Disclaimer: Touhou belongs to Zun. Some content belongs to Wizards of the Coast. The only things that belong to myself would be Usagi and Moegi the Japanese beetle, as well as various other OCs. Everything else belongs to their rightful owner.

Author: You know, I believe I apologized already, but that chapter is still in the works. As such, I'll say it again: sorry for being silent for so long.

Yuuka: You did recently produce a "chapter," if it can even be called that.

Author: A: I don't remember the A/N bit of that. B: I realize that it was hardly a chapter, but that's just how it turned out.

Yukari: Ahh, and thus her mind begins to slip early.

Author: Ohh, hush. It's been quite some time, for those of us with smaller scopes of time. Almost a month, in fact.

Yukari: Ahh, I remember when my scope was so small.

Author: Around 100 years ago, wasn't it?

Yukari: Ohh, do be quiet.

Yuuka: You know, for one so sensitive about the number associated with her age, you certainly don't seem to particularly mind this being revealed.

Yukari: You are aware of a portion of my age, and she is hardly one to care. ...Furthermore, that was an in-joke.

Yuuka: All those dozens of readers now know, too, you know...

Yukari: ...

Author: ...Before I'm tarred and feathered, how about we get on with the show? On with the misadventures of the Aki Sisters! ...That's what this is, right?

Shizuha: It would be an origin story of sorts, actually.

Author: ...When did you get here?

Shizuha: I drift like a leaf on the wind.

Yuuka: So you wander drunkenly and regularly get crushed underfoot?

Author: Only if she makes Reimu angry during a flower viewing.

Yuuka: Oh? It seems our senses of humor aren't terribly different.

Author: I should feel more concerned about that than I am, seeing as you made that joke about genocide way back in Mystic Square. Anyways, on with the show!

"Work already!" I was becoming desperate as I tried greater and grander blessings to try and eek out something, anything. As I continued to beat my head against this wall of a problem, I heard— no, I felt someone land behind. I knew this power. It was familiar. Almost as if... "You have my power, don't you..." I turned to face my sister.

Sighing, Minoriko asked, "Is that why you tried to make the entire land more bountiful? A self-destructive, desperate attempt for something to happen?"

"Am I a god no longer?"

"Don't jump to wild conclusions. You still are. Were you not, you'd look nothing like how the believers shaped you— us, to be."

I stared down at the earth, thinking a moment. "If not a goddess of autumn, what on Earth could I be?"

"Perhaps try looking within yourself. Feel the faith, and what it shapes you as."

Deciding to listen to myself, I took Minoriko's advice. I sat down, getting in touch with the soil.

I felt nothing. No thrum of earthly energy. There wasn't even a lurch of anything lurking beneath… It wasn't distant. It was just… gone. "Mino, I..." I swallowed my growing dread. "I don't feel the earth... It's not doing anything for me."

Under her breath, she muttered, "Am I a fish, now...?" Sighing, the newly formed goddess returned to normal volume, saying, "Well, you know how it works as well as I do. Not like I have to hold your hand; you're a big girl."

She was right, I was indeed a big girl. ...Although, she seemed somehow... bigger. I dug my fingers into the soil and concentrated. I frantically felt and probed, trying to find the source within myself and grasp it. I failed, in the end, but I ended up finding the source within the earth instead, and all my fears were confirmed: I had been severed from my own power. I had lost my very reason for being. I tried to tell myself that I am still a god, so that does give reason to question that diagnosis. Sadly, it didn't help much. I groped at that power, trying to find anything to use to reconnect. As soon as I laid my hand upon it, I knew something was wrong. It was like a great throb through the land. "...Shizuha, what are you doing?" ...No, it can't be... "Shizuha, stop."

It's crying out in agony.

I felt a harsh slap across my face, shaking me from my trance. "What was that... about.." I took in the sight around me, visibly shaken by what I saw. "...Ohh." The earth around me was dry and dead, where once it had been lively from the lingering kiss of the sorely missed blessing. It were as if the land had been salted and baked in the sun.

