DISCLAIMERS: I don't own any of the Touhou characters appearing herein. They're the intellectual property of ZUN and Team Shanghai Alice. This story constitutes "fair use" of these characters as provided for under applicable U.S. and international copyright laws.

Chapter 5

On the Saturday following the confrontation at the Netherworld Gate, about two hours after sunset, Reisen sat cross-legged on her futon, attempting to read a treatise on medicinal mushrooms. Unfortunately, she'd just returned from her evening bath, and the extended soak had left her too relaxed to concentrate on the text, so her effort, while valiant, was doomed to fail. After her third pass through the same paragraph – during which she retained absolutely nothing – she finally admitted defeat by tossing the manuscript aside.

Not that it mattered; Reisen didn't have any compelling reason to study mushroom therapy, and in any case, Eirin had already examined her on the contents of that particular book. She was simply going through the motions, trying to distract herself with the safe and familiar.

Anything to take her mind off of how desperately she missed Youmu.

Reisen hadn't seen her girlfriend since the previous Sunday, when Eirin had discovered them curled up together in Reisen's hospital bed and had sent Youmu packing. She hadn't been back to visit Reisen since; the reason, Eirin had reminded her apprentice, was that being grounded meant not only that she couldn't leave Eientei, but also that she wasn't allowed any visitors. This time, the doctor wasn't swayed by Reisen's tears, so the disconsolate moon-rabbit had no choice but to serve out her sentence and take comfort in the knowledge that she'd be reunited with Youmu the following weekend.

But even that had proven to be a vain hope. On Wednesday, Youmu had sent word to Eientei that "important Netherworld business" would keep her away indefinitely – well into the following week, at least.

Six miserable, Youmu-less days and counting, with no end in sight.

Reisen settled back onto the futon and closed her eyes, allowing herself to give in to self-pity. There'd be no Youmu to spend her day off with. No one to hold her close, whispering words of adoration. No cool, sweet lips to shower her with kisses, leaving her breathless. No gentle hands to steal under her blouse, caressing her willing flesh until…

With a start, Reisen realized that her hands had already found their way inside her yukata, wandering over her naked skin in tandem with her imagination. Not that she felt embarrassed at wanting to touch herself – since that first solo session the day she and Youmu had gotten together, she'd lost her sense of shame when it came to fantasizing about her lover – but she wanted to do it private. And that meant she needed to be safely in her futon with the lights out, in case someone like Tewi decided to walk in on her.

Reisen stood and, after tying back her hair into a ponytail, turned toward the desk. But before she could blow out the lamp that sat on top of it, there was a tap at her windowsill. Or at least she thought there was – it had been so soft that even her sensitive ears had had trouble picking it up. She froze, listening closely; sure enough, after a short silence, there was another, much louder tap, followed by a quiet voice calling her name.

"Reisen? Hello?" A third round of tapping. "Oi, Reisen, are you there?"

Tewi.

Reisen hurried to the window and pushed it open. Sure enough, as soon as the sash slid out of the way, the earth-rabbit's face popped into the empty window frame. She leaned on the windowsill, arms crossed, and took a moment to look Reisen up and down.

"We've got to stop meeting like this," Tewi said with a sly grin, nodding toward her colleague's partially-exposed cleavage. "It's getting so I can't visit your room anymore without finding you half-naked. I wonder what Konpaku would say if she knew you were parading around with your cans hanging out."

Her surprise quickly turning to displeasure, Reisen adjusted the front of her yukata, scowling at her unexpected visitor.

"Leave Youmu and my chest out of this. And keep your eyes on my face, you peeping tom."

"Well, thanks a hell of a lot," Tewi said, pretending to be offended. "No, 'Hello, Tewi,' or 'Welcome, old friend.' Just a hearty 'Quit staring at my tits.' Pssht. As if I was interested in your freakishly large hooters."

"Not this again," Reisen groaned. "Don't even start. Just tell me why you're here."

