Archive of Our Own

Rays of sunlight started to slowly pour through the blinds, engulfing the room in sunlight and casting soft hues of orange and yellow across the tengu warrior’s face as she slept soundly. 

However, a sudden creak from the sliding door forced her into a flight-or-fight response.

Someone was trying to get in. 

Eyes jolting wide awake, she rolled over towards the side of her bed that was against the wall, sliding her hand under her pillow, grabbing for something, anything, that she could use for self-defense. It was part of the military’s protocol to always be ready in case of a surprise attack, so she often left something under her pillow, just in case. Quickly realizing that there was nothing, she placed her back against the wall, trying to think, but her mind was too clouded. Unlike usual, it was more difficult to process what was happening at that moment. She was extremely disoriented and frantic — things she almost never felt like. 

The raven-haired woman closed her eyes for a second, placing one hand on her head and the other digging into the bed, steadying herself from getting too dizzy to the point of falling over. 

What’s wrong with me today?

The sound of the door being successfully opened snapped her back into the situation at hand. Looking up right away, her golden eyes made eye-contact with orbs of the same color — both sharing the same frozen expression of surprise. 

“Traveler?” Sara asked, puzzled. 

Aether’s wide eyes softened, a gentle smile forming on his lips. 

“You’re—”

“Sara!” The traveler’s floating companion interrupted him. Her face beamed as she floated past him and towards Sara. “You’re finally awake!”

“Finally awake?” The young woman repeated, more perplexed now than she was a moment ago. 

“Do you not remember anything?” Paimon tilted her head as she asked, worry hinting in her tone. Closing the door behind him, Aether made his way to Paimon’s side. They both stared at Sara’s mystified eyes before exchanging looks of concern with one another. 

Aether spoke up. 

“Sara,” He hesitated, giving her a moment to mentally prepare herself. “You’ve been asleep for an entire week.”

What?

“That can’t be.”

“It’s true.” The floating companion next to him took over answering. “The Fatui are no longer causing trouble, the Shogun abolished the Vision Hunt Decree, and, uh…” Her eyes panned away from Sara’s, whose eyes were full of anticipation. “Signora was… slain.” 

Realization couldn’t hit the general any harder.

Like a flood, the memories of what happened a week ago rushed back into Sara’s mind all at once. 

One week.

It’s been one week since she fell unconscious after losing to Signora at Tenshukaku. 

Even in slumber, her feelings after losing to a Fatui Harbinger continued to linger — disappointment, guilt, anger, and mortification. They found their way through her as she slept; crawling on her skin like ants, vibrating in her bones like zither strings, and even personifying themselves in her dreams as nightmares that would not leave her be. These emotions constrained her in her coma-like state, and throughout the entire week, the memories and sentiments replayed like a broken record.

But the worst part of it all? 

She was consistently forced to be reminded that she was the one who failed and that all of Inazuma surely knew that by now. 

That, as her body was recovering, slowly but surely, she would have to wake up one day and face everyone she let down. The traveler, Guuji Yae, her father (as if he wasn’t dissatisfied already) and the rest of the Kujou Clan, all of the Tri-Commission, and — of course — the Raiden Shogun herself. 

How could she face the Shogun once again? 

The last time they met, The Fairy Lady of the Fatui had incapacitated the young general right in front of the throne. Naturally, the Shogun took no part, nor held any bias in terms of their battle. She simply acted as she would any other time — as the law. 

 The fact that Sara had lost in such a deplorable way, did the Almighty Shogun even care? 

Did anyone care at all?

She didn’t even want to imagine the looks and whispers that’d be thrown at her if she ever walked the streets of Inazuma again. For a casual stroll or for her duties, she’d absolutely be embarrassed. 

“Uh, Sara?” Paimon’s troubled tone brought Sara back from her thoughts. “Are you okay? You still look a little tired. Maybe you should—”

“Absolutely not.” Sara interjected with crossed arms. She took notice of how cold her tone was and cleared her throat before continuing. “I’m fine. I’ve slept long enough, and it’s about time I return to work. With the Vision Hunt Decree abrogated, I’m sure there are a lot of piled-up responsibilities that need my attention right away.” 

As if on cue, the moment she spoke those words, it was then that she realized she wasn’t even in her own bedroom. They left her to recover in a room for treatment at headquarters that was more personalized for her sake. Sara could hear the sound of swift but heavy footsteps from outside her window. Along with the footsteps, there was a repeated, almost rhythmic, phrase being shouted, each syllable matching their foot movements. It was the recruits, continuing their training despite the war being over. 

