Chapter Text
Dendrobium/血石華
A vibrant plant that has also been named "lycoris" by the poets. Rumor has it that these plants are watered using blood. The bloodier and more brutal the battlefield, the more lovely the dendrobium blooms shall be. Inazumans believe that the souls of the fallen shall follow the winding paths of the bloodied dendrobiums into the next life, thus rejoining the eternal elemental cycle.
But as for those who doubt or are perplexed by "eternity," they shall be shackled to the earth, becoming another enchantingly red flower amid the vermillion fields.
He barely made it through the door before he collapsed on the floor. His chest heaved as he coughed up bright red petals, his throat scratched by the stamens. He wasn’t sure how long this episode would last, but he forced himself to breathe as his body seized. Just as suddenly as his attack came, though, it stopped. His chest opened up and he sat back, panting heavily. He regarded the pool of red on the floor with unfocused eyes. After a moment, he picked up the petals with shaky hands, disposing of them as quickly as possible.
Gorou was used to episodes like these. The dendrobiums he coughed up were his closest companions, with him no matter where he went. The stems had rooted in his lungs and wrapped around his heart. Pain was his most consistent bedmate. It had been a while since he felt his body being overtaken. With the frequency of his episodes and the aching in his chest, he was sure that he would one day be more flower than person.
After all, he knew the cause of his condition. And he knew that there was no cure for this.
🜁🜃
The Divine Priestess’s face was stoic as she surveyed the scenes around her. Although Traveler had already beaten Kujou Sara’s team in a duel, the situation was still precarious. It didn’t take long for the scenario to turn dangerous, the Shogun’s army rushing in from all angles. It took Gorou a moment to load his bow and shoot, his keen senses allowing him to dodge the threats that surrounded him. He thought his heart might burst out of his chest as he gritted his teeth and notched another arrow in his bow. He could see Traveler with their sword not too far away, a swirl of elemental reactions plowing through the Shogun’s army. He could see Her Excellency focused on healing, the blue waves around her sparkling under the harsh sun.
Gorou tried to run to her, but his body moved of its own accord, dodging a sword that was coming his way. He hit the soldier with the end of his bow, then stuck an arrow through the chinks of his armor. He was ready to move on to the next person when he winced, a burning sensation rippling through his stomach. He looked down to see a gash across his abdomen. He bared his fangs as a reflex and growled, but the soldier was already dead. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and he turned away, attempting once again to reach the Divine Priestess.
“General!” he heard a faint voice call. His ears twitched in the direction of the sound. The source was a soldier battling two samurai on her own, sweat and blood covering her face. Gorou unleashed his General’s Glory, then notched another arrow and pulled the bow string back, forcing his shoulders to relax. He let the arrow fly, an infusion of Geo and force piercing through one of the samurai’s foreheads. He bought her enough time to fight back, but she was clearly injured. He took a step forward and immediately convulsed.
No, he thought. Not now, please not now. He covered his mouth, bright red petals spilling out of the orifice into his hands. He bowed his head and clenched his fists, praying to an unknown entity for this to end. The gash on his stomach was bleeding even more profusely, and he could feel iron spikes piercing through his insides. His ears tilted, and he could hear something rushing towards him with murderous intent, but the pain rendered him unable to move. Perhaps this was how his life would end. At least he would die in battle knowing he attempted to defend his troops.
He waited for the blow that would finally put him out of his misery, but the additional pain did not come.
“General Gorou!” he heard a shrill voice exclaim. His eyes widened. The Divine Priestess stood by him, her jellyfish revolving around him. He could feel his chest ease as the cool water flowed his through his body, a temporary respite. The wound on his stomach stopped bleeding. He forced himself to stand up. Dendrobiums decorated the blood-soaked soil, the petals appearing vibrant. Sangonomiya Kokomi looked down at him, her clear blue eyes lingering on the petals. Panic coursed through him momentarily, but the priestess remained silent. She offered her gloved hand to the general.
“Thank you, Sangonomiya-sama,” he said in a hoarse voice.
She pursed her lips, her ethereal face covered in dirt and sweat. “Go,” she said. “Protect your troops.”
Gorou bowed his head and notched his bow, running in the opposite direction from his mistress. He jumped over the body of a soldier and winced. There were too many casualties on their side. While General Kujou commanded her troops with confidence, the numbers never dwindling on her side, the rebels had reached their limits. He let an arrow fly and growled.
