Chapter Text
“You look nervous.”
Kujou Sara nearly jumped at the voice as she was standing in between two bases, standing up properly from her leaning position. She turned and looked at the towering figure. “Itto,” she exhaled in relief. His statement suddenly echoed back to her. “I-I do?”
He smiled, laughing a bit. “Waiting for someone?”
Kujou Sara felt at ease with his smile. “No, I’m not. I’m just,” she needed an excuse, “standing around.”
Itto gave off his usual laugh, a sound no one had heard in a while, even himself. “Can I ask you something?”
Kujou Sara crossed her arms comfortably. “Sure,” she said and nodded.
He looked down, his smile still visible. “When…” He breathed. “When can I get my Vision?”
She seemed taken aback. “Your Vision?”
“You know, the Geo one, yellow, shiny, the one I usually put over here.” He put his finger and drew a circle around his chest, right under his neck. Kujou Sara tried to hide her giggle. “Hey! I’m being serious.” His tone opposes his sentence, but he couldn’t help but follow her. Soon, the two were laughing in harmony.
Kujou Sara looked at him and how much he seemed liberated. She calmed herself, realizing her answer may not be as joyful as they were right now. She tried to look away but she wanted to look at him for as long as she could, soak up this light moment, a change to her usual routine. She shifted her footing. “Soon,” she lied. “But until then, you’ll have to get better at your weapons.” She smirked and turned away from him.
Itto’s eyes dilated. “You mean I have to work for it?!” he asked as Kujou Sara walked away.
She chuckled; her form highlighted by the sunlight from outside as she walked further from him. Without an answer, she lifted her hand and waved from behind.
She walked over to somewhere Itto wouldn’t see her, waiting for the person, which was Heizou, who came not long after. She pulled him behind another building to converse without anyone knowing. Kujou Sara recounted everything to Heizou.
Heizou pinched between his eyebrows. “Are you sure the man couldn’t have known? That was too risky, we can’t have loose ends like that!”
“Never mind that! What’s taking the Lady Guuji so long?! Inazuma is going in shambles!”
Heizou shushed her as they looked around, the Tenryou grounds bustling with guards. He pulled her by the shoulders. “We’re getting close.” Heizou sounded like he was trying to convince himself. “But what you did—”
Kujou Sara exhaled sharply in exhaustion. “Where’s the Delusion?”
Heizou looked around and suddenly fell quiet.
“Heizou, where is the—”
“Lady Yae…”
Kujou Sara watched him in confusion until she turned to where he was looking and also fell silent.
A small group formed in the middle of the Tenryou Commission, just in front of the main building. Kujou Sara spotted a tall Oni in the crowd that surrounded the place near the cadet training area, but he hadn’t seen her. Then her eyes diverted back to the centre, Kujou Takayuki walked with his poker face, his hands behind his back approaching the pink-haired figure, her ears tucked behind with heavy gold earrings, one looking like an Electro Vision. The woman kept her hands inside her shrine maiden sleeves.
“Lady Yae, what brings us the honour of your visit?”
Kujou Sara expected a sigh of some sorts but she only stayed serious. “I’m here to represent the Shogun.” There was the voice Kujou Sara hadn’t missed. “She wants to know the situation of our army.”
“Lady Yae, all due respects, but the Shogun hadn’t said anything about a visit.”
“Which is why I’m here.” Her voice was filled with sass and confidence. She walked slowly towards his face. “I was sent by her. Are you questioning my purpose here? If that’s the case, I’ll be glad to report this to the Shogun and tell her to come herself. Though, the Shogun is awfully busy. Do you think she’ll make an exception for you?” Her eyes scanned him up to down, ending with a twist in her voice.
“N-No, no, Lady Yae, that won’t be necessary.” He stepped sideways and showed her the way into the main building. “Let’s head to my office, that way we can get some privacy.”
Yae Miko hummed as she observed her surroundings before following.
Heizou looked over to Kujou Sara, without a smile, and said, “There. Our prayers have been answered.” He left.
Yae Miko followed into the main building, hands still hidden.
“The Raiden Shogun hasn’t been very active. The last I heard from her was a few months ago – the 200th Vision Ceremony.”
“Yes,” she looked around the office she walked in, “she is the Shogun, after all. Perhaps she doesn’t have anything to say.” She looked at Kujou Takayuki’s cupboards, seeing as how some of them were slightly open with papers peeking out. Some were locked tight, Yae Miko only dismissed it with a suspicion.
“So, after months of not hearing from the Shogun, what does she need us to do?” Kujou Takayuki seemed pleased with himself.
“She wants to know the current state of Inazuma,” Yae Miko turned to him, “from your perspective, Head of the Kujou Clan.”
“Well, it’s nothing that she doesn’t know. The armies are preparing for, hopefully, the last clash with the Resistance. They should understand that the Shogunate only has the region’s best interests. However,” he groaned, “that priestess is being a nuisance. The best strategist, they all say. It’s—”
“I asked you for Inazuma’s state, not bore me with your war strategies,” she sighed. Then she goes over to his table and picked up a paper – a half written letter. Yae Miko observes it.
