing ever happens the way you expect in Gensokyo. Every day brings the potential for new and exciting surprises. Some happy, some sad, and some downright bizarre.

And some that strike out of nowhere, like a bolt from the blue.

*****
Marisa shoved her broom downwards, and free-falled. Cold rain tore at her face like hail, and the storm continued to crash overhead. Youkai Mountain towered behind her, nightmarish in the flickering lights.

Reimu had been struck by lightning, right in front of her. In that one, tiny moment, an otherwise tame incident had become a complete nightmare. Marisa forgot about the rain, and forgot about the villain waiting at the top of the mountain. All she could think about was the blinding flash of light, the flicker of red and white cloth, the unreality of it all?

?Reimu!? Marisa braked hard. The ground swooped upon her, and she was thrown off her broom, tumbling head over heels through mud and rainwater. Finally, she landed in a large puddle, and world above her span and span.

She couldn?t stay there. Her muscles were painfully numb and her head pounded, but she had to get up. ?Reimu!? She staggered to her feet. The water seeped in beneath her waterproof jacket, into her clothes, weighing her down. ?Reimu!?

She noticed Sanae standing a hundred metres away, staring down at something on the ground. She was wearing the same waterproof coat as before, and her hands were covering her mouth. Marisa felt another kick of terror, and broke into a run. ?Sanae, hey!?

Sanae didn?t turn around. Marisa stumbled to her side, and finally became aware of the thing on the ground. It was Reimu, lying face down in a pool of water, motionless. Her top was burnt black around her right shoulder, and the skin underneath red and blistered. Marisa?s breath caught in her mouth, and for a moment she thought she would suffocate.

?I? I didn?t?? Sanae?s voice was barely a whisper. ?I swear? we didn?t? I swear??

That much was obvious. Marisa lunged forward, into the water. ?Don?t just stand there,? she yelled, ?help me get her out of there! Hey, Reimu? Can you hear me??

Sanae didn?t move. Even when Marisa had Reimu out of the water and lying on her back, Sanae stayed frozen to the spot. Marisa ignored her, and focused on trying to stay calm. Reimu was probably just knocked out or something. It wasn?t anything serious. They were overreacting. ?Can you hear me, Reimu? Hello, anyone in there?? She tapped her cheek. Reimu?s skin was slimy from the rain, and her eyelids weren?t completely closed. ?Wakey wakey.?

That snapped Sanae out of her stupor. ?Wait,? she dashed over, ?let me check!?

?Did you see what happened? Did she get hit??

?I-I think so.? Sanae was visibly shaking as she reached out, and checked Reimu?s neck for a pulse. Her eyes widened. ??She?s dead??

No. No way. ?Don?t give me that bullshit!? Marisa pushed her aside, and felt Reimu?s neck herself. No pulse. She hovered a hand over Reimu?s face. No breath. ?It?s gonna take more than a stupid lightning bolt to kill Reimu. She?s Reimu! She can dodge anything!?

?Marisa-san.?

?I?ve seen her dodge over one hundred bullets in less than ten seconds! She can teleport and everything, the real deal. Come on, Reimu! Get up!?

?Marisa-san.? Sanae gripped her shoulder. ?Let me handle this.?

Marisa looked up at her. ?What do you mean??

Sanae took a long, shaky breath. ?I?m going to save Reimu-san.? She knelt down beside her, tipped her head back, then placed both hands over Reimu?s heart, one on top of the other. ?Listen, okay? What I?m going to do will look really strange, but don?t interrupt me.? She began pushing down on Reimu?s chest, again and again in a pumping motion. ?Whatever you do, do not interrupt me.?

?What about me? What can I do?? Marisa thought of all the spells she?d learnt over the years. Surely one of them could help? But all that came to mind was Mima shaking her head, and telling her to try again. All those years of studying, and she hadn?t learnt anything that mattered.

?Do you know CPR??