They were passionate about their positions in the military, as much as Sara was. More than returning to work, this made Sara realize something else — she must get stronger. If not for the Shogun, if not for the Kujou Clan, if not for the citizens of Inazuma, then at least for herself. As a member of the tengu race, she already had other traits that made her feel like an outsider in Narukami City. She didn’t want her lack of strength to contribute to that, too. 

But for her to get stronger, training was necessary. Who could she possibly ask to train with her? Training with the recruits was often more for their own improvement and not her own. As for other residents in the city like Yoimiya and Ayaka, well, the Vision Hunt Decree did just end. Not that she had anything personal against either of them, but a variety of people held grudges against those that were part of confiscating the Visions — Sara was no exception. It wouldn’t surprise her if both of them were a part of that pack, so they were out of the question to ask for help. 

Sara needed someone on equal footing at least, if not stronger, but who? 

Her golden eyes wandered around the room as she thought about it. They fixated on Paimon for a moment, who was gazing back still with a look of unease. Sara gave her a small smile to reassure her she was fine, and then her eyes drifted towards Aether, who had the same countenance as his traveling partner. 

Ah. That’s who.

Kicking her legs off her bedside, Sara gently stood up, exercising consideration just in case she was actually more fatigued than she believed after having rested for a complete week. She felt completely healed, but she wasn’t sure if the rest of her body agreed with her yet. The traveler and Paimon both moved towards her just in case her legs gave out, but fortunately, they didn’t. Noticing their worry, she spoke.

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. Truly.” She stood up straight, cleaning herself off with no issue to show she really was okay. Once she felt settled, she turned to Aether. “More importantly, Traveler, I have a request if it’s no trouble to you at all.”

“What is it?” The blonde male queried. 

“Please, train with me.” Sara practically begged, going as far as to even bow to display how serious she was. When she leaned back up, she continued speaking, wanting to explain her purpose of asking such a thing. “As general of the Tenryou Commission, it’s crucial for me to remain not only disciplined and efficient, both in mind and in physical form. Losing to Signora, not only did I prove how inept I am, but that I still have a lot of work to do in order to live up to the standards placed on me.” She placed a hand over her chest. “I understand if you decline my request. After all, the Tenryou Commission had a warrant for your arrest just a week ago, and I led them after you. We were practically enemies, but…” Her voice trailed off, softening. “You standing here makes me assume you don’t resent me after everything, at least.”

Both Aether and Paimon exchanged looks once again, this time their eyes shimmering with joy.

“We’d be happy to help you with training, Sara!” Paimon replied, nodding.

“But on one condition.” The traveler took over, crossing his arms over his chest. His tone and expression were a bit more serious compared to Paimon’s.

The tengu swallowed before asking, “What is it?”

“Get more rest.” 

“What?”

“Your legs are shaking. You clearly need to rest a bit more now that you’ve woken up.”

He was right. After giving her little spiel a moment ago, she felt all the adrenaline and energy leave her body at once. She didn’t want them to notice how her legs were shaking, but Aether was a traveler through and through. Adventures like him were taught to take notice of their surroundings in people and environment. 

“Then when will we train?” Sara questioned, a bit concerned that it’d be longer than she’d like. She just woke up after a week, even if her body refused, she was ready to get back out to the training grounds. 

The traveler thought for a moment before replying, “Three Days. Rest for three more days than we’ll get to training. Sound good?”

Sara pondered on his suggestion for a second. Although she wanted to get to training right away, she knew he’d refuse if she tried to convince him to change his mind. His response to quite stern, so she knew he had settled on that decision.

“All right, traveler. We’ll start training in three days. No going back on your word, right?”

“Right.” He nudged Paimon, tilting his head towards the door to signal her it was time to go. 

Sara needed her rest, after all.

When they both walked out, Aether closing the door but not without the both of them waving goodbye to her, Sara plopped herself back down on the bed with a long sigh. She really needed some rest just to gather her energy, but her mind felt restless. 

Three days just felt too long. 

By the late afternoon, the air was cool and crisp and there was not a rain cloud in sight, which only meant one thing: it was the perfect day for a bug-fighting match. 

