"Spring is here!"

All heads turned towards the sky as the exuberant flower fairy clad in white glided through the air, then ducked for cover as the fairy emphasised her joy by haphazardly firing red and blue bullets into the air.

"Spring is here!" Lily White flew away from the Human Village and towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion, crying out her message all the while. "Spring is here!"

Out of nowhere, a half melted snowball flew past Lily White's ear, barely missing her.

"Take the spring away! I want winter back!"

Lily, ignoring both the assault by snowball and the protest, flew off, singing as merrily as ever, leaving nothing but danmaku and a lasting memory in her wake.

Cirno lowered her throwing arm and curled her hands into fists. She stood in the middle of the last few piles of snow, quickly melting away, concentrating intently to keep the air around the snow as cold as possible. Daiyousei, who had been standing by her side as she had hurled the snowball, clapped a hand on Cirno's shoulder.

"Let it go, Cirno. We have pranks to make and we have to hurry, or else Sunny Milk and the gang beat us to them!"

"I won't!" Cirno gritted through her teeth. "If I give up now, all the snow will melt, and then..."

Daiyousei sighed. "Cirno, Letty isn't going to wake up no matter how long you keep that pile frozen. You know better than I do that once she goes to sleep, nothing short of a blizzard will stop her from sleeping until the next winter."

"Yeah, I know." Cirno said quietly. Her expression was one of someone who knew a fact but vehemently denied with every fibre of her being regardless, the kind of stubbornness that sets one's jaw and turns gazes to steel.

Daiyousei rolled her eyes. "If you won't come, I'll go by myself."

"Go, then!" Cirno snapped. "See if I care!"

"You're so stubborn sometimes!"

Cirno kept looking forward as Daiyousei sighed again and flew off, focusing on nothing but the snow. She was the last guardian of winter, and she would make it stay, no matter what Lily White claimed, no matter what Daiyousei said, no matter what anyone said.

She did what she could to ignore the laughter and merrymaking of the flower fairies cavorting in the woods. They couldn't understand her. Not even Daiyousei got what being an ice fairy in the spring felt like.

From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of white, bell-like flowers, drooping gently towards their elegant leaves, the first flowers Cirno had seen that year.

After several more moment, she unfurled her fists and sat down on the moss, ready to burst into tears. She looked at the snow and said one final private farewell to the dying winter. It had been a good one, with plenty of ice and frost and many wonderful hours spent with Letty.

She closed her eyes and wept as birdsong filled her ears.

Far from the woods, on a hill no living being approached, amidst a veritable sea of lilies-of-the-valley danced a small youkai dressed in red and black. Her arms flailed in the air with awkward angles, but she was exceedingly careful with her steps: no matter where she took off from and where she skipped, she always managed to land on a stop with no fragile flowers to crush. A small fairy doll followed her in the air, mimicking her every movement.

"Oh, Su-san..." Medicine's voice was all sunshine and song. If she had known how to shed tears, she was sure she would have done so from joy right there and then. "You have returned to me."

How wonderful that Su-san was finally awake! When Su-san had been gone, during the long, harsh winter, it had been difficult to keep focused on her ultimate goal. Her mind had drifted away into the distance with the snow, as if the white sheets covering her beloved meadow had reminded her of something long lost, of a past life and a painful abandonment. Who had she really been? Why couldn't she remember?

She was a doll, she had always been a doll. So why were the images in her head during her restless dreams filled with sparks and kindling fire, of tender gazes, and of lines of poetry? No. It was much better when she could rely on Su-san and didn't have to worry about the hallucinations.

"This year, we will surely free all dolls!" She announced triumphantly. She would live purely, yes. She would best humans. She would find a way to reach her goal from the safety of her meadow, in the gentle embrace of Su-san.

She continued skipping as the sun rose and the morning dew glimmered on the leaves. With no witnesses except perhaps the meadow itself, the doll youkai and youkai doll danced their bizarre, hypnotising dance until sunset amidst the silent plants.

The doll sat perfectly still, and would have appeared lifeless if it hadn't tilted its head at its master's command.

"The other side." The doll tilted its head to the left, and with careful movements, Alice finished tying the red ribbon into its hair.

Satisfied, she leaned back and examined her handiwork. "Now you look as good as new, Hourai." She had taken the opportunity the warm spring provided to sit outside as she combed the hair of all of her dolls. They could certainly comb each other's hairs, too, but Alice believed a little personal touch never hurt.