"Shizuha, I think you've—"

"Become the embodiment of that part of autumn?" It pained me just to say that. It hurt even more when I said, "...Yeah, I think so, too..." I eyed the soil with regret, spotting a pair of cracked foot prints in a small patch of dessicated earth. It was a dagger through my heart. "And I don't think I have full control over it, even..."

Following my eyes, Minoriko frowned. "Well, let me fix this; then we'll figure out what to do." Before I could raise a fuss and point out the flaw in that plan, she proved my concerns to be wrong by brushing a hand over the deadened footprint. It became perfectly healthy once more, if gently glowing with the lingering magic left behind. I eyed her own footprints as she neared me with jealousy, noting that, like my touch, they had a lingering affect: she left behind rich soil in her wake. "For now, get off the ground." I winced before floating off the ground, taking in the sight of just what horrors I had done to the land in such a short time.

As she set to work, I began to consider what this meant. If I'm the end of things, while Minoriko obviously was a harvest deity, then... "Our blessings were—"

"Yes, yes; we split into two deities, so it was foolish of us not to consider the why. I expected you to have figured this out by now, Shizuha." She didn't stop her work as she talked to me, a sheen of gold flowing out from her feet like water and slowly sinking into the land.

Huffing in irritation, I replied, "Well, you had a head start. Not to mention that I wouldn't doubt you having known that you could still use your powers." Minoriko's chuckle was her only answer, which told plenty enough. "...I guess splitting up is meaningless, huh?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Try inverting your power to instead pour life into something, like you would with our old bounty blessings when it was needed." Golden ripples continued to flow from the bottoms of her feet, absorbing into the soil after a moment.

I looked to my hands, noticing that they were dry and cracked. One could see the smallest traces of faith within the shallow wounds, though it didn't leak. My brow furrowed at the sight. Even I'm not immune to my own power, am I? "...I have this odd feeling that doing so wouldn't end well for me."

She opened a single eye to look at me, her confusion plain as day. "What...? What's that supposed to mean?"

I shook my head. "I know my skin wasn't this dry last night."

Her concentration now broken, she floated over to me. "Let me look at it." She reached for a hand, but I recoiled, backing away. "...Really, Shizuha? You tell me something concerning and then don't let me see?"

Holding my hands to my chest, I averted my eyes. "I just don't want to hurt you. Without you, the village would starve." Without me, though, they would only care when all rots and dies in a season of unending decay.

"And that's the only reason?" At my nod, she gave me a dry look. "Gee, thanks, sis. I feel so loved." She proceeded to snatch a hand, which only made me struggle harder.

"Sis, stop!"

"It's okay, Shizuha. Nothing's happening. See?" I tentatively stopped struggling, and then it dawned on me: nothing was happening. She wasn't aging, nor was she withering. She wasn't dying, nor was her skin becoming cracked and bloody. All in all, she looked the same. "Now, let me fix this." I did as she requests, allowing her to do as she pleased. After receiving my consent, she closed her eyes, my eyes widening as I felt her power entering my hands.

"Sis, stop! It's started—"

"I know."

I blinked. "...What?"

Her concentration not faltering, she replied, "I'm seeing if I can fix this for you. You know well how important the image of a goddess is. A man can look however he likes and be worshiped, but... well, you know." While what she said was true, our image had never been one of particular beauty. Of course, one could argue that that's why we had only minor popularity, even as important as we were to the village. Not that they'll care about me soon enough.

As quickly as it had begun, the transfer had ended. Mino released my hand, allowing me to take in the sight of her work. I smiled at the sight of moist, healthy skin. I still didn't like what she had taken from me, but at least she's willing to help. "...Thanks, Mino."

She smiled a moment, but as soon as she saw her own hands, that smile faltered. "Seems there's a certain transference. I'm not quite sure if it's both of us, but I don't doubt it"

I followed her eyes to her hands, gasping at the sight of dry, cracked skin. Not nearly as dry as my own were, as one couldn't see the glow of faith within the cracks. "I'm no better than the fae of Autumn..."