With tools in hand and a grin plastered on his face, Itto marched the path into Hanamizaka. Right in front of the Sakura tree, which is placed in the center of this small, time-worn town, he dropped his tools for trade — which really just comprised sticks, twine, cloth, and scraps of anything he found useful — and began piecing them together. After all, a bug-fighting match could only be executed in a proper bug-fighting arena and Arataki “Beetle Gladiator” Itto was the one for the task. 

There was no one else more suitable. 

Tagging along with Itto, though he didn’t really have a choice, was one member of his gang, Pon. The non-stop glances and gossip flustered him as he could faintly hear from the Hanamizaka civilians around them. The kids were ecstatic to see Itto back and putting together something fun, but the gazes from the adults — while none of them were surprised, not much of them looked thrilled about it either. To put it bluntly, it was embarrassing. Here Pon was trying to appear more tough and unruly, yet his boss left him with one simple task today — to make sure no one walks in the path of the bugs.

Onikabuto’s safety came first and the bug-fight, second. 

Sighing, Pon tried to convince his boss to not continue any further with the bug-fighting arena. 

“Um, boss?”

“Not now.” Itto was clearly focused on setting up the arena. 

“But boss—”

“I said not now. Can’t you see I’m busy?”

Noticing the hint of annoyance in his boss’s tone, he immediately dropped it. Fearing for his safety if he attempted to interfere in — what Itto believed — one of the greatest past-times and friendships out there in all of history: the friendship between Arataki “The Best of Buds and Oni” Itto and his dear onikabuto. 

He shrugged while looking at Itto, feeling another sigh building up, but immediately flinched once he heard yelling coming from the direction of the steps that led into Tenryou.

“Boss!” It was two other members of the Arataki Gang shouting in unison: Jan and Ken. 

While Pon had to stay by their boss, making sure no one would intervene in his arena-building session, Itto had ordered the other two — the ones currently bolting towards them as if they had just seen a ghost — to bring back some onikabuto for the match.

In their hands: nothing.

On their faces: a look of horror.

Jan spoke first, followed by Ken.

“Boss, this is bad!”

“Real bad, boss!” 

Itto glanced up for a moment, not nearly as interested in their panic as he was about his bug-fighting match.

“Can’t you tell I’m busy here?” He looked down at their hands. “And where’s the oni—”

Simultaneously, they both shouted: “It’s the tengu warrior!”

In a mere second, Itto closed his hands into fists so tightly that it crushed the part of the bug arena he had already built in his grip.

“What about her, huh? She come to finally get that rematch?” Itto asked as he flashed a mocking smile, obvious excitement in his tone. He stood up, looking up past the two ruffians who were still trying to catch their breath from running. The oni man expected to see Sara walking towards them, arms crossed over her chest with a look of disgust aimed at him and his men, as usual, but she wasn’t there at all, nor even in the distance. 

“No, boss. She… She...” Jan started, though still quite out of breath. 

“Spit it out, will ya!?” 

“She woke up, boss!” Ken finished the sentence for him.

A miracle happened. 

Silence swept over Itto for once. 

Completely dumbfounded and confused silence. 

He sighed before crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Uh, duh. What do you think happens when you go to sleep? You wake up!” 

And people think I’m stupid?

“Wait, have you not heard?” Pon spoke from behind his boss. When Itto turned around, a new look of confusion took over. 

Saying nothing, the three members knew right away that their boss didn’t know about what had happened to Madam Kujou a week ago, which was really no surprise. Although he constantly wrote notices directed towards her via the bulletin board, and whenever they bumped into each other in public, he’d immediately demand a rematch, but that was about as much as he cared about anything happening in Inazuma as far as the Vision Hunt Decree. He prioritized bug-fight matching, playing games with children to win snacks, and other things that he believed were important, but often seen as meaningless to others. Unless he was there at the scene or near it during the day off — he would have never found out until now.

There was a trace of puzzlement in his eyes, but it disappeared in a flash. The oni man covered it up by crossing his arms over his chest once more with a stern ahem as a sign that he was waiting for one of his men to tell him immediately. 

None of them wanted to be the one to tell him.

There was no way to know how he’d react. This was Arataki “Too Much Pride as an Oni” Itto. He was far too full of emotions, and the rate at which he could change between them was like a flash of lightning. From excitement to anger, then from happiness to annoyance. He could react any of the ways and, knowing the history between him and Sara, he could be ecstatic about her defeat or furious that she had lost to someone that wasn’t him. There was no specific way to know how’d he react, and to be quite frank, none of them really wanted to be around him when it came to Kujou Sara. She brought out a more competitive and fierce side to him, and they still haven’t quite figured out if it was a good thing or a bad one yet.