?What?s that??

?What I?m trying to do. Okay.? Sanae stopped pumping, placed a hand on Reimu?s forehead, and suddenly kissed her.

?H-Hey!? But it wasn?t a kiss. Marisa could see Reimu?s chest rising. Was Sanae breathing into her mouth? ?What?re you doing??

?I?m trying to bring her back to life.? Sanae returned to pumping. ?I?m trying to kick-start her heart and lungs. I don?t know if you have another name for it here, but it?s vital first aid in the outside world.?

?Outside world magic??

?No, anyone can do it, it?s science!?

So it was outside world magic. Of all the things. Marisa had read countless books about it, wasted hundreds of hours trying to get her head around the theories and formulas, but all it did was give her a headache. She?d put outside world magic aside in favour of something more familiar. Something easier. And now she was paying the price for it. All she could do was stand there, bombarded by rain as someone else tried to revive the most important person in Marisa?s life.

The realisation sunk through her. Reimu was dead. Reimu was dead.

?The Hakurei God isn?t responding to me,? said Sanae suddenly. Marisa had no idea she was trying to communicate with it. ?Okay, plan B. Marisa-san, this is going to sound really strange, but I need you to get on your hands and knees and worship me.?

?What??

?Please, just do it! I can do this if you give me faith!? Sanae leant forward again, and breathed into Reimu?s mouth. Thunder rumbled overhead again, deafeningly loud.

Marisa hesitated. Her gut instinct was to refuse. Things were already humiliating enough. But there wasn?t time to argue.

Trembling, she bowed, clapped her hands twice, then knelt down and pressed her forehead into the mud. Cold, gloopy liquid oozed between her fingers. Marisa had never felt so pathetic in all her life. The rain stung the back of her neck. Her nose was blocked with warm water, and her breath came out in sharp gasps. All she could do was pray. Her lips moved wordlessly. Her tongue tasted salt.

Please, save Reimu. Because I can?t. I can?t save her. I can?t do anything. Please, save Reimu. Because?

She heard Sanae whisper something.

Because I can?t. I can?t beat Reimu. I can?t be there for her when she needs me. I can?t do anything. I?m completely useless.

The forest shook.

What was the point of everything? What was the point in becoming a magician? I wanted to be the girl saving the day for once. Just once! I wanted Reimu to look at me and feel pissed off!

The rain, the trees, the thunder, Sanae?s voice. Marisa couldn?t tell them apart anymore. They?d all merged together in a vortex of sound.

I worked my arse off to make her look at me. But what good was all that? It rained a bit and years? worth of work got ruined, like it wasn?t worth anything in the first place. It gets a bit stormy and the girl I?ve been staring at all my life dies right in front of me. If this doesn?t work, if Sanae can?t bring her back to life, then I?ll accept it. I?ll accept that I?m useless and go back to the village. I?ll stop being an ordinary magician and be an ordinary human instead. So please, please save Reimu. Please?

She?s everything I live for.

And then, a miracle occurred.

Sanae shrieked, and suddenly someone was hacking and wheezing. Marisa bolted upright, and saw Reimu sitting up, leaning against Sanae as her body lurched with each cough. Water was pouring out of her mouth.

?Reimu!? She could scarcely believe it. A part of her was terrified it wasn?t real. She sprinted over. ?Reimu, are you okay? Can you understand me??

?Give her a moment.? Sanae held an arm out, shielding Reimu from her. Marisa stumbled, and watched as Sanae leant closer, tenderly wrapping both arms around Reimu. Of course, Sanae had saved her. She had every right to be the one comforting her. ?Reimu-san?? Her voice shook. ?It?s all right. You?re back with us now.?

Reimu glanced up at Sanae. Sanae looked down at her, and smiled.

Marisa bit back a sob. She was alive. Reimu was alive. Everything was going to be all right.

