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“your little bird brings word from liyue,” the kitsune hums softly as she enters the shogun’s private quarters, “would you like to hear it or do you already know?”
with eyes fixated on the full moon above, the shogun tightens her jaw ever so slightly. to the untrained eye, she would seem unmoving; unfeeling. but yae knows better. in the moonlit room, she crosses and kneels just beside the stoic woman. sliding her arms over her shoulders, the kitsune leaves a kiss on the underside of her jaw before delivering the dreadful news.
"morax is dead, murdered at the yearly rite of descension."
baal stiffens, so morax is gone too — murdered in the eyes of the people of liyue. the news stings, it brings about an inexplicable ache in her chest but no tears come. the rest of the world will soon come to know a world without archons; a future that morax wants for his people. but to the electro archon, a world without gods calls for a world devoid of divinity.
“you will follow me till the end of time, will you not?”
the question does not surprise yae in the slightest, it’s one that the shogun often asked. the most trusted of the shogun is a title none dares to claim, except for the kitsune. in these quiet moments alone, they shed themselves of all duties and allow a little bit of a reprieve from the facade they are forced to keep up.
baal would never need to mask her emotions from the kitsune. yae recognises the same quiver in her voice, the same way baal turns to look her in the eyes, searching for any trace of apprehension — it’s all too familiar.
her head throbs at the recollection of a distant memory and yae grinds her teeth. her memory isn't what it used to be and she’s still learning to come to terms with it despite however many years it has been. yae miko is what she goes by in this era, but a lifetime ago, she stood with the shogun as lady saiguu of the hakushin clan. except, she doesn’t remember much of her previous life. to lose one's memories is akin to death, but she hasn't forgotten everything.
so where does that place her?
she stares into purple orbs and the world stills. the answer has always been with her; next to the shogun, as her loyal companion — certainly that is a truth that withstands eternity.
yae responds as she always does, lips curved in a small smile as she leans in to press their lips together. she parts after a beat of silence, thumb tracing the cheek of the shogun tenderly.
“of course, my love. in this life, all the way to the end of eternity.”
the raiden shogun exhales slowly and tangles her fingers with yae’s, interlocking them as she looks towards the lands of inazuma. the news of morax's death does not shock her, but it leaves her a little unsettled.
a nation without an archon's protection would leave them vulnerable to the gods of celestia. even though it's been well over half a millennia, she's constantly reminded of the horrors of the cataclysm, and of losing her beloved.
"does the news of morax bother you?" the kitsune asks quietly, her tone ever airy but laced with concern. morax has indeed been a close friend but she supposes even archons are no exception when it comes to the transitory nature of life. she would mourn and remember him, and that's all she can do.
the shogun nods, pursing her lips tightly. yae always knows when her heart is plagued by worries, and she always assuages her fears.
"come, i think it's time for bed."
baal allows the goddess to guide her into bed before joining her, yae slips under the covers beside her and allows her to rest her head on her chest.
not too long ago, baal pressed her ear against the still chest of the previous body of the kitsune without knowing that the silence would haunt her for centuries to come.
the gentle pounding of the yae's heart quells her anxieties for tonight — she is still breathing, alive. a fragmented version is better than nothing at all.
inazuma can never face a fate like khaenri'ah; the archon swears on the heavens. she will do everything to preserve what's left of her beloved.
the vision hunt decree was announced a week after the death of morax. preparations had to be made, though the tri-commission seems hesitant, they obey the orders of the shogun without question.
baal had expected resistance, though not from yae herself.
the sun is setting in the distance as the kitsune storms her way through tenshukaku. word reached the shrine at midday and after concluding her duties, yae set off to confront the shogun. soldiers bow their heads as they allow the priestess into the compound. it’s an unsaid law within the commissions that they are not to question lady yae’s relationship with the almighty shogun, though even without being a close counterpart, being the guuji of the grand narukami shrine also earns her a considerable amount of respect.
yae knows exactly where the archon would be, and the amount of soldiers standing guard nearby only confirms it. a small space behind the main courtyard that faces seirai island, the shogun sits cross legged while enjoys the atmosphere at sundown.
“leave us.” the kitsune growls as she steps into baal’s space.
the soldiers swallow nervously, casting hesitant glances between yae and the raiden shogun, as if choosing who would be kinder when it comes to ending their lives. but a wave of a hand saves them from deciding, and they scurry away with bowed heads.
