Chapter Text
"Hmm..."
"...hmmm"
"Hmm..."
"Uh huh..."
"Are we Minecraft fucking Villagers now, bro?"
"No, Itto. We're thinking."
"Thinking? Is that your only contribution to this painting, Ei?"
"She's avoiding Ms. Yae, Itto. Let her be."
"Sara!"
"Ah, makes a lotta sense." Itto nodded, arms crossed against his chest. "She tried to talk to me too, but I pretended not to hear her and continued on my way!"
After another dip from her palette, the brush's tip found the canvas again. Sara had decided on another maple leaf on the top-left corner of the painting. "Ignoring a big personality now, Itto?"
"I'm just doing Ei a favor!"
Ei stood right beside him, a frown on her face. She watched Sara paint the maple leaf, ignoring the way Itto's teasing smirk widened on his lips, as well as the longing gaze from the pink-haired lady who returned home with her employer and that demonic child from Mondstadt for this special occasion.
Maple leaves already occupied the lower left part of the canvas, scattered like dust in the wind—the groom's favorite leaf—and after another maple leaf, the painting was almost complete.
Almost, as Sara still felt that something was missing.
What a surprise she was painting outdoors surrounded by people! Sara preferred her solitude—in the comfort of her apartment with the company of her Spotify playlist and the birdsong outside her window. Today was different—an outdoor setting; the wind slapping her in the face; people staring at her, awaiting the finished painting of the bride and the groom; and her friends bothering the hell out of her. Naoe and Junjiro would also come by to mess with her, but Nagato would pull them away, while Ei had stood on guard to block off potential people trying to sneak a peek.
This was both the bride and groom's request—to have Sara paint their wedding day. As a friend with a huge debt of gratitude, Sara accepted the offer, painting for them for free.
From their small group of three, the best friend and the brother of the bride joined their side, immediately appreciating the painting at first glance. From afar, Kazuha shot the group a lonely gaze, wanting to join the fun, but he unfortunately had to stay there at that table at the center of everyone's attention.
His first taste of married life is missing out on everyone's fun.
Ayato leaned in with a chuckle, and Sara caught the glimmer in his eyes. "It is beautiful, Sara. Thank you. Is it ready for viewing?"
"No. There's still something missing..."
Something. Something Sara, the painter herself, couldn't point out. The bouquet? Already there. Maple leaves and teacups? Already there. The bride and groom's sweet and loving gaze at each other at the table? Already there.
Then, what was missing?
Another leaned toward her and jolted Sara out of her confusion; there was Thoma, a paintbrush in hand, attempting to draw on the perfect canvas of their friend's wedding.
"You're going to ruin the painting, Thoma!" Itto called out. "Drop the damned paintbrush!"
"I'll just draw a small heart on the side!"
He held a thin, bristled brush, stroking red on the edge of the wedding painting. Stroke up, two curls on the side, then meet the first point. Should he make a mess on the painting, Sara was sure she could salvage it.
Huh...
"What's that?" Ei asked, squinting to see the unknown figure he drew. "Thoma, that... kinda ruined the painting.
Itto had done the same. "It looks like a... a ball sack."
Unfortunately for poor Thoma, his friends agreed with more hums, nodding their heads in approval as their gazes appreciated the unusual art.
"That is a heart!" Thoma cried out. "How in the world is that a ball sack?! It's red!"
Ah! That's it! That's what's missing! Subtle figures that represent the groom's friends!
"I was thinking of adding doodles that represent us. It wouldn't ruin the aesthetic, I assure you." Sara told them. "I am certain that Kazuha would appreciate having a piece of us in his wedding painting. I'll start."
Besides, it was still Sara's creative liberty to paint whatever she wanted in this painting, just as Ayato and even the couple had assured her.
A quick doodle using black paint had added a small figure of a crow on top of a maple leaf, watching the newlyweds with a little rose on its beak. Next was a small purple Kuromi standing on another maple leaf, taking a selfie from afar. Another maple leaf carried an Okinawa-flavored bubble tea, while a samurai mask hung just beside the Kuromi.
Little doodles, not too big and obvious; nothing that could ruin the perfect wedding painting. It's perfect, and the painting now feels complete.
"You all have cute doodles of yourselves, but I have a ball sack?!" Thoma whimpered.
"It's you who drew that motherfucking ball sack!"
Their buzzing noises had a few gazes turned towards them. Those who heard their commotion wore smirks of amusement as Thoma held Itto's mouth, preventing more inappropriate words from spilling out. The bride's brother shot back at the amused guests with a devilish smile of his own.
Great. Just, great.
While all of those happened, Sara had turned the painting around, as there was nothing else to add to it. While she still needed gloss to lock the painting, she knew she had had enough of the party so far, and a quick respite in the far distance would do good to her overstimulated brain.
With one wave at Ayato, Sara turned away, towards the cliffside that overlooked the cityscape of Inazuma City.