"Because, my ungrateful jerk of a friend, I have a surprise for you. One I know you're going to like."

Before Reisen could answer, Tewi disappeared from view, and a shadowy figure leaped over the sill and into the room, landing in front of Reisen with the surefootedness of a cat. From head to toe, the newcomer was completely clothed in midnight blue. Nothing was visible except for their hands and the upper half of their face. Alarmed by the sudden appearance of what seemed to be an unidentified intruder, Reisen instinctively raised her hands and stepped back into a fighting stance.

"Stay back," she commanded, then shot a quick glare at Tewi, who had reappeared in the window. "What the hell? Is this some kind of joke?"

"Geez, there's no reason to get hostile," said the earth-rabbit. "Take a closer look at the eyes."

When Reisen did so, her breath caught. There was no mistaking that shade of slate blue.

"No way." She began to tremble, hardly daring to believe it. "It can't be."

"But it is," the newcomer said in an all-too-familiar voice, removing her mask and hood. "I'm really here. Hello, Reisen."

"Youmu," Reisen whispered.

This couldn't be happening. Shouldn't be. The real Youmu was off somewhere in the vast emptiness of the Netherworld. The girl standing in front of her, smiling like rain on her parched soul, was nothing but a very pleasant dream. Any second now, Reisen would awaken, and her tiny room would be as cold and lonely as ever.

At least that's what she thought until Youmu's lips crushed against hers in joyous greeting.

"Oh, my God," Reisen said when the sword-fighter finally let her breathe again. "I never expected…I mean, um, the sentries…how did you manage to get into Eientei at this time of night?"

When Youmu – who was panting as heavily as Reisen – didn't answer right away, Tewi spoke up from the window.

"I sneaked her in. We ran into each other outside the Bamboo Forest when I was on my way back from Daiyousei's place. How's that for luck? They don't call me the White Rabbit of Good Fortune for nothing."

Reisen ignored Tewi's moment of self-promotion; she was too busy goggling down at Youmu, trying to process her sudden appearance.

"I thought you were busy with Netherworld, um…stuff."

"I was," Youmu said. "We had some trouble with a group of phantoms in one of the outlying sectors – rowdy parties, property damage, that sort of thing. But it took a lot less time to deal with than we thought. As soon as Yuyuko-sama gave me permission, I came over here to surprise you. I was all set to sneak in past the guards, if that's what it took." Twin scarlet smudges of embarrassment glowed on her cheekbones. "I know I should have waited until tomorrow, but I just couldn't do it. I missed you too much. Pretty impulsive of me, wasn't it?"

"'Reckless' is more like it," Reisen replied, trying to sound annoyed, but failing because of the broad smile on her face. "You realize that you can't stay, right?"

Youmu's lower lip curled.

"You're…sending me away, after all this?"

"Of course I don't want you to leave, silly, but technically I'm still grounded until sunrise tomorrow," Reisen reminded her. "If Master catches you in my room before then, there'll be hell to pay. And as for you, you little monkey," she added, frowning at Tewi, "what were you thinking, bringing her in here? I swear, this had better not be a set-up."

Tewi's grin vanished.

"Even I wouldn't stoop that low," she said with sudden heat. "Dammit, Reisen, I did it because I'm trying to help you two! Did you think I was lying when I made that promise?"

Reisen immediately regretted lashing out. After all, when Tewi had made her dramatic public apology to Reisen in front of Kaguya, Eirin, and the assembled rabbit youkai – a gathering that had been entirely her idea – she had also solemnly sworn never to sabotage Reisen and Youmu's relationship again. Even though Tewi had never made a promise she couldn't bend, and setting aside that her exact definition of the word "sabotage" was open to debate, the least Reisen could do was give her the benefit of the doubt.

"I'm sorry," the moon-rabbit said, shaking her head. "I need to give you more credit. But Master isn't stupid, Tewi. If Youmu stays, we're going to get found out."