“why?” is the first question that slips from yae’s lips, it escapes in a seething hiss. she eyes the back of her beloved with a mix of anger, disappointment and confusion.
“to protect them.”
“you are taking away their visions, their ambitions! what would be left of them if not a shell of a person?”
“ambition constantly drives one to seek more power, without it, they will be free from suffering.”
“they are humans, baal! need i remind you that you were once like them too?”
a flash of thunder strikes in the distance and the skies begin to darken, a threat of an imminent thunderstorm. yae grinds her teeth as she steps closer towards the shogun. their relationship has transcended lifetimes; she knows just how powerful baal is, yet she also knows that she will not be struck down for challenging her.
“i am an archon now, the archon of inazuma, this is my decision to make." baal responds quietly, her anger evident in the drastic change of weather.
"yet, their visions are not yours to take! does this have to do with morax's passing?"
"yes, it does." the shogun rises from her spot and faces her beloved, "someday, there will be a world without archons and it is only fair that it is devoid of divinity as well."
yae stares into her purple orbs and scoffs incredulously, perhaps, if she had all of her memories, she would know that saiguu would never challenge the shogun like this.
"you did not even think to consult me?"
"i am the shogun, i am capable of making decisions myself. i know what is best for my people."
baal's words sting. right, after all, what is a kitsune goddess compared to the electro archon? her place by the shogun's side has never been threatened until now. it feels like a betrayal that baal does not trust her enough to talk to her.
"then i suppose you no longer need me."
"yae?"
"it is evident that you do not trust me enough to even tell me, i had to hear it from your soldiers' mouths!"
"was i wrong to assume that you would follow me?"
"yes, you are." yae spits, "i will not stand by you if you want to torment your people in the name of protection. i am not the person you once knew, baal, saiguu is dead and i am not her.”
the kitsune leaves without so much as a farewell, they would see each other again, after all, eternity is a long time. the first drops of rain begin to fall, dotting the grounds one drop at a time.
so, she left too.
with yae’s absence, inazuma is thrown into a constant storm. harsh rains fall relentlessly for days on end and yet the archon does not see the kitsune again. it is not the first time someone baal holds close has left, but yae miko will be the last.
the vision hunt decree proceeds according to her plans, along with the construction of the state of the omnipresent god. the shogun casts thoughts of the kitsune aside, yae never leaves her shrine and she never leaves the city. perhaps, this is how things should have been, if only baal could accept losing saiguu.
months pass and words of a resistance forming spread through the commission. kujou sara is the first to inform her, and she lets her aide handle all matters relating to the resistance. the rains continue to fall as the sangonomiya resistance begins to fight back and it does not stop even when baal is informed that the visionless traveller has entered inazuma.
an exception to eternity, the traveller’s presence in the country is enough to put the archon on edge. baal demands a ceremony to commemorate the hundredth vision to be placed in the statue, hoping that it would draw the traveller out. and it does, but the plan goes awry. the traveller escapes before baal can strike her down.
that night, the shogun wishes that yae is still by her side. anything to help maintain her quickly fading facade of control and calm.
the mysterious traveller who escaped a close encounter with the raiden shogun shows up at the grand narukami shrine, asking questions about the loss of a vision.
yae feels confliction in her heart, this traveller has tried to hurt baal, yet, at the same time, she reminds herself that her days with the shogun are long over. the guuji reins in her anger, after all, she is powerless to change the mind of the shogun. she provides answers, explanations as to what happens after visions are stripped from their bearers.
and when the traveller takes her leave, yae can only hope that she could change the shogun’s mind — something that she has failed to do.
a light ringing in her ears begins days after the traveller’s arrival, a slight discomfort that yae shrugs off as a passing ailment. longevity does not mean she's immune to cumbersome illnesses.
the days go by and the ringing grows louder to the extent that the kitsune has to take a step back from her duties. word reaches the shogun all the way at tenshukaku within a day, and with a flash of lightning, baal appears by her side.
the balethunder she exudes forces the shrine maidens tending to their guuji away fearfully. she kneels beside yae silently, intertwining their hands together. the shogun's worry is evident in her eyes despite her usual stoic expression, but no words are exchanged. yae does not have the heart to chase her away either, nor did she even think that it would work.