"Don't say that, Shizuha. You're their deity. To speak ill of your worshipers is rude, to say the least."

I sighed, grudgingly admitting to myself that she was right. Still, I couldn't help the way I felt. "Let's just get this over with."

Shaking her head, she replied, "You should get your shoes back. Better not to waste faith on flight just because you can't touch the ground."

I couldn't help but grumble irritably. "You just don't think I can help."

Mino sighed, before giving me a look that would give a villager a heart attack. "It's not that, and you know it." She shook her head. "You said yourself that you don't want to risk using your faith creatively. If you don't, what use are you in this situation?"

I winced. "...Fine." Her words stung, even as true as they were.

As she returned to her work, I headed off, floating at a less rapid rate than before. I didn't want to expend too much faith, after all; I could already tell that I'd be having trouble retaining worshipers from now on. With my speed reduced, I flew low, not wanting to invite misfortune. It was a full twenty minutes before I reached the outskirts of the village, nothing of note really happening during the trip. Not one fae played a prank, nor did wild dogs attack, and nobody genuflected. Mind you, I wouldn't mind the latter most option.

I nearly touched down in front of the gates, but instead pretended to walk as I floated. The guards noticed right away, eyeing my feet strangely. "...Lady Aki, is there... something the matter?"

Sighing, I answered, "It's a long story. I left behind my shoes, and I cannot touch things lest they die."

The guards looked alarmed, before sharing a glance and trying, and failing, to act casual about such a thing. "...Is there any reason for that, my lady?"

"That's where the long story comes in. To simplify things: I have split into two goddesses. ...I embody the less pleasant portions of autumn."

His eyes widened, before he stood aside. "Well, I won't keep you longer than I must. Have a nice day."

I sighed as I floated past them, for they were keeping their distance. I knew what would be coming, and I didn't like it one bit. Resigned to my perceived fate, I headed for the village elder's home. The streets were moderately empty, due to the weather, so I had no incidents. When I arrived, It seemed that the guards had switched out, making this harder, if only just. Who would decline admittance to a god the village would suffer without the blessings of?

...Perhaps one that knew that I was their goddess no longer.

They bowed as one. "Lady Aki, we were told to expect you. Is it taken care of?" Or perhaps this will be easier than expected.

I nodded, forcing a smile. "It shall be finished shortly."

The other one noticed, asking, "Is everything alright, my lady?"

I clammed up a bit. "Everything is..." I sighed, deciding to just admit it. "...Everything isn't alright, actually. It's quite wrong, really."

The two of them looked troubled by this revelation, and the one to the left asked, "But, if the field are taken care of..."

The door slid open, revealing the village's elder. "Then it must be something else, hmm? Something more personal, I reckon. Well, let's get you inside. Won't bother raisin' a fuss about the floating. Know you gods always have a reason for what you do, am I right?"I nodded, and he smiled in response. "Then let's get you inside, and you can tell me what went wrong, as I'll bet my money on you knowing why it happened. Heck, I've got a hunch, too."

The guards looked concerned, the one to the right saying, "Grandfather, you shouldn't be out in this cold."

The Elder gave him a stern look that instantly brought him in line, making him straighten his posture. "Cold ain't killed me yet. 'Sides, it's not even that cold today. Snow'll melt before ya know it; I'd say two days tops, 'less something comes up."

I smiled at his words. "It's better to live a fuller life and die earlier than to live a sheltered life and never die. Besides, such things strengthen the mind and body for what lies ahead, be it life or death."

Grinning, the Elder replied, "See? Even the death god agrees."

I sighed at the way he accidentally stepped on my open wound of sorts. "...Honestly, that has never been more true. I practically have the touch of a reaper, now..."

