Peace in Gensokyo is much like an ice sculpture in the middle of a summer heat wave; it wouldn't take long for it to melt or take much effort to shatter it. One person, or one short sentence could just about do it.

"I'm pregnant, and it's mostly likely yours."

Suika almost dropped her bottle of sake as she did a double-take right at Reimu. Reimu, despite just dropping something with the equivalent payload of a warhead, still retained her usual stoic demeanor. Her expression looked the same as if she told Suika to run down to the store and get some milk.

"Yes." Reimu nodded. "Eirin got this from the Outside World. This proves it; I think?" She pulled up a small tube-like device that she had been playing with and showed it to Suika. The tube had a little window in the middle that a single red-line running down it. Next to the window, there were some words in English. Suika blinked, trying to understand. "It means I'm pregnant." Reimu translated for Suika

Suika put on an extremely stressed-out smile. "Okay…" She muttered.

"You best be taking this seriously." Reimu wagged a finger in Suika's face. "I am keeping the baby, and you…" Reimu reached her hand forward and snagged ahold of Suika's ribbon and yanked her across the table to give off a powerful stare right into the oni's eyes. "…you're sticking around. No more running off up to your loft in heaven, no running underground to hang out with your friends, no running off period." Reimu leaned her forehead against Suika's just to ensure that her stare would further burrow into Suika's soul.

"I gethca, I getcha." Suika nodded her head rapidly.

Reimu didn't hold her grip for too long, she actually relented and let Suika go. "Sorry." Reimu sighed. Reimu? Apologizing? Let alone to a youkai? "Sorry." She repeated, as if she wanted to make sure that Suika heard correctly. "It's just…" She held up her hands to try and hold her thoughts, but she ended up dropping with a long sigh. "…I never expected this to happen. Ever." She rested her elbows on the table and placed her head on top of her hands. "I might be over my head with this one."

Suika had often seen Reimu despair, but that's usually because of (constant) money issues or failure to stop an incident on her own. She looked like, and now sounded like, someone who just had the world come crashing down on top of her. Suika scooted over to Reimu's side of the table, and gently laid a hand on her back. Reimu did look up, with an odd mixture of sad anger staring at Suika. Suika wisely retracted her hand off Reimu.

"I don't want pity." Reimu choked out. It looked like she's going to cry. "I just…" She held up her hands again, but once again dropped them. "…what do I do?"

"You said you wanted the baby…" Suika reminded her.

"Yeah." Reimu grunted back a choke. "Yeah. But there's so much that needs to be done." She got up and started to pace around the table. "I need supplies obviously; the baby is going to need a lot of help from us." She pointed a quick finger at Suika before going around the table again. "Clothes, special food, a place to sleep…and we got to keep changing that as he slash she gets older!" She stomped her foot down, almost tearing a hole through the floor.

"Maybe you're thinking too far ahead…" Suika piped up, only for a very accusing stare to bore through her.

"I need to think far ahead to make sure our kid grows up well!" Reimu pointed out. "In case you've forgotten, you've just helped conceived the next member of the Hakurei bloodline! That means, he or she is going to be working here at the shrine, and they need to make sure…" Reimu looked back towards Suika, or rather, specifically at her large and very obvious horns. "…well, I've already spotted another problem." Reimu clicked her tongue.

"What's wrong with my horns?" Suika rubbed them, thinking there's something on them.

"Our child." Reimu looked a bit pale. "Is going to be half-oni slash half-human." Reimu got right into Suika's grill-space with a very interesting look. "…do you realize what this means?"

Suika knew better to say what's on her mind, but she felt like saying it. "That our child will become the first half-oni half-human in about three hundred years?"

While Suika expected Reimu to blow up in her face, Reimu did raise an eyebrow. "Really? Three hundred years? Man, I guess the oni have been…" Reimu shook her head before going into what Suika actually expected, full of rage. "Look, you drunken buffoon! I am not trusted among the humans because I generally hang out with youkai…but the moment I have a half-youkai child on my hands…let alone…pushing it out…"

She couldn't even finish her sentence. Reimu started to make some noises as she got up and trembled over to a cabinet on the other side of the room to lean on. Suika, out of fear, just sat there and watched Reimu, much like how a child would after seeing a parent having a meltdown.