?S? Sana??? Reimu tried to talk, but her voice gave way to another violent coughing fit. Sanae touched her head, trying to soothe her. Above them the sky flashed again, immediately followed by a loud rumble of thunder.

That?s right, they weren?t safe yet. Marisa had forgotten about their situation amongst all the drama. The lightning could still hit them. A forest wasn?t much better than flying in midair, and everything was covered with one of the best conductors on the planet: water. ?We need to get indoors,? said Marisa. She had to steady herself. The crisis was averted; now she had to finish her job. She wasn?t Reimu?s saviour; she had no right to linger. ?Sanae, you take Reimu to the Moriya Shrine. I?ll deal with the culprit.? She turned around, intending to fetch her broom and leave as quickly as she could.

?Ma-? Marisa?? Reimu was speaking. ?Marisa??

Marisa stopped, and looked over her shoulder. Reimu was reaching out to her with a shaky hand. ?Mari-? Reimu had another coughing fit, and hunched over. ?Mari? sa???

That did it. Marisa?s resolve crumbled, and she rushed over. Sanae was forced to step back as she wrapped an arm around Reimu?s shoulders, holding her close. ?Don?t do that again, you idiot! Don?t you dare!?

Reimu clung to the front of her waterproof jacket, and cried. Marisa felt tears mix with the raindrops on her cheeks again. ?You?re making me cry too, stop it.? She rested her head on Reimu?s, full of love. ?You?re not going anywhere now, you?re staying with me, got it??

?I?ll go after the culprit then,? said Sanae, standing up. She gave a lopsided smile. ?We did it.?

?Yeah??

?Try and find the Tengu Village if you can. It?s closer than our shrine, and you?re still not safe here. Lightning can hit you through a ground current, and there?s water everywhere. I don?t know who?s behind this, but they might go after Reimu-san again.?

?I won?t let them.? Marisa held Reimu closer, never wanting to let go. ?You can count on me.?

Sanae nodded. She looked tired, and her face was red with tears and the cold. ?I?ll be back soon.?

?You won?t get struck either, will you??

?My gods will protect me.? Sanae glanced at Reimu. ?Unlike hers.?

?Unlike?? Wait, what do you??? But Sanae was already in the air. The wind carried Marisa?s voice away. ?Hey, wait!?

?Marisa?? She felt Reimu tighten her grip. ?Don?t leave me.?

?I won?t, never.? Marisa sank back down again. They had to get moving towards the Tengu Village, but how? The storm seemed worse than ever. If they flew, and the culprit really did have it in for Reimu, then there was nothing protecting her from being struck again. And this time, Marisa would go down with her. Moving through the forest would be slightly safer, but still dangerous. Lightning moved along the ground, so if a nearby tree was struck, they could still get electrocuted.

And Marisa wasn?t sure if she should even move Reimu. She was alive, but her nervous system could be wrecked. And she?d been dead for several minutes; she could be brain damaged in some way. ?Hey, Reimu?? Marisa tried asking her. ?Are you in any pain or anything??

Reimu didn?t reply. Marisa shivered. For the first time in hours, she realised just how cold it was.

And Reimu felt even colder. Her body temperature was low. ?Hey, are you cold??

Reimu managed to speak. ??No??

Marisa couldn?t tell if that was a bad thing or not, but the thought of losing Reimu again, after everything they?d just gone through, spurred her into action. ?Look, we can?t stay here. You?ll catch hypothermia or something. We need to get to the Tengu Village. We can shelter there.? Marisa tried to get up, but Reimu held her down. ?Come on, we need to move!?

?I can?t feel anything??

?I?ll carry you. We?ll fly between the trees.?

?Where?s my god???

What? ?We can worry about that later! Come on!?

Marisa felt a blast of hot air hit her back. She turned, and saw one of Yukari Yakumo?s gaps open behind her.

A gloved hand reached out, and beckoned to them.