"Trust me, you won't," Tewi said, her smile returning – this time with that trademark hint of cunning. "You must have missed it while you were mooning over Konpaku, but the Princess and Mokou-tan had another death-duel a little while ago, and that means Lady Eirin has to stay with them both while they regenerate. She'll be tied up over in the North Hall until lunchtime tomorrow, trying to keep them from killing each other again while they're supposed to be healing. As for everyone else, I'll personally make sure that no one comes near this end of the compound. So don't worry. For the next 15 hours or so, you can scream at the top of your lungs…" – she leered at Reisen, who glared back – "…and no one will hear. I guarantee it."

After shooting Tewi a frown of her own, Youmu added, "Please don't make me go yet. If I have to, I can sneak out before sunrise."

Pleading eyes, and that devastating pout, were all it took to shatter Reisen's resistance.

"Geez, when you look at me like that…" she said, before planting a light kiss of capitulation on Youmu's forehead. "I have a bad feeling about this, but it's worth the risk to have you all to myself."

With a relieved sigh, Youmu nuzzled against the side of Reisen's neck.

"My God, you two are so cute together I can barely stand it," Tewi said with a giggle. "Don't let me spoil your reunion. Go on, Konpaku, lay another big one on Miss Boobies – you know you want to. Plenty of tongue this time, and give that hot ass of hers a good squeeze, too. Don't mind me."

Her words instantly killed the mood, of course. Their faces turning crimson, the two lovers promptly disengaged from their embrace and stepped away from each other.

"Forget it," Youmu said with an emphatic head-shake. "Not in front of an audience, and especially not in front of you."

Reisen nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, pervert. If you want a show, go ask your pals in the rabbit dorm to put one on for you."

"All right, fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted," Tewi said, her shoulders trembling with suppressed amusement. "But it's all good. Much as I'd love to stick around and watch you guys get horizontal, I've already had my share of kink for the day. Turns out Daiyousei's an exhibitionist, and Cirno's not only a voyeur, but she's got a huge lesbian netorare fetish, too. Who knew? So anyway, that crazy ice fairy, she makes me tie her to a chair, and she's sitting there moaning while Daiyousei's begging me to fu-…"

"Good night, Tewi," Reisen growled, quickly cutting off yet another pornographic exaggeration of the earth-rabbit's alleged sexual exploits. Then her tone softened. "And, uh, thanks."

"I'm only trying to repay my obligation," Tewi said. "Hey, Konpaku, you'll need these." She handed Youmu's swords through the window. "And you should do something about your phantom thingy, too. It was going bonkers out here when you two were swapping spit. Someone's going to notice it eventually."

As if in response to a silent call, Youmu's phantom half flew into the room. It went straight to Reisen, who patted it affectionately, and then drifted off to hover in a corner.

"Just so we're clear," Tewi said, "this does not mean Reisen won't find lube on her pillowcase or mochi in her shoes. I've got to keep things interesting, you know. But when it comes to the two of you…" – she glanced back and forth between Reisen and Youmu – "…I'm cool with behaving myself and playing the supportive nee-san." She let out a wistful sigh. "I'm not like you guys. I can barely spell 'monogamy,' let alone stomach the concept. But that's a good thing, I think, because otherwise I'd be super jealous of what you two have. Take good care of each other, okay?" Then, with a wink, she added, "I'll tell you the rest of that story about Cirno and Daiyousei some other time. It's pretty hot."

Without waiting for a reply, she saluted casually, then disappeared from the window, leaving Reisen and Youmu staring open-mouthed after her.

After several century-long seconds, Youmu finally broke the stunned silence.

"I can't believe her. She didn't really, um…with those fairies…did she?"

Reisen shrugged.

"With Tewi, you have to know how to tell truth from fiction, and that story's a perfect example. It's no secret that she sleeps with both Cirno and Daiyousei on occasion, so the three of them in the same bed is believable. I think the rest of it is Tewi trying to get a reaction, as usual. Seriously, being that annoying is an art."