To: The Raiden Shogun
Everything is going smoothly. Just recently, the Doushins have confiscated another thirteen Visions, further enforcing your will for the Vision Hunt Decree. It will be a great addition to the Statue of the Omnipresent God.
Other than that, Inazuma has been peaceful. The Tri-Commission has everything under control, there is nothing to worry about. Everything is well and thriving.
“The Shogun will be glad to hear everything’s going well,” she said, her tone flat and dead as she made her way around the desk.
Kujou Takayuki walked towards her, his arm now no longer put behind his back but trying to clear his desk. “The Shogun shouldn’t have anything to fear about Inazuma. I’ve been updating her and keeping her well-assured.” his eyes suddenly turned dead. “There is no need for you here if the Shogun just needed reassuring.”
Yae Miko smiled, knowing this was all a lie. “I have no doubt the Shogun trusts you,” she chuckled ominously as her finger discretely reached for a slightly open drawer. “As I can see here, you have everything under control, yes?”
Kujou Takayuki’s defensiveness lowered a little, laughing and so full of himself. She took this moment to take something out her pocket and into the drawer, softly that it wouldn’t make a sound. She moved away from behind the desk as if she hadn’t been there in the first place.
“Lady Yae, may I escort you out? I’m sure the Shogun has nothing to fear. Plus, I believe we’re both busy. Me with the army and you with the shrine. I can understand how much tradition and the Grand Narukami Shrine means to Inazuma and I don’t want to waste both our times. If the Shogun does wish to visit, I’ll make sure she’ll be back to her own abode with only relief that her country is in safe hands.”
Yae Miko smiled but her eyebrows did not follow her expression. She slowly walked out the door, making sure the drawer had closed and was not out of place. She put her hands together and walked out the main building like she entered. The courtyard was now no longer full of Doushins and officials, but it was empty, free for Yae Miko to go off undisturbed.
“May the Shogun’s favour be with you,” Yae Miko said before stepping off Tenryou grounds. “You’ll need it,” she muttered before leaving him alone behind the gates.
For the entire day, Kujou Sara thought about Itto’s question. She took a seat by her private chamber’s doors, watching the cadets practice. She kept her eyes on one particular Oni.
“His Vision… I could, but…”
Her mind flashed to every single time she confiscated someone’s Vision, including his. The echoes of screams, the fights she had to endure to steal it from them, but his was different. All he asked for was… A sumo wrestling match. She laughed. But as she came back to reality, she saw the cadet group had been dismissed and Itto was gone. She stood up and walked towards the area but was stopped before she could even reach the place.
“Kujou Sara!” he yelped from afar, not caring if anyone heard, which by the calm atmosphere, they didn’t. “I’m finally seeing Granny Oni and Shinobu! Haha! I’ve got a day to see them tomorrow!” Kujou Sara watched as he was almost jumping in excitement. His energy was contagious. Kujou Sara felt like she was sharing the same joy, the same exhilaration as he was. But at the back of her throat, she could feel a grip holding back her tongue.
“You can’t burst his bubble, you just can’t.”
“I’m happy for you, Itto. I truly am.” She smiled, even her eyes followed. A bittersweet lie. “I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more than a day.”
“It’s more than enough time.” Itto tried to contain his energy. “Thank you, Kujou Sara. I… I owe you one. Actually, I owe you a lot.” His energy slowly receded and it turned calm.
“I only did what I could,” she chuckled weakly, not able to make eye contact. She felt like she needed to say more in this quiet time to themselves. He’ll be gone for a day but Kujou Sara felt like losing him again, like she did when she went off to war. Again, her eyes averted his gaze. But when she had the courage to speak and look at him in the eye, it was to tell him what she was truly feeling at the time. She wanted to tell him to enjoy his time, yet she didn’t want him to leave. She fidgeted and bit her lip, trying to find the words. When she finally got something, she felt she could articulate her thoughts. Then, she looked up.
“Listen, I—”
Before she knew it, she felt another’s lips on hers. A shock, stronger than Electro, dispersed through her body, freezing her on the spot. It was for a brief moment but she had hoped it lasted longer as the light touch suddenly turned cold. As Itto drifted away, the cold was no longer of the sensation of the lips, but the cold guilt that was suddenly building up again. She just couldn’t say anything but everything just translated into a smile.
“That’s… That’s for everything,” Itto muttered before jogging away.
Both their cheeks felt warm. Kujou Sara was squeezing her hand, making sure this was all real. She pulled her finger to her lips and pressed on it, trying to relive that moment of pleasure. Her feelings for Itto were clear as day and she was finally going to admit it to herself. She loved him, there was no doubt. As Itto ran off, he was reliving the moment, calling himself stupid for it but in truth, he was glad he did. His fists kept closed but when he imagined it again, he could find the courage to open them and just embrace the feeling.
It was only when the sun disappeared into the horizon when Kujou Sara entered her room, ending the day with their first kiss.
Itto plunged into his pillow head first, just enough so no one would notice. He couldn’t help but smile having a mix of happy thoughts. He was going to see Granny Oni, Shinobu, and the sensation still lingered. He just couldn’t sleep. He just couldn’t wait.
“I’ll tell you everything Granny Oni, Shinobu… Everything.”