*****
The next morning, the rain stopped.

[hungrybookworm]

Chapter 3: Respite
(AO3 Mirror)

Two weeks later. 12th April 2008.

A beautiful blue sky covered Gensokyo. Marisa watched it from the Hakurei Shrine porch, enjoying the early spring sunlight warming her legs. She?d spent most of the morning cleaning up the damage in her home, and was glad to get outside and away from it all. Two weeks had passed, but there was still no end to the damp and rot and general wet smell that lingered around the ground floor. The water had seeped into her trunk, as she feared, and most of her grimoires were ruined beyond repair. The books she?d borrowed from Alice and Patchouli weren?t looking any better, but they didn?t have to know about that. Not yet.

That fateful night, Yukari had pulled them into a gap, and dropped them off at the Hakurei Shrine. Marisa had wanted to stay with Reimu, but Yukari had ordered her to head home. ?Stay away for a while,? she?d told her, prising Reimu out of her arms, ?or else.? Marisa had put up a fight, of course, but it was no use. Seconds later, she was teleported outside her house.

?Not like I had the time anyway,? Marisa muttered to herself. ?A while? had turned out to mean ?however long it took for Reimu to be let out of the hospital.? Marisa had tried approaching Eientei a few times, when her patience grew thin, but was always turned back without even a glimpse. ?She needs rest!? Eirin would say, and shoo her away. One evening Reisen had frog-marched her off the premises, into the bamboo forest, and the two had gotten lost for three hours.

As the fortnight stretched on, cleaning had become a welcome distraction from the mess of thoughts and feelings running through Marisa?s mind. The terror of almost losing Reimu, the humiliation of Sanae being the hero, the surge of love and relief she?d felt as she held her friend? The emotions seemed to strengthen as time passed, and she almost felt afraid of facing Reimu again. Marisa would lie awake at night, worrying about her. Was she bored at the hospital? Was she in pain? Would she be herself when she came out? What if she was brain damaged, or paralysed, or in pain for the rest of her life? She even rented a few books on thunderstorms, and pored over the sections dedicated to lightning strike victims. She felt pathetic.

And now, rumour had it Reimu was well enough to leave the hospital. Marisa had flown over to the shrine that morning, unable to wait any longer. Of course, Reimu hadn?t returned yet. Any other day, and Marisa would?ve wandered off somewhere else, but she needed to see Reimu smile. Regardless of how they acted around each other from now on, Marisa needed to know Reimu was okay. So she waited, for hours and hours and hours.

A crunch of gravel. Marisa glanced up, only to see Sanae waving at her beneath the torii gate. She waved back, smiling to hide her disappointment.

Sanae placed a small bag on the porch and looked around optimistically. ?Is Reimu-san here? I brought her some snacks.?

?Nope.? Marisa reached for the bag, hungry. ?I?ll look after them while she?s gone.?

?Um, you don?t have to, it?s okay.? Sanae snatched the bag away. She still wasn?t sure how to handle Marisa. ?Do you know when she?ll be back??

?No idea.?

?I hope she?s okay...?

?She?s Reimu, she?ll be fine. Now tell me about the culprit.? Marisa leant forward. She hadn?t seen Sanae at all for the last two weeks. They?d both been busy. ?Who was it? Anyone we know??

?I?m glad you don?t think it?s our shrine,? said Sanae, smiling sadly.

?Obviously. What would you get out of flooding Gensokyo? You?re not desperate for faith or anything.? And the Moriyas wouldn?t kill Reimu, no matter how bad things got between them. ?So who duunit??

??It was a young dragon god. I didn?t have time to talk to them. We fought using spell card rules, and I won. I actually won.? Sanae?s expression brightened. ?Against a dragon!?

?Great.?

?And afterwards, this woman in purple showed up. She said she needed to deal with the dragon, pushed me away and suddenly I was back in my room!?

No prizes for guessing who that was. ?You?ve never met Yukari before, have you??