Pon glanced over to Jan and Ken, both of them vigorously shaking their heads as refusal to be the one to tell him. He also took another look around the village, noticing looks still in their direction from the other two suddenly rushing over and Itto reacting loudly to them. 

Shrugging, Pon let out a groan of exhaustion before finally deciding to be the one to do it. He waved towards Itto and the other two to come closer, squatting down to the ground and huddling together so then no one could hear what he was going to say. 

“Last week, the tengu warrior was defeated at Tenshukaku.” He noticed Itto’s eyes widening, which took him by surprise. 

Did he actually believe that Sara was undefeatable? 

He continued. “Supposedly the entire Vision Hunt Decree was actually a setup by the Fatui and they infiltrated Tenshukaku last week. The one that infiltrated it was defeated, but only after Sa— uh, I mean — the tengu warrior was taken out! She’s been unconscious this whole time until this morning.” 

“What!?” Itto snapped.

So much for no one hearing.

“Yeah! And not just that, boss!” Ken chimed in, both hands rolled into fists. 

Pon had aimed to make this conversation a serious one, yet the other two looked far too enthusiastic about it. They were clearly trying to hype him up, despite just refusing to tell him about any of this a second ago. 

Jan crossed his arms and nodded along as Ken continued to inform their boss of the details, “We overheard some guards near the Tenryou Commission discussing that she’ll be returning to training soon — in three days, to be exact! And guess what? She found a training partner! It’s that traveler!”

”What!?” He shouted again. 

Everyone and their mother could hear by this point.

Itto shot up. He stood up so fast that it amazed other three that his knees didn’t give out on him. He no longer cared to consider the people that surrounded them. 

“First, that tengu warrior makes a fool of me by beating me in a fight, and not only did she take my Vision, but she really had the nerve — and I mean nerve — to stick it at the very bottom of their statue! Did she think it was funny or somethin’? ‘Cause I’m not laughing! Are you laughing, boys?”

He glared over at the three of them, who were already standing up straight, shoulder-to-shoulder as they watched him go on his rant. Unquestionably terrified by their leader’s anger, they replied in unison.

 “No, boss!”

“That’s what I’m sayin’! And then her and her lackeys go around stealing more, causing more of a ruckus — even though she says I’m the one that’s” The pitch of his voice went higher, clearly trying to impersonate Sara but mockingly. “always kicking up a big fuss.” He coughed, dropping his tone back to normal, though still very mad. “She’s the one that always refused a rematch, and for what? Only to end up losing in a fight that wasn’t to me! And now she wants to get stronger, so what does she do? She finds a fighting partner! This is obviously the perfect time to train, and by train, I mean a rematch — with me — Arataki “Numero Uno” Itto! Don’t you agree?”

“Yes, boss!” Only two of them replied — Jan and Ken. Itto had his eyes closed, smiling, as those two continued to praise him, not realizing how his other Arataki gang member looked at him. 

Pon stood there, flabbergasted. He had expected Itto to react the way he was, loud and angry, but he expected his boss to be madder at the fact that Sara lost to someone that wasn’t him. He was clearly not happy about it, but Pon picked up a specific tone when Itto was finishing his spiel. 

Arataki Itto was jealous.

So obviously jealous, and yet he didn’t seem to notice this himself. 

Could he… Pon thought to himself, but instantly shook the thought from his head. No way! This is Kujou Sara, after all. The boss’s foe!

Putting his thoughts to the back of his mind, Pon straightened himself out and looked at Itto as he looked ready to talk.

“Listen up, boys,” Itto turned around, eyes darting straight towards the path that would eventually lead them into the city. He wrapped one hand over the other, which was rolled into a fist, cracking his knuckles. “I think it’s time we pay the Tenryou Commission a little visit.” 

“R-Right now, boss?” Jan questioned.

“Three days.” 

“Huh?”

“We’re gonna go to the Tenryou Commission in three days and give ‘em – that Kujou chicken and that traveler — a piece of our mind, got it?”

“Yes, sir!” 

“Great! Meet back here in three days, then. You’re dismissed.” He waved for them to leave. “Get going, go away, shoo.”