He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, motioning me in. "Good t' know. I'll be sure to keep my distance a bit. Still, better not to invite misunderstandin'. You'll be telling these two 'bout what happened, too. That way, when they gossip, things'll be straight."

The two of them looked vaguely irritated at basically being called gossips, but they made no comment, and the three of us followed him inside, the three of them keeping a safe distance from me.

I spotted my boots by the door and quickly slipped them back on. "Trust me, you'll prefer me to track mud than possibly ruin the tatami." After receiving a nod of approval, I landed, feeling much better for it. The constant drain, if negligible, does wear one out.

His eyes scanned me, obviously looking for something. His eyes focused on my legs, my hands and my head. He didn't have to say a word for me to understand his intent, as bitter a truth as it was. "...So, skin contact, huh?" I simply nodded. "Remind me not to say anything deservin' of a slap." He grinned with mirth at the look I gave him. "...Still, that's pretty bad, isn't it?" He stroked his beard a bit in thought. "Am I right to be guessin' that your sister's gotten the better deal?"

I sighed at that. "Yes, that's right. She's this village's... well, not necessarily a replacement. She's me, and I'm her; up until this morning, we were the same person. Same memories, same body, same everything. Still, now we're starting to diverge a bit. I'm not sure where the faith begins and the experiences end." I shook me head. "If I just knew why this happened, I could at least guess as to what the effects will be. If it were Yukari, it would likely be our own experiences shaping us, not..." I snorted. "I'm rambling, now."

He took a puff of his pipe. "Ehh, better to get it out of the system now. Y' did bring these two fellers into this. Might as well educate 'em."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Such things were unbecoming of a lady, let alone a goddess. "Well, if it's not Yukari, the faith would shape our personalities, and we would truly become our own separate entities. It may not happen today, tomorrow, or even next year. It might take lifetimes, even. How people see us changes us at our core, doubly so if we don't have many that consider us gods. ...If that's the case, we'll become vastly different. It'd be the death of who we are as Aki, and the birth of who we are as sisters. ...But death isn't such a terrible thing, in the end. Like a phoenix, life tends to spring from the 'ashes'. Better to die as a person than to fade away as a goddess. It would be terrible for autumn to never end, after all. An endless age of the beauty of death."

He eyed me strangely. "...Aki... Shizuha. I think you've diverged a bit already. Sure, you liked that aspect of yourself well and good, but you never really brought it up to that extent."

"You did tell me to spare no detail." I huffed in annoyance.

"You've got me there!" He chuckled a moment, before asking, "Anyways, back on topic. You're sure that you're unable to perform your duties?"

I sighed. "It's not that I'm unable to do my duties, it's that our duties seem to have been split between us. I'm sure I'm quite capable of the less appreciated aspects, I'm sure."

"Less appreciated?" It was one of guards, this time, that spoke: the elder's grandson.

"Well, it's one part hobby, two parts duty."

Chuckling, the elder said, "Just spit it out, A— Shizuha."

I sighed. "I prefer a... manual touch when it comes to the turning of the leaves." As the elder gave me a look, I continued, "I paint the leaves."

The two guards shared a glance, before the other said, "So that's why you kick trees and gather the leaves in that big bag."

"More or less." I couldn't help the slight warmth in my cheeks at admitting that.

The Elder's grandson's eyes lit up in realization. "That's why I saw you spreading leaves everywhere. I had thought that someone had simply garnered your ire, my lady."

"Gods are a far cry from the pettiness of mortals."

The Elder smirked, and before his grandson had a chance to apologize, he pointed out, "Shizuha, it's not good to be lyin', now. We all know that some places have more leaves than others. Some lawns have a mighty layer of leaves."

I huffed at the slight. "The leaves aren't my only work of art; I turn the land into a masterpiece nightly. I meticulously place every leaf to be proportionate to the number of trees, and I also am always sure to match the leaves to the local variety of tree."

The Elder chuckled at my reaction, which shocked the guards. "You sure you don't meticulously fill sacks with specific leaves, paint 'em, and dump 'em out where they need to be?"