"Seems troublesome," Youmu said with a worried frown. "Do you think she'll be back? You know, to spy on us."

"Even Tewi doesn't lie all the time," Reisen said, pulling the window closed. "Especially not when it counts. So yeah, I believe her when she says she's rooting for us. She won't be back."

Youmu's eyes met Reisen's, slate blue locking with pale pink. It was quite clear what she was thinking.

"Then that means…"

"…that we're wasting time. No more talk, Youmu. Only this." Slowly, deliberately, Reisen pulled open her yukata and let it slip off of her shoulders, holding it in place for a second or two before allowing it to drop to the floor.

Her mouth an O of amazement, Youmu's gaze raked over Reisen like fingers on skin, lingering on the moon-rabbit's breasts before moving over her taut stomach to her bare mound, and then flicking back up to her face. No one had ever looked at Reisen with such raw, undisguised need, and it made her heart flutter.

Oh, God, I want to undress her, Reisen thought. But before she could say anything, Youmu pulled her shirt over her head in one fluid motion and tossed it to the floor, as if she'd read Reisen's mind. The rest of her clothes followed, and now it was Reisen's turn to stare.

Even in her wildest fantasies, her imagination hadn't come close to doing justice to the reality that was Youmu's naked body. It was Reisen's ideal type: lithe and athletic, yet with just enough feminine softness to balance the toned, hard muscle. Long-ago memories of the fine marble sculptures of the Lunar Capital floated through Reisen's mind; add rabbit ears and a tail, and Youmu wouldn't have looked out of place as one of the silent sentinels that lined the Grand Colonnade of Lord Tsukuyomi's palace, guarding the approach to his Great Hall in all their stern, unclothed glory.

In the face of such perfection, Reisen felt her self-control begin to burn away. She badly wanted to nibble at the small, firm breasts that her hands had already come to know so well. To cup the twin globes of Youmu's tight, round rear end. To run her fingers over that delectable tummy, with its barely concealed abdominals. To feel the pale, velvety skin sliding against her own as she begged Youmu to thrust deeper, move faster.

Unable to wait any longer, Reisen was about to reach out and touch, but again, Youmu anticipated her thoughts by grabbing her hand and pulling her across the room to the futon. Then, in a flash, she was on the mattress in Youmu's arms, awash in her familiar cherry-blossom scent.

Even if she'd thought to resist, Reisen didn't stand a chance; Youmu's devastating lips and wandering hands gave no quarter. Kiss after ferocious kiss overwhelmed the moon-rabbit, filling her mind with white noise. And when Youmu's callused fingers finally found her breasts, tightening her nipples with feather-light contact, Reisen's insides began to melt. She was perilously close to spiraling simply from the fire of Youmu's touch. But before she could fall to pieces completely, Youmu suddenly broke off their latest kiss, leaving her to bite back a moan of frustration.

"I want you to lead first," Youmu said, her voice soft and husky.

Her request caught Reisen by surprise. She'd always assumed that Youmu would take charge during sex, in spite of her inexperience. It made sense, given that the half-human was the de facto leader in everything to do with their relationship, with Reisen very much the passive partner.

"Are you sure? I'm not very good on top, and it's been a long time since I've done it. It's your first time, and I don't want to hurt you."

"It has to be this way," Youmu said.

Reisen found the choice of words out of character. Under normal circumstances, Youmu was more likely to say something like don't worry, you'll do fine, instead of an emphatic it has to be this way that left no room for argument. But whatever was on Youmu's mind, Reisen knew that she'd explain herself eventually – she always did – so there was no point to obsessing over her meaning.

Besides, it wasn't as if Reisen shunned being on top; she'd done it on occasion with past partners, as long as it fit the mood. And this was definitely one of those times. The sight of Youmu gazing at her with such longing, her magnificent body stretched across the mattress like an offering waiting to be consumed, was more than enough to convince Reisen to take charge. To claim Youmu for her own.