She made a quick gesture and Hourai sprang up, making way for Shanghai, the only doll remaining. As she combed through Shanghai's hair, Alice vividly felt how she had felt when she had first picked the colour of Shanghai's hair and attached the strands to the head she had created.

She took her eyes of her works for a moment, and gazed upon each of her beautiful children, each beloved and special in their own way. She saw her hand in them all, in each of their movements, in every attack they could perform. Add the small swords and spears she had polished earlier during sunrise, and the group would turn into an army regiment, serving as an excellent opposition to everyone who wished to battle her, without Alice having to exert her full abilities.

The dolls' hair gleamed gold in the lush sunlight: their dresses had been fully cleaned and mended, and their skin polished. They really were as good as new.

Alice smiled.

The entire battalion marched past her, saluting their creator as they passed her.

Alice's smile lost some of its sunshine as someone approached her cabin, flying low between the trees. A tiny devil descended a few feet away from her and adjusted her red hair and both pairs of wings before bowing.

"My mistress wishes you ample health and the best of tidings."

Alice nodded. "Accepted and reciprocated. Is something the matter, Koakuma?"

Koakuma fidgeted with her hands. "An important tome has gone missing from the library. Lady Patchouli sent me to find the prime suspect," Alice nodded, frowning, knowing all too well who the prime suspect was, "but she was not at her home, and I couldn't find the book from the chaos. Would you happen to know where Miss Kirisame is?"

"She was at home yesterday. There have been no signs of an incident, either." Alice shrugged. "It's possible she knew you would be gunning down for her and went somewhere where she could study the tome in peace."

Koakuma sighed, and Alice couldn't help but notice it was a sigh of relief. There was no doubt that the little devil hadn't been looking forward to the inevitable beatdown at the hands of Marisa.

Alice stood up. "I suppose it can't be helped. I'll see what I can do."

Koakuma's head wings perked up. "Thank you, Miss Alice!"

Alice smiled grimly. "No guarantees. There's never a definite way of knowing where that thieving, irresponsible, reckless excuse of a magician has gone..."

Marisa let out a blustery sneeze that all but sent her flying.

Reimu kept sweeping the courtyard, never raising her gaze. "A cold in June? That's bad luck."

"Nah, something just tickled my nose." Marisa leaned backwards on the porch. "Although it never hurts to make sure. Know what's good for all ailments?"

"You're not getting any more of my sake. Do you think it grows on trees?"

Marisa chuckled. "Course not. It grows on fields and in barrels."

"That's right! It should be shake time!" Suika lolled on the porch, the hems of her skirt all askew, drunk as sin.

Reimu rolled her eyes. "Drink from your gourd."

"That's not the shame thing! We need to have a party!"

"I would prefer a tea party," Remilia Scarlet added from underneath the lace-decorated parasol Sakuya had placed on the courtyard. She accepted the porcelain cup of finest assam Sakuya immediately provided for her. "With elegant pastries and sophisticated discussions, and none of this infernal heat." She set down her saucer and took the white fan Sakuya had once again fetched for her between blinks.

"You're at the wrong place," Reimu said gruffly and continued sweeping with renewed vigour.

"I like the sound of an elegant tea party!" Yuyuko said happily and nodded courteously at Remilia. "Although, along with pastries we could also have bread and meat dishes. Perhaps a finely cooked bird, too. Wouldn't you like that too, Youmu?" she nudged at her gardener.

"As you say, Lady Yuyuko," Youmu acquiesced.

All eyes were fixed expectantly on Reimu.

Reimu gave them a look one might more commonly give to gnats. "You find another host. I won't throw any parties, tea or otherwise, until I have sorted out my monetary situation."

"And when will that be?" Remilia asked, sipping her tea.

Reimu's gaze darkened. "About fifty years or so should do."

Yuyuko smiled in a way that was either ditzy, or, presuming one truly knew the ruler of the Netherworld, sly. "That is fine. We can wait."

Unexpectedly, Reimu discarded her broom and placed her hands on her hips. "Right. There seems to be some kind of a misunderstanding. You seem to be under the impression that I run a pub, or a tea-house or a western salon. Or maybe you believe this is some kind of a haven for free-loaders to come and go as you please. Maybe you missed the red gate when you came here. Let me make something clear. This is a shrine. If you have an offering to make to the god of the shrine, or need some kind of spiritual assistance, you come here. This is not a place where free-loading youkai...or humans," she added quickly when Marisa opened her mouth, "to loiter around. You bring things to the shrine, not the other way around. Unless you're here on business, you'd better leave now before I throw you out."