?She showed up at our shrine a few hours later. She told me you and Reimu-san were safe, and asked me to explain what I did.?

?So what did you do?? Marisa wanted to know. ?To save Reimu, I mean.?

?I didn?t use a miracle to bring her back to life. That would?ve been impossible for me. I used a miracle to make the CPR work, if that makes sense.? Sanae grinned. ?I used the faith you gave me to increase its odds of working. And that brought back Reimu-san.?

?Right?? Marisa wasn?t quite following her.

?If you hadn?t been there, Reimu-san would probably still be dead.?

?If you hadn?t been there, she?d definitely still be dead. I don?t know any of that stuff.? Marisa felt her heart sink. She?d been trying to forget that fact. ?But hey, I don?t mind taking all the credit. Reimu can owe me one.?

??Marisa-san.?

She sounded serious. Marisa readied herself. ?Yeah??

?Are you in love with her??

?What? Love?? Marisa laughed. ?No wa-?

?I heard all your prayers. I mean, I know you probably didn?t realise it, and maybe I should?ve warned you first, but since I?m a god I need to know what people are worshipping me for, so??

She heard all that? Marisa felt her face go red. ?Don?t listen in on that stuff!?

?I?m sorry! It was an emergency!?

Marisa looked away, mortified. ?Urgh??

?Anyway! I should try talking to the Hakurei god while I?m here!? Sanae stood up, eager to change the subject. ?Um, the hall of worship?s behind the donation box, right??

?I think so. Might be another storeroom though, it?s hard to tell.?

?All right, excuse me.? Sanae trotted over. Marisa watched her, and hoped Reimu would be back before sunset. Her nerves were killing her.

*****
?Frankly, I?m amazed,? said Eirin Yagokoro, tossing her notes onto the desk. ?I?ve never seen a human get hit by lightning mid-flight and live to tell the tale, let alone one free of serious neurological damage.?

?She was revived by a miracle worker,? replied Yukari Yakumo. ?I?d expect nothing less.?

They were sitting in Eirin?s surgery, the sunlight pouring in through the round windows. The weather had been fair ever since the rain stopped, and Yukari found it a welcome relief. Doctor Yagokoro was the best in Gensokyo, but was clearly not happy to be alone with the gap youkai. A shame. Yukari had thought she was intelligent enough not to hold petty grudges. The Lunar War was quite a while ago, after all.

?We?ve kept a close eye on her, as you requested. No visitors, no one who might confuse her. She says she?s not in any pain, and can move normally, if a bit slowly. Her burns will remain as scars, of course, but that?s a small price to pay considering what happened.?

?Of course.? Humans were weak. A small knick to the skin could stay with them forever. Yukari forgot that sometimes.

?I could remove them, if I had the equipment,? said Eirin, with a sigh. ?I could do a lot of things if I had the equipment.?

?I?m sorry Gensokyo isn?t quite as advanced as the Moon,? said Yukari with a smile.

Eirin ignored that. ?There?s a strong possibility there are complications we aren?t aware of yet. Some symptoms take weeks, months, even years to show themselves. Make sure she knows to come see me immediately if her condition changes.?

?She will.?

?Now, as for payment??

?Ah, yes. As we discussed.? Yukari pulled a thick brown envelope out from her dress. ?All in cash.?

Eirin took the envelope and slid it into her desk draw, not bothering to look. ?Keep a closer eye on your shrine maidens, if they?re that important to Gensokyo. If you knew she was going to be struck, you should?ve stopped it before it happened.?

Yukari didn?t let the surprise show on her face. The Brain of the Moon was observant, after all. ?I have my way of doing things.? She stood up. ?Where is she??

?In the waiting room.?

Reimu was sitting in a chair, expressionless. She was clean, wearing her usual shrine maiden attire, and wore a brand new, bright red ribbon in her hair.

?Shall we go, Reimu??