The three men turned around and left. Jan and Ken were whispering to each other excitedly about what may happen once they go to the Tenryou Commission, but Pon was holding his head in his hands. Part of him regretted even telling his boss about what had occurred last week, but he would have surely found out, eventually. 

Watching as his men walked away, Itto looked down at the materials he had brought in order to build the bug-fighting arena. That thrill and concentration look that filled his eyes earlier was no longer there and, instead, had been replaced by an expression of deep thought, consisting primarily of two sentiments — wonder and worry. 

His mind pondered for a moment, repeating Pon’s explanation earlier about how Sara’s been unconscious this whole time. 

That idiot tengu…

He needed the next three days to pass by fast.

Before the sun broke through the horizon, Sara and Aether had already begun their training. 

The sounds of a bow’s twang as arrows were shot, a sword hissing through the air, and metal clashing against more metal could be heard from the training courtyard of the Tenryou Commission. 

Not wanting to impede their training session, which almost looked as if an actual battle, the soldiers of the Tenryou Commission were grouped outside of the headquarters gates, blocking the entrance as they watched. Not even the soldiers that were on duty were paying attention to their job, which benefitted a certain gang wanting to get inside. 

The Arataki Gang, especially their leader, didn’t have a good relationship with the Tenryou Commission.

Ok, that was an understatement. 

Their relationship was a complete dumpster fire, but the Arataki Gang loved every minute of it — until they got arrested, at least. 

Regardless, walking in through the front was completely out of the question, so they had to figure out another way.

Between the stone fence to the Tenryou headquarters and the foundation of the Statue of the Omnipresent God, Itto and his three men huddled together down on the grass, discussing their plans of getting inside and onward.

Worried, Pon asked, “Boss, are you sure this is a good idea?”

“Of course it is!” Itto replied with eagerness. “Now listen up, I’ve gotta tell you about the plan.” He stared down at his fist right in front of him. 

The others stared at his closed hand, waiting to hear about his ideas. 

“The plan is…” He shut his eyes for a moment, focusing on the battle sounds on the other side of the wall. It was only the noise of weapons meeting at impact and the occasional reaction from the crowds when an attack got too close. An image of Sara flashed across his mind, and then a feeling of elation rose inside of him. He quickly opened his eyes, instantly followed by opening his fist where there was nothing. “That there is no plan! C’mon, boys!” 

Itto jumped towards the wall, somehow climbing up. His three followers stared in astonishment. Jan and Ken cheered him on, while Pon just gaped until his boss reached the top. 

Throwing his hands over the wall, Itto lifted the top half of himself over the wall, legs still dangling in the air. His eyes darted towards the entrance, where the guards were still distracted by the training that they didn’t even notice him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. 

Tch. 

Itto’s red orbs followed their gazes, leading him to see Sara and the traveler standing a few feet apart from one another, anticipating what the other was going to do next. Sara, having her arrow already nocked and drawn, was studying the traveler’s slow movements. From the way he held the grip of his sword, loosening his grasp on it momentarily for a quick rest before tightening his hold once more, preparing for an attack; the pattern of his breathing, counting how long he would exhale and inhale for, and even down to his posture. His shoulders were tense, yet showed no signs of exhaustion, and one foot pointed towards Sara, as he contemplated on if he should strike first, while the other pointed sideways, in case Sara had shot instead, which would then result in him having to dodge first. 

For what felt like an eternity, neither of them had moved.

The tension in the air only grew as they both stood there, waiting, anticipating, and pondering on what may happen next. 

However, Itto’s patience grew thin. Just watching them stand there irritated him. 

Is this really what the tengu warrior considers as training? How boring.  

Positioning himself on the coping of the wall, his feet trying to grip as much as he can so as not to lose his balance, Itto squatted down, gathering the strength to his bottom half in order to get enough momentum to leap high enough towards Sara and the traveler. Once ready, he jumped. 

“Watch out!” He barked loud enough that everyone’s head immediately turned in his direction, including the traveler and Sara. “Itto’s comin’ through!” 

“Arataki Itto!” a few of the guards shouted, obviously not happy with his sudden appearance. 

“This idiot…!” Sara mumbled in annoyance under her breath as she loosened her arrow. 

In the space between Sara and Aether, Itto dealt a rough landing, his feet deeply engraving into the ground. The dirt and leaves that surrounded him blew away.  