"I never said that I placed them all by hand."

The Elder snorted. "No, you just dump 'em out, tussle 'em a bit and call it a day, don't you? Don't act coy, Shizuha. To place 'em all, even across a land so small, is more than a night's work, isn't it?"

I smiled, bitter mirth in my eye. "All things wax and wane by my touch."

The Elder and I had never particularly touched on the topic before, so even he was astonished as realization hit him. "...Well, I doubt you'll be able to easily get it goin' again, anymore. At least, not without your sister's power."

I sighed at that revelation, as he had a point. "...That may be an issue, yes. That's something I'll need to bring up with her."

The Elder nodded, looking to the guards. "Think it's time for you two to be gettin' back to your posts. Wouldn't want anyone unscrupulous like visitors to get in, now would we?" He couldn't help the grin that came to his lips.

As if on queue, the door slid open to reveal one such visitor, whom I knew all too well. The guards were up in arms in an instant. The Elder's grandson was the one to speak. "Halt! You don't have permission to be here! Leave at once." The Elder seemed bemused at the reaction, and seemed to simply let it unfold. I decided to simply let her handle it. It's the least she can do for taking all that is considered good of Autumn.

Scowling, Minoriko snapped, "Permission? Is that any way to talk to your goddess?"

The guards seemed offended at that. "My goddess? Aki is the only goddess I worship, and while your disguise is..." His eyes drifted to a part of hers that was packed into my outfit like an overstuffed sack of rice. They only lingered a moment. "...Convincing, it won't fool me." I had to commend him for keeping his eyes from lingering, and I could tell that Mino felt the same.

Minoriko glowered a moment regardless, before sighing. "If it's proof that you wish for, I shall fulfill that much. However, I will not take further transgressions lightly." The guards looked to be rightly intimidated by that proclamation. She looked to the elder's grandson. "Your wife recently began showing, so your prayers have been dominated by the desire for a son. I blessed you with a boon of abundant fertility during Autumn. The year before, I answered the prayer of you and many others for an improvement to the prior year's poor harvest. The year before, I bequeathed to you a boon of confidence for your marriage. The year before, I helped you become more confident in yourself through a... simpler method. One only a woman is capable of. I hardly had any complaints of spending an evening that way." The faintest of blushes tinged our cheeks at her admitting that. "...It was one of my idler seasons."

The elder looked amused, while his grandson looked mortified at that coming out. "...It's not what it sounds like, Grandfather."

Smiling slyly, the elder punched his arm. "Few men can say they've done that with a goddess. Hope you at least left her satisfied."

Mino cast a flat gaze his way. "Ohh, yes. That flower viewing satisfied my needs perfectly." Giving a wry smirk, she added, "We even held hands." The other guard snickered, which caused Mino to turn to him. "As for you, well, let's just say that I'm sure you wouldn't want others to know that." He straightened up at that, gulping. She, of course, was referring to the bounty of opportunity we gave him years ago. Of course, that was one of the rare blessings we required an offering in exchange for. After all, what had we to gain from a hidden dealing? And such a potent blessing, at that. Her gaze turned stern. "I believe you owe your goddess an apology, now."

The elder's grandson rested his spear against the wall, and proceeded to genuflect. The other guard followed his example, doing the same. As one, they said, "Please forgive us, Lady Aki."

"It's Minoriko, now. Minoriko Aki. We have taken our prior name as a family name. It felt like the only fair choice." I winced as their faith was tugged from me like a rotten tooth that had to go. Much like such a tooth, it brought an odd relief after it had been finally taken care of.

Sadly, I have hundreds of such teeth.

Inspiration struck just then, though the very thought of it caused a pain deep within my heart. I looked to the village elder, forcing a smile as I said, "I think I have an idea to solve the bulk of the issue, but I will need your assistance."

If the issue is that they don't know of her, then a birthday celebration will do wonders to alleviate that, even as much as I don't want to lose all of my teeth.