"I promise I'll take it slowly," was all she said.

With a light nudge to Youmu's shoulder, Reisen rolled her onto her back, then crawled on top of her, thighs straddling Youmu's hips, hands braced to either side of her head. Her light-violet ponytail draped over the side of her neck, its fringe brushing against Youmu's collarbone. Youmu stroked it absently, her eyes dark with desire.

"You're beautiful," she said, "so beautiful that I can't keep my hands to myself." She reached for Reisen's breasts again, but the moon-rabbit gently pushed her arms aside, ignoring the sigh of disappointment that followed.

"Later," she said, brushing her lips against Youmu's forehead. "It's my turn now."

Starting with Youmu's cheeks and the tip of her nose, Reisen began to kiss her way slowly downward. A pause for a short, intense visit to Youmu's mouth, followed by a nibble at her lower lip, and then another along her jawline. A long lick along the smooth skin of Youmu's neck, followed by a nip at the pulse point – making the half-human's breath hitch – and finally, a line of kisses from Youmu's collarbone down to her chest.

Reisen lavished attention on Youmu's sensitive swells, feasting on each one until it grew firm under her touch, its nipple diamond-hard. The longer her tender assault went on, the more Youmu arched her back, and the tighter her fingers wove into her lover's hair. The way she moved underneath Reisen, her heavy breathing punctuated with an occasional "ooh" or "mmm," only made the moon-rabbit want to give her more, drive her higher. So she did, lingering far longer than she planned to, simply because Youmu was so responsive, and pleasing her like this felt so rewarding.

Yet as enthralled as Reisen was with Youmu's breasts, they weren't the final destination on her journey, so she reluctantly moved on to Youmu's stomach, kissing and licking along the faint cuts between her muscles, reveling in the quivers and tremors that rippled through them. But when she tried to drag her tongue over the skin directly above Youmu's mons, the half-human's abdominals clenched violently, and she pushed Reisen's head away.

"Hey, that tickles!"

Reisen looked up to find Youmu propped up on her elbows, staring down at her with a dazed smile, her eyelids hooding with raw lust.

"Sorry," Reisen replied with obvious insincerity. She pushed Youmu's knees further up and apart, and bent down to plant a kiss on the soft skin of her inner thigh. "How's that?"

Youmu shivered at the contact.

"That feels fantastic."

"Then I'd better do it some more," Reisen said, turning her attention back to Youmu's thighs. After a few more kisses, first to one side, then to the other, she settled onto her stomach, and came face to face with Youmu's most private of places.

For a long moment, Reisen simply took in the view, transfixed by the beauty of Youmu's coral-pink flower. Framed by two full, bare lips and crested with a neatly trimmed thatch of silver hair, it glistened with the overflowing evidence of Youmu's arousal. Its heady, musky scent called to Reisen, begging her to taste, and yet she hesitated, because it seemed almost sinful to defile such an exquisite work of art with direct contact.

"Um, this position is kind of embarrassing." Youmu's voice, fraying at the edges with impatience, brought Reisen back to earth. "Don't just lie there, do something."

"Sorry, I was distracted," Reisen said. "You're so…pretty down here. And soaking wet, too."

"Don't say that. And quit staring at it! Ugh! This is so…"

Youmu's words choked off into wide-eyed silence as Reisen's tongue swiped through her folds in one broad stroke, from bottom to top.

"It's so…what? Awesome?" Reisen tried hard to keep a straight face, but failed. "I totally agree."

"I meant 'humiliating,' not 'awesome'," was the cranky response. "Come on, Reisen, don't be so…oh, my God!"

Another sweep of Reisen's tongue put a swift end to Youmu's protest. With a groan, she slumped back onto the mattress, hands clutching the sheet in a two-fisted death grip.