With his back facing Sara, Itto raised himself up, his red orbs staring directly into the golden orbs of the traveler before him. His traveling companion rushed to his side, hiding behind him in fear, while Aether blocked her with one arm and tightened the grip on his sword. 

With crossed arms, Itto spoke up first. “Just who are you?”

Paimon replied with hesitation, “Uh, we’re–”

“Don’t care!” He retorted. 

Stomping the air, Paimon no longer felt any fear but was rather irate about his rude interruption. “Then why would you ask!?” 

Ignoring Paimon’s question, Itto turned on his heel. He faced the reason he was there in the first place: Kujou Sara. His full attention was on her, and he couldn’t help but grin when she immediately drew her arrow back, aiming it straight at him. 

“You do realize that you’re trespassing on property that belongs to the Tenryou Commission, right, Crimson Oni?” She scowled. 

“And? That hasn’t stopped me before, Tengu Warrior.” He reached behind him, trying to pull out something from under his short-sleeved coat. 

Huffing, assuming that he was here for that rematch, Sara shouted, “Guards!”

Within an instant, the guards had rushed to surround Itto. 

“Hands up, oni!” One guard shouted, pointing his spear at the oni.

“No!” Unison yelling came from behind the guards in the same direction of the entrance. Pummeling their way through the crowd of guards, going as far as to even shove some of them to the ground, Jan, Ken, and Pon had made their way to the center of the assemblage. 

“Boss!” Jan and Ken cried, throwing themselves towards their boss. “Let’s get outta here, boss!” 

“What? Why!?” Itto questioned as he shoved their heads away from him in their attempt to embrace him. 

“Otherwise you’ll just get arrested again, boss! The Arataki Gang can’t lose you again — it’ll be the seventh arrest this month!” 

“No way! I’ve got business to finish here!” His look shot towards Sara. “You may have won last time, General Kujou, but don’t you dare think that’ll happen a… second… time…” His voice trailed off as his gaze moved down from her eyes to her right shoulder, the one that was pulling back her arrow. Her shoulder was wrapped in bandages, though mostly hidden from her clothes. 

Sara was still recovering.

The raven-haired woman took immediate notice of where his eyes trailed off to and quickly loosened her bow, holding the bow and arrow with one hand while the other grabbed the edge of the white top, pulling it down in order to cover the bandage. If the traveler and soldiers around them had seen it, they would have surely pushed for her to return to her quarters and rest, but she just couldn’t. 

A week and three days were too long for her to not return to work and training. Even with some tension still in her shoulder, she had decided she’d ignore it no matter what. 

But now, not only did this loudmouth oni trespass onto Tenryou Commission and cause a stir in the middle of her training, he had taken notice of her wound and would surely mention it, even if it was just to ridicule her. 

When Sara noticed Itto opening his mouth to speak, she glared at him in order to get him to shut up, but before he could manage a word, the one gang member that wasn’t clinging to him had spoken. 

“Boss!” Pon panicked. While his words were directed towards Itto, Pon’s eyes were looking in the opposite direction, outside of the entrance. “Deputy Kuki is heading in this direction right now!” 

“What!?” He pushed his two other men away from him, taking a few steps forward in disbelief. He turned his head towards Sara once more, who had already looked away with her ears going a little red, clearly embarrassed. 

When she felt his eyes on her, she yelled, “Just go, idiot oni!” 

This is not how he had hoped today would go. 

Itto hadn’t even come here to fight anyone. He just wanted to find out who the traveler was and why.

Why did he get to be the training partner?

And why did Sara pick to train with the traveler and not Itto? 

His eyes shifted between the guards, the traveler, his men, and Sara, unsure of what he could say or do that could allow him to stay, but knew it was best to leave. His crewmates were obviously too concerned about him getting himself thrown in jail again for them to leave him be, and if he lingered around for another second, he probably would get apprehended. There were enough men to stop him and all eyes were on him, not on their general, who had a wound. 

This angered him, but he knew Sara — regardless of how often they fought — he knew she’d be okay. 

As long as he didn’t cause her more trouble for the time being, which would only put her injury at risk, then she’d be okay. 

He let out a frustrated sigh.

“Fine!” He boomed. “But this ain’t over until I say it is and I will get that rematch someday, got it?” 

With that, he took off and his men followed. 

Racing past Sara, he turned around instantly, retrieving whatever he had tried to take out earlier, and yelled towards the tengu woman. 