Then the wind shifted, and his body tensed.
A familiar scent mingled with the stench of blood, and it took him a moment to recover when he saw the flash of silver hair that passed him. War cries rang around him, and he looked around in shock as reinforcements flooded the battlefield, drawing back the Shogun’s troops. A tall woman with long brown hair and an eyepatch stood next to the short boy with silver hair, his red streak resembling spilled blood. The two fought side by side, a flurry of Electro and Anemo swirling through the air. The brunette woman –a pirate? – yelled at the top of her lungs in a different language. Her own fighters yelled in return. The energy shifted immediately, morale boosting in a matter of seconds.
Then the silver-haired boy turned around, his gaze connecting with Gorou’s, and he felt the world around him freeze. “Kazuha!” Gorou exclaimed.
Kazuha smiled softly. “We meet again, old friend.” Then he turned and flicked his wrist skillfully, his sword slashing through enemy combatants.
Gorou could feel his lips breaking into a smile. His heart ached again, his breathing shallowing, and he worried he would have another episode. The convulsions never came, although he felt lighthearted from blood loss. He forced himself to breathe, then sent an arrow flying through someone’s helmet.
He could hear the clear voice of General Kujou ringing through the battlefield, ordering a retreat. As more bodies fell on the opposing side, evening out the playing field, he felt his spirits soar. He heard Traveler call out a name, Paimon squealing in excitement. As the sounds of battle dwindled, drowned out by the roars of his soldiers pushing the battle lines, he resisted the urge to run to the newcomers. He saw the Divine Priestess put her hands together, a burst of Hydro coating the battlefield. Exhaustion was threaded through her brows, but she took a deep breath and yelled. “Soldiers! Fall back!”
Gorou howled as the soldiers fell into line, relief and pride brightening their battle-worn faces. Traveler stood with the newcomers, the woman wrapping them in a headlock. Then she ruffled Kazuha’s hair; he offered her a small smile in return. Gorou’s heart thumped painfully, causing him to wince. He turned to the priestess only to see that she was already looking at him. Even in her disheveled state she was majestic, but there was an unusually blank expression on her face as she regarded him. She glanced at him for a moment, then gazed directly at Kazuha. She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded.
“Go,” she said softly.
“Sangonomiya-sama?”
“Go,” she said again, firmer this time. “Go to them.”
He hesitated for a second, then nodded. “Thank you,” he bowed. Then he ran, his ears twitching in excitement, his tail wagging behind him. The moment Kazuha spotted him coming, his face broke into a smile.
“Gorou!” he exclaimed in his soft voice.
“Kazuha,” Gorou exhaled, his heart beating painfully in his chest. His arms moved of their own accord, wrapping around Kazuha’s neck and embracing him tightly. He took in the familiar scents of crisp wind and sake, earth and flowers. When he realized that he was subconsciously squeezing his body, his neck burned in embarrassment. He moved to pull back when Kazuha’s arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him closer.
“It’s been so long,” he whispered.
Gorou swallowed painfully, the scratches in his throat from the flowers burning viciously. “Too long,” he said. “I was worried you’d never come back.”
Kazuha laughed and pulled back. “I honestly wasn’t planning to, but … this is my home. I can’t let my family fight alone.”
Family. He said it so simply, with so much affection. Gorou smiled, then flinched when the tall woman coughed into her fist. “Soooo,” she nudged Kazuha. “You wanna introduce us to your little friend?” she asked in a boisterous voice. Her smile was contagious, Gorou thought.
“Ah, right. My apologies.” He gestured to the woman. “Gorou, this is Captain Beidou. She’s the captain of the Alcor. Her ship is floating in the waters somewhere, and these are her sailors. She is the one who helped me escape from here; I owe her my life.” He then looked at the woman and gestured to Gorou. “Anegimi, this is General Gorou, my good friend. He commands the Watatsumi rebel troops.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” she said, offering her hand, a warm grin on her face.
Gorou accepted it. Her grasp was firm and solid, and her hands were warm and callused. It was clear that she was strong, and if Kazuha respected her, she was definitely someone worth looking up to. Paimon giggled and everyone turned towards Traveler, who smiled.
“Guess we’re all acquainted,” they said, their haggard face riddled with amusement.