Taking her cue, Reisen began to explore in earnest, savoring the cool, tangy nectar that flooded her tongue, instantly addicted to its unique flavor. She searched every fold and crevice for Youmu's weak spots, but rather than attacking them, she worked them gently, allowing the wave to build bit by bit, so that Youmu had plenty of time to enjoy riding it. And of course, she took care to avoid the most sensitive spot of all, at least at first. Only when Youmu began to squirm against her mouth did Reisen finally relent, homing in on the angry-red swelling, teasing it until her lover's hips began to jerk.

"Ooh, right there," Youmu whined. "Right. There."

Reisen waited until Youmu was seconds from her peak, body rising from the futon in anticipation, before abruptly pulling away. With a yelp of frustration, Youmu grabbed at the moon-rabbit's head, trying without success to push it back into position.

"Why'd you stop? Keep going!"

With a serene smile, Reisen ignored the protest, and instead went back to showering Youmu's thighs with kisses. When she judged that Youmu had backed far enough away from the edge, she dove in again, more forcefully this time: shoving the tip of her tongue into her lover's entrance, nibbling at her lips, lashing at her pearl. The determined onslaught quickly had Youmu shivering and groaning. In a less than a minute, her hips began to twitch again. And once more, Reisen cut her ministrations short right before the critical moment.

After three or four cycles of this, Youmu was a sweaty, frustrated mess. And not surprisingly, she didn't think much at all of Reisen's methods. She pushed up onto her elbows again, eyes glassy, face and chest flushed crimson, lower lip curled with annoyance.

"Please, Reisen…you're killing me."

"I wanted to make sure you were good and ready when I, you know, put my fingers in," Reisen said, now a bit less sure of herself. "You, uh, still want me to do that, right?"

"Yes, yes! I want you to! Hurry!"

With a nod, Reisen began to circle a fingertip around her lover's entrance. Youmu's eyelids fluttered closed, and she sank back to the mattress with a long, breathy "ooh."

Suddenly, the enormity of what Reisen was about to do sank in. With one move of her finger, Youmu would no longer be a virgin, at least according to the traditional definition of the term. There were no do-overs, no second chances. Given how much Youmu valued her chastity, taking it was a huge responsibility. What if things between them didn't work out, as had been the case with Reisen's own first romance? What if Youmu came to regret this? As quickly as the doubts materialized, Reisen brushed them aside. This was Youmu's precious gift, the one she'd wanted to give to Reisen for so long. And Reisen was utterly convinced that she was meant to receive it, as if she was born expressly for the purpose. With a deep breath, she began to work her finger inside.

As expected, she met no resistance – Youmu had told her that she'd lost her hymen to martial arts training as a child – but it was still a very snug fit, and when Youmu's breath hitched at the intrusion, it wasn't purely out of pleasure. But after giving her a few moments to adjust, Reisen was able to move slowly in and out. When she eventually added a second finger, Youmu shrugged off the initial discomfort, and soon began to roll her hips into Reisen's hand.

Such an impossibly erotic feeling, to be embraced by those liquid walls while watching Youmu's expressions morph from joyous smile to grimace to wide-eyed wonder. In a chain reaction, Reisen's own sympathetic response gnawed at her gut and flooded down her thighs. She desperately wanted to touch herself, to stifle the madness within, but she somehow managed to hold back. She could wait; right now, this was all about Youmu.

Determined to push her lover to the limit, Reisen began to flutter her tongue over Youmu's swollen nub, while at the same time curling her fingers upward with each stroke. At the change in tactics, the half-human's eyes flew open wide.

"Oh! Oh, God, Reisen, I…it feels…ooh!…really good. Too good. If you keep…unh!…doing that, I'm going to…mmm!…going to…oh, no!…stop! Will you stop for a minute?" She shoved at Reisen's head, wriggling her hips in an effort to escape. "You're too far away – come up here and hold me. I want your arms around me when I finish."