"You have nothing to do with Ei and Miko's conflict, so why must you avoid her?" Nagato asked, as the two of them gazed down at the city. Yae Publishing House stood still and proud at a distance, partly covered in fog that coated most of the city as well. "Miko asked me about you, saying you barely send her messages."
"I avoid Alice and Klee, not Miko."
"Alice and Klee! Now, that makes sense."
Sara scoffed, savoring the last drop of wine from her glass. "I once had an opportunity to talk to her without that devil incarnate duo, yet my attention was stolen by—"
"Kokomi. Hello."
There was a squeak, just as the two of them turned around, gazing down at the gradient pink hair from a figure much shorter than both of them. How long has she been eavesdropping there?
"Nagato! I—I just—"
"Do not fret, child. I will leave the two of you alone! I still need to monitor Junjiro, or he'd surely go up to the table and bother the newlyweds." Nagato even snatched Sara's empty cup before he departed, and left a small pat on Kokomi's head, who took the gesture with affection.
Nagato left them under the chilly breeze of the Inazuman afternoon, much more chilly than summer's night breeze. Winter was coming, and it was Kazuha's most dreaded season, so Ayato planned the wedding in the autumn, the groom's favorite season.
The two stood beside each other, gazing down on the orange glow that cast over the horizon from the setting sun. A beautiful setting, if they say so themselves; it was Ayaka who chose this venue—the spot where she and her groom spent their little dates in each other's embrace on picnic mats and homemade sandwiches.
This afternoon, another couple appreciated the view introduced to them by their dear friends.
"I saw you talking to your brother earlier, when you tried to approach Ms. Yae for a chat."
"Hm?" Sara cradled her palm, as gently as she could, feigning ignorance just to see the chuckle on Kokomi's lips.
"Yes! Before your brothers left the venue!"
"I saw you talking to him, too."
"Jealous, Sara?"
"Yes."
Of course, she would. She found out something she wasn't supposed to know, but still found out, anyway.
The hand on hers found her cheeks, pulling her down, lips gently brushing against each other. This wasn't the first time—and wouldn't be the last any time soon—but Sara always melted into the kiss. Her dearest's lips were soft, just like her skin, her heart, and the rest of her whole being.
"He knew of our relationship because I told him about it. He said it's fate that brought us again after all those years; after all of what happened to us." Sara continued, gently catching some air from the deep kiss. "And he told me that his father once tried to offer a marriage proposal between you and him."
The fact still sent a bitter taste on her tongue, from the moment she found it out up until now, where the amused face of Kokomi melted the rage away from the pit of her chest. Sara remembered her clenched fist when her brother told her about it, and she almost threw her fist toward his cheek, even though he told her he held no affection towards her dearest.
Still! There was something! Almost something!
"That is true! That was four years ago; I was sixteen." Two gentle squeezes on her hand to assure her, yet Sara hid the fact from her expression that the information still bothered her. "That is why my mother worked so, so hard to ally with the Yashiro Commission! I remember rumors about Tenryou's rage for not securing Watatsumi. Oh, what a memory!"
Four years ago? Ah, now that's why Sara wasn't aware of it; she was already in Yashiro's care at that time.
Speaking to Masahito again after all those years... It felt surreal. Her brothers cared for her from the start, yet they never did anything to save her from their father's claws. They had to do what they had to do, just to have a bed to sleep at night, or meals prepared for them by the finest chefs, or a future that a simple Inazuman only dared to dream.
And that's where Sara despised them—they said they cared, yet they did not do anything to save her.
The hand on her cheeks squeezed, just a little bit, and the heat radiated from it was enough to warm her up in the chilly outdoors. "Something still bothers you, love. What is it?"
"...I still don't remember. I can't remember." Faced with Kokomi's confused expressions, Sara continued. "...the memories we shared in Watatsumi, ten years ago, as well as my whole stay on the island—six days, my brother mentioned. The only thing I vaguely remember was the punishment, though it could be a distorted memory from all the times my father whipped my back."
All the times that she was whipped—it had been a lot. It started when he thought she was already capable of handling a whip. 25 lashes at first, then 30, then 40, 50, and the highest was 80. Same rules: don't twist your face; don't shed a tear, or the remaining lashes would be doubled.
There was a frown on Kokomi's lips, and Sara panicked at the sight. She never wanted to hear those stories, even if those were part of Sara's existence.
"A—ah! I apologize. Er... happy thoughts..."
"Happy thoughts! Just happy thoughts!" And the brightness of her face returned, and her arms wrapped around Sara's body, squeezing as much as Kokomi could. It's always like this—Sara being a big teddy bear Kokomi could hug. In turn, Kokomi was like a cat Sara could pick up and stare at. "It's okay! It's been so long—ten years!—and we've only spent one night together that time. Don't worry, I will always tell you the story if you want, even if you don't remember it anymore."
In her short conversation with Masahito, he also mentioned that day—how the Watatsumi guards found the two missing children inside a dark cave a few distances away from the shrine, took them under their umbrellas, and brought them back to the shrine. The Priestess embraced young Kokomi as tightly as she could, and Masahito remembered the burning gaze Sara shot them at the sight, before Tenryou's soldiers took her away, only for him and Kamaji to whip her as punishment later that night at their father's orders.
