Work Text:
“Welcome back, Almighty Shogun!”
I stare intently at the girl standing before me dressed in red-and-white shrine maiden robes. Her fox ears are the same pale gold as the blonde curls they are folded shyly against.
Her hands fidget in her sleeves as she quietly asks, “Would you like dinner first or a bath?”
“You.”
“Eh—!?”
She froze, ears standing straight up as I pulled her in close, gently tilting her chin upwards.
“I want you.”
A cute pink blush bloomed across her face and she screwed her eyes shut as I leaned in and—
“Amaya, what are you writing?”
“AHH!!”
The Shogun, the real one, let out a panicked yelp as she shoved the scroll she had been working on to the side and covered it with her sleeve. Amaya did her best to regain her composure in the face of Yui’s curious gaze. “Just some reports. Top secret ones. Very confidential.”
Luckily, Yui seemed satisfied by her answer. “Alright. Just don’t work too hard, okay? I worry about you sometimes…”
Well, as both the Electro Archon and the Shogun who governed the nation of Inazuma, being busy was just part of the job description. Especially since she had just returned from about five centuries of seclusion and had a lot of catching up to do.
Amaya feigned a smile. But yes, working. That’s exactly what she had been doing.
“Anyway,” Yui continued, “I wanted to cheer you up since you looked so tired, so I made your favorite Unagi Chazuke.”
Amaya’s face immediately lit up. “Yay! My favorite Unagi Chazuke!”
Yui giggled at her reaction. “It’s on the table in the kitchen. Make sure you eat it before it gets cold.”
“Wait, you’re not staying?” Amaya called, as Yui turned to leave.
She smiled back at her regretfully. “Something came up at the shrine.”
“Oh…”
Amaya tried not to sound too disappointed. As the head priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine, Yui had plenty of her own duties to attend to. She was already grateful that she could find time to stop by and make her a meal.
Perhaps it was the loneliness, but somehow even her favorite dish made by her most beloved person tasted bland today.
Amaya knew that she was being selfish. As much as she wanted Yui to be her kitsune alone, she would always be the head priestess first and foremost. Unlike how she had spent the last five hundred years hiding from the world, Yui had stayed and built a name for herself. It probably wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the people of Inazuma put more trust in their head priestess than they would a long-absentee Shogun.
Which was why she relied on Yui so much now. Both to help catch her up with everything she had missed, and to readjust to life outside the Plane of Euthymia. So she knew she had to work hard so she wouldn’t be a burden on her.
Once she’d finished eating, Amaya was back at her desk. This time, to do actual work. But no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t focus on the documents in front of her. It was like the words were swimming off the pages, making it feel like her head might split open if she kept going.
Eventually, she was forced to admit defeat and collapsed into bed. Even the Almighty Shogun could fall victim to the common cold, after all. At least that explained how Yui’s cooking of all things could ever be tasteless…
At some point in her fever-induced delirium, Amaya could have sworn she heard Yui’s voice.
“It’ll be alright, Amaya. I’m here. I went to Ritou and bought some Calla Lilies to make you some Rainbow Aster. Drink it. It’ll make you feel better.”
Amaya could only manage a quiet whimper as she strained towards the voice, not having the strength to sit up.
“Please, Amaya? You need to drink this to get better…”
Well, there was one possible method for when a patient couldn’t swallow on their own. But it wasn’t anything Amaya would ever dare ask of Yui, even if she really was here…
“Wha, you want me to—!? …Well, if that’s the only way…”
Just then, Amaya felt a soft press against her lips and a cool sweetness trickled down her throat. The sudden reprieve from the heat of her fever sent a shock through her core. Her eyes flew open to see Yui leaning over her with a slight blush across her cheeks and her own eyes shut firmly in determination.
Heat surged up Amaya’s head once more, and she promptly passed out for good.
***
It was quite a while before Amaya finally began to stir, still feeling quite dazed but much better. Just how sick had she been to actually hallucinate those ridiculous situations she wrote about in secret? And so vividly too… In fact, it was like she could still taste that refreshing sweetness even now…
“Ah, Amaya! You’re finally awake!”
Amaya sat bolt upright, heart nearly leaping out of her chest when she saw who was sitting at her bedside.
Yui immediately moved forward to ease her back down. “Don’t sit up so quickly. You haven’t fully recovered.”
Amaya swallowed, the proximity reminding her of the delusions her fevered brain had created. “Yui…when did you get here?”
“I came as soon as I heard you were unwell,” Yui explained. “Though, I had to stop by Ritou first.”
“Ritou…?” It was then that Amaya noticed the empty glass and basket of herbs left to the side. Her throat grew dry as a realization began to dawn on her. “Calla Lillies…Rainbow Aster…that was…real?”
Yui’s smile was the only confirmation she needed. “I’m just glad it worked. I made you some Udon Noodles too. That should help you get your strength back. Wait right there”
Amaya sat there huddled under the blankets as Yui headed off to the kitchen. She slowly brushed her fingers against her lips, that lingering sweetness still fresh in her mind. “...Was all of it real?”
“Hm?”
“Well…” But before Amaya could find the words to explain, she noticed something lying next to where Yui had been sitting. A scroll. A very familiar one.
Amaya picked it up and unfurled it, her horror growing as she was greeted by none other than her own handwriting from earlier.
“Would you like dinner first or a bath?”
“You.”
“Eh—!?”
“I want you.”
“What did you want to ask?”
Amaya very slowly looked up as Yui returned with the bowl of udon, the fried tofu and sakura-shaped fish cake toppings glistening with golden soup. “Um…you didn’t actually read this…did you?”
Yui sat back down beside her, her expression betraying nothing. “I did.”
“....H-how much?”
“All of it.”
Amaya felt like she might as well go ahead and faint again. “A-all of it?”
“You were asleep for quite a long time.”
Amaya hung her head, silent as she processed what this would mean for them. That scroll contained every fantasy she’d ever had about the head priestess, whom she’d harbored feelings for for who knows how long. Most of which she had never wanted to see the light of day. With that all out in the open, maybe it would be better if she just went back into the Plane of Euthymia for another five centuries.
“It was cute. Who would have thought that our mighty Shogun would have a side like this to her?”
Amaya had to be imagining things again. “Wh-what?”
The smile Yui gave her was one that she only used on the rarest of occasions. One that showed a glimpse of the vulpine nature hidden just under the surface of that seemingly sweet and innocent exterior.
“If you ask nicely, maybe we can try out a few other things that were in that scroll.”
Amaya gulped, heat creeping up her face. Maybe it was true what the legends said about how kitsune could grant any wish you desired. “P-pretty please…Yui?”
Yui laughed as she brought a spoon up to feed her. “Hehe, good girl.”
Amaya stared in wonder as she swallowed a mouthful of noodles that warmed her to the very core. If it meant seeing that smile, maybe Amaya wouldn’t mind feeling like a useless Shogun every once in a while.