the best doctors in the lands are called upon by the shogun but even they have no clue as to what could be plaguing the guuji.
a persistent headache forces yae into the realm of slumber where she sleeps and dreams of her past. she sees herself with the shogun, not as yae but as saiguu. a tengu and an oni are with them too, though their names elude her like an itch just out of reach. her dreams are fuzzy, and if she tries to remember details, a throbbing ache is the first to greet her.
baal remains by her side without the need for sleep, though she grows restless as the days go by. as unmoving and calm she might want to be, the balethunder that surrounds the guuji’s quarters says otherwise. kujou sara replaces the shrine maidens in serving the kitsune, something that seems below someone of her rank.
but where the raiden shogun goes, kujou sara is sure to follow.
it's been three days since baal arrived at the narukami shrine, three days since she's eaten or drank or slept a wink. she tends to yae quietly, only asking if the kitsune is in pain, or whether she needs anything.
“you can go, i will be fine.” yae mutters without looking at the archon. she’s sitting up for the first time in days, her hair a mess from days of lying in bed and her limbs aching from the persistent bed rest.
it’s a lie, and an obvious one at that. the pounding in her head has only grown since baal’s arrival, and she chalks it up to the balethunder that constantly surrounds her. most of the time the kitsune is immune to it, however, this time, it’s hard to ignore the tickling of electricity against her skin.
“nobody, not even me, knows that you are plagued by. how do you expect me to believe that?”
the kitsune eyes the archon with an icy stare, “and you expect me to believe that you still care after all that’s happened?”
baal bristles at the hostility but restrains her anger. “i would not be here if i did not.”
“if you did, you wouldn’t have gone through with the vision hunt! do you hear the prayers of the ones who’ve lost their vision? do you hear them cry and weep at the gnawing emptiness inside them? if you care about me, you will stop hurting them as well!”
“i’m afraid i can’t.” the archon swallows thickly as she looks away.
“then leave, ei.”
the name slips from her mouth before the guuji is even aware of what she just said. the name sends a chill down the shogun’s spine, a small gasp escapes her throat and before she knows it, a single tear rolls down her cheek.
memories of the past are no longer hidden behind a cloud of fog. despite her still throbbing head, yae recalls what she calls the archon when she was still lady saiguu. her memory works strangely; one moment it’s like they never existed, and the next, yae wonders how she could ever forget.
“i… i remember…” the guuji gasps quietly, raising a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose as more memories flood into her recollection.
“h-how?”
the golden eyes of the traveller is the first thing that comes to mind and yae snaps her head up.
“the traveller, she did this.”
baal presses her lips into a thin line, how could she be responsible for the return of yae’s memories? baal spent a year convincing herself that saiguu is dead and yae… yae isn’t her. now all that effort is ruined with the mention of a name that only saiguu knows. the shogun has the tenryou commission hunting the nameless traveller down along with her counterparts when instead she should be thanking her for the return of her beloved. it is a bittersweet feeling, for the first time since her departure, baal no longer sees yae as merely a fragment of saiguu. she, the kitsune sworn to her, will always be someone she loves, be it as yae or saiguu.
“spare her,” yae reaches a hand out to pull the shogun out of her thoughts, “only you can make the decision to stop this insanity.”
it is a lot to ask from the archon, the kitsune knows that. this is equivalent to shaking the will of a god. yet when they are together, baal is more humane than ever.
“tell me everything, all your worries, fears, things that haunt you in the night and i promise you, we will find another way. i… i don’t know who i am, but all that i know is that i will always remain by your side.” yae pleads softly, squeezing the shogun’s arm in hopes that she would listen. “we can start over, ei.”
baal exhales softly, a shaky breath escaping her lungs as she nods. the guuji smiles and reaches to cup the shogun’s cheeks, wiping away stray tears with a thumb. a sniffle is heard before the archon buries her face into yae’s chest — something she’s been aching to do for the longest time. she collapses and allows the gentle beating of the kitsune’s heart to quell her anxieties once again.
the almighty shogun is nothing when it comes to the gods of celestia, but baal would willingly challenge them in the name of protecting the last person she holds dear. her dreams of eternity have not changed, but with yae by her side, they will find another way.