With a nod, Reisen withdrew her fingers, and clambered up to lie next to Youmu, who greeted her by reclaiming her lips.

"I can taste myself on you," Youmu said between kisses.

"Sorry."

"Don't be. I like it." After draping her leg over Reisen's hip, Youmu took hold of the moon-rabbit's hand and pushed it down between her thighs. "Hurry. I need you inside me again."

Eager to oblige, Reisen slid both fingers at once into Youmu's channel. Whimpering at the penetration, Youmu wound her arms around her lover's neck, her face contorting with unreleased tension as Reisen began to rock her hand back and forth, now grinding her thumb against Youmu's pleasure point, now rubbing her fingertips over that magic place deep inside. With every thrust, Youmu grunted a bit louder, gushed a bit more. She was already so close that it wasn't long before she was bucking her hips and digging her fingernails into Reisen's shoulders.

Another ten seconds or so was all it took for the orgasm to overtake Youmu like a samurai cavalry charge, catapulting her into sexual oblivion. With a gasp, she went suddenly rigid, her insides pulsing and rippling around Reisen's marauding fingers, drenching them in the evidence of her release. Reisen cradled Youmu tightly to her with one arm while keeping the other moving as best she could, trying to prolong the climax, until the spasms finally ebbed away, and the tension began to drain from Youmu's body.

For a short while afterward, Youmu lay so still that Reisen began to wonder if she'd fallen asleep, or perhaps fainted. But soon enough, she stirred, taking the moon-rabbit by surprise with a kiss so fierce that it had her hips shaking and her toes curling. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Youmu reversed their positions. The next thing Reisen knew, she was on her back with Youmu lying on top of her.

"I can't believe you're ready to go again this soon," Reisen groaned. "How? That O would've knocked me cold."

"Call it my second wind," Youmu said, her eyes gleaming with a sense of purpose that left little to Reisen's imagination. "But never mind that. It's my turn now, and I don't intend to hold back."

Reisen certainly wasn't about to argue; her inner fire was blast-furnace hot, and had been almost from the moment she'd shed her yukata. She had to have Youmu inside her, and soon, before the gigantic, all-consuming ache in her belly overpowered her.

"I'm at my limit," Reisen rasped, nibbling at her lower lip, gazing up at her lover with pleading eyes. "Please, Youmu…take me, hard and fast."

"Oh, Reisen…if you only knew what you do to me," Youmu replied, her voice thick with want. She buried her face in her lover's cleavage, and suddenly nothing in the universe mattered to Reisen, except for Youmu and the blissful merger of their bodies and souls.

When Youmu finally collapsed on top of Reisen, draping over her like a soggy blanket, the moon-rabbit wasn't sure how much time had passed. Consumed by their coupling – a long, sensual progression, sometimes fast and frantic, sometimes gentle and exploratory – she'd been so focused on Youmu that she'd lost track of reality.

"I need to rest for a bit," the half-human murmured. "How about you?"

"You must've read my mind," Reisen replied, staring idly past Youmu's mop of silver hair at her phantom half, which had spent most of its time streaking back and forth overhead – literally bouncing off the walls every time Youmu came – and was now back to hovering in the corner. "I can't feel anything below my stomach. That last one…I don't even…are you sure this is your first time?"

"First, but definitely not last." Youmu let out a brief, self-indulgent giggle before sliding off of Reisen. Landing on her side, she rested her head on the moon-rabbit's shoulder and snuggled against her, wrapping an arm over Reisen's stomach. They lay for a while in the silent communion of afterglow, fingers caressing lightly over damp skin, until Youmu finally let out a sigh that carried an unmistakable note of bliss.

"That was unbelievable," she said. "I never imagined it'd be this good. Seriously, you're so skilled, especially with these." She stroked the fingers on Reisen's right hand. "Funny, they seem so much longer and thicker when they're inside me. And as for these…" – her fingertips ghosted over Reisen's lips – "…my God, these. The sooner I feel them on me again, the better. You're an amazing lover, Reisen. I'm such a lucky girl."