They stepped out of Eientei, into the bamboo forest. The air was crisp and cool, and singing birds fluttered through the trees. Already, Yukari could tell there wasn?t something quite right with Reimu. She was walking slower, less steadily than she used too. She looked afraid.

?Why do we have to walk?? Reimu asked.

?Because I want to talk to you,? answered Yukari. ?And because you aren?t allowed to fly for another week. Remember??

?Seriously??

?Does walking hurt??

?I wouldn?t say it hurts.? Reimu winced, giving the truth away. ?It just feels weird. I?d rather fly.?

She had been lying in bed for two weeks. She was bound to feel some discomfort. ?You will in time.?

Yukari knew which way to go. The forest didn?t disorientate her. She led the way, Reimu stepping carefully over fallen bamboo branches beside her.

?What do you want to talk about??

Yukari looked at her. ?Did you do anything to anger your god that night??

Reimu frowned . ?I don?t think so.?

?Nothing out of the ordinary? Such as, I don?t know, moving something in the sanctuary??

Reimu stopped walking. Yukari stopped too, and they stared at each other for a moment.

??I didn?t have anywhere else to sleep that night.? Reimu mumbled. ?I moved the table to make room on the floor, so I could put my futon down there. That?s all. But there wasn?t enough space anyway, so I decided to go investigate the rain instead.?

?And did anything topple over on the table??

?Yeah, the mirror did. Why??

Yukari sighed. ?I didn?t realise your shrine maiden training was this terrible. You understand what that mirror is, correct? It is the sacred object your god resides in. By knocking it over and failing to put it back in place, you enraged them, lost some of your luck, and got hit by lightning.?

?I don?t need a lecture right now.? But Reimu hung her head in shame. She knew she was in the wrong.

?You are the only Hakurei descendant left in Gensokyo. The border will become unstable if you die, and we have no one to replace you. I have a back up of sorts in place, but there is only so much I can do. I cannot watch over you twenty-four-seven.?

?If the god had talked to me, I would?ve known it was angry,? said Reimu, ?and then everything would?ve been fine.?

Yukari didn?t respond to that. She turned and started walking again. Reimu followed behind her, annoyed.

?What do you mean by a back up?? she asked. ?A back up shrine maiden??

?If only.? Yukari smirked, and said nothing more on the subject.

*****
Marisa and Sanae were waiting at the shrine. Yukari watched as the two of them dashed over. Sanae pulled Reimu into a fierce hug, and Marisa grabbing them both, grinning like an idiot. Yukari slipped away and walked to the back of the shrine, leaving the three of them be. Reimu deserved some time with her friends. The main room was visible through a crack in the shouji screen, and looked immaculate. It had taken Yukari and Ran a lot of time and effort to clean, but it was the least she could do to quell the anger of the Hakurei God.

She sat down on the porch, exhausted. Reimu was alive, and seemingly unharmed. Yukari was relieved; if Reimu had died again, she would have needed to cross the boundaries of time and space once more. Crossing the boundary of time was especially dangerous; Yukari rarely did it, and for good reason. One wrong step, and she could rip a hole in the space-time continuum. It was an emergency measure only.

Going back five seconds or five hundred years required the same amount of effort. She could have turned the clock back and grabbed Reimu before she was hit by lightning, but something that direct would cause a time paradox. How would her future self know to go back in time? If she needed to change things, it had to be something subtle. Something plausible from the very beginning.

Like ticking yes instead of no on a residency application form. She had gambled on the Moriyas, just as her instincts told her, and it had paid off. Gensokyo was a better place with their shrine around, and Reimu had made a new friend in the process. She was a fool to reject them in the first place. Perhaps she would be more open to newcomers in the future.

Now back to the matter at hand. Yukari pushed the tip of her parasol into soft earth, and spoke out loud. ?What you did was despicable,? she said. ?I have half a mind to never speak to you again.?

Silence.