But once she heard Reimu starting to cry, Suika jumped up and went over. "Hey, hey." Suika patted the sobbing miko on the back. "It's okay…"

"No, it's not. Once the news gets out, the villagers will grab pitchforks and torches." Reimu muttered out with her mouth pressed against the the cabinet's top.

"I'm here!" Suika patted Reimu hard on the back, enough to cause Reimu to bounce off the cabinet. Suika yelped and backed away as Reimu held her forehead in pain. "Sorry, sorry!" Suika rapid-fired out some apologizes.

"For what?" Reimu groaned, her voice cracking. "Knocking me up with a child that will most likely insure my complete downfall in society, or for assaulting me?"

"Both!" Suika held up a finger, before trailing off with a long, low-pitched groan.

"Look." Reimu sighed, sniffing and trying to calm herself down. "I don't mind the fact that I am pregnant." She placed both of her hands around her still-flat stomach area. "It's bound to happen, it's practically apart of my destiny as a Hakurei Shrine Maiden: making sure I can continue the bloodline. And…" She sighed again, looking away. "I don't mind the fact that is YOU that put me in this mess."

Suika's eyes started to light up with love-struck stars. "Really?"

"Well, there are a few others that would be better than you…" Reimu snarked back, taking advantage of the opportunity that Suika just blundered into. "But at least it's someone who's honest. And someone who at least lives with me, so I don't have to make that much more arrangements…" Reimu played with her collar before continuing, sounding incredibly unsure of her. "But as the child will play more importance in my life now, we're going to have to cut down…"

"I could get a job." Suika shot up. "I could support us that way."

Reimu had to hold back a laugh. That would sound a bit too insensitive given the situation. "Without getting totally drunk while on duty, let alone getting a job while you still have…" She once again made references to the very large and very still obvious horns protruding out of Suika's head. "I don't think you can get a job in the Human Village."

"Okay, then I'll go and get a job somewhere with the Yo-kai!" Suika nodded her head and pumped her fists. "Scarlet Devil Mansion or Eientei surely must have some jobs on hand!"

Reimu tilted her head in thought. That did make some sense, but she considered if Remilia actually had money (Doubtful she pays the fairies…it actually makes more sense that the fairies working there are actually indentured servants) or what sort of horrible things that Eirin might do to Suika given what Reimu had seen Reisen look like. She didn't want the 'father' of her child to be horribly mutilated, but on the other hand…

"Give it a shot." Reimu sighed. "If you do that…" She sighed and leaned back against a wall. "I'll consider listening to you for a change." As Suika gave her a rather toothy smile, Reimu just shrugged. "After all, we are going to be living together, so might as well allow you the same rights."

"Could we…" Suika puckered her lips out while looking away. "Do it…"

"Not a chance in hell." Reimu venomously stated.

"Figured." Suika sighed. "I suppose having a wedding is out of the question?"

"Oh, well, that's doable." Reimu sighed, as she looked off. "Might as well invite all of the youkai 'friends' and make it youkai friendly. Might as well!" She repeated with a loud tone. "This whole thing has gone down the toilet anyway…"

Suika would have added something to that, but she recognized that Reimu is starting to crack into insanity. A good time as any to go off and find a job. Leave her alone for a while to cool off, or at least let another visitor take the blunt of whatever sort of wraith Reimu might inflict. "Well, while you're steaming, I'm heading off to find a job!" Suika got out as she practically launched herself out of her seat and towards the exit.

"Who's steaming?" Reimu roared out, prompting Suika to pick up speed. She ended up passing an oncoming Marisa, who stood her ground as the little oni blew past her.

Marisa chuckled. As she went inside the shrine, she called out to Reimu: "Oy, what did the little gremlin do…"

She didn't have time to finish her sentence before a big orb that reflected humanity's dual nature smacked right into her face.