Chapter Text
“May I?” Yae rises from her seat and offers Ei her hand.
The shogun smiles and accepts it, rising along with her. The kitsune’s hand is soft and warm against her own as she pulls Ei gently across the grass and interlaces their fingers. Ei decides to ignore the sudden fluttering sensation in her heart.
Yae glimpses back at her, as if noticing this, and her lips curve up into a smile. Ei returns the smile faintly.
The kitsune then leads her out of the shade of the gazebo altogether, stepping out onto the velvety grass. Ei feels a soft breeze blow across her face, making her dress flutter and hat wobble. All around her, wild flowers dance softly in the direction of the current. She breathes in, the tranquillizing scent of lavender drifting through the air and into her nose, working quite well to soothe her nerves.
There are still half eaten strawberry cakes sitting on the picnic table when they leave. The gold-inlaid plates—teeming with an abundance of small cakes, dango, fried tofu, croissants and cherries—are set on the table, untouched. The bright, sapphire-blue skies are filled with birdsong, cheerful chirps and tweets echoing throughout the plains. It’s ethereal—anyone with an eye for things could see its appeal.
Ei's focus returns to Yae, who is still leading her forward, albeit slowing her pace.
To Ei, it’s a blissful feeling, walking hand in hand with the kitsune, wind gently blowing across the serene meadow. When was the last time she’d even experienced serenity like this? After a moment of pondering, Ei realises that she can’t remember.
She glances down, their footsteps in time with each other. Wind, melodic like a song, whistles past her ears.
Gradually, the girl in front comes to a standstill, turning around slowly to face her. Ei watches as she lifts her left hand to brush some stray strands of muted pink hair away from her face. The kitsune tilts her head, smiling lightly. Ei feels her gently squeeze her hand.
Ei returns the gesture with an awkward smile, before she briefly releases Yae’s hand. She bends down to pick a flower from its stem; she can sense the fox’s curious gaze on her. The blossom is symmetrical, like that of a daisy, with light purple petals that fan out evenly from the centre like an umbrella, and a honey-yellow pistil.
“This will look lovely in your hair, Miko,” Ei twirls the flower with her fingers. “The colours complement it well.”
She stands up and threads the flower gently into Yae’s pastel-pink hair, and then takes a step back to admire her handiwork. She is met with rose-tinted cheeks, the other girl’s lips slightly parted in what seems to be surprise.
She’s stunned, if only for a moment—she certainly did not expect this response, especially coming from the Yae Guuji herself. Ei blinks. She’s never seen Yae with that expression before, not even when they reunited for the first time in five centuries. It’s almost like she was caught off-guard. Ei shakes it off, scolding herself for being this distracted. Over a simple reaction. What’s gotten into me?
All of a sudden, Yae closes their distance and leans in towards her, any evidence of her blush from earlier gone. Her hand reaches up, tilting the god’s chin, forcing her to look down at the zealous fox.
“I didn’t expect that from you, Ei.” The kitsune’s teasing voice startles her, with how close it is to her ears.
There’s a coy look in Yae’s eyes as she brings up her other hand to grasp Ei’s cheek. Long, slender fingers brush against her face. The immediate change in her demeanour is unmistakable. Always shifting her personality as soon as she feels vulnerable, that girl.
Ei feels herself being examined by the fox; sharp eyes rake over her face, eyes, nose, lips.
Wait, what?
"You're getting bolder, hmm?" Yae coos. "How adorable."
Ba-dump, ba-dump. The words hit her—Miko called her adorable...she's not sure what to make of this statement. She rarely hears Miko describe anything with such sincerity, if she's honest.
The kitsune's dark purple eyes stare intensely up at her, unrelenting. Like she knows her action's effects but doesn't care. Of course she doesn't. She's a fox envoy, after all.
All Ei can do is stare back; the feel of Yae's palm against her cheek, her silky hair flowing in the wind. She wants to bask in this moment forever, until—oh. Ei realises she hasn't said a word this entire time.