?When did you become so bitter? You know better than anyone the importance of your shrine maidens. We can?t afford to lose Reimu.?

Silence.

Maybe she was jumping to conclusions. Yukari tried a different approach. ??I suppose there?s a chance you failed to protect her for a different reason. Perhaps your lack of worshippers is taking a toll on you. I can believe that girl?s got by through luck up until now. But rest assured,? and Yukari stood up, ?I will not tolerate this if it happens again. We all have our roles to play, and you must perform yours.?

Silence. Of course, Yukari hadn?t heard the Hakurei God talk in centuries. She sighed, and opened a gap home. She was tired. She wanted to sleep. ?I will not forget this,? she said, as she stepped through it. ?Don?t you dare let her die again.?

The gap closed behind her.

*****
Marisa and Sanae made a big fuss of Reimu. They chatted, shared the snacks Sanae brought, and exchanged stories. Sanae did most of the talking, telling Reimu what happened the night she was struck by lightning ? and Marisa was relieved she left out the embarrassing parts.

Well, most of them.

?See-Pee-Arr?? Reimu frowned. ?Never heard of it.?

?It?s really important,? gushed Sanae. ?It saved your life!?

?You save people?s lives by kissing them,? explained Marisa, trying not to laugh.

?No, you don?t!? Sanae looked alarmed. ?If you see it as kissing you might hesitate, and then it?ll be too late.?

Reimu looked away from Sanae, red in the face. Marisa felt a pang of jealously. Did Reimu remember the mouth-to-mouth part? But if Marisa had been in Sanae?s position, she knew she definitely would?ve hesitated.

Another reason Sanae needed to be there.

?I?ll collect the plates.? Marisa stood up, and started picking the empty plates up from the porch. She wished Sanae would leave, and let her chat to Reimu alone.

And as if on cue, Sanae gasped. ?Oh, is it late afternoon already? What time is it, Marisa-san??

Marisa glanced at the clock in the main room. ?Nearly four pm.?

?I need to get going.? Sanae scrambled to her feet. ?I told Kanako-sama I?d be back before dusk.?

Sanae was gone by the time Marisa returned from the kitchen. It was just Reimu, sitting on the porch chewing on a wooden skewer. They were alone again, at last.

?So,? said Marisa, sitting next to her and making an effort to act natural. ?You pissed off your god, huh??

?Basically.? Reimu tossed the skewer aside. ?I?m going to have to do all these rituals to make it happy again.?

?Sounds like a mean god though. I mean, letting you die and all.?

?I doubt it did that on purpose. It just gave me less luck.?

They sat in silence, Marisa tapping her foot, Reimu staring at the ground. Something about Reimu had definitely changed. It was in the way she sat, the way her eyes darted at the slightest movement. She was nervous about something. Uncomfortable.

Of course, Marisa knew there was no way Reimu wouldn?t be affected by what happened. She?d died, and had stayed dead for several minutes. Three-hundred-million volts of electricity had shot through her body in seconds. The burn on her right shoulder was visible through her sleeveless top, and would probably be there forever as a scar. A reminder to all of Reimu?s fragility.

Reimu saw her looking. ?Impressed? That?s not my only injury.?

Marisa felt herself blush. ?Well, uh, I mean? it stands out.?

?That?s where the lightning entered my body.? Reimu turned, and untucked her blouse from her skirt. There was another burn just above her left hip. ?And this is where it left.?

?Ah? right.?

?I also hurt my leg when I landed. I didn?t break it though, somehow.? She sighed. ?I need to get a new purification rod. And replace the needles I lost. What a pain??

Her weaponry was lost on Youkai Mountain. Getting it back would be a nightmare. Marisa thought of the hat that?d blown away too, hidden somewhere amongst the forest. All lost, along with their old selves.

Maybe that wasn?t such a bad thing, though.