Was the full moon there? Sara asked him, to which he positively answered.
"Have you considered?"
"Considered what?"
"Lord Ayato's offer. I was still a freshman at the time, yet I already remember Mother telling me about Lord Ayato's plans for the island's army and its new leader."
Ah, that.
"Please consider!" Looking down, Sara met the adorable eyes of Kokomi, pleading with her with those cute iridescent puppy eyes of hers—her psychological manipulation tactic that always has Sara's entire body melt. Adorable, cute, beautiful, mesmerizing. "I'll return to Watatsumi Island once I finish my studies here, and who knows when I'll see you again, or visit you and Nagato's family in the ramen house! But if you... if you're in Watatsumi with me, we'll..."
Sara had told Kokomi plenty of stories—her history, the scars on her body, and even her kills. But what Kokomi hasn't learned yet is her troubles.
The Tenryou army was her hell, and at some point, she had dreaded holding a sword and a gun. If only she had not defected, she would've been Tenryou's General—a war machine the Tenryou honed for years to take full control of Inazuma by fear and death.
And now, a general of another army; a sword and a gun, yet again. While this wasn't Tenryou, where her mistakes cost her whips on the back and day-long isolation in pitch-black rooms locked on the outside, she still dreaded the thought of battle—of blood spilling from her own hands.
But then...
But then, would she let another person be tasked with protecting the whole island; of protecting Kokomi? Sure, Ayato would appoint someone else, if not her, and she trusts his judgment in that matter, but...
"I wanted to protect her myself. I want to clear out the obstacles in the way of her perfect path, for her to achieve her dreams and her plans."
By the time she gazed down on those gorgeous iridescent eyes again, the sunset had already disappeared from the horizon, leaving just a few hints of orange glow, overpowered by the sea of darkness and the full moon—big, bright full moon, unobstructed by the clouds.
"I will talk to Ayato." Sara had decided, much to Kokomi's absolute delight. "...and discuss it further. I still need to weigh the terms, as well as other circumstances that need to be considered. Surely, we'll agree on something."
A gasp, then a squeak, just as Sara's breath got caught in a tight squeeze. "T—truly!? You... you will?! Oh, I'm delighted!"
And yet again, the weight on her neck pulled her down for a kiss. Sweet, sweet kiss—rushed yet excited; in their delight, it was messy. Only when Sara's hands found Kokomi's cheeks did the kiss feel proper. Slower, this time; pull away briefly for a breath, and gently crash again with pure passion.
Sara remembered the first time—at the cave, with Kokomi's full weight on top of her, Aphrodite completely forgotten on the table nearby. Gentle palms cradled her pale face, just as she remembered the kills she did with her arrows and bow, the corpses she left in her path, and the whips on her back if she failed to accomplish the grotesque missions her father brought her into.
"I killed Kazuha's entire family, as well as thousands of innocent lives. Despise me," Sara had pleaded, and each of her fingers trembled on Kokomi's waist. "And throw away the painting of you that was painted by my bloodstained hands."
"If I met you at that time, I would despise you. But... That's not how I know you, Sara. The corpses and the whips are long gone; you have the best of friends, a loving family, and the comfort of your delicious ramen noodles and canvases full of life."
And that's when Sara realized: Kokomi is her moon, who could turn her bluest blues to the brightest of yellows. Besides, that was the reason why she painted Aphrodite in the first place.
The moon no longer reminded her of the past.
"Heh. And also, I would love to have your mom's onigiri again."
Far from the chatter of the wedding in the distance, the bright moonlight shone down on the two, revealing Kokomi's amused smirk. "Mom's onigiri! What about mine?"
Before Sara could reply, her sight caught a glimpse of two figures approaching faster than a simple walk. No, they were keeping up the pace, jogging towards them with banter about something concerning wedding paintings and ball sacks.
Kokomi released her from the hug, but Sara cradled her hand, just enough for Itto to see; for him to back the hell off after trying to flirt with her months back.
But Itto wasn't here to flirt with her girl; he approached them with a mission.
"Sara!" Thoma cried, "Please, tell me that the painting isn't final!"
"It's final!" Itto grunted, "Ayato said it was final!"
"Was Ayato the painter?"
"Oh, if you only had not drawn that ball sack in the first place!"
"That is not a ball sack! That is a heart!"
Great! When Sara left the party to unwind from the noise, the noise followed her! But she'll endure, because Kokomi looked amused beside her as she watched.
After this, she should head back; the painting must be finished. Just one layer of clear gloss, and Kazuha could have it hung on his estate's wall.
"You see the beauty in the most unexpected things, Thoma." Sara nodded, and her resolute stance sent shivers down Thoma's body. "And that ball sack is final."
The chilly night breeze, as tranquil as it was, met the noise of Itto's cheers, and the grassy earth on their feet found a slumped, defeated Thoma.