“Oh! One more thing, General Kujou,” she turned to face him, but before making eye contact, he had already tossed what was in his hand at her. It hit her tengu mask, falling onto her shoulder and then sliding off of it. She caught it with her hands before it could hit the floor. 

It was a handcrafted onikabuto. 

He pointed at her hand. “You better take care of that!” 

Pon stared in surprise at what he saw. He recognized the materials that were used to create the hand-crafted onikabuto. It was the same materials that Itto was going to use in order to make the bug-fighting arena. Materials that took Itto weeks to gather and preciously cared for as if it was gold. He’d give anyone a hard time if they even touched any piece by accident, yet he gave them up in order to create something for Kujou Sara — someone that the three gang members had seen as Itto’s number one enemy. 

They were wrong.

Clearing his throat, Pon called out towards Sara, who was staring at the item in her hand with the same look of surprise as everyone else around them. 

“Madam Kujou, he won’t say it, but the boss was really worried about you!”

“Shut up, will ya!?” Itto waved his hands towards Pon while yelling at him, urging him to start running, too.

Sara looked up, seeing that Itto’s cheeks were a faint shade of red. 

Without looking back, they left the Tenryou Commission, and halfway down the bridge that led into the city, Itto turned to face Pon again before talking.   

“Wait a sec, where’s Shinobu at, Pon?”

“Oh, u-uh,” He stammered, avoiding eye contact with his boss as they ran. “That may have been a lie to get you to leave faster.”

“What!?”

“I’m sorry, boss!” 

Itto and the others raced into the city, sprinting as fast as they could – his men in fear and Itto in anger. The three gang members were running away from their boss as he chased after them, yelling loud enough for those in the training ground to still hear him even when they disappeared from sight. His voice grew fainter and fainter until it had entirely disappeared. 

Paimon and traveler, entirely confused by everything that had just happened, stared at each other with a look of puzzlement. 

“Uh, what was all of that about?” Paimon asked with shrugged shoulders. 

Aether just shook his head at her, equally matching her state of confusion. 

They both looked at Sara. 

Her eyes were still staring at the ornament that had fallen into her hands. 

“Traveler,” Sara started, still not looking at them. It didn’t take long for Aether to notice how red her ears were. “I ask that you forget about everything that happened today, especially that last part. Now, if you’ll excuse me,” she turned and headed towards the door into the headquarters building. Her face was entirely flushed, much deeper than a rose. “I think I will return to my room and rest longer. Thank you for everything today.” 

Watching the door close shut behind her, Paimon turned back to Aether, who was already heading off.

“You know, something tells Paimon that Sara didn’t really hate that oni guy being here.” 

Smiling, Aether nodded in agreement. “I think so too, Paimon.”

Inside, Sara rushed to the room that she was staying in, for now, closing the door as fast as she could. Possibly drawing more attention to herself by accident, but she didn’t care. Throwing her back against the door, Sara slid down to the floor slowly. She placed one of her hands on her cheek, feeling how hot it was while the other gripped the handmade onikabuto that Itto made for her. 

Analyzing it again, she felt her face get warmer. 

Despite how rushed and chaotically it arranged together, she could tell he created it with good intentions, with care, despite how his attitude and behavior make him seem to be most of the time. Regardless, she didn’t need this crafted piece to know he was a good-hearted person, although it was only when he wanted to be. She’s heard the stories from the kids and other villagers. His rowdiness and overly arrogant words were only ever towards soldiers of the Tenryou Commission, especially during the Vision Hunt Decree, but rarely towards the elders and children, even after taking their snacks. 

The amount of trouble he caused her specifically compared to the rest of her commission, made Sara believe they were meant to hate each other. 

But this gift made her think so otherwise now.

She’d have to return the generosity to him at some point, and she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to see him again.

But for the time being, considering how they rushed off property, Itto was probably long gone by now at one of the many places he’d often hang out at, more than likely giving his team members an earful since he clearly wasn’t happy when leaving. She wasn’t entirely sure what he was furious about, but decided she’d give him some time and space for him to calm down first.

She’d thank him once they met again, but only after making sure it was just him as to not get teased by his followers, and maybe — just maybe — she’ll gift him something in return.

I know he frequents Hanamizaka often, but when would be a good time to go then?

She pondered for a moment before finalizing her decision — three days. 

She’ll meet him in three days, and perhaps then can they talk without fighting and bond without titles or differences. 

In three days, she can just be Sara and he can just be Itto.