So am I, Reisen thought, remembering the havoc Youmu had wreaked on her with her own fingers and tongue. She'd made love to Reisen the way she fought, always pressing the initiative, wearing her down with wave after wave of pleasure. Now, in the aftermath, Reisen couldn't remember ever experiencing such a sense of fulfillment. It had less to do with Youmu being good in bed – which she was, despite her inexperience – than the fact that for the first time in decades, Reisen had experienced lovemaking in the literal sense of the word, a colossus of shared passion that dwarfed her memories of past casual encounters, exposing them for the cheap counterfeits they were.

"I can't believe I almost missed out on all this, just by being stupid," Youmu continued, oblivious to Reisen's dreamy smile. "But I'm never going to make that mistake again." Her touch lingered on the ribbon tied to Reisen's wrist, which was now thoroughly stained with perspiration and female essence. "Were you surprised? That I wanted to start on the bottom, I mean."

"I don't mind leaving those decisions to you," Reisen said, trying to be diplomatic. But Youmu only chuckled.

"Be a little more honest. You think I don't know you prefer me to set the pace? I've known that from our very first kiss." Youmu's tone turned serious again. "But since it was my first time, I wanted you to be in charge at the beginning. I wanted to make it a point to submit to you. To give you my body willingly. I figured it'd show that my apology last weekend wasn't empty words. That when I say I trust you, I really mean it."

"You didn't have to prove yourself to me," Reisen half-whispered, overwhelmed by Youmu's earnest words. "Remember what I told you last Sunday? I forgave you before you even asked."

"Yes, you did, but I guess I wanted a little reassurance. Or maybe I was trying to prove something to myself, I don't know. It doesn't matter anymore." With another contented sigh, Youmu ran a finger over Reisen's cheek, her touch cool and soothing against the moon-rabbit's sweaty flush. "You should give yourself more credit. It was incredible, the way you made love to me. Sure, you teased me a bit, but I have to admit that deep down, I really liked it. And you were really gentle and kind, holding me so closely, and kissing me over and over, and…I'm babbling, but I can't help it. My wish came true, that you'd be my first, and you made it better than I ever dreamed. Oh, Reisen, how is it possible to love someone this much? And yet I do."

Youmu's smile, glorious as always, pierced Reisen straight through her heart. She wanted so badly to respond to her beloved's declaration with one of her own: that she'd rather be a wandering phantom, bound by her regrets to the world of the living, than exist in a universe that had no Youmu in it. That her love for Youmu was at once terrifying and humbling and glorious in its length and breadth and depth. That Youmu was her champion and healer, her fated person, the yo to her in. But before she could give voice to any of the lofty sentiments floating through her mind, they foundered on the shoals in those slate-blue eyes, so in the end, Reisen decided to keep things simple.

"My love for you…it completes me."

With that, Reisen took Youmu into her arms and kissed her tenderly, channeling all the fervid intent behind those seven simple words into the embrace. Then she did it again, and a third time, because Youmu was so hard not to kiss. And from the warmth with which Youmu responded, she'd received Reisen's message with crystal clarity.

"I may need a bit more of a rest than I thought," Youmu admitted after they pulled apart, her voice heavy with drowsiness. "Is it okay if you keep holding me? Nice and close, just like this."

"Don't worry," Reisen replied, pressing her lips to her lover's forehead. "I won't let go. Not tonight, not ever."

Youmu's only answer was a dozy "mmm;" in a matter of seconds, she was fast asleep, her breathing soft and regular. Reisen followed soon after, dreaming of a flower-covered dell, moonlight reflecting in slate-blue eyes, and two souls joined by a red string.

A/N:

As always, many thanks go to Gray Voice, my doughty beta, whose peerless editing skills put a high gloss not only on this chapter, but on the entire story, and whose constant encouragement helped me see this project through to completion.