Beidou laughed and ruffled their hair. Suddenly, she pulled away from Traveler and reached out towards Gorou. She grasped his shoulder and held him at arm’s length.
“You’ve been hurt, kiddo,” she frowned.
He looked down at his abdomen. In the rush of things, he had forgotten about his injury. Sangonomiya-sama had healed it enough to stop bleeding and prevent infection, but it would require proper treatment to completely close. Gorou shook his head. “I’ll get it checked out. Thank you, Beidou-sama.”
She raised her eyebrow at him, then shook her head. “You kids need to go heal up. I’ll gather my sailors to assist your soldiers.” She turned her head then paused, an intrigued expression filling her face. Gorou followed her sights and froze. Kazuha was staring at him in concern, his arms crossed. When he noticed that his they had gone quiet and were looking at him, he cleared his throat and looked down.
“You’re right,” he said. “There’s a lot to be done right now. We’ll have time to catch up later.”
He gestured to the group and immediately set to work. Gorou took his place with the Divine Priestess. She was uncharacteristically stoic, her body language closed off and prickly. She healed without a word, going through person after person as Gorou brought them in. He noticed the sweat beading her forehead, her body exuding heat. Concern flooded him and he leaned down to touch her hand. She looked at him in surprise, but he needed to be firm.
“Sangonomiya-sama,” he started, “you need to take a break. If you keep expending yourself like this, you’ll end up permanently hurting yourself.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have time to take a break. There are people who need my help.”
He took her hands in his. “There are other healers here as well. Take a break. You won’t be of any help to anyone if you’re out of commission.”
She pursed her lips. “General, I understand you’re being cautious, but I can take care of myself.”
“But –” He didn’t have the chance to finish his statement. His body convulsed and he fell to his knees. His chest constricted, tendrils of pain seeping through his body. Why now? he thought as he threw up. The dendrobium petals seemed to glow gently amidst the bile.
“General!” the priestess exclaimed. She covered his body with hers, frantically trying to get him away from the active healers in the infirmary. He heard Traveler call his name and tried to turn away. Luckily, Sangonomiya-sama took care of it, and soon he found himself in a room full of solely unconscious people. He couldn’t breathe or speak, and when the flowers stopped raking up his throat, he coughed up blood. He didn’t notice that Kokomi was trying to heal him until his vision cleared, tears streaming down her face.
He grabbed her wrists. “It’s okay,” he rasped out. “You don’t have to do more.”
She gritted her teeth. “How could I not? You are my most trusted companion.” She bowed her head. “I knew there was something wrong, but I didn’t want to ask because I thought you would tell me. I didn’t … I didn’t think it was this.”
Gorou coughed, his throat hoarse. “I’ll be okay. It will be okay. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“How long?” she whispered. “How long have you had the disease?”
Gorou looked down. “A year.”
“And it’s progressed this badly?” she asked, shock lacing her voice. “You can usually survive it for years! How strong is your love for this person?”
He squeezed his eyes shut, Kazuha’s face illuminated through his memory. “They give me a reason to continue living.”
When he looked up, despair marred Sangonomiya-sama’s face. She took a deep breath. “You are hereby required to take a leave of absence until further notice.”
A charged silence descended between them. “My Priestess, I can’t –”
“You are hereby required to take a leave of absence until further notice,” she repeated firmly. “Any violation of this order will be regarded as treason.”
“Sangonomiya-sama!” he exclaimed, then broke down coughing, a wave of dizziness flooding through him. She quickly pressed two fingers against his throat, but he pushed her wrist away. He wiped his mouth, blood smeared on the back of his hand. He shook his head. “I will respect your orders, but only after this war is won. I will not let you fight this alone.”
She slammed her fist against the floor. “Who knows when this war will be over! Who knows if you will survive that long?” she yelled, her voice breaking.
Gorou clenched his jaw. “My Priestess, I respect you and your decision. But I will not leave in the middle of this war. I am a general. I have a responsibility to my troops. Death is inevitable, whether I die in battle or to disease.” He held his hand up to cut her off from speaking. “I will gladly pay for my disrespect later. But I am very insistent about this, Sangonomiya-sama.”
Never in his life had he ever seen the Divine Priestess look so dejected. His heart ached at the fact that he was the cause of this, but he simply bowed his head. “I will serve you until the day I die. Please don’t push me away.”
She swallowed hard and pressed their foreheads together, rubbing behind his ears. “I won’t.”