Not a single of Reimu's uninvited guests moved a muscle. They exchanged amused glances.

Reimu glared at them venomously and picked up her broom. "Fine. Don't believe me. Keep wasting your time."

A bush warbler tittered from a nearby tree. Reimu again abandoned her weapon of choice and retreated to the inside of the shrine, only to return with her hand full of seeds. The bird flew eagerly to her as she opened her palm.

"So, you'll feed the bird, but you won't feed us?" Marisa asked with a smile.

"The bird sings for its food," Reimu said as the bird flew away. "What do you do?"

Suika began to hum an unrecognisable tune. "Shake, wonderful shake, being ush shome shake and we'll shing shome more~" What her song lacked in melody and skill, it made up for in volume.

Briskly, Reimu walked over and clapped her empty hand on Suika's mouth. "I'll bring you sake right now if you promise to never sing again."

Suika guffawed. "Can't do that, but I can promise never to shing again today! Oni'sh honour!"

Reimu rolled her eyes and disappeared back into the darkness of the shrine.

"This is the last bottle I have," she said, then precariously uncorked the bottle with her teeth, all the while balancing a set of cheap cups in her other hand. "So you had better to enjoy it."

Suika eagerly nabbed to topmost cup, and with a drawn-out sigh, Reimu began to pour her a drink as everyone gathered around her.

"Thank you," Eirin said with a curt nod as one of the more well-behaved rabbits handed her a cup of the finest sake. Princess Kaguya already had her own cup, and gazed wistfully at the full moon far above on the porch, her long hems gathered elegantly around her.

Kaguya rarely confided in anyone, even in Eirin. The brain of the moon could glean some of the longing and regret Kaguya usually masked so well from her expressions on nights of full moon, but the full extent of her thoughts was inaccessible even to her. That was well. She had vowed to serve the Princess until the end of time. What difference did it make what Kaguya had in mind? She would obey either way.

Eirin glanced at the moon. The twinge of regret that had followed her before had faded to the point where it no longer mattered. It was all in the past, and while her life had been very long indeed, after a thousand years, while her time on the moon wasn't exactly a distant memory, the present occupied her far more.

(Not far away, far closer than either of them guessed, Fujiwara no Mokou gazed at the moon as well and muttered a silent curse that lacked the vitriol it had previously contained.)

(Only slightly further away, Keine Kamishirasawa, her horns pointing towards the pale moon, sighed deeply and created history anew.)

"Do you have plans for tonight, Princess?" Eirin asked more out of habit than anything else. She knew that on nights such as this, when the reminder of all they had lost was so huge and inescapable, the Princess desired nothing further than to face that loss eye to eye, stone-faced but troubled.

Therefore, she was greatly surprised when Kaguya turned towards her with a smile. "Not as of yet, but perhaps soon. I am curious to see what the Inaba have planned for the night."

Eirin stared. "Really, Princess?"

"Yes." Kaguya took a small sip of her sake and then discarded the cup entirely. "I wish to see where those tracks lead." She pointed forward, to a set of several rabbit tracks that disappeared into the darkness.

"Gather 'round, usa! Spin the wheel of fortune for a chance to win the grand prize!"

Tewi beamed proudly, looking downright regal in the battered top hat she had found god knew where and had placed proudly over her ears and dark curls. A modest flock of festival-goers in yukata and happi,, human and youkai alike, too drunk on the festival atmosphere to wage war over everyday racial grudges, had already gathered around the enormous wheel Tewi had had the other rabbits build for her, larger than life and painted gold. Even the humble grilled lamprey stand next to Tewi's presentation enjoyed additional revenue thanks to the crowd.

"Seriously," Mystia sighed aside as she placed another batch of eels onto her grill. "Just go and look around already. I know you dying to play the goldfish scooping game."

Wriggle shrugged. "We can wait a little longer."

Rumia nodded vigorously. Her speech was impeded by the large grilled lamprey she was slowly chewing down on without the aid of her hands.

"I'll tell Cirno and Daiyousei where you've gone when they show up. Just go have fun. Go celebrate Orihime and Hikoboshi's reunion for me, too."

Wriggle sighed and gazed longingly at a cart selling sweet treats just underneath a weeping willow.

Mystia rolled her eyes. "You don't have to eat nothing but grilled lampreys just because I own the cart. Go get what you want. And bring some sake back for me."