Marisa had lost years of research, and Reimu had lost her confidence, among other things they couldn?t possibly know about yet, but they were both alive. Both here, sitting on the shrine porch as always, staring at the grounds and chatting. Their way of life was more precious than Marisa had ever realised. The thought that she?d almost spent her future without Reimu, sitting on the porch all alone by herself, made her want to cry.

Something clicked inside her. Marisa shuffled closer to Reimu. She couldn?t waste time now. Humans died so easily. Reimu could be snatched away from her again one day. She had to live in the present.

She wouldn?t hesitate this time. She would be like Sanae, and take the initiative.

With a shaking hand and a pounding heart, Marisa took Reimu?s hand, and leant forward.

?Marisa?? Reimu didn?t back away. Their lips brushed; a light kiss, too soft to make an impression, yet more than enough to change everything.

Marisa pulled away seconds later, embarrassed. ??I love you,? she murmured, afraid to look at Reimu. ?I thought you were gone for good.?

Reimu?s cheeks were bright red in shock. But finally, she smiled. ?Thank you,? she said, barely above a whisper. ?For saving me.?

Marisa shook her head, her heart sinking again. ?Sanae?s the one who saved you, not me.?

?I?m not stupid.? Reimu grasped the front of Marisa?s top. ?I came back because of you, Marisa. I heard your voice in the darkness. I?m not done with you yet.? She touched her cheek. Reimu?s hand was soft, warm. Human. Alive. ?Maybe I love you too.?

They kissed again, over and over, until the spring sunlight dimmed and the clouds reddened like autumn leaves.

The End

If I shout loud enough, maybe my feelings will be heard. It?s past 7am, and this is hungrybookworm! Those of you who read The Fall will remember me talking about a sad reimari story where Reimu gets hit by lightning and dies. Well, this is it! Finally done after a year in the making.

I originally thought of writing this in May last year. I wrote about 2000 words of a first draft, then got depressed due to real life things and switched to The Fall instead. Around January this year (2015) other real life things made me decide to pick it up again. Funny how that happens! I originally wanted to post it in late February. That was doable, right?

Nope.

This story was hell to write. Total hell. I decided to be clever and do a Sliding Doors style thing with Reimu living if Sanae?s in Gensokyo, so I had to write her dying twice (ask any writer and they?ll tell you death scenes are extremely difficult to do), make sure I didn?t repeat anything in both halves, then explain what the hell just happened to the poor readers. The version you?re reading now is my fourth attempt. The second and third attempts had about 7000 words of Reimu and Marisa sleeping in the shrine?s sanctuary and hanging out together, because I thought it?d make Reimu?s death have more impact. But it was boring, so I cut it. I think I threw out about 15,000 words total. Ouch.

But it?s here, it?s done. I can only hope it?s not confusing. There are a few things in this fic I kept deliberately vague ? such as whether the Hakurei God let Reimu die on purpose ? so sorry if you feel bothered by the lack of answers. It?s nice to keep things vague sometimes, though? The Hakurei God is such an arse in my stories! Sorry Hakurei God. Please don?t curse me.

Acknowledgements time. Firstly, a huge thanks to the amazing amemenojaku/Furu for providing pictures for this fic! There?s no picture for Chapter 3 because there wasn?t originally going to be a Chapter 3, haha whoops! Just use your imaginations. Also thanks to Rabbiteclair/UnmovingGreatLibrary for giving me some extremely helpful advice, and being a great friend to complain and ramble to. Also thanks to Brook/wrigglenightbug for telling me to get to work, lol. Also thanks to all my tumblr followers, and anyone who came here via my Japanese twitter! Sorry it?s all in English.

I?d also like to acknowledge the influence of Zounose?s RAINFALL and Chapter 24 of Wild and Horned Hermit. If you want more information on lightning safety, I recommend giving the NOAA?s page on lightning a read. The survivor stories hosted on there were extremely helpful to say the least.

Okay this is long enough already! Thanks for reading, and I?ll see you next time!