The temptation overrode the duty Wriggle felt for her friends. "We'll be back soon! Let's go, Rumia!"

Rumia nodded, still struggling with the eel, and hovered after Wriggle as she ran over the grass, beaming. She rushed to the cart and clapped her hands on it.

The cart's owner, a middle-aged human woman with a round face and kindly smile, looked serenely at Wriggle. Either she took the antennae for cosplay, or else didn't mind having non-humans for customers. "What will you have, little one? Taiyaki, perhaps?"

"A caramel apple!" Wriggle announced, all smiles. They were her favourites: the treat itself was delicious, and after she was done she could give whatever remained to her non-youkai insect friends.

The cart-owner's smile withered. "I'm afraid we are all out of those, little one."

"What?" Wriggle asked incredulously. "Already?"

"I'm afraid so. The harvest is late this year, and we had only so many apples left in stock from last year. On the other hand," she added as she noticed Wriggle's antennae drooping, "since today is a festival day, and that is clearly what you wished to have, how about I give you and your friend a taiyaki each? My treat for being unable to provide caramel apples."

Wriggle smiled wanly, the disappointment weakening her gratitude. "Thanks." She turned towards Rumia. "Did you hear that, Rumia? You'll get a taiyaki too."

Rumia swallowed the last of her grilled lamprey and hovered to Wriggle's side, offering the cart-owner her most beautiful smile.

"Now, which fillings would you like?" The cart-owner began shuffling through her wares. "I really am sorry about not having caramel apples. At least," her eyes twinkled, "the harvest will be bountiful this year. The next tanabata, I will surely have a mountain of caramel apples."

"Is that so?"

"Thank you for your blessings, Princess Inada!"

The chief of the village raised his glass towards the smiling goddess sitting next to him. The tables were laden with seemingly endless tokens of a bountiful harvest: barrel after barrel of rice, enough sweet potatoes to sustain an enormous family for years, and a veritable mountain of apples.

All other people at the feast followed their leader's example, and Minoriko glowed with happiness and pride, radiant in the lights of the setting sun and the large bonfires near the tables.

Not far away, outside the glow of the fires, in the middle of a small grove of trees by a stream, sat Shizuha Aki, lost in thought.

The maples and willows surrounding her were still in their summer colours, and at length Shizuha stood up, stretching languidly, and slowly painted the leaves of one of the maples with the same red and gold she had seen reflected in her sister's hair between the trees.

She finished her work with a sharp kick to tree trunk, and as she was showered with leaves, the few tree fairies that lived in the grove, still clad in their summer colours, applauded her.

"Would you like me to fix you up, too?" Shizuha asked coolly. The fairies chattered amongst each other until the boldest of them landed down next to Shizuha and curtseyed.

As the fairy giggled when Shizuha carefully coated the edges of her green skirt with orange and red, the autumn goddess felt her own harvest, a modest bounty of faith enter her. It was so very small compared to that of her sister's, and completely insignificant compared to that of better known gods, but enough to sustain her for another year. She smiled and leaned back when she was done, and the fairy squealed in delight and flew away to show off her new colours to her other friends. The other fairies formed a queue, nudging and pushing at each other to be the first in line.

"Sister!"

Shizuha turned as the fairies scattered, shocked she hadn't heard Minoriko arrive. After the festival, Minoriko was the epitome of health, her cheeks flushed as red as the apples at the table, her skin radiating health, carrying in her arms a colourful array of fruit and vegetables. Shizuha mustered a smile. The day was her little sister's time to shine, and even as she detested her own unimportance, she didn't have the heart to wipe such an innocent smile off Minoriko's face.

"I brought these for you," Minoriko chirped, and carefully sat down, spreading her skirts to serve as a picnic mat for the vegetables. "They have been blessed by the faith of the people."

Shizuha scrutinised Minoriko. Was there a hint of charity in the gesture? Was Minoriko showing off her success, drunk on the wonders of the day? Yes, perhaps. But above all, Shizuha saw love in Minoriko's luminous eyes; love for the people, love for the harvest, and especially love for her sister.

And so, Shizuha smiled and picked up a red-cheeked apple. "Thank you." She bit into it and savoured the tangy sweetness, and the hopes and dreams and prayers of the humans who had wished it to grow.

She placed her free hand on Minoriko's and nodded. It wasn't always easy being an older sister, but in the end, during both ebbs and flows, it was better to have a younger sister than to have none at all.

"Sister!"

Satori looked up from her book. Koishi, clearly visible after several days of absence, sprinted across the vast hall, her footsteps loud on the ornamental floor.

Satori immediately closed her book. She had made up her mind that whenever her sister appeared before her, she would dedicate her full attention to her. She nursed a hope, perhaps a foolish one, that with enough attention and care, Koishi would eventually open her mind again, and Satori would once again have her precious sister from before the burden of all satori crushed her.

Koishi wore a vacuous smile on her face, as was her custom, but was Satori imagining the flicker of concern in her eyes? Probably, and even if she wasn't she had no way of finding out. Satori had never gotten good at interpreting other people's emotions from their expressions. Why would she have to have, when she could glean everyone's true emotions straight from their mind? She had never expected to be unable to read the mind of the person most important to her.

Satori put what she hoped was a kindly smile on her face as Koishi stopped next to her, sitting down in front of her, holding her knees.

"Is everything alright?" Satori gently placed her hand on Koishi's. Whether Koishi even recognised the gesture, she had no way of knowing, but at least she didn't pull away.

"Sister," she began again. "I think one of your ravens is dead."

Satori sighed. It was lamentable, of course, but also inevitable in the life of a pet owner. She couldn't claim she was surprised, either; lately there had been one raven in particular, an ancient creature with only one eye but neither old nor powerful enough to become a youkai, who had recently been very aware of its mortality.

"Can you show me?" she asked.

Koishi nodded. She took Satori's hand and began leading her out of the palace.

It was easy to tell where the corpse was: the entire flock of ravens had appeared on the ground like black flowers after rain, gathered around the fallen comrade. In all minds, Satori read loss: ravens had short memories, but what little they remembered they felt deeply. At the centre of it all stood Utsuho Reiuji in humanoid form, biting her lip and scratching the back of her head.

He was old, of course, but since I'm the leader, he was still my responsibility. I hope Lady Satori doesn't get mad.

Without hesitation, Satori walked towards Utsuho. The ravens on her path immediately moved away, crowing respectfully.

"It was inevitable, and you are in no way to blame."

Utsuho nodded.

Of course Lady Satori would understand. It is sad. He was a good raven. Always shared the meat he found. When did I last eat? I want meat. Utsuho began looking around her, until her eyes fell on what was at her feet. Oh. He's dead. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. I'm hungry.

Satori too looked at the black bird lying still, tiny in death, and scooped it up in her arms. "He will have a proper burial. After that, we will have a feast in his memory, with lots of meat for everyone." The ravens' sorrow was immediately muddled by hunger. "We will bury him in my garden and decorate the grave with flowers."

"Oh, can I do that?" Koishi suddenly asked, clapping her hand together.

Satori stared at her. "Well, if you want. I'm afraid my garden is rather barren, but you may pick and replant any flowers you want for the grave."

Koishi smiled. "I will decorate it with lilies and chrysanthemums...oh, and higanbana of course!"

"I do have the first two growing in the garden, if nothing else." Satori sighed. She rarely thought of the matter, but for once it would have been more convenient to live somewhere where flowers readily grew, if only for occasions like this.

"Here we go," Komachi said with a smile as the Titanic hit the riverbank, placing her foot on the ground with centuries-long experience. "I told you it'd be worth the wait!"

The spirit bopped its head and stared at the colourful sea of flowers ahead of it, resplendent even through the never-shifting mists of Sanzu river. It slowly drifted out of the Titanic and onto the shore, disappearing into the medley of flowers to join its brethren in waiting for the judgement.

Komachi smiled and raised her oar to set off again. It was very nearly the end of her shift, but perhaps she'd have time for one soul more.

Before she could leave, however, she saw a familiar silhouette in the mist, and paused to wait. Soon enough the mists parted to reveal Eiki Shiki, smiling kindly.

Eiki stopped right by Komachi's boat. "You have done a good deed today, Komachi."

"I have?" Komachi chewed her lip. Well, she supposed she had. After all, she had been working for most of the day. When the air in Gensoukyou got too cool for comfortable napping in short sleeves for the first time any given year, Komachi usually got in one full day of work, invigorated by the cool breeze. By the next day, she would be accustomed to the change in weather, and would nap comfortably under the oppressive mists of Higan, but until then at least, Lady Eiki would be pleased.

"Yes, very much so." Eiki's smile grew. "This is the first time in two decades I have seen you working beyond your shift."

Komachi's eyes widened. "Eh?"

"Your shift ended two hours ago. I truly admire the dedication you have put into your work today. If you could find the same enthusiasm in your every day, only imagine what you could accomplish."

Komachi shrugged and grinned sheepishly, grasping for the first truth that wouldn't put her in a bad light. "Well, you know, there was a lot of work to do, and I thought it might be better to get started early." She didn't feel the need to add she had afterwards shrugged her shoulders and wandered off to Gensoukyou.

Eiki nodded. "Understandable. It is the season of death, after all."

She looked down at the wondrous blossoms around her. "Even that isn't the case here, I admire the way the life follows the example set by the seasons in the natural world. Through spring and summer and autumn, through childhood, adulthood, and old age, both nature and humans tread down the same path to eventual death and decay." She closed her eyes. "And after a period of silence, both are reborn anew."

Komachi smiled. "What of those humans who are not reborn?"

"Plants and animals that only live for a year, perhaps."

Komachi nodded. "Would you like a ride to the other shore, Lady Eiki?"

"Yes, thank you."

As they headed to the other shore, snow began to slowly float down from the grey clouds that had gathered above.

Komachi raised her hand and caught snowflakes on her palm. "Huh. Isn't often the first snow reaches Sanzu."

"Indeed." Komachi caught Eiki's eyes, and they both smiled at each other before continuing their journey in silence, snow falling all around them as the gentle, but inexorable force of winter slowly placed nature underneath its spell.

The entirety of Gensoukyou had been enveloped in a blanket of snow during the night, high enough to reach Cirno to the knees, and yet snow kept falling.

She had waited the whole day, wandering around, listening to people from a distance, watching children play in the snow, and briefly hovering around the Hakurei shrine to hear Reimu grumble as she shifted the snow away from the courtyard into tall barricades surrounding the shrine.

Sun had set a while ago, and the sky was a deep blue. Cirno sighed and rocked back and forth on her feet, hands behind her back. The lantern she was carelessly holding with two fingers rocked with her. None of Cirno's friends, less impervious to the cold than she was, had wished to wait with her, but Wriggle had provided her with a firefly lantern made out of a protective cocoon that kept the little insects warm. Cirno was relatively sure fireflies didn't normally live in the winter, but Wriggle had her ways.

The snowfall before her seemed to intensify, and Cirno raised her eyes. It wasn't just her imagination: slowly, the snow in the air thickened, until amidst it stood a humanoid figure, a white silhouette.

Cirno's heart pounded.

The figure stepped forward. The snow that had been covering it dispersed into the air, revealing Letty Whiterock, her white and blue clothes billowing in the slight wind, a few errand icicles stuck to her otherwise transparent cape. Her eyes slowly opened to reveal to Cirno their familiar lavender irises.

Letty blinked several times, as if she wasn't fully awake yet, then looked at the falling snow a faint smile on her face.

Without hesitation, Cirno dashed forward and threw her arms around Letty. "Letty! I've missed you so much!"

Letty blinked at the fairy burying her head against her chest, and sighed. Still, after a pause she accepted and reciprocated the hug.

"It will be a long winter. I can feel it in the air."

Cirno laughed happily. She took Letty's hand and shook her arm. "I think so too! It's gonna freeze everything!" She pulled at the arm. "Come on, Letty! Everyone's waiting for you! We need to go skating!

Letty gently freed herself and placed her hand on Cirno's head. "I need to freeze the rivers first."

"Oh, right." Cirno bit her lip. "Can I come with you?

Letty nodded, and Cirno felt her slightly deflated joy returning, only to reach new levels of happiness when Letty took her hand.

"Let's go!"

"Very well."

They walked slowly for a few minutes, but after that the urge to frolic in the snow got the better of Cirno even with the honour of being allowed to walk hand in hand with Letty at stake. She let go, and with a laugh, ran into the fields of snow, savouring the cold sensation around her bare feet. She caught snowflakes in her hand and kept them cool until her palm was entirely covered in intricate snowflake patterns, looking like she was wearing fine lace gloves.

"Letty, look!" She laughed and turned towards Letty. Letty smiled back and nodded, moving regally through the snow. Cirno laughed again, euphoric with the joys of winter, and again ran ahead.

Spring would come again, and again Lily White would announce its arrival like it was a happy occasion and not the miserable thing Cirno knew it to be, but for now, she would enjoy the cold, and the frost, and the presence of